While we enter the summer months, we do have a friendly reminder: new gun regulations are projected to be finalized by the ATF this November. According to the Hill, it establishes new criteria as to who cannot own firearms, focusing on the mentally ill and those convicted of domestic abuse. It also places new regulations on "high-powered pistols" and gun storage:
The Justice Department plans to move forward this year with more than a dozen new gun-related regulations, according to list of rules the agency has proposed to enact before the end of the Obama administration.The regulations range from new restrictions on high-powered pistols to gun storage requirements. Chief among them is a renewed effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable or have been convicted of domestic abuse.
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The Justice Department plans to issue new rules expanding criteria for people who do not qualify for gun ownership, according to the recently released Unified Agenda, which is a list of rules that federal agencies are developing.
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Gun control groups have rallied around Obama’s call to action, zeroing in on polices that would keep guns away from the mentally ill and domestic abusers.
Congressional efforts to expand background checks and keep guns away from dangerous people have failed in recent years, but the legislative defeats won’t stop the Justice Department from regulating.
The Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is looking to revive a rule proposed way back in 1998 that would block domestic abusers from owning guns.
As proposed, the regulation makes it illegal for some who has been convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense to own a gun.
The ATF plans to finalize the rule by November, according to the Unified Agenda.
But gun rights advocates are concerned the Obama administration will use this rule to unfairly target certain gun owners.
“That could be a person who spanked his kid, or yelled at his wife, or slapped her husband,” warned Michael Hammond, legislative counsel for the Gun Owners of America.
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But Everytown, a group financially backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has argued that keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers can be a matter of life or death.
“American women are 11 times more likely to be shot and killed than women in other developed countries,” the group argues. “The high rate of domestic violence deaths in America is directly related to our weak gun laws. But we know that smart gun laws can—and do—stop domestic abuse from turning into murder."
Granted, there really isn’t a disagreement concerning keeping firearms away from the mentally ill or domestic abusers, but we’ll have to see the enforcement mechanisms with this new regulation. At the same time, the gun control crowd seriously needs to consider revising their talking points regarding guns and women. Women are the fastest growing demographic of new gun owners, even women who identify as liberal love to shoot. Heck, about 30 percent of Democrats are gun owners.
Women applying for their concealed carry permits are surging, and they’re the fastest growing segment in shooting sports. Here’s what the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote in January:
A recent study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) showed that more than half the women who participated in the study said they intend to buy at least one firearm in the next 12 months. NSSF’s report details that women represent the fastest growing segment of the shooting sports. It’s all in the findings of NSSF’s “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation,” that was released Wednesday at the SHOT Show.NSSF, which owns the SHOT Show, is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.
Said Steve Sanetti, NSSF president: "In the past decade, the number of women owning firearms and participating in target shooting and hunting has soared. This study helps us understand why women are choosing to purchase firearms and accessories and what shooting activities appeal to them most.”
The NSSF-sponsored study was done last year and focused on women 18 to 65 years old who owned at least one gun. Over one-third of the women in the study bought their first gun in the last three years. Most of them were between 18 and 34 years old, showing the dramatic changing demographics among women gun owners.
"The women's market is a force in our industry, and manufacturers, retailers and shooting ranges are making changes to their products and services to satisfy women's tastes and needs. This report will assist anyone interested in knowing more about women's enthusiasm for and attitudes toward firearms," said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF Director of Industry Research and Analysis.
Women say their need to feel safe is what drives them to buy a gun. It was the most important reason listed. Hunting and recreational shooting with family and friends also figured in to the reason they bought a gun.
Bonus: That time Everytown inadvertently produced a media spot, which showed why women should exercise their Second Amendment rights.