New Jersey activist, John Petrolino, gives us a highlighted run down of a recently released Open Public Records Act request by AmmoLand News from the office of anti-gun Governor, Phil Murphy, of New Jersey.
New Jersey – -(AmmoLand.com)- RICO, noun: “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act: a U.S. law, enacted in 1970, allowing victims of organized crime to sue those responsible for punitive damages.”
On April 25, 2018, Governor Phil Murphy, in a press release, announced the creation of an organized “States for Gun Safety” coalition between New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Puerto Rico.
Old news, right? Not so fast.
First, what is “States for Gun Safety”? Perhaps a March 2, 2018 press release from Everytown For Gun Safety will better explain what this group alleges itself to be:
“The formation of States for Gun Safety is a positive step in states that already have a history of enacting responsible gun-sense legislation. A collective of states can also broaden the reach and impact of gun safety laws. But the majority of these states also have life-saving Red Flag legislation in their state legislatures waiting to be passed.”
On the surface, such a coalition seems to be a no-brainer. Gun safety is important, right? Laws that keep us safe are important, right? People coming together to make us all safe is a good thing, right? And anything “life-saving” is a positive thing. Case closed.
What has the Coalition been up to since its formation? On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the first Gun Violence Research Consortium’s Policy Brief was released, Can Mass Shootings Be Stopped? The report was published through the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
From an email obtained through an AmmoLand OPRA request [embeded below] to the state of New Jersey, W160618 Moms Demand Action Phil Murphy 6-25-2020, we can see the correspondence announcing the release of this document the day before it came out. Also listed in Murphy’s previously mentioned press release, the email serves as a “who’s who” in the distribution network of this group. Murphy’s release makes mention of “scholars” leading the consortium.
As expected, random people from universities are listed, as this is a list of “scholars.” Also on the list are a few interesting government officials from Blue states:
- Michaela Dunne, Manager of Law Enforcement & Justice Services at Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS)
And…
- Dermot Quinn, Lieutenant Colonel, Massachusetts State Police
Further, from the email obtained, several other entities are represented:
- Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor of Massachusetts
- Deputy Attorney General of Rhode Island
- Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Education
- Matthew Platkin, Governor Murphy’s Chief Counsel
One thing for sure, Massachusetts sure has their hands deep into the group, given a GOP lead Executive office, this calls into question the Commonwealth’s solidarity with the Second Amendment – which is historically nil. Looking at Baker’s recent antics with COVID-19 related shutdowns of ranges and gun stores against DHS recommendations, the public cannot rely on party alone to protect their rights (RINO?)!
Are these people “scholars”?
Some very compelling information can be extracted from this report that was sent all over the eastern seaboard. I wonder if the administrations, and policymakers have actually read the document. From the report, let’s lay down some of their under-reported findings:
“Exacerbating this already complex issue is the prevalence of social media and never-ending wall-to-wall media coverage. Mass shootings, and those that are particularly lethal, are amplified by the news cycle, making them appear more commonplace when they are, in fact, statistically rare.” (emphasis added)
Has anyone heard Phil Murphy cite this information? That mass shootings are “statistically rare.” And, what, MSM is somewhat untrustworthy?
“Myth: Mass shootings only happen in the United States. Reality Mass: shootings occur in countries worldwide, including on six of the seven continents.”
The anti-gun MSM and our leadership would have us believe that this issue is endemic to this United States alone. As would the United Nations like to make it seem. Can I get a sound bite from Governor Murphy on this one?
“Myth: Mass shootings are always carried out with ‘assault rifles.’ Reality: Handguns are nearly three times more likely to be used in mass shootings than rifles.”
We are not so obtuse to think that Governor Murphy is not targeting handguns, because he is targeting all guns. In a recent press briefing, he did state that fewer guns are better, “A safer society for my taste has fewer guns and not more guns,” so we cannot call foul on that one. However, there is still a massive nation-wide push to eliminate entirely Modern Sporting Rifles, Aka: AR-15 variants, Aka: wrongly labeled “assault rifles.” I think Beto talks for most of these policymakers and executives when he said, “hell yeah we’re gonna take your AR’s and Ak’s.”
“Most policies center on either further restricting or expanding rights…with a lesser emphasis on mental health protocols, regulating violent media, or polices related to security practices.”
Policies related to security practices? Hey Phil Murphy, how about we have plain-clothed armed guards in our schools and or straight up armed security? You know the NRA will help administrations and schools that are interested in hardening the security in their facilities, right (School Shield Program)?
Concerning the definition of Mass Shootings…”…these definitions – several of which are discussed below – are inconsistent, overly broad and ultimately lead to inflated statistics.”
Again, the data we’re being fed is fake, phony, and false. Murphy, can you address the fact that the 17 “school shootings” in 2018 prior to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High can be cut down to 3 when you use a “traditional” definition?
And finally, although I urge everyone to read the entire document linked below – especially you Governor Phil, we have this nugget:
“Knee-jerk reactions rooted in emotion will not solve this problem….Further, although common public perceptions of mass shootings include use of ‘assault rifles’, more than three-quarters of mass shootings actually involve handguns.”
Any questions? Knee-jerk reactions…
The Problem Is Not The Gun, But The Individual.
What does this all mean today? Well, what it means is, if you look at the states involved in this coalition, none of them have done anything to expand rights. Most of the pushes by these states have been towards further regulating firearms, especially pushes to get rid of the scary-black “assault rifles.” It means that by the group’s own admission, that the problems we are facing closely mirror what law-abiding gun owners have been saying all along, the problem is not the gun, but the individual.
In retrospect, two years since this historic and highly organized group came together, using lies and deception in their talking points, as well as their own positions of power – grossly ignoring their own findings – we have more gun control laws, and no attention placed on what we really need, mental health reform, with real help – not sound bite politics. But what about those “Red Flag Laws” (Murphy loved signing that in New Jersey – the thought of gun confiscation makes him giddy)? As reported in a “Bearing Arms” article by Cam Edwards, the instances of suicides have gone up in states that have so-called “Red Flag Laws.”
The Deputy Secretary for Education in New York, Daniel Fuller exposes his hand a bit here, in the obtained email to his cohorts:
“We encourage you to share this among your colleagues and through your various networks to raise awareness, not only of the issue, but of the consortium and the work being done by our many partners. Successfully amplifying this work will be critical to advancing the work of the consortium.”
What’s clear to me, they either have not read the document or they don’t care about what it says…Daniel, has anyone you’ve shared this information with replied noting this does not necessarily fit the narrative, it sure does not fit Murphy’s?
I want to know, who else are the “many partners” in this organization that clearly is engaged in “dishonest and fraudulent business dealings.”
There is much more contained in this email dump. If you see your state represented within these bad-actors, be sure and share this article and files with your state Pro 2A Group. You can download both documents here and here.
OPRA W160618 Moms Demand Action Phil Murphy New Jersey 6-25-2020
John Petrolino is a US Merchant Marine Officer, writer, author of Decoding Firearms: An Easy to Read Guide on General Gun Safety & Use and NRA certified pistol, rifle and shotgun instructor living under and working to change New Jersey’s draconian and unconstitutional gun laws. You can find him on the web at www.johnpetrolino.com on twitter at @johnpetrolino and on instagram @jpetrolinoiii