After Trump Win, Democrats Reduced to Blue State Gun Infringements

By David Codrea

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Actually, Chris, the political dynamics have been changed for you. Now we hit back.
AmmoLand Gun News
AmmoLand Gun News

USA –  -(Ammoland.com)- “With Republicans in control of both chambers and the White House next year, Democrats and advocates predict they will have to pivot and block measures that expand gun owners’ rights,” Roll Call notes. Why Democrats would want to do that, and that the report came out on Bill of Rights Day, are telling.

“[Connecticut Sen. Chris] Murphy said advocates will go on the offensive at the state level, focusing on adding state ballot measures relating to expanded background checks,” Roll Call explains. “He also expressed hope that Congress could address the so-called terror gap, referring to a Democratic push to bar suspected terrorists from purchasing guns.”

That first part was predictable, and in fact, predicted in this column right after Trump won.

 Astroturf-funded state measures are the wave of the near future. The formula: Pick a “blue” state; throw in a ton of money from New York City and Silicon Valley; hire the best propagandists money can buy; rely on media allies to amplify the signal and demonize gun owners; spook the useful idiot herd; and steamroll over grassroots volunteers who enjoy neither the money, the media savvy, the contacts nor the reach.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

The good thing is future gun-grabber gains will likely be reduced to “sure win” states, as Nevada only gave them a <1% victory margin. So much for the “fake news” meme that 80% of Americans, including most gun owners, agree with registration-enabling edicts. And there aren’t a lot more substantive edicts they can impose in places like California or New Jersey, especially with the expected reconstituted Supreme Court majority on the way.

The second goal, national due process-ignoring prior restraints under the guise of a “terror watchlist” (“No Fly/No Buy”) should be a concern since Donald Trump telegraphed his support for the concept while debating Hillary Clinton. It’s especially problematic because “kinder, gentler” Republican versions are being touted. While words like “due process” are being thrown around as some kind of reassurance, the fact remains that a fundamental right could be denied to those who have not even been charged with a crime, let alone convicted.

Message to the GOP:

No. Stop it. If you think you’ll satisfy “progressives” and get them to stop attacking you as “extremists” by throwing them a sop, here’s a real world experiment you can conduct first to approximate the outcome: Climb into the hyena enclosure at the local zoo, throw the circling predators a scrap of flesh along with a conciliatory proclamation about the importance of compromise, and see if they then let you alone.

Promise you’ll try that first.

While it’s reassuring to see that fresh infringements at the national level look stoppable and will be limited at the state level to “progressive” enclaves, and that gun owners are poised to make some real gains (provided promises are kept), now is hardly the time to relax.

“First and foremost, we have to play defense,” Murphy admits.  That means they’re on the ropes.

Now is the time to pummel the prohibitionists.

David Codrea in his natural habitat.

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.

In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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Ralph

It all comes down to the sad fact that even though there are gun owners from every walk of life and from all political affiliations, when elections roll around, especially state and local elections, they can not seem to coalesce into one entity and vote for the candidate that will fight for their 2nd Amendment rights. Instead, they vote party line, which in Blue states mean that they give up there freedom to defend themselves because they always have, and always will support the party they are affiliated with.

trumped

As a paleo libertarian, there is quite a bit I disagree with trump about. However, one lesson he has taught all politicians is that the left will treat people who roll over the same as they do someone who fights back. And guess which tactic will bring millions out of the woodwork in support? Trump understood he would he called a racist and a sexist no matter what – so why not appeal to the working class and middle class masses and destroy the cultural marxists with flyover country rednecks? I have not even bothered to vote in a general… Read more »

Mike Murray

Republican or Democrat, they all love running other people’s lives and spending other people’s money. Meanwhile, the rest of us just want the government out of our lives and out of out pockets.

Ron H

“With Republicans in control of both chambers and the White House next year, Democrats and advocates predict they will have to pivot and block measures that expand gun owners’ rights,”. That phrase alone should be the death knell of the democratic party. Anyone who believes they have the authority to restrict my rights should not be elected members of congress, for they are nothing but tyrannical despots desiring to invoke their will on others.

Pete

The pro-gun argument is simple. Law enforcement is reactive, not pro-active in our society. Until a crime is committed, no law enforcement. We don’t punish people until they’ve broken the law. Inanimate objects such as cars or knives or guns or baseball bats cannot commit crimes by themselves. The crimes require human action. The perpetrators of the slaughter at Virginia Tech, two slaughters in Colorado, the shooting of Gabby Giffords and, the Florida nightclub all passed background checks. The school shooting in Connecticut and the shooting in California resulted from an individual who did pass a background check serving as… Read more »

jdalco

I would love to see some money poured into beating this idiots in state like MA where we have dumb laws that should be able to be crushed at the federal level and then it applies to all. . . .

Nancy

The last sentence is the best one, “Now is the time to pummel the prohibitionists.”

Mack

“Majority Rule Equals Tyranny” — Walter E. Williams * https://www.creators.com/read/walter-williams/12/16/majority-rule-equals-tyranny [SNIP] The Founding Fathers held a deep abhorrence for democracy and majority rule. In fact, the word democracy appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. In Federalist No. 10, James Madison wrote, “Measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.” John Adams predicted, “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit… Read more »

Wild Bill

@Walter E. Williams, No… minority rule equals tyranny. Majority rule with uninfringeable Rights of individuals, a legislature that is subject to it own acts, a nonpolitical judiciary, a nonpolitical bureaucracy, and nonpolitical electoral college is the American system of representative democracy.