A few high-spending, gun-control fanatics turned to the state level in 2014 after massive failures to impose more weapons restrictions at the national level and were resoundingly successful on their primary battleground, Washington state.
That's where voters approved expanded "background checks" for gun transfers that are far more demanding than anywhere else. Critics explain that now if a teen would grab his shotgun, purchased under his father's name, and go out hunting without his father, he would be breaking the law unless his father had paid for a background check on his own son.
And their plans are to unleash the same strategy on other states in coming elections, it has been confirmed.
Now the effort has earned its leader, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the No. 1 ranking in the Top Ten Anti-Gunners for 2014, announced by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
TRENDING: To DEI for
"The people on this list have worked very hard to undermine the civil rights of every American citizen who owns a firearm, or may one day want to, and they deserve vilification," CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said.
He said Bloomberg spent $50 million to create Everytown for Gun Safety, the anti-gun lobbying organization. He helped finance the Initiative 594 gun-control campaign in Washington state, and he is supporting a similar effort in Nevada.
Others on the list include Paul Allen – the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft and principle owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers – who spent a half-million dollars on the I-594 campaign in Washington state.
Third was Steve Ballmer, another Microsoft alumni and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who added more than $1 million to the I-594 effort.
Next was Hillary Clinton, who supported the unratified United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and has complained that gun owners "terrorize" people by defending the Second Amendment.
No. 5 was Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor who lobbied for the far-reaching "Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act," which, CCRKBA said, "is responsible for job losses in addition to penalizing every gun owner in the state."
The rest of the list:
No. 6: Rahm Emanuel – "The vehemently anti-gun mayor of Chicago whose administration has stubbornly resisted adoption of rational gun policies that would allow citizens to defend themselves against out-of-control violence in the Windy City."
No. 7: Bill Gates – "This billionaire Microsoft co-founder and his wife contributed more than $1 million to the I-594 gun control effort, thus helping to pay for one of the most insidious political campaigns in the United States."
No. 8: Nick Hanauer – "Another elitist Seattle-area billionaire who launched the I-594 gun control campaign and poured more than $1 million into the effort. His deplorable effort to exploit the Pilchuck High School tragedy by sarcastically suggesting that, 'We need more school shootings' was an offensive new low in anti-gun politics."
No. 9: Eric Holder – "The outgoing U.S. attorney general fought to stall release of thousands of documents related to the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, final losing his battle in federal court this past fall."
No. 10: Shannon Watts – "As founder of the Bloomberg-supported Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Watts has spread disinformation about gun crime and campaigned against laws that bolster personal protection outside the home."
The organization also delivered "dishonorable mention" titles to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for wanting to resurrect one-gun-a-month legislation in his state; Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who both have pressed their gun-control agendas, driving businesses and jobs out of their states; California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who has steadfastly defended arbitrary and discretionary concealed carry permits; and former CNN commentator Piers Morgan for continuing his anti-gun rhetoric even though it forced his program's cancellation.
Also on the list, Gerald Ensley, the Tallahassee Democrat columnist who wrote in November that handguns and semiautomatic modern sporting rifles should be banned and that the Second Amendment should be repealed; and former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote earlier this year that he would like to see the Second Amendment changed to confine the right to keep and bear arms to people serving in the military and state militia.
The organization has more than 650,000 members and supporters.
WND reported in November when the gun-control faction won in Washington state.
While 17 states now have background check laws, none go as far as Washington's new law. It represents the first time any state has required background checks on all private gun transfers, no matter how temporary that transfer might be.
While proponents portrayed the law as a simple, "common sense" background check, the 18-page initiative will allow much more, critics say. By passing the measure, Washington voters have agreed to give the state the authority to set up a database and track almost every conceivable transfer of a firearm, even temporary loans among friends and family members.
Even some of I-594's proponents have acknowledged that the measure could not have been so easily passed if not for the huge spending advantage they enjoyed.
The billionaires spent more than $10 million to flood the television and radio airwaves with constant ads.
The move marks a change in strategy for gun-control advocates who failed in Congress to clamp down on gun ownership.
Bloomberg, Gates and their billionaire friends will now attempt to replicate the Washington success in other states to further restrict gun transfers and monitor the movement of firearms through statewide databases, sources tell WND. They'll start with blue states filled with progressive voters in major metropolitan areas, says Dave Workman, senior editor of GunMag.com.
"Right now it is my understanding that Bloomberg's bunch is looking at a half-dozen other states," Workman told WND. "They've already started a movement in Nevada. Oregon may be next. Nothing satisfies these people. In Seattle this morning, they held a press conference, and they're already looking over the horizon on what to do next."
Workman said the new law is so restrictive it may not even be enforceable.
"Frankly, I don't know that it is enforceable. The law enforcement organizations that came out against it, specifically said it wasn’t enforceable, and so did the 37 of the state's 39 sheriffs who opposed it," Workman said. "The trouble is nobody listened to them. You've got this voting bloc from liberal Seattle and King County, and they had a good turnout. And the Seattle metro area extends northward to the King County-Snohomish County line."
Dan Cannon, owner and editor of GunsSaveLives.net, agrees that enforcement will be a sticky issue.
"I don't understand how the state of Washington plans to enforce these new measures. It is common sense that in order to enforce background checks on private sales, you would need to have an up-to-date gun registry (which I adamantly oppose)," Cannon said via email. "Unless someone is caught red-handed transferring their firearm without a background check, there is no plan for enforcement here. This means that this measure is simply another burden on law-abiding gun owners and will do little to nothing to stop actual criminals from acquiring firearms illegally."
Gottlieb said his group and others will be exploring the possibility of mounting legal challenges to the new law.