NYC Congressional Candidate Unveils Bonkers Gun Control Proposal

If it weren’t for his family’s connections to the Kennedy clan, Jack Schlossberg’s congressional campaign wouldn’t be attracting much interest. Since Schlossberg is the grandson of John F. Kennedy, Jr., though, he’s getting a ton of media coverage (and help from national figures in the Democrat Party) in his campaign to replace Jerry Nadler in a district that runs through the heart of Manhattan. 

And since NY-12 is one of the most liberal congressional districts in the country, Schlossberg isn’t running on a platform that resembles anything his grandfather might have supported. JFK, after all, was an NRA Life Member who understood the need for an armed citizenry. Schlossberg, on the other hand, wants to use the power of Congress to punish states that embrace the right to keep and bear arms instead of adopting draconian gun laws like the ones found in New York. 

“There’s an illegal flow of guns into states across the country from a couple states with weaker gun laws,” he said. “We should at least have a penalty to make sure that we can fund enforcement of this common sense idea.”

The move was prompted by “a gun epidemic that is hurting New York,” Schlossberg said.

“We’re calling it the ‘Ricochet Rule’ because guns ricochet into New York from other states but accountability should as well.” 

He added: “It’s very important for New York City because the vast majority of guns that are used in crimes are exported from states with weak gun laws and into our state with strong gun laws.”

The states with a “disproportionate number” of guns found in connection with crimes in New York would be fined and the money would be given to the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kennedy heir said.

Oh, so now we’ve gone from Democrats blaming gun makers for the actions of criminals to Democrats blaming red states for crimes committed in blue states. 

There are a few problems with Schlossberg’s bill, even from a gun control perspective. First, if this is meant to put pressure on states to adopt “universal” background checks, then why not just draft a bill, you know, imposes background checks on all private transfers of a firearm? 

True, a bill like that couldn’t get through Congress today, but neither could Schlossberg’s proposal. And if Schlossberg did have the votes for his ridiculous “Richochet Rule”, then the votes for imposing universal background checks would almost certainly be there as well. 

Let’s assume for the sake of argument, though, that for whatever reason anti-gun Democrats decided to go with Schlossberg’s big idea instead of adopting a gun control measure they’ve been trying to implement for decades. What is a “disproportionate” amount of guns? Does the age of the gun matter at all, or is a revolver originally sold twelve years ago treated the same as a handgun that was purchased just a few months earlier? 

For that matter, does the reason for the ATF trace make a difference? According to ATF’s 2023 trace data, the number one reason for a trace in the Empire State was simply “possession of weapon”, which in itself isn’t an a violent offense or an indication that the gun was used in a crime. 

The ATF trace data also shows that vast majority of firearms traced in New York had originally been sold at retail more than three years prior, which is more indicative of guns being stolen than straw purchased. And the number one source state of firearms recovered and traced in New York is… New York. Maybe Schlossberg’s bill could be tweaked to fine New York counties that account for a “disproportionate” number of firearms recovered and traced in the Big Apple. 

This is nothing more than pandering to the anti-gun sentiments in NY-12, but either Schlossberg thinks his potential constituents are too stupid to realize the futility of his bill… or he himself is too dumb to have considered the pointlessness of his proposal. 

Editor’s Note: Christmas is coming a little early here at Bearing Arms! 

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