A History of Gun Control and Saturn in Aries

Like most of you, every time I see another mass shooting on the news, I’m thinking the exact same thing you are. When will this ever stop? Having grown up in Europe, the American obsession with guns is particularly bewildering and mildly terrifying. Seeing how this obsession can override even the most modest of reform proposals to lessen the frequency and severity of these events leads one to despair. We are asked to accept these horrific events as an unavoidable part of life, even though this is the only country in the world where this happens seemingly all the time. Nothing will change until an overwhelming majority of people vote for candidates committed to sensible gun control. Being an astrologer, naturally I look to the sky and wonder: When is this ever going to get any better? It’s not often obvious, but this time there does seem to be somewhat of an answer.

Saturn in Aries in Theory

In order to understand when gun control efforts might be successful with astrology, we have to think of what gun control really is, and I think it is best represented by Saturn in Aries. Saturn seems to be a good place to start because it represents the principle of limitation, regulation and restriction. The sign of Aries is the diurnal home of Mars, a place of aggression, violence, war and weaponry. It’s also the exaltation of the Sun, associated with authority, leaders, individuality, autonomy, honor and nobility. These keywords all touch on the themes of the debate over guns.

Consequently, we might expect to see Saturn in Aries periods corresponding with times when machoism, belligerence, authority and individuality are slowed down, depressed, scrutinized, weighed and restricted, but also sometimes established, formalized, corporatized, corrupted and controlled. These transits aren’t just going to be relevant for guns, but for the fields of law enforcement, the military, competitive sports, honor cultures, typical masculinity and other fields within the martial domain of Aries.

Aries is a sign where Saturn is a true outsider, where Saturn is in fall. Aries is an energetic fiery Mars-driven sign of action, courage and initiative. Saturn is profoundly mismatched with this sign because it is a planet which inspires, fear, doubt, slowness and caution. No one wants restrictions on their own personal autonomy, least of all the hotheads and hotshots. Saturn in Aries is sort of like a meek elderly substitute teacher trying to enforce order in a classroom full of unruly cocky jocks. Saturn may not be welcome in Aries, but it is still needed there from time to time.

Saturn returns to the same degree every 29 years or so, and spends about 2.5 years in each sign. Due to retrogradation, Saturn can dip in and out of the sign when it’s close to the beginning or the end of the transit. I’ve provided the exact dates of Saturn’s presence in Aries since the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately my overview is more US-centric, but I tried to incorporate international examples when I saw them.

Saturn in Aries in Practice

Saturn in Aries 1908-1911

3/20/1908 – 5/17/1910, 12/15/1910 – 1/20/1911
Saturn in Aries square Uranus in Capricorn and square Neptune in Cancer, opposite Jupiter in Libra

On July 26th 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was founded, when Saturn was at 10 Aries. This of course is America’s top law enforcement agency, so Saturn’s transit reflected this institutionalization of crime fighting, to contain crime and violence. On March 30th 1909, the silencer was patented during a Sun-Saturn conjunction in Aries and a Mars-Uranus conjunction in Capricorn, a stark reflection of a disruptive innovation and the literal Saturnian quietening of lethal force.

Saturn in Aries 1937 – 1940

4/25/1937 – 10/17/1937, 1/14/1938 – 7/6/1939, 9/22/1939 – 3/20/1940

On June 30th 1938, FDR signed the Federal Firearms Act of 1938 into law. It established the first gun licenses and enforced it through the precursor to ATF. It also banned certain groups from owning firearms, such as felons. Between March 30th and May 15th 1939, the US Supreme Court wrestled with the United States v. Miller decision, ultimately ruling that regulation of firearms was constitutional. The Miller decision is often cited in the modern US gun control debate.

Saturn in Aries 1967 – 1969

3/3/1967 – 4/29/1969

On October 22nd 1968, the US Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968. It was a culmination of efforts since JFK was killed and then spurred into completion by the assassinations of MLK Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. This law established what we now recognize as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and banned certain types of people from being able to get guns. Another American gun control attempt in this period stands out: the then-California Republican governor Ronald Reagan passed the Mulford Act in mid-1967 with the support (!!) of the NRA because it deliberately targeted Black Panthers who conducted armed patrols in neighborhoods to provide oversight of cops. When it comes to the NRA’s suspiciously selective support of gun rights, honestly not much has changed. 

Saturn in Aries 1996 – 1998

4/7/1996 – 6/9/1998, 10/25/1998 – 2/28/1999
Saturn in Aries square Neptune in Capricorn 1998

These years marked significant advances in gun control in the UK and in Australia. Following the Dunblane school massacre in Scotland, the UK responded by enacting two laws which together effectively banned private ownership of guns, on February 27th 1997 and November 27th 1997.

Within 12 days of the April 28th 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, Australia enacted the National Firearms Agreement which banned many types of guns and instituted other protections against guns. Beginning in late October 1996 through late 1997, a massive gun buyback program reclaimed thousands of guns.

In 1997, the UN published a study titled “United Nations International Study on Firearm Regulation“. Its publication was meant to establish a database on civilian firearm regulations which would be run by the Centre for International Crime Prevention. It got scuppered by the USA which leveraged its influence to stymie the UN from proceeding with any gun control initiatives.

In the US, the federal background checks mandated by the 1993 Brady Law only became a workable system when the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was launched on November 30th 1998 when Saturn was at 27 Aries. This is a pretty clear manifestation of Saturn in Aries, as it established a boundary around obtaining a weapon, a test of one’s honor, as it were.

Saturn in Aries 2025 – 2028

5/24/2025 – 9/1/2025, 2/13/2026 – 4/12/2028
Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries

Based on the past several passages of Saturn through Aries, and based on where things stand here in 2019, I predict there will be some sort of substantial and potentially successful gun control effort in the US on par with previous instances.

• • 1908 – FBI established
  • 1938 – Gun Licensing required
  • 1968 – ATF established
  • 1998 – NICS background check system launches
  • 2025-2028 – Improved background checks? A new agency?

This would presumably mean that Democrats would have to be in power in the White House and Congress between the 2024 and 2028 elections. Although even if they weren’t, some measure would go into effect that would bear down on guns, such as improvements to the NICS system. In some way we will come to some sort of reckoning with this topic of gun control. It may not even be just because Saturn in Aries can be rationalized to represent this topic. This Saturn cycle may also be in response to an inception over this whole debate over the 2nd Amendment. This would make some amount of sense because…

Saturn in Aries 1790 – 1793

4/19/1790 – 10/31/1790, 1/3/1791 – 6/22/1792, 10/6/1792 – 3/12/1793
Saturn opposite Jupiter and Neptune in Libra

…the 2nd Amendment itself comes from a Saturn in Aries period. “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Along with the other amendments in the Bill of Rights, the 2nd Amendment was ratified on December 15th 1791 when Saturn stationed direct at 12 Aries.

Aries is the exaltation of the Sun of authority, leaders, autonomy, individuality, and the express purpose of the Bill of Rights was to enumerate individual rights that would be protected from/by the government. So Saturn’s position in Aries could both be read as the establishment of individual worth and rights and as a reprimand or check on the powers of leadership.

I have a lot more to say about the 2025-2026 Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries, but this will have to suffice for now. If you’re wondering when any progress with guns could happen in the US, it looks like it will be just a few years away when Saturn enters Aries that a window of opportunity will be open. Until then, vote, vote and vote the best you can, be aware of your surroundings and have an exit plan wherever you go, and watch this compilation of idiots terminally incapable of safely and responsibly exercising their 2nd amendment rights with dark amusement.