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AOC Blames McConnell & NRA for NYPD Shootings, Forgets Shooter Broke Current Gun Control Laws

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York wrongly tried to link the shooting of New York City police officers over the weekend to the National Rifle Association and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s lack of support for “common-sense” gun safety measures.

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea identified 45-year-old Robert Williams as the suspect in two shootings, one on Saturday night when an officer was shot in the neck in his vehicle, The Washington Post reported.

The other incident took place Sunday morning when Williams allegedly walked into a Bronx precinct police headquarters and opened fire with a 9 mm handgun, striking one police officer in the arm.

Both officers are expected to make a full recovery from their injuries.

At a news conference on Sunday, Shea said, “the coward from this morning’s shooting is in police custody.”

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“He has a lengthy violent criminal history,” the commissioner continued. “He was paroled in 2017 for an incident [in 2002] in which an individual in the Bronx was shot, a subsequent carjacking of a female, and then a crash of a car where he engaged in a gunfight with members of the New York City Police Department.”

Williams had served over a decade in prison for attempted murder, according to Shea.

“At this time, we are confident that he is the same person who attempted to assassinate our police officers last night,” the commissioner said.

Fox News contributor David Webb tweeted on Sunday that he had reached out to Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes part of the Bronx, for comment, but she had not responded.

The congresswoman later replied on Twitter, writing, “This is not my district, but our thoughts are with all officers & people impacted by this shooting & the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

“Perhaps you would get less mixed up if McConnell stood up to the NRA & passed common-sense gun safety measures to reduce shootings,” she added.

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According to her House website, the “common-sense” gun reform she supports includes universal background checks and a ban on “assault weapons,” high capacity magazines and bump stocks.

News to AOC: Current law prevents Williams, a former felon, from purchasing or possessing firearms.

What makes you think more laws would have prevented him from doing what he did?

According to the NRA, New York state already has strict laws regarding owning or possessing a handgun.

They include requiring a permit to purchase and carry the gun. Further, the weapon must be registered.

Police have not reported how Williams obtained his gun, but it is almost certain enacting a universal background check law would not have prevented it.

All licensed gun dealers currently are required by federal law to perform a background check before selling a firearm.

Gun-control advocates like Ocasio-Cortez have called for universal background checks, which would also cover the sale or transfer of guns between private individuals.

So friends or other private individuals trying to give or sell their firearms to each other would have to perform a background check, most likely through a gun dealer.

The congresswoman co-sponsored House Resolution 8, which passed in a vote mostly along party lines last year, calling for universal background checks.

The measure has not been taken up by the Senate.

Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw described the legislation as “a pretty big overreach” into the area of Americans’ Second Amendment rights and wondered what good it would do.

He noted that if H.R. 8 became law, many of the highest-profile shootings — “Parkland, or Sutherland Springs, or the Thousand Oaks tragedy or Sandy Hook” — would not have been prevented.

Do you support universal background checks?

A 2019 Department of Justice study based on a survey of nearly 300,000 prison inmates found 43 percent obtained their gun through the black market. An additional 7 percent reported they found it a the scene of the crime, while 6 percent said they stole it.

Meanwhile, 25 percent said they obtained it from a family member or friend or as a gift.

Only 1.3 percent said they purchased it from a retail source and 0.8 percent stated they bought it at a gun show.

The NRA opposes universal background checks because it would have its greatest impact on law-abiding Americans.

Further, “Federal law prohibits transferring a firearm to anyone known or believed to be prohibited from possessing firearms,” the NRA notes.

So private individuals violate federal law when then put guns in the hands of criminals.

McConnell said last summer he is open to improving or expanding the background check system; however, he is looking for where consensus exists among his Republican colleagues and with the White House.

The truth of the matter, AOC, is Williams, and violent criminals like him, are the problem — not the NRA or McConnell.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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