In a proposal that can only be described as a radical assault on our civil rights, Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has introduced H.R. 127, the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act.
According to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), if passed, H.R. 127 would: “IMPOSE Licensing of Firearms and Ammunition for Possession of any firearm or ammunition.
IMPOSE an additional license to DISPLAY an Antique Firearm in the HOME.
IMPOSE an additional license for Possession of ‘Military Style Weapons.’
IMPOSE mandated Firearm Liability INSURANCE with a yearly fee of $800 payable to the US Attorney General.
IMPOSE a detailed Federal Firearm Registration System to which THE PUBLIC, all Federal, State and Local law enforcement, all governments, and all branches of the US Armed Forces has complete access.”
H.R. 127 doesn’t stop there. It also mandates that an American must be at least 21 years of age to own a firearm. Each firearm owner would also need to undergo a criminal background check, to complete a minimum 24-Hour “training course” certified by the U.S. attorney general, and to “undergo a psychological evaluation.”
That evaluation, according to the text of H.R 127, includes giving a licensed psychologist the ability to interview “any spouse of the individual [gun owner], any former spouse of the individual, and at least 2 other persons who are a member of the family of, or an associate of, the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional, and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms.”
In addition to the above-mentioned $800 annual fee for liability insurance, a firearms owner would also have to pay unspecified amounts for the numerous firearms licenses required. The gun owner would also pay for the mandated training course and psychological evaluation.
The financial burden on individual gun owners would easily be thousands of dollars to start and unspecified amounts thereafter.
H.R. 127 could also turn millions of law-abiding gun owners into felons.
As the NRA-ILA noted, violating H.R. 127 provisions can result in a fine “of not less than $75,000 and not more than $100,000, imprisoned not less than 15 years and not more than 25 years, or both, except that if the transferee of the firearm possess or uses the firearm during or in relation to a crime, an unintentional shooting, or suicide, the transferor shall be fined not less than $100,000 and not more than $150,000, imprisoned not less than 25 years and not more than 40 years, or both.”
Political pundits give H.R. 127 little chance of passing. Yet, as Reason.com noted, H.R. 127, “reflects a broader mindset in the Democratic Party, which used to at least pay lip service to the Second Amendment but lately talks and acts as if it does not exist. After promising to respect the Second Amendment in 2004, 2008, and 2012, the Democrats erased the constitutional provision from their 2016 platform, although they did mention ‘the rights of responsible gun owners.’ The 2020 platform omitted even that phrase.”
For someone who wants to pass firearms legislation, Jackson Lee’s knowledge of firearms is breathtakingly limited. As Townhall noted in 2019, Rep. Lee told reporters, “I held an AR-15 in my hand. I wish I hadn't. It is as heavy as 10 boxes that you might be moving. And the bullet that is utilized, a .50 caliber, these kind of bullets need to be licensed and do not need to be on the street.”
Sounds like someone needs an actual education in firearms—as well as a civics lesson on the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment.
