Tag: gun control

Push To Ban ‘Assault Rifles’ Like Fight To End Slavery, CRT Backer Ibram X. Kendi Tells CBS News

The ongoing effort to ban so-called assault weapons is similar to America’s bloody fight to end slavery, a CBS contributor and chief proponent of Critical Race Theory (CRT) said Sunday.

In a segment commemorating Juneteenth, Ibram X. Kendi told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan he teaches his young daughter that the struggle for emancipation continues today. Kendi, the network’s “Racial Justice Contributor,” said “freedom” today means liberation from poverty and guns.

“I’m actually going to teach her that … throughout this nation’s history, there’s [sic] been two perspectives on freedom, really two fights for freedom,” Kendi said. “Enslaved people were fighting for freedom from slavery, and enslavers were fighting for the freedom to enslave.”

“And in many ways that sort of contrast still exists today,” he continued. “There are people who are fighting for freedom from assault rifles, freedom from poverty, freedom from exploitation. And there are others who are fighting for freedom to exploit, freedom to have guns, freedom to maintain inequality.”

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Michigan Judge Orders GOP Candidate for Governor to Surrender Guns

Michigan Republican candidate for governor Ryan Kelley will have to surrender his guns while he awaits trial on misdemeanor criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach, a judge ruled on June 16.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather made the ruling even as Kelley’s attorney argued he needs to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense as he makes campaign appearances in Michigan, local media reported. The judge also said Kelley can’t leave the state while awaiting trial and must surrender his passport.

Kelley is “a bit of a high-profile candidate in Michigan” as recent polls showed that he was the front-runner among GOP gubernatorial candidates, his lawyer, Gary Springstead, said. Kelley, who has a license to carry a concealed weapon, “asked that he be permitted to carry his firearm for his own self-defense, during the campaign,” Springstead added.

About a week ago, Kelley was arrested in Michigan and charged with participating in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, federal prosecutors said in a court filing in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The complaint noted that Kelley didn’t actually enter the Capitol building on Jan. 6, and instead is being charged with entering and remaining within a “restricted building or grounds without lawful authority,” disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property on restricted grounds, and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States government.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz: Biden’s IRS Spent Approximately $700,000 on Ammo ‘Between March and June 1’

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told Breitbart News Saturday the IRS spent approximately $700,000 “between March and June 1” purchasing ammunition.

Gaetz described the ammunition acquisition as “bizarre.”

He noted he and his Republican colleagues are trying to ascertain why the ammunition was purchased, noting, “There is concern that this is part of a broader effort to have any entity in the federal government buy up ammo to reduce the amount of ammunition that is in supply, while at the same time, making it harder to produce ammo.”

Gaetz noted a scenario where federal entities are buying up ammo puts citizens in a place where the exercise of the Second Amendment is limited due to the inability to get ammunition.

He painted a dire scenario where the government reduces ammunition production “and, on the other hand, [soaks] up the supply of it.”

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Social media posts could lead to gun confiscation under proposed Red Flag laws, PA Gov Tom Wolf suggests

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has shared an infographic showing how US citizens posting photos of guns on social media, along with “cryptic messages,” could lead to a court confiscating their guns under proposed legislation that he supports.

“Red flag laws allow us to take action when someone who has a gun begins to act erratically,” Governor Wolf posted. In the social media age, this could include in online posts. “Red flag laws still require due process, and any removal of weapons is temporary,” Governor Wolf continued.

Governor Wolf rebuked Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee for refusing to approve what he called “commonsense” bills addressing gun violence in the state. 

Instead of voting to move the four bills to the House for debate, Republicans on the Judiciary committee forced a vote to refer the bills to another committee. 

“Shameful. That’s what I’d call today’s action – or, rather, inaction,” Governor Wolf said. “Lawmakers have an opportunity to take commonsense steps, which the majority of Pennsylvanians support. Instead of taking a vote to advance these bills, they are just delaying debate on this legislation. Gun violence won’t delay. Every day the Republicans stall, more people are at risk.

“This isn’t just a ‘Philadelphia’ issue. This is a statewide and national issue that must be addressed. It’s reprehensible that Republicans continue to stall when our own constituents want this addressed right now,” Governor Wolf said. “I urge Republicans to stop these tactics and take action.”

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Right to own a gun could hinge on definition of ‘boyfriend’ in ‘red flag’ laws

Talks in the Senate chamber regarding the sweeping gun legislation that was passed in the House last week has hit a snag: what is the definition of a boyfriend? It seems lawmakers cannot quite discern when a relationship becomes serious enough for the label, and to bypass the “loophole.”

The question comes in regards to a provision in the legislation that would close the so-called “boyfriend loophole” in laws that bar people convicted of domestic violence, or have been subjected to a domestic violence restraining order, from purchasing guns.

According to the New York Times, laws currently bar people who are issued these convictions from purchasing guns only if they were married to, lived with, or  had a child with the victim.

Lawmakers are attempting to close this “loophole” by including other intimate partners, but are now stuck in negotiations as to when someone becomes an intimate partner.

“Is it one date or several? Could an ex-boyfriend count?” the New York Times questioned. Perhaps Congress could take a cue from social media, and only use the term when it becomes Insta official.

With lawmakers attempting to pass this sweeping legislation before their Fourth of July recess, Senators have now honed in on this issue as part of their final negotiations.

Lawmakers have questioned the definition of a boyfriend or intimate partner, and whether those who are subject to this kind of gun ban should be able to appeal in the future.

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White House Aims To Shut Down Ammunition Sales While Dems Claim To Engage In Good Faith Gun Talks

While Democrats claim to engage in talks on bipartisan gun legislation in good faith, the White House is aiming behind the scenes to shut down nationwide ammunition sales.

In northwestern Missouri, a major government-owned ammunition plant is now facing closure as the Biden administration escalates its war on American gun owners, The Federalist has learned.

The Lake City ammunition factory is one of the largest manufacturers of M855/SS109 ammo which is the most popular caliber for the most targeted firearm in the country: the AR-15. In operation since 1941 to produce ammunition for the U.S. Army, the government contracts with the private firm Winchester to run the enterprise and sell any excess supplies on the open market. The plant also produces XM855 and XM193 ammunition.

Mark Oliva, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), told The Federalist “Winchester was informed that the government is considering restricting the manufacturing and commercial sale of legal ammunition produced at the Lake City, Mo., facility.”

Such restrictions, Oliva said, would place 400 to 500 jobs in immediate jeopardy, reduce available ammunition in the market, and sever the nation’s wartime readiness.

“This policy to deny the sale of excess ammunition not only would freeze over 30 percent of the 5.56mm/.223 caliber ammunition used by law-abiding gun owners,” Oliva said, “it risks the ammunition industry’s ability to surge production capacity for national defense if the costs to maintain the present workforce isn’t recouped through sales to the civilian market.”

The White House did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.

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Congress Finds Even More Reasons To Disregard The Bill of Rights

With news that Congress is on its way to passing new gun control laws that will make it easier for bureaucrats to disarm law-abiding Americans, the United States is once again repeating the egregious mistake of responding to a perceived “emergency” by crippling constitutional protections for Americans’ unalienable rights.

First we had the post-9/11 passage of the Patriot Act and its creation of a national security surveillance state that tracks and records Americans’ digital communications despite the absence of probable cause, legal warrants, or explicit consent. Then we had the Department of Homeland Security’s recent flirtation with a “disinformation board” meant to regulate speech and censor points of view at odds with the government’s officially sanctioned “narratives.”

Now we have a renewed push for “red flag” laws intended to deprive Americans of their weapons without proper due process or criminal conviction. Over the last 20 years, America’s First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments have been under sustained attack, and, amazingly, it has been elected officials sworn by oath to “support and defend” those same amendments who have led much of the charge.

There’s nothing so dangerous as a politician who undermines the Bill of Rights during a moment of tragedy or crisis. Those rights, set forth as the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution as a redundancy to make explicitly clear what is beyond the scope of the federal government’s enumerated powers, are not wishy-washy suggestions meant to be ignored during times of “emergency.” On the contrary, it is during such times when their safeguards become most critical.

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