Month: May 2012

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A Lack Of Class

May 16, 2012 by 3 Comments

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry died serving this country. In recognition of his service to this country, Rep. Darrell Issa sponsored HR 2668 – the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act – which renames the Border Patrol Station in Bisbee, Arizona in his memory. Having passed in the House it was sent to the Senate where last week it passed by a unaminous vote and was sent to the White House for the President’s signature.

Rep. Issa said, in part, in a release about this bill’s passage:

“All of Washington mourned with the Terry family when Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry gave his life in the line of duty in 2010. Today we stand just as unified for the purpose of honoring and preserving his legacy.

“The unanimous support with which the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act passed the United States Senate is a tribute to Agent Terry’s career of service to our country and to the Border Patrol’s distinguished history of intrepidity and sacrifice for the sake of homeland security.

“We recognize that Agent Terry’s untimely passing is a tragedy that never should have happened. And while we continue to pursue answers regarding the circumstances surrounding his death, we resolve that his example of bravery and sacrifice will never be forgotten – especially in the city of Bisbee, AZ where he served.”

While Rep. Issa may have thought “all of Washington” mourned, it is becoming apparent that Agent Terry’s death at the hands of narco-terrorists was considered by the White House as an inconvenience rather than a tragedy. When it came time to sign the bill, President Obama did it privately as this release from the White House makes clear.

Matthew Boyle of the Daily Caller reports this on the signing:

On Tuesday, when Obama signed the bill into law, he did not hold a public signing ceremony with Terry’s family. The announcement that Obama had signed the memorial act into law was stuffed in the middle of a White House press release packed with other announcements not relevant to Terry.

The press release contained no quote from Obama or from White House press secretary Jay Carney about Terry.

Not only was this bill a non-event for the White House but US Customs and Border Protection did not even see fit to release a statement on the naming of the Border Patrol Station after one of their own who was killed in the line of duty.

Both the actions of the White House and Customs and Border Protection are reprehensible. It smacks of the former Soviet Union where inconvenient people – like evidently the late Brian Terry is to the Obama Administration – would become non-people or invisible. The Soviets did this to the dissidents, the Jews, and anyone who deviated from the party line.

To see this same treatment accorded to the late Brian Terry and his family is beyond the pale. It is disgusting and classless and contemptible.

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When You Really Need To Reach Out And Touch The Taliban

May 16, 2012 by 5 Comments

General Dynamics unveiled their new lightweight medium machine gun in .338 Norma Magnum at the 2012 Joint Armaments Conference in Seattle yesterday. It is intended to bridge the gap between the 7.62×51 and the .50 BMG cartridges.

More pictures of the LWMMG taken at the Joint Armaments Conference by the GearScout blog can be found here.

From the General Dynamics Armaments and Technical Products press release:

Identifying an unmet warfighter need, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products conducted its own research and development program to develop the LWMMG in just over one year. The weapon is designed for low-cost production and for maximum effectiveness at the small unit level, where weight and lethality are decisive factors.

“The LWMMG is an affordable weapon that closes a current operational gap, providing .50 caliber-like firepower in range and effect at the same weight and size of currently fielded 7.62mm machine guns,” said Steve Elgin, vice president and general manager of armament systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products. “Weighing in at 24 pounds and featuring a fully collapsible stock, the LWMMG offers superior mobility and portability in both mounted and dismounted operations.”

General Dynamics’ LWMMG also offers a distinct advantage in both extended and close-in fighting by using the highly efficient .338 Norma Magnum cartridge for increased accuracy and lethality out to 1,700 meters, a distance currently gapped in the operational capabilities of warfighters.

“By employing the larger .338 NM round, the LWMMG delivers twice the range and dramatically increases lethality above the 7.62 round,” said Elgin. “In addition, the LWMMG goes beyond providing suppressive fire and gives warfighters the ability to attack point targets at significantly extended ranges.”

The LWMMG has a firing rate of 500 rounds per minute, a maximum range of 5,642 meters, and is equipped with quick-change barrel technology. In addition to use by dismounted infantry and on ground vehicles, the weapon can be used as the armament system aboard helicopters and littoral craft, providing greater range and effectiveness for those platforms.

“The LWMMG is a well-designed machine gun ideally suited to provide long-range lethality to U.S. and allied forces,” Elgin said.

According to the fact sheet put out by GDATP, one interesting feature of this new machine gun is its recoil mitigation system which makes shooting the .338 Norma Magnum feel like shooting the lighter weight 7.62 round.

The Armaments and Technical Products Division is headquartered in Charlotte, NC. However, the new LWMMG is actually made in Saco, Maine along with their crew-served machine guns.

Specifications of the new LWMMG are below:

Caliber                                                 .338
Weight                                                  24 pounds
Length                                                  49 inches
Rate of fire 500 rounds per minute
Ammunition                                        .338 Norma Magnum
Projectile                                             300gr Sierra HPBT, FMJ, AP
Muzzle Velocity                                   2,650 feet per second
Barrel Length                                     24 inches
Max Effective Range                         1,860 yards (1,700 meters)
Maximum range                                6,170 yards (5,642 meters)
Mount                                                  M192 tripod, or various
                                                          vehicle mounts

UPDATE: A comparison of the .338 Lapua and the .338 Norma Magnum can be seen in the picture below. It looks to me that the Norma Magnum with its longer bullet should have a better ballistics coefficient.

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The Incestuous Relationship Between Media Matters And CSGV

May 15, 2012 by 2 Comments

Last week we saw another hit piece on gun rights issues by Media Matters for America. This one concerned Operation Fast and Furious. It accused former S.C. Governor Mark Sanford of being the latest to push the “paranoid conspiracy theory” that Project Gunwalker was an effort to build support for more gun control in the United States.

Or put more simply, Sanford is saying that “a lot of people” want to know if “Fast and Furious” was a plot hatched by Attorney General Eric Holder to curb gun rights in the United States. The answer to this question is a resounding no.

This conspiracy was recently laid out in the book Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and its Shameless Cover-up, authored by Townhall news editor Katie Pavlich. The theory is so far-fetched that even Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has expressed skepticism, calling it a “conspiracy thing.” Media Matters has previously debunked several other outrageous claims contained within the book.

Attacks on gun rights and on gun rights organizations like the NRA are not new for Media Matters. The NRA-ILA had a post a day later that noted for the month of April alone MMfA had run 32 hit pieces on the NRA. Attacks on the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious by the House Oversight Committee are also common as alluded to in the quote above regarding Katie Pavlich’s new book. They had one just yesterday accusing Rep. Darrell Issa and Fox News of trying to politicize the scandal.

What is new is the author of these last two pieces for MMfA’s County Fair blog – Timothy Johnson. If his Facebook page is to be believed, he now works for Media Matters.

Prior to joining Media Matters, he worked for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic) and ran the MeetTheNRA website for their 503(c)3 counterpart the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (sic). He can be seen in his hoodie, second from the left, in this photo of CSGV staffers. The MeetTheNRA website is where they take quotes out of context so that they can accuse NRA leaders, past and present, of being “a group of individuals who promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-immigrant animus, religious bigotry, anti-environmentalism, and insurrectionism.”

Attack pieces seem to be Mr. Johnson’s forte as evidenced by an article that he and Ladd Everitt published in the Neiman Watchdog entitled “‘Is the NRA paying mainstream reporters by the hour?'” Neiman gave the article this synopsis.

Two gun control advocates say that misstatements and fuzzy data coming from the National Rifle Association often are accepted by the press unchecked, and then disseminated, incorrectly, as trends and facts in American life. They point out, among other things, that gun sales are not perpetually rising; that neither are sales of guns to women, and that lax ‘carry laws’ have not been shown to lessen crime. There’s a lot of misinformation being spread, hardly examined at all by the press.

Prior to this stint with CSGV, Mr. Johnson was an intern with the Brady Campaign’s Legal Action Project in the Fall of 2010.

Legal Action Project Intern Tim Johnson, a current Georgetown Law student, joined the Brady Center for similar reasons. Tim explains, “Interning for the Legal Action project has shown me the importance of pro bono legal work as a way to assist victims injured by the negligence or intentional conduct of corrupt gun dealers.” In the wake of the McDonald and Heller Supreme Court decisions has allowed Tim to take part in the ongoing debate over the Second Amendment.

Johnson is listed in the Georgetown University directory but no info as to year or area of studies is given.

Nonetheless, Mr. Johnson does seem to have a long history of working with gun prohibitionists. Prior to his work for the Brady Campaign and CSGV, he worked the now-defunct Iowans for the Prevention of GunViolence in his home state of Iowa.

To conclude, given the left-wing and rabid anti-gun biases of both Media Matters and CSGV, is it any wonder that Media Matters sought someone from CSGV to be their new, pun intended, hired gun? If anything, his hiring just serves to confirm the incestuous relationship between these groups.

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Picture Of The Day

May 15, 2012 by

I know we in the gun rights community have always felt that the owner of this publication did this when he spoke about guns. It is good to know that the graphics artists there feel the same away about him!

I spotted this magazine in my doctor’s office this morning and just couldn’t resist it.

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SAF On Lawsuit Against San Francisco And Oakland

May 14, 2012 by

The Second Amendment Foundation has released a statement on their joint lawsuit with the CalGuns Foundation challenging the City and County of San Francisco’s and the City of Oakland’s refusal to return legally owned firearms to persons exonerated of a crime.

BELLEVUE, WA — The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against the police departments in San Francisco and Oakland, California for refusing to return firearms to people who had been charged with crimes, but subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing.

SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the Calguns Foundation and two private citizens. The case is known as Churchill, et al. v. Harris, et al.

The police agencies apparently are relying on a state Department of Justice document that requires proof of ownership of each firearm before they are returned. But Don Kilmer, counsel for the plaintiffs, has noted that, “In California, the Evidence Code makes it clear that simple possession is proof of ownership of almost all types of common property, including firearms. The California Department of Justice is misleading police departments in such a way that they violate the rights of gun owners who were investigated and found to have not violated the law.”

“What the police departments are doing is a deliberate theft of personal property, and they know it,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “Our partners at the Calguns Foundation have properly argued that this is inexcusable, and they are right.

“We saw this sort of property theft following Hurricane Katrina,” Gottlieb recalled, “and we took that case to federal court, and won. Government agencies simply cannot seize private property and refuse to give it back by playing bureaucratic games.”

“Law-abiding Californians should not be forced to seek out expensive legal representation just to get back what is rightfully theirs in the first place,” added Calguns Foundation chairman Gene Hoffman.

“This cannot be allowed to continue,” Gottlieb observed. “That’s why we have taken this action, and we expect to prevail.”

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GRNC Annual Meeting And Dinner

May 14, 2012 by

Grass Roots North Carolina will be having their annual meeting and dinner this coming Saturday, May 19th, in Greensboro. If you live in the Piedmont area, you should take advantage of this. I bought my ticket last week and I’ll be attending.

Below is the update on this from GRNC:

GRNC dinner will honor Rep. Mark Hilton
With only a few tickets remaining, act now to secure your place at the table for GRNC’s Annual Dinner. This is a very special time as we honor a hero of the gun rights community. Sadly, the Honorable Mark Hilton (R-Catawba, GRNC ****) will not run for re-election in 2012. First elected with GRNC Political Victory Fund support in 1996, Hilton has sponsored legislation for concealed handgun reciprocity, bypassing handgun purchase permits, parks and restaurant carry, Castle Doctrine and far more. He has been instrumental in GRNC’s success in killing scores of gun control bills.

GRNC ANNUAL MEETING & DINNER

At its May 19 annual meeting and dinner, GRNC will honor Rep. Hilton with the presentation of a Remington Model 1911 pistol as the organization’s first “Lifetime Freedom Achievement Award” recipient. Please join us in honoring this patriot.

The dinner will immediately follow GRNC’s annual meeting and board of directors election at the Clarion Greensboro Airport Hotel.

Reservations for the dinner are required and available for $37.50 by going to:

https://mobipledge.mobi/GRNC/webpledge/dinner.php

DETAILS

Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Time: Annual Meeting: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM*
Annual Dinner: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Place: Clarion Greensboro Airport Hotel, 415 Swing Road, Greensboro, NC 27409, conveniently located off I-40 at Exit 213.

* GRNC voting members will receive proxy cards by mail in the next few days. If you cannot attend the annual meeting, please return the proxy card using the directions on the card.

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What We Did For Mother’s Day

May 14, 2012 by

The Complementary Spouse has two daughters – one in the St. Louis area and the other in the piedmont of North Carolina. In other words, not right next door to us. Thus, we were on our own for Mother’s Day.

After coffee and cake in bed while we attended the Church of CBS Sunday Morning, we finally got moving and headed out to Bear Arms in Brevard. I had scored a couple of Living Social coupons that gave us all day shooting for $5 each. We thought it would be fun way to spend a rainy afternoon.

The Complementary Spouse wanted to try out other 9mm pistols (in addition to her full-size M&P9) and I wanted to shoot my new Ruger SR1911 and my new-to-me EAA Witness in .38 Super. The Witness was a full-size, steel-framed pistol made in 1995 by Tanfoglio and had a tricked-out flat trigger for competition. This would be the first time I had shot either the SR1911 or the Witness.

We started by trading back and forth with my Ruger SR9 and SR9c.  The Complementary Spouse is coming along as a shooter and is growing in confidence. She just needs more practice and who of us doesn’t.

I then shot my SR1911 for the first time. I was amazed by how accurate it was. In the picture below, I have circled my first seven shots. It was done at 7 yards. I’m an OK shot but no where near a great shot. I was shocked that I could group it like that.

In addition to shooting the two 9mm pistols, the Complementary Spouse shot both the .38 Super Witness and the .45 SR1911. While she did OK, she really didn’t care for the additional recoil. Both are large pistols which are harder to grip with small hands which I think has much to do with the additional felt recoil.

I ended the range session by shooting the Witness at 10, 15, and 20 yards at a regulation USPSA target. My goal was to take my time, concentrate on the fundamentals (trigger control, breathing, stance, grip, and sight picture), and keep all my shots in the A zone. I succeeded at 10 yards and then it progressively worsened with the additional distance. That said, it was a good exercise and made me concentrate on the basics. It transitioned the range session from plinking to actual practice.

We ended the day out with a quiet dinner at a local cafeteria. Our Mother’s Day wasn’t exciting but definitely was satisfying.

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CalGuns Foundation And SAF File Suit Against San Francisco And Oakland

May 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

The CalGuns Foundation and the Second Amendment Foundation have filed suit against California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the City and County of San Francisco, and the City of Oakland over their refusal to return lawfully-owned firearms to their rightful owners after an investigation exonerated them. The case, Churchill et al v. Harris et al, is being brought in US District Court for the North District of California. The attorneys in the case are well-known California gun rights lawyers Don Kilmer and Jason Davis.

From the CalGuns Foundations on the suit:

San Carlos, CA (May 9, 2012) – In an important step to secure the rights of California gun owners, The Calguns Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation, and two individual residents of California have filed a new federal lawsuit in San Francisco. The case, entitled Churchill, et. al. v. Harris, et al., alleges that the police departments of both San Francisco and Oakland are unlawfully refusing to return lawfully-owned firearms to individuals who have had charges dropped after police investigations proved that they had done nothing wrong.

The ongoing seizure of those firearms is a violation of the Second and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. What’s more, the departments’ refusal to return property after all charges are dropped is theft.

“In California, the Evidence Code makes it clear that simple possession is proof of ownership of almost all types of common property, including firearms,” said Don Kilmer, attorney for the plaintiffs. “The California Department of Justice is misleading police departments in such a way that they violate the rights of gun owners who were investigated and found to not have violated the law.”

The Oakland and San Francisco Police departments appear to be relying on a Department of Justice document that is being attached to the required “Law Enforcement Gun Release”, or LEGR, reports indicating that the requester may lawfully own and possess firearms. The document claims that the requesting person has to provide proof of ownership for every firearm when they go to retrieve their seized property.

According to longstanding California law, every firearm seized during a police investigation must be inventoried; a copy of that list is given to the person from whom firearms are seized. Every law enforcement agency knows which person they took firearms from and what specific firearms were taken.

“It’s hard enough for a law-abiding gun owner to live through the uncertainty and fear caused by a false allegation or arrest, but to have the very people who are trusted and sworn to serve them then steal their property after they’ve been exonerated is inexcusable,” said Calguns Foundation chairman Gene Hoffman. “Law-abiding Californians should not be forced to seek out expensive legal representation just to get back what is rightfully theirs in the first place.”

A copy of the complaint and case filings can be downloaded here. The full docket can be viewed at this link.

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A Study In Contrasting Concession Statements

May 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

Losing is hard for anyone and it seems especially hard for politicians. That is quite understandable as they have just put their heart, soul, and ego on the line with the voters.

How one handles losing and what they say after their loss says a lot about the man or woman. A case in point would be the contrast in concession statements between Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) who has served in the Senate for 36 years and Ilario Pantano who lost the Republican nomination for the 7th District of North Carolina. Pantano had been the Republican nominee in 2010 and had a reasonable expectation of winning again.

First, from Lugar’s concession statement on his loss to Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock.

If Mr. Mourdock is elected, I want him to be a good Senator. But that will require him to revise his stated goal of bringing more partisanship to Washington. He and I share many positions, but his embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate. In effect, what he has promised in this campaign is reflexive votes for a rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. His answer to the inevitable roadblocks he will encounter in Congress is merely to campaign for more Republicans who embrace the same partisan outlook. He has pledged his support to groups whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it.

While Lugar did offer his tepid support but then went on to lecture Mourdock and Republicans about bipartisanship, polarization, etc. It comes off as sour grapes and smacks of condescension towards those stupid people that didn’t support him.

By contrast, Ilario Pantano’s statement on his loss to State Senator David Rouzer (R-NC) is the polar opposite to that of Richard Lugar. Pantano offers his support, asks that his supporters rally behind Rouzer, notes that he has made a contribution to him and suggests that his supporters do likewise. He uses the example of Robert E. Lee at the end of the Civil War who could have kept the war going through a guerilla campaign but did not. It should be kept in mind that Pantano won 8 of 12 counties in the district and only lost by 2,800 votes – in other words, a very close race.

As I see it, one politician handled his loss with grace and dignity and the other didn’t. Ilario Pantano is the bigger man for it and Richard Lugar will be remembered as a bitter old man who lost touch with the voters of his home state. Pantano’s full statement is below as I doubt I could find an online link to it.

Wilmington, NC: Friends, David Rouzer is our Republican Nominee for the 7th Congressional District. I support him and I hope you will too.

I ask that you focus on the importance of a strong and unified conservative voice in defeating Barack Obama and I ask that you help David Rouzer in his effort to build a Republican firewall here in SE North Carolina.

We cannot afford the luxury of hurt feelings or disappointment. We were knocked down on May 8, but I ask that you get up and like me, brush yourself off and get back in the fight. Yesterday does not define us. What you, your friends and family choose to do in the coming days will say more about your character than any political victory or defeat ever could.

Look to the example of General Robert E. Lee. It pained him to surrender, but he knew that he must and he knew that America needed him to lead the charge in healing its wounds. Had Lee chosen to engage in partisan guerilla attacks, the war between the states would still be underway today. Instead General Lee chose to do his duty as a Christian gentleman and work for peace in the years after the war. I ask all of you to join me in humbly trying to live a witness of love, compassion and forgiveness for a cause bigger than all of us. Let us make ourselves small so that we can make our faith big. If we can do that, it will be clear that there is only one way forward: Together.

We are in an ideological battle for the soul of our country. If you truly believe that the future of America is at stake, as I do, than you and I cannot afford to delay in supporting David. How we got here or the squabbling of intra-party politics will be of little consequence to your children and grand children as their futures are mortgaged by Obama and his team.My experience on the battlefield has reaffirmed Winston Churchill’s adage: “It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.” Today what is required is that we defeat Barack Obama and his lieutenant here in SE North Carolina: Mike McIntyre! We must ensure that we have a strong majority of conservative Republicans in the State House, the US Congress and the White House. We must work to ensure David Rouzer is our next congressman, Pat McCrory is our next Governor and Mitt Romney is our next president. The arguments have been made and the verdict has been rendered. Will you join me in putting your country and your duty first? Standing off on the sidelines is not an option, my friends.

Below are links to the Websites for David Rouzer, Pat McCrory and Mitt Romney.

I have just contributed $25 dollars to all of them and I ask that you do too. Put your money where your mouth is, join me and commit to victory in November!

www.DavidRouzer.com

www.PatMccrory.com

www.MittRomney.com

I remain Always Faithful, to God, Corps, and Country.

Your Friend, your servant and your brother in Christ,

Ilario Pantano

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Oral Arguments Set For Challenges To Illinois’ Ban On Carry

May 9, 2012 by 7 Comments

The NRA’s challenge to the ban on any form of carry in the state of Illinois, Shepard et al v. Madigan, will come before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals for oral arguments on Friday, June 8th in Chicago. The Illinois State Rifle Association is a party to this suit.

At the same time, the Court of Appeals will also hear the Second Amendment Foundation’s case, Moore et al v. Madigan. Illinois Carry, SAF, and a number of other individual plaintiffs are party to this suit.

A motion had been made to consolidate the cases by attorneys for the State of Illinois and was denied on April 26th. Judge Frank Esterbrook ordered:

IT IS ORDERED that the motions to consolidate are DENIED. Appellees do not need a formal order of consolidation in order to file one brief addressing two appeals. They may file one brief, or two, at their option.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the motion for an extension of time is GRANTED, but only until May 9, 2012 (in both appeals). This should allow enough time to prepare a single brief covering the two cases. Appellees previously told the court that the two suits are functionally identical. There is accordingly no need for time beyond the 30-day extension already granted, and this one-week increment.

The court’s last regular sitting of the current term is June 8, 2012. If the court were to delay the appellees’ briefs until June 1 or June 11 (the alternate dates appellees propose), that would postpone oral argument until next September, an unnecessary delay. Appellees must file their brief (or briefs) in both cases by May 9, and appellants their reply briefs by May 23. That will permit oral argument the last week of May or the first full week of June.

The lead attorney for the plaintiff-appellants in the Shepard case is Charles Cooper of Cooper and Kirk. Mr. Cooper has been handling much of the NRA’s appeal work and formerly was an Assistant Attorney General in the Reagan Administration.

David Sigale, co-counsel in both the McDonald and Ezell cases, is listed as the counsel of record in the Moore case. However, I expect Alan Gura to present the oral arguments as there was a notation in the docket of his schedule and he is listed as an attorney in the case.

UPDATE: P.T. had a question below about the three judges who will hear the case and whether they had been announced. I asked David Sigale if he knew who they would be. His response is below:

John, my understanding is that the Judges get picked for the panel not long before the argument. In any event, the litigants only find out who is on the panel when they show up that morning.