This has have to be reviewed by Congress first before it is law. if they vote against it, it does not become law. If they do nothing, it becomes law automatically.

http://abcnews.com.co/obama-signs-executive-order-limiting-us-gun-owners-to-three-guns/

In a move that promises to permanently transform the political landscape in the United States, President Obama has signed Executive Order 13752, an order which will radically change the way the United States regulates all weapons. President Obama claims that his authority to draft this order comes from the second amendment: “If you look at the second amendment, you’ll see that it says that ‘a well-regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state.’ Well, when I see kids getting shot at school and people gunning down their coworkers, I don’t see a well-regulated militia. I don’t see a state that is secure in its freedom. I see a nation in crisis. I see a country in desperate need of reform. If you want to exercise your right to bear arms, that’s fine, but if you want to do that, you should be ready and able to defend your country at a moment’s notice.”

Under the new law, nearly every gun in the U.S. will be required to be registered. There are exceptions for single and double barrel shotguns, single shot and double barrel hunting rifles, black powder guns, and any gun made before 1932. No U.S. citizen will be allowed to have more than three guns registered to them at any time. Possession of an unregistered firearm, expect those exempted from registration, will be a felony that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison. States that refuse to enforce the new laws will lose federal highway and Medicaid funding.

In addition to requiring firearm registration, all citizens who wish to own or possess a weapon will be required to obtain a gun operator’s license. Two licenses will be available. A class one license will grant its owner the legal right to purchase and possess firearms which do not require registration; they will also be allowed use a friend’s registered weapon or rent a registered weapon from a licensed shooting range, provided that they handle the weapon under the supervision of a class two license holder. In order to obtain a class one license, the individual must undergo a criminal background and mental health screening and complete a three day, government approved gun safety course. In order to obtain a class two license, the individual must commit to at least one weekend per month of military training and must be prepared to mobilize in case of a national emergency. The class two license will allow them to register up to three weapons for personal use. When not in use, the weapons and ammunition must be locked in separate, government approved cabinets. All ammunition sales, even those for unregistered weapons, will be registered in a national database, and strict limits will be placed on how much ammunition can be purchased. The limits vary depending on the type of ammunition.

Once the new law is implemented, citizens will have one year to register/surrender their weapons. The government will purchase all surrendered weapons at current retail value. All of the surrendered weapons will be housed in strategically placed bunkers across the U.S. for use by the newly created citizen militia in training exercises and in case of a national emergency.

Also of note in the order is a provision that orders the federal government to assemble a panel which will analyze the effectiveness of current knife regulations, though it does nothing to alter current knife laws.
NRA spokesman Lawrence Ketchum enjoying a day of target shooting (Cassandra Schmidt / AP)
NRA spokesman Lawrence Ketchum enjoying a day of target shooting (Cassandra Schmidt / AP)

Executive Order 13752 is not without controversy. National Rifle Association Spokesman Lawrence Ketchum said the organization plans to appeal the order, which he refers to as “Obama gun”, on constitutional grounds and that they were prepared to take the fight to the Supreme Court . He also added that if federal agents attempted to confiscate his weapons he would give them to the agents “bullets first.”

It does not appear that the legal fight over the new executive order will be resolved any time soon. In the meantime, however, it is recommended that all U.S. gun owners begin to prepare themselves for the coming changes. If you are wondering how to register or surrender your weapons, or just want to learn more about the president’s new executive order, you can contact the ATF’s Firearms Registration Division at (202) 642-5720.