Weekly Spotlight 2/10 – 2/17/23
President Biden’s Call for “Assault Weapons” Ban is Misleading & Out of Step with the American People
During Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, President Biden told the story of Brandon Tsay, a 26-year-old who heroically disarmed an active shooter in Alhambra, CA last month and was one of the President’s invited guests. “He found the courage to act and wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from a gunman who had already killed 11 people,” Biden said. Then the President launched into a tirade about how the federal government must “ban assault weapons once and for all.”
Brandon Tsay is undoubtedly a hero who bravely stopped an armed criminal from taking more lives. But the issue with President Biden’s remarks should be clear to anyone with knowledge of firearms. Semi-automatic pistols are amongst the most commonly owned guns in the nation – and they’re certainly not “assault weapons.” President Biden and gun control activists aren’t even sure how to define the term “assault weapon,” and yet they’re repeatedly calling to ban them.
Notably, the President failed to mention that California already has some of the strictest anti-gun laws in America. And that criminals, by definition, don’t follow the law.
This cognitive dissonance is reflective of the anti-Second Amendment movement as a whole – they don’t have real solutions and they’re not prioritizing Americans’ right to defend themselves, even as crime is on the rise. And yet, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein recently introduced S.25, an “Assault Weapons Ban,” which expands the classification of an “assault weapon” to include many types of barrels, grips, and other devices that can be found on most guns. It goes after the very types of weapons that are most commonly chosen by Americans to protect their loved ones and their homes.
A new poll conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post shows just how out of step President Biden and Washington’s gun control proponents are with everyday people on this issue. A majority of Americans (51 percent) said they oppose a national “assault weapons” sales ban. The 47 percent of respondents who support such a ban is “the second-lowest level of support measured since the poll began in 1995.” It’s clear that, despite the rhetoric emanating from Washington, Americans do not want their Second Amendment rights restricted, especially by sweeping bans on so-called “assault weapons.”
The USCCA-FSL is committed to keeping responsible gun owners and Second Amendment champions informed of the ongoing threats to their rights – and to equipping you to do something about it. With a few clicks, you can send a letter to your Senator urging them to OPPOSE attempts to institute blanket gun bans.
We encourage you to tell your Representative to VOTE NO on S. 25!
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Washington Examiner: Biden gun ban and crime wave spark higher sales
The recent slowdown in gun sales reversed last month, likely the result of new threats from President Joe Biden to ban some guns and tax others, according to industry officials. After record-setting sales turned slightly lower last year, January saw a 6.5% spike in FBI gun sales background checks, according to new data. Sellers told Secrets that increased sales are being driven by Biden’s threats and a jump in random shootings, especially in big cities. That has pushed up sales of concealable firearms and the filling up of concealed carry permit classes. “The result is these folks are buying before the government bans them,” said Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the nation’s largest. “Our concealed carry classes are filling up quickly, which is a strong indicator of future sales.”
- FOX 13 Tampa Bay: Pinellas Sheriff: Florida’s Constitutional Carry Bill ‘Protects People’s Right To Protect Themselves
A proposal that would allow Floridians to carry concealed firearms without licenses began moving through the state House on Tuesday, as a debate emerged about whether the bill lives up to the “constitutional carry” label given by supporters. The House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law, & Government Operations Subcommittee voted 10-5 along party lines to approve the measure, after an at-times tense three-hour meeting.
- The Center Square: Lawsuit takes aim at Connecticut’s assault weapons ban
Gun rights advocates are seeking to block Connecticut from enforcing a new federal rule that reclassified certain weapons as banned firearms under the state’s assault weapons ban. A lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court by the Second Amendment Foundation on behalf of several gun owners, seeks a declaratory judgment that Connecticut’s laws banning the sale or possession of “assault weapons” violate the Second Amendment, and calls for a permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing the laws. The move comes in response to new federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rules, published on Jan. 31, that reclassified “certain other firearms” as rifles under federal gun control regulations.
- The Herald-Mail: With Gun Law Gone, Permit Applications Increased Nearly 7 Times In Maryland In 2022
After the United States Supreme Court ruled a New York gun law unconstitutional last June, shifting the legal landscape across the country, concealed carry permit applications for handguns in Maryland rose by over 70,000 from the prior year. In a 6-3 decision, the high court ruled on June 23 in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York’s concealed carry law requiring individuals to show “proper cause” to be permitted to carry a handgun outside of the home violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. “Maryland’s ‘good and substantial’ reason for carry permits outside the home is no longer good law,” said Mark Pennak, an attorney and president of Maryland Shall Issue, a gun rights advocacy group, in an interview at the time. He predicted 100,000 individuals would apply when the Maryland law changed.