USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the nation’s leading grassroots gun rights organization has accused a Seattle-based gun prohibition lobbying group of “siding with rioters, looters and urban terrorists in Portland, Oregon in an attempt to smear law-abiding gun owners,” after the anti-gun group sent an email blast that declared, “as federal agents descend on our communities, squash our right to peaceful assembly, and even injure us, the gun lobby is silent.”
“Peaceful assembly” in Seattle over the weekend was declared a riot by Seattle Police Saturday as 59 officers were reportedly injured. Rioters threw fireworks, rocks, and bottles at police, a construction site was set on fire and there was an attempted arson of a Starbucks coffee shop. Windows were smashed and buildings were vandalized.
In Portland Sunday night, the Portland Oregonian reported on the 60th consecutive night of protests noting, “What started as a relatively calm night devolved as some in the crowd launched fireworks toward the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Federal officers responded with gas and crowd-control munitions.”
The Sunday night outbreak was also declared a riot by Portland authorities. Further tarnishing claims that the assembly was “peaceful,” Fox News reported that authorities found a bag of loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails in a park area near the disturbance.
“We’ve seen some outrageous claims by the gun control crowd over the years,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but Friday’s fundraising appeal that tried to blame federal agents dispatched to Portland to protect federal property for continued riots is simply unconscionable.”
The Alliance’s pre-weekend email blast alleged, “The reports out of Portland are deeply disturbing. At the direction of the Trump Administration, federal agents have descended on the city turning the largely peaceful protests against racism and police brutality into violent clashes.”
Reacting to this narrative, Gottlieb quickly returned fire: “Like their usual anti-gun rhetoric, the false image of Portland’s protests the Alliance is trying to create is a myth and they know it. Street thugs, using legitimate demonstrations as cover, have rampaged in downtown Portland for about two months before the Trump administration sent federal agents to protect Government property.”
Two hundred miles to the north, in Seattle, federal agents reportedly sent to that city to protect federal property were not deployed during the Saturday riot.
A federal judge had issued an order Friday allowing Seattle police to use non-lethal crowd control devices blocking a city ordinance that prohibited their use. This brought a sour-grapes reaction from Socialist City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, who complained;
“Now a federal judge has shamefully ruled that these weapons can continue to be used by Seattle police. While the judge says this is temporary, our movement understands this is a serious threat. It is particularly chilling that this comes in tandem with Trump’s decision to send border patrol agents like an occupying army into Seattle.”
Rather than ensure that peaceful protestors are kept safe from federal agents, this court ruling reveals the brutality of American capitalism readying its full arsenal of weapons to attempt to violently suppress demonstrations.https://t.co/w6AOPGlTBe
— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) July 26, 2020
That Sawant would take some ownership of the demonstrations may have been a political misstep on her part. That remains to be seen.
But hers was not the only gaffe in the midst of continued urban violence. In its email blast, the anti-gun rights Alliance angrily announced, “Now, Trump has pledged to use these same authoritarian tactics in Chicago and Albuquerque, using gun violence as an excuse to deploy more federal troops.”
But no “troops” were involved, only federal civilian law enforcement agents.
AmmoLand looked at the carnage in Chicago a few days ago.
CCRKBA’s Gottlieb observed, “Would they rather allow the Windy City bloodshed to continue? Are they hoping for a higher body count, just so they can exploit the violence to push a gun control agenda that has been a complete failure?”
“It’s bad enough these wealthy elitists want to disarm law-abiding citizens,” he added, alluding to the fact that the Alliance is supported by Seattle-area billionaires. “Now they’re openly supporting urban terrorists who’ve been costing taxpayers and private businesses tens of millions of dollars. No wonder so many more Americans are buying guns for personal protection.”
Perhaps nothing more underscored that phenomenon than a letter sent by Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best to Seattle business owners and residents that was quoted by Westside Seattle.com. The letter was sent prior to the federal judge’s order, and it said, in part:
“Please also know that the City Council Ordinance 119805 Crowd Control Tool goes into effect this weekend on Sunday, July 26, 2020. This ordinance bans Seattle Police officers the use of less-lethal tools, including pepper spray that is commonly used to disperse crowds that have turned violent. Simply put, the legislation gives officers NO ability to safely intercede to preserve property in the midst of a large, violent crowd.”
The Seattle police chief is sending out letters telling residents: "We cannot enforce the law. You are on your own." pic.twitter.com/89jyezSBMS
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) July 25, 2020
Translation: “You may be on your own to prevent damage to your property.”
While it’s been peaceful during the daylight hours in Portland and Seattle, the situation has changed repeatedly after the sun goes down. The gun control crowd’s effort to associate gun organizations with law enforcement’s handling of the violent protests may only exacerbate the situation.
Gottlieb accused the gun control group of reaching “as low as they must in order to achieve their anti-gun rights goals.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
Train, practice, repeat, because I am my own first responder.
It is obvious that Antifa and its supporters are in fact the “action arm” of whatever party is seeking a violent Marxist revolution in the US, that many, if not all, the political leaders in the Northwest have been suborned by this group, and that their billionaire supporters are the people passed communist leaders referred to as “useful idiots.” The politicians and others who think they are using this group will soon discover that the tiger they were riding was carrying them to her den to feed her cubs.
Any and EVERY “politician” who is siding with these ANTI-AMERICAN DOMESTIC TERRORISTS —– MUST have —– a Mr. Roger Stone ARREST MANEUVER done IMMEDIATELY. Then a MILITARY TRIBUNAL held then CONSTITUTIONAL JUSTICE PROVIDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MYOL….Make Your Own List…..tick..tock…tick…tock…tick…tock
I do, and damn does just keeps growing like a weed.
Same as it ever was. I grew up near where the Brinks murders took place in 1981 at the old Nanuet Mall in NY. It was remnants of the weather underground, an early incarnation of ANQUEEFA. To this day, every Clarkstown, NY PO, every NYPD detective and FBI agent involved in that case have good reason to believe Bill Ayers and Bernie Dhorn, friends of 0bama had some involvement. Aside from the atrocity of it all this crime was committed with ILLEGALLY OBTAINED FIREARMS. Most of the perpetrators already had felonies on their records and had no business laying a… Read more »
The Seattle Police Chief is likely a short-timer. She very nicely put the council in its place. Seattle’s council has several socialist as members. Seattle voters are getting what they voted for.
they all are socialists.
The inarticulate Portland mayor said he supported the rioters. If he didn’t mean it he should have revisited his words and corrected himself. It was great to see him get gassed along with the terrorists.
If the ones in power at the local (city county, and sometimes state) levels of government do not put on their Big Boy Pants and begin to uphold their contractual obligations to the ones who have “hired” them, Federal level WILL step in, as is provided for in our Constitution. Trump can, and will, but hes also smart emough to not play king, His move to send agents to protect federal properties is a good one. Funny the dweebidiot Sawant in Seattle rails that “federal TROOPS have invaded, and the press reports that the Feds did not even show up… Read more »
Anarchy coming to liberal run states and cities near you.
Sawant needs to shut her piehole and be greatful that “we” haven’t moved on to lethal force. These assholes keep up with the destruction and sooner or later too many law enforcement injuries or death is going to call for the move from non lethal to lethal force.
Then things will calm down. About 5 to 10 body bags worth of “protestors “ and this shit will come to a screeching halt.
Lord knows I hate to see it but it is a possibility that is not too far from reality.
Makes me wonder if the west coast is trying to make their own little country. The g.d.p. of communist california alone is number 3 in the world. Too bad they are bankrupt. Just another example that socialism, communism, progressive democrazy only works until they run out of other people’s money. Wa. Or. and ca. are now communist states. There is very little true freedom to be found there. That is how communism starts, you surrender some of your freedoms and rights for the promise of more security, then you wake up in chains. There is legal wiggle room for Trump.… Read more »