PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Which Candidate is the Most Dangerous to the Second Amendment? :: 07/18/2019
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- When it comes to those who wrongly attack the God-given rights protected by Constitution, including the right to keep and bear arms covered by the Second Amendment, there is the question as to who is the most dangerous. The short and easy answer is, “It depends on the electoral circumstances.” But that answer is arguably TOO short and simple. Reality tends to be a bit more complex.
For instance, Second Amendment supporters need to evaluate the threat level of hostile candidates using two primary components. The first is how extreme their agenda is. A candidate who favors licensing and registration along with a ban on modern multi-purpose semiautomatic firearms like those enacted by Australia or New Zealand will, as a general rule, be far more dangerous on the extreme agenda scale than one who just favors “red flag” laws.
Now, given that our ideal is NO infringement of the unalienable rights granted by our Creator, “red flag” laws supported by anti-Second Amendment extremists are a bad thing. For the sake of this discussion, we will be discussing “red flag” laws that fail to meet crucial standards necessary to protect our rights while still heading off a dangerous individual.
This brings us to the next part of the equation: The likelihood that an anti-Second Amendment extremist will be elected. Is that candidate generally leading in polls or near the top, like Joe Biden or Kamala Harris in the Democratic primary? Or are they trailing badly, like John Hickenlooper and Seth Moulton? Eric Swalwell was pushing an Australia/New Zealand-style confiscation and buyback, but he dropped out because he never got traction. Therefore, at the present time, Biden and Harris would, as a general rule, both be considered the more dangerous candidates in terms of getting the Democratic nomination.
Taking these two factors in combination, the general rule is that an anti-Second Amendment candidate with little chance to win and whose agenda is very limited (say, Bloomberg-favored “red flag” laws) is far less dangerous than one with a very good chance to win and who seeks to make America like some hybrid of New Jersey and New Zealand. That said, the general rule may not always apply. We’re focusing on just the gun laws front and ignoring key ancillary issues like judicial nominations and issues like campaign “reform.”This is how Jon Tester squeaked by in 2018.
There is also a bit of a wild card factor to this. A candidate with an extreme agenda – like Swalwell – could very well influence front-runners to adopt that extreme agenda. Swalwell, in his withdrawal statement, claimed that three top Democratic contenders had embraced his proposal for an Australia-style ban on modern multi-purpose semi-automatic firearms. We see this also in how court-packing has gained support across the Democratic field as well.
Similarly, the office held could matter, too. State attorneys general like Letitia James and Bob Ferguson have not only attacked NRA, but also USCCA, for the “crime” of trying to make sure members have a policy to cover legal fees in case they have to exercise their Second Amendment rights in self-defense. Andrew Cuomo has launched an existential threat to the entire panoply of pro-Second Amendment groups with his abuses against the NRA.
This all shows that the protection of our God-given right to keep and bear arms comes down to Second Amendment supporters being very informed, and then taking the steps to get involved. The 2020 election will be upon us soon, and the stakes are very high. Given the extreme anti-Second Amendment measures being proposed, and the support for court-packing, it may well be for all the marbles. Second Amendment supporters must act accordingly.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
https://www.ammoland.com/2019/07/which-candidate-is-the-most-dangerous-to-the-second-amendment/
