I’d probably register my carry piece(s), since it’s the most likely to attract the attention of law enforcement. Unfortunately all of my other guns were lost in a bizarre canoe accident, but of those less than half were purchased through an FFL and those that have paperwork are the only ones I’d even consider registering.
Maybe a hunting rifle or two, if game wardens were empowered to enforce the law.
Careful. we once had a [del]nutjob[/del] poster who claimed to be a government agent. He lasted till he started threatening the board.
I’ll be dipped if I can remember the name though. Dang it.
No, I wouldn’t register any of my guns. I see no purpose in doing it. Other than giving the government a convenient method for confiscating them at a future date.
Federal government mandated registration databases of gun owners hands the government a list of who owns what guns and how many. So, if the day comes that the USA tries to do what the governments of Australia and England have done, it gives them the ability to come to your house and force you to hand them over ‘under penalty of law’…
That being said, we wouldn’t register anything beyond what is already required to be registered. Meaning our handguns (The county I live in requires them to be registered) not the myriad of rifles we own.
I think I’m much less paranoid than many of my fellow gun owners. I’d be happy to register my guns, given that the registration was free, easy, and legal. If someone tried to take them away from me, that would be a different story.
I’m disposed to say no, but… I’m actually facing this question, as I’m moving to California soon. I’m not sure if I’m going to have to register my SKS, or if it’s even legal to have there. I think I’ll just ‘assume’ it’s covered by the curio and relic clause and keep it wrapped in a blanket at the bottom of the closet.
So, count me in the group that once swore to ‘uphold and defend’ the constitution and may go to prison for doing so.
What part of ‘shall not be infringed’ is unclear these days?
How is registering infringing on your right to keep and bear arms?
I don’t currently own any guns, but I guess I’ve always assumed that to own a gun you had to register it. I had no idea you could own one without doing so. If I did own any, and a registration law was passed, I suppose I would register (some of) them.
There is no registration in Colorado (and several other states, I’m sure). Once the background check is done, the gummit doesn’t need to know anything about the gun or owner. They would have to go to the FFL on record as having it last (probably finding that through the manufacturers records), then that dealer would dig through years of paperwork to find who bought it. Since private party sales don’t require background checks, if the first buyer sells it’s effectively vanished (I certainly don’t write down the names of people who buy from me).
Unless you’re dumb enough to buy/sell at a gun show, which is essentially the same as going through a licensed firearms dealer.
Having already come out against concealed carry, my word may mean nothing. Especially since I don’t have any guns.
NO, I would not register any that I had. Write down the serial #s, yes. So if they’re stolen, I can report that (maybe anonymously?). The gummint knows plenty about me, most of which I think is sensible public policy. “They” don’t need to know what’s in my house. Or car. Unless I’m causing a problem, like letting fumes from my meth lab poison the neighbors’ kids, nunya beeswax.
Pretty much, except for maybe the “politely” part.
How is it not? The only reason to keep a list of who owns what firearms is to facilitate taking them away when they are banned.
How is submitting to warrantless searches an infringement to anyone with nothing to hide?
The only reason eh? You can’t possibly fathom another reason for wanting to know which firearms belong to which people?
Perhaps you can enlighten us, because I can’t think of a single good reason for wanting to know who owns what.
I’m not at all interested in having the gun registration debate, but you’re fooling yourselves if you think there are no reasonable reasons to desire gun registration. There are many such reasons, including better prevention of unlawful ownership and solving gun crimes. These reasons might be entirely outweighed by individual rights concerns and/or the ease with which it facilitates a government ban–that’s a more complicated question. But to doubt that there is anything of value at all to weigh on the other side, or that those seeking registration are only interested in facilitating a ban, is just cuckoo lalaland crazy. IMHO, making such paranoid arguments is what gives gun owners a bad name.
I’m right along with you in not starting the debate (at least in this thread), but the problem is, what seems paranoid to you may perfectly well seem reasonable to other people. I don’t think anyone’s fooling themselves if they think registration is undesirable. I don’t think anyone’s fooling themselves if they do. They have opinions, and those opinions are drawn upon their past experiences, their current views, and their future desires. So, let 'em rip!
To answer the OP–be it pro or con–with qualifications I think is perfectly reasonable. I’m actually interested to hear the thoughts behind each of the answers as well.
Tripler
Dang, another two cents down. Anyone got change for a Lincoln?
The PATRIOT Act changed all that. Most of the National Security Letters the FBI issued had nothing to do with terrorism. (The Government Accountability Office said so.) If the FBI or DHS or NSA comes to a small time newspaper such as the Chicago Reader (which probably doesn’t have an army of lawyers) with a demand to know who said they would keep a secret stash of guns, would you stake your freedom on the Reader’s integrity?
If the FBI wants to search your house while you aren’t there, and not tell you about it, they have the right. They don’t have to ask you, or listen to your polite refusal. Our congress voted to give them that right. “Unreasonable search and siezure” is meaningless now. It’s all reasonable. Oh, you say you’re not a terrorist? Why should the NSA take your word for it, ya terrorist? 
The DHS needn’t worry about stepping on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms’s toes. They’re on the same War Against Terror team.
For the record, I don’t think our current government intends to register and confiscate its citizens’ guns. If you cling to the obsolete notion that the most private parts of your life are safe from the government, forget it. Your congresspeople gave that away.
Write and tell us about the weather in Gitmo, and whether Scylla’s experiment with waterboarding matches your experience.
Nope, I trust “The Government™” about as far as I can comfortably spit out a rat (in other words, not far at all)
besides, when you fill in the Federal form required for firearm purchases, they’ve already got the info they need already, purchaser’s name, address, social security number (optional), and serial number and specs of the firearm purchased
an additional registry serves no legitimate purpose
I’m explicitly not disagreeing with this. My only claim is that there are, indeed, two sides to weigh. I’m not even going so far as to say that reasonable people can come down on the side of registration; I’m merely saying that there are reasons for registration quite apart from a desire to ban guns.