“Agent Waters reacted immediately and pulled his weapon and fired at the gunman twice. Both bullets struck the victim. At this time there is little to go on. It is believed however, that this was the act of one man. The President and Secretary of State were immediately rushed back to the White House. President Quasim suffered a slight cut on his forehead as he was rushed into the car. Doctor Orvin is with the President checking on him and the Secretary of State.
We will share further developments as soon as they are available,” she said and stepped back from the microphone.
Questions were shouted to her immediately.
“Yes, Andy?” she said pointing to a journalist near the front.
“Has it been determined how the shooter gained access to the press area?”
“No but it is one of the things we are looking into. He shouldn’t have been in that area and yet he was.”
“Jane Hartman, The Times. You said the doctor was with the President and Secretary of State and that President Quasim had suffered a cut to the head. How serious is his condition and was Secretary of State, Hanna Cole, injured in any way?”
“The report I received was just that the President was being checked over as a precaution. Secretary of State Hanna Cole did not receive any injuries. That information could change but that is what we were told at the last briefing.”
Several more had questions but after a while they became redundant and Kendra Cox ended the news conference.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Agent Waters, Agent Lakeland, that was just perfect. Congratulations on a magnificent performance,” the President said.
“Well done,” Cole added.
“Thank you Mr. President, Madam Secretary. Sorry about the bump on your head.”
“Oh heavens that wasn’t your fault. The other agents had no way of knowing it wasn’t for real. They were just doing their jobs.”
“We will be releasing more details about the shooter and his affiliations later this afternoon.”
“Excellent. Thank you again.”
“Our pleasure,” Lakeland said and they were shown out of the room.
After the door had closed Cole asked, “What do you think?”
“I think we can trust Waters but I’m not sure about Lakeland. He could be the type to try to use this to his advantage at some point.”
“I agree. He seems shifty to me. Something about him makes me not trust him. Waters seems okay,” she replied.
“One thing for certain, they did a bang up job. The press has really played this up and even the administration’s approval rating has gone up.”
“Nothing like an averted crisis to make people feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“Waters also saved us a cool two million dollars as well. That poor dumb schmuck thought he was going to just fade away and live happily ever after,” Cole said.
“I hated to see it come to that,” Vice President Jason said softly.
“At this point I don’t care what it takes. We need to be riding a high when we start Operation Clean Sweep in two days,” the President replied.
“I hope they carry this off with a minimum of trouble. The last thing we need is a lot of dead or wounded private gun owners,” Cole said.
“No doubt there will be a few, but hopefully we will be able to keep it manageable.”
“The press conference scheduled for the 4th should help some. People will hopefully better understand your concerns after you give your speech,” Cole said.
“Yes, I think it is pretty powerful. Erin and Ted have been working on it and have tweaked it a little more. I hope it sets the stage for our action.”
“God help us if it doesn’t,” Cole replied.
***
General Adams had gathered his top men and listened while they reported the progress. He would stop every once in a while and write something down or ask for a clarification.
“So we know for certain that we have at a minimum of 80,000 guns hidden and at our disposal.”
“Yes sir. Probably closer to 95,000. The gun stores that we have contacted will not clear their inventory out until after their stores close on Saturday. They will be taking them to various storage facilities and warehouses.”
“What about other weapons?” the General asked.
“We have one hundred and three Stinger missiles, sixty Javelins and thirty-two Mark 153 SMAWs. Fourteen .50 Cal machine guns and a few RPG 32’s.
“We will need a hell of a lot more than that once this thing starts or it will be over before we can establish a front.”
“Yes sir. Major Frank Kerns has been drawing up plans to raid several weapons bases. Right now they have targeted seven facilities. They will do this while the government is carrying out its raids on private citizens.”
“Do you have a list?”
“Yes sir,” Major Alice Frans replied, handing him a typed list.
General Adams read down the short list:
Hill Air Force Base/Utah Testing Grounds– Ogden, UT
Naval Surface Warfare Center– Dahlgren, VA
Pentex Plant- Amarillo, TX
Holston Ammunition Plant- Kingston, TN
Savannah River Site- Aiken, SC
Newport Weapons Facility- Newport, RI
Minot AFB- Minot, ND
“Hell of a lot of weapons stored in these facilities. If they can pull it off, it would be a huge help,” General Adams said.
“Major Kerns is fairly certain that with the element of surprise and the base security weakened due to having men pulled out to help with the government’s raid, it will offer an opportunity to pull a Clean Sweep Operation of our own.
“We don’t know how many civilians got the NRA email and text message they sent out. Hopefully a great many of them. Of course they will have a lot harder time hiding their guns but still a lot of them will be resourceful enough.”
“Does the government intend to arrest owners that don’t turn over their guns?”
“I don’t know. I suppose it is possible but they would have a hell of a problem on their hands. What would they do with all of them? I don’t see how they could hold them for very long.”
“We should find a way to contact them if they are arrested and then released. Let them know how to join up with our militia,” Major Frans said.
“Good. That’s an excellent idea. Have Colonel Ashford get some people on that. Maybe he can figure out a way to let not only those people know but other gun owners as well.”
“Colonel Yar is ready to seize radio stations in fifty major cities. They will go on the air to start broadcasting at 06:00.”
The General took off his glasses and laid them on the desk. He took a large drink of coffee and sighed.
“You know Major Frans, nothing good is going to come out of all of this. I wish there was some other way to stop this madness.”
“Sir, we are not creating this, the administration is.”
“That’s only partly true. We don’t have to fight them on this. We could just let it happen and then get people in the right positions to undo what this administration has done. We could stay within the framework of the law.”
“Sir, the 2nd amendment is within the framework. The Constitution is what our whole country is based on. If we give up one part then it opens the door for the rest to be disassembled as well. They have backed us into a corner. We have no other choice,” Major Frans said.
“Well I suppose at this point it is too late anyway. In less than 48 hours they will commit the biggest crime since 9/11. I agree we have to follow this course but I don’t have to like it.”
“None of us do General.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CBS NEWS – CBS has learned that the assassination attempt on President Quasim was the work of a lone gunman. The police, working in conjunction with the Secret Service, have released further details.
The gunman’s name is Terry Lang, forty-eight years old from Kalin, Illinois. The police have learned that
Lang had just gone through a bitter divorce and had lost his job.
Last week he received an eviction notice from his landlord for failure to pay his rent. It is believed that Lang had purchased the handgun just a few days before he took a bus to Washington D.C. He was staying at a homeless shelter in suburbs of Washington.
Lang has been described as a loner who seldom spoke and had no friends that anyone was aware of. According to the police, he dropped out of sight right after his eviction and has not been in contact with any family members.
While the actual target is unknown, it is highly likely that his attempt was on the President. Details about how he managed to get so close to the President are still being investigated. So far there is no evidence of Lang having received any outside assistance.
The gun was a 9mm Kinford, a semi-automatic that holds 14 rounds. The gun is highly modified for accuracy. So far the police have not been able to trace where Lang got the gun. According to Metro Police Chief Sellers, it was probably obtained at a gun show where paperwork is seldom completed or sales recorded. A large gun show was held at the Kalin Fairgrounds just a week before he boarded the bus to Washington.
President Quasim has been a staunch advocate of removing guns from private individuals. A source in the White House said the President was more convinced than ever that Americans would be a lot safer if guns were allowed only to military and police personnel.
Other anti-gun advocates have spoken out harshly against private ownership of all types of guns. They plan to make a major push to change the intent of the 2nd Amendment. The White House has promised to help with this cause.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Three, two, one, go.”
The camera cut to the President sitting at his desk. A bandage was prominently placed on his forehead.
“Good evening my fellow Americans. I wanted to wish our country a Happy Birthday and bright tomorrow. As you know the planned address to the nation was interrupted when two Secret Service men were able to halt what is believed to have been an assassination attempt.”
“Because of the heroic actions of the agents, I am here tonight to talk about the increasing violence sweeping across this great nation. Last year 8,770 people were killed by firearms. 8,770 people murdered by weapons that have no other purpose than to kill.”
“In California 69.4% of murders were committed by handguns alone. Firearm murders were up 7% in New York. 805 people lost their lives to firearms in Texas. This cannot continue. America cannot continue to idly sit by when we have statistics like these.”
“It is entirely possible that I or Secretary of State Hanna Cole could have been one of those statistics. An innocent bystander could have well been killed or maimed. We must take bold action to eliminate this spiraling murder rate with firearms.”
“This administration is prepared to take drastic steps to ensure the safety of all Americans. We will not be influenced by the NRA or other pro-gun advocates. Our mission is to eliminate firearms from the homes of Americans and to make this nation a safer place for all of us.”
He continued to drone on for another twenty minutes before he finally wrapped it up.
“Thank you and God Bless America”
Fade out.
“Now a rebuttal by Majority Leader Jason Hastings”
“Well as you saw, the White House’s agenda is clearly to void the meaning and intent of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”
“In typical fashion for this administration the statistics they quoted were far from the truthful figures. For the record, deaths from firearms has been falling every year since 2005. There were 10,158 deaths in 2005 and as you heard the President say 8,770 last year. States with the toughest gun laws have the highest murder by firearms numbers. California, one of the hardest states in which to obtain a fire arm, has the highest murder rate by guns. New York, another anti-gun state had the second highest amount of deaths attributed to guns. By taking the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, the ability to protect oneself or one's family will become a thing of the past. No one can come to your immediate aid when someone breaks into your home.”
“Tonight we witnessed an administration that is thumbing its nose at the Constitution of the United States of America. They feel they know more and do not have to abide by the guaranteed freedoms the authors of the Constitution bestowed upon the citizens of this nation. If they are allowed to change the meaning of the 2nd Amendment, where will it stop? With the 2nd Amendment gone, how do you protect the rest of the Constitution?”
“Americans, do not be fooled by the intent of the Administration. This isn’t only about gun control but about absolute power.”
***
“Geez, I hate that man,” the President said while watching the Majority Leader's rebuttal.
“We expected as much. Look, the important thing is that you got the message out there. We are not going to sit on our hands on this issue,” Homeland Security Director Adam Little said.
“I just hate the swipe about the statistics.”
“Well, he is right. Gun murders are falling every year.”
The President shot him a dirty look.
“Sorry.”
“Anyway it won’t be much longer now. Any changes in plans for Monday night?”
“No sir. Everyone is pretty much in place for the 4th of July celebrations. The military men and women will be phased in as part of the parades.”
“I hope this comes off with a minimum of loss of life. The last thing we need is for someone to get out of control and start shooting civilians.”
“Sir, everything that can be done has been done by now. Once we turn them loose, we will no longer have direct control. We will just have to hope for the best.”
“That’s what I am worried about,” the President replied.
***
“Admiral Greenfield’s office.”
“Tell that old goat that it’s Amblin.”
“Yes sir General, I’ll let him know.”
“Old goat? Boy that takes a lot of nerve coming from a guy two years older than me.”
“Eighteen months and we’re both old goats.”
“Isn’t that the truth? I know what you are calling about. I got the same briefing from the Secretary of Navy just a few hours ago.”
“Let’s do lunch as the business people say.”
“Thirty minutes at the Crow’s Nest?”
“I’ll be there,” he said and hung up.
What the hell was he going to do? He had been in the Marine Corp all his life and now this. He had received orders not to his liking many times, but this. This was something different.
He told his secretary that he would be going out for lunch and to have his car brought around. He stopped and thought for a moment before telling her that he had changed his mind. He would take his own car instead.
“I’m not sure how long I will be,” he told Warrant Officer Bonnard, his secretary.
He walked to the parking lot and climbed in behind the wheel of his brand new Audi RS 5. He had purchased it less than a week ago and relished the opportunity to drive it. The 450 horse power V8 coupled to the 7 speed transmission was exhilarating. Less than twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot.
Admiral Greenfield was already seated in a corner booth when he came inside. He walked over and scooted in across from him.
“Well here we are,” Greenfield said.
“Yes, yes we are. I was hoping that this day would never come.”
“I’m afraid it’s here and it’s not going to go away.”
“I understand MacMillan called you.”
“Yes. He is going to refuse to send people to participate.”
“He has balls; that’s for sure,” Amblin said.
“He said that Frank was going to resign.”
“Frank Warren?”
“Yep.”
“Son of a gun. I never thought he would just resign,” Amblin replie
d.
“All because of our fearless leader in the White House.”
“Christ, what an ass he has turned out to be. The man doesn’t have the brains of a goldfish.”
“It’s not so much him as Secretary of State Cole. She is the real push behind this thing.”
“So what...”
“Can I get you something to drink,” the waitress said interrupting their conversation.
Amblin looked at her like he wanted to slap her silly.
“Two iced teas and no interruptions,” he said gruffly.
“Well excuse me,” she said and left in a huff.
“Great manners,” Greenfield said.
“Hers or mine?”
“Actually both.”
“Sorry Emily Post.”
“Forget it. Go on?”
“I was about to ask before the interruption, what are you going to do?”
“Nothing. I talked to Mac about this a week or so ago and he said he would simply not follow an illegal order.”
“That’s Mac alright. He has the balls to tell the President to take a flying leap if they get him riled up enough.”
“Wait, you said you would do nothing. What do you mean nothing?” Amblin asked.
“I mean nothing. I am just going to ignore the order totally, same as Mac. It is unconstitutional and I will not obey an illegal order.”
“It’s legal if it comes from the President.”
“No it’s not. He does not make laws. Until the Supreme Court determines that the 2nd amendment is not valid in its present form, I will not obey that order.”
“You will be relieved of your command.”
“Then so be it.”
“Listen to yourself. You are going to give up your retirement benefits and everything that goes with them if you do that.”
“And I will not be able to live with myself if I do obey an illegal order, no matter who issues it.”
Amblin looked at his old friend for several seconds. The waitress sat the two glasses of iced tea on the table and took off. He looked at the glass and saw that it had no ice, just tea. He laughed and shoved it aside.
A NATION DIVIDED - THE SECOND CIVIL WAR (The Second Civil War - BOOK I 1) Page 10
