A long list of gun-control groups recently signed a letter telling President Joe Biden (D) that his gun-control actions are not enough. In his upcoming State of the Union Address, they want him to agree to much more.
Titled “#TheTimeIsNow,” the letter begins by applauding Biden’s radical appointment of Steve Dettelbach to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as signing into law a gun-control bill and more, but that’s where the pleasantries end.
The letter then pivots to how Biden needs to “act boldly” to restrict our freedom. These gun-control groups want Biden to announce a “comprehensive plan of action to reduce gun deaths” in his coming State of the Union.
Such a plan, according to gun-control groups, should include:
- Declaration of a national emergency around the “epidemic of gun violence” and the establishment of a “federal office of gun violence prevention,” as well was state-level offices, too.
- A promise to “ban [the] importation of foreign-made assault weapons.”
- A “series of executive actions,” including directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to go after firearms manufacturers.
- Utilization of the presidency to convey the “inherent risks of keeping firearms in the home.”
- A plan to fully implement the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” and to close the so-called “background check loophole.”
Let’s look at each of these on their own. To begin, firearms ownership is not an epidemic, something we’ve detailed many times; in fact, civilian ownership of firearms has gone up during Biden’s presidency; moreover, firearms are tools that are incapable of committing any action on their own. The offices these groups seek to create would only further demonize law-abiding gun owners.
Biden has also repeatedly stated his desire to ban blatantly misnamed “assault weapons,” and anti-freedom types within Washington have routinely sought to weaponize the FTC against a law-abiding industry. We know the previous ban of this sort had virtually no effect on crime and only punished law-abiding Americans. Since then, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Heller (2008) that firearms in common use are protected. With more-than-24-million AR-type rifles in circulation, they are clearly in common use.
The contention that firearms in one’s home carries an inherent risk is also dishonest. Skewed studies make this a common talking point for gun controllers. A firearm, as noted earlier, has no agency. Someone defending their home and loved ones from those who seek to do them harm, on the other hand, does and studies show there are more-than-1.67-million defensive gun uses a year, most of which take place without a shot being fired.
“The NRA supports safe storage for every firearm owned in America, and we educate gun owners to keep firearms away from unauthorized users,” NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said earlier this year.
Finally, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” which was passed last year, is a bad law. The NRA Institute for Legislative Action previously warned that the hastily passed bill could be “abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans and use federal dollars to fund gun control measures being adopted by state and local politicians.”
“In hastily writing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Senate panicked. Gun owners will be paying the price for decades to come,” wrote Charles C.W. Cooke for America’s 1st Freedom following the law’s passage.
President Biden’s previous State of the Union address presented nothing new and nothing good for Second Amendment-supporting Americans. He trotted out his usual talking points on firearms, though none actually address the criminal element within society, and instead punish law-abiding Americans.
It’s to be seen if this year’s address will be any different. The 2023 State of the Union address is scheduled to be held on Feb. 7, at 9 p.m. EST. We’ll keep you updated on what he says about your constitutional rights.
