The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for most. That’s certainly true for the firearm and ammunition industry. It has also revealed the character of who we are.
We are an industry of caring, dedicated and resilient Americans who believe in the critical role we fulfill to our nation and our communities. Our industry – from manufacturers through the retailers staffing the gun counters – has responded admirably. We continue to provide services that are essential to our nation, critical to our communities and necessary to our customers.
NSSF, like most others, scrambled to make sure we could stay in business, and more importantly help our members stay in business. That work is reflected in a new page on our website, where our team is continually updating state and local orders, member alerts and news information critical during this health crisis. This page is being updated continually. Check it often.
Keeping Industry Open
NSSF’s Government Relations team, both the Federal Affairs and State Affairs, were quick to anticipate the torrent of stay-at-home and closure orders to head off infection from COVID-19. The Federal Affairs team immediately reached out to the Trump Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure manufacturing was included in the critical infrastructure list.
The reason was simple. Our industry must continue to deliver on Department of Defense contracts. The U.S. military’s national security mission continues, and so does our requirement to arm those who perform it. Virtually all the small arms the U.S. military uses are produced by domestic manufacturing. The ammunition to feed the military’s guns comes from a DoD plant that is contracted to commercial manufacturing.
The State Affairs team also began speaking with governors, state legislators, county officials and mayors to ensure federally licensed retailers were listed as “essential” retail services. Like the national security mission, community safety is vital.
Many local law enforcement departments rely on their community’s firearm retailers for their supplies with both guns and ammunition. Without these critical services, police are hampered in their ability to preserve safety and order.
Essential Services
Our retailers provide the last link in the chain to ensure law-abiding Americans can purchase the firearms they choose to protect themselves and their families. We’ve witnessed an unprecedented surge in demand for firearms and ammunition.
The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) told NSSF staff there was a 300 percent volume increase for background checks on March 16 over the same day in 2019. Background checks have been running roughly double what they were each day since Feb. 23.
NSSF has been working to ensure retail services are considered “essential” to these customers, many of whom are buying guns for the first time. NSSF provided resources for these new buyers to know and understand safety measures they must consider, but it is the critical face-to-face interaction by retailers that has made the difference in welcoming these new gun owners to our family.
Members Step Up
NSSF staff is literally rolling up their sleeves to show Gun Owners Care. Those who are healthy are encouraged join to NSSF to download the “Blood Donor” app to a smartphone and on the bottom right corner click on “Impact.” From there donors can search “Gun Owners Care” and join this group.
This app is handy for finding and making blood donation appointments and keeping track of when and where donations are being used. It has the added benefit of informing all who join to see the potential life-saving impact as a whole group.
The American Red Cross is experiencing a critical need for blood production donations as uncertainties remain during the pandemic. “Blood drives continue to be canceled at an alarming rate and patients need a sufficient blood supply throughout the many weeks of this crisis and beyond.
Healthy individuals are needed to schedule an appointment to give in the days and weeks ahead to help patients counting on lifesaving blood, platelets or AB Elite plasma.”
The industry has responded in other ways too. Remington’s CEO Ken D’Arcy offered up idled manufacturing space to be repurposed to address the demand for masks, ventilators and even hospital beds to help fight the pandemic. Blue Alpha Gear and Cole-TAC both announced they were turning to producing face masks.
Brownells donated computer server space for research test modeling. Federal Ammunition donated masks to hospitals near their Anoka, Minn., plant. CMMG made lunches for first responders. PhoneSkope teamed with Share Our Strength, donating five percent of every sale to help fund the “No Kid Hungry” for kids who rely on school lunches but don’t have them now.
Smith and Wesson donated 10,000 sets of eye protection to Baystate Health medical centers and N-95 masks to Springfield, Mass., police. These are just a few of the examples across our industry.
This crisis, unfortunately, is fatal for some. The loss of life and the gravity of this can’t be understated. NSSF urges all to follow CDC guidelines, practice social distancing and listen to local authorities to safeguard the health of your families, your teams and your customers. This crisis, though, has also revealed our character. Ours is an industry that cares. Together, we’ll emerge from this stronger.
Joe Bartozzi is the President and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Very good news.
As long as all of this is voluntary, and not coerced. Unfortunately, Trump just invoked the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to make medical equipment. While he’s been doing a lot of great things since attaining office, I’ll add this one to the “not good” side of the ledger for his actions.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-general-motors-ventilators-defense-production-act
He has no choice. Gov. Soprano wants a ventilator for every person in NYC or he’s going to throw a tantrum again.
If he really wanted the ventilators he would have them made locally in NY State. At the Remington Arms factory. They volunteered to do the work. But Gov “america was never great”, said he didn’t need that plant open and keeping NY voters employed. I expect the democrat governors are going to, on purpose, crash the economy in their states. And then blame the President. Trump has said the cure must not be worse than the disease itself. The democrats have become the 21st century version of a kamikaze pilots.
I hope you’re wrong. But that’s as far as I can get.
And the governor just admitted that he has a stockpile of 1,000 ventilators in storage. He got 4,000 recently from the feds. Why does he want 30.000-40,000? If he got 400,000 he’d still be complaining. Then he’d complain about not having enough drugs, IV bags, wheel chairs, sheets, food, clothing…. What is he doing to ease the pain of others?
There’s a limit to all needs. There isn’t enough cookies and ice cream for everyone either, and won’t be…..ever.
Governor Cuomo is an asshat. He always has been. But he’s right about the ventilators. If the number of people needing them ramps up like projections are saying they will, those 40000 ventilators will be needed. Its too damn late to order them when the flood of dying people hits. That being said, a lot of the problems in New York, and LA and Chicago for that matter, are due to liberal intransigence in the way they run those cities. All the liberal voters keep electing liberal mayors and reps who are ever more left leaning, and then wonder why everything falls apart when a crisis hits. Instead of going all in to help Trump stop it, all they can think of is to attack Trump and say its his fault. They will pay a price for that in November.
Because NYC (alone) is going to need 500000 vents.
It’s NOT the damn flu idiots.
Calling slowmo “Soprano” is a promotion…
Then call him a “Baritone” and demote him.
(ba-da-bing!)
I’m pretty sure Frigidaire would have liked to keep making refrigerators rather than M2 machine guns in 1942 also. That was an emergency too.
Not even slightly comparable. Not saying I agree with it either but not comparable.
It’s absolutely comparable. If medical equipment is not produced you could easily see deaths rise above the total American KIA in WWII.
If you don’t know this, you aren’t paying attention. Watch less TV, read more.
War and disaster are not equivalent. We were attacked in ww2. The world was going into totalitarianism. It’s an issue of violence and sovereignty. There is a massive difference.
We should deregulate these industries and if it has to be government to provide them they can buy it through contracts not taking control of the economy. It doesn’t make sense. This is doesn’t preserve rights from an outside threat. This has nothing to do with defense.
It’s not similar.
“We were attacked in ww2. The world was going into totalitarianism.”
It could be argued we’re headed in that direction again…
Yes it could.
“War and disaster are not equivalent. We were attacked in ww2.”
I’m so relieved that Covid19 isn’t actually attacking us!
Uhhhh, yes, actually, war and disasters such as the current pandemic are very much the same. We don’t exactly face an existential threat – YET.
Medical support is of equal value to the military as bombs, guns, and ammo. At least in western militaries. The services care a great deal about making sure personal wounded on the battlefield, are cared for. It’s the VA, long after the battle is fought, that is the problem.
Right now the whiskey distilleries are retooling to manufacture hand sanitizer. Which is a product that uses alcohol as an ingredient. So the distilleries are already setup to do this.
fyi to anyone
This one page, very small, PDF file has a very short review of a book volume entitled Medical supply in WW2. You might be interested to know that the USA had 14 million military personnel who need medical help of some degree during the war. And those 14 million were scattered all over planet earth from 1940 to 1946.
Medical Supply in World War II. Medical Department, United States Army
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1009059/
Converting civilian and military ships. A History of Hospital Ships 15 minutes long
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5G5l7gNpbA
It’s not comparable. If Hannibal thinks deaths from COVID-19 will approach anywhere near the number of American combat deaths during WWII he’s delusional. Many Americans will get the virus, recover, and never know they even had it to begin with. This does NOT mean we should ignore the suggestions from CDC or medical professionals. We need to protect ourselves and others, without question. But we aren’t going to see half the population of the United States die from this, as some asshat on CNN stated.
Jonathon, are you saying you believe we had 150 million deaths in WWII? That’s what it sounds like. It would be seriously easy to see 750,000 deaths in the US, it may even be likely, which makes the effort HIGHLY comparable.
Biatec – PERHAPS you’ve heard of chicomland. It way across the Pacific Ocean just West of Japan (that long string of islands). Find a bright 3rd grader to show you on a globe/map.
The CCP attacked the West with this virus. Perhaps was just their typical arrogant incompetence but none the less it IS an attack.
Local history to the wife’s hometown: The Gibson plant in Greenville Michigan (which was later purchased by Frigidaire), stopped making appliances to produce CG-4A gliders. The first glider and the tooling was paid for by war bonds sold by the high school students.
All kinds of folks pitched in.
The Steinway & Sons New York City piano factory put their woodworkers to work making glider parts :
“Like nearly every other domestic instrument-maker, during World War II Steinway was prohibited from building instruments due to government restrictions on iron, copper, brass, and other raw materials. Steinway’s New York factory stayed open with a slim crew constructing tails, wings, and other parts for troop transport gliders.”
https://www.steinway.com/news/features/victory-verticals
It’s socialist tyranny. NSSF probably loves it.
No it’s not.
“The Act contains three major sections. The first authorizes the president to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts which he deems necessary for national defense. It also allows the president to designate materials to be prohibited from hoarding or price gouging.[3] The second section authorizes the president to establish mechanisms (such as regulations, orders or agencies) to allocate materials, services and facilities to promote national defense. The third section authorizes the president to control the civilian economy so that scarce and/or critical materials necessary to the national defense effort are available for defense needs.[4][5][6]
The Act also authorizes the president to requisition property, force industry to expand production and the supply of basic resources, impose wage and price controls, settle labor disputes, control consumer and real estate credit, establish contractual priorities, and allocate raw materials towards national defense.[4]”
If you don’t think that is socialism you just don’t know what it is. merriem webster
” any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods”
Sorry for the long post but you can not believe that is not socialism.
Biatec:
While I get where you’re coming from here, and trust me I’m not comfortable with what you’re talking about either, it’s not actually Socialism… yet. Properly overseen, it won’t become that either.
As I pointed out to Chief Censor the other day: Capitalism makes certain exceptions for something economists call an “externality”. These are things over which normal market actors have no control. (Usually these things are imposed by a 3rd party actor, but not always, war, natural disasters etc are also considered to be externalities.) Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re bad.
The key to the basics of a negative externality is that it creates a set of circumstances so far outside the norm that a market or market actor will not respond properly to it because the nature of the externality is outside of normal market forces. The classic example being excessive pollution, generally there’s no motive for a corporation to stop excessive polluting because the market that drives the corporation won’t respond with that demand until the damage is done and people have, potentially (and historically speaking, actually) been harmed irrevocably.
Even the Austrian School of economics recognizes that such things exist and that the market requires an outside corrective force to account for a negative externality. This is one of the very few times they’re OK with government intervention (usually in the form of some sort of limited regulation).
Now, those interventions need to be targeted and as limited as possible in duration, breadth and depth but the intervention itself is not unacceptable in a Capitalist system.
That’s what we have on our hands right now and therefore, no, this isn’t Socialism. However, it can slide that way quickly which is why it needs really, really, really serious public oversight to insure that the emergency rules are removed as quickly as is practically possible to ensure that they don’t become either a form of corporate welfare or a longer-than-necessary government intervention that becomes socialist in nature.
This isn’t Socialism yet but we need to be extremely wary about “abuses of convenience” that could make it such or create yet more negative externalities that we have to deal with later. Government’s good at that: creating an externality so that it can use that externality as justification for the next one… and the next one.
It being temporary does not make it not socialism. The government having power to control the economy is socialism.
It fits the definition.
Austrian school economists would consider this socialism. I never said there was no place for regulation. This is not regulation. Did you read the act? External factors would be war, foreign policy type of stuff. International travel. Not the economy for a pandemic. It’s an abuse of power.
“The third section authorizes the president to control the civilian economy so that scarce and/or critical materials necessary to the national defense effort are available for defense needs.”
It is socialism. It says it is by the very words the act uses.
I’m no ancap strych9. Lots of things are intervention but not socialism. This is socialism. It’s not good. This is not okay.
Also one more thing. The disaster has happened. The government is not predicting the need for ventilators. There is already the demand. What you are saying is just plain wrong. Why would the market not solve this?
OK, into the weeds we go here.
Look, the definition you used, which is a dictionary definition, says “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods”.
The Economist defines it as “The exact meaning of socialism is much debated, but in theory it includes some collective ownership of the means of production and a strong emphasis on equality, of some sort.”
This is a repeating theme in the definition all over the place. Government ownership of the means of production, that is Nationalization.
Where’s the government ownership in this case? There isn’t any. I’m sorry but government ownership (nationalization), well, that’s kinda like THE key tenet of Socialism.
Again, I’m not comfortable with it but this isn’t Socialism. It treads a lot closer to Socialism than I’d like but ordering the company to prioritize federal contracts in specific ways during a time of emergency isn’t the same as nationalizing that company and every single definition of Socialism contains reference to the concept of what we’d call “nationalization” and considers it the key part of Socialism. You can’t just ignore the core of the very definition you claim to be using here.
And since you bring up the “war” issue and say this isn’t war (suggesting that the DPAS doesn’t cover things outside of war), let’s check the actual statute. That would be 15 CFR §700-§700.93.
§ 700.1 Purpose of this part.
“This part implements the Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) that is administered by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. The DPAS implements the priorities and allocations authority of the Defense Production Act, including use of that authority to support emergency preparedness activities pursuant to Title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq.)…”
42 U.S.C. §5195 states “The purpose of this subchapter is to provide a system of emergency preparedness for the protection of life and property in the United States from hazards and to vest responsibility for emergency preparedness jointly in the Federal Government and the States and their political subdivisions.”
Conveniently 42 USC §5195 provides us a pretty decent definition of “emergency preparedness” too:
“(3) The term “emergency preparedness” means all those activities and measures designed or undertaken to prepare for or minimize the effects of a hazard upon the civilian population, to deal with the immediate emergency conditions which would be created by the hazard, and to effectuate emergency repairs to, or the emergency restoration of, vital utilities and facilities destroyed or damaged by the hazard.”
So, under the law, the question is “Do we have a hazard?”. Well, 42 USC §5195 answers that too.
“The term “natural disaster” means any hurricane, tornado… or other catastrophe in any part of the United States which causes, or which may cause, substantial damage or injury to civilian property or persons.”
So whether or not it’s an actual war is, by statute, irrelevant at this point. The Acts in question are designed for “emergency preparedness for the protection of life and property in the United states from hazards…” and this is certainly a hazard as defined by the law.
Finally, you say “Also one more thing. The disaster has happened. The government is not predicting the need for ventilators. There is already the demand.”
I’m really not sure how this is relevant. The disaster has happened? So what? The government suddenly is supposed to walk away and stop dealing with a disaster once it’s determined to be “the aftermath” or once we can fully agree that the disaster has “started”?
Not only is that nonsensical that’s not the actual law. The definitions section of 42 USC §5195 deals with “during a hazard” and “following a hazard” as well.
(B)Measures to be undertaken during a hazard (including the enforcement of passive defense regulations prescribed by duly established military or civil authorities, the evacuation of personnel to shelter areas, the control of traffic and panic, and the control and use of lighting and civil communications).
(C)Measures to be undertaken following a hazard (including activities for fire fighting, rescue, emergency medical, health and sanitation services, monitoring for specific dangers of special weapons, unexploded bomb reconnaissance, essential debris clearance, emergency welfare measures, and immediately essential emergency repair or restoration of damaged vital facilities).
Sorry man, it’s not Socialism. It’s sketchy for sure but it’s not Socialism under the very definition you provided. And the statute, wise or not, authorizes it and has for on the order of 70 years.
Biatec, you appear to be confusing totalitarianism with socialism. The President having all those powers could be called totalitarian, could be called dictatorship, but has nothing to do with socialism. Well, except for the fact that any system pursuing socialism will inevitably end up with a totalitarian government at almost the same moment it achieves a complete economic collapse.
Witness Venezuela. Or Cuba. North Korea. On and on.
What’s tyranny is forcing your business to close without any sweetheart government contracts in the pipeline. GM doesn’t know how good they have it. This lock down is destroying small business in this country. It’s unsustainable, just like our debt.
It’s needed at this point. And it’s not like General Motors won’t be set afterwards thanks to boo coo government bucks.
I’m tired of all this “oh it’s not that bad talk”, take a look at what’s happening in Europe right now. That’s not us at the moment thanks to Trump.
We can’t let our foot off the gas on this thing.
That is what Europe is doing. The fact you don’t realize it is more concerning than anything.
We need to deregulate. We need to do the opposite of europe.
I agree with much of what you are saying. This is a national emergency and gm agreed to do this but were dragging their feet. The taxpayers bailed out gm. You and I bought them. Ford stepped up and they were never bailed out. I totally understand what you are saying. I’m not against this
This is how political systems fall. People like you that are so insanely foolish or ideological that you don’t realize that you can’t stress a system through purity. When millions of people start dying because “muh free markets” you will see the free market get put up against a wall and shot.
Right. No need to for e a mandate on GM. The need of the market will determine price. Price will determine profitability. With the opportunity for profit, capitalists will step up. Why GM? The ventilator manufacturers did not want the work? GM could tool-up more quickly than those experienced companies? Doubtful. This does not pass the sniff test.
Agreed lifesavor. To those who support it read my reply to Mitchell.
Biatec you are incorrect. Strych9’s and Hannibal’s response pretty much sums everything up. There are certain events in history that are so big, “black swan events”, that there isn’t a conventional answer. What’s happening right now is one of those things. If we simply sit back and allow the “market to take its course”, there won’t be a market afterwards.
You are incorrect. reread my comments or read my new ones to stych9.
I hear and understand all the points made above. That being said, I lean toward agreeing more with what Biatec is saying. 9/11 was a watershed moment in which people (mostly) gladly accepted changes to their lives and limits to their liberties, in exchange for a feeling of greater security. Now we have COVID-19.
There will always be a debate, and there will always be a difference of opinion of how vital the current actions proposed are. But the danger remains, and human nature has quite clearly demonstrated throughout history that those who wish to exercise power and control over others will most certainly strive to do so, if provided the opportune moment to act.
Haz:
My issue isn’t that I support the DPAS and how it’s being used here.
My issue is that Socialism has an actual definition which Biatec provided and then ignored. That’s an issue that I don’t really think can be overstated. (Note: I’m not trying to trash another poster here. I actually agree with Sr. Biatec more often than not, but especially when we’re discussing big shit at a time like this we need to use very, very precise language to make sure we’re getting it right.)
We can’t just run around calling everything we don’t like “Socialism!”. That’s what the people over at Breitbart do. It’s obnoxious and it undercuts them when they do actually make good points. We should avoid doing that.
DPAS is sketchy as all get-out and there should most certainly be a rational debate on when/how and even IF it should be used. Heck, I’d be more than willing to discuss repeal. But now is not the time for that and cavalierly throwing around buzzwords makes us look silly.
You go to war with the Army you have and you enter a crisis like this with the law code you have. That’s just the reality of the situation.
@strych9,
I know. And as I said, I understand all the points being made because everyone (particularly you and Biatec) made the effort to clarify and (especially in your case) provide data for support. It’s a whole lot to digest, but much preferable over the occasional “well, I know you are, but what am I?” PeeWee Herman nonsense we see thrown around in this room.
I suppose I’ll just fall back on my original statement at the top of the forum, in that I’m not comfortable with Trump’s invocation of the Act to force a non-government entity to manufacture product at the government’s bidding. While many of us here may agree that we’re currently in extenuating circumstances that demand such action, it nevertheless establishes a very dangerous precedent.
“We need to deregulate.”
That’s been slowly happening in the past few years, and we should continue.
“We need to do the opposite of europe.”
Pretty much, but we usually follow their lead. Remember all of the grandstanding from EU countries over illegal immigration and migrants lately? They told us they couldn’t stop it even if they wanted to. It would be impossible they said. Well look who figured out how to lock down their borders! The entire EU is locked down to nonessential travel. Many countries within the EU are also locked down.
The mayor of Florence, Italy was worried people would think they were racist, so he told his community to hug a Chinese person! You think our leaders job is to protect their constituents? Nope! It’s only to virtue signal. Priorities, you know. How is Italy doing now?
Did you know that there was an early proposal in Europe to isolate people coming in from China, but they nixed it because people would think it was racist. Complete fools, and people were acting the same way here. Everyone has to tiptoe around so they don’t get called a racist from the crazy left, then they get called one anyway, because the left can’t debate on ideas alone. They have to shut down the conversation.
As much as GM soaked us for in the bailouts a few years back when they should’ve bankrupted, they oughta be glad to pitch in now . But I admit I don’t like to force private industry .
“As much as GM soaked us for in the bailouts a few years back when they should’ve bankrupted, they oughta be glad to pitch in now . But I admit I don’t like to force private industry”
100%
And remember all of those financial institutions that benefited from the tax payer bailout, when small businesses and the middle class had to slowly crawl out of the holes themselves for 10 years (through no fault of their own as they say)? It’s payback time! Time for banks to allow intermittent skipping of some mortgage payments, and tack those payments on the end of the loan. The banks still get even more money, but people can’t make payments when they are forced NOT to work! Also ZERO foreclosures for the rest of the year.
@Dude,
What you’re advocating is class envy and “retribution” against the bourgeoisie. Those are the first cobblestones laid on the path toward socialism and communism.
The real lesson here is not any alleged failures of capitalism, but the failures of a large percentage of society to financially prepare themselves. Nobody twisted anyone’s arm to buy that large house, Escalade, or latest iPhone. During the 1940s, the average mortgage term was 10 years. The “standard” for the past four decades has been 30 years, and I personally know someone who currently has a 40-yr, and on a home he bought back in the ’80s and should have paid off long ago, but kept refinancing and pulling out cash to fund a high-falootin’ lifestyle above his salary level!
Everyone should have a bare minimum of three months’ worth of savings – preferably six or more – to weather unexpected circumstances. Setting aside a meager $20 per week will result in $5000 after five years, and 99% of people would never notice it, as a variety of choices you could make would easily free up that money (using a TracFone instead of an iPhone would take care of it all by itself).
The silver lining to this COVID-19 event is the reminder that simple preparation and living within our means is priceless when a black swan comes our way. Too many people spend every dime from their paycheck and expect the government to step in and take care of them when they find themselves in a bind.
The grasshopper and the ant.
I’m only advocating for reciprocity. We threw those guys a lifeline. It’s time to return the favor. I’m fine for a good while without work, but eventually, I’ll have to withdraw from my retirement savings. That’s bad in more ways than one since I just lost my recent gains thanks to the crash.
Haz,
I reread my post and maybe it did sound like ‘class envy and “retribution” ‘. By payback, I meant paying back what is owed, not punishment. I’m not into that at all. I don’t want anyone to suffer. I do want fairness. If we bail them out, they shouldn’t be able to abandon us when it’s convenient for them. I feel like the big banks still owe the tax payers from the last fiasco.
@Dude,
I agree with that, in a general sense. If we bail a company out, there should be terms and consequences.
But a caveat…if those terms are met and the “obligation” is repaid, then the slate is wiped clean, and no further expectation of reciprocity should be made. Just as a person convicted of a crime who serves their sentence should be considered as having served their debt to society, and not be tethered to future obligations (e.g., offender registries).
My two cents.
That’s one of the nice things about being an American. You’re not required to approve of much of anything. My own take on that issue is, medical equipment is pretty important. Government has a legitimate concern that there is enough medical equipment to get us through this little crisis, and the next, and the next. If GM is equipped to provide some of that medical equipment, then GM may legitimately be required to produce that equipment.
If any person’s feelz are offended, well, they have that right to be offended. And, the world won’t care one way or the other.
GM initially agreed to make what was needed on their own, then they decided they had to get more money for the stuff. Basically they renegged on their agreement after they had been factored into the equation. Trump had no choice but to use the law to make them live up to their agreement. Good for him.
John Hull
I replied way at the top of this without seeing your comment. Agree 100%
From the article.
Trump said that while the White House activated the act against GM, it may not be needed. “Maybe we won’t even need the full activation. We’ll find out,” Trump said Friday in the Oval office.
“As usual with ‘this’ General Motors, things just never seem to work out. They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, ‘very quickly’. Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar,” he wrote.
Unfortunately? Good grief,, find out what’s going on in the medical field. Then you won’t make statements that “remove all doubt.”
You are criminals just like the people who lobby for medical field regulations. Not enough covid tests? government regulated it out of the private sector and need to pass all kinds of hoops and tests to be able to sell them. there is a lot more to it than that obviously. How ever people like you add regulations not remove.
NSSF? Guess what you do the same shit with bearing arms. Would you support getting rid of manufacturing licenses? Support removal of the background check system?
FFL?
No you are anti american criminals. You add to those infirgnments.
You are a symptom of the problem of government power though. The government should not have a say in who produces what and who can. It’s authoritarianism and you are part of it.
Not sure if I will get flak or if people will agree with this. I’m just sick of seeing articles from your organization. Stop pretending you are pro gun. You amplify the problems.
Do NOT feed the trolls
Just because you disagree with someone does not make them a troll.
I disagree with Biatec on this issue, but I do not believe he is a troll. His argument and speech or text if you will doesn’t line up with typical troll behavior.
Personally I think this is actually a great debate to have here, because as noted by others above, there is certainly a potential for great abuse of this event This kind of debate should be welcomed here.
Having said that I still maintain this isn’t “socialism”. And it wasn’t in WW2, either, even though FDR surely wanted it to be.
We should be glad it’s Trump wielding this battle axe right now. Imagine an actual lefty socialist at the helm right now.
I agree about the debate being great here. It’s one of the best websites for it. I appreciate your reply about the troll thing.
With you on your points about socialism, about how the government MUST not be deciding who can produce what. Further, government must not favor specific industries or companies with tax breaks and grants.
Not with you on FFL’s. They do not get much choice; they either comply or have no business. By complying, they help build a strong 2A base in this country.
Business licenses “FFL’s.” Licensing is often used to raise barrier to entry into a industry. I agree. Government should not favor any industry or businesses within it. Totally agree with you on all that.
Here is an example outside of FFL’s. https://youtu.be/lyNM3UEJAMQ John stossel does a good video on business licensing.
I’m not saying they have a choice. I mean they wouldn’t support getting rid of it because it would hurt the businesses they represent. They would have more competition much more. I was also more of asking them if they would support repeal. They only help when it helps them too.
It’s more of a problem that the government has grown to this level and has this much power. I just get angry when they pretend they do not use the government to help themselves even at the expense of Americans.
Blatec,
Ah! Understood. You see the FFL licensing requirement as a moat around the industry, stifling competition. I know nothing about the difficulty and cost of obtaining an FFL, so I will read on if. In the meantime, I get your point.
Thank you for clarifying.
Unnecessary education requirements have also changed in the past couple of decades. Professions that did fine with associates degrees suddenly decided everyone needed bachelors degrees at a minimum. The difference between a 2 and 4 year degree of the same major is just more electives and fluff, so that you’re more “cultured.” Funny how this coincided with student loan debt skyrocketing, and universities expanding like crazy. Hmmm
As per the US Constitution, those with Amazon Prime should get free same-day delivery of select-fire M16s purchased on their site, with no government “licenses” involved. Package deals with a dozen 30-round mags and 2 ea 840-round cans of milspec ammo. No FFL, no NICS, no waiting period.
I robustly disagree with the existence of FFL licensing in the first place. Unless I’m mistaken, the Federal Gov doesn’t require special licensing and bookkeeping to sell pellet guns, sabots, or crossbows (all of which are lethal if used properly).
It’s a .gov caused problem that the .gov is trying to resolve. Good thing we have an actual leader in the White House!
https://conservativefiringline.com/thanks-obama-not-enough-face-masks-made-in-us-to-deal-with-coronavirus-pandemic/
And Hannity last night showed a clip of Governor Cuomo in 2015 saying they needed more masks and other gear yet he did nothing since then except waste taxpayer money on failure after failure.
Biatec isn’t a “troll.” He’s an IDIOT. We ARE at WAR right now. One imposed upon us by CHINA and it’s Bio-warfare Level 4 lab in the A.O. where this virus originated. China purposely hid this contagion from the rest of the world until it was too late. They allowed Chinese workers to travel all over the world to various factories they own in places like northern ITALY! They allowed International business travel…etc. We may be in a shooting war soon enough with China or any other asshole country attempting to take advantage of our situation. Fuck, some of our military forces are standing down due to this infection. PRESIDENT Trump, needs to do whatever it takes to protect the American people from harm. I don’t give a fuck about Biatec’s B.S., “Boo Hoo Hoo, socialism rants. He needs to pull his head out of his ass.
JS,
I am a strong Trump supporter, yet, I do not agree with everything he does. Biatec makes some good points; that fact that you disagree does not reflect badly on anyone. It is good conversation. It is why I read TTAG everyday.
I am with you in supporting Trumps MAGA agenda, protecting this country.
Every on this blog shares a common love for this country; we will never all agree on the right thing to do at anyone time. This forum is wonderful place to talk it through.
Agreed, and I’m pleased to see some healthy, energetic, mostly respectful discussion here, from all corners of opinion. Sure beats the ridiculous mudslinging and “but what does James Campbell have to say?” sort of nonsense that sometimes bubbles up to the surface.
Nice to see the gun industry taking positive action…
Is it bad that I recognized that shelf before I read the photo caption? (LGS)
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