Violent demonstrations in several American cities over the weekend apparently contributed to a spike gun-related stocks Monday, Fox Business is reporting, and a leading gun rights organization went after Democrat Joe Biden’s staff for supporting a bail fund for people arrested in Minneapolis, and because Biden dislikes the bail system altogether.
According to Fox Business, “Gun-related stocks soared on Monday after a weekend of civil unrest stretching from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles.” The story reported, “American Outdoor Brands and Sturm, Ruger & Co., ammunition maker Vista Outdoor and police body cam and Taser stun gun maker Axon Enterprise were all trading sharply higher as investors priced in the possibility the violence could propel already surging sales.”
The Washington Times also reported that gun sales “surged” in May “as shops reported an uptick in interest and demand as the coronavirus pandemic continued and amid national protests after the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd.”
Fox News reported that “At least 13 members of Joe Biden’s campaign staff have made donations to a group that helps Minneapolis protesters get out of jail on bail, according to a report.”
Biden‘s staffers reportedly posted their donations on Twitter. The money went to a group called the Minnesota Freedom Fund. This group “opposes the practice of making people who are arrested pay money to avoid pre-trial imprisonment,” according to Reuters.
Fox added that, “Biden himself opposes cash bail, comparing it to a ‘modern day debtors prison.’” At least, that’s what a Biden spokesman reportedly told Reuters.
The Hill said President Donald Trump “ripped members of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign for donating money to a fund that helps arrested protesters pay bail in Minnesota amid demonstrations over the police-involved death of George Floyd.”
It was Floyd’s death that ignited nationwide demonstrations. While many groups tried to stage peaceful protests, it became apparent early on that some people came looking to cause trouble. They succeeded. Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Portland and other cities all experienced violent demonstrations complete with looting, vandalism and in some cases, arson.
An independent autopsy said Floyd died from asphyxia “due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain,” Floyd lost consciousness after a Minneapolis police officer placed a knee on his neck for several minutes while the handcuffed black man was prone on the ground. That officer and three of his colleagues were quickly fired, and the ex-cop has now been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Meanwhile, the Second Amendment Foundation blistered the former vice president’s staff for contributing to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb noted, “After all the violence we’ve seen in major cities, Biden’s position is simply outrageous. No wonder gun sales surged 80 percent in May over the same month last year. People watch their cities burn, while Biden and his staffers think those responsible should be allowed to walk. That’s a bad formula for public safety, but apparently Biden and his crew don’t get it.”
A Biden campaign spokesman told Reuters the former vice-president opposes the institution of cash bail altogether, calling it a “modern day debtors prison.” He doesn’t think these anarchists should pay bail at all.
“So,” Gottlieb observed, “while Biden opposes guns for honest people, he’s all for turning dangerous rioters loose on personal recognizance, maybe so they can go somewhere else and wreak havoc.
“We wholly support the First Amendment as much as we advocate for and defend the Second,” he continued. “Peaceful, non-violent protest is as much a part of the American fabric as the right to keep and bear arms, but last weekend’s violence completely overshadowed such efforts.
