Ten months ago, Americans were promised that a broad series of measures aimed at suppressing their Second Amendment rights would be a game-changer for public safety. But almost a year later the game remains the same, with every new crime committed in complete disregard of the law the pretext for even more finger-pointing and calls for further restrictions.
Last June, Joe Biden announced: “I was there 30 years ago, the last time this nation passed meaningful gun safety laws. And I’m here today for the most significant law to be passed since then, since — for the last 30 years.” “Lives,” he said, “will be saved.” Biden was referring to the so-called Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which among other things ushered in new restrictions on firearm sales and authorized federal funding for state gun confiscation schemes.
The NRA opposed the law, warning that it “falls short at every level,” “leaves too much discretion in the hands of government officials,” and “contains undefined and overbroad provisions – inviting interference with our constitutional freedoms.”
Unfortunately, the NRA’s predictions about the BSCA have been vindicated, as young adults are now facing arbitrary waiting periods for lawful firearm purchases; the U.S. government is pouring money into unconstitutional state “red flag” schemes; and DOJ is preparing a crackdown on private sales. Meanwhile, there is scant evidence the law is saving lives, as the high-profile sorts of crimes it was supposedly meant to address continue to grab headlines.
But not to worry, Joe Biden has a solution: More and stricter gun control.
Biden was back to the blame game last week as his administration continued to flounder in the midst of a spike in violent crime. “How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?” he huffed. He then demanded Congress ban private firearm sales entirely, dictate for the first time in American history how gun owners store firearms in their own homes, and open the floodgates to ruinous strike suits against the firearms industry. This, of course, was in addition to his ongoing calls for a sweeping ban on America’s most popular type of rifles, firearms that even the Washington Post recently admitted are possessed by 1 in 20 American adults.
When it comes to gun control, nothing justifies more of the same like failure.
Meanwhile, experiments with “criminal justice reform” in urban strongholds of Biden’s party are proving disastrous for that party’s own base, who are the first to suffer as hardened criminals are increasingly emboldened by the “catch and release” style of law enforcement now fashionable in many cities.
Americans, however, are not fooled, with Biden’s disapproval rating climbing by over 16 points since he took office in January 2021. Well over half the country now disapprove of Biden’s job performance. Crime, moreover, weighs heavily in that rating, with 68% of Americans considering it a ” real threat in most communities” and half of all voters disapproving of Biden’s handling of the issue. And no wonder. A report by the Major Chiefs Association on crime in 2022 indicated that since 2019, homicides had increased in Chicago by 41%, in Philadelphia by 45%, and in Portland by a staggering 236%. All these cities are firmly in the control of Biden’s party and reflect its “state of the art” thinking on criminal justice.
The NRA will not bow to Biden’s finger-pointing, nor allow its millions of members to be scapegoated or persecuted for problems they did not cause. As over seventy thousand members gathered for the NRA’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis over the weekend, America’s largest and oldest civil rights organization proudly celebrated the freedom to keep and bear arms, a freedom overwhelmingly exercised responsibly and safely. And as America looks for ways to dig itself out of the hole caused by the “law enforcement” policies of the Biden Administration, we will continue to insist on solutions that focus on repeat offenders, mental health, and the armed defense of the innocent and the vulnerable.
Rest assured, we’ll still be here after the 2024 election, promoting our values. Whether Joe Biden will be able to say the same remains to be seen.