I find it rather funny how often the people who decry voter registration would gladly require you to register your guns. They want just anyone able to vote, which has a massive impact on not just today, but for decades to come, but they don’t want you being able to buy a firearm.
Basically, they want voting rules to be as loose as possible, while making it virtually impossible to own a gun.
But let’s talk a bit about voter registration versus gun registration. Why? Because Ammoland did it, and that makes it seem like a hell of a place to start, honestly.
Historical Risks of Gun Registration
Throughout the 20th century, authoritarian regimes often began disarming citizens by first requiring registration. Historical examples from Germany, the Soviet Union, and other nations illustrate how such registries became tools for confiscation, leaving the population defenseless against state power.
Voter registration lists have never been used to prevent lawful citizens from casting ballots in a similar sweeping, physical manner. While voter suppression exists as a political problem, it is not comparable to the armed seizure of constitutionally protected property.
This is a pretty fair assessment. There’s a lot more there, so you should go and read it, but I really want to highlight this next part, because it’s an excellent summary of this whole concept.
Key Differences in Liberty Impact
Aspect Voter Registration Gun Registration Purpose Verify eligibility Track possession of physical property Risk of Abuse Administrative errors, targeted suppression, corruption by non-citizens Enables confiscation, historically misused by authoritarian regimes Dependency on the State Inherent—elections are state-run Independent—firearms are privately held Constitutional Language Multiple amendments, no “shall not be infringed” Explicit “shall not be infringed” directive Effect of Registry Removal Harder to confirm eligibility Removes pathway to confiscation
**drops mic**
Voter registration may make things a smidge more difficult when it comes to voting, but it also confirms people aren’t just eligible, but eligible to vote in a given precinct on a given ballot. It keeps me from voting for lawmakers in Florida, for example, simply because I don’t live there and shouldn’t get a say in who takes office there.
And it’s not an insurmountable barrier, either. You fill out a form, and they send you a card that informs you of where you will go to vote. Pretty simple. It’s not trying to eliminate voting, just keeping it to the people who actually have the right to vote.
But gun registration is nothing of the sort. It’s an invasion of privacy. It’s me having to tell the government that I have the means to resist them should they turn tyrannical enough to warrant that. It’s telling them that I plan on resisting and that they’ll need to address me, personally, should tyranny be the intention.
It’s like putting a neon sign over my head saying, “Shoot me first.”
That’s where that whole “confiscation” thing comes in.
Plus, as noted, there’s that whole “shall not be infringed” language in the Second Amendment, which means…oh, I don’t know…maybe that the right to own and carry guns shouldn’t be infringed upon?
There’s absolutely nothing in the Constitution saying that voting can’t involve registration, but there are explicit instructions over who is eligible to vote, which suggests that no one has ever intended just anyone to be able to walk into a polling place and then cast a ballot.
So while they want people to be able to do just that, filling out registration forms on election day before voting–yes, even though there’s no way to track that vote should they turn out ineligible–they want me to have to wait days before taking possession of a firearm.
Talk about screwed up priorities.
Editor’s note: While Democrats routinely try to upend not just our right to keep and bear arms, but our voting rights, President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.
Help us continue to report on their efforts and legislative successes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
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