The fate of our Second Amendment rights hang in the balance with two Democratic Senators holding the keys to the castle. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are the last holdouts against removing the filibuster. If both of them fall, national gun control legislation will start flowing faster than gaffes from our so-called president.
Gun Owners of America is fighting back on multiple fronts. For complete transparency, I have supported and adored GOA for years, viewing them as the most effective fighters against those who would try to limit our right to keep and bear arms. This is why it’s not surprising that my interview with New Hampshire GOA director Alan Rice was so fawning. I put my journalistic side down to let him spill the beans on what needs to be done going forward.
Before getting to my discussion with Rice, we have a story out of Texas that exemplifies exactly what we need more of in America. According to Just The News:
A piece of legislation that would allow Lone Star State handgun owners to carry their weapons in public without a permit was preliminarily passed in the Texas House on Thursday in an 84-56 vote, though it is anticipated that final passage out of the chamber will occur on Friday.
The legislation would also need to clear the state Senate before it would be heading to the governor’s desk.
“This bill should be called common sense carry because this bill is about common law-abiding citizens being able to carry commonly owned handguns in common public places for the common reason of personal and family protection. Under this bill, people who are prohibited from possessing a handgun will still be prohibited of possessing a handgun. Sensitive places where the unlicensed carry of a handgun is prohibited will still be prohibited. But if you are a law-abiding citizen age 21 or older that can legally possess a handgun you will be able to carry that handgun in a holster in public places where it is not otherwise prohibited,” Republican state Rep. Matt Schaefer said, NBCDFW.com reported.
Common sense. The plain reading of the language within the Second Amendment combined with laws of the land that already exist tell us that we don’t need more gun laws. We need better enforcement of current laws and we need a focus on getting guns out of the hands of criminals, not law-abiding citizens. This is the epitome of common sense, but unfortunately the party in charge in Washington DC is lacking.
We can fight back, as Alan told us in the interview. According to him, the problem starts at the top.
“Joe Biden has been in public office for close to 50 years,” he said. “Joe Biden has hated guns for close to 50 years. He likes to brag about the 1994 crime bill. The crime bill was a crime bill… it was a crime.”
One of the things Biden and the Democrats are going after is the so-called “ghost gun.” These are firearms lawfully made by private citizens for personal use. The left came up with the scary phrase to categorize them because supposedly they are the scourge that will take down our nation at any moment. What they don’t tell you is that homemade firearms are in the very DNA of our nation.
“People have been allowed to build their own firearms in their garages and basements and barns since before America was a republic,” he said. “It’s a very American thing to do to make your own gun. In the 21st century, people buy a hunk of aluminum or a hunk of plastic and they drill some holes, cut some slots, remove some material to make that hunk of aluminum or plastic into a firearm. The hunks of aluminum or plastic that they’re buying is not a firearm. The ATF has said it’s not a firearm. Now he wants to reverse close to 30-years of ATF opinions that I’m aware of.”
But ghost guns are not the only types of firearms in the Democrats’ sights. They’re looking at types of ammunition, rifles, magazines, and accessories to label in ways that make them illegal for some or all. Nearly everything they’re proposing runs contrary to our rights that are ensured by the Second Amendment.
The event that can make all of this happen is the removal of the filibuster. Gun Owners of America are focused on preventing the flurry of gun laws that would surely happen if the filibuster is removed. Their focus is on keeping the pressure up on Manchin and Sinema.
“Senator Manchin from West Virginia is on record that he won’t vote to do away with the filibuster,” he said. “We take him at his word. We believe he’s being truthful, but we’re asking our members in West Virginia to remind him of what he said. Senator Sinema from Arizona has now made similar comments, so we’re asking our members in Arizona to remind Senator Sinema what she said.”
There are a couple of other Democratic Senators who aren’t necessarily on the radar on the filibuster but who GOA believes can also be pressured into opposing its removal.
“My Senator, Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire is up for reelection next year, and in 2017 when she was in the minority party was against getting rid of the filibuster, so we’re asking New Hampshire gun owners to remind Senator Hassan what she said,” he said. “And the last one is Senator Hester from Montana. Same story.”
We can look at this as a national issue, but as Rice highlighted, it’s the grassroots efforts at the state and local effort that can really make a difference. We have to be talking to our state legislators as well as those on Capitol Hill who represent us in DC. They work for us, not the other way around. By focusing our personal efforts locally and working with Gun Owners of America to fight the national battle, we can prevent government from overstepping into our rights as American citizens.
The first thing to go if the filibuster falls will be the Second Amendment. It will be reinterpreted to be limiting instead of the blanket protection it was intended to be by our founders. GOA is working every day to defend it. They need our help.
Watch this interview on Locals or listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
