The epoch times

California’s strict gun control laws hinder the ability to combat terrorism similar to Hamas.

Commentary

This is the most clueless statement ever made by a ⁢governor of the United States of America: “It’s time to wake up. Unless we enshrine a‌ Right to Safety in the Constitution,‍ we are​ at the mercy⁣ of ideologues like Judge Benitez.⁢ All of our gun safety laws ‌that are proven to save lives are at risk. It‌ doesn’t matter what laws we pass. It doesn’t matter what the voters decide. Concealed carry. Banning weapons of war. Reasonable waiting periods. Background checks. The idealogues are coming for all of them.

“This is exactly why I’ve called for a Constitutional amendment, and this is why I’ll keep fighting to defend ⁣our right to protect ourselves from gun violence.”

That⁣ was Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, possibly the next president of this country, on Sept. 22.‌ Mr. Newsom was criticizing Judge ‍Roger​ Benitez’s ruling that day striking down⁤ California’s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds.​ On Oct. 10, Mr. Newsom got⁤ his wish as an 11-member panel of‍ the U.S. 9th Circuit Court ⁢of Appeal ruled to ⁤suspend⁣ the decision. It probably will be decided in the U.S. Supreme Court.

That panel ruling also‍ was delusional. It came just three days ⁤after ⁤the Hamas terrorist group attacked Israel, massacring at⁤ least 1,200‌ people, including more than 22 Americans, mostly unarmed civilians. I’m sure you’ve read ⁢and seen a lot about the horror.

Here’s something maybe you didn’t hear about. The poor Israeli civilian victims⁢ sure could have used⁣ some “weapons ⁣of war,” holding 30-round magazines, to defend ⁣themselves against Hamas. But Israel has strict, Newsom-style gun control. The people ‌were unarmed while being massacred, as they awaited rescue by the Israel Defense Forces.

According ‍ to GunPolicy.org, “In Israel, the right to private gun ownership‌ is not​ guaranteed by law.”⁤ That is, it ⁤has no ‍Second Amendment right “to‍ keep and bear⁣ arms.” Rather it has a version of Mr. Newsom’s proposed 28th ​Amendment strictly controlling‌ who can​ have‌ a gun.
A member⁤ of the public⁢ receives weapons training from a tutor at a shooting range in Efrat,⁤ Israel, on Oct. 15, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Also, “In​ Israel, only ‌licensed gun owners may lawfully⁤ acquire, possess or ⁤transfer a firearm or ammunition.” (This excellent ‌site includes many citations to its reporting.) That contrasts with America, in which‍ last year’s​ Bruen Supreme Court Decision upheld the right to carry a weapon, excepting only reasonable restrictions, such as not carrying ⁤a gun into a government building.

Who Is the Militia?

America is the⁢ most heavily armed country in the world, with an estimated 466 million owned, according to American Gun Facts. About 46 percent‌ of⁤ households own a gun. That’s a massive ‍deterrent to potential⁣ criminals—and to terrorists ​hunting for easy prey. A Hamas-like attack on an American neighborhood would bring out dozens of men, and⁤ many women, wielding the “weapons of war” Mr. Newsom wants⁤ to make it harder to obtain.

The U.S. Census Bureau ‍also estimates there⁣ are about 16.5 million military​ veterans, including yours truly, all of them trained on M-16s or similar rifles, which are related ⁢to⁤ the AR-15 so often demonized by Mr. Newsom and other gun-controllers.

Gun-controllers insist the “militia” mentioned in the Second Amendment ‍only means ​the official military. Actually,‌ it’s everybody, as the Supreme Court held in the 2008 Heller case.

It also isn’t well known, but the official U.S. militia ⁣is not only made up of active-duty military personnel, inactive reservists, and the national guard. According to “10 U.S. Code § 246 – Militia: ⁤composition and classes,” “a) The militia of ⁢the ‌United States consists of all able-bodied males‍ at least ⁢17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, ⁢under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to⁣ become, citizens of ⁤the United States and of female citizens⁣ of the United ⁣States who are members of the National Guard.”

So if you’re a 20-year-old male citizen, you’re in the ​militia—even if you neglected to register for⁣ the draft, ‍as required by​ law.

Contrary ‌to Mr. Newsom and other gun-controllers, America was born in ⁣the Revolutionary War with the⁢ blood of patriots who took their “weapons of war” off their fireplace ‌mantles and marched‍ off‍ to the sound of gunfire to wrest this free nation from the‍ most powerful military in the world at that time, the British Empire. Gun controllers contend ‍the “militia” is just those in government military forces. No it⁢ isn’t. The militia is all‌ of us.

A person holds a California-legal featureless AR-15 style rifle in Costa Mesa, Calif.,⁤ on June 5, 2021. (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas Next Door

This is crucial because the ​Biden‍ administration, without objection by Mr. Newsom, has opened ⁢our Southern border to anyone. Some of those are or soon could be your neighbors. On Sept. 7, the Republican majority of the House Committee⁣ on Homeland Security released a report, “DHS ⁢Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Has Emboldened Cartels, Criminals, and America’s⁢ Enemies.”

It found: “Mayorkas’ open-borders​ policies have empowered and emboldened some of the ⁣most vicious, ruthless, and savage individuals and groups in the world. Whether it⁤ is transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) like the cartels and human ⁤smuggling organizations in ​the Western Hemisphere, potential national security threats⁢ from countries ‌who sponsor‌ terrorism, or those coming from⁣ major state adversaries like China and Russia, the wide-open‌ Southwest‍ border has given America’s enemies all over the globe an opportunity to infiltrate the homeland—an opportunity too good to pass up.”

And on Oct. 15 in San Diego, FBI Director Christopher⁢ Wray‍ warned the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference: “In this heightened⁣ environment, there’s no question we’re seeing⁢ an increase in reported threats, and ⁢we’ve got to be on the lookout, ‍especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own. So I‍ encourage you to stay vigilant,⁤ because as the first line of defense in protecting our communities,​ you’re often the first to see the ​signs that someone​ may be mobilizing to ​violence. And I’d also ask you to continue sharing any intelligence or observations you may⁤ have. And on our end, we’re committed to doing the same, so that together, we can ⁢safeguard our communities.”

⁤Of course, it would help if ⁣the FBI wasn’t devoting massive resources to the false threat coming from former President Trump’s⁣ peaceful MAGA supporters. And, as I reported ⁢two months ago in‌ The Epoch ‍Times, the FBI ‍has also been surveilling Catholics.

Columnist James Howard Kunstler put ​the pieces together on Mr. Mayorkas and Mr. Wray: “Neither of these officials‌ noted that ‍the rising terror⁢ threat here had any relation to the⁣ thousands‍ of aliens​ streaming daily across the US border unvetted, or that the agencies under Homeland Security were helping ‍to ⁤distribute them into every corner of America by plane and ‍bus, giving them free cell phones, loaded debit cards, and other rewards for ⁣breaking the law.

“And that ‘lone wolf’ bit—is it possible that any number of them actually arrived as trained ‍and ⁤pre-organized cadres or squads? How ⁣would we know? Most of them‌ are military-age young men. Are these ⁤unreasonable questions to ask? And‌ if Hamas was so‌ supernaturally successful in⁣ secretly planning the mass murder and kidnapping operation of 10/7 from Gaza that‍ the ⁢world’s supposedly top⁢ intel agencies ⁣were blindsided‍ as it rolled out, why should Americans have any confidence that‌ the ​FBI has a clue what ‌any of those unvetted border-jumping mutts ‍are up⁤ to here? Especially since those free phones enable them to find each other and hook-up right from the get-go, without delay.”

Thousands ‌of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and signs denouncing “Israeli apartheid” march in ⁢Los Angeles on Oct. 14, 2023. (David ⁤Swanson/AFP via Getty⁣ Images)

Terrorists and Sleeper Cells

‍Also in August, The Epoch ⁤Times’s Eva Fu headlined, “FBI on Front Line in Fight Against CCP’s Covert War ‌on US.” She reported: “Forty Chinese ‍officers,⁢ a retired NYPD sergeant, two Navy sailors-turned-spies, and two ⁣minders of a secret Chinese police station in New York. These cases,​ and others, feed an ever-growing list of ⁣FBI investigations as the agency zeroes in on combating Chinese espionage operations, an arena it has branded its ‘top ‌counterintelligence ​priority.’”

What would these covert operators do if they were genuine “sleeper cells”? Let me speculate. The Chinese​ Communist‍ Party wouldn’t waste‍ them on ‌common terrorism. Instead, it would wait until an attack by Hamas or some‍ other terrorists started massacring people ⁢in the streets, in stores, and in their homes. Then the sleeper cell might shut down power stations, leaving millions of people in darkness as they’re being assaulted. The power station’s software might be sabotaged, or explosives used. Chaos would ensue.

In such a situation, those with “arms‌ of war” to defend their families would have a greater chance of survival than ⁤those disarmed by Mr. Newsom’s gun-control bills or his constitutional amendment.

Guns are as American as apple pie. Get yours, if you wish. Practice at a range. Exercise safety ‌there and at ‍home, ‍especially⁤ if you⁣ have children, the precious‍ ones you ⁤will be defending. Follow the law. Be alert. Get ready. Hamas could​ be coming.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the‍ author and ​do not necessarily reflect⁣ the views of The Epoch Times.

Why is the right to self-defense‌ considered ‍a⁤ fundamental human right, according to international law?

Tary,⁣ including ⁢the ​National Guard, is actually quite ⁣small. As of September 2022, there were approximately 1.strict gun control laws hinder the ability to combat terrorism similar to Hamas.”>4 million active-duty military personnel and 800,000 reserve personnel in the United States, according to the Department of Defense. Compare that to the estimated 466 million owned firearms in the⁢ country, and it becomes clear that the “militia” referred to in the Second Amendment encompasses a much broader group of individuals.

The⁣ Supreme Court ⁣ruling in the ‍Heller case ‌affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, not just in connection with ⁤service in an organized militia. This right ‌is crucial for self-defense and for the defense​ of one’s ‌family‌ and community. In fact, the right to ⁢self-defense is a fundamental human right, recognized by international law.

It ‍is worth noting that in countries with ⁣strict gun control laws, such as Israel, where the right to private gun ⁣ownership is ‌not guaranteed by law, civilians are often defenseless against ‌acts of terror or other forms of violence. The recent attack by Hamas in Israel serves as a stark reminder that even in a country ⁣with ⁤a strong military, unarmed​ civilians are vulnerable targets.

Gun control ⁢advocates often argue that stricter gun laws would prevent⁢ mass shootings and other acts of violence.​ However, it is⁤ important to recognize that⁣ criminals and terrorists do not abide by the law. ⁣They ‍will find ways to obtain firearms regardless of ⁢legal restrictions. Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens ⁢to defend‍ themselves only leaves them at the mercy of those who have no regard for the law.

Moreover, the vast majority of firearms‍ owners in‌ the United States are responsible individuals who use their firearms for self-defense, ⁤sport shooting, or hunting



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