Will Coronavirus Fears Lead to an Assault on Gun Rights?

Power-seeking public officials thrive on our fear.
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Draconian bills to restrict self-defense rights have a life of their own in Congress. There's always one lurking in the background.

Left to its own devices, it's unlikely to become law, but it's ready to be deployed if a high-profile crime or convenient crisis emerges to ease its passage. And that brings us to the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020, a far-reaching bill hovering in the legislative shadows as the COVID-19 pandemic breaks down barriers to authoritarian measures.

Introduced in the Senate and the House at the end of January by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) Rep. Hank Johnson (D–Ga.), the bill would impose federal licensing for guns and ammunition, require universal background checks, ban so-called "assault weapons," outlaw normal-capacity magazines, regulate DIY firearms, and otherwise impose the full wish list of restrictions sought by those who would prefer to see an armed government ruling over disarmed subjects.

This video is based on a column originally published on April 1: https://reason.com/2020/04/01/will-pandemic-fears-grease-the-way-for-authoritarian-gun-controls/

Written by J.D. Tucille. Voiceover by Katherine Mangu-Ward. Motion graphics by Lex Villena. 

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