Meet Rep.-Elect, Gun Store Owner Who Inspired Anti-IRS Act And Wants To Rip Background Checks System
Updated: Dec 28, 2020
Georgia’s Rep.-elect Andrew Clyde (R – District 9) confronted the IRS after it raided his accounts and seized about $940,000 in 2013 in a seemingly predatory fashion.
Clyde Armory benefitted immensely from the Obama-era gun rush in anticipation of stricter gun control laws, especially after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He beat 8 Republicans in the primaries to replace the incumbent Rep. Doug Collins who unsuccessfully sought a Senate seat.
Clyde’s accounts came under the IRS scrutiny after frequently depositing just under $10,000 while building his savings. The IRS accused him and hundreds of others of making deposits just less than $10,000 to circumvent the federal reporting requirements.
However, Clyde clarified that his insurance limited him to make such deposits. Federal investigators took up the matter but failed to find any wrongdoing. However, the law allowed the government to seize his legally-hard-earned money anyway.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) introduced H.R. 1219 to end the law allowing the IRS to abuse the civil asset forfeiture law. Clyde was among the people who testified before the House Ways and Means Committee to pass the law preventing the feds from raiding bank accounts belonging to small businesses.
The congressman-elect triumphed over the IRS, recovered his finances, and inspired the passage of the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act. The law prevented the IRS from seizing assets based on a deposit pattern without any proof of wrongdoing. However, Clyde paid the IRS $50,000 and also lost $100,000 in legal fees.
The congressman-elect now hopes to play a more significant role in stopping an overreaching government.
"That entire ordeal really showed me that one person who is persistent and tenacious and just doesn't give up can actually make a difference," Clyde told Fox News.
Clyde said that his battle with the IRS impressed District 9 voters who saw him as a fighter. He now proposes dismantling the IRS and limiting the federal governments’ powers.
The congressman-elect also opposes more gun control laws adding that the current laws are already too invasive. Clyde also believes governments should not regulate gun ownership and that the “broken” background checks system should be eliminated with a negotiated solution, according to Fox News.
The legislator also opposes gun taxes saying that constitutional rights cannot be taxed.
“You can't tax the right to vote. So how can you tax the right to keep and bear arms? You can't."
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