Category: Politics

The Texas Legislature Reaches an Agreement on Constitutional Carry

AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF) – The Texas House and Senate conferees reached an agreement on House Bill 1927, better known as constitutional carry.

The measure would do away with the need to have a license to carry a gun in Texas.

“By working together, the House and Senate will send Governor Abbott the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history, and protect the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self defense and the defense of their families,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Matt Schaefer Speaker Dade Phelan has been rock-solid every step of the way as House Bill 1927 has progressed, and I am grateful for his leadership and the bipartisan coalition who supported House Bill 1927.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick congratulated Rep. Matt Schaefer and Sen. Charles Schwertner for reaching a full agreement on permitless carry.

“This legislation restores our Second Amendment rights and upholds every Texan’s right to self-defense,” Patrick told WBAP on Friday. “HB 1927 is a historic bill and a national model. It includes the thinking of national gun rights advocates and many in Texas law enforcement and affirms our commitment to protect the rights of gun owners and the safety of those in law enforcement.”

According to Lt. Gov. Patrick, the bill will become eligible for a final vote early next week.

“Those who said HB 1927 would never pass and who perpetuated stories of a ‘poison pill’ and other conspiracies willfully misled many Second Amendment supporters in Texas,” said Patrick. “They also underestimated how hard members of the House and Senate were working to pass this bill.”

Governor Abbott told WBAP earlier this month that he will sign the bill into law when it makes it to his desk.

Louisiana Legislature Votes Overwhelmingly for Constitutional Carry in 2021

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- HB 596 was passed on 5 May 2021. It is a fairly good Constitutional Carry bill with a 21-year-old age limit and a requirement to reveal to peace officers your condition of being armed.

Voting was 73 to 26 for final passage.  From the advocate.com:

A bill that would allow citizens 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit breezed through the Louisiana House on Wednesday.

The measure, House Bill 596, won approval 72-28 after a short but spirited debate.

It next faces action in the state Senate, which approved a similar bill last week by an equally lopsided margin.

Eight Democrats voted for the bill, with 64 Republicans. 70 votes are needed to override a veto……..

Shortly after the vote on Constitutional Carry, the House voted unanimously for HB 124.  HB 124 removed the ban on carrying knives from people who have a concealed carry permit.  It passed 94 – 0.  It did not make sense for people to have the right to carry pistols, but not knives.

Constitutional Carry is a reasonable approximation of the state of law when the Second Amendment was ratified, in 1791. At that time, no permit was required to carry weapons, openly or concealed.

Governor John Bel Edwards has promised he would veto a Constitutional Carry bill. Then the Senate passed SB118, which is similar to HB596. It passed with a strong majority, 27 for and 11 against.

Both House and Senate votes are enough to override a governor’s veto. An override would require a 2/3 majority, 70 votes in the House, and 26in the Senate.

For a number of reasons, veto overrides are often more difficult to obtain than the original votes suggest. Legislators may wish to go on record as voting for something, knowing the governor will veto it. Then they vote to uphold the veto.  There is also party loyalty involved. Many are unwilling to override a veto of a governor of their party.

It is still a good strategy to attempt a veto override of a governor of the opposite party. It shows the base you are serious; it shows principle on the part of the legislators.

For Democrats, it might show a willingness to go against the party, when their voters are more conservative. While an override may be a long shot, it may be work in this case.

Texas is a strong contender to pass Constitutional Carry in 2021.

Utah, Iowa, Tennessee, and Wyoming have all restored Constitutional carry this year. There are now 20 states with Constitutional Carry.

People in red states want to send a message to President Biden: Do not mess with the Bill of Rights! They also want to be ready for societal unrest.  Gun sales continue to break records. Ammunition is difficult to find, even though it is being produced as fast as possible

Just because politicians have an “R” after their name doesn’t mean they’re automatically less tyrant minded than their demoncrap counterparts.

Senator Marco Rubio admits he’s a Second Amendment ‘butter’
The senior Senator from Florida tells a reader he supports the Second Amendment, but

At 5-feet 10-inches, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is the same height as Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), but that’s not all the two have in common.

Neither Rubio nor Feinstein support the Second Amendment.

While Feinstein is open an upfront about her anti-rights passion, Rubio is riding the fence. Several bills he’s introduced clearly infringe upon the Second Amendment, but he still tries to hide his anti-rights zealotry in communications with constituents.

A reader recently reached out to Rubio after reading this story: Sen. Rubio’s red-flag bill would allow ‘temporary’ firearm confiscation and delay due process.

“I emailed him a while ago about his Red-flag bill he sponsored after you taught me about it and telling him it violated several amendments and to my dismay this was the response I received,” she said in an email. I am not publishing her name.

She noted that Rubio’s reply was “vague” and that he was “not specifically addressing the issues about his bill’s violation of due process and our other amendments as opposed to him saying that our communities lack the law enforcement resources.”

Politicians have form letters for irate constituents. I have no doubt our reader received one of Rubio’s letters designed to appease an angry Second Amendment supporter. I’m guessing his staff sends out a lot of them, especially since he introduced the federal red-flag bill.

“I hold the fundamental belief that the Second Amendment should not be altered,” Rubio’s email states. “While I have always supported the right of law-abiding Americans to bear arms to protect themselves and their families, I am committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate to create a more effective system to prevent senseless gun violence, without unnecessarily infringing on the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

Two things leap out of that statement. First, “senseless gun violence” is a Bloomberg talking point, which is used by Demanding Moms, Everytown and the Trace.

Second, Rubio hopes to create a more effective system “without unnecessarily infringing on the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

I guess that means the Senator is willing to infringe upon our Second Amendment rights, but only when he believes it’s necessary.

Bunkum, that is.

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Now is the Time to Make the Case: Remove SBRs from the NFA

As the Biden administration gears up to pass fresh guidance on pistol stabilizing braces, I humbly suggest that this is precisely the time to get working on legislation to remove SBRs — short barreled rifles — from the purview of the 1934 National Firearms Act.

Arguments and assertions from the DOJ / ATF / Biden administration related to pistol braces only strengthen the case that SBRs shouldn’t be subject to special scrutiny as compared to rifles with 16-inch or longer barrels.

In my comprehensive “How Does ATF’s Vague Pistol Brace Guidance Contradict Itself?” article, I went section-by-section through the draft guidance document (which, to be sure, is going to be the model for whatever comes out of the Biden White House if it isn’t simply used verbatim) and played angel’s advocate, arguing why each and every section was and is wrong, vague, inconsistent, misleading, anti-factual, self-contradictory, and/or just plain dishonest.

The Biden administration is in the final stages of drafting a regulation on firearm accessories that can be used to make pistols more like rifles . . .

. . . The firearm accessory can make pistols more accurate and deadlier. It effectively transforms a pistol into a short-barreled rifle . . .

Does your head also spin when you see the exact same people who have always banned or attempted to ban “assault weapon” features on the basis that they allow for “spraying fire” and “firing from the hip,” and have banned “Saturday Night Specials” in part due to their inherent inaccuracy now railing against pistol stabilizing braces for having exactly the opposite effect?

I’m sorry, but can y’all please decide if accuracy is a good thing or a bad thing? I’ll give you a hint: it’s good.

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Just me, but a lot of what I see in politics is making people believe you’re doing something, when you really aren’t, because you actually don’t like the proposed legislation.

Texas Constitutional Carry to go to Conference Committee, Future in Doubt

On Wednesday, 12 May 2021, HB1927 came back from the Texas Senate to the House. The House had passed the bill with a good margin. Governor Abbot said he would sign the bill. The Senate just barely passed the bill, but included eight amendments.

The question was: Would the House accept the amendments, and send the bill to the Governor’s desk for signature, or would the House send the bill to a conference committee. The conference committee could work out a compromise with the House. If they did, then the bill would have to go back to the Senate and the House for approval.

The Democrats in the House raised a point of order, claiming the amendment to HB 1927, which requires the state to create an online training course about gun carry and the law, fell outside the single issue rule and was therefore illegal.

Legislation in Texas is supposed to address a single issue only. What is a single issue, is subject to interpretation. Several of the other seven amendments added in the Senate could as easily fail under the single issue rule.

This correspondent is not in the Texas legislature. Representative Schaffer is. He is the House sponsor of the bill. Representative Schaffer came to the podium, asked the House to reject the Senate amendments and send the HB 1927 to a conference committee.

It had been worked out behind the scenes. The House asked for a conference committee.

To this correspondent, it appeared the House was betting 90% of Constitutional Carry against a chance of gaining a few more percent toward a 100% bill.

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Quote O’ The Day:
It’s a very simple thing that people seem to go to Washington to forget:
If you’re going to take a party leadership position, then the party comes before your personal ambitions.

Why Liz Cheney Had to Go.

“It Is Clear That Cheney Cares More About Earning Praise From Nancy Pelosi And The Corporate Press More Than She Cares About Fighting To Save Our Country From The Democrat’s Socialist Agenda.”

 

FINAL DAY Missouri SAPA Passed Senate, Back to House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo–With less than 24 hours left in the Missouri legislative session, Senate lawmakers gave final passage to a controversial bill that would nullify federal gun laws in the state.

House Bill 85, known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, would protect Missourians from federal gun laws and would hold police departments liable for up to $50,000 if an officer violates a person’s Second Amendment Rights.

A change by the Senate mandates the House vote to re-approve it.
The best I can tell, this is it:

Section B. Because immediate action is necessary to ensure the limitation of the federal government’s power and to protect the citizens’ right to bear arms, section A of this act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace, and safety, and is hereby declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the constitution, and section A of this act shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.

Texas Hits Snag On Constitutional Carry

In Texas, it really seemed like a done deal. Constitutional carry was going to pass. Enough lawmakers wanted it that there was no chance of it not passing the legislature. The governor is likely to sign such a bill, too.

However, passing legislation is tricky. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, either, because it helps stop all kinds of horrible laws from making it onto the books. The downside is that it can create hurdles that good legislation has to deal with as well.

It seems constitutional carry hit just such a hurdle.

The Texas House on Wednesday rejected changes the Senate made to a Republican-backed proposal to allow Texans to carry handguns without a license, sending the bill behind closed doors for further negotiations.

Before the permitless carry bill can head to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he would sign it into law, a conference committee made up of representatives and senators will have to reach a compromise that must get approval from both chambers.

House Bill 1927 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.

Among other changes, state senators last week approved an amendment barring permitless carry from people convicted in the past five years of making a terroristic threat, deadly conduct, assault that causes bodily injury or disorderly conduct with a firearm. The chamber also approved an amendment that enhances criminal penalties for illegal weapons carried by felons and those convicted of family violence offenses.

Bill author state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, drew cheers Wednesday when he announced he was rejecting the Senate changes. House Speaker Dade Phelan said the House conferees for the committee that will negotiate the bill are Republican Reps. Schaefer, James White and Dustin Burrows and Democratic Reps. Terry Canales and Ryan Guillen – two of the seven Democrats who voted for the bill.

Now, this isn’t good news, but it’s not awful news.

The bad news is compounded by there only being a short time remaining for the legislature to remain in session, which means any compromise has to be reached quickly.

The good news is that these lawmakers seems to want constitutional carry in the state, which means they’re starting from a decent enough place. My hope is that they’ll pass a law based on just the parts they agree with and then debate the other stuff next year. Get the law on the books, then modify it as needed.

If they don’t do that, they may well miss this golden opportunity for passing an important law.

I doubt the voters in Texas will be appreciative of such behavior, to say the least, nor should they be. They know what the people want, they just need to put aside the bickering and get it done.

Pass constitutional carry and do it now. Worry about the other stuff in later bills and let the people exercise their Second Amendment rights the way God and the Constitution intended.

Some state lawmakers want a say in U.S. Constitution
The ‘convention of states’ bill backed by the GOP aims to give states the power to propose constitutional amendments.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — At the State House, Republican lawmakers are hoping South Carolina will join the list of states signing up to be part of the convention of states.

The U.S. Constitution allows constitutional amendments to be proposed by Congress, which is what typically happens, or by a convention of states. For the convention of states to propose changes to the Constitution, 34 states must pass a law saying they will be part of the group.

A bill to join the convention has just passed in the South Carolina House.

GUN HISTORIAN ASHLEY HLEBINSKY DROPS TRUTH BOMBS IN ‘GHOST GUN’ HEARING

Senate Sub Committee Hearing video on C-SPAN

If U.S. senators were hoping to give a lift to the Department of Justice’s proposed rule to redefine a firearm, they underestimated Ashley Hlebinsky.

She’s a historical powerhouse when it comes to guns. Hlebinsky testified before the Senate Judiciary’s Subcommittee on The Constitution, in a hearing titled: Stop Gun Violence: Ghost Guns. Hlebinsky started by shredding any pretenses of false authority by those using loaded terms and ended her opening statement reminding senators whom they represent.

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Colorado Democrats shelve effort to impose a gun-purchase waiting period this year

Democratic state lawmakers have shelved efforts to pass a bill imposing a gun-purchase waiting period this year, as they had planned before the 2021 lawmaking term began.

State Rep. Steve Woodrow, a Denver Democrat, was slated to be the prime sponsor of the measure. He said the massacre at a Boulder King Soopers reshaped lawmakers’ gun-control plans this year and they decided to focus on other policies.

“After the shooting we worked diligently to craft a package of bills that will have the most impact and that’s the package we’re moving forward with this session,” he said in a written statement.

State Rep. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat whose son was murdered in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, said the waiting-period bill could be introduced at the Capitol next year.

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Missouri Bill to Take on Federal Gun Control: Past, Present and Future Clears Senate Committee Hurdle

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (May 6, 2021) – After appearing to be stalled, a Missouri bill that would take on federal gun control; past, present and future quickly passed out of a second Senate committee today and can now move to the Senate floor. Passage into law would represent a major step toward ending federal acts that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms within the state.

Rep. Jered Taylor filed House Bill 85 (HB85) on Dec 1. Titled the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” the legislation would ban any entity or person, including any public officer or employee of the state and its political subdivisions, from enforcing any past, present or future federal “acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, regulations, statutes, or ordinances” that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms.

HB85 passed the House in February by a 103-43 vote. On the Senate side, it passed the General Laws Committee on April 26 and was then referred to the governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee. Sen. Lincoln Hough chairs that committee, and he was reportedly the senator most responsible for stalling SAPA in 2020. There was concern that he would roadblock the bill with time running out in the session. But with a strong response to action alerts by Missouri First and the TAC, HB85 was brought before the committee and passed on Thursday.

The full Senate held a hearing on a Senate companion bill (SB39) last week. But with less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the best chance to get SAPA to the governor is for the Senate to pass the House version.

DETAILS OF THE LEGISLATION

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The Bleak Biden Way.

What is the Biden way? To surveille, monitor, root out, raid, jail, confine, and smear all impediments to fundamental transformation.

After a hundred days of President Biden, I think most Americans are now on to what will follow in the next few years.

Joyless Joe

Biden frowns. He grimaces. He occasionally barks and yells as he delivers a gloomy view of America and its people, past and present.

Admit it: We are all racists, then and now, captives of Jim Crow still. Biden needs as many fabricated enemies as he can find; otherwise, his speeches, his demeanor, his agenda are little more than absurdities. They cannot stand or fall on their own merits because they have none. So grumpy Biden, in his latest and final incarnation, is always anti-something, usually anti-Trump, anti-racism, and anti-everything traditional America is for.

Lots of bad white people still need to be rooted out—outside of the beltway. These are the ones never woken by Wall Street, Silicon Valley, the media, academia, the corporate boardroom, professional sports, and the foundations. These retrograde deplorables apparently won’t give up their “privilege” without a fight.

Bidenism demands these environmental desecrators must stop boiling the planet. We are a xenophobic nation that won’t let pioneering migrants enter the United States. We are a Neanderthal America full of people who won’t wear their masks when vaccinated and outdoors. We are a battered America still reeling from the Trump disasters on the border, the Trump failed coup on January 6, the Trump racism that led to peaceful equity marches all last summer.

So America needs a booster shot, a new way of electing presidents, a rebooted Supreme Court, new Senate rules, more states, and so much more—with so little time. The downer message makes Jimmy’s Carter’s old cardigan sweater sermons look inspiring, as the grey and sullen Joe himself makes Carter in retrospect seem sunny.

The emerging Bidenism is what some of us warned we’d see last summer when the deceptive Left and naïve NeverTrump mantra preened that old Joe from Scranton would usher in post-Trump “healing.” His therapeutic candidacy was promised to be a “return to normalcy,” as he was a “moderate” eager to “unify” us.

This illusory reboot from Trump absolutism was to be sort of reminiscent of George H.W. Bush’s “thousand points of light” and “kinder and gentler nation” promises, as the implied corrective to purported heartless eight years of Reaganism.

Yet all this mush ignores Biden’s innate mean-spiritedness that we’ve witnessed for 50 years dating back to his Robert Bork/Clarence Thomas hearing days, his handsy indifference to the private space of dozens of women, and his more recent “lying dog-faced pony soldier,” “fat” and “you ain’t black” incoherent venom.

Instead, from time to time, Joe Biden will be wheeled out to give a teleprompted address or a rare scripted press conference. The media will gush: if he loses his way, he is “conflicted” by the sheer weight of the office. If his voice lowers in elderly fashion, he has “mastered” the technique of quiet voice emphases. If he raises it, and almost shouts, Biden is lauded as “animated,” “fired-up,” and “robust.” If his characteristic slurring of words, chopped-up syntax, and repetitions lose the audience, it is only because our modern Longinus is a master of every sort of sublime rhetorical trope.

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Gov. Greg Abbott Confident Legislature Will Pass Constitutional Carry Bill: ‘I Think It Can Get Across The Finish Line’

RISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Governor Greg Abbott expressed confidence Tuesday, May 4 that the Texas legislature will pass a permit-less or constitutional-carry bill this session. “I think it can get across the finish line.”

He said last week he would sign the legislation if it arrives at his desk.

The full Texas Senate could consider House Bill 1927 as early as Wednesday, May 5 after it was approved by a newly formed, special committee on Constitutional Issues.

The legislation already passed in the Texas House.

Governor Abbott made his comments in Frisco after taking part in a ground-breaking ceremony at the Omni PGA Frisco resort.

If approved, the legislation would allow Texans to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a permit or license, receiving training, and passing a test as required now.

The Governor told reporters that 20 other states already have constitutional-carry, and that it’s already allowed in Texas for long guns.

He said he heard concerns about similar legislation years ago, before state lawmakers eased restrictions. “Remember when we passed open carry and campus-carry, people said it was going to be the ‘ok, corral.’ None of that happened. I don’t think there’s going to be any bad side effect to it, and I feel pretty good about it passing.”

Campus-carry allowed people to carry a concealed firearm on public universities and colleges as long as they were licensed.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate, told radio talk show host and former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch last week that he was still a few votes shy of the number he needed to pass the bill, 18, but that he was continuing to work to build support for the legislation.

Many police chiefs, including Eddie Garcia of Dallas, previously held a news conference to oppose constitutional-carry for handguns saying training people how to use firearms should still be required.

Late last week, police chiefs held another news conference at the Texas Capitol to voice their concerns about these House and Senate bills.

Jimmy Perdue, Chief of the North Richland Hills Police Department and First Vice President of the Texas Police Chiefs Association said, “Both of these bills in their current form would eliminate the current reasonable license to carry permitting process in favor of an unreasonable and unsafe permit-less carry authority. Texas has a long history of a very successful license to carry process.”

Democrats, including Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa have also rejected the legislation. “It’s a really improper use of our legislative process to appease the far-right wing of their party and the National Rifle Association.”

2nd Amendment Preservation Act Hits Roadblock in Senate

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (May 4, 2021) – A Missouri bill that would take on federal gun control; past, present and future is being held up by a Senate committee chairman.

Rep. Jered Taylor filed House Bill 85 (HB85) on Dec 1. Titled the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” (SAPA), the legislation would ban any entity or person, including any public officer or employee of the state and its political subdivisions, from enforcing any past, present or future federal “acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, regulations, statutes, or ordinances” that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. The bill includes a detailed definition of actions that qualify as “infringement.” You can read more details about the legislation HERE.

HB85 passed the House in February by a 103-43 vote. It now sits in the Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee where it still needs a public hearing and a vote before moving to the full Senate.

The full Senate held a hearing on a Senate companion bill (SB39) last week. But with less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the best chance to get SAPA to the governor is for the Senate to pass the House version – HB85.

According to Ron Calzone at Missouri First, it appears that’s what Senate leadership intends to do, but they cannot move the bill forward until it clears the committee. That’s where we have a big problem. Sen. Lincoln Hough chairs the Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee, and he was reportedly the senator most responsible for stalling SAPA in 2020.

HB 85 was assigned to his committee a week ago, but as of Tuesday morning (May 4) he still hadn’t scheduled it for the hearing he plans to hold Wednesday, May 5. (You can check the latest hearing schedule HERE.)

Calzone said he is convinced that Senate pro tem Dave Schatz wants to take up and pass HB 85 out of the Senate, but he can’t take action until Sen. Lincoln Hough lets the bill go through his committee.

Second Amendment sanctuary bill passes Tennessee House, heads to Lee

(The Center Square) – The Tennessee House voted Monday evening to make the state a Second Amendment sanctuary.

The House adopted Senate Bill 1335, which passed last week in the Senate. It “affirms that any law, treaty, executive order, rule, or regulation of the United States government” that violates the Second Amendment is unenforceable.

That violation would have to be determined by either the Tennessee or U.S. Supreme Court. Any official that would then attempt to enforce the unconstitutional law would then be subject to ouster.

The bill now will head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.

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Just me, but it appears that Proggie Politics™ isn’t as popular as advertised.

Austin Residents Vote to Ban Homeless Encampments

More than half of Austin residents voted Saturday to reinstate a ban on homeless encampments in the city.

Fifty-seven percent of voters in the Texas state capital said they were in favor of reinstating criminal penalties for camping in public spaces via Proposition B, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The controversial measure was one of eight proposals on the ballot. More than 150,000 Austin residents cast a vote, with 85,830 voting in favor and 64,409 against, according to the paper.

The vote comes after the city’s mayor, Stever Adler, and the city council in July 2019 canceled a more than 20-year-old ordinance that banned camping in public spaces.

Opponents of ‘Critical Race Theory’ Win Texas School Board Election

A Texas school board has scored an overwhelming election victory to stop “critical race theory” and a new “cultural competence action plan” from being forced into classes.

The elections in Southlake on Saturday were so divisive that backers of the new anti-racism measures called on the Department of Justice to intervene — and even pop star Demi Lovato ripped opponents of the plan.

Republican win in Texas special election raises questions about Biden’s popularity

The special election in Texas’ Sixth Congressional District on Saturday was seen as the first competitive race since Joe Biden was elected president and a bellwether on how a district that was seen to be purpling reacted to the new administration’s first 100 days.

The results were seen as a blow to Democrats because two Republicans earned enough votes to advance to a runoff. Susan Wright, the wife of the late Republican Rep. Ron Wright, was followed in votes by Jake Ellzey who eked out a win over Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez. (Sanchez conceded in a social media post. She lost by about 400 votes.)

John Fund, a national affairs columnist for the National Review, took to Twitter on Sunday to consider the outcome of the race and the general popularity of a president who just released his vision for the future of the country.

“If Biden Is So Popular, Why This?” Fund asked, linking to a story with the election result. “Republicans grabbed the two runoff slots in the Texas 6 special election yesterday. Dems were shut out, their candidates won a total 36% in a Dallas area seat that Trump carried by only 3 points last November.”

Kansas House votes to override veto of bill allowing 18-year-olds to conceal carry, now heads to Senate

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas House voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a gun bill, HB 2058 Monday morning. The proposal would allow 18 to 20-year-olds to conceal carry, which isn’t currently allowed.

The bill now heads to the Senate. It previously passed there 30 to 8, and is expected to have enough votes to pass.

The bill needs two thirds vote of each chamber to override a governor’s veto. It passed with the bare minimum in the House 84 to 39.

The bill started off with allowing conceal carry reciprocity with other states, meaning that residents from other states can conceal carry in Kansas if they have a license.

Where much of the controversy lies is allowing 18 to 20-year-olds to get a license in order to conceal carry. Currently anyone 21 years and older can conceal carry, and they don’t need a license.

Supporters of the bill question why the governor struck it down.

“In her message indicated that she has always supported the second amendment, well, I find that hard to believe sometimes,” said Abilene Representative John Barker, who carried the bill on the floor.

Opponents argue that lowering the age to conceal carry is dangerous.

“It’s not a bad bill. There’s some good parts to the bill, the part that we had problems with on our side was the 20, 19, and 18-year-olds carrying firearms,. Even though they’re trained, the maturity level of the brain lacks,” said Kansas City Representative Louis Ruiz.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it needs at least 27 votes for the legislature to override it.

BLUF:
Biden’s TV ratings are low. And it’s just the way his handlers want it. He and his vice president rarely talk to reporters, rarely hold press conferences, rarely tweet anything controversial. From a visibility perspective, it is the polar opposite of the bombastic, unfiltered Trump years.

While words matter, deeds matter much, much more. And if this stealth presidency gets its way, Biden will do more to transform this country into a far-left utopia than any other Democratic president in history. 

Biden’s poor TV ratings against Trump is exactly what this administration wants

The 45th president was fairly obsessed with ratings. Given Donald Trump’s experience as a TV reality-show star, that is not terribly surprising.

Between Feb. 20, 2020, and Dec. 6, 2020, Trump tweeted 44 times about TV ratings, according to Fast Company, or four times more often than about wearing a mask during that same span.

Trump also quote-tweeted this from The New York Times on Mar. 29, 2020, a time when the country was shut down and when confusion and fear about the novel coronavirus dominated the minds of many Americans: “President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news … .”

Understandably, this created tremendous and deserved backlash against the president at the time, as COVID-19 cases and deaths soared. But this was simply Trump’s reflexive DNA dating back to before he was president, which carried over to after he started calling the White House home, literally on Day 1. “It was the most-watched inauguration in history, period!!” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters the day after Inauguration Day on Jan. 22, 2017, in a statement from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

In April 2019, Trump focused on ratings again to attack MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, declaring: “Morning Psycho (Joe), who helped get me elected in 2016 by having me on (free) all the time, has nosedived, too Angry Dumb and Sick. A really bad show with low ratings – and will only get worse.”

You get the point. Trump saw big ratings as a sign of big love.

Truth was (and still is) that the former “Apprentice” star and real estate mogul was a modern version of the late Howard Cosell, who in a 1970s TV Guide poll was voted as simultaneously the most liked and disliked man in America. That sums up the ratings explosion during the Trump presidency, in which a rising tide (OK, a tsunami) lifted all media boats in terms of ratings and clicks, to heights we may never see again.

So, it was no surprise to see President Biden‘s ratings fall far short of Trump’s in the viewership department after he finally gave an address to a joint session of Congress. The differential was staggering: For Trump’s 2017 address to a Joint session, 48 million people tuned in. For Biden’s address, just 27 million tuned in.

For a guy who received more votes than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history, it would seem on the surface that this would be seen internally as bad news for Team Biden.

But this seems to be exactly what they want: a stealth presidency.

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