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Adam For 76th Director

May 1, 2018 by

I endorsed Adam Kraut for the NRA Board of Directors before the balloting started. The other two people I endorsed – Julie Golob and Tim Knight – made it on the board but Adam came up a bit short. He has let me know that he will be running again for the 76th Director position. It is a one-year post and ALL members are eligible to vote for this director. You don’t have to be a Life Member or a 5-year continuous member to vote on this position. However, you must vote in person at the NRA Annual Meeting in Dallas.

As Adam posted on his Facebook page:

You didn’t think we were giving up did you?

Who can vote – ALL NRA Members
Where to vote – Outside Exhibit Hall A
When to vote – Thurs. 2 PM to 6 PM, Fri. 8 AM to 6 PM and Sat. 8 AM to 4 PM.

Last year we lost by only 60 votes. Bring everyone with you to cast a ballot.

If you are going to be at the Annual Meeting, I would urge you to vote for Adam. We need young blood like him on the Board of Directors now more than ever. 

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Vista Outdoor Ditching Guns In “Strategic Business Transformation Plan”

May 1, 2018 by 1 Comment

Vista Outdoor announced plans today to sell off its Savage and Stevens line of firearms along with stuff like bike helmets and paddle boards. According to the announcement on their website, they are engaging in a strategic business transformation plan to emphasize products core to business. This will include their ammunition business which is their largest core business.

From their release, in part:

Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) today announced its strategic business transformation plan, designed to allow the company to focus resources on pursuing growth in its core product categories. The plan is a result of a comprehensive strategic review, which began in November 2017.


“Our review identified product categories that are core to the company’s long-term business strategy,” said Vista Outdoor Chief Executive Officer Chris Metz. “We believe future investment should focus on categories where Vista Outdoor can achieve sustainable growth, maximize operational efficiencies, deliver leadership economics, and drive shareholder value.”


In conducting the strategic review, Vista Outdoor management defined several criteria to evaluate whether individual product categories are part of the company’s core. Vista Outdoor evaluated brands within its current portfolio based on their ability to do the following:


  • Serve the company’s target consumer – the outdoor enthusiast
  • Create cross-selling and other similar synergy opportunities
  • Achieve market leading positions and leadership economics
  • Demonstrate omni-channel distribution capabilities



As a result of this evaluation, and with support from its board of directors, Vista Outdoor will focus on achieving growth through its market-leading brands in ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories, hydration bottles and packs, and outdoor cooking products.


“Vista Outdoor is excited about the potential of each of our core businesses, particularly ammunition, which is our largest core business.” said Metz. “An increased focus on our heritage ammunition business will manifest itself in more innovative and breakthrough new products introduced over the next few years. We also anticipate that by prioritizing this business, we will be able to invest more capital to further enhance and expand our global leadership position.”


The company plans to explore strategic options for assets that fall outside of these product categories, including its remaining Sports Protection brands (e.g. Bell, Giro, and Blackburn), Jimmy Styks paddle boards, and Savage and Stevens firearms. Vista Outdoor expects that the execution of this process will significantly reduce the company’s leverage, improve financial flexibility and the efficiency of its capital structure, and provide additional resources to reinvest in core product categories, both organically and through acquisition.


“This transformation plan is a significant first step toward creating a portfolio of brands that is laser-focused on our target consumer and leverages the strengths of our combined platform,” said Metz. “This renewed focus will allow us to invest in these categories and their natural adjacencies. Coupled with our previously announced sales and marketing reorganization to drive a founder’s mentality back into our brands, this strategic orientation will also allow us to accelerate our efforts to expand e-commerce capabilities and increase our emphasis on market-leading product innovation. The end result will be a Vista Outdoor that lives up to the potential envisioned three years ago when the company was formed. We intend to begin the portfolio reshaping immediately, and anticipate executing any strategic alternatives by the end of Fiscal Year 2020.”

Savage had only been a part of Vista Outdoor and its predecessor ATK since May 2013 when ATK bought Caliber Company.

In comments made to the Wall Street Journal, CEO Chris Metz said:

Chief Executive Chris Metz, who joined the company in October, said brands built up through a series of acquisitions by the previous management team had failed to gel, denting sales and margins over the past two years. Vista Outdoor has seen two-thirds of its market value wiped away over the past two years as industry oversupply and bankruptcies among retailers have hit the broader shooting-sports industry…



Mr. Metz said the Savage Arms business remained “close to our core,” but Vista Outdoors wasn’t prepared to make the investment needed to make it a full-service firearms maker.

He added that they were in no hurry to sell these assets. While I don’t care what they do with paddle boards or bicycle helmets, I don’t want to see a venerable firearms company which still makes an excellent product just dumped on the market. I don’t know if they can get the $315 million they paid for Savage back in 2013 but time will tell.

UPDATE: Attached are two slides from the Vista Outdoor analyst presentation today which show the before and after of the potential spin-off of Savage and the others.

BEFORE
AFTER

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Backdoor Gun Registration?

May 1, 2018 by 2 Comments

While some states such as Illinois, New York, and California have registration of either gun owners or firearms, there is no such registration at the Federal level. Indeed, Congress has passed legislation forbidding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from even computerizing the paper records of out of business FFLs.

The Wall Street Journal ran a story today regarding preliminary discussions by banks and credit-card companies to identify purchases of firearms, ammo, and accessories.

The financial companies have explored creating a new credit-card code for firearms dealers, similar to how they code restaurants or department stores, according to people familiar with the matter. Another idea would require merchants to share information about specific firearm products consumers are buying, some of the people said.


Such data could allow banks to restrict purchases at certain businesses or monitor them. The talks, which are informal and might not lead to any action, have occurred against the backdrop of the national debate around guns in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., high-school shooting, which left 17 dead.

The move has the support of Everytown for Gun Safety (sic) whose spokesman Nicholas Suplina said to the Journal:

“Knowing where the customers are shopping isn’t a slippery slope to anything, it’s just one data point. I don’t think anybody’s asking financial institutions to determine whether a transaction is good or bad, but it may very well be a good idea for them to understand risks inherent in firearm sales.”

It may be merely a data point to Mr. Suplina but the implications to privacy and government intrusion are much more serious. You would have non-governmental agencies using their financial might to interfere with a constitutional right enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Moreover, what is to prevent financial regulators from passing data from these transactions to other government agencies. Public policy which impacts everyone should not be set by private actors. It is a legislative matter that should be conducted in broad daylight where everyone concerned has their say.

One of the rationales for this potential move is to remove the anonymity from “online” transactions. My friend Dave Cole of Black Man with a Gun pointed out the fallacy of this in a post yesterday on Facebook.

This is actually pretty funny when you think about it. On one hand, the antis want to end online purchases of guns and ammunition, because it’s too “anonymous.” And now they want to make it more difficult to use credit cards for those purchases?


You think it’s hard for Big Brother to monitor sales of guns and ammo now, just wait until they reduce us to having to walk into a brick-and-mortar gun shop and pay cash. If they really want to track this stuff, they ought to be encouraging people to buy all their gun stuff online with credit cards. Hell, they ought to have a rewards/points system for all your gun purchases with your BoA/Citi “Gun Nut” branded Mastercard.

Dave is correct. Many will return to paying cash at their local gun stores. Moreover, postal money orders might take longer to get to a non-local dealer but you are the one to put the payee on the face of it and not the postal clerk. Again, privacy.

If your senator is on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, you might want to contact him or her regarding this. Likewise, if your representative is on the House Financial Services Committee, do the same. I’d go even further and say contact your representative and senators even if they aren’t on the committee. Even if they are a gun-hating lefty, you can still hit them with the privacy angle and make some logical extensions to other products such OTC birth control, LGBTQ publications, etc. Privacy is privacy.

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“And A Healthy Appreciation For The Second Amendment”

May 1, 2018 by

Brian Kemp is a candidate in the Republican primary to be the next governor of Georgia. Kemp is currently the Secretary of State and was previously a state senator. He just put up an ad on Friday that has the anti-gunners howling. Kemp, the father of three daughters, is shown interviewing “Jake” who wants to date one of his daughters.

While a bit stereotypical – dad cleaning shotgun before daughter goes on date – it does get his point across. And, to be honest, I found it hilarious.

Even more of a hoot is to read the comments from all those aghast at his ad in the YouTube comments. From what some Georgia TV stations have reported there have been demands from the outraged (Outraged, I say!) to take down the ad. Only problem is that would violate FCC regulations which prevent the removal of a political advertisement.

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Marijuana And Guns

April 30, 2018 by 5 Comments

Trainer John Farnam posted another of his Farnam’s Quips this morning and it contains a very valid warning for anyone using marijuana whether medicinally or recreationally. Don’t lie on your Form 4473 and say you aren’t a marijuana user if you do pot.

From Farnam’s Quips:

US Attorneys are currently prosecuting five men in ME for falsely claiming on Federal Form 4473 that they were not users of marijuana. Form 4473 must be filled-out for every retail gun purchase.


Marijuana use, medical or “recreational,” is a violation of federal law, even though some states, like ME, have “legalized” it, at least within state boundaries.


How a state can “overrule” federal law has yet to be explained to me in a way that makes any kind of sense. I am confused with regard to what the term “law” even means any more!


However, current implications for potential gun-owners are far easier to understand!


When you use marijuana, in any state and for any reason, forget about owning guns!


For sure, don’t attempt to purchase guns!


BATF doesn’t care what state you live in!


And since after exposure, traces of marijuana remain in your system essentially forever, any use of marijuana at any time in your life probably represents a “deal-buster” with regard to gun ownership!


The five men mentioned above are in for the “hassle of their lives.” Whatever the outcome, this “adventure” will be impoverishing, morbidly frightening, and essentially never-ending!


Another administration might look at this issue differently, but the current one is putting out the clear signal that they are coming after marijuana-users who attempt to buy guns- big time!


Don’t be “that guy!”

It needs to be said that in this case Federal law trumps (no pun intended) state law on marijuana use. It sucks especially if you have found relief using marijuana for medical issues. However, until such time as marijuana is legalized under Federal law, the use of marijuana will impact your gun rights and could end up with you becoming a felon.

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North Carolina Police Chiefs Against Reciprocity

April 30, 2018 by 2 Comments

It is not news that many big city police chiefs are against national reciprocity for concealed carry. Earlier in April, the International Association of Chiefs of Police sent a letter to Congress expressing their disapproval for HR 38 and S. 446.

What should be news is the hypocrisy of those chiefs from North Carolina who have signed on to the letter. It is hypocritical to argue against reciprocity for North Carolinans with valid permits visiting any other state when North Carolina law recognizes ALL permits from other states. In other words, North Carolina General Statute § 14-415.24 (a) provides for universal reciprocity for out-of-state permits.

If your police chief listed below is one of the signatories to the letter, you might want to ask him or her why they think North Carolinians should have the same rights accorded to visitors to this state.

Police Chief Bernette Morris, Morehead City Police Department, Morehead City, NC


Chief of Police and Executive Director for Community Safety Christopher C. Blue, Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill, NC


Chief of Police Monroe Wagoner, Elkin Police Department, Elkin, NC


Chief of Police Gina Hawkins, Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville, NC


Chief of Police Jeff Prichard, Graham Police, Graham, NC


Chief Wallace W. Layne, Holden Beach Police, Holden Beach, NC


Chief of Police Timothy R. Summers, Kernersville Police Department, Kernersville, NC


Chief of Police Joel Johnson, Kitty Hawk Police Department, Kitty Hawk, NC


Chief of Police Allen Lawrence, Marion Police Department, Marion, NC


Chief of Police Tim Ledford, Mint Hill Police Department, Mint Hill, NC


Chief of Police James Wilson, Norwood Police Department, Norwood, NC


Chief of Police Ryan James Thompson, Pine Knoll Shores Police Department, Pine Knoll Shores, NC


Chief of Police Robert Hassell, Reidsville Police Department, Reidsville, NC


Chief of Police Kenneth J. Klamar, Sunset Beach Police, Sunset Beach, NC


Chief Daniel Wilcox, Cape Fear Community College PD, Wilmington, NC


Chief of Police Timothy J. Wenzel, Aberdeen Police Department, Aberdeen, NC


Chief of Police John Letteney, Apex Police Department, Apex, NC


Chief of Police Paul D. Burdette Jr., Beaufort Police Department, Beaufort, NC


Chief of Police John Phillip Harris, Jr., City of Brevard Police Department, Brevard, NC


Chief of Police Walter Horton, Carrboro Police Department, Carrboro, NC


Chief of Police James A. Reese, Emerald Isle Police Department, Emerald Isle, NC



Chief of Police Laura Fahnestock, Fuquay-Varina Police Department, Fuquay-Varina, NC


Chief of Police Ronald L Matthews, Garland Police Department, Garland, NC


Chief of Police Brandon Zuidema, Garner PD, Garner, NC


Chief of Police Michael Andrew Winters, Long View Police Department, Long View, NC


Chief of Police Erik S. McGinnis, Misenheimer Police Dept., Misenheimer, NC


Chief of Police David Ng, WakeMed Campus Police and Public Safety, Raleigh, NC


Police Chief C.T. Hasty Jr, Roanoke Rapids Police Department, Roanoke Rapids, NC


Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety Patricia D. Norris, Winston-Salem State University Police, Winston-Salem, NC


Chief of Police John J. Ruppe, Woodland Police Department, Woodland, NC


Chief of Police Jeff Harvet, Atlantic Beach police, Atlantic Beach, NC


Chief of Police Farron Gray Jester, Boonville Police Department, Boonville, NC

Moreover, just so we are clear as to North Carolina’s place in the fight for national carry reciprocity, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-8) is the primary sponsor of HR 38.

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Guess Who Will Be In Dallas On Friday

April 30, 2018 by 2 Comments

President Trump didn’t think the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was worth attending. From what I heard about it, he was right. However, a number of reports say that he will be attending the Leadership Forum at the NRA Annual Meeting in Dallas on Friday. A number of politicians from VP Mike Pence to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had already been scheduled to appear. My thought was that Pence was to be the stand-in for the President Trump at the event.

I’m sure this will guarantee that there will be protesters at the Annual Meeting. I’ve heard that Alyssa Milano will be leading the Holly contingent and I guess Shannon Watts will be there with the Demanding Moms for Illegal Mayors. However, this leaves open the question as to whether everyone’s favorite (sic) David “Camera” Hogg will be there to lead the Children’s Crusade Against Enumerated Rights.

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Humor On The Bench

April 29, 2018 by 1 Comment

Earlier this month, recently seated Judge Don Willett of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote his first opinion in case involving sentencing enhancements. Judge Willett when he was Justice Willett of the Texas Supreme Court was well-known for his humorous tweets on Twitter. Indeed the Texas House of Representatives named him “Tweeter Laureate”. Given this background, you might expect his opinions to have a bit of humor woven into them and you wouldn’t be wrong.

The case of US v. Maturino involved an appeal of the sentence received by Victor Maturino. Mr. Maturino thought he was buying 144 live grenades for a Mexican drug cartel. What he got was 143 duds and one live grenade. The other surprise for Mr. Maturino was that the ostensible seller was an undercover BATFE special agent who promptly arrested him when he handed over $35,000 in cash and took possession of the grenades (and other NFA items). The judge in the trial court gave Mr. Maturino an enhanced sentence because of the number of grenades involved in the illegal transaction. The appeal contended that he should have only been sentenced based on the number of live grenades he actually bought as opposed to the number he though he was getting.

The 5th Circuit rejected his appeal in an unanimous decision concluding that the trial court’s application of the Sentencing Guidelines including an enhanced sentence was correct.

Judge Willett concludes:

Victor Maturino requested 144 high-explosive grenades; he received 143
non-explosive grenades. This is a sentencing appeal, though, and what matters
for sentencing is what Maturino actively sought, not what he actually bought.
Summing up, the sentencing court properly counted the number of firearms
involved in Maturino’s offense and did not miscalculate his sentence under the Guidelines. Maturino’s plan for live grenades fell short, but close counts in
horseshoes and hand-grenade cases.

All I’m going to add is that Judge Willett is an American treasure and I’d love to see him as a Justice on the Supreme Court.

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Doing Good Works In Detroit

April 28, 2018 by

Firearms trainer Rick Ector started a program seven years ago to offer free introductory firearms training to the women of Detroit. Legally Armed in Detroit has now grown from 50 women trained in its first year to what may be 800 women trained this year.

The press released below from Rick will give all the details and how to pre-register which is mandatory. Rick is doing the good work and it is a pleasure to help publicize it.

Detroit, MI, April 28, 2018 — Legally Armed In Detroit, a gun rights advocacy group, has announced that it will provide a free firearm shooting lesson at a southeast Michigan target range for 800 women interested in learning more about firearms and personal protection.


There will be no charge for the Firearm Instructor’s safety briefing, the usage of a firearm, ammunition, and range time. Participation is 100 percent free for all attendees. No prior firearms training or experience is required of the women who desire to take advantage of the lesson. Further, experienced women merely desiring to improve their marksmanship skills are also welcome to attend.


The free shooting lesson offer was the brainchild of Rick Ector, an NRA Approved Firearms Trainer, after seeing a local television newscast of a young woman’s body being discovered on an east-side Detroit street seven years ago.


This year’s event will be the seventh consecutive year it has been conducted. In the first year only 50 women were trained. However, last year the event grew sufficiently to teach almost 600 how to safely operate a pistol.


This year’s goal is 800 trained women over the day-long event. It is only with the cooperation of Ector’s fellow Firearm Instructor colleagues and supporters across social media that this event could even be attempted and safely conducted.


Ector believes that there are many women in the state of Michigan who are curious about firearms and their role in self-defense but are reluctant to investigate due to fears. He said, “If giving women a free lesson by a credentialed professional translates into women just trying it, it’ll be a productive use of my time.”


The ladies FREE shooting event will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at the Top Gun Shooting Sports Gun Range at 22050 Pennsylvania in Taylor, Michigan. FREE Advance Pre-registration is required for participation. Interested ladies should visit the following event page on Facebook for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/334945773576906/


Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW/CPL Class training in metro-Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in Firearm Safety and Personal Protection and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, National Public Radio, MSNBC, The Guardian, Townhall Magazine, The Politics Daily, and Aljazeera.


For more info about the free shooting lesson and Detroit Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:


Rick Ector


Web: Legally Armed In Detroit.
Email: detroitccw@gmail.com
Phone: 313.733.7404