Category: RKBA

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.

 

‘I never expected I would touch my gun’: Dad pulls CCW gun to protect family in Westroads shooting

OMAHA, Neb. — A metro area dad said the choice was easy to grab his concealed carry weapon and protect his family as gunfire erupted at Westroads Mall Saturday.

“My daughter is getting baptized next weekend so I wanted to get a nice special outfit for her baptism,” Scott Tafoya said. As Tafoya was trying on a suit in Von Maur Saturday, his wife and two daughters went upstairs to shop.

He noticed commotion and saw people running. One man made eye contact with him. “I looked in his eyes and he yelled, ‘Shooter,’” Tafoya said. He took off upstairs to find his family. As he did, he grabbed his gun. His wife told him she heard gunfire.

“Every indication said our lives were in danger and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure we got out of there OK,” Tafoya said.

He’s a legal conceal carry permit holder, even though Westroads Mall is a weapon-free zone.

“I knew that if I ever pulled that out it would truly be a life and death situation and I would deal with the consequences later,” he said.

As Von Maur employees shuttled shoppers into a bathroom, he stood guard.

“I said I have a permit, I’m legal,” he said. He said he stood near the escalators to draw any threat away from where his family was.

“Everyone else on the third floor just got added into that because the best way to keep my family safe was to make sure nobody with ill intentions came up that escalator.” In that moment, he said he didn’t feel fear, but something else. “I was sad. Because I wasn’t expecting to, if it was real I didn’t think I was going to come home,” he said.

Tafoya said he took the bullets out of his gun and walked toward police with his hands up as soon as they arrived.

“I unloaded my weapon, I put it back in the holster where it was very visible that the slide was locked open. I put my permit in my hands and my hands above my head,” he said. He said police allowed him to leave without facing any charges.

“I don’t condone anyone breaking the law. I made the decision that was right for my family, and I stand behind it. I may still get in trouble for it, if I do, it was worth it,” he said.

Tafoya said gun-free zones put people at risk. “I do not want to be carrying a weapon ever. It’s not comfortable, I don’t like it, I wish there was not a need for it,” he said.

Tafoya said he’s been a permit holder for around four years.

“I never, never ever expected to ever touch my gun. But, I’m exceptionally thankful that I had it,” he said.

He adds this won’t discourage him from going to the mall. Westroads Mall said it will have a weapon sniffing dog on premises for the time being.

Asian Americans Create Gun Group as Ownership, Hate Crimes Rise.

A new gun group hoping to educate Asian Americans about gun rights and gun safety in response to rising hate crimes launched on Monday.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Gun Owners (AAPIGO) aims to provide training and representation to a demographic often overlooked in the conversation on guns. They have scheduled their first meet-and-greet range day for May 2 in Livermore, Calif. And they have already signed up 25 people for an informational course on how to apply for a California gun-carry permit followed by a group application drive designed to bring awareness to the rising threat of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Racist attacks on Asians surged in 2020, with one report putting the figure at nearly 3,800 incidents and the Los Angeles Police Department reporting the rate of hate crimes against Asians more than doubling. Simultaneously, alongside other Americans, Asians began buying more guns. A gun dealer survey conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation found the number of Asian customers jumping 46 percent in the first half of 2020.

Now, AAPIGO wants to train those new Asian gun owners and equip them to protect themselves against racist attacks.

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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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The Name Says It All: Gun Control Isn’t About Reducing Firearm Violence; It’s About Control

The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is a hot topic these days. President Biden recently announced plans to place additional limits on current Second Amendment rights with the argument that those restrictions can “address the gun violence public health epidemic.” Second Amendment defenders (here’s an example) argue that further restrictions on firearm ownership restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens but would be ineffective in reducing gun violence.

The debate on the effectiveness of gun control measures to reduce firearm violence distracts attention from the real motive behind gun control. Nobody wants more gun violence, so focusing on gun violence shifts the debate in favor of gun control. What the proponents of gun control really want is control, and the gun violence argument is merely a means to the end that they actually seek–a disarmed population. Arguments that look at the facts to see whether gun control achieves those ends are ineffective persuaders, because gun control advocates want regulation, regardless of its effectiveness.

It should be obvious that proposals such as those to tax ammunition sales will be ineffective controls on firearm violence. Can anyone really think that someone intent on illegally using a firearm would be deterred because ammunition is so expensive? For people who know little about firearms, limiting the number of rounds a magazine is capable of holding may sound promising, but magazines can be swapped out in seconds.

Focusing the debate on gun violence rather than on individual rights gives a debating advantage to gun control advocates, because nobody wants more gun violence. The argument shifts to whether regulations are effective rather than on preserving the rights of citizens. Arguing that proposed gun control measures would be ineffective cannot persuade gun control advocates, because that’s not their big concern. Their ultimate objective of gun control advocates is not safety. They want control.

WARNING: GUN CONTROL INCITES ACTUAL WAR

How can I say that Gun Control causes all out bloody Revolutionary War in America?

Because it is the ONLY thing which ever has.

Furthermore:

The Democrats and their good RINO friends know this (unless they actually intend to use complete ignorance of the history of the country they “serve” as a defense).

In other words they absolutely, 100% know what they are attempting to incite by dumping the most dangerous form of fuel on a highly volatile national situation by menacing The People with illegal Gun Control.

(100% of all gun control is illegal in the United States under Amendment II of the Constitution.  “infringe”=”To limit”.  “Shall not be infringed” does not mean, “Shall not be infringed except in certain circumstances”.  In other words,  “Shall not be infringed” does not mean, “Shall not be infringed unless”:  There is no “unless”).

Attempting to what?

To INCITE.

To incite what specifically?

Specifically, to incite all-out bloody American Revolution Part II.  Literally 1776 2.0.

Suffice it to say they have no plausible deniability, again unless they actually intend to use complete ignorance of American History as a defense.  Oh wait that won’t work either how unfortunate for them (Ignorantia juris non excusat).

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This is the only state now that restricts permitless carry for only state residents. While changing the residency requirement from 1 year to 30 days is good; better would be for all citizens, state resident or not.

North Dakota: Pro-Gun Measures Passed out of Legislature and Sent to Governor’s Desk

[Friday] House Bill 1293 and House Bill 1297 were passed on a concurrence vote from the House, and will now be sent to the desk of Governor Doug Burgum for his signature. Please contact Governor Burgum and ask him to sign these important measures into law.

House Bill 1293 expands the list of firearms that an individual can carry in their vehicle under North Dakota’s Constitutional Carry law. HB 1293 also removes the restrictions on certain times of the day when one can open carry, and reduces the residency requirement for Constitutional Carry from one year to 30 days.

House Bill 1297 expands the list of locations that law-abiding gun owners can carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. HB 1293 clarifies that athletic events are only a prohibited location if they are “school” sporting events. Further, the measure allows for concealed carry in churches if the church has adopted a policy to allow it instead of previously having to obtain specific permission from the preacher or counsel.

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.

 

Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Politico Poll On Gun Ownership: Majority of Respondents Not Gun Owners

Digging into a poll on gun ownership by Politico and Morning Consult that was reported in The Hill produced an interesting revelation: Just over two-thirds of the participants say nobody in their household owns a gun of any kind.

So, when The Hill reported the results of this survey showed “Approximately 2 in 3 Americans…said that they support greater restrictions on gun ownership,” should this be taken with a proverbial grain of salt? The Hill said the survey had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll was conducted April 9-12 and includes responses from 1,992 registered voters. But 1,327 of those respondents aren’t gun owners while only 665 said they live in a household where someone owns a firearm.

But could the imbalance between gun owners and non-gun owners have been at least partly responsible for the way the numbers and percentages on certain questions break down? Here are some results:

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Ohio law legalizing concealed knife carry, brass knuckles goes into effect

An Ohio law that took effect Monday allows the state’s residents to carry concealed knives, as well as purchase and possess brass knuckles and other specified weapons.

The measure changes the Ohio law that prohibits concealed carry of a “deadly weapon” to no longer includes knives, razors or other similar cutting instruments.

Ohioans can now also legally purchase and own certain weapons, including brass knuckles, cestuses, billy clubs, blackjacks, sandbags, switchblade knives, springblade knives and gravity knives, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

The state Senate voted almost unanimously in 2019 in favor of the law, with one Democrat opposing.

The state House in December approved the measure largely along party lines, with five Democrats joining all Republicans in backing it.

Doug Ritter, an advocate and founder of advocacy group Knife Rights, told the Capital Journal that Monday was “a great day for Ohioans who no longer have to worry that they might be arrested under a dangerously vague state law for carrying a common tool, their pocket-knife, concealed in their pocket.”

This comes a week after a new “stand your ground” measure took effect in the state after being signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in January.

Under the stand your ground law, Ohioans no longer have to prove that they attempted to run away or leave a dangerous situation before using a weapon in self-defense.

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Anti-gun violence groups and activists, however, argued that the self-defense law will give too much power to individuals to deploy a deadly weapon, and could also disproportionately lead to more people of color becoming victims of gun violence.

“They sell it as now you’re going to be able to defend yourself. No, you’ve always been able to defend yourself in Ohio,” Toby Hoover of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence told local CBS affiliate WKRC-TV.

“If you were truly being attacked or in danger, that defense has always been there,” she continued. “This defense changes it to you have no duty to try to even retreat. You don’t even have to consider it. You can just say I’m afraid.”

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.

 

 Gov. Ricketts Declares Nebraska a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary State.’

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a proclamation that designates his state as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State,” reaffirming the state’s support for gun rights.

“Nebraska has always been a state that has supported our Second Amendment rights,” Ricketts said, according to a video of the signing event. “As a symbol of that support, I am signing a proclamation declaring Nebraska a Second Amendment Sanctuary State, and with my signature, it will become official.”

A number of counties in the state have already declared themselves Second Amendment “sanctuaries.”

The move comes in light of recent federal gun-control proposals and orders following several mass shootings.

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Conservative state legislators are taking a page from the playbook of pro-immigration activists and the marijuana legalization movement.\

Republican Study Committee Memo Pushes Back on Biden Administration’s ‘Gun Grab’

The Biden administration recently rolled out a series of gun control measures via executive order, and Republicans are pushing back on the president’s “gun grab.” Biden recently said that “no amendment to the constitution is absolute,” insinuating that reforms to the second amendment are necessary.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a House GOP caucus currently led by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), refutes the Biden administration’s rhetoric on gun control. Banks distributed a memo on Wednesday, which was first shared with Townhall, dismantling Biden’s gun control plans, from a ban on “ghost guns,” to Red Flag laws. From the memo:

1. Biden’s actions on pistol braces would take millions of the most popular firearms accessories on the market and make them illegal and their owners felons by executive fiat.

The ATF repeatedly told sport shooters and collectors everywhere these pistol braces were legal. The federal government must stop playing games with the Second Amendment rights of Americans, including the pro-gun community. Biden has a history of infringement going back to his days in the Senate.

This betrayal of the American people could force them to either spend $200 and place their gun on a registry, or risk becoming a felon and lose everything.

Stripping Americans’ freedom to customize their firearms won’t affect how criminals use firearms in crimes.

2. Homemade firearms, or “ghost guns,” are a long standing tradition in America. Our country was founded by free men with handcrafted firearms. The right to make weapons is the right to be free.

3. Democrats’ Red Flag Law proposals are an affront to the 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendments. No right should ever be stripped from free and law abiding Americans by an anonymous report with a low standard of evidence and no penalty for false reporting.

No one should be able to nominate their neighbor for a 4:00 am flashbang and a no-knock from the local SWAT Team.

The lack of transparent reporting, strong evidentiary standards, and penalties for false statements make Democrats’ Red Flag Laws a nightmare for due process.

4. It is disturbing that the Biden administration would nominate David Chipman to lead the ATF who not only made a career of advocating for the restriction of Americans’ liberties, but also was present and took part in the ATF’s failed operation at  Waco in 1993.

 We already know about his participation in Waco, but what don’t we know?

The president said it was “time for some action,” but promised that his series of executive edicts are just “initial steps” in implementing gun control measures.

“Sanctuary counties” Take Stand on Second Amendment

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska — A growing number of Nebraska counties declare themselves sanctuaries for the second amendment saying Pres. Biden has put a target on the right to bear arms.

“Our government wanting to come for our guns is a deal breaker,” Barry Niedfeldt told the Hall County Board. “Law abiding citizens want to be on the same side as law enforcement.”

Sheriffs are giving their support to resolutions declaring counties as sanctuaries for the second amendment. Buffalo and Hall Counties are two of the largest, both voting unanimously……….

Fremont County declared ‘Second Amendment sanctuary county

RIVERTON, Wyoming — The Fremont County Commission and Sheriff have signed a resolution to make Fremont a “Second Amendment sanctuary county.”

Citizen Harold Donahue asked the governing board to adopt the resolution, which reaffirms the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms in defense of self or state.

The document also states that neither the county nor its sheriff will expend any resources or personnel to behave contrary to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution………..

Arkansas legislators pass bills in opposition of gun regulations

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas. – The House Judiciary Committee passed out three bills on Tuesday that could have major implications for the state.

HB1386 would establish the Arkansas Second Amendment Liberties Safeguards Act and said no state agency shall enforce a law, statute, rule, or regulation regarding a personal firearm, firearm accessories, or ammunition that is made in Arkansas and stays in Arkansas.

The bill stated that the Attorney General shall defend a resident who is prosecuted by the Federal Government………….