ATF Intimidating Another Home-Based Gun Dealer to Surrender FFL

ATF Intimidating Another Home-Based Gun Dealer to Surrender FFL

BY LEE WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/07/atf-intimidating-another-home-based-gun-dealer-to-surrender-ffl/;

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

U.S.A. — Tom Harris has been selling guns from his Lewisville, Texas home for 30 years. He is so respected and beloved by his customers that one gave him a kidney – literally – which saved his life.

Dialysis wasn’t working well for Harris, owner of Sporting Arms Company, which he operates from a dedicated space in his home. He had only months to live until a 39-year-old retired Marine offered to help.

“I heard you might need a kidney. I’ll get tested,” Harris recalls the man saying in 2019. “I told him that he and his wife should pray about it first. He said, ‘We already have.’ He was a perfect match – a 7 out of 7. Now, even if I lose my business, it has allowed me to live.”

In what has become standard operating procedure since Joe Biden took office, the ATF is trying to intimidate Harris – and other home-based gun dealers – into surrendering his Federal Firearm License. If he refuses to comply – and he most likely will – Harris will face what ATF calls “adverse actions.”

ATF dug up procedural errors from as far back as 2007 to make their current “case” against Harris, but the ATF had already told Harris he was cleared of these 16-year-old clerical errors, as well as newer ones. He has letters attesting to this. Unfortunately, none of this mattered to the ATF inspectors who recently began persecuting the 61-year-old disabled father of five only to satisfy their supervisors’ newfound zeal for FFL revocations.

“They threw the kitchen sink at me after they cleared me because their bosses weren’t happy with it,” Harris told the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project last week. “They are trying to intimidate me into surrendering my FFL.”

History

Harris has an industrial engineering degree and a master’s degree in management. He worked as a senior director of North American operations for a large tech company while selling guns, often putting in 100-hour weeks. He employed several off-duty local law enforcement officers to help with sales.

“I started selling guns right when the Bill Clinton administration started,” he said. “I’ve always appreciated guns from an engineering viewpoint.”

The business was slow until he received a bit of divine intervention. “A pastor prayed over my business, and it took off,” Harris said.

He describes his gun shop as “general purpose.” Since he has been in business so long, he can buy direct from Colt, Smith & Wesson, and he’s a master Kimber dealer. Harris estimates around 40% of his transfers are “wholesale” to newer dealers.

“Most are gun show guys,” he said. “I did a few gun shows in the early 2000s but got tired and quit.”

Today, he is one of the largest home-based gun dealers in North Texas. He has more than 10,000 customers across the country and has sold more than 184,000 firearms. His 30-plus Google reviews are extremely positive.

Harris has never had any serious discrepancies during ATF audits other than for his penmanship. Harris now qualifies as legally blind, but when his wife quit her job and began helping with the paperwork full-time, this problem was quickly solved.

Unlike some home-based dealers, gun sales are not a hobby for Harris. They’re his sole source of income.

“My 84-year-old mother is now living with us, and three of the five kids are still ‘on the till’ in college,” he said.

The Troubles  

After an audit last year, two ATF special agents asked some pointed questions about multiple firearms Harris sold to an individual.

“They put the squeeze on me, but I answered all their questions and gave them whatever they wanted,” he said.

One of the ATF officials – Special Agent Aaron Loving – told Harris’ attorney he was cleared of any wrongdoing. Harris’s attorney documented this conversation in a letter.

“Agent Loving has informed me that you are no longer the target of any criminal investigation, and there will not be any criminal prosecutions forthcoming,” the letter states.

And then the ATF changed its mind.

A few months later, Special Agent Loving recontacted Harris’ attorney, stating, “We need Tom to give up his license voluntarily. The bosses up the chain want him to turn in his license or face adverse actions,” Harris recalls his attorney saying.

“We thought this was all over,” Harris said.

Last month, Special Agent Loving and his partner personally served a Notice of Revocation to Harris.

Allegations

Harris’ Notice of Revocation contains two violations:

  1. “On 10 occasions, Licensee willfully aided and abetted a non-licensee in dealing firearms without a license as required by the GCA…”
  2. “On 46 occasions, Licensee willfully made a false statement or representation with respect to information required by the GCA …”

Harris has since learned that the individual to whom he sold the firearms is now under investigation by the ATF.

“This individual was a customer of several FFLs,” Harris said. “The ATF had cleared me of any wrongdoing. They alleged I aided and abetted on ten forms, but at the time, the individual was actively being approved for his FFL. All of this was originally approved by the ATF, who said on multiple occasions I followed all the regs.”

ATF Response

Krissy Y. Carlson, ATF’s Director of Industry Operations (DIO) for its Dallas Field Office, signed Harris’ Notice of Revocation. She did not respond to calls or emails seeking her comments for this story.

ATF Special Agent Aaron Loving said, “I can’t – I’m not gonna speak on any active investigations.”

Agent Loving was specifically asked if he told Harris’ attorney that he was no longer the subject of any criminal investigation.

“I cannot speak to any active investigation,” Loving said again.

Instead, Loving offered the name and number of Sara Abel, the PIO for ATF’s Dallas Field Office, but the number he gave did not work.

Takeaways

Like other home-based FFLs, Harris was told nothing would happen if he surrendered his FFL voluntarily. Like other home-based FFLs, ATF wanted more than just compliance and his license.

“They were taking pictures left and right, which I knew was inappropriate,” Harris said. “They used a scanning app on their phones to photograph 4473s. At the end of one session, an inspector demanded a copy of my entire electronic database.”

Harris never handed over the database. He intends to fight.

“On a Monday last January, the ATF called and demanded that I get rid of all my guns by Friday and surrender my license,” Harris said. “They said they’d be here that Friday to sign the paperwork. I knew it wasn’t ATF’s administrative procedure. I knew it was abnormal. I told them I declined to voluntarily surrender my license.”

Said Harris: “I will not be intimidated into surrendering my license.”

One of Harris’ longtime customers has created a GiveSendGo account to help him raise funds for his legal defense.

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

 

Republicans sound alarm on IRS spending millions on weapons and tactical gear~Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice Begins Inquiry Into IRS Militarization

BY ROY FRANCIS

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/republican-sounds-alarm-on-irs-spending-millions-on-weapons-and-tactical-gear/;

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

OAN’s Roy Francis
11:25 AM – Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Representative Stephanie Bice has demanded a full accounting from the Internal Revenue Service, saying that the nearly $10 million spent by the agency on weapons and tactical gear since 2020 is “concerning.”

In a letter addressed to the IRS Commissioner, Daniel Werfel, Bice (R-Okla.) said that “the increasing militarization of the IRS is of growing concern.”

“I write to you today to express my concerns regarding the increased rate of weapon purchases by the Internal Revenue Service,” the letter said. “While I recognize the Criminal Investigation division has a law enforcement role, recent reports have indicated that the IRS has made substantial purchases of weaponry and tactical gear. As a civilian agency whose stated mission is to ‘Provide America’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all,’ the increasing militarization of the IRS is of growing concern.”

Since 2006, the IRS has spent over $35 million on weapons and tactical gear, with over $10 million being spent since 2020 alone.

A report released in April by the watchdog group, OpenTheBooks, which tracks government spending showed that the IRS has spent around $2.3 million on ammunition, $1.2 million on ballistic shields, $474,000 on Smith and Wesson rifles, $463,000 on Beretta 1301 tactical shotguns, and $243,000 on body armor. The report also showed $1.3 million which was spent on “various other gear for criminal investigation agents.”

The mission of the IRS according to their website is “to provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.”

However, the agency has loaded up on hundreds of thousands worth of tactical lighting, gear bags, holsters, ballistic helmets, and optic sights for the weapons that they have purchased since the pandemic. Before 2020, the IRS had already stockpiled over five million rounds of ammunition for its special agents, which number a little over 2,000.

The IRS also owned over 4,500 firearms which include pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and submachine guns.

According to the agency, new applicants must be willing “carry a firearm; must be prepared to protect him/herself or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning and use firearms in life-threatening situations; must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”

According to OpenTheBooks, there are now “more federal agents with arrest and firearm authority (200,000) than U.S. Marines (186,000).”

In 2022, President Joe Biden gave the agency over $80 billion in new funding as part of his $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act.

Bice quoted the findings by OpenTheBooks and asked the IRS commissioner to respond within five business days and provide “information on the account(s) the IRS has used to purchase such weapons, gear, and ammunition.”

She also asked the commissioner to provide “data on the quantity and type(s) of items listed below in possession of the IRS: Weapons, Weapon systems, Ammunition, Explosive devices, Armored vehicles, Drones/UAVs, Chemical weapons (tear gas and other calming agents.)”

The Republican ended her letter by saying that it is “important for Congress to conduct thorough oversight of IRS, and the American people deserve to have a full accounting of these recent events.”

“We need to know exactly the types and quantities of weapons and ammunition the IRS has in their possession. If the IRS fails to provide a response to Congressional oversight, I will pursue further actions to hold them accountable,” Brice told Fox News.

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Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice Begins Inquiry Into IRS Militarization

BY ALAN GOTTLIEB

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/07/oklahoma-congresswoman-stephanie-bice-begins-inquiry-into-irs-militarization;

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

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today applauded Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice for requesting information from the Internal Revenue Service about the weapons and accessories it has purchased in recent years, turning the tax agency into what appears to be a quasi-military operation.

Rep. Bice sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, inquiring about the account(s) IRS used to purchase “weapons, gear, and ammunition,” and “data on the types of modifications to IRS-issued weapons that have been approved…” She has asked for a reply within five business days.

“Congresswoman Bice isn’t the only one who wants some answers,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.

“As we noted more than a month ago, the IRS has reportedly spent $2.3 million on ammunition, nearly $475,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles, another $463,000 for Beretta tactical shotguns, and $1.2 million on ballistic shields. We would very much like to know what’s going on here, and so would our members.”

Gottlieb recalled Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms became interested when U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced legislation in June dubbed the “Why Does the IRS Have Guns Act.” About the same time, published reports revealed the agency has spent tens of millions of dollars on firearms and equipment for several years, with the pace apparently picking up after Joe Biden took office.

“Last month,” he said,” we supported Sen. Joni Ernst when she announced legislation to disarm the IRS, and likewise we support Rep. Bice in her effort to get the facts. The IRS has some explaining to do, and so does the Biden administration. For a president who wants to restrict the gun rights of law-abiding American citizens, Biden sure seems keen on having federal agencies armed to the teeth.

“We are hopeful Rep. Bice gets all the information she’s requested,” Gottlieb added, “so she can share it with the taxpayers whose money has been spent on all of this hardware. If IRS Commissioner Werfel isn’t forthcoming with the information, the public and Congress should start asking why.”


Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

 

20 Attorney Generals Support SAF Lawsuits Challenging Delaware Gun Control

BY DAVE WORKMAN

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/07/20-attorney-generals-support-saf-lawsuits-challenging-delaware-gun-control/;

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

  • Twenty state attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, have joined an amicus brief supporting gun rights groups that are appealing a lower court’s ruling upholding gun control laws in Delaware. These laws include a ban on “assault rifles” and “large-capacity magazines,” which the groups argue violate the Second Amendment.
  • The coalition asserts that the Delaware laws contradict the historical tradition of regulating “dangerous and unusual” weapons rather than prohibiting common firearms and accessories outright.
  • This is not the first time Republican attorneys general have collectively backed challenges to gun control laws. Last year, a group of 25 supported a lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and other groups aiming to overturn Maryland’s “assault weapon” ban.
Biden Pressuring Delaware for Gun Control to Score a Political Victory, iStock-884197836
20 state attorneys general have filed an amicus brief supporting a challenge to Delaware gun control laws. (iStock-884197836)

U.S.A. — Twenty state attorneys general have signed onto an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals supporting appeals by several gun rights groups seeking to overturn a lower court ruling which upheld Delaware gun control laws, in a trio of consolidated legal challenges.

The coalition, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, includes attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Delaware lawmakers have banned so-called “assault rifles” and “large-capacity magazines,” which gun rights groups contend violate the Second Amendment. Three lawsuits challenging these laws were filed and consolidated, and the Second Amendment Foundation is involved in two of those cases, known as Graham v. Jennings and Gray v. Jennings. SAF filed its own appeal brief earlier this month.

In their amicus brief, the attorneys general note, “The Second Amendment stands as a reminder to state governments that ‘the people’ have a ‘pre-existing’ right to keep and bear arms. And it extends to all ‘bearable arms,’ including arms carried ‘for offensive or defensive action in a case of conflict.’”

In a release from Knudsen’s office, the coalition asserts that two Delaware bills violate the Second Amendment. “House Bill 450 imposes a ban on 44 semi-automatic ‘assault long guns’ – including the AR-15 and more – 19 semi-automatic ‘assault pistols,’ and copycat weapons, while Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 6 imposes a ban on magazines capable of accepting or holding more than 17 rounds of ammunition.’”

“The Second Amendment guarantees all Americans the right to bear arms for self-defense and other lawful purposes ‘subject to certain reasonable, well-defined restrictions,’” the AG’s brief states. “No doubt HB 450 and SS 1 were motivated by an understandable concern with the recent rise in mass shooting incidents, but they are inconsistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of regulating dangerous and unusual weapons. This Court should reverse.”

There is no small irony in the fact that Delaware is President Joe Biden’s home state, and this battle is occurring on his home turf. The cases were filed in January.

This is not the first time Republican attorneys general have joined in filing an amicus brief supporting challenges to gun control laws. Last year, 25 AGs signed onto a brief supporting a lawsuit filed by SAF, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and other groups seeking to overturn Maryland’s “assault weapon” ban. Last year, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to that case, vacated a lower court ruling, and sent the case back for further action consistent with protocols set down in the Bruen case.

Knudsen has become a leader in organizing AG coalitions to battle gun control laws. By no surprise, all of the attorneys general participating in these efforts are Republicans.

The announcement from Knudsen’s office notes that in the wake of District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen (2022), “the courts must determine whether modern firearm regulations are consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding, and Delaware fails to show that its so-called ‘assault weapon’ and LCM bans align with this nation’s tradition of firearm regulation. While one of Delaware’s experts in the case points to multiple historical state regulations which were designed to reduce criminal activity at the time, none of those regulations imposed an outright ban on the prohibited arms. Therefore, the burden HB 450 and SS1 both impose is not similar or justified based on the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

When attorneys for SAF filed their appeal brief, SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb said in a prepared statement, “Delaware has banned the most popular rifle in the country, along with the standard-capacity magazines supplied by manufacturers to consumers in most other states. The laws being challenged have literally criminalized ownership of these popular arms and the magazines supplied with them, essentially jeopardizing an act of self-defense if it involves one of the affected firearms or magazines.”

Other plaintiffs in the SAF cases are the Firearms Policy Coalition, DJJAMS LLC, and individual citizens Owen Stevens and Christopher Graham, William Taylor, and Gabriel Gray.

Plaintiffs in the third case are the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, Delaware Rifle and Pistol Club, Delaware Association of Federal Firearms Licensees, and several private citizens.

20 Attorney Generals Support SAF Lawsuits Challenging Delaware Gun Control by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News on Scribd


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

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CATHOLIC Cardinal Tells Americans To Voluntarily Give Up 2nd Amendment Rights IN OBEDIENCE TO JESUIT POPE FRANCIS, EVEN THOUGH THE SWISS GUARD AND OTHER ARMED BODY GUARDS PROTECT HIM WITH GUNS

We have Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, NJ, suggesting that people should relinquish their Second Amendment rights for the supposed betterment of society. Now, a cardinal, for those who don't know, is a highly esteemed member of the clergy, adorned in scarlet attire, responsible for advising the Pope and participating in the selection of a new pontiff. But let me tell you, these folks don't seem to possess much common sense. In his letter, the Cardinal claims that giving up our right to bear arms is the best way to combat the culture of violence plaguing our society. But hold on a second! It's always those who have the luxury of armed protection telling us we shouldn't have guns. Will the Pope instruct his security detail to give up their firearms? I highly doubt it. It's hypocritical and disingenuous, merely a display of virtue signaling. The Cardinal further asserts that while we have the Second Amendment right, it comes with the responsibility to protect the innocent and ensure public safety. But here's the problem, Tobin: How are we supposed to protect the innocent if we're stripped of the means to do so? He seems to overlook the fact that responsible gun owners aren't the ones causing the majority of gun violence. It's the criminals involved in inner-city drug, gang, and beef conflicts. Do you honestly believe they'll voluntarily surrender their weapons? It's evident that the Cardinal lives in a bubble, shielded 24/7 by armed security, disconnected from the reality of everyday citizens. Responsible gun owners are not the problem; criminals are. And criminals won't pay heed to his foolish letter. In fact, they'd be delighted if law-abiding citizens willingly gave up their guns, making their criminal activities even easier. So, if the Cardinal wants us to surrender our firearms, he should set the example and forsake his own security. Tell the Pope to do the same. Maybe then, and only then, will I consider taking his letter seriously. As of now, it appears to be nothing more than a privileged clergy member leading people to their demise.

Biden Weaponizing IRS Into a Well-Armed Paramilitary Force

BY LEE WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/06/special-report-biden-weaponizing-irs-into-a-well-armed-paramilitary-force/;

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

U.S.A. — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst introduced a bill last week titled “Why does the IRS Have Guns Act,” which would prohibit the IRS from buying or storing guns and ammunition, transfer all IRS firearms to the General Services Administration so they could be auctioned off to licensed gun dealers to reduce the national debt and move the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division to the control of the Justice Department.

“The taxman is fully loaded at the expense of the taxpayer,” Ernst said in a statement. “As the Biden administration has worked to expand the size of the IRS, any further weaponization of this federal agency against hardworking Americans and small businesses is a grave concern. I’m working to disarm the IRS and return these dollars to address reckless spending in Washington.”

While the outcome of Ernst’s legislation is not promising – Joe Biden will likely veto her bill, should it ever reach his desk – the Senator’s efforts have drawn much-needed attention to the massive arsenal that the IRS has amassed – is amassing.

The IRS is preparing for battle. Some of the weapons and tactical equipment currently in their inventory are used by elite military commandos, not American law enforcement officers. To be clear, none of this extreme militarization occurred until after Biden took office.

“Who are they preparing to battle?” asked Adam Andrzejewski, CEO and Founder of OpenTheBooks.com, the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. Andrzejewski’s watchdog efforts have led to federal legislation, grand jury indictments, congressional hearings, subpoenas, and convictions, as well as audits by the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Research Service reports.

“It looks like it’s for domestic tax and law enforcement objectives, but the IRS has blurred the lines between civil and administrative agencies, civil and administrative duties, and federal law enforcement capability. After grabbing legal power, the IRS is amassing firepower. It’s time to scale back the federal arsenal,” Andrzejewski told the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project Wednesday.

In one recent report, Andrzejewski found that IRS has spent $35.2 million taxpayer dollars on guns, ammunition, and tactical gear since 2006, but the agency’s purchasing increased dramatically under Biden.

“The years 2020 and 2021 were peak years at the IRS for purchasing weaponry and gear. Just since the pandemic started, the IRS has purchased $10 million in weaponry and gear,” the report states.

The purchases included:

  • $2.5 million on ballistic shields and various other gear for criminal investigation agents
  • $1.3 million for tactical lights, tactical gear bags, ballistic helmets, and body armor
  • Nearly $1 million on Smith & Wesson M&P15s and Beretta tactical shotguns
  • 3,000 tactical holsters for handguns with optical sights and weapon lights (As of this week, the IRS only has 2,100 armed agents.)

Trigger-pullers wanted

The IRS is recruiting people who won’t hesitate to put another American behind their front-sight post.

In a recent job posting, the agency says special agent candidates, “must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”

Those who qualify will receive the best guns and gear taxpayer dollars can buy.

Here is a partial list of some of the agency’s recent purchases.

Night Vision Rifle Scopes

American law enforcement – even the IRS – does not operate with Rules of Engagement like the military when it encounters armed resistance. The last time law enforcement used ROE rather than the law, things went very wrong. Whatever the tactical situation, police are subject to criminal laws and deadly force policies, which are predicated upon the sanctity of human life.

Force – up to and including deadly force – must be reasonable. An American law enforcement officer must use the minimum amount of force necessary and can use deadly force in defense of their life or the life of another. Verbal warnings and other de-escalation attempts are always considered after deadly force is used to determine whether the force was justified.

That said, it’s difficult to understand why the IRS is equipping its agents with night vision rifle scopes, which are capable of hitting man-sized targets at a distance in total darkness.

How does shooting a suspect who is hundreds of yards away and unaware of an agent’s presence – at night, without warning – comply with use-of-force statutes and policies? How is this not murder? What tactical problem are the night vision rifle scopes intended to resolve?

Ballistic Shields

When the threat level is extreme, such as a report of an active shooter, SWAT teams will deploy a ballistic shield, which is designed to complement their personal body armor and further reduce the threat.

Ballistic shields come in all shapes and sizes and are rated by bullet resistance. A Level II shield will stop 9mm and other handgun rounds. A level IV shield will stop .30 caliber armor-piercing ammunition. The greater the bullet resistance, the heavier the shield. Operators must train constantly to carry the shield and shoot a pistol one-handed. It’s awkward and requires a lot of practice.

The Los Angeles Police Department has guidelines concerning the use of ballistic shields. Officers must first pass a Ballistic Shield Operator course before they can carry one into harm’s way. The course specifies the type of tactical situations where a ballistic shield should be deployed. They include but are not limited to the following:

  • Breaching (doors and windows)
  • High-risk vehicle stops
  • High-risk handcuffing
  • Door entries
  • Room clearing
  • Hallway movement
  • Rescuing wounded officers under fire

These types of tactical situations are the purview of SWAT teams and military special forces, not the IRS.

What’s in the IRS’s Gun Safe

The IRS issues Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifles to most of its special agents. It’s a good, serviceable patrol carbine – more than adequate for most needs. However, the agency issues HK416s to select agents. The difference between an M&P15 and an HK416 is staggering. Smith & Wesson designed their carbine for civilian end users. Heckler & Koch designed the 416 for special operations forces. It is currently the weapon of choice for the most elite units in the world, including Tier One JSOC teams. IRS even issues Heckler & Koch magazines with rifles, which are much more reliable, but cost as much as 10 times more than traditional AR magazines.

Why do IRS agents need the same rifle carried by Navy SEALs or members of the Army’s most elite special missions unit?

While the IRS issues .40 cal. Glock handguns to its agents, documents show the agency has purchased a limited number of 5.7x28mm handguns and ammunition, although the type of ammunition has not been specified.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives classifies the 5.7x28mm SS190 duty round, which has a steel penetrator, as armor-piercing handgun ammunition. The manufacturer restricts the ammunition to military and law enforcement customers.

The 5.7x28mm weapon system gives IRS agents the capability of defeating most civilian body armor with a handgun.

IRS Responds

The Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project asked the IRS to explain why they need ballistic shields, HK416s, night vision rifle scopes, and other highly specialized equipment.

Here is their response:

“IRS-CI special agents are sworn federal law enforcement officers who conduct criminal investigations into tax violations, money laundering, cybercrimes, as well as organized crime involving drugs and gangs. The agency’s approximately 2,100 IRS-CI special agents regularly execute and serve search, arrest, and seizure warrants; conduct covert operations; and interact with the public in law enforcement settings. They must participate in annual firearms training, briefings, and practical exercises to demonstrate they are proficient to carry firearms. Firearms and related tactical gear are – and have been – necessary equipment for CI special agents for more than 100 years,” said Carissa Cutrell, a member of the IRS Criminal Investigation division.

Takeaways

It’s clear the IRS geared up so they could start raiding.

Last week a joint IRS/ATF team raided Highwood Creek Outfitters in Great Falls, Montana. ATF agents were prohibited from seizing the gun shop’s 4473s, but the IRS agents weren’t. They seized hundreds of the forms.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen expressed concern over the seizure, asking, “What the hell does the IRS need with 4473s?” By now, I’m sure he realizes they were all handed over to the ATF.

History has shown us that whatever a federal agency buys, it will eventually use. The only question is who will IRS point their HK416s and night vision rifle scopes at now that the raids have begun.

Most Americans are sick of watching Biden weaponize federal agencies to further his partisan political objectives. The ATF was weaponized first, and they’re going door-to-door right now, conducting unconstitutional knock-and-talks under the guise of firearm inspections.

If Joe Biden is allowed to fully weaponize the IRS like he did the ATF, he will be able to exert his executive authority whenever he wants without congressional oversight. Anyone who objects or complains could be shot without warning, at distance, at night, without ever seeing who fired the fatal round.

As Senator Ernst noted, this is a grave concern.

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

  

Hateful Gun Banner Sent to Prison for Threatening Congresswoman Boebert

Lauren Boebert

BY LEE WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/06/hateful-gun-banner-sent-prison-threatening-congresswoman-boebert/;

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

U.S.A.A 39-year-old South Florida man who is an ardent anti-gunner was sentenced last week to 15 months in federal prison and one year of probation for threatening U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, in a series of social media posts that targeted the Congresswoman for her strong Second Amendment support.

In 2021, Matthew Lee Comiskey sent five threatening tweets to Boebert that mentioned firearms and encouraged readers to do her harm. Comiskey originally faced five counts of making an interstate threat but pleaded guilty last year to one count.

His tweets show that Comiskey is violently anti-gun:

  • “Someone needs to put Lauren down like a sick dog. She is a true waste of life! Someone exercise their second amendment right to her face! Since the CIA is a failure and FBI is incompetent at charging her for being a terrorist it’s time to do it ourselves! Pew pew Lauren,” Comiskey wrote in September 2021.
  • “Don’t come to Florida us libs have big guns here and we stand (our) ground. Take you down like Trayvon,” Comiskey wrote a month later.
  • “Don’t worry Lauren, someone is coming soon to show your face the 2nd amendment in practice with a copper jacket. Enjoy,” Comiskey wrote.

Boebert’s pro-gun credentials are well known.

Before the 36-year-old conservative was elected to Congress in 2020, she owned Shooter’s Grill, a Western-themed restaurant in her hometown of Rifle, Colorado, where staff openly carried firearms.

Boebert has earned A-ratings from Gun Owners of America, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the National Rifle Association. In Congress, she is a member of the Freedom Caucus and the Second Amendment Caucus.

During his sentencing last week at the Paul G. Rogers federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, Comiskey told the court he let his “personal emotions get in the way of my common sense.”

His mother told the court that her son’s actions were “out of character.” Yeah right….

U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg rejected Comiskey’s requests for a shorter prison sentence or home confinement.

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.

IRS Raids Gun Store, Takes All Gun Purchaser Records

IRS Raids Gun Store, Takes All Gun Purchaser Records

Montana Congressman, AG Raise Questions After IRS Raid

MONTANA REP. ROSENDALE

SEE: https://www.montanarightnow.com/great-falls/rep-rosendale-sends-letter-to-atf-irs-asking-for-answers-after-search-of-highwood-creek/article_0451bf26-0c91-11ee-a1bd-db656978a517.html

SEE ALSO: https://www.montanarightnow.com/rep-rosendale-letter-to-atf-and-irs/pdf_a2f1bf0a-0c91-11ee-9b51-b3b0b7369608.html

Congressman Matt Rosendale sounds off on DC statehood.

REP. ROSENDALE'S LETTER TO IRS AND ETF

Rep. Rosendale letter to ATF and IRS

BY CATHERINE SALGADO

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/catherinesalgado/2023/06/17/irs-raids-gun-store-takes-all-gun-purchaser-records-n1704117;

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

As usual, Biden’s federal government is aiming for the wrong target. Twenty armed IRS agents reportedly raided a Montana gun store, but only for forms filled out by gun purchasers. The Biden administration is apparently compiling data on gun owners.

The Washington Free Beacon reported in January 2022 that the Biden administration had almost a billion Americans’ gun purchase records in an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) database. It seems the administration is still gathering data on legal gun owners. This comes as Biden and the Democrats push gun-grabbing measures and the IRS is set to hire 87,000 more agents (thank you, Kevin McCarthy). For what purpose will the Biden administration use all this data on gun sales? Are legal gun owners the next target of a weaponized federal government?

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) went on Newsmax’s The Chris Salcedo Show on June 16, where he provided details to guest host Todd Starnes. “This is stormtrooper-type activity, and we’re not used to seeing it in our country whatsoever,” Rosendale said, describing how 20 IRS agents with ARs (i.e. ArmaLite rifles) “stormed” Tom VanHoose’s store, Highwood Creek Outfitters in Great Falls. “This is the kind of activity that demonstrates why we were trying to, in the House of Representatives, defund those additional 87,000 IRS agents,” the representative added.

Rosendale, who spoke with VanHoose, called the raid “disturbing.” He highlighted the odd nature of the raid’s goal. “IRS, right? Financial records, accounting, making sure what transactions were taking place? No. They took all of the [ATF] 4473 forms. The 4473 forms are what everyone fills out when they go to purchase a firearm, and it’s just a big disclosure to make sure that you don’t have a criminal background or other reasons where you should not be purchasing a firearm.”

The congressman added, “I am concerned that this is another attempt by the IRS to create a database on people that they can target for being conservatives because they want to own their own firearm.”

Related: The Feds Want to Take Your Guns While Stockpiling Weapons, Ammo, and Tactical Gear

In a separate statement Wednesday, quoted by Newsmax, Rosendale said, “I’m incredibly disturbed by initial reports that the IRS and ATF closed Highwood Creek Outfitters without any warning. … This is yet another example of the Biden Administration weaponizing federal agencies to target and harass hardworking Americans.” Rosendale added, “We cannot allow Biden to continue expanding these agencies to infringe on our liberties.”

As Starnes noted, we’ve seen multiple peaceful groups of Americans targeted by the federal government for political reasons. These include pro-lifers, traditional Catholics, and parents concerned about woke curriculum — not to mention Donald Trump and many Jan. 6 protestors. Are gun owners the next target for political persecution?

 

Bank of America Turns Over Information on Gun Owners to the FBI

Bank of America Turns Over Information on Gun Owners to the FBI iStock-471503379

BY JOHN CRUMP

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/06/bank-of-america-turns-over-information-on-gun-owners-to-the-fbi/;

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — FBI whistleblowers have come forward with damning allegations against Bank of America (BoA). According to Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the banking giant has been revealing information to the FBI about its customer’s gun purchases without a warrant. Now the pair has sent letters to other banks to see if they also violated the privacy rights of their customers.

After the protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Bank of America provided the FBI with a list of customers who made transactions in or around Washington, D.C., purchased a flight to the Nation’s Capital, or booked a hotel room in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Most of Bank of America’s customers that attended the large rally never entered the Capitol Building, and the FBI did not have probable cause to allow the law enforcement agency to get a court order for the bank to surrender the documents.

When the FBI approached BoA about turning over the records, the bank complied without requesting a court order.

The megabank would put anyone in or around D.C. and purchase a gun on the top of the list. By simply being in or around D.C. on January 6 and purchasing a firearm using a BoA product, the FBI would mark you for investigation. The FBI investigated many BoA customers without a court order and with the full cooperation of Bank of America.

“In a transcribed interview, retired FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst George Hill testified that BoA, ‘with no directive from the FBI, data-mined its customer base’ and compiled a list of BoA customers who used a BoA product during a specified date range. Mr. Hill further noted that ‘on top of that list, they put anyone who had purchased a firearm during any date.’ Mr. Hill also testified that the list that BoA provided targeted transactions in Washington D.C., and the surrounding area,” the letter reads.

The letter was sent to JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup, Trust Financial Corporation, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, and PNC Financial Services. The Congressmen are asking the banks to provide any documents or communications about the release of customer data from January 6, 2021, timeframe to the FBI or any other federal law enforcement agencies.

This request is to see if the other major banks of similar size leaked the same customer information to the federal authorities that Bank of America released.

“Congress has an important interest in ensuring that Americans’ private information is protected from collection by federal law enforcement agencies without proper due process. The Committee and Select Subcommittee must understand if, how, and to what extent financial institutions, including PNC Financial Services, worked with the FBI to collect Americans’ private data,” the letter reads.

Many are concerned that the FBI is becoming overtly political and weaponized against anyone the Biden regime considers enemies. We have seen the weaponization of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against conservative non-profits. The FBI has also used documents like the discredited “Steele Dossier” to get FISA warrants to surveil political opponents. Some of those concerned about the weaponization of government agencies are serving in Congress.

It should concern all Americans (not only gun owners) that big business is working hand and hand with big government. Instead of protecting its customers’ data, it turns it over to the surveillance state without a fight. Gun owners now know that Bank of America is not protecting their data from an ever-encroaching government. The only question now is how far the rot goes.


About John Crump

John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.

John Crump

NJ is Playing a Game of Chicken with Supreme Court & 2nd Amendment

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy

BY ALAN GOTTLIEB

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/05/nj-playing-game-of-chicken-with-supreme-court-2nd-amendment;

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

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and its partners in a legal challenge of New Jersey’s “sensitive places” concealed carry statute have filed a response to the state’s motion for a stay in the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is now known as Koons v. Platkin.

Second Amendment Foundation is joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners, the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, and four private citizens.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb granted a preliminary injunction, and the state filed a motion to stay the order pending appeal.

Second Amendment Foundation opposes the stay, arguing the state “did not meet its burden before the district court, and it cannot meet it in this Court. Thus a stay pending appeal should be denied.”

“The state is struggling with all its might,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “in a stubborn effort to retain a literal stranglehold on the rights of New Jersey citizens. We’re challenging the ban on legal carry in parks, on beaches, and at recreation facilities, publicly owned museums and libraries, bars and restaurants where alcohol is served, entertainment facilities, airports (before TSA security), public transportation hubs, and the presumptive ban on private property.

“There is no established historical tradition that could justify the restrictions included in the new law. New Jersey simply cannot criminalize licensed concealed carry virtually everywhere in the state by designating everything as a ‘sensitive area,’ nor should it be allowed to continue enforcing these restrictions pending appeal.”

SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut said the state is playing a game of chicken with the Supreme Court and the Second Amendment.

“The state is burdened with showing the carry restrictions are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation, and we don’t see how that is possible,” Kraut said. “The state has not provided any evidence of Founding era restrictions like it wants to enforce today, and is essentially trying to stall the inevitable for as long as possible.”


The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing, and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 720,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

Second Amendment Foundation

  

 

New Jersey Politicians Enact Largest Gun Ban in U.S. History

Ban Everything

BY EVAN NAPPEN

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/05/new-jersey-politicians-enact-largest-gun-ban-us-history/;

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

When Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Democrats rushed a flurry of gun laws through the legislature last June of 2022, one of the laws rammed through was under the guise of banning guns with no serial numbers.

This law banned millions of rifles, shotguns, handguns, hunting guns, target shooting guns, military surplus guns, and virtually ALL muzzleloaders, black powder guns, antique guns, air guns, and BB guns.

N.J.S. 2C:39-3 N screenshot 5-25-2023
N.J.S. 2C:39-3 N screenshot 5-25-2023

There are NO exceptions and there is NO grandfathering. This was the largest gun ban ever passed in the history of the United States.

The law bans ALL firearms with a “…firearm frame or firearm receiver …which is not imprinted with a serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer…”

The term “firearm frame or firearm receiver” means the part of a firearm that provides housing for the internal components.

For ANY firearm to be legal in New Jersey, it must now meet two criteria established by this law:

1) the firearm must be imprinted with a serial number; and

2) the serial number must be registered with a federally licensed manufacturer.

Under these requirements, the following types of firearms are now banned in New Jersey with no grandfathering or exceptions:

1) All pre-1968 rifles, shotguns, and handguns without serial numbers. Warning: Prior to 1968, there was no federal law requiring guns to have serial numbers.

2) All modern rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers with serial numbers, but are not registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. This would include most modern imported rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers, plus foreign firearms, and military surplus firearms from countries around the world, if these companies were not federally licensed manufacturers (e.g., Lugers, P-38s, Mausers, Arisakas, Enfields, SKSs, Carcanos, Webleys, Norincos, Mosins, etc.).

3) All BB guns without serial numbers. New Jersey includes BB Guns/Air Guns in its legal definition of a “firearm.”

4) All BB guns with serial numbers but are not registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. This would include most BB guns made, because there is no federal firearms manufacturing license required to make BB guns (e.g., Daisy, Crossman, Gamo, etc.).

5) All muzzleloading/black powder firearms without serial numbers. New Jersey includes black powder guns in its legal definition of “firearm.”

6) All muzzleloading/black powder firearms with serial numbers but are not registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. This would include most muzzleloading/black powder firearms made and/or imported because there is no federal firearms manufacturing license required to make or import muzzleloading/black powder firearms.
5) All antique firearms without serial numbers. Antique firearms are “firearms” under New Jersey law.

6) All antique firearms with serial numbers but are not registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. This would include most antique firearms because a federal firearms manufacturing license did not even exist at the time the antique firearms were manufactured.

The penalties for violating the new law are severe and draconian, as with most NJ gun laws:

1) Under N.J.S. 2C:39-3 n. possession of a banned firearm is a crime of the Third Degree which carries a maximum of five (5) years in State Prison and a $15,000 fine.

2) Under N.J.S. 2C:39-9 k. & n. purchase, transport, shipping, selling, or disposing of a banned firearm is a crime of the Second Degree which carries a maximum of ten (10) years in State Prison and a $150,000 fine.

Determining whether your firearm was made by a federally licensed manufacturer is difficult and will require research on each specific firearm. Of course, some guns are obviously made by U.S. licensed manufacturers, such as Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Winchester, Remington, etc. Many other firearms, particularly those that were imported, might or might not have federal manufacturing licenses for other models of guns that they make.

Unfortunately, this law is poorly written, and no guidance is given in the law as to how such determinations are to be made. As with most gun laws in New Jersey, gun owners BEWARE.

This new law is an excellent example of how a law is sold to the public as one thing, but its actual effect is something else entirely. It was either intentionally done to give New Jersey the record for the largest gun ban in U.S. history, or it is an example of just how ignorant our legislators are about guns and the law. It’s most likely a combination of both.


About Evan Nappen

Known as “America’s Gun Lawyer,” Evan Nappen is above all a tireless defender of justice. Host of the praised “Gun Lawyer” Podcast, author of eight bestselling books and countless articles on firearms, knives, weapons history, and the law, a certified Firearms Instructor, and avid weapons collector and historian with a vast collection that spans almost five decades, it’s no wonder he’s become the trusted, go-to expert for local, industry, and national media outlets. Called on regularly by radio, television, and online news media for his commentary and expertise on breaking news, Evan has appeared on countless shows including Fox, CNN, Court TV, WOR-New York. As a creative arts consultant, he also lends his weapons law and historical expertise to an elite, discerning cadre of movie and television producers and directors, and novelists. He also provides expert testimony and consultations for defense attorneys across America. Visit www.evannappen.com for expert legal assistance.

 

SHOCKING FBI TESTIMONY!: 2A is ‘Domestic Terrorism,’ Agents Infiltrate School Board Meetings

During Thursday's hearing by the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, committee member Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) questioned FBI whistleblowers on a memo titled "Domestic Terrorism Symbols" guide —and the answers were alarming.

Rep. Boebert Intros Bill to Repeal RINO Gun Control & Defend 2nd Amendment

Lauren Boebert Introduced A Very Short Bill Meant To Undo Any Bipartisan Cooperation On Gun Control

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

BY F. RIEHL

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/05/rep-boebert-intros-bill-to-repeal-rino-gun-control-defend-2nd-amendment;

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

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert introduced the Shall Not Be Infringed Act to repeal the gun control provisions and every Second Amendment infringement passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert said, “I unapologetically support the Second Amendment. No amount of gun control will ever eliminate evil in our society, and unsurprisingly, the data has shown time and again that gun control does not decrease gun violence. Just look at Chicago or New York, where gun control has created criminal safe havens since evildoers know their victims will be unarmed. It is ironic that the same people who are calling to defund the police also want to leave everyday Americans defenseless. I will always stand against this nonsense and stand for law-abiding Americans and the Constitution.”

Congressman Byron Donalds said, “Last Congress, Pelosi chose to make restricting our Second Amendment rights a staple of her legislative agenda, but her unconstitutional edicts will not stand. Our Second Amendment rights ‘shall not be infringed.’ I’m proud to stand alongside Rep. Boebert in this legislative fight for American freedom by repealing Pelosi’s tyrannical gun control platform.”

Congressman Eric Burlison said, “Congress should preserve our rights, not infringe them. I applaud Congresswoman Boebert for leading on this bill to protect Americans’ God-given, constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights.”

Congressman Andy Ogles stated, “Last Congress, Biden and his Democrat cohorts in the House went after Americans’ basic right to bear arms. From significantly increasing the ATF’s budget to going after lawful gun owners to designating over $700 million taxpayer dollars to bribe states to pass red flag laws, Democrats did not hold back from trampling the rights of Americans. I am proud to cosponsor Rep. Boebert’s legislation and affirm that the right to bear arms granted in the Second Amendment of the Constitution shall not be infringed.”

Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger stated, “Joe Biden and the Radical Left have made it clear they don’t care about your safety. As crime rates continue to spiral out of control throughout the country, now is not the time to leave law-abiding Americans defenseless. I look forward to dismantling the unconstitutional anti-gun laws implemented by Democrats and putting an end to their assault on our Second Amendment Rights.”

Congressman Warren Davidson said, “Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed, yet it must be restored to protect our constitutional Second Amendment rights. The Second Amendment is essential to defending our freedom, and it shall not be infringed.”

Aidan Johnston, Federal Affairs Director, Gun Owners of America said, “Congress had no authority to restrict the Second Amendment, which is why it’s so important to repeal the gun control that Senator Cornyn helped anti-gunners pass last summer. We were proud to collaborate with Rep. Boebert on this legislation, which truly lives up to its name by ensuring the right to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”

Hunter King, Director of Federal Affairs, National Association for Gun Rights stated, “The Second Amendment couldn’t be more clear: the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Under Nancy Pelosi, Congress passed sweeping gun control that threatened the Second Amendment rights of every American. National Association for Gun Rights is proud to support Rep. Boebert’s bill that will undo the damage Democrats and RINOs created. If you give gun control advocates an inch, they will take a mile. That is why we will never compromise on Americans’ absolute right to keep and bear arms.”

Shall Not Be Infringed Act in the 117th Congress Background:

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert introduced H.R. 3212, the Shall Not Be Infringed Act, to repeal the gun control provisions and every Second Amendment infringement passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law, including provisions contained in (1) the so-called Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, (2) the 2023 Appropriations Omnibus, (3) the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2023, and (4) the 2023 NDAA.

Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act protects the Second Amendment by repealing the following provisions from the so-called Bipartisan Safer Communities Act:

  • Repealing a program bribing states to pass red flag laws.
  • Repealing the decision to criminalize private transfers by reclassifying private sellers as gun dealers.
  • Repealing the federal waiting period for some adults to purchase rifles.
  • Repealing laws that disarm adults for mere misdemeanors.

Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act protects the Second Amendment by repealing the following provisions from the 2023 Appropriations Omnibus bill:

  • Cutting the ATF’s 14.1% budget increase.
  • Cutting $14.4 million for the ATF to maintain its illegal gun registry.
  • Cutting $700+ million in bribes for states to pass red flag laws.
  • Reversing the decision to weaponize the VA to attack veterans with gun confiscation.
  • Defunding the Department of Education’s efforts to mandate so-called safe storage.
  • Defunding VA and HHS programs that track where veterans are storing their guns.
  • Defunding programs that discourage women from exercising their Second Amendment rights.
  • Defunding research that labels conservative gun owners as dangerous right-wing radicals.

Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act protects the Second Amendment by repealing the following provisions from the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2023:

  • Repealing the law that directs law enforcement to criminally investigate people who fail firearm background checks, even though 90% of the time the system falsely denies a law-abiding citizen their right to bear arms.
  • Defunding is a program that enables the ATF to deputize local police to enforce federal gun laws.

Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act protects the Second Amendment by repealing the 2023 NDAA’s provisions creating a firearm storage provision that could be used to later justify a nationwide mandatory so-called safe-storage program.

Cosponsors of Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act include: Rep. Mary Miller (IL-15), Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22), Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05), Rep. Andy Ogles (TN-05), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08), Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT-02), Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-07), Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Scott Perry (PA-10), and Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK-02).

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the National Association for Gun Rights support Congresswoman Boebert’s Shall Not Be Infringed Act.

GOA produced a fact sheet on the bill that can be viewed here.

Goa Fact Sheet: 2023 Shall Not Be Infringed Act

 

DELAWARE: Federal District Judge Finds Unusual Way to Ban Semi-Auto Guns & Mags

BY DEAN WEINGARTEN

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/delaware-federal-judge-finds-unusual-way-ban-semi-auto-guns-magazines/;

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

On March 27, 2023, Judge Richard G. Andrews of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware issued an opinion that denied the request for a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the State of Delaware’s unconstitutional ban on some semi-automatic rifles and standard capacity magazines.

Judge Andrews dug deeply into his interpretive consideration to find a way to deny the request for a preliminary injunction.

With the clear guidance given by the Supreme Court in the Bruen decision to clarify the Heller decision on the Second Amendment, Judge Andrews performed some mental gymnastics.

The Bruen decision told lower courts to stop using the convoluted “two-step” framework to decide Second Amendment cases. The “two-step” frame was widely criticized as a way for the lower courts to treat the Second Amendment as a “second-class right” in the Bill of Rights.

Under Bruen, the decision is to be precise. First, does an individual’s conduct fall under the protection of the text of the Second Amendment? From Bruen p. 14:

Today, we decline to adopt that two part approach. In keeping with Heller, we hold that when the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct.

Suppose the government claims to be allowed to regulate protected conduct. In that case, the government has the burden of showing their regulation is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation. From Bruen, p. 4:

The burden then falls on respondents to show that New York’s proper-cause requirement is consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

The most relevant time would be near the time of the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791.  The next most relevant time period would be, to a lesser degree, at the time of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, in 1868, then to an even less extent, up to 1900. Nothing after 1900 is considered relevant.

In this case, the State of Delaware attempts to justify its infringements with several suspect claims.

  • They claim that semi-auto rifles (and some pistols) are not in common use for self-defense.
  • They claim common use only applies to actually being fired in self-defense.
  • They claim semi-auto rifles are unusual and dangerous.
  • They claim magazines with a capacity of more than 17 rounds are unusual and dangerous.
  • They claim magazines with a capacity of more than 17 rounds are not in common use for self-defense.

In an interesting twist, Judge Andrews rejects all of those claims. He finds the semi-auto rifles and magazines which hold more than 17 rounds are NOT unusual and dangerous, and they are in common use for self-defense.

The defendants also claim that the semi-auto rifles and pistols, and magazines with a capacity of more than 17 rounds implicate unprecedented societal concerns and dramatic technological changes. From the opinion, p. 20:

Defendants argue that the instant regulations implicate “unprecedented societal concerns” and “dramatic technological changes.”

This is what Judge Andrews hangs his decision on. He conflates the regulation of fully automatic firearms with semi-automatic firearms.  He uses history from after 1900.  He finds restrictions on concealed carry of Bowie knives to be similar to a ban on the ownership of semi-automatic rifles and pistols.

Then Judge Andrews states any deprivation of Second Amendment rights is not irreparable harm, as it is in First Amendment cases.

Analysis:

Judge Andrew is finding another way to institute an interest-balancing means-ends analysis, which the Supreme Court, in Bruen, declared improper.

The case will likely be appealed. It is not clear if the denial of a preliminary injunction is being appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The Third Circuit includes Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, Inc; Et Al Plaintiffs, V. Delaware Department Of Safety


About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, 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.

Dean Weingarten

  

SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR Kristi Noem warns Biden wants to ‘enslave’ the U.S.~What Happens When Millions of Gun Owners Become Felons May 31st 2023?

What Happens When Millions of Gun Owners Become Felons May 31st 2023?

BY THOMAS CONROY

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/chairman-jordan-to-atf-what-happens-when-million-gun-owners-become-felons;

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

U.S.A. — In a heated exchange during the House Judiciary Committee’s Oversight hearing of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 26th, Chairman Jim Jordan questioned ATF Director Steven Dettelbach on the upcoming deadline for pistol brace owners.

On May 31st, 2023, millions of American gun owners could potentially become felons for possessing pistol braces, a fact that Dettelbach acknowledged.

Jordan questioned Dettelbach on the impact that this rule change would have on millions of Americans.

Jim Jordan: “..so you told them [American Gun Owners] not once but twice that it was okay, and I’m just asking does it bother you now that [what] you are doing, that you’re making the change that’s going to impact millions of Americans?”

The ATF Director replied that the rule was necessary to address inconsistencies in the definition of pistol braces. He further explained that specific products get presented for classification, and these products sometimes change. Therefore, the rule change was necessary to ensure consistency.

Jordan then accused Dettelbach of contradicting what ATF had previously told American citizens, and now millions of law-abiding citizens will be impacted by this rule change. Dettelbach denied this accusation, stating that only specific products would be impacted, and those impacted individuals would have several options, including detaching the brace from the firearm and keeping both, attaching the brace to another firearm, removing or destroying the brace, getting a longer barrel, turning in or destroying the firearm, or registering the firearm.

Jordan then asked what would happen to those who do not take any of these actions and let the deadline expire.

Dettelbach replied that it would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case, and if a person were unaware, they would not be prosecuted, even though they were now breaking newly created rules. However, if they were aware, they could potentially become a felon.

Jordan also questioned how the ATF would enforce this rule and questioned Dettelbach whether ATF would inspect people at gun ranges or go to manufacturers and look for lists of people they sold braces to. Dettelbach mumbled something about ATF would consider it as one of the charges when doing a search warrant in a drug case and discovering an unlawful item.

Finally, Jordan asked if the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act clearly and unambiguously prohibits pistol braces. Dettelbach replied that it doesn’t prohibit anything and calls for increased controls on short-barreled rifles. Jordan cited a court decision this week in the Sixth Circuit, where the court ruled that the statute does not clearly and unambiguously prohibit bump stocks. In that ruling, the court also stated that for a decade, the ATF maintained that a bump stock was not a machine gun part, and the ATF’s own flip-flop on this position is one of the reasons why the court ruled in favor of those opposing the rule.

The exchange between Jordan and Dettelbach was intense.

The ATF’s flip-flopping on rules and Dettelbach’s inability to answer questions about the impact of the rule change on millions of Americans is a serious issue for American gun owners, whose only crime was following those same rules. The lack of accountability and poor decision-making by a rogue federal agency raises concerns about the risk of law-abiding citizens being turned into felons. The exchange was intense, with Jordan accusing Dettelbach of contradicting himself. At the same time, Dettelbach defended the Biden-ATF’s decision, stating that it was necessary to ensure consistency and address inconsistencies in the definition of pistol braces.

__________________________________________________________________

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/congressman-gaetz-grills-atf-director-dettelbach

SEE ALSO: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/dems-2023-war-on-guns-continues-battles-in-minnesota-pennsylvania

 

Delaware: Senate Judiciary to Hear New Anti-Gun Bills

Biden Pressuring Delaware for Gun Control to Score a Political Victory

Biden Pressuring Delaware for Gun Control to Score a Political Victory, iStock-884197836

BY NRAHQ

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/delaware-senate-judiciary-to-hear-new-anti-gun-bills/;

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

On Wednesday, starting at 1:00 PM, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear Senate Bill 2, to impose a Maryland-style “handgun qualified purchase card” and a handgun transfer registry. Please contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE SB 2.

CLICK HERE TAKE ACTION!

Senate Bill 2 requires citizens to obtain a deceptively named “handgun qualified purchaser permit” to purchase or receive a handgun, with an exemption for carry permit holders. To obtain a permit, an applicant is required to, at their own expense, have taken approved training and to submit fingerprints, though the bill does create a voucher system for low-income individuals to cover the cost of training. The State Bureau of Investigation is allowed up to 30 days to issue a permit. Because permits are valid for only 180 days and training is only accepted if taken within the past five years, this creates recurring costs, delays, and hassle for citizens to maintain the ability to exercise their Second Amendment right to obtain a handgun. In addition, the bill also creates a registry of all handgun transfers.

Again, please contact committee members and ask them to OPPOSE SB 2.


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)

  

Kristi Noem gives speech, Signs Executive Order To Protect Gun Rights At NRA Convention~Donald Trump addresses NRA meeting in Indianapolis; recommends arming teachers

At today's NRA Convention, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) signed an executive order blocking state agencies from doing business with anti-gun large banks.

Trump calls for arming teachers at NRA convention

Donald Trump addresses NRA meeting in Indianapolis

FOX News Pushing Anti-Gun Propaganda in News Stories

FOX News Pushing Anti-Gun Propaganda in News Stories iStock-458985737

BY LEE WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/04/fox-news-pushing-anti-gun-propaganda-in-news-stories/;

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

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between FOX News and CNN or MSNBC, especially when the topic is guns, especially after a mass shooting.

For at least seven years, FOX News has been citing fake mass-shooting data from the Gun Violence Archive – an anti-gun nonprofit we debunked years ago – in its digital and broadcast news stories. The reason is simple. The GVA inflates body counts, sometimes by more than 1,000%, so its overblown data has become catnip for the legacy media, which is constantly seeking more sensational headlines and news stories.

How does the GVA get its inflated numbers? They created their own definition of a mass shooting, of course. When most Americans hear the term, they picture a madman stalking the halls of a school or a shopping mall, coldly murdering innocent victims. What does not come to mind are rival drug crews shooting it out in Chicago, a deranged husband murdering his entire family, or a law-abiding gun owner acting in self-defense.

Yet for the GVA, anytime four or more people are killed or even slightly wounded with a firearm, it’s labeled a mass shooting. For example, according to the FBI and its more conservative definition, there were 30 mass shootings in 2019. The GVA claims there were 417. Despite the obvious bad math, the legacy media, politicians, and the gun-ban industry treat GVA’s reports as gospel. The Biden-Harris Administration, The New York Times, National Public Radio, USA Today, The Trace, and a host of other outlets all cite GVA’s fictitious data and use its overly broad definition when reporting about mass shootings.

The GVA uses dubious sources to gather its mass-shooting data, too. In a 2021 interview with the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project, Mark Bryant, a retired computer analyst, and GVA’s executive director admitted his researchers gather data from law enforcement Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as media accounts, even though the media is notorious for getting the facts wrong after a mass shooting.

Despite these bad sources and bad math, FOX News continues to cite the GVA in their stories, most recently Monday, after a mass shooting in Louisville, Kentucky.

Missing attribution

Bryant founded the GVA in 2013, and FOX News began citing them as a news source just a few years later.

The network has never fully disclosed the nature of the anti-gun nonprofit to its viewers, or how it gathers its information. Here is a list of how FOX News has attributed the GVA data in news stories from the past seven years:

  • 2016 – “using information collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan research group.”
  • 2017 – “based on data from the Gun Violence Archive, which catalogs reports of gun violence in the U.S.”
  • 2018 – “according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.”
  • 2019 – “according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive (GVA).”
  • 2020 – “according to the Gun Violence Archive.”
  • 2021 – “according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA).”
  • 2022 – “The Gun Violence Archive defines mass shootings as ones where ‘4 or more [people are] shot or killed, not including the shooter.’”
  • February, 2023 – “according to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive.”
  • March, 2023 – “according to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive.”

No comment

Both Trace Gallagher, FOX News Anchor/Chief Breaking News Correspondent, and Brett Baier, Chief Political Anchor and Executive Editor of Special Report, have cited GVA data recently in news stories.

I reached out to both on Twitter, warning them their credibility was at risk. Neither Gallagher nor Baier responded.

 

Neither Irena Briganti, Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications – of FOX News Media, nor Porter Berry, Executive Vice President, and Editor-in-Chief of FOX News Digital, responded to emails seeking their comments and an explanation as to why the network was pushing flawed and biased data in news stories.

Takeaways

I should disclose I am a regular FOX News viewer. I turn it on in the morning after my computer warms up and it stays on throughout my workday. I check the FOX News website at least hourly, and I cannot miss an episode of Tucker, who fearlessly holds the powerful accountable, or Gutfeld, who is always good for a laugh.

Still, what FOX News is doing is dead wrong. They are aiding and abetting the gun banners by repeatedly citing overblown mass shooting data, which can lead the uninformed into believing that “gun violence” – another term FOX should stop using – is far worse than it really is. FOX is the most-watched cable news network in the country.  Millions of people tune in to its programming. That could be a real game-changer if the network would start telling the truth rather than promulgating debunked lies.

In my humble opinion, FOX should immediately stop citing GVA data and issue a clarification and an apology to its viewers. That’s what’s required journalistically, and it’s also the right thing to do. I hope FOX’s editors and producers take corrective action quickly because America is watching.

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

 

Anti-Gun & Transgender Insurrection Underway Simultaneously at Tennessee Capitol; Kentucky Capitol; Texas Capitol; Oklahoma Capitol

BREAKING: Insurrection Underway at Tennessee Capitol

BY MEGAN FOX

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/megan-fox/2023/03/30/breaking-insurrection-underway-at-tennessee-capitol-n1682965;

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

Police officers are getting plowed over right now by mobs of screaming protesters at the Tennessee capitol. It’s absolute chaos there as anti-gun nuts have broken into the chamber and shut down the People’s business, chanting something about justice and guns. They pushed through a line of state troopers to access the chamber. Oddly, it doesn’t look like anyone is getting arrested, pepper sprayed, tuned up with billy clubs, or hauled off to prison on charges of “sedition.”

We’ve returned to the status quo, where anyone on the left can break any law they wish and no one will go to jail. And if they are arrested, they’ll be bailed right out (probably by Democrats in the Tennessee legislature) and not even have to pay a fine.

Related: Manhattan DA Bragg’s Hysterical Reaction to Trump’s Call for Protests

But if you’re on the other side of the issue or have ever voted for that Orange Man, you are not allowed to protest. If you try it, you’ll be investigated by the FBI, who will be at your door quicker than Barney Frank makes a beeline to the buffet at lunchtime.

An insurrection also occurred yesterday at the Kentucky Capitol. Insurrectionists had their Qanon Shaman-like character dressed up as a satanic goat-man chanting, “SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” as protesters took over that capitol. Strangely, no mainstream media has been breathlessly reporting on any of these events or screaming about insurrections. Why is that?

The Kentucky protesters appeared to be angry trans-activists upset about not being able to chemically castrate or permanently surgically mutilate children in that state. They were very angry and threw a tantrum in the form of trespassing on the sacred ground of a government building.

Just before that, a massive insurrection took place at the Texas capitol by trans activists on March 27th. Strangely, there doesn’t appear to be any footage trending anywhere from the huge protest at the Texas Capitol. But look at the hundreds of people taking over the rotunda:

Searches turn up no footage at all of this protest, which appears to be connected to the others. It’s also telling that these direct actions have been planned days apart and not simultaneously, allowing for the same protesters to be shuttled between locations to make the crowds appear larger. This is a common practice with leftist protests. It’s a form of astroturfing for the cameras.

In February, a similar event happened in Oklahoma. There’s a video of one arrest made after a trans-protester slapped a cop. I’ve been told that we aren’t allowed to protest on government property inside capitol buildings where the People’s business is being conducted. Why are the transurrectionists permitted to do it?

I think we can all safely say that this is a dark day for democracy, and those responsible should be held to the same standards as the rest of us. But it’s not going to happen. Do not get your hopes up.

While it’s maddening that the government doesn’t put the jackboot of the state on the necks of these protesters (unlike the J6 protesters), it’s still amusing to hear the screams of agony as Republican legislatures take away their ability to abuse kids. What is wrong with these people? Bring sanity back.

If Republicans in these states don’t crack down hard on these protesters who are breaking the law and send a message that this will not be tolerated, then they deserve even more of this disruptive malarky.

 

 

 

Weaponized ATF, IRS Intimidate Enemies of the Biden Regime

Weaponized ATF, IRS Intimidate Enemies of the Biden Regime

BY ROBERT SPENCER

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2023/03/28/atf-and-irs-show-how-the-biden-regime-has-weaponized-government-agencies-n1682258;

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

The days when it could be taken for granted that government agencies were impartial, nonpartisan, and dedicated to carrying out their responsibilities in a fair and even-handed manner are long gone. As Stephen Green pointed out Tuesday, on the very same day that journalist Matt Taibbi of Twitter Files fame was testifying before the House’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was offering a precise and unmistakable illustration of that weaponization by showing up, unannounced of course, at his home. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Monday suddenly raided a gun store in Smyrna, Ga., where — lo and behold! — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to speak Thursday. Wow, what a coincidence!

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted Monday:

Today, the ATF showed up with 16 agents, most from out-of-state from cities like LA and San Francisco, to “inspect” Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, GA.

This visit was unprecedented. The sheer amount of agents from the bluest parts of the country is unusual and unnecessary to conduct a routine audit.

This is a prime example of Joe Biden and the Democrats weaponizing federal agencies to silence and intimidate their political opponents. I fear this is just the beginning and they are directly targeting our Second Amendment and our right to protect and defend our families.

I’m proud to have joined my colleagues to do our job and conduct Congressional Oversight on this highly suspect “inspection.”

Wait, what? Is the ATF so short-staffed that it had to call in agents from Los Angeles and San Francisco to carry out a raid in rural Georgia? Or is the sinister authoritarianism implicit in this raid strongest on the Left Coast, and so it was easiest for the ATF to find agents who were willing to go along with this politicized charade in Pelosi SSR? Either way, Greene is very likely correct that “this is a prime example of Joe Biden and the Democrats weaponizing federal agencies to silence and intimidate their political opponents.” Or are we to believe that it’s a total coincidence that a gun store is the victim of an ATF raid just days before it hosts a singular champion of the Second Amendment and of patriots nationwide?

An even more disquieting “coincidence” unfolded at Matt Taibbi’s home. The Wall Street Journal editorial board, as Stephen Green notes, asked “when did the IRS start to dispatch agents for surprise house calls?” Good question. And how amazing that this very first IRS home visit should happen on the very same day that its target was away in Washington, talking to Congress about how federal agencies had been corrupted, politicized, and weaponized?

The IRS justified the home visit by claiming that there was a problem with Taibbi’s 2018 and 2021 returns, but millions of people have had similar minor problems without having IRS agents show up at their door. The Journal explains, “Typically when the IRS challenges some part of a tax return, it sends a dunning letter. Or it might seek more information from the taxpayer or tax preparer. If the IRS wants to audit a return, it schedules a meeting at the agent’s office. It doesn’t drop by unannounced.” Indeed.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has written to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about this strange IRS home visit, suggesting that it may have been “a thinly-veiled attempt to influence or intimidate a witness before Congress.” In light of the fact that IRS agents have never been known to visit people’s homes without warning, it’s hard to see how it could be anything but that.

Related: Biden Wants to Sic the IRS on Restaurant Servers

The IRS is already one of the most hated and feared of all federal agencies, and as Stephen Green notes, its weaponization began during the Obama administration, when the infamous Lois Lerner began persecuting conservative nonprofit organizations. Back in April 2017, then-House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and then-Tax Policy Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam asked the Justice Department to reopen a probe into Lerner’s conduct. They wrote that the House Ways and Means Committee had “found that Ms. Lerner used her position to improperly influence IRS action against conservative organizations, denying these groups due process and protection rights under the law.” Nothing was done, of course, and now Lois Lerner’s friends and colleagues are back in power.

Today’s IRS and ATF agents make Lois Lerner look like an impartial, honest, trustworthy public servant. It’s clear that Biden’s handlers, having already turned the Justice Department into a tool of their agenda, have now corrupted the IRS and ATF in a similar way, and turned them against those who dare to resist the implementation of their socialist agenda. Is there anyone among our elected officials in Washington who has the will to stop all this?

Biden’s Brain Fog Thicker Than Ever as He Babbles About Disarming His Advisors

BY ROBERT SPENCER

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2023/03/24/bidens-brain-fog-thicker-than-ever-as-he-babbles-about-disarming-his-advisors-n1681102;

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

Practically every day, Old Joe Biden gives us new evidence that he should be relaxing in his taxpayer-funded, walled Delaware beach house and watching Matlock reruns – oh wait, that’s what he is doing most of the time. But nearly every day he shows the world anew that he shouldn’t be doing this while pretending to be president of the United States.

Seldom, however, has he illustrated this in a more spectacular manner than on Wednesday, when he boasted about his efforts to “help keep guns out of the hands of domestic political advisors.”

Maybe he was signaling that his political advisors are so angry and frustrated over working for him that they’re contemplating violence, and certainly it’s clear that some of these people aren’t exactly stable. Would you like to see Rachel Levine running around with a pistol? (“Dr. Levine, is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?”) But it’s more likely that Old Joe can’t read off his cue cards anymore, and that talk of continuing this comic opera past January 20, 2025, is even more insane than Leftists usually are.

The White House transcript wonks performed their usual act of walking behind the circus elephant with a dustpan, crossing out “domestic political advisors” and informing us that what the putative president really meant to say was “convicted domestic abusers,” but that just makes things even worse. To get to this particular gaffe, Biden had to change the word order and two of the three words. Sure, “abusers” could be “advisors” when you’re 80 and squinting through the fog of dementia but reading “political” for “convicted” is a real stretch – unless, of course, you’re accustomed to thinking of politicians as habitual criminals who might one day be convicted of their crimes, and not just Bad Orange Man and his imaginary crimes, either.

The disarmed domestic political advisors were just the beginning. On Thursday, the alleged chief executive spoke at a celebration of Obama’s healthcare train wreck, and in the middle of the presidential blather and blague, a baby started crying. You’d cry, too, if you had to sit through Old Joe stumbling and fumbling his way through the latest concatenation of clichés and propaganda posted on his teleprompter. Affable Lunchbucket Joe stopped to reassure the mother, who was hurrying the crying child out of the room: “That’s all right — we like babies. You don’t have to worry about it. It’s — it’s okay. It’s all right. Matter a [sic] fact, I like babies better than people.”

Biden may be excused for not thinking babies are people. After all, he is indefatigably dedicated not only to forcing every state to keep abortion legal but even to forcing pro-lifers to pay for abortions. As this barbarity rests upon the anti-science claim that the unborn child is not a human being, maybe Old Joe isn’t sure about the humanity of just-born babies, either.

Related: President Brain Fog Strikes Again! Sings Happy Birthday to…Whom?

In the same speech that set the baby wailing, the supposed leader of the free world said, according to the White House transcript: “History is made when women decide that there’s a greater risk in accepting a situation they cannot bear than steeling our spine and embracing the promise of change. You know, and no one has more in her spine and — than the greatest Speaker in the history of this country, Nancy Pelosi.” State Freedom Caucus Network communications director Greg Price heard that as “stealing our spine,” and that’s certainly understandable, although it would make a hash of the statement; it isn’t as if Joe has never mumbled incoherent gibberish before. Interpreting it as “steeling” rather than “stealing” makes the statement marginally coherent, although nevertheless strange, as “steel” is hardly commonly used as a verb.

We shouldn’t have to do this. The statements of the man who is supposed to be president of the United States shouldn’t be a jumble of unintelligibility from which we try to divine meaning. It’s time for Old Joe’s unarmed domestic political advisors to take him aside and tell him that he is well past his sell-by date, and should forget about 2024. He has carried out enough of the Left’s agenda for any man, and Americans will be trying to clean up the damage for generations to come. It’s time for him to retire the teleprompter once and for all and make a well-deserved return to the basement from which he conducted his miraculously successful and nearly nonexistent presidential campaign of 2020. He won’t be missed.

NSSF Reaction to President BIDEN’S Gun Control Executive Order

BY JIM GRANT

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/03/nssf-reaction-to-presidents-gun-control-executive-order/;

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, takes exception with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order to increase gun control measures. In the name of “doing something,” the Biden administration is chilling fundamental Constitutional rights and simply rehashing existing laws, many of which were previously supported by the firearm industry.

“The Biden administration should demand that soft-on-crime prosecutors and lawmakers use the laws already in existence to lock up criminals that misuse firearms to prey on innocent Americans,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President, and General Counsel. “Instead, this administration continues to scapegoat the firearm industry for its unwillingness to address crime. The failure of this administration to seriously address spiraling crime and instead focus its attacks on a Constitutionally-protected industry that works diligently to remain in compliance with laws and regulations and actively cooperates with law enforcement, especially ATF, exposes the lack of urgency Americans’ demand to curb rampant and out-of-control crime.”

The firearm industry worked with Congress to update the statutory definition of “in the business” in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed last year and signed into law by President Biden. The update defined those Americans “in the business” of selling firearms as those “predominantly earning a profit.”

Further, The White House accused industry members, without evidence, of selling firearms without required FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications. This is disingenuous, at best. The firearm industry was the progenitor of the point-of-sale instant background check to ensure firearms are sold only to those the law has determined can be trusted to possess a firearm. The firearm industry has been on the leading edge to improve the quality of the FBI’s NICS, including supporting the FIX NICS Act of 2017 that incentivized states and required federal agencies to submit all disqualifying background information to the FBI to ensure prohibited individuals are barred from purchasing firearms. NSSF supports increasing the submission of disqualifying records to FBI NICS but rejects the Biden administration’s demand to move closer to universal background checks, which will not work without a national firearm registry, which is forbidden by federal law.

The firearm industry has also been consistently addressing compliance with federal regulations to report the loss or theft of firearms during shipping. NSSF has repeatedly held compliance seminars with members of the firearm industry and common carriers to be aware of and remain in compliance with reporting requirements when firearms go missing during shipping. NSSF has led this effort to ensure firearms are accounted for during transit from manufacturer to distributor to retailer and finally to retail sale.

NSSF welcomes the Biden administration’s renewed attention to the safe storage of firearms in the home. This has been an issue on which the firearm industry has led from the front for over two decades. Every firearm shipped from the factory includes a locking device. Additionally, through NSSF’s leadership with Project ChildSafe, over 40 million firearm safety kits, including locking devices, have been distributed to communities across America through partnerships with over 15,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. This campaign has been recognized by the National Safety Council’s Green Cross Awards and the Government Accountability Office for its efficacy in reducing the criminal and negligent misuse of firearms through voluntary safe storage. NSSF welcomes the Biden administration’s support to increase the reach of this firearm-industry financed effort.

In 2013, then-Vice President Joe Biden held a White House meeting in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy. He spoke to then-NSSF CEO Steve Sanetti, and referring to NSSF, the president said, “You guys are doing a lot of good things, including the gunlock thing. And this isn’t Joe Biden just blowing smoke. I mean it.”

NSSF has not opposed the use of emergency risk protection orders, or so-called “red flag” laws, so long as those laws include adequate protections for Constitutional Due Process considerations. To date, none of the “red flag” laws in the 19 states and District of Columbia include these Constitutional protections. NSSF urges the Biden administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to address these Constitutional concerns that would encourage additional states to consider these laws.

President Biden’s demand to close “the dating violence restraining order loophole” has already been addressed and was not opposed by the firearm industry. Definitions of domestic partners were updated in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Congress expanded domestic and dating partners to the list of prohibited individuals to include those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. Those laws were signed by President Biden.

NSSF recognized that the Department of Defense (DoD) instructs all military members on firearm safety during entry-level training. These include the fundamental rules of firearm safety. The firearm industry welcomes the Biden administration’s acknowledgment of proven firearm safety practices that have been the hallmark of the firearm industry for over a century. To the extent that the Biden administration is attempting to politicize the acquisition of the warfighter, the only criteria should be which firearm is the best one to meet the needs of America’s warfighters. Injecting gun control politics into the process is dangerous. Gun control politics should never have a place in DoD’s selection processes.

NSSF does not oppose the reauthorization of the Undetectable Firearms Act, which requires 3.7 ounces of metal be included in a major component part of a firearm. Detection technology has improved to the point where image detectors have been able to identify polymer-framed firearms. Demands to modernize this act deserve strict scrutiny. The Undetectable Firearms Act as it is currently written should be made permanent.

NSSF rejects the Biden administration’s demands to ban Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) and standard-capacity magazines. This demand is clearly unconstitutional, as affirmed by the Heller, McDonald and Bruen decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court that affirmed the individual right to possess firearms in common use. More than 24.4 million MSRs are in circulation today. That’s more than there are Ford F-150s on the road, the most-popular selling pickup truck. MSRs are semiautomatic firearms, which operate the same way as the most popular handguns and duck hunting shotguns. One cartridge is expended for each pull of the trigger. Likewise, efforts to ban standard-capacity magazines are an attempt to infringe on the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. The courts have affirmed that magazine possession is essential to the ability to exercise Second Amendment rights. NSSF knows from government studies that banning MSRs and restricting magazine capacity will not make our communities safer.

NSSF rejects the Biden administration’s demand to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). This law is the expressed will of Congress that was passed with a wide bipartisan majority and prevents frivolous lawsuits against the firearm industry for the criminal misuse of firearms by remote third parties. This would be akin to suing Ford and Anheuser-Busch for criminal drunk driving incidents. Criminals are responsible for the crimes they commit.

NSSF rejects President Biden’s weaponization of the nonpartisan Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to squelch the First Amendment rights of firearm businesses. The heavy-handed approach is nothing short of an attempt to chill First Amendment-protected commercial free speech about products protected by the Second Amendment. The firearm industry markets firearms only to those who are legally able to possess them. Only those over the age of 18 can legally purchase a firearm at retail after submitting to an FBI NICS verification.

NSSF also rejects the Biden administration’s attempt to weaponize the “zero tolerance” policy of revoking federal firearms licenses for minor clerical errors by compounding that ill-conceived policy to expand it to a “name-and-shame” effort. Firearm retailers are the front line for ensuring firearms are sold only to those legally able to purchase them and “zero-tolerance” risks the cooperative relationship between firearm retailers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This weaponization of the ATF would codify the Biden administration’s efforts to transform the ATF from a law enforcement and regulatory agency to one that is a political arm of an antigun administration.


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

  

Biden To Sign Anti-2A Executive Order TODAY!

https://www.ammoland.com/2023/03/nssf-reaction-to-presidents-gun-control-executive-order/

FOX NEWS GOES LIBERAL & ANTI-GUN: 

"What Biden's executive order on gun control means" TO LIBERALS!

Michael Lawlor, associate professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, discusses how Biden's executive order is not new legislation, but rather works to enforce existing gun laws.

New Executive Action Against Gun Rights

State AGs Tell Biden: ‘We Will Oppose Your Gun Ban Efforts’

Constitution Glock iStock-697763612

BY DAVE WORKMAN

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/02/state-ags-tell-biden-we-will-oppose-your-gun-ban-efforts;

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

Sixteen state attorneys general have signed a blistering letter to President Joe Biden, telling him in no uncertain terms they are ready to oppose any attempt by your Administration to trample on this fundamental constitutional right.”

The letter, dated Wednesday, was initiated by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. It comes a week after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, advising him Montana will not enforce the recent pistol brace rule announced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Gianforte reminded Garland about a law passed in Montana two years ago that prohibits enforcement of some federal gun control laws, as noted by the Tenth Amendment Center.

Knudsen is joined by colleagues in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

“According to your own CDC, Americans use guns to protect themselves and their families up to 3 million times per year, if not more—far more often than guns are used in crimes, and far, far more often than guns injure people,” Knudsen wrote. “The right to keep and bear arms in self-defense guards and protects the right to life, the first and most fundamental God-given right recognized in the Declaration of Independence. And, needless to say, your repeated attempts to deprive law-abiding Americans of guns that are in common and widespread use for self-defense are patently unconstitutional. We stand ready to oppose any attempt by your Administration to trample on this fundamental constitutional right.”

Knudsen, a Republican, is quickly earning a reputation for his defense of the Second Amendment. In his letter, he tells the president, “Anti-gun politicians like yourself use the misleading label of ‘assault weapon’ to scare Americans—expecting us to endorse your efforts to criminalize law-abiding gun owners. We also know that your personal definition of ‘assault weapons’ is staggeringly broad—encompassing all semiautomatic weapons—which are the most common and effective self-defense weapons in use today, employed by over 100 million Americans to defend their homes and families.

“Last November,” he reminded Biden, “in a moment of unscripted candor, you stated to reporters that ‘[t]he idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. It’s just sick. It has no, no socially redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single, solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturers.’”

The five-page letter also calls Biden out for his claims that the ten-year ban on so-called “assault weapons,” which he championed while serving in the Senate, made a significant difference in violent crime.

“Your claim that the 1994 federal ‘assault weapon’ ban, which you supported in Congress, reduced mass shootings is also unsupportable,” the letter states. “Two different studies commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice—during the Clinton and Bush Administrations—found no discernible effect on violent crime from that legislation.”

A few lines later, Knudsen tells Biden, “And, needless to say, your repeated attempts to deprive law-abiding Americans of guns that are in common and widespread use for self-defense are patently unconstitutional. Just last term, ‘[d]rawing from this historical tradition,’ the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Second Amendment protects “the carrying of weapons that are … ‘in common use at the time.’ Semiautomatic pistols and rifles ‘are indisputably in ‘common use’ for self-defense today.’ Indeed, semiautomatic handguns are ‘the quintessential self-defense weapon.’ There is ‘no justification for laws restricting the public carry of weapons that are unquestionably in common use today.’”

Knudsen and his fellow attorneys general aren’t the only ones giving Biden a hard time in recent days over his career-long crusade against Second Amendment rights.

In a statement to the media following Biden’s State of the Union address a week ago, Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, blasted the president for pushing an “assault weapons” ban despite a new ABC News/Washington Post poll showing 51 percent of Americans oppose such a ban, which is a 10-point rise in opposition since 2019.

“This is such a dramatic shift in public opinion that not even Joe Biden and his speechwriters could claim not to have noticed,” Gottlieb observed at the time. “The White House pays attention to polling, so we can only conclude the president was hoping nobody would notice. Well, we did, and we’re calling him out. He can’t just sweep this new survey under the rug.

“Biden needs a bogeyman cause,” Gottlieb added, “and guns have always been his favorite target. It’s easy to demonize firearms when you’ve got an establishment media to parrot, rather than challenge, anything you say because much, if not most, of the press is ignorant about guns and the millions of citizens who own them.”

Knudsen, a Montana native, and outdoorsman who is a devoted shooter concluded the letter by stating, “In sum, the right to keep and bear arms is one of the most fundamental and deeply rooted liberties in our constitutional tradition. It guards and protects the most basic of all rights, the right to life, and it stands as a constant bulwark against tyranny. We stand ready to oppose any attempt by your Administration to trample on this fundamental constitutional right.”


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

 
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