Politics – Page 37 – MILESFORTIS

DeSantis Gets Bill To Strengthen Florida Preemption Law

The state of Florida has been previously referred to as the “Gunshine State.” Despite a flurry of bad laws in the wake of Parkland, they tend to be pretty pro-gun. It doesn’t make the post-Parkland idiocy any better, mind you, but it does look like just a blip on the radar.

One of the many good laws regarding firearms on the books up that way is their preemption law.

Now, it looks like lawmakers want to make that law even better.

The Legislature has passed a bill further restricting local governments’ ability to pass gun control measures.

The bill (SB 1884) clarifies that existing preemptions on local firearm and ammunition laws also apply to unwritten rules and policies. The legislation would also make clear local governments can’t bypass court cases simply by scrapping gun laws.

Rep. Cord Byrd, a Neptune Beach Republican who has carried the issue in the House, said the Legislature needs to shore up the law because of defiant local officials. He cited multiple examples just this year of local governments passing ordinances despite preemption laws in place since 1987. It’s the same reason in 2011 that the Legislature put in penalties for local officials who vote for local ordinances regardless of state law.

“Local governments thumbed their nose at this body, thumbed their nose at this Legislature, and said we do not care,” Byrd said.

Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat, criticized Byrd directly on the bill, saying since Byrd represents gun owners who have sued local governments over such regulations, he stands to profit from this legislation.

Byrd pushed back on that, saying he wants to send a message so strong, governments stop wasting taxpayer money passing laws they have no right to consider.

“I hope I never take another preemption case again,” he said.

The bill passed the House, 78-39, which isn’t really a surprise.

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If Biden is a centrist, why do leftists love him now?

BLUF:
Look for Biden to keep citing “crises.” He has already gotten Congress to pass $1.9 trillion in what was called “COVID relief” but what was in addition a massive social welfare program. He is now pushing another $4 trillion in spending — the numbers Biden proposes are truly astronomical and unprecedented. Why would Americans support such wild moves? Because there’s a crisis! That’s what Biden hopes he can convince the public to believe.

Joe Biden, Crisis Monger.

JOE BIDEN, CRISIS MONGER. Just last week, this newsletter noted that the Biden White House has a tendency to over-use the word “crisis.” Senior staff routinely portray President Joe Biden as facing one crisis after another. Indeed, the administration came into office declaring that the nation faced four simultaneous crises — the COVID pandemic crisis, the related economic crisis, the climate crisis, and the racial equity crisis. Declaring so many crises allowed the White House to portray Biden as a president heroically battling enormous odds, even as it tended to exaggerate the problems facing the United States.

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Liz Peek: Joe Biden, after 100 days, finally talks truth — cutting US carbon emissions won’t matter

President Joe Biden, contrary to expectations, said something consequential in his first address to members of Congress…by mistake.

It was a whopper that went unnoticed on Wednesday night; with just a few ill-chosen words Biden utterly toppled any justification for the Green New Deal, which plays a central role in his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and which, without a doubt, puts our economy at risk.

This is what he said, according to a New York Times transcript of the president’s remarks: “The United States accounts, as all of you know, for less than 15 percent of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85 percent. That’s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Accord, because if we do everything perfectly, it’s not going to matter.”

That was not in the version of the speech the White House handed out ahead of time.

No wonder House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris looked visibly anxious throughout the president’s remarks: they were petrified he could make just exactly this kind of goof.

This is not a “gotcha moment”, where a politician is caught embellishing his life story or fabricating excuses for some misdeed. On the contrary, Joe Biden was being honest.

And, for once in his life, Joe Biden was completely correct. Even if the Biden White House clobbers our economy, puts every last coal miner and oil driller out of work and drives down U.S. fossil fuel production and consumption, it will barely bend the curve on rising global emissions.

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Bill allowing permitless carrying of handguns advances to Texas Senate floor, where its fate remains uncertain

A Texas bill that would allow people to carry handguns without a permit quickly sailed Thursday out of a state Senate committee recently created to specifically tackle the legislation.

The move marks a significant step for the controversial proposal that for years struggled to gain momentum in either chamber of the Texas Legislature. But it remains to be seen whether the measure — already passed by the Texas House — has enough support to make it out of the Senate and to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott.

The proposal would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun. Texans would also no longer be required to receive training before carrying a handgun in public.

Texans under current state law must generally be licensed to carry handguns, either openly or concealed. Some law enforcement officers, concealed carry license instructors and Democrats have voiced opposition to the legislation, citing safety concerns.

The Senate Special Committee on Constitutional Issues voted 5-2 along party lines to advance the measure to the Senate floor Thursday. The Texas House gave its approval to House Bill 1927 earlier this month, marking a win for gun rights activists who have for years pushed the measure at the Legislature. But the lower chamber’s approval was also a blow to some Democrats who have been fighting for gun safety measures since the 2019 massacre in El Paso.

“We cannot allow another session to come and go where we pay lip service to the Second Amendment, while failing to fully restore and protect the God given rights to our citizens,” said state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, created the special committee last week and stacked it with supporters of the permitless carry proposal. Schwertner, a strong proponent of gun rights, was tapped to chair the committee. Patrick said Thursday he is “optimistic” about the legislation’s chances of passing even though he is still rounding up the necessary votes.

“We’re gonna come out with a strong bill, and I’ll believe we’ll pass it because we brought people together,” Patrick told conservative radio host Dana Loesch on Thursday afternoon. “And hopefully it’ll be on the governor’s desk soon, and we’ll get it signed.”

Before even taking up the bill or hearing from the more than 170 people who signed up to testify, Schwertner opened the hearing by declaring his intent to advance the measure out of committee on Thursday and to the Senate floor next week.

“We’re moving with all deliberate speed on this bill now because now more than ever Texans want to make sure that their Second Amendment rights are not only protected, but restored,” Schwertner said………………..

Tim Scott declares America ‘not a racist country,’ and leftists step up to the plate to prove him wrong, hurling racist epithets

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina made an eloquent, uplifting speech on behalf of Republicans, in response to Joe Biden’s quasi–State of the union address.

He spoke of racial grievances, real ones, including a recent instance when the Washington Post’s bigfoot fact-checker Glenn Kessler attempted to debunk Scott’s impoverished background in the Jim Crow South as somehow “privileged,” with revolting claims that Scott “had it easy,” which was beyond horsehockey. Scott left egg all over Kessler’s face.

Scott spoke kindly of single mothers, such as his own. He spoke of his own failures and successes, and he blasted Biden for his divisive diktats in his first 100 days, pointing out the many occasions when Republicans cooperated with Democrats and their big spending plans. He defended Georgia’s vote integrity law and focused on re-opening schools, putting the blame where it belonged: on greedy teachers’ unions. He radiated honesty and sincerity, which stood in stark contrast to fraudy, mendacious Joe, who came off like the banjo-player in Deliverance as he spoke.

It was a well received speech, based on pundit after-talk on the nets. The transcript can be read here.

That didn’t sit well with the left, which, true to form, reverted to their roots, put on their white hoods, and hurled nakedly racist insults at Scott as if to shame him for attempting to find common ground with Democrats and speak truth to power. Continue reading “”

The mendacity of Joe Biden’s address to Congress
Biden is here to bring us MAPA: ‘Make America Poor Again.

John Maynard Keynes is alleged to have said ‘When the facts change, I change my mind — what do you do, sir?’ I am no fan of Keynes generally, but there is something to be said for that pithy ‘second-thoughts’ comment. It pains me to admit it, but the President’s address to the joint session of Congress put me in mind of Keynes’s observation. After all, was it not a rousing address? Even long-time critics acknowledged it. One described it as ‘a perfect blend of strength and empathy’. I have to agree. That same commentator wrote that ‘Tonight, I was moved and inspired. Tonight, I have hope and faith in America again.’

I think a lot of people felt that way. Many people agreed with him. Yes, it’s early days yet. But let’s face it. The President has already racked up significant victories. Think about his energy policy, his attack on illegal immigration, his efforts to dismantle or at least pare back the leviathan that is the administrative state, his proposals to reduce the tax burden for both businesses and individuals while also strengthening America’s military: in these and other initiatives has he not taken bold steps to fulfill his campaign promises to return power from Washington to the People and ‘make America great again’.

Oops: I was talking about the wrong speech! That was about Donald Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address, in which he called upon Americans to put aside the partisan passions that divide us in order to go forward as one people united in the goal of making a better America.

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n.b. Texas’ legislature only convenes every other year, and then only for 140 days with the Governor having the power to call special sessions. So………..

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says He Will Sign Constitutional Carry Bill

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says he supports constitutional carry for Texas and will sign legislation with a permit requirement if it reaches his desk.

On April 16, 2021, Breitbart News reported the Texas House passed legislation to abolish the requirement that law-abiding citizens get a permit from the state government before carrying a concealed handgun for self-defense.

KVUE/Texas Tribune notes when the legislation first appeared in the Senate, there did not appear to be enough support to pass it. However, “momentum” for passage of the legislation is now growing at an “unprecedented” rate in the state Senate.

Abbott is speaking about the possibility of ending the permit requirement.

On April 27, 2021, Abbott told WBAP radio that he will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.

Abbott said, “Once the Senate passes it out, the House and Senate will convene and work out any differences and get it to my desk. And I’ll be signing it.”

Currently, 20 states do not require residents to acquire a permit before carrying a concealed handgun for self-defense: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (NOTE: Tennessee’s constitutional carry law goes into effect July 1, 2021.)

Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act – A Threat To Privacy

The gun grabbing circus lead by Nanny Bloomberg’s Moms Demand Action, Everytown, Giffords, Brady United (Handgun Control Inc.), etc. would just love to see every protection for responsible gun owners abolished. Coming from none other than Senator Bob Menendez, from the freedom crushing land of New Jersey, is S. 974: Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act. The bill’s description is a little misleading, “To repeal certain impediments to the administration of the firearms laws.” If you start to dig through what on earth this is or might be all about, you’ll be greeted by a nice pile of legalese gobbledygook, but the intent is clear; to destroy the privacy protections for gun owners built into current law and to lay the groundwork for a national gun registry.

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Here’s How Montana Is Protecting Itself from Biden’s Gun Control Orders

President Joe Biden’s gun control executive orders are bad enough.

He raised even further concerns though when, in announcing these orders, he claimed that “no amendment — no amendment to the Constitution is absolute… the idea is just bizarre to suggest that some of the things we’re recommending are contrary to the Constitution.” Americans are understandably concerned then that their Second Amendment rights are at risk.

Fortunately, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) on Friday signed into law H.B. 258, which will protect gun owners in Montana from federal gun control laws.

Today, I proudly signed Rep. Hinkle’s law prohibiting federal overreach into our Second Amendment-protected rights, including any federal ban on firearms.

I will always protect our #2A right to keep and bear arms. pic.twitter.com/2xY8DeEtqf

— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) April 23, 2021

According to Iris Samuels with AP, the legislation “prohibits state and local law enforcement in Montana from enforcing federal bans on firearms, ammunition and magazines.”

As proof that a change in administrations really can make a difference, the former Gov. Steve Bullock had vetoed such legislation multiple times before, Samuels reported, in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

Bullock ran a failed presidential campaign in the Democratic primary and was also defeated by the Republican incumbent, Sen. Steve Daines during his senatorial campaign. As governor, Bullock vetoed a host of Republican measures, another one being born-alive legislation, which would require that babies born alive from abortions be provided medical care.

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Armed St. Louis Man Who Confronted Gate-Crashing Protesters May Run for Senate

The Missouri man who earned attention last year for brandishing an assault rifle at Black Lives Matter protestors is considering a run for the U.S. Senate.

Mark McCloskey, a wealthy personal-injury lawyer, would be running for the seat to be vacated by the retirement of Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Politico reported.

“I can confirm that it’s a consideration, yes,” McCloskey said in a brief interview on Tuesday.

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Again with the “Not True Marxism”.

Short one today.

I’ve been listening to The Gulag Archipelago on Audible. I have to do it in bits and pieces with frequent breaks because my imagination is too good at turning the words of the narrator into an emotional visceral gut-punch of the true horror that lies behind them. I can only take so much at a time.

Too much darkness even for me.

So folk wanting to try to “sell” me on Communism/Socialism can just kiss right off. Doesn’t matter if this was “true socialism” or not. Doesn’t matter how you try to define “true Marxism” to make it “not this.” What matters is that every time folk selling Marxism to the masses gain power you end up with horrors like this.

Every. Time.

It has been said that insanity consists of doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Well, that’s neither a legally nor medically valid definition, but there is an element of truth to it. If you keep insisting on doing the same thing, which has always had the same results, and are all “This time for sure”, then there is something deeply, seriously wrong with you.

So take your socialism/communism, fold it so it’s all sharp corners, cover it in capsaicin oil, and shove it where the sun never shines.

That is all.

Gun Control Stupidity.

Of all the infringements of our basic right to self-protection, affirmed by the second amendment of the United States Constitution, HR-127, the bill proposed by Sheila Jackson Lee earlier this year, is the most egregious, the most dangerous, and the most blatantly unconstitutional.

For starters, it would make millions of people across the nation felons overnight. Countless gun owners over the age of 18 yet under the age of 21 will be forced to turn in their legally obtained and owned firearms or otherwise become felons. Millions of other gun owners will be forced to turn in legally obtained firearms and firearm accessories or else become felons. Those few firearms left will be subject to a burdensome tax and worse will be made a matter of public record, so that no burglar will ever need to worry about which houses to violate.

Any national gun registry will make the home addresses of all peaceful, law-abiding gun owners a matter of public record. Those who wish to rob and murder in safety, those who wish to initiate violence against those who consider gun owners their political opponents, and in the event of a total war with a country able to match the military might of our own will have a list of all men and women in the country in possession of a firearm.

This is all if the bill is passed peacefully, which it won’t. People will not allow their rights to be violated especially as people from both sides of the aisle have spent a year normalizing political violence. All law enforcement officers will all be forced to resign else they be considered oath breakers and stand for eternity with the likes of Marcus Junius Brutus, Benedict Arnold, and Damien Jones the man who the sponsor of this bill, Sheila Jackson Lee, protected from accusations of sexual assault by firing the aide who reported his abuse.

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While these always deserve careful attention, overreaching bills like this are usually nothing more than a combination of political grandstanding and attempts to move the ‘Overton window’ to make less draconian bills appear more palatable.

Below The Radar – Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act of 2021

United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Bad ideas are hard to kill, especially in Congress. One of the worst has been this notion of licensing gun owners at the federal level. This was something anti-Second Amendment extremists have wanted since 1968 – and you can read how angry Lyndon Baines Johnson was that such provisions were not in the Gun Control Act of 1968.

So, for over five decades, Second Amendment supporters have thwarted this goal of our enemies (and people who wish to inflict injustice on us are rightly described as enemies), who think that treating law-abiding gun owners like criminals is the answer to the misuse of firearms. We know it isn’t, as the Brevard County Sheriff lays out. But that hasn’t stopped anti-Second Amendment extremists from trying.

While Sheila Jackson Lee drew a lot of attention with HR 127, the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act, a number of other licensing schemes have shown up in past Congresses, and they will likely show up in the current Congress, and in Congresses in the future.

One of those bad ideas that keep turning up is the Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act of 2021, known as S 770. We covered a similar version that was introduced in 2019 by Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Jamie Raskin. Van Hollen is again the Senate sponsor of this assault on the dignity and reputation of those who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Van Hollen, of course, doesn’t even tell states to impose it. He instead tries to bribe them with federal grants. It’s yet another insult from these Bloomberg stooges who seem eager to cast blame for high rates of violent crime on everyone but those who are really responsible.

Here’s the truth: Less than a fifth of the states in the Union require any form of licensing scheme. If anything, the overwhelming consensus (at least, what seems to be the consensus) among the states is that there is no need to license firearms owners at all. States like New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts are the real outliers when it comes to firearms ownership. Those schemes don’t stop firearms from getting into the hands of bad guys.

In addition, what was noted on the web pages of Ammoland back then still applies. This legislative proposal is pretty much asking to create tragedies like the one involving Carol Bowne. Anti-Second Amendment extremists often claim they are trying to save lives, but it was an onerous law they want to extend nationwide that cost one woman her life at the hands of her abusive ex.

Second Amendment supporters should contact their Representative and Senators and politely urge them to oppose S 770, and instead seek to override state waiting periods and licensing schemes. They also should support the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action and Political Victory Fund to ensure that the current anti-Second Amendment regimes in the House, Senate, and White House are defeated at the ballot box as soon as possible.

Dan Patrick has always seemed to be a wishy-washy standard operational squish politician when it comes to any civil rights matter.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Senate currently lacks the votes to pass permitless carry of handguns

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday that the state Senate does not currently have the votes to pass permitless carry of handguns but that he will try to see if there is a “path” to change that.

The news from the Republican presiding officer of the Senate came days after the House approved a permitless carry bill, commonly referred to as “constitutional carry” by supporters.

“If we have the votes to pass a permitless carry bill off the Senate floor, I will move it,” Patrick said in a statement. “At this point we don’t have the votes on the floor to pass it. I plan to meet with law enforcement who oppose permitless carry and with the [National Rifle Association] and [Gun Owners of America] who support it to see if we can find a path that a majority of senators will vote to pass.”

In most cases, Senate bills require 18 votes from the 31-member chamber to be considered on the floor. There are only 18 GOP senators, so a permitless-carry bill would need the support of every Republican in the chamber to reach the floor — or at least one Democratic vote if any Republicans defect.

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Louisiana bill allowing gun owners to carry concealed firearms without permit advances

Louisiana gun owners could carry concealed firearms without training or a permit under a bill advanced by a Senate committee Monday with a similar measure on deck in the House.

Supporters of Senate Bill 118 by Sen. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, testified the current law requiring training and permits to carry a concealed firearm are infringements on their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

“We shouldn’t need the government’s permission to defend ourselves,” said Chris Patron with Firearm Professionals of Louisiana.

Members of the Senate Judiciary C Committee vote 3-2 to report the bill favorably to the full Senate.

Twenty states currently allow what’s known as “constitutional carry” by supporters, which means gun owners can carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

Gun owners in Louisiana can legally carry guns without permits if they are visible.

“The mood for constitutional carry is gaining momentum,” Morris said. “This step is not that great a step forward.”

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Biden’s Anti-gun Lies are Too Much Even for Legacy Press Fact Checkers

U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- With President Joe Biden securely in office and the 2024 presidential election 43 months away, the mainstream press has determined it an acceptable time to expose the frequent fibber’s most flagrant falsehoods. This week saw a plethora of so-called “fact-checkers” take issue with the blatantly false statements Biden made while announcing his “initial actions” on gun control on April 8.

In touting H.R. 8, which would criminalize the private transfer of firearms, Biden stated,

These bills, one, require background checks for anyone purchasing a gun at a gun show or an online sale.

Most people don’t know: If you walk into a store and you buy a gun, you have a background check. But you go to a gun show, you can buy whatever you want, and no background check.

This decades-old gun show talking point is a lie.

There is no “gun show loophole” or “online sales loophole.” Federal law requires all firearm dealers to be licensed and to initiate a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check before transferring a firearm to a non-dealer, regardless of where the transfer takes place. Further, those “dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit” are required to be licensed as firearms dealers. Dealing in firearms without a license is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

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Virginia Senators reintroduce “Virginia plan” to reduce gun violence at federal level

Democrats in Virginia are asking Congress to follow the state’s lead in harsher gun laws, but some Southwest Virginia lawmakers are not in favor.

Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are introducing nationally, “The Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act”, which would include expanding background checks and limit purchases of handguns to one per month.

“I’ve always supported the core of this background check idea, since I was Governor of Virginia when the Virginia Tech shooting happened,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine during his visit to Southwest Virginia last week. “That very troubled man was legally barred from getting a weapon, but he got a weapon because of gaps in the background check system, and 32 people died as a result.”

State Sen. Travis Hackworth, (R-38th District) said he does not believe it will work.

“Criminals… they don’t respect the law,” he said.

Hackworth said weapons are not the problem, the people who commit the crimes are.

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Texas House Approves Constitutional Carry, Bill to Be Sent to Senate
A bill to enact “constitutional carry” in Texas, which would allow individuals 21 years or older to carry a handgun in public without a permit, was approved by the state House.

On Thursday, the lower chamber voted in favor of House Bill (HB) 1927 from Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) to allow individuals who are 21 years or older and are legally permitted to possess a firearm to carry a handgun in public without a permit.

The House approved HB 1927 in a 84 to 56 vote.

When even the most hairbrained idiot of a House Speaker figures her own party members are so full of it that she needs to stomp on their bill………….

This Just In:

Nancy Pelosi and senior Dems kill their own party’s bid to pack the Supreme Court with four more liberal judges by saying they WON’T support House bill

‘Do you support [Rep.] Jerry Nadler’s bill to expand the Supreme Court by 4 seats and would you commit to bringing that bill to the floor,’ a reporter asked the House Speaker at a press conference on Thursday.

‘No,’ she said.

Arkansas: House Committee to Consider Self-Defense Clarification Measure

[Today], the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider self-defense expansion legislation, Senate Bill 573. Please contact committee members and ask them to SUPPORT SB 573.

Senate Bill 573 clarifies existing law to prevent cities and municipalities from being able to create gun free zones in locations where they shouldn’t be allowed to. This legislation removes infringements placed on enhanced carry permit holders by deleting a loophole in State Law that technically allows cities to do so. However, this was not the intent of the law. SB 573 would fix that and expand the rights of permit holders to carry in these areas.