H.R. 45, called “Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009” is being brought to us by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL). Simply put, the law will require a license to own a “qualifying” firearm. A qualifying firearm is defined as every handgun as well as any semi-auto firearm that has a “removable magazine.”

If the bill becomes law, every one of us who already owns a qualifying firearm must apply for a special federal license in order to keep the firearm and stay within the law.

I’ll get into more about the bill later, but first let’s take a look at Rep. Bobbie Rush, the man responsible for this travesty. Following are a few selected tidbits from his biography.

The Author/Sponsor

First elected to the house in 1992, he represents Illinois 1^st Congressional District, located principally on the South Side of Chicago – yes, another Chicago politician. His district is a minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African Americans (65%) than any other congressional district in the nation.

He enlisted in the army in 1963 and joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (remember them?) in 1966 while stationed in Chicago.

He went AWOL in 1968 and co-founded the state’s Black Panther Party. His connection to the Black Panther Party began unraveling shortly after a 1969 police raid resulted in the death of two Black Panthers. Rush had left only hours before the raid. If you have any question about the Black Panthers’ ideology, try this link to their Ten-Point Program:

http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1966/10/15.htm.

Isn’t it ironic that Bobby Rush, who supposedly was a co-founder of the Black Panthers, apparently doesn’t buy into Point 7 of his own Ten-Point Program in which it’s stated that, “The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self-defense.”

I saw nothing in H.R. 45 exempting black folks from the licensing requirements – maybe Bobby expects to add an amendment to exempt New Black Panther Party members from its requirements?

Bobby Rush was the “defense secretary” of the black panthers. His own son was a gang banger who got himself killed. Bobby’s nephew killed a guy in a drug deal and in 1969 and Bobby himself served six months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm.

He introduced a bill in 1993 that would have banned handguns for anyone not in law enforcement.

He was a co-sponsor of legislation that calls for congressional hearings to weigh whether the government should provide restitution to descendents of slaves – also see Point 3, one of the tenets of the Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program.

The American Conservative Union gave his 2005 voting record 4 points out of a possible 100, while the liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him 100 points (out of 100).

This is the man who was responsible for the introduction of H.R. 45 on the first day of the current session – thought you should know.

The Bill

Thanks to Bobbie’s publishing the link on the Message Board, the full text of the bill can be found at:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text

H.R. 45 is essentially a reintroduction of H.R. 2666, which Rush introduced in 2007.  H.R. 2666 contained much of the same language as H.R. 45, and was co-sponsored by sixteen well-known anti-gun legislators - including Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, Charlie Rangel, Barbara Lee, Dennis Kucinich, Alcee Hastings, and Jesse Jackson – the usual suspects.

H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors. 

The bill requires (under penalty of fines and/or imprisonment) each gun owner to apply for a special federal license. To secure the license, the applicant must supply a passport-type photograph, name, address, and place of birth, a thumb print, a certification that any firearm will be safely stored and out of possession of persons under the age of 18, an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative any mental health records pertaining to the applicant and finally, must be dated and signed by the applicant.

Next, the applicant must pass a written firearms exam, testing the knowledge and ability of the applicant regarding safe storage, safe handling, the use of firearms in the home and associated risks, the legal responsibilities of firearms owners as required by all applicable Federal, State, and local laws. And, as if that weren’t enough, any other subject as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate.

Then, if you manage to pass through all of the filters imposed by the bill, you’re issued a tamper-resistant license good for five years. The original fee for securing a license is “not to exceed” $25.00. There is no limit specified for a renewal – supposed they decided to increase the renewal fee to $1,000?

The bill makes it illegal to sell or receive, deliver or otherwise transfer, a qualifying firearm to anyone who is not a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, collector, or individual. A sale or transfer must go through a licensed dealer who verifies (through contact with the Attorney General) that the receiving party is licensed. A record of the sale or transfer must contain a tracking number issued by the Attorney General as evidence that the transaction has been verified through the licensing system.

The records created by a sale or transfer will include all information necessary to identify the firearm, the name of the individual who is transferring the firearm and the name of the transferee.

And get this - HR 45 has an innocent-looking line that says “strike the second sentence of 18 USC 926(a).” That's the line that says the federal government cannot make a central registry of gun owners. Simply by removing that line, H.R. 45 establishes a permanent national gun owner registry.

Criminal penalties range from fines (not specified) and/or two years imprisonment up to ten years imprisonment, depending on which provision was violated.

Under HR 45, if you can't pass a complex test written by the U.S. Attorney General, pay the fee, give up fingerprints and a biometric-capable photo of yourself (that can be turned into a digital facial-recognition number and used as a de facto national ID), every gun you own will become contraband and subject to confiscation, while you stand trial before imprisonment.

Now that the Supreme Court has made it clear in the Heller case that government can't ban guns, the Brady's have stopped saying they want to ban guns. So the virtually treasonous Bobby Rush bill doesn't ban guns, it bans gun owners, maybe by the millions. How many gun owners read poorly or don't test well? How many can't explain local, state and federal gun laws? They'd become prohibited possessors under HR 45. Are there any limits to what the AG can put on the test? The bill doesn't mention any - it gives the AG a free hand to include anything (what’s the square root of silly putty?).

And if there’s any question about Obama’s new Attorney General Eric Holder, he has already told the Supreme Court that a total gun ban in your own home is just fine and doesn't violate the Bill of Rights.

Maybe you've noticed that virtually none of this addresses criminals or crimes. Innocent gun owners are the target. This is about controlling the public and its private constitutionally protected property. Criminals are guaranteed to ignore the entire plan, and in fact, criminals CANNOT apply, since they can't possess firearms in the first place.

How much will it cost to implement and maintain the functionality of this bill while at the same time, effectively throwing out the 2^nd Amendment?