U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “Florida semi-auto ban fails in 2020 with 19% of needed signatures,” AmmoLand correspondent Dean Weingarten informed readers Tuesday. “While touted in the legacy media and in proponents’ advertising as a ‘ban on assault weapons,’ the measure bans possession of virtually all semi-automatic rifles, many semi-automatic shotguns, but no handguns or pistols.”
Weingarten does a great job of showing us how the petition was based on ignorance and fraud, so there’s no reason to restate his work here. Instead, I’d like to ask a question repeated in the classic Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:
“Who are those guys?”
After all, if they are trying to infringe on our rights, shouldn’t we at least know who is attacking us, and importantly, who is either feeding them or pulling their strings?
“BAWN is leading the grassroots movement to put an amendment on Florida’s 2020 ballot to constitutionally ban the sale of assault weapons,” the group calling itself Ban Assault Weapons Now claimed on its petition page. First, there is no provision to do that “constitutionally,” and second, we still don’t know who the man behind the curtain is and what his special interests may be.
Oh, sure, we see it’s “leadership” consists of dropping names like oath-breaking political opportunist Ted Deutch and a dead Bloomberg mayor on the “steering committee,” that its committee members include David Hogg and various “survivors,” their kin and the like, and that other groups like Brady Campaign and Marx…uh…March for Our Lives are presented as “partners,” but that still doesn’t tell us who’s really running the show (with one exception, Gail Schwartz, who I’ll get to in a bit).
Why not?
Checking their URL on the “Who Is” registry is no help—they used a proxy out of Toronto.
So now what?
Their website lists a “Donate” feature, but that goes through Act Blue, a Democrat/ progressive” suckerfunding site, so we’re still no closer to getting names of any significant principals. Not very “transparent,” these gun-grabbers, are they? Still, we do find a clue, the same meatspace address that appears at the bottom of the BAWN site:
6619 S Dixie Hwy #148, Miami, FL 33143
It turns out that’s a box in a UPS Store in Miami and you can reach both BAWN “Chair” Gail Schwartz (who I mentioned earlier) and one Gloria Maggiolo. You can see that for yourself by doing an “entity name” search at the State of Florida’s Sunbiz.org Division of Corporations website.
Ms. Maggiolo evidently plays both sides of the street regardless of what they believe, because in addition to BAWN and Mary Barzee Flores, “a gun control advocate and critic of the National Rifle Association [who] will oversee consumer services for the department, including the concealed weapons permitting and licensing program,” the Tampa Bay Business Journal identifies her as “campaign treasurer” for Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, called “the most anti-gun Commissioner of Agriculture in over 40 years — maybe ever!” by former NRA President Marion Hammer.
I said “both sides” of the street” because another entity listed at Maggiolo’s SunBiz link is Javi for Congress, LLC, which the Federal Election Commission tells us:
“This committee is a Principal Campaign Committee. Candidate: Javier Manjarres Party: Republican Party.”
Manjarres, per Florida political analysis site FLAPOL, lost in a three-way primary where contestants were vying for the seat of the aforementioned Ted Deutch (small world, eh?). Per the “Issues” page on his discontinued campaign website (but copied at the time on my The War on Guns blog), he had pledged:
“The right to self-defense is protected by the 2nd Amendment. I will protect this most fundamental right by standing against those who are trying to undermine it. We can all come to the table and agree on enforcing sensible and existing laws that will keep us safe, but these laws can not undermine or erode the rights of law-abiding citizens.”
First of all, there are no “sensible and existing” Intolerable Acts, and what a load of crap his contention that infringements keep us safe. Still, his statement makes it fair to wonder how incestuous politics are, where fundamental principles don’t even enter into who you do business with (kind of like with NRA and its Obama and Hillary donor lawyer).
Anyway, we’ve taken some side tours, but aside from these “fun facts” and peculiar relationships, we haven’t really followed the money to a place that those seeding and feeding BAWN are. I suspect it’s because the “group” looks to be mostly there to make noise rather than get things done.
I say that based on its Facebook page with under 6,000 “followers” and its Twitter feed with under 200, and that’s despite all the free press the effort received. Ditto for Ms. Schwartz. Had a big national group funded this to any real extent, its footprint would be much larger, and one gets the feeling BAWN is more like a puff adder, venomous but nonetheless self-inflated to appear larger and more threatening than it is. That tells me that those with big money did not feel the timing was right – yet – to invest significant resources, but still found it convenient to support the petition enough to create a bluff against which gun owners would need to spend time that could be put to better use against more probable perils.
This points to a need for organized “gun rights” groups to perform and then publicize threat analyses subject to updates as conditions change. I can’t begin to tell you how many breathless fundraising alerts I receive wherein some rice bowl groups hysterically warn against this bill or that, only to check on sites like GovTrack to find the measure we were being all stirred up over had a “3% chance of passage” prognosis, like this one from, again, Ted Deutch.
Sure, we need to be aware of everything that approaches, and sure, it helps to show where the enemy would like to go if he could, but as a general practice, we also need to have our state and national leaders give us the real lowdown to help us direct where our attention and limited resources would best be placed. And then we ought to do a bit of checking ourselves.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
We forestalled that for a while in Arizona by going on the offensive — filing a ton of pro-gun bills each session that sapped the resources of the totalitarians, and managed to get us a few good gun law improvements each year. Now, of course, the entire state Republican Party has gone full retard, meaning this strategy is getting more challenging to execute.
“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms,but citizens who regard the preservation of Freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life”. President John F. Kennedy 1962. “We, the People, are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution”. Senate Candidate Abraham Lincoln, 1859. Since 1888, only 30 years since Abraham Lincoln said those words, Americans have kneeled and genuflected to government as master, be it city, state or federal. John Kennedy wanted Americans to take… Read more »
The militias where what took care of the Constitutional duty to defend our freedom. When they were disbanded back in 1903, I for one was not born. So to think that I deserve what happened because of the fools that allowed the Dick Act to eviscerate the 2nd amendment makes no sense. What we need to do is start reestablishing CONSTITUTIONAL militias on the county level in every state. Then get back to common law instead of statutory law. Militia’s will be able to convene grand juries and seek indictments of traitors to the Constitution. EVERY politician that swears the… Read more »
And also the ONLY amendment with the words “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”
Virginia, too, saw its rights being restored year-after-year, until this election cycle and legislative session. As we can readily see, it only takes one bad election to overturn decades of positive results.
This is why elections never really solve this problem. You cannot make a coin come up heads indefinitely.
Grassroots my eye. There are big players backing this movement. Regular folks don’t get passionate about anything unless motivated by funding from others.
I get Marion Hammer NRA alerts in my inbox, shoe does a really good job of keeping up on this garbage. That they came woefully short of signatures is not surprising either, but as David points out “not yet.” Anyway there is still a debate about how vague their description of “assault weapon” is, and done deliberately, which as I understand the FL Supreme Court hasn’t yet ruled on how vague the meaning of “assault weapon” is. This is nothing but a full blown semi-automatic firearm ban because as Ms. Hammer pointed out there are ways legally to configure just… Read more »
Have not seen THIS “definition” of “assault weapon” but I’l bet Dead Lincoln Promissary Notes to stale donut holes they’ve lifted that from the Bloomburg pieces of social disease antigun bills that have been floated (and sometimes passed into law) in places like Washington, Oregon, Nevada, etc.
I went to bed last Electioin Day in Novermber and did not own one “assault weapon”. When I woke up I learned that I owned somewhere near a dozen. Strange, that, I never did see the Amazon SMile van out front…..
An Amendment to a State Constitution that is contrary to the U.S. Constitution which is the Supreme Law of the Land would be ruled unconstitutional as the SCOTUS has already ruled that the 2nd. Amendment applies to the States.
There is nothing like a bunch of uneducated, indoctrinated useful idiot teenagers to be the spokespersons for the communist democrats and their attempt to create a communist United States. So, just about two weeks before a democrat brat shot up the school, after telling everyone he was going to do it, these kids were snorting condoms up their noses and eating Tide Pods. Keep things in perspective. Anything these useful idiots have to say is just about as important as a dog fart. Yes, Cruz was a democrat as he was a member of the ‘Young Democrats Club’. They should… Read more »
The eyes are the window to the soul, it’s been said. That woman holding the sign is one pitiful, lifeless, hollow and empty person and the younger one beside her displays a lack of original thought and self-determination. Stare into their eyes and you cannot help but see it. Especially the one holding the sign. Like staring into a complete void.
Sad.
Love reading your articles, David.
So true. They are mindless puppets. Not free-thinking Americans. Simply, indoctrinated robots.
Accountability is such a foreign word to the left. Which of course is why they are so full of hank-panky right now. There is talk that Buttigieg’s team rigged the Iowa caucuses in his favor, which is why it crashed, and why he declared victory even before they were held. It’s so “Donna Brazilian.” And oh! Look. Hillary’s fingerprints are all over this damn thing too! And of course this is where she rushes into save the day, now that everything has been put into turmoil, stating that she’s running again to have no fear Hillary is here! With the… Read more »
Just what this country needs… more clueless women. These libtards are bothersome.
“bothersome” Understatement of the decade.
(:
Then, some real American should be in the UPS store and see just who uses that box.
Take the fight to the communist democrats.
It must become very unhealthy to be a communist democrat or any scum who hates our Rights and the great document, our United States Constitution, that lists said Rights.
These “protestors” should be wondering who will protect them should they win and only the criminals will be armed, because those they are protesting for, are on the criminals side.
Bloomberg and Soro’s types pay them a lot of money as it is, everyone else, just like the protestors, is expendable. The moneyed people will be saved for last, the criminals know who butters their bread.
Thailand is a good example of how they are going to move this gun grabbing on the global scale, look how they are already trying to use it in this country.
So… if I’m a nationalist and believe in America First, but happen to be white, then I’m a terrorist. Swell!! I guess that means there’s tens of millions of us WHITE DEBBIL ‘terrorists’ running around!
You completely missed my point. Nationalism is the opposite of globalism and is a good thing. It is also “OK to be white”, even though saying that triggers racist leftys. But the MSM mashes white and nationalist together and acts as though that somehow equals nazi. Which it doesn’t. The problem is, they have been using the term “white nationalist” to mean ‘white supremacist desiring an ethnostate”. We need to take back the language and stop letting the commies Orwell us into 1984-style ‘Newspeak’. Beyond that, I dont care what your color is, if you’re a pro-one-world-government bootlicking statist, then… Read more »
@wjd Flatt Nationalism is the idea in putting one’s country first. That is why so many vile or tyrannical groups try to incorporate the term into their names to legitimize themselves publicly. White Nationalists are a racist group, a group which has nothing to do with simply being white and having a love for country. They use the name “Nationalist” to make it seem like if you stand against them then you stand against your own country. This is the same trick the Left pulls all the time. Here is another piece of evidence. Do not forget about National Socialists.… Read more »
@wjd
Oh I don’t do I? Then I would not know how they were started in Missouri and other southern states. How in the 1980’s they were involved in litigation, which they lost, to remove Martin Luther King day as a holiday, or that the founding idea behind them was that America should be considered a “White Nation”, one run by and with greater emphasis on people based solely on their race.
@wjd
I notice you aren’t providing any evidence for your claims. 🙂
So in spite of all the evidence we have about White Nationalist groups or the movement itself from its early inception in the first part of the 20th Century (“Birth of a Nation” was a white nationalist film shown in the white house by racist Woodrow Wilson, which led to the second formation of the KKK) your opinion is enough to over write and over rule history?
@wjd
So no evidence, and now you wish to bear false witness against someone just because you don’t like what they said.
So the other day when you were talking about how important following God’s commands was to you doesn’t apply here?
Perhaps you can answer these two questions then.
Does our founding Document say anything about whether someone must be white, black, Asian, Hispanic, or otherwise to be equal in standing?
Does the bible say only one ethnicity was made in God’s image?
Well, looks like Will had no reply but a downvote on that one.
Here is a tip people, the moment you have to pull out “F you and your evidence!” it’s pretty clear you’ve already lost both the argument and control over your emotions.
Being unable to answer two simple questions is another.
@USA
You seem to be one of the few who is understanding it.
@USA
I can understand and respect that.
I myself am a Christian Constitutionalist. That puts me way over on the Right side of the spectrum. But on top of that, I am also a historian concerned with the truth, which means I too am not afraid of upsetting those who would normally be considered to be on my side. The Truth is what should matter first and foremost.
@USA
Except from all evidence I have seen White Nationalists are not on the far right, most hold socialist views (Example David Duke).
More than likely he is just conflating his love for country and dislike for the lying media into one viewpoint, unless that he wants to clarify if he supports actual racism which I don’t believe to be the case.
@USA
If you are referring to the movement, yes many branches/groups are.
But it is nothing new. It’s been a Cancer to the country since the very beginning of the 20th century when the progressive movement hitched its wagon to it.
@USA
Acting out of hatred and spite was what Jesus called out the Pharisees for when he said the same thing to them “I know who your father is…”
That is a perfect example, considering I just had a discussion not too long back with a certain someone who told me how important God’s word was to them, but from all evidence it’s pretty clear they let hate take the lead instead of God.
@USA – I may be white, I may be a nationalist, but I’m NOT a ‘white nationalist’ in the nazi or the libtarded sense. I meant what I said about taking our language back from the Orwellian police state clown world globalist commietards.
But just wait, some commietard will take what I just said and twist it around to mean the exact opposite.
@wjd Flatt
Just as I thought you meant it to be, and yes there will be those in the Media and loonyville that want to turn it into referring to the groups/movement. It’s why I defended you on that belief. Appreciate you clarifying and removing any doubt some here may have.
Have a good night. I’m off to sleep.
A ‘nationalist’ is a person that loves their country.
Just because I am white, or any other color, is irrelevant.
Anyone notice that segregation is always on the little minds of the communist democrats?
Democrats ALWAYS look at color, sex, or whatever and segregate everyone into little boxes.
Democrats are the masters of division and segregation.
@tetejaun
That is a belief in Nationalism.
The Group named “White Nationalists” has a different belief set entirely as pointed out.
You are correct in that race/skin color/ethnicity has nothing to do with supporting nationalism.
That is what Will Flatt, USA, and myself have been trying to get across, to differentiate between groups who try to legitimize evil by usurping words and redefining them for their own ends.
@USA
Now there is a halfway rational way to look at it, though the left would still try to lump you in with the group.
Too many people are still not recognizing that there is a difference between groups usurping a definition and the word itself. Your initial post did touch on the truth behind it. It is an attempt to come up with an excuse to label and strip law abiding citizens of their rights.
@TR – Like “gun violence”. Have met far too many people who consider that phrase to be one word. They cannot conceive of violence without guns or guns without violence. Had a speaker talk about diversity and inclusions – who talked about a visitor who was frightened by men talking about going to shoot skeet… because she was not used to “gun violence”. I almost fell out of my chair at the incredible display of ignorance and prejudice. Seems as though many have read 1984 and studied use of language to control peoples throughts. It is actually far more effective… Read more »
@Finnky
Ignorance is a choice, and unfortunately there are a great many who choose to perpetuate it just because they hate when their opinions or ideas are proven wrong.
It is this simple action based upon nothing more than egotism and spite which propels such action beyond mere ignorance, and thus is better classified as “Delusion”.
Thanks again David for calling it the way it really is, and exposing the dirt on the players, since Little Quisling Harold refuses to. Hope you’ll join our petition at https://chng.it/Sjs8VzLz This underscores something else that Little Quisling Harold won’t ever tell his readers to do: 2A activists have to know who the players are at their state & local level. Ya gotta get out there and do some research on who you’re dealing with when you go to your state capitol and directly engage politicians. Know who backed them in their campaigns. Know where the money comes & goes.… Read more »
You and your stupid little petition. You just can’t let Harold go, can you? It’s almost as if you have a fetish for him. I think you actually “like” Harold if you know what I mean. Yeah, that’s gotta be it.
The “cancel culture” is alive and well on Ammoland.
So much hate. So much asshatery. Such a moron.
@Moe mensale And yet each of your words fit you to a tee. You have hate for people who speak out against people you like. It is not just because they speak out, you hate that they bring evidence that you cant argue against. Asshatery, you have it in spades. Since you came here you’ve been nothing more than a shill trying to cause problems. You have gone after people for holding him accountable for his words and actions, indeed trying to cancel them out. And yes, you are a moron. When pressed with evidence against Harold, you have routinely… Read more »
So, “moe”…are you another FBI pussy who gets his pathetic pecker semi-stiff by your ignorance, hate and asshat attacks of your betters?
You working hard for a promotion in the FBI Einsatzgruppen?
In 2016, only 43% of Republicans voted. I spend every weekend out knocking on doors and handing out flyers to people all over my state.
If conservatives refuse to do anything other than drink beer and watch TV, as their bellies get more & more large, do not expect things to change.
Anyone not out canvassing for Republican votes is a just another democrat.
And now we have “Republicans” like Rubio and Graham who work to violate the second Amendment
Here is eight more, and this is only on one example… There are more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvS47UwFlnw
Any retard who votes Republican “Just because” is as bad as a Democrat. Of course, there are plenty of people who are too lazy to get off the couch, like drinking beer, and think that by simply voting for an “R” on the ballot will fix things. People should not abdicate their responsibility to a political party out of laziness.
If the NRA still wants to make a gesture of being effective, I don’t see why it is not engaged in giving everyone who might care about gun rights regular updates on where the battle stands. (For example, after many years of being a life member, I have come to know of several programs that they claim to have, but I know almost nothing about them, and since I chose to receive my National Rifleman magazines online, they have for years ceased to inform me of when the latest issue comes out; they even accept me in a monthly payment… Read more »
The NRA is worse than what you just described, Bill. It has been stabbing gun owners in the back for almost 100 years, AND BRAGGING ABOUT IT! Who GAF about educational and training programs when they’re sucking up members’ & donors’ money, spending it on themselves instead of the 2A fight, and then betraying us on every policy point.
AGAIN, the LIES from GOA.
Will, since you are SUCH A REAL TOUGH GUY, why don’t you PRODUCE any ACTUAL NRA writing where they do what you posted here?
Your lies PROVE you are a pawn of the communist democrats.
Will Flatt, you truly are a useful idiot in the sense that Vlad Lenin stated that term.
This isn’t GOA’s claim so shut up. Do an internet search you lazy tool, you’ll see for yourself. A lot of these facts come from the NRA’s own publication, from their own leadership’s mouth. You must be mighty butthurt and triggered by these facts which actually proves my point. Have a nice day.
There’s a treatment for that.
I feel you are insincere. I have been an NRA Life Member since 1979 and have never had any problem. Your post is non sequitur as I am regularly updated in all matters concerning our Second Amendment Rights and unconstitutional laws being pushed by the communist democrats. As for collecting money, the SAF, GOA, CCRKBA, GRC and many more do exactly that. Though I am a member of SAF & GOA, along with the NRA, I try to support anyone who will deter these communist democrats, although, only when the American people GROW SOME BALLS and go the D.C. and… Read more »
You lie. The NRA has never betrayed the Second Amendment. You believe the lies of SAF and GOA. Your ignorance makes me laugh.
@tetejaun
You lie, and you lie about other people being liars.
You were shown/given a video of an NRA commercial with one of their chief spokespeople calling for the creation, passage, and implementation of Red Flag laws. You went silent and stopped responding after that. It has now happened at least three times previously.
Other cases and evidence has been provided. Whether you agree with it or not, it is the truth and facts show the NRA has betrayed the 2nd Amendment and helped the left pass infringements against it.
The 19th Amendment has been disastrous for this country. REPEAL!
When Women Wake Up To The FACT that a Restraining Order is Just a Piece of Paper, maybe, just maybe things will change, until then Make Sure You Teach Your Daughters to Shoot.
Sure we know, you have two choices.
1- BLOOMBERG
2-SOROS
Soros is a “multi-trillionaire?” Wow. That’s gotta piss off Jeff Bezos something fierce! I bet Forbes and some other organizations would pay big bucks to have your financial insight and acumen available to them.
Soros and Trump in 2020? Get outta here! You’re pulling our collective legs, right? You know Georgie can never be president of the US. Do you know why? I bet you do! Or maybe you don’t.
Such stupidity on full display for all to see.
The weapon will NOT operate without a finger on the trigger, FACT ! Maybe if these children treated other children better AND reported those who are disturbed by those mistreating them there would be less or zero gun violence…. The root cause is NOT the gun, but the treatment the person holding the gun is receiving from their “friends”. The ALWAYS present “yeah, I knew thew were going to snap” or “they were picked on nonstop” crap comes out AFTER they snap… The sign she is holding should be a cell phone WITHOUT the red crossbar and the words *COMMON… Read more »
Common sense? I think not. Common sense says, if someone has a gun and, you try to take that gun, chances are good that they’ll shoot you with it.
Enough of this leftist transparency crap. They don’t want you to be able to follow the money because funding is most likely from a household name. Snakes usually hide before they strike.
On sign in picture, does AR in front of ban sign mean that guns overrule bans? Love the literal meaning (guns over bans) but hate the imagery and misunderstandings which run rampant.
They should call themselves Ban Rifles And Weapons Now Organization, or BRAWNDO.
“Who wants to break it to them that the red slash is supposed to go in front of the gun?”
It does, but she drew the gun first without planning ahead.
Just one more reason to OUTLAW “black” guns!
Gee whiz Mr. Hogg, don’t you have a protest to stir up somewhere??