Well, heavy on guns… compared to Trump and the RNC.
The week started with the Democratic platform doubling down on gun control. It actually expanded its section on guns after the Republican platform basically deleted its gun section. Although, the Democratic platform embarrassingly hadn’t been updated to refer to Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee instead of President Joe Biden.
From there, many of the keynote speakers mentioned gun control. Then, there was an entire block dedicated to the issue on the final night that was highlighted by Kamala Harris promising an “assault weapons” ban among other priorities.
That’s actually not all that different from how the party treated guns in previous years. But it stands out when compared to what Republicans have been doing lately, as I explain in a member exclusive.
Donald Trump talked about guns today, too. But it was only to recommit supporting stop-and-frisk, with an explicit call for cops to seize guns. That has already led to some backlash from gun-rights advocates like the Firearms Policy Coalition and Gun Owners of America.
We also got new polling this week. It shows Americans are very interested in gun policy headed into the election, which makes the current Trump approach all the more puzzling. And California suffered another loss in court. This time, their one-gun-a-month sales limit was tossed by a federal judge. And I analyze whether any of the Biden Administration’s gun restrictions will end up surviving court challenges.
Plus, pistol brace inventor Alex Bosco joined our podcast this week to discuss his recent court victory over the ATF. And we have a few more stories in the link section for you to check out!
Harris Caps Off DNC with Call for AR-15 Ban, Other Gun Restrictions
By Stephen Gutowski
Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris called for a ban on the most popular rifle in America during the final day of the party’s convention.
On Thursday, the Democratic National Convention closed out festivities with a block dedicated to the party’s gun priorities. A series of gun-control advocates spoke on the main stage in the lead-up to Harris’s acceptance speech. Then, Harris promised action on guns in her remarks.
“In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake,” Harris said during her acceptance speech. “The freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities, and places of worship.”
The plan for how to ensure people are safe from gun violence was laid out earlier in the evening during a video introducing the DNC’s “freedom from gun violence” segment.
“We’ll finally pass Red Flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban,” Harris said in the video. “The power is with the people.”
Analysis: DNC Emphasis on Guns Contrasts RNC Silence [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
Guns may not have been the primary focus of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), but they featured far more prominently than at its Republican counterpart.
The DNC started with the party platform expanding its section on gun control and ended with Kamala Harris promising to push for an AR-15 ban. In between, keynote speakers from President Joe Biden to former President Bill Clinton to Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz highlighted guns in their speeches. The major gun-control groups got an official panel, and Gabby Giffords spoke in primetime just before Harris herself.
That’s completely different from how the Republicans approached guns during the RNC last month. Republicans dropped all of the gun policy promises from their platform. They didn’t feature any speakers from a major gun-rights group. Then, Trump snubbed the issue in his record-long acceptance speech.
So, the contrast is pretty stark. But that’s more a result of Republican reluctance around the issue than Democratic exuberance.
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Trump Renews Call for Stop-and-Frisk, Says ‘Take Their Gun Away’
By Stephen Gutowski
Former President Donald Trump backed gun seizures as part of the answer for how to lower crime in Chicago, Illinois.
On Thursday, the Republican nominee outlined his views on the matter during the Fox News morning show. He told the hosts he believes police are “not allowed to do their jobs.” He said officers ought to be able to search people on the street for guns and then seize them because they know the local community.
“You got to let them do their job, stop and frisk, and take their gun away,” Trump told Fox and Friends. “You’ve got to do it.”
2024 Democratic Platform Doubles Down on Gun Control
By Stephen Gutowski
The Democratic Party spends more space talking about gun policy in its 2024 platform than it did in its 2020 effort.
The new platform, released on Monday, spends more than twice as long touting the party’s gun policy accomplishments and advocating for new restrictions than the old one. It attacks Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump’s record on guns. It also names seven specific policy promises should Democrats win control in the 2024 elections.
“All Americans deserve freedom from fear: to be confident that their children will come home safely from the store or the playground, and to know that their loved one will come home safely from their shift policing the streets,” the platform’s section on guns begins.
Click here to continue reading.
58 Percent Say Gun Policy Major Factor in 2024 Vote
By Stephen Gutowski
Nearly all Americans claim gun policy is a factor in their 2024 vote for President.
Those are the results of the latest CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday. The poll had Kamala Harris three points ahead of Donald Trump nationwide, and the pair tied in battleground states. It found that 88 percent of likely voters rated guns as a factor in how they planned to vote, with only 12 percent saying guns weren’t a factor at all in their vote.
Gun policy ranked in the middle of the pack when it came to issue importance. More respondents said guns were a major factor in their vote than abortion or the border. However, issues like the economy and the state of democracy ranked higher in the minds of voters than gun policy.
Appeals Court Blocks California Law Limiting Gun Sales to One Per Month
By Jake Fogleman
Gun buyers in the Golden State no longer have to ration their purchases. At least, for the time being.
A three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order Thursday blocking California from enforcing its law limiting residents to one firearm purchase every 30 days while it hears the case. That reverses an earlier order granting a stay of a district judge’s ruling that the law is unconstitutional. The panel, comprised of two Donald Trump appointees and one Barack Obama appointee, did not register any dissents from the decision.
“The order granting Defendants’ motion for a stay pending appeal is REVERSED,” the panel’s unsigned order in Nguyen v. Bonta reads.
Podcast: Pistol Brace Inventor on His Win Over the ATF
By Stephen Gutowski
The pistol brace ban just racked up another legal loss.
A panel on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the ban. That puts it in legal peril in a whole new federal circuit. And this case is the one led by the company that pioneered the accessory, SB Tactical.
That’s why we have SB Tactical Founder Alex Bosco on the show to give his reaction to the ruling. He explains why he thinks the new decision is vital for his company and industry even though another court already vacated the brace ban rule. Then, he lays out where SB Tactical and the industry plan to head from here, both in court and in the marketplace.
You can listen to the show on your favorite podcasting app or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel.
Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I cover new polling data showing that the Supreme Court’s recognition of public gun carry rights is more popular than ever. We also analyze the likelihood of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear an assault weapon case later this year, as well as a new Fox News poll showing voters trust Donald Trump over Kamala Harris on gun policy. We wrap up by discussing a new Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against President Biden’s pistol brace ban, New York officials opting to create gun carry permits for non-residents, and the latest instance of parents of school shooters being taken to court.
Analysis: Will Any Biden Gun Restrictions Survive the Courts? [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
The Biden Administration’s gun record has hit another snag.
Last Friday, a three-judge panel on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the administration’s reclassification of pistol-brace-equipped firearms as unregistered short-barrel rifles. It was just the latest in a series of setbacks for President Joe Biden’s aggressive policy of using federal rulemaking to unilaterally expand gun restrictions. It also extended those court losses to a new federal circuit.
The news casts doubt on Biden’s approach and that of his successor for the Democratic Presidential nomination, as Vice President Kamala Harris previously advocated for an even broader push for executive action on guns. At this point, the more relevant question is less whether Biden or Harris could further push the boundaries of executive gun action and more whether any of the restrictions they’ve already implemented will stand up to constitutional scrutiny.
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Outside The Reload
Murder Is Likely Falling At The Fastest Pace Ever Recorded In 2024 | Jeff-alytics | By Jeff Asher
Texas jury finds school shooter’s parents not liable for violence | Reuters | By Brad Brooks
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
