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Gun Control Tag

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 27, 2016 17 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 25, 2016 11 Comments
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).

Posted by Gabriella Hoffman on June 24, 2016 13 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 23, 2016 20 Comments
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.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on June 23, 2016 16 Comments
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."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 21, 2016 16 Comments
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.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on June 16, 2016 47 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 09, 2016 38 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 05, 2016 12 Comments
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."

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 25, 2016 22 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on February 17, 2016 16 Comments
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.

Posted by Mike LaChance on February 14, 2016 48 Comments
The left comes up with this stuff faster than anyone can keep up with them. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the left-wing Cosmopolitan Magazine is pushing an anti-gun narrative under the heading of gunsplaining:
Why You Should Never Date a "Gunsplainer" We've all met mansplainers, but have you ever met a similarly dreadful gunsplainer? He's the type of guy who will attempt to hit on you by calling you "schnookums" and, like the mansplainer, he will condescend to you about why you're safer in a world where guns are easier to buy than Sudafed, or how a good guy with a gun is the best antidote to a bad guy with a gun.

Posted by Andrew Branca on February 04, 2016 35 Comments
In 2013, Maryland enacted its Firearms Safety Act (FSA). With its passage, effectively banning its residents from owning any of the large majority of semi-automatic rifles owned by American citizens (exceptions were made for retired law enforcement officers). The FSA also imposed other restrictions, such as banning certain standard-capacity magazines. Such laws are common in blue states, of course, and when challenged in the Federal courts on the grounds that they violate the Second Amendment they are typically subject only to intermediate (or lesser) scrutiny. Generally speaking, if the State can articulate virtually any purportedly reasonable basis for the gun law, it survives scrutiny. Merely uttering the words "public safety" is usually sufficient for this purpose. Of course, normally laws that arguably infringe an enumerated Constitutional rights are not subject to mere intermediate scrutiny, but rather they are subject to strict scrutiny. To survive strict scrutiny the law must advance not merely any governmental interest, but in particular a compelling governmental interest. It is perhaps arguable that "public safety" would serve to meet this requirement. In addition, however, the law must also be narrowly tailored to actually achieve that interest. It is this second requirement that almost invariably leads to the law in question being found to be unconstitutional. In a nutshell, then, if intermediate scrutiny is applied to almost any law, the law survives. If strict scrutiny is applied to almost any law, the law falls.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 31, 2016 31 Comments
Liberals in politics and media love to talk about the so-called gun show loophole. You've heard it a thousand times from Obama, Hillary, Bernie and countless talking heads. If these people are to be believed, anyone can waltz into a gun show and buy an automatic or semi-automatic weapon with no background check. The Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal recently cleared up some of these myths.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 08, 2016 26 Comments
Obama's "Guns in America" town hall event on CNN last night was a quiet event with plenty of respectful questions from the invitation only audience but failed to present any new ideas for dealing with gun violence short of making it harder for people to buy guns. Within the first 15 minutes, Obama complained that every time he tries to do something on guns, his message is distorted by his critics. ABC News reported:
Obama Slams Charge That He's Taking Away Guns as 'Conspiracy' The president quickly emphasized that he has "respect" for people who want a gun for hunting and sportsmanship, but it "makes sense to keep guns out of hands of people who would do others harm." Obama and moderator Anderson Cooper pointed out that the National Rifle Association was invited to participate in the forum, but declined to attend. Still, the president said he was "happy" to meet with the NRA to discuss his proposals.

Posted by Andrew Branca on January 05, 2016 75 Comments
Obama can once again lay credible claim to the title of "Best Gun Salesman Ever." His recently announced policy changes on guns not only do nothing to discourage gun purchases, they if anything facilitate even greater volumes of gun sales, and in particular machine guns, suppressors, short-barreled rifles/shotguns, and other highly controlled "NFA" items.  The ATF guidance purported to close the "gun show loophole" (spoiler: it doesn't, because there isn't such a thing) and the ATF policy "change" on NFA items are both embedded at the bottom of this post. Warning: Like Obama himself, both documents are extremely wordy and with little real-world effect.

Obama is "Best Gun Salesman Ever"

This is entirely consistent with Obama's actual effect on gun sales over both of his terms, during which sales have skyrocketed compared to prior administrations. The past 7 years of the Obama administration constitute only 40% of the time the modern NICS system has been in place, but nearly 60% of all NICS checks run.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 02, 2016 37 Comments
Now that the holidays are over it's back to business as usual. In Obama's case that means pushing a pet issue with no authorization from congress. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Obama Ready to Act Alone on Gun Control President Barack Obama, who has bypassed a reluctant Congress on issues ranging from immigration to climate change, is preparing to take executive action on gun control, including expanding background checks on buyers. But even as he gets set to act, Mr. Obama has only limited levers he can pull without Congress, and any unilateral action will face hurdles similar to those it has encountered during earlier attempts to tighten access to guns.

Posted by Mike LaChance on December 28, 2015 35 Comments
Virginia had an election in November which Democrats, including governor Terry McAuliffe, hoped would give them control of the state senate. They campaigned in part on gun control and lost, but that hasn't stopped them from pushing their agenda. After failing to achieve their goals through the democratic process, top Democrats are enacting gun control measures at the executive level. The Washington Post reported:
Virginia to stop recognizing concealed carry gun permits from 25 states
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