Category: Goobermint

California-Style Gun Control: Does Not Work as Advertised

California has a well-earned reputation as one of the most anti-gun jurisdictions in the United States, with its state and local codes crammed with virtually every cockamamie scheme to suppress firearm ownership conceived within the last 50 years. The state’s current governor, Gavin Newsom, is not only determined to cement this reputation statewide, he’s trying to bring California-style gun control to the country at large by promoting an ill-conceived amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would impose draconian gun control coast to coast. But actual data shows California holds another dubious distinction that puts a lie to the efficacy of its highly-touted “gun safety laws”:

…it is the state with the highest number of mass murders committed with firearms.

Yet highly-publicized mass shootings play an outsized role in influencing gun control policy in the U.S. because they create the (grossly distorted and exaggerated) impression that ordinary, law-abiding people are at a high risk of being killed with a firearm at the places where they learn, work, and play. They also receive breathless media coverage that seeks to exploit the public’s grief, fear, and outrage over these events to give impetus to hastily-pushed gun control, before details inevitably emerge that show these measures would have been useless in stopping the crime. Where this manipulation prevails, however, it results in overreaching policies that intrude on Second Amendment rights with virtually no effect on either “mass shootings” or the more anonymous forms of firearm-related deaths.

California is a case in point, as revealed by data compiled on the website Statista.com.

The Statista survey looked at data between 1982 and October 2023 concerning episodes of a single attack with a firearm in a public place that resulted in four or more fatalities between 1982 and 2012 or in three fatalities from 2013 onward (definitions that track a database compiled by MotherJones.com).

Those figures show that California had by far the most such incidents during the survey period, at 26.

This is as much as the combined amount of the next two states with the highest totals, Florida and Texas. It is also more than the combined total of the 20 states with the lowest frequency of such events (excluding states with no such incidents at all).

It is true that California is the most populous (38.9 million) of the U.S. states, so it is not necessarily the deadliest state for mass shootings per capita. But the strongly pro-gun states of Florida (22.6 million) and Texas (30+ million) have a combined population that exceeds that of California by some 13.7 million people. Thus, whatever California thinks it is doing with regard to countering mass public murder committed with firearms, it is working no better at a population level than what is occurring in two of the most gun-friendly states of the Union.

None of this is to diminish the fact that any firearm-related murder is a terrible event, no matter where or how it is committed.

But along with gun control, Gavin Newsom also likes to promote what he insists is a “science-based” approach to “public health.” In that vein, any honest assessment of California’s notoriously strict gun control regime has to acknowledge that the numbers don’t add up to success when it comes to preventing “mass shootings.”

If past history is any indicator, a reprogramming of car computer software for this will just be added on the list of services hackers have.

Massie: Vehicle Kill Switch Amendment Foreshadows Greater Danger to Guns

“The federal government has mandated that all vehicles sold after 2026 must have a kill switch that can disable your vehicle based on your driving performance,” Rep. Thomas Massie “tweeted” Wednesday. “My amendment to defund that unconstitutional mandate failed tonight.”

“Here is the roll call,” Massie added, linking to the House Clerk’s “Final Vote Results” for his Part B Amendment No. 60 to H R 4820, the “Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024.” 19 Republicans joined 210 Democrats to defeat Massie’s amendment:

Gus Bilirakis (FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Mike Carey (OH), Chuck Fleischmann (TN), Andrew Garbarino (NY), Mike Garcia (CA), Garret Graves (LA), John Joyce (PA), Thomas Kean, Jr. (NJ), Kevin Kiley (CA), Young Kim (CA), David Kustoff (TN), Mike Lawler (NY), Nancy Mace (SC), Michael McCaul (TX), Zach Nunn (IA), María Elvira Salazar (FL), Chris Smith (NJ), and Glenn Thompson (PA).

Still, this must be a tempest in a teapot, right? After all, didn’t a January USA Today Fact Check conclude, “No, there’s no vehicle ‘kill switch’ in Biden’s 2021 infrastructure bill”? And it then followed up that headline with denial after denial until buried near the end of the piece came a curious admission:

“Whether or not the technology will become a part of the infrastructure bill’s final rule remains to be seen…”

Massie followed up his tweet by addressing the USA Today denials with a copy of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with an entry in the “Definitions” section circled:

The term “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology means a system that … can … passively monitor the performance of the driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired; and… prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected…”

Besides, the technology to remotely disable cars has been in development for years. From a 2010 report:

“If you’re crawling through traffic in 2025 and approach a traffic light, IBM hopes it will be able to take control of your car. And according to the patent, you won’t be able to go again until it lets you. …With a laptop and customized software called CarShark, the researchers disabled the brakes of a regular family car and switched its engine off – while it was moving.”

And to show the incremental moves in development:

“In 2008, it became mandatory for all American cars to be fitted with CAN (Controller Area Network), a standard protocol for enabling all the car’s electronics to talk to each other, so there’s one part of the puzzle in place.”

OK, fine, but what does any of this have to do with guns?

But perhaps the most immediate and insidious threat we face from technology comes under the guise of “safety— for the children,” so-called “smart guns” under development and soon to be required in a state near you. Because…they’re also lobbying for another technology they developed to be required on cars— a “shutoff switch” that police can activate by remote control, making the rest of us pay for the infinitesimal fraction of drivers who lead them on car chases.

As writer Vin Suprynowicz warns (and I and some others independently predicted), this technology could be used by the police as “an `electronic master key’ to `disable’ any `smart guns’ in the house,” and be used as a pretext to “ban the manufacture of any gun that ISN’T a `smart gun’.”

So police can turn guns fitted with one “off” and incapable of firing—and that could be mandated. Anybody doubt it will be if remote shutoff technology becomes widespread?

But the legal landscape has changed, some may argue. Such a move would surely fail under the Heller and Bruen tests. No?

First, look at the “rules” that ATF and edicts Democrat strongholds have passed that are obviously nothing more than in-your-face challenges to the Supreme Court on devices, semi-autos, magazines, “sensitive areas,” prior restraints and denials of due process—look at how they have virtually unlimited war chests of tax plunder to drag complaints on for years. Then pray the Republicans don’t blow it in ’24 and enable a Democrat president and majority to alter the composition of the court and achieve whatever reversals and outcomes they desire.

Back to the list of Republicans who voted against Massie’s amendment, and there are enough that they could have turned it: We see some familiar names, like Brian Fitzpatrick, Giffords’ poster Vichycon who never saw a gun he didn’t want to grab. We see others, like Gus Bilirakis, assigned an A-rating by NRA-PVF along with the assurance that he’s “a staunch defender of the Second Amendment and has earned your vote by protecting your fundamental right to self-defense from those who attempt to eradicate it!” Then there are the “moderates” from states like New York and California whose endless “compromises in the spirit of bipartisanship” exemplify the reason why so many refer to the GOP as “the Stupid Party.”

If you see your representative siding with the Democrats (or is one of the five Republicans who did not vote), what would it hurt to take the amount of time it takes to post a comment here and contact them to ask, “What the hell?”

Hence the alteration of Massachusetts into a less flattering version

18-Year-Old Massachusetts Man Arrested on Gun Charges After Shooting Knife-Wielding Attacker

A teen from Brockton, Massachusetts is facing numerous charges and is being held behind bars without bail after shooting a man who was armed with a knife at the teen’s place of business.

Khamani K. Anderson has been charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, unlawful possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, but so far hasn’t been charged with any violent offense in connection with the shooting. Meanwhile, the man Anderson is accused of shooting is facing a number of charges of his own, the most serious of which is a count of assault with a deadly weapon.

According to police reports filed in court, [26-year-old Brandon] Theodat, a regular customer who some people had suspected of shoplifting in the past, entered the business on Campanelli Industrial Drive around 11:35 a.m. Sunday.

One store employee told police she overheard an argument between Anderson and Theodat, and that Theodat at one point said words to the effect of, “cam called me a broke [expletive],” court papers said.

An assistant manager told police he overheard the argument at Anderson’s register and told Anderson to walk away as it started to escalate, and as he was informed that Theodat had a knife.

The assistant manager told police Anderson headed to the break room but Theodat followed and refused the manager’s request that he leave the store, records show.

Anderson emerged from the break room with a fanny pack slung around his shoulder, the assistant manager told police, and the manager said he observed Theodat holding a knife as the argument continued by an electronics aisle, according to legal filings.

The assistant manager “stated both ended up to the east of the front door when the customer was approaching Khamani and he heard a gunshot,” the filings said, adding that the assistant manager “showed us where he observed Khamani Anderson when the shot went off, and pointed us towards a bra rack, which is where the shell casing was located.”

Legal filings said the assistant manager didn’t see a gun but did see Theodat “grab his right leg and start limping out of the store.” Anderson left the area.

Police found Theodat still in possession of the knife when they arrived on scene, while Anderson turned himself over to authorities “without incident” on Monday.

In most states, Anderson wouldn’t be facing charges at all (at least for possessing a firearm or ammunition without a license), but thanks to Massachusetts’ incredibly restrictive gun control laws the 18-year-old is looking at a mandatory minimum sentence of 18 months behind bars if he’s convicted of the non-violent, possessory offense. Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, meanwhile, could lead to a fine and several months of jail time, though there is an exception for “the lawful defense of life and property,” which may very well be the case here.

It’s impossible for Anderson to have legally possessed any gun, for self-defense or any other lawful purpose, since Massachusetts requires applicants for a license to carry (which also serves as a license to possess) to be at least 21-years-old. There are several cases percolating around the federal court system challenging gun bans for under-21s, including Reese v. ATF in the Fifth Circuit, which heard oral arguments on the issue on Monday.

I’ll be curious to see if Anderson or his attorney raise a Second Amendment claim at any point in his criminal proceedings (presuming he fights the charges). If the only barrier to Anderson lawfully exercising his right to keep and bear arms is the fact that the state says he’s too young to do so, he has a very good argument that Massachusetts is infringing on his fundamental right to armed self-defense.

Nashville Mayor Furious Over Leak of Transgender Shooter’s Manifesto, Demands Investigation

After months of false promises regarding the release of transgender shooter Audrey Hale’s infamous manifesto, parts of the document finally leaked on Monday.

Hale committed mass murder in March, killing six people, including three children, at a Nashville Christian school. Further carnage was stopped by police officers who quickly arrived on the scene and stormed the building in order to eliminate the threat.

Steven Crowder obtained pictures of Hale’s manifesto, and they revealed disturbing new details about her motives. In one instance, she described those she was about to go kill as “little crackers.” In another, she ranted about the supposed “white privilege” (she misspelled the latter word) of the children who attended the Christian school.

In response, Nashville’s Democrat mayor appears to be furious. He immediately demanded an investigation into who leaked the manifesto, claiming that the release threatens the security of “Nashvillians who are grieving.”

Following the leak of the transgender Nashville shooter’s alleged manifesto on Monday morning, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that the city has launched an investigation into how the images of the writings were released.

“I have directed Wally Dietz, Metro’s Law Director, to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released. That investigation may involve local, state, and federal authorities. I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and well-being of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving,” O’Connell said in a statement, according to WSMV.

If there was any question about whether the photos released by Crowder were real, this answers them. You don’t start an investigation into the leak of something that doesn’t exist.

Still, it’s odd to see Mayor Freddie O’Connell so upset with the fact that this went public. How does knowing the killer’s state of mind and possible motive put anyone in Nashville at risk? Aubrey Hale is no longer among the living, having been dispatched the day of the shooting.

While the topic is obviously very sensitive, it is fair to ask why those in charge have taken such desperate measures to keep this information out of the public eye. Given that manifestos are very often released in other cases, specifically when the shooters fit a certain profile, why only in this case are things expected to be different? One would be forgiven for suspecting that politics is playing a role in this case.

I can’t think of any legitimate reason why the shooter’s anti-white racism should have been kept a secret for nearly the past year. Even if the authorities wanted to not release the actual wording out of concern for the families involved, the public should have been made aware of the situation with a basic description. Instead, false promises were made in what appears to be an attempt to completely memory-hole the entire ordeal.

Meanwhile, the mainstream press doesn’t seem interested in reporting on the matter at all. We know from past instances that they’ve jumped all over other shooter manifestos, but they aren’t interested in this one for some reason. Again, one would be forgiven for suspecting that politics is at the root of that decision.

Wonder what took him so long to realize this

Home Depot Founder Calls Biden A “Dunce,” Says President Is A “Puppet”

Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, who has railed against “socialism,” corporate “wokeness,” and the Biden administration, recently spoke with FOX Business Charles Gasparino about why he is in a “particularly pissed-off mood” these days.

“I’ve said this to all of my friends, anybody who would listen: if this election goes the way the last one went, this country will be a Third World country,” the 94-year-old billionaire told Gasparino.

Marcus blames the social and economic mess consuming the country on President Biden, calling the president a “dunce” and saying he’s the “most divisive president we’ve ever seen.” Labeling half the country as a ‘MAGA Republican’ was never a way to promote ‘unity,’ he continued.

The billionaire then talks about Biden’s deteriorating mental state, saying, “Somebody is feeding him like a puppet.” He warned against the massive spending increase and numerous policy errors that triggered high inflation and an explosion in debt.

Marcus acknowledges some positives during the Trump administration, such as increased wages, higher employment among minorities, and low inflation. However, he expresses concerns about Trump’s personality, particularly his inability to “keep his mouth shut . . . I’m afraid if he’s elected, the first thing he does is go after his enemies, starting with the Republicans.”

Marcus said, “I think [Trump] has the policies if he would just follow the script and do what he has to do.”

Gasparino asks the billionaire if he could build another Home Depot in today’s environment. The short answer is ‘no’: “Regulations and all this woke crap” have made starting a public company near impossible, he said.

He added: “I ran a business for 60 years… I would never get involved with a social issue outside of business. That was not my business.”

Marcus said there was some hope for the future of the company as Americans were quickly turning on radical leftists. The example he gave was the Bud Light boycott:

“They were No. 1 . . . and they turned stupid overnight,” he said. “The American people remember; their sales are going to stay down.”

He concludes by saying the American people are worth saving from what he believes is a progressive apocalypse…

In a separate interview earlier this year, Marcus told Americans to “wake up” to the reality that the economy is in “tough times” following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Months before that, in December 2022, he railed against “socialism” for why nobody wants to work and warned capitalism is in dire straits.

Marcus’ warning is similar to co-founder and retired CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, who recently warned that “socialists are taking over” and ‘capitalism cannot be replaced with disastrous socialism.’

The positive takeaway is that the Bud Light boycott serves as a barometer of American sentiment, indicating widespread discontent with progressive policies across the corporate world to local, state, and federal governments.

Is Joe Biden Planning To Bring Back The Draft?

Let’s hope that Joe Biden has some sense and that all of this talk about bringing back the draft turns out to be nothing at all.  Because bringing back the draft would tear our nation apart.  Most young Americans definitely do not want to go to war, and I believe that resistance to a draft would far exceed anything that we witnessed during the 1960s and 1970s.  But our politicians have been talking about implementing a draft anyway, because we could soon find ourselves fighting multiple wars simultaneously.

A few days ago, I was stunned when I learned that hundreds of noncommissioned officers have suddenly been “ordered via email to report to the recruiting school at Fort Knox, Kentucky”…

Without warning, hundreds of noncommissioned officers were ordered via email to report to the recruiting school at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in less than a week, with hundreds more set to start at the school in December — a sudden unexpected move by the Army as the service scrambles to boost its recruiting force by 800 by the end of the year.

Could this have anything to do with the fact that a major war has erupted in the Middle East?

Those being ordered to report to Fort Knox were given such short notice that they had “zero time to plan child care”…

“Given the six-day heads up, we have zero time to plan child care,” one noncommissioned officer told Military.com on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. “We can barely find and afford child care during the week as it is, so now my wife may end up having to quit her job entirely because it is impossible to find on the weekend.”

We are being told that this is simply an effort to maintain an appropriate number of recruiters.

But why is there such urgency? Something is not adding up.

Meanwhile, in recent months the idea of bringing back the draft has been floated again and again in the mainstream media.

The most recent trial balloon was authored by Myra Adams…

Is the U.S. on the cusp of a three-front world war against Russia, Iran, and China? If such a seismic event were to occur, would our nation’s 50-year-old all-volunteer force require a boost from — dare I even say it? — a reinstatement of the draft?

These articles are being put out there to see how the public will react.

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WE HAVE OBTAINED EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE NASHVILLE COVENANT SHOOTER’S MANIFESTO

BREAKING: Nashville Trans Manifesto Leaked “I Hope I Have A High Death Count”; Shooter Specifically Targeted Students With “White Privileges” And Was “Ready to Die”

  • Louder with Crowder has exclusively obtained three pages of Nashville shooter AudreyHale’s alleged manifesto.
  • Hale, a transgender 28-year-old man going by the name “Aiden” Hale, entered The Covenant School on March 27, 2023 in Green Hills, Tennessee – killing six, before being shot and killed by responding officers.
  • The manifesto detailed thoughts Hale had leading up to what was referred to as “DEATH DAY”, as well as a timeline in which the shooting would take place.
  • Audrey Hale: “Can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m ready…I hope my victims aren’t.”
  • Hale: “I hope I have a high death count.”
  • Hale: “Kill those kids!!!”
  • Hale: “going to fancy private schools with those fancy khakis + sports backpacks w/ their daddies mustangs + convertibles.”
  • Hale: “Wanna kill all you little crackers!!! Bunch of little faggots w/ your white privileges”• Hale: There were several times I could have been caught especially b—ack in the summer of 2021.
  • Hale: “It might be 10 minutes tops. It might be 3-7. Its gunna go quick.”

[NASHVILLE – Nov. 06, 2023] Louder with Crowder is publishing three pages of the long-awaited Nashville transgender mass shooter’s manifesto. These pages of the manifesto were exclusively obtained by MugClub Undercover.

The never-before-seen manifesto details how Audrey Hale planned to carry out the targeted massacre.

In the pages reviewed and corroborated by MugClub Undercover, Hale said she hoped to have a “high death count” and wanted to “kill” kids with “white privileges.”

Also included is a timeline of events, as Hale wanted them playing out:

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A Second American Civil War Has Begun

Partisan politics in Washington, D.C. are hindering the government’s ability to function effectively.

The investigations into former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are causing serious division and tearing the country apart.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that roughly half of Americans believe the investigations into Donald Trump are politically motivated.

Republican lawmakers argue that these investigations are necessary to root out corruption, while Democrats make similar claims about Trump.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, (R-N.C) said, “The sequence of events that led to the firing of Viktor Shokin, and the subsequent comments by then-Vice President Biden, raise serious concerns as to what machinations were really at play — and were purposefully concealed from the American people. No matter how you slice Hunter Biden’s involvement, it screams public corruption at the highest levels and must be fully investigated.”

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) added, “The calm, judicious, steady reveal of incredibly condemning evidence that clearly incriminates the Biden crime family will eventually alarm even the most ardent supporters of this WH occupier.”

‘Our president is compromised, he should resign and be forever condemned, and the Democrat Party should begin rebuilding itself.”

“Everything we are uncovering points to Hunter Biden using his name and his father’s position to get rich,” said Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.).

“It’s bribery — and it is both wrong and illegal. House Democrats, the legacy media, and even top brass at the FBI and DOJ failed to do their job and investigate all the literal and figurative smoke that clouds Hunter Biden. House Republicans will do our job and uncover the truth.”

Beginning on January 20, 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden wrote a personal letter to Archer to thank him for the business opportunity. The smoking-gun evidence has been analyzed and authenticated.

“What was he thanking you for?” political commentator Tucker Carlson asked.

“It was kind of the beginning of our partnership, and he was thanking me and thanking Hunter,” Archer said. “I think, at the end of the day for bringing this idea of this government regulatory strategic advisory business into the private equity world. And I think he was excited about the prospects for Hunter, and he was just thanking me. I think it was a nice gesture.”

Archer testified at the House Oversight Committee and confirmed that Hunter put his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times. “Archer described how Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell ‘the brand,’” Archer explained in his testimony.

Archer’s testimony is corroborated by Hunter Biden’s texts and emails. In 2019, a text message from Hunter to his daughter revealed that his father, Joe Biden, takes half of Hunter’s business salary stemming from their work together. This illegally and unethically exploited Biden’s power and position while working as vice president in the Obama administration.

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Why this is even a question is what’s amazing;
“Unrealized” gains – emphasis on the word unrealized –are not ‘income’ since they haven’t been paid or credited.
This is simply the goobermint exercising power over people. They don’t need our money, they print it at leisure. Taxing keeps the people from using for their own purposes.

The stakes are high as Supreme Court considers this obscure, unconstitutional tax

Word games are usually fun. They become less fun, however, when the government uses them to levy unjust and unconstitutional taxes from the citizenry.

The Supreme Court is set to determine whether Congress , for the purposes of taxation, may classify unrealized capital gains as “income.” Should the justices rule in Moore vs. United States rule against the plaintiffs, the federal government effectively would gain seismic new powers to tax almost any property from which it hopes to extract revenue. This would conflict directly with the Constitution ’s plain text and original meaning.

Charles and Kathline Moore, the case’s plaintiffs, have challenged an obscure provision in 2017’s landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This provision created a “mandatory repatriation tax” (MRT), which subjects Americans who own stock in foreign companies to a one-time tax on some of those companies’ earnings over the previous 30 years. Congress classified it as an “income” tax.

The Moores in 2006 purchased a 13% share of an Indian company, KisanKraft, that provides farming equipment to impoverished regions. Since then, they never have received any dividend or other form of compensation or profit from this investment. They have seen no “income.” Nonetheless, they found themselves subjected to the MRT.

“The Moores were … taxed as if KisanKraft … had … distributed to the Moores a dividend worth 13% of KisanKraft’s total earnings since 2006,” the Cato Institute explains in its amicus brief.

Beginning with dictionary definitions, the government’s arguments wilt. “Income has a plain and longstanding meaning: for something to be ‘in-come,’ it must, in some way, ‘come in,’” as the Chamber of Commerce writes. Moreover, early-1900s legal authorities believed “income” necessarily implied realization of gains. Put differently, “income” by nature requires the taxable money to become separated from the capital asset; an asset’s increased value cannot alone suffice. This interpretation corresponds with 19th-century caselaw, discussions surrounding the 16th Amendment’s ratification, contemporaneous state statutes, the Revenue Act of 1913 (which instituted the newly constitutional income tax), and subsequent Supreme Court precedent.

The Framers worried much about abusive federal taxation, and the Constitution originally disallowed Congress to institute any direct tax not apportioned based on state population. The 16th Amendment (ratified in 1913) exempted income taxes from this restriction. Far from a blanket mandate, this amendment’s drafters and ratifiers intended it as a defined carveout to authorize a specific sort of tax.

Only if the Supreme Court adopts the government’s bastardized definition of “income” can the non-apportioned MRT stand.

Further, the MRT required U.S. shareholders to pay tax on foreign companies’ earnings dating back to 1987. Demanded a percentage of 30-year-old earnings (which, to be clear, are better labeled simply as “private property”) resembles more a property tax, taking, or a confiscation than a traditional tax.

Indulging congressional whim by expanding this definition radically (as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit did when it ruled against the Moores) greatly increases the federal government’s de facto taxation powers. “Without the guardrails of a realization component, the federal government has unfettered latitude to redefine ‘income’ and redraw the boundaries of its power to tax without apportionment,” the outnumbered Ninth Circuit judge Patrick Bumatay argued in dissent.

Indeed, prominent politicians such as President Joe Biden already have advocated an unrealized capital gains tax; the president’s latest budget proposal featured one on wealth exceeding $100 million. A mistaken Supreme Court decision would feed this effort and far worse ones.

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined,” James Madison stated in Federalist No. 45.
However, if the Supreme Court in Moore rules that Congress — simply by adopting erroneous interpretations of legally settled terminology — can arrogate to itself vast authorities, an important constitutional guardrail against tyranny would effectively have no force.

If I was Benjamin Netanyahu, I have my spokesman to ‘diplomatically’ tell SloJoe what to do with a cactus.

Biden Shot His Mouth Off About the Israeli Invasion of Gaza…And It’s Not Good

Joe Biden once again mouthed off about the Israeli invasion of Gaza last night. He wants a humanitarian pause, also known as a ceasefire, which is music to Hamas’ ears. Granted, this isn’t new, but it showcased again the administration’s temperamental attitude toward this issue. We vetoed a UN resolution calling for something similar when Israeli air and artillery strikes were becoming more intense. The timing isn’t lost on anyone, either.

Guy wrote about the Israel problem Biden is facing from the Left. And Biden’s “pause” remarks occurred during an event in Minnesota, a state he needs to win next year, which is chock-full of pro-terrorist or terrorist-sympathizing voters (via Fox News):

“President Biden said there should be a “pause” in the Israel-Hamas War to provide humanitarian aid to Gazans and get those trapped in the Gaza Strip released. 

The comment came during a campaign event in Minnesota on Wednesday evening, when a member of the audience shouted: “As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now.” 

The president — who has not supported a ceasefire since the war began on October 7 — said that he would support a “pause.” 

“I think we need a pause,” Biden began. “A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.” 

In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians a brief reprieve from Israel’s retaliatory military operation. He also said he convinced both Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to allow aid into Gaza. 

Biden later said that he understood the “emotion” over the war and said it is “incredibly complicated for Israelis.” 

“It’s incredibly complicated for the Muslim world as well… I supported a two state solution, I have from the very beginning,” he continued. “The fact is the matter is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. A flat-out terrorist organization.” 

We Will Not Comply: Only .1% of Illinois Gun Owners Have Registered Their Newly Banned Guns So Far

According to Illinois State Police data, 2,415,481 gun owners call the Land o’ Lincoln home. Earlier this year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the so-called Protect Illinois Communities Act into law which banned the most many of the most popular guns used for self-defense. Under the law, existing owners of these now verboten firearms must register their guns by January 1, 2024 or face felony charges.

Four weeks into the gun registration window, exactly 2430 of those FOID holders have registered their guns, accessories, or .50 caliber firearms. That works out to .1006%, or about one in a thousand.

What’s even more remarkable is the number of FOID holders choosing to comply has fallen with each passing week.

In other words, Illinois gun owners have declined to participate in the state’s gun ban.

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So, it’s confirmed. He was another nutjob, this time one on a vendetta, that the authorities knew about, but “the system” let slip through the cracks, by incompetence, inability or negligence.

Maine shooter thought local businesses attacked in shooting were spreading ‘pedophile’ rumors about him

Maine law enforcement officers investigating last week’s mass shooting in Lewiston have shared evidence that suggests the U.S. Army reservist Robert Card, who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar, may have intentionally targeted individuals at those locations.

On Tuesday, Maine State Police and the Maine Department of Public Safety released a trove of documents on Card, including search warrants, affidavits, criminal records and more that shed light on a possible motive after Card, 40, carried out a deadly rampage at the Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just In Time bowling alley that also wounded 13 other victims on Oct. 25.

According to multiple witnesses, including Card’s brother and son, Card knew people at both locations and may have believed they were calling him a “pedophile.” Card experienced a similar incident over the summer when he accused fellow members of his Army Reserves unit of calling him a pedophile. The incident prompted Army officials to have him undergo a mental health evaluation.

One affidavit reveals Card’s brother told police that the eventual mass shooting suspect thought there was a “conspiracy” involving people “accusing him of being a pedophile.”

State police interviewed a witness just hours after the shooting began, who said Card believed local businesses, including Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, were “broadcasting online that Robert was a pedophile.” Card, according to his brother, also believed that some businesses were spreading rumors of him being a pedophile online.

Another witness interviewed by police said Card specifically mentioned Joey Walker, the manager of Schemengees Bar and Grille, as one of the people who he thought had disparaged him, according to an affidavit filed in a request to access Card’s cell phone records. Walker was among those killed.

The same witness, whose name was redacted, told police he previously traveled with Card to both the bowling alley and bar, and that Card knew people at both locations.

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Well, if the goobermint would have secured the border…….

‘A Time for Vigilance’: FBI Dir. Christopher Wray Warns of Heightened Threats to the Homeland

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Tuesday morning. The hearing was titled “Threats to the Homeland.”

In conjunction with his appearance, Wray submitted a 15-page statement covering the following topics:

  • Key Threats and Challenges
  • National Security
    • Terrorism Threats
    • Cyber
    • Foreign Intelligence Threats
    • National Counterintelligence Task Force
    • Transnational Repression and Other Counterintelligence Threats
  • Criminal Threats
    • Violent Crime
    • Transnational Organized Crime
    • Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking
  • Reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

But it was Wray’s testimony regarding the heightened risk of attacks here in the U.S. that really caught the attention. This exchange between Wray and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) highlights the danger of the times.

WRAY: What has now increased is the greater possibility of one of these foreign terrorist organizations directing an attack in the United States. We haven’t seen evidence that it’s actually happening yet, but what we have seen is — and I listed them off in my opening remarks — one terrorist organization after another calling for attacks.

SCOTT: We should wake up.

WRAY: It is a time to be concerned. We are in a dangerous period.

SCOTT: So, is the FBI able to track all threats and prevent these individuals from conducting an attack on U.S. soil?

WRAY: I couldn’t say that we’re able to detect all individuals. The people that we know about — as Secretary Rumsfeld used to say, ‘the known-known’ — we’re quite good at, together with our partners. But it is the unknown-unknown that I worry about quite a bit.

SCOTT: So, Director Wray, can you say that we do not have either individual foreign terrorists or terror cells affiliated with foreign groups currently operating in the United States?

WRAY: Well, we’re not — we’re not tracking that, but again, I come back to what it is: The gaps in our intelligence are real, and it’s something that we have concerns about.

SCOTT: So, Director Wray, so…what would you say right now to the American public — because, like, in my state, I’ve got a significant Jewish population. They’re scared to go to synagogue, Chabad. They’re scared to send their kids to day schools. So — but it’s not just them. It’s other individuals, like my daughters called me and said: Should they be sending their kids to school? What would you tell Americans right now about the threat today as compared to before?

WRAY: This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance. We shouldn’t stop conducting our daily lives, going to schools, houses of worship, and so forth. But we should be vigilant. You often hear the expression “If you see something, say something.”  That’s never been more true than now. And that’s probably partly why the American people are reporting more tips and leads to us and we’re pursuing those threats and leads as vigorously and responsibly as we can.

Wray acknowledged the very real threat of terrorist groups like Hamas conducting attacks on U.S. soil.

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California Democrats Disarm Synagogues

Here’s a story I missed from September that takes on an even more sinister cast in retrospect.

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of a new Second Amendment lawsuit challenging multiple parts of California SB2, which unilaterally declares numerous locations as “sensitive places” where California will now ban the carry of firearms by licensed, law-abiding Californians. The complaint in Carralero v. Bonta can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“SB2 restricts where persons with licenses to carry a concealed weapon may legally exercise their constitutional right to wear, carry, or transport firearms. And it does so in ways that are fundamentally inconsistent with the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen,” argues the complaint. “The Second Amendment does not tolerate these restrictions. This Court should enter judgment enjoining their enforcement and declaring them unconstitutional.”

“With Gov. Newsom’s signing of SB2 today, California continues to exhibit its disdain for the rights of Californians, the U.S. Constitution, and the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision,” said Cody J. Wisniewski, FPC Action Foundation’s General Counsel and Vice President of Legal, and FPC’s counsel. “Unfortunately for California, and contrary to Governor Newsom’s misguided statements, the state does not have the power to unilaterally overrule individual rights and constitutional protections. Fortunately, courts across the nation have already struck down laws just like SB2, and we expect the same result here.”

FPC is joined in this lawsuit by three individuals, Orange County Gun Owners, San Diego County Gun Owners, and California Gun Rights Foundation.

If Democrats actually revered the Supreme Court as much as they claim to, Bruen would have ended their attempts to pass Second Amendment infringing legislation. But the goal of disarming the civilian population is only slightly less sacred a Democratic Party cause than taxpayer-funded abortions. So they soldier on trying to thwart the Constitution.

Here is the relevant text of SB2.

This bill would remove those exemptions, except as specified. The bill would make it a crime to bring an unloaded firearm into, or upon the grounds of, any residence of the Governor, any other constitutional officer, or Member of the Legislature. The bill would also prohibit a licensee from carrying a firearm to specified locations, including, among other places, a building designated for a court proceeding and a place of worship, as defined, with specific exceptions. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Well, it’s not like any particular houses of worship are under particular threats from particular terrorist organizations, now is it?

Just four years ago on the last day of Passover, a man armed with a rifle burst into a synagogue in Poway, near San Diego, fatally shot one woman and injured three other congregants, including the synagogue’s rabbi.

A year before, an even more horrific attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue left 11 dead.

In the aftermath of the attack on Israel, many American Jews are arming themselves. But in California, not only will Jews and worshippers in other faiths be banned from protecting themselves in their houses of worship, but would-be killers will know that potential victims in “sensitive” areas will be unarmed.

Everywhere in the west, the radical left is protesting to support Hamas, despite (or perhaps because) of the latter’s calls to completely destroy the Jews. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom and California Democrats are disarming law-abiding Jewish American citizens in their synagogues.

What are the odds?

Maine shooting: Lewiston police were warned about Robert Card weeks before massacre
Police were alerted to ‘veiled threats’ by Card, a US Army reservist

Mass murderer Robert Card, who killed at least 18 people in a gruesome massacre in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, was reportedly on state authorities’ radars as early as mid-September.

Card gunned down at least 18 people and wounded 13, after opening fire on a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, causing the worst mass shooting in the Pine Tree State’s history. He was found dead Friday night after a two-day search, with officials concluding that he shot himself in the head.

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that they were alerted to “veiled threats” by Card, a U.S. Army reservist, after he threatened soldiers at a southern Maine National Guard Base in Saco.

When authorities visited Card’s home and couldn’t find him, they dropped their investigation.

“We added extra patrols, we did that for about two weeks,” Saco Police Chief Jack Clements explained. “The guy never showed up.”

“Never came in contact with this guy, never received any phone calls from the reserve center saying, ‘Hey, we got somebody who was causing a problem,’” he added. “We never got anything.”

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry alerted every law enforcement agency in Maine after the Army Reserve informed his department, but also could not find Card after a welfare check to his residence.

“We couldn’t locate him,” Merry said.

The FBI told AP that they were not aware of suspicious activity from Card, explaining they “did not have nor did [we] receive any tips or information concerning Robert Card.”

“[The background check system] was not provided with or in possession of any information that would have prohibited Card from a lawful firearm purchase,” the agency added.

NY’s Door-to-Door Crusade Against Homemade Guns Backfires, Unintentional Masterclass in Ghost-Gunsmithing

New York State declared war on citizens making their own firearms. To crack down on privately manufactured firearms (PMF), the New York State Police (NYSP) are showing up in force at people’s doors. The reason for the informal visit seems to be an inquiry related to purchased pistol parts from the website eBay. Ammoland News has learned from Law Enforcement Sources that the New York Police Department released a “ghost gun” handbook explaining PMFs and how to identify them.

Two weeks ago, NYSP “Ghost Gun” Team members began visiting citizens in the New York City area requesting information about parts purchased from eBay. The parts were purchased from multiple sellers across the auction platform.

Most disturbing, the officers had printouts of everything purchased by the individuals from the website, leading to the question of how the State Police came into possesion the item list.

AmmoLand News spoke to several of the residents that the State Police visited. None of the individuals allowed the police to inspect their firearms. The officers would state, “We know what you have.” When the residents still refused to hand over any information, the State Police let them know they could turn in anything violating New York law to the State Police. None of the residents we spoke to were threatened with legal action, and the interactions were between five and fifteen minutes.

Could eBay be handing over private transaction information to the police?

Since the task force had a complete list of the items purchased on eBay, eBay is the most likely source for the information. AmmoLand News reached out to both the New York State Police and eBay, but neither would confirm or deny what information was shared.  All interactions AmmoLand News was able to track down are from the greater New York City area. We also have not identified any visits within the city’s five boroughs.

At the same time the New York State Police are going door to door, the New York Police Department (NYPD) released a handbook to identify “ghost guns.”

This guide was leaked to AmmoLand News but is now being widely circulated across the internet.

Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence Team
Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence Team

The guide lists a gun’s parts and gives an example of a lower receiver. According to the guide, “all lower receivers need to be serialized” because the federal government considers them firearms. Next to this statement is a picture of an 80% AR-15 receiver. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Final Rule on frame and receiver is very clear on this topic.

The ATF has never and still does not consider 80% AR-15 receivers to be firearms.

The document also incorrectly states that all lower receivers must be serialized under federal law. Once again, the document is incorrect. The ATF says a frame or receiver must only be serialized when transferred. According to federal law, it is legal to have an unserialized firearm unless it previously had a serial number. Many are concerned that these inconsistencies between the law and the guide could lead to false arrests. AmmoLand News contacted the individual contacts listed in the document to see if the misinformation would be corrected, but none responded.

In addition to those retailers, the guide also covers the Ghost Gunner. The Ghost Gunner is a tabletop CNC machine that allows users to mill a firearm. It also lists the sites that sell the device and shows a picture of the founder of Ghost Gunner and Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson. The document references Defcad, which is another Defense Distributed project.

AmmoLand News spoke to Cody Wilson, who found the New York Police Department handbook to identify “ghost guns” document hilarious. He believes it is an excellent advertisement for his company.

“New York has produced the best getting started guide on the market,” Wilson said. “We will be emailing it to all of our customers.”

The document also explains how to 3D print a gun. It breaks down the printers needed, including the Creality Ender 3, and lists the filament types. It also gives an overview of the most popular slicing software. A current bill in the New York Legislature would require background checks to purchase a 3D printer.

The document also lists the most popular sites for downloading “gun CAD” files. Even if someone were to download the files, they would be unable to turn that 3D-printed model into a working firearm without certain parts. Fortunately for the building community, the NYPD documentation lists the parts and links to sites selling everything a person could use to finish the homemade firearm.

Oh No! Crypto!

The documentation touches on Glock switches purchased off of Chinese sites. These are auto sears and turn a regular Glock into a machine gun. In addition to auto sears, the document also worries about importing solvent traps to make suppressors.

The handbook also states they will attempt to get postal data to track shipments. The NYPD will also try to get Micro Center and Amazon data to track 3D printers and supply purchases. The police attend gun shows in other states to follow the selling of firearms parts.

The document also states that many who print guns are involved in cryptocurrency. The NYPD points to several gun-part retailers that accept BitCoin as a payment option. Many non-gun sites accept cryptocurrency as payment.

It also lists items to look for when executing a search warrant. These include packages, pre-paid credit cards, invoices, gun parts, storage locker keys, 3D printers, flash drives, cell phones, and micro SD cards.

The NYPD will offer a one-hour class to officers to help them identify PMFs. The content of the class has yet to be released, but when made available by the department, AmmoLand News will publish it.

Neither the NYPD, NYSP, nor eBay responded to requests for comment for this story.

LEAKED: Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence