First, Colorado Democrats amended their magazine ban bill, HB 1224, to allow Magpul to make but not sell magazines in Colorado. Now it seems another feature of the bill would outlaw any pump or semi-auto shotgun that could accept a magazine tube extender. You know shotguns like the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 which are the two biggest selling shotguns in America.
Here’s a suggestion to the Senate Democrats and Gov. John Hickenlooper – dump the bill.
Some aging boomers must have a thing for nostalgia. Otherwise I can’t think of any reason that Rolling Stone magazine is still being published because frankly I don’t know anyone who reads it on a regular basis. It was one of those things you subscribed to in college and then left behind.
That said, some people must read it because it cost Gen. Stanley McChrystal his career. Now they are trying to do the gun industry what they did to McChrystal’s career. The only problem (for them) is that their article, “The Gun Industry’s Deadly Addiction”, will have no impact on gun sales. Moreover, when you use Josh Sugarmann and Tom Diaz as authoritative sources, you have no credibility.
The thrust of the article is this: hunting is dying, gun owners are aging and white, fewer people own guns, the industry is trying to survive, they need to target new demographics, thus they are introducing more “military-style weapons” to capture that demographic.
Today, hunting guns account for less than a quarter of the market, and
the hunting industry is forecasting a 24 percent drop in revenue by
2025. Gunmakers are on the wrong side of the same demographic curves
that haunt the modern Republican Party. Its customer base is too old,
too white, too male and too Southern. According to Gallup, 61 percent of
white males in the South own guns today. Nationwide, just 18 percent of
Latinos do. “The white males are aging and dying off,” says Sugarmann.
Flooding the market with battle-ready guns, he says, “is an effort to
find one new, shiny thing to sell them.”
Using comparisons similar to the way the tobacco industry has been portrayed, Rolling Stone asserts that firearms manufacturers are trying to hook kids on guns and to seduce women into buying guns for protection. Moreover, the move to get women customers is because they are the family gatekeepers. You get the mom, you get the whole family. Of course they use the example of the shooter from Newtown, Connecticut to make their point.
To protect herself from the faceless evil that might break into her
home, she didn’t just buy a single gun – she compiled an arsenal worth
thousands of dollars and trained with her son at local shooting ranges.
“She (Nancy Lanza) was the perfect customer,” says Diaz, “the perfect manifestation of
how they want to sell guns.”
The other three targets markets according to Rolling Stone are gamers with Zombie shoots, preppers, and narco-terrorists and criminals. They call this last “market” the gun industry’s “dirtiest – and most open – secret.”
The rest of the article deals with divestment attempts by certain pension funds and big city mayors such as Rahm Emanuel. They note that the mayor of Minneapolis is in talks with other mayors to withhold firearm and ammo purchases from any gun maker that lobbies against gun control. To which I would just use the example of Smith and Wesson as why gun makers are not going to be bullied into such deals.
If Rolling Stone promotes anything, it is the tradition of yellow journalism. I guess that makes them right in line with the rest of the mainstream media. So much for being counter-culture.
Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland) is the primary sponsor of Oregon HB 3200. This bill, if passed, is a draconian gun control measure which would have drastic consequences.
From the Oregon Firearms Federation email alert:
HB 3200 not only bans most modern guns and magazines, it allows warrantless searches of your home, requires background checks and registration for a firearm you already own and as-of-yet undefined storage requirements. We say “a firearm” because even if you comply with the restrictions in this bill you may still only own one.
Section 4 of HB 3200 is the kicker. This section requires you to register your firearm and magazines owned before the bill’s passage and to undergo a new background check. It then goes on to say:
(4) A person may not register more than one assault weapon and
three large capacity magazines under this section. Additional
assault weapons and large capacity magazines must be disposed of
in the manner specified in section 3 of this 2013 Act.
(5) A registered owner of an assault weapon or large capacity
magazine is required to:
(a) Securely store the assault weapon or large capacity
magazine pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the
department;
(b) Allow an inspector from the department to inspect the
storage of assault weapons and large capacity magazines to ensure
compliance with this subsection;
Here is where it gets really curious. Rep. Greenlick who, mind you, is the primary sponsor and the one who introduced HB 3200, disagrees with parts of the bill he introduced.
Even Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, the chief sponsor of House Bill 3200, said the bill as introduced goes too far in not only banning the sale of these weapons but in limiting each gun owner to continue possessing just one of these firearms.
Greenlick said he also disagrees with a provision that would allow the state police to investigate gun owners who possess one of these weapons to make sure they are safely stored.
“In its current form, it’s a pretty flawed bill,” said Greenlick, adding that “I don’t think [the bill] is in play.”
As The Riddler of Batman fame would say, so riddle me this Rep. Greenlick, did you not know what was in the bill when you introduced it and, if not, why not?
Could this piece of legislation that has Oregon Ceasefire swooning be another piece of legislation written by Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors and dropped by parachute into the hands of willing naifs in the Oregon Legislative Assembly?
Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised.
The quote of the day comes from Mary Katherine Ham at Hotair.com. She discusses how every bit of advice on guns from Vice-President Joe Biden could get you arrested whether it is discharging the shotgun in the air to shooting through the door.
There is an exception though.
The only person who should ever take Biden’s gun advice is David
Gregory, who is of course exempt from gun laws because he has very
important points to make.
All too sadly, I believe she is right.
Magpul has started what they are calling the Boulder Airlift. They are moving Colorado residents to the head of the line for 10-packs of PMags. This move to flood Colorado with standard capacity magazines was started by Suarez International’s One Source Tactical a few days earlier. Michael Bane has more info on that plus Magpul’s statement. He called it a classy thing to do.
If you do something classy like that you should have a classy drawing to go along with it – and they do. Using a scene reminiscent of the Berlin Airlift, Magpul is reminding Coloradans to take advantage of this offer. They also are working on similar programs for citizens in other states who are having their freedom challenged.
Pastor Kenn Blanchard, author, podcaster, media mogul, and all around nice guy, was interviewed by Michel Martin for National Public Radio’s Tell Me More program. This program’s goal is to:
Capturing the headlines, issues and pleasures relevant to multicultural
life in America, the daily one-hour series is hosted by award-winning
journalist Michel Martin. Tell Me More
marks Martin’s first role in hosting a daily program. She views it as
an opportunity to focus on the stories, experiences, ideas and people
important in contemporary life but often not heard.
Kenn gave a great interview in which he discussed his history with firearms, the role that firearms have played within the African-American community, his interest in the history of firearms in that community, and, to be frank, the uneasy relationship he has with his congregation over his views on firearms and firearm rights.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again – we are very fortunate to have someone like Pastor Kenn on our side of the gun rights issue. An articulate spokesman of whatever color or race is always an asset.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) is asking for “technical amendments” to the NY SAFE law that he rammed through the New York Assembly and Senate earlier this year. These technical amendments would allow film makers to use firearms for film and TV productions that are denied to ordinary New Yorkers.
“We spend a lot of money in the state bringing movie production here, post-production here, so obviously we would want to facilitate that,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who wants to expand the film and TV tax credit.
He said movies and TV may use fake guns that wouldn’t be subject to the new law but the industry wants “certainty.” The revised law would allow them to use real weapons without real ammunition.
“There’s no reason not to make a change like that to give an industry comfort, especially when it’s an industry we want to do business in the state,” the governor said.
There is a Yiddish word for what Gov. Cuomo wants to do. That word is chutzpah.
Guntersville, Alabama Mayor Leigh Dollar had proposed a change to the emergency ordinances of that city that would have allowed law enforcement to disarm residents. Mayor Dollar said it was to protect officers in the aftermath of an emergency such as the 2011 tornadoes.
While most of the ordinance was sensible and provided for the mayor to act without council in the aftermath of a disaster, it was the sixth of seven sections that caused the uproar. That was the section that allowed any law enforcement officer to disarm residents for the protection of the officer or other individuals. If someone was brandishing a firearm in an unsafe or threatening manner, Alabama law already gave an officer the authority to disarm them – and to arrest them.
I think Mayor Dollar was genuinely surprised by the outpouring of opposition to the ordinance caused by that section of the law. She quickly issued a statement saying her intent was not to disarm people and undermine the Second Amendment.
“As Mayor, I can say there is absolutely no intent to undermine the right to bear arms. I live
in a house full of hunters and I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, as are all
members of the City Council.“The City’s intent was never to ‘disarm our citizens or seize firearms’. The purpose is for the
City to be able to respond in a timely manner in the event of a disaster which we hope never
happens. However, after April 27, 2011, we know what can easily become a reality.“The entire proposed local ordinance follows the state emergency ordinance, and the section
related to firearms follows existing state statutes. That section was included so public
workers and volunteers helping during a state of emergency are protected from someone
causing harm or potentially causing harm. In no way is this ordinance trying to infringe upon
anyone’s constitutional rights.”
Yesterday, the Guntersville City Council had a special meeting and voted to withdraw the ordinance in its entirety from consideration. The whole meeting lasted probably less than five minutes. According to one report, Mayor Dollar said “This entire council is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment. We all own guns.”
We in my home state of North Carolina had to go to US District Court to secure our right to be armed in defense of home and family during an emergency. So I am pleased Mayor Dollar and the Guntersville Council did the right thing when they realized the magnitude of their actions. If this story has a moral, it is that about the power of social media to alert and activate opposition to threats to our rights. It doesn’t always work but in this case it succeeded beautifully.
Jimmy Kimmel Live last night was supposed to feature the British singer Morrissey and the Robertson family from the A&E Show Duck Dynasty. However, when Morrissey, a vegetarian and “animal rights activist”, found out the Robertsons were sharing the limelight with him, he issued an ultimatum – them or me.
“As far as my reputation is concerned, I can’t take the risk of being on
a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial
killers,” Morrissey said in a statement. “If Jimmy cannot dump ‘Duck
Dynasty’ then we must step away.”
Oh, the horror of having to appear alongside those uncouth colonialists who actually kill their own meat.
As an aside, Willie Robertson, Jr, CEO of Duck Commander, is on the ballot for the NRA Board of Directors. He is one of 28 that has been nominated by the Nominating Committee.
UPDATE: Cancelling at the last minute doesn’t go over too well with late night talk shows. Jimmy Kimmel takes Morrissey to task and explains why he wasn’t about the disinvite the Duck Dynasty folks.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation held a series of interviews with managers and workers of a number of Connecticut firearms and firearms accessory manufacturers recently. As the Connecticut legislature looks at a number of draconian gun control laws in the wake of the Newtown shootings, this video puts a human face on the workers of the Connecticut gun industry.
The interviews are with the leaders and employees of O.F. Mossberg, Stag Arms, and magazine maker Ammunition Storage Components.
To paraphrase political strategist James Carville, it’s jobs, stupid. While the jobs may not disappear overnight as it is hard to transfer operations to other locations, if these laws pass, I think you will see more and more of their operations being moved to more gun-friendly states. Indeed, industrial recruiters from such states are already hovering.
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