I knew this was coming the moment they stopped talking about the shooter and started talking about the dead officers. OR, rather, I knew it was coming, but the latest shooting was obviously the means by which they would cram this down our throats. HF 3628 was introduced into the halls of the MN legislature and is, in the name, a ban on a vast majority of commonly used firearms under the misleading “assault weapons” name. But make no joke about this- many of the most popular firearms would be illegal under this bill.
And I urge everyone who wishes to retain the rights of their children and grandchildren to practice their rights to self determination to write to your representatives and oppose this bill in force.
If we learned anything from the 2020 riots, it’s that Law enforcement is not only un-trusted by a large portion of the populace of this state, it’s that the government will not prioritize your safety when things fall flat. There were hundreds of instances in our state alone of people losing all they had as riotous mobs moved through their neighbor hoods and burned everything to the ground after looting and pillaging like a conquering army. It fell on armed civilians with the very arms they wish to ban to provide positive security where needed to protect the lives and property of their neighbors. Now, under the guise of keeping you safe, they wish to remove your ability to use these very tools to protect yourself.
And what stinks about the entire piece of legislation- just like all the pieces of legislation like it that have come before- is that there are obvious callouts for the state and it’s enforcers.
What they deem too dangerous to let you own, they themselves are apt to keep and use against you. And rest assured- with history as our teacher- they will use them against you. You can look up videos of heavily armed SWAT style teams breaching the doors of “suspected” criminals to arrest and detain them. And there are plenty of instances of those kinds of raids going wrong for the person being raided. The state of Minnesota- being led by a party with all three branches of government- is seeking to monopolize the use of force entirely within the auspices of the state, depriving you and future generations of the rights that 200+ years worth of American citizens have enjoyed.
And don’t think for a moment that this is a paper tiger law that has no teeth.
Just look to what is occurring with Donald Trump in New York and ask yourself- could they do that to me? The answer is “yes.” What’s more, there are already banks and credit card companies who have shown a willingness to turn over financial records to the government and law enforcement agencies when there is evidence a crime has been committed. IF you want to put out the argument that no government agency- to include the ATF- has a registry of firearms and who bought them, I’d like to ask you a question.
If I have a bunch of old photos of paperwork relating to the sales of illicit narcotics to certain clientele (which doesn’t exist- it’s an example) would that not be a technical register of all the information of who bought what and when? Even if it was scrambled up, there would be plenty of info to start going after potential criminals. And according to the ATF, the information- while not a registry or “searchable”- can be used to find the owner of a firearm in the event of a crime. Could it not also be used to find if a potential criminal has ever purchased a gun in the past? But, to do this you’d need reasonable cause, right?
Banks and credit card companies could provide such a reasonable cause. Have you ever published a picture of yourself online with a “semiautomatic assault weapon” to show off a superb shot? Maybe you took a picture with you and your friends and posted it to Facebook while at the range- with your souped up AR hanging off your plate carrier. Perhaps you have gotten your permit to carry- and renewed it- thereby creating a defacto registry of people who not only own a firearm, but also carry one. And the most carried pistols are in fact semi autos with capacities in excess of the 10 round limit for high capacity magazines.
However, you don’t even need to go that far- look no further than the recently passed Red Flag law. All it would take is for your neighbor to red flag you, and the next thing you know you’re looking at multiple felonies for simply owning something that was legal only a short time before.
Probable cause is something an agency can create if needs be to get the arrest- do you really trust government to be honest? Politicians and police can lie to you legally. Ever heard of a “sting operation?”
This bill is bonafide bullshit at every level. And if the ones proposing it are hoping for concessions, you REALLY need to lean on the right side of the aisle to never give an inch. There is no negotiating with this kind of bill. The only thing it and its creators deserve is scorn and derision until they back down. This is a flagrant abuse of the power that they have been given, and we should push hard to ensure it never, ever passes.
And while we’re at it- we need to take on any other bills that attempt to take away this fundamental right of the people to be able to enact violence on their own behalf. It’s the morally correct choice to resist these measures at every opportunity. You know it. So do they.
So, resist.
Battle Specter, out.