Historically, people who would deprive us of our Second Amendment rights have been confined to the halls of Congress. Being largely unsuccessful on that front, they are trying to silence us in other ways. To be specific, this includes social media, retail outlets, and proposed new taxes.
It’s no secret that some social media outlets such as Facebook and YouTube are, to say the least, not “gun friendly.” Posts and videos have been deleted and in some cases, people’s accounts have been canceled for expressing their views on the Second Amendment.
Some major retail chains, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, have removed popular sporting rifles such as AR-15s from their shelves. Further, they have arbitrarily raised the age to which they will sell long guns to 21, instead of the Federal standard of 18. Although Walmart has not yet removed modern sporting rifles from their stores, they have also decided not to sell long guns to anyone under 21.
The cowardly grocery store chains of Kroger and Ingles have caved in to the socialists as well and are removing from their stores all magazines that they perceive to have images or editorial of “assault weapons.” And considering the general ignorance of the subject by anti-gunners, an “assault weapon” could be almost anything….
In case you’re wondering, S.W.A.T. definitely falls into the “banned for depicting assault weapons” category. If you buy S.W.A.T. at a Kroger or Ingles outlet, you won’t find this or any future issues there.
Another scheme is to impose a “sin” tax, somewhat like cigarettes, on gun owners by putting firearms and ammunition out of the financial reach of many people. A bill from Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) proposes raising the federal excise tax on shells and cartridges from 11% to 50%, and the tax on firearms from 10% to 20%.
What can you do about retailers that seemingly don’t want your patronage? Vote with your wallet. Buy your groceries elsewhere and give your local, privately owned gun store your business.
Write, call or email your elected representatives and tell them your feelings about any new gun control measures—including a raise in excise taxes. Contacting your Congressman is as easy as going to www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and entering your zip code.
Finally, join the NRA. The NRA is not perfect, but the truth is not how much money the NRA puts into lobbying, it’s the fact that there is strength in numbers. The larger that voting block is, the more likely it is that your congress-critter will listen to you.
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Starting with this issue, we have a new, semi-regular series called Shoot Like a Girl, which is targeted toward (no pun intended) the increasing number of women shooters. So when a woman goes grocery shopping (except at Kroger or Ingles), she can pick up a copy of S.W.A.T. and read about what her sisters are doing.
Until next time, stay low and watch your back.
