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July 11, 2023 - Firebrand - Matt Gaetz
31:36
Episode 111 LIVE: ATF Under Fire – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz
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Thank you.
Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem in the Democratic Party.
He could cause a lot of hiccups in passing applause.
So we're going to keep running those stories to keep hurting him.
If you stand for the flag and kneel in prayer, if you want to build America up and not burn her to the ground, then welcome, my fellow patriots!
You are in the right place!
This is the movement for you!
You ever watch this guy on television?
It's like a machine.
Matt Gaetz.
I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet.
Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.
They aren't really coming for me.
They're coming for you.
I'm just in the way.
Welcome back to Firebrand.
We are broadcasting live out of room 2021 of the Rayburn House Office Building here at our Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. Already the live stream is fired up.
Lorenzo on Facebook says never stop fighting for the truth.
Jane on Rumble says We're good to go.
Ultimately we hope it's a good product that ends wokeness, supports our military, ensures that America always holds the high ground, and that doesn't unnecessarily escalate a regional conflict in Eastern Europe into a global nuclear war.
I'm going to have a lot of evidence in this show that we have developed against the ATF. But first, our fiscal house.
Big reporting just coming from Fox News.
Go ahead and put it on the screen.
Federal debt explodes by $1 trillion in five weeks.
Since the deal suspending the debt limit became law.
So in five weeks, we blew through a trillion dollars.
You heard myself, Congressman Roy, Dan Bishop on this very podcast talking about what a foolish piece of legislation this was that House Republicans joined with Democrats and Joe Biden to put into law.
And one of the things we insisted on Have a dollar amount or a date.
That way, if the Biden administration puts out too much cash against the law, against the authority that they've been given by the Constitution or the Congress, like they did on the student loan cancellation, that there is some backstop to that, that there is some mechanism to put downward pressure on spending.
But instead, the Uniparty worked together and totally suspended the debt limit.
I came on this program frequently and talked about the $4 trillion that had been gaslit.
They have approved this thing through January 2025. And we're in the first five weeks and we've blown through a trillion dollars.
We've increased the debt by a trillion dollars in that period of time.
So the failure to say either or with a time period or a dollar amount, the failure to make that strategic choice, Now it's costing us the strength of the dollar, the American economy.
It is a driver of inflation.
All because Republicans wouldn't fight.
And we're seeing the consequences of it now.
It's why the upcoming appropriations process is so critical that we not go into just a policy that continues all or almost all of the Biden era spending.
We have to take a meat cleaver to this federal budget.
We should start with the woke and weaponized programs that are harming our people.
And you know what?
A good place for us to start is the ATF. The ATF should be defunded.
The ATF should be totally ended in its current form.
Because they have lost their way.
Now, we had a field hearing in Northwest Florida with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently.
And I'm going to walk you through in this program the evidence that we developed directly from people engaged in advocacy for gun owners, firearms licensees.
You won't believe it.
The first story I'm going to show you.
This guy is Mr. Shuler.
He ran a firearms business.
He broke no law.
of his own volition he relied on others and he was punished as a consequence viciously by the fba i'm sorry by the atf take a listen to mr schuler two years ago while i was in the process of selling a firearm to a customer i completed the background check using the florida department of law enforcement purposes program the background check was uneventful and fdle rendered an approval number Some
months later, during an ATF audit, I was told the background check was now a non-approval.
I am a hands-on business owner and do all background checks myself.
This background check came back as an approval.
I was never notified in any way during the months before the audit that the approval was changed to a non-approval.
When I was told that the approval change It was their opinion that I purposely, unwillfully used the incorrect finding from the FDLE. Even though FDLE made the error, it was on my paperwork.
So it was my will for error.
After completing close to 50,000 background checks correctly in my 46 years, why would I willfully ignore one background check?
The answer is simple.
I did not.
But the ATF has revoked my license and ended my career and livelihood.
They ended his career.
They ended his livelihood.
And he isn't even the one who made the mistake.
Now, how is the ATF able to do this?
What are the tools that they use to trap people like Mr. Shuler?
Well, as Brandon Herrera will describe, they change the definitions.
And it's all just so that they can shut people down.
Take a listen to Brandon Herrera.
Exercising is expanding definitions of previously passed laws to include new things not covered in said laws.
You see, the ATF is not a legislative body.
It is not Congress, and it cannot make new laws.
But a changing or expanding definition of laws are passed by Congress.
They're essentially legislating.
You see, even though Congress recently tried to reverse the ATF's ban on stabilizing pistol braces, a bill that failed, the ATF did not need How the hell can repealing a ban on something require a literal act of Congress,
yet the ban itself did not require a bill to go before Congress in the first place?
It's a fair question that Mr. Herrera asks, and it showcases how the ATF is trying to use regulatory authority to render potentially tens of millions of people felons when they have no intent to violate the law.
I thought the ATF, I thought the whole federal government was supposed to protect the people who wanted to be law-abiding.
But here you see something very different, and it's often their systems that fail.
And sometimes they fail our best patriots.
Now, in Northwest Florida, we have a lot of firearms retailers who sell to members of our military.
We have a lot of active-duty military in our community.
Active-duty military enjoy using firearms for Protection, for safety, for whatever constitutionally approved reason they want to use them for, actually.
And this is the story of Chris Smith.
He's going to be the narrator for this.
He owns Gulf Coast Guns in Northwest Florida.
He's actually been a guest on Firebrand previously.
And Chris Smith describes what happens when he tries to sell a firearm to a member of the United States Navy.
Take a listen.
So I'm very active in the Florida politics and I've done a lot of research and checked into it.
I actually have contacted FDLE and I'm in contact with a few people at FDLE that are over the background check system.
As far as we're explained, we have a computer system, we put in the information from the customer into the computer system, then it goes directly to FDLE. FDLE then puts that information into the NICS system, where it either comes back a Non-approval, an approval, or we need to do more research.
An instant approval, great.
We go through.
No problems there.
If it needs to do more research, it then comes back to the FDLE system.
And FDLE has to do the research themselves since they've opted to take that on.
We've seen these false positives over and over.
Recently, I just had a Navy pilot in my store that had purchased two firearms in the last six months when he came in and purchased another firearm.
This was about three weeks ago.
He got a denial.
Navy pilot, you know, had full orders, everything in the store.
So I have a contact at FDLE, luckily, after a lot of politicking because I think they just kind of want to keep me quiet at this point.
And I reached out to him and he said, let me check into it.
I gave him all the information, the transaction number and everything.
And he asked to speak to the Navy pilot that was in the store.
I put him on the phone and five minutes later came back with an approval.
So what had happened is he explained to me that the pilot's information, he had the same name as a gentleman out of New York, but the birth dates were different.
Well, he had put his social security number on the form and they could not get the social security number of the gentleman out of New York that had been arrested.
So since they couldn't confirm that he wasn't this person, they just denied his form.
This is a military Navy pilot and they just denied his form.
If I had not had the contact that I have at FDLE, then this gentleman just wouldn't have been able to buy it.
He would have had to go through an appeal process that can take up to six months We are back live and you see how tedious And pedantic,
the ATF acts when dealing with some of our small businesses.
Some of these are multi-generational family businesses, oftentimes mom and pop.
And then if you do well, if you start to be one of the more successful gun retailers in your area, well then they really crack down on you.
I was recently in the Pacific Northwest where states have instituted very draconian gun policies and they said, you know, the ATF doesn't bother us so much because when we have to endure the even worse standards in Washington State, in Oregon, in California...
Well, the ATF knows that they can then go focus on the red states.
They can go focus on people in Florida and Alabama and South Carolina and Texas, places where our state governments actually want to vindicate our rights, not chip away at them.
Now, the ATF also has a real problem living up to their own standard.
This was a point brilliantly made by the head of the American Firearms Association, Patrick Parsons, at our hearing.
Take a listen.
Congress has called the ATF, quote, a largely duplicative scandal-ridden agency that lacks a clear mission.
It is plagued by backlogs, funding gaps, hiring challenges, and a lack of leadership.
For decades, it has been branded by high-profile failures.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel reported to the Biden Administration that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for years Illegally overpaid up to $20 million to agents and investigators who worked in non-law enforcement positions by misclassifying them as law enforcement posts.
Regarding the recent pistol brace rule, in his Judiciary Committee testimony, Director Dettelbach said, quote,"...we wrote the rule to make it easy to comply with.
If somebody just at their home detaches the weapon from the brace and keeps them apart, they don't have to register anything.
They can keep the brace and they can keep the business end of the gun." But the written rule says to comply in this manner, the owner must permanently remove and dispose of or alter the stabilizing brace such that it cannot be reattached, thereby removing the weapon from regulation as a firearm under the NFA. This inconsistency from Mr. Dettelbach, in my opinion, is a scandal.
His unfamiliarity with his own regulatory policy will undoubtedly lead to confusion among tens of millions of pistol-brace owners.
On the surface alone, as I said, this is a scandal.
The director of the ATF, under oath, publicly at odds with his own regulation.
We are back live.
Not a lot of love for the ATF on the live stream.
Tiger Dons, 1971 on Rumble, says defund the ATF. You cannot create a department whose sole purpose is circumventing the Constitution, disarming the people.
Defund ATF. Very well said.
We've got legislation to do just that.
But it's not just in Washington where we can take action in order to vindicate gun rights.
We have a lot of opportunities in the state legislature.
A very strong pro-Second Amendment state representative for Florida comes from my congressional district, Dr. Joel Rudman.
Dr. Rudman laid out legislation that he's pursuing in Florida to ensure that delays with national systems don't stop Floridians from being able to access firearms.
Here's Dr. Rudman's testimony regarding that important legislation.
A lot of the issues we have with these delayed background checks, it's actually not the state of Florida.
It's when people move to Florida from other states.
A good example would be California.
They specifically told me that there were names on the list who had moved here from California.
In FDLE's opinion, they said California is the hardest state to get background check information from.
Apparently, whoever does things in California, they answer 100 phone calls a day.
So if you're caller number 101, they hang up on you.
You've got to try again tomorrow.
But again, to answer your question, should FDA only be running this?
Should the feds be running this?
Reciprocity?
You can imagine, if I'm calling from Tallahassee needing some information, and I'm calling Sacramento, do you think they're going to be in a rush to give that information to Tallahassee?
Or if the FBI were calling, who do you think is going to get their phone call We're not going to give them as much money as they need to do their job properly,
but if they can't do it, worst case Thank you, Dr. Rudman, for ensuring that Florida is doing everything possible for gun owners and for our gun rights.
This evidence is very important for the fight that is upcoming in the halls of Congress regarding whether or not to defund the salary of the ATF director, the entire agency, whether to repeal the legislation, or not even the legislation, the rules that the ATF has put in place to try to make law-abiding people criminals.
So thank you to our witnesses.
Thank you to everyone who participated.
Much more to come in our fight against the ATF. But now I want to tell you a little bit about a visit that my wife, Ginger, and my Washington-based congressional staff made yesterday.
Now, it's with great reverence and solemnity that we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and we laid a wreath on behalf of Florida's 1st Congressional District.
Nestled in the heart of Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it's so much more than a monument.
It is a tribute to the unnamed heroes who laid down their lives in service of our country.
The identities of many who fought for our country, who've died in foreign lands, will forever be veiled in mystery.
But their courage and their dedication will be forever etched into our hearts.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established on March 4th, 1921, and the tomb holds the remains of an unidentified American soldier from World War I, representing all of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
And a lot of them But we'll never know their names.
This monument is a striking edifice with white marble.
It stands proudly overlooking Washington, D.C. A silent sentinel reminding us of the cost of liberty, and we must take occasion to be reminded of that each and every day.
The inscription on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reads, Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.
These words resonate with a profound truth that every soldier, known or unknown, is a hero deserving of our deepest gratitude and respect.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather, rain, shine, snow.
We get some rough weather here in Washington, D.C. But these dedicated sentinels All volunteers embody the highest standards of honor and dedication in our country.
The changing of the guard ceremony is this powerful spectacle.
It's an exercise in discipline and respect, and it captivates visitors from around the globe.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is more than a monument.
It is a symbol of our nation's undying gratitude to our best.
A reminder of our shared history and a beacon of hope for all generations.
It stands as a testament to the fact that every soldier's story, known or unknown, is vital to the fabric of America's terrific identity.
It was a magnificent time and I hope that if anyone makes the trip to Washington DC, you include Arlington in your visit and a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because it allows us to rededicate ourselves There's another story I want to tell you about a member of the squad who seems to have lost it a little bit.
This goes back to an odd person called Tara Dublin who tried to follow us around and harass us on a trip that I took out to Washington State some years ago.
And just so that you're caught up to date, I'm going to play you the voicemail of this so-called journalist, Tara Dublin, and then you're going to see which member of the squad she has teamed up with to attack me more recently.
Go ahead and play the clip.
Hi, my name is Tara Dublin, and I am a contributor at Hillreporter.com, and I am in Clark County, Washington, where I am a resident, where Matt Gates traveled to yesterday in the court of Joe Kent.
The local Republican challenger to Jamie Herrera-Butler and I had an interview with Joe Kent that Matt Gaetz was supposed to sit in until Matt Gaetz found out I was the person conducting the interview and then he canceled.
And we were led on a wild goose chase to a private fundraiser where we weren't going to be let in.
And then we went to the rally where Matt Gaetz's private security detail and Joe Kent's private security detail were incredibly aggressive towards us and intimidating.
Matt Gaetz refused to speak to me but he had no problem Retweeting a tweet of mine with a video where I'm speaking.
And now Matt Gaetz's followers are swarming me and trolling me and insulting my appearance and calling me butch and a dyke and saying terrible things and frightening me because Matt Gaetz's virtue signaled his followers on me, which is a violation of Twitter terms of service.
So what I am asking for on this date, September 7th, where I live in Washington State, it is 2.41 in the afternoon.
I know he's not going to apologize because he doesn't apologize for anything, but I do want him to delete that tweet that is going after me like that, going after a private citizen.
That is not okay.
That is harassment.
And that is illegal.
And that is a sitting congressman harassing a private citizen.
And I will not stand for that.
I will sue him if he does not take down that tweet.
Because this comes into my private life.
I was there as a professional person and he was not.
So you tell him to take down that tweet.
I will be calling every single office and making this same message, leaving the same message.
Delete that tweet or I sue you.
That's how it goes.
Goodbye!
That's obviously a totally stable individual.
Of course, we did not delete any tweets and were not sued because, well, you're allowed to say true things about people if you'd like.
So whatever you do, don't swarm Tara Dublin.
She can't take it when my supporters swarm her.
So we're not asking you to do that.
If someone didn't want to be swarmed or criticized or attacked, would they do something like I'm about to show you?
I don't even know how to set this clip up because it's so bizarre, but the voicemail you just listened to was from several years ago, and then this clip was posted yesterday.
Take a listen.
Hi, I'm Tara Devlin from Occupy Democrats.
Tara Devlin rocks on Twitter and I'm standing with Rep Jamal Bowman.
And you might remember Jamal let Marjorie know that she was not welcome in New York.
Jamal, tell us why it's important to expand the Supreme Court.
First of all, before we get into that, I am standing here with the great Tara Dublin.
She is in my district, New York 16, Westchester County, White Plains, New York.
Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, all you Republicans who claim to love America, you are full of crap.
I know you're scared of Tara Dublin.
Yes, you are.
She's coming for you.
We're going to expand the Supreme Court.
We're going to end the filibuster.
We're going to save our democracy.
We're not going to let you MAGA psychopaths destroy it.
Tara Dublin in the building.
That's right.
Democrats deliver this just majority tour.
We're going to expand the court.
We're going to spread the word.
And you're going to turn out in 2024 to elect Democrats to 33 open Senate seats.
How many seats in Congress?
All of them!
All of Congress is up for grabs.
33 Senate seats.
We got to get this done.
Our biggest issue is voter turnout.
If voters turn out, we win, and when we win, we are going to win big.
Voting rights, women's right to choose, common sense gun reform, reparations, affordable housing, Everything that we have been fighting our entire lives for, it's time for a new American revolution led by the historically marginalized people of this country.
And that's us, and that's you.
Let's get it done.
This man's gonna be president someday.
Thank you.
Wow.
So first, I think we can all acknowledge that the years have not been kind in that video.
Second, where are they?
Like, where is this selfie video being taken?
It looks like Tara Dublin and Jamal Bowman are making a selfie video in like the lobby of a Holiday Inn Express somewhere.
Bizarre.
Now, they call me A thread to democracy while saying that the only just result is that they have one party rule in the United States Congress without a single Republican.
Now, does that sound like a democracy to you?
Or does that sound more like the Duma or the Politburo?
My goodness, that's what they want.
It's very revealing what people will say in a Holiday Inn Express lobby, in a selfie video.
Very revealing.
And they want revolution and reparations.
And while they march to expand the Supreme Court, to pack the court, to cheat to achieve these objectives, they're willing to call you and me and anyone who fights for our country and our freedom and our values and our language and our culture a threat.
If you want to harm America, I guess we are threats because we stand each and every day for the Constitution, and I am exceedingly grateful for the support that all of you have offered me during this time in Congress.
Now, many of you on the live chat have suggested that I seek the speakership and maybe replace the current occupant.
I can assure you of this.
Despite the kindness and support all of you show me, there would be Somewhere between no support for me to be Speaker of the House and very, very insufficient support to be able to hold that position, but we will certainly hold the line each and every day.
And so that you are informed about these matters and what is coming before the Congress and the evidence we're developing, make sure you're subscribed to this podcast, turn your notifications on, and tune in soon for more Firebrand.
Roll the credits.
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