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Random Thoughts About The NRA Annual Meeting

May 6, 2013 by 2 Comments

I made it home this evening from Houston about 6:30. I came home to heavy rain and flash flood alerts as opposed to the clear but cool weather we had in Houston. To put this in perspective, we’ll probably have half the annual rainfall of San Diego in one day.

Like everything in Texas, the George Brown Convention Center was bigger than past venues for the Annual Meeting. I heard that it was about 10% larger than the America’s Center in St. Louis. That would explain why on Friday it didn’t seem as crowded. That changed on Saturday when it was packed even with the extra space. From everything I’ve heard, the number of attendees will probably set a record.

Houston is a big city! It is especially big when you are driving hither, thither, and yon and getting lost more than once in the process.

While the big companies get most of the attention, it is fun to cruise the outer aisles of the convention center as that is where you find the small companies. The little guys often have some of the more interesting items.

Speaking of big companies, I was impressed that the Ruger’s CEO, Mike Fifer, not only worked their booth but could be seen out and about on the floor of the convention center walking about without any assistants or other marketing staff.

I finally got to meet the people who run God’A Grip. They had stayed in the same motel that we did in Pittsburgh and I never knew what they made. I got to try their Sorbothane cheek pad and pistol grips. The grip additions gave me a tighter grip on the test pistol than either skater’s tape or checkering. I’ll be buying some of their grips. This is one of those small companies on the outer rows that I mentioned earlier.

I talked to the people at PTR Industries. Their workforce had more than doubled in the past year due to demand for their PTR-91 rifles. Despite this, Connecticut doesn’t consider those “good” jobs and they’ll be leaving. The guy I spoke to was a production worker and didn’t know where they’d be moving.

The media room was over twice the size of the St. Louis one which, in turn, was larger than the one in Pittsburgh. There were plenty of times when the media filled every table and every spot. I saw a lot of foreign press and even was interviewed by a reporter for a Norwegian newspaper.

Finally, the best thing about the NRA Annual Meeting is not the guns and gear, it is the people. This includes both the attendees and the bloggers I got to meet. I made new friends, renewed old acquaintances, and had a great time with “my tribe”.

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Would They Prefer The Term “The Late Unpleasantness”?

May 5, 2013 by 1 Comment



The editors of the New York Daily News are all bent out of shape by the new president of the National Rifle Association, Jim Porter. It seems that they take exception to his use a Southern euphemism for the American Civil War.


Elected on the eve of the NRA’s annual convention, set to start Friday in Houston, James Porter
takes over as its president with a long record of Second Amendment
absolutism, conspiracy theory looniness and racial repulsiveness.

What they term racial repulsiveness is Mr. Porter’s use of the euphemism – the War of North Aggression. Given that Mr. Porter is from Alabama, it is one of those tongue in cheek expressions often used as an alternative name for the Civil War just like War Between the States and, the even more genteel, The Late Unpleasantness”.

I guess the editors of the Daily News forget their city’s own little bit of racial repulsiveness during the Civil War – the Draft Riots of 1863.

Initially intended to express anger at the draft, the protests turned into an ugly race riot, with the white rioters, chiefly Irish immigrants, attacking blacks wherever they could be found. At least 100 black people were estimated to have been killed. The conditions in the city were such that Major General John E. Wool, commander of the Department of the East, stated on July 16, “Martial law ought to be proclaimed, but I have not a sufficient force to enforce it.” The military did not reach the city until after the first day of rioting, when mobs had already ransacked or destroyed numerous public buildings, two Protestant churches, the homes of various abolitionists or sympathizers, many black homes, and the Colored Orphan Asylum at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue, which was burned to the ground.

As to that conspiracy theory looniness, they are speaking of the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty in which Mr. Porter’s comments have been spot on.

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“Large” Group Of Protesters

May 4, 2013 by 2 Comments

A group of anti-NRA protesters has gathered in the park across from George Brown Convention Center. Unlike some proposed protests in the past, it has actually come to be.

I’ll have pictures up of all 5 or 6 of them up later today along with the larger number of press taking pictures of them.

I will say that they are being ignored by most people attending the convention.

UPDATE: The number of protesters has multiplied to about 15. There are still as many press and onlookers as there are protesters.


Of course the purpose of this protest isn’t to engage in a discussion with the average NRA member or even the general public. The purposes is to get media attention and it seems that Bloomberg News is attempting to give them that with an article entitled, “Gun Violence Victims Add Emotional Edge to NRA Pep Rally.”

 Erica Lafferty is in a place she never thought she’d be: the National Rifle Association’s annual conference in Houston.

As the nation’s biggest gun lobby gathers inside a convention center to celebrate the defeat of a federal push to expand background checks, the 27-year-old Connecticut resident is at a park across the street. Protesters, some with wavering voices, are quietly reading the names of victims of gun violence, including the 26 killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14.


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Supreme Court Grants Illinois 30-Day Extension

May 3, 2013 by 10 Comments

The United States Supreme Court has granted Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s request for a 30-day extension in which to file a writ of certiorari in the joint carry cases of Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan.

The application was granted by Justice Kagan.

From the court’s order:

Title:
Lisa Madigan, et al., Applicants
v.
Michael Moore, et al.
Docketed: May 1, 2013
Lower Ct: United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  Case Nos.: (12-1269, 12-1788)

~~~Date~~~  ~~~~~~~Proceedings  and  Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apr 26 2013 Application (12A1053) to extend the time to file a
petition for a writ of certiorari from May 23, 2013 to June 24, 2013,
submitted to Justice Kagan.
May 2 2013 Application (12A1053) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until June 24, 2013.
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Prinicipal Doesn’t Want Gun Safety Classes From The Real Experts

May 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

Despite the gun prohibitionists’ attempt to rebrand themselves as “gun safety” groups, we all know that the National Rifle Association through its training classes and its Eddie Eagle program have instructed more people on gun safety than anyone else. Thus, when I saw that two Houston elementary schools canceled gun safety presentations for their students because they didn’t want to be perceived as backing the NRA, I was dismayed.

An elementary school and a preschool in Houston ISD have canceled gun-safety presentations for their young students over concerns that the National Rifle Association crafted the lessons.

A spokesman for the Houston Independent School District said Tuesday that the principals of Peck Elementary and the Martin Luther King Early Childhood Center did not know the NRA was behind the program.

“The principals made a decision they didn’t want to participate in an event that folks could perceive as them taking a position one way or another on the gun control debate or any other debate the NRA is involved in,” HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said.

Supposedly, the principal of Peck Elementary didn’t realize that the safety programs had been developed by the NRA. It may have been because the presentation was to be made by officers from the Metropolitan Transit Authority police department. Until she found out that detail, she was all happy about it.

Before cancelling the presentation, the principal of Peck, Carlotta Brown, gave a radio interview on Tuesday morning saying she was “so elated to have a gun safety program at our school today.”

“We have to make sure that all of our children are safe, our adults are safe and it starts in the elementary school,” Brown told KTRH, according to a broadcast on its website.

Brown did not mention the NRA in her comments, but the radio host noted that the association was behind the program and an NRA representative also was interviewed.

Spencer said Brown “did not make the connection that it was an NRA-driven event” until later when a news reporter asked to attend the presentation.

Metro Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said in a statement that he was aware that the NRA’s gun-safety curriculum would be used in the schools but said his officers were going to be giving the presentations.

“I am supportive of gun safety and programs that make our community safer by educating our youth,” Rodriguez said.

It is really kind of sad that an “educator” would let political correctness get in the way of protecting the children under her charge.

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My Day Is Made!

May 2, 2013 by

I was so afraid that the ne’er do wells from the lesser gun prohibitionist groups would not show up in Houston to the NRA Annual Meeting. They are always amusing in their sad pathetic way.

My prayers have been answered and there is joy in Mudville.

From today’s Houston Chronicle:

Opponents gather

Outside the convention center, an array of gun-control advocates is expected to demonstrate opposition to the NRA and its lobbying prowess.

“I don’t think it’s a losing battle at all,” said Heather Ross, an organizer for the “Occupy the NRA” group that plans to lead the reading of names of 4,000 gun-violence victims under a #NoMoreNames banner at Discovery Green, across from the convention center. The list will start with the 26 victims of gunman Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December.

Texas is not as uniformly pro-gun as most people believe, Ross insisted.

“The concept that we’re all a bunch of gun-toting crazies is inaccurate,” she said. “That’s largely pushed by people elected to office.”

Of course, they never would have you believe that lives are saved and rapes prevented through the use or even mere presence of a firearm.

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SAF Wins Injunction In Illinois

May 2, 2013 by

The Second Amendment Foundation announced today that they had won a permanent injunction against the Warren County (IL) Housing Authority and their ban on possession of firearms by residents or guests.

This is good news from Illinois.


BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has won a permanent injunction against the Warren County, Ill. Housing Authority’s ban on the possession of firearms by residents or guests.

The case was filed more than a year ago in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Rock Island Division. Ronald G. Winbigler, a resident of Costello Terrace in Monmouth, is a physically disabled former police officer who wanted to keep a handgun in his residence for personal protection.

SAF filed the lawsuit on his behalf, and they were represented by attorney David Sigale, who noted, “People do not lose their Second Amendment rights just because they are of limited means. It is an indignity to make the waiver of constitutional rights a condition of government-subsidized housing.”

SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was delighted with the ruling.

“We brought this case because it was unconscionable,” Gottlieb said, “in the wake of our victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago that a public entity in Illinois would engage in this kind of discrimination against a citizen. The WCHA has removed the lease provisions, and agreed that they were unconstitutional.”

In an order signed by District Judge Sara Darrow, plaintiffs are awarded reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. In her ruling, however, she did not make a constitutional declaration, but only recognized that SAF and the WCHA had agreed in that issue.

“Public housing is the last place one would expect to encounter residency provisions that run counter to the Bill of Rights,” Gottlieb said. “We’re delighted that this issue has been resolved to the benefit of Mr. Winbigler and citizens like him.”

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In Houston At The Convention Center!

May 2, 2013 by 1 Comment

I’ve made it to the George Brown Convention Center and have picked up my media credentials. So far I’ve seen a bunch of British reporters plus one from Bloomberg News. It’ll be interesting to see what she reports!

I’ve haven’t caught up with any of the other bloggers yet.

Parking seems to be adequate with a number of lots surrounding the Convention Center. With the exception of the Hilton’s parking deck, parking prices are in the $10-12 for the day.

UPDATE: Those were the prices for parking before the meeting started. They rocketed up to $30 near the center with the prices falling the more you had to walk. I paid $15 on Friday, $10 on Saturday, and lucked into a City of Houston lot for only $5 on Sunday.

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Update On HB 937 – Omnibus Gun Bill In North Carolina

May 1, 2013 by

The vote scheduled for yesterday in the North Carolina House of Representatives on HB 937 was pulled from the calendar. The gun prohibitionists are saying it was due to them but, in reality, it was due to the need for a fiscal note to be attached to the bill.

As Grass Roots North Carolina notes, we still need to keep up the pressure on the General Assembly to act on this bill soon and not to dilute it.



Keep pressure on: delay gives gun control extremists time to prepare opposition

At the last minute HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” was pulled from the House schedule and not voted on. The reason for this unexpected rescheduling is not, as North Carolinians “Against Gun Violence” would have you believe, due to gun control input. At least as stated by leadership, it was due to a delayed request for a fiscal note to be attached to the bill. There is, however, a chance that it was delayed due to UNC opposition listed below.

This bill is critical for NC gun owners and contains restaurant carry, provisions for guns in locked vehicles on college campuses, carry in assemblies for which admission is charged, and a “cleanup” of parks carry language.

It has already raised the hackles of citizen disarmament proponents, including UNC President Tom Ross, who apparently doesn’t trust our state’s brightest young men and women with the means to effectively defend themselves.

We need to increase the heat on the NC House to ensure that this bill is both voted on and passed without the weakening amendments that will be proposed by extremists who want North Carolinians disarmed. MAKE SURE to participate in this email effort – the stakes are high and we need full participation to drive our message home!

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL HOUSE REPUBLICANS: Use the copy and paste list below to deliver a clear message that you expect them to pass HB 937 without delay.

  • CALL & EMAIL YOUR NC HOUSE REP: Let them know you expect them to vote against all weakening amendments and for final passage of HB 937. Find your rep HERE or by going to: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

Contact Information

Copy and paste email addresses for House Republicans:

Dean.Arp@ncleg.net, Marilyn.Avila@ncleg.net, John.Bell@ncleg.net, Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net, Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net, Robert.Brawley@ncleg.net, Brian.Brown@ncleg.net, Rayne.Brown@ncleg.net, Rob.Bryan@ncleg.net, Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net, Justin.Burr@ncleg.net, Rick.Catlin@ncleg.net, George.Cleveland@ncleg.net, Jeff.Collins@ncleg.net, Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net, Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net, Ted.Davis@ncleg.net, Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net, Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net, Jerry.Dockham@ncleg.net, Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net, Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net, John.Faircloth@ncleg.net, Jim.Fulghum@ncleg.net, Mike.Hager@ncleg.net, Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net, Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net, Mark.Hollo@ncleg.net, Bryan.Holloway@ncleg.net, Craig.Horn@ncleg.net, Julia.Howard@ncleg.net, Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net, Frank.Iler@ncleg.net, Charles.Jeter@ncleg.net, Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net, Bert.Jones@ncleg.net, Jonathan.Jordan@ncleg.net, Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net, James.Langdon@ncleg.net, David.Lewis@ncleg.net, Chris.Malone@ncleg.net, Susan.Martin@ncleg.net, Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net, Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net, Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net, Chris.Millis@ncleg.net, Tim.Moffitt@ncleg.net, Tim.Moore@ncleg.net, Tom.Murry@ncleg.net, Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net, Nathan.Ramsey@ncleg.net, Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net, Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net, Jason.Saine@ncleg.net, Ruth.Samuelson@ncleg.net, Jacqueline.Schaffer@ncleg.net, Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net, Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net, Paul.Stam@ncleg.net, Edgar.Starnes@ncleg.net, Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net, Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net, Michael.Stone@ncleg.net, John.Szoka@ncleg.net, Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net, John.Torbett@ncleg.net, Rena.Turner@ncleg.net, Harry.Warren@ncleg.net, Andy.Wells@ncleg.net, Roger.West@ncleg.net, Chris.Whitmire@ncleg.net,

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Pass HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” WITHOUT amendments!”

Dear Representative:

I strongly urge you to support House Bill 937, “Amend Various Firearms Laws” by passing the bill without weakening amendments. Provision for concealed handgun permit-holders to carry in restaurants is already law in surrounding states like TN, VA, GA and OH. The “Chicken Little” predictions of gun control extremists in those states have not been realized. Are not North Carolinians as trustworthy as citizens of surrounding states?

It is past time that we are able to defend ourselves and our families while eating at dinner restaurants. It is past time that law-abiding faculty and staff are able to adequately defend themselves while traveling to and from work.

Your constituents have a fundamental right to bear arms for defense. It is your responsibility to help remove infringements on this right. This is why NC gun owners elected pro-Second Amendment legislators in an election that went liberal in other states.

We worked hard for you. Now it is your turn to return the favor.

I will be monitoring your actions via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts, and rest assured I will hold legislators accountable for their votes.

Respectfully,

As I write this, I am in Texas. On the morning news here, there was a report that the Texas legislature is considering a bill that would allow concealed carry holders to store their firearms in a locked vehicle while on campus. This is the same as HB 937 would allow. Just like in North Carolina, the usual suspects are objecting.

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Off To Houston Plus Two Items

April 30, 2013 by 3 Comments

I’ll be leaving to catch my flight to Houston in a few minutes. Blogging may be sporadic for the next two days as I’ll be spending time with family in Texas. Expect it to resume full force during the NRA Annual Meeting and thereafter.

A couple of items before I leave.

First, Sebastian reports that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has turned down the NRA’s appeal in NRA v. BATFE. He has a good preliminary analysis of the opinion. This is the case that challenged the Gun Control Act of 1968’s restriction on sales of handguns to those between 18 and 21 years of age.

Second, today is the 38th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese communists. Mike Vanderboegh posted a very soul-searching remembrance of the event a couple of days ago. As Mike would be the first to point out, he used to be a left-wing radical. When I say “left-wing”, I don’t mean a brie and Chablis liberal – think really hardcore.

If you want to read a good book on that last month of the Vietnam War, I’d suggest Black April by George J. Veith.

The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America’s worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame—from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam’s surrender on 30 April 1975—has eluded us.

Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants, this book represents one of the largest Vietnamese translation projects ever accomplished, including almost one hundred rarely or never seen before North Vietnamese unit histories, battle studies, and memoirs. Most important, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of South Vietnam’s conquest, the leaders in Hanoi released several compendiums of formerly highly classified cables and memorandum between the Politburo and its military commanders in the south. This treasure trove of primary source materials provides the most complete insight into North Vietnamese decision-making ever complied. While South Vietnamese deliberations remain less clear, enough material exists to provide a decent overview.

Ultimately, whatever errors occurred on the American and South Vietnamese side, the simple fact remains that the country was conquered by a North Vietnamese military invasion despite written pledges by Hanoi’s leadership against such action. Hanoi’s momentous choice to destroy the Paris Peace Accords and militarily end the war sent a generation of South Vietnamese into exile, and exacerbated a societal trauma in America over our long Vietnam involvement that reverberates to this day. How that transpired deserves deeper scrutiny.