The Pilgrims of New England were intrepid settlers who sought to carve out an existence in the North American wilderness. They were men and women of profound faith whose religion strictly ordered all aspects of daily life. Despite their devout convictions, the Pilgrims of the first Thanksgiving were able to set aside their religious and cultural differences with the native Wampanoag tribe to celebrate a three-day feast together in 1621.
The totalitarian church of civilian disarmament tolerates no such tranquility. Everytown for Gun Safety has once again released a list of gun control talking points specifically designed to proselytize friends and family at the Thanksgiving table.
The content of the stale, lazy, and misleading passages from the Book of Bloomberg is poor, and relies considerably on the faith of the adherents. Out of 13 talking points, 11 cite Everytown’s own materials as the source of the information. Moreover, the “myth” versus “fact” format often concludes with non sequiturs.
Consider two of the more egregious talking points.
The first advocates for so-called “universal” background checks.
Myth: Criminals will always find a way to get their hands on a gun.
Fact: Laws like background checks stop gun sales to criminals every day. Since 1994, these laws have blocked more than 4 million gun sales to people who could not legally own guns.
In truth, background checks don’t stop criminals from stealing firearms, getting them on the black market, or getting them from straw purchasers. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 75 percent of criminals in state and federal state prison who had possessed a firearm during their offense acquired the firearm through theft, “Off the street/underground market,” or “from a family member or friend, or as a gift.” Less than one percent got firearms from dealers or non-dealers at gun shows.
ATF has reported, “[t]he most frequent type of trafficking channel identified in ATF investigations is straw purchasing from federally licensed firearms dealers. Nearly 50 percent....”
Moreover, as Joe Biden has acknowledged, those who fail a NICS background check are almost never prosecuted for attempting to illegally procure a firearm. This means the bad actors among them are free to try to illegally acquire a firearm by other means.
Another bogus talking point attempts to defend so-called “red flag” firearm confiscation laws from legitimate scrutiny.
Myth: Red flag laws take guns from people without due process.
Fact: A judge can only issue a final red flag order following a hearing of which the person is given notice and during which they have an opportunity to be heard. Red flag laws also allow an individual to petition to terminate an existing order.
The sole source cited for this “fact” is more Everytown propaganda, and it shows.
In reality, every state “red flag” law empowers the government to confiscate a person’s firearms ex parte. This means that confiscation orders are issued without a full hearing where the target of the order has the opportunity to be heard and present evidence.
Those seeking to equip themselves with logic and reason in advance of an anticipated gun control homily will find ample material at NRAILA.org. Alternatively, in the true spirit of the holiday one could reject totalitarian anti-gun ideology by dismissing all attempts to inject vulgar politics into a day intended for harmony and thanksgiving.
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