| Written by :Marc Kelley Regardless of where you stand on ownership, the subject of firearms has always brought intense emotions to the discussion. America and more specifically the American people have since the beginning, used firearms to hunt, defend themselves, and as a form of currency. It was firearms which America herself used as a means of economic survival following the War for Independence. As our nation struggled to find our footing economically, it was imperative we find a vehicle for obtaining financial wealth. The fact that the U.S. Government was instrumental in incubating the firearms industry we know today, is often overlooked by current day gun grabbers; and, is yet another example of an “uncomfortable truth”…. firearms have always been a part of the fabric of our nation. |
| The names: Winchester, Colt, and Springfield, are deeply steeped in American tradition and the development of our nation’s economy. As difficult as it may seem today, it was in fact Congress who established America’s first two national armory’s. In 1794, recognizing America would need weapons to defend our fledgling nation, it was George Washington himself who brought to life the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. Just four years later in 1798 the Harpers Ferry Armory opened for business in West Virginia and the American firearms industry became reality. |
| As the push for increased weapons manufacturing and a streamlining of the industry was demanded by Congress, our beloved politicians failed once again to understand the blue collar working man. Gunsmiths have always been a unique breed of individual. They worked at their own pace, came and went as they saw fit, and have always seen the tools of their trade as a means to provide for their family. Production of firearms was their craft and they produced their guns by hand, one at a time on their benches. Many refused to work on Sunday giving honor and thanks to the Good Lord, and after church they gathered with friends and family showing off their skills with both tool and powder. |
| When the world descended into chaos in 1914 and America entered the Great War, once again it would be Americans: John Browning, Oliver Winchester, Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson who would answer the call. In 1914 more than two million rifles would be produced by Remington at the Ilion, N.Y. factory. In 1939 when the world once again caught fire and brought the U.S. into the war that followed the War to end all Wars, yet another group of American’s retooled their factories and plants. Businesses which once produced typewriters, farm equipment, and juke boxes would begin producing the weapons America needed to fight against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. |
| Yet somehow in 2020, the firearms industry has seemingly outlived its usefulness. Since the moment Joe Biden stepped into the White House, he began an intense ideological attack on the 2nd Amendment and the lawful gun-owners across our great land. We have been labeled a great many things by the Biden Administration…. insurrectionist’s, deplorable’s, white supremacist’s, hillbilly’s and the latest descriptor… clowns. The Democrats view gun owners, not as patriots contributing to and loving our nation; but rather, extremists, clinging to our guns and our Bibles. They never miss an opportunity to rush to the bright lights of the media’s camera and disparage gun owners as representing not what is best about America; but rather, describing us as the greatest threat facing our nation today. |
| From the earliest days of Tammany Hall in the 1800’s the Democrat Party has never attempted to disguise their corruption nor their disdain for the working class men and women of America. Corruption at the ballot box, as well as in the jury box has now become part of the party platform. Believing now that power has been achieved, the party must, by any means necessary, hold onto that power. In typical Biden fashion, it is through the weaponization of our legal system, executive actions, and policy changes to existing ATF/ FBI policies, he chooses to make life as miserable as possible for lawful gun owners, while ignoring the very things necessary to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those hell bent of delivering anarchy to America. By his own hand, Biden has accomplished the one thing that the Government does best….take something simple and complicate it. |
| Living through COVID-19 taught America many things which our people will never forget. Not only did our government infringe upon our civil liberties, they did so by selling us a steaming pile of what Joe Biden calls “malarky”. By capitalizing on the greed of a Healthcare Industry willing to trade decades of goodwill and trust for a few gold coins, the great COVID lie was put into place. This betrayal has resulted in the first decrease in American life expectancy in over 120 years. Many parents are now refusing to get their children the vaccines which allowed America to eliminate such devastating illnesses as: Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Americans across all demographics are refusing to schedule annual checkups, and even worse are choosing to suffer the ravages of disease, simply because they no longer trust our healthcare system. It is from these lessons we have learned to be wary of any government agency who is charged with making America a safer, healthier, and more prosperous nation. |
| As one of his first acts as President, Joe Biden did exactly what his campaign had promised…systematically ban, restrict, tax, and criminalize gun ownership. Utilizing executive orders and changes to FBI and ATF policies, Biden used the full power of the U.S. Government to begin attacking the 2nd Amendment and more specifically the Gun Industry itself. Disguising heavy handed attacks on lawful gunners, the Biden Administration began implementing what they termed as “Common Sense Gun Reform”. The first target was the elimination of existing Federal Firearms License holders. Biden sold the American people the idea that it was “rogue FFL dealers” who were to blame for trafficking illegal weapons to criminals and drug cartels alike. By implementing their “zero tolerance policy”, the Biden DOJ began revoking the licenses of existing FFL holders for grounds which had always been considered by the ATF, as “simple bookkeeping and unintentional errors.” In just three years the rate of license revocation saw an increase of 88%. After punishing the small Mom and Pop gun shop’s who could not afford to fight the Federal Government, Biden moved on to gun ownership by the general public. Biden’s next order was to “Name and Shame” gun owners. The FBI’s National Tracing Center is responsible for tracking the sale and transfer of firearms which are stolen or used in a crime and recovered by law enforcement. The idea was to prove it was the “private sale” of firearms which were conducted by non-licensed individuals that provided firearms to criminals and otherwise prohibited individuals. When the media caught wind of this, somehow mystically and magically the names of private citizens linked to this type of sale were leaked and published as a form of modern day shunning. As the fruits of their labors proved effective in removing the gun rights of private individuals, the Biden Administration began pressuring the banking industry to turn over personal credit card information on people who used a credit card to purchase firearms, ammunition, and accessories to the DOJ. This action was taken without a court order or warrant; and, in and of itself helped to criminalize the concept of private gun ownership. Everything was going as planned and everyday Americans were losing their livelihoods; as well as, the firearms they had possessed for decades and were handed down from one generation to the next. Virtually overnight, the actions of private individuals who had used firearms as a sort of savings account, having bought guns when they had money and selling guns when they needed money, became an illegal act. Gun Shows were targeted and resources which could have been used to fight real crime, were now utilized to harvest the low hanging fruit of the unsuspecting gun owner. |
| Once again, the truth has been revealed and the Government simply cannot hide from reality. On April 8, 2024, the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released the final draft outlining their findings in a report five years in the making. In the report the Government itself identified the exact causes of illegal firearms trafficking. Over the five year period 9,708 cases of illegal gun trafficking were examined. The ATF’s report found just 136 cases of illegal firearm trafficking tied to an FFL dealer over a five year period. That’s just 1.6 percent of all 9,700 cases. To put that into a more specific perspective, there were 134,516 FFL holders at the end of 2021. That equates to just 0.1 percent of all FFLs being implicated in allegedly illegal firearm trafficking before Joe Biden instituted his whole-of-government crackdown on firearm ownership.Conversely, the ATF report identifies “Straw Purchases” (buying a firearm for another individual) and “Private Sales” to an individual without conducting a background check account for 80% of their cases load while the remaining 20% is represented by stolen firearms. |
| Given the fact the penalty for illegally trafficking firearms is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $ 250,000.00 fine. It does not take a genius to understand the real need to have a relationship with your local FFL Dealer. For centuries American’s of all stripes have used firearms as a “poor man’s safety deposit box.” Joe Biden can try as hard as he wants to paint lawful gun owners as criminals, but as we say in Montana….that dog won’t hunt. |
 America has now reached the banks of the Rubicon, and we have before us a stark reality and undeniable truth. You can either own your firearms or support the Democrat Party….but, you cannot do both. Leaving only one question unanswered…Who is the clown now Joe? |
