Article first appeared at Americas 1st Freedom.

We’ve chronicled on the A1F Daily website before how so-called “universal” background checks—the cause-of-the-day for American gun-ban advocates—won’t deter violent crime or mass shootings, only make it harder for the law-abiding to practice their Second Amendment rights.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped freedom-hating billionaires like former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg from spending millions and millions of dollars to push such initiatives. That’s just what Bloomberg’s astroturf groups have recently done in Maine, funneling more than $3 million into a background check initiative to be on the ballot in November in the Pine Tree State.

Since last fall, Everytown for Gun Safety has contributed more than $3 million to its affiliated group Maine Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and the newly formed Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership. The fund also has provided roughly $500,000 in in-kind contributions, including providing consultant services.

Despite the rhetoric, this radically misguided ballot initiative will not reduce crime. It would, according to NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, criminalize virtually all currently legal private transfers.

Despite the rhetoric, this radically misguided ballot initiative will not reduce crime.As seen in Oregon and Washington, this initiative is just another attempt by Bloomberg and other elitists to push their big city style gun control on law-abiding gun owners in Maine.

Currently, it is illegal to knowingly sell a firearm to someone who is a prohibited person. Likewise, it is a felony for a prohibited person to buy, own or possess a firearm. However, this initiative seeks to make drastic and unnecessary changes to current laws that will place excessive restrictions on law-abiding citizens rather than addressing the true problems associated with straw purchases and the lack of enforcement of current laws.

In fact, the initiative would do nothing to prevent criminals from breaking the law and getting their hands on firearms. Criminals will continue to use the black market, straw purchasers and theft in order to obtain firearms.

This initiative would only turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals. Simply loaning a firearm to a friend could turn a law-abiding gun owner into a criminal overnight.

Even the Justice Department admitted in a 2013 report that laws like this would be entirely unenforceable without requiring full gun registration. And with limited safety resources, this deeply flawed initiative would also place an excessive burden on law enforcement.

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