The liberal media don’t even know what gun laws are on the books, yet they’re trying to dictate the laws that would see many firearms stolen from average Americans. Such was the case on Tuesday’s edition of the always-off-the-rails Deadline: White House on MSNBC. Between former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi and former conservative radio host turned Bulwark sellout, Charlie Sykes, they would have you believe anyone can purchase a fully “automatic” firearm anywhere and that background checks don’t exist.
Asked by fill-in host and leftist radical John Heilemann to speak for all law enforcement agencies in the U.S. for what gun control measures they wanted, Figliuzzi suggested they wanted “permit or license to buy a gun” and a “want people to be checked” before they purchase a gun, and so-called “red flag laws.” “They would love to see some tighter control on automatic [weapons],” he added.
Automatic weapons have been banned in the U.S. since the early 1900s when criminals associated with resisting prohibition were running rampant with them. Currently, the only ways to own a fully automatic weapon is to obtain a Class 3 firearms license (which in and of itself is a colloquial term), which can only be issued by the ATF and is mainly reserved for gun dealers and manufacturers or a tax stamp, which again involves the ATF.
So Frank, how do you propose putting “tighter control” on that? Or do you not know what you’re talking about?
Figliuzzi was supposedly speaking for all, if not most law enforcement agencies. And yet, Sheriff’s offices in Colorado, New Mexico, and New York (to name a few) have either refused to enforce new gun control measures or have publically spoken out against them. Who he was speaking for was the departments in liberal cities.
In the second hour, Heilemann looked to Sykes to fret about the state of our democracy if we don’t pass sweeping gun restrictions (even though we’re a constitutional republic for just this kind of impassioned fever spell). “If we can't enact them into legislation – I would say if we couldn't enact them a decade ago but certainly after Uvalde – if we can't enact them, what does it say about the state of American democracy?” he proclaimed.
“And I'm really glad you raised that because I don't want to be really too dark about all this, but the great threat to democracy is its failure to deliver,” Sykes warned.
Further, he lashed out at Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) and suggested that background checks don’t exist or aren’t widely utilized when selling firearms:
And you know, Nick made a great point here. The debate is not over these specific pieces of legislation, because what is the case against red flag laws or against background checks? People like Ted Cruz say, you know, that we need to focus more on mental health. Well, okay, fine, but that's completely meaningless, then, if you don't allow background checks so that police can determine whether or not somebody who is mentally ill and dangerous can get a gun.
Back here in reality, background checks are a federally mandated requirement for buying a gun. There is no state in which background check do not occur. This is a common demand the liberal media make when they falsely claim that a “gun show loophole” exists. They also don’t understand that firearms purchased online need to be transferred to licensed gun dealers where a background check is then performed.
These falsehoods about gun laws was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Wayfair and Walmart. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC’s Deadline: White House
May 31, 2022
4:36:03 p.m. Eastern(…)
FRANK FIGLIUZZI: This is easy for me because so many police organizations have already spoken what their posture is on this, including by the way, the largest law enforcement association in the state of Texas that came out publicly against the governor last September 1 when he said you don't need training, permit or license to buy a gun.
Law enforcement officers want people to be checked. They want the universal background check. They would love to see some tighter control on automatic or semiautomatic long guns, so raising the age, for example, to 21 is most police officers agree to that. They would love red flag laws on a national basis.
(…)
5:17:06 p.m. Eastern
JOHN HEILEMANN: Charlie, universal background checks, red flag laws, raising the age for ownership of semiautomatic rifles, these are all issues as I said a second ago that are supported by more than 80 percent of Americans. If we can't enact them into legislation – I would say if we couldn't enact them a decade ago but certainly after Uvalde – if we can't enact them, what does it say about the state of American democracy?
CHARLIE SYKES: Well, see, that's the challenge. And I'm really glad you raised that because I don't want to be really too dark about all this, but the great threat to democracy is its failure to deliver. If people begin to think that you don't have a government that can do its basic functions like keep your child alive, then you have a real crisis here.
And you know, Nick made a great point here. The debate is not over these specific pieces of legislation, because what is the case against red flag laws or against background checks? People like Ted Cruz say, you know, that we need to focus more on mental health. Well, okay, fine, but that's completely meaningless, then, if you don't allow background checks so that police can determine whether or not somebody who is mentally ill and dangerous can get a gun.
(…)
