Criminalizing Private Transfers Is About Creating “Culture of Compliance”

If you were still under the impression that gun control was about giving law enforcement the tools to target violent criminals, think again. At a February 12 hearing concerning Nevada Senate Bill 143[1] that criminalizes the private transfer of firearms, Attorney for Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety William Rosen made clear that gun control is about creating more servile law-abiding gun owners. Rosen was asked by State Assemblyman Tom Roberts (R-13), who has 34 years of law enforcement experience, I’m really concerned about the people that don’t follow the bill, follow the law that you’re intending to pass here…. How’s law enforcement supposed to enforce this in the field? Say they’re not a prohibited person, but they still don’t abide by the transfer process, they just sell it like they’ve been doing at a gun show or whatever. How’s law enforcement supposed to investigate that and prosecute those cases? During his response, Rosen explained, “The ultimate goal of this type of legislation is not to put people in jail but rather to create a culture of compliance where law abiding gun sellers require background checks…” On February 15, Governor Steve Sisolak signed SB 143 into law. First, Rosen gave the incorrect impression that the legislation merely restricts private gun sales. In truth, the legislation criminalizes[2] all firearms transfers that do not meet a narrow set of exemptions. Second, Rosen revealed a foundational truth about the gun control movement. A given piece of gun control legislation is never about any purported public safety benefit the legislation might bring about. It’s about acclimating gun owners to further restrictions on their rights and setting the stage for further firearms control. National Council to Control Handguns (now Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence) Chairman Nelson T. “Pete” Shields explained this strategy in 1976, when he told

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