Rep. James Comer: No New Gun Laws Needed, House GOP Will Focus on Fentanyl And Looting Instead
By: Sarah Rumpf (Mediaite)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Sarah RumpfNov 27th, 2022, 3:10 pm Twitter share button <?php // Post Body ?>
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) brushed off suggestions that new gun laws would help prevent gun violence, telling NBC News' Chuck Todd House Republicans would instead focus on crime issues like "the looting that's taking place in cities."
The Meet the Press anchor brought up the subject in the context of the Republicans taking a narrow majority in the House for the upcoming term, and asked Comer, the GOP Leader on the House Oversight Committee, what the party's agenda would be:
CHUCK TODD: I wanted to talk to you about what your agenda's going to be in a couple months. But I want to ask you on guns — I know what your personal position is here — is there any gun law that you'd like to see stricter when it comes to the purchases of weapons?
REP. JAMES COMER: I mean, we already have many gun laws on the books. If passing a bill would simply end gun violence, then I think you would have overwhelming support in Congress for that. That's like saying "Congress could pass a bill that reduced inflation." That didn't reduce inflation.
So you know, passing bills doesn't solve the problems. We have, as Governor Youngkin said, a mental health crisis in America. And I think there's overwhelming bipartisan support to fund better mental health programs, and try to increase communication between law enforcement agencies and social services groups to try to better identify these troubled people before they commit crimes.
TODD: How would you suggest we go about preventing mentally unstable folks from purchasing guns if we don't have a waiting period, or don't have certain classifications for certain weapons? Is there a way to do this?
COMER: Well, that's something that Congress is, I'm sure, going to discuss. It's been discussed the entire six years I've been in Congress. It's very difficult. You know, the number one priority with respect to crime in America for Republicans is going to be the fentanyl crisis. We talk about terrible gun crimes in America, but we've had over 100,000 deaths because of fentanyl pouring across our border, which is unsecured right now. That's going to be the top priority for Republicans come January.
TODD: I understand that, but these massacres, nobody wants to see them. I mean, it does feel as if we talk about the individual freedom of somebody to be able to have the right to bear arms; people want to have the individual freedom to shop at Walmart, without fear of getting shot.
So I guess, is there any place, any room, I know what your position is, any room to allow — had we had a waiting period with the Walmart shooter, it's possible three days, he might've calmed down or we might've found something troubling in his past, and he doesn't get the weapon.
COMER: Well Chuck, you talk about this a lot on Meet the Press, but when you look at cities that have the most strict gun laws, like Washington D.C., Chicago, these are the cities with the highest rates of crimes committed with guns. So you know, just simply passing more bills isn't going to solve the problem.
I think we need to get serious about law enforcement, we need to invest in more law enforcement, and again, we need to invest in mental health and try to improve communication between our social agencies, as well as our law enforcement.
TODD: Right. I've heard this talking point about gun laws in cities, but I don't know if you realize this, the states that have the most gun laws have the least amount of per capita gun crime, and the states with the least amount of gun laws seem to have the most. I'm showing it here on screen. I don't know if you can see it here. So there is a correlation. If you have more gun laws on the books as a state, you have fewer gun-related crimes, gun-related deaths. That has been proven statistically.
COMER: Well, in places like rural America where just about every other household exercises their Second Amendment right, there aren't a lot of crimes in these areas. And I think one reason is because potential criminals know that these people are exercising their Second Amendment rights.
So this is something that's indoctrinated in our Constitution, this is something that Republicans hold, you know, close. And we're going to continue to protect our Second Amendment rights, but while at the same time we want to get serious about crime in America, the fentanyl crisis, as well as the looting that's taking place in cities.
We believe that we need more law enforcement, and we need to respect the law enforcement. We need to have prosecutors that are serious about prosecuting and not letting people off in the name of criminal justice. So these are issues that are going to be debated early on in the new Republican majority.
Watch the video clip above, via Meet the Press on NBC News.
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The second amendment was "indoctrinated" into our constitution? That doesnt sound good. This guy, a leader in the new GOP congress, is a fricking idiot.
The Hill
Top GOP Oversight member says panel will investigate '40 or 50 different things'
Are you seriously trying to claim the guy is an idiot for using one wrong word?
The party of Biden/fetterman….
Will you give me a dollar for every time the words Hunter Biden come out of this man's mouth in the next two years?
He's not an idiot because he used the wrong word about the constitution (although it was misuse of the word , not mispronunciation) but because he believes that the role of Congress is to investigate Democrats simply because they investigated the worst human being ever to hold public office in the United States, and because he has little to say outside of right wing talking points.
Shit, I'll send you a dollar if you can possibly relate how calling the man an idiot for using the word "indoctrinated" is somehow all about how many times he says Hunter Biden and how the two separate things are even fucking remotely related in some sensible, logical, untwisted method.
John calling a Republican names.
Well I, for one, am shocked. Who saw this coming? Just out of the blue. Wow. What a surprise.
The man has a point.
What good are laws without enforcement?
“What good are laws without enforcement?”
Indeed.
One only look to the employers of illegals to see the hypocrisy…offered as just one example.
Political agendas are always the driving force…
As I have made quite clear before, I am all for punishing employers who employ illegal aliens.
I suppose the difference (what you amusingly call hypocrisy) is that while I support punishing employers, I also am for deporting the illegal aliens who also broke multiple laws.
Regarding guns, we have thousands of attempts to buy weapons by people barred from owning them, but only a relative handful are prosecuted for that.
Are there many employers of illegal aliens lobbying the government to pass laws restricting illegal immigration? Seems the opposite is true.
“Regarding guns, we have thousands of attempts to buy weapons by people barred from owning them, but only a relative handful are prosecuted for that.”
Good to hear.
Perhaps a federal registration system with federal regulations and federal prosecution for those ‘thousands’ attempting to skirt the state and local sanctuary laws. It is a reasonable start.
So we have a law, not being enforced very often, and that is a good thing to you??
THIS is the type of reaction that drives people crazy. People call for more gun laws bit don't give a damn about enforcement. Completely illogical bullshit that destroys credibility.
Perhaps you have never heard of NICS. What skirting and what states have 'sanctuary' laws regarding guns?
"In fiscal 2017, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives referred about 12,700 denied purchases to its field divisions for investigation. As of June 2018, U.S. Attorney’s Offices prosecuted 12 of these cases.
ATF field divisions may send warning notices to denied persons in lieu of prosecution, but this practice varies across divisions.
We recommended that ATF assess field divisions' use of warning notices and determine if policy changes are needed."
I recommend they all give a shit about their jobs. You seem to ridicule that there really are thousands of scofflaws.
Table: Federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Firearms Denial Cases Investigated and Prosecuted, Fiscal Year 2017
Federal NICS Transactions
Denials
ATF Field Division Investigations
United States Attorney's Offices Prosecutions
8,606,286
112,090
12,710
12
Sometimes tables don't reproduce well, so just for reinforcement that is twelve (12) prosecutions. Twelve.
It gives the idiots on the left a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's nothing more than virtue signaling. They don't plan on doing a goddamn thing.
I just had a strange thought. They only have another month to do damage. Maybe them wasting time on another symbolic "gun law" would be better than them trying to pack the Court or do away with the filibuster or raising the debt limit.
Of course, what they should be focused on is ending that looming rail strike, which will come to a head in one week.
The "gun legislation" is mere virtue signaling. Even if they do get something through, it's not going to mean anything. It's not like they really know what they are trying to make illegal or restrict. They don't enforce what is already on the books. The damage in that realm is already been done. I'm actually surprised they haven't been going after the courts, filibuster and debt limit. But I have a feeling that will come back around sometime next year as this administration is handed more failures.
They're not going to focus on the strike because that requires actual work. If the Democrats work on that, it would mean that they would have to give something up. You know that's not going to happen. They're going to sit back and allow the new House do it and then start pointing fingers (like they're some kind of heroes).
Why pass laws democrats won’t enforce? Coming from Chicago, of all people you Must understand what a joke enforcement is.
I’ll take the “we need more gun laws” people seriously when they enforce those on the books and support actual punishment for those who violate them.
what’s more hypocritical than joe Biden calling for more gun laws when his own son is able to break the ones we have without any repurcussions?
Do we have a law prohibiting 18 year olds from buying Ar-15's ? If we dont , we dont have enough gun laws. The idea that we already have x amount of gun laws therefore we dont need anymore is ridiculous.
So we pass that law, and then an 18 year is arrested with an Ar-15. What happens? "its immoral to punish him", says the Soros DAs that control so many of our most crime plagued cities and he walks scot free.
Lets say, for shits and giggles, your retarded proposal goes through.
I got nothing.
LOL.
Hell, we have a sitting member of the Senate who lied on his 4473 and suffered no repercussions from it other than the gun store refused to sell him the gun after he declared his stunt. The prosecutions are so low against the number of denied NICS applications it's ridiculous.
So he proved the guy lied and he brushed it off.....
Typical.
crooksandliars.com /2022/11/republican-gets-tongue-tied
Republican Gets Tongue-Tied After Learning Gun Laws Protect Citizens
John Amato 2-3 minutes 11/28/2022
Rep. James Comer was forced into reciting nonsensical right-wing talking points after being confronted with irrefutable proof that states with more gun control measures have much less gun violence than others.
On Sunday's Meet the Press , host Chuck Todd offered up real proof to Rep.Comer that refutes the idea that arming its population keeps citizens safe.
"I don't know if you realize this, the states that have the most gun laws have the least amount of per capita gun crime, and the states with the least amount of gun laws seem to have the most," Todd said.
"There is a correlation, if you have more gun laws on the books as a state, you have fewer gun-related crimes, gun-related deaths. That has been proven statistically," Todd said.
Comer was surprised by the information that he had to start his response with silence.
Then Comer blubbered about rural America being armed.
"Well, in places like rural America where just about every other household exercises their Second Amendment rights, there aren't a lot of crimes in these areas. And I think one reason is because potential criminals know that these people are exercising their Second Amendment rights," Comer claimed with no proof.
Rep. Comer then switched topics to fentanyl.
Hahahahahaha.
The Second Amendment doesn't give Americans the right to carry weapons of mass destruction, flame throwers, or f**king tanks,.
What a fool.
PS: Yes, this is the same James Comer about whom Keith Olbermann noted: “The man who will lead the GOP attack on Hunter and Joe Biden, REP. JAMES COMER, has been credibly accused by his college girlfriend of violence, psychological abuse, threatening her life, and driving her to a clinic to abort their child.”
The rural America meme is bullshit. Of course some county with ten people will have less crime than one with one thousand...
An Everytown report.
What are those states going to do when they have to abide by the Constitution?
There is also an inverse correlation between gun-related crimes and property values.
But don't expect a journalist to do any of their own math.
Every time "Hunter Biden" comes out of James Comer's mouth the Democrats should bring up the story of the woman Comer threatened and drove to an abortion clinic.
Fight fire with fire.
listen to the first 8 minutes
[deleted]
I understand why the truth has no value on one of your articles John. I will try to make sure I don’t disrupt your propaganda again.
You have no evidence for that allegation, thus it is of no value.
Ashley’s own words? That isn’t evidence enough?
“Hyper-sexualized @ a young age. What is this due to? Was I molested. I think so – I can’t remember specifics but I do remember trauma – I remember not liking the woolzacks house; I remember somewhat being sexualized with [a cousin]; I remember having sex with Friends @ a young age; showers w/my dad (probably not appropriate). Being turned on when I wasn’t supposed to be.
You accused Biden of raping his daughter. There is no evidence of that, even in your last comment.
Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
Was I molested. I think so
I dont think reading is your thing. In your quote she does NOT say that she thought her father raped her.
Lot more evidence than anything you provided.
You dont even know how to understand your own quote.
And still nothing from you,
Why can’t you just defend the Bidens on the facts?
The Republicans want to do to Biden what they feel like the Democrats did to Trump. Trump is the most corrupt person to ever hold the office of president, and its not even close.
The Democrats should stop playing nice with these people.
We're STILL waiting on evidence of this. But don't let that stop your propaganda.
Like I told you the other day, show me a arrest, trial, and conviction and I will gladly agree with you and admit I am wrong. Till then, as I have told you before, he is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law that is real and not a kangaroo one that you and others here on the hard core liberal left delight in engaging in.
Liberal left will not enforce existing laws and insist on making new ones, but Biden and his minions keep trying. Typical example of Einstein's definition of insanity. "Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.".