Knives, 2A & the NRA: What Do They Have In Common?
Knives, 2A, & the NRA; what do they have in common? These constitutionally protected arms and groups are all under attack by the dangerous quacks on the Left.
First: Knives
We all have heard of the problems in the United Kingdom. First, they banned guns — and gun crime did not go down. Then they banned knives, and knife attacks continue to rise — topping 48,700 in 2023! But what are the Brits proposing? Make “Zombie” Knives ILLEGAL! I’m sure that will solve the problem.
Instead, try enforcing the law and holding people accountable! Unlike in California, where a killer stabbed her boyfriend 108 times and was given 100 hours of community service and probation because she was under the influence of cannabis at the time.
Our friends over at KnifeRights.org point out very eloquently that knives, although slightly less dangerous than handguns, are protected “arms” under the Second Amendment even under an intermediate scrutiny test. (The PDF of their discussion is embedded in the linked article and can be downloaded.) A shout-out to IFC’s friends over at AmmoLand.com for inspiring this part of this week’s President’s Message.
The National Rifle Association
As you have no doubt heard, there is a widely reported lawsuit against the NRA by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In the suit, she demands not just the prosecution of Wayne LaPierre, but the dissolving of the NRA. It would be understandable that an attorney general would go after what they think are prosecutable financial crimes (unless your name is Clinton, Biden, or any of a bevy of other famous leftist groups like BLM). However, once you demand the dismantling of your political opposition, you’ve moved past protecting the public interest, to banana republic totalitarian tactics.
The A.C.L.U. does not support the N.R.A. or its mission. We signed on as co-counsel because public officials shouldn’t be allowed to abuse the powers of the office to blacklist an organization just because they oppose an organization’s political views.
It’s not about the NRA, it’s about gun control and stomping out any opposition. This tweet on X, by Gene Wu, shows how the Left looks at us. (That’s the same Texas Democratic State Representative Gene Wu who fled Texas in 2021, to try to prevent a legally-required quorum from passing a voter integrity law). Now he wants the US Military to bomb gun owners.
It’s amazing to me how the leftists think that those drones and bombers fly themselves, or that American citizens who serve in the military or as law enforcement officers will blindly follow illegal orders to kill other Americans, “Because we said so”.
IFC 2A Lobby Day was a great success. But what the heck? This was the third year in a row we had another snow storm! In spite of that, over a hundred supporters showed up at the Iowa State Capitol building on a bitterly cold January morning last week. Further, we sold out the IFC-PAC Prime Rib Dinner that evening! Thanks to everyone who braved the weather to show their support for IFC and for the Second Amendment.
As always, IFC Volunteers and our legislative supporters came out and helped us with everything: from our opening prayer, to singing our National Anthem, to briefing the crowd. Our own Iowa Attorney General, Brenna Bird, then continued the program, discussing current court cases and federal legislative efforts that threaten our Second Amendment rights. She affirmed her continued support to defending our rights from an overreaching administration in Washington. We are fortunate to have such a fighter in the Attorney General’s office.
IFC Chairman, John McLaughlin took over then and asked a simple yet powerful question. If there is a fire in the room, do you grab a fire extinguisher, or do you wait for the fire department to show up? Why would we do anything different with our schools? It’s time to protect our kids and end gun-free zones in Iowa.
John then introduced Gabby Franco, this year’s featured speaker. We got to hear Gabby’s compelling story of becoming a Venezuelan Olympic Team Shooter, of leaving that country’s oppressive government regime and immigrating to the United States. Once in the U.S., she did not slow down. She has become an inspiring woman in the 2A community and has continued to speak to groups about how easily 2A rights can be taken, if we do not remain vigilant and stay engaged. She authored a book, TroubleShooting, and was a competitor on the TV show Top Shot. That evening, at the IFC-PAC Dinner, she provided more detail about her journey and finished the evening with a private Q&A session.
Sponsors & Supporters
Many thanks to our sponsors and supporting organizations who attended. Members got a chance to talk with the team from our sponsors CrossRoads Shooting Sports, and Black Flag Arsenal. Representatives from NRA-ILA were also there, and Turning Point USA.
Switching Gears: WTH?
Even gun control dangerous quack David Hogg made our point with this tweet on X!
Time for the Iowa Legislature to push back on EMC Insurance and demand that EMC, as it currently does in other states, cover Iowa School Districts who want to arm present, trained, and willing staffers to have the tools they need to stop school shooters in their tracks.
Help us educate Iowans on the facts by joining or renewing your IFC membershiphere today. And please stay Ready at All Times. And, if you missed this year’s event, plan to join us next year!
Shoot Straight, Speak The Truth, and Never Surrender Our Liberties.
Government experts in the various federal departments are sold to Americans as the “smartest people in the room”.
expert – noun: one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject
expert – adjective
having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience
Let’s just look at recent history of how crappy the highly credentialed, Ivey Leaguer’s are doing these days–
Dr. Fauci just admitted last week in questioning before a House Panel that the entire ‘social distancing’ requirement was just made up, and that the Wuhan Lab was the source of Covid-19. He may single-handedly be responsible for the deaths of as many as twenty million people.
It looks like “Mayor” Pete Buttigieg’s Federal Aviation Administration is suffering from a policy put into place during the Obama Administration. The policy not only excluded white males from recruitment to positions as air traffic controllers, but he is now looking to recruit people with severe intellectual and psychological disabilities to the FAA workforce. And Americans are wondering why Airbus is kicking Boeing’s butt in the airplane marketplace?
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH 2A ISSUES YOU MIGHT ASK?
These same people who have made a mess of everything they touch, want not only to allow an invasion of America’s Southern Border, but want you disarmed to boot.
Sorry, but I am not sorry for being suspicious of anything that comes out of nearly every government agency, nor should you be. America’s Founding Fathers understood the grave danger of the government having a monopoly on power. Today’s dangerous quacks in every department of the federal government are showing us exactly why we should be suspicious, and why that is dangerous.
I look forward to seeing you on this Thursday in Des Moines at IFC 2A Lobby Day.
If you take “Run, Hide, Fight” training being advertised following the horrific Perry tragedy, remember this is NOT a checklist or order of operation. It’s just options. Run, Hide, Fight is a government program that is in need of some updating.
As soon as you break out of the normalcy bias and realize those are gunshots and not fireworks, you have been granted an exception to do whatever gives you the current best option for living. Rules have left the building. All options are at your disposal. Students and staff need to know this. There will be no repercussions for trashing the classroom or leaving campus as fast as your feet will carry you.
Instead of “Run” think Escape. Throw a chair through the first floor window or whatever you need to do to get everyone in your immediate care away from the bad man. We will worry about “reuniting” families later. Somebody will have a phone.
Hiding under a desk is a good way to get everyone in the classroom killed (Uvalde). I’ve participated in plenty of “ALICE” trainings and everyone hiding under tables was easily shot like sheep (with harmless nerf darts.) Was very eye-opening for the pastors and staff. Even being out of view of the window slit in the door isn’t ideal. Many have died in school shootings when the gunman simply shot randomly through the walls.
Locking out and/or barricading the entry door can slow down the bad guy. It may give you a few seconds to provide whatEd Monk calls the “welcoming party” if escape is not possible, like on the upper floors.
The “Fight” really means Eliminate or Take Out the threat. You’ve been granted full license to unleash your inner beast and violently and ruthlessly demolish the bad man with impact weapons like fire extinguishers, furniture, or that giant blue world Atlas that Mrs. Freese knocked me right out of my desk with a blow to the head in fifth grade at Glidden-Ralston. (I was selling slingshots at school and classmates were firing pencils at the overhead projector screen.).
No matter what your personal decision is, several staff members need to eliminate the threat as the first option in order to prevent deaths in the precious few seconds after the killer starts. The best option with fewest casualties, and with nearly a 90% success rate when armed, is a team who are present, trained and willing. TheIowa Firearms Coalition Educator Academy was a good example.
I’ll take the cafeteria worker making peanut butter sandwiches and carrying a Glock under her smock instead of doing nothing while the body count rises every few seconds till the heroes arrive.
Yours in Freedom
John McLaughlin Chairman Iowa Firearms Coalition
Some references lifted from Ed Monk and Chuck Haggard.
PS: We know that economic times are tough right now, but to ensure that we at IFC & IFC-PAC can keep fighting for you please purchase your tickets to the IFC PAC Prime Rib Dinner on January 18th. Hopefully we’ll see you there, after meeting each and every one of you at IFC’s annual 2A Lobby Day that morning.
Help us educate Iowan’s on the facts by joining or renewing your IFC membershiphere today. And please stay Ready at All Times.
Happy New Year from the Free State of Iowa, which celebrated its 177th birthday on December 28th! It’s New Year’s Day 2024 as I write this. Many of you know how I wound up an Iowan. However, for those of you who do not, here is how it all happened. Having been born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and as a newly minted private pilot, I enlisted in the US Air Force expecting to see the world. The Air Force sent me to Omaha… Now that you’re finished laughing, it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.
You see, having grown up in even-then economically declining and freedom-crushing State of New York, finding the clear skies of Nebraska and Iowa at age eighteen was a Godsend. I then finished up my professional pilot flight training, graduated from the University of Nebraska (I know, my Huskers football team is not what it used to be). I ultimately received a Direct Commission as a Warrant Officer in the Iowa Army National Guard. I flew attack helicopters out of Waterloo for most of my Army career.
Why might I bring this up on New Year’s Day 2024 you might ask? Well, growing up in New York gives me a unique perspective on how rapidly those dangerous quacks on the Left destroy everything they touch. Be it States, corporations, institutions, or families. Point to anything that has gotten better by centralized government or totalitarian control in history. None of us can.
That’s why Free States like Iowa, Florida, and Texas continue to prosper, and Blue States like California, Minnesota, and New York are in economic collapse with exploding crime rates. We watch as the State of New York prosecutes our former President on “trumped up” civil financial fraud charges. It is glaringly apparent that if you get on the wrong side of the leftists in power, they will destroy you — by any means necessary. Who in their right mind would ever invest in New York State again?
2024 – Election Year
2024 is an election year. It’s obvious that one party is doing everything it can to disarm law-abiding citizens and ensure that it can exert one-party rule in perpetuity. Not just by controlling every institution of government, but also by ensuring it has a monopoly on power.
Rush Limbaugh used to say that the world is ruled by the aggressive use of force. The Left knows this, that’s why they want to disarm every one of us. Free People can fight back, slaves cannot.
Watch for legislative updates here from the Iowa State House over the next few weeks right here and on the IFC-PAC web pages.
I know that economic times are tough, but to ensure that we at IFC & IFC-PAC can keep fighting for you, please purchase your tickets to the IFC PAC Prime Rib Dinner on January 18th. Hopefully, I’ll see you there, after meeting each and every one of you at IFC’s annual 2A Lobby Day that morning.
Help us educate Iowans on the facts by joining or renewing your IFC membership here today. And please stay Ready at All Times.
Shoot Straight, Speak The Truth, and Never Surrender Our Liberties.
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Further, we sold out the IFC-PAC Prime Rib Dinner that evening! Thanks to everyone who braved the weather to show their support for IFC and for the Second Amendment.
She affirmed her continued support to defending our rights from an overreaching administration in Washington. We are fortunate to have such a fighter in the Attorney General’s office. 
Once in the U.S., she did not slow down. She has become an inspiring woman in the 2A community and has continued to speak to groups about how easily 2A rights can be taken, if we do not remain vigilant and stay engaged. She authored a book, 
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