Crosstalk: April 13, 2016

While Second Amendment issues may not always get front page attention or top billing on radio and TV newscasts, undercover there are always attempts being made to advance gun control. Joining Jim to present an update on Second Amendment issues was Alan Gottlieb. Alan is the chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. He's authored some twenty books including, 'Shooting Blanks: Facts Don't Matter to the Gun Ban Crowd' and 'Assault on Weapons: The Campaign to Eliminate Your Guns'. He is also the publisher of TheGunMag.com and The Gottlieb-Tartaro Report. In 2014 Alan appeared on Crosstalk warning listeners about a Justice Department program that aimed to put the financial squeeze on the gun industry called 'Operation Chokepoint'. There was some public backlash yet there were remnants remaining because we're still hearing about gun businesses being denied funds or lines of credit. Alan said that while the program still exists, it's no longer aimed at gun dealers. The problem we now have is that the individuals that proposed it, with the support of Michael Bloomberg, are putting pressure on various banks and financial institutions not to lend to anyone dealing in firearms. In other words, the program is 'sticking' which is forcing gun businesses to try and find another bank to do business with. So it's basically the demonization of guns, gun owners and those in the retail firearms business. President Obama has been under subpoena to release documents from the 'Fast and Furious' program that allowed guns to end up in the wrong hands. In fact, even some of our own border patrol agents were killed by guns that were part of this program. Some Republicans are saying that even though they've just received documents related to 'Fast and Furious', it's only a small amount of what's been requested. Alan confirmed that the documents Congress hasn't received are the 'smoking gun' that prove what's going on in that program. Whether these documents are ever turned over may depend upon who becomes the next president and who their attorney general is. As this program moved along, Jim had Alan comment on the following: --Why 260,000 veterans are having their gun rights revoked. --California's Safety for All Act. --The gun record of Judge Merrick Garland. --The DC v. Heller court case. --President Obama's actions make it seem as though he wants to release prisoners so that as they commit more gun crimes it will allow him to further his gun control agenda. Is that possible? --What exactly is 'Constitutional Carry'?