Betos Back As Bidens Chief Gun Grabber Lawrence Keane 3/4/2020
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© The Federalist Betos Back As Bidens Chief Gun Grabber
Former Vice President Joe Biden appears to be in the tank for confiscating millions of lawfully owned firearms and locking up gun owners who dare to resist.
Biden invited Robert Francis Beto ORourke, the failed presidential contender, on the stage in a rally in Texas and declared him the gun control sheriff for the Biden campaign. I want to make something clear Im gonna guarantee you, this is not the last youre seeing of this guy. Youre gonna take care of the gun problem with me, youre gonna be the one who leads this effort. Im counting on you, Im counting on you, we need you badly, he said.
ORourkes own presidential ambitions crashed and burned last year shortly after he emphatically announced in a primary debate, Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.
He Said It
Thats right. The former U.S. congressman from Texas proposed forcefully confiscating the more than 17.7 million commonly owned modern sporting rifles in circulation today. Any owner who dared to not voluntarily comply with his confiscation vision would face jail time.
ORouke said, I think just as in any law that is not followed or flagrantly abused there have to be consequences or else there is no respect for the law. So in that case I think there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and make sure that it is purchased, bought back, so that it cannot be potentially used against somebody else.
ORourke masked his confiscation ideas as a mandatory buyback. Even if, and its very doubtful, Americans would turn out en masse to surrender their right to keep and bear arms, the costs would be overwhelming. ORourke commented on an Arkansas stop where AR-15s sold for $395, certainly on the low side of the cost of modern sporting rifle.
But if that were the running cost for Betos federal government confiscation, it would be nearly $7 billion. Thats assuming every modern sporting rifle is worth only $395. If the median price were closer to $500, its $9 billion. At $750, its $13.2 billion, and at an even grand per rifle, its a clean $17.7 billion. Pretty soon, were talking about real money, even for politicians who love to spend other peoples money.
Economics aside, ORourke couldnt answer the dilemma of his proposal. Criminals, by definition, dont obey the law. Law-abiding citizens do. His confiscation answer would only disarm a civil society and leave them vulnerable to criminals who would prey upon them.
That Dog Wont Hunt
ORourke later tried to amend his proposal when a teen hunter in Iowa challenged him on why he wanted to confiscate the young mans hunting rifle. So, this is the first time that Ive heard the case made for using an AR-15 to hunt deer, ORourke said. Ive heard feral hogs in Texas, which are a real problem
He offered that Americans could follow the English or German models and keep guns locked in hunt clubs. Except thats not what the Second Amendment says.
Thats not all ORourke wants, either. His gun control agenda included federal registration for all guns, mandatory training and licensing for firearms ownership, mandatory but technically impossible microstamping, a ban on standard magazines and suppressors, increase on firearms excise taxes to pay for gun violence programs, and age-based gun bans..
ORourke also called to revive the Obama administrations illegal Operation Choke Point by having credit card companies to refuse to honor sales for modern sporting rifles. It was an idea pushed by New York Times Alan Ross Sorkin to have businesses decide which rights are proper for Americans.
Shine up that tin star. Looks like ORourkes the new gun control sheriff in town.
Poster Comment:
Molon Labe
Before you think you can do that, you will need to ratify the U.N. Small Arms Treaty. And that will never happen while the Senate is in Republican hands. An unconstitutional law is no law at all.
Besides, one of the basic tenets of service in the military is that you have the right to refuse and unlawful order.