Month: January 2013

Uncategorized

Hear, Hear, Mr. Ong!

January 29, 2013 by

Henson Ong is an immigrant to the United States. Yesterday he testified before the Connecticut legislature’s Gun Violence Prevention Public Hearing. Listening to his testimony, it quickly becomes evident that Mr. Ong has a better understanding of and a better appreciation for the Constitution than many sitting on the panel. He certainly has more of an appreciation for it than do those in the gun prohibitionist community who would seek to do away with the Second Amendment and to deny First Amendment rights to their opponents.

As Mr. Ong noted to the panel, if gun control actually worked, then Chicago and Washington, DC would be the safest cities in America – which they aren’t.

Uncategorized

CCRKBA On Rahmbo’s Strong Arm Attempt

January 29, 2013 by

Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago is trying to use the “Chicago Way” to hurt firearms manufacturers. He has “suggested” to Bank of America and TD Bank that that should end lending to Sturm, Ruger and Smith & Wesson. Like most, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is taking a dim view of this.

RAHM EMANUEL USING COERCION AGAINST BANKS AND GUN MAKERS, SAYS CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, WA – Anti-gun Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is taking his demagoguery to a new level by attempting to coerce banks into refusing service to firearms manufacturers, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

CBS News in Chicago reported that Emanuel was pressuring two major banks, identified as Bank of America and TD Bank, to stop lines of credit to Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger, two of the largest gun makers in the industry. In letters to bank executives, Emanuel reportedly said he wanted to send a message to gun makers that they must buckle under to gun control measures being pushed by the Obama administration.

“This is outrageous,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Mayor Emanuel is acting like a Chicago gangster instead of a public servant, and we are very concerned that there might be legal ramifications. How dare the mayor engage in this kind of anti-gun lobbying effort, trying to cut off operating capital to a pair of perfectly legal companies that happen to be engaged in perhaps the most heavily-regulated business in the country.

“Gun owners and people who believe in the Bill of Rights should stop giving Chicago a line of credit by purchasing municipal bonds,” he added. “Rahm wants to send a message, and the nation should send him a reply.

“Mayor Emanuel is allegedly contending that lines of credit should dry up unless Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger submit to operating their businesses the way anti-gunners demand,” Gottlieb continued. “That conduct seems more in the realm of a street thug than a political leader, but then, again, we’re talking about a mayor who presides over a city with Draconian gun laws and a murder rate rivaling a Third World country.

Emanuel is a career anti-gunner who served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, typically as point man on some kind of gun control effort.

“Mayor Emanuel seems to be under the illusion that he can force banks to act as his surrogates in an unrelenting campaign to crush the firearms industry and erase the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb said. “This is insidious and we hope the banks recognize it for the kind of below-the-belt political chicanery for which Chicago politicians have become famous. No wonder they sometimes refer to him as ‘The Godfather’.

Uncategorized

The Next Round Of Congressional Legislation

January 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

Certain congressmen and senators have been busy introducing new legislation that may impact gun rights. A number of bills dealing with school safety have also been introduced and I’m including them in this list until such time as the text of the bill becomes available. Never forget that deceptively named bills can cause immense problems for gun owners.

House of Representatives

HR.359 – Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [D-MD] – 1/23/2013
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [R-VA] – 1/23/2013
To establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee

HR.404 – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Davis, Danny K. [D-IL] – 1/23/2013
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT] – 1/23/2013
Rep Lee, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/23/2013
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY] – 1/23/2013
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA] – 1/23/2013
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC] – 1/23/2013
Rep Pierluisi, Pedro R. [D-PR] – 1/23/2013
Rep Sherman, Brad [D-CA] – 1/23/2013
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY] – 1/23/2013
Rep Takano, Mark [D-CA] – 1/23/2013
To enhance criminal penalties for straw purchasers of firearms.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee

HR.410 – Rep. Steve Stockman (R-CA)
Restore the Constitution Act of 2013 (To provide that any executive action infringing on the Second Amendment has no force or effect, and to prohibit the use of funds for certain purposes.
)
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee

HR.427 – Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Chu, Judy [D-CA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL] – 1/25/2013
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ] – 1/25/2013
Rep Lee, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC] – 1/25/2013
To prevent the illegal sale of firearms, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee

HR.431 – Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [D-NY] – 1/25/2013
Rep Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR] – 1/25/2013
Rep Cicilline, David N. [D-RI] – 1/25/2013
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY] – 1/25/2013
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI] – 1/25/2013
Rep Ellison, Keith [D-MN] – 1/25/2013
Rep Farr, Sam [D-CA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ] – 1/25/2013
Rep Holt, Rush [D-NJ] – 1/25/2013
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY] – 1/25/2013
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC] – 1/25/2013
Rep Pingree, Chellie [D-ME] – 1/25/2013
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL] – 1/25/2013
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [D-PA] – 1/25/2013
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY] – 1/25/2013
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] – 1/25/2013
To restore certain authorities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to administer the firearms laws, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee

Senate

S.129 – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
A bill to save money and reduce tragedies through prevention grants.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.134 – Sen John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/24/2013
Sen Coburn, Tom [R-OK] – 1/24/2013
Sen Heller, Dean [D-NV] – 1/24/2013
Sen Johanns, Mike [R-NE] – 1/24/2013
A bill to arrange for the National Academy of Sciences to study the impact of violent video games and violent video programming on children.
Referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

S.145 – Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
A bill to amend title 32, United States Code, to authorize National Guard support for State and local efforts to keep schools safe from violence, and for other purposes.Referred to Senate Committee on Armed Services

S.146 – Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
A bill to enhance the safety of America’s schools.Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

S.147 – Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
A bill to establish minimum standards for States that allow the carrying of concealed firearms.Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

S.148 – Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
A bill to safeguard America’s schools by using community policing strategies to prevent school violence and improve student and school safety.Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

S.150 – Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
See this post for more information on this bill.

Uncategorized

A Short And To The Point Letter To Send To Congress

January 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

I have been asking people to share letters that they have used to tell Congress no new gun control. The following letter was sent to me by Brent. It is short, sweet, and to the point. I think this one would be suitable for email, faxes, or letter sent in the mail. I would send this letter to both my congressman and both senators.


California Senator Feinstein is once again pushing for a ban on so called “Assault Weapons”.

This is a thinly veiled attack on all private gun ownership. Her own publications make it clear that her proposal is not about the features of the firearms, but instead is about removing as many firearms as possible from private ownership, despite the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Please help support the law abiding gun owners of (insert your state) and the United States by just saying “NO!” to all gun and magazine ban or registration proposals.

The NRA-ILA has a “write your reps” address locator. It can be found here. Either way, write them, call them, AND fax them. Moreover, do it like voting in Chicago – early and often. 

Uncategorized

Comment Of The Day

January 27, 2013 by 2 Comments

SayUncle links to a story in the New Republic in which Barack Obama says when asked if he has ever fired a gun, “Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time.” To which Tam replies:

Yeah, he was busting clays with Mantei’s girlfriend.

Pics or it didn’t happen, Urkel.

Just like Joe Biden saying he isn’t going to give up his Beretta O/U, Obama saying this to suck up to hunters and skeet/trap shooters just doesn’t ring true. Like someone else commented, the White House Press Office would have released pictures of this a week or two before his press conference outlining his gun control plans.

Uncategorized

Senate Judiciary Committee: “What Should America Do About Gun Violence?”

January 27, 2013 by 3 Comments

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has set January 30th as the date for a hearing on “gun violence” according to a posting on the committee’s website.

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled “What Should America Do About Gun Violence?” for Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10:00 a.m., in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

Witness List

Hearing before the
Senate Committee on the Judiciary

On

“What Should America Do About Gun Violence?”

Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216
10:00 a.m.

Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.)
Americans for Responsible Solutions
Tucson, AZ

Nicholas Johnson
Professor of Law
Fordham University School of Law
New York, NY

James Johnson
Chief of Police
Baltimore County Police Department
Chair, National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence
Towson, MD

Gayle Trotter
Attorney and Senior Fellow
Independent Women’s Forum
Washington, DC

Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
National Rifle Association
Fairfax, VA

I learned of the hearing thanks to a post by Stranger at Extrano’s Alley. He thinks that with the exception of Wayne LaPierre all the participants are anti-gun.

The first four witnesses are anti’s. Mark Kelley is Gabrielle Giffords husband, and the titular head of an anti-gun group. Given that every restrictive gun law in history has driven violent crime rates sky high, it would be more accurate to say Kelley is head of a pro-crime group.


Chief Johnson is an anti-gun activists as is Trotter. The same comments apply to Johnson and Trotter that apply to Kelly.

I must respectfully disagree on part of his comments. Mark Kelly and Chief James Johnson are most definitely anti-gun activists. However, from what I know of Professor Johnson he is most definitely not an anti-gun activist. Professor Johnson is a co-author with Dave Kopel of the first law school casebook devoted to the Second Amendment – Firearms Law & the Second Amendment: Regulation, Rights, and Policy. Likewise, Gayle Trotter recently penned an article saying that gun control disarms women.

While this hearing seems to be an effort to push the Obama Administration’s gun control agenda, three of the five witnesses are on our side. This might not turn out as bad as some think it will.

Uncategorized

Five More Groups Join The Firearms Policy Coalition

January 26, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Firearms Policy Coalition is a joint effort by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Second Amendment Foundation, CalGuns Foundation, and the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees. It is intended to be an agile, effective, and scalable vehicle for advocacy, education, and grassroots action to advance Second Amendment civil rights. From my perspective, I see the FPC as using the CalGuns model of agility and guerrilla activism and bringing it to the national scene.

They announced yesterday that five more groups have joined their effort. They are Florida Carry, Illinois Carry, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Hawaii Defense Foundation, and the Lone Star Shooting Association.

BELLEVUE, WA (January 25, 2013) – As the debate over new gun control laws continues to take top billing in state and national news, organizations representing gun owners and Second Amendment rights in five U.S. states have recently joined Firearms Policy Coalition, noted managing director Brandon Combs.

New FPC members include Commonwealth Second Amendment (of Massachusetts), Florida Carry, IllinoisCarry, Hawaii Defense Foundation, and Lone Star Shooting Association (of Texas).

“In the midst of one proposed gun ban after another, the addition of these outstanding organizations to our Coalition means that those working hard to secure our Second Amendment rights are coming together to tell President Obama and our state legislatures that enough is enough,” remarked CCRKBA founder Alan Gottlieb. “The millions of law-abiding American gun owners have had it with being scapegoated for the crimes of the evil and insane.”

“There’s never been a more critical time for all of us fighting for the advancement of Second Amendment rights to work together,” observed Brent Carlton, president of Comm2A. “Our litigation efforts are critically important, but it’s equally important that gun owners be informed and take action every day to oppose those laws which infringe on their rights.” Continued Carlton, “FPC provides an opportunity for Massachusetts gun owners to have an impactful and far-reaching effect, both in terms of their own state’s laws as well as proud Americans who value their federal Constitutional rights.”

“This partnership brings Florida Carry to the forefront of the national public policy debate on private firearms ownership,” said Sean Caranna, Executive Director of Florida Carry, Inc. “As Florida’s largest and most active Second Amendment rights organization, we’re proud to be a part of this coalition and through it extend our grassroots efforts to combat gun control laws in Florida and everywhere.”

IllinoisCarry spokesperson Valinda Rowe added, “IllinoisCarry is pleased to join efforts with the Firearm Policy Coalition. Not only must we actively work toward beating back irrational gun control laws in our home state of Illinois but we must also work toward protecting and preserving our rights on a national level. This would be a daunting task if not for a nationwide coalition of Second Amendment groups like the FPC. We thank the FPC for creating this opportunity to work together, coast to coast across the nation. Together, we can stand up to those who would strip us of our Constitutional rights and insure the Second Amendment remains strong for many generations to come.”

“Over the past two decades, many states have used common sense and protected the civil liberties of their residents, such as through permit-less and accessible shall-issue firearm carry laws,” said Chris Baker, president of Hawaii Defense Foundation. “However, some states just can’t seem to grasp the plain meaning of the Constitution. To those states, we say this: we will fight hard together, we will fight smart together, and we will win together. That is exactly what we and the Firearms Policy Coalition will do.”

“While Texas residents may not face the same gun law challenges as those in Massachusetts, California, or Illinois, all Texans are Americans first and know that gun control laws anywhere are an affront to liberty everywhere,” commented Gary Burris, president of Lone Star Shooting Association. “We’re proud to join with FPC and work cooperatively to secure our fundamental rights so that law-abiding gun owners can exercise their rights across our great state and country, in Texas and in Toledo.”

“Firearms Policy Coalition has reached millions of Americans since launching in December and we’re looking forward to reaching millions more,” said FPC’s Combs. “The overwhelmingly positive reaction to our message of civil rights and the facts about gun control really drives home how much Americans value their freedom. These new FPC member organizations are key to ensuring that the Second Amendment means what it says.”

“While some power-hungry politicians want nothing more than to undermine the Second Amendment and important legal decisions like Heller and McDonald, we’re confident that the Constitution provides the best policy: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not – and must not – be infringed.”