The U.S. Commerce Department has halted the export of most civilian firearms and ammunition for 90 days, citing the "risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities." But is there more to this unusual move? Glenn and Stu review how this temporary ban could affect gun companies as leftists continue to go after the Second Amendment. Glenn and Stu also review the latest out of Maine after the suspected killer of 18 people was found dead.
TranscriptBelow is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Dateline Washington. The Commerce Department is halting exports of most US-made firearms for 90 days, and reviewing its support of the country's biggest gun trade show to ensure such backing does not undermine US policy interests. Steps that could slow two decades of growth of gun sales abroad.
We go to Stu of Steve Burguiere. Our analyst on guns. And regional gun expert, to tell us what he thinks, the government is actually doing here.
STU: Well, Glenn, guns are evil.
And they should be banned. And they not only should be off the streets of America. But be off the streets of the entire world.
The sales, of course, also, help gun companies, and improve their businesses. And since we want them all to go away, and the Second Amendment to be destroyed completely.
We do not support these exports.
(music)
GLENN: Today on the Daily. The government banning gun sales.
It could only harm the gun companies.
Today, we talk to gun enthusiast Steve Burguiere. About what the lack of guns means. In his life.
STU: Do you ask a question. Or do I just start talking?
I don't know how this works.
GLENN: No. You just start talking.
STU: But you didn't ask a question.
GLENN: I just said you were a gun nut.
STU: Guns help protect people from, you know, lawless mobs. That, you know, the left continues to empower.
GLENN: So you're insinuating, that black people on the street, or brown people, are lawless mobs.
STU: I said nothing about anyone's skin color.
Why are you?
GLENN: We're the New York Times. I think we understand what you're saying, gun nut.
Racist.
And that's all the time we have.
STU: I didn't get a chance.
(laughter)
GLENN: I mean, this is so unbelievable.
They are not tracking. Here's what they say they're doing.
They say they're doing this, because they want to make sure that the guns that are being sold, by manufacturers to gun stores, all around the world, that those guns don't fall into the wrong hands.
But we're sending billions of dollars worth of ammunition and guns, to Ukraine, without anyone tracking any of it!
STU: Yeah. Notably the export ban does not apply to Ukraine. You could apparently send as many guns as you want there.
GLENN: Well, they're the government. The government can sense it. Just gun manufacturers can't send it.
STU: Government doesn't build the guns. They're sending guns from gun manufacturers.
GLENN: They buy them.
STU: Yes. It's just amazing that the weird -- it doesn't make any sense, right?
It used to make sense. Like, the old days. Where generally conservatives were more in favor of a strong, you know, position around the globe when it comes to maybe a hawkish stance on that.
And that implies, with a -- kind of works well, with the position at home, that you should also be able to defend yourself.
You can see that. Now, the left just decided that they're the pro-war people. But they don't want us to be able to protect ourselves against lawless mobs that are -- go through city after city after city.
GLENN: That they encourage.
STU: That they encourage. And solicit donations for.
It just doesn't -- it doesn't seem to work together that well.
GLENN: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
This weekend, we saw more shootings.
Here in the country. Last week, we saw, you know, mass shooting. And we find out now, that that mass shooting up in Maine, there was plenty of red flags that went up. Plenty.
STU: Could have been more red flags. The guy was literally telling people, he wanted to shoot up a military base.
GLENN: Correct. And telling authorities, that he was going to do that.
STU: Uh-huh.
GLENN: So immediately, of course, the regular arguments in the media and the left, why do you say that? Media and the left?
STU: It seems repetitive.
GLENN: Yeah. Also, immediately, usual counter arguments were made by Second Amendment advocates. It's a shooter, not the gun.
The man was unstable. Shouldn't have had a gun.
You know, regulations wouldn't have stopped him.
Bad guys don't observe the regulations. These shootings are not by good guys -- all of that stuff is true.
But none of that is the thing that we should focus on right now.
Whether -- rather, we should realize, that we are living in a very special and unique time. Where all of the original reasons for the Second Amendment, are as urgently relevant as they have ever been. We should probably understand those reasons.
The Second Amendment is not about sportsmen.
Otherwise, they might have put bowling in the Constitution.
You know, the Third Amendment. Hey. You can't touch bowling either.
It was not put there, for sports reasons.
It exists, the most fundamental right, under natural law. Natural law means, it happens in nature.
You walk into a cave with a bear in it. And you're just like, I want a pet little kitty.
Mommy will kill you, because it's a natural instinct and natural right.
You come into my home, and try to do anything with me or my children, I can kill you, if I feel we're in danger.
The right to self-defense.
That would come under the inalienable right to life. By the way.
So this was written by people who had just defeated the former king. This also means, self-defense, against an out-of-control government.
In an age of weaponized government agencies, this is hardly a false concern.
Tellingly, the argument against this, usually is efficacy.
Oh, you're going to need an F15. Not an AR-15. I hate that.
STU: So stupid.
GLENN: I don't know. The Taliban did pretty well. Pretty well.
The history of asymmetric warfare from the Revolutionary War, onwards, would beg to differ.
As would gun confiscation. Would be one of the first acts of every tyrant in history.
But more importantly, the Second Amendment also means simply self-defense against people with evil intent.
That's -- that's where we should really focus. The left essentially argues that that kind of self-defense is irrelevant today.
That's why we have police forces. Really?
The ones that you have gutted, the ones that you said were irrelevant and racist and horrible?
The ones we can't get to respond to any problems, because there's not enough of them left?
Quite aside from truly frightening crime statistics, self-defense has never been more relevant than it is today.
And I think the -- you know, Hamas pogrom, kind of makes that case.
Here's a country that does not lack experience with terrorism and war.
Tiny, tiny little Israel.
Help should arrive fast. But there was shock and surprise on October 7th.
The lesson of how much time and organized response should resound loudly. Not only in Israel. But all around the world. Including America.
Hours past, before help came to many places under attack. Hours.
We've just let ten million people into our country, that we don't know who they are.
We saw what 28 individuals could do. On September 11th.
Are you telling me, you're comfortable, that there aren't enough people to cause real problems in our country?
In multiple places?
It was emergency alert squads. It was civilian gun owners. Single cops. Soldiers who ran towards the sound of gunfire. Undermanned and outgunned.
What would the result have been, if the population of Israel, had been completely disarmed and helpless?
Fully dependent on their security forces. How many would be dead?
Far more than are. This lesson has not been missed in Israel. Which is actually very restrictive on firearm regulations. Not everybody can have a gun. Those who can, usually granted one handgun in 50 bullets, no more.
All fully registered and permitted. I think Israel should adopt a full Second Amendment right.
Now the rules are being relaxed. Gun owners are asked to carry. The alert squads in rural areas are building supported like never before. Squads are made up of former combat soldiers. And are kept armed and trained to defend against terroristic incursions.
During the Hamas pogrom, they made a huge difference. They couldn't stop at all. They took heavy losses.
But where they were kept, in a good state of readiness, casualties were considerably lower. Higher were not.
They blunted the assault. Americans had institutions like this. When we first started. It was the minutemen.
Men armed and trained. Held ready to defend their community. At a minute's notice.
We know of their role in the early stages of the War of Independence. But there were similar local groups meant to defend against whatever the danger might have been at the time.
Indian, for that matter, French, British, Spanish incursions.
We live in a time now, where Jews have to cower inside their homes. Or get locked in libraries, for fear of the mob.
In our own country, we live in a time, when hundreds of thousands of people feel free to openly shout their support. For evil. And genocide.
And their hatred for the culture. That welcomed them into their midst.
A time when open borders had meant 10 million people.
And thousands on the terror list.
That are present right now. In our cities.
Making sleeper cells a virtual certainty.
And that's without mentioning the cartels and the gangs. And the old-fashioned rogue state actors.
Do we really think that things can't happen in rural America with its vast open spaces?
How long for real help to arrive then?
Or in a major city? Or a university campus?
We can't all turn into Navy SEALs. But most of us can help.
And none of us should be helpless.
This is not an emotional knee-jerk rah-rah. This is a lesson that reason and morality dictate. We must learn from these events. I carry a gun. I train with it.
Not because it's fun.
But it is.
But I'm also all too aware that my life and the life of my family. One day, one night, may depend on my ability to use that gun.
I sincerely pray I never have to use that ability.
But I also pray that I always have the ability to use my gun.
Never again doesn't mean depending on somebody else to prevent the next massacre.
Never again means you and your ability to defend and stand for those that you love. I don't know what the Biden administration is doing this time. But their every step has been to erode your rights one way or another.