Gun owners are commonly criticized for an 'irrational' fear of gun registration. So, why am I against gun registration? Lets look at the two main problems with gun registration. The first reason is the way in which registration is applied, and the second has to do with the history and agenda of those who would limit our freedom.

First, something you rarely hear about, is that registration doesn't apply to convicts and criminals who illegally possess firearms. The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in Haynes v. US - 1968, that requiring a convicted felon to register a firearm that it is illegal for him to possess is a violation of the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. That means that only law abiding citizens would be required to register their firearms, and that only law abiding citizens could be prosecuted for not registering their firearms.

Since it would be impossible to prevent a normally law abiding citizen from turning to a life of crime, what would be the point. The money is better spent fighting actual crime. In addition, anyone who is going to commit a premeditated crime is not likely to obey registration laws any way.

The second reason for opposing gun registration, is that history has shown that gun registration tends to lead to confiscation. Gun owners are constantly pressured to give up some of their freedom, with no guarantee that more of their freedom won't be taken away in the future. In fact, if you listen to die hard gun control fanatics, they'll freely admit that their ultimate goal is a total gun ban. The slow erosion of gun rights is simply their modus operandi.

The goal is an ultimate ban on all guns, but we also have to take a step at a time and go for limited access first.
--- Joyner Sims, Florida State Health Dept., Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1993

These fears are also supported by historical facts. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK have all used firearms registries to confiscate firearms. In the US, both New York City and the Peoples Republic of California have used firearm registration to locate and confiscate lawfully owned firearms. New York City enacted registration of long guns in 1967, and in the 1990s used the registry to confiscate semi automatic rifles and shotguns. In the late 1980s and 1990s, California revoked a 'grace period' for certain types of rifles, and then used the registry of current owners for confiscation.

The sad reality is that special interests routinely whittle away at gun rights to further their agenda. Some of them brazenly admit their goal of a total gun ban, all the while criticizing law abiding gun owners for being 'paranoid'. Perhaps now, the next time gun owners oppose yet another gun restriction, you'll understand why.
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