When Democrat Joe Biden initially posted his gun control scheme online several months ago, he talked about banning future sale of so-called “assault weapons” and “large capacity magazines,” and regulating the ones already owned under the National Firearms Act requiring payment of a federal tax on every item.
Now the full potential cost of such a program has been revealed by a Washington Free Beacon analysis, and the bill could come to $34 billion.
Although National Review suggested Biden’s gun control plans “have about zero chance of getting through Congress, especially if Republicans win at least one of the Georgia runoffs,” it is an alarming reality check for lethargic gun owners who have said over the years “It will never happen here.”
It’s time to do some simple math.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are nearly 20 million semiautomatic modern sporting rifles in private ownership in the United States. Such firearms have been erroneously labeled as “assault rifles” for several years, both by the gun prohibition lobby and its supporters on Capitol Hill, and by the establishment (“legacy”) media. Figure a $200 tax on each gun and it comes to $4 billion.
However, NSSF also estimates “approximately 71.2 million pistol magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and 79.2 million rifle magazines capable of holding 30 or more rounds in circulation.” That’s 150 million magazines that might also be taxed individually if they are regulated under the NFA, at a cost to their owners of $30 billion, and it doesn’t include rifle magazines that hold between 10 and 30 rounds, and there are millions more of those floating around.
This revelation makes the outcome of the special Jan. 5 election in Georgia to decide which party occupies two U.S. Senate seats in that state even more critical than gun owners might imagine. Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are being challenged by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both gun control extremists. If Loeffler and Perdue are re-elected, it gives Republicans a 52-48 Senate majority, which translates to Republican committee chairs, and a barrier to passage of Biden’s radical program.
Over the past eight-plus months, since the initial imposition of COVID-19 restrictions set off a gun buying rush, some 5 million people bought firearms for the first time, and at least 10 million firearms were sold across the country. The potential for non-compliance is very high, as indicated by the results of a three-state study regarding “comprehensive background checks.”
Biden’s gun control scheme includes the option of either selling guns and magazines to the government or paying the taxes if semi-autos are suddenly regulated under the NFA.
Recently, the Justice Department reportedly hired Dr. John Lott, author and researcher, and founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center, as a senior adviser for research and statistics at the Office of Justice Programs, according to the Washington Examiner. How long his position will last under a Biden administration may be speculative, but with his background, he could offer some serious advice to DOJ on any gun control initiatives.
Right now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is actively campaigning for donations to help Loeffler and Perdue win their elections. Democrats are pouring millions of dollars into Georgia to tip that state blue, producing a 50-50 tie in the Senate, which would be broken by presumptive Vice President Kamala Harris.
