begging permission to exercise a right

It is starting to look like New York City wants their authoritarian gun laws challenged in a court of law:

Under proposed revisions to the police department’s handgun, rifle and shotgun permit procedures, the NYPD can reject gun license applicants for a number of reasons, including:

If they have been arrested or convicted of almost any “violation,” in any state; having a “poor driving history”; having been fired for “circumstances that demonstrate lack of good judgment”; having “failed to pay legally required debts”; being deemed to lack “good moral character”; or if any other information demonstrates “other good cause for the denial of the permit.”

Taken individually, have you ever been even so much as arrested or charged (not necessarily convicted) for a misdemeanor or city ordinance violation? Well, I guess you can no longer own firearms in NYC, despite not having a criminal record, not being a felon, and not even necessarily having broken any laws. After all, jaywalking is an ordinance offence in some/most cities – is that sufficient cause to abridge a person’s Constitutionally-protected rights?

Have you ever been at-fault in an accident that was legitimately accidental, and did not involve alcohol, drugs, or other complications? Did you ever forget to update the insurance card in your car, and get pinged at a sobriety checkpoint (for that, not for DUI)? Have you ever been snagged by revenue cameras (and we all know how accurate those are)? If so, your rights become null and void once you cross into the Big Apple.

Have you ever had a falling-out with your boss right before you leave a company, or been fired due to one such disagreement? Obviously you are undeserving of exercising your natural rights, and the NYPD will be more than willing to relieve you of your lawfully-purchased property.

Have you ever accidentally bounced a check? Has the IRS or your state sent you paperwork erroneously indicating that you underpaid your taxes, and they would like more money please, and then had to go through the hassle of challenging it? Whoops, I guess your rights are no longer yours – I guess NYC repossessed them.

Have you ever visited a strip or chippendale club (amusingly, the latter is generally better than the former in NYC, at least on the budget of a midshipman)? Have you ever gambled? Do you drink in moderation? Well, depending on the personal preferences of the NYC official who witnessed/knew about you doing those things, your rights are now up for debate.

And do not even get me started on “other good causes”…

Oh, the best part – who is honestly going to tell me that each and every one of those checkpoints cannot and will not be abused? Do you have an NRA sticker (or a memorial) on your car? Whoops. Given NYC’s registration scheme, if you are already in the system, the police know where you live and who you are… and if all it takes is an arrest…

We already have a good, if controversial, method for ensuring that “undesireables” do not procure firearms – felony convictions. If the government of NYC has insufficient evidence to procure one of those against a person, then they additionally have insufficient evidence to arbitrarily, whimsically, and unilaterally abridge that person’s Constitutionally-protected rights; it is as simple as that. Now that I say that, watch jaywalking turn into a felony… But to put it in perspective, just imagine if your right to vote was subject to the same standards? Or how about the Fifth Amendment – “Look, Guido, you’ve been arrested too many times already. You can’t hide behind the Fifth any more, and we’re not going to give you another public attorney, so tell us what we want to know, or we’re gonna make you!” I guess that would simplify police officers’ jobs,

Of course the good folks at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Ownership are positively ecstatic over these proposed regulations… remind me again how they are supposedly not out to ban guns? Oh, sure, they may not say those exact words, but their actions speak significantly louder than their voices do anywise. And that is exactly why freedom-minded Americans like me continue to oppose their every advance on ever field – they will not rest until the entirety of our country has the same “gun control” laws that New York City is currently considering, they will not cease until every American’s rights are subject to the whims and personal prejudices of police officers, meter maids, and other public servants, they will not stop until average American citizens’ property can be stripped away from them for no better reason than “good causes”.

Will you?

As the saying goes, sure, you can confiscate my guns… but you will have to accept delivery of the ammunition first.