“Congresswoman Dina Titus will reintroduce her Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick this week,” a Tuesday press release announces. “This bill would permanently ban the use of bump stocks that convert rifles into machine guns and allow mass shootings like the 2017 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas that claimed 60 lives.”
An inconvenient reality not addressed by her claim is that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) production included several problematic admissions. ATF said it was not “allowed” to examine recovered weapons, and official reports have not addressed how many deaths were facilitated with bump stocks attached to the firearms.
No matter. It’s clear the agenda here is hyperbole, not precision. And for that, consider Titus’ “bipartisan” partner in citizen disarmament, Giffords-endorsed Pennsylvania “Republican” Brian Fitzpatrick.
“The work to close the bump stock loophole and keep these dangerous devices out of the hands of criminals is critical to our mission of protecting communities from gun violence,” Fitzpatrick pontificated. “This bipartisan legislation strengthens law enforcement and reinforces our commitment to safety without compromising constitutional rights. I will continue working across the aisle to advance commonsense solutions that keep our neighborhoods safe while upholding the rights of responsible gun owners. Congress can and must do both.”
We can infringe without infringing, he lies. We can uphold rights while eviscerating them. And don’t think for a second Fitzpatrick will be satisfied with banning bump stocks. He also wants to ban the semiautomatic rifles they attach to. And more. And more after that. All the while disregarding that the “Second Amendment means ALL Weapons & ZERO infringements.”
With “Republicans” like this character, who needs Democrats?
Fortunately, this “reintroduction” should go nowhere in this Congress, and with Donald Trump apparently having learned his lesson about such bans not serving his political interests. Fitzpatrick and Titus have been trying to get this bill through for years, and it’s gone nowhere.
Which doesn’t mean it won’t if the population ever reaches a critical mass of crazy and Democrats once more capture a majority. And that leads to an observation about a misstatement by “pro-gun” advocates who argue ATF doesn’t have the legal authority to ban bump stocks (or whatever) and that only Congress passing a law signed off by the president does.
Hogwash. 2A doesn’t say, “shall not be infringed unless politicians decide it shall be.” There is no delegated authority in the Constitution empowering any branch of government to do that, and any such edicts are demonstrably illegitimate. And, not that they’ll ever admit it, Democrats like Titus and congenital Vichycons like Fitzpatrick, who swore to uphold the supreme Law in their oath of office, know that, too.
So, how does a fake “conservative” like Fitzpatrick get elected, anyway, and handily, at that? Are there no Republican candidates in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District that believe in the Second Amendment who could challenge him in the next primary? And for that matter, why is it so hard to find any information on any Pennsylvania pro-2A groups alerting their members to mobilize against Fitzpatrick?
It’s not hard to find self-interested groups for him. Follow the money.
No Labels Problem Solvers, self-described “moderates” (aka “The Swamp”), along with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and the globalist Blackstone Group (New York money men involved in private equity, real estate, hedge funds, and credit) were his three top donors. How many of those are voters in Bucks County, the citizens Fitzpatrick ostensibly represents, is left unsaid.
Years back, Republican strategist, the late Lee Atwater, was reputed to have asked “Who else are they going to vote for?” meaning the GOP could basically do whatever they wanted, and desperate gun owners would let them get away with it. How has that worked out for us? Where is the incentive to change? This what years of supporting “the lesser of two evils” vs. taking a hit now and sending an unequivocal message to the Party for who they’d better put up next time gets us. If Republicans want to stay arrogant, they can feel our pain.They actually need us more than we need them. After all, if politics don’t go our way, who among us is going to turn in their gun?
The GOP needs to understand, in no uncertain terms, that embedded Democrats are unacceptable, and the Party must do a better job of reining in politicos who want to go left. And to that end, the acknowledged leader of the party, Donald Trump, should use his bully pulpit and his influence to protect what he calls “our beautiful Second Amendment.”
Stop trying to oust real champions of RKBA like Rep. Thomas Massie over his principled stands, Mr. President, and instruct Party shakers and movers to find an acceptable replacement and give enemy-in-the-gates Fitzpatrick the boot.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
