U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “Wexton bill would use credit card data to track firearms purchases,” The Washington Post reported Friday. “Congressional gridlock on gun legislation led Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) to seek creative ways to prevent gun violence.”
If by “creative” they mean unhampered by concepts of limited Constitutional government and unalienable rights, they have a point. Then again, we are dealing with totalitarian wannabes, and fresh off a manipulated demographics victory for Democrats, Virginia is undergoing an eye-rolling gun-grabber feeding frenzy.
Wexton says she “wants banks and credit card companies to flag purchases that could signal a person is preparing to carry out a mass shooting.” You know, kind of like the Department of Pre-Crime, but this one will rely on the type of economic fascism the power zealots refer to by the euphemism “public/private partnership.” Those “partners” like Citigroup and Bank of America, who are banking on disarmament, will be glad to help.
And it won’t be just gun purchases that are flagged.
“An effective program,” we are told, “would have to track credit card purchases of guns and ammunition as well as equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles across multiple retailers. Because why else would anyone NEED such items…? Right?
Naturally, Everytown, that never saw an infringement it didn’t try to ram down gun owners’ throats, is all on board with the idea. And just as naturally, interested flacks like Joseph Moreno, a former federal prosecutor and FBI consultant who is a partner at the financial services law firm Cadwalader, is out there selling this abomination as “moderate middle ground that privacy and Second Amendment advocates should be able to meet in the middle on.”
That’s grabberspeak for anyone who is against it must be an extremist, designed to appeal to the ignorant and to “moderate Republicans.” That means anyone against it can now be smeared as exactly the type of “lone wolf domestic terrorist homegrown violent extremist” Wexton’s bill, H.R. 5132, pretends it can deter.
After all, Moreno assures us, “We’re not talking about banning any kind of purchases or a federal registry.”
Not for now, but let the Democrats secure majorities and Katie bar the door. Meanwhile, here’s what they are really talking about even if they don’t admit it here, understanding that they will happily take increments on the way to getting it all: Such steps would include banning private sales. And imagine what enforcers doing the bidding of citizen disarmament enthusiasts could do with information putting not only targets in their sights, but also guidance on how to word the warrants. And once this jackboot is in the door, imagine how much wider it can be kicked open. Case in point, be careful about using credit cards on state-determined “legal product” purchases.
Meanwhile, the street gangs doing the brunt of the killings in urban Democrat strongholds will continue operating as usual, undeterred.
The good news is this is much ado about nothing—for now. GovTrack and its Skopos Lab prognosis give Wexton’s bill a “1% chance of being enacted.” But that doesn’t mean we can just shrug it off and forget about it.
Being aware and on guard for this, and for all the avenues of attack, gives us a glimpse of the nonstop gun bans, grabs, edicts, orders, rules and rulings we can expect should the violence monopolists take it all in 2020.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.