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Democrats plan to expand their Virginia “success” to at least 12 other states! Watch GOA’s Erich Pratt on What The Heck is Happening in VA.
Was The Low Voter Turnout in Virginia What Ben Franklin Warned Us About?
Source: WalletHub – April/2019 – States Most Dependent on the Gun Industry
Gun sales have been down since Donald Trump won the White House, with a 6.1 percent decline in 2018 alone. And while that’s good news to some, it could be a bad sign for state economies relying heavily on the firearms industry. By one estimate, guns contributed more than $52 billion to the U.S. economy and generated over $6.8 billion in federal and state taxes in 2018.
In 2018, gun crime was a high-profile political issue, highlighted by incidents such as the February Parkland, FL school shooting and the October Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Many states passed new gun laws and gun control groups outspent gun rights groups. 2019 has had its own share of violent incidents as well, such as the Aurora, IL workplace shooting in February. In addition, several new laws have been passed this year, including a federal ban on “bump-stocks.”
In light of the recent developments in the firearms industry and debates on how, if at all, it should be restricted, WalletHub compared the economic impact of guns on each of the 50 states to determine which among them leans most heavily on the gun business, both directly for jobs and political contributions and indirectly through ownership. Read on for our findings, methodology and expert commentary from a panel of researchers.
Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-dependent-on-the-gun-industry/18719/
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Lets looks at what we’ve lost so far to come up with a list that we can all agree on to take back first and how to do it.
Time.com – A Timeline of the Major Gun Control Laws in America.
1791
On Dec. 15, 1791, ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution — eventually known as the Bill of Rights — were ratified. The second of them said: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
1934
The first piece of national gun control legislation was passed on June 26, 1934. The National Firearms Act (NFA) — part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal for Crime“— was meant to curtail “gangland crimes of that era such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”
The NFA imposed a tax on the manufacturing, selling, and transporting of firearms listed in the law, among them short-barrel shotguns and rifles, machine guns, firearm mufflers and silencers. Due to constitutional flaws, the NFA was modified several times. The $200 tax, which was high for the era, was put in place to curtail the transfer of these weapons.
1938
The Federal Firearms Act (FFA) of 1938 required gun manufacturers, importers, and dealers to obtain a federal firearms license. It also defined a group of people, including convicted felons, who could not purchase guns, and mandated that gun sellers keep customer records. The FFA was repealed in 1968 by the Gun Control Act (GCA), though many of its provisions were reenacted by the GCA.
1939
In 1939 the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case United States v. Miller, ruling that through the National Firearms Act of 1934, Congress could regulate the interstate selling of a short barrel shotgun. The court stated that there was no evidence that a sawed off shotgun “has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia,” and thus “we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument.”
1968
Following the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The GCA repealed and replaced the FFA, updated Title II of the NFA to fix constitutional issues, added language about “destructive devices” (such as bombs, mines and grenades) and expanded the definition of “machine gun.”
Overall the bill banned importing guns that have “no sporting purpose,” imposed age restrictions for the purchase of handguns (gun owners had to be 21), prohibited felons, the mentally ill, and others from purchasing guns, required that all manufactured or imported guns have a serial number, and according to the ATF, imposed “stricter licensing and regulation on the firearms industry.”
1986
In 1986 the Firearm Owners Protection Act was passed by Congress. The law mainly enacted protections for gun owners — prohibiting a national registry of dealer records, limiting ATF inspections to once per year (unless there are multiple infractions), softening what is defined as “engaging in the business” of selling firearms, and allowing licensed dealers to sell firearms at “gun shows” in their state. It also loosened regulations on the sale and transfer of ammunition. The bill also codified some gun control measures, including expanding the GCA to prohibit civilian ownership or transfer of machine guns made after May 19, 1986, and redefining “silencer” to include parts intended to make silencers.
1993
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 is named after White House press secretary James Brady, who was permanently disabled from an injury suffered during an attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. (Brady died in 2014). It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The law, which amends the GCA, requires that background checks be completed before a gun is purchased from a licensed dealer, manufacturer or importer. It established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is maintained by the FBI.
1994
Tucked into the sweeping and controversial Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed by President Clinton in 1994, is the subsection titled Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act. This is known as the assault weapons ban — a temporary prohibition in effect from September of 1994 to September of 2004. Multiple attempts to renew the ban have failed.
The provisions of the bill outlawed the ability to “manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon,” unless it was “lawfully possessed under Federal law on the date of the enactment of this subsection.” Nineteen military-style or “copy-cat” assault weapons—including AR-15s, TEC-9s, MAC-10s, etc.—could not be manufactured or sold. It also banned “certain high-capacity ammunition magazines of more than ten rounds,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice Fact Sheet.
2003
The Tiahrt Amendment, proposed by Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), prohibited the ATF from publicly releasing data showing where criminals purchased their firearms and stipulated that only law enforcement officers or prosecutors could access such information.
“The law effectively shields retailers from lawsuits, academic study and public scrutiny,” The Washington Post wrote in 2010. “It also keeps the spotlight off the relationship between rogue gun dealers and the black market in firearms.”
There have been efforts to repeal this amendment.
2005
In 2005, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act was signed by President George W. Bush to prevent gun manufacturers from being named in federal or state civil suits by those who were victims of crimes involving guns made by that company. The first provision of this law is “to prohibit causes of action against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms or ammunition products, and their trade associations, for the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products or ammunition products by others when the product functioned as designed and intended.” It also dismissed pending cases on October 26, 2005.
2008
District of Columbia v. Heller essentially changed a nearly 70-year precedent set by Miller in 1939. While the Miller ruling focused on the “well regulated militia” portion of the Second Amendment (known as the “collective rights theory” and referring to a state’s right to defend itself), Heller focused on the “individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia.”
Heller challenged the constitutionality of a 32-year-old handgun ban in Washington, D.C., and found, “The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate the Second Amendment.”
It did not however nullify other gun control provisions. “The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms,” stated the ruling.
Source: https://time.com/5169210/us-gun-control-laws-history-timeline/
How do you describe someone who is firearms friendly? What must they do specifically to become or remain firearms friendly?
From Sheriff Richard Mack on Facebook’s Post regarding the political situation around the 2nd Amendment in Virginia.
“Yes, there has been a great deal of hyperbole (hype) about the political battles going on in the great State of Virginia. Indeed, this hype has been coming from all sides, including some from “patriot” groups and well-meaning gun rights organizations. Of course, we have seen the same ol same ol from the leftist media that has added fuel to the frenzy. The truth is that the next Civil War is not about to happen and an armed standoff is NOT even close to being the solution. Everyone needs to calm down and let Virginia work this out. There are lots of things happening there that are absolutely wonderful, perhaps even miraculous.
First, the Governor of VA, as horrible as he may be, is not calling out the National Guard to quell protests or to enforce his gun control edicts. The Adjutant General of the Va National Guard, Timothy P. Williams, said they have received no request from the Governor to serve in a law enforcement capacity. In fact, the Governor did not make the comment regarding the utilization of the National Guard, it came from Democrat VA Rep. Donald McEachin, who suggested the Governor might need to call out the Guard to enforce Gun Control. McEachin even mentioned the VA sheriffs who are opposing gun control.
This is the good news. A huge majority of the Virginia sheriffs have strongly indicated that they will not enforce any of these Unconstitutional “laws.” Not only do they violate the United States Constitution, but the Virginia Constitution as well. Now get this! The Virginia Constitution is even more direct and emphatic than is the Federal Bill of Rights regarding the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms. It states: “That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed…”
Again we have lawmakers breaking the law, violating their oaths, and showing a complete disdain for the Constitutions. On the other hand we now have the sheriffs of Virginia standing strong and doing their jobs, keeping their oaths to serve, protect, uphold, and defend. Furthermore, there are now over 105 cities and counties in VA that have declared themselves to be Second Amendment Sanctuaries. This is amazing, and as I said, perhaps even Miraculous!
Martin Luther King said, “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” This is a very true and principled statement and the sheriffs of VA or anywhere in this country, have no lawful or moral obligation to enforce unjust or unconstitutional laws; quite the contrary. Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police in the States of Washington and New Mexico are also taking similar stands. Several other States have done likewise. Even the famous city of Tombstone, AZ has declared itself a safe haven for the Second Amendment. These actions by these American hero Public Officials and Peace Officers are not creating a “Civil War,” they are preventing one. They are not creating an atmosphere of violence, they are preventing violence.
So, let’s all calm down and let the sheriffs in VA do their jobs and be ready to support them if and when needed. They will let us know if they need some assistance. Thus far, they have not asked for any help and we should all respect that. There is no “Civil War” brewing there, just some ignorant rhetoric from vapid politicians.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/SheriffMack/posts/1795779837219951
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Richard Ivan Mack (born 1952) is the former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona and a political activist. He is known for his role in a successful lawsuit brought against the federal government of the United States which alleged that portions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act violated the United States Constitution. He is a former lobbyist for Gun Owners of America (GOA) and a two-time candidate for United States Congress. Mack is also the founder of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), and established the “County Sheriff Project” movement, both of whom reaffirm the constitutional power to refuse to enforce federal laws.[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mack
