President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, energizing the crowd and repeatedly bringing them to their feet. The president outlined an agenda that includes a diverse range of priorities, from confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, reducing the regulatory burden on the economy, cracking down on crime, rebuilding inner cities, an emphasis on fairer, bilateral trade agreements, and measures to stimulate the domestic energy industry.
Significantly missing, however, was a commitment to legislative action on the Hill concerning the right to keep and bear arms.
The President did give a shout-out to the right to keep and bear arms in his speech, averring that he remained committed to protecting the Second Amendment, and warmly greeted National Rifle Association honchos Chris Cox and Wayne LaPierre. Unlike the specific actions he mentioned for other agenda items, however, Mr. Trump made no reference to any specific executive or legislative actions to execute that task.
Later Friday afternoon, LaPierre, the NRA Executive Vice President, gave a speech during which he more closely aligned the 146-year-old educational and civil rights organization with the Trump administration and the conservative movement. LaPierre focused his comments on culture war issues, and like President Trump, did not talk much about legislative action on gun rights issues this year.
LaPierre cited a variety of post-election violence aimed against supporters of the President. He also criticized what he characterized as activist judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that stayed President Trump’s executive order freezing entry into the United States of nationals from Libya, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Somalia for 90 days.
LaPierre accused the left of “literally hat[ing] everything America stands for: democracy, free market capitalism, representative government, individual freedom. They want to tear down our system and replace it with their collectivist, top-down, global government-knows-best utopia. They all have different agendas, but share one thing in common: they are angry, they’re militant, and willing to engage in criminal violence to get what they want.”
Imputing hypocrisy to the progressive movement, LaPierre pointed out that even at UC-Berkeley, “the supposed birthplace of the Free Speech Movement of the ’60s, unpopular (i.e., conservative) speech was suppressed by violence. He also suggested that some protestors were getting paid “$1500 per week” for their activities without knowing “what they are protesting.”
Finally, LaPierre expressed concern over the so-called Islamic State, which he characterized as a threat to Western Civilization.
“If you’re a member of the leftist media or a soldier for the violent left, a violent criminal, a drug-cartel gang member, or a would-be terrorist, hear this,” he said. “You’re not going to win and you will not defeat us…. With all the threats facing America today, your right to protect yourself and your family may be more relevant and urgently needed than ever before.”
It won’t get any worse, but its not going to get any better either. That hearing protection act that you think is “low hanging fruit”…yeah, its not going to pass.
Trump has a HUUUUUUGE job undoing the Obamination’s destruction and righting the ship again. I expect 2A stuff will get done, but there are more pressing matters to redeem the Country’s health.
The fact that there is a 2nd A committee, headed by his son, tells me good stuff will happen.
There is no more pressing matter than the 2A after eight years of attack on our rights, especially when we have riots going on almost every week from anarchists and other undesirables.
No more pressing matter? While the 2A is VERY important, don’t get me wrong, I’d say that putting food on the table (fixing the economy) is more important.
Like someone mentioned earlier, the fact that we have a 2A committee headed by his son should make it clear that things will get done.
He wasn’t speaking to an NRA convention, there were a lot of issues that people wanted to hear about. The fact that he mentioned protecting the 2A should mean that it’s at least on his radar.
Sorry, but most of Army is not combat ready & half the planes in the Navy can not fly; we have other issues than guns.
I was a single issue voter this election when it came to my representatives\senators. If they fail on it I won’t be next cycle.
Do that and you hand that vote right back to the Left…
Democrats will eventually be in office anyway. If the Republicans do not do this for us, then this presidency is only a pause in our inevitable decline into tyranny. I didn’t vote for a pause.
Until you can learn to see that this left/right, Democrat/Republican, us/them, dichotomy is an elite set up to keep your thoughts enslaved, enslaved your brain will remain.
REMEMBER: a vote for the lesser of two evils, is a vote FOR evil…
Hannibal, contact your representatives and senators and tell them that.
I keep telling you, Trump couldn’t care less about the 2A except to evoke cheers and blowjobs.
Trump is not a gun guy. He’s a big city high roller and has more in common with Michael Bloomberg than you want to admit.
So maybe the new heavily boobed NRA spokesnipples will catch his attention. Assuming LaP wants to share his office eye candy, and can control his boner in front of the cameras.
“I keep telling you, Trump couldn’t care less about the 2A except to evoke cheers and blowjobs.”
100% accurate.
The 2A crowd is collectively deluded.
I would hope she’d take one for the team.
Dana, you heard us. If you need to give Trump a golden shower for gun rights while twirling pasties… you will be the TTAG gun hero for a century.
Trump is, politically, somewhere between New York liberal and completely apolitical in every way. On every issue.
What I have found most endearing about his presidency so far is that, despite this, he seems determined to do what those who voted for him, “hired” him to do. Not use the poll victory as a carte blanche excuse to do what he, personally feels is “the right thing”. But rather, to do what his voters elected him for in the first place.
I fear this may end up being the case. I truly hope I am wrong.
What good is passing any pro gun laws if we have a few Republicans who will cuck to the leftists?
Or if we do not secure the border/limit immigration/deport the illegals/end birthright ciztenship/end voter fraud. If we do not do those bigger things we will never be able to win the White House again, we are fighting the long game here…
Henry- Correct, the long term game is demographics.
I wonder how the cop suckasses around here will like it when most police forces are eighty percent black and hispanic, twenty years from now.
“Conservatives” always lose because they react, they don’t play to win. This describes most of the Larry the Cable Guy crowd that think Wayne is the father they never had (around.) Watch the retards send more contributions to NRA.
And your remedy is?
Conservatives are always at a disadvantage because we expect individuals to be responsible for themselves while liberals promise a free ride to the masses. Given the choice between taking care of yourself and your family or having the government provide for your every need, the masses will choose the latter. That concept has served the masses of communist countries for a century. The masses fell for the promise and never saw it realized. The same will be true here if there isn’t a reawakening of the constitutional spirit.
Who’s the cuck now?
Wet Blanket
Why wouldn’t it? The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act got passed under Bush, so the Hearing Protection Act very much could as well.
OK so another breathless report about nothing… let us know when anything goes down LOL
Trump has a HUUUUUUGE job undoing the Obamination’s destruction and righting the ship again. I expect 2A stuff will get done, but there are more pressing matters to redeem the Country’s health.
Well, the problem is that nothing is happening. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think a government that is fully republican should be allowed to get away with not giving us any progress with firearms freedom. We went through eight years of the former president’s bullshit. We deserve this. It was the 2A crowd that put them in office in the first place. If we didn’t vote we’d have a ton of democrats in office right now.
JAlan- “It was the 2A crowd that put them in office in the first place. If we didn’t vote we’d have a ton of democrats in office right now.” Correct.
The Republican party will treat gun owners like Ronald Reagan (may he rest in peace) treated the Moral Majority and the religious right in his elections:
he used them for votes and then threw them away. Nobody had any intention of outlawing abortion.
The party structures and the Deep State in D.C. know that NRA is a joke. NRA is in bed with the police unions, and they don’t even take care of their own members. How can anyone in D.C. take Chris Cox seriously when NRA/ILA sells out their own members?
Nothing is happening? He’s been President for only a month, and still doesn’t have his full cabinet in place. Tell Congress to get off their butts. Any pro-gun bill is guaranteed to be signed by Trump.
I disagree with the whole “It’s only been a month” line. There are PLENTY of things Trump could have done(and a few he PROMISED to do) on DAY ONE. He could have overturned George Bush Sr’s import ban…..got rid of gun free zone on military bases and Army Corps land….etc. He could have had his new AG loosen greatly the “sporting purpose” definition of the 68 GCA allowing many more imports. He could have already signed the order allowing importation of all those Korean Garands. ANY of these are simple and could have been signed already.
On the legislation front the Congress could have easily passed many gun laws. These aren’t massive complex bills people! Most would be less than a page long. Hell, look at the Hearing Protection Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/367
It’s LESS THAN ONE PAGE.
They could have voted on that already. There’s no need for any lengthy debate…complex changes…etc. Of course the Republican’s argument will be “well, we have both houses of Congress but we don’t have a 60 vote majority in the Senate. Boy…when we get that…THEN we promise to get it done!”
Same old BS from these guys. Vote on it now…if the Dems wanna filibuster then get rid of the damn filibuster. And if you don’t have the balls to do that then vote on it anyway and let the Dems show their votes for the 2018 election. Then if the Repubs win then they can vote on it again.
Go on youtube and watch Trump’s speech BEFORE he got elected at the NRA Convention…and Wayne’s as well. Before the election they are talking about all the great things Trump will do day one for gun rights. At CPAC Trump gives a little shout out to the 2nd Amendment and Wayne is ranting about terrorists and left wing protesters. If either one was really expecting stuff to get done why wouldn’t they be using their speeches to tell us all the great stuff for Gun Owners that is coming in the next month or two???
People of the Gun…we are about to get bent over AGAIN by the Republicans…mark my words.
If the president has time to go golfing and tweet, then he has time to sign executive orders or overturn the previous president’s. He hasn’t done any of this. Stop making excuses for a man that has none. Either we bitch and moan until we get what we were promised or they will assume we’re a “captured” voting block and ignore us even as we consistently vote for them in the vain hope that “this time it will be different.”
Alex- “Go on youtube and watch Trump’s speech BEFORE he got elected at the NRA Convention…and Wayne’s as well. Before the election they are talking about all the great things Trump will do day one for gun rights.”
I can’t speak to Donald Trump’s motivations, but when it comes to Wayne LaPierre and NRA policy, you’re talking about the org that used and betrayed Otis McDonald.
It’s not a matter of NRA being ineffective, it’s the fact that NRA lobbyists cut deals with anti-gun police unions that set up gun owners to be killed.
The idea that NRA would do anything to put themselves out of a job is unrealistic. The worse the gun bills that NRA promotes, the more job security to “fix” them.
1+
La Pierre is entitled to his opinions of course, but when he is speaking on behalf of the NRA he should stick to 2A issues. The fact of the matter is that the NRA, whether accurately or not, is associated with the conservative right, and probably most–but certainly not all–of its members have similar political positions. But in order to grow, and to attract Democrat voters and 2A supporters, civil rights rather than political dogma (or propaganda or whatever you want to call it) seems to me to be more important.
+1
Wayne should be at CPAC to get some action on gun rights, not to encourage conservatives to take gun owners for granted.
In contrast Her Royal Highness would be taxing ammo and appointing God knows who to the court
If TTAG wants to get clicks and actually be part of the solution, it needs to help lead the charge in political activism to get things passed.
Don’t just report, step into the ring. Breitbart went from a conservative media backbencher to influencing policy- and it’s gotten a lot more clicks and readers after Bannon became part of the white house.
If you guys truly do value the 2nd amendment, and the community- help generate action and movement. Our leaders aren’t going to do it without us, the grassroots, rising up and demanding and forcing it.
And without Hillary fear, and lack of action on Trump’s part, the only way there’s going to be something to report to get clicks to keep the lights on- you’re going to have to help generate the news.
Anyone who thought that 2A issues would be a first line priority under any Republican administration is retarded.
There are much, much, much larger fish to fry and they’re going to be dealt with first. It’s that simple.
The only way the 2A was going to be on deck right away was if HRC or The Bern got elected and attacked the 2A.
People are worried about jobs and people with no jobs buy no guns. So calm down and let’s see what happens. It’s not like the guy is POTUS for six months and we have to get this done right the fuck now.
I agree that the president isn’t naturally going to put gun rights first, and congress is… much worse.
But as a veteran of the Milo berkeley riot, getting the right to carry and shoot fascists instead of being attacked and injured because I couldn’t legally carry anything on campus- being armed is my number one issue. And I would love to make it more people’s number one.
I think we should be lobbying congress, but I agree that these won’t naturally be first line priorities. That’s why we have to make them.
Please.
Ya, more pressing issues than our rights.
Such as a ineffective 20 billion $ wall. Stupid.
People will make excuses for trump on 2A for 4 years, and then say – well he tried congress wouldn’t pass any bills.
Trump is fake. Trump supports the Assault Weapons Ban, he said so himself.
I’ll ignore your cherry picking of an old statement and simply point out this:
Your average American doesn’t much care about your ability to buy a suppressor OTC or carry a gun in any state you might travel to. They care about the economy, jobs, terrorism, crime etc.
The simple fact is that there isn’t anything we can do that can’t be undone by another Democratic Congress with a Democratic President and if Trump doesn’t turn things around sharpish you can expect those things in 2020 because there’s no other serious option.
However, if Trump can make most people reasonably happy we can have the HPA and a bunch of other goodies because they won’t care as long as they and their family are employed and happy. When there’s no blood in the streets we can go further and completely undercut a democratic party plank while expanding POTG numbers.
Calm down and think strategically rather than just yelling “But Muh rights!”. That sort of impatience is how you lose more of them.
Poor deluded brainwashed sheep listening to the speech of a madman and his equally insane cronies.
Not my president. After all Russia did have something to do with it.
Hillary won the popular vote and it was found most Americans wanted Hillary Clinton.
Obama did a lot for this country and saved lots of innocent lives with his policies, He improved our economic infrastructure, improved our medical care , Passed gun control measures which reduced our crime rates and reduced further mass attacks and did what captain coco-bananas couldn’t do.
And let’s go to all the fact about all the Fake News about “evil leftist attacks” where there have been absolutely NONE.
The Berkeley riots were caused by Milo along with the fact those supposed “antifascist” were fake paid protestors paided by Milo and his riech-wing cronies.
Most of the attacks in the country were caused by nut-bars with ties to right wing extremism not to mention hate crimes and mass incidents have been on the rise by anti-freedom nutbars like the very brainwashed sheep of this website who believe every bit of shit spoon-fed from this bullshit debunked websites like brietbart and this website along with it’s fascist. racist, cowardly, neo-nazi of a ownder named robert farago.
You people are the real threat to American democracy and freedoms, You hypocrites don’t even care about the constitution unless it supports your psychotic beliefs.
“You people are the real threat to American democracy and freedoms, You hypocrites don’t even care about the constitution unless it supports your psychotic beliefs.”
SJWs always project, always.
“Passed gun control measures which reduced our crime rates”
Yea, you’re going to need to prove that baseless claim.
Inner-city murder rates are skyrocketing and he claims otherwise?
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
So, how many ohms are you?
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote
Not really. She won it overall only because of California. Otherwise, she lost it. There is a difference between a popular vote win where the vote is equitably distributed throughout the country, which will also lead to an Electoral College win, versus a popular vote win that loses in most of the country, but wins in a few very populous states and thus manages to put a candidate over the top. The latter is the kind of popular vote win that the Electoral College is designed to check, so that we don’t end up with just the most populous states dictating to the whole country who becomes president.
It’s also worth noting that in Cali and NY Clinton did win and captured those electoral votes.
The electoral college is designed quite specifically to prevent this from being what Mr. R wants, the United States of New York and LA.
more accurately, the EC serves as a check on the will of the people. the assumption is that the general electorate is ignorant and might make an obviously wrong choice. 2016 either proved this to be true or the reason we need to abolish it. ironically, the same argument is being made for the referendum that brought brexit.
I’m a bit concerned about the President over his public stance on due process and gun rights. Both Trump and Clinton were in favor of no fly, no buy during the campaign.
Mark- What’s due process? Trump is a businessman, he’s concerned with results, not methods. Wait until Trump takes official action to unleash the police departments with Stop-and-Frisk.
These two are precisely the reasons I voted for Castle instead of Trump. A President who doesn’t respect due process, would strip citizens of their rights simply for disagreeing with him, and ignore the Constitution in order to push his own agenda is not the man we want in the White House. Sadly, this describes every President since H. W. Bush.
“I will get rid of gun-free zones…on military bases.”
“My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones.”
STILL WAITING
You’ll be waiting a long time.
Me too. Think we should start a petition for Trump to follow through on his campaign promises? There are seceral I’d like to hold his feet to the fire on…
“President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday…”
So many of the hicks were ready to faint just because Wayne LaPierre and Trump were in the same picture frame. Now Wayne has shared the same stage with President Trump.
So what? How can anyone in D.C. take NRA seriously when they sold out Otis McDonald?
“…cracking down on crime, rebuilding inner cities..”
Translation: Trump is going to let loose the police to go nuts with Stop-and-Frisk like they did in New York City under his buddy Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Stop-and-Frisk is already built into Illinois’ concealed carry bill thanks to NRA state lobbyist Todd Vandermyde.
It’s called Duty to Inform, so that should come in handy for the police unions when they “crack down on crime” in Chicago. Thanks Todd!
Where’d that post about spokes nipples go? Too funny. But looks like the censors are alive and well. Smells like Russia around here lately.
“People are worried about jobs and people with no jobs buy no guns. So calm down and let’s see what happens. It’s not like the guy is POTUS for six months and we have to get this done right the fuck now.”
It’s not about getting it ALL done right now…it’s about showing that you really care about gun rights and that you won’t go back on your promises. Again….many things he could have done DAY ONE….very simple and quick things to ease gun owners minds. It was TRUMP at the NRA convention saying how much he supported gun rights. It was Trump and Trump supporters saying the same thing to get our votes not only in the primaries but the General election(Oh Trumps son is HUGE on gun rights! Oh Trump is forming a Second Amendment Committee now that he’s been elected!)
YES he is better than Hillary. YES his SC pick and Sessions are good for gun rights in the next four years.
But I expected and he PROMISED real and fast change in getting our rights back. IF he doesn’t do something substantive soon he’s gonna loose the People of the Gun. He will be seen as just another politician with all their fake promises. He already is making a lot of enemies…..he doesn’t need to be making them on our side.
Alex- “It was Trump and Trump supporters saying the same thing to get our votes not only in the primaries but the General election(Oh Trumps son is HUGE on gun rights! Oh Trump is forming a Second Amendment Committee now that he’s been elected!)”
Donald Trump knows how to go vote hunting- where the voters are. If you want to find low-class rubes to buy your snake oil, you go to the NRA convention and promise the retards that you’ve got the potion that’s good for what ails them.
You are right to expect what the new President promised. Don’t bother to lower yourself by debating with people that have no self-respect, which is most NRA members.
I’m the biggest Second Amendment and gun advocate in the world, but the fact is that if we don’t get an originalist justice on The Supreme Court, secure the border, bring jobs back to America, get Americans back to work in those jobs, reduce taxes, both corporate and individual, and deal with radical islamic terrorism, in that order, neither the Second Amendment or the rest of The Constitution will matter because there won’t be an America for The Constitution to hold together.
As big a Second Amendment advocate as I am, I realize that these other things are much higher in order of importance, so I can wait a bit. If he waits to get things like national reciprocity and the relaxation of some federal firearms regulations through until the heavy lifting of those items I mentioned is done, I won’t have a complaint.
How many times do you need to beat a dead horse? Your right to bear arms is secure, until the next socialist/liberal/communist takes office. Most sound like my ex, Seven Horses, give her what she wants and it’s still, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag. How special do you want to be? There are more rights on the books than the right to bear arms, best worry about protecting those also. That firearm does not give anyone the right to dictate others rights as US Citizens. Respect the rights of others to cope with being firearm free, if they choose. One chance in a million will ever need a firearm to protect and defend, but, never know when that ‘chance’ might come up. During being robbed, burnt out, beaten, invaded, raped, tortured, killed, is the wrong time to wish you had been armed, and had taken the time to learn how to use a firearm. (It could also be an indication you in a rough neighborhood to start with).
“Your right to bear arms is secure”
NO! No, it is not.
It’s as secure as it’s gonna get cupcake.
Saw this coming from a mile away. Its been one month and already conservatives are bitching about how Trump is a loser, or re-nigging on his campaign promises.
Folks-Perfect is the enemy of good.
And lets not forget that since day one, he’s had the MSM and liberals attempting to side line everything he’s done thus far. He’s letting the liberals gas themselves and get too tired to fight and protest. He’s letting middle America watch the liberals fight him over every minor thing so they stop taking the morons seriously. And once the liberals tire themselves out, and once middle America stops listening to them, he’ll get some of this other stuff done.
I could understand if he was on year 7 and this discussion was taking place, but screaming Jesus on a Ferris wheel, give the guy a chance. Stop looking a gift horse in the mouth and just let the man freaking work at the pace they feel is best.
“Folks-Perfect is the enemy of good.”
The mantra of losers and slaves. Same lies NRA state lobbyist for Illinois Todd Vandermyde told the gun hicks about Duty to Inform w/ criminal penalties in 2011, before the “NRA backed” concealed carry bill passed in 2013. “We can change that part later.” So said Chris Cox’ pet rat.
“Stop looking a gift horse in the mouth…”
The regurgitated spewing of brain dead hicks. Don’t question your betters in the Ivory Tower, be glad you got a bone with the last populist President in thirty years since Ronald Reagan…
“…just let the man freaking work at the pace they feel is best.”
Don’t worry or question the people you pay in D.C. or at NRA. Donald Trump and Wayne LaPierre are sitting in the War Room in the basement of NRA cooking up a plan on how to finally do everything they promised in the campaign, but NRA staff came to the conclusion that they would be out of a job if they actually won anything. They’ll get back to you soon, leave a message.
What is the educational level of the average NRA member? 7th grade?
Mantra of losers and slaves? It’s called being a realist, there, high speed. You pick and choose your battles. “He who defends everything, defends nothing,”.
Tactical victories vs strategic victories-pick up history book, and educate yourself.
If you want to hold your breath until your personally anointed politician, descends from a cloud and hands you a cookie, and powders your ass, you are more than welcome to do so. And if this elite snobbery of thinking that you’re the only guy with a legit political plan, gets your jollies off, then get down on it.
I for one am thrilled that we are in a position to start rolling back some of the idiocy from the past 8 years, and if that means I have to wait for a little bit to get it, so be it.
Trump has more than just POTG to cater to, regardless of what you believe.
If he decides to throw our beliefs to the side, then I am more than happy to grab a pitchfork and torch, but until that time, STFU and get out of the ’causes’ way, you ingratiating automaton.
Sincerely,
a non-NRA, Illinois residing, high school graduate.
Demo man, what exactly have you done to advance 2A rights?
Big boys in ISRA and NRA won’t let him play with them, so he is a bit cranky and bitter. Now, instead of doing something positive himself, he cries and squeals the same lame complaints over and over any chance he gets, annoying everyone in earshot.
“Big boys in ISRA and NRA…”
Would that be big boys like “executive director” (hicks love those Freemasonic titles) Richard Pearson? Do you feel small compared to the “big boys?”
Pearson is a father figure to the trailer park turds. In real life he’s a back-slapping insurance salesman in Chatsworth, Illinois, population 500 souls, not counting the dead raccoons that got hit by the side of the road.
What huge steps will the clowntards from southern Illinois take at the IGOLD March of the HIcks- 2017? Remove criminal penalties from Illinois’ concealed carry bill? It’s been four long years, is it time yet for some real action?
No, NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde is trying to legalize suppressors as we speak. Luckily Chris Cox & Chuck Cunningham at NRA/ILA haven’t done a criminal background check on him since 2001. It’s a race against time for Illinois’ premier gun rights lobbyist before his past catches up with him.
Vandermyde gave up his high paying job as lobbyist for William Dugan at the Intl. Union of Operating Engineers local 150 in Countryside because he really cares about gun owners.
No wait, Dugan was convicted by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in 2010. Time to jump the sinking ship and start a new con.
“He’s only had a month, man. Lay off.”
If I was the president, I could gut all federal gun control in a month. Most federal gun control is regulatory, not statutory. New machine guns for you. All NFA items available in the same day.
Order the “Secretary” to issue new NFA regulations. The rules would be that non-natural persons (trusts, corporations, LLCs) don’t need fingerprints or any of that crap. A trust could be named NFA Trust (random number). The law specifically states that natural persons must submit finger prints. Natural persons would need only submit fingerprints. There would be no requirement of any information for responsible persons for non-natural persons. Non-natural persons would be defined as broadly as possible.
The regulations would allow an FFL, as an agent of the Secretary, to approve the transferee once they fill out a form, pay the tax, pass a NICS check or have an LTC, CHL, etc. (the statute has language that makes me think a background check/carry license may be necessary, and I’d rather not push it on that one). The tax stamp gets put on the form; the FFL registers the item over the internet (setting this part up may actually take more than a month); the transferee takes the item and form home (or wherever it’s registered or the range). The FFL keeps only the information mandated by statute (I haven’t studied that part closely).
The regulation would also require the issuing of stamps for post 86 machine guns. The Hughes amendment states:
“(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to transfer or possess a machinegun.
(2) This subsection does not apply with respect to—
(A) a transfer to or by, or possession by or under the authority of, the United States or any department or agency thereof or a State, or a department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or”
(2)(A) excludes transfers to or by governments. That’s federal, state, and/or local. Under this law, your local school district, city council, water district, etc. can legally buy machine guns and sell them to you if the ATF issues you a stamp. Good luck getting the stamp. Now, you couldn’t then transfer the machine gun, but you could transfer the non-natural person who owns the item. My regulation would specifically authorize all of this. It would also mandate the federal parts I could and point out that authorization is not needed for other parts. (This part is where I’m pushing the limits the hardest. Possession might be illegal unless you are possessing under the authority of the government selling the machine gun or the under the authority of ATF because they issued the stamp. As a conservative, who believes laws should be read as written, I’m not sure if this is a kosher interpretation).
Form 4473 would be reduced to the simplest form statutorily possible and retention requirements would be the minimum time required by statute. (I also haven’t looked closely at this either; it may be the case that the form can be eliminated completely).
I would also try for preemption of local state laws through executive action like the proposed EO at http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/02/john-boch/proposed-executive-order-designating-rifles-militia-purposes/. I would do a conservative one like that and then more aggressive ones like the ones proposed in the comments (the comments there and here). Make the courts define the outer limits of the President’s power.
Sure, once a new president comes along, he could undo all the regulations, but everyone with their new NFA items has property rights in them now which can’t be deprived without due process of law. Also, every half serious person of the gun would have an intergrally suppressed full auto (or at least burst) SBR (because that was just one tax stamp under the new regulations; I’m probably pushing again).
There are a bunch of other little things I’d do as well. I’d also probably credit Obama with this brilliant pen and phone strategy.
All of this could have started on day one. Does the president have more important things to take care of? In my opinion, of course he does. Is that a good enough excuse as to why he hasn’t done anything on the 2A yet? HELL NO! It doesn’t even take any government resources to draft this stuff. Just call gun rights groups, lay out what you want, and tell them to start writing these things and that whoever writes the best stuff will receive a huuuge reputation boost. Then sign all of it.
The biggest downside of doing it this way is that it would probably take most of the pressure off of Congress, and there are many things only Congress can do. Congress can preempt all state laws on arms through Article I Section 8 Clauses 3, 11-16, and 18; and Section 5 of the 14A. (I am probably pushing it with some of those provisions, but not 3, 15, 16, and 5). Through the same provisions, it can do just about anything to promote firearms and gun culture. It probably could require the purchase of M-4s by all Americans without even calling the mandate a tax. It’s an enumerated power.
It’s been 37 days. It’s about time the people who backed Trump full tilt get something.