Red Dawn is a great movie. I was born in the mid-90s. To be honest, I really grew up in the early 2000s. But, I always had a special place in my heart for the Action movies of the 80s. As much as I love the crazy action of Commando or the realism of Die Hard, I have to say there’s really something special about Red Dawn.

Maybe it’s how the movie really captures the time & place of when it was made. That Cold War tension, the actors themselves, the costumes, even down to the film, audio, and effects quality.

I watched it recently, and it sparked a thought. The funny thing about working in firearms is that you really notice if someone knows firearms, and it’s represented correctly in a Hollywood film. It’s that extra added realism that really gets you immersed and makes the film believable.

Red Dawn has a great example of this. It also sparks a bit of discussion in my mind on privacy and why it’s so crucial for us as gun owners to push back on any regulation of the 2nd Amendment whatsoever.

At the beginning of the movie, there’s a scene where the Cubans and Russians meet up in the middle of town. The commanders meet up and discuss their plans for securing the city and dealing with the citizenry. Obviously, there’s a reason why the USA has never had a foreign invader since the British. A famous quote from Japan’s Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto saying: “You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass.”

The Russians knew this fact. So as they invaded, there’s a little bit of authentic detail added to this scene and a realistic way for them to stomp out any civilian resistance. One of the Russian commanders says to the other, “Go to the sporting goods store. From the files, obtain Form 4473. This will contain descriptions of weapons and lists of private ownership.” And that’s precisely what they do.

When the main characters are leaving, one of their fathers owns a sporting goods store in town. He’s then put in a prison camp by the Russians and executed for the missing weapons. This action inspires the son to seek payback and drives the epic tale of revenge throughout the film.

This little detail was cut from the remake (I wonder why). That’s sarcasm if you can’t tell.

As I’m sitting here writing this, it’s about 8 pm on August 25th, 2021. The allotted time to comment on the ATF’s new proposed rule change for “Definition of Frame or Receiver” has recently just ended. The proposed change creates more paperwork for gun dealers and American citizens, labeling many parts of a firearm as a “firearm” itself in the legal context and creating a need for more background checks, specifically the BATFE Form 4473.

Now, we’re far away from the cold war scares of the 1980s 90s, but the idea of those 4473 forms being used to confiscate weaponry didn’t disappear with the Berlin wall. Nowadays, it’s the American Government coming after gun owners with its unelected bureaucrats at the ATF.

Make no mistake. This rule change from the ATF and the Biden administration is only step one of this plan. Searchable databases, digital registries, taxes, and more are coming our way.

We, as gun owners, need to stand up and make our voices heard. The Machine Gun Nest is proud to be on the front lines of this ideological battle changing minds one experience at a time. Our best bet is to step out of our own echo chambers, talk to those that disagree with us and convince those who misunderstand or are not educated to join our cause. Every gun owner can play their part in this process by simply taking someone to the range for the first time or having a rational conversation. Or by putting our hard-earned dollars to work with Firearms Policy Coalition or Gun Owners of America.

I believe the fight for gun rights is one that we can win. I know that we can restore the Second Amendment as intended by the founders of this country. Maybe then we won’t need the Wolverines!