Why I Oppose Gun Registration

For many years I was a Law Enforcement Officer. In those years, I worked Patrol and later as a Detective. In the course of those duties, I had many occasions where I searched, often "incident to arrest" persons, vehicles, and inside structures. I also executed many "search warrants", based on "probable cause", and signed by a Judge.

Why a "search warrant", when I had reason to believe what I was seeking, was hidden somewhere? I was a Police Officer, conducting lawful business, and was trained. So WHY would I need a "search warrant"? If the person had nothing to hide, then WHY should I even need to go through a process to seek a "search warrant"?

If I believed, by reason of my professional suspicions or even a good hunch, that you had marijuana in your house, then why shouldn't I just go in and get it? And if you didn't have such contraband, then WHY would a lawful citizen NOT let me in to make sure? If you have nothing to hide (or risk), then why not just let any police officer in, anytime their was a hunch something was amiss?

Because of the 4th Amendment guarantees our right, to wit:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

We have relied on that amendment for generations, to protect ourselves from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Even if you did have something to hide, it was up to the government (law enforcement) to prove to a Judge that sufficient probable cause existed to "permit" the government to enter private property, and to seize illegal items or persons. Otherwise, why not just let any police office show their badge, and let them in? If we had nothing to hide, what difference would it make?

 

The difference - is because we have the "right" to be secure in our homes and property. And, because unbridled authority would no doubt lead to abuses. Even with legal authority, such actions are abused all the time!

 

Which brings me to the subject of "gun registration". To many, that does not seem to be such a bad thing. Right? I mean, if you have nothing to hide, then what would be the problem with the government knowing what you own? Just register the firearms, and no worry about it.

 

To many of us, and the lessons of history, "registration" could easily be a first step to "confiscation". Today, we have government officials saying that they have no intentions on "confiscation", in violation of the 2nd amendment. But if we accept the "government's word" on that, then why not accept the government's word about the 4th amendment, and they would never just start going into homes on hunches that crimes were committed? We DON'T trust that, and that is why we have the 4th amendment.

 

To me, I see such an act of required registration by the government, to being open to the "potential" of being abused. If we should accept the government's word that they would not use that to confiscate, then find out they had a change of mind? We have a guarantee now, and it's called "shall not be infringed"! Besides, if we take a close look at the 4th amendment, we should be "secure" in our property, and could we really be secure, if an errant government knew what we owned? And our firearms, ARE our property too! IF such a government were to deviate from our Bill of Rights, for some supposed "greater good", then how secure would any of us really be? (Besides, WHY would the government really want "registration", if not for a possible confiscation later?)

 

History has born out that registration can, and has, lead to confiscation. Here is a writing of some of that 1938, and on, history in Germany:

 

http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/registration_article/registration.html

Germany, in 1939 Poland, used Poland's gun registry to confiscate weapons from those citizens. Poland, with a military unable to defend against Germany, was further handicapped with a populace that was quickly disarmed.

Could we, gun owners and NRA members, be the next "Jew" or Pol or Russian dissident to have our "rights" taken away? Remember, Hitler was so popular in 1938 that Germans overwhelmingly supported him, and his actions to make Germany a "better place".

I oppose ALL gun registration beyond what was required by the 1968 Gun Control Act. And as a law abiding citizen, it is my view that ANY property I own, and legally obtained, is none of the governments business. PERIOD!