Our own Luis Valdes fears that a Democrat-led initiative to end private gun sales in America will pass in 2019. I’m not sure what kind of liquid he has in his gun control Magic 8-ball, but in my view, federal gun control efforts will remain a lame, three-legged dog that just won’t hunt during this next session of Congress.
Nancy Pelosi and crew might not even have the votes to pass a ban on private gun sales – otherwise known as “Universal Background Checks” – in the Democrat-controlled House. And there’s no way it will get 60 votes in the Senate. Even if the perfect storm Luis imagines comes to pass, the universal background check scheme will still fail by a few votes.
And even if it did pass, President Trump would not sign it into law.
Oh yes, earlier this year President Trump directed government bureaucracies to “ban” bump stocks. That ban made a lot of Democrats, gun control advocates and the mainstream media piddle themselves with excitement. It also upset a lot of gun rights supporters.
The Firearms Policy Coalition and Gun Owners of America wasted no time filing well-argued lawsuits. The courts may well sack the ban even before it takes effect a few months from now.
And I fully believe President DJT has no problem with that. Here’s the thing: Trump likely expects this extra-legal ban to go down in flames via the courts. Ever the master negotiator, Trump merely gave the media yap dogs and Dems a big, fat red herring – and they swallowed it whole.
And when the courts strike down the ATF’s regulatory over-reach, Trump can then shrug his shoulders and say he tried. And then continue with his agenda of jobs and America first without breaking his stride. Once again, he’s playing Democrats and the mainstream media hacks for fools.
Meanwhile, the Danger of Gun Control in the States
Having written all that, gun owners should not breathe easy and return to their Trump-induced slumber. Paid gun control advocates, sucking on the teat of billionaires like our old buddies Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, continue to work diligently to pass gun control legislation in the states.
For example, Florida – the “Gunshine State” – has enacted new gun control restrictions. And voters may have more than one ballot initiative in 2020 to ban America’s favorite rifle and other rifles. Not only that, but gun grabbers want to strip gun rights from those who have:
1) been convicted of a felony;
2) been convicted of three or more misdemeanors;
3) had their drivers license suspended or revoked for driving under the influence, careless or reckless driving, or excessive speeding;
4) been the subject of two or more domestic abuse emergency calls or investigations;
5) a mental condition that has been affirmed as temporarily or permanently psychologically disturbed by a person with a medical degree;
6) made any substantiated threat of violence against another person.
The above comes directly from the Florida Department of Elections for one of the proposed ballot initiatives that big gun control wants to get on the Florida ballot.
Meanwhile, closer to my home state of Illinois, our new Democrat governor JB Pritzker (pictured above) loves himself some gun control. When he ran a failed campaign for Congress some years back, he called for a blanket handgun ban. No amnesty, no grandfathering. His approach: “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ’em all in.”
While Pritzker will (probably) never achieve a handgun ban in the Land of Lincoln, he will use his bully pulpit to promote gun control when and where he can. Not only that, but he will sign into law any gun control bills that squeak through the Illinois General Assembly. Anything to take the persistent street violence in Chicago off the front page for a day or two.
For example, the “Gun Dealer Licensing Bill” passed this year but ran smack into a veto from our current governor. If the trend holds in 2019, fat cat JB Pritzker will sign it right away. If it follows the SB-1657 bill vetoed this year, it will end private gun sales and ration private gun owners to ten firearm transactions per year. Not only that, but it will saddle dealers with expensive licensing and security requirements, driving many Illinois FFLs out of business.
Florida and Illinois don’t have a corner of the market for racist, classist and sexist gun control proposals. Plenty of other states are in that business as well.
But back to the U.S. Congress. The ban on private gun sales, which supporters like to repackage and market as “universal background checks,” faces very dim prospects for passage. Especially if the People of the Gun pay attention and stay engaged – both with our politicians and our neighbors. Don’t let the gun control industry manipulate your friends and neighbors. Private sales of guns between good guys has never been a threat to public safety.
Help your friends understand the truth so we can all become better, smarter citizens. The background check system does nothing to stop bad guys from stealing – or buying – guns on the street. What’s more, bad guys don’t go to gun shows. In fact, a mere 0.7% of criminals say they got their guns at gun shows (thank you Bureau of Justice Statistics!).
California has all manner of gun control laws that Nancy Pelosi dreams of imposing on a national level: gun registration, 10-day waiting periods on purchases, gun violence restraining orders, gun rationing, gun bans, government-approved handgun lists, gun purchasing permits, ammunition regulations, gun confiscation laws – and universal background checks. Yet all those measures fail to stop gun crime in California. Including the recent murder of a police officer in Newman, California by an illegal alien (with an illegal gun).
Frankly, we must remain alert and engaged in politics at the local, state and federal levels. Because as a great philosopher once opined, just because you don’t take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politicians won’t take an interest in you.