With billionaire gun controller Michael Bloomberg testing the waters for a presidential run it is time to think about some of his favorite gun control proposals and how they would impact gun owners on a national level.
Some of the gun controls listed below represent Second Amendment restrictions Bloomberg and/or one of his gun control groups actively supported. Others represent instances Bloomberg and/or his groups fought against the exercise of Second Amendment rights, as in their opposition to campus carry for self-defense.
Here are Bloomberg’s top ten gun controls:
- Universal Background Checks—Bloomberg’s support of universal background checks was made clear following the December 14, 2012, attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the aftermath of that attack, On the Issues quoted him saying, “You have an issue where 90% of the public, 80% of NRA members even, say that they think we should have reasonable checks before people are allowed to buy guns–they all support the 2nd Amendment, as do I.” The problem with Bloomberg’s push at that time was that the Sandy Hook attacker stole his guns, so no amount of point-of-purchase gun control would have stopped his attack. The problem with his continuation of the same push now is that nearly every mass shooter of the last decade acquired his guns via a background check, so expanding checks to cover private sales would not have prevented the attacks.
- Banning ‘Assault Weapons’—Bloomberg has long advocated a ban on “assault weapons,” but he admits securing the ban is an uphill battle because the guns are rarely used in crime when compared with other firearms. USA Today reported Bloomberg’s push for a ban on “the manufacture and sale” of “assault weapons” following Sandy Hook. But in 2017 he told the New York Times, “You can have a ban on assault weapons. But assault weapons kill 400 people a year. They get a lot of press. But its 400 vs. 31,000 with handguns.”
- More Gun Trafficking Legislation—Bloomberg was a trendsetter in the habit of blaming out-of-state gun laws for the crime in New York City. Laws against gun trafficking have been a go-to for him as a result. A problem for Bloomberg and other leftists is that gun trafficking is already illegal, and ATF background check 4473 makes clear that buying a gun for a prohibited person is not allowed.
- ‘High Capacity’ Magazine Ban—On June 25, 2011, the Patch reported Bloomberg’s support of a “ban on the sale or transfer of high-capacity ammunition magazines.”
- War on Gun Shows—Bloomberg supports closing the so-called “gun show loophole,” which is liberal-speak for criminalizing private gun sales.
- Supports an Expansion of the Prohibited Purchasers’ List–In the wake of the Sandy Hook attack, CBS News reported Bloomberg’s support for adding the “No Fly” list to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s prohibited purchasers’ list. Bloomberg did not mention that the “No Fly” list had nothing to do with the Sandy Hook attack and would not have hindered, much less prevented, the shooting.
- Supports Red Flag Laws—Bloomberg supports laws that allow judges to issue orders to seize firearms. One of the groups he funds–Everytown for Gun Safety–has spent millions in the last months alone pushing for a Red Flag Law. CNBC reported on Everytown’s “digital and TV ads” focused on pushing “Congress to require tougher background checks for gun sales along with strong red-flag laws, which are meant to take firearms away from those deemed a threat to themselves or others.”
- Opposes National Reciprocity—Bloomberg’s Everytown opposes a national reciprocity rule where concealed carry licenses are recognized state-to-state like driver’s licenses. Politico reported Everytown’s pledge to spend up to $25 million in the 2018 election cycle to defeat candidates who supported such reciprocity.
- Opposes Campus Carry—In 2018, CSPAN reported Bloomberg’s opposition to campus carry for self-defense in New Hampshire. Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action fights campus carry when a state legislature gives it consideration. For example, the Bloomberg-funded gun control group fought against campus carry for self-defense when Florida legislators were considering it, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Moms Demand delivered thousands of signatures to oppose campus carry when it was being considered by the Georgia legislature.
- Opposes Armed Teachers—Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action also opposes allowing teachers to be armed to shoot back if under attack. The group spent $200,000 on an ad campaign designed to dissuade Florida legislators from allowing teachers to be armed for self-defense following the Parkland school shooting.
Ironically, after pushing all these restrictions for the law-abiding citizen, and fighting against the opportunity for defensive gun uses by vulnerable college students and teachers, Bloomberg lives every day surrounded by armed guards.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/11/09/michael-bloomberg-gun-control/