Government: "Identity Theft is a major concern and we need to put brochures out on this."
Also Government: "Give your name, date of birth and SSN to strangers."
"Since we have the system in place to simply and easily check every gun sale for legality, why would we ever want such a system to remain voluntary?"
I am having a discussion on Twitter regarding a proposal to make NICS checks online and free. This was presented as a potential "bi-partisan" way to help prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands. The idea is anyone could do a NICS check online and at no charge. One would have to input the usual identifying information for the buyer (as on a 4473) and then would get back a response indicating that person was or was not a "prohibited possessor". Whether firearm make/model/serial # would have to be included is unknown. Availing yourself of a NICS background check in this manner for a private sale would be voluntary.
This *might* increase utilization of the NICS background check system by removing the cost involved as well as allowing the check to be done anywhere that an internet connection was available.
I had actually considered this a while back and rejected the idea for the following reasons:
- you can do essentially the same thing right now by requiring the buyer produce his/her LTCH
- many staunch 2A defenders would see this as a foot in the door for mandatory UBCs
- many staunch 2A defenders are at the point where ANY further restrictions on firearms are unacceptable
- NICS returns quite a few "false positives" (or so I've heard; including your SSN apparently reduces the chance of a false positive at the risk of revealing private information)
- potential for government surveillance (IP addresses and other information could be stored)
What says INGO?
I'll pick on your post, because Matlock was a bad attorney.*
What if it was part of a package that took suppressors off the NFA list and made Constitutional Carry a federal right?
* Did the man EVER file a final witness and exhibit list?
Now you're getting warmer, but there will, inevitably, be creep. I see no will in Congress to trade anything for more freedom. Rather, it is a matter of how much freedom will Congress give away. In other words, we'll never see such a compromise.