# If declaring national emergencies becomes a thing, what kinds of NEs could the democrats do **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 16, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664 "2019-02-16T13:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/41 "2019-02-16T19:24:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Oh, you’re assuming the legal system will side with you in a prompt manner and not after months or years of slow-grinding and expensive proceedings that eat up your savings and a good chunk of your life. > > Compared to that, statehood for Puerto Rico seems entirely plausible. Not really. I’m assuming the legal system will put the kibosh on the whole thing before I can even say “FKDH”, and probably well before the ATF police get a chance to gear up and kick some doors in. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/42 "2019-02-16T19:33:01Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Not really. I’m assuming the legal system will put the kibosh on the whole thing before I can even say “FKDH”, and probably well before the ATF police get a chance to gear up and kick some doors in. Sure, fingers crossed. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/43 "2019-02-16T19:46:24Z")
Meantime, as a thought exercise, let’s assume some of the right-wing rhetoric is actually true and white Christian Americans really are under siege by Marxist-Cortezan liberals who want to destroy America and guns and capitalism and force everybody into gay marriages, or at least that such liberals are numerous enough to shout cheers of support for a presidential candidate who tells them that white Christians Americans are the source of all their problems, even though this is demonstrably, ridiculously untrue. Then that candidate, against all odds, gets elected and keeps staging rallies for more cheers. Is there cause for concern for what such a president might try to do under the cloak of a declared emergency? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/44 "2019-02-16T20:10:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Meantime, as a thought exercise, let’s assume some of the right-wing rhetoric is actually true and white Christian Americans really are under siege by Marxist-Cortezan liberals who want to destroy America and guns and capitalism and force everybody into gay marriages, or at least that such liberals are numerous enough to shout cheers of support for a presidential candidate who tells them that white Christians Americans are the source of all their problems, even though this is demonstrably, ridiculously untrue. Then that candidate, against all odds, gets elected and keeps staging rallies for more cheers. Is there cause for concern for what such a president might try to do under the cloak of a declared emergency? I’m always concerned when liberals are in power. I am not, however, concerned that President Trump is opening up some sort of Pandora’s box with this national emergency declaration that’s going to result in FKDH mandating everyone over the age of 12 be forced into a gay marriage, or that the ATF police are going to magically be empowered to take away everyone’s guns, or whatever Nancy was fantasizing about. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/45 "2019-02-16T20:29:16Z")
I have indeed gathered that you are concerned about what liberals might do while remaining blind or indifferent to what Trump and Republicans _are_ doing, so I’ll invite others to comment on how they might feel if another populist demagogue gets in power who differs from Trump only in favourite scapegoats and who is now armed with extremely vague “emergency” powers. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/46 "2019-02-16T20:50:44Z")
> [@betterlifethroughchemistry](#): > > In addition to Trump’s recent declaration of a national emergency for border security, the following national emergencies are still in effect: > > President Jimmy Carter > Nov 14, 1979: The National Emergency With Respect to Iran. > > President Bill Clinton > Nov 14, 1994: The National Emergency With Respect to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. > Jan. 2, 1995: The National Emergency With Respect to Prohibiting Transactions with Terrorists Who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process. > March 15, 1995: The National Emergency With Respect to Prohibiting Certain Transactions with Respect to the Development of Iranian Petroleum Resources. > October 21, 1995: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions with Significant Narcotics Traffickers Centered in Colombia. > March 1, 1996: The National Emergency With Respect to Regulations of the Anchorage and Movement of Vessels with Respect to Cuba. > November 3, 1997: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Sudanese Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Sudan. > > President George W. Bush > June 26, 2001: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Persons Who Threaten International Stabilization Efforts in the Western Balkans. > Aug 17, 2001: The National Emergency With Respect to Export Control Regulations. > Sept 14, 2001: The National Emergency with Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks. > Sept 23, 2001: The National Emergency With Respect to Persons who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism. > March 6, 2003: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Zimbabwe. > May 22, 2003: The National Emergency With Respect to Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq has an Interest. > May 11, 2004: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Export of Certain Goods to Syria. > June 16, 2006: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Belarus. > Oct 27, 2006: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. > Aug 1, 2007: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Persons Undermining the Sovereignty of Lebanon. > June 26, 2008: The National Emergency With Respect to Continuing Certain Restrictions with Respect to North Korea. > > President Barack Obama > April 12, 2010: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in Somalia. > February 25, 2011: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Libya. > July 25, 2011: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Transnational Criminals. > May 16, 2012: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen. > March 16, 2014: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine. > April 3, 2014: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to South Sudan was in response to the ongoing civil war. > May 12, 2014: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Central African Republic. > March 8, 2015: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Venezuela. > April 1, 2015: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities. > Nov 23, 2015: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Burundi. > > President Donald Trump > Dec 20, 2017: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption. > Sept 12, 2018: The National Emergency With Respect to Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election. > Nov 27, 2018: The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Nicaragua. > > [Here's a list of the 31 national emergencies that have been in effect for years - ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/list-31-national-emergencies-effect-years/story?id=60294693) Thank you for posting that. I didn’t know national emergencies were so common. I also didn’t know they sounded like the title to episodes of the big bang theory either. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/47 "2019-02-16T21:45:20Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I have indeed gathered that you are concerned about what liberals might do while remaining blind or indifferent to what Trump and Republicans _are_ doing, so I’ll invite others to comment on how they might feel if another populist demagogue gets in power who differs from Trump only in favourite scapegoats and who is now armed with extremely vague “emergency” powers. If they were playing by the republican’s playbook, they would come up with some excuse to separate parents from their children, (“he was speeding/jay walking/chewing gum\*, and we don’t let kids stay with lawbreakers”) then they make them read and sign forms in Spanish that takes away their right to have or even own a gun ever again, telling them that they will get their kids back if they sign, but it’s too late, they’ve already lost track of the kids, who will never be seen by their parents again, not that they ever were trying to keep track of them in the first place. Actually, if I were a sociopath who cared more about winning than people, then that is exactly what I would do, especially if the other side were kind enough to open up the door on precedent for me. \*yes, I know that chewing gum isn’t illegal, but then, neither is seeking asylum. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/48 "2019-02-16T22:05:14Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m trying to understand what you’re saying here, and the closest I can get is that you think that a future Dem president could declare a national emergency and … shut down all the gun manufacturers and FFL’s? Have I understood you correctly? The ultimate resolution of the issue will be what sort of deference the courts give to the President’s power under a national emergency declaration. Under the plain text of the law, it seems like a president has absolute discretion to define what an emergency is and to take those steps outlined in the law. Congress has the power of the purse, but seems to have given it to the President in these circumstances. But this seems a delegation too far. If Congress passed a law that said, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President may spend all of the money Congress has allocated in any matter he pleases” then we do not have a separation of powers. The problem that arises is that no matter what the courts do, it will be bad. If the courts side with Trump, then I can see a future Dem president doing the whole gun control thing or something else just by thinking creatively and pounding a square peg into a round hole. If the courts rule against Trump, then we have a system where the courts are controlling the President, maybe going so far as to tell him where to deploy troops in the case of a foreign invasion, or order that the makeshift fortifications be built here and not over there. In my view, the problem lies with these declarations in their entirety. It is the mark of a dictatorship to have “emergency” situations since 1979. The law should require that any emergency situation be approved by Congress within X number of days for ratification. I would be much more comfortable with striking down the law entirely on non-delegation grounds than I would a court deciding whether or not this is a true emergency. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/49 "2019-02-16T22:17:54Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m always concerned when liberals are in power. I am not, however, concerned that President Trump is opening up some sort of Pandora’s box with this national emergency declaration that’s going to result in FKDH mandating everyone over the age of 12 be forced into a gay marriage, or that the ATF police are going to magically be empowered to take away everyone’s guns, or whatever Nancy was fantasizing about. How about merely reallocating a substantial chunk of money from some other program to greatly expand the ATF’s [notoriously-underfunded program](https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article193268134.html) to inspect gun dealers? Instead of FFLs going a average of a decade or more between inspections, they’re getting an inspection at least annually, and if even one “t” isn’t crossed in their paperwork at just the right angle, the bureau goes to court immediately to shut them down and strip them of their license (with their entire inventory seized as evidence), instead of slow-walking reprimands and appeals for years. No “new” law, but it would likely result in a significant reduction in the number of gun dealers (since less than half of dealers are fully compliant), causing the availability of new guns to decline and the prices to increase. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/50 "2019-02-16T22:29:40Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > If the courts rule against Trump, then we have a system where the courts are controlling the President, maybe going so far as to tell him where to deploy troops in the case of a foreign invasion, or order that the makeshift fortifications be built here and not over there. No, what you have there is an example of the checks and balances that our FF’s were kind enough to set up. > [@](#): > > The law should require that any emergency situation be approved by Congress within X number of days for ratification. I actually agree with this. > [@slash2k](#): > > How about merely reallocating a substantial chunk of money from some other program to greatly expand the ATF’s [notoriously-underfunded program](https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article193268134.html) to inspect gun dealers? Instead of FFLs going a average of a decade or more between inspections, they’re getting an inspection at least annually, and if even one “t” isn’t crossed in their paperwork at just the right angle, the bureau goes to court immediately to shut them down and strip them of their license (with their entire inventory seized as evidence), instead of slow-walking reprimands and appeals for years. > > No “new” law, but it would likely result in a significant reduction in the number of gun dealers (since less than half of dealers are fully compliant), causing the availability of new guns to decline and the prices to increase. Maybe take it from the FBI’s budget for doing background checks for FFLs. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/51 "2019-02-16T23:50:42Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Thank you for posting that. I didn’t know national emergencies were so common. But this one, Trump’s, is unique. No other declared emergency was issued immediately after congress’s denying the President funds to address the soon-to-be emergency. That is unique. And, that is an end-run around the Constitution. Will Roberts agree? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/52 "2019-02-17T00:00:28Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > … Maybe take it from the FBI’s budget for doing background checks for FFLs. If you’re aware of some emergency power that allows the president to move funds from the FBI’s budget for doing background checks for FFLs, I’d like to hear about it. I suspect, however, that no such emergency power exists. See, it’s not power to move money from anywhere to anywhere the President wants. The military construction emergency power is pretty specific: > [@](#): > > … Such projects may be undertaken only within the total amount of funds that have been appropriated for military construction, including funds appropriated for family housing, that have not been obligated. … ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/53 "2019-02-17T00:20:22Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > If you’re aware of some emergency power that allows the president to move funds from the FBI’s budget for doing background checks for FFLs, I’d like to hear about it. I suspect, however, that no such emergency power exists. > > See, it’s not power to move money from anywhere to anywhere the President wants. The military construction emergency power is pretty specific: Are you saying that the FBI’s budget is set by congress, down to the department level? Actually, I don’t think it would even require a declaration of emergency for the executive branch to use executive powers to direct the executive department of the FBI to redirect its resources from assisting gun owners to arresting them. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/54 "2019-02-17T00:47:22Z")
Another fun option for restricting guns would involve stopping imports. In recent years, four to five million guns are imported into the US annually; they all have to go through a port of entry. Under [19 US 1318(b)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1318), the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to change the services offered at any port of entry and “take any other action that may be necessary to respond” to the national emergency. If no port of entry is able to offer the service of receiving firearms, well, I guess new Taurus and Glock pistols will be more difficult to come by. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/55 "2019-02-17T06:50:56Z")
If all a national-emergency allows you to do is shift funding from one budget to another, then: 1. How does that address gun control? (unless the proposal is to suddenly give the ATF a lot of funding with which to confiscate guns, but even then, that doesn’t address the underlying legal issue) 2. What prevents someone like Trump from artificially setting aside a certain amount of money (i.e., give the Pentagon a budget of $100 billion more than it needs, annually) and then using it as a slush fund as he sees fit? Subject to GOP approval, of course, for the budget to pass in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/56 "2019-02-17T14:46:56Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Are you saying that the FBI’s budget is set by congress, down to the department level? … No, I don’t make any claim to how precise Congress’s budgetary instructions are to the FBI. I simply asked if you were aware of an emergency power that would allow what you were proposing. It seems that you are not, which means that Nancy still appears to have been spouting lies and bullshit. I have no doubt that the President, as head of the executive branch, has a lot of levers he can pull to harrass disfavored groups. Obama did this to gun owners already. I just haven’t seen any evidence that a NE declaration is a useful one, at least with regard to gun owners ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/57 "2019-02-17T14:52:29Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Another fun option for restricting guns would involve stopping imports. In recent years, four to five million guns are imported into the US annually; they all have to go through a port of entry. Under [19 US 1318(b)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1318), the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to change the services offered at any port of entry and “take any other action that may be necessary to respond” to the national emergency. If no port of entry is able to offer the service of receiving firearms, well, I guess new Taurus and Glock pistols will be more difficult to come by. The executive branch has far more immediate and direct ways of screwing with firearm imports. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/58 "2019-02-17T17:20:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If all a national-emergency allows you to do is shift funding from one budget to another, then: > > 1. How does that address gun control? (unless the proposal is to suddenly give the ATF a lot of funding with which to confiscate guns, but even then, that doesn’t address the underlying legal issue) Give the ATF funding to harass gun owners. Arrest them for any crimes they commit, real or imagined. Detain them while running background checks. Take their kids away while running these background checks. Make them sign away their rights to ever owning a gun again in exchange for being release while under investigation, and still lose their kids. Just as an example. > [@](#): > > 1. What prevents someone like Trump from artificially setting aside a certain amount of money (i.e., give the Pentagon a budget of $100 billion more than it needs, annually) and then using it as a slush fund as he sees fit? Subject to GOP approval, of course, for the budget to pass in the first place. Well, What would “prevent” that would be that congress would have to create that funding, and if congress created that funding as a general slush fund for the executive, then it would not need an NE to access. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, I don’t make any claim to how precise Congress’s budgetary instructions are to the FBI. I simply asked if you were aware of an emergency power that would allow what you were proposing. It seems that you are not, which means that Nancy still appears to have been spouting lies and bullshit. No, it means that _I_ do not know the precise ins and outs of the legislation. I am not a lawyer, I do not have a staff of lawyers. Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi, OTOH, does know legislation much better, and does have access to lawyers who can help. I am sure that there is something in there that can be twisted around to take advantage of the precedent that Trump is setting. Are you _sure_ that there is not? That I do not know the precise way that one would go about doing something is not evidence that someone else who says that they can do something is lies and bullshit. Not sure how that you would think that that logic would follow. If you don’t know how to bake a cake, and someone else says that they can, is that them spouting lies and bullshit? (It may be, but one does not provide evidence to the other, your assertions to the contrary notwithstanding.) > [@](#): > > I have no doubt that the President, as head of the executive branch, has a lot of levers he can pull to harrass disfavored groups. Obama did this to gun owners already. Like banning bump stocks? Oh wait, that wasn’t Obama, was it? That was the guy that you supported because you were afraid that Obama would not be friendly to gun owners. Huh, what is it that Obama did to harass gun owners already? > [@](#): > > I just haven’t seen any evidence that a NE declaration is a useful one, at least with regard to gun owners And I haven’t seen any evidence that a NE declaration is a useful one in building a wall, but, they managed to find a way to twist up the law to try to justify it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/59 "2019-02-17T17:22:30Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Huh, what is it that Obama did to harass gun owners already? This one time, he said they were clingy. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664/60 "2019-02-17T18:00:14Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The executive branch has far more immediate and direct ways of screwing with firearm imports. It doesn’t get much more immediate than “from this moment until the end of the emergency, no guns coming in.” Also, any such action would instantly trigger legal action from the NRA and its allies, but doing it through the emergency powers would choke off some of the possible legal arguments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-declaring-national-emergencies-becomes-a-thing-what-kinds-of-nes-could-the-democrats-do/829664.md?page=4)