(Reuters) -A federal judge in West Virginia has ruled that a federal ban on possessing a gun with its serial number removed is unconstitutional,...
I am of two minds about this, first, I am pleased by any reduction of the BS parts of gun control laws, but I am concerned about the point used here.
What worries me is that "general" reporting not pointing out valid portions of arguments will fuel a strong backlash and effective end the possibility of rational relief from the "bad" parts of the law.
As I see it, the govt is within its bounds requiring serial numbers (and grandfathering guns made before that was a requirement). I feel that the govt is also within its lawful authority making defacement or removal of serial numbers a crime.
What I have never agreed with, and feel should be changed is the part that says mere possession of a gun with a removed number is a criminal offense, and the gun is contraband and must be surrendered to the state. I'd even be ok with the defaced gun being surrendered, so long as the possessor wasn't charged with illegal possession, IF that person was NOT the person who defaced the serial number.
Law abiding citizens do sometimes come into possession of defaced firearms through entirely legal means, and I feel, in those cases, those people should not be charged with criminal possession.
Thoughts?