Thread by @TimInHonolulu

1. So with the @NRA politically weaker than it has been in years, under multiple counter-intelligence investigations and wracked with internal strife, why isn't this the time to ban assault rifles? We know the ban is constitutional. We've done it and it went through the courts.

2. Trump is clearly the driving force of the GOP so if he really wanted to ban them he could. So the easy answer is that his most intense white-supremacist base would not like it. And I guess you can say Trump is not smart and would want to keep that base either to help him in a

3. coup or just because they are the ones who feed his ego at his rallies. But anyone who is actually working on a strategy for Trump to win, would want to satisfy the majority of Americans who want to restrict the use of these military weapons.

4. Trump has been on the record as willing to look at the issue. Now when he could use a big boost it is not even in the discussion. I think it's because Putin says so. Putin wants to start a Second US Civil War. He has no way to compete with the US. His entire economy is smaller

5. than California. Having Americans kill each other is the best result for him and flooding our streets with weapons of war is the way to pull it off. So he tells Trump don't follow the common sense advice of political advisers and leave the American streets running in blood.

6. But Trump and Putin share a common flaw. They can't be seen getting along. Trump would love to end sanctions and they were able to do it to bribe @senatemajldr McConnell but besides that, it's politically difficult. And the @SenateGOP has shown that it has a limit as to

7. how much Borscht it can swallow. So here's a suggestion how this could get Putin to back down and actually end the American Carnage brought by assault riffles by telling his puppet to do it.

8. Remember everyone's favorite NRA member Maria Butina? She infiltrated the NRA and GOP and still a source of fascination for me. But one thing she exposed is that Putin does not want a Second Amendment in his dictatorship. So as part of the Red Flag legislation add this:

9. Beginning as soon as practicable after enactment, the US IC will move Ak-47's into the Russian Federation via clandestine operations under the CIA black budget. For every Assault riffle sold in the US five will be delivered to Russian freedom fighters.

10. It should make the hearts of the real gun lobby go pitter-pat. We'll see if they are on team US or team Russia.

Welcome to the American Revolution Vova. 😎

@POTUS @WHNSC @SenateGOP @HouseGOP @NRA @MarkWarner @RepAdamSchiff @USEmbassyKyiv

@POTUS @WHNSC @SenateGOP @HouseGOP @NRA @MarkWarner @RepAdamSchiff @USEmbassyKyiv 11. We need to deal with gun issues carefully and creatively because Trump wants this issue to energize his base. Our response should always take into account how to make it toxic for Trump and the GOP by making their master, Putin, totally hate the response.