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AckMac Goes Nuclear On NRA

October 28, 2019 by 1 Comment

The NRA filed suit against Ackerman McQueen and some of their employees in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas at the end of August. Ackerman McQueen responded to the lawsuit on October 1st with a counter-claim and added a third party complaint naming Wayne LaPierre. On Friday, the NRA filed an amended complaint. I will get to each of these in a separate post.

Thanks to Stephen Gutowski of the Free Beacon, we have the press release sent out by AckMac in response to the amended complaint. It takes no prisoners. After saying that Wayne LaPierre defrauded AckMac many times as they declared in their court filing, they go on to say, in part:

LaPierre controlled every aspect of NRATV for which he recruited talent, approved every budget, audited every metric and required ultimate confidentiality. Ackerman McQueen routinely offered and toward the end of the relationship demanded an outside firm audit NRATV performance but LaPierre refused. Unlike the NRA, AMc welcomes full transparency. LaPierre’s apparent paranoia and lust for secrecy fed his justification for private air travel, luxury hotels and countless other expenses for himself, his family and friends that were all paid by member dues.

The membership is being misled. The NRA is pouring tens of millions of non-profit funds into lawyers and lawsuits to cover up the abject failure of executive and board leadership. They continue to contrive allegations that they are not currently proving and will continue to not be able to prove in any legal setting. Instead they grovel at the feet of the media they used to decry, hoping to create some spin for Wayne LaPierre.

The latest NRA legal filing is another cynical attempt to distract from Wayne LaPierre’s documented mismanagement of the organization and the captive board’s complicit behavior. These collective failures are the only reason the NRA faces multiple state attorneys general investigations, a US Senate Finance Committee investigation, calls for the IRS and FBI to investigate, a class-action lawsuit and countless legal disputes filed by the NRA intended to intimidate anyone who opposes LaPierre’s reported misuse of NRA resources.

Damn!

Given that AckMac helped build the image of Wayne LaPierre from the 1990s onwards, I suspect they know more about Wayne than most do or want to know. If we needed any more proof that the symbiotic relationship between Wayne and AckMac is over, we now have it.

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Movement On School Safety In Illinois

October 27, 2019 by 3 Comments

The Illinois Association of School Boards’ Resolution Committee is recommending passage of a school safety resolution backing voluntary armed school staff. The measure will be voted on at the Joint Annual Conference to be held November 22nd through 24th in Chicago. IASB represents 98% of the school districts in the state of Illinois.

The resolution entitled Student Safety states:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Illinois Association of School Boards shall support and advocate for legislation which provides local school boards the option of developing Student Safety and Protection Plans which allow voluntary district employees, in any capacity, the ability to carry a concealed firearm on district property, provided the employee has a valid Illinois FOID card, holds a certified Illinois Concealed Carry License, has completed all additional trainings and certifications set forth by the respective school board, one of which MUST include yearly certified Active Shooter Training. Only district employees who fulfill all requirements listed and receive Superintendent and Board approval would be eligible as an active and armed part of the Student Safety and Protection Plan.

The resolution was submitted by Mercer County School District 404. As part of their rationale for passage of this resolution, they pointed out that their district has 5 school building in three different towns spread out over 378 square miles. They go on to add:

The districts in our state should be allowed to determine what is best for them, rather than leaving the determination to those in Springfield who do not know or understand communities outside their own.

The Resolutions Committee agreed and noted that rural school districts do not have “the fast response times of emergency responders in urban and suburban areas.” They went on to point out the lag times can be substantial due to both geography and resources. This plus the fact that the decision on armed school staff would be left to local discretion were the primary reasons that they urged passage.

The Daily Northwestern reported that the IASB delegate for the Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Joseph Halipern, opposes firearms in schools but did recognize it is as a concern for rural school districts.

“The district and Resolution Committee’s rationale for putting (the resolution) in speaks to the diversity of school districts in Illinois, and it makes a lot of sense,” Hailpern said. “Districts in rural communities have a very different lived experience regarding access to police, proximity to police and response times.”

Halipern serves on the District 65 Board of Education and is principal of Braeside Elementary School in Highland Park located in District 112.

A similar resolution was voted down last year by the IASB delegates.

The issue really comes down to the fact that rural school districts are different that large urban and suburban school districts. They generally have a smaller tax base, less resources, have slower emergency response times, and are less anti-gun. They are miles – not mere blocks – away from police or sheriff’s departments.

The sad thing is that even if the IASB passes this Student Safety resolution at their Joint Annual Conference it won’t get through the Illinois General Assembly. Even if that unlikely event were to happen, Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D-IL), would veto the bill and school safety be damned if it means armed school staff.

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Lott’s Mexico

October 25, 2019 by 1 Comment

Dr. John Lott had a new piece in the Wall Street Journal this week about Mexico’s extremely high murder rate despite its strict gun control laws.  

Photo Credit: The Wall Street Journal

The figures Lott quotes are staggering:  with almost six times as many murders per 100,000 people as in the U.S., Mexico has a serious problem.

By all accounts the problem may be of their own making.  As highlighted in the Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Mexico’s strict gun control measures began in 1972 ostensibly to control violence.  Presently only 1% of Mexicans possess a license to own a firearm, obtaining a permit to legally carry a pistol is unheard of and private sales are for all practical purposes forbidden yet since 1972 the murder rate has doubled! 

While addressing how many of Mexico’s crime guns come from the U.S., Dr. Lott explains why the 70% figure cited by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is grossly exaggerated. He points out that number is a select subset of a select subset and the actual number may be closer to 17%.

Furthermore, it appears evident the bulk of Mexico’s crime guns, often fully-automatic, are cartel supplied and originate in Central and South America or other international locations.  Once again, it is evidenced that when strict gun control laws leave the general population unarmed, vulnerable, and powerless, criminals will feel emboldened.  Layer onto this a history of military and police corruption along with a powerful cartel presence and you have the perfect recipe for out of control criminal violence.  

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Bill Ruger Designed A Machine Gun?

October 24, 2019 by

Years before he co-founded Sturm, Ruger & Co., Bill Ruger worked for Auto-Ordnance. When the Army’s Ordnance Department was seeking a replacement for the M1919A4 light machine gun, he designed and submitted a prototype. Unfortunately for Ruger, it failed the endurance test as did the other submissions. Ultimately, the Army went with an updated version of the Browning design.

Ian McCollum goes on to add this about the prototype which now is part of the Cody Firearms Museum’s collection.

As it turns out – and as Ruger would later write – it could be quite hard to create a ground-up new design to beat John Browning’s work in just 4 or 5 months (shocking!). When Ruger’s gun was tested, it was found to have a few good aspects, but was generally unreliable and failed to complete the scheduled 10,000-round endurance test. All of the other guns in that trial failed for various reasons, though, and a second trial was scheduled, giving the manufacturers time to improve their designs. Ruger and Auto-Ordnance were unable to substantially correct the problems with the gun, however, and it did as badly in the second trial as it had in the first. Ultimately, a separate procurement process by the Infantry Department would result in the M1919A6 Browning, which was adopted for the role of light machine gun.


This experience would serve Ruger well, as he would go on to do quite a lot more work with Auto-Ordnance before forming his own tremendously successful company.

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Kudos To The NRA On Adaptive Shooter Database

October 23, 2019 by

If you have read this blog over the years, you know I am both a Endowment Life Member of the NRA and a critic of some of the stupid things they have done. Here is one thing that they are doing that is commendable and needs more publicity.

The NRA has created a database of the best products, services, and training meant for disabled shooters. It is part of the NRA’s Adaptive Shooter Program.

From the NRA:

“People of all ability levels are heading into the outdoors to take part in the shooting sports at impressive levels,” said Dr. Joe Logar, national manager of NRA’s Adaptive Shooting Programs. “This database provides a one-stop resource to ensure they can make the most out of those experiences.”


The Adaptive Product Providers database is available on the NRA Adaptive Shooting Programs website under the Resources tab. There users will find organizations with products and services that make the outdoors and the shooting sports more accessible to people with disabilities. Featured outfits range from companies selling devices that make loading pistol magazines easier to all-terrain wheelchairs to take hunters anywhere wild game may go.


“Helping people find their way back to the outdoors is incredibly rewarding,” Dr. Logar said. “Hopefully this database will make that journey a little bit easier.”

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Hodgdon Recalls ALL IMR 4007 SSC Powder

October 22, 2019 by 3 Comments

If you are a reloader and you have some IMR 4007 SSC smokeless powder, you need to pay attention to this announcement from Hodgdon.

IMR Legendary Powders is officially announcing a product safety warning and recall notice for IMR 4007SSC smokeless powder. All lots of powder are included in the recall. IMR has received reports that this particular powder, sold in 1 pound and 8 pound containers, could become unstable due to possible rapid deterioration. Use of this product may result in combustion, fire damage and/or possible serious injury.

What to do:

1. If you are in possession of IMR 4007SSC, STOP USING THE PRODUCT IMMEDIATELY! Fill the powder container with water, which will render the product inert and safe for disposal.

2. Mail, email or fax a copy of the powder label with the lot number to the contact information below, and include your name, address, phone and email.

3. You may select a replacement IMR smokeless powder product of your choice, which will be shipped to you at no charge.

4. If you have loaded the powder subject to this recall into ammunition, we recommend that you pull the bullets, remove the powder and wet the powder with water for safe disposal.

IMR deeply regrets any inconvenience this may cause, but we believe in safety first.

Contact information: Hodgdon Powder Company, Inc., 6430 Vista Drive, Shawnee, KS 66218, email help@imrpowder.com, imprpowder.com, call 1-800-622-4366 or 913-362-9455 and fax 913-362-1307.

Hodgdon Powder Company has discontinued this powder for safety reasons and is now is doing right by the customer. They are replacing your powder and shipping it to you at no charge. They are eating the HazMat fee as well.

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USCCA Fined By Washington State

October 22, 2019 by 2 Comments

The United States Concealed Carry Association was fined $100,000 by the Washington State Department of Insurance. The violation was “selling unauthorized insurance that illegally covers defense costs for criminal shootings. ” USCCA also agreed to pay “$5,457 in unpaid premium taxes, penalties and interest. “

In a press release dated October 21st, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler (D-WA) said:

“We made two things very clear to USCCA,” Kreidler said. “Insurers must be authorized to sell in our state, and policies can’t cover illegal activity. These law violations are fixable, if the company wishes to do business in Washington state.”

USCCA and other such plans only cover you for viable self-defense incidents and not “illegal activity”. Even though USCCA made this perfectly clear, the Department of Insurance contended that there was no mechanism to reclaim payments made to members who were later convicted of a crime.

Anti-gunners love to talk about “loopholes”. The only loophole I see here is one that allows bureaucrats to make regulations out of whole cloth.

On the authorization issue, Washington is probably correct. Selling insurance in a state does require a license from each individual state and the District of Columbia.

Kreidler’s press release notes that USCCA could possibly still do business in the state.

USCCA could sell insurance legally in Washington by changing its policies to not insure criminal activity, and either becoming a registered insurer or by placing insurance business through surplus lines brokers.

Earlier in the year, Kreidler and the Department of Insurance went after the NRA’s Carry Guard program.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler today banned the sale of illegal insurance policies branded by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and will fine two companies involved in underwriting and selling them in Washington state. 


Kreidler ordered Illinois Union Insurance Co. to stop underwriting the policies, branded under the NRA as self-defense policies. They are illegal in Washington state because they insure unlawful activity. 


Kreidler also seeks to fine the company $102,000 for selling 811 of the illegal policies to Washington state consumers. 


Kreidler also seeks to fine Lockton Affinity L.L.C. $75,000. Lockton Affinity is the licensed insurance producer that sold the illegal policies on behalf of the NRA.  


“When it comes to insurance products associated with the NRA, it’s buyer beware,” Kreidler said. “The attempt to insure a criminal act is a rip-off for consumers. The policies sold are deceptive and dishonest. I would be remiss as the state’s insurance regulator if I didn’t shut them down.”

Kreidler, 76, is in his fifth term as insurance commissioner. He is an optometrist by training. He served 16 years in the Washington House and Senate as well as one term in Congress. He lost re-election in 1994 after voting for the Clinton “assault weapons ban”.

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Life After Dick’s

October 20, 2019 by 2 Comments

There is life after Dick’s. At least there is for some former Field & Stream stores. The two in North Carolina that were purchased by Sportsman’s Warehouse have now opened for business.

We are in the Piedmont Triad this weekend visiting the granddaughters and took some time to check out the Greensboro store. It is still laid out – for now – like the old Field & Stream. Moreover, from my conversation with a store employee, much of the staff came over from Field & Stream. That said, they appeared to be happy with the move.

From an email, I understand the Asheville store has opened as well. The grand opening at both stores will be October 25th and 26th. I’m sure there will be some specials but the store staff hasn’t been told what they will be yet.

The other thing I noticed was this sign.

The store was still stocked with a good deal of Field & Stream branded products but as you can see they are clearing it out.

I didn’t take much time to check out prices as this was a run in, run out type of visit. I did notice that the gun racks had some large open spots. There was a sign saying to expect more firearm inventory soon. I’m guessing that will include those evil AR-15s now that Ed Stack is gone.

I am happy with the change and hope Sportsman’s Warehouse does well in North Carolina.

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#ReleaseTheList

October 16, 2019 by 1 Comment

The ultra-progressive group Demand Justice released a list of 32 potential nominees for the Supreme Court. They want Democrat presidential candidates to adopt this list or to release one of their own. This is what then-candidate Donald J. Trump did in 2016 to good effect.

I agree. Release the list! If the list(s) adopted by any of the Democrat candidates is anything like the Demand Justice list, it will be full of radicals, with little judicial experience, chosen to appease constituent groups.

Professor Josh Blackman provides a convenient grouping on The Volokh Conspiracy.

Academics: Michelle Alexander (Union Theological Seminary),  James Forman, Jr. (Yale), Pamela Karlan (Stanford), M. Elizabeth Magill (Virginia), Melissa Murray (NYU), Bryan Stevenson (NYU), Zephyr Teachout (Fordham), Timothy Wu (Columbia),


Progressive Litigators: Brigitte Amiri (ACLU), Nicole Berner (GC SEIU), Deepak Gupta (Gupta Wessler), Dale Ho (ACLU), Sherrilyn Ifill (NAACP LDF), Shannon Minter (National Center for Lesbian Rights), Nina Perales (MALDEF), Thomas A. Saenz (MALDEF), Cecillia Wang (ACLU),


Current/Former Government Officers: Xavier Becerra (California AG), Sharon Block (one of the three NLRB appointments at issue in Noel Canning), Vanita Gupta (Former Obama DOJ), Lawrence Krasner (Philadelphia DA), Catharine Lhamon (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights), Katie Porter (House of Representatives), Jenny Yang (Former EEOC Chair)


Federal Judges: Richard F. Boulware (D. Nev.), Jane Kelly (8th Circuit), Cornelia Pillard (D.C. Circuit), Carlton Reeves (S.D. Miss.)


State Judges: Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar (California Supreme Court), Anita Earls (North Carolina Supreme Court), Leondra Kruger (California Supreme Court), Goodwin Liu (California Supreme Court)

Let’s look at the sitting judges first. All of the Federal judges were appointed by President Barack Obama. They have between five and nine years of experience and only one of them is on a Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Game Theory

October 15, 2019 by 2 Comments

Certain truths can be stated without reservation.  FACT ONE: American youth love video games.  And, FACT TWO: Guns have been a large part of our history and culture for hundreds of years.  Here’s another: Without the constant renewal and growth of new participants, the gun culture and shooting sports will wither and die, and the Second Amendment will be closely behind it.  The Second Amendment would become a quaint reminder of a distant past, then, gradually, incrementally, be reduced to an abstract symbolic concept.  

If one were to set out to address the challenge of finding new participants for the shooting sports, where would you look and who would you look for?  Well, it would be nice to target young people, heaven knows the more “mature” crowd is already well represented!  It would also make sense to target people who already have demonstrated some interest in and knowledge of guns.  

This ideal demographic of future competitive shooters, firearms enthusiasts, and Second Amendment activists exists within the world of video gaming.  We know from anecdotal evidence that the cross-pollination opportunity between the video gaming culture and the “real” gun culture is significant.  In fact, even the briefest look at the gaming industry reveals the staggering scale of the numbers involved.  Gaming is huge!  According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 97% of all teenagers play video games; and 81% of 18-to-29 year olds are gaming, and a large percentage of those games are based on shooting and gun themes.  For example, the ‘Red Dead Redemption Part 2 Cowboy’ action game grossed over $725 million its opening weekend and has sold over 25 million copies.

In fact, my own introduction into the world of firearms was the indirect result of video games.  My sons’ interest in guns was piqued after playing video games, which lead to an interest in paintball and airsoft guns.  Realizing quickly if I had declared real guns forbidden it would have only strengthened the attraction, I embarked on a mission to learn all I could about safe gun use in order to educate my sons and keep them safe.  I reached out to a knowledgeable gun-owning friend, who gave us a brief introduction to guns and recommended a safety training class.   To my great joy,  guns and the shooting sports have become a central part of our lives ever since, providing countless hours of enjoyment and family bonding.

Of course, only a small percentage of gamers will make the leap from shooting guns in video games to shooting guns in real life.

But a small percentage of a big number is still a big number.  There are barriers to entry that must be overcome. Not everyone has a gun-owning friend (that they know of) to whom they can reach out.  With this in mind, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), promotes the excellent “First Shots Program” offered at many local shooting ranges. The program is geared towards safely introducing first-time shooters to the fun of shooting.

Andrew Gottlieb, Director of Outreach for the Second Amendment Foundation, has begun some excellent work on the issue of gaming and how it relates to the Second Amendment.  A key point he made in his presentation at the 34th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference in Phoenix related to the inevitable blame-game and finger-pointing that occurs whenever a mass murder event occurs and it’s subsequently revealed the “murderer was a video game player”.   Mr. Gottlieb said plainly “The gun people need to stop pointing to the video games as the cause,  because that just makes the gamers point back to the gun as the cause when both parties should be pointing to the acts of the individual perpetrator!”  I must admit, I have been tempted myself to point to games as a causal factor; however, considering how pervasive gaming actually is you might as well point to shoes as the cause of mass murder because as far as I know most murderers aren’t barefoot!  Alas, there are not simple answers to complex problems.  

As firearms enthusiasts, gun owners and Second Amendment advocates, let’s actively look for ways to reach out to the people who are already interested in what we do.  Get out there and find a gamer to take shooting, it’ll be a blast!