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When it came to her final word at the Miss USA pageant, Asya Branch was asked to speak on gun laws. And she wasn't afraid to state her support for the Second Amendment.

"I think it's important that we not ban guns because, obviously, people will find a way to get what they want anyway," Branch, who represented Mississippi, said onstage as she stood among the final five contestants on Monday night. "But I think it's our Second Amendment right, and I think we just need more safety surrounding that."

Branch's words caught the attention of Twitter and various media outlets especially after she was announced as the winner mere minutes later.

Branch spoke out in support of the Second Amendment during the pageant. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

"I think that AK-47s and other guns along those lines should be left to our military," Branch said. "There's no reason for civilians to have those types of weapons."

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994 expired in 2004. Congress has passed scant gun legislation in recent years, despite a wave of mass shootings in the country, and the fact that a 2019 Politico/Morning Consult poll found that nearly 70% of all American voters would support a new ban on assault weapons.

During her final word in the Miss USA pageant, Branch noted that she had grown up in a home with guns and "learned from an early age how to load, how to fire, and gun safety."

Branch said she grew up with guns in her home from an early age. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

"As our Second Amendment right, we obviously have the right to bear arms," she said. "And where I'm from, there are a lot of guns people like to hunt. It's important that we just really enforce gun safety and make sure that people have permits and that they're legally able to own a gun."

"It's just a matter of making sure that when we put guns in the hands of people, that they're capable of being safe and making sure that they're using it for the right reasons," she added. "Go hunting, go shoot targets, use it as more of a sport. Let's not harm each other."

People on Twitter recently criticized Branch after a photo of her singing at a Trump rally resurfaced on Monday night. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

The pageant queen also caught Twitter's attention when an Instagram photo of her singing at a Donald Trump rally in 2018 resurfaced.

Branch told Insider that she had been contractually obligated to sing the national anthem at the rally while she was Miss Mississippi for the Miss America organization, which is separate from Miss USA.

"I think what people miss a lot of the time is the fact that, as Miss Mississippi in the Miss America system, I was under a contract as an employee of the organization," she said. "Part of my contract obligated me to attend appearances, and that [Trump rally] was one of them."

"And I think that any opportunity that I get to sing the national anthem is a true honor, regardless of where it takes place," she added.

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Miss USA does not believe that the country should ban guns - Insider - INSIDER

Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, who is in charge of election oversight in the city, appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night where he addressed President Trumps attacks on the integrity of the voting in Pennsylvania. Trump made repeated attempts to limit the amount of votes that could be counted in the state, and when those attempts failed and the mail-in ballots handed President-elect Joe Biden victory in the state, Trump began making accusations of widespread fraud. Though Trump and his lawyers have failed to present any actual evidence of widespread fraud, conspiracies have gained traction among his supporters, who joined the president in his calls to stop counting the votes.

From the inside looking out, it feels all very deranged. At the end of the day, we are counting eligible votes cast by voters. The controversy surrounding it is something I dont understand, Schmidt said. Its people making accusations that we wouldnt count those votes, or people are adding fraudulent votes, or coming up with all sorts of crazy stuff.

Schmidt said that the accusations of wrongdoing targeting him and others taking part in counting the votes in Pennsylvania has turned into real-life danger. Two armed Virginia men were arrested outside a vote-counting facility in Philadelphia last week, and Schmidt says there have been threats.

Calls to our offices reminding us that this is what the Second Amendment is for, people like us, Schmidt said. Youre getting calls like that? Bill Whitaker asked, adding, Thats a not-so-vailed death threat. Yes, Schmidt replied, for counting votes in a democracy.

Although the president and his allies cried foul, Schmidt says that the election was handled with integrity. And though Schmidt is a Republican, and mail-in ballots skewed heavily along partisan lines in favor of Biden, Schmidt doesnt believe the counting of votes should be a partisan issue.

Counting votes cast on or before Election Day by eligible voters is not corruption, it is not cheating, it is democracy, Schmidt said. There really should not be a disagreement, regardless of party affiliation, when were talking about counting votes cast on or before Election Day by eligible voters, its not a very controversial thing, or at least it shouldnt be.

60 Minutes airs Sundays at 7:30 p.m. on CBS.

Watch Stephen Colbert fight back tears and make an emotional plea to Republicans following Trumps press conference:

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'This is what the Second Amendment is for': Philadelphia City Commissioner discusses disturbing threats - Yahoo News

LETTER from CHRISTIAN BASHEAR

To the Editor:

To express my support of the Second Amendment, I joined the 2AS group here in Otsego County when it was first organized. For far too long, the New York State government has passed more and more insane gun controls without seeming to care at all that they may be unconstitutional infringements to myright to keep and bear arms.

I also am sick of the insulting name-calling pro-gun control people use to label us.

There is nothing unreasonable to champion the Second Amendment as written and nor is it unreasonable to call into question certain gun control laws.

I have grown up in a household that enjoyed hunting and target shooting. The same with many ofmy friends and neighbors. We are not gun nuts and I dont know of anyone who is.

In fact, I cant see any of my friends or family even wanting to be around people who dont respect their firearms. But that doesnt mean its OK for the government to place one obscure restriction after another.

I want to see a future where my kids can enjoy hunting and target shooting as I did growing up. It has been a tradition that I fear might be stripped away.

There is talk every week on passing more infringing gun control laws throughout New York. We cannot stand for this anymore. Im tired of it and its time for freedom to fight back.

Having the freedom of self-defense is not only our right, it is our duty.

CHRISTIAN BRASHERRichfield Spring

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BASHEAR: Protect Our Gun-Using Traditions - AllOTSEGO

It was the fall of 2016 and Hillary Clinton was clearly going to win the presidency and the Democrats were going to take over the U.S. Senate and House. The polls said Hillary was even or ahead in very red South Carolina. The blue wave was huge!

We all know the end of that story. Clinton lost and Republicans won the House and Senate.

Fast forward to 2020.

Trump is losing Wisconsin by a 17-point spread in polls according to MSNBC, Lindsey Graham is behind in his Senate race and the debate is about how big the Democrat takeover will be in the Senate and how much will they increase their control in the House. The blue wave was huge!

Not only did the blue wave fizzle in 2016, but it pretty much did not show up at all in 2020 either.

Instead of a blue wave, we saw Republicans not only make gains in the House, but they will likely hold the Senate. Nationally, Republicans also increased or maintained control in state houses and governorships across the nation. This is particularly important for the vital redistricting battles to occur after next years census. Republicans also garnered record amounts of Hispanic and African American votes.

Why did all this happen?

Likely because the Democratic Party sounded in part much like the snake oil salesman of old on so many levels: socialism is good; Joe Bidens son knows tons about energy production in the Ukraine; and if we could only defund the police we would finally have peace.

After weeks of the Democrats who run Pennsylvania ignoring state requirements on balloting, President Trump is having to go to court to ask them to follow their own law. Any president whose tenure was struck by the greatest pandemic in over 100 years should have lost this election in a landslide.

Instead, Democrats are relying on the always-suspect absentee balloting process to inch ahead in Georgia and other close states. If elections were like coastal cities, absentee balloting would be the shady part of town down near the docks you do not want to wander into because the chance of being shanghaied is significant. Expect the Georgia Legislature to address that in our next session in January.

Like a sports team that is solid in the fundamentals, the Republican Party is on the right side of issues about which our nation cares.

We believe there is a God whom you have the right to worship without the government telling you when and how you can do so; Republicans believe the Second Amendment right is vital to protection of our citizens; and we believe that if government stays out of the way, small businesses can flourish and jobs for our citizens will be plentiful. These are basic tenets of the Republican Party that distinguish them from the ever-left-leaning portions of the Democrat party who espouse socialism, defunding the police and a soft-on-crime approach to the huge and growing problem with gangs.

As the nation starts to see the far left aspire to have Bernie Sanders serve as a Cabinet member and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be the speaker of the House, Georgia has an opportunity to make sure one party has no chance at the national level to control the presidency, the House and the Senate. We can elect Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the Jan. 5 runoff. They represent Georgia, unlike their opponents who call our police "thugs" and promote taxes and regulations that will cause thousands of Georgians to lose their jobs.

The future is bright for the Republican Party. Vote Loeffler and Perdue on Jan. 5 to keep America from the Socialist/Marxist philosophy of their opponents.

The writer represents District 121, Columbia and McDuffie counties, in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he is chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Link:
Guest Column: Republican Party wins on Election Day, and future is bright - The Augusta Chronicle

Although the 2021 session of the Texas Legislature convenes on January 12, gun control advocates financed byNew York billionaire MichaelBloomberg and Beto "Hell Yeah, I'll Take Your Guns" O'Rourke wasted no time in announcing their declaration of war on your Second Amendment rights in the Lone Star State. Monday was the first day for the pre-filing of bills, and more than three dozen measures attacking your rights have already been introduced!

Here are some of the highlights of what's to come:

That's after ONE day of pre-filing. Gun owners need to send a resounding message to their state lawmakers in opposition to these gun control bills RIGHT AWAY.Please contact your State Representative and urge them to OPPOSE any and all gun control measures and feel free to list these specifically.

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Record Amount of Gun Control Legislation Introduced on First Day of Bill Pre-Filing for 2021 Texas Legislative Session - NRA ILA