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D.C. House Democrats Push Sham of a Gun Background-Check Bill

February 19, 2019 - 8:45am
Greg Steube
Greg Steube

Wasting no time after taking the helm of the U.S. House, the Democrats are pushing out a new gun control bill that ostensibly is meant to help make things safer when  citizens want to acquire guns. But it's all nonsense, because at the same time, they're blocking the very measures that would help keep safeguards are in place.

It's a wild contradiction arriving by way of the party that invokes “gun safety” as its primary concern.

Just days after the one-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School father Andrew Pollack sent a tweet illustrating some of the problems exhibited by House Democrats on this measure. Said Pollack, “Democrats in Congress are trying to prevent law enforcement from knowing when illegal immigrants try to purchase weapons -- hypocrisy at its finest.”

The bill, House Resolution-8, is ironically dubbed “The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.” The inherent humor arrives with the fact that it was penned entirely by the Dems, had all additions from the GOP scrubbed out, and was passed for a floor vote by strict party-line approval. Those scrubbed-out revisions denied by the Democrats are more than a little revealing.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., attempted to add an amendment to the bill regarding the notification to authorities of potential problem applicants. Clearly, the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee don’t care about preventing gun violence,” said Steube. “They're simply playing politics with Americans’ Second Amendment rights.“ Democrats argued the amendment proposal, and a number of other GOP measures, were simply delay tactics -- they did not, however, mention what hurry there was to pass the legislation.

Steube’s amendment proposed that when an individual failed a federal background check, law enforcement must be notified. A similar provision had ICE becoming alerted if an illegal alien attempted to purchase a weapon. The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee knocked down these provisions, while declaring how necessary it was for gun safety -- and that raises some serious questions. 

Even more curious: Steube’s amendment used the same language found in a Democratic proposal. Called the “Unlawful Gun Buyer Alert Act,” the only difference was that this amendment would include the expansion of reporting illegals to ICE. Thus, the Dems opposed a policy of their own making, because it included illegal residents as well as criminal citizens.

This goes a long way to reveal the Democrats' true focus is on limiting gun rights, and doing little to address illegal activity surrounding the purchase of firearms.

“The fact that Democrats do not want law enforcement notified if an individual attempting to purchase a firearm fails a background check is truly troubling,” said Steube. “It is clear they are not interested in preventing gun violence or stopping the illegal purchase of firearms, but rather they are only interested in limiting the rights of law-abiding citizens to advance their own political agenda." Considering the numerous issues with background checks in recent years, blocking these types of provisions makes little to no sense.

Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. announced his need for the bill, referencing what he called a “national crisis of gun violence." In usual fashion of anti-gun proponents however, Nadler refers to slanted statistical evidence. In mentioning the 40,000 lives lost to gun violence, he has to include the vast majority -- nearly 24,000 -- who were the result of suicide. Not to diminish the loss of those lives, but that figure does not represent gun “violence” as claimed, and the measures proposed by the background checks bill would do little to nothing to impact those figures.

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla. hit the nail on the head. “This isn't a debate, it's a show," she said. "Let’s move forward.” Demings shows how the House Democrats are only interested in expediting their desire to limit the rights of citizens. As far as what can be call “a show,” it would be the empty claims of "safety" Democrats are hustling as their primary concern.

Focusing on limiting the rights of citizens, and not wanting to address criminals or illegals trying to obtain firearms means all this is nothing but a show.

Brad Slager, a Fort Lauderdale freelance writer, wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News. He writes on politics and the entertainment industry and his stories appear in such publications as RedState and The Federalist. 

Comments

I am all for backgound checks for gun purchases. I am against gun bans. One major problem with Florida gun laws is that private sales of firearms don't require background checks. People purchase firearms face to face off of local gun websites w/o the proper background checks. Sites such as Florida gun trader and armslist.

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “[T]here is a push to pass an ‘assault weapons’ ban via a ballot initiative to amend the State Constitution,” a Monday Florida Shooters Network report warns. “This is being spearheaded by Ban Assault Weapons NOW (BAWN), a bipartisan group of gun-grabbers made up of Republican and Democrat authoritarians that want to see Floridians disarmed.” “BAWN has partnered with the prominent Republican donor Al Hoffman and his gun-control-advocacy organization, Americans for Gun Safety Now!, which is made up almost entirely of Republicans who support an assault-weapons ban,” a cited advocacy puff piece masked as political reporting from The Atlantic notes. Here is what they want to do, at least for now: “BAWN’s assault-weapons ban, which exempts military or law-enforcement members, would make possession of the defined weapons a third-degree felony. It would also give Floridians who already own these weapons a year to register them before their possession becomes illegal.” And, of course, once registered, why should we believe the people who want them banned won’t press for Phase Two? So who are these “Republicans”? On the political scene, as the saying goes, follow the money” “Hoffman also made waves on his own in March by publicly pledging to donate money only to Republicans who supported banning assault weapons—leading him to back only two candidates in 2018, Brian Mast and Carlos Curbelo.” True, they’re congressmen and this is a state measure, but they head the list of “prominent” names demanding a Florida ban, and you know they’d do the same to the rest of the Republic if they could. Cases in point, Mast co-sponsored a Democrat “raise the age” bill on semi-auto rifles, and Curbelo is a proven Bloomberg lackey. As for state-level politicians, we can return the Florida Shooters Network report: “Senate President Bill Galvano (R) wrote the gun control bill that was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott last year and he even took $200k from Bloomberg's Everytown Gun Control Group. As Senate President, he isn't clamping down on fellow Republicans that support gun control because he's a gun control supporter himself. The House isn't any better since House Speaker Jose Oliva gave Galvano's SB 7026 a standing ovation when it passed last year and he's doing much the same.” “Who else are they going to vote for?” the late Lee Atwater, former head of the Republican National Committee is reputed to have asked about gun owners. Whether the attribution is true or not, that’s the type of arrogant attitude some of us have seen play out over the years, and for good reason as far as turncoats are concerned. If there’s no cost to pay for betrayal what can’t they get away with, especially with so-called “pragmatic” apologists offering lesser-of-two-evil excuses to rationalize being cuckolds? If that sounds harsh, face it — that's exactly what a gun owner who “forgives” an unrepentant cheater is setting himself up to be. “But if you don’t vote for them a Democrat will win, and they’ll be even worse!” we are warned. Hey, we wouldn’t be in this mess if people would have insisted on principles from the very beginning. And now we’re expected to believe our only way out is to continue enabling the enemies inside the gates? The only way to stop Republican infidelity is to show the GOP that betrayal will not be rewarded. If it takes them losing a seat here or there, they’ll ultimately get the message. “But if the Democrats win, we’ll lose our gun rights!” is the typical rejoinder. What those bleating that really mean is they’ll surrender theirs. If all it takes to eradicate the right to keep and bear arms is the passage of a law or a ballot measure, then the Second Amendment isn’t worth the parchment it’s written on. What BAWN and Principle-Devoid Republicans for Tyranny fail to recognize is that in spite of their wretched subversions, there’s one inconvenient truth they’ll ultimately need to deal with: WE WILL NOT DISARM. https://www.ammoland.com/2019/02/tolerating-republican-betrayals-on-guns-only-encourages-more-turncoats/#axzz5fdcc68CE

Background checks are a hoax. Unless and until mental health exams are included. Still, it's a Constitutional Right. The only constitutional reason to strip a citizen of their rights is treason or insurrection. Does anybody really believe background checks stop criminals from getting firearms? The only thing it really does is prevent law abiding exfelons from protecting themselves and their families. In fact, the convoluted law in Florida actually puts a law abiding exfelon at risk if there is a firearm, legally owned by another citizen, in their area. Rifles in the pickup' gunrack? Riding in the truck makes the exfelon in possession. Exfelon' wife, husband, etc has a gun? Exfelon is in possession. It's past time to actually exam this policy. Oh, naysayers.... If you're going to criticize this statement, support your argument with the Constitution, chapter and verse.

In their efforts to destroy Trump the Dems and their collectivist friends will stop at nothing, even the destruction of our country. Are we going to let that happen ? I don't think so.

The problem with draconian gun laws is nobody obeys them, not even the law abiding. Recently the state of New Jersey banned high capacity magazines and to date they have received ZERO compliance. Not one has been turned in of the estimated millions in the state. The same thing will happen if they ban semi automatic sporting rifles in Florida next year. If no compliance is seen are you going to go to these red necks houses and confiscate? Good luck with that.

They should focus on stopping the sales. No one is going to turn in what they have already purchased, even with a buy back program. I am concerned that this new HR Bill does not want law enforcement to know when an illegal buys a guy. I don't think that someone here illegally should even be allowed to buy a gun. However, when you let illegals legally acquire a driver's license they are able to present legal ID. They should not be able to pass the background check but in states and cities where you cannot ask someone about their citizenship/green card/visa status there is no way that a background check will stop this. So now, MS-13 can legally buy guns which will reduce their costs and let them buy even more guns!

A worthy successor to Nancy Smith, Brad. Perhaps, even dumber. Apply now for your pass to visit Trump in jail. I'm sure CBreeze has his.

The GunNuts (like Steube) and the TrumpNuts (like Steube) are apparently from the same tribe of deplorables and reactionaries. Forget the background checks ... just get rid of the damned guns! Nobody but law enforcement and the military need semi-automatic military-style, high-caliber weapons. Going back to the days of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the O.K. Corral is about as regressive as the Republicans can get. (?)

So, you despise the Constitution. Noted

Blue you are delusional. How would you propose we "get rid of the damn guns" ? When they come for confiscation, I hope they send you. Better bring a lunch, your going to need it.

Democrats will "rue the day" they took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and "outed themselves" as the obstructionists and extremist political deviators that they have always been; they are in their "death throes", and "circling the drain" NOW, for ALL of America to see...

Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle, The "extremist political deviators", off the top, would seem to be the seven Trump insiders/advisors now in or on their way to prison ... with more to come! NOBODY has EVER deviated from the pre-existing political norms more than Trump the Chump and his clan of mafiosi-style wannabes! And ... the main "obstructionist" at the moment is clearly Dumpty Trumpty himself ... who's been doing everything possible to obstruct and de-rail the bi-partisan, compromise measure agreed upon by the U.S. House and U.S. Senate in regard to Trumpty's Mexican "wall"!

Instead of using the whole segment lamenting over what the Dems removed, perhaps you could actually put what was in the bill...

It is expanded background checks for all sales or transfers, i.e. they want to limit law-abiding citizens, but address nothing towards halting criminal or non-citizen attempts at purchase.

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