Voluntary Gun Registration

“Law-abiding” citizens should have no fear of gun registration just as they presently have no reason to fear registering automobiles, boats, or airplanes.  A voluntary registration of guns would actually serve to not only control the distribution of firearms but also minimize the number of illegal weapons in circulation.  The registration should include the make, model, and serial number of the firearm as well as a ballistic sample, the gun’s DNA, which can serve to show a particular firearm was not used in the commission of a crime.  One incentive to induce owners to register their firearms would be an amendment in any gun legislation that would insure that at no time could a registered gun ever be confiscated.  The only exception to this assurance would be if there was evidence that a particular weapon was used in the commission of a crime or if there was indictable evidence that the owner was involved in illegal activity.  A court ordered warrant based upon presentation of evidence as well as opportunity for refuting said evidence would be required before a registered firearm could be subject to confiscation.  Any “illegal” firearms that might be “grandfathered” because the ownership occurred before legislation declaring a weapon to be illegal could also be protected from confiscation by the act of registering.  While there would be no penalty of possessing an unregistered firearm, such possession would have no protection and may be subject to local laws and ordinances.