In a tense moment during the immediate aftermath of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, a fight nearly broke out on the House floor as Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania criticized his GOP colleagues for repeating “lies” about Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The attack on the Capitol “didn’t materialize out of nowhere,” Lamb declared. Those who inspired the Capitol rioters with fabrications about Donald Trump winning the election “should be ashamed of themselves [and] their constituents should be ashamed of them.” As he spoke, a scrum erupted to his right between Republican Rep. Andy…
Of all the propaganda projects the National Rifle Association has undertaken, the most successful might be their portrayal of violent far-right wing extremists David Koresh and Randy Weaver as patriots and heroes oppressed by an evil federal government. In 1995, immediately after Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City (killing 168 innocent people and injuring hundreds), three-quarters of Americans said they approved of federal law enforcement’s actions during the Waco siege. But just three months later, that figure had shrank to 50%. During this period, the NRA and conservative politicians were engaged in an aggressive campaign libeling…
On March 4, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspended his presidential campaign after spending $250,000,000+ of his own money on ads and winning just 44 delegates in 20 Democratic primaries. Bloomberg undoubtedly believed he could appeal to voters, but his campaign had the opposite effect — reminding Democrats and progressives that the egotistical billionaire shares few of their values. An open question is what will now become of his gun control empire, which is fueled by the volunteer labor of thousands of women across the country. The alliance between Bloomberg and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the…
In January, the Supreme Court accepted its first gun case in nearly a decade, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. New York City. The petitioner, NYSRPA, is a state affiliate of the National Rifle Association. NYSRPA is challenging a gun ordinance that prohibits licensees from transporting their handguns outside NYC limits. The NRA is hoping to accomplish more than striking down a minor municipal gun law, however. With perjurer and accused sex offender Brett Kavanaugh installed on the Court, the NRA seeks an expansive reading of the Second Amendment that enshrines public carry (concealed and/or open) as a…
In February 2018, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, launched an investigation into the financial relationship between the NRA and the government of Russian president Vladimir Putin. “I am specifically troubled by the possibility that Russian-backed shell companies or intermediaries may have circumvented laws designed to prohibit foreign meddling in our elections,” Wyden wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and NRA treasurer Wilson Phillips, Jr. “The national security as well as legal implications…make it imperative that Congress conduct a thorough investigation.”
Wyden never found a smoking gun (evidence the NRA used Russian…
Responding to intense pressure following the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated his chamber will consider background checks legislation when it reconvenes in September. More than 200 House Democrats are asking McConnell to vote on H.R. 8, a universal background checks bill passed in February with just eight Republican votes. It seems like a remarkable and rare opportunity to take meaningful federal action to reduce gun violence, but the truth is less promising. H.R. …
On May 24, the White House announced President Trump was nominating Fraternal Order of Police national president Chuck Canterbury to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)—the agency tasked with enforcing federal gun laws. It was a curious promotion for a man who has never led a law enforcement department/agency,* but then again, Canterbury wasn’t tapped to crack down on corrupt gun dealers or reduce gun violence. Instead, Trump and his financial benefactors at the NRA hope Canterbury can complete a hostile takeover of the ATF that began years ago.
Generally speaking, bipartisanship in American politics is admirable. Our constitutional democracy is geared to breed compromises that reflect the diverse views of the American people. In an era of radical GOP politics, however, efforts at bipartisanship can be futile and sometimes even impede progress. Nowhere is that truer than in the gun control movement. On May 8, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 7030 into law, expanding the state’s controversial “Guardian” program to allow teachers to carry loaded guns in K-12 schools. This marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for gun control advocates, who just one year earlier had celebrated…
In January, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York. The case involves a Second Amendment challenge to a local ordinance prohibiting licensees from transporting their firearms outside the city. [Licensees can take (unloaded and locked) firearms and ammo to seven different licensed shooting ranges in the city]. It’s the first time since 2010 (McDonald v. City of Chicago) the Court has accepted a major gun case. Although NYSRPA v. NYC involves a narrowly-tailored gun regulation, there is a tremendous amount at stake. The NRA spent…
The House of Representatives conducted its first hearing on gun violence in eight years on Wednesday, addressing the overwhelmingly popular policy of universal background checks. Predictably, not a single Republican on the House Judiciary Committee spoke in favor of H.R. 8, which would require universal background checks on all private sales of firearms save transactions between immediate family members. Instead, Republicans made a novel and curious argument against the legislation, suggesting that a national registry of firearms is required to properly screen gun buyers for history of violence.
Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia brought the point up first. “There is…
Ladd Everitt
Gun control professional/volunteer who’s worked for CSGV, George Takei’s One Pulse for America, MMM, MDPGV. Advocate for bolder pro-democracy agenda.
