Missouri Senators Cite Gun, U.N. Conspiracy Theories In Voting To Defund Driver’s License Bureau

Editors Note:
Read this article from Think Progressive about the Missouri State Senate decision to eliminate all funding for the states Department of Revenue’s Driver’s License Bureau and slash funding or several other state agencies and their reason why.

By Nicole Flatow on Apr 23, 2013 at 1:30 pm

In retribution against a Missouri agency’s record-keeping of concealed carry gun permits, the state Senate voted Monday to eliminate all funding for the Department of Revenue’s driver’s license bureau and slashed funding for several other agencies. If the measure became law, it would halt the issuance of driver’s licenses in the state, and would hobble the core functioning of several other agencies that senators believe played a role in collecting gun permit information to combat fraud. Raw Story explains:

Republican lawmakers in Missouri became alarmed at a recent hearing at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing when Revenue Department Director Brian Long refused to agree to stop scanning and retaining concealed carry data. Long said that the records helped to prevent fraud.

Long resigned from his post as director earlier this month.

The 2005 federal Real ID Act requires states to retain a database of scanned documents for verifying identity. Missouri appeared to be the only state where the license bureau was charged with printing concealed carry permits, either on driver’s licenses or as a separate document. Lawmakers gave the licensing bureau control over concealed carry permits in 2003 to help law enforcement identify people who were [sic] weapons.

But lawmakers have recently become increasingly concerned that gun records would be shared with federal officials to create a gun registry that could lead to confiscations.

Melissa Wilson, wife of state Rep. Kenneth Wilson (R), told the committee earlier this month that she was certain that gun records had been shared with the federal government as a part of a United Nations initiative called Agenda 21, which some conservatives believe is a conspiracy to “transform America from the land of the free, to the land of the collective” through “a mind-control” tactic called the Delphi technique.

A 2009 Missouri law prohibits state officials from implementing the federal Real ID Act, and a state House panel this week approved legislation that made it illegal to share information about concealed carry permits.

Lawmakers may have some reason to be concerned about the privacy of Missouri’s record-keeping generally. Gov. Jay Nixon (D) recently ordered an end to electronic copies of concealed carry permits, after a list was sent to a fraud investigator at the Social Security Administration (who did not use the list). But concerns that the record-keeping will lead to gun confiscation or play a role in a United Nations conspiracy theory are completely unfounded. Federal gun registries are already illegal, and nothing in Obama’s executive orders nor the defeated congressional proposals would come close to widespread confiscation, which would be a Second Amendment violation. The theory that some claim will “transform America” — Agenda 21 — is nothing more than a series of non-binding recommendations about how to better use natural resources in promoting development. But that has not stopped some from alleging that Obama is using a mind-control technique known as “Delphi” to garner support for the U.N. plan. A concern more grounded in reality is how the state will protect public safety if it abolishes its drivers’ license system.

Louisiana House Passes Gun Bill That Sponsor Admits Is Unconstitutional

By Nicole Flatow on Apr 25, 2013 at 3:00 pm

Undeterred by even a gun bill sponsor’s admission that it is unconstitutional, the Louisiana House passed legislation Tuesday to criminalize any enforcement of gun laws restricting possession of semi-automatic weapons. By a vote of 67-25, legislators signaled their approval for punishment by up to two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine for officers’ attempts to enforce federal law. The Times-Picayune reports:

House Bill 5 passed by a vote of 67-25 even as its sponsor, state Rep. Jim Morris, R-Oil City, reiterated his belief that the legislation is unconstitutional. […]

“Although I like what this bill states…I have $100,000 of student loans that tell me it’s probably unconstitutional,” said Rep. Joe Lopinto, R-Metairie, one of the bill’s supporters. Opponents cited the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says any state law that conflicts with federal law is unconstitutional.

Morris also said he know the passage of his bill could open up the state to litigation. Regardless, he said it would be worth fighting the federal government on the issue even “if we have to spend every dime.”

In November, Louisiana voters passed a ballot initiative that created constitutional gun rights that are arguably stricter than the Second Amendment. A court has already relied on this constitutional amendment to strike down a ban on gun possession by violent felons. But even this state amendment cannot insulate the state from the supremacy of federal gun law.

The bill, which will now go before the Senate, is one of eight aimed at expanding gun rights that cleared a House committee the day after the Senate filibustered federal background check legislation. Also on Tuesday, the House passed a bill to penalize one who “intentionally disseminates for publication” concealed carry permit information. Because the bill would ostensibly punish even third parties who don’t illegally obtain the protected information, the bill could violate the First Amendment and newspapers are threatening to sue.

On Wednesday, the House passed another bill to allow lifetime concealed carry permits, meaning once someone is vetted once for a permit, they will never have to verify that they still qualify. But proponents of the bill said the Louisiana State Police, which issue the permits, are immediately informed if a permit-holder is involved in a felony, and their permit is immediately revoked.

Editors Note:

Even after the bills sponsors admitted that the bill was unconstitutional the Louisiana State House passed a bill 67 to 25 making it a criminal offence to enforce any gun laws restricting possession of semi-automatic weapons. This Think Progressive article states the bill caries a punishment of up to two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine for any officers’ attempt to enforce the Federal Law. By the term "officers" I assume is meant any police officers or law enforcement officers.

The Louisiana House reportable also passed another bill allowing lifetime concealed weapon’s permits.

The bills were sent to the Louisiana Senate where I hope saner legislator mind’s will prevail.

Gun Group Raffles Off Assault Rifle Used In Newtown Shooting To ‘Resist Barack Obama’

By Rebecca Leber on Apr 27, 2013 at 2:06 pm

The Tennessee Firearms Association is raffling off one AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, the same weapon used by Adam Lanza to kill 20 children and six adults in Newtown.

According to the promotion, “TFA is giving away a BUSHMASTER AR15 to advance the effort to resist Barack Obama, the federal government and even a few in Tennessee state government who are determined to destroy your 2nd Amendment rights!!”

The promotion began earlier in April to coincide with the Senate’s consideration of gun violence prevention legislation. And while contestants do not have to be a TFA member to enter, the promotion notes TFA would “appreciate” donations, ending with, “Our rights under the 2nd Amendment and even the Bill of Rights are not safe in Tennessee! We must act with force and determination to protect, preserve and restore our rights!!!!”

The Tennessean reports that the raffle has already drawn more than 10,000 entries for the Monday drawing.

But Tennessee gun groups have little reason to fear for their representatives’ position on guns. Both Senators Bob Corker (R) and Lamar Alexander (R) voted against the Senate bill to expand background checks — two of 46 Senators who filibustered a safety measure that is approved by 90 percent of Americans.

“This may illustrate perfectly what I’ve been saying all along: They create these issues to raise money. That just stokes the fire to frighten folks,” former state Rep. Debra Maggart said of the motive for the raffle. Maggart herself was a target of both TFA and the National Rifle Association in her Republican primary last year.

Editors Note:

Another article from Think Progressive about a group known as The Tennessee Firearms Association raffling off a AR-15 Bushmaster semiautomatic Rifle, the same kind of rifle used at the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre to kill 20 First grade children and 6 adults in Newtown, Connecticut, to support and protect Tennessee Gun Owners 2nd. Amendment Rights.

The group already reportable has 10,000 plus entries.

Members Of Congress Introduce Legislation Based On Fringe Conspiracy Theory

By Annie-Rose Strasser posted from ThinkProgress Justice on Apr 26, 2013 at 11:05 am

Two Republican members of Congress introduced legislation on Friday that would limit the amount of ammunition the government is able to purchase at a given time. The bill is a response to far-right conspiracy theories that the government is “stockpiling” ammunition, either to wage a war against the American people or to dry up the ammunition market so average citizens can’t buy bullets.

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) will put forth the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability Act (or, AMMO) Act in both the House and Senate. The bill would require executive branch agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to maintain ammunition levels below the average monthly amounts that the agencies had before Obama took office.

According to a joint press release from Lucas and Inhofe, “The legislation would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a report on the purchasing of ammunition by federal agencies, except the Department of Defense, and its affect on the supply of ammunition available to the public”:

“President Obama has been adamant about curbing law-abiding Americans’ access and opportunities to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” said Inhofe. “One way the Obama Administration is able to do this is by limiting what’s available in the market with federal agencies purchasing unnecessary stockpiles of ammunition. As the public learned in a House committee hearing this week, the Department of Homeland Security has two years worth of ammo on hand and allots nearly 1,000 more rounds of ammunition for DHS officers than is used on average by our Army officers. The AMMO Act of 2013 will enforce transparency and accountability of federal agencies’ ammunition supply while also protecting law-abiding citizens access to these resources.”

For members of Congress whose interests have generally aligned with those of gun and ammunition manufacturers, this legislation isn’t smart economics; limiting the ability of the government to buy ammunition will remove a key consumer, drying up demand and causing manufacturers to take a sales hit. Similarly, Lucas and Inhofe’s claim that the government “limit[s] what’s available in the market” if it buys up more ammunition reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of basic economics. If demand for ammunition increases, ammunition producers will increase production in order to meet this demand.

Last week, another Republican representative, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) brought up the “stockpiling” conspiracy in a hearing with DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano, who said it was “inherently unbelievable that those statements would be made.”

The theory comes from fringe websites like Alex Jones’s Infowars, but have been given a platform by Drudge, a site that commonly peddles unfounded conspiracy theories. Even some far-right sites have taken it upon themselves to debunk the claim that DHS is “stockpiling” weapons. Brietbart.com described the theories as “based more on panic than fact.”

Editors Note:

It appears that there is no end to what certain members of the U.S. Congress NRA pro gun rights group will go to appease gun conspiracy groups as pointed out in this Think Progressive article about a proposed joint bill from Republican Reprehensive Frank Lucas and Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, both from Oklahoma.