Well Regulated: A mixed bag of new developments.

The bulk of this edition of Well Regulated consists of updates on topics I have covered previously. However, there is also an important message to be taken from all the news stories I address below. Hypocrisy, disrespect, and abuses of power are characteristics of contemporary government – perhaps they always were – but it seems that now, it has become far more blatant. In Virginia, New York, and Canada (to name a few), government leaders seem to have no regard for the rights of the people or their wellbeing. Perhaps this is cynicism, but every day, I see the Overton window shift further and further left while politicians become more brazen in their efforts to infringe on the people’s liberties. I hope that the following news serves as a reminder not just to vote, or donate to your preferred political organizations, but to become an agent of cultural change. We are in a culture war, and without all of us actively pushing our society in the right direction, we will lose.

 

Governor Northam and Shooting Practice

Earlier this month, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam promised to reopen Virginia’s gun ranges on the 15th. Two days before their planned reopening, Northam suddenly reversed course and decided to force ranges to remain closed. This new executive order follows a legal battle and subsequent court order over Northam’s closure of gun ranges, in which the court determined that the Governor did not have cause to close down the range who sued. Those who have been paying attention to gun rights issues will probably remember two key events this year which Northam’s actions allow us to see in a renewed light. First, of course, is the infamous case of NYSRPA v. NYC which the Supreme Court ruled moot after New York utilized underhanded tactics to change a rule regarding the transport of firearms by pistol permit holders. While the official line given during oral argumentation was that the rule was no longer deemed necessary to ensure public safety, most who watched the case unfold (myself included)  saw the change as merely an effort to avoid judicial review. This behavior by New York State and Governor Northam demonstrates a shameful disregard for our system of checks and balances, wherein the executive and legislative branches (both on the state and federal level) are supposed to be held accountable by the judiciary. The second issue that Northam’s order forces recollection of is Virginia’s HB567, a bill to close down all firing ranges not owned by the state. The state tried to create a monopoly on the people’s ability to train and practice with firearms, and, after failing, is now attempting to shut down the ability to train and practice altogether. If this behavior were witnessed on the playground, we would call that child a sore loser, but when it is a power-hungry politician, the appropriate term would be tyrant.

 

The Firing Pin Fires Back

In a previous edition, I discussed how Governor Cuomo’s office threatened New York gun store The Firing Pin with the revocation of their state dealer’s license if they did not close. Now, The Firing Pin is suing the State of New York with the help of 2ANYS and several other plaintiffs, including Lisa Reeves of Ithaca’s own Big Red Barber Shop. As a native of Ithaca, I am all too familiar with the disrespect shown by this state’s government towards its own citizens and the Constitution. I sincerely hope that this lawsuit results in proper relief for the plaintiffs, but I am not quite so optimistic. New York State is filled with far-left activist judges who have failed to properly adjudicate countless times in the past – specifically on the issue of gun rights (although in this case, the plaintiffs have requested a jury trial, so the power is not entirely in the hands of a judge).

 

Trudeau Sticks His Head in the Sand

After a public mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seized the opportunity to push through an extreme gun confiscation law. Many have claimed that the ban was a response to the shooting, but I disagree and believe that it was merely an opportune time to infringe on the Canadian people’s rights. While the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR) is currently suing, I am less than optimistic about their chances. Without a right to keep and bear arms in their Constitution, the government is able to easily trample on its citizens. As though to give further credence to my theory – namely that this law is solely about control, not saving lives – Prime Minister Trudeau has declined the opportunity to launch a federal inquiry into the shooting. This is to say that the Prime Minister doesn’t care about the shooting in question, he just needed to ensure his draconian and tyrannical law could be packaged as “doing something”. One has to wonder if any significant plurality of the people of Canada see this government’s betrayal as what it is, or whether the nation is too far gone and do not see the Prime Minister’s intentions as what they plainly are.

 

 

The past few months have brought a serious issue to the forefront of the gun rights movement’s attention: the devastating death toll of “no-knock” raids by police. For those unfamiliar, when police are serving a warrant, they knock on your door, announce their presence, tell you what they are there for, and execute the warrant. “No-knock” raids serve the same general purpose, but instead of the typical manner, they kick in the door. Theoretically, these raids exist for rare circumstances in which police fear that someone will dispose of evidence or that making themselves known would endanger officers’ lives. However, the use of these raids is in no way rare. Police have been using no-knock raids to an excessive degree and with a cavalier attitude while casualties pile up. The case which prompted me to write about this issue is the shooting of Breonna Taylor and arrest of Kenneth Walker, but there are many more, two of which I would like to address: Duncan Lemp and John Quinn.

The first (and most recent) case in question is Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker. Allow me to paint a picture of what happened: on March 13, at 1 in the morning, plain-clothes police broke down the door of Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker (right). While technically the police did announce who they were, no one in the house could have possibly heard them, as the couple was fast asleep. Kenneth Walker, having just heard his door broken down, and seeing men in street clothes entering his house, did what anyone would do: he grabbed his gun and fired at who he believed were violent intruders (a fact verified by the 911 call audio). The police shot back and killed Breonna Taylor, after which they arrested Kenneth Walker. Why were the police there? Because two criminals who were arrested prior to the raid had ordered a package to the couple’s apartment (a common practice for criminals who don’t want to use their own address). The police found absolutely nothing illegal in the apartment. Earlier this month, the attempted murder charge against Kenneth Walker was dropped, and I am glad that it was. But Breonna Taylor is still dead, Kenneth Walker still had to go through losing his girlfriend, almost facing years in prison, and it was all over nothing.

Just as egregious is the case of Duncan Lemp (left) who was murdered while he was sleeping. Police were given a tip that Lemp was both in possession of firearms, and a prohibited possessor (a term for those who cannot legally possess firearms) because he had used marijuana. While he and his girlfriend were asleep in bed, police shot into the house from outside, killing Lemp and injuring his girlfriend. Some have tried to justify his death on the grounds that he was involved with his local III% group – an activity explicitly protected by the Second Amendment. By all accounts, Duncan Lemp had a promising future, which was snuffed out for no reason other than the government sees fit to debar some free men the use of arms.

The last case I need to discuss is somewhat older but incredibly important: the case of John Quinn. Back in 2006, police took a battering ram to John Quinn’s door in McKinley, Texas and barged in with a whole SWAT team. The reason why? John Quinn’s son Brian Quinn was a drug addict, so the police thought that he might have stashed controlled substances at his dad’s house (in the interest of full disclosure, a small amount of cocaine was found on the property, which Brian Quinn admitted to owning). But that wasn’t the only reason the police felt justified in breaking down Quinn’s front door: he also had a concealed carry permit. John Quinn was determined by the state of Texas to be a responsible and law-abiding citizen – suitable to carry a firearm in public – and the police saw that as a threat. When they entered, John Quinn thought they were intruders (just like Kenneth Walker) and so he grabbed his rifle and went to investigate, at which point the police shot him. Thankfully, Quinn survived, but this is a painful reminder that in contemporary American society, peacefully owning a firearm is enough to have the legal system assume you are a threat.

I don’t mean to sound like a fearmonger, so I hope this last topic has not given that perception. With that said, do not forget these people’s names – I certainly won’t. They are victims who at worst can be accused of trying to keep themselves and the people they love safe. As a result of what was supposed to be an occasionally used police action, Americans are being killed over nothing. Always remember: when the government asks for an inch, they will take a mile, and never give it back.