Erosion of Our Rights

So many stories are making news headlines that I’ve decided to use this opportunity to call attention to several topics in the brief style that Col. Jeff Cooper did on this page until his passing in 2006.

Gun Grabbing 

Politicians have danced around the issue of gun confiscation. Rarely are explicit public statements in support of the attempt ever made. During the last Democratic presidential primary debate in September, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke told the crowd, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-­15 and your AK-­47.” At least he’s being honest about his aims; Other candidates are hiding behind the vague and misleading terms while making “gun safety proposals.” When Texas Rep. Briscoe Cain responded, “My AR is ready for you Robert Francis,” O’Rourke’s given name. O’Rourke doubled-­down and responded, “Clearly, you shouldn’t own an AR-­15 — and neither should anyone else.” Rep. Cain is a captain in the Texas State Guard, which has been described as a “well-­regulated militia.”

Driving Blind 

NASCAR, a sport long-­considered “gun friendly,” signaled a shift away from that sentiment when it refused a proposed advertisement in August by K-­Var (k-­var.com), a company that markets AK-­style rifles and pistols. An ad sales agent told K-­Var, “Just heard from NASCAR on a number of gun related ads and, unfortunately, due to a gradual shift in NASCAR’s position on guns, these ads must be edited/changed, especially those that are depicted as assault-­style rifles or sniper rifles.”

Pro-­gun groups, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), were quick to condemn the move. “This pathetic decision will cause their current customers to take a gradual shift on @NASCAR and will alienate potential customers,” the NRA said in its public response.

This situation begs for comparison to the NFL’s refusal to air a Super Bowl ad produced by AR-­maker Daniel Defense (danieldefense.com) in 2014. It is interesting to remember that NASCAR’s Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team partnered with Daniel Defense in 2017 and 2018 in their sponsorship of the No. 3 car driven by Ty Dillon during the Xfinity series.

We Are Not Terrorists

On September 4, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors labeled the NRA as a “domestic terrorist organization.” According to a national poll by Rasmussen Reports, 32 percent of Democrat voters support that designation. If that isn’t incredible enough, the polling firm added, “Twenty-­eight percent of Democrats say Americans should be prohibited by law from belonging to pro-­gun-­rights organizations like the NRA, a view shared by 15 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of unaffiliated.”

In NAACP v. Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that freedom of association is an essential part of the First Amendment because, in many cases, people can engage in effective speech only when they join with others. If you ever wonder why gun advocates oppose so-­called “terrorist watch lists” as a prohibition on gun ownership, now you know. Who gets to make the list?

More on California 

An acquaintance of mine reported having trouble buying a box of ammunition in California. Despite producing a driver’s license as well as a California Concealed Firearm license, the retailer refused the sale of ammo citing the need for “multiple forms of ID” under California law. It bears mentioning that the person is a recently retired FBI agent and SWAT team member. His credentials didn’t impress the salesperson.

The new law, which went into effect last July, requires a a background check for every ammunition purchase. There is a $20 fee for an initial screening, and subsequent checks cost a $1 each. This is an example of the ball moving steadily against law-­abiding firearms owners in many areas of the country. The slow and quiet dissolution of our freedoms should alarm all of us. 

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