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Gun Sales Break Records With Increased Gun Control Likely If Democrats Win

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Customers entering the GunHo Indoor Shooting Range & Firearm Store in Pass Christian, Mississippi, push by a sign reading, “Leave the world outside this door.” Salesman Daniel Fugere said the sign is intended to welcome everyone to the store. But for many, it’s the world outside that drives them to buy a gun.

“With everything going on today, people don’t feel safe,” he told Newsweek. “A lot of women come in—medical professionals who don’t feel safe walking to their car at night and have never thought about having a gun—and buy a firearm. They feel safer.”

Gun sales have increased throughout the nation, driven by concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, urban riots and the likelihood of increased regulation if the Democrats win the White House, regain control of the Senate and hold the House.

Fugere said most customers buy a weapon for self-protection. He works with customers to match their needs and physical capabilities with the right gun (Read more from “Gun Sales Break Records With Increased Gun Control Likely If Democrats Win” HERE)

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California Sees Spike in Gun Ownership Amid Increase in Violence

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California has seen a surge in gun ownership since the coronavirus pandemic began as concerns about the recent spike in violence intensified, a new study shows.

Since the pandemic began, California has seen roughly 47,000 new gun owners, while an estimated 110,000 people acquired a firearm, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis and other institutions.

Among reasons cited by respondents was an increased fear in being the victim of a robbery as a result of the pandemic. Others reported they were “very worried” about violence happening within their neighborhoods. Some respondents said they purchased a firearm out of fear of racially motivated attacks.

The most common reasons given for firearm acquisition because of the pandemic was a fear of lawlessness, which was cited by 75.9% of respondents. More than half of the respondents said they worried about prisoner releases and nearly 50% of respondents worried the government had gone too far, according to the study.

Respondents who already owned a firearm said they purchased more ammunition during the pandemic because they also feared that there will be violence, the study showed. (Read more from “California Sees Spike in Gun Ownership Amid Increase in Violence” HERE)

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Kansas Dem Backs Gun Confiscation

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The Democratic Senate candidate in Kansas came out in support of Australian-style gun confiscation during a campaign event last weekend.

When asked about adding a training requirement to the state’s gun-carry permit application process, Democrat Barbara Bollier said U.S. gun-control measures do not go far enough. After noting that she has a daughter living in Australia, Bollier praised a controversial gun-confiscation program the country instituted in the 1990s.

“They have no guns. They don’t allow them. They just took them all away,” Bollier said with a chuckle in a video obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. “And, you know what, it’s pretty darn safe. It’s this amazing thing.”

The outcome of the race could impact who controls the Senate after the election since Bollier is running to replace retiring Republican senator Pat Roberts. Bollier’s stated support for gun confiscation could make her campaign against Republican Roger Marshall harder to win in the traditionally red state. Bollier already faces an uphill but not unwinnable battle, with The Cook Political Report rating the race as currently leaning toward Marshall. . .

After offering praise for Australia’s gun-confiscation program, Bollier said a limited number of Australians were able to own guns “out in the Bush” but noted “there’s all these specific requirements and training.” She said she similarly supports training requirements for gun ownership in America. (Read more from “Kansas Dem Backs Gun Confiscation” HERE)

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Biden Would Ban and Criminalize the Most Popular Selling Centerfire Rifle

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The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearm industry, is focusing on former Vice President Joe Biden’s radical antigun campaign promise to ban, register and confiscate the most popular selling centerfire rifles – the modern sporting rifle – sold in America today. Biden borrowed a page from the failed campaign of Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke to craft an agenda that would hobble Constitutionally-protected rights for law-abiding Americans.

“Joe Biden’s gun grab isn’t original, but is it is shockingly honest that they admit the end game. His campaign promise to confiscate guns rips the mask off the lie told by gun control for decades,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Yes, they are coming for your guns. The Biden-Harris campaign literally spelled out how they would do this and would violate their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, but instead destroy it.”

The Biden-Harris gun control agenda proposes to ban the sale and manufacture of modern sporting rifles, or what the campaign terms “assault rifles” or “weapons of war.” In fact, these firearms are just semiautomatic firearms that uses 100-year-old technology and have been sold commercially since the early 1960s. Semiautomatic firearms expend one round for each squeeze of the trigger, unlike the military’s automatic firearms that continue to fire automatically while the trigger is depressed. The Biden campaign is purposefully conflating the similar appearances of AR-15s and the military’s M-16 and M-4 rifles to confuse the American public.

Biden proposes that all 18 million-plus modern sporting rifles in circulation would be registered in the same onerous manner as automatic firearms and regulated under the 1934 Gun Control Act. That would require current owners to register these rifles with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), pay a $200 tax, submit fingerprints, photos, and complete duplicitous background checks for firearms they already passed a background check to purchase. They would also be subjected to random and unannounced ATF inspection of their firearm and would be registered in a federal watchlist of firearm owners. Further, permits regulated under the 1934 NFA are already backlogged by more than nine months. (Read more from “Biden Would Ban and Criminalize the Most Popular Selling Centerfire Rifle” HERE)

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Why Is There an Ammunition Shortage in the U.S.?

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Firearms sales in the U.S. soared in 2020. Whether the broad spike in purchases was motivated by the new coronavirus pandemic, anti-racism protests, upcoming election or something else is debated, but both vendors and researchers have reported rising demand for the better part of this year.

Additional analyses note ammunition sales rose more significantly than gun sales alone. Ammunition manufacturers are reporting backlogs as a result of elevated demand, and some suggest shortages could last until at least January.

Ammo Incorporated, an ammunition manufacturer based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is one of the most recent vendors to confirm a significant backlog due to heightened demand from consumers. Last week, the company said its backlogged orders amounted to $80.1 million in purchases as of August 31, which set a new record after months of increasing numbers. . .

“In fact, [the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System] data shows federal background checks for purchasing firearms have increased 72% year-over-year and we don’t anticipate consumer demand for firearms or ammunition slowing anytime soon,” Wagenhals’ statement continued. “As a result, our facilities continue to operate at near maximum capacity to meet customer needs and we are continuing to expand our production capabilities.” (Read more from “Why Is There an Ammunition Shortage in the U.S.?” HERE)

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Experts Say ACB Supreme Court Confirmation Could Revolutionize Gun Litigation

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Legal scholars say Amy Coney Barrett’s judicial philosophy could settle legal stalemates and disagreements that have seen lower federal courts deliver a variety of rulings on gun rights.

Barrett’s adoption of what experts refer to as a “text, history and tradition” philosophy—which relies on the text and historic applications of the Second Amendment, rather than the applications of “balancing tests” of individual rights and government interest to determine whether or not a gun law is constitutional—could be revolutionary for Second Amendment cases.

“In practice, the Court’s adoption of the ‘text, history, and tradition’ test would mean a lot of previously settled circuit precedent gets unsettled,” Jacob D. Charles, executive director of Duke University’s Center for Firearms Law, told the Washington Free Beacon.

In 2019’s Kanter v. Barr, Barrett argued in a dissent that “all people have the right to keep and bear arms but that history and tradition support Congress’s power to strip certain groups of that right.” After studying founding-era documents, Barrett concluded that nonviolent felons should not be subject to the same gun restrictions that apply to violent criminals. Mark W. Smith, presidential scholar and senior fellow in law and public policy at the King’s College in New York City, told the Free Beacon the approach favored by Barrett is in stark contrast to the balancing tests lower courts have employed in the past.

“Balancing tests are favored by the liberal justices and left-leaning lower courts because they serve as an easy excuse for eliminating the right to possess and use firearms,” he said. “It allows liberal jurisdictions to invoke ‘public safety’ without any empirical support and to deny constitutional rights carte blanche. These balancing tests allow judges to pay lip service to the Second Amendment while eroding this most fundamental individual right.” (Read more from “Experts Say ACB Supreme Court Confirmation Could Revolutionize Gun Litigation” HERE)

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Report: Nearly 5 Million First-Time Gun Buyers in 2020

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The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported that there have been nearly five million first time gun buyers thus far in 2020.

On August 24, 2020, NSSF contrasted the number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks from January 1, 2020, through July, 2020, with the number of checks from January 1, 2019, through July 2019. After adjusting for checks that were tied to concealed carry permits or other ends, other than sales, they ascertained that the number of checks for sales was 12.1 million.

NSSF then surveyed retailers and found that “40 percent of sales were conducted to purchasers who have never previously owned a firearm.” (Read more from “Report: Nearly 5 Million First-Time Gun Buyers in 2020” HERE)

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NY Supreme Court Orders Police to Hand Over Private Information About Gun Owners

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The New York State Supreme Court last week granted a motion ordering the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to turn over the name, zip codes and license category of anyone who was granted a firearm license in 2018.

The New York Daily News made the request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request process, which provides public information from government agencies to citizens and journalists.

According to the lawsuit filed against the NYPD, the newspaper makes the argument that they should have access to the information because their reporters “frequently cover gun-related political and policing issues.”

The Daily News argues that the information can be turned over because of a state law – known as the SAFE Act – that declared “that names and addresses of all firearms licenses were public information.”

Under the SAFE Act, gun owners have the ability to opt-out of their information being handed over in FOIA requests but their application has to be approved. It’s the information of those that did not opt-out that the newspaper wants. (Read more from “NY Supreme Court Orders Police to Hand Over Private Information About Gun Owners” HERE)

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WATCH: Chicago Mayor Blames Guns for Horrifying Increase in Murders

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Shootings and homicides in Chicago increased sharply in June compared to the same time last year.

Police data show that shootings in Chicago increased by 75% in June of 2020 compared to June 2019, and murders in the city rose by 78%, according to NBC 5 Chicago. . .

Last weekend alone, gun violence killed more than a dozen people, including three children. Twelve people were killed on Father’s Day weekend, including a 3-year-old. . .

When asked about the rise in violence, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, said it was a “complicated” question and suggested that gun control is the answer.

“That’s a complicated question,” Lightfoot said. “We have way too many guns on the streets.” (Read more from “Chicago Mayor Blames Guns for Horrifying Increase in Murders” HERE)

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School Calls Police on Student Who Had a BB Gun in the Background of An Online Class

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Courtney Lancaster, a mother and Navy Veteran, expressed her outrage after police pulled up to her door and asked to search her home for weapons. According to the police, the school safety officer at Lancaster’s 11-year-old son’s school, Seneca Elementary, called law enforcement after spotting a BB gun in the background of a virtual class meeting.

“I had no idea what to think. I’ve never been in any legal trouble whatsoever. I’ve never had any negative encounter with law enforcement,” she told Fox 45 News. “I had no idea. I really didn’t know what to think.”

Although officers searched her 5th grader’s room and found nothing that compromised the son’s safety or that needed to be reported, Lancaster claims that she was shocked. . .

Part of Lancaster’s frustrations with the situation were because of her and her son’s experience with guns. According to Fox 45 News, not only did Lancaster serve in the military and handle weapons, but her son learned how to shoot BB and airsoft on his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout.

“I thought, this is outrageous. This is despicable,” she told Fox. “I had no idea what in the world could this be over? BB guns never even once entered my mind. How many 11-year-old boys have BB guns?” (Read more from “School Calls Police on Student Who Had a BB Gun in the Background of an Online Class” HERE)

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