Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

U.S Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) is in the fight for her political life. She’s trying one last Hail Mary to win over gun control-minded primary voters in her bout against Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).

Rep. Maloney has used the firearm industry as a political football in her primary campaign. Now, she’s introducing legislation to punish firearm manufacturers.

Favored Target

Rep. Maloney chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. She’s used her perch to launch attacks against the lawful firearm industry, including holding a show hearing and demanding industry executives answer her leading and inaccurate questions. She tried to paint their lawful businesses – and the millions of law-abiding Americans who purchase their firearms – as responsible for criminal acts perpetrated by those who break the law.

“The gun industry is profiting off the blood of innocent Americans,” Rep. Maloney proclaimed.

Chairwoman Maloney introduced a legislative package attacking the firearm industry in the waning days of her primary against Rep. Nadler, where polling has shown him as the heavy favorite. The bill has no chance of becoming law.

Jerry Nadler
“Have you ever seen anyone wear pants like that outside of a circus tent?” (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

“Today’s legislation responds directly to findings from my Committee’s investigation showing that the top assault weapon manufacturers have collected more than $1 billion in revenue selling assault weapons to civilians, while refusing to track the crimes carried out with these weapons,” Rep. Maloney said in press release.

She’s referring to the record numbers of modern sporting rifles (MSRs) that Americans legally purchased over the past several years. Industry data shows there are now more than 24.4 million MSRs in circulation since the 1990s, demonstrating the popularity of the firearm. That figure includes more than 4.5 million since 2020.

Tax and Track

Rep. Maloney’s gun control package includes two bills. The first, the Firearm Industry Fairness Act,  mandates a new 20 percent tax on total revenue of firearm manufacturers who make MSRs, or the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles she erroneously calls “assault weapons.” The tax is not just on MSR sales but total revenue. Not surprisingly, the funds would “be used to prevent gun violence and support victims.” Rep. Maloney doesn’t say how she would go after criminals who break the law to prevent them from committing crimes.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman
“Respect my authoritah!” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Firearm and ammunition manufacturers already pay excise taxes on the firearms and ammo they make, supported by law-abiding Americans who buy them. That total has added up to more than $15.3 billion since 1937.

The second bill, the Firearm Industry Crime and Trafficking Accountability Act,  would make it a requirement that every firearm manufacturer create a tracking database system that allows them to track crimes committed with guns they have sold. This disregards the Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Statistics report that shows 90 percent of felons convicted of a crime involving a firearm admit they obtained it illegally.

Whose Responsibility?

Congresswoman Maloney has served Washington, D.C., since 1993. She’s looking to serve for an eleventh term and casting blame for the crime problem in the wrong place. Crime is particularly important to her New York City voters. Blaming the lawful firearm industry for the actions of criminals, however, is misguided and does nothing to protect her voters.

Rep. Maloney ignores the fact that firearms lawfully-sold at retail, where the buyer passes an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verification, amount to only a tiny sliver of the guns used to commit crimes, according to recent data. Even Rep. Maloney’s own mayor, New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams understands. He criticized the soft-on-criminal approach in his own city, complaining, “How do you take a gun law seriously when the overwhelming numbers are back on the streets after carrying a gun?”

It’s late in the game for Rep. Maloney as Election Day is here. Her gun control antics might work in a New York City Democratic primary and the seat will stay Democratic. Across the country, though, millions of law-abiding Americans have shown they don’t want more gun control.

Gunvote

NSSF reminds voters to #GUNVOTE at the polls in November.

 

Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

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54 COMMENTS

  2. Carolyn you’re about to lose to the penguin, sucks to be you. sucks for the constituents either way.

  3. And now that I read the article good on the AR platform for increasing numbers by a quarter over the pandemic.

    • Neither of these two are fit for office.

      Who is more responsible for the majority of violent crimes? Those who have been buying drugs from street deaers are more responsible for violence that any firearm manufacturers or us the POTG.

      • Lincoln was hated by Democrats so much so that one shot him.
        Liz is loved by Democrats so much so that one would give her a spot on The View.

        • They ridded the world of the biggest war criminals that every existed…A man that killed all people that merely disagreed with him, even journalist…Burned non combatants lands and homes, on his orders…massacred livestock and southern citizens on his orders…And suspended all civil and human rights…Lincoln was never a hero or man to be proud of….that is the reason he is on the penny facing a different direction….None of the other Presidents should never turn their backs on him…

  8. You know what’s fun? Watching the establishment fight the establishment. Both are funded by the same money and they’re both at each others throats. Amazing thing to see.

    I guess the lesson is don’t scare constituents out of your state by being by rear end holes, but some people just can’t see it or don’t care. At least one less establishment player in congress. That’s a start.

  11. Mass Stabbing incident in York Co. Pennsylvania leaves two dead, two seriously injured > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/mass-stabbing-incident-in-york-co-leaves-two-dead-numerous-injured-officials/ar-AA10XT79?OCID=ansmsnnews11

    Nationwide there are ~1,300 victims of criminal knife attacks daily, over 470,000 annually – the most commonly used knife is common cutlery found in kitchens, homes, and stores. Rarely makes the news, this one did. Maybe Maloney should be spending her time on cutlery.

    More than 80% of non-firearm armed and unarmed victims of criminal knife attack are seriously injured or killed (killed is ~50% on average).

    More than 80% of firearms armed victims of criminal knife attack ARE NOT seriously injured or killed (less than ~2% are killed).

    • clarification for “(killed is ~50% on average)”

      Most of the deaths occur later after the attack where the victim succumbs to the effects of the wounds caused by the knife. For example, they bleed out internally and the heart stops and death happens so the actual cause of death was the heart stopping and the cause of death is reflected as ‘heart’ related in the stats instead of as a result of wounds from the knife. A lot of knife attack deaths are hidden in such stats by the reporting requirement for actual cause of death.

    • I was thinking about that myself. How is the manufacturer to know when its product, as opposed to a product manufactured by one of the other of the multiplicity of players in the game, was used in a killing? Second, how many killings are we really talking about, and how is tracing the guns any more useful that when the ATF does it for a stolen firearm? Or is this really a back door was of creating a CIVILIAN registry of “assault weapons” that the ATF is prohibited from maintaining?

  16. THIS is the best that our so-called coastal betters in NY, NY can do? These two zeroes?! Yuck. I’ll just stay here in fly-over country, thank you very much.

  17. This is a testament to the brain power of New York voters…THESE TWO are the bi-products of over four decades of your voting!…Two brain dead curmudgeon douche canoes…And one will win in the end!…W.T.F. are you people thinking!….Let’s build the walls around blue states to keep them in…These voters are the true death of America..

  18. Baloney n Nadless…2 sides of the same coin! I thought ILLANNOY sucked. Oh wait it’s almost as bad🙄

  20. This race prompts me to mention one of the few intelligent remarks Henry “I Never Met a War I Didn’t Like” Kissinger ever made, in re: the Iran-Iraq War, “It’s too bad both sides can’t lose!” ONE of these two brain-dead, Leftist/fascist morons is going to get elected. At least it removes ONE of them from the House.

    NY knows full well that its “compliant with Bruen” regulations aren’t, and will not be upheld . . . in seven or eight years. And when they are struck down, again, NY will toss up some other legislative word vomit designed to feign compliance, without actually complying. Lather, rinse, repeat.

    But even hard fought, incremental progress is better than no progress at all. And Heller, McDonald, Bruen have moved the goal posts closer to what the Constitution actually says. Now even the Leftist/fascists recognize that the 2A is a “real” part of the Bill of Rights, and has nothing to do with hunting, and a citizen militia is just ONE reasons for the RKBA. Neither of these idjits will succeed in castrating the 2A, and Senile Joe’s “Assault Weapon Ban” will not stand up to Thomas’ “language, history, and tradition” standard. But that will have to get litigated, too. Litigation is the Dims answer to not being able to win elections.

    • ONE of these two brain-dead, Leftist/fascist morons is going to get elected.

      He’s a Soshullist, she’s a Marxist (which is just the next stage of soshullism) take your pick, it’s NY no one cares except the few conservative gun owners trapped in that shit hole for economic, familial or whatever the reason.

      • Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

        Socialism, Communism, Socialist, Communists..

        Testicles, testicles. One – Two.

        • Huh, flagged for moderation hell for spelling out soshullism & com-mew-nizm. Time for a new platform Dan.

  21. Please put me down if I ever wear suspenders and pants up to my pits. Wasn’t a good look for my grandpa and it still ain’t. Is that guy pointing out how small Jerrys’ nads are? You can’t say the man is gutless! I’m here all week folks.

  22. ““The Democrat party is profiting off the blood of innocent Americans,” Rep. Maloney proclaimed.”

    Fixed that for her.

  23. I’ll take Nadler. He’s so stupid he answered questions during testimony from opposing Congressmen and made admissions against interest about the constitutionality of his “Assault Weapons Ban” bill. I like opponents who are so dumb they might die if they forget to breathe.

    • Anymouse — wish granted.

      “With almost two-thirds of the district’s vote scanners reporting, Nadler had 55.9% of the vote compared to just 25.1% for Maloney. Attorney Suraj Patel, who was challenging Maloney for a third consecutive cycle, had 17.8%.

      “Nadler said both Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Suraj Patel called him tonight to concede defeat.”

  25. If I ever wear suspenders and pants up to my pits, please put me down. Wasn’t and still isn’t a good look for my grandpa. Is that person trying to show Jerry how small his balls are? You can’t say that the man lacks courage. I’ll be here all week. drift boss

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