Fighting Government Overreach on Firearms, Property Rights, and Freedom

On May 3, 2024, Nephi Cole, Mailyn Salabarria, Jim May, and Doug Jennings joined the show. Cole reported on testifying until 1 a Salabarria shared her experiences growing up under Castro’s communism in Cuba and described the Dissident Project’s mission to educate American students about the realities of life under totalitarian regimes May shared a new cowboy poem called ‘The 280Z’ reminiscing about cattle ranch road. Colorado’s Attack on Firearms Dealers and Second Amendment Rights Start listening at 17:01 – Hour 1 Nephi Cole, Director of State Affairs with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, reports from the front lines of Colorado’s legislative session after testifying until 1 a.m. on a bill requiring state licensing for firearms dealers. Cole explains that Colorado wants to duplicate what the ATF already does with a fraction of the resources, spending millions of state dollars to address a problem that doesn’t exist. The data shows that only 2% of crime guns come across a dealer’s counter, yet lawmakers focus their regulatory efforts on law-abiding businesses rather than the 98% of firearms obtained through illegal channels. Cole urges Coloradans to contact Governor Polis at 303-866-2471 to request vetoes on these firearms bills. He expresses frustration that legislators pass laws affecting an industry they don’t understand, refusing to consult with the FFLs who actually run background checks and follow the rules. The bill would create an entirely new division under the Department of Revenue, eventually requiring $3 million annually to perform oversight that federal agencies already conduct. “All firearms used in crimes, those crimes, about 2% of those firearms come across a countertop at a dealer. That means that somebody would buy a gun legally and then it would become a crime gun. 98% of guns used in crimes are not purchased from a dealer, from someone who has a background check, and then used in a crime. They come from some other location.” Nephi Cole, Director of State Affairs, National Shooting Sports Foundation Cuban Immigrant Warns Americans About Socialism’s True Face Start listening at 33:55 – Hour 1 Mailyn Salabarria, born in Cuba and made in the USA as she describes herself, speaks as part of the Dissident Project, a nonprofit speakers bureau connecting immigrants who fled tyrannical regimes with American high schoolers. The organization sends speakers from North Korea, Venezuela, Eritrea, Cuba, and Zimbabwe to middle and high schools nationwide at no cost, sharing firsthand testimony of life under communism and socialism. Salabarria describes growing up with rationing books that allowed one tube of Russian-made toothpaste every three months, student records requiring children to report family members who criticized Fidel Castro or the party, and grandparents hiding Bibles in closets to avoid neighborhood snitches who would report them to local police for rewards. She connects these experiences to what Americans witnessed during COVID lockdowns, when citizens reported neighbors for keeping businesses open or violating restrictions. The response from students proves remarkable, with younger middle schoolers often asking the most probing questions. These children lack any comparison point for understanding what life under totalitarianism means, making the Dissident Project’s mission essential for preserving American freedom. “Any type of totalitarian collectivism and heavily government-controlled society and system, it thrives on envy. It thrives on destroying what somebody else is building simply because you’re utterly un...