In a Bill introduced on the first day of the present session of Congress, with no coverage from the mainstream media, H.R. 45 (Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009) targets gun owners in the United States. While everyone's attention was on the bogus "stimulus" plan to print and spend trillions of tax dollars, this legislation is worming its way through the House and Senate.

This Bill will strip us of the rights granted by the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution. It requires the registration of all new guns during the first two years after enactment. After two years, the new law goes retroactive, mandating that all firearms in a citizen's possession be registered, not just those purchased after the enactment of the law. This apparently applies to antique firearms as well.

Under the provisions of the Bill, gun owners will be required to go through a complete renewal process every five years, any failure to comply carrying stiff penalties which would include the confiscation of the firearms and jail time, with penalties as high as ten years in some cases. The Bill also authorizes government searches without a warrant, creating a new federal bureaucracy to monitor the possession of firearms by citizens of the United States.

Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 was introduced on January 6, 2009, amending the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from owning a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act, or by a state system certified under the Act. It also prescribes the application, issuance, and renewal requirements.

The new law will also prohibit the transfer of a firearm unless the recipient possesses a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer (or private citizen) records a tracking authorization number.

Under the new law, the following would be a crime:

• The transfer of a firearm to any person other than a licensee unless that transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions;
• Licensed manufacturers or dealers failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act;
• Failing to report the loss or theft of a firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours; and
• Keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm with ammunition, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child should use the firearm and cause death or serious bodily injury;

The law prescribes criminal penalties for violations of the firearms provisions covered by this Act, directing the Attorney General to:

• Establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse;
• Conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and
• Collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer, authorizing the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems.

We should also keep in mind that, as with any other law; once enacted, the restrictions can be expected to be made more rigid at every pretense. Whenever anyone in the nation is harmed by a firearm, we can anticipate that additional restrictions will be placed into the law.

While our legislators generally spend their time representing someone other than their constituents, this might be a good time to contact them.