Greg Bishop interviewed “Instructor Mike” Brown about his thoughts on the PICA gun registration scheme and the black community in Cook County. Mr. Brown is a former police officer and current CCW instructor. What’s more, as a Cook County resident (my condolences), he’s got a first-hand view from the belly of the beast.
Mr. Brown says he expects heavy enforcement in Cook County. He even calls the Land of Lincoln’s most populous county “ground zero” for enforcement action against those who fail to register.
Furthermore, Instructor Mike points out something I’d never considered: any interaction between police and the black community has the potential to go very sideways. That’s a polite way of saying that black folks risk of finding themselves on the receiving end of deadly force from police, even if everything is supposed to go smoothly.
Here’s Greg’s video clip of the interview he held with Mr. Brown – aka Instructor Mike. It opens with him saying a couple of times that he can’t take the position that you should not register.
I respect his position. Honestly, I’d never considered that particular angle relating to dangers the black community faces when interacting with the police. It’s a valid concern.
Again, Instructor Mike says he can’t recommend to people not to register because of that potential for potentially lethal implications of cops showing up at their houses to “bring gun owners into compliance” for those who fail to register like good little boys and girls.
Here’s my take:
First off, I have the highest respect for this gent. I like him. He’s smart, savvy and wise. He’s got a unique perspective. As a guy who dated and was later married to a black woman and loved her family both immediate and extended, I saw first-hand some of those issues they faced.
At the same time I don’t personally agree with his position about not registering but can respect a man (or woman) for taking that position.
Candidly, we at GSL have migrated our position from our earlier “DO NOT REGISTER” to one today where people need to decide whether or not to register their magazine-fed, semi-auto self-defense rifles and some handguns and shotguns. Frankly, it’s an intensely personal decision. Each and every gun owner has to weigh the potential pros and cons for registering and make their own decision on whether or not to comply.
Here’s the catch: Cook County residents who register guns covered by the PICA gun and magazine ban law are admitting that they’re in violation of Cook County’s black rifle ban. By filing that affidavit with registration information, registrants are giving Cook County law enforcement (or Chicago Police’s CAGE gun enforcement unit) everything they need to obtain a warrant to visit the registrant’s home to seize not only the unlawfully possessed “registered” firearms, but also the person who registered the gun for criminal violations of existing ordinances. Ditto for Highland Park and Deerfield.
We’ve covered reasons for people in the other 101 counties for not registering including the governor’s plans to “close the existing owner loophole” following a mass casualty event next year. We’ve written about how those who register may face mandated insurance requirements, paperwork fees relating to registrations and last, but not least, the potential for finding themselves on the receiving end of a “random” taxpayer audit by the Illinois Department of Revenue. If the hard left in Washington can weaponize the federal IRS, then Pritzker’s people weaponizing the Illinois Department of Revenue seems like child’s play.
All of that on top of the potential for criminal arrest for Cook County residents dutifully registering their semi-automatic, magazine fed defensive firearms?
It just doesn’t seem like registration is a clear and convincingly wise choice, no matter your ethnicity.
Instructor Mike, by all means, feel free to chime in below in comments or email me privately at jboch@gunssavelife.com. Or call 217 649-3702. I’d be delighted to offer you a chance to publicly articulate your position in writing, unedited, if you would like to share your rebuttal to the points I’ve raised.
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