Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a mentally deranged individual opened fire on a country music concert with automatic weapons. The devastation caused in that short 10 minutes would become the most deadly crime of homicide by firearm of recent U.S. history, which would trigger a nationwide discussion over a firearm accessory called a “bump stock” and, ultimately, the banning of the accessory altogether by President Trump and The U.S. Federal Government.
Fast forward to last month – a man in Houston, Texas, is charged with a slew of felonies. One of which was possession of the slide-fire rifle accessory.
To be clear, however, this person from Houston was a saint by no means. Among the many charges brought against him, is one that he allegedly lied on a Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473) regarding his mental health – clearly not the most stable or safe citizen in his town.
Even so, it is compelling to consider that this “bump stock” was legally purchased at one point. It was defined by the ATF as a device legal to possess when he paid for it. Later on, that legally possessed accessory would bring him an extra felony charge during a raid that initially had nothing to do with bump stocks at all.
Even more compelling is that according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 68, Number 9, in 2017:
- 647,457 Americans died of heart disease
- 599,108 Americans died of cancer
- 83,564 Americans died of diabetes
- 73,990 Americans died of drug-related causes
- 41,743 Americans died of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
- 35,823 Americans died of alcohol-related causes (possibly a piece of the number above)
- 14,524 Americans died of firearm-related homicides
- Of the 14,524 that year, less than 250 were the result of a mass killing, which is defined by the FBI as an incident where 3 or more people are murdered
Then, last month, a presidential candidate said this during a national debate (he was speaking to Americans across the nation when asked by the host to share his opinions on gun laws):
“Hell yes we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47! We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore!” - Beto O'Rourke
Pretty attention-grabbing sentiment, to be honest. After shaking my head in disbelief and muttering something like, “What a mouth-breathing idiot.” (typical response from me nowadays when listening to 90% of the crap coming from the news), I wondered if he was also planning on banning the sale of alcohol, tobacco, Pepsi products, chain fast foods, high-fructose corn syrup, or the heroin produced by pharmaceutical companies that is finding its way into the streets through embezzlement schemes; all of which may be collectively responsible for the 1.44 Million people killed by heart disease, cancer, diabetes, drugs, liver disease, and alcohol in the year that less than 250 people were killed in a "mass shooting".
Here’s the thing. When the United States Federal Government (an organization that has built its entire infrastructure around violence, death, and the military industrial complex – by the way) tells me, a person with a long history of absolutely zero criminality and love for my country and countrymen, that I am not allowed to own an object anymore, because of the actions of others, and does this through emotional debates aimed at pitting Americans against each other on social issues that by the numbers alone are not this nation's priority – we have a problem with that. It looks a lot like a maneuver to a position of control and subjugation over a people, really. This pattern of disarming civilians has historically been a precursor to governments putting their thumb on their people's heads. We are not focusing on the many inputs surrounding why these events occur in the first place... Mental health and over-consumption of pills, alcohol, and drugs being the biggest of them all if we’re only concerned about numbers.
I have an AK-47.
All of us here at AVR Defense own at least one AR-15.
And?
And I suppose this discussion escalated quickly throughout various communities because any politician who spews this garbage from their mouth, or any federal, state, or local authority who enforces such policies, without consideration of the shredded laws of this nation that they were supposed to protect, is an enemy of the state. Plain and simple. Don't elect them. They are not looking out for you. They are looking out for themselves, and their political career.
Here is where we stand on this and all issues concerning the constitution as a whole; be it freedom of speech, rights of due process, or the rights concerning illegal search and seizure of property:
We will not alienate the oath we took to protect the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
We will not stand idly by and watch injustice from the sidelines.
We will not be passive, stationary citizens of this nation. We will engage in all tasks concerning preservation of our security, freedom, and liberty.
We are watching this bullshit unfold before our eyes, listening to cowardly men like O’Rourke draw on emotion alone (rather than facts, data, and logical priorities), using lies and scare tactics to incite fear and control, dishonoring the honorable action of first-responders that day in Texas last month (FYI not a single person bled out for an hour over some logistics and resources issue, aid was provided on site almost immediately. We know people who serve in that area).
As we watch political antics such as this, we think of the many men and women we personally have known, who have paid for our freedom with their blood on foreign and domestic soil. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Law Enforcement Officers, and Firefighters alike who have put everything out on a limb and felt the branch snap beneath them. We are watching the traitors of these noble men and women. They did not die for this. Their families have not suffered for this. Last month people across the nation were saying, posting, tweeting, etc.: “Never forget” (in remembrance of September 11, 2001). We wrote a piece about that because we feel it is our obligation to honor the legacy of true heroes. So don’t forget. Don’t forget that casualties of war, and those wearing uniforms in your community, protected and died for freedom and that it is the responsibility of the living to preserve it. Remember that.
We will not tread on those graves. Ever. As an American, we carry this responsibility - as we comfortably enjoy our safety that was paid for with unfathomable amounts of blood, pain, and death.
WE are those who see injustice and run towards it, with justice in hand.
The money-mongering NRA is not “freedom’s safest place”… We are.
We are taking note of the organizations and people who seem to have a degenerate focus on non-issues concerning who or what is responsible for the death of Americans in the U.S. and across the globe.
We are watching.
- AVRD, signing off