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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 194

What Just Happened?

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 194: What Just Happened?

White House to Pull David Chipman’s Nomination

September 9, 2021 · 9:37 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The White House will withdraw the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” CNN reports.

Said one White House official: “We do not have the votes. We will land him in a non-confirmed job in the administration.”

Gun Control, White House

New Missouri Gun Law Hampers Law Enforcement

August 27, 2021 · 8:30 am ET · Leave a Comment

CNN: “The law, which will go into effect on August 28, ‘prohibits state and local cooperation with federal officials that attempt to enforce any laws, rules, orders, or actions that violate the Second Amendment rights of Missourians.’”

“Since the law was passed, 12 of 53 state and local officers with federal deputizations have withdrawn from ATF task forces.”

“By pulling state and local officers from the task forces, the bureau ‘is no longer able to fulfill its duties as effectively, including preventing, investigating, and assisting in the prosecution of violent offenders.’”

Gun Control

Activists Urge Biden to Create Office on Gun Violence

August 26, 2021 · 4:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Politico: “With Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lacking any viable path to confirmation, gun violence survivors and activists are pushing the president to create a White House office of gun violence headed by a Cabinet-level aide.”

“In a letter sent to Biden Wednesday, four advocacy groups complained that his actions on guns ‘fall significantly short of the promises you yourself made while running for the presidency’ and have not been a priority as 28,000 Americans died from gun violence this year.”

Gun Control

New York Attorney General Pushes to Dissolve NRA

August 17, 2021 · 6:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a court filing that the National Rifle Association “hasn’t cleaned up rampant financial and managerial misconduct as it claimed over the past year, illustrating the need for the gun-rights group to be dissolved,” Bloomberg reports.

Gun Control

Texas Law Enforcement Frets New Permitless Carry Law

August 16, 2021 · 11:47 am ET · Leave a Comment

“A new state law will soon let most Texans carry handguns in public without going through training or having to get permits,” the Texas Tribune reports.

“But some Texas law enforcement officers fear that removing restrictions to carrying handguns could increase crime rates while putting officers and residents in danger.”

Said  James McLaughlin, head of the Texas Police Chiefs Association: “I don’t know what it’s a solution to. I don’t know what the problem was to start with.”

Gun Control

U.K. Sees First Mass Shooting in More Than a Decade

August 13, 2021 · 11:28 am ET · Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Police investigating Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade — which left six dead, including the gunman — said Friday the motive was unclear but there were no immediate signs that the crime was an act of terrorism, or connected to right-wing groups.”

“Gun crimes are rare in Britain, where there are strict firearm control rules.”

Gun Control

Biden’s ATF Nominee In Jeopardy

August 6, 2021 · 7:00 am ET · Leave a Comment

Politico: “The confirmation of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is increasingly in peril. And now gun violence survivors and activists are going public with their long-simmering private frustrations, saying President Joe Biden could have done more.”

“In half a dozen interviews, those advocating for Chipman’s confirmation complained that Biden and his top aides have not leaned enough on Democratic senators to get them to support the confirmation.”

Gun Control

Mexico to Sue U.S. Gunmakers

August 4, 2021 · 11:42 am ET · Leave a Comment

“The Mexican government said Wednesday it plans to file legal action against several major U.S.-based gun manufacturers, alleging that lax controls contribute to the illegal flow of weapons over the border,” the Washington Post reports.

“The unusual suit is expected to be filed in U.S. federal court in Boston, since some of the manufacturers are headquartered in Massachusetts, according to the documents. The suit — which seeks unspecified financial compensation from the companies — does not target the U.S. government.”

Gun Control

El Paso Families Feel Betrayed Two Years After Shooting

August 4, 2021 · 5:00 am ET · Leave a Comment

Texas Tribune: “Two years later, as El Paso remembers the victims, they’re also reminded of the broken promises made by top leadership in Texas in the wake of the shooting. The alleged gunman from North Texas drove 10 hours to El Paso to, in his own words posted on a racist online platform, ‘stop the Hispanic invasion of Texas.’”

“But two years after the attack, some of the conditions that led to the shooting remain entrenched; violence by extremist groups is on the rise according to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice; and rhetoric describing migrants as criminals and invaders is now espoused by Texas’ Republican leadership, including Abbott.”

“And in what some call an affront to the victims’ families, Texas Republicans expanded gun rights earlier this year when the state Legislature passed a permitless carry bill.”

Gun Control

Rising Gun Violence Is Changing Mayoral Politics

July 28, 2021 · 4:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Politico: “It’s a far cry from the calls to ‘defund the police’ that took center stage in these cities just last summer. But the sobering reality of rising gun violence and flagrant theft is changing the conversation, pushing candidates to get tougher on crime in Democratic-leaning cities.”

City Hall, Gun Control

Gun Maker Offers $33 Million to Sandy Hook Families

July 28, 2021 · 1:11 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Remington Arms Co on Tuesday offered to pay nearly $33 million to nine families to settle lawsuits claiming that its marketing of firearms contributed to the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 people died,” Reuters reports.

Gun Control

Glenn Youngkin Won’t Fill Out NRA Survey

July 26, 2021 · 5:45 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Youngkin has so far declined to complete a candidate questionnaire issued by the advocacy group, which asks candidates questions on topics like banning assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases. Traditionally, the survey has been considered part of the NRA’s endorsement process, which, among other things, includes promotion among its grassroots network.”

“Youngkin frequently talks about his support for the Second Amendment during campaign stops, and during an April appearance he described himself as a ‘lifetime member of the NRA.’”

2021 Campaign, Gun Control VA-Gov

Michael Flynn Jokes He Could Shoot Someone In D.C.

July 26, 2021 · 9:43 am ET · Leave a Comment

After being handed a semi-automatic rifle as a present at a rally earlier this month, Donald Trump ally and former general Michael Flynn joked “maybe I’ll find somebody in Washington, D.C,” Newsweek reports.

Gun Control

Handgun Sales to Young People Are Protected

July 14, 2021 · 9:47 am ET · Leave a Comment

“A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday held that the federal government may not bar federally licensed gun dealers from selling handguns to law-abiding citizens under 21 years old, potentially setting up the issue for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Gun Control

Schumer Wants NRA Investigated for Bankruptcy Fraud

July 12, 2021 · 5:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “called on the Justice Department to investigate the National Rifle Association for bankruptcy fraud, saying the financially stable gun-rights group abused the system when it sought bankruptcy protection in the wake of a New York lawsuit seeking to put it out of business,” the Associated Press reports.

Gun Control

Bible Group Was Cover for Violent Militia

July 6, 2021 · 5:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“After storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, a Northern Virginia man began forming his own militia-like group in the D.C. suburbs and building up a supply of explosives under the guise of a Bible study group,” the Washington Post reports.

Gun Control

Member feature

What If the Crime Problem Is Really a Gun Problem?

June 28, 2021 · 4:32 pm ET · Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

The homicide rate is rising across the United States, and the summer — typically when murder rates increase — has only just begun.

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Gun Control, Members

Big Majority of Texans Oppose New Gun Law

June 25, 2021 · 10:06 am ET · Leave a Comment

A new Quinnipiac Poll in Texas finds 74% of registered voters oppose the new law that allows permitless carry of handguns in the state — including 58% of Republicans.

Gun Control

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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