Sales of guns, ammunition, and “survival gear” are skyrocketing this week, amid concerns that the coronavirus could lead to breakdown in civil order or even a suspension of weapons sales, according to Business Insider.
Stores specializing in the “sales of survival gear like ready-to-eat meals, guns and ammunition” are experiencing a boom, and some retailers are even struggling to keep such items in stock.
“We’re bringing pallets (of MREs) up all the time now, and even our supplier in Southern California is having trouble keeping them in stock,” one California gun retailer told a local television station.
“It’s clear our customers want to be prepared in a worst-case scenario,” another retailer told the NRA’s news service, per BI. “For a lot of our families, a disaster plan includes having ammo on hand.”
In some cases, retailers say they’re selling “twice as much” or even five times as much ammunition as they were before coronavirus began making headlines. “Sales on Ammo.com, an online ammunition store, were 68 percent greater from Feb. 23 to March 4 than they were the preceding 11 days, the company said in a press release. Residents in North Carolina and Georgia had the biggest increase in sales on the website,” Business Insider, says.
“It’s an unknown, so there are people that are concerned,” a gun retailer told the outlet, referring directly to coronavirus. “In those times of uncertainty, people have a reaction to make sure they want to protect themselves and their families, and I think that’s what we’re seeing especially here in our store.”
“If you’re prepared, you’re not afraid,” he added.
Even people who never considered owning a firearm are suddenly finding themselves in the market for a gun.
“People who tell me that they don’t like guns, but they’re here to begrudgingly buy one,” a retailer told the same California TV outlet. “And if it makes somebody feel safe and they’re legal to own one, then sure.”
Among gun owners, there’s a growing concern that states may try to restrict the sale of firearms if individuals fail to heed to commands to “social distance” and remain indoors, away from crowds, in order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Although the idea sounds outlandish, some cities and towns have incorporated the ability to limit firearm and alcohol sales into their enumerated powers when those same cities and towns are under a state of emergency.
The mayor of Champaign, Illinois, Deborah Frank Feinen, sent tempers flaring earlier this week after she “signed the executive order on Thursday declaring a state of emergency for the city,” the Washington Examiner reported. “That executive order, which is in line with municipal code, comes with extraordinary powers for the mayor to enact over a short period of time as the city combats the spread of the coronavirus.”
“Among the powers Feinen gained after signing the executive order was the power to ban the sale of guns, ammunition, alcohol, and gasoline. Feinen could also cut off access to individuals’ gas, water, or electricity. The city also has the ability to ‘take possession of private property’ or order the temporary closing of all bars or liquor stores.”
Feinen says she won’t exercise the power to confiscate weapons or ban firearms sales but the edict remains on the books.
On Friday President Trump held an historic press conference with the several of the world’s top business leaders on the coronavirus pandemic.
During the presser CEOs from Walmart, Target, Walgreens CEOs committed to assist the Trump administration and the country in the coronavirus pandemic! Walmart announced they will make portion of their lots available for screening and testing for coronavirus.
During the press conference President Trump announced Google had been enlisted to assist the country with a website tracking the coronavirus.
President Trump "Google is helping to develop a website, it’s going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past" pic.twitter.com/sQq2UpuEM0
Google leadership was reportedly “surprised” that President Trump would announce anything about the initiative.
The company officials refuted what Trump said as “almost entirely wrong.”
A source at Google tells WIRED that company leadership was surprised that Trump announced anything about the initiative at the press conference. What he did say was also almost entirely wrong. There will be a coronavirus testing site, not from Google but from Alphabet sister company Verily. “We are developing a tool to help triage individuals for Covid-19 testing,” Google tweeted in a statement. “Verily is in the early stages of development, and planning to roll testing out in the Bay Area, with the hope of expanding more broadly over time.”
Even that, though, was not the original plan. The Verge reported Friday afternoon that Verily had intended the site for health care workers only. After Trump unexpectedly publicized the effort, Verily decided it will let anyone visit it, but can still only provide people with testing site information in the San Francisco area.
Google did not respond to requests for comment.
It’s too bad the far left jerks at Google couldn’t put politics behind them during a national crisis.
What horrible people.
Since former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staffer Philip Haney, who blew the whistle on the Obama administration allegedly scrubbing the intelligence on radical Islamists in the United States, was found dead from a shotgun wound to the chest, those who knew him are convinced he was murdered.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA), told Breitbart News that Haney was a good friend who had confided in him that he had enemies who wanted to stop his revelations before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2016, and that his upcoming book, See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad, would “name names.”
King said the first time he met Haney he was wearing a thumb drive on a lanyard around his neck that King believes contained the data that was scrubbed from his DHS hard drive.
“I would bet the farm on that,” King told Breitbart News.
Haney also told King that he had archived the data in several places to protect it from disappearing, and had already made public in his testimony and book Obama’s policy on radical Islam.
“My recollection is that it was about 800 individuals whose records were expunged by DHS at the direction of the Obama administration — that would be 800 potential radical Islamists that are roaming around this country, perhaps plotting against the safety and security of the United States of America,” King said.
“And Phil did say that he did believe that there were two of those mass murders that could have, and perhaps would have, been prevented,” King said, referring to the mass terror attacks by radical Islamists at the Pulse nightclub in Florida and in San Bernardino, California.
“So I think people need to know that — that Americans died at the hands of evil, radical Islamists that may be alive today if the records that Phil was keeping would not have been expunged at the direction of the Obama administration,” King said.
“People just need to know that and then understand what an honorable man Phil was,” King said.
Faith and Future Plans
Those who knew Haney, who died at 66, stand behind him as a man who deeply abided by his Christian faith and want justice to be served in his death, King said.
“Those of us that knew Phil — and I’ve talked to a good number of his friends since then. It’s universal,” King said. “I haven’t had anyone who knew Phil say, ‘You know there might be some truth — he could have’ — not one.”
“You don’t take your own life at the first challenge and Phil met many, many challenges,” King said. “He wasn’t facing the worst challenges of his life — he’d already said goodbye to his wife just a year ago. And he was close to completing his second book and that would have driven him.”
“Even if there had been some bad health information as some have said, it would had accelerated Phil’s effort to complete his life’s work,” King said. “It wouldn’t have caused him to end his life’s work.”
“A man that is dedicated to a life’s work doesn’t commit suicide,” King said.
King told Breitbart News that he hopes investigators start with the premise that Haney did not take his own life.
“I do believe the investigation starts with the assumption that it’s homicide and then works from there,” said King, and added that his supporters will demand answers.
“Every forensic question that one can devise had better be answered with precision, with data and lab samples to back it up,” King said. “And that includes any powder burns on his hands, on his chest on his shirt.”
“Anything that has to do with blood on the ground. The ballistics on the gun — whose gun was it?” King said.
Investigation Continues
The Ledger Dispatch, a local newspaper in the California county where Haney was living and where he died, reported on the investigation that is underway:
The ACSO [Amador County Sheriff’s Office] scheduled a forensic autopsy to be performed by forensic pathologists from the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office. Additionally, they have reached out to law enforcement partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist in analyzing documents, phone records and a laptop that were recovered from the scene and from Haney’s RV. The ACSO is currently in possession of Haney’s vehicle, the firearm located at the scene, and Haney’s RV and the ACSO will be requesting evidence processing assistance from the FBI on these items as well.
ACSO investigators conducted a neighborhood canvas and interviewed the RV park neighbors where Haney’s RV was located on the day of the incident, along with checking key areas for any video surveillance that may exist from that time. The investigators are continuing to follow-up with the overwhelming number of persons calling the ACSO office from throughout the United States asking for detailed information on the investigation.
It is unclear whether the thumb drive that King and others have described was among the recovered items.
The ACSO has called the early reporting that Haney’s death was a suicide “misinformation,” according to a statement it issued:
Unfortunately, there was misinformation immediately being put out that we have determined Mr. Haney’s death to be a suicide. This is not the case. We are currently in the beginning phase of our investigation and any final determination as to the cause and manner of Mr. Haney’s death would be extremely premature and inappropriate. No determination will be made until all evidence is examined and analyzed.
The investigation is active and will be ongoing. No further details will be provided at this time.
The Dispatch also spoke with Haney’s fiancé:
Haney’s fiancé, Denice Gary-Pandol, a podcast and radio show host in Bakersfield, was reached by the Ledger Dispatch for comment and said she did not believe that Haney had killed himself, that he had been happy and looking forward to planning the couple’s wedding in April.
In fact, at a town hall in California in 2016, Haney spoke about a meeting with his attorney, Joseph Schmitz, who warned him about the danger he faced as a whistleblower. At the time, Haney was in still living in Washington, DC.
“Joe Schmitz taps his forehead, looks right at me and says, ‘The things you have in your head; the things you know people will kill you for,’” Haney said. “And he wasn’t talking about Jihadis from Yemen. He was talking about people within a square mile from where we were standing — right in view of the Rayburn [House Office] building.”
Congressional Record
King and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who also counted Haney as a friend, have both spoken on the House floor about his death.
“I’m standing on the floor here saying, Madame Speaker, I don’t believe that Phil Haney committed suicide,” King said on February 28. “I expect that we’re going to get a thorough investigation. The evidence that is coming to me indicates that he was murdered.”
“Phil often said, ‘I would never commit suicide,’” King said.
“Philip Haney — he was one of the finest, most patriotic, competent people I’ve ever met in my life,” Gohmert said in his House floor speech, and noted that Haney was one of the “founding members” of DHS when it was formed after the 911 terror attacks.
“A man of absolute honesty, complete integrity who cared deeply about the future of this country,” Gohmert said. “He was also a Christian brother and that certainly affected so much of what he did.”
Gohmert said he and Haney had made an agreement on their fates.
“I’d been concerned about his safety, with all the information he knew and people who could’ve gotten in trouble.” Gohmert said on February 26. “We had a mutual pact. It said: Either one of us ended up committing suicide, then the other is going to make sure that the truth wins out.”
King told Breitbart News that beyond praising Haney, he hopes his supporters can help get the truth he had yet to reveal and cement this legacy.
“A better way to remember him is find the data, help finish his book, get it published, and make sure America knows that which Phil worked so hard to give us the opportunity to know,” King said.
Leading evangelical pastor Franklin Graham publicly thanked President Trump Sunday for designating the day as a National Day of Prayer.
“With so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 at home and around the world, people are afraid,” Rev. Graham wrote on his Facebook page. “Now is the time for Christians to be strong and courageous, knowing that Almighty God is with us. As His Word instructs, we are to cast our cares upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).”
“We need to pray for those who are sick and their families, for those who are living in fear and anxiousness, for the professionals who are providing medical care, for those working on treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19, and for our leaders to act with wisdom and courage as they make vital decisions that impact each of our lives,” Graham told his 8.3 million followers.
“In our times of greatest need, Americans have always turned to prayer to help guide us through trials and periods of uncertainty,” President Trump said in his proclamation.
“I ask you to join me in a day of prayer for all people who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and to pray for God’s healing hand to be placed on the people of our Nation,” the President said, asking all to remember “that no problem is too big for God to handle.”
In his post, Rev. Graham went on to request prayers for the president as well as all those working to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“Please also lift up the President and our nation’s coronavirus task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence in prayer as they work closely and diligently with the myriad of issues related to this pandemic,” he added.
Regardless of people’s personal situations, all can and should participate in the day of prayer, Rev. Graham proposed.
“Some churches are not meeting in person for worship today to avoid possibly spreading the virus. But that doesn’t prevent us as the Body of Christ from coming before the Lord, kneeling in prayer, and pouring our hearts out to Him,” he said. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
In an earlier post, Graham urged “every church, regardless of denomination, and every individual, regardless of political affiliation” to pray and seek the Lord as the nation faces this crisis.
“President Donald J. Trump reminded the entire country that throughout its history, the United States has looked to God for strength and protection in times like these,” Graham said. “The President is right—and we need to call on God now. We need to pray that He would protect us from this virus that is turning the world upside down and gripping the hearts of men and women with fear.”
Jesus is our Shepherd and our deliverer and “regardless of what storms we may face, He will be with us,” Graham reflected. “This doesn’t mean that COVID-19 will disappear immediately; but the Word of God tells us that He loves us and will not leave us.”
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10), he quoted.
After years of urging its terrorists to attack major European cities, ISIS is now telling them to steer clear due to the coronavirus.
Any sick jihadists already in Europe, however, should stay there — presumably to sicken infidels, according to a ‘sharia’ directive printed in the group’s al-Naba newsletter, the Sunday Times of London reported.
Trump Slams "Fake And Corrupt" MSM After Google Announces COVID-19 Website
After initially denying that they would be publishing a national Coronavirus website following an announcement by Trump administration announcing their participation, the Silicon Valley tech giant announced that they have entered into a partnership with the government to launch the site after all.
“We are fully aligned and continue to work with the US Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities. (1/6) https://t.co/eI1uXra6AB
President Trump thanked Google during a Friday press conference for developing a website "very quickly" to facilitate testing – which he said 1,700 engineers were working on.
The site will help people evaluate their symptoms and direct them to a nearby "drive through" location for testing (while conveniently tracking potential cases).
Following the announcement, the New York Times reported that "Trump’s comments caught Google completely off guard and executives rushed to issue a statement on Friday afternoon to temper expectations."
Yet on Sunday, Google CEO Sundar Pinchai confirmed that the site is set to launch on Monday.
In a Sunday tweet, Trump slammed the "Fake and Corrupt News," for not calling Google.
The Fake and Corrupt News never called Google. They said this was not true. Even in times such as these, they are not truthful. Watch for their apology, it won’t happen. More importantly, thank you to Google! https://t.co/AuvpbXNouW
This means that the resistance media, looking for any excuse to tarnish Trump’s image in the face of a national emergency, just made tremendous fools of themselves for calling Trump a liar.
Remarkable new details about Trump’s wildly incompetent hyping of coronavirus website:
* Google exes caught completely off guard
* Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai hadn’t even talked to Kushner by then
The news media has been trying to report on the spread of the coronavirus. The president is flatly wrong below and he’s trying to increase mistrust in the media during a health crisis. https://t.co/qrPUdw3vO8
Democrat lawyer Daniel Goldman announced on Sunday he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Goldman tried and failed miserably to impeach President Trump while the coronavirus was spreading in China.
Maybe Democrats shouldn’t have been wasting their time with a sham impeachment when they should have focused on the real issues?
Goldman blamed President Trump for the virus!
Figures.
My difficulty in getting a test despite the exact symptoms and a neg flu test underscores how shockingly unprepared this administration is to deal with this pandemic. In fact, I was told that NYC hospitals STILL would not test my wife — with similar symptoms — unless admitted. 2/
Given his stated desire to “keep numbers down” for his political benefit, it is impossible to reach any conclusion other than that the President is sacrificing the health of the American public for his own personal interests. 4/
Democratic impeachment lawyer Daniel Goldman announced Sunday that he’s tested positive for coronavirus — and immediately blamed President Donald Trump for “gaslighting” America.
Goldman explained his situation through a series of tweets, explaining the difficulty that he had experienced even getting access to a test and suggesting that the Trump administration was at fault for too slow a response in providing tests and spreading false information.
Americans can use the Chinese coronavirus pandemic as a way to come together for good, Dr. Ben Carson said at the White House on Saturday.
At the press briefing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary reminded Americans that prayer and faith are part of what keeps the nation great, according to the Christian Post.
Carson continued:
President Trump is going to be recommending a national day of prayer. And you know, we’ve gotten away from prayer and faith a lot in this country.
There’s nothing wrong with godly principles, no matter what your faith is — loving your neighbor — caring about the people around you. Developing your God-given talents to the utmost, so you become valuable to the people around you. Having values and principles that guide your life. Those are things that made America zoom to the top of the world in record time — and those are the things that will keep us there too.
Saturday, President Trump declared Sunday a national day of prayer for citizens affected by the disease and for the ongoing national response efforts, according to the White House’s website.
The proclamation read:
As we unite in prayer, we are reminded that there is no burden too heavy for God to lift or for this country to bear with His help. Luke 1:37 promises that “For with God nothing shall be impossible,” and those words are just as true today as they have ever been. As one Nation under God, we are greater than the hardships we face, and through prayer and acts of compassion and love, we will rise to this challenge and emerge stronger and more united than ever before. May God bless each of you, and may God bless the United States of America.
On Twitter Sunday morning, he reminded Americans of the recent declaration.
TODAY IS A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!
Sunday afternoon, Carson thanked President Trump for highlighting the need for prayer during the health crisis:
Thank you @realdonaldtrump for designating this National Day of Prayer. Now more than ever, we must lean into our faith by loving our neighbors and caring for those around us.
“We are a compassionate, innovative, and resilient nation that was built on these principles, and they will continue to guide us through these trying times,” Carson wrote in a subsequent tweet.
An illegal alien, believed to be associated with the violent MS-13 gang, is accused of raping a semiconscious woman in the sanctuary jurisdiction of Montgomery County, Maryland.
ABC News 7’s Kevin Lewis confirmed this week that 35-year-old Jose Lopez-Gonzalez, who was allegedly found by police officers raping a semiconscious woman in plain sight, is an illegal alien from El Salvador with potential ties to the MS-13 Gang.
Police officers were called March 5 about the rape of a woman in an apartment complex stairwell. When they arrived, one officer said he witnessed Lopez-Gonzalez raping the woman as she shouted, “No.” Half the woman’s clothes had been ripped off by Lopez-Gonzalez, according to police.
The officer said he yelled at Lopez-Gonzalez to stop but the illegal alien allegedly would not stop having sexual intercourse and had to be pried off the victim. The location of the alleged rape was in plain sight of the public.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where she was found to have a blood alcohol level more than four times the legal limit. Lopez-Gonzalez allegedly admitted to police that he knew the woman was drunk.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said Lopez-Gonzalez has associations with the MS-13 Gang, an El Salvadoran gang that routinely uses the nation’s lax immigration system to import recruits and members.
Lewis uncovered Lopez-Gonzalez’s immigration records, which reveal he was deported in November 2007 and in February 2010.
Currently, Lopez-Gonzalez is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Clarksburg, Maryland, and was denied bond. ICE has issued a detainer for the illegal alien so that if he is released from police custody, he will be turned over to them for arrest and deportation.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
Ilhan Omar Under Fire For Marrying Consultant Whose Firm Was Paid Nearly $600K By Her Campaign
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has come under renewed fire after marrying Tim Mynett – head of political consulting firm E Street Group, which made approximately $586,000 for a "range of services that included digital advertising, fundraising consulting, digital communications and design," as well as banging their clients behind their wives’ backs, apparently. Mynett was personally paid $7,000 directly for fundraising before his firm was hired.
Payments to the firm in the 2019-2020 cycle for Omar’s reelection campaign comprised 40 percent of total campaign expenses, federal filings show.
Representatives for Omar’s campaign and Mynett’s firm said this week that there was nothing improper about the payments because they were made for legitimate work. –WaPo
On Wednesday, Omar announced on Instagram that she and Mynett had filed for their marriage license that same day, according to the Washington Post.
On Friday, E Street Group co-founder Will Hailer said that the payments from Omar’s campaign were for legitimate campaign work, and that most of the advertising-related payments had been passed on to vendors.
The firm has about 18 employees and “on any given day, eight or more people could be touching her account at some point, between design, digital ads, social media, email content creation, high-dollar fundraising, political support and many other things that we provide for the campaign, Hailer said. “Similar to what we provide for countless other clients across the country.”
Hailer said he and Mynett began working for Omar’s campaign after years of political experience in her district and in Minnesota. –WaPo
David Mitriani, Omar’s campaign attorney, said in a Thursday memo echoing Hailer’s comments that the firm provided legitimate services to the campaign at a fair market value.
"There is simply nothing unusual about the services that E Street Group provides to Ilhan for Congress — and nothing inappropriate with a vendor being reimbursed for travel for bona fide services — even if that vendor is run by a candidate’s spouse," he wrote.
In August 2019, Omar was accused in a divorce filing by Mynett’s estranged wife, Dr. Beth Mynett, of stealing her husband. Tim and Beth have a 13-year-old son together.
"The parties physically separated on or about April 7, 2019, when Defendant told Plaintiff that he was romantically involved with and in love with another woman, Ilhan Omar," reads the court filing, which adds "Defendant met Rep. Omar while working for her."
"It is clear to Plaintiff that her marriage to Defendant is over and that there is no hope of reconciliation," the filing continues.
Omar, meanwhile, filed for divorce against her previous husband in October amid allegations that she was having an affair with Mynett, citing an "irretrievable breakdown" in her marriage.
