Tag: gun control

ATF Says a Quarter Million Guns Registered Under Pistol-Brace Ban

Only a fraction of the guns affected by the ATF’s new rule were registered with the agency during the four-month grace period that ended this week.

The ATF told The Reload on Friday it has received just over a quarter million applications to register pistol-brace-equipped firearms. Registering the affected guns was one path toward avoiding possible criminal punishment for possessing the guns under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) after the agency implemented a rule reclassifying the firearms as subject to NFA restrictions. The ATF waived the tax requirement for registration to encourage owners to comply before the deadline.

“The final rule provided possessors of such firearms the option to comply with the registration requirements of the National Firearms Act through a tax-free process using either the ATF eForms System or a paper application process with a deadline for such applications of 11:59 PM (ET) on May 31, 2023,” Erik Longnecker, Deputy Chief of the ATF’s Public Affairs Division, told The Reload. “As of June 1, 2023, ATF received 255,162 applications for tax-free registration.”

That number represents just a fraction of the braced guns believed to have been sold in the decade since the ATF first classified a version as outside the scope of the NFA. In the impact assessment for the rule, the ATF estimated that three to seven million devices exist. However, the Congressional Research Service puts the number much higher at somewhere between 10 and 40 million.

That puts the registration rate for pistol-brace-equipped guns at between 0.6 percent and eight percent.

Longnecker noted that owners of the affected guns could also comply with the rule by either dismantling the firearms and destroying the braces or turning them over to the ATF. He said the agency does not know how many Americans may have taken those routes.

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MI House Democrats seek to imprison kids for having BB guns

Michigan may have a hunting and gun culture, but legislative Democrats are doing everything in their power to change that.

The latest example comes as House Democrats have proposed HB 4184, a bill to ban those 18 and under from “using or possessing certain BB guns outside of their property,” according to the summary.

State Rep. Julie Rogers, a Democrat from crime-riddled Kalamazoo, filed the bill earlier this session.

The bill is to “regulate the possession or use of pneumatic guns,” that is, those that are designed to use air pressure to propel the projectile. The bill bans kids from having guns “that will expel a BB or pellet by spring, gas, or air.”

“An individual less than 18 years of age shall not use or possess a pneumatic gun outside the curtilage of the individual’s dwelling unless the individual is accompanied by another individual over 18 years of age,” it states.

A child who breaks the proposed law “is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.”

“Please get your kids outside this summer to make some epic memories before the leftists who have never engaged in such fun ban it,” state Rep. Angela Rigas (R) said in response.

“Allowing kids to use BB guns unsupervised can have life-threatening consequences,” Rogers claimed. “All too often, these guns are treated as toys, without regard to the dangers they pose. As with all types of guns, adult supervision for children to ensure they are following safety precautions is necessary for everyone’s well-being.”

During Rogers’s first term in office (2021), Kalamazoo was one of the most dangerous cities in the state.

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Serbians Turned Over 13,500 Guns to Government. Now Their President is Threatening ‘Repressive Measures’.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has threatened “repressive measures” to bring gun owners to heel amidst a so-called amnesty which has already seen around 13,500 weapons turned over to the state.

Vucic, who vowed to see through an “almost complete disarming” of the Serbian public after consecutive mass shootings killed 17 people at a school and a trio of villages on May 3rd and May 4th, warned of a crackdown once the amnesty ends in early June.

“After June 8th, the state will respond with repressive measures and punishments will be very strict,” the Serbian Progressive Party leader said.

“What does anyone need an automatic weapon for? Or all these guns?”

Gun ownership rates are high in Serbia – at least by European standards – given the Balkan country’s long history of partisan activity and ethnic and religious conflict. Many weapons are held “illegally,” since the country’s constitution enshrines no rights to bear arms like the United States.

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Texas Lawmakers Advance Bill To Raise Age For Buying Semiautomatic Rifles To 21

Texas state lawmakers advanced a bill on Tuesday that seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle to 21, just days after a mass shooting in Allen.

Two Republicans on the House Select Committee on Community Safety joined the committee’s Democrats to approve moving House Bill 2744 to the full chamber for a vote. This move is seen as a small victory for gun control advocates despite the bill being unlikely to pass the conservative Legislature and become law.

Reps. Sam Harless from Spring and Justin Holland from Rockwall, both Republicans, voted with Democrats on the last day of the bill’s deadline to move out of committee and continue through the legislative process. Their support came as a surprise, notably with Holland’s previous strong pro-Second Amendment stance.

The bill has been widely criticized by Republicans and gun rights advocates as infringing on the constitutional rights of law-abiding adults. Opponents of the bill have argued that if an 18-year-old is considered an adult with respect to voting, purchasing tobacco, and serving in the military, then it should entitle them to the full rights to protections granted by the U.S. Constitution.

The unexpected vote came just days after a gunman killed eight people, including several children, at a mall in Allen, Texas. Harless described his decision as “the most emotional vote” he’s ever taken, The New York Times reported. “I started crying after I made it. That means my heart told me I made the right vote,” he said.

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“Were You Expecting Us?”: ATF Agents Go ‘Door To Door’ To Confiscate FRT-15 Triggers

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) under the Biden administration continues its ‘door-to-door’ operation to seize Rare Breed FRT-15 triggers from private citizens. The latest example comes days ago when ATF agents, noticeably armed and wearing ballistic plate carriers, showed up at a person’s home, demanding the surrender of the FRT-15 trigger.  

A man who claimed to be the owner of Moonlight Industries, a company specializing in making chest rigs for special forces operators, posted a video on Moonlight’s YouTube channel of two ATF agents visiting him at his home.

The conversation begins with the woman ATF agent saying, “Were you expecting us?”

The man responded, “Well, it doesn’t surprise me with a guy wearing a plate carrier showing up…” 

The woman ATF agent (who does most of the talking) said, “The reason why we’re here … that just recently, the ATF, classified the FRT as machine guns.” 

She said, “We are aware that you might have purchased some of these FRTs.” She admitted, “Like the whole agency is basically ‘reaching out’ to these purchasers, and we have to pick them up.” 

After all that, Moonlight’s owner responded, “Well, I won’t be answering any questions today … and I don’t have any comments on this subject … and I won’t be giving you anything.” 

In a split second, the male ATF agent asked Moonlight’s owner, “Are you refusing to give us the trigger?”

Moonlight’s owner said, “I’m not refusing to give anything. I just won’t be answering any questions.” 

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YouTuber Guilty For Selling ‘Metal Cards’ That DoJ Says Are “Machine Gun Conversion Devices” 

A Wisconsin gun dealer whose YouTube channel has 180,000 subscribers was convicted of “conspiring to transfer unregistered machine gun conversion devices” that were nothing more than metal bottle openers etched with patterns called “lightning links” that, when milled, can convert a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle into an automatic machine gun. 

Gun dealer Matthew Hoover, who operated the CRS Firearms channel, was found “guilty of conspiring to transfer unregistered machine gun conversion devices that they referred to as “Auto Key Cards,”” the Department of Justice wrote in a press release. He was convicted of four counts of transferring unregistered machine gun conversion devices and faces 45 years in jail. 

Also facing severe jail time is Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin. The DoJ said he was convicted “of seven counts of transferring unregistered machine gun conversion devices, three counts of possessing unregistered machine gun conversion devices, and one count of structuring cash transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements.”

Ervin faces a maximum penalty of 110 years in federal prison. Sentencing for the two is scheduled for July 31. 

Hoover and Ervin sold lightning links, etched into metal cards, which he referred to as “Auto Key Cards,” from around $40 for one version to more than $180. Hoover touted the cards on his YouTube channel. 

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Louisville Bank Shooter Left Behind Manifesto Detailing 3 Reasons for Rampage: Report

It is now reported that Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon left a disturbing manifesto outlining three key reasons for his killing spree that left five coworkers dead.

The 25-year-old wrote a 13-page screed describing his motives for gunning down his colleagues during their morning conference at the Old National Bank, “a massacre he captured on a deranged Instagram live stream,” the New York Post reported.

The murderer’s treatise reportedly lists three principle goals that served as motivation for the murder spree, addressed here in no particular order.

One was suicide. Sturgeon could easily have achieved this goal without killing anyone else, but he did reportedly list suicide as one of his three motives.

A second goal was to raise awareness regarding mental health issues in America. Sturgeon dealt with depression and anxiety and was taking medication.

A third goal communicated by Sturgeon was to demonstrate how easy it is to purchase a gun in Kentucky.

Observers have noted that Sturgeon was aware that he was about to be fired from the bank, but the veracity of that report is now disputed.

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Louisville shooter Connor Sturgeon reportedly detailed reasons for rampage in manifesto

Louisville bank shooter Connor Sturgeon apparently left a disturbing manifesto outlining three key reasons for his violent rampage that left five co-workers dead.

The 25-year-old commercial developer wrote a 13-page missive that detailed his motives for gunning down his colleagues during their morning conference at the Old National Bank last week, a massacre he captured on a deranged Instagram livestream, the Daily Mail reported.

Sturgeon reportedly hoped to showcase how easy it was to buy a gun in Kentucky and wanted to highlight the mental health crisis in America.

He also planned to end the slaughter by suicide — a wish that was granted when he was shot to death by police officers when he brandished his firearm.

Sturgeon’s manifesto is reportedly in the hands of the Louisville Police Department.

The agency would not confirm or deny any details of the alleged missive.

The mass shooter legally purchased his AR-15 assault rifle from a local gun dealership just six days before the rampage.

That gun is slated to be auctioned off thanks to state law allowing guns seized by the police to go to auction, including those used in violent crimes.

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Barack Obama Falsely Claims Guns Are Number One Killer of Children

On Monday evening, former President Barack Obama tweeted his response to the Nashville Christian school shooting by repeating the left’s false claim that guns are the number one killer of children.

On March 23, 2023, Breitbart News reported that actor Billy Porter made the same false claim, screaming that “the leading cause of death in children are guns” during an appearance on ABC’s The View.

Porter’s claim, which is now Obama’s claim as well, became a common one among leftists and non-fact-checking moderates in the summer of 2022 after a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was widely reported in late May that year.

FOX News ran a story titled “Guns now the leading cause of death for US children, per CDC.” The story noted that CDC figures show firearm-related deaths of people ages 0-19 totaled 4,368 in 2020, while motor vehicle deaths for the same age range totaled 4,036. And during a June 2, 2022, speech, President Joe Biden reacted to the CDC figures by claiming, “Guns are the number one killer of children.”

But Breitbart News dug into the CDC figures and ascertained that the only way to make the claim work is to count 18 and 19-year-olds as children. But if one does a custom search on the CDC website to adjust the category of children to include only those aged 0-17, only those below voting and military age, then the outcome completely flips.

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Mother of Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale shared several gun control posts on social media

The mother of the Nashville school shooter who killed six people — including three 9-year-olds — appeared to be a gun control activist who once urged friends on Facebook to sign a petition calling for keeping firearms out of schools.

“So important!” Norma Hale wrote in a March 8, 2018, Facebook post as she shared the petition to “Keep Guns Out of School” that appeared to be from the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

The webpage’s domain to the petition did not appear to exist anymore.

In another post from Feb. 21, 2018, Hale shared another petition from Sandy Hook Promise urging lawmakers to “Make Large-Capacity Gun Magazines Illegal.”

Hale’s adult child, Audrey Hale, carried out Monday’s horrific mass shooting at the Covenant School on Monday morning.

The 28-year-old, believed to be a former student at the small Christian school, was carrying at least two assault rifles and a handgun, police said.

In various other Facebook posts dating back several years, Norma Hale, who appeared to work at a Nashville-based church, the Village Chapel, as a coordinator, gushed over her two children for various achievements and milestones.

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