Second Amendment Bits And Pieces Happy New Year Edition

2021 was a pretty tumultuous year, with some regarding it as a hangover of 2020 of course. The nation chaotically navigated the COVID issue, with states re-opening to varying degrees and some re-imposing restrictions depending on caseload and political winds, and the federal government declaring that the COVID issue is a “state matter” at this point. That being said, it was a rather interesting year of plenty of ups, and some downs, for the Second Amendment Radical Community…

The year started in chaos. The contested election was finally resolved in the favor of Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., which made for quite the amount of anxiety in the Second Amendment community. Of course, the so-called “insurrection” on January 6th made for a media-amplified cherry on top for the shit sandwich situation with regards to the government. The Democrats had a technical majority in Congress and the executive branch, and things looked a little grim for us in the 2A community.

The Government Talked Up Gun Control - A Lot

Whether the election was fraudulent or not, the simple fact remains that the Democrats and certain squishy Republicans felt emboldened at the beginning of 2021. Plus, the theatrics of the whole January 6th “insurrection” were attached by the media to anyone with an opinion to the right of Marx. Gun control fetishists and their associated acolytes felt emboldened and empowered. Biden had even promised Robert Francis “Hell Yes We Are Coming For Your AR-15s“ O’Rourke a job as a so-called gun control czar.

Then, the government follwed it all up with a triple-threat punch. Biden, seeing that his party had a rickety-thin majority in Congress, and that former President Trump, in one of his good moves, had seeded the judicial system and Supreme Court with conservative-leaning judges and justices, decided to use the old trope of executive actions and orders to push forth his gun control agenda. In a widely-covered speech, Biden announced proposals to regulate unfinished firearms receivers, as well as pistol-braced firearms. And, to add insult to injury, he also nominated notorious gun control lobbyist David Chipman to head up the ATF. A former agent of said agency, Chipman was especially notorious due to his involvment in the Waco siege, where the bungled ATF response resulted in the death of over 70 women and children, and also his subsequent career choice as a paid “consultant” to the welfare recipients at Everytown, for their gun-confiscation efforts.

Plus, to add insult to injury, the Biden regime banned the future import of cheap(er) Russian-made ammunition to the United States, putting the hurt on an industry already running at full capacity.

It wasn’t looking good, to be honest.

The Second Amendment Radicals Strike Back

Sometimes it takes a clear and present danger to motivate us Second Amendment Radicals, and did it ever. Whether our duly elected representatives were Democrats, Republicans, or otherwise, we flooded inboxes, phone lines, and mailboxes with our concerns. While in the case of Democratic Congresscritters, it didn’t sway many opinions, it swayed enough to matter. The Dem majority in Congress is slim, at best, which means only a few abstentions and no votes is all we need to swing things our way.

Proposed gun control laws never made it out of committee at both the state and national level. And even more fittingly, the nomination of David Chipman was withdrawn from consideration, especially after West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin (one of the last respectable people in government, it seems…) stated that the Chipman nomination was flawed and that he would not vote to confirm him. Without a simple majority in the Senate, Chipman could not assume the post of ATF director.

A startling victory, to be sure.

Chipman was to be the gun control movement’s on-scene errand boy. Everytown, Giffords, and the Brady Bunch were chomping at the bit, finally thinking they had a chance at having a real Director in the ATF, rather than a successive series of Acting Directors who just kept the oarsmen fed at the agency.

Especially after the failure of the Chipman nomination, the gun control organizations began to express disappointment in their duly elected officials, especially President Biden. A director from Bloomberg’s Hitlerjugend division, March For Our Lives, did remark about Biden “He hasn’t really been a leader…”

Furthermore, many states ditched their mandatory carry permit schemes, with almost half the nation now being “Constitutional Carry”.

That being said, the real victory was, as always, on the streets.

The Diversifying Demographics Of Gun Ownership

2020 was a banner year for firearms purchasing. Inventory was a huge problem (and still is to an extent), and both firearms and ammunition were in short supply. Existing owners were fortifying their inventories, and most notably, many new people from all walks of life were exploring the ins and outs of firearms ownership. They were finding out that the Second Amendment acknowledges a pre-existing human right.

Though hazy due to the vagaries of data collection in the industry, the reliable estimates showed that over 40 percent of first-time firearms purchasers were women, for example. Demographics suchs as Hispanic, Black, and Asian, and even LGBTQ showed similar and greater increases.

The reasoning is simple. Due to the unrest in 2020, where police forces were late or just plain not responding to riots and other disturbances, many people realized what us existing Second Amendment Radicals have known all along - no one is coming to help and you are on your own. And if they do show up, the help is often lacking and substandard. A gun in your hand beats a police cruiser en route, every time.

The media was on the skids, since their narrative of gun ownership exclusively being the provenance of “racist” conservatives was being destroyed. With non-white men and women picking up guns left and right, they scrambled, instead choosing to keep the racism trope going in that minorities were arming themselves against purported white male aggression.

Even if true, the important thing is people are arming themselves. The Second Amendment is a big tent, and all people with a good intent are welcome.

To be fair, some of those purchasing firearms may still be “OK” with gun control, but the simple fact that they purchased a weapon is a big step, and one that we can take advantage of and help nurture.

The political winds have shifted in response, with support for gun control hitting historic lows, with even notorious shooting incidents failing to move the polling needle much, despite the typical techniques of oversampling and demographic targeting.

For all you new folk - welcome aboard. For real.

2022 Isn’t Going To Be Easy

Sure, the political winds seem to be slowing and shifting a bit. The off-year gubernatiorial election in Virginia flipped a blue state back to red, with Republican Glenn Youngkin winning the election, and the Virginia legislature shifting accordingly. Most notably though, a female Jamaican immigrant, Republican Winsome Sears, won the Lieutenant Governor election (in Virginia, the office of Lt Governor is a sepearate item on the ballot) by a fair margin. Causing heads to explode on both sides of the aisle, Sears is a staunch Second Amendment supporter, with official photos of her posing with an AR-pattern rifle making the rounds.

The portents are good, for sure. Dems are on notice and Republicans are feeling energized for the 2022 midterms. There’s even a strong uptick for independent and Libertarian candidates at the state and local level, such as Florida’s Mike Ter Matt.

However, it will be a fight. The gun control movement feels a real threat, and they are marshaling their forces in government and media accordingly. Focus groups are meeting, figuring out the next batch of lies to levy against us Second Amendment Radicals.

More concerning though, is the pending executive orders by the Biden regime concerning braced pistols and unfinished receivers. Though we flooded the comments sections of both in opposition, there has been no indication of withdrawl by the government. It could happen, but also let’s expect that the rulings will be published and we’ll have a court battle on our hands.

This is why it’s super-important that we keep up our support of our friendly 2A organizations. Groups like the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and yes, the NRA deserve our support. If we hit the opposition from all sides, we win.

Again though, the real work is on the ground. Let’s get everyone involved in this thing of ours. Take new people out to the range. Buy more guns. Learn the skills of self-reliance. Show the new folk the ropes. Help them get their carry permits if the state requires it. Show them the right they have had all along - the right to keep and bear arms.

Happy New Year, everyone. Make it a good one.

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