Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: The Biggest Gun Grabs of the Last Eight Years

Authors Columns
(Photo: GrandViewOutdoors)

(Photo: GrandViewOutdoors)

There’s an old saying that says, “To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” Hammers can only do one thing: whack stuff (that’s the technical term). If a hammer happens upon a loose screw, it’s just going to keep hammering until that screw either breaks or magically transforms into a nail.

Where am I going with this? Good question. Here’s what I’m thinking—anti-gun politicians are kind of like hammers. To them, every problem that kind-of-sort-of-has-something-to-do-with-firearms can be solved by enacting gun control.

When the vast majority of gun-related murders are committed with handguns, they want to ban “assault rifles” with legislation that won’t stop mass shootings (not saying we should ban handguns, just pointing out how misguided thier efforts are). When 22 veterans commit suicide every day, they want to revoke the Second Amendments rights of vets who need help with their finances. And despite the fact that firearm-related murders are at their lowest point since 1981, members of Congress stage a sit-in over a supposed lack of action on gun control.

Anti-gunner believe that by passing legislation targeting law-abiding citizens (who else does legislation target?), they can reduce the number of firearm-related crimes. That’s the charitable view. The less charitable view is that state and federal politicians don’t like the idea of their subjects being armed, and they’ll do anything in their power to take away their right to own and carry firearms.

Whatever the reason, we’ve seen some bold gun bans in the last eight years, and as President Obama’s tenure in office winds to a close, I wanted to look at just a few of them. I think it’s important to keep these on our radar so we can 1) fight to get them repealed and 2) be vigilant so that this kind of legislation doesn’t see the light of day in other states.

New York SAFE Act

I didn’t know much about the NY SAFE Act before writing this article, so I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry when I read this FAQ published by the New York Governor’s office. Phew. To any New York residents out there, you have my condolences.

The SAFE Act is similar to other “assault weapon” bans in that it prohibits any rifles or pistols with features arbitrarily designated as “military.” These include, according to this PowerPoint from the Governor’s office, folding or telescoping stocks, pistol grips, thumbhole stocks, “second handgrips,” bayonet mounts, and muzzle devices. According to the New York governor, these features make a rifle an “assault weapon” and disallow them from being bought or sold in New York.

Anyone with actual common sense knows that these features do almost nothing to enhance the lethality of a rifle. The Ruger Mini 14 is functionally equivalent to an AR-15. But because it lacks those scary “military” features it isn’t banned in New York (yet).

The SAFE Act imposes a number of additional measures, such as banning magazines of more than 10 rounds and requiring a background check for all private transactions. But the implementation of the new law has been anything but smooth. The Act initially banned any magazines over seven rounds, but when they realized seven round magazines don’t exist, the courts switched it to 10. The pro-gun community gained an additional victory when New York’s governor agreed to suspend a provision that would have required background checks on ammo purchases.

Concerns have also been raised among mental health professionals that too many people have been deemed mentally unstable and too dangerous to carry firearms. As of October 2014, 34,500 people had been placed on New York’s no-gun list, a number one former mental hospital director said seems “extraordinarily high.”

The law has received opposition from law enforcement as well. New York State Sheriffs Association and five individual sheriffs joined in 2013 a court effort to block enforcement of the magazine and firearms bans. Some Sheriffs even went on the record to say that they will not enforce the law.

What’s the status of the Act now? It’s still in effect, but, according to this article, it’s been a “monumental failure.” Not because it’s done anything to reduce crime—again, rifles weren’t used in the vast majority of gun-related crimes in the first place. It’s because “the industry has reacted to the law by simply redesigning the guns to avoid the features the law prohibits and which Cuomo apparently believed made them more lethal.”

The authors sums it up well in the conclusion, and this could really apply to any proposed gun ban:

“So, what is left of Cuomo’s SAFE Act? It has many minor provisions, some of which are working, but from the perspective of criminals, not much has changed. They can still buy all the guns they want to commit crimes. To lawful citizens who want to own a gun, there is a giant government record-keeping bureaucracy, additional cost and waiting times, but little real impact on what firearms they can buy if they want them. The SAFE Act therefore burdens people who do not commit crimes, while having no impact on the real source of gun crime in New York: street violence in poor urban neighborhoods.”

Massachusetts Copycat Ban

Massachusetts passed an “assault weapons” ban in 1998 prohibiting the sale or manufacture of certain modern sporting rifles, e.g. the AR-15 and AK-47 platforms. Like in New York, the gun industry has been complying with the Massachusetts law by modifying AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles so they are in compliance with the law (fixed stocks, no muzzle device, etc.).

But just a few weeks ago, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey unilaterally decided to change the law’s interpretation. Now, despite the lack of new legislation, a rifle is illegal if its internal operating system is largely the same as an AR-15 or an AK-47 (bye, bye, Ruger Mini).

“One thing is certain is that this new interpretation is purely a political stunt and has nothing to do with public safety or law,” said Jim Wallace, the executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League of Massachusetts, aka GOAL.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation announced their intention to sue Healey over her unilateral reinterpretation of the law. “With this ‘Enforcement Action,’ the Attorney General’s office has demonstrated how little it understands about firearms and has generated considerable uncertainty and confusion,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel in a statement. “Attorney General Healey and/or her staff have overreached their authority and decided to legislate from her office without the benefit of any public process.”

Healey cited the recent mass murders in Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown, and Aurora as motivation for her decision. But, again, laws target the law-abiding—not criminals and mass murderers. And as the Boston Marathon bombing tragically proved, terrorists don’t need firearms to accomplish their objectives.

Colorado Magazine Ban

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a law in 2013 that mandated background checks on all firearms transfers and prohibited magazines of over 15 rounds. Colorado residents, understandably furious, managed to recall two state senators who had supported the bill. Another senator resigned before the recall could take place.

Despite these efforts, the law withstood another recall attempt in the legislature in 2014. The popular magazine and accessory manufacturere, Magpul, had already moved to Texas by that time, and Coloradans have since been able to find ways to work around the magazine ban.

But the fight isn’t over. Universal background checks are still in place.  And this year the Senate passed legislation that would repeal the magazine restrictions. “Until we focus on the perpetrator or criminal who is intent on inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible on innocent people, we will never solve the issue of gun violence,” said the majority caucus chair, state Sen. Vicki Marble. “It takes a person to commit a crime, not an object.”

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Senate passed a similar bill last legislative session, which the Democrat-controlled House promptly killed. Right now action on the bill has been “postponed indefinitely” by the House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affair. It should be reconsidered when the legislature begins session next year.

Connecticut Gun Ban

Less than four months after the tragedy in Sandy Hook, the Democrat-controlled Connecticut legislature passed what some have called the toughest gun-control laws in the nation. You can find more details in this New York Times article, but I’ll just touch on a few of the more draconian measures.

One requires anyone who does not hold a concealed carry permit to acquire a state-issued eligibility certificate for the purchase of any rifle, shotgun or ammunition. Connecticut residents also have to register any “assault weapons” as well as magazines that hold over 10 rounds of ammunition. This isn’t a retroactive gun ban, per se, but failure to comply with the law meant some gun owners were forced to dispose of their weapons and magazines.

In 2014 the Journal Inquirer reported that the state issued orders for 108 residents with high-capacity magazines to destroy their magazines or move them out of state. Why? Because they submitted their registration papers after the Jan. 4, 2014, deadline. Keep in mind—these individuals were not trying to hide illegal magazines. These law-abiding gun owners were (imagine that!) trying to abide by the law. They just submitted their paperwork a few days late.

For firearms manufactured or sold after the laws took effect, the restrictions are almost identical to those in New York—a rifle is banned if it has a detachable magazine and any one of those scary military features.

The legislation also banned armor piercing bullets.

Today these laws are still holding strong. This Supreme Court last month declined to consider a challenge to Connecticut’s gun control measures, effectively upholding the lower court’s decision that the laws are constitutional.

California

When my editor and I were discussing this article, he mentioned that I should cover “whatever the heck they’re doing in California.” This seems like an appropriate way to describe the plethora of gun and ammunition restrictions foisted on Californians over the years.

California has had an “assault weapons” ban since 1989. However, it didn’t stop there, state legislators have continued to tighten their grip on the sale, manufacture, and possession of everything from handgun ammunition to .50 caliber rifles. They were the first state to issue many of the bans and restrictions we’ve seen in other states over the last eight years. Their magazine ban came in 2000, and they tightened their “assault rifle” restrictions in 1999.

But this past year has seen the harshest measures to date. We published an overview from the National Shooting Sports Foundation when the laws came down, and they aren’t pretty. These are the two major laws that ban certain types of firearms and accessories:

  • AB 1135(Levine) and SB 880 (Hall) Firearms: assault weapons – Expands the definition of assault weapons based on whether a semiautomatic firearm has a detachable magazine, banning thousands of popular firearms.
  • SB 1446(Hancock) Firearms: magazine capacity – Makes it illegal to possess magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds no matter how long a person has owned them. This is significant in that the prior law allowed owners to keep their magazines if they owned them before the law took effect.

The laws take effect in January, but one group—aptly named “Veto Gunmageddon”—is working to overturn them. By September 29 they need 365,000 referendum petition signatures for each of the seven laws they’re looking to repeal. If they can get the laws on the Nov. 8 ballot, there’s a chance they can be overturned. Petitions must be signed at designated petition signing locations, which you can view here. The petitions will be available to sign on Aug. 12, but you must be a registered California voter. Click here to register to vote.

Conclusion

Do you notice a trend, here? Gun grabs in recent history haven’t come from the federal government. They’ve come from the states. The GOP-controlled U.S. Congress has remained stalwart in their defense of Second Amendment rights, which has left the President more or less powerless in his attempts to enact stricter gun control measures.

So I think there are two takeaways. First, get involved in your state elections. If you care about your Second Amendment rights, you can’t just vote for the President every four years and be content. Anti-gunners have moved the battle to the states—we have to fight them there as well.

For my second point, I’m going to backtrack to my first point. The President hasn’t been able to ram his agenda down our throats because the pro-gun contingent controls Congress. What happens when that’s no longer the case? If anti-gunners take control of the Senate and the Presidency (not to mention the future Supreme Court nominations), we could have a serious problem on our hands. So while you’re deciding how to get involved in your state elections, be sure to vote in November’s elections as well.

The fight for the Second Amendment will never be over, but if the millions of gun owners across the United States work together, we can keep the anti-gunners at bay for years to come.

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About the Author: Jordan Michaels is a new convert to the gun world. A Canadian immigrant to the United States, he recently became an American citizen and is happily enjoying his newly-acquired Second Amendment freedoms. He’s a communications professional, a political junkie, and an avid basketball fan.

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  • franklin August 30, 2016, 4:36 pm

    It is not “GUN” violence it is CULTURAL violence.
    It is the deliberate destruction of the CULTURE that is at fault. Now who has been corroding Christian values for decades? Who has been PROFITING off glorifying violence?
    CULTURAL VIOLENCE
    Who has polluted the American “Mayberry” culture with “THUG GANGSTA” songs, games, movies, that glorify violence and promote violence as the ONLY way to deal with problems?!
    It is the CULTURE, STUPID ….. What has been done to Our culture by Media interested in PROFIT and “SOCIAL ENGINEERING” (just WHAT are they “engineering”?) NOT in creating a solid prosperous SOCIETY.
    MEDIA-ASSAULT-THOUGHTS. There is no action that is not preceded by the thought and idea of the action, and MSM has immersed America in violent anti-social thoughts. and been publicly proud and boastful of their ANTI-heroes. The immersion of a society in the thoughts and ideas of senseless violence unaccompanied by consequences. The flooding of Media venues such as music, movies, video games, TV, with thoughts and ideas designed to induce violent behavior. If purveying ideas through the media does not work ….. why are $BILLIONS spent every year on advertising and political propaganda if spreading “thoughts” does not matter?!?!
    What are the anti-Freedom activists doing except SPREADING anti-gun THOUGHTS hoping they will lead to ACTIONS?
    This is “back to school sales time” LOOK at the ads for the high profit margin fad-clothes the “merchants” dangle in front of your children. Why are you allowing stores to profit off your children by glorifying GANG CULTURE? Back to School “sales” are telling your children they HAVE to dress like drug dealers, or prostitutes, that that is GOOD, and you wonder why your kids go BAD, want GUNS, get hooked?
    Where are the MANDATORY firearms safety classes for Children? “They” insist mandatory sex education is indispensable. They sure are interested in CHILD SEX but have no concern for CHILD SAFETY.
    To protect YOUR child …….ALL children should be educated.
    FIREARM EDUCATION ………… Our “Greatest Educators” pushed SEX EDUCATION in all schools as the cure for teenage pregnancy and STDs among the young. Where are their strident voices demanding FIREARM SAFETY EDUCATION in all schools !?

  • BeanoMcreano August 30, 2016, 2:01 pm

    DP had it right when he said if you have your Christianity you have your self-control it brings you. When you don’t have that you will have a government that will bear down on you with tyranny. Harsh people deserve a harsh government.

    So, we really are getting tyrants because you unshackled yourself from your Christianity. It’s not really taught anymore and even discouraged by the “gun grabbing” lib.

    They know what your Christianity and your Constitution brought you and they want to bring down both. However, they cannot without violating your Constitution. They cannot INFRINGE upon this “God”-given right.

    So, mostly what they are doing is ILLEGAL and in VIOLATION of it.

  • Nam Marine August 30, 2016, 10:23 am

    MOLON LABE…………………….tic-turd’s

  • Max Hoyle August 27, 2016, 12:28 pm

    Speaking for my self, I boycott all these states! I will not ever visit NY. CONN, NJ, CALI, cOL OR CONN and will not buy ANYTHING made in any of them (Sorry Smith and Wesson!), and if I can find the state website I tell them of this decision! I also stopped paying for movie tickets and stopped my HBO sub! These states will not be bothered very much by just me doing this, but if a couple thousand others let them know about this boycott they may pay attention.

    • Arizona August 30, 2016, 6:55 pm

      Max,the LORD,told all his followers to have a weapon,IF YOU DON’T have at least THREE WEAPONS you are not ready..(luke22:36-38)…BUT you see max,the scum running the govenment worship SATAN,and SATANS minions love to Kill children…thatys what the GUN bads are really all about,they don’t want you to be able to fight back,REMEMBER THEIR COWARDS…….

  • Ralph Solli August 26, 2016, 7:22 pm

    It is just a matter of time before the 2nd Amendment is just a memory. We have allowed the Federal, State, and local governments to pick it apart a piece at a time by our continuing to compromise. They use words like “common sense gun control”, and say that they don’t want to take our guns away. Yet every chance they get, they pass more restrictive laws that virtually disarm responsible American gun owners while leaving us vulnerable to criminals who by their very nature don’t care about these gun laws. It bothers me that when new restrictive gun laws are passed there is a common groan from gun owners but just like taxes and other such regulations, they are accepted and the same political tyrants are re-elected over and over again. Instead of voting for the candidate that will defend our Constitutional rights, I’m afraid we keep voting party lines. This is especially disturbing when it comes to Democratic gun owners (yes there are many). We are lulled in to a false sense of security thinking that it can’t happen here, this is America. Well if you haven’t noticed, America has changed, and it is very possible given the tyranny and corruption in our government today. If these gun control advocates ask us to compromise, I say, ok, lets start by taking the more than 20,000 gun laws already on the books, and do away with half of them. That in my opinion would be a good start. One last thought, for all the #nevertrumps out there who own guns, if Hillary becomes president you will get what you deserve. Hold your nose, protect your 2nd Amendment right, and vote for Trump. He will have 4 years to prove himself, but a Hillary Clinton Supreme Court will have a devistating impact for the next 30 years. That’s a fact!

    • JJ357 August 27, 2016, 3:40 am

      I completely agree Democrats who vote party lines are traitors to the 2nd amendment. These politicians need to be scared back into their place. If they support gun control they are gone immediately. I am so sick of the abuse gun owners have to suffer as a result of these tyrants. For those Democrats reading this WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!.

  • Bevis August 26, 2016, 4:29 pm

    It has become clear that the State Government has enacted the most gun control legislation of late. It also ought to be obvious to most that Trump is an idiot that would likely do more harm than good to the people. Put your party in the hands of better people and you might have a chance but not with Trump. Weather you like it or not be prepared to have another Clinton in the White House. It is true a lot of gun legislation doesn’t seem to make any sense but that probably because it doesn’t.

    • Nam Marine August 30, 2016, 10:26 am

      Butt head, you are full of Obama !

    • Nam Marine August 30, 2016, 10:28 am

      Bevis, you are full of Obama !

  • Mike Watkins August 26, 2016, 3:19 pm

    I’m like Joe McHugh. Although I once owned a gun, I have seen the light and renounced the filthy evil things. WHY would anyone want to keep one of those nasty hateful objects that might at any time go in a rampage of wanton killing?

    I’ve let my Congressmen know they have my total support for banning all of them. And we all know how much safer that will make us when criminals decide to follow the law and turn in their weapons.

    I’m voting for Hillary too

    Gawd I gagged on that last line.

    • MR. VINCENT August 26, 2016, 10:30 pm

      MIKE , WHAT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN. THAT LAST REMARK YOU WROTE, THE CRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS GET GUNS. MY FRIEND, COME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD. BE BLESSED.
      MR. VINCENT

      • David Telliho August 28, 2016, 12:27 am

        Mike`s comment was satire. He ain`t voting for Hillary or gun grabbers. Quite the opposite.

  • JOHN T. FOX August 26, 2016, 2:57 pm

    MUSLIMS, COMMUNISTS AND DICTATORS ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON: THEY DISARM THOSE THAT THEY SEEK TO CONQUER! THE SECOND AMENDMENT DOES NOT ALLOW GUN CONTROL IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IMAGINABLE! NO WAITING PERIODS, NO FEE’S, NO LICENSES, NO TRAINING, NO FOID CARDS, NO AMMO BANS, NO FUNCTION LIMITATIONS… NO INFRINGEMENT OF ANY KIND, NOTHING! IF THE LAWS ARE PASSED, THEN USE THE HIGHEST LAW OF THE LAND TO IGNORE THEM! IF SOMEONE TRY’S TO STEAL YOUR PROPERTY, SHOOT TO KILL. PLACE $1,000 BOUNTY’S ON THE SCALPS OF ALL CRIMINALS, ILLEGALS AND MUSLIMS. THE NUMBER OF CRIMINALS AND THE CRIMES COMMITTED WILL FALL!

  • BIGKIELBASSA August 26, 2016, 2:11 pm

    Resist , deny, never admit anything. Keep your guns, ammunition & hi capacity magazines . Buy even more of them . Don’t keep them all in one place . That way if the communist’s raid your home, they won’t get them all . Burry them in PVC pipe covered in grease . Hide them in security vaults under an assumed name . ZOG wants it’s serpents to be unarmed sheep, as they lead us to slaughter . And the best advice is , when they ask you a question, keep your mouth shut ! Fight for your freedoms 🇺🇸👍🏼

    • Dave Emery August 26, 2016, 4:58 pm

      Amen brother. They’ve got to violently remove them from my fighting body. This is America and we will always have the right to defend ourselves from our government. That is why we started our country in the first place, right? If someone doesn’t like it, move. Get out. You aren’t an American. By the way I don’t have any guns, I’m non-violent and I gave all of mine away to strangers. Sua Sponte.

      • David Telliho August 28, 2016, 12:31 am

        I always used to take mine fishing with me, in the boat. Until a terrible boat accident. Now, I don`t have any guns to take. Fishing isn`t fun anymore. That lake was between mountains and several thousand feet deep.

  • Captabn August 26, 2016, 12:38 pm

    I agree with everything that has been stated before me. Call me a conspiracy nut if you will, however, Gentlemen the real reason for their gun laws, bans, gun grabs and free turn in weapons no questions asked; IS NOT what they
    claim but they fear what is stated in the “Oath of office” written by someone with the foresight of knowledge of future corruption, demagoguery, despots, dictators and the power hungry individuals within this great nation and I quote “To defend against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC”. The operative word being “DOMESTIC” Now do the bans make more sense? They’re scared of the civilian masses being armed for just that reason. We the armed civilians might not be as stupid as they think we are, we are “Wolves in sheep’s clothing”. IMHO.

    • WuzNtMe August 26, 2016, 2:55 pm

      Yeah, I don’t think you’re a conspiracy nut. I think you just give them too much credit. The only things that matter to a politician are money and votes. If you’re a dumbocrat then votes are easy, you just pander to the least intelligent and most abundant crowd which is the poor, uneducated, and ignorant. They don’t fear their oaths.. If they did they’d err on the side of caution. Useless bans aren’t any protection at all and that’s the point of this article. These anti-gun tactics are nothing more than a fad that they’ve glommed onto because it appeases the willfully ignorant voters. They know they can’t make any significant moves against guns or they’ll be out on their asses. So, they go for the useless measures that will have their ignorant voters patting them on their backs as if they are some huge victories… They make their votes by promising to do more than the last guy. If the last guy did all that could be done then he would ruin it for the next election. The last thing they want is to actually fix anything and run out of useless gestures to throw at non-problems.

  • Tom Horn August 26, 2016, 11:30 am

    There should be a permanent link on Guns America to this article, so every time some dip weed comes along and claims we are being paranoid, and they can never take away our 2A Rights (which happens every week), we could just direct them to this page.

    • KBSacto August 26, 2016, 1:00 pm

      For those who have not seen Dinesh D’Souza’s movie, “Hillary’s America”, I encourage you to do so. The gun grabbing by the states may be the place where most of it is happening now (I can attest to that living here in CA) but that will move to the feds if Hillary takes the White House. As much as I pray daily that God saves us from Hillary and Trump wins, the polling shows Hillary growing her lead and not losing steam. My only hope is the Trump is implementing a “come from behind” strategy that pushes him out front. “Hillary’s America” also has a recap of D’Souza’s predictions from his movie “2016”, and it demonstrated how well he predicted Obama’s impacts for our nation in 2016.

      • David Telliho August 28, 2016, 12:37 am

        Don`t believe the ‘polls’. Hillary can`t fill a HS gym at one of her rallies. (actually happened, at another rally, 12 sec. service agents were there to keep her safe and 9 people showed up to see and hear her. True accounts.) Tromp rallies are filled to overflowing. Take heart. The media is in all out do or die mode to destroy Mr. Trump. Liberals have no moral code. Honesty and objectivity are foreign concepts.

        • Mahatma Muhjesbude August 28, 2016, 6:23 pm

          Yeah, most of those polls are cleverly manipulated. They have lists of certain potential demographics and numbers from all the google and internet spying they do on us that determines our ‘preferences’.

          Remember most of the polls about Trump predicting he couldn’t win the nomination were.. 10mm DEAD Wrong.

          But don’t take that as an excuse to lay back. Get out there and be pro-active. Tell everybody you meet the truth about the future of our liberties if the HeinousHellBitch gets in. She wont’ wait to set up a Totalitarian SCOTUS. She’s got all kinds of new Bills sitting in Congress, biding their time to literally wipe out our rights to bear and not be infringed.

          A lot of people just live in Watters world and just don’t know! But if you tell them-especially the milennials– that under this current Police State growing under Obama, which allows warramts to be issued for flash bang no knock midnight home invasions…JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE SNITICHED THAT THE SMELL OF POT WAS COMING FROM YOUR APARTMENT, called the Police and they smelled it, and that was ENOUGH probable cause to get a search warrant! 4th/A totally notwithstanding! Or even if a cop stops you in that ‘Eastern’ part of the country where there are no rights, and smells pot on your body, but you don’t have anything on you. That’s enough ‘probable cause’ to do the midnight Swat Soiree, and ruin your life forever!

          Tell them they had better get out and vote and get all their friends to vote for Trump, Otherwise they better save up their pennies for a large jar of jail house vaseline when HellBitch gets in. Because unless we at least slow this insanity down with Trump, Hunger Games, here we come, with Hillary.

          Throw in the fact that the Totalitarians will eventually get around to banning their smart phones and you’ll be surprised at how many of these kids might wake up and get out the vote?

  • Jim August 26, 2016, 8:15 am

    This is for all you “Anti Trump” folks out there who say they will never vote for “The Donald.” You are essentially voting for and giving hillybilly your vote. By NOT voting for Donald J. Trump, you are acquiescing to the dims wishes of more votes for hillybilly, while restricting the amount of votes DJT gets. The dims are quietly laughing (and some not being so quiet) behind your backs for your being so stupid. Remember…the dims will use any tactic to get lots of votes for hilly. They cheat, they lie, they coerce, even steal….yes, folks, they are blatantly a BUNCH OF CROOKS, and if you have chosen NOT to vote for DJT, you’ve fallen right into their trap. Ya better reconsider your edict of not voting for “THE DONALD.” Hey, I realize Trump may not be the perfect candidate, but do you really want another 8 years…well, at least 4, of dumBO policies, promulgated by the dims and hillybilly? VOTE DONALD J. TRUMP, 2016!

  • Jim August 26, 2016, 8:14 am

    This is for all you “Anti Trump” folks out there who say they will never vote for “The Donald.” You are essentially voting for and giving hillybilly your vote. By NOT voting for Donald J. Trump, you are acquiescing to the dims wishes of more votes for hillybilly, while restricting the amount of votes DJT gets. The dims are quietly laughing (and some not being so quiet) behind your backs for your being so stupid. Remember…the dims will use any tactic to get lots of votes for hilly. They cheat, they lie, they coerce, even steal….yes, folks, they are blatantly a BUNCH OF CROOKS, and if you have chosen NOT to vote for DJT, you’ve fallen right into their trap. Ya better reconsider your edict of not voting for “THE DONALD.” Hey, I realize Trump may not be the perfect candidate, but do you really want another 8 years…well, at least 4, of dumBO policies, promulgated by the dims and hillybilly? VOTE DONALD J. TRUMP, 2016!

  • Joe McHugh August 26, 2016, 7:17 am

    I’m not upset about the ever tightening gun laws across the nation. I don’t see what the big deal is about the Second Amendment either. That amendment was only meant to give the citizens muzzle loaders to fight off the hostile Indians and to hunt game for food. I mean we don’t need to hunt any further than our local grocery store, and the Indians have ceased to be a threat. What else would anybody need a gun for?

    Furthermore I don’t own a gun and I can dial 911 any time I feel threatened by a home invader. Just to be clear here, I don’t have an arsenal stored in a secure place that cannot be detected by a metal detector. And I don’t have enough ammunition to supply a second WWII Normandy invasion, either. I mean firearms are evil things that shouldn’t be in people’s homes.
    I’m almost sure that if any of you gun owners think about it by declaring that you don’t own guns, you will also mollify the good people at the N.S.A. Center who are capturing and monitoring every Internet communication, every minute of every day.

    I don’t know about you but those good employees at the N.S.A. Center do not have me on their radar. After all, I hate guns and never fail to denounce the Devil’s tools in public forums such as this one. Sure I am a member of a Rod and Gun Club but we only discuss fishing at our meetings. You believe me don’t you?

    • John August 26, 2016, 10:40 am

      I can get a pizza delivered to my front door faster than a policeman to my house. What you are suggesting aspirin for a headache. Yea you will feel good for awhile, but the pain can return. You need to find the source. Gun laws are aspirin and the Boston marathon proves you do not need a firearm to do damage.

    • Kevin August 26, 2016, 11:14 am

      Do you anti gunners even read your history????? Go see what happens when rights are taken away. You are a fool if you think that being anti gun is going to keep you off radar or safe! Lmao

    • JP Haley August 26, 2016, 11:33 am

      Wow, just wow. Joe, either you laid the sarcasm on too thick here and the NSA isn’t buying or you’re lack of understanding of our fundamental rights is concerning. The bill of rights was enacted specifically to provide explicit definitive limits on the Federal government. The 2nd amendment says zero about what types of arms we have a right to protect ourselves. It says zero about hunting or ‘Indians’. It has everything to do with my individual ability to guarantee the rest of my rights from government overreach. Some food for thought –
      “The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Samuel Adams, Massachusetts Ratifying Convention, 1788
      “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787
      “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787
      “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
      “To disarm the people…[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them.” George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adooption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788

    • Nam Marine August 30, 2016, 10:37 am

      Joe, you smell like a Libtard to me boy !

  • Wake_Up_America August 26, 2016, 5:49 am

    See, my fellow Americans, this is exactly why we canNOT give on 2A issues because once you make the mistake of giving an inch, they will want 10 feet!! My God, this is just heart-breaking. Criminals are the problem but no one wants to hear the common sense truth.

  • jerry kipikas August 26, 2016, 5:41 am

    As a resident of NY state, I’ve got to laugh at the restrictions on so-called “assault rifles” Especially the reason our comrade governor gave for banning certain features. The vertical pistol grip was banned because it “made the gun to easy to shoot one-handed” Good luck with that–unless you’re an action hero named arnold, that ain’t easy. But the one that really gets me is the bayonet lug ban–I wasn’t aware there had been a plethora of DRIVE BY BAYONETINGS!!!. To top it off, a little known provision in the law is the requirement that any firearms with the banned features be registered, yet is questioned by police as to whether or not the banned gun in question had been registered, the answer is all important. If you knew it had to be registered and didn’t do it, you’re liable for criminal action and loss of the gun. BUT IF YOU SAY YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT HAD TO BE REGISTERED, THEY TELL YOU TO DO IT and that’s the end of it. Luckily, my sheriff is one of the ones that refuse to enforce it. As a side note, our new district attorney was asked on a talk show recently what he thought of licensed, concealed carry handgun owners carrying there guns daily (this was after the San Bernadino shooting–the talk show host was obviously looking for a negative response) You could cut the silence with a knife when the DA announced that it was a great idea since the people in question were capable, well trained, and entitled to protect themselves and their loved ones!

  • Tom Horn August 14, 2016, 3:27 pm

    Be aware! This is how Hillary Clinton, George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, and their ilk plan to drive the death nail into the 2nd Amendment, State by State, municipality by municipality. If Hillary is elected, and once the Supreme Court is out of balance to the liberals, each un-constitutional law will have to go before the Supreme Court to be heard. When these un-constitutional laws are upheld by the Supreme Court, it will spawn further un-constitutional firearms laws. Eventually Hillary will move for an Australian style ban/confiscation to cleanse the last bastion of Patriotic Americans from the equation. But, by that time your 2A rights will be nil, anyway.

    • Scotty Gunn August 26, 2016, 1:17 pm

      Once the 2nd amendment rights are taken away, the First amendment will quickly follow, then the rest of them….

  • DRAINO August 11, 2016, 8:11 am

    I LIKE THIS!! “It takes a person to commit a crime, not an object.” How true! My next bumper sticker.
    Also,IF YOU TRULY VALUE YOUR COUNTRY, FREEDOM AND FIREARMS……VOTE REPUBLICAN at this presidential election!!!!! OR we will be another England/Australia. You “never Trumpers”, get over yourselves and get off your high horses and vote for Trump or you are dooming our country. He is NOT a politician….don’t expect him to be like one! I don’t want another politician….they have got us where we are. But to stay home and not vote IS voting for Hitlary. End of story.

  • SuperG August 10, 2016, 1:51 pm

    All of these laws are basically knee-jerk reactions instigated by the actions of one mentally ill person, but not one legislator has mentioned the need to bring back the mental health laws, that Ronald Reagan relaxed, that used to protect us. Until that is done, the dangerous mentally ill will still be free to roam among us, never getting the treatment they need. And when society asks why not? The replay will be that it is too expensive.
    In other news, I hear the 4 primary weapon systems of our new 13 billion dollar aircraft carrier do not function properly.

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