Weekly Spotlight 11/14-11/20/22
What a Divided Government Could Mean for the Self-Defense Community
The 2022 Midterm Elections have spanned well beyond November 8th, as political control in Congress has come down to just several key House and Senate races over the last few days.
As of Wednesday morning, Republicans have secured control of the U.S. House of Representatives, locking down the 218 seats the party needs to win a majority, just narrowly claiming victory. This confirms a divided government in Washington as Democrats have retained control of the U.S. Senate by flipping Pennsylvania and holding onto seats in Arizona and Nevada. Meanwhile, Georgia is headed to a runoff on December 6th.
While exit polling by NBC showed inflation and abortion as top issues for voters in the ballot box this year, crime and gun policy remained top-of-mind for millions of concerned citizens. Of course, this isn’t surprising as Democrat leaders over the last two years at both the state and federal level have failed to address the root cause of violence while instead, working to target law-abiding gun owners through senseless bans and restrictive gun laws.
“The firearm industry as a whole has seen tremendous growth over the past few years because of this crime wave that has gripped the country — and, of course, as people feel more unsafe,” stated Katie Pointer Baney, USCCA’s managing director of government affairs, in Fox Business. “The defunding of law enforcement, all this kind of confluence of issues (mean) more people are taking on the responsibility of protecting themselves and their loved ones, and using a firearm is a most efficient tool to do so…”
As the USCCA-FSL noted last week, all pro-Second Amendment candidates supported by the PAC in the 2022 Midterms secured hard-fought victories in their elections last week, including incoming Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) and incoming Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Kevin Kiley (CA-03), and Wesley Hunt (TX-38). What’s more, every Governor who signed Constitutional Carry into law won their re-election campaigns, as reported by The Truth About Guns. Even Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) won 60% of the vote in Uvalde over Democrat candidate Beto O’Rourke who vowed to take away peoples’ firearms. That’s because voters today care about not only their Constitutional right to self-defense, but their everyday ability to protect themselves, their loved ones and their property when danger strikes.
New leadership in the House means 2A supporters have the ability to block future attempts by President Biden to harm Americans’ Second Amendment rights like the so-called “assault weapons” ban. It also gives Republicans control of House Committees, turning over gavels to Second Amendment supporters like U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) who is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee which has jurisdiction and oversight on agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Even though President Biden has vowed to block pro-gun priorities like National Concealed Carry Reciprocity, the Judiciary Committee has the ability to elevate this measure and others like it that will expand responsible gun ownership around the country.
Further, the USCCA-FSL is watching closely what the Courts and state-level elected officials are doing to uphold citizens’ right to self-defense.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in NYSRPA v Bruen, state lawmakers are working around the clock to find workarounds so they can continue moving the anti-gun agenda forward. Voters in Oregon narrowly passed Ballot Measure 114, known as the “Reduction of Gun Violence Act,” by just 2 percentage points and is one of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Since news of this broke in the last week, residents are now rushing to purchase a firearm before the new law goes into effect.
While there is some solace in a red ripple through states like Ohio and Florida, where there is a supermajority in the legislature; with Republicans narrowly holding a majority in the Arizona State House, it is up to the self-defense community and Second Amendment supporters nationwide to continue putting pressure on lawmakers to ensure our God-given right to self-defense is upheld.
The USCCA-FSL will not stop advocating for the right to carry and our natural-born right to self-defense.
Stay updated with this issue and others by visiting our website and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook so you stay an informed gun owner.
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:
The Washington Times: Republicans Demand ATF, FBI Ramp Up Staff For Background Checks On Black Friday Gun Sales
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to beef up staffing at the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for an expected surge of Black Friday gun purchases. “The FBI is notoriously understaffed on Black Friday, despite knowing year after year of the high volume of gun sales. This must change. Now is the time to prepare the FBI and ATF for adequate staffing to avoid the inevitable holiday rush,” Iowa GOP Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley wrote. A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News: New York’s Concealed Carry Gun Law Partially Reinstated By Federal Appeals Court
A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily reinstated parts of New York’s new concealed carry law after a judge last week blocked some provisions that restrict the carrying of firearms in certain public spaces. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals issued the temporary injunction while a legal challenge filed by a Second Amendment-rights group makes its way through the courts. “Defendants-Appellants seek a stay pending appeal, and an emergency interim stay, of the preliminary injunction issued by the district court on November 7, 2022,” Tuesday’s ruling states. “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that a temporary stay is granted pending the panel’s consideration of the motion.”
Washington Examiner: SEE IT: Sheriffs In Oregon Vow Not To Implement Portion Of New Gun Control Measure
A group of sheriffs in Oregon has vowed that they will not enforce a new measure regarding gun magazine capacities. Measure 114, which bans the sale of magazines holding more than 10 rounds, passed by a slim margin this week, and many law enforcement officials are not pleased. “I want to send a clear message to Linn County residents that the Linn County Sheriff’s Office is NOT going to be enforcing magazine capacity limits,” Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said in a Facebook post. “This measure is poorly written and there is still a lot that needs to be sorted out regarding the permitting process, who has to do the training and what exactly does the training have to cover.”
Fox News: Maryland County Votes To Restrict Gun Possession In Most Public Places
The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday banning the possession of firearms within 100 yards of a place of public assembly. The bill comes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York law that made it difficult to obtain a concealed carry permit, which invalidated similar laws in Maryland and other states. The new bill in Maryland’s most populous county includes exemptions for law enforcement officers and security guards licensed to carry a firearm. It also doesn’t apply to possession of firearms in a person’s own home.