Tag: gun control

Dem Legislation Could End Gun Sales to All Current Firearm Owners Forever, Require DOJ License

Do you want Merrick Garland to decide if you’re eligible to own a gun every time you acquire a new firearm?

Senate Democrats are pushing gun control in the run-up to the midterms, in the form of a bill introduced on Thursday.

They’re using the Buffalo mass shooting as a political tool, even though the gunman easily bypassed New York’s gun control laws to attack unarmed grocery shoppers.

Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal and Bob Menendez are introducing the Federal Firearms Licensing Act, according to Politico.

The law would fundamentally revise gun ownership from a right enjoyed by American citizens to a privilege bestowed by the government at its own discretion.

Acquiring or buying a new gun would require a lengthy licensing process through the Department of Justice — every time you purchase a new firearm.

Buying a gun from a licensed firearms dealer already requires a NICS background check. Existing law prevents felons from buying or owning guns.

Booker’s bill would give the Attorney General discretion to approve or deny a federal firearms license, even if you’ve never been convicted of a crime.

The Attorney General would be able to deny a firearms license if they determined that the prospective gun owner “poses a significant danger of bodily injury to self or others” by owning a firearm.

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It Only Took About 180 Minutes For Democrats To Try To Capitalize On The Buffalo Shooting

Shortly over three hours after police were alerted to a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Democratic politicians took to Twitter to call for gun control legislation.

“Two mass shootings in 24 hours, in Milwaukee and Buffalo — the latter killing ten people. I’m heartbroken. And I’m angry. Angry that the GOP continues to block even the most basic gun safety measures. We can stop this. We can save lives. Republicans just refuse to. Cowards.” said Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California in a Twitter post.

The alleged shooter, later identified in court as 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron, reportedly traveled several hours from Conklin, New York to Buffalo where authorities said the gunman exited his vehicle with a firearm and shot four people in the parking lot, three of them were fatally wounded, the New York Times reported. A retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the store was fatally shot by Gendron who continued firing upon customers and employees inside the store, the outlet noted.

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Supermarket Shooter’s Alleged Manifesto Says He Chose Buffalo, NY Because of Strict Gun Control Laws

The suspect who allegedly shot and killed 10 people and injured three more at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket on Saturday may have planned the attack for months, officials said Sunday, while a manifesto that was apparently written by the man said he chose Buffalo because of the state’s stringent gun laws and used an illegally modified rifle to carry out the attack.

Authorities claimed the man, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, penned a 180-page manifesto, which was posted online. Officials told news outlets that the manifesto detailed his desire to attack the Tops Friendly Market and he drove there from several counties away.

“This defendant is accused of traveling to our area and targeting innocent people who were shopping for their groceries on a Saturday afternoon. I continue to pray for all affected by this horrific crime,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement. “I am committed to obtaining justice for the victims, their families, and this community.”

He added: “My office is working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement into potential terrorism and hate crimes. This is an active investigation and additional charges may be filed.”

In the alleged manifesto, the author appears to claim that he chose Buffalo, New York, because of the strict gun control laws, because it has a high “black population percentage,” and “isn’t that far away” from where he had lived. The Epoch Times could not confirm whether the manifesto was written by Gendron. The Epoch Times has contacted Flynn’s office for comment.

New York state, the author said, “has heavy gun laws so it would ease me if I knew that any legally armed civilian was limited to 10 round magazines or cucked firearms,” likely referring to New York laws restricting magazines to only 10 rounds and laws that limit the purchase of certain types of semi-automatic rifles. New York state residents also need to obtain a permit, which can take months if not years, to buy a pistol under the provisions of the SAFE Act.

“Won’t your attack result in calls for the removal of gun rights in the United States?” the author rhetorically asked himself. “Yes, that is the plan all along, you said you would fight to protect your rights and the constitution, soon will come the time.”

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The ATF Plans to Regulate Firearms With “Forced Reset Triggers” as Machine Guns

There is more federal gun control coming down the pike.

On March 22, the ATF sent an open letter to federally licensed firearm dealers informing them that guns utilizing some “forced rest triggers” (FRTs) are considered machine guns under the National Firearms Act of 1939 and the Hughes Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1969.

In effect, these popular firearms accessories will be regulated just like machine guns. This opens to door for the ATF to confiscate FRTs.

In practice, a forced reset trigger does exactly what the name implies. It forces the trigger to reset after every shot. As it resets, the trigger pulls the shooter’s finger forward. If the shooter maintains constant pressure, the trigger will reset and the finger pressure will pull the trigger again. It creates an effect similar to a fully automatic weapon, but it still requires a pull of the trigger for each shot.

According to the ATF, “any FRT that allows a firearm to automatically expel more than one shot with a single, continuous pull of the trigger is a ‘machinegun,’ and is accordingly subject to the GCA prohibitions regarding the possession, transfer, and transport of machineguns.” The agency says it plans to take “appropriate remedial action with respect to sellers and possessors of these devices.”

The Firearms Policy Coalition called the new rule “further proof of the agency’s abusive overreach of statutory and constitutional bounds and a manic desire to expand its dominion.”

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Biden Claims 2nd Amendment “Didn’t Say You Can Own Any Gun You Want”

Joe Biden claimed Monday that from its very inception the Second Amendment never allowed for Americans to own any firearms they desire, a blatant lie.

Biden made the comments during an announcement of a new regulation that will see background checks and serial numbers required for so called ‘ghost guns‘ that were up til now unregulated and untraceable.

“It’s going to sound bizarre, I support the Second Amendment. But from the very beginning, the Second Amendment didn’t say you can own any gun you want, as big as you want,” Biden said.

He continued, “You couldn’t buy a cannon when in fact the Second Amendment passed and certain people from the very beginning weren’t allowed to purchase guns.”

“There’s nothing new, it’s just rational,” Biden proclaimed.

Really? “Certain people from the very beginning weren’t allowed to purchase guns.”

That’s just plainly false.

It isn’t the first time Biden has made this claim. When he was running against Trump, Biden outlined his gun control manifesto, and further claimed “From the very beginning you weren’t allowed to have certain weapons,” adding “You weren’t allowed to own a cannon during the Revolutionary War as an individual.” 

Biden’s claim has been fact checked and found to be completely false.

The Washington Post wrote that “Some readers might think this is a relatively inconsequential flub. But we disagree,” adding “Every U.S. president has a responsibility to get American history correct, especially when he’s using a supposed history lesson in service of a political objective.”

“The president’s push for more gun restrictions is an important part of his political platform, so he undercuts his cause when he cites faux facts,” the Post added.

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Biden Bypasses Congress, Issues New Gun Control Dictate With Complete Disregard for 2nd Amendment

On Monday, the White House announced a new crack down on American’s Second Amendment rights — entirely bypassing Congress — and ruling by executive decree instead. The new rule attacks individuals who build their own firearms at home.

In response to Biden’s new dictate, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky lambasted the president’s decision to bypass Congress and attack one of the key components of the Second Amendment.

The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to prevent you from making your own firearm. This a fact that has been recognized for 200+ years. Also, Article 1, Section 1 (literally the first operative sentence in the Constitution) says Congress makes law, not POTUS!

According to the new dictate, “this final rule bans the business of manufacturing the most accessible ghost guns, such as unserialized “buy build shoot” kits that individuals can buy online or at a store without a background check and can readily assemble into a working firearm in as little as 30 minutes with equipment they have at home.”

The rule also dictates that gun stores can no longer destroy their records after 20 years. These stores must turn over lists to the ATF of every gun purchased at their store so the ATF can maintain a running database of American gun owners.

Second, the final rule requires federally licensed firearms dealers to retain key records until they shut down their business or licensed activity. At that time, these dealers must transfer the records to ATF, just as they are currently required to do at the end of licensed activity. Previously, these dealers were permitted to destroy most records after 20 years, making it harder for law enforcement to trace firearms found at crime scenes.

It is unclear how this administration will treat the millions of gun owners who currently have these custom firearms in their homes. It is indeed likely that this dictate could turn millions of gun owners into felons overnight as there is no way to prove when a custom build was purchased which means their previously legal guns could now be deemed illegal.

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Biden to Nominate ATF Director, Announce Order on ‘Ghost Guns’

President Joe Biden is set to make another nomination for director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and announce new executive actions restricting “ghost guns.”

The president is tapping former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach to head the ATF. Biden’s previous nomination, David Chipman, was pulled back in September as Chipman found opposition from Senate Republicans and some Democrats.

Chipman’s history of gun control advocacy had him squaring off against gun rights groups.

Dettelbach was confirmed for his position as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in 2009. He also spent two decades as a prosecutor for the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a White House “fact sheet.”

Dettelbach also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Ohio Attorney General during which he advocated for an assault weapons ban, according to the Ohio public radio station WOSU.

The top spot at the ATF has been mostly vacant since it became a Senate-confirmed position in 2006. The only person to serve as permanent ATF director since that time was Byron Todd Jones who filled the role from 2013 to 2015.

Biden is also set to announce Monday a final rule on ghost guns—unregistered firearms often built using a 3D printer.

Biden’s rule will require kits that can be used to build a gun to be registered as such. It also includes an effort to serialize ghost guns already in circulation. Additionally, Biden’s order will update serialization and background check laws for guns with split receivers and require firearms dealers to retain records for as long as their business is open.

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