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“United States Welcomes Opening of Arms Trade Treaty for Signature”

June 4, 2013 by

The headline is from a release put out by the State Department noting that the United States planned to sign the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty. Maybe the vaguely French looking Secretary of State who, by the way, served in Vietnam, welcomes it along with the rest of the Obama Administration but most assuredly I don’t welcome it and neither do at least 130 members of Congress.

Last week, 130 members of Congress signed a letter to Obama and Kerry urging them to reject the measure for this and other reasons.

“As your review of the treaty continues, we strongly encourage your administration to recognize its textual, inherent and procedural flaws, to uphold our country’s constitutional protections of civilian firearms ownership, and to defend the sovereignty of the United States, and thus to decide not to sign this treaty,” the lawmakers wrote.

The chance of adoption by the U.S. is slim, even if Obama goes ahead and signs it — as early as Monday, or possibly months down the road. A majority of Senate members have come out against the treaty. A two-thirds majority would be needed in the Senate to ratify.

 Kerry’s statement goes on to say it won’t infringe on the Second Amendment.

The ATT will not undermine the legitimate international trade in
conventional weapons, interfere with national sovereignty, or infringe
on the rights of American citizens, including our Second Amendment
rights.

I wonder if he considers the walking of guns to Mexico in Operation Fast and Furious to have been “legitimate international trade in conventional weapons” as it certainly did interfere with the national sovereignty of Mexico. Kerry’s remark that it won’t infringe upon the Second Amendment does not even dignify a response.

According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Canada, by the way, has not yet decided whether or not it plans to sign the Arms Trade Treaty.

The federal government hasn’t decided whether it agrees with the UN’s arms trade treaty, despite having voted to move it ahead in the first place, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Monday.

“We believe that any treaty regarding the sale of munitions that helps move the international community closer to world-leading standards is a good thing,” Baird said during question period. “We participated actively in these discussions. I think we have an obligation to listen before we act, and that is why we will be consulting with Canadians before the government takes any decision.”

The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister went on to say that the Canadian Government sees a potential link between the ATT and their former gun registry which they abolished last year.

I think the Canadians are being a heck of a lot smarter about this than the US which doesn’t surprise me in the least.

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Pay Up!

June 4, 2013 by

The CalGuns Foundation just come into a bit of change thanks to the Merced County (CA) Sheriff’s Department. That is because the department come to an agreement with CalGuns to settle a lawsuit over how the MCSD handled applications for carry permits and agreed to pay them attorney’s fees.

Sometimes lawsuits and payments like the check above are the only thing that will get the attention of those who stand in the way of the Second Amendment.

From the CalGuns Foundation release:

Merced County, CA Sheriff Pays $9,250
in Handgun Carry Lawsuit Settlement

SAN CARLOS, CA (June 3, 2013) – As part of a settlement reached in the handgun carry case of Michelle Rossow, et al. v. County of Merced and Merced Sheriff Mark Pazin, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to pay The Calguns Foundation $9,250.47 for attorney fees in the matter.

The lawsuit, filed in July 2011, sought to correct problems in the Sheriff’s policy for applications for and licenses to carry concealed handguns as part of the Foundation’s ongoing Carry License Sunshine and Compliance Initiative.

In addition to the fee recovery, The Calguns Foundation’s action against the Sheriff resulted in a number of changes to the Sheriff’s carry license policies, which was based on a boilerplate document produced by Lexipol, a law enforcement policy management outsourcer, and modified with local rules.

The Foundation first contacted Merced in October of 2010, when it discovered that the Sheriff had established an unlawful moratorium on the acceptance of new carry license applications. The Sheriff subsequently lifted the moratorium but refused to modify parts of his policy that CGF identified as unlawful. When talks broke down, the Foundation filed the lawsuit in Merced County Superior Court.

“It’s great to see a successful outcome in this case, as Merced’s policy on licenses to carry handguns was substantially revised to address the most grievous concerns, and the Court retained jurisdiction to address future compliance issues,” said attorney for plaintiffs Jason Davis of Mission Viejo.

“This case is an important next step in our Carry Initiative,” explained Brandon Combs, executive director for The Calguns Foundation. “The County chose to address our concerns rather than face a possible court order, and we applaud them for that. Now it’s up to the other California sheriffs to follow suit or be sued themselves.”

“Ultimately, this case is about making carry license policies consistent with California law,” said Foundation Chairman Gene Hoffman. “We hope that we can accomplish this without suing every California county, but if that’s what it requires, that’s what we are prepared to do.”

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Well, Prostitution Is Legal In Some Nevada Counties

June 2, 2013 by 5 Comments

The New York Times ran an article yesterday discussing how Mayor Bloomberg is pushing for background checks in state legislatures. Coming off his success in Colorado, he has now set his eye on the state of Nevada where the State Senate has already passed his background check legislation. Just like in Colorado, he has inundated the State Capitol in Carson City with 11 lobbyists to one from the NRA.

What really caught my eye was this statement by State Senator Justin C. Jones (D-Las Vegas) who was the sponsor of Bloomberg’s universal background check bill.

Mr. Jones said he hoped Mr. Bloomberg would continue to be involved in Nevada politics. He faces re-election next year — he won by just 301 votes in 2012 — and in the past, Mr. Bloomberg has offered political and financial support to candidates who back his policies.


“It never hurts,” Mr. Jones said, “to have friends with money.”

While I understand that prostitution is legal in some areas of Nevada, it is illegal in both Clark County and in Carson City. If political prostitution was as illegal as sexual prostitution, I could easily see Mr. Jones being arrested on charges of solicitation for being the political whore that he is.

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I’m Sure This Will Work Well….Or Not

June 2, 2013 by 3 Comments

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) is one of the few remaining Blue Dog Democrats in the House of Representatives. He was A-rated and endorsed by the NRA-PVF in the 2012 general election. He defeated State Senator David Rouzer by a mere 654 votes to win re-election. There is no way to tell for sure but the NRA-PVF endorsement might just have been the edge McIntyre needed to squeak by in his conservative district in southeast NC.

The picture below was tweeted by K. Meera Bhardwaj of Carrboro, North Carolina on Thursday. Her LinkedIn profile identifies her as the Regional Organizing Director for Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors. From my experience living in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, Carrboro is where those who are even too far Left for liberal Chapel Hill live. Things may have changed since I lived down in the Triangle but I doubt it.

The picture is captioned “2 gun owners, 4 parents, 2 kids, and 7 voters @DemandAction at @MikeMcIntyreNC’s office today!”

All I can say is that I hope Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors continues hiring organizers who have no clue about the area in which they are sent to work. Contrast this with the intimate knowledge that people like ISRA’s Richard Pearson and the NRA’s Todd Vandermyde brought to the battle for concealed carry in Illinois. Or, if we want to talk about North Carolina, that Grass Roots North Carolina and Paul Valone have brought to the battle for gun rights in this state.

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Challenging Assumptions

June 1, 2013 by 1 Comment

Every now and again you run across a story that challenges your assumptions. I ran into such a story yesterday and it has nothing to do with firearms.


The article in the Wall Street Journal was written by the actor, comedian, and writer Shelley Berman. he talked about his life in his house in California and how he raises Better Boy tomatoes among other things. The really interesting part is where he talks about what he collects.

Come and visit our pretty home. As you enter our home you should be taken by the too-many glass-topped side tables standing throughout the living room. You will see that each table is filled with knives of every sort, each one individually set for viewing. How many? Too many to count. I’ve been a collector of knives for many years. I, like most of us real knife collectors, do not collect antiques.

I collect custom knives. In many cases, I know—or knew—the maker. Many of my knives are one of a kind. Some of the great knife makers are no longer with us. Some of the younger knife makers are fine at the trade, though many of us old-time collectors still respect and revere the ones we’ve known.

Who would have thought it?

Mr. Berman also gives an interesting history on the origin of Damascus steel. His article by the way coincided with the opening of the 2013 Blade Show in Atlanta

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Concealed Carry Bill Passes Both Illinois Houses

May 31, 2013 by 3 Comments

Illinois will have shall-issue concealed carry regardless of whether Gov. Pat Quinn likes it or not. Today, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly passed the compromise bill, HB183, by a greater than a 75% margin.

First, HB183 with the language of Amendments 5, 6, and 7 passed the State Senate by a vote of 45 yea, 12 nay, and 1 present on its Third Reading. The one present vote was by Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago). The yea votes did include State Senate President John Cullerton who is no fan of gun rights.

The bill then went to the House of Representatives for concurrence on Amendments 5, 6, and 7. Amendment 5 which was the major part of the bill passed with an 89 yea to 28 nay vote. Likewise, Amendment 6 and Amendment 7 received concurrence by the same vote margin.

The bill now goes to the governor’s desk where Gov. Quinn now has 60 days to either sign or veto the bill. However, the stay from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals expires on June 9th. I would presume that Quinn will need to act sooner than later if he doesn’t want the courts to intervene.

Video from the Senate vote is below:

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Illinois Concealed Carry Compromise Language Posted

May 31, 2013 by 12 Comments

The compromise on concealed carry in Illinois seems to have been reached. There are two amendments to HB183 by Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) who is one of the strongest pro-gun advocates in the Illinois State Senate.

Given that both the bill and the two amendments are quite lengthy, it will take some time to digest just what will be allowed.

The text of Amendment 5 is here and the text of Amendment 6 is here.

From what I can gather from those who are working through it on the IllinoisCarry.com forum, the amendments provide the following:

  • It is shall-issue carry
  • Preemption applies to handguns only. Will include both ammunition and magazines. See Sec. 90. Preemption applies to FOID card holders only.
  • 16 hours of training required but 8 hours can be waived for prior military service and hunter safety courses.
  • Cost of the license will be$150 for residents; $300 for non-residents. Renewal for residents is $150.
  • No reciprocity with other states
  • Establishes CUI or carrying under the influence. Penalties the same as for DUI. Applies to all including LEO.
  • A carry license doesn’t exempt the holder from a NICS check on a firearms purchase
  •  Restaurants that have over 50% of profits from alcohol sales must post premises. Onus is on business owner to post.
  • Counties and municipalities have 10 days after bill signing or veto override to have firearms ordinances in place. After that time, there is state preemption on all firearms issues.
  • Law states firearm must be concealed or partially concealed.
  • Chicago/Cook County gets to keep its AWB and mag restrictions for rifles and shotguns

I’ll post more when I know it.Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers has more on it here.

UPDATE: A reader sent me an email noting the bill also has preemption on carry and preemption on transport.

 Sen. Gary Forby is now the official sponsor of the bill in the Senate along with Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-N. Aurora) while Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) is now the official House sponsor. They replace Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skoie) respectively.


Sen. Forby has introduced a 7th Amendment which changes who will appoint the NRA representative of the task force that will study how to consolidate the CCW and the FOID card into a designation on driver’s licenses and state ID cards. Currently, the NRA representative would be appointed by the Speaker of the House. The amendment changes this to making the Secretary of State responsible for this.

The Senate is currently debating this bill.

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A Video I’d Buy

May 31, 2013 by 3 Comments

It seems everyone and his brother is making a tactical pen even though TSA says you can’t bring them on planes. I know I have a couple including my tactical fountain pen which actually writes fairly smoothly. What we haven’t had, for the most part, is any real training on how to effectively use the tactical pen for self-defense. This may be changing with a new video featuring Michael Janich.

From the press release:

PHOENIX, AZ (May 2013) –  Tuff-Writer™ Inc., makers of the world’s toughest American made pens, have
partnered with renowned edged-weapons trainer Mike Janich and Stay Safe
Media to produce a groundbreaking new self-defense video. “Focused
Impact” is the first real practical course covering the selection,
carry, deployment and application of tactical pens in a self-defense
situation.




A tactical pen is
nothing more than a durable, high-quality pen that provides all of the
same attributes as a purpose-designed “fist load” weapon like a Kubotan
or yawara stick, but in the form of an ordinary-looking pen that can be
carried virtually anywhere. But what really makes a tactical pen
“tactical” is the user’s ability to power it with a sound set of
physical skills.



In this groundbreaking
video, acclaimed self-defense instructor Michael Janich gives you those
skills and dispels the many myths that surround the use of pens in
self-defense. His step-by-step program includes everything you need to
know to actually use a pen as an effective personal-defense weapon,
including: considerations for pen selection, proper grip, carry options
and draws, striking methods, and pressure-point tactics. More
importantly, it teaches you how to integrate the pen into a complete set
of combative mechanics, making it a force multiplier that works in
concert with empty-hand parries and strikes, elbows, knees, kicks, and
foot traps.

Without the skills and
confidence to power it, even the finest, best built pen in the world
like a Tuff-Writer tactical pen is still just a pen. This video will
help you realize its true potential and teach you what you need to know
to make it a viable defensive tool.




The video is available through Tuff-Writer by visiting their website
or wherever Stay Safe Media training videos are sold. It can also be
previewed at the 2013 BLADE Show by stopping by the Tuff Writer booth.

According to the Tuff-Writer website, the DVD retails for $29.95 which seems reasonable enough.

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Media Rumors On Carry Compromise In Illinois

May 31, 2013 by 7 Comments

The Illinois Observer and the Associated Press are both reporting that a compromise has been reached on a concealed carry bill in Illinois. That said, the Illinois Carry forum has generally been more accurate and more timely than the media. At this time (9 pm Eastern), they are saying they have nothing yet on a compromise.

From the Illinois Observer:

A top source tells The Illinois Observer that lawmakers have an agreement that will preempt home rule only on firearms transportation and existing conceal carry laws.

The legislators, State Senators Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Tim Bivins (R-Dixon), State Reps. Mike Bost (R- Murphysboro), Ed Sullivan (R-Mundelein), Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg), Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) and Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst) meeting House Speaker Michael Madigan’s conference room on Thursday afternoon, have also agreed that all existing assault weapons bans will remain in place.

However, the lawmakers, who excluded the governor’s Illinois State Police representatives from the negotiations, have agreed that any new assault weapon bans must be adopted by home rule communities within 10 days of the law taking effect. In reality, the new conceal carry law will ban any further assault weapons bans.

Additionally, the bill will abolish Chicago’s gun registry.

The Associated Press is quoting Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) as saying a compromise has been reached. The compromise legislation will be introduced on Friday by Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton)

Raoul told The Associated Press that lawmakers are “still tightening up details” but the package has reached common ground on key issues. Those compromises include preserving local gun ordinances and prohibiting weapons from being carried in places including schools and public parks, and tightening penalties.

Raoul says the bill will preserve elements from two pieces of legislation considered in a Senate committee earlier this week.

Until we see the actual bill – if there is actually a bill – we won’t know for sure what sort of compromise has been reached. The fact that it is Sen. Raoul being quoted as saying a compromise has been reached makes me just a bit suspicious. If it were Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) who has been one of the leading pro-gun legislators in Illinois, I’d believe it.

UPDATE: Todd Vandermyde, the NRA’s lobbyist in Illinois and one of the most plugged-in guys I’ve ever met, had this to say on the IllinoisCarry.com forum about the compromise.

The senate has adjourned for the night.

We are awaiting an amendment on a carry bill. Lots of rumors surrounding what is in and what is out.

Rumor is that the bill will go through the senate first.

With the senate adjourned, the mag ban SB1002 is impossible to pass into law as the bill requires three days in the house,there is only one left.

We may still see a lost or stolen type bill such as SB841 but again it needs 3 days to pass the house on all 3 readings. This assumes they don’t tack it onto a houseboll and try to kick them, back on concurance.

Frankly, if Todd hasn’t seen the language on the compromise, then I can assure you that no one in the media has seen it either.

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On Today’s Legislative Calendar For Gun Rights

May 30, 2013 by

Legislative sessions across the country are slowly coming to a close and with it come votes on gun rights issue. There will be important votes today in both Illinois and New Jersey.

The Illinois Senate will be voting on a number of bills that impact gun rights. Perhaps the most important one will be on their version of a concealed carry law. The bill is HB183 Gun Safety and Responsibility Act and is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago). It is opposed by the NRA, ISRA, and Illinois Carry. The bill is much weaker than SB2193 that passed the State House last week and it preserves home-rule on firearms issues.

The other bills coming up include SB851 Safety Tech sponsored by Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago), SB1002 Criminal Law Tech sponsored by Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), and SB1003 Criminal Law Tech sponsored by Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago). Raoul’s SB851 includes both universal background checks and a lost or stolen reporting requirement. Kotowski’s SB1002 is a magazine ban bill with an exception for movie and TV productions. Finally, Munoz’s SB1003 increases penalties for firearms violations – even unintentional. All of these bills are opposed by Illinois Carry and ISRA.

The Illinois Senate is scheduled to go into session at 11am Central.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Senate will be taking up a number of bills that either ban certain firearms or curtail Second Amendment rights. They go into session at 2pm Eastern.

From the Outdoor Wire on S. 2723 and S. 2178:

Senate Bill 2723 — This omnibus bill sponsored by Senate President Stephen Sweeney includes many different gun control sections which will impact retailers and gun owners throughout the state. It suspends Second Amendment rights if one does not have proof of firearms training, including for all current handgun owners; imposes a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases; bans all private sales of firearms; effectively creates a registry of ammunition purchases and long gun sales.

Senate Bill 2178 — Sponsored by state Senators Raymond Lesniak (D-20) and Barbara Buono (D-18), this bill is a flat-out statewide gun ban on possession of .50 caliber firearms. The current version was amended to make this bill effective immediately upon enactment.

Other bad bills include S. 2485 which bans anyone who is on the No-Fly list from having either a firearms ID card or a pistol purchase permit and S. 2467 which mandates divestiture in gun companies by the state pension system.

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society issued an alert yesterday on these and other bills. It can be found here and gives contact information.

If you are a resident of either state, I’d urge you to contact your state senators as well as senate leadership to register your opposition to these bills.

UPDATE: In what may come as no surprise, the New Jersey Senate passed all the gun control bills before it. Sebastian has the whole story here. One needs only to see this video to understand the disdain those in power in the Garden State hold both the 1st and 2nd Amendments. If the State Trooper’s shirt had been either brown or black, you’d have sworn a time machine had transported you to the era of the Third Reich.

No word yet on any grand compromise from Illinois on concealed carry.