NSSF: The Evolution of a Gun Grabber

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NSSF: The Evolution of a Gun Grabber

By Larry Keane

Remember all those years when gun control politicians told us they “respect the Second Amendment,” which was usually followed by some statement suggesting the Second Amendment just protects firearms for hunting? They tried to calm the fears of gun owners by saying, “No one’s taking away your guns.”

I kind of hate being the one to say “I told you so, but…” Well, the mask is off. Everyone can thank presidential Democratic candidate Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke for just coming out and finally saying what we’ve known all along. Politicians who claim to just want a little gun control have an entirely different end game.

“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”

Not Your Dad’s Gun Control

O’Rourke’s emphatic pronouncement is a radical departure from his party’s mantra that gun control politicians want to limit access to firearms for those who can’t be trusted. Former President Barack Obama famously said, “First of all, the notion that I or Hillary or Democrats or whoever you want to choose are hell-bent on taking away folks’ guns is just not true.”

In fact, when it was previously proposed by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), not a single Democrat candidate pushed back. In fact, since then, Former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have all endorsed gun confiscations. Sen. Amy Klobuchar defended a forced seizure as constitutional.

Fund Raising of Gun Grabs

It makes you nostalgic for the days of old when at least gun control politicians tried to be sly. No longer. O’Rourke ripped the lid off that on the debate stage. He didn’t stop there. He’s marketing the phrase by putting it on t-shirts to raise money off it for his campaign. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is chiding Politifact for once claiming O’Rourke was part of the “not really going to take your guns” crowd when the site rated the rumor as “false.” The site backed O’Rourke in his U.S. Senate challenge when he claimed he didn’t want to seize anyone’s guns.

O’Rourke explained on “The Chad Hasty Show” in 2018 that he believed AR-15s in private ownership weren’t a concern. “To be clear, they should have them. You purchased that AR-15, if you own it, keep it. Continue to use it responsibly.” He even added, “If you own a gun, keep that gun. Nobody wants to take it away from you — at least I don’t want to do that.”

Don’t Say It Out Loud

That’s got some fellow politicians a little nervous. U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, (D-R.I.) told Fox News, “That message doesn’t help…” That’s coming from the guy who is writing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, the bill that would ban the sale of modern sporting rifles. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told CNN, “I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies…”

Others, though, are downright giddy. U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said her push for criminalizing private firearms sales “are the base from which we must do anything.” She also warned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell there would be hell to pay,” if he didn’t pass her flawed legislation. Pelosi warned President Trump any proposal he puts forth must include universal background checks and if he agreed to her demands, she promised she’d drag Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) so they could gloat while he signed a bill into law in a Rose Garden ceremony.

Larry Keane is Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade association.

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  • Lucas Dailey September 23, 2019, 4:05 pm

    Hang them all for treason
    This is the “domestic” example of all enemies foreign and domestic that are a threat to all Americas freedoms!

  • Tom September 23, 2019, 12:23 pm

    If you have a gun, keep that gun, just like if you have a doctor, you can keep your doctor.

  • Carel Rawlinson September 23, 2019, 11:34 am

    The first thing on Communisms agenda is, “take the guns away from the people and we can just walk in and take over”. How much plainer can it get? Wake up people!

  • Bob Ailanjian September 23, 2019, 9:59 am

    These idiots don’t give a damn about protecting people. If they did that wouldn’t be going after a weapon that is involved in less than 1% of shooting deaths. They only care the ARs and AKs will be the weapons of choice to defend Americans from their political tyranny. A well and equally armed public prevents them from achieving their goals. It’s as simple as that.

  • Huapakechi September 23, 2019, 8:42 am

    Is there no way to bring suit against these vermin for advocating a direct violation of the Constitution?

  • N.R. Ringlee September 23, 2019, 7:59 am

    Just now ·

    The mask has been on the Progressive New Left since its formation in the late 1960’s. They learned from their intellectual masters, Lenin, Stalin, Castro, and Mao that in order to suppress the masses you must first disarm the masses and render them totally dependent upon government. The trick has been to hide this clear truth from the majority of Americans and especially the blue collar wing of the Democratic party. Now that the Progressive New Left owns the Democrat party lock, stock and barrel they think they are in a strong enough position to snatch off their masks and announce to the American people the greatest robbery in history. Target? Your liberty. All of it.

  • David Carr September 22, 2019, 2:44 pm

    How much does the double barrel 22 mag sell for

    • PB- dave September 23, 2019, 7:44 am

      I see your comment is tongue-in-cheek, but a scheming mind with an agenda can get there…
      ban assault weapons(anything black and scary…)
      ban anything high capacity
      ban semi autos when the <10 rd mags are seen to be changeable to quickly.
      ban revolvers when speed loaders demonstrate how fast recovery time is.
      ban pump guns when the forgotten art of slam shooting is revived.
      ban double guns because of the fast 2nd shot capability
      ban single shots because a skilled & practiced shooter can reload remarkably fast.
      ban black powder (non-FA) weapons just in case the minute man returns….
      slippery enough ?

  • Will Drider September 20, 2019, 2:11 pm

    There’s a reason for the new strength achieved by the gun grabbers. They have taken the Left/Dem political play book and are applying those tactics to cultivate and indoctrinate supporters, push the message, achieve milestones with the ultimate goal of total civillian disarmament. These action collaterally support the Socialist political agenda. That Play book is Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. You’ve probably heard the Title and dismissed it, that’s a major mistake! You can’t win if you don’t know the opposition’s tactics, you can’t counter what you don’t know. I’ve put a Link below to some Alinsky Quotes, Pro gun supporters and especially Pro Gun Rights Orgs. should review them. This will no doubt lead to an urgency for more information on the Foe we face. We ignore it at our own peril and the threat to the 2A and our Country has never been greater.

    https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1711776-rules-for-radicals-a-pragmatic-primer-for-realistic-radicals

    • PB- dave September 23, 2019, 7:23 am

      excellent point ! thanks for the link.
      50 years ago grade schoolers learned how Germany was taken over in the 30’s, middle schoolers learned about the communist manifesto and the published steps America would be taken over without a shot fired, and to pass high school everyone had to study/take/pass a Constitution test….. how would todays kids fare in those topics today ?

      • Huapakechi September 23, 2019, 8:44 am

        In addition, 50 0r so years ago school children were taught how and why the war for independence was fought, how the Articles of Confederation failed, and the Constitution.

        Rights and responsibility were also taught in those classes. That is no longer the case for some decades, but the kids can identify dozens of “genders” and know all about “self esteem”, even if they can’t read or perform the simplest math.

        • KimberproSS September 23, 2019, 9:51 am

          These kids can also identify many of the modern firearms and military weapons from the video games that allow them to choose what they want so they can fight and kill.

    • Tom September 23, 2019, 12:25 pm

      If you doubt how easy it is to indoctrinate youth, look at how many marched for the phony global warming/ climate change hoax.

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