These are strange times. In early January, I won a Ruger, 10/22, semiautomatic rifle as a door prize; something I needed, as all my other .22s began as birthday gifts to my children, so left home when they did. My rimfire arsenal was down to one rusted, single-shot, bolt action Marlin, adequate for plinking, but little else. I explained my good fortune to my son-in-law, Tim, and he said “good luck finding ammunition.”

I laughed thinking he was kidding. Rimfire ammunition is ubiquitous and every convenience, hardware store and gas station in Montana has dusty boxes of .22 shells sitting on a shelf in a back corner anxious to become the property of a twelve-year-old boy intent on plinking holes in empty pop cans. This is America and the supply of .22 shells is simply never a problem. Is it?

Two days later, the trophy wife and I ventured into Scheels and walked over to the ammunition department. Immediately below a bold yellow sign emblazoned with the words “Rimfire Ammo” stood a stack of five shelves, four feet wide, twelve inches deep crammed to capacity with empty. The shelves were completely bare. I dropped to my hands and knees and thrust my preg-checking arm behind the shelf searching for misplaced boxes which might have dropped from sight over the years. I scored one carton and as I examined the box another ammo patron walked up and whispered, “Big Bear just received a shipment of .22 shells.” We kept our voices low like we were executing a drug deal; I thanked him and hustled to checkout. Moments later in Big Bear, the trophy wife and I purchased all the .22 shells each customer was allotted plus a case of 12 gauge shells and a couple cases of .357 magnums. If there was going to be an ammo shortage caused by hoarders, I would rather cause than be caught by one. These are strange times and here is why I told you this.

The last of my gun bills, HB459, passed out of House Judiciary, so the next stop is Second Reading on the House floor. HB459 is an “act prohibiting a healthcare provider from refusing or conditioning care if a person refuses to provide information relating to firearm ownership, possession or use.” Casual consumers of news dismiss this bill as meaningless, yet it may become the single act which stands between your fundamental right to keep and bear arms and their confiscation. I shake my head in disbelief when I hear sunshine patriots boast the government “can have my guns when they pry them from my cold dead fingers” all while voting gun control advocates into public office. They will never make the connection until eventually they surrender all their firearms without firing a shot. Here is how this will happen and my reasons for HB459.

On January 16, 2013, President Obama released 23 “Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions” of which Action #2, #14, #16, #17, #21, and #22 utilize the national healthcare system to collect gun ownership information. As Obamacare grows over the next decade, unwary citizens will voluntarily divulge firearm ownership information including serial numbers in exchange for routine healthcare. Through the power of incrementalism, placing this information in a federal database seems harmless at first.

However, someday in the future, imagine a loved one in your care needing critical medical attention, so you rush into an Obamacare facility because no other option exists. Healthcare enforcers examine your medical records and announce the Public Safety Authority has handed down Rule 1040 declaring all semiautomatic rifles, including .22s, are applicable only for military purposes. You must surrender your previously identified Ruger, 10/22 prior to your loved one receiving treatment. With no other choice you do. Scoffers might dismiss my warnings as fear mongering; something which would never happen. If you believe me and I am wrong, America has lost nothing. If you ignore me and I am right, America has lost everything. How much are you willing to risk? Shouldn’t we stop this now?