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Gun Control Tag

As of today, Texas' Campus Carry law is effective. Texas' law is not a blanket invite for any and all gun owners to bring firearms on college campuses. Only Concealed Carry permit-holders are allowed to pack heat on campus (minimum age to do obtain a CHL in 21), and even then, certain buildings are off limits. Open carry is not permitted. Private universities were allowed to opt-out of the law, and most did, including Baylor, Texas Christian University, Rice University and Southern Methodist University.

With three major terror attacks in less than a week, Germany has been rudely awoken to a harsh new reality. Two of the attackers, Afghan (17) and Syrian (27) with refugee status, had pledged allegiance to Islamic State before embarking on their terrorist mission. Chancellor Merkel's government is responding to the rising threat of Islamist terrorism by proposing to tighten gun ownership laws and giving greater powers to the army in matters of domestic security. Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière called for tightening firearms laws, while Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen wants a greater role for German Army (Bundeswehr) in domestic situations.

This week while all eyes were on the Republican National Convention, the Attorney General of Massachusetts took it upon herself to enact a new form of gun control by redefining assault weapons. Townhall reported:
Mass AG Unilaterally Changes Gun Laws, Redefines Assault Weapon Definition With most of the media attention on the Republican National Convention (Melania Trump’s speech)—the Massachusetts Attorney General seems to have decided to unilaterally rewrite the state’s gun laws.

At the memorial service for the police officers slain in Dallas, President Obama made a stunning statement on the availability of guns and the ease with which they can be obtained. The Washington Free Beacon reported:
Obama Again Claims Handguns Easier for Teens to Buy Than Books President Obama repeated a claim Tuesday he has previously made that some teenagers can more easily purchase handguns than computers or books during his speech at a memorial service for five Dallas police officers murdered last week.

The National Riffle Association released a new video as part of their Freedom's Safest Place campaign. Their latest features Antonia Okafor, Southwest Regional Director of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Called every name in the book for supporting the second amendment, Okafor's message is simple -- she never changed her beliefs.

Following the now famous "sit in" occupation of Congress, Democrats continued their demands for greater gun control with "Day of Action" protests. Roll Call reported:
'Day of Action' on Gun Violence When Rep. Elijah E. Cummings saw two young black men in wheelchairs, he wanted to know more. "Was it a disease, what happened?" he asked. Both said they'd been shot. And both said they were involved in robberies.

Friday morning, July 1, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown “gunned down the Constitution” when he signed six and vetoed four of the eleven anti-gun, pro-restriction bills passed by the Legislature only the day before. Despite the failure of California’s strict gun control laws to prevent the San Bernardino massacre, the California Legislature passed the 11 anti-gun bills to decide whether 15 or 10 bullets in a clip is or is not criminal in a bill to allow for confiscation of previously allowed magazines capable of holding more than 10 bullets. Another bill will require background checks for ammo purchases. There is even a bill to limit your ability to lend guns to family members.

Anxious to shift the national conversation from the worst terror attack on U. S. soil since 9/11, Democrats see an opportunity to accomplish that while simultaneously pushing to disarm law-abiding citizens. Democrats, eager to keep their gun grabbing plans on the front burner, are taking their protest against the Second and Fourth Amendments outside their pillow fort in the House and to town halls, conference tables, and press conferences on Wednesday, June 29th, their designated "day of action." The Hill reports:
Energized by their recent takeover of the House floor, the Democrats are eying a series of tactics and events for members to bring to their home districts through the break, including a "national day of action" designed to remind voters that Republicans have refused to bring the issue on the floor. In a letter sent to all Democrats on Friday, the organizers behind the sit-in urged their colleagues to "build the momentum" created by the protest, in hopes of forcing the Republicans' hands by dint of public pressure.

Irving Kristol once famously described a conservative as a liberal who has been mugged by reality. In the case of film star Kelly McGillis, it was a home invasion which changed her mind about concealed carry. Bearing Arms reports:
After Home Invasion, Kelly McGillis Is Going to Conceal Carry Her ‘Top Gun’ Actress Kelly McGillis exploded into the American consciousness in the 1980s with riveting roles as a young Amish widow and mother in Witness (1985), Tom Cruise’s love interest in Top Gun (1986), and as Jodie Foster’s attorney in The Accused (1988).

All this alarmism surrounding firearms in America lately is getting out of control. I figure it’s time to offer a unique take on the issue–one that puts American gun rights and their continued need into perspective. From the amateurish House sit-in to the full-on assault on AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, your assumptions about Democrats pursuing full disarmanent under the guise of “gun control” are correct. They mean it. As a Virginia gun owner and concealed handgun permit (CHP) holder myself, I hope my perspective get can you to think differently about firearms if you have doubts.

The Democratic Party is apparently taking cues from progressive campus protesters now. In a move reminiscent of a safe space at Mizzou, congressional proponents of gun control staged a sit-in on the House floor yesterday. The irony is that these aging, 1960's obsessed hipsters disguised as elected officials were actually protesting civil rights. Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist explains:
Democrats Shut Down Congress With Anti-Civil Rights Sit-In. Good! Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday staged a sit-in on the floor of the House to oppose gun rights.

With all the zeal of a Joey-come-lately, gun-control convert Joe Scarborough clashed on today's Morning Joe with Second Amendment defender Tom Cole, Republican congressman from Oklahoma. When Scarborough lectured Cole about terrorists "who want to kill people in your district," Cole shot back "Joe, I know something about terrorism. I lived through an incident in Oklahoma City." And when Scarborough patronizingly instructed Cole to "read the Constitution," Cole retorted "I think I've read the Constitution as often as you have." Mike Barnicle waited until after the interview to take a cheap shot at Cole, claiming that he is "handcuffed to the top leadership of the NRA at the expense of ordinary people."

Four gun control measures—two sponsored by Democrats, two by Republicans—failed in the Senate on Monday. USA Today provides a brief overview of each amendment (to a DOJ spending bill):
► An amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., would allow the attorney general to deny a gun sale to anyone if she has a "reasonable belief" — a lesser standard than "probable cause" — that the buyer was likely to engage in terrorism. The proposal is popularly known as the "no-fly, no-buy" amendment, but wouldn't just apply to people on the "no fly" terrorist watch list. ► An Republican alternative by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, which would require that law enforcement be alerted when anyone on the terror watch list attempts to buy a weapon from a licensed dealer. If the buyer has been investigated for terrorism within the past five years, the attorney general could block a sale for up to three days while a court reviews the sale. ► An amendment by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, would make it more difficult to add mentally ill people to the background check database, giving people suspected of serious mental illness a process to challenge that determination.

There was a stunning moment on today's Morning Joe, when Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson was stumped when asked a simple question. With all the brouhaha over gun control in the wake of the Orlando massacre, what law could have stopped Omar Mateen? It was, of all people, Sam Stein of the Huffington Post who asked the killer question. Stein pointed out that Mateen was not on the no-fly or terrorist watch list, and had passed a background check. "So what is the actual legislative response" that would have stopped the Orlando attack? Johnson resorted to claiming that Congress had "a lot of ideas," but could not name one that would have made a difference. He also repeatedly recited the new mantra: gun control is a matter of homeland security. Bottom line: the Dem clamor for gun control is a political stunt. It's about increasing vote totals, not public safety.

Bonnie Schaefer, a member of the Democratic Party's platform committee, recently said that, in her opinion, no one should own a gun. As you absorb this story, bear in mind that her statement wasn't caught on a hidden camera. This was said plainly and openly as if she was opining on her favorite kind of music. Aaron Kliegman reported at the Washington Free Beacon:
DNC Platform Committee Member Doesn’t Think ‘Anyone Should Have a Gun’ A member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee said at a planning event Wednesday that she does not believe anyone in the United States should own a gun.

Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by the Michael Bloomberg affiliated group Everytown which claims she's the only candidate who's serious about the issue. Gun control has never been a winner for Democrats at election time so it's surprising that this is being touted as a win for her. CNN reports:
Gun control group with Bloomberg ties endorses Clinton A major gun safety advocacy organization announced Friday it is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt said in a statement: "Gun Sense Voters have a champion in Hillary Clinton. Our litmus test is simple: does a candidate side with the public or with the gun lobby? Hillary Clinton passes that test with flying colors -- pushing back against the NRA's extreme 'guns for everyone, everywhere' agenda, and ushering in a new political calculus that saving lives from gun violence is a winning issue."

Katie Couric's documentary Under the Gun edited out remarks by a guns rights group to make them look unprepared for a simple question. Couric sat down with the Virginia Citizens Defense League and asked them, “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?” The clip shows the members sitting silently for around nine seconds, but audio provided to the Washington Free Beacon's Stephen Gutowski shows the group provided an answer.

Jesse Hughes is the front man for Eagles of Death Metal, the band which was performing in the Bataclan theater during the Paris terror attack. The band is returning to finish their show and Hughes gave an interview to a French TV show. When guns came up, things got interesting and emotional. Eric Scheiner of CNS News reports:
Eagles of Death Metal Frontman: 'Did Your French Gun Control' Stop Anyone From Being Killed at Bataclan in Paris? In a recent interview with French iTélé, Hughes said that French gun laws did nothing to help the victims.