Welcome to a weekly series here on Pew Pew Tactical dedicated to the gun news you need to know.
So, keep reading for this week’s notable news headlines…
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Police Chiefs Head to White House to Talk Assault Weapons Bans
More than 20 police chiefs from cities across the nation headed to the White House to discuss assault weapons and high-capacity magazine bans and build support for those initiatives.
Law enforcement personnel attending the meeting told the Biden Administration that criminals are outgunning police with “assault weapons” and that these “weapons of war grievously injure our children, neighbors, and community.”
The White House said participants agreed there is an urgency to align and support the passage of additional gun laws.
“White House officials discussed the importance of mobilizing additional law enforcement voices – both leadership and rank and file officers – to make clear to members of Congress that supporting our police and improving the safety of American communities means banning assault weapons and taking other practical steps to reduce gun violence and save lives,” a White House readout said.
“Participants agreed on the urgency of building a broad coalition and an agenda for action informed by input from law enforcement.”
The meet-up is part of Biden’s effort to gather support and crack down on so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
A list of attendees included:
- San Francisco Police Department – Chief William Scott
- Waterbury Police Department – Chief Fernando Spagnolo
- Los Angeles Police Department – Deputy Chief David Kowalski
- California Highway Patrol – Commissioner Sean Duryee
- Baltimore Police Department – Acting Commissioner Richard Worley
- Nashville Police Department – Deputy Chief Chris Gilder
- IACP Firearms Committee Chair Chief Bill Brooks (Norwood)
- Wayne State University Police Department – Chief Anthony Holt
- San Diego Police Department – Chief David Nisleit
- Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff Jerry Clayton
- PERF – Senior Principal Nancy Demme
- California Police Chiefs Association
VA & House Committee Wrestle Over Veterans’ Gun Rights
The Department of Veterans Affairs and House Republicans went head-to-head on the floor of the House Veterans Affairs Committee over veterans’ gun rights.
The sparring between the two happened after a hearing on a bill presented by committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill.
The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act would require the VA to get a judge’s consent before allowing the department to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s national background check database if a veteran was unable to manage their own finances.
Under the current system, the VA can appoint a fiduciary to help manage veterans’ finances if they have been declared “mentally incompetent” under the department’s regulations.
When this happens, the VA reports those veterans to the FBI’s NICS department, which can impact their ability to pass a background check and purchase a firearm.
According to Military.com, there are roughly 109,000 veterans or spouses with fiduciaries.
VA officials pushed back against the proposal, arguing that the bill could increase veteran suicides. Officials say studies show a correlation between financial issues and suicidal ideation.
The VA’s Deputy Under Secretary, Ron Burke, said the current program “protects some of our most vulnerable veterans, and we do believe that taking firearms away — not us, but the process — does protect our veterans.”
“Preventing veterans suicide is the No. 1 clinical focus for VA, and we believe that the process works.”
But several veterans groups claim the current system does more harm than good, preventing veterans from getting help.
“VA’s practice of referring all veterans with fiduciaries to NICS has had a negative impact on veteran trust,” Kristina Keenan, the Veterans of Foreign Wars deputy legislative director, said at the hearing.
“Our members regularly tell us that they refuse to seek VA mental health care because they fear their firearms will be taken away. This has created a significant stigma around mental health and has created barriers to care.”
House Republicans agreed, adding that veterans are owed due process and should not be stripped of gun rights.
“My legislation is not guns on demand,” Bost said during the hearing. “It would add one step so that veterans can have their day in court before they lose their constitutional right, as any American should expect.”
Study Says 1 Min Firearms Safety Video Reduces Unsafe Behavior Among Kids
A new pediatric study shows that watching a one-minute firearm safety video can drastically lower kids’ risk of touching guns they find.
The Journal of American Medical Associate Pediatrics research studied over 200 children between the ages of 8 and 12. These kids were randomly sorted into two groups – one watched a one-minute gun safety video while the other watched a car safety video.
A week later, the kids reconvened in a playroom at Ohio State University with various toys and an unlocked cabinet holding two inoperable 9mm handguns.
Of the children who found the guns, 53% handled them; however, kids who watched the gun safety video were three times more likely to notify an adult about the guns and less likely to touch them.
Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and a professor at Ohio State University, credited the shorter video with helping maintain the kids’ attention. He also said the gun safety video featured an authority figure – the police chief at Ohio State – which kids at that age trust.
Though the study showed the importance of firearms safety education, Bushman said one video is not enough.
“We asked parents beforehand, ‘What do you think your child will do when they find a gun?’ Most said my child definitely won’t touch it. They’ll immediately tell an adult — but that’s not what happened,” Bushman told Yahoo Life.
“39.3% [of the video group] still touched it compared to 67% of the others. That’s a big difference, but you want that percentage to be zero,” he added.
Firearms safety education has long been the priority of gun advocacy groups, with organizations like the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle program teaching school-aged kids what to do if they find a gun.
Additionally, the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation is a non-profit that specializes in hands-on gun safety education and training courses designed to reduce accidents and keep kids safe.
We also have a few tips on keeping kids safe around guns in our article on Kids and Guns 101.
6 Leave a Reply
The police chief/ White House basis for banning assault rifles and high capacity magazines, to keep them out of the hands of criminals, is totally ludicrous. Even if the cops are being outgunned (which is a highly dubious claim), banning these items will only keep them from law-abiding citizens. Does anyone, anywhere, actually believe a ban will keep AR's out of the hands of criminals? Please show me a ban that has done such a thing. Like the ban on drugs??
I find it very insightful seeing what cities are represented in that list of department chiefs. Big city chiefs seem to be as much politicians as law enforcement officers
They have already said that they want to ban all "semi automatic" weapons, which is just about all guns, including just about all revolvers.
They conveniently ignore the US Constitution as they chip away more and more at our 2nd Amendment rights.
All of those cops need to lose their badges for actively opposing the constitution.
The claim by those police chiefs (most of whom are from large California cities) that "assault weapons" are a problem in keeping cops safe is a lie and they know it. Cops who get shot are most often shot with a handgun, a sawed off pump shotgun, or a bolt action rifle. Because that's what criminals can get for cheap. Additionally most cops now keep select fire carbines (machine guns) in their patrol vehicles so they aren't ever outgunned.
The high cap magazine claim is also insupportable. Most bolt guns have fixed mags between 3 and 5 rounds. Most shotguns have fixed mags between 5 and 7 rounds. And in California they already prohibit mags over 10 rounds in everything. If someone uses one while shooting a cop the existing law is proved ineffective. Or they stole it from a cop because such restrictions don't apply to law enforcement.
If these cops were willing to say "apply these same restrictions to all law enforcement officials" I would entertain the idea they were serious. But they won't so it doesn't matter.
Most of them were from California and other Blue states or cities that already have these bans in place: how are cops being "outgunned" by criminals when those laws are already on the books there? Bunch of grifters saying whatever the White House wants them to say.