Immediately after taking over the House in 2018, Democrats felt emboldened to enact strict regulations and steep fines on law-abiding gun owners. Upon taking office in 2019, I highlighted the increasingly radical bills being put forth by Democrats in Washington; but at that time we had a President who respected the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
That same year, presidential candidate Joe Biden promised America that he would reinforce this sweeping gun control agenda, and as President, he’s shown that he was serious about following through with that promise.
Immediately upon taking office, President Biden issued six executive orders that laid out further restrictions on guns. To execute his gun control agenda, President Biden nominated David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Of course, things have not panned out the way Democrats imagined. President Biden’s gun control measures have proven hugely unpopular, and the president was forced to withdraw his nominee to lead the ATF after facing bipartisan backlash for the nominee’s radical anti-Second Amendment views.
President Biden’s anti-Second Amendment crusade comes at a time when crime rates are on the rise and Democrats continue to show their support for the “Defund the Police” movement in both rhetoric and policy, further highlighting the importance of the right to protect one’s self and their loved ones.
When Democrats first joined the “Defund” movement, I introduced a bill urging these anti-police communities to, at the very least, uphold the Second Amendment rights of Americans to protect themselves. Rather than embracing this basic right, Democrats have doubled down on their commitment to strip Americans from their Second Amendment right and have pointed to firearms as the sole variable behind rising crime rates. This has created a false feedback loop where, in response to rising violent crime, the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress seek out even more radical proposals to restrict gun ownership.
Last October, I warned Idahoans to pay attention to the rules coming out of the Biden Administration. Seemingly of low impact, and garnering little to no attention from the press, these rules (implemented from executive branch agencies) posed the ability to significantly hinder the Second Amendment rights of Idahoans– and all Americans.
Since then, we have seen these fears borne out. The Biden Administration has put in place regulations that allow for the arbitrary denial to purchase suppressors and requirements to register purchases to a federal government database. In both instances, I have voiced my opposition and introduced legislation like the No REGISTRY Act to reverse these unelected bureaucrats from denying Americans their Second Amendment rights.
But more than our Second Amendment rights are under attack. At a time when our government spending and overreach has exploded, price increases for gasoline and everyday goods are breaking records, we’re relying on foreign adversaries for basic supplies needed to run our country, and the rule of law at our border has vanished.
The prospect for a Republican victory this November is good, but assuming victory is dangerous. It’s going to take work from each of us to continue fighting for our rights. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) just announced that they had a historic first quarter fundraising 52.4 million since January 2022. This set new records for money raised in a quarter and was $11 million over what the Republicans raised.
Despite the crises Democrat leadership has caused and the freedoms they’re trying to eliminate, their movement is not slowing down and neither can we. We must be educated on the issues and engage in the fight for the principles that our nation was founded upon.
