Sunday, October 25, 2015

U.S. Christians told: Prepare for Persecution.

Tom's Journal. http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/

tschuckman@aol.com



WND EXCLUSIVE

U.S. Christians told: Prepare for persecution

Pastor Carl Gallups warns believers are being put in bull's-eye

They’re marked for extermination in the Middle East. They’re banned from practicing their faith in many nations around the world. They’ve been subjected to violence, intimidation and hatred from the very beginnings of the faith until the present day.
Christians are no strangers to persecution. But such treatment largely hasn’t erupted in the United States of America. Until now.
"American Christians need to prepare for persecution," Carl Gallups told WND TV. The former law enforcement professional and pastor of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church argued Christians are increasing being "targeted" for both political harassment and outright violence.
And he's written a new book, "Be Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution And Times of Trouble," designed to prepare believers for the dark times ahead.
Gallups cited several disturbing trends he believes will prove a threat to American Christians.
"We've got a huge Islamic influx and we've got radical agendas including the radical abortion movement. That movement has just been exposed in videos and they're angry. We've also got the radical homosexual movement and now the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage."
Gallups argues political and cultural opposition to Christianity is likely to intensify in coming years. He warns individual believers may find their businesses targeted for destruction by politically motivated activists, especially homosexual rights protesters.
"They have a practice of targeting," Gallups said. "They're ready to roll and they've already said that Supreme Court ruling is just the foundation of what we want to do. That's not the end of it, it's not like, 'oh, now we can get married, we're happy.' Oh no. That was the platform for them to launch off of in order to bring the whole culture down."
However, political persecution may be the least of Christians' concerns. Gallups believes Christians are being specifically targeted for violence, citing this month's shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.
According to witnesses, the shooter, Chris Harper Mercer, asked victims if they were Christian. If they responded in the affirmative, the murderer taunted, "You are going to see God in just about one second." He then shot them in the head.
Gallups complained the anti-Christian motive of the attack was largely ignored by what he sees as a liberal media eager to shift the blame to guns. He argued if the victims had been adherents to a different faith, it would have been a much bigger story and the motivation would have been more widely discussed.
"You know what it would have been," Gallups charged. "And I know what it would have been and our viewers know. The hypocrisy of this seems to know no boundaries. And of course we know what the Left is going to say, of course we know the hypocrisies that will come forward, it's on display right now before the eyes of the world."
Indeed, Gallups believes the Obama administration consciously ignored the way Christians were targeted.
"There's not really a concern by the current administration for the victims, the deepest concern is for the agenda," Gallups argued. And the Obama administration's agenda, Gallups intoned, was to attack the Second Amendment Rights of law abiding citizens.
"It was politicized out of Obama's mouth within two hours," Gallups stated. "They were even saying, 'of course we're going to politicize this." President Obama, given his office, should be more of a uniter and a father figure. Instead he came and constantly talked about himself."
The situation is especially dire, Gallups argues, because of an increasing terrorist threat against churches and Christians in particular.
"We have an ISIS presence in all fifty states according to the FBI," Gallups warned. Thus, Christians are right to fear "direct persecution, or, in some cases, death."
Gallups said political persecution and violent attacks are simply part of a larger, united effort to undermine Christianity and attack believers.
"America, and particularly Christian America, is increasingly understanding one of the premises of my book is that there is an increase in the targeting of Christians in America and it's a part of this long process of degradation," Gallups said. "You lampoon them first, and then you get to the point where eventually it's outlawed. People see this slide and they see where we are."
The pastor gave several examples.
"There's Kim Davis, there's the actions of the city council in Houston, [the shooting at] UCC, the church shooting in South Carolina. And the government, rather than making peace, rather than speaking words of wisdom, words of balance, it's this radical agenda of, 'we've just gotta take the guns, we've just gotta take the guns.'"
Gallups finds this climate surrounding attacks on Christians outrageous and evidence of America's spiritual and cultural decline.
"I think there was a time in America not too many decades ago when government officials, law enforcement officials, even media would have addressed that specifically and would have said this is an outrage. In America, we don't want to target any group of people for death, particularly for practicing their faith."
Such silence is especially outrageous, Gallups alleged, because he thinks America would not have religious freedom were it not for the country's Judeo-Christian heritage.
"The reason people of all faiths are free to worship in America without losing a job or going to jail or having your head cut off is because of our Judeo-Christian heritage," said Gallups. "You certainly can't go into the Middle East and openly practice Christianity."
Now, the pastor believes, that proud tradition of freedom is being abandoned.
Gallups says Christians can take comfort in the church's long experience with persecution and look to history for lessons to apply today.
"What I've tried to do with God's help in this book is to see what's coming," Gallups told WND TV. "I can look at history. I go all the way back to the early church and deal with what they dealt with and deal with the biblical principles that bring us up to today."
Gallups admits many Christians may be uncomfortable with the idea of preparing to defend themselves, especially if it means acquiring weapons and training. Having worked for years in law enforcement before joining the ministry, Gallups noted he's carried a weapon since he was a very young man – and through his concealed carry permit, still does.
"I don't have a problem with it – to me it's like remembering to bring my wallet, because I've been doing it for so long."
Gallups accepts carrying a weapon may not be for everybody. Nonetheless, he endorses Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey's call for "fellow Christians" to arm themselves in self-defense, particularly since Ramsey identified "Christians" in particular as targets.
"He gets it. He understands what we're talking about. We are being targeted. Whether or not the Left doesn't want to let us say that, they think we're overreacting, but we are being targeted. True, we're in the opening stages of that and I pray it doesn't get any worse, but historically, we're in the beginning stages of this kind of targeting."
Given everything that's happening, Gallups warns, "I think it would behoove Christians to prepare.
"I think it makes biblical sense, I think it makes common sense, I think it makes logical sense," Gallups said. "The Left hates it, but I deal in reality."
And besides, the pastor said, he has a larger responsibility.
"The Bible makes it clear – if a person doesn't provide for his own family, he's worse than an unbeliever."

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/10/u-s-christians-told-prepare-for-persecution/#bWdrEGYvOZxDD10D.99
http.//tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com Heli gunner Tom at Sunday, October 25, 2015 0 comments

Universal Background Checks --Wrong.

Tom's Journal. http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/

tschuckman@aol.com

Criminals, especially those who deal in drugs, will ALWAYS find ways to get guns.   Period.   So,  if they have guns with large capacity ammo clips/ magazines,  we, the law abiding people who work and pay taxes must have an "equalizer" --- and thru the ages, our ancestors had such weapons !!   From the bow and arrow, to knives, swords, axes, hoes and rakes, to modern fire arms to defend heath and home, our loves ones and the honor of our wives and daughters.    If the Muslims are so blood thirsty in their own savage, heathen lands,  just think what they will do as they migrate to Europe and America !
    Sorry,  I just happen to be a 'History Buff' and a serious student of the KJV Bible, and so I have already seen the 'writing on the wall.'   I prepare accordingly, and the Army has trained me to fight, protect, to Prep, and teach others how to defend what they have worked hard for.   I am a slave to Christ, but not to any other person or country.... and my fore fathers came here to America with the same thoughts and beliefs in mind. 

Please share this short article if you think it has merit.   Thank You.

Warm Regards,
Tom


USA Firearm Training USA Firearm Training

Why Universal Background Checks Won’t Work

By on October 23, 2015 in Law, Politics
Of the many common rhetoric of the gun-control lobby, one of the more frequent we hear is a call for “Universal background checks.” This article covers all the core points surrounding the arguments for and against this legislation. Next time you hear anyone call “Universal background checks” a good idea please send them the link to this article.
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What Are “Universal Background Checks”

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1994 (Brady Act) requires federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) to perform background checks on prospective firearms purchasers to ensure the firearm transfer would not violate federal, state or local law. Anyone who makes a business out of selling firearms is required to obtain a FFL from the ATF. The law doesn’t currently have any provision that requires background checks  to be obtained for private sales or transfers from one individual to the next within the same state. The media calls this the “gun show loophole” and feels a new law is needed to close the gap. While we would imagine that a number of private transactions do take place at gun shows, a large number of the transactions that take place there are done by FFLs and do require a background check. Put differently, the laws that apply at gun shows are the same laws that apply everywhere else in the country. No legal exceptions are made. (Great piece from TruthAboutGuns about the supposed loophole)
A small number of states have passed local or state laws that do enforce these universal background checks with Colorado probably being the most notable with the new law going into effect in July 2013.

The Misinformation Being Spread

The most common lie we hear from politicians (including Obama and Clinton) is that as much as 40% of firearms sold don’t require a background check. This would lead us to believe that for every 100 guns sold in this country, 40 of them were sold by private individuals and thus didn’t require a background check. This figure of 40% is derived from a 1994 survey of only 251 people. The survey is flawed in so many ways. First, its over 20 years old. Second, even if the study was trustworthy, studies of the survey data suggest that using the 40% figure is an exaggeration of the findings. At the highest only 22% of gun sales come from private sellers (Washington Post Fact Checker). Third, and most important, no survey based on a sample size of 251 in the context of millions of gun purchases can be considered statistically sound. It wouldn’t even pass a high school stats class standard. (Yeah, it’s that ludicrous). For more details about the statistically silliness read this great article from Truth About Guns.
Probably the most disturbing lie about this proposed legislation is that it suggests it will solve a problem that is somehow responsible for American tragedies. The media and many politicians would have you believe all the famous killers of the last five years all went to a gun show, approached a private seller, and proceeded to purchase big and scary guns. This is almost never the case. The majority of criminals either A: get their guns legally by passing a background check,  B: steal the firearm from a friend or relative (stealing is already illegal), or C: steal the guns in car break-ins, home invasions, or other criminal pursuits (also already illegal). (Chicago Sun Times Reports on a Recent Study)
Some politicians also attempt to point out the success of the law in states like Colorado as a reason to pass it at the Federal level. Don’t be fooled by the numbers they give you. They may tell you that a certain number of people have been stopped based on the numbers of how many didn’t pass background checks when trying to buy a gun. Check those stats to see how many of those failures took place with FFLs where the person would have had to have passed a background check before the law passed. A study in 2009 suggested that 94.2% of denials are actually false positives anyway, which means a lot of those people were able to buy guns after sorting out whatever it was that triggered the denial in the system. Also take note that no research can tell you how many people that fail background checks just proceed to obtain a gun illegally after the denial in the store.

Why It Won’t Make Any Difference

This legislation won’t make any difference because people who have decided to harm others can still get guns just as easily with a “Universal Background Check” law in place. There is extensive evidence to suggest this is the case by looking where past criminals have obtained their guns. Here is an article published by the New York Times (shocking) in which they outline where the last 14 most popular shooters got their guns. Spoiler alert… they all passed existing background check laws except for one who stole the guns from his mother.
The other reason it won’t make any difference is because offenders are rarely prosecuted for breaking the law. Stop and think about this. It is illegal to violate the Brady Act but the criminal is only “stopped” if they are caught and prosecuted. The average number of bad guys that are “stopped” and prosecuted each year for breaking this law… about 3.5 people per year.

Why The Gun Community Sees it As Potentially Harmful

Before we get into the real dangers let’s start with something more practical; the cost of enforcement. If you look at states where Universal Background Check laws have been passed you can discern a few patterns. First, local law enforcement has no means or resources by which they can enforce the law. Unless a firearm was clearly manufactured after the law was passed there would be no inference that the owner had acquired it after the law was passed.
The term transfer is a boiling pot of hot water. If the law criminalizes transfer of a firearm without a background check how can you try out your friend’s gun when standing next to him at the range? How can your spouse pick up your firearm in self-defense without breaking the law? In fact, in 2014 in Colorado, a law enforcement agency wasn’t sure how to return a firearm to its owner without breaking the law since the agency itself doesn’t have a Federal Firearm License and can’t run background checks (Story). You may suggest that the law could contain provisions that allow family members to transfer firearms without background checks (like the Colorado law does) but that makes the point all the more invalid and makes the enforcement all the more impossible.
Certainly however the biggest reason gun rights advocates oppose the idea of Universal Background checks is because it takes us one step closer to firearm confiscation. It would be nearly impossible for the government to confiscate guns without knowing who owns what guns. The easiest way to create that database is by making all transfers of firearms require a background check. While you may have been told that the Federal government doesn’t keep a database of gun buyers you have been misled. Yes, the FBI does destroy the paperwork and evidence of a background check shortly after it is performed, but the ATF requires that FFLs keep detailed paper records of every background check performed. These records must be made available to the government without notice; and should a FFL decide to close up shop the records must be turned over to the ATF. So, yes, there is a paper record of every background check performed and the government has access to it. That record includes the date, the name and address of the buyer, the make/model of the firearm, the serial number, the type of firearm, and the caliber/gauge of the firearm. Gun rights supporters take comfort in knowing not every single transaction is recorded. If private transfers were criminalized, confiscation wouldn’t be far away.
If you don’t think your neighbors or elected officials would really try to confiscate all guns then you aren’t paying attention… but that is an article for another day.
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http.//tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com Heli gunner Tom at Sunday, October 25, 2015 0 comments
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