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Category: Gun Control

Just Like That: Biden ATF Criminalizes Tens of Thousands of Private Gun Sellers

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/04/just-like-that-biden-atf-criminalizes-tens-of-thousands-of-private-gun-sellers/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

ATF Emblem NRA-ILA
The ATF are up to their gun-banning tricks again. IMG NRA-ILA

We have long been warning of the rule that the Biden ATF has been preparing to redefine who is considered a firearm “dealer” under U.S. law.  The administration’s explicit objective was to move as close to so-called “universal background checks” for firearm sales as possible. Aiding in this effort was 2022’s lamentable (and misnamed) Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which made a subtle change to the underlying standards for when a person is “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms and therefore required to be federally licensed. Licensees, in turn, must run background checks when making sales to unlicensed buyers. The BSCA’s removal of a single word from a federal statute has now resulted in a 466-page monstrosity of a rule that redefines what it means to be a firearm “dealer” and threatens to turn untold thousands of upstanding citizens into criminals for exercising their constitutional rights.

Previously, an individual only needed a federal license to sell firearms when engaged in “a course of trade or business “involving “repetitive” buying and reselling of firearms with the “principal objective” of “livelihood and profit.”

The BSCA removed the “livelihood” element so that profit-seeking alone would fulfill the required objective of the sales.

Certain supporters of the BSCA claimed this change was merely a codification of how courts had applied the previously existing law. They wanted to make clear, they said, that a person could be subject to licensure even if the person had means of support other than selling guns. But the NRA, in opposing the BSCA, warned that it “leaves too much discretion in the hands of government officials and also contains undefined and overbroad provisions – inviting interference with our constitutional freedoms.” In other words, there was no telling what sort of spin the most anti-gun administration in American history would try to put on changes to statutory language that had existed for decades and for which there were well-established histories of case law and enforcement policy.

The ATF’s sprawling background check rule is the most glaring and sinister example of the havoc the BSCA has unleased. In typical fashion, the anti-gun Biden administration has treated the law as a mandate to pursue the firearm prohibition movement’s longstanding aspiration to ban private gun sales. Channeling sales through a network of federally licensed dealers ensures that there is a paper trail of privately-owned guns. Proponents of the policy claim it will promote public safety by allowing police to trace the origins of guns recovered from crime scenes.  But the government’s own data shows that violent criminals either avoid the background check requirement, through measures such as theft or black-market sales, or they use “straw buyers” to purchase guns from dealers on their behalf. Forcing law-abiding gun owners to go through a dealer to sell a gun to a trusted neighbor or co-worker won’t change this, but it will put more lawfully owned guns “on paper,” a prerequisite to any future scheme of large-scale registration and confiscation, whenever guns are retroactively banned.

As for the rule itself, its main feature is a series of “rebuttable presumptions” about when a firearm seller is either “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms or has the objective to “predominantly earn a profit.” These presumptions are meant to guide the “fact-specific” inquiry into when a person’s gun sales cross the threshold that require that person to be federally licensed. We commented on those presumptions in previous articles, and they remain essentially unchanged in the final rule.

Yet, demonstrating the ATF’s skepticism of its own legal interpretations, these presumptions are explicitly meant to apply only in “civil or administrative proceedings,” even though the underlying statutes may also be criminally enforced. Such proceedings include applications for, or renewals of, firearm licenses or civil forfeiture actions by the government seeking to confiscate firearms, ammunition, and profits from gun sales.

Courts subject administrative rules to more stringent scrutiny when they are used in criminal cases, which is undoubtedly why ATF claims its presumptions are only meant for civil enforcement. ATF knows that none of the presumptions appear in or are authorized by the language of the underlying statutes themselves. To the extent they are tied to any legal authority at all, ATF claims they are derived from case law applying the pre-BSCA standard for dealer licensing. But that standard no longer exists, so it’s not clear why a court should give any deference to those cases as applied to the new BSCA standard. But ATF still hedges its bets, suggesting that its new criteria “may be useful to a court in a criminal proceeding – for example, to inform appropriate jury instructions regarding permissible inferences.”

This supposed distinction between civil and criminal proceedings, however, goes to the heart of the rule’s overall game plan. Normally, administrative rules are meant to give more specificity and detail to broad statutory regimes so regulated entities have a clearer understanding of their obligations under the law. In this case, however, the ATF merely wants to create more confusion and uncertainty. They know the rule is irrelevant to the behavior of real criminals, and they even admit their new standards cannot be strictly applied in criminal cases. But the rule may create enough doubt in the minds of conscientious, law-abiding gun owners that they simply avoid engaging in or facilitating private transfers altogether. It is, in other words, regulation by intimidation.

There is already a push for proposed federal legislation to disallow the rule; however, the current makeup of Congress makes its passage extremely difficult. Like the Biden administration’s other illegal anti-gun rules, this one is destined for a long march through the federal courts, a campaign that inherently favors the government, which can and will expend any amount of resources to try to vindicate its dubious interpretations of the law. Indeed, from the administration’s point of view, litigating the rule at taxpayer’s expense merely allows it to extend the political capital of the campaign with its anti-gun supporters by demonstrating the administration’s aggressiveness and commitment to gun control.

NRA-ILA will keep you apprised of all legislative and legal challenges to this egregious rule as they develop. Please stay tuned.

About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the rights of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)

 

Gun Lobby Honors U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan As 2023 Legislator Of The Year

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/04/gun-lobby-honors-u-s-rep-jim-jordan-as-2023-legislator-of-the-year/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

 

Jim Jordan IMG jordan house gov
Jim Jordan IMG jordan house gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, proudly honored U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as the 2023 NSSF Legislator of the Year for his persistent pursuit of accountability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Biden administration for unconstitutional attacks on the firearm industry and the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Congressman Jordan is the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and is a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. In these roles, Chairman Jordan has exposed the abusive policies forced by the Biden administration through the DOJ and ATF to attack the firearm and ammunition industry. He has demanded answers for Executive Branch overreach that has infringed on lawful commerce in arms and the ability of Americans to freely purchase the firearms they choose to own in the exercise of their Second Amendment rights.

“We are honored to present Chairman Jordan with the 2023 NSSF Legislator of the Year Award for his unwavering leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the firearm and ammunition industry and the growing community of gun owners,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

“Chairman Jordan’s dogged determination for accountability from agencies within the Executive Branch have reasserted Congress’s role in the balance of authority between the three co-equal branches of government and has served as a backstop against an administration intent on decimating the firearm and ammunition industry. Our industry, and the American public, is deeply grateful for Chairman Jordan’s fierce determination to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans and the industry that makes the exercise of those rights possible.”

Chairman Jordan chastised ATF Director Steven Dettelbach for overstepping his authority when the bureau imposed new regulations on “stabilizing braces” in a 2023 hearing. Chairman Jordan told Director Dettelbach that the policy “turns law-abiding gun owners into felons as a result of unelected bureaucrats simply enacting a new regulation.”

Chairman Jordan added in that hearing, “That’s not how it’s supposed to work." In our great country, Congress writes the laws and the executive branch enforces them. Here, the executive branch has taken power from Congress in deciding what the law should be … Director Dettelbach has, in essence, become a one-man Congress.”

The ATF’s stabilizing pistol brace rule has been enjoined nationally by a federal court judge in Texas. Several challenges to the ATF rule have been consolidated and are pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Chairman Jordan also demanded answers from Director Dettelbach on the ATF’s “zero-tolerance” policy that has seen firearm retailers lose their licenses and livelihoods due to unintentional administrative errors. Chairman Jordan further demanded answers from Director Dettelbach on why the ATF proposed a new “engaged in the business” rule that would require near-universal background checks for firearm transfers when Congress specifically rejected the idea.

Chairman Jordan’s investigation into the Weaponization of the Federal Government uncovered the collusion between the FBI, DOJ, U.S. Treasury Department, and private banks to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of gun purchasers by creating a watchlist of potential “violent domestic terrorists” simply for exercising their Second Amendment rights. Chairman Jordan’s investigations exposed Bank of America’s voluntary disclosure of private financial transactions at firearm and ammunition retailers, purchase records, and private data to the FBI without a warrant or notification to the bank’s customers. The investigation revealed that Citibank was also complicit in warrantless searches.

Chairman Jordan’s investigations continue. Just last month, he castigated the Biden administration in a hearing on the weaponization of the Federal Government, explaining that the Executive Branch illegally spied on Americans’ lawful gun purchases because they were politically out of step with The White House’s gun control agenda.

“And… and if you’re a gun owner, look out,” Chairman Jordan said. “You’re going to the top of the list. For simply exercising your Second Amendment right, you’re on the FBI’s target list. Never forget, the federal government got this information without any process. No warrant and frankly, no notification.”

He added, “Since then, we’ve learned that the financial surveillance was broader, and there was a specific objective." The federal government is building profiles on the American people. And the profile isn’t based on criminal conduct. It’s based on political beliefs, and if you’ve got the wrong political beliefs, well, you’re a potentially violent domestic extremist.”

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

National Shooting Sports Foundation

Kamala Unveils ‘Red Flag’ Centers to Take Away Guns~Repressive states~Gun control governors

Higbie: Any government that takes guns away is going to do something terrible

Repressive States: No Right to Carry, Ban on Semi-Autos, No Suppressors, and High Taxes

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/03/repressive-states-no-right-to-carry-ban-on-semi-autos-no-suppressors-and-high-taxes/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
gun control gun rights iStock-gguy44 962772470
gun control gun rights iStock-gguy44 962772470

Nine states show up again and again as the most repressive states in the union of the United States of America. With the occasional exception, these states refuse to honor the Constitution; they have extremely restrictive policies on who may bear arms, they ban common rifles, they ban the ownership of suppressors, and they tend to have high taxes. They are all controlled by the Democratic Party.

The nine most repressive states are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of “assault rifles.”

Washington State has also banned certain semi-automatic rifles. Litigation challenging such bans as unconstitutional is moving forward in several states, including Maryland, New York, California, Illinois, and New Jersey. At some point, the Supreme Court will rule on one or more of these cases.

Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of "assault rifles." 
Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of “assault rifles.” 

Of the nine repressive states, eight of them have laws that prevent most of the population from exercising their Second Amendment rights, especially the right to bear arms outside of the home.

The right-to-carry map shows the current state of the right to carry in the United States of America by state.
The right-to-carry map shows the current state of the right to carry in the United States of America by state.

Out of the nine repressive states, eight have “may issue” laws whereby a government official has discretion to deny a carry permit based on his subjective opinion.

In this way, Martin Luther King was denied a carry permit in Alabama in 1956. John Stossel was denied a carry permit in New York City. Illinois is shown as a “shall issue” state. Illinois was forced by the Court of Appeals in the Seventh Circuit to pass a “shall issue” law or risk being forced to become a permitless carry state.

Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.

Suppressors/silencers are effective safety devices, which are common in Europe and many other countries. The American Suppressor Association maintains a map showing which states ban the legal possession of silencers/suppressors. Maryland does not ban the ownership of suppressors and allows them to be used for hunting. Suppressors/silencers are banned in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.
Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.

Now, taxation, of the nine most repressive states, is in the top ten highest tax states: New York, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware.

All of the nine most repressive states are Democratic party trifectas, as shown by Ballotpedia. A Democratic party trifecta means both houses of the legislature and the governorship are in the hands of the Democratic party.

A similar situation existed with states in the South when they refused to follow Supreme Court rulings to desegregate public schools. Eventually, under a Republican administration, President Eisenhower enforced the desegregation order in Arkansas schools. Do not expect a Biden, or any Democratic administration, to use troops to enforce Second Amendment rights in repressive states.  Just as the Democratic party was the party of government power and segregation through the 1950’s, the Democratic party has been the party of government power and repression of Second Amendment rights since the Supreme Court rulings in Heller (2008), McDonald (2010), Caetano (2016) and Bruen (2022).

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten was a peace officer, a military officer who was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Gun Control Governors Need a Hard Reality Check

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by

Opinion
By Matt Manda

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/03/gun-control-governors-need-a-hard-reality-check/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Crime Scene Tape NRA-ILA
Shutterstock 56280433

Several of the nation’s most ardent gun control activist governors and mayors of the largest metropolitans are staring down a divergent reality. They continue to stick with publicizing increasing gun control restrictions on law-abiding citizens, as crime is going down in many – though not all – major cities, while gun sales continue to increase at “new normal” historically high rates.

The tired scare tactic of warning “more guns means more crime” is crumbling apart as millions of law-abiding Americans are awakening to what it means to be a lawful and responsible gun owner. The streak of more than one million NSSF-adjusted FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications processed for the purchase of a firearm that hit 55 months in February 2024.

Those firearm sales figures include significant increases in gun ownership in some of the country’s bluest states and cities. In those same areas, crime has been rampant over the past several years as politicians embraced “Defund the Police” efforts, bail reform policies and going soft on criminals.

The rest of the law-abiding population has pushed back in a resounding way.

Eyes on the Big Apple

One city where the divergent reality is most prominently seen today is New York City. Perhaps no city has seen more dissatisfied citizens about their feelings toward public safety than the Big Apple. It was a major factor under former accidental Mayor Bill de Blasio and continues under Mayor Eric Adams. That includes a stretch in 2022 where 70 percent of New York City residents felt unsafe.

That figure hasn’t improved much in the past year. The New York Times reported on a new poll showing that only 37 percent of city residents felt satisfied with the level of safety in their neighborhood. The same poll found that only half of residents admitted they planned to stay in the city past 2028.

“People are fed up with the quality of life. There’s a general sense of lawlessness. You go into CVS and there’s shoplifting. "People's cars get vandalized,” Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The New York Post about the polling.

Despite residents still feeling unsafe in their city – particularly while New Yorkers still face spikes in crime on the city’s subway – two trends have overlapped to demonstrate why crime is falling a bit in New York City from the recent highs over the past few years: increases in gun ownership and law enforcement getting tough on criminals.

In New York City, the rampant crime of the past several years, as well as more recent events including rises in antisemitism, have contributed to large numbers of new law-abiding gun owners in the city. Women, African Americans, Jewish residents, and even a collection of hundreds of the city’s bodega owners have all taken the Second Amendment into their own hands to purchase firearms. It’s also led to a decrease in crime so far compared to last year.

“Anyone that’s out there looking to rob us, hurt us, kill us – beware,” Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America, recently said. “You may be walking into the wrong bodega because now we have the same firepower you have.”

All told, NSSF-adjusted FBI NICS verifications for the purchase of a firearm in New York have totaled nearly 1.6 million. There's a lot of new, empowered New Yorkers taking their personal safety into their own hands and not relying on delayed or understaffed law enforcement. Criminals are taking note.

Busting Bad Guys

In addition to the massive number of new gun owners in the Big Apple, the falling crime rate is likely due to another logical effort that has nothing to do with placing more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. Instead, it turns out that going after and getting tough on criminals who break the law has a real, positive impact on the city.

Gothamist reported on a new survey released by the mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and the New York Police Department that highlighted new information about what types of illegal guns police are seizing and where. The report breaks down more than 6,200 firearms that police seized between July 2020 and December 2021.

“About a third of [the seized firearms] had been used in a crime and about two-thirds had not. The guns that had not been used in a crime included those seized from people who didn’t have a license to possess a firearm, and weapons that people voluntarily turned over to law enforcement at gun buybacks,” the report stated. It should be noted that illegally possessing a firearm is, in fact, a crime.

The report also demonstrated that most of the seized firearms connected to a crime came from police precincts with high crime rates, reinforcing that police know where violent criminals are, that they are using and possessing illegal firearms and that those areas deserve the most attention.

Lastly, the crime report reinforced that illegally possessed handguns are, by far, the most commonly used firearm when a crime is committed. More than 70 percent of all the guns seized were handguns, with only eight percent being either a rifle or shotgun. When the report segments those guns out further to look at the “crime guns” the numbers are even more telling. More than 80 percent of recovered firearms were handguns, with only three percent being a long gun.

This data tracks fairly closely with what the firearms industry has said for years: that the overwhelming majority of firearms used in crime are illegally obtained handguns and that, also, Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs), which there are more than 28 million in circulation, are seldom used in a crime.

Not an Outlier

While crime is staying high in Washington, D.C., even though the city already implements nearly every gun control law imaginable, and a few other major cities that have notoriously soft-on-crime prosecutors or that severely cut police budgets, New York City isn’t an outlier. Across the country, in major cities crime seems to be trending downward in the right direction.

Not all major cities can point towards new gun restrictions or gun control laws as the reason behind the decrease. But, in every state – including many of the major cities which often have Left-leaning, gun control supportive mayors – firearm sales have kept up at a blistering pace.

With more law-abiding gun owners, and with more states like Louisiana and South Carolina opting for permitless carry, it’s abundantly clear criminals have recognized they are facing more empowered and confident residents that won’t be such easy targets as victims anymore.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

National Shooting Sports Foundation

EVERY Constitutional Right that Biden’s New “Red Flag” Office VIOLATES

President Biden’s Department of Justice has launched a new office to train state and local authorities on how to use red flag laws to confiscate guns from people who could pose a “threat.” But what does it consider to be a threat? People have already accused this "National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center" of violating the Second Amendment. But Glenn believes it may violate a handful more of the Bill of Rights. Glenn reviews how the Department of Justice has sidestepped Amendments 1-6 of the Constitution with this order, along with others.

Democrat, MUSLIM AG Ellison Continues War on Legal Gun Sales with Complaint Against Fleet Farm~SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT KEITH ELLISON HERE: https://ratherexposethem.org/?s=Keith+Ellison

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
“I’m proud to be a Protect Minnesota Orange Star Candidate. Gun violence has disrupted the lives of Minnesotans of all ages and all walks of life, and it’s long past time to do something about it. I will always be an ally in that fight as Attorney General.” (Keith Ellison/Facebook)

“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is accusing Fleet Farm of violating state law when the retailer allegedly sold firearms to ‘straw purchasers,’ according to newly filed court documents,” ABC affiliate KSTP Eyewitness News reported Monday. “Defendants knew or had reason to know, based on the circumstances of the sales and the information known to Defendants, that straw purchasers were not purchasing for themselves and were buying firearms for others,” Ellison charged, accusing the Midwest retail chain “of violating the Minnesota Gun Control Act.”

“A citizen can purchase traditional rifles and shotguns without a permit. Purchase of a handgun, however, requires a valid permit that will include a criminal background check. Likewise, the purchase or transfer of a pistol or a semi-automatic military-style assault weapon will require completing a purchase/transfer permit,” John Mascolo, Esq. of FindLaw writes. “Applicants for a gun permit in Minnesota must undergo a criminal background check through the Minnesota Crime Information System and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICS. Those seeking to purchase a firearm may seek a permit from their local police chief or county sheriff.”

Is Ellison saying Fleet Farm, which as a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) is routinely audited by an ATF notorious for “zero tolerance” revocations over innocuous paperwork flubs, transferred guns without going through the process? No? Then what’s his beef?

“It’s alleged Fleet Farm sold 13 guns during a 12-month period to a straw purchaser who later pleaded guilty to helping straw purchase nearly 100 firearms,” KSTP explains. “The lawsuit mentions specific firearms used in the Truck Park Bar shooting in October 2021 that left one person dead and another 14 injured.”

And that is Fleet Farm’s fault…how? Does Minnesota law limit how many firearms purchases a citizen can make in a year? It does not.

Curiously, one of the “commonsense gun safety laws” the prohibitionists have tried to enact everywhere, (in Everytown!), is a “one-gun-a-month” law. They do things incrementally, and many would prefer “no-guns-a-month,” but as an aside, a U.S. District judge just held that California’s purchase limitation edict “did not fit within the nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation.”

So, Ellison is running afoul of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), of Bruen, and more to the point, of the clear Second Amendment proscription that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” And his excuse for going after Fleet Farm is that its retail employees can’t do the impossible and read the hearts and minds of customers, and that it is therefore responsible for not just their criminal actions, but for the subsequent actions of those they deal with.

In truth, he just wants to use the virtually unlimited resources of the state to rob a victim with deep pockets blind through lawfare and shut all gun dealers down, which is par for the course with this character.

When he was in Congress, he was part of a group of Democrat gun prohibitionists who staged a sit-in, which “shut down the House’s legislative work” to demand more citizen disarmament. He and the two were clearly and defiantly obstructing and impeding official proceedings, a charge used to throw J6 Capitol protestors into the federal gulag.

Ellison is a former leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, co-founded by Bernie Sanders. And the Caucus (with Ellison specifically lauded) maintains “ties” with the Communist Party USA and “close ties” with another “progressive” group, the Democratic Socialists of America, the domestic arm of Socialist International.

The DSA devoted a page on their website (until they took it down to try to hide it—this link goes to the Internet Archive record, which may load slowly but they can’t erase) to hymns glorifying their “struggle.” The following example should be of special interest, since the people they’re talking about are pretty much you and me:

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Bourgeoisie, Bourgeoisie, And when the revolution comes, We’ll kill you all with knives and guns, Bourgeoisie, Bourgeoisie

That’s what he represents. And this is what Fleet Farm does:

“Fleet Farm has been serving hardworking families since 1955. We’re built on a foundation of Midwestern values. You could say we’re a lot like our customers. We believe in honoring tradition, taking pride in our work and doing what’s right.”

It’s all part of a wider movement to ban not just guns (Ellison doesn’t like the First Amendment any better than he does the second), but to demonize and exclude those with traditional American values. Look at the government and media push going on before the upcoming November elections to conflate rejection of collectivism, immorality, and treason with “white rural rage,” for the DOJ/FBI to portray those Americans as “the greatest threat,” and to condemn “Christian Nationalists” as theocratic Nazis for believing rights are “endowed by our Creator” instead of privileges to be portioned out or withheld by the state.

There’s no room in Keith Ellison’s America for such outcasts. That’s why they’re so desperate to disarm us. And that’s why the government monopoly of violence subversives masquerading as “gun safety advocates” at Giffords proclaimed “We are proud to endorse Keith Ellison for attorney general.”

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

David Codrea

Mills, Gottlieb at CPAC: Gun Control is about Weakening America

Ammoland Inc. Posted on  by 
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/02/mills-gottlieb-at-cpac-gun-control-is-about-weakening-america; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
‘Shooting from the Hip’ was a segment at the Conservative Political Action Conference. From left: moderator Carl Higbie, Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL), and Alan Gottlieb, Second Amendment Foundation. (Courtesy of CPAC)

An important segment of last weekend’s Conservative Action Political Conference, virtually overlooked by the media, featured U.S. Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), telling the audience that gun control is not about public safety, but about public control.

Mills, who was elected to office in 2022, came out swinging, referring to the text of the Second Amendment, which he said “cannot be clearer.”

“It doesn’t say ‘may.’ It says ‘shall not be infringed,’” Mills stressed.

He accused the administration of mounting a “multi-pronged attack” on our liberties. The administration is allowing open borders while at the same time pushing for more laws and regulations that will not be obeyed by criminals who are already violating existing laws. These restrictions prevent U.S. citizens from protecting themselves from criminal harm, he suggested.

A self-described constitutionalist, Mills—who served with the 82nd Airborne—told the audience, “This is not about policing, it’s about politics. They are trying to do everything they can to weaken the American people to make us dependent upon the administrative state.”

The 18-minute segment, headlined “Shooting from the Hip,” was moderated by Carl Higbie, host of Frontline, with Newsmax. Turning his attention to Gottlieb, who serves as executive vice president of SAF, Higbie inquired about legal actions challenging gun control laws in the wake of the 2022 Bruen ruling.

Right now, Gottlieb disclosed, SAF has a whopping 59 cases filed against gun control laws across the country, from one coast to the other. He pointed specifically to lawsuits against laws in Connecticut and New York, observing that some states have adopted gun laws as a means of “thumbing their nose at the Supreme Court.”

“I expected after Bruen they would pass laws that would be a little less restrictive…to see what they could get away with,” the veteran gun rights leader observed. “They didn’t do that. They doubled and tripled down and passed laws that are worse.”

He reminded the audience that days before the CPAC event, the Hawaii Supreme Court handed down a ruling in a gun case which said the “Aloha spirit” essentially outweighed the Second Amendment. The bizarre ruling is almost certain to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

SAF currently has two cases asking certiorari before the Supreme Court, in Maryland and Illinois. Both challenge bans on semi-auto rifles and so-called “high-capacity” magazines. The court has not announced yet whether it will take either case for review.

A few moments later, Gottlieb bristled as he commented about the left’s gun control crusade.

“It is so blatantly political, their agenda of socialism and controlling people’s lives,” he stated. “I mean, gun control isn’t about controlling guns; it’s about controlling people. That’s what their agenda really is. Facts, figures don’t matter to them. All they care about is taking away our rights.”

Higbie, who served as a Navy SEAL for nine years, had a solid grasp of the current political environment.

“You look at all of these mass shootings that are happening recently,” he noted. “Most of them happened in Joe Biden’s gun-free zones that he was the original architect of…The top ten most dangerous cities are Democratically-held cities, some in Republican states.”

Elsewhere during the discussion, Mills acknowledged he would like to abolish the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The remark drew applause from the audience.

All three men concurred that Democrat gun control efforts have resulted in more gun sales. Gottlieb noted how high-profile crimes, terrorist attacks, and other domestic factors invariably result in increased firearms sales.

Higbie observed, “Democrats are the greatest gun salesmen. Every time a Democrat comes into office, they actually help drive those numbers up.”

The discussion wrapped up with Mills and Gottlieb reminding the CPAC audience about media bias against reporting stories in which law-abiding citizens have used firearms, including semiautomatic rifles, in self-defense.

“They only report on mass shootings when it fits a certain narrative,” Mills said about the media, calling it “fake news.”

“What they want to do is to not vilify the actual criminal who is committing an act which is obviously illegal,” he said, “they want to criminalize our ability to hold arms.”

“It’s such a one-sided debate with the national media, which carries the agenda for the gun ban movement it’s actually disgusting,” Gottlieb said.

“This is about them controlling the message,” Mills added, “and we can’t allow that. We have to be louder. Utilize your platforms…We have to control the narrative. We have to control our ability to hold our own rights.”

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

Dave Workman

Trump Rallies the 2A Faithful in Pennsylvania

Ammoland Inc. Posted on  by 
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/02/trump-rallies-the-2a-faithful-in-pennsylvania; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
Donald Trump speaks to NRA
The Stakes in 2020

On Friday, February 9, President Donald Trump took the stage at the NRA Presidential Forum held in Harrisburg, Penn., to the approving cheers of the thousands in attendance.  The Forum was one of the culminating events during the nine-day NRA Great American Outdoor Show—dubbed The World’s Largest Outdoor Show—an annual event that celebrates hunting, fishing, and outdoor traditions.  This year’s event saw the most attendees ever, with more than 200,000 people making their way through 650,000 square feet of exhibit area, viewing more than 1,000 exhibitors.

Trump started things off with the proclamation, “Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your President.”  He added, “When I’m back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms.”

The crowd roared its approval, and the 45th President of the United States went on for more than an hour making his case for being elected the 47th on November 5, 2024.

With thousands of NRA members, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts gathered, the former president delivered one of his trademark performances, transitioning smoothly from boilerplate campaign stump speech exposing the policy failures of the current administration to jabbing at the members of the media in attendance—yes, he used the term “Fake News”—to riffing on the myriad problems (cognitive issues, corruption allegations, historically low approval polls, etc.) confronting Joe Biden.

But what the vast majority of the crowd was there to hear was what Trump would do to defend our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  And they were not disappointed.

He spoke about Biden’s “non-stop war on gun makers, dealers, and sellers designed to put the entire industry out of business.”  If elected, Trump promised, “Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my first week; maybe my first day (in office).”

He said he would fire Steve Dettelbach, the anti-gun Biden appointee who is the current director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Under Dettelbach, the ATF has implemented a number of anti-gun policies (some of which are facing serious legal challenges), such as the new rule on pistol braces and efforts to create its own interpretation of the federal laws on firearm transfers.  Trump also referred to ATF policies that have been implemented that are being abused to shut down licensed gun dealers for minor paperwork errors.

To help show the difference between how different he and Biden are when it comes to the firearms industry, he reminded the crowd that he had made sure to designated dealers and manufacturers as “critical infrastructure” during the 2020 pandemic, so that they could remain in operation, even as some states with anti-gun governors and local authorities tried to force them closed.  Trump pledged to reverse ATF’s Draconian new regulations and policies, although the courts may take care of some before he gets into office if he is elected in November.

In addition, the former president said he would fire United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, another anti-gun Biden appointee, whose position can have a considerable impact on hunting and recreational shooting on public lands.  As a contrast, Trump pointed out that, while president, he opened up “millions of acres of public land” for recreational use.

When it comes to personal protection, Trump stated clearly, “You have a right to self-defense.”  He also noted that he would work to ensure national Right-to-Carry reciprocity is finally achieved, should he win in November.

The former president also referenced the landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen; and it should always be remembered that three of the six justices who came down on the side of our right to self defense outside the home in that decision were appointed by Trump.  He even recounted how he, during an appearance at the 2019 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, Ind., officially announced he was pulling the United States out of the United Nation’s anti-Second Amendment Arms Trade Treaty.

You can watch his entire speech here, but for those interested in seeing the real thing in person, he promised to be at the 153rd NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas, Tex., which takes place this year on May 17-19.

About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)

Biden’s New Gun Control for Black Communities

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/02/bidens-new-gun-control-for-black-communities/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
Joe Biden IMG whitehouse-gov
Joe Biden IMG whitehouse-gov

The Biden administration is on a propaganda rampage, and the attack is focused on guns. Of course, Joe Biden is being presented as the face of the newly fabricated “Community Violence Awareness Week,” which appears to be nothing more than a new left-wing political holiday for the purpose of spreading anti-gun propaganda.

Although the White House gun grabbers continue complaining that they need action from Congress on their so-called “gun violence epidemic,” the new approach is to label gun-related deaths a “health crisis” for the purpose of justifying executive action.

As expected, Biden launched the “Office of Gun Violence Prevention” in September and coincidentally expedited the implementation of executive actions on gun laws and measures in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Magically, the new violations to the 2nd Amendment created a $750,000,000.00 fund that would be used to leverage States into implementing Red Flag Laws. Red Flag Laws essentially result in the confiscation of firearms without due process.

Greg Jackson, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said, “Gun violence is a public health crisis that impacts our communities every day.”

By creating the appearance of a “health crisis,” Joe Biden’s handlers can pave the way for him to sign executive orders at the behest of the angry, radical-left gun lobby. This is why the propaganda machine will start using the term “health crisis” more often when the topic of guns comes up. Remember when the COVID “health crisis” gave state and federal officials the perceived authority to implement executive orders? Using the term “health crisis” is a trick, similar to the way they use the term “gun violence” to cover for “human violence.” When “violence is attached to the word “gun,” anti-gun bureaucrats can push legislation. If “violence” was associated with “human behavior” (as it should be), bureaucrats would be forced to deal with the societal problems they create through bad policy. They can’t have that.

Democrats are trying desperately to have this new “Community Violence Awareness Week” coincide with “Black History Month.” Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a message recognizing “Community Violence Awareness Week” in the hopes of people recognizing it as a national holiday.

According to USA Today, Biden’s White House will be holding several events focused on combating their so-called “gun violence” in black communities. It would appear the planned virtual meetings and round table discussion invitations are limited to black leaders and black elected officials only. It’s been reported that these meetings will be followed up by a workshop where local and state leaders can learn how to obtain federal resources for New “Community Safety Programs.” Joe Biden has repeatedly called on Congress to ban semi-automatic rifles, limit ammunition access through dangerously small capacity magazines, and pass stricter background check legislation that would potentially deny more legal purchases and create more gun registry traps for citizens. Now, the push for these policies seems to be focused primarily on black communities.

It sure looks like the Democrats are acting on their racist impulses again and doing everything they can to remove the ability of black community members to exercise their 2nd Amendment.

Let’s recap the new strategy:

  1. Declare a “health crisis.”
  2. Use executive orders to implement Red Flag Laws (gun confiscation without due process.)
  3. Create a “Community Violence Awareness Week” and associate it with “Black History Month.”
  4. Focus primarily on black communities.
  5. Create programs to train black community leaders on how to obtain federal money that they can use to implement gun control on folks living within their communities.
  6. Sell ‘self-inflicted’ gun control to the people of the communities under the label “Safer Communities Act.”

But don’t worry, they’re doing it to “keep people safe.” Maybe making it easier for people of all communities to exercise their God-given right of self-defense and keeping the bad guys in jail would be the solution to “human violence.”

Robert Heinlein said, “An armed society is a polite society." Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” It has become perfectly clear that the Biden Administration would rather create an unarmed, helpless, government-dependent society.

About Dan Wos, Author – Good Gun Bad Guy

Dan Wos is available for Press Commentary. For more information contact PR HERE

Dan Wos is a nationally recognized 2nd Amendment advocate, Host of The Loaded Mic and Author of the “GOOD GUN BAD GUY” book series. He speaks at events, is a contributing writer for many publications, and can be found on radio stations across the country. Dan has been a guest on Newsmax, the Sean Hannity Show, Real America’s Voice, and several others. Speaking on behalf of gun-rights, Dan exposes the strategies of the anti-gun crowd and explains their mission to disarm law-abiding American gun-owners.

Dan Wos
Dan Wos

White House Wants Schools to Gaslight Parents About Guns

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/02/white-house-wants-schools-to-gaslight-parents-about-guns; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
White House Wants Schools to Gaslight Parents About Guns, iStock-1043643234
White House Wants Schools to Gaslight Parents About Guns, iStock-1043643234

The White House wants to enlist school officials to help hoodwink parents about its gun control plans, according to a statement issued last week.

The reason is simple: They want to take advantage of the officials’ credibility, which the White House lacks, especially when it comes to guns.

Teachers and administrators, the White House said in the statement, “can be trusted, credible messengers when it comes to providing guidance on gun violence prevention and safe firearm storage options.”

The new program, one of three executive orders Joe Biden issued last week, will be spearheaded by Jill Biden, White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Director Stefanie Feldman and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

“This issue matters to the President. It weighs on his heart every day. And he’s not going to stop fighting until we’ve solved it,” Jill Biden said last week while touting the plan at a “Gun Violence Prevention Event,” which was held in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

From a civil rights perspective, the most worrisome portion of the White House plan is a customizable “communications template,” which school officials “can use to engage with parents and families about the importance of safe firearm storage and encourage more people to take preventive action by safely storing firearms.”

The template is designed so school officials can insert the name of the school and their letterhead to make it appear as though the document came from the school and not the White House. In fact, neither the White House nor the Biden-Harris administration are even mentioned in the document.

Dear [INSERT NAME OF SCHOOL OR SCHOOL DISTRICT] Families, Guardians, and Caregivers:

and

Sincerely, [INSERT NAME OF SCHOOL OR SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR]

The template was accompanied by a letter from DOE Secretary Cardona, which urged school officials to comply with the new White House mandate.

“We encourage all school leaders to consider taking steps to build awareness in your school community about safe firearm storage, such as:

  • Share information about safe firearm storage with parents and families in your school community. You can use the enclosed letter as a resource for parents, families, guardians, and caregivers—as well as teachers and school staff—to help build awareness around safe firearm storage, including what people can do to safely store firearms in their homes and spaces that children may occupy. You can also customize the letter to better meet your community’s needs.
  • Partner with other municipal and community leaders to help improve understanding of safe firearm storage and broader gun violence prevention efforts.
  • Engage other organizations and partners within your community, such as parent organizations, out-of-school time program leaders, nonprofit agencies, and other community-based youth-serving entities who routinely interact with children, teens, families, guardians, and caregivers, to inform them about the importance of safe firearm storage.
  • Integrate information about safe firearm storage into your communications with families, guardians, and caregivers about overall emergency preparedness and school safety.”

Propaganda

There is a lot going on here, and none of it is good.

The White House’s template is classic propaganda, in which a target audience is unaware they are being influenced and unaware of the true source of the message.

It is a psychological operation, or psyop, which targets unsuspecting Americans. Before the Bidens moved into the White House, that wasn’t supposed to happen. Nowadays, it’s become commonplace.

That the White House and its gun control office would publicly propose such a plan proves they do not fear exposure from the legacy media. This, too, is telling. They know who their friends are and don’t worry about repercussions.

School officials will have little choice but to participate in this scam. Secretary Cardona’s letter will be seen to that.

Joe Biden, or more likely his handlers and puppeteers, have rewritten the rules to further their war on our guns. Now, everything goes, including psyops and other forms of gaslighting and deception.

The White House statement also mentions that faith leaders and law enforcement have credibility in their communities.

There’s little doubt the Biden-Harris administration will make a run at the nation’s clergy next.

This story was presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.

About Lee Williams

Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and the U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.

Lee Williams

Johns Hopkins: More Gun Control Needed to Prevent Second Civil War

Ammoland Inc. Posted on  by 
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/01/johns-hopkins-more-gun-control-needed-to-prevent-second-civil-war; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes
Anonymous Snitch Group to Dox ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Trump Voters
Johns Hopkins: More Gun Control Needed to Prevent Second Civil War, iStock-1267413669

A recent report by the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, which is part of Johns Hopkins (Michael) Bloomberg School of Public Health, conflates private gun ownership with armed insurrection in order to advocate for expanded gun control.

The 32-page study, which is titled “Defending Democracy: Addressing the Danger of Armed Insurrection,” not only revisits and revises the Jan. 6th protest – even though no protesters were armed and the only casualty was 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol Police – it resurrects actual armed insurrections from American history, such as Shays’ Rebellion of 1786, the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 and the American Civil War.

The three authors, who are all attorneys with a history of paid anti-gun activism, clumsily raise the insurrection boogeyman to push for additional regulations for carrying firearms, tactical training prohibitions, additional gun-free zones, expanded Red Flag laws, and the repeal of state preemption statutes, which has long been a major goal of the gun ban industry. Preemption laws prevent local jurisdictions from enacting their own gun-control regulations, which would result in a patchwork of gun-free zones.

Their authors’ warped message is to be expected, especially when you consider the biased nature of their backgrounds, their sponsors, their sources, and Michael Bloomberg’s school itself. (If you type “gun violence” into the school’s internal search engine, it will yield more than 1,000 results.)

The Center for Gun Violence Solutions admits it uses a “public health approach” to identify gun-control solutions, even though a gun is an inanimate object, not a disease, ailment or disorder. The school further claims it uses “rigorous scientific research to identify a range of innovative solutions to gun violence.” However, the authors’ rigorous scientific research turned out to be nothing more than false claims gleaned from biased stories from the legacy media and other anti-gun organizations that masquerade as actual news websites.

The authors used stories from CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, PBS, NPR, VOX, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Washington Post, USA Today, the Associated Press, PolitiFact, Politico, Slate and the Southern Poverty Law Center. They even used stories from two dedicated anti-gun groups, Giffords and The Trace – the propaganda arm of former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gun-control empire.

Biased authors

The report was written by Tim Carey, Kelly Roskam, and Joshua Horwitz. Carey is the law and policy advisor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. According to his bio, he is responsible for “Drafting legislation, regulations, legal reports, legislative testimony, fact sheets, and other advocacy materials.” Before moving to Johns Hopkins, Carey was the law and policy staff attorney for the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Roskam is the director of law and policy at Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, she was the general counsel and legal director for the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Roskam’s bio also states she interned at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Horwitz is the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Before joining Johns Hopkins, he too worked at the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, serving as executive director.

Biased report

The authors claim their report is both an examination and a warning about the threat that “armed insurrectionism poses to democracy in the United States.”

“The growing presence of firearms in political spaces in the United States endangers public health, safety, and the functioning of democracy,” the report states. “Far from being an outlier, the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol was part of a long line of events in which individuals have sought to use political losses to justify violence or threats of violence to disrupt our government and limit civic engagement.”

As stated, the policy recommendations presented by the authors are merely longstanding goals of the gun-ban industry, which would help propel them toward their ultimate goal of total civilian disarmament. The only difference is that now their policy recommendations are presented as necessary to “address the dangers of armed insurrectionism.”

Biased sponsors

“We would like to thank the Joyce Foundation and the Morningstar Foundation for supplying core support for this report,” the authors wrote.

The Joyce Foundation is firmly committed to gun control. According to their website, the Joyce Foundation seeks to:

  • Advance and implement federal, state, and local policies and practices that reduce easy accessibility of guns to those at risk of violence
  • Support policies to reduce easy accessibility of guns to those at risk of violence
  • Reduce the next generation’s exposure to gun violence through education on the risks of gun ownership
  • Litigate to defend evidence-based gun policies and challenge extreme gun rights policies and practices

The Morningstar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982. In fiscal year 2017, the Morningstar Foundation reported $16,533,591 in revenue and $14,476,618 in expenditures, which included grants to many left-of-center organizations.

Some of the recipients include:

  • Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence
  • The Southern Poverty Law Center
  • States United to Prevent Gun Violence
  • Violence Policy Center

In 2001, Johns Hopkins University renamed its School of Hygiene and Public Health to the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The change came after Michael Bloomberg donated more than $100 million to the university – the largest cash gift in the school’s 125-year history.

“I’m grateful and proud to have my name linked with the world’s greatest public health school,” Bloomberg said in 2001. “I’ve always supported Johns Hopkins just because it gives me great personal pleasure to be associated with faculty, researchers. and students who do such tremendous work on issues that really matter. This honor is really icing on that cake for me.”

This story is presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.

About Lee Williams

Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.

Lee Williams

Biden White House Directs States to Crack Down on Second Amendment Rights

Joe Biden Kamala Harris and ATF IMG NRA ILA

Read more: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20231218/biden-white-house-directs-states-to-crack-down-on-second-amendment-rights#ixzz8MRCOYyru

REPUBLISHED, SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/12/biden-white-house-directs-states-to-crack-down-on-second-amendment-rights/?ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)#axzz8MR0Lrw3c

Recently, we reported on the establishment of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, an effort by the Biden Administration to funnel taxpayer dollars to the partisan project of gun control. Whatever else can be said of the office, it is at least trying to justify its existence by staying busy, to the detriment of law-abiding gun owners. Last week the office convened a meeting with Democratic state legislators in an effort to dragoon them into enacting anti-gun policies that have failed to gain traction at the federal level.

Even the U.S. Justice Department – supposedly the executive’s guarantor of civil rights – is now drafting constitutionally dubious “model legislation” that states can use to crack down on gun owners.  The effort shows Biden’s weaponization of government for political purposes continues to sink to new lows.

The outline of the administration’s plan for state action is as follows:

  1.  “Establish a State Office of Gun Violence Prevention”;
  2.  “Invest in Evidence-informed Solutions to Prevent and Respond to Gun Violence”;
  3.  “Strengthen Support for Survivors and Victims of Gun Violence”;
  4.  “Reinforce Responsible Gun Ownership”;
  5.  “Strengthen Gun Background Checks”; and
  6.  “Hold the Gun Industry Accountable”.

The outline paints a picture of obvious gun control euphemisms interspersed with potential efforts at problem-solving. But the details of the plan paint a different story, one replete with the same unconstitutional, failed, or – at best – unproven policies the firearm prohibition lobby has pursued for decades. Little of it has anything to do with crime or safety. Instead, most of it is squarely focused on making life more difficult for anyone who would dare own a gun or operate a firearm-related business.

The second step, “Invest in Evidence-informed Solutions to Prevent and Respond to Gun Violence”, is significant mainly for its subtle shift in language from the prior gun control rhetoric of “evidence-based” solutions to the lower standard of “evidence-informed.” This is a tacit admission that there is precious little quality evidence for anything the administration is recommending.

Among the policies recommended in this section is “Fund Community Violence Interventions.” In theory, this would use a community-based approach to reducing firearm-related crime through “comprehensive social, health, and economic support for individuals at greatest risk”. Where this has actually been tried, however, the funds often go to “community groups” composed of unprincipled grifters, including “peacekeepers” who in some cases are ex-prisoners who not only fail to keep the peace but contribute to the violence they are supposed to prevent.

The third step, “Strengthen Support for Survivors and Victims of Gun Violence”, would seem to be the least controversial of the plan’s objectives. But one of the policies under this heading would actually help protect criminals from detection and prosecution by recommending that certain federally-funded services for crime victims be provided without the statutory requirement that the victims “cooperate with law enforcement”. This is part and parcel of the administration’s approach to “safety,” which bends over backwards to give individuals who actually cause harm a pass, while seeking to shift ever more burdens to the law-abiding public at large. It also shows that the administration will twist statutes to its will wherever possible, including by making legal requirements “waivable” when they prove politically inconvenient.

Generally speaking, the administration’s recommendations under this heading also show equal concern for criminals who are shot as an outcome of their illegal activities as for other victims of “gun violence” who have no culpability in bringing that status on themselves.

The Fourth step of “Reinforcing Responsible Gun Ownership” is synonymous with “enacting punitive gun control.” Even while urging concern for criminals who get themselves shot while participating in crime, the administration advocates for penalizing those whose guns are stolen or used by a third party to cause harm, unless the gun owner complied with mandatory storage and reporting requirements.

This prong of the plan includes model “safe storage” legislation drafted by none other than the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Under DOJ’s proposed model, a person not actually carrying or using a gun, or having it within arm’s reach, would have to disable it with a locking device or store it in a locked container. This is at odds, however, with U.S. Supreme Court precedent that forbids storage requirements that would render a gun unavailable for “immediate self-defense”. Of course, the proposed law would exempt DOJ’s own officers, as well as other law enforcement personnel, from these general requirements, demonstrating DOJ’s commitment to “gun safety” ends at is own liability.

Another DOJ model law would penalize anyone who’s firearm was stolen, unless the person submitted a mandatory report to the government “no later than 48 hours after the person … knew or reasonably should have known of the … theft” (emphasis added). This could apply to a theft the person was actually unaware of (for example, from a sporadically used camper or hunting cabin), but – in a prosecutor’s opinion – could have been discovered with more care or diligence. This concept makes the gun owner who was victimized by the theft the low-hanging fruit for law enforcement, rather than the criminal who actually stole the gun. It betrays, once again, an approach to public safety that faults everybody but the perpetrator for the commission of a crime.

It should come as no surprise that the administration’s recommendations for “Strengthening Background Checks”, the fifth step, includes criminalizing private firearm transfers, even to non-prohibited persons who intend to use the firearms lawfully. But the administration wants the states to go further, including by making confidential juvenile records available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, so they can be used to deny otherwise non-prohibited adults firearm purchases. This includes both youthful indiscretions that did not result in criminal prosecutions, as well as records of certain mental health interventions. Thus, while the administration is eager to protect criminals from prosecution, it is also eager to make sure that kids who had a bumpy road to adulthood are penalized when it comes to their Second Amendment rights.

The final category of “Holding the Gun Industry Accountable” includes making the gun industry responsible for third-party criminal acts (notwithstanding existing federal law to the contrary) and heaping redundant state licensing and bureaucratic requirements for dealers onto the existing federal ones. Even more tellingly, however, it recommends banning some of the industry’s most popular products, including semi-automatic long guns (which the administration deceptively calls “assault weapons”). Usually, the administration promotes such bans as a public safety imperative. It’s admission here that they are also (perhaps primarily) a way to punish businesses simply for being involved in the gun trade, which is especially revealing.

Needless to say, most of the hardcore anti-gun states have implemented versions of these measures already. Meanwhile, moderate or pro-gun states are either not interested in them or (appropriately) have higher priorities for actually fighting crime. But it says something significant that the administration is willing to expend so much effort signaling to its supporters and donors how much they want to clamp down on the Second Amendment.

Gun owners should consider themselves warned.

About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)

POLICE STATE N.J. Attorney General Files Malicious Civil Complaints Against Firearm Industry Members

Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/12/n-j-attorney-general-files-malicious-civil-complaints-against-firearm-industry-members/#ixzz8LzlIe1uQ
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REPUBLISHED, SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/12/n-j-attorney-general-files-malicious-civil-complaints-against-firearm-industry-members/?ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)#axzz8Lxnbi6TU

FPC, SAF, NJ2AS Challenge New Jersey Handgun Carry Ban
N.J. Attorney General Files Malicious Civil Complaints Against Firearm Industry Members

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has filed two civil complaints against members of the firearms industry. Platkin, who’s been a member of Governor Phil Murphy’s team in one capacity or another since its inception, is executing a law that was enacted maliciously to put the squeeze on firearm-related businesses.

New Jersey’s Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office enforces the 2022 firearms public nuisance law and acts as a work-around for the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The 2022 law allows the Attorney General to go after firearm companies in civil suits for breaking New Jersey’s law, even if they’re outside of said jurisdiction.

The companies named in the complaints are FSS Armory from New Jersey Patriot Enterprises Worldwide LLC (does business as Eagle Shows), and Not An LLC (does business as JSD Supply) from Pennsylvania.

The Attorney General alleges that FSS Armory was reckless in how they allegedly stored their firearms. A theft that occurred, as stated in Platkin’s release, was essentially being blamed on FSS.

The company’s failures put New Jersey residents, as well as those in neighboring states, in danger by allowing the weapons to be trafficked and placed in the hands of criminals and others not legally permitted to own a firearm.

FSS Armory, a state-licensed gun dealer, stored stacks of guns within easy reach of a ground-floor window adjacent to its sales floor and glass-doored entrance. It did not secure either the window or the guns. FSS Armory showcased these unlawful and reckless practices, posting images of the unsecured weapons and window to the homepage of its website and to the store’s Google Maps business listing….

After searching for “gun stores in nj” on their cell phone, a group of individuals found FSS Armory, drove there, broke the glass window, reached through, and stole twenty guns. The burglars promptly trafficked the guns. Some have since been since recovered in criminal investigations. Others have been used in crimes or recovered at active crime scenes. Most remain unaccounted for.

In the complaint against Eagle Shows and JSD Supply, Platikin alleges that these companies “have targeted the sale of ghost gun products to New Jersey residents.” Platkin is suing the companies for conducting lawful business in a completely different state, Pennsylvania.

The Attorney General brings this action to stop and remedy Defendants’ unlawful sale to New Jersey residents of products designed to create unserialized, untraceable firearms— commonly known as “Ghost Guns.” defendants, who know full well that Ghost Guns are illegal in New Jersey, deliberately sell their products at gun shows just across the New Jersey— Pennsylvania border. They do so to make Ghost Guns readily accessible to New Jersey residents—even though such weapons have been illegal in New Jersey for years.

Neither complaint filed against these companies was authored by Attorney General Platkin. The signatory attorney is listed as Assistant Attorney General David Leit.

There was no mention of Platkin’s office referring to those who participated in the theft as “gun traffickers,” nor were there any known efforts to go after actual criminals who participated in criminal activity utilizing firearms that were self-made. In these bold steps, Platkin is not going after the real criminals who commit crimes but rather law-abiding companies.

The Director of SAFE, Ravi Ramanathan, said in a statement, “The unlawful and unreasonable actions of FSS Armory, JSD Supply, and Eagle Shows have caused significant harm to our communities, and they must be held accountable.” If the actions of the listed companies were “unlawful,” then where are the criminal complaints? “Unreasonable actions” amount to what in a court of law?

The State of New Jersey, under Governor Phil Murphy’s regime, has suffered irreparable damages from unlawful and unreasonable laws and policies. The execution of the firearms public nuisance law is just a way for the Garden State to ring up legal bills for law-abiding members of the firearms industry.

About John Petrolino

John Petrolino is a US Merchant Marine Officer, writer, author of Decoding Firearms: An Easy to Read Guide on General Gun Safety & Use and NRA certified pistol, rifle, and shotgun instructor living under and working to change New Jersey’s draconian and unconstitutional gun laws. You can find him on the web at www.johnpetrolino.com on twitter at @johnpetrolino, facebook at @thepenpatriot and on instagram @jpetrolinoiii .John Petrolino

Turns Out, Gun-Hating Sen. Menendez Loves International Firearms Trade After All

Ammoland Inc. Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/gun-hating-sen-menendez-loves-international-firearms-trade-after-all;Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

By Larry Keane

NJ Senator Bob Menendez Poses with EveryTown and Moms Demand Action, IMG menendez.senate.gov
NJ Senator Bob Menendez Poses with EveryTown and Moms Demand Action, IMG menendez.senate.gov

To say U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has been a thorn in the side of the firearm industry would be an understatement. The gun-controlling politician has railed for stricter gun control, called for bans on entire classes of firearms, taken money from gun control groups to advance a gun ban agenda, and has done all he could to undo the export reforms for the firearm industry to reduce redundancies and regulatory costs associated with export licensing while increasing national security.

America might now have a better insight as to why Sen. Menendez wanted more control over those exports.

Serious Corruption Charges

Sen. Menendez, along with his wife Nadine Arslanian and several executives, was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a corrupt bribery scheme. Sen. Menendez was charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible, and home mortgage payments. Those payments were allegedly in exchange for the senator using his position to grease the skids for businesses and the government of Egypt between 2018 and 2022.

He’s also charged with promising to disrupt a criminal investigation and prosecution related to one businessman, and the senator recommended President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Attorney for New Jersey be someone “who Menendez believed could be influenced by Menendez” regarding the prosecution of one of the businessmen he was allegedly involved in the corruption scheme.

The FBI reportedly discovered more than $480,000 in cash in Sen. Menendez’s home while executing a search warrant in June 2022, “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe.” Agents found envelopes of cash inside jackets bearing the Senate symbol and Sen. Menendez’s name.

The senator and his wife were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion. The charges allege Sen. Menendez took bribes to benefit the businesses and the Egyptian government, “including with respect to foreign military sales and foreign military financing,” over which the senator has oversight as the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman, and Ranking Member previously. Sen. Menendez allegedly provided non-public information to intermediary businesses, after which one businessman texted an Egyptian official stating,

“The ban on small arms and ammunition to Egypt has been lifted. That means sales can begin. That will include sniper rifles among other articles.”

Gun Control for Thee…

Ironically, Sen. Menendez introduced legislation to prevent arms sales to human rights abusers. S. 1025 would increase Congress’ role in reviewing arms exports. That’s even as the State Department noted significant human rights issues in Egypt in a 2022 report. Human Rights Watch, a watchdog group, reported that Egypt’s government was responsible for nationwide repression and causing one of the country’s worst human rights crises in many decades. He even signed a letter in September to President Joe Biden urging him to reverse the USML-CCL reforms, claiming, “The State Department is also better equipped than Commerce to assess the human rights and security impact of arms exports.”

This might explain why Sen. Menendez despised those firearm export reforms that were finalized under the Trump administration. Those are the U.S. Munitions List to Commerce Control List reforms that transferred licensing of small arms exports from the State Department, over which Sen. Menendez had control, to the Commerce Department. The reforms streamlined the export process, removing duplicative processes, but also raised the bar for ensuring end-user checks were vetted before any export could leave the United States.

This isn’t the first time Sen. Menendez has been charged with corruption. A bribery trial in 2017 involved a wealthy Florida eye doctor accused of buying Sen. Menendez’s influence by providing him with luxury vacations and campaign contributions. The judge in that case declared a mistrial after the jury was hopelessly deadlocked after more than six days of deliberations. It is worth noting he was not exonerated of those charges. The DOJ declined to retry him.

Defiance

Sen. Menendez remains defiant. Due to Senate Democratic Caucus rules, he was forced to resign his position as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, but he has said he “is going nowhere” and promises to run for re-election. He retained Abbe Lowell, the lawyer representing Hunter Biden in his tax and firearm cases, to tackle his own federal corruption charges in court. Pressure is building on Sen. Menendez to walk away from the Senate altogether.

New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy has called on Sen. Menendez to resign. This isn’t because Gov. Murphy has suddenly become a critic of New Jersey’s senior senator. He’s concerned that the corruption scandal could cost antigun politicians a reliable seat. If Sen. Menendez were to resign, Gov. Murphy could appoint a new senator to serve the remainder of his term, which expires in January 2025. He has already gained a primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). The New York Post reported that New Jersey Republicans are closely watching developments.

The charges are serious, and Sen. Menendez will have his day in court to defend against the charges. The firearm industry, which he has used as a political punching bag, is very interested in learning just how gold bars ended up in his home, stacks of cash in his suit coats, and why he was so adamant that all firearm exports be run through his committee.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

National Shooting Sports Foundation

‘Republicans for Ukraine’ Led by Same Neocons who Advocate Disarming Americans

Ammoland Inc. Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/republicans-for-ukraine-led-by-same-neocons-who-advocate-disarming-americans/;Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Now ask yourself who’s paying for all this, and how “Republican” they really are. (Republicans for Ukraine/Facebook)

“We’re Republicans standing for Ukrainian freedom,” the Republicans for Ukraine website declares. “We are amplifying the voices of Republicans who believe that the United States should be a steadfast friend to democracies like Ukraine and a fearsome enemy to aggressive dictatorships like Russia.”

It’s a divisive issue. Seeing a larger nation, and one that has traditionally been a communist tyranny and enemy of the United States, invade a smaller neighbor and wreak mass death and destruction produces a visceral reaction of horror, especially with the near-universal support for widening American provisioning and involvement from the legacy media. On the other hand, George Washington’s “Farewell Address” admonition that “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world” drives hesitation among Constitutionalists to exercise caution against provoking escalation.

It’s true that Ukraine arming its citizens was an inspiring move and a great way to point out the cognitive dissonance of Democrats cheering that on while imposing disarmament edicts on their own constituents at home. It’s also true that the cognitive dissonance extended to some on the right, quick to parrot the Russian line while ignoring one of the greatest examples of why a populace should own military weapons. And it was forehead-slapping disappointing to see the government reverse course and order the Ukrainian Territorial Defense to turn in weapons “for storage.”

It’s a mess, no doubt. Factor in credible evidence of Ukrainian corruption going all the way to the top (of which the Hunter and Joe Biden-Burisma scandal is just a small part), Russia being increasingly hemmed in by NATO (recalling the U.S. reaction in the Cuban Missile Crisis), charges of Naziism, demands territorial self-determination in sectors with dominant Russian populations, and ceaseless pleas for more American dollars and military equipment at the risk of widening the war, and it’s not unfair to wonder if there might be a better way to cool things down and reach peaceful agreements than the present course of engagement escalation.

Republicans for Ukraine make it clear which course they choose, and they even give Republican representatives grades based on how they voted on appropriations. Without doing a detailed analysis of the entire document, it’s nonetheless curious that Second Amendment stalwarts like Thomas Massie and Chip Roy are rated “Very Poor” while  Biden Bipartisan Gun Bill backer Dave Joyce and Giffords endorsee Brian Fitzpatrick are both rated “Excellent.”

That makes fair the question of those funding the Republicans for Ukraine website: “Who are these guys?”

You can’t tell from a Who.Is search—the domain is privately registered to a proxy. But a footer at the bottom of the website tells us all we need to know:

“Defending Democracy Together,” eh?

That’s the project headed by noted anti-gunners William Kristol, Mona Charen, Linda Chavez, and Christine Todd Whitman, among others.

Looking at “new” Democrat Bill Kristol alone:

Charen says “Limit Some Guns for Cosmetic Reasons,” among the other infringements she endorses.

Democrat/Republican/Independent (those are some political convictions!) Chavez wails, “Why Won’t Politicians Consider Sensible Gun Restrictions?”

And Whitman says, “I support 2nd Amendment, but it’s time to look at our gun laws,” with such “commonsense” demands like:

“From what we know now, the shooter had acquired his automatic weapon legally just days before the shooting. Who, besides law enforcement and the military, really needs a weapon designed for the battlefied [sic]?  Really. It is time we look [sic] a hard look at our gun laws. We can protect the Second Amendment, which I wholeheartedly support, and the right to bear arms in a sane and balanced way.”

It’s fair to ask, “With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?”

It’s also fair to ask, “If this is the best they can do with ‘standing for freedom’ in this country, why should we trust their judgment on what America’s involvement should be in Ukraine?”

And it’s especially fair to wonder what the useful idiots who lent their names and faces to this Astroturf effort are really about (116 Facebook followers and they’ve got money for ads? Really? And not one of them looks like he’ll take part in any resulting fighting?).

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

David Codrea

We NEW MEXICO: The People support MLG’s Impeachment. Take Action: Sign the petition to demand Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham resign in disgrace.

SEE: https://johnfornm.com/impeach-mlg/

Once you send the petition, please click the button below to email every single Democrat in the Legislature, demanding they sign the petition to call for a special session to impeach Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Please do not miss this step. We will keep a running tally of all the representatives who have signed the petition certification form.

If the prompt to contact your legislators doesn’t work, the email copy and email addresses are below the petition. 

 

PETITION: Demand MLG RESIGN or be impeached!

Read the Petition

2,602 signatures

Share this with your friends:

   

EMAIL NM LEG MEMBERS TO IMPEACH MLG

If the above button did not work, below is what you need to email legislators:

Header: Impeach Gov. Lujan Grisham

Email Body:

Dear Legislator,

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham violated her oath to uphold the Constitution by taking away our rights as citizens to exercise our Second Amendment. The governor’s attacks on our rights and her oath, claiming they are not “absolute,” warrant her impeachment.

As a New Mexico voter, I ask you to uphold your oath to the Constitution and sign and mail back to the Legislative Council Service (LCS) the certification form (petition) to initiate an extraordinary session for the impeachment of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. This form was emailed to you by LCS at 5:21 p.m. on Monday, September 18, 2023. If you do not do so, it will be assumed you support her lawless, unconstitutional actions, which means you are complicit also.

Thank you for upholding the Constitution and the oath you swore to it.

Email addresses to put in the BCC line:

eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov, anthony.allison@nmlegis.gov, Janelle.Anyanonu@nmlegis.gov, Cynthia.Borrego@nmlegis.gov, micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov, ambrose.castellano@nmlegis.gov, Kathleen.Cates@nmlegis.gov, christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov, gail@gailchasey.com, Eleanor.Chavez@nmlegis.gov, art.delacruz@nmlegis.gov, meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov, joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov, natalie.figueroa@nmlegis.gov, doreen.gallegos@nmlegis.gov, hgarciad69@gmail.com, miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov, joy.garratt@nmlegis.gov, yanira.gurrola@nmlegis.gov, pamelya.herndon@nmlegis.gov, susan.herrera@nmlegis.gov, dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov, Tara.Jaramillo@nmlegis.gov, dwonda.johnson@nmlegis.gov, raymundo.lara@nmlegis.gov, derrick.lente@nmlegis.gov, Charlotte.Little@nmlegis.gov, tara.lujan@nmlegis.gov, patricia.lundstrom@nmlegis.gov, willie.madrid@nmlegis.gov, javier.martinez@nmlegis.gov, marian.matthews@nmlegis.gov, matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov, kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov, andrea@andrearomero.com, andres.romero@nmlegis.gov, pat.roybalcaballero@nmlegis.gov, angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov, Joseph.Sanchez@nmlegis.gov, debbie.sarinana@nmlegis.gov, linda.serrato@nmlegis.gov, nathan.small@nmlegis.gov, reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov, liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov, cristina.parajon@nmlegis.gov, pete.campos@nmlegis.gov, joseph.cervantes@nmlegis.gov, katy.duhigg@nmlegis.gov, roberto.gonzales@nmlegis.gov, carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov, siah.hemphill@nmlegis.gov, martin.hickey@nmlegis.gov, daniel.ivey-soto@nmlegis.gov, leo.jaramillo@nmlegis.gov, linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov, antonio.maestas@nmlegis.gov, brenda.mckenna@nmlegis.gov, george.munoz@nmlegis.gov, BILL@BILLONEILL4NM.COM, jortizyp@msn.com, michael.padilla@nmlegis.gov, shannon.pinto@nmlegis.gov, harold.popejr@nmlegis.gov, nancy.rodriguez@nmlegis.gov, a.sedillolopez@nmlegis.gov, benny.shendo@nmlegis.gov, bill.soules@nmlegis.gov, liz.stefanics@nmlegis.gov, jeff.steinborn@nmlegis.gov, jensenforamerica@gmail.com, mimi.stewart@nmlegis.gov, bill.tallman@nmlegis.gov, peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov , greg.baca@nmlegis.gov, craig.brandt@nmlegis.gov, bill.burt@nmlegis.gov, david@ramirezandsonsinc.com, ron.griggs@nmlegis.gov, stuart.ingle@nmlegis.gov, mark.moores@nmlegis.gov, steven.neville@nmlegis.gov, cliff.pirtle@nmlegis.gov, jas4nm@gmail.com, gregg.schmedes@nmlegis.gov, bill@williamsharer.com, pat.woods@nmlegis.gov  

EMAIL NM LEG MEMBERS TO IMPEACH MLG

Lastly, please support Reps. Lord and Block by donating here:

Thank you so much for helping Reps. Lord and Block in their fight to get lawless Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham impeached!

Biden To Announce New Federal Office For Gun Violence Prevention

Biden To Announce New Federal Office For Gun Violence Prevention

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 09: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks before signing the agreement for Finland and Sweden to be included in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the East Room of the White House on August 09, 2022 in Washington, DC. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Republic of Finland and Kingdom of Sweden applied for membership in the Cold War-era military alliance. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
11:29 AM – Wednesday, September 20, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/biden-to-announce-new-federal-office-for-gun-violence-prevention/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

New reports have suggested President Joe Biden will announce on Friday the first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention. 

White House Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman is leading the new department, according to The Washington Post and Politico. Feldman has previously worked on the Domestic Policy Council and oversees the gun policy portfolio at the White House. 

Activists claim the new department will help the Biden administration coordinate across the federal government on gun-related topics and help Biden show leadership when it comes to gun violence prevention. 

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 500 shootings in the United States where four or more people were injured or killed. 

In January, a combined 117 groups sent a letter to Biden urging him to create the federal office of gun violence prevention, a $5 billion fund for community violence intervention programs, a ban on foreign-made weapons, education campaigns on gun safety, stronger Federal Trade Commission regulations on firearm marketing, and a descriptive plan on the enactment of the Safer Communities Act passed last year.

“Unfortunately, gun deaths and injuries continue to ravage our country, impacting Asian American, Black and Brown communities, and neighborhoods all across the country,” the groups wrote to Biden. “While Congress must continue to prioritize gun violence prevention, you have the opportunity to act boldly by announcing a comprehensive plan of action to reduce gun deaths at the State of the Union on February 7, 2023.”

In June 2022, the president signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which increased background checks for people under 21 who purchase firearms.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

________________________________________________________________

SEE ALSO: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/biden-to-launch-federal-office-for-gun-violence-prevention

New Mexico Governor Reverses Course on Gun Ban Order Amidst Legal Challenges

Ammoland Inc.-Posted on by

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/new-mexico-governor-backs-down-on-gun-ban-order-amidst-legal-challenges;Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

In a recent turn of events, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has backed down from her initial “emergency public health order” that had attempted to suspend Second Amendment carry rights throughout the state’s most populated county and city. This decision was heavily influenced by a temporary restraining order issued by a federal District Court Judge, which hindered the enforcement of the Governor’s original ban.

As per the new modifications, the suspension on carry rights has been lifted for Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque. However, this ban will still apply to “parks or playgrounds where we know we’ve got high risk of kids and families,” stated Grisham. Although the exact specifics of this amendment remain somewhat ambiguous, the Governor held an hour-long press conference in an attempt to clarify her stance.

The initial order, introduced on September 8th, 2023, imposed a 30-day suspension of open and concealed carry rights in Bernalillo County, home to Albuquerque. This sudden move by the Governor was met with significant resistance, inciting multiple lawsuits and calls for her impeachment.

Even fellow Democrat, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, expressed his reservations, stating his unwillingness to defend the state in the ensuing legal battles and his skepticism regarding the order’s potential impact on public safety.

The adjustment to the order came after an engaging courtroom debate. Lujan Grisham mentioned during a press briefing that there’s a considerable distinction between a suspension and a ban. While emphasizing her concerns about the ongoing issues related to gun violence and public safety, she cited the tragic incidents of three children, including an 11-year-old, who were recently victims of gun violence. This, coupled with convenient and questionable statistics showing a “43% increase in gun death rates” in New Mexico from 2009 to 2018, attributed to the Governor’s decision to classify gun violence as a statewide public health emergency.

Critics of Lujan Grisham’s measures have come from all corners. Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina stated his reluctance to enforce the order, and Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen voiced his concerns about potential infringements on constitutional rights. As expected, gun-control supporters like Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, praised the Governor’s efforts as both brave and essential, even if the order’s legality remains a point of contention.

Reflecting on the blowback, the Governor commented, “When you try to build consensus on gun violence measures, you cannot.” If further challenges arise in the upcoming October hearing, Lujan Grisham mentioned the possibility of approaching the legislature for a resolution.

Maybe if the Governor focused on criminals instead of law-abiding gun owners, she could actually get to the consensus she claims to want.

______________________________________________________________

Kennedy, Tillis Demand AG Garland Protect 2A Rights of Citizens of New Mexico

Ammoland Inc.-Posted on by

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/kennedy-tillis-demand-ag-garland-protect-2a-rights-of-citizens-new-mexico;Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Gun Rights Court
iStock

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in demanding Attorney General Merrick Garland protect the Second Amendment rights of New Mexicans from the unconstitutional actions of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

In a letter to Attorney General Garland, the senators urged the Department of Justice to respond swiftly to Governor Lujan Grisham’s unconstitutional Executive Order 2023-130, which violates the individual right to bear arms upheld in cases like District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also signed the letter.

“Governor Grisham has issued an order which is being used to blatantly trample on the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of New Mexico, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) must act swiftly to stop this unconstitutional power grab,” wrote the senators.

“While the public health order may invoke state law to authorize this unconstitutional infringement, it should be no match for the authority which the DOJ has to enforce our rights under the U.S. Constitution. That is why we are calling on you to enforce the Constitution and intervene on behalf of the constitutional rights of New Mexicans to stop this unconstitutional act from standing,” the senators continued.

“By preventing certain New Mexicans from exercising their constitutional rights to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home, Governor Grisham is violating the Second Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and Article IV of the Constitution. This is a chilling action, and it is imperative that your Department act immediately to show that this kind of unconstitutional abuse will not be tolerated in New Mexico or anywhere else in the United States,” the senators concluded.

The full letter is available here.

LETTER: Kennedy, Tillis Demand AG Garland Protect 2A Rights of Citizens of New Mexico

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