What’s scarier than the ghosts and goblins of Halloween? Something that might hit three or four days later.
Intelligence from credible sources indicate that if the Republicans win the upcoming election, the radical left will go nuts, possibly attacking the power grid and redoubling the violence we have seen this year in our cities with Antifa, et. al. Even if the Democrats win, it will send a message of rewarding bad behavior, and disruptive elements will very likely continue with riots and looting.
Stock up on candy for the trick-or-treaters, but stock up on serious provisions, too. A resurgent pandemic is highly probable, and that plus civil disturbance on an as yet unseen scale may require you to have stocks of that COVID-depleted toilet paper…and more.
The Democrat candidates have promised “buybacks” of certain firearms – read “mandatory confiscation” here – which historically has been an early step in Draconian governmental changes. One asks oneself, “What are they planning to do to me that they want me to be disarmed and helpless?”
Are you tired of hearing from gun owners’ civil rights groups, “This is the most important election ever?” Don’t be. They’re telling you the truth. The last few elections have each become, progressively, exactly that.
Donald Trump was not my first choice for President, nor my second or third. I voted for him in 2016 partly because he was the lesser of two evils, but mainly because he would be able to appoint high court justices who would protect our civil rights, including the Second Amendment. He has done exactly that with his three SCOTUS appointments, which I believe will be remembered as his most important achievement thus far.
I have voted for Trump/against Biden already for 2020. On the gun side of things, Biden has promised to confiscate property legally purchased and responsibly owned by law-abiding private citizens. That’s the sound of a canary dying in a mine shaft. The raid on your gun cabinet will be followed – or even preceded – by a raid on your wallet and more.
Vote. Yes, it matters. Look how narrow the margin was between Gore and Bush in the decisive state of Florida a few short years ago.
Halloween is the least scary thing going on in America this time of year.
Thanks Massad, you are an inspiration & we love you!
American military veterans and their relatives and friends, have you noticed that since Donald Trump became our President, the Veterans Affairs system has become greatly more efficient, competent, and responsive to veterans’ health care needs? One can remember when VA health care often seemed to go nowhere very fast. Now when you walk into your VA clinic, you are immediately taken care of in the most confidence-inspiring way. You can feel the good effects of involvement by a caring, efficient, competent, and hard-working leader named Donald J. Trump. Please reward him with your votes. Thank you.
I didn’t vote for Trumps personality. I voted for him because he defeated 16 career politicians who were “republicans,” of which I had no respect for as they lacked the testicular fortitude to stand up to the likes of Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi. He then defeated the “queen” of corruption.
Thus far, he has tried to keep his promises but this guy has endured the most brutal attacks from within, the outside and the world as a whole, from the tyrannical dictates therein.
When he wins again, his administration will hopefully fully expose ALL the corruption from both sides of the aisle, and hopefully our JUSTICE department may get a hand on the criminals, but that is a wish that could only be granted from a genie in a bottle, as the criminal enterprise of our representatives have been in business for decades.
Jeffery Epstein DIDN’T kill himself–let that sink in for a moment–corruption at the highest!
Oh, and where is the evidence that the Las Vegas shooter used a bump-stock, which was declared illegal to own, use or possess? Again, let that sink in, yes I know the administration outlawed them, but that was due to the input from the swamp rats that were still in place.
So much more to comment on concerning the corruption, but this is not a platform for that.
Stay safe.
Jeffrey Epstein DID kill himself, by being a friend of HillBilly. Anyone smart enough to make over a billion dollars should know that people close to the Clintons have a way of dying prematurely in various ways or simply disappearing. Vince Foster was a buddy of Hillary’s. Ron Brown worked for them. James McDougal was a business partner of the Clintons. See a trend here? Even Buddy their poor dog was snuffed out because he probably overheard some incriminating conversation between Bill and Hillary while laying on the rug at their feet.
Jeffrey Epstein did not hang himself, but he signed his own death warrant when he got close to the Clintons.
If the socialists take control- I wonder how many of us will willingly surrender our firearms?
Hopefully we will never need to find out.
VinFromNewYork:
My fervent hope as well.
For a plausible, disturbing (and occasionally funny) look at what a socialist America would look like, I suggest reading retired army colonel Kurt Schlichter’s novels. People’s Republic is a good place to start.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0H7WQZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
If we win next Tuesday, this is but a single, albeit critical, battle. The war will go on. In four years we might be offered a Harris/Ocasio-Cortez ticket. Or Omar/Ocasio-Cortez.
AOC is the leader of her squad so she gets first billing unless Omar bumps her off with some rat poison or a bomb.
I voted Trump/Pence not because they are saints. I voted for their platform. Make America Great! Outperform China. Bring criminals to justice. Renegotiate trade to bring employment back to America. Improve schools to teach all students and not indoctrinate them in Marxist philosophy. Help people become INDEPENDENT of government for their sustenance, and yes, PROTECT OUR FIRST AND SECOND AMENDMENTS.
Democrats want NONE of that. They don’t even want Biden as POTUS. They are really voting for Harris. Why else would Pelosi want to define a process to implement the 25th amendment?
President Trump has a proven track record that consists of promises made and kept. What more can I say? The second amendment not withstanding, the supreme court and many lesser court appointees. I winner indeed.
I am not a religious man but will pray for his reelection and I ask of you all the same.
I do not have many more years on this earth, and before I pass, I would like to see the continuum of our country the way it exists. Beyond that point, the future is not looking good as the trend of many believe in free stuff in lieu of freedom and self determination.
I’m with you.
I also love that President Trump is not a career politician. He get things done and has accomplished quite a lot despite the Left and media.
( In addition to everything else, he established a DHS division specifically to fight human trafficking. This year alone hundreds of children have been rescued. He passed criminal reform and gave clemency to a man serving 30 years on a drug charge out of jail. 30 years is a longer sentence than most murders.
400 miles of border fence completed.)
I’ll take a President who actually loves our country, respects our rights and upholds the Constitution. I don’t care that he’s not polished or politically correct.
This is the first voting season I’ve ever put a sign in my front yard. It supports our local Sheriff’s department.
As for confiscations, I believe I have a boating trip coming up soon…
Make it a deep sea fishing trip with your entire arsenal and ammunition stockpile. Lakes and ponds are too shallow and easily searched.
Larry McClain has spoken for me and I suspect many, many others!!
Thanks Mas
So here we are. The Communists aka Democrats, didnt accept the results of the last election and theres every indication they won’t this time either. Upon the polls closing on election night President Trump should invoke the Insurretion Act and begin arresting every Democrat member of Congress and the Senate- for starters. Arrest every Governor that allowed the Bolsheviks to riot unchecked. Arrest the top tier of the F.B.I. C.I.A. and N.S.A. for plotting the overthrow of the POTUS. Arrest every military service member that assisted the coup plotters. Only then can we get back to being a Constitutional Republic.
Check out the current reality of the leftist threat in Vancouver WA as documented by courageous journalist Andy Ngo. (Remember that Mr. Ngo incurred a traumatic brain injury when he was badly beaten by raging Antifa thugs in Portland OR on June 29, 2019.)
In the Twitter video link below, a leftist rioter angrily shouts “Death to your f—king Empire!” repeatedly as the American flag burns on the ground behind him.
The Democrats who will deliberately not arrest, charge, prosecute, convict and imprison the leftist rioter shown in this video are the very same Democrats who have vowed with glee to conduct an all out holy war against American gun owners.
Please recall the intensely disturbing images that you view in this video as you prepare to cast your vitally important vote in defense of liberty on November 3, 2020.
https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1322429526220165120?s=20
Reading between the lines, I think the tide may be turning.
Saw an article yesterday that San Francisco has figured out how to reduce its housing shortage. It said that because of virtual conferencing, working from home, etc. one out of five residents were considering moving out to places with lower cost of living, or were already in the process of doing so.
Interestingly, the article never mentioned the continuing lockdowns, homeless camps, peaceful demonstrations, or businesses being looted and burned as part of the motivation.
In 2017 the New York Times figured it out. The paper’s leadership noticed that their election predictions were out in left field, and realized that there might be a bunch of people “out there” they weren’t listening to. So they hired Bari Weiss to find those voices, and invite them to contribute.
But the woke cancel culture in the newsroom piled on her, and the leadership failed to back her up, so she resigned, and the NYT bubble closed again.
Traditionally a big voter turnout favors Democrats. But this year the Trump campaign is reporting one out of five voters at their rallies are registered Democrats. If election day totals match the unprecedented increase in early voters, all bets are off. The Left may be in for a big surprise. Again.
So I remain optimistic, while locking and loading.
As the flag at Gonzalez, Texas in 1836 said “Come and Take It.”
“Molon Labe!” as the feisty Spartans of ancient Greece used to say.
Is that Hi-Power in your shoulder rig, Mas? I AM impressed.
Wilson Combat Beretta Compact Carry 9mm, actually.
The lanyard loop is a giveaway that it’s a Beretta 9mm.
Nope. I’ve got that one in MY waistband. Love it.
How does one “buy back” something that was never yours to start with? Will the “party buying back” have to pass a stringent background check? Mine are not for sale
President Harris will be using money coerced from you through income taxes to ‘buy back’ at a fraction of the cost what you paid for your guns at the store. You buy something with your hard earned money and pay sales tax for it, then Aunt Kamala will use your tax dollars to take that property from you. Makes perfect sense – for evil liberals.
David Rodgers,
You must trust that our leaders have our best interests at heart. You wouldn’t let your children play with anything which would harm them now, would you? Well, those guns of ours sure are dangerous, so they will be bought back for our own good.
Oh, why can’t you on the Right see that if we are good followers, President Harris will lead us to a Golden Age of peace and harmony? Stop trying to do everything on your own. Stop trying to be independent. Let’s hear no more foolish talk of individual rights and rugged individualism. Open your arms and let the love fest begin. Government knows best.
I know Marx’ ideas haven’t worked very well in the past, but we can do better. You’ll see. Isn’t our vision of the future beautiful? And it can all happen for real, if we will just cooperate with the benevolent Left.
I do hope for a surprise. Democratic Socialism is NOT what I fought for or what my brother died for.
I couldn’t vote for either corrupt scoundrel I wouldn’t trust with cookie jar money or to lead a Boy Scout troop, certainly not to help with a Girl Scout troop if that came up. I voted Libertarian. They don’t take guns away or start wars. In my blue state my vote doesn’t matter anyway.
I applaud your principles, but you just threw away your valuable vote on a Libertarian candidate who has no chance in Hades of even coming close to winning. It’s basically voting for Comrade Harris and her village idiot running mate.
I’ve already placed my Trump vote early in Indiana. Like Larry McClain said, I didn’t vote for his personality. It was a choice between the witch queen and him and I chose him. We have the same exact issue this year Trump or the witch queen Kamala with just a sleepy old senile between him and the 25th Amendment being implemented by that afore mentioned witch queen. Pretty easy choice in my mind!
Ditto, from Indiana.
I’m holding my breath for my American cousins on Tuesday! You would be very surprised to know how many pro USA people live in Canada. Trump may have his faults, but he is the right person at the right time for all the right reasons! Stand fast, and hold your head high America, your patriots will always defend you from the evil of the radical left. They will not be bullied by threats of more unrest if Biden fails, they will rise to meet the challenges ahead, and make America great again!
Well said, Mas!
Three Supreme Court Justices and a re-alignment of the 9th Circuit Court will be Trump’s legacy. Should Biden win, we should be able dodge four years of his and Harris’s chicanery using the courts.
Stay safe, sir!
Back in 2016, I had sworn to move to Venezuela if Donald Trump won, but being a good honest Democrat, I lied like my many fellow liberals in Follywood. Now in 2020, if Harris/Biden wins, Venezuela will be coming to me. Workers of the World – Unite!
We cannot spare Donald Trump, he fights.
Thanks to Mas and everyone who commented on this blog! Very informative comments! It’s great to know the truth can still be found if you know where to look for it, and your ears are tuned to it.
Biden is a remarkable person. It takes real talent, of a sort, to have been wrong on absolutely everything for so long. I remember when he dropped out in disgrace of the 1988 race. He said that he would prohibit the importation of “assault weapons.” Didn’t the first George Bush do that in the late 1980’s? Otherwise, where can I buy a made-in-Switzerland semi-auto SG 550? Or maybe he knows that and would make a show of it to a fawning press?
I think that in some ways, the horse left the barn years ago. With at-home CNC machines becoming cheaper and cheaper, the whole 80% receiver thing, and 3-D printing, people will have access to guns no matter what. How long before people start selling jigs to make blocky, but functional, receivers out of 0% billets?
During the Clinton era, they were trying to coerce Colt, S&W and Ruger into toeing the line–and had they succeed, that would have been 95%+ of the handgun and modern semi-auto market. Remington, Mossberg, et al, did not count back then. Everything is different now. Should the worst happen, expect gun companies within states to sell only within those states. Without the pretext of interstate commerce, what is the authority of congress to legislate? Not that they would not try, but it could be shot down by the courts. Could be that the big companies make the parts, then mom-and-pops in each state finish the receivers and assemble the final firearms. Net impact: more companies involved in the trade, and availability the same.
But better to win this week, so get out and vote. Democrats see nothing immoral about voter fraud–to them allowing bad orange man back in office would be the real crime. So we have to get everyone on our side to vote to counteract the massive voter fraud project the Democrats are running, and that the media are willfully blind to.
I have often asked that if buying a gun in America is so incredibly easy as per the media, why not make the requirements to vote the same as those for buying a gun. You know, make it easy.
What are they planning to do to you…..? I’ve been trying to figure this out. Best guess: The Great Reset. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/11/01/delingpole-only-donald-trump-can-save-us-from-the-great-reset/. Communism repackaged. It explains why Big Media and Big Tech oppose Trump the way that they do
If Kamala Harris and her senile sidekick, Creepy Joe wins, they will tear down ‘The Wall’ and use the materials to build ‘re-education’ camps where patriotic Americans will be taken to in railway cattle cars. Those not capable of being re-educated will be sent to the showers and then the ovens. It’s been done before. Just ask the honest Jews. No, Feinstein and Schumer are not honest, never were, never will be, and a disgrace to their religion.
Actually, the radical left is prepping for violence, no matter who wins the election. Either a protest or a celebration. Or intimidation if the election winds up hanging for a while. We know this because they have told us. And should Harris? win then they will have the full power of the Federal government behind them. As Sarah Hoyt over at Insty reminds us: “The Left loses ugly. They win uglier.”
“Folks! Look! C’mon, Man! For God Sakes! You know, the Thing! Trunalimunumaprzure!”
Check out the tweet below that Sleepy Joe launched on November 1, 2020. Indeed, he definitely plans to come for Americans’ guns.
I wonder if loud mouth Beto O’Rourke will be going door to door in person to “buy back” Americans’ AR-15s?
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1322976702419636225?s=20
Beto won’t be coming alone. He’ll be standing behind a horde of heavily armed stormtroopers when your door bell rings, then two seconds later, the door is rammed open and anyone they deem a threat, especially dogs, are immediately killed. Beto may be given the American version of the Popemobile or possibly an armored skateboard to keep this valuable comrade safe while he supervises the removal of guns from their uncooperative owners’ cold dead hands.
“Karl Marx gave some advice to his followers: “Accuse your enemy of what you are doing, as you are doing it to create confusion.””.
https://www.libertynation.com/media-takes-a-lesson-from-karl-marx/
When Democrats accuse Republicans of stealing the election, they are stealing it. When Democrats call you a racist, they are the racist. When Democrats say you are dangerous to the country, they are dangerous to the country. If you KNOW this, then you know what is going on. Democrats and their minions are trying to stage a Marxist coup. DON’T let them. Fight for your Republic!
The Executive Branch of our government needs a man at the top of it to be an executive.
For the greatest part of our nation’s history there hasn’t been a tried and proven executive in that office, usually politicians.
The obama administration was the court jester keeping the throne warm until a man could be elected.
Had there been a serious, responsible, mature and competent man in office instead of obama and a serious candidate, not Mrs. Clinton, I am confident Donald Trump would not have entered the race. Mrs. Clinton was too great a threat to our nation.
Our President is a tried and proven executive, not a politician, without all the political considerations in his way he is able to do the job.
You do not need Little Lord Fauntleroy, a polite politician, you need a man capable of getting our nation’s work done, a proven executive.
Instead of taking a whipping from the ‘news’ industry he communicates directly to us via social media, he knows how to get things done including keeping us involved in running this nation.
He is a rarity in the political world .
It would be wonderful if he is re-elected.
Tell the Democrats that the way to remove us as a political factor is to encourage the Supreme Court to uphold the right to keep and bear arms — INCLUDING our right to carry when visiting Manhattan — and have the Democratic Party ACCEPT that.
I waited until today, to vote in person to keep our beloved Uncle Sam from being replaced by that evil Aunt Kamala. I would gladly take Aunt Jemina over that Commie.
If the forces of darkness take control of our country, I’ll see you guys on the soup line. Taking a line from the popular TV series Game of Thrones, “Winter is Coming!”
As I write this (Wednesday morning), the 2020 Election is still “up in the air” and is now not expected to be decided for days or even weeks.
As an engineer, I am trained in logic, critical thinking, probability and mathematics. I (naturally) have a very logical and reasoned mind. Therefore, the lies and propaganda of the Anti-American Media do not much affect me. After observing their tricks, for years now, I am practically immune to their propaganda and indoctrination efforts.
Nevertheless, even I was surprised by the corruption that I saw on Election night. I was watching Fox News on the theory that they would be less manipulative than CNN or MSNBC. I was disappointed to find out that I was wrong to put any trust in them. They were manipulating the results, in Biden’s favor, with as much skill as CNN could ever have done.
They pulled a number of tricks both subtle and gross. One subtle trick was in the display of the pictures of the Presidential Candidates. They used a picture of Biden showing him happy and smiling. The picture of President Trump was frowning and scowling. This is an old trick. For example, who can forget how they used an out-of-date picture of a happy Treyvon Martin, as a young boy, next to a dark picture of an overweight and thuggish George Zimmerman?
Fox (and the rest of the media) also carefully manipulated the Electoral count. Blue States were called for Joe Biden as soon as possible. Often, with less than 20% of the vote totaled. Meanwhile, Red States were called for Donald Trump only reluctantly. They were never called unless there were enough blue counts to offset them. As a result, Donald Trump never led the Electoral count even for an instant. Job Biden took the initial lead and the results were carefully manipulated to insure that he held that lead all night long.
When Biden finally ran out of Blue States that could be quickly called for him, Fox also stopped calling Red States for President Trump. They “locked down” their final Biden lead and then declared that the remaining States could not be decided that night. It would take days for these last few States to be counted they confidently asserted.
With the counting stopped for the night, we can be sure that the Democrats are working overtime to “manufacture” the necessary mail-in ballots to flip some of those States to Biden. We can expect that games will be played in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania so that at least two of those States goes to Biden in the end. The Democrats will count and count and count and count and count until (finally), the count reaches a Biden win in those States. With those States in the Biden column, he will squeak over the 270 total necessary to insure a National win. Only then will the counting stop.
The Democrat strategy seems to be working. They “colluded” with Chine to release and use Covid-19 to hurt the economy. They then used their media and “Big Tech” tools to generate propaganda and fear-mongering (combined with suppression of negative news regarding Biden’s corruption) to manipulate the weakest-minded members of the American Public so that the Election remained close. Now, their plan is to use Election fraud to carry them the rest of the way home to a Biden Victory. Only that most strenuous legal efforts by President Trump, and the Republicans, will prevent the Democrats from stealing this election. It may well come down to the SCOTUS unless the Democrats can get it thrown into the U.S. House so that Nancy Pelosi can give them their final win.
Seeing the popularity of President Trump, via his rallies, and being immune to Media tricks myself, I had hoped that the American People would also reject the Media’s propaganda and fear-mongering and not fall for their manipulative tricks. Of course, about 25% of the American Population has been indoctrinated to be hardcore Marxist/Socialists. Nevertheless, I had hopes for everybody else. It now appears that at least 50% of the American Public (comprised of hardcore leftist and weak-minded “useful idiots”) have become tools of the Left and the Anti-American Media.
If Biden, in collusion with China and his “Deep State” / Media handlers, does manage to steal this election from President Trump, then it will be time to re-visit and re-write T.S. Eliot’s famous poem “The Hollow Man”. The new words should become:
This is the way that liberty ends
This is the way that freedom ends
This is the way that the Republic ends
Not with a bang but a whimper
One correction to my comment above. The referenced poem, by T.S. Eliot, is entitled “The Hollow Men” (plural) rather than “The Hollow Man” (singular).
This was not a typo. Rather, it was a Freudian Slip on my part. My mind was on Joe Biden when I typed “The Hollow Man”! 🙂
I watch mostly Fox News as they are fairer than the other propaganda organizations, but keep in mind they have Geraldo Rivera, Juan Williams, and Chris Wallace on their payroll and those guys are all liberals. The only people I really trust on Fox News are Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, Mark Levin, Steve Hilton, and Jeanine Pirro. It’s acceptable to have liberal guests to get their opinions, but don’t hire them to work for you.
TN_MAN,
Excellent summary, spot on. I’m not sure why FoxNews is leaning left, but people mention that founder Rupert Murdoch lets his son Lachlan Murdoch run the channel. Maybe Soros has been able to get his plants in there, who knows?
Doesn’t everything but Islam eventually go Left? Harvard, Yale and Princeton were created to train ministers. Maybe the Left is more friendly to natural human tendancies than the Right is. Being on the right requires some self-control, and who wants to naturally do that? Going downhill is easier than going uphill.
Friend TN_MAN, you are nailing it. Add to that the desperados who are so expert at taking advantage of any situation, including what may not have been foreseen or planned. One ace-in-the-hole that we have is your “it may well come down to the SCOTUS.” The whole vote-count process looks very foggy in a lot of states. In Arizona, a November 2020 ballot inquiry gives “Your ballot was signature verified and counted.” One question: “Is full credit given appropriately to the bubble choices?” Next question: “Whom do you trust?” The SCOTUS needs to step up and clear the fog, especially if Sharpies for mail-ins can be nullifying. Arizona’s Maricopa County Elections website does NOT seem to say definitely that Sharpies are NOT ONLY good for in-person ballots. Is somebody dodging something?
Enough of my much-watched Fox News, or anybody else, telling us how the SCOTUS really doesn’t want to do their job. No way would we want a SCOTUS made of opossums, or chickens, for that matter. SCOTUS, please, help clean up Election City while we can. Our very Constitution and an intact government can eventually depend upon valid election results. Please appreciate our loving respect for you all, and the faith that we place in you!
Just in case Biden’s huffed and puffed promises to be a President for all Americans, to work as hard for the people who voted against him as for the people who voted for him seem to ring a bit hollow, read below the totality of his strident anti-gun policy in the link below.
This virulently anti-gun policy is drawn directly from Biden’s candidate website. My counsel would be to believe the stark words written in Biden’s policy statement, not the few intelligible, highly scripted words that flow unevenly from Biden’s mouth whenever his Marxist handlers decide to allow him to appear in public.
P.S. Note Biden’s plan to restructure and reform BATFE and to change its mission to align with the tenets outlined in Biden’s anti-gun policy.
—————————————————————————
THE BIDEN PLAN TO END OUR GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC
Joe Biden knows that gun violence is a public health epidemic. Almost 40,000 people die as a result of firearm injuries every year in the United States, and many more are wounded. Some of these deaths and injuries are the result of mass shootings that make national headlines. Others are the result of daily acts of gun violence or suicides that may not make national headlines, but are just as devastating to the families and communities left behind.
Joe Biden has taken on the National Rifle Association (NRA) on the national stage and won – twice. In 1993, he shepherded through Congress the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established the background check system that has since kept more than 3 million firearms out of dangerous hands. In 1994, Biden – along with Senator Dianne Feinstein – secured the passage of 10-year bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. As president, Joe Biden will defeat the NRA again.
Joe Biden also knows how to make progress on reducing gun violence using executive action. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, President Obama tasked Vice President Biden with developing both legislative proposals and executive actions to make our communities safer. As a result of this effort, the Obama-Biden Administration took more than two dozen actions, including narrowing the so-called “gun show loophole,” increasing the number of records in the background check system, and expanding funding for mental health services.
It’s within our grasp to end our gun violence epidemic and respect the Second Amendment, which is limited. As president, Biden will pursue constitutional, common-sense gun safety policies.
Biden will:
Hold gun manufacturers accountable. In 2005, then-Senator Biden voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, but gun manufacturers successfully lobbied Congress to secure its passage. This law protects these manufacturers from being held civilly liable for their products – a protection granted to no other industry. Biden will prioritize repealing this protection.
Get weapons of war off our streets. The bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that Biden, along with Senator Feinstein, secured in 1994 reduced the lethality of mass shootings. But, in order to secure the passage of the bans, they had to agree to a 10-year sunset provision and when the time came, the Bush Administration failed to extend them.
As president, Biden will:
Ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Federal law prevents hunters from hunting migratory game birds with more than three shells in their shotgun. That means our federal law does more to protect ducks than children. It’s wrong. Joe Biden will enact legislation to once again ban assault weapons. This time, the bans will be designed based on lessons learned from the 1994 bans. For example, the ban on assault weapons will be designed to prevent manufacturers from circumventing the law by making minor changes that don’t limit the weapon’s lethality. While working to pass this legislation, Biden will also use his executive authority to ban the importation of assault weapons.
Regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act. Currently, the National Firearms Act requires individuals possessing machine-guns, silencers, and short-barreled rifles to undergo a background check and register those weapons with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Due to these requirements, such weapons are rarely used in crimes. As president, Biden will pursue legislation to regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act.
Buy back the assault weapons and high-capacity magazines already in our communities. Biden will also institute a program to buy back weapons of war currently on our streets. This will give individuals who now possess assault weapons or high-capacity magazines two options: sell the weapons to the government, or register them under the National Firearms Act.
Reduce stockpiling of weapons. In order to reduce the stockpiling of firearms, Biden supports legislation restricting the number of firearms an individual may purchase per month to one.
Keep guns out of dangerous hands. The federal background check system (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System) is one of the best tools we have to prevent gun violence, but it’s only effective when it’s used. Biden will enact universal background check legislation and close other loopholes that allow people who should be prohibited from purchasing firearms from making those purchases.
Specifically, he will:
Require background checks for all gun sales. Today, an estimated 1 in 5 firearms are sold or transferred without a background check. Biden will enact universal background check legislation, requiring a background check for all gun sales with very limited exceptions, such as gifts between close family members. This will close the so-called “gun show and online sales loophole” that the Obama-Biden Administration narrowed, but which cannot be fully closed by executive action alone.
Close other loopholes in the federal background check system. In addition to closing the “boyfriend loophole” highlighted below, Biden will: Reinstate the Obama-Biden policy to keep guns out of the hands of certain people unable to manage their affairs for mental reasons, which President Trump reversed. In 2016, the Obama-Biden Administration finalized a rule to make sure the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends to the background check system records that it holds of individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms because they have been adjudicated by the SSA as unable to manage their affairs for mental reasons. But one of the first actions Donald Trump took as president was to reverse this rule. President Biden will enact legislation to codify this policy.
Close the “hate crime loophole.” Biden will enact legislation prohibiting an individual “who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or received an enhanced sentence for a misdemeanor because of hate or bias in its commission” from purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Close the “Charleston loophole.” The Charleston loophole allows people to complete a firearms purchase if their background check is not completed within three business days. Biden supports the proposal in the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019, which extends the timeline from three to 10 business days. Biden will also direct the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to put on his desk within his first 100 days as president a report detailing the cases in which background checks are not completed within 10 business days and steps the federal government can take to reduce or eliminate this occurrence.
Close the “fugitive from justice” loophole created by the Trump Administration. Because of actions by the Trump Administration, records of almost 500,000 fugitives from justice who are prohibited from purchasing firearms were deleted from the background check system. The Biden Administration will restore these records, and enact legislation to make clear that people facing arrest warrants are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms.
End the online sale of firearms and ammunitions. Biden will enact legislation to prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts.
Create an effective program to ensure individuals who become prohibited from possessing firearms relinquish their weapons. Federal law defines categories of individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, and the federal background check system is an effective tool for ensuring prohibited persons cannot purchase firearms. But we lack any serious tool to ensure that when someone becomes newly prohibited – for example, because they commit a violent crime – they relinquish possession of their firearms. There are some promising models for how this could be enforced. For example, California has a mandatory process for ensuring relinquishment by any individual newly subject to a domestic violence restraining order. As president, Biden will direct the FBI and ATF to outline a model relinquishment process, enact any necessary legislation to ensure relinquishment when individuals newly fall under one of the federal prohibitions, and then provide technical and financial assistance to state and local governments to establish effective relinquishment processes on their own.
Incentivize state “extreme risk” laws. Extreme risk laws, also called “red flag” laws, enable family members or law enforcement officials to temporarily remove an individual’s access to firearms when that individual is in crisis and poses a danger to themselves or others. Biden will incentivize the adoption of these laws by giving states funds to implement them. And, he’ll direct the U.S. Department of Justice to issue best practices and offer technical assistance to states interested in enacting an extreme risk law.
Give states incentives to set up gun licensing programs. Biden will enact legislation to give states and local governments grants to require individuals to obtain a license prior to purchasing a gun.
Adequately fund the background check system. President Obama and Vice President Biden expanded incentives for states to submit records of prohibited persons into the background checks system. As president, Biden will continue to prioritize that funding and ensure that the FBI is adequately funded to accurately and efficiently handle the NICS system.
ADDRESSING THE DEADLY COMBINATION OF GUNS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The statistics tell a devastating and overwhelming story. The likelihood that a woman in a domestic violence situation will be killed increases by a factor of five if a gun is nearby. Half of mass shootings involve an individual shooting a family member or former intimate partner. This deadly connection tragically impacts children as well: 86% of children killed in shootings with four or more victims were involved in domestic or family violence.
Biden recognizes that the gun violence and domestic violence epidemics are linked and cannot be solved in isolation. Addressing the interconnectedness of these challenges will be a core focus of Biden’s anti-violence work as president.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, which Leader McConnell refuses to bring to the floor for a vote, includes a number of reforms to keep firearms out of the hands of abusers. Senator McConnell should ensure this legislation gets passed long before President Biden would take the oath of office. But if McConnell refuses to act, Biden will enact legislation to close the so-called “boyfriend loophole” and “stalking loophole” by prohibiting all individuals convicted of assault, battery, or stalking from purchasing or possessing firearms, regardless of their connection to the victim. This proposal is modeled after existing laws in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. Biden also supports enacting the proposal to prohibit anyone under a temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing a firearm before their hearing.
In addition, President Biden will:
Establish a new Task Force on Online Harassment and Abuse to focus on the connection between mass shootings, online harassment, extremism, and violence against women. As President, Joe Biden will convene a national Task Force with federal agencies, state leaders, advocates, law enforcement, and technology experts to study rampant online sexual harassment, stalking, and threats, including revenge porn and deepfakes — and the connection between this harassment, mass shootings, extremism and violence against women. The Task Force will be charged with developing cutting-edge strategies and recommendations for how federal and state governments, social media companies, schools, and other public and private entities can tackle this unique challenge. The Task Force will consider platform accountability, transparent reporting requirements for incidents of harassment and response, and best practices.
Expand the use of evidence-based lethality assessments by law enforcement in cases of domestic violence. Lethality assessments, sometimes called “risk” or “danger” assessments, are a proven strategy to help law enforcement officers identify domestic violence survivors who are at high risk of being killed by their abusers. These survivors are then connected with social service programs that can offer services and safety planning. An evaluation of the Lethality Assessment Program (LEP) created by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence showed promising results. Increased federal funding will incentivize jurisdictions to take advantage of implementing these programs more widely.
Make sure firearm owners take on the responsibility of ensuring their weapons are used safely.
Put America on the path to ensuring that 100% of firearms sold in America are smart guns. Today, we have the technology to allow only authorized users to fire a gun. For example, existing smart gun technology requires a fingerprint match before use. Biden believes we should work to eventually require that 100% of firearms sold in the U.S. are smart guns. But, right now the NRA and gun manufacturers are bullying firearms dealers who try to sell these guns. Biden will stand up against these bullying tactics and issue a call to action for gun manufacturers, dealers, and other public and private entities to take steps to accelerate our transition to smart guns.
Hold adults accountable for giving minors access to firearms. Biden supports legislation holding adults criminally and civilly liable for directly or negligently giving a minor access to a firearm, regardless of whether the minor actually gains possession of the firearm.
Require gun owners to safely store their weapons. Biden will pass legislation requiring firearm owners to store weapons safely in their homes.
Empower law enforcement to effectively enforce our gun laws.
Prioritize prosecution of straw purchasers. “Straw purchasers” buy a firearm on behalf of an individual who cannot pass a background check. Biden will end those loopholes by enacting a law to make all straw purchases a serious federal crime and ensure the U.S. Justice Department has sufficient resources to prioritize their prosecution.
Notify law enforcement when a potential firearms purchaser fails a background check. Too often, when prohibited persons attempting to buy a firearm fail a background check, state and local law enforcement is never informed of the attempt. As president, Biden will direct the FBI to set up a process to ensure timely notification of denials to state and local law enforcement, and he’ll support legislation to codify this process. This empowers law enforcement to follow up and ensure prohibited persons do not attempt to acquire firearms through other means.
Require firearms owners to report if their weapon is lost or stolen. Responsible gun owners have a responsibility to inform law enforcement if their weapon is lost or stolen. Biden will enact legislation to make this the law of the land.
Stop “ghost guns.” One way people who cannot legally obtain a gun may gain access to a weapon is by assembling a one on their own, either by buying a kit of disassembled gun parts or 3D printing a working firearm. Biden will stop the proliferation of these so-called “ghost guns” by passing legislation requiring that purchasers of gun kits or 3D printing code pass a federal background check. Additionally, Biden will ensure that the authority for firearms exports stays with the State Department, and if needed, reverse a proposed rule by President Trump. This will ensure the State Department continues to block the code used to 3D print firearms from being made available on the Internet.
Reform, fund, and empower the U.S. Justice Department to enforce our gun laws. Biden will direct his Attorney General to deliver to him within his first 100 days a set of recommendations for restructuring the ATF and related Justice Department agencies to most effectively enforce our gun laws. Biden will then work to secure sufficient funds for the Justice Department to effectively enforce our existing gun laws, increase the frequency of inspections of firearms dealers, and repeal riders that get in the way of that work.
Direct the ATF to issue an annual report on firearms trafficking. This report will provide officials with critical information to better identify strategies for curbing firearms trafficking.
TACKLE URBAN GUN VIOLENCE WITH TARGETED, EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS
Daily acts of gun violence in our communities may not make national headlines, but are just as devastating to survivors and victims’ families as gun violence that does make the front page.
And, these daily acts of gun violence disproportionately impact communities of color. But there is reason to be optimistic. There are proven strategies for reducing gun violence in urban communities without turning to incarceration. For example, Group Violence Intervention organizes community leaders to work with individuals most likely to commit acts of gun violence, express the community’s demand that the gun violence stop, and connect individuals who may be likely perpetrators with social and economic support services that may deter violent behavior. These types of interventions have reduced homicides by as much as 60%. Hospital-Based Violence Intervention engages young people who have been injured by gun violence while they are still in the hospital, connecting them to social and economic services that may decrease the likelihood they engage in or are victims of gun violence in the future. Biden will create a $900 million, eight-year initiative to fund these and other types of evidence-based interventions in 40 cities across the country – the 20 cities with the highest number of homicides, and 20 cities with the highest number of homicides per capita. This proposal is estimated to save more than 12,000 lives over the eight-year program.
Dedicate the brightest scientific minds to solving the gun violence public health epidemic. In 2013, President Obama issued a memorandum clarifying that a longstanding appropriations rider that prohibited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal scientific agencies from using federal dollars to “advocate or promote gun control” does not prohibit those agencies from researching the causes and prevention of gun violence. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) subsequently embarked on funding some of this research, though Republican leadership in Congress refused to appropriate any funds to the CDC for this work. Biden will call for Congress to appropriate $50 million to accelerate this research at the CDC and NIH.
Prohibit the use of federal funds to arm or train educators to discharge firearms. We should be passing rational gun laws, not requiring educators who already have too much on their plates to also protect the safety of their students. Biden supports barring states from using federal dollars to arm or train educators to discharge firearms.
Address the epidemic of suicides by firearms. Biden believes any plan to address the gun violence epidemic must address suicides by firearms, which account for 6 in 10 gun-related deaths but are often left out of the conversation.
Many of the policies noted above – including safe storage requirements and extreme risk protection orders – will have a serious impact on efforts to reduce gun violence. But there’s so much more we need to do to support people experiencing suicidal ideation. In the months ahead, Biden will put forward a comprehensive plan to improve access to mental health services.
SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
Violence causes ripples of trauma throughout our communities, impacting not just the victims of violence but also their communities and first responders. Fear of school shootings is having a noticeable impact on the mental health of Gen Z. Intimate partner violence is linked to depression, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health challenges among survivors. And, this trauma can be intergenerational. Science now shows that young children who witness violence – including in their home – literally alters the parts of their brains that affect “reasoning, planning, and behavioral control.”
We need to reduce violence to prevent trauma from happening in the first place. But we also must treat the resulting trauma as a serious crisis in its own right.
As president, Biden will:
Make federal programs more trauma-informed. During his first 100 days, Biden will direct his Cabinet to conduct a review of all federal programs that directly serve communities likely to experience violence and identify reforms to make sure those programs effectively address resulting trauma. Biden will then invest significant federal funds in expanding and improving the federal government’s support for trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.
Create a network of trauma care centers. Biden will bring together offices within the federal government to establish specialized trauma care centers for survivors of violence, with a special focus on survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Domestic violence services are focused on meeting the emergency needs of survivors, including safety planning and crisis intervention. As a result, frontline providers lack the resources they need to offer therapeutic services to help survivors heal from trauma. These trauma care centers will be flexible in meeting the needs of communities, and could be housed at rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs, universities, and existing mental health centers.
Train health care and other service providers in trauma-centered care. To prevent revictimization and secondary trauma, Biden will align training efforts throughout relevant federal programs to include a focus on understanding the traumatic effects of violence, providing appropriate care to avoid furthering the trauma, linking survivors with evidence-based trauma therapies, and reducing myths about domestic and sexual violence. This will be accomplished through agency directives, policy guidance, and special conditions for grantees and contractors.
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If Biden’s anti-gun policy does not constitute an all out holy war on private gun ownership in the USA, I do not know what does. This is not what “healing” and “unity” look like, right?
If Biden were more of an executive, like our President and less of a pandering, butt kissing politician he could read factual statistics, who shot whom and why.
If minority against minority gun crime were dealt with “gun violence” would not be a serious topic of conversation,
Bummer
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