Weekly Spotlight 12/5 – 12/11/22
Defensive Gun Use is Critical in Making Communities Safer, Here’s Why:
Americans are stepping up from coast to coast to become their own first line of defense in the wake of rising crime rates. This comes as no surprise as lawmakers at both the state and federal level have only exacerbated the issue by working to restrict Americans’ right to self-defense and ignoring the power of defensive gun use to thwart danger.
Regulators are also joining in the gun-control game, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led by Steve Dettlebach, being questioned in having a potential connection to a new policy by UPS and FedEx that allows companies to “track firearm sales with unprecedented specificity and bypass warrant requirements to share that information with federal agencies.”
However, these efforts to restrict gun ownership are only boosting gun sales.
On Black Friday, Americans weren’t just lining up for doorbuster sales but also for the ability to protect their family. Key fact:
- According to FBI data, over 192,000 background checks for firearms were recorded on Friday, November 25 – aka Black Friday – making it the third-best day for gun sales in history.
As reported by Paul Bedard with The Washington Examiner, local gun stores in America experienced record sales on Black Friday as political turmoil and threats to restrict gun ownership by both state and federal lawmakers has created a market for law-abiding Americans to exercise their right to carry before it is too late.
- Hyatt Guns, a well-known gun store in Charlotte, North Carolina which is one of the nation’s largest sellers, told The Examiner they saw an “upturn in business across the board. We’re also seeing growth in a few categories that have been stagnant for several years, including hunting and long range shooting. I’m projecting a record December that may match or even exceed our pandemic sales levels.”
It’s increasingly clear the ongoing rise in gun sales is in part fueled by President Biden’s calls to enact a ban on “semi-automatic pistols and modern sporting rifles.”
The reality that many people fail to see is that responsible gun ownership makes communities safer. In fact, as gun ownership rises, so do instances where law-abiding gun owners are saving lives –
- New York Man Holds Intruder at Gunpoint For Police: At around midnight, a Watertown man heard noises coming from downstairs while in his upstairs bedroom. When he opened the door to his basement, he saw an intruder staring back at him. The homeowner slammed and locked the door and called the police. The intruder banged on the basement door until he broke it open, and the homeowner held the intruder at rifle point until police arrived to arrest him.
- Michigander Shoots Man Demanding Entry to His Home: A Detroit man was awakened at around 4:30 a.m. by a stranger banging on his front door and yelling that someone owed him money. The homeowner called the police, armed himself with a pistol and went downstairs to order the man to leave. Rather than leave the homeowner alone, the stranger pulled a gun and threatened him. The homeowner fired four shots at the intruder, fatally wounding him. Police released the homeowner without charges.
- Illinoisan Stymies Car Burglar: A Joliet man noticed an unusual light coming from his neighbor’s car at around 2 a.m. Going to investigate, he found a young stranger in the vehicle. He held the man at gunpoint until police could reach the scene. Police charged the intruder with attempted motor vehicle theft, burglary to a motor vehicle, possession of burglar tools and criminal damage to property.
- Delaware Man Shoots Home Invader: A Dover man observed two men, one armed, breaking into his home. The homeowner took up a gun and fired on the two invaders, wounding one in the leg and putting both to flight. Police arrested one of the invaders, a 15-year-old juvenile male, when he sought medical treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg. Investigators also arrested his accomplice a short time later.
And the stories continue…
If history has taught us anything, it’s that restrictive gun-control policies only target law-abiding citizens versus the criminals who are committing violent acts against innocent people. That is why the USCCA-FSL remains committed to advancing the interests of responsibly-armed Americans who want to keep their families safe.
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
- Oregon Public Broadcasting: Oregon’s New Gun Laws Remain Blocked, Won’t Go Into Effect Early Thursday
Ballot Measure 114 will not become law at 12:01 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 8. The Oregon Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a state Department of Justice petition asking the court to throw out a lower court’s temporary restraining order blocking the law from taking effect. Harney County Circuit Court Judge Robert Raschio issued the order Tuesday, saying the law violated the Oregon state constitution’s right to bear arms. Raschio said Oregonians would be “unable to lawfully purchase a firearm or bear a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition in the State of Oregon.”
The Supreme Court decision made on June 22, 2022, restoring the protections of right to bear arms outside the home by the Second Amendment, has bounced back to what it was before the decision was announced. On November 30, 2022, a Marquette University Law School poll was released showing the results of this question, from September of 2021 through September of 2022. The question was: Table 11: Favor or oppose ruling that Second Amendment protects right to possess a gun outside the home. Among those with an opinion.
- POLITICO: Inside The White House Gun Violence Initiative They Say Is Actually Working
- Amid intense criticism from the left that the White House and Congress haven’t done enough to stop gun violence, the Biden administration has been underwriting an initiative that’s drawn barely any notice. The work started on the campaign trail, when Joe Biden pitched community violence intervention as a component of his gun violence prevention plan. Once he took office, Biden secured tens of billions of dollars that can be used for community violence intervention, which he and advocates say is critical for reducing recidivism rates.
After a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively invalidated key portions of New Jersey’s restrictive permitting system for the concealed carry of guns, lawmakers in the state Legislature are moving to pass a new version of the law by the end of the year. The measure (A4769), supported by Gov. Phil Murphy and his fellow Democrats who currently control both houses of the Legislature, has faced stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers and gun rights advocates at a series of lengthy and sometimes raucous public hearings.