Amid a renewed push for all kinds of gun control following mass shooting incidents in three states over two consecutive weekends, the Trump administration has reached out to leaders in the Second Amendment community seeking their input, a marked change from the previous administration.
Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the grassroots Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and founder and CEO of the Second Amendment Foundation confirmed to Liberty Park Press that he had spoken with a “top White House staffer” on a wide range of gun-rights-related topics. He anticipates further discussions.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump had spoken to Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. LaPierre, currently embroiled in the NRA’s internal turmoil, issued a statement that he is “not inclined to discuss private conversations with President Trump or other key leaders on this issue.” That statement can be found on the NRA website.
The same story noted, “A White House official said Trump had asked some advisers and lawmakers this week about whether the NRA had enduring clout amid an internal leadership battle and allegations of improper spending, as well as what his supporters would think of the bill.”
Thirty-four people died in three mass shooting incidents, first at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, Calif., then at a Walmart in El Paso, Tex., and hours later in Dayton, Ohio. The shooters in California and Ohio are both dead, but police have the El Paso suspect in custody.
In the wake of those shootings, the gun prohibition lobby has ramped up demands for tougher gun control laws, and there is talk of revived gun control efforts on Capitol Hill. The Washington Post reported earlier in the week that Trump, speaking to reporters prior to his visits to El Paso and Dayton, acknowledged there “was great appetite for background checks.”
There is now speculation that gun control may become the top campaign issue as the 2020 national elections loom. All of the Democrat candidates seeking to replace Trump in the Oval Office have offered gun control proposals.
The situation was further exacerbated when, in Springfield. Mo., a man was arrested after entering a Walmart wearing body armor and carrying a semi-auto rifle, and began pushing a cart around. The store was evacuated and an armed citizen held the man at gunpoint until police arrived. Nobody was hurt, and the incident has ignited a fierce debate on social media here and here.
The incident captured international attention, and reports quoted Springfield Police Lt. Mike Lucas observing, “His intent was not to cause peace or comfort to anybody that was in the business. In fact, he’s lucky to be alive still to be honest.”
Some gun rights activists contend the man broke no laws while others say it was foolish in the wake of the shootings in Ohio, Texas and California.
UPDATE:
The popular blog “No Lawyers, Only Guns and Money” is back up has been restored, according to author John Richardson.
He told Liberty Park Press, which reported earlier this week that the blog had been closed over an alleged violation of terms, that he received this message from The Blogger Team:
“Hello, We have received your appeal regarding your blog. Upon further review we have determined that your blog was mistakenly marked as a TOS violator by our automated system and, as such, we have reinstated your blog. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused in the meantime and thank you for your patience as we completed our review process. Thank you for understanding. Sincerely, The Blogger Team.”
But Richardson is already planning to move his blog to a WordPress site, which may be found here.
“I’m going to use this opportunity to update the blog’s design, etc.,” Richardson said via email. “Even after I leave the old blog I plan to leave it up for reference especially for those that have links to earlier posts. I will put a note advising people of where to go for the new blog.
“I have received tremendous support throughout this whole episode for which I’m very grateful,” he added. “The outpouring of support from those in the gun rights community has been overwhelming. It shows that we are indeed a community who looks out for one another.”
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