Gun Rights Supporters:
On Saturday morning, before the bodies in El Paso were even cold, I got the following text message:
“Hi Paul, it’s Suzanne w/ Everytown/Moms Demand Action. Today, yet another community has been devastated by gun violence — this time in El Paso, TX. As we mourn, we must also act. Volunteers in your area are organizing and fighting for gun reform. Are you ready to join them?”
Of course, I responded by texting, “You guys don’t waste time exploiting tragedy, do you?”
But the sad reality is that last weekend was a “two-fer” for gun ban advocates like Michael Bloomberg, and they are wasting no time in exploiting it.
Unlike those on the left, I have deliberately not responded, beyond critical legislative alerts, until the dead received appropriate respect and the basic facts were known.
But I’m here to tell you that at both state and federal levels, your rights are under attack. And like 1994, when I helped found GRNC, whatever “reasonable” measures gun ban advocates get will only whet their appetites for more.
Here in North Carolina, our own little version of “The Squad” – Reps. Christy Clark (D-Mecklenburg), Marcia Morey (D-Durham) and Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) are pushing “discharge petitions” to dislodge the previously dead HB 86 and HB 454 from committee. And what would these bills do?
HB 86, the “ban everything” bill:
? Imposes a 3-day waiting period on the purchase of any gun;
? Creates a new class of “assault weapons” and forbids sale to those under 21;
? Bans all magazines holding 15 rounds or more;
? Requires all gun owners to carry liability insurance;
? Makes guns unavailable for self-defense by requiring all guns to be locked up; and much
? Allows such orders to be issued in “ex parte” hearings you might not even know about, and
? Allows such “ex parte” hearings 24 hours per day, 7 days per week;
? Allows gun confiscation orders to be extended indefinitely; and much more.
President Donald Trump may be serious about supporting “red flag” gun confiscation, or it might be a feint. Only time will tell.
But with Senator Lindsey Graham drafting a federal gun confiscation bill, and our own Sen. Thom Tillis promising support, it is becoming increasingly obvious that at least the “RINOs” of the Republican Party are buying into gun control, making it more likely that something will pass.
Of course, nobody wants unstable people to have guns. So these “red flag” gun confiscation proposals being supported by even some Republicans seem reasonable, don’t they?
But as with all gun control, the devil is in the details. Key to red flag laws are the “ex parte” hearings designed to deny you a day in court before getting your guns confiscated, neatly denying you due process of law under the Fifth Amendment before your Second Amendment rights are suspended.
Unconstitutional? Sure. But the unfortunate reality is that whatever they pass is constitutional until you can prove otherwise.
Moreover, you and I know denying guns to dangerous people doesn’t stop them from committing homicide.
? Just three weeks ago, in Japan – where guns are banned – a murderer killed 37 people by arson.
? Not long ago in France, which also has stringent gun control, a mass murderer killed 86 people using a rental truck.
If gun control advocates just wanted to stop mass homicides, they would push legislation to lock up potentially violent people rather than defaulting to a preordained political agenda to ban guns.
If gun control advocates just wanted to stop mass homicides, they wouldn’t work so hard to circumvent due process of law under the Fifth Amendment by denying people their civil rights without a day in court.
If gun control advocates just wanted to stop mass homicides, they wouldn’t lie by claiming that the U.S. leads the world in mass shootings when, in truth, we are 58th, behind countries like Finland and Norway.*
Just as they did with fraudulent campaigns against “plastic guns,” “cop-killer bu
llets” and “assault weapons,” gun ban advocates are exploiting your civility to dupe you into helping them incrementally end the private ownership of firearms.If you are one of the people who has generously contributed to GRNC or its sister entities, Rights Watch International and the GRNC Political Victory Fund, I thank you.
But in the coming weeks, we will likely need to conduct automated phone alerts, mailings, Facebook ads, millions of emails and more…all of which cost big bucks.
So whether you have already contributed or not, I ask you to go to:
www.grnc.org/join-grnc/contribute
…and help GRNC defeat state and federal gun control.
This is going to be a tough battle. I can’t guarantee victory, but I can guarantee that because GRNC is all-volunteer, we will use your money more efficiently and effectively in defending your rights than any other organization.
Armatissimi e liberissimi,
F. Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Executive Director, Rights Watch International
Radio host, Guns, Politics and Freedom
P.S. I realize you might be saying, “Why bother? They’re going to pass federal gun control anyway.” But even if that were true (and I don’t believe it is), the reality is that the easier it is to pass “red flag” gun confiscation, the harder they will try to pass additional gun control…just like in 1994. I plan to make them fight and bleed for each inch of political ground gained or lost. And if you can contribute $100, $50, or even $25, it will be easier for me to do that.