General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Alarming fact about background checks. [View all]metalbot
(1,058 posts)(I'm not arguing in favor or against UBC in the context of this discussion)
UBC would essentially become de facto registration (which could be a legal challenge).
Initially you have the problem that we have 100+ million firearms in the hands of millions of Americans. Once one of those firearms is transferred legally via a UBC, you'd then have a "chain of custody". Of course, this would require an additional use of the NCIS database that isn't authorized under current law, but if you're going to pass universal background checks, you could modify the legal uses of NCIS. At some point (far down the road), the people who own those firearms will all be dead, and relatives inheriting those firearms would need to pass UBC's to inherit them. I'd be interested in the statistics on how long firearms are owned, since those would give you a good indication on how long it would take to get X% of firearms into the system.
New firearms are only sold via registered dealers, so you'd have a chain of custody for all new firearms sold. You'd also begin to be able to filter on age as time goes by. For example, a 21 year old with a pistol five years after the passage of UBC would be unlikely (depending on their state) to be able to claim that they bought it legally before the law was passed.