It seems as if any time innocent people lose their lives, it takes Democrats about five minutes to start shamelessly exploiting the tragedy.
Both the White House and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued statements last week calling for increased restrictions on guns, with Clinton saying on Twitter “we cannot wait any longer” to address gun violence.
Of course, neither Clinton nor the White House gave any evidence as to how their gun control policies would actually prevent deadly shootings. Perhaps this is because there is no evidence.
According to Breitbart, the first part of Clinton’s gun control platform is “universal background checks,” which would give the federal government jurisdiction over all firearm transactions.
Despite the vast expansion of federal power, there is little evidence background checks do anything to stop criminals.
A number of notorious murderers – including the shooter in Virginia last week, Aurora shooter James Holmes, and Gabby Giffords’ would be assassin Jared Loughner -- all passed a background checks to get the guns they used to murder innocent people.
The second piece of Clinton’s gun control platform is a so-called “assault weapons ban.” As Breitbart also points out, the category of “assault weapons” is something Democrats invented in the 1990s and only includes a handful of different guns.
Even if you banned every rifle in the country, it would barely have an effect on violence. In 2011, rifle-related deaths represented only “.012 percent of the overall deaths in America.”
None of this is stopping the left from hopping back on the gun control bandwagon. As always, Democrats’ comments on guns are meant to capitalize on a political opportunity rather than provide a realistic solution to gun violence in America.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
MN: More Gun Permits Than Ever Before, Crime Stays Flat
When the state of Minnesota passed a permit-to-carry law in 2003, gun control advocates said it would lead to increased violence and mayhem.
Today, more people in Minnesota have permits than ever before – yet gun violence involving permit-holders remains virtually nonexistent.
The total number of active permits in Minnesota has gone up every year since the permit law passed in 2003, growing from less than 50,000 to more than 200,000 this year, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Since then, examples of violence involving permit-holders have been few and far between. There have been just five deadly incidents involving permit-holders in the past five years, none of which resulted in criminal charges. Overall, gun crimes involving permit owners fell by half between 2013 and 2014.
“Virtually every case has been a person defending themselves,” James Franklin, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, told the newspaper. “And I can’t recall a single case where a person hurt themselves with a gun [used for self-defense].”
The surge in permits in Minnesota reflects a nationwide trend. In 2014, the US saw the largest jump in active permits ever, despite the fact that a number of states no longer require a permit to carry, gun rights expert John Lott to the Star-Tribune.
Andrew Rothman, the head of the Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, said, “Over they years, the idea of carrying a gun has become much more normalized in society.”
Today, more people in Minnesota have permits than ever before – yet gun violence involving permit-holders remains virtually nonexistent.
The total number of active permits in Minnesota has gone up every year since the permit law passed in 2003, growing from less than 50,000 to more than 200,000 this year, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Since then, examples of violence involving permit-holders have been few and far between. There have been just five deadly incidents involving permit-holders in the past five years, none of which resulted in criminal charges. Overall, gun crimes involving permit owners fell by half between 2013 and 2014.
“Virtually every case has been a person defending themselves,” James Franklin, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, told the newspaper. “And I can’t recall a single case where a person hurt themselves with a gun [used for self-defense].”
The surge in permits in Minnesota reflects a nationwide trend. In 2014, the US saw the largest jump in active permits ever, despite the fact that a number of states no longer require a permit to carry, gun rights expert John Lott to the Star-Tribune.
Andrew Rothman, the head of the Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, said, “Over they years, the idea of carrying a gun has become much more normalized in society.”
Monday, August 17, 2015
NRA And Sen. John Cornyn Propose Bill To Expand Background Checks
A new NRA-backed bill would encourage states to share information on the “mentally
ill” with the federal background check system for gun sales.
NRA A+ rated Sen. John Cornyn of Texas introduced the Mental Health and Safe
Communities Act two weeks ago, after several mass shootings that made news earlier this
summer.
The bill would increase federal law enforcement grants to states that choose to share “at
least 90 percent” of their records on people with serious mental problems with the federal
background check database. States that refuse to share such information could also face
penalties.
While the NRA has praised the bill, pointing out provisions in the law to prevent the
government from labeling certain veterans as mentally ill, other gun groups have come
out against it.
NAGR issued an alert last week claiming the bill would increase gun control by “forcing
states to hand over your private medical records to the federal government.”
While most people agree that individuals with serious mental problems shouldn’t have
guns, governments have abused “mental illness” provisions in the past in an effort to
expand gun control. In the state of New York, for instance, one individual lost his pistol
permit because he had once been prescribed anti-anxiety medication.
Sen. Cornyn’s proposal has been referred to the Senate judiciary committee.
ill” with the federal background check system for gun sales.
NRA A+ rated Sen. John Cornyn of Texas introduced the Mental Health and Safe
Communities Act two weeks ago, after several mass shootings that made news earlier this
summer.
The bill would increase federal law enforcement grants to states that choose to share “at
least 90 percent” of their records on people with serious mental problems with the federal
background check database. States that refuse to share such information could also face
penalties.
While the NRA has praised the bill, pointing out provisions in the law to prevent the
government from labeling certain veterans as mentally ill, other gun groups have come
out against it.
NAGR issued an alert last week claiming the bill would increase gun control by “forcing
states to hand over your private medical records to the federal government.”
While most people agree that individuals with serious mental problems shouldn’t have
guns, governments have abused “mental illness” provisions in the past in an effort to
expand gun control. In the state of New York, for instance, one individual lost his pistol
permit because he had once been prescribed anti-anxiety medication.
Sen. Cornyn’s proposal has been referred to the Senate judiciary committee.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Trump Widens Lead; Channels Tea Party Energy
Real estate mogul Donald Trump continues to take the Republican primaries by storm, with the latest poll showing him earning almost double the support (24%) of second place finisher Jeb Bush (13%).
Trump is even gaining ground in terms of overall favorability rating, with another recent poll showing him tied with Bush and trailing leader Marco Rubio by just two points (54%-52%) in the category.
One expert told Fox News recently Trump is succeeding by channeling the same energy that swept the Tea Party to victory in 2010.
“There’s going to be a candidate who says it’s time for us to change,” said Michael Needham of Heritage Action for America. “For a lot of Americans right now, they feel disconnected from Washington.”
This may be true for all Americans, but it is especially true for conservatives. More than any other candidate, Trump has connected with the millions of conservatives who are sick of being ignored and condescended to by the same old career politicians.
“People are sick of the establishment and hate their party,” Needham said. “And that’s what needs to be addressed. The reason Donald Trump is generating a lot of enthusiasm is that he's ticking off the right people."
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
NRA Endorses Tate Reeves For Lt. Gov. Over Tea Party Challenger
The NRA endorsed Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves for re-election last week, giving him an A+ rating and saying the State Senate has taken “critically important steps” to protect the Second Amendment under Reeves’ leadership.
Reeves is being challenged by conservative Alisha McElhenney in the Republican primary for Lt. Governor, which takes place on August 4th. McElhenney is a newcomer to politics and is considered a long shot candidate in the primary.
Reeves’ record on gun issues has generally been decent, although he has occasionally been accused of letting pro-gun bills languish in the Senate to settle political scores. He supported two pro gun bills earlier year, and recently backed Gov. Bryant’s executive order to allow national guardsmen to carry at certain recruiting centers.
On non-gun issues, Reeves has been a frequent target of conservatives and Tea Party groups. Earlier this year, he proposed a study group to scrutinize Common Core standards that the Brookhaven Tea Party called a “waste of tax dollars” that would “enrich Haley Barbour’s friends.”
He has also clashed frequently with Chris McDaniel, who openly backed Reeves’ opponent Billy Hewes III in 2011. McDaniel has frequently accused Reeves of preventing bills he supported from moving forward.
Reeves is being challenged by conservative Alisha McElhenney in the Republican primary for Lt. Governor, which takes place on August 4th. McElhenney is a newcomer to politics and is considered a long shot candidate in the primary.
Reeves’ record on gun issues has generally been decent, although he has occasionally been accused of letting pro-gun bills languish in the Senate to settle political scores. He supported two pro gun bills earlier year, and recently backed Gov. Bryant’s executive order to allow national guardsmen to carry at certain recruiting centers.
On non-gun issues, Reeves has been a frequent target of conservatives and Tea Party groups. Earlier this year, he proposed a study group to scrutinize Common Core standards that the Brookhaven Tea Party called a “waste of tax dollars” that would “enrich Haley Barbour’s friends.”
He has also clashed frequently with Chris McDaniel, who openly backed Reeves’ opponent Billy Hewes III in 2011. McDaniel has frequently accused Reeves of preventing bills he supported from moving forward.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Is Ted Nugent Switching To Gun Owners Of America?
Ted Nugent, possibly the NRA’s most famous board member, appeared in a publicity photo for rival gun group Gun Owners of America last week. Does this mean Nugent might be switching to a new team?
GOA tweeted a photo of Nugent along with a quote of him saying: “Be a real American warrior for gun rights and freedom. Join GOA & sign up as many members as you can.”
GOA tweeted a photo of Nugent along with a quote of him saying: “Be a real American warrior for gun rights and freedom. Join GOA & sign up as many members as you can.”
Although Nugent doesn’t seem to have said anything publicly about switching over to GOA, the organization certainly reflects his strong views on gun rights.
In 2013, the NY Times said GOA “pushes harder than the NRA” in its defense of the Second Amendment, and credited GOA with convincing Republican lawmakers like Tom Coburn to back off gun control legislation that year.
The newspaper also pointed out that GOA spends almost as much on lobbying as the NRA despite being less than 1% of its size:
While it might be increasingly potent, the group is not rich. Gun Owners of America’s total revenue in 2011 was less than $2 million, compared with the N.R.A.’s nearly $220 million. The group spent $1.3 million last year to lobby Congress, while the N.R.A. spent nearly $3 million. Its campaign contributions last year were $119,850, placing it at 2,669 on a list of 20,968 lobbying groups ranked by the Center for Responsive Politics. The N.R.A. spent $1.5 million, putting it at 230th. Gun Owners of America has 300,000 dues-paying members; the N.R.A. has five million.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Anti-Gun Democrat Pleads Guilty To Arms Trafficking-Related Charges
Former California State Sen. Leland Yee pleaded guilty last week to bribery, money laundering and arms trafficking – related charges.
A prominent San Francisco-area Democrat, Yee was known for his support for gun control and had an “A+” rating from the Brady Campaign. He was arrested last year after being caught up in an eight-year investigation of a Chinese-American mafia association.
Last week, Yee admitted that he discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines. News reports have said the guns were intended to be brought to the US for distribution.
In 2012, Yee said, “no one will convince me it’s anything other than a joke to say having multiple clips and semi-automatic weapons that can shoot 100 or more bullets at a time is necessary in this state or in this country, it’s ridiculous.”
Yee previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but changed his plea last week. According to news reports, he now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A prominent San Francisco-area Democrat, Yee was known for his support for gun control and had an “A+” rating from the Brady Campaign. He was arrested last year after being caught up in an eight-year investigation of a Chinese-American mafia association.
Last week, Yee admitted that he discussed helping an undercover FBI agent buy automatic weapons from the Philippines. News reports have said the guns were intended to be brought to the US for distribution.
In 2012, Yee said, “no one will convince me it’s anything other than a joke to say having multiple clips and semi-automatic weapons that can shoot 100 or more bullets at a time is necessary in this state or in this country, it’s ridiculous.”
Yee previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but changed his plea last week. According to news reports, he now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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