Gun owners object to I-594 on the basis that they think it results in gun registration. They seem to think it could result in their guns being seized for no reason. There is no record of that happening, but gun owners are hysterical about it just the same.
We have car registration. When you sell your car to someone else, you transfer the title. If the buyer commits a crime with that car, you cannot be held responsible because you have a record that you ceased ownership of that car on a certain date. You are protected from prosecution by having that record.
If you sell a gun without having a background check to prove you sold that gun legally, you have no way to prove that wasn’t your gun if the buyer decides to kill someone with it. If you have a document that says you parted company with the gun at a certain date and time with a legal buyer, you are protected from being prosecuted for a crime committed with that gun after the date and time of sale. If not, you are up the creek without a paddle. And so-called law-abiding gun owners think it’s a good thing for innocent people to be charged with committing violent crimes, why, exactly?
Jody Harnish
Everett
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