By John Crump
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) today called for “military-style” guns to be locked away at gun clubs only. Foster is not one to shy away for calling for more gun control. He has called for universal background checks in the past as well as rallied against the people’s right to concealed carry a handgun.
Foster was responding to the mass shooting in Las Vegas where Stephen Paddock killed 59 people by firing from the Mandalay Hotel from two tripod mounted AR15s from the 32nd floor.
“I would hope that when you look at what’s happened with mass shootings in the last years that we, at a minimum, establish the principle that if you are going to own a military-type weapon that should be locked away in a gun club and not carried in public – that is completely consistent with the Second Amendment and it’s a principle that we should apply nationally,” he told reporters outside the US Supreme Court.
Foster argues that the second amendment does not block the federal government from ordering certain rifles to be locked up at a gun club. Although most legal scholars would disagree with his understanding of the second amendment he is adamant in his belief.
He also pushed the conspiracy theory that the Republicans in Congress is under the control of the NRA. “The [congressional] leadership is under the control, at least tremendously under the control of the NRA, and people think it’s the individual members of the NRA that are driving this. It is not the individual members. Individual members of the NRA know we need gun safety,” he told reporters. Foster has a D rating with the NRA.
He also accused gun manufacturers of selling weapons of mass destruction to the public and said that it is them that run the NRA instead of the membership, and he implied that they are putting profits in front of lives. He also attacked the SHARE act the same time.
“It is the gun manufacturers who are paying the freight and do not want limitations placed upon the manufacturing of assault weapons and silencers – that’s who is driving this debate, that’s who is telling the American public, ‘Be damned, we are going to sell these weapons of mass destruction.’” The congressman said and went on to infer that the manufacturers do not have a right to produce semi-automatic rifles.
Back in 2014, he had also brought out the mythical “gun show loophole” when he said “Our nation has suffered at least 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre. The factors allowing these rampages are no mystery: loopholes in the background check laws, straw purchases, restrictions on law enforcement, and gaps in our mental health system.” on his official website.
Rep. Foster also took the stance that AR-15s do not have any self-defense uses and are only used as offensive weapons to kill innocent people when he said, “Those are not guns that are used for people to defend themselves in their homes. Those are guns that are just used to kill hundreds and injure hundreds of people. They’re not really used for self-defense. ”
He ignored cases like that of Zachery Peters that used his AR-15 to defend against three home invaders.
In 2016 Bill Foster engaged in a sit-in to protest the tabling of the “no-fly, no-buy” bill that would have robbed people of due process by allowing the government to remove their right to purchase guns without evidence or a trial with no way to appeal the decision.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.