The United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) warned Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s “common sense gun law reforms” could criminalize 105 million law-abiding gun owners.
The 556,000 strong organization sent a letter to Biden pleading that he “support and protect” America’s gun owners rather than “criminalize and punish” them.
The letter comes after Biden has called on Congress to make sweeping changes to gun ownership in America.
On the three-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, Feb. 14. 2021, Biden urged Congress to require background checks for “all” firearm sales in the country including between friends and family. He also called for a ban on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines. In addition, the Biden administration seeks to hold gun manufacturers legally liable for purchasers’ actions.
“This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer. Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets,” Biden said in a statement.
USCCA President Tim Schmidt characterized these measures as needless and ineffective.
“Sadly, the anti-gun proposals you have laid out thus far, both as a candidate and in your recent Feb. 14 statement, would do virtually nothing to reduce crime or help more Americans keep their families safe. It’s deeply troubling to witness you using the solemn anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting to advocate for new gun laws that even had they been in place three years ago would have done nothing to stop those heinous murders,” Schmidt said in the letter.
“Further, your proposal last year to impose a new tax on millions of gun owners would disproportionately harm working-class Americans who can least afford it during these difficult economic times. Lower-income Americans should not be forced to choose between protecting their families and breaking the law or handing over their firearms to the government and leaving their homes unprotected,” Schmidt continued.
The group noted that “record numbers” of Americans have joined the 100 million Americans who exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms in the past year.
In January, the FBI stated that it processed a record 39.7 million firearm background checks in 2020. This bested the previous record of 10 million. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, approximately 8.5 million Americans purchased their first firearm in 2020.
“Women and minorities are now leading the way as the fastest-growing groups of concealed carry permit holders in the country,” the USCCA added.
Should Congress fail to pass Biden’s gun control wishes, White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki revealed in a press briefing last week that Biden has not “ruled out” the option of taking executive action.
“If you are truly interested in advocating for commonsense gun law reforms that are grounded in reality rather than anti-gun political ideology, we urge you to consider a new path with the goal of keeping Americans safe by ensuring they can protect their families and loved ones at all times.It has been demonstrated time and again that criminals, by definition, have no respect for our laws, and so the focus should be on supporting those law-abiding Americans who choose to protect,” Schmidt wrote in the letter.
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