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<v Speaker 1>All right, it's a real treat. Right now, we're at

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<v Speaker 1>the course of the RI annual meetings in Houston, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm believable to us. I'm so glad I Todd Blanche

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<v Speaker 1>is here. He is the acting US Attorney General. Now

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<v Speaker 1>that Pam Body is out, you're feeling that slot now,

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<v Speaker 1>I am maybe permanently. We don't know, We do not know, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I should say, with Donald Trump in charge, you never know.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right, That's right. That's why we love them, all right,

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<v Speaker 1>So tell everybody a little bit about your background.

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<v Speaker 2>So I'm from Colorado originally, I lived in New York

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<v Speaker 2>for a long time. My family, my wife's family, has

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<v Speaker 2>been in the gun manufacturing business for forty years. The

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<v Speaker 2>manufacturer magazines a check make in Checkmate Industries. So my

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<v Speaker 2>father in law started it in nineteen sixty eight sixty nine.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I've been part of this fight, struggle, everything

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<v Speaker 2>that we've that we've been going through as a nation

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<v Speaker 2>for really for forty years.

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<v Speaker 1>You're part of the gun industry, I am, yes. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>but now you're in charge of the US Department of Justice.

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<v Speaker 1>I am yes. So how do you put those together?

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<v Speaker 1>I know people are saying, well, why can't you fix

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<v Speaker 1>everything by the end of work today? So, look, it

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<v Speaker 1>takes a while.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a great question. So the important thing for everybody

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<v Speaker 2>to realize is that the way this country works is

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<v Speaker 2>regulations are put in place and it takes time to

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<v Speaker 2>unwind them. And that's a bad fact, but it's true.

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<v Speaker 2>And so what we're doing and what President Trump did

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<v Speaker 2>on January twentieth, he issued in executive order and it

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<v Speaker 2>said very simply, we are going to restore Second Amendment rights. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>so easy, let's do it. And here we and but

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<v Speaker 2>let me tell you what we have done. At the

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<v Speaker 2>Department of Justice. We hired a law professor who clerk

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<v Speaker 2>for Justice, Clarence Thomas, one of the best Second Amendment

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<v Speaker 2>justices we've ever had. He is really the only Second

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<v Speaker 2>Amendment law professor I think out there. He's a genius.

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<v Speaker 2>We hired him and we said, okay, we want you

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<v Speaker 2>to go and rework every single regulation consistent with this

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<v Speaker 2>President's directive. And and that takes a lot of time.

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<v Speaker 2>But I will tell you, and I'm going to say

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<v Speaker 2>it tonight when when I when I get a chance

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<v Speaker 2>to speak to a lot of other members that we

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<v Speaker 2>are days away from releasing that they have been approved

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<v Speaker 2>by the president on down and what.

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<v Speaker 1>It's going to change releasing what what are you raising?

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<v Speaker 2>All the new changes to the regulations. So so, for

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<v Speaker 2>example of f fl's will, will will scream and kick

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<v Speaker 2>correctly that the regulations that are in place that make

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<v Speaker 2>it impossible do their jobs everything from from you know

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<v Speaker 2>there there's certain signature requirements. Right, you cannot sell a

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<v Speaker 2>firearmy listor in person with the person. Why is that?

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<v Speaker 2>We have all kinds of ways to do things. You

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<v Speaker 2>can get something notarized over the computernically, electronically, you can

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<v Speaker 2>file your taxes electronically. How come I cannot sell a

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<v Speaker 2>gun to you without violating some some regulation that should

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<v Speaker 2>not exist. So so that's one example. Some of the

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<v Speaker 2>other examples that are more meaningful that that we'll keep

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<v Speaker 2>for the next week. But I think that any gun owner,

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<v Speaker 2>anybody who's in the industry, whether you're a manufacturer, whether

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<v Speaker 2>you're a resailer, they're going to be to realize that

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<v Speaker 2>this administration is going to do more to restore rights

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<v Speaker 2>to where they belong than any administration in history.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't have to tell you a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>on the gun in the gun family, in the gun

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<v Speaker 1>culture have been frustrated. They've thought, you know, why can't

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<v Speaker 1>we move faster? At the same time, having I've been

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<v Speaker 1>in DC, worked in DC, things move so slowly in

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<v Speaker 1>a certain way, you're actually moving at warp speed right now, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>because you want to do it right.

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<v Speaker 2>So what we've done, going back to Reagan administration is

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<v Speaker 2>the gun industry takes two steps forward and then a

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<v Speaker 2>Democrat comes in and takes us eight steps back. And

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<v Speaker 2>then we come in and we go two step forward,

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<v Speaker 2>and then the next administration comes in. So we're not

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<v Speaker 2>gonna do that. We're not gonna take two steps forward.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to We're gonna go forward a mile. And

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<v Speaker 2>that means doing it right. So that means making sure

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<v Speaker 2>that we're gonna get sued. We're gonna get sued the

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<v Speaker 2>day after we release these rags, right, and we don't care.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what we expect. But what we want to do

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<v Speaker 2>is be in a position to be able to defend

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<v Speaker 2>those lawsuits and win because we're doing it the right way.

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<v Speaker 2>The other thing I'll say is we have been doing

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<v Speaker 2>a lot, so whether it's it's joining lawsuits, when states

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<v Speaker 2>are trying to mess with your Second Amendment rights. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you had administrations, even Republican administrations, that just stood on

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<v Speaker 2>the sidelines. We are not standing on the Sidelince her,

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<v Speaker 2>Meet Dylan of our civil rights group. She is filing

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<v Speaker 2>lawsuits left and right to defend the Second ammbals. She's awesome.

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<v Speaker 2>Look what we just are getting front of the Supreme

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<v Speaker 2>Court a law in Hawaii that basically removes any gun

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<v Speaker 2>owner's right to conceal and carry. If we win that,

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<v Speaker 2>that not only affects Hawaii, it affects California, all all

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<v Speaker 2>the states that passed similar laws.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, we're gonna win that one.

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<v Speaker 2>Amen.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean all right. So as you look at

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<v Speaker 1>the Supreme Court now we're trying to get through to

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<v Speaker 1>take a few more cases. We'd love for them at

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<v Speaker 1>some point point to take a so called assault weapon

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<v Speaker 1>at least to send me automatic ban if we can

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<v Speaker 1>get that done, because under Heller and Bruin it says

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<v Speaker 1>you cannot ban these guns. Right, But the states keep

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<v Speaker 1>doing that.

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<v Speaker 2>They keep on doing it, and until there's enough lawsuits

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<v Speaker 2>that they lose, they're not going to start AR fifteen.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that that's the best example, that is putting aside

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<v Speaker 2>what it was thirty years ago. That is a sporting rifle.

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<v Speaker 2>That is a rifle that Americans that they have every

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<v Speaker 2>right to own like any other firearm.

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<v Speaker 1>And it doesn't have to be a sporting rifle to

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<v Speaker 1>fall under the Second Amendment. That doesn't matter.

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<v Speaker 2>But there's other rigs that that restrict it because it's

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<v Speaker 2>not labeled as a sporting rival So we got we

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<v Speaker 2>got to fix those rigs as well. And so it's

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<v Speaker 2>it's something that that is going to be a sea change.

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<v Speaker 2>I think as far as DJ is concerned in Second

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<v Speaker 2>Amendment protections, to what extent have you.

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<v Speaker 1>Gotten reluctance resistance within DJ to advance in the Second Amendment?

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<v Speaker 2>None? And I'm going to say what I mean by that.

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<v Speaker 2>You have a president who champions the Second Amendment. His

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<v Speaker 2>sons are better shots than any of us.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they're serious, right people.

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<v Speaker 2>He got the White House Counsel Dave Warranton, who is

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest second proponent you've ever seen. Okay, you have me,

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<v Speaker 2>you have Harmeat Dylon, you have Rob Sakata, our new

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<v Speaker 2>hope hopefully soon to be confirmed atf director. He owns

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<v Speaker 2>more guns than probably most people in this convention center.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's saying a lot. But I'll stand by and

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<v Speaker 2>then you, like I said, you have this. You have

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<v Speaker 2>a general counsel of HF who's a Clarence Thomas Clerk

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<v Speaker 2>who is devoted to Second Amendment. So this, this has

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<v Speaker 2>never happened before. And we are running on all cylinders.

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<v Speaker 2>It took a while because we're you know, we're a

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<v Speaker 2>year in, but you know, it takes a while to

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<v Speaker 2>get started and we're working.

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<v Speaker 1>So all right, You're walking around the four here at

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<v Speaker 1>the NRA, You're seeing all these people, and I know

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<v Speaker 1>you've got security. I had this funny thought. I thought, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, and you know a lot of people here

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<v Speaker 1>walking around carrying guns, but it's the friendliest bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>people you'll ever run into. And where you go.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, absolutely. I was just with my parents. My mom

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<v Speaker 2>just told me for the first time, she has a

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<v Speaker 2>concealed carry permit. Oh you know, that's okay.

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<v Speaker 1>I love it. I love it. Bill, That's right.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's the beauty of That's the what Americans, Americans

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<v Speaker 2>know but sometimes Washington forgets, is that that's what gunnarship

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<v Speaker 2>is about in this country. And that's why it works

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<v Speaker 2>and and that's why. That's what President Trump has said

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<v Speaker 2>for fifteen years. And that's a New Yorker saying that.

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<v Speaker 2>So you know, it's it's it's the way it's gonna be.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, So what your wish list. You're in a

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<v Speaker 1>great position right now. You said, Okay, this is what

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<v Speaker 1>I would love for us to be able to accomplish

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<v Speaker 1>over the next year or two.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to I want change that lasts beyond this administration.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't want to. We're working with ATF every day.

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<v Speaker 2>They are no longer going after FFLs, they are no

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<v Speaker 2>longer there's no longer a zero tolerance policy where if

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<v Speaker 2>you do not cross the tea or dot and I,

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<v Speaker 2>We're gonna shut you down.

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<v Speaker 1>However, that only helps for a couple of years.

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<v Speaker 2>So so what my goal is to is to work

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<v Speaker 2>to put regulations and do and change the Department of

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<v Speaker 2>Justice approach so that no matter what happens in three years,

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to stay longer than.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not just changing policy, because policy can be changed,

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<v Speaker 1>you're actually going to change the regulations and regulations resources.

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<v Speaker 2>So instead of hiring a bunch of guys to go

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<v Speaker 2>civil guys to go look at FFLs. We should be

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<v Speaker 2>hiring specialations to go arrest robbers, right, that's what we

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<v Speaker 2>should be spending our money on. So that then that's

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<v Speaker 2>what we're doing.

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<v Speaker 1>There you go, bod Butch, thank you so much, not

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<v Speaker 1>just for doing the interview, thank you for what you're doing.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Harrie is great doing it anytime.

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<v Speaker 1>Appreciate this very much. Return you to the NRA Annual

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<v Speaker 1>Meetings