We learned this week that Joe Biden has a pen and an instinct for irrelevancy.
He’s going to sign more royal decrees (whoops! make that executive orders) in response to recent shooting incidents.
The first will regulate "ghost guns." According to Fox News, a ghost gun isn’t a pistol carried by Casper, instead it’s defined as, "Ghost guns refer to kits that allow the recipient to assemble the firearm using provided parts. These guns do not have commercial serial numbers and are difficult to track."
Most of the news coverage of these weapons focuses on "difficult to track," when that's not what’s at issue. Tracking a gun used in a mass shooting isn’t difficult as a rule. Usually all that’s required is prying it out of the dead shooter’s hand. The point is to make sure the gun never gets into a criminal’s hand in the first place.
Anyone can currently buy parts and kits for these weapons. All that’s required to assemble the kit is some mechanical expertise. What’s not required is a background check. That genuine loophole has allowed gunmen in at least two shootings to illegally possess a weapon.
Closing that loophole is a legitimate public policy question that could gain bipartisan support in Congress. Issuing an executive order short–circuits the legislative process indicates to us that Biden’s team doesn’t think they can make the case for expanded background checks.
The other problem with the order is that it has exactly zero to do with the recent shootings.
None of those incidents used a ghost gun or any form of illegal weapon. Biden is using those shootings as a pretext to issue another knee–jerk response to a violent incident.
The second order concerns pistol braces. Cheaper Than Dirt — an online firearms supplies seller — defines pistol braces as, "Initially designed by SB Tactical as a stability-improving device for wounded and disabled veterans, pistol braces are an ideal accessory for AR–15 pistols and pistol–grip shotguns due to the increased control, improved aim and additional support they provide."
One of the constant refrains from gun grabbers is how easy it is to conceal a hand gun and that makes them dangerous. Installing a brace on a pistol makes it four to five times larger. That means the gun is now almost impossible to conceal unless one is wearing a trench coat. You’d think gun grabbers would like braces for just that reason, but consistency has never been their strong point.
The other gun–related move Biden is even more ominous for Second Amendment rights. He plans to name David Chipman as director of ATF, although if the nomination is approved Biden may as well change the name of the bureau to Alcohol, Tobacco and No Firearms.
Chipman is a zealous gun–grabber who most recently was working as senior policy advisor to a rabidly anti–2nd Amendment lobby group.
That would be bad enough, but Chipman has another problem. He’s a liar who will say anything to advance his anti–gun agenda.
During a Reddit event last year Chipman made the following bold–faced lie regarding the killing of 82 people by the feds in Waco, TX. "At Waco, cult members used 2 .50 caliber Barretts [rifles] to shoot down two Texas Air National Guard helicopters."
That is actually either two lies or one two–part lie. First, no helicopters were shot down during the Waco siege, which began as an effort by the ATF to generate some favorable publicity when the bureau was weathering a previous PR disaster.
Second, the official federal report on the massacre found no .50 caliber weapons of any sort among the bodies lying in the ashes of the buildings the feds burned down.
In fact, as Stephen L. Miller points out, "the only questions involving helicopters was if US agents fired on the compound from helicopters, which is a violation of the law."
Chipman isn’t a nominee. He’s a thumb in the eye for every law–abiding gun owner in the country. He’s also the latest proof that Biden really thinks "unity" means submission.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with addedhumor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.