Daily Archives: July 7, 2021

TUESDAY on "The Source" In her new book "The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America," award-winning author Carol Anderson asserts that the U.S. right to bear arms is engineered to negatively impact the citizenship rights and human rights of African Americans.

Are there hidden biases in the language and applicability of the Second Amendment?

When the amendment was first written, Black people were enslaved, denied the right to freedoms enjoyed by white Americans at that time, and not considered U.S. citizens, so who exactly was the "right to bear arms" designed for? Who is really protected by it?

July 6 marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Philando Castile, who was pulled over by police in Minnesota and asked for his identification. Despite following the National Rifle Association's guidelines to alert the officer that he had a licensed gun in the vehicle, Castile was shot to death when it was revealed.

There are several pro-gun groups formed by people of color and more Black Americans are buying guns amid a nationwide surge in firearm sales.

Why do they choose to carry guns, and do they feel safe doing so? Do Black gun owners agree with Anderson's premise about the Second Amendment's history and impact in Black communities?

Guests:

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.

*This interview was recorded on Tuesday, July 6.

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Carol Anderson: The 2nd Amendment Is A Weapon To Keep Black Americans Powerless - Texas Public Radio

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) Kentucky would become a Second Amendment sanctuary state if legislation being proposed for the 2022 General Assembly is enacted.

The measure, which will be sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mt. Vernon, would bar state and local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal restrictions on the Second Amendments right to bear arms. It would also prohibit local governments and other public agencies from allocating public resources or money in the enforcement of federal firearm bans. It includes firearms themselves, ammunition and firearm accessories.

President Biden has declared gun control a priority for his administration, and we know that if he doesnt get what he wants from Congress, he will abuse his executive authority through rulemaking, said Bray, who represents all of Garrard and Rockcastle counties and a portion of Madison County. This sends a clear message that Kentucky is a Second Amendment sanctuary and that there is no question we will defend the Second Amendment against any attempt to infringe upon it.

Bray says his proposal would further strengthen a statewide movement, as fiscal courts in almost every Kentucky county have approved similar language, and cities across the state have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.

Firearms play an enormous role in our states history and our lifestyle today. Kentuckians want to enjoy the outdoors and pass along the tradition of hunting and sportsmanship. However, we also recognize that the Second Amendment was crafted to ensure we can protect not only country, but also ourselves, he noted.

The proposal comes in response to a plan revealed by the Biden administration last week, which they call a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence and other violent crime.

According to the White House, it implements preventative measures that are proven to reduce violent crime and attacks the root causes, including the flow of firearms used to commit crimes.

It will use ARPA funds to help state and local governments put more police officers on the beat, with resources, training and accountability needed to engage in effective community policing; plus supporting proven community violence intervention programs, summer employment opportunities and other investments to reduce crime and make neighborhoods safer.

The White House says it will also address the direct link between gun violence and the rise in violent crime by taking immediate steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands by strengthening ATFs efforts to stem the flow of firearms used in crimes and by launching multijurisdictional firearms trafficking strike forces to stop illegal gun trafficking across state lines.

Brays measure, which is currently designated Bill Request 171, would be retroactive to January 1, 2021, if enacted into law.

The full text of BR 171 can be foundhere, or by visiting the Legislative Research Commissions website atwww.legislature.ky.gov, which is where you can also see all legislation that is being proposed for the upcoming session.

Lawmakers will convene on Jan. 4.

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Legislation proposed to make Ky. Second Amendment sanctuary state - Times Tribune of Corbin

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson today said he will ask the Anchorage Assembly for $15 million to pay for a transition center, where homeless people will be given shelter and customized assistance to establishing permanent stable lives, homes, and a path forward in their lives. The location where he wants to put the temporary tensioned fabric structure is on Tudor Road near the Alaska Native Medical Center, a plan he has been discussing with members of the Assembly in recent weeks.

The mayor also said he would also sign an executive mayoral order making Anchorage a Second Amendment sanctuary city, and said that any federal laws that would require law enforcement officers to go door-to-door to register guns, tax guns, or confiscate guns is the kind of thing that would put officers lives in danger, and this concerns law enforcement professionals.

Second Amendment sanctuary cities are places where unconstitutional gun laws are not enforced. The definition of sanctuary cities (or counties) is not fixed. But President Joe Biden has made gun control one of his priorities, so this executive order is to get ahead of the president.

Alaska is considered a Second Amendment sanctuary state. In 2010, GovernorSean Parnellsigned the Alaska Firearms Freedom Act, which said certain firearms and accessories are exempt from federal regulation. In 2013, Parnell signed HB 69, which expanded the Firearms Freedom Act.

The Kenai Borough is a Second Amendment sanctuary after the Borough Assembly passed an ordinance last July reaffirming its support for Americans right to bear arms.

Bronson will also sign an executive order on Thursday pertaining to mandatory face masks, vaccines, and the opening of municipal offices to the public. Two other orders have to do with creating a task force on efficiencies and regulatory reform, and economy and diversification.

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Mayor Bronson declares Anchorage a Second Amendment sanctuary city - Must Read Alaska

Many on the radical Left, who have a dream spokesperson in President Biden, are pulling out a familiar playbook regarding gun control. The ongoing surge in crime, especially violent crime, is being used by the current Administration as an excuse to crack down on gun ownership, rather than as a clear reason to empower our police departments and assert the rule of law.

In times such as these, we should recognize what our Founders knew when they wrote the Constitution: that liberty necessarily depends on self-defense. That is as true today as it was then, and it applies both on a national level and an individual level. Just as America cannot be a free nation without the ability to competently defend itself against its enemies, so too its people cannot be free if they have no rights enabling their own self-defense. That is why such a freedom was placed squarely in our Bill of Rights second only to the freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly thereby protecting it from government infringement because the right to bear arms is essential to preserving our freedom as individuals.

Alexander Hamilton stated in Federalist No. 28 that our Founders also saw the right to bear arms as that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government and essential to the preservation of the freedom of the American people against the risk of an overbearing, or even tyrannical, government at home.

As a young officer in the U.S. Army, I was stationed in then-West Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. You can bet that nowhere on the other side of that wall and beyond, in the Soviet Unions evil empire, were the people permitted to own firearms.

This remains true today of repressive regimes worldwide. As Secretary of State, I led Americas diplomats in our dealings with our most powerful adversaries authoritarian states such as China, Iran, North Korea, and others. It should come as no surprise, and serve as a powerful reminder of the necessity of our Second Amendment, that in those nations controlled by authoritarian regimes, people are denied the right to bear arms. This is because the right to bear arms empowers a people and is the last safeguard of their liberties the necessary freedom allowing for self-defense and the ultimate check on authoritarianism. That is why I have been a proud member of the NRA for many years, and why I am committed to working with the ACLJ on this important issue.

When terrible instances of gun violence are committed, we hear a common refrain from the far Left. They claim such tragedies prove that guns cannot be trusted in the hands of the American people, and that if guns were made illegal either totally or de facto through ever-stricter reforms under the guise of gun control such violence would cease to occur. But this is plainly wrong-headed. You cannot legislate away the darker sides of human nature. All this legislation would ever accomplish is taking a vital means of self-defense out of the hands of legal gun owners committed to owning them safely and responsibly, while those who wish to obtain guns by illegal means would continue to do so, inflicting their malevolence on a now weaker populace.

To curb gun violence, we need to empower law enforcement and the American people, not defund the police and take away the ability of the American people to defend themselves and their families against violent criminals. Yet, sadly, this misguided logic is a hallmark of the radical Left today.

The current surge in violent crime was created by the far Lefts insistence on delegitimizing our police and turning a blind eye to looting and rioting for an entire year in an effort to score political points with their base, who by and large do not suffer the consequences of these broken policies.

Now, in response to the crisis they created, they want to take even further steps to infringe on the rights of responsible, law-abiding Americans. We cannot let this happen. Our Founders considered the right to bear arms a personal and fundamental right. The threats this freedom now faces cannot be overstated. We should heed the wisdom of our Founders by electing officials at the federal, state, and local level who are committed to defending the Second Amendment, and by supporting those civil organizations and institutions dedicated to keeping this crucial liberty uninfringed.

Mike Pompeo is the former Secretary of State and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

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Protecting Our Second Amendment Is Essential to Liberty - American Center for Law and Justice