A TELLING FREUDIAN SLIP

 

Throughout the first six months of his presidency, President Joe Biden has made it no secret how he feels about firearms manufacturers, gun owners and storefront dealers. In a July 21 primetime CNN Presidential Town Hall, Biden encountered one question on “gun violence” — and had a telling Freduian slip that would have immense ramifications for the industry.

When asked how he will “bring about change and make cities safer?” Biden answered: “The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon — whether it’s a 9mm pistol or whether it’s a rifle — is ridiculous. I’m continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things, but I’m not likely to get that done in the near term.”

Though a probable slip of the tongue, the inclusion of “9mm pistols” rightly caught the attention of Second Amendment advocates.

“It’s taken Joe Biden six short months to foul up the economy, reverse this country’s energy independence causing fuel prices to soar, declare war on free speech and now he has acknowledged in a Freudian slip he really does want to ban handguns,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) in a statement. “The real Joe Biden is finally out of the bag, despite the media’s continued efforts to soft-peddle his extremism.”

Also during the Town Hall, Biden reiterated his administration’s goal of cracking down on storefront dealers (just weeks after labeling dealers “merchants of death” during a June 23 “Gun Crime Prevention Strategy” event at the White House).

“The people who, in fact, are using those weapons are acquiring them illegally. And so I’ve gotten ATF … I have them increase their budget and increase their capacity, along with the Justice Department, to go after the gun shops that are not abiding by the law of doing background checks,” he continued.

July 26, NSSF shared a recent ATF internal memorandum with its members, which offered a glimpse into how the agency is refocusing its FFL inspection and administrative action policies. It can be viewed here: nssfpdf.s3.amazonaws.com/FederalFirearmsAdministrativeActionPolicy.pdf.

Jeff Poet, president of Jay’s Sporting Goods in Gaylord and Clare, Mich., shared the president’s recent remarks signify his administration’s ambition of putting law-abiding dealers out of business — and stressed dealers need to have good procedures in place to protect themselves.

“They’re [the ATF] going to be looking for crossed Ts and dotted Is, and if it’s their notion to reduce firearms dealers or increase the pressure on them that’s what they’re going to look for. Even for the best dealers — nobody’s perfect — you need to be as good as you can possibly be when it comes to compliance,” he said.

As those reading this know: the storefront dealer forms the backbone of the industry — an essential partner for manufacturers and wholesalers. They’re on the front lines engaging with end users every day and are going to be critical to en-engaging the millions of first-time gun owners who have joined our ranks over the past 18 months.

With the attempts to repeal PLCAA and restrict sales of MSRs largely falling flat, it seems as though the Biden administration has recognized the storefront dealer’s importance to the growth of the industry, too.

 

Source: Shooting Industry Magazine