Everytown John Feinblatt
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety (Photo by: Demis Maryannakis/STAR MAX/IPx via AP)

The classic definition of the word ‘chutzpah‘ has always been someone who kills his own parents, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan. Yesterday, a prominent new example of chutzpah was on display in The Hill where Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt tried to take a victory lap despite having just suffered the worst defeat for gun control in generations.

Michael Bloomberg’s main minion, who oversees Everytown as well as the hoplophobic harridans at Moms Demand Action, penned an op-ed to rally the troops on the day that our superannuated president held what amounted to a pep rally at the White House to celebrate the passage of the first gun control bill in decades.

Feinberg hailed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act as a great victory for the cause of “gun safety” and claimed that the passage of the Cornyn-Murphy gun control bill is evidence of the gun control industry’s long-sought dominance over the National Rifle Association.

Feinberg attributes the big win to superior grassroots organizing (aided, of course, by billions from Bloomberg).

[A]fter Bloomberg left office, we joined forces with the grassroots gun safety group Moms Demand Action and created Everytown for Gun Safety. Together, along with Students Demand Action, Everytown now has nearly 10 million supporters, which makes us double the size of the NRA. But we’re not just bigger than the NRA — we’re also louder. In the runup to the vote on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Republican Senator Todd Young (Ind.) reported receiving 10 constituent calls in support of the bill for every one call against. He ended up voting for the bill. 

John Feinblatt Shannon Watts Everytown Moms Gun Control
(AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Set aside the fact that the NRA has 4.5 million actual paying members while Feinberg’s 10 million is comprised of ‘likes’ and followers on social media. He actually has the cojones to take credit for the natural cycle in America’s electoral politics that has been a fact of life for more than half a century. Namely, the party of the current president loses seats in Congress in midterm elections.

Feinberg credits himself — and his boss’s money — for this naturally occurring phenomenon in 2018 . . .

A turning point came in the 2018 midterms elections when Everytown outspent the NRA by nearly $14 million. The NRA, recognizing its own toxicity, scrubbed its website of all candidate grades. But that wasn’t enough to save them from a big electoral loss — in federal races, Everytown-endorsed candidates defeated NRA-endorsed candidates 77 percent of the time. 

Finally, Feinberg claims that he and his fellow civilian disarmament advocates have worked like beavers to “chip away at the NRA’s brand” . . .

We set about exposing the gun lobby’s incompetence, corruption and hypocrisy. The nation’s regulators have taken note, and today’s NRA is spending more money on legal fees than political campaigns.

Bloomberg may have spent megabucks to try to further the cause of limiting Second Amendment rights in the United States in the last decade, but no one has done more to sully the brand of the National Rifle Association and drain its resources than its own executives and board. Feinberg trying to take credit for that is downright laughable.

In other words, in his op-ed Feinberg is unironically attempting to take credit for both normal electoral cycles that have been a fact of political life since World War II and Wayne LaPierre’s grasping greed and corruption.

What he fails to mention at all, though, is that, aside from a handful of prominent, desperate redoubts, individual gun rights in America have never been in a stronger position.

Law-abiding citizens in half the states no longer have to go, hat in hand, asking a government functionary for permission to carry a firearm. Americans have been buying guns — millions of them for the first time in their lives — at a record pace for more than two years. The number of people who own a gun and value their right to do so has never been higher.

Oh, and then there’s the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, the biggest victory for gun rights in America in living memory. We probably don’t have to remind Mr. Feinberg that particular lawsuit was brought and financed by the National Rifle Association’s New York affiliate. So while the NRA may not now be quite as big or as powerful as it has been in years past — due in no part to Feinberg or anyone outside the NRA — reports of the death of the association’s power and influence have been greatly exaggerated.

What Feinberg conveniently excludes from his op-ed is the fact that the Bruen ruling will be — in fact already is — the basis for challenging and probably toppling a range of gun control laws that have stood for decades.

Laws such as “assault weapons” bans, magazine capacity limits, open carry bans, gun owner registration, firearm purchase waiting periods, bans on gun sales to adults under 21, and many more are now in serious legal jeopardy thanks to the Court finally treating the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment as equals to other enumerated rights.

But Feinberg can’t really talk about all of that. It might discourage the troops.

Instead, his job now is to try to keep morale up and the dollars flowing into the Civilian Disarmament Industrial Complex (aside from Bloomberg’s bucks which are, of course, secure). That’s why he’s claiming credit for “victories” he had no part in and cheering a gun control bill, parts of which will itself be challenged and likely ruled unconstitutional under Bruen.

It’s a sad little display when you think about it, but it’s all he really has right now.

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49 COMMENTS

  1. Fascists love to stomp on human and civil rights.

    If S9 is correct about mass violence in the next 18 months maybe, just maybe we can have Nuremberg 2.0.

    I will speak out in advance against executions for the fascist left. Reservations in Nevada would be best for them.

    • Good old-fashioned exile.
      Strip citizenship, deport, and forbid ever returning to US-held territory on pain of death.

      • No, the pr!cks would just relocate north to my country, where we already have too many! Send them to Nevada as jwm suggested and give each of their homes and assets to the current rezidents.

        • Let’s see, hundreds of thousands of dollars to relocate, feed, clothe, house or a 38-cent bullet and a couple hundred bucks to do a mass grave? Hmmmmmmmm.

    • Her I was thinkingh itn was LEFTIES COMMIES and DEMOCRATS that bave all the trouble not FASCISTS which by definition are extreme RIGHT wing and conservative. Here I am thinking that all Americans have the right of free speech irregardless of political inclinations. Here I am thinking that Democracy means that the majority vote has more authority than the minority vote. Here I am thinking that an AMERICAN can express his or her political preferences without being threatened with violence.

      What pray is the CIVIL DISARMAMENT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. An OXYMORON [ with the emphasis on the MORON bit] if ever I heard one a Never heard such utter bullshite! Do Americans actually believe such statements as this? Are they really that bloody stupid? If they do there’s really no much hope left for America

      • Ah yes, the tyranny of the majority. 51% of the voters want it and women lose the right to vote. 51% of the voters wish it and slavery returns.

        The BOR establishes individual rights. If it violates the rights of one individual then it is illegal under American law.

        We do have freedom of speech. So long as it is just speech and not actions. Violating human and civil rights is a crime. Hence Nuremberg 2,0

    • There’s a reason for all things. This isn’t about saving lives. It’s about politics. The NRA spent a fortune on Republicans in the lead up to the 2016 elections. That didn’t go unnoticed. They’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

        • It’s the same reason Democrats hate the fossil fuel industry. It ain’t about climate change. That’s a lie for the sheep. Sure the industry will hedge it’s bets with the occasional top dem donation, but it has overwhelmingly supported Republicans for decades. Guess which which candidates the alternative energy sector supports.

        • Didn’t know the NRA gave money to the Hildabeast, if that’s true I’m cancelling my Life membership today. I quit giving them money a long time ago, but I’ll not have my name attached to such stupidity.

      • Dude, exactly this regarding the energy sector. Shame so few are aware of that. By the way, I think you and Umm… should get together and re-do all our names/handles for us.

    • Targeting the NRA is deception because it is really the Supreme Law of the land, the U.S. Constitution & The Bill of Rights that they are attacking.

  3. Yet gun control is thriving, especially NFA prosecutions and set ups of peaceful people. Carry permits are now completely worthless in the 6 states affected immediately by Bruen due to revenge of the legislatures there.

    • Yeah the Senate Republican leadership… Looking at you, McConnell, Cornyn… gave the Democrats their victory so even as Bruen was announced, it was quickly followed with the ridiculous Senate bill, with McConnell trying to claim both some gun control and the SCOTUS decision were good things.

      Meanwhile Washington’s mag ban just went into effect, I think there was a July 1 going in for NJ too, plus the 80% receiver changes and pistol braces pending… Bruen is a start but it will still be a fight to actually realize the freedoms it theoretically gives us.

  4. These people are so out of touch they make those Hunger Games fops look like Mike Rowe.

  5. “[A]fter Bloomberg left office, we joined forces with the grassroots gun safety group Moms Demand Action and created Everytown for Gun Safety. Together, along with Students Demand Action, Everytown now has nearly 10 million supporters, which makes us double the size of the NRA.”

    Really? That was your goal? To get more people than an organization that does not speak for or represent the over 60% (over ~180,000,000) pro-gun people in the country? That was your goal?

    Are you nuts?

    No wonder you lost this fight. You are doing it for the PR and money.

    • Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio both sided with Democrats id approving his appointment

        • Chuck Schumer D,NY. Dick Blumenthal D, CT. Ben Lujan D, NM. James Risch R. ID. Patrick Leahy D. VT and Ben Sasse R, NE

        • Schumer and Blumenthal have Covid. Leahy fell and broke his hip (or fell because his hip broke). Lujan had a stroke in Feb (but has been back for votes). I don’t know why the Republicans were out. The Dems must have known they’d get the votes. Otherwise, they would have waited until they could get a tie and have Kamala decide.

  7. The firearms industry provides over $70.5 Billion to this country’s economy, and generates over $8.9 Billion in taxes (business and excise) paid to the government

    How much did you provide Shannon?

    • Just saw demanding mom’s yelling in DC. SAME cow’s calling for babies to die…I’m keeping my rifle.

  8. Be aware Brandon’s ATF is currently on a campaign to shut down FFL gun dealers using the ATF.

    The have put many out of business recently, I believe one store owner had a heart attack as a result when they shut down his business- this is being done with the flimsiest of excuses.

    • Bruen was a big deal, but I suspect ultimately West Virginia vs EPA will make, at least as big a bang. Imagine all of those picky little rules made by ATF just might prove unconstitutional.

  9. The only thing I can offer to the discussion is a great quote from General Burkhalter (Leon Askin) from Hogans Heroes: “Don’t take credit for a disaster”.

  10. Well, the problem with using that graphic from Wikipedia is that Texas is NOT unrestricted.

    • It would be interesting to see that map for Canada: all green one year and then all red the next year. Can’t remember the year but it would also be interesting to see which party was in power. Gee, let me think now…

      • it would also be interesting to see which party was in power. Gee, let me think now…

        The Liberal Party has been the governing party at the federal level for most of the period since the late 1890s, considering that Canada was founded in 1867 that pretty much explains all you need to know about Canada.

  11. “Law-abiding citizens in half the states no longer have to go, hat in hand, asking a government functionary for permission to carry a firearm.”

    Hmmm… well, except in states that were may issue before Bruen. These states still need you to go “hat in hand, asking a government functionary for permission to carry a firearm” because of their defiant stance placing the same numbers (and now more) of roadblocks in place as when they were may-issue, like the ‘morals’ thing and the ‘references’ and ‘checking social media’ all the same subjective denying type decisions from a government functionary as were present in may-issue.

  12. Can any of the disarmament crowd please demonstrate how any of the crap in their bi-partisan gun bill will actually prevent anyone from shooting up a school or market. Or explain how in the real world any of their new restrictions will somehow prevent any street thug or domestic abuser from doing anything they have been able to do to date. What I see is a whole lot of window dressing and restrictions against the very people who have never been nor will ever be a problem to society.

    • seems like a focus on 18 yr olds…this bill was a response to a public outcry about the latest mass-shootings…

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