by Bob Barr | Dec 4, 2018 | Uncategorized |
The Daily Caller In one of the more blatant examples of a federal agency abusing its power and usurping the power of Congress to legislate, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), reportedly is ready to declare that “bump stocks” are “machine guns” and therefore unlawful to be possessed, except under strict licensing. Gun control activists certainly will cheer this action once it is finalized (which reportedly will be later this month), and the average citizen, if asked, likely would agree that bump stocks should be illegal following the well-publicized use of such a device by mass murder Stephen Paddock in Las Vegas in October 2017. The manner by which the administration is going about making the devices unlawful, however, should be of great concern to all Americans who care not only about sound federal firearms policies but, even more important, the rule of law. Normally, and according to Article I of our Constitution, if the government deems certain activity — such as possessing a machine gun — to be of sufficient danger and therefore should be illegal, the Congress (not an Executive Branch agency) passes legislation to that effect. If signed by the president, that activity becomes unlawful. This is what occurred in the immediate aftermath of Prohibition when the National Firearms Act of 1934 went into effect. That Act defined what a “machine gun” is (essentially a firearm capable of firing more than one round with a single pull of the trigger) and declared that only licensed persons strictly regulated would be permitted to possess such a firearm. The Gun Control Act of 1968 added further restrictions in this area....
by Bob Barr | Nov 28, 2018 | Uncategorized |
Townhall.com In many ways, President Donald Trump’s border fight is a battle on two fronts; one at the border with Mexico, and the other in the federal court system. Reports of violence against U.S. Border Agents at our southern border with Mexico should remind us that securing the border is a fundamental responsibility of the President. To at least some left-leaning federal judges, however, that responsibility is so unimportant that they have attempted to tie both of Trump’s arms behind his back as he tries to gain control of the chaos down south. It is fast reaching the point at which a fundamental decision must be made; one with profound consequences: who runs our country, the president or the unelected judges? The spark igniting this constitutional fire may very well be upon us if President Trump closes the border with Mexico, in the face of an imminent threat of a horde of non-citizens pressing to cross into our country unlawfully, and keeps it shut down until Mexico deals with the problem on its side of the border. If a federal judge is then found who is more sympathetic to improving the quality of life for citizens of other countries than to reaffirming the authority of an American president to protect our constitutional Republic, and enjoins Trump from thus acting, we will have to confront the question that worried our Founding Fathers – are there any limits to what judges can decree? As constitutional conservatives, our default position is, and should be, that we are a “nation of laws not of men”; a sentiment dating back to 1803’s Marbury v. Madison opinion by Chief Justice...
by Bob Barr | Nov 21, 2018 | Uncategorized |
The Washington Times By Bob Barr and Ronnie Shows For decades, starting in the mid-1960s, the federal government has fought to reduce the number of Americans who smoke cigarettes and use other forms of tobacco. This was a good thing, since there are a number of ill-health effects clearly attributable to using tobacco products. In recent years, a product has entered the marketplace that provides a cheaper alternative to smoking tobacco that does not cause the bad health side effects as smoking: Vaping. A vaping device, which can be as small as a computer thumb drive, has a tiny, battery-driven heating element and a small container of liquid containing flavored nicotine. When the user draws on the device, the heating element heats a small amount of the liquid, which becomes a vapor (technically, an “aerosol”). The vapor or aerosol thus produced appears like smoke, but it isn’t; and current research has found that it contains none of the carcinogens that make smoking tobacco so harmful. There are between 9 million and 10 million regular adult “vapers” in the United States alone, many of whom are former tobacco smokers. While vaping is not “healthy,” it is much healthier than smoking and millions of Americans who were or would be tobacco smokers are not, thanks to the advent of vaping. Of course, as with any burgeoning industry, companies have sprung up that develop, produce and market the components of vaping devices. One of these is Juul, a company with roots in the start of the vaping industry in 2007, but which boomed in 2017 with the introduction of the sleek, Juul device. So, here...
by Bob Barr | Nov 21, 2018 | Uncategorized |
Townhall.com In recent years, “Blue State/Red State” maps have become a ubiquitous, shorthand way to describe our political landscape. Unfortunately, and much like how a carnival hypnotist employs a soothing and repetitive motion to transfix his victims into behaving absurdly, many Republican pundits appear to have become so mesmerized by seeing “Red States” as “Republican,” that they have failed to recognize — much less understand — the significant demographic and political changes that have taken hold within those state; changes that have rendered traditional notions of political analysis largely ineffective. You do not have to be a high-paid political consultant to see this. As I traveled the country for business and pleasure in recent years — visiting “Red States” like Texas, Iowa and Montana (including, of course, my home state of Georgia) — I saw (and continue to see) example and after example of state and local “Republican” officials respond to voters’ desires to improve their “safety” and “quality of life,” by increasing spending and services. Even in traditionally Republican enclaves, voters are electing and re-electing officials who are eager to meet those desires, by raising taxes, “fees” and public debt, and by placing further controls on businesses. All this in an effort to satisfy largely suburban voters’ demands for everything from parks to aquatic centers and billion-dollar sports arenas. This game plan becomes a habit that increasingly acclimates voters to view intrusive government at all levels, as benign. In such an environment, it is only a small step for voters to choose candidates for office who are ever more willing to meet their desires for expanded and “improved” government services; in short,...
by Bob Barr | Nov 19, 2018 | Uncategorized |
Townhall.com Largely lost in the massive attention focused on the electoral results of 2018’s congressional voting, were the many ballot initiatives and state constitutional amendments on which votes were cast. These ranged from victims’ rights to environmental issues and voting rights for ex-felons. One of the more important of these issues, at least from a national policy perspective, were the half dozen ballot questions liberalizing state laws on marijuana. The stars may now be aligning in such way that the federal government will either follow the states and relax marijuana possession laws, or at least formally back off and leave those states that have done so, alone. As a result of the November 6 elections, 10 states and the District of Columbia now permit adult recreational use of marijuana. This reality would have been virtually unimaginable less than two decades ago when I served in the House. The trend toward legalization of adult toking, coupled with the change in the House majority from Republican to Democrat that will take place formally in two short months, significantly improves the chances that the federal government’s position – which still classifies marijuana as among the most dangerous of “controlled substances” – will actually soften. The forced departure of Attorney General Jeff Sessions – long a foe of relaxing any marijuana laws or policies, including its use for purely medicinal purposes — may provide the accelerant needed for such an event to ignite; especially since President Trump has spoken in favor of leaving the question of adult marijuana use up to the voters in the several states. It now is apparent, at least...
