Looks like the gloves are coming off the FIST.
In 1996, a Commission for the Bureau of Justice Statistics developed a computer database through which all information regarding gun purchases must flow. The result was the Firearms Inquiry Statistical Tracking: FIST.
Any government agent or agency who wants a list of gun owners must salivate at the potential of FIST. This data base includes "fields" for all information that is gathered at the point of purchase, which incorporates the 4473 form, the Brady form, and any applicable state forms.
Put together, these forms contain the name, address, Social Security number, drivers license number, age, sex, race, height, weight, home and business phone, concealed carry permit request information, the firearm's make, model, serial number, caliber and barrel length, information regarding the final outcome of the background check, and more.
Herein lies the opportunities for abuse. All of the above information is sent from the dealer to the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO), who is the person responsible for executing the background check. This can be done now with the FIST program.
The CLEO is supposed to retain the information for only 20 days, but is in effect accountable to no one for doing so. With all of this information already computerized, it would be an incredibly simple task to gather up diskettes nationwide and compile a national list of gun owners.
Gun owners must wake up to the dangers of the "instant registration check." Law-abiding citizens should not have to receive prior government approval, whether it be through an instant check or any other means, before exercising their rights. The instant registration scheme is poised to become the downfall of the Second Amendment.
I wonder if this will be retroactively applied, or only for rifle purchases going forward?
Personally, I believe ALL gun laws are unconstitutional.
Period.