Gun Control Group Sides with ‘Rioters, Looters, Urban Terrorists,’ Says CCRKBA

USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the nation’s leading grassroots gun rights organization has accused a Seattle-based gun prohibition lobbying group of “siding with rioters, looters and urban terrorists in Portland, Oregon in an attempt to smear law-abiding gun owners,” after the anti-gun group sent an email blast that declared, “as federal agents descend on our communities, squash our right to peaceful assembly, and even injure us, the gun lobby is silent.”

“Peaceful assembly” in Seattle over the weekend was declared a riot by Seattle Police Saturday as 59 officers were reportedly injured. Rioters threw fireworks, rocks, and bottles at police, a construction site was set on fire and there was an attempted arson of a Starbucks coffee shop. Windows were smashed and buildings were vandalized.

In Portland Sunday night, the Portland Oregonian reported on the 60th consecutive night of protests noting, “What started as a relatively calm night devolved as some in the crowd launched fireworks toward the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Federal officers responded with gas and crowd-control munitions.”

The Sunday night outbreak was also declared a riot by Portland authorities. Further tarnishing claims that the assembly was “peaceful,” Fox News reported that authorities found a bag of loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails in a park area near the disturbance.

“We’ve seen some outrageous claims by the gun control crowd over the years,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but Friday’s fundraising appeal that tried to blame federal agents dispatched to Portland to protect federal property for continued riots is simply unconscionable.”

The Alliance’s pre-weekend email blast alleged, “The reports out of Portland are deeply disturbing. At the direction of the Trump Administration, federal agents have descended on the city turning the largely peaceful protests against racism and police brutality into violent clashes.”

Reacting to this narrative, Gottlieb quickly returned fire: “Like their usual anti-gun rhetoric, the false image of Portland’s protests the Alliance is trying to create is a myth and they know it. Street thugs, using legitimate demonstrations as cover, have rampaged in downtown Portland for about two months before the Trump administration sent federal agents to protect Government property.”

Two hundred miles to the north, in Seattle, federal agents reportedly sent to that city to protect federal property were not deployed during the Saturday riot.

A federal judge had issued an order Friday allowing Seattle police to use non-lethal crowd control devices blocking a city ordinance that prohibited their use. This brought a sour-grapes reaction from Socialist City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, who complained, “Now a federal judge has shamefully ruled that these weapons can continue to be used by Seattle police. While the judge says this is temporary, our movement understands this is a serious threat. It is particularly chilling that this comes in tandem with Trump’s decision to send border patrol agents like an occupying army into Seattle.”

Rather than ensure that peaceful protestors are kept safe from federal agents, this court ruling reveals the brutality of American capitalism readying its full arsenal of weapons to attempt to violently suppress demonstrations.https://t.co/w6AOPGlTBe

— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) July 26, 2020

That Sawant would take some ownership of the demonstrations may have been a political misstep on her part. That remains to be seen.

But hers was not the only gaffe in the midst of continued urban violence. In its email blast, the anti-gun rights Alliance angrily announced, “Now, Trump has pledged to use these same authoritarian tactics in Chicago and Albuquerque, using gun violence as an excuse to deploy more federal troops.” But no “troops” were involved, only federal civilian law enforcement agents.

AmmoLand looked at the carnage in Chicago a few days ago. CCRKBA’s Gottlieb observed, “Would they rather allow the Windy City bloodshed to continue? Are they hoping for a higher body count, just so they can exploit the violence to push a gun control agenda that has been a complete failure?”

“It’s bad enough these wealthy elitists want to disarm law-abiding citizens,” he added, alluding to the fact that the Alliance is supported by Seattle-area billionaires. “Now they’re openly supporting urban terrorists who’ve been costing taxpayers and private businesses tens of millions of dollars. No wonder so many more Americans are buying guns for personal protection.”

Perhaps nothing more underscored that phenomenon than a letter sent by Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best to Seattle business owners and residents that was quoted by Westside Seattle.com. The letter was sent prior to the federal judge’s order, and it said, in part, “Please also know that the City Council Ordinance 119805 Crowd Control Tool goes into effect this weekend on Sunday, July 26, 2020. This ordinance bans Seattle Police officers the use of less-lethal tools, including pepper spray that is commonly used to disperse crowds that have turned violent. Simply put, the legislation gives officers NO ability to safely intercede to preserve property in the midst of a large, violent crowd.”

The Seattle police chief is sending out letters telling residents: “We cannot enforce the law. You are on your own.” pic.twitter.com/89jyezSBMS

— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 25, 2020

Translation: “You may be on your own to prevent damage to your property.”

While it’s been peaceful during the daylight hours in Portland and Seattle, the situation has changed repeatedly after the sun goes down. The gun control crowd’s effort to associate gun organizations with law enforcement’s handling of the violent protests may only exacerbate the situation.

Gottlieb accused the gun control group of reaching “as low as they must in order to achieve their anti-gun rights goals.”

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

The post Gun Control Group Sides with ‘Rioters, Looters, Urban Terrorists,’ Says CCRKBA appeared first on AmmoLand.com.