Supporters of increased gun control claim they want “common sense gun laws.” Yet, the left’s goal is and always has been the abolition of legal gun ownership by civilians.
The left knows that they cannot ban civilian firearms ownership directly. The U.S. Supreme Court put an end to that fantasy with the D.C. v. Heller decision in 2008. That ruling acknowledged that the Second Amendment was an individual right. It struck down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban. But that did not put an end to the left’s desire to abolish civilian gun ownership.
The left and gun control advocates usually hide behind the rhetoric of “common sense gun laws.” Take this statement from the Hollywood-backed “No Rifle Association.” We apologize in advance for any sudden drop in IQ points it may cause.
GUN SAFETY BILL OF RIGHTS#NoRA pic.twitter.com/jnrDimnyvA
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 5, 2018
But the mask sometimes slips off and their real goal of gun confiscation comes out in the open.
The most high-profile case of this is former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’s call to repeal the Second Amendment. Stevens claims that it will make it much easier to enact gun control laws without. “It would eliminate the only legal rule that protects sellers of firearms in the United States — unlike every other market in the world.” wrote Stevens.
But Stevens is not the only one who has called for the repeal of the Second Amendment. Several writers on both the left and the center-right have called for it as well. But repealing the Second Amendment only enjoys the support of 20 percent of the population.
The left and its anti-gun allies are following Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and attacking gun ownership. They’re launching a legal, cultural, and economic war on guns.
Anti-gunners can only legally attack gun ownership to a point. But that is not stopping them from doing what they can. Make no mistake, the left’s goal is not just to reduce gun violence, but to end legal gun ownership. The goal of their legislation is to make gun ownership as inconvenient as possible for gun owners.
Many gun control advocates claim they do not support confiscating any guns already in circulation. But Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell ripped that mask off with an op-ed in USA Today. Swalwell calls for the forced buyback of all “assault weapons.” If you don’t comply with the buyback, Swalwell thinks you should be prosecuted.
But the anti-gunners won’t just stop at “assault weapons.” They don’t want you to own any type of firearm. That’s why they’re proposing restrictions on everything from ammunition to even how you can buy a gun.
One of the left’s big talking points is “guns should be licensed and insured like cars.” They have proposed making liability insurance mandatory for gun owners. But what happens when gun owners cannot legally get gun liability insurance? New York State just shut down NRA Carry Guard, a liability insurance program for gun owners. Gun control advocates have also been targeting Carry Guard’s underwriters with boycotts.
The next front of the anti-gun movement’s attack on gun ownership is ammunition. Every gun fires it so it makes sense for gun banners to heavily restrict it. Democrats are pushing for background checks on all ammunition purchases. The problem with them is that the costs of background checks, anywhere from $20 to $40, can make a trip to the range a costly venture. It would price working class gun owners out of exercising a constitutional right.
But the anti-gun movement is not stopping there. They want to zone gun stores out of existence. Alameda County, California, has an ordinance banning gun stores within 500 feet of areas that include a residentially zoned district. There’s one catch to that ordinance, not a single lot in the county meets that rule.
Gun rights groups have sued the county, but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with county. They have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court sides with Alameda County, local and county governments could virtually outlaw the sale of firearms.
The anti-gun movement isn’t content to just attack gun ownership legally. Following Alinsky’s rule of “freezing, polarizing, and personalizing the target,” they’re also using the culture to attack gun owners. Gun owners are portrayed as racist and violent. Young people who learn how to shoot are interrogated by police and even suspended from school. Parents who teach their kids gun safety are demonized on social media.
A scene from the @NRA annual meeting in Dallas. 5,790 American children receive medical treatment each year for a gun-related injury; 21% of those injuries are unintentional. About 1,300 children die annually from a gun-related injury in the US. #NRAAM https://t.co/6ONVhlJytG
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 6, 2018
Finally, there is the economic war on guns. Gun manufacturers and their investors are being targeted for boycotts. YouTube has banned many gun videos on its platform.
New York State officials are pressuring banks and insurers to sever all ties with the gun industry. Already, Bank of America and Citigroup have announced new restrictions on gun dealers. Credit card companies are exploring ways to track gun purchases. Finally, several gun dealers, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Wal-Mart have announced plans to raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21.
These attacks add up to the goal of abolishing legal civilian gun ownership. It is a way to achieve that goal without that pesky Second Amendment getting in the way.
Gun owners and supporters of the human right to self-defense need to fight back. Not only should any gun control measures be defeated, but also we need to go on the offense in the cultural and economic spheres. We should be highlighting examples of legal self-defense with firearms. Gun owners should celebrate things such as National Shooting Sports Month in August and encourage non-shooters to try shooting. We should work to eliminate some of the fear guns cause in society.
There has to be a price paid for businesses and others who work against gun ownership. The expulsion of Dick’s Sporting Goods from the National Shooting Sports Foundation for its advocacy of gun control is a good start. The refusal of Hornaday to sell ammunition to New York government agencies is also another positive step.
The power of the boycott has to be used by gun owners and gun rights supporters. There is already a boycott list of anti-gun companies that should be followed by anyone who believes in self-defense. It’s time to use our enemies’ tactics against them.
