Dana Loesch

These days are quite divisive. They never fail to make your ever-lovable Grey Beard Biker take pause – and inventory – of the things which are important to us. Specifically, the 1^st and 2^nd amendments. Freedom of Speech and the right to “Keep and Bear Arms” are central to the founding and long-term health of the United States. Today, the liberal Mainstream Media (MSM) and many leftist congresspeople would like to take action to restrict both amendments.

First, let’s look at some of the assaults on the 1^st Amendment – specifically its clauses which provides us Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Assembly. We see blatant disregard for this from the MSM and liberal politicians.

The left is constantly trying to restrict Freedom of Speech. It is done by squashing conservative speech on social platforms where Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are throttling conservative free speech. They restrict who can see our posts and even our search results on Google, Yahoo and Bing. They do not want our message getting out.
Today’s press is highly aligned with liberal and socialist ideologies. When breaking news which does not fit their narrative takes place, you will hardly see a mention of it in print or any major network (NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN Et. Al.) – a good example of which is the recent mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. None of the supposed “unbiased media” mentioned that the shooter was a YUGE supporter of Elizabeth Warren.
Freedom of Assembly is being trampled on constantly by politicians, hate groups (Antifa) and social justice groups like the Women’s March. These groups will counter protest against non-violent assembly of conservatives at every turn. Antifa, specifically, will resort to violence against groups they do not agree with, as witnessed recently in Portland, Oregon.
Liberal legislators continually attack Trump, and his supporters, as being Racist Xenophobes, to try and extinguish our message. This is pure hatred and is used to suppress our voices.

Red Flag Laws Are Harmful to the Second Amendment

The latest feel good “commonsense” gun reform, being proposed regularly, appears to be so-called Red Flag Laws. These are also known as (AKA): Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). They are being positioned as a regulation which the majority of law-abiding gun owners support. This is pure hogwash. Once you understand more about these ridiculous laws, no law-abiding gun owner – especially those who partake in Concealed Carry – would ever support these laws.

Several states have passed ERPOs including Vermont, Washington, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada, Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Colorado, Maryland, Delaware, Hawaii and Florida. What’s most surprising about this list is that several of these states have been considered very Pro-2A: Nevada, Indiana and Florida. Florida enacted their Red Flag Law in the wake of the Parkland Shooting.

So, what specifically do most of these Red Flag Laws attempt to do? In the event that someone you know considers you a danger to yourself, or others, they can go to a court and seek an ERPO against you. If the judge grants the motion for the ERPO, law enforcement will come to your home, unannounced, and remove all of your guns. This may seem “commonsense,” but it is anything but. The biggest issue with these laws is what talk radio host, Dana Loesch (Dana Radio) calls, “inverted due process.” These ERPOs are granted Ex Parte. This means that you are not able to be there to represent yourself. Hell, you won’t even know it’s going on until they come for your guns. If you were aware this was taking place you would have the opportunity to hire an attorney and defend yourself against what is nothing more than an illegal seizure of your personal property. Making matters worse, in some states, is that an ex-spouse/lover, neighbor, acquaintance or even someone who barely knows you can make such a claim – not just someone very close to you. This is a total perversion of another one of our Bill of Rights: Amendment IV, regarding unreasonable searches and seizures.

The last pitfall of these laws is that in most cases, besides being “guilty until proven innocent,” you have very limited recourse to repossess your improperly seized property (guns). Most of the states with these laws require you wait a specified amount of time to petition the court to remove the ERPO. Plus, there is a cost to do so, as you will probably have to hire an attorney to represent what should be an inalienable right – the right to keep and bear arms – a right which the 2^nd Amendment says, “shall not be infringed.” Obviously, the leftists do not care about this amendment.

Act today. Contact your state, local and Federal legislators and let them know you do not want them to support Red Flag Laws!

The Grey Beard Biker™️
gbb@TheGreyBeardBiker.com
@Biker4Life on Gab

Oliver North & Chris Cox

If you read my last article, you know of the troubles NRA’s relationship with Ackerman-McQueen have caused the gun rights group. There were allegations of Ackerman overcharging the NRA for services or even charging them for consulting they provided other companies. The NRA sued Ackerman-McQueen – which will inevitably result in testimony coming forth airing NRA’s dirty laundry – the skeletons in their closest, so to speak. After filing suit, Oliver North came forward to Wayne LaPierre with information that Ackerman-McQueen had an incriminating letter they were going to make public. This promptly led to Oliver North’s termination as NRA’s president. The reason circulating the internet: LaPierre claimed North was trying to blackmail him into retirement. The NRA promptly sued North earlier this month, claiming he had attempted a coup to remove LaPierre.

Additional inner turmoil led to the resignation (firing?) of NRA’s 2nd in charge, Chris Cox, who is also being implicated as being involved in the “alleged” coup. This is bad. Cox has built the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action into a lobbying powerhouse. Most pro-gun legislative victories were a direct result of NRA-ILA. No one can possibly know what the ramifications of Cox’s departure will be for the NRA – and for gun rights.

NRATV

The National Rifle Association also announced recently the shuttering of NRATV. This is somewhat understandable as it was created through their partnership with Ackerman McQueen. But the content associated with NRATV: Cam & Company, Love at First Shot, NRA All Access, Dana Loesch and Friends of NRA have provided the NRA a huge PR boost. Grey Beard watched these programs regularly and was always impressed with the depth of the content and the great opinions expressed by its pundits. NRATV was the publicity arm of the association and closing down shop is not good for any Second Amendment supporters.

Wayne LaPierre

For those of us on the outside looking in, it would appear that Wayne LaPierre is trying to protect his fiefdom. LaPierre has been instrumental in the growth of the NRA over the past two decades. His leadership has always seemed solid and he proved to be a good spokesman for the association. But he has been tied to some of the scandals – and if not directly – he was in charge when they were all taking place. Some of the more salacious accusations are:

Lavish spending by LaPierre on clothing and travel

$1.4 million salary – significantly out-pacing other non-profit CEOs

Culture of fear within the organization

Underfunded employee pension (while LaPierre has a golden parachute) – currently running a $41 million deficit

LaPierre’s alleged affair with intern Megan Allen – which may have resulted in a Beverly Hills shopping spree costing $39,000 (paid for by their ad agency but ultimately by the association) – and the association paying $13,800 for rent for the summer intern

In Closing…

We need the NRA. This is beyond question. But we need a strong association which is laser focused on protecting the Second Amendment. As my friend, Mark Walters, of Armed American Radio, recently stated, “The optics are bad for the NRA.” Your lovable Grey Beard Biker thinks fundamental change at the National Rifle Association is in order. It starts at the top. It’s time for LaPierre to retire and new people – with fresh ideas – to come “right the ship.” What are your thoughts?

The Grey Beard Biker™️
gbb@TheGreyBeardBiker.com
@Biker4Life on Gab
Proud Lifetime Endowment Member – National Rifle Association