By the time you read this, the midterm elections will have already happened, and we’ll know if more federal regulations and laws restricting our civil rights are on their way. I would like to say that the congressional outcomes don’t mean anything for two years, as long as President Trump is in office. But that’s simply not true.
President Donald Trump has shown an irresolute streak on publicly considering more gun regulations, though, to be fair, we haven’t seen any new laws at the federal level. I recognize Trump is a master-class troller of the gun haters and the media, so perhaps his musings are simply bait for his adversaries. But because I’m a 2nd Amendment absolutist, I’d like to see no further restrictions on gun rights. In fact, I’d like to see Trump start talking about rolling back gun regulations. But the other side is pushing more laws and red tape. To wit:
- David Chipman, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent and now a senior policy adviser at Gabby Giffords’ Courage to Fight Gun Violence group, says AR-15 rifles should be regulated like machine guns. Chipman told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball, “To me, if you want to have a weapon of war, the same gun that was issued to me as a member of [the] ATF SWAT team, it makes sense that you would have to pass a background check, the gun would have to be in your name, and there would be a picture and fingerprints on file.” Well, for one, I’m glad Chipman is out of government service and out in the open where his views can be confronted. His argument that the AR-15 is a “weapon of war” could also be applied to the M14, M1, and various other semi-auto mechanisms. Oh, and the 1911 and Beretta 92 as well. That’s where his argument leads.
- Reuters reported that U.S. gun-control advocates have outspent gun-rights groups by more than 40 percent on the congressional elections. “Boosted largely by the personal fortune of billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is considering a 2020 presidential run, the gun-control war chest almost entirely benefits Democrats.” Gun-control groups, including Giffords’ and Everytown for Gun Safety, have spent $20.2 million on the elections, well over the $14.1 million spent by pro-gun groups, according to data released by the U.S. Federal Election Commission.
- In mid-October, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader, told parents and students from Parkland, Florida that gun control would be at the top of the Democrats’ agenda if they win back the House in November’s midterms, according to the Miami Herald.
I guess we will see what transpires in January 2019.
