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Help Needed In Illinois To Defeat SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing

May 12, 2017 by

The gun banners in the state of Illinois are trying to add another level of bureaucracy to firearms dealers. SB 1657 would require anyone selling more than nine guns a year to be licensed as a dealer. Dealers are already federally regulated by the BATFE. Despite the many questionable things done by BATFE, they do have the experience to work with FFLs to do inspections. I sincerely doubt that anyone at the Illinois State Police or any of the local police and sheriffs’ departments could say the same thing.

Illinois Carry released this alert this afternoon. If you live in Illinois and care about your gun rights, I’d suggest jumping on it.

Call to
Action
Witness
Slips & Phone Calls Needed
The time is here. It is now. We
stand at a crossroads in Illinois. To one side, the freedoms guaranteed in the
Constitution. To the other, the oppression in SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing, a bill
designed to close Illinois gun stores and, with them, foreclose our rights as
citizens.
You know the reasons to oppose this
bill:
> Individuals transferring a
modest number of firearms must be licensed
> License fees are undefined and
unlimited – as high as $5,000 per year by some estimates
> Carve outs for “big box”
stores, making them exempt from this law, virtually guarantee the demise of
family owned gun stores
> Permission to operate a gun
store is required from the local Sheriff, meaning no gun stores in Cook County,
and none in other counties if their demographics change
> Contrary to Ezell v Chicago,
stores are not allowed within 500” of schools and day-care facilities
The list is long. Longer than
included here, but one thing is clear. Every page, every line, every word in
this bill is designed to eliminate existing gun stores and prevent new stores
from opening. And, in so doing, this bill is meant to strike a fatal blow to
the Second Amendment in Illinois.
You must make
a choice
Will you join thousands of other
Illinois gun owners and fight for your rights? Will you spread the word to
fellow gun owners, family, and friends? Will you file witness slips and make
phone calls opposing this bill?
Choose what is right. Choose action
now!
Call
Your State Representative!
Beginning tomorrow please call your
Illinois House Representatives to express your opposition to any form of state
licensing of gun dealers. Politely ask them to Vote No on SB1657, should
it come to a vote.
Contact information can be
found here.​
Witness Slips Needed!
 
In addition to phone calls, please
file witness slips opposing SB1657 Gun Dealer Licensing. This bill is scheduled
to be heard in committee the morning of May 16.
File Witness Slips Now!
To avoid having
to complete each field manually, Log
on to your ILGA Dashboard (or Create
a New Account if you have not already done so) then
return to this email and click on the links for each witness slip. If you do
not wish to create an account, simply click on each witness slip link and
complete the required fields manually:
I, IDENTIFICATION: Enter your
personal information. Enter “NA” for the Firm/Business or Agency and
Title fields unless you are officially representing an organization.
II. REPRESENTATION: Enter
“Myself” unless representing an organization.
III. POSITION: Unless instructed
otherwise for a particular bill leave the description field at its default
value “Original Bill”. Indicate your position by selecting the
“Proponent” or “Opponent” radio button.
IV. TESTIMONY: Select the
“Record of Appearance Only” radio button.
If filing manually, complete the
Captcha challenge and agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
Then click Create Slip.

Oppose
Witness slips can be tracked here.

Let’s face it – the goal of this bill is to drive the mom and pop gun stores out of business. After that is done, they will go after the big boxes to make it undesirable for them to sell guns and they will fold like a deck of cards.

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Bob’s Obituary

May 11, 2017 by 1 Comment

Bob Owens’ obituary has been published. Over and above his friends in the gun culture, he leaves behind a wife, two daughters, and his parents. In other words, he left behind a lot of folks who loved him.

Fuquay-Varina – Robert “Bob” Eugene Owens, 46, passed away on Monday, May 8, 2017. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Bob is survived by his wife of 18 years, Christine Zamzow Owens; daughters, Maya Owens and Kate Owens of the home; parents, Eugene Alan and Nancy Barbee Owens of Greenville, NC; brothers, Richard Glenn Owens and wife, Farrah of Winterville, NC and Sean Christopher Owens and wife, Laura of Winterville, NC; father-in-law, Carl Zamzow, III and wife, Regina of Fuquay-Varina, NC; brother-in-law, Carl Zamzow, IV and wife, Kelly of Cary, NC; sister-in-law, Anitra DeRosa and husband, Scott of Fuquay-Varina, NC; eight nieces and nephews.

The Bob Owens Family and College Fund has been set up on GoFundMe. It has raised a little over $27,000 in the last two days. The goal is an ambitious $250,000 and it is going to take a lot more donations to hit the goal. I have donated. If you liked and respected Bob’s work. I’d encourage you to do the same.

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GRNC – Time To Wake Up The Republicans In The NC General Assembly

May 11, 2017 by 1 Comment

Grass Roots North Carolina sent out an alert last night requesting that people call Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) between 9am and 11am this morning. They are also asking people to send an email to him asking them where is the progress on gun rights.

From GRNC:

Republicans in power-induced lackadaisical mode


Are
Republicans lost in the spoils of power, just laying
back and enjoying their super majority at the expense of good gun bills
being left to languish?  Why the reluctance to move on anything
pro-Second Amendment?  These are good questions to ask of House Speaker
Tim Moore.

GRNC President Paul Valone has hand delivered the following
letter to Speaker Moore.  Please see the link below regarding his disappointment on the lack of follow through on pro-gun bills.

https://www.grnc.org/pauls-blog/924-open-letter-to-speaker-tim-moore



What’s going on with Pro Second Amendment bills?

If you are scratching your head and wondering the same; it’s time to
pass that question along to Speaker Moore.


IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL AND CALL SPEAKER TIM MOORE: Please make the phone calls on
    THURSDAY, BETWEEN 9 AND 11:00 AM, if at all possible. If not, call whenever you can. 


  • Ask the Speaker, “What’s going on with our pro-Second Amendment legislation? Have the Republicans
    gotten so lax in their power, that they’re writing off the gun voters who put them there?”

  • Email him at: tim.Moore@ncleg.net and call using this number: 919-733-3451. Use the copy/paste text provided below to
    send the email. When calling, if you are sent to voicemail, please leave a message.

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE
Suggested Subject: “What’s going on with pro Second Amendment legislation?”  
Dear Speaker Moore:
Now
that Republicans are enjoying their super-majority spoils, it seems the
legislature has
become lackadaisical in pushing through any pro-Second Amendment
legislation.  This is deeply disappointing to me as a gun rights voter. 
We
expect our representatives to display the same character and conviction
in Raleigh that they claim to have while on the campaign trail.

As other
states
move forward on pro-gun bills such as constitutional and campus carry,
North Carolina seems to have dropped the ball on these very same
issues. 
Why is that?

The need for passing House Bills 438, 588 and 746 is
obvious, and the window of opportunity is closing! Fourteen states now
have
Constitutional Carry without any dire consequences.  New Hampshire
became “Lucky 13”, beating North Carolina to the finish
line.  Georgia Governor Nathan Deal recently signed campus carry
legislation into law, so once again, another state passes North
Carolina.

The
naysayers continue to be proven wrong in their dire predictions
regarding the results of pro-gun legislation.  As you rest on your
laurels, other
states are moving forward and advancing gun rights.  So I ask of you,
“What is happening with pro-Second Amendment legislation in our
state?”

I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,
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S. 1092 – The Interstate Transport Act Protects Knifeowners

May 11, 2017 by

The Interstate Transport Act, S. 1092, was introduced in Congress yesterday by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY). The bill would protect lawful knifeowners as they travel. It is akin to the the safe passage provisions of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. If you were traveling from home where your knife is legal to an end destination where your knife is legal, you would be protected as you travel through states and localities with their patchwork of knife laws where your knife might not be legal.

This is a truly bi-partisan bill as it has three Republican sponsors/co-sponsors and three Democrat co-sponsors. Currently, the co-sponsors include Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV), James Risch (R-ID), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). I plan to ask my two senators to sign on as co-sponsors and I would humbly request you do the same.

The American Knife & Tool Institute issued this statement on S. 1092.

May 10, 2017 – Cody, WY – The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) today announced the introduction of the Interstate Transport Act (ITA), sponsored by Senators Mike Enzi, R-WY, and Ron Wyden, D-OR. The bill will ensure federal protection for lawful knife owners traveling through the current patchwork of state and local knife laws. It is the continuation of an effort AKTI has lead for many years to better protect lawful knife owners traveling across the country.

“Growing up in Wyoming, I know that knives are an essential tool for hunters, ranchers, farmers and other various everyday uses,” said Senator Enzi. “But with conflicting knife laws across the country, it can make it difficult for responsible knife owners to know if they are violating the law if they are travelling with a knife. This bill would help fix that by ensuring that if you’re traveling from point A to point C with a knife that is legal in both locations, you shouldn’t have to worry about being charged with a knife possession crime in between at point B.”

“The Interstate Transport Act provides common-sense protections for knife owners traveling through the United States,” Senator Wyden said. “Our bipartisan bill would protect public safety, respect states’ rights and ensure knife owners who are following the law are not punished for traveling between places where knives are legal.”

At AKTI, we believe that most people who carry a knife do so for common, everyday purposes. People engaged in the building and agricultural trades, for example, carry knives on a daily basis. Knives are also essential for many outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, boating and other such activities. Our goal is to ensure that law-abiding citizens feel knowledgeable and confident in their ability to carry the tools they use for their daily and recreational lives.

Under current U.S. code, lawful gun owners are allowed to transport firearms legally in both the state of origin and the state of destination, provided they are properly stored and in accordance with all federal restrictions. However, no such protection exists for knife owners wishing to transport knives to and from states in which they are legal, but through jurisdictions with varying requirements. ITA would allow legal interstate travel for knives, provided the knives are transported to and from states where the law allows possession of said knives, and they are transported in locked containers. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and is co-sponsored by Senators Daines, R-MT, Heinrich, D-NM, Risch, R-ID, and Manchin, D-WV.

“For nearly 20 years, AKTI has served as the go-to resource for knife owners looking to ensure that they comply with all local, state, and federal laws related to knives,” said AKTI President CJ Buck. “One of the biggest complaints and points of confusion AKTI hears about from lawful knife owners involves the interstate transport of knives. While citizens are making every effort to comply with patchwork state and local laws, it has become clear that there is the need for a federal protection for sportsmen, hunters, and other law-abiding knife owners that does not interfere with state and local restrictions on knife use. We thank Senators Enzi and Wyden for leading the efforts to correct this.”

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It Isn’t Just CSGV Who Are Ghouls

May 9, 2017 by 8 Comments

I would like to say that the only ones posting negative things about Bob Owens and how he died at his own hand were the gun prohibitionists. Don’t get me wrong, CSGV and their followers are spewing their nonsense as Miguel makes clear. However, I can’t say that.

A splinter group called California Right to Carry which advocates for open carry posted a nasty and vicious take on Bob’s suicide.

The ignorance and viciousness shown in this post just disgusts me. That’s all that needs to be said.

The position of the Catholic Church that the author posits is one from another time. Actually, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, while acknowledging that suicide is contrary to the love of self and to the love of God, states that allowances are made for “psychological disturbances” and “anguish”. Moreover, it goes on to state that we should not “despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. the Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.” (Sections 2280 through 2283)

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Volunteers Needed For GRNC Booth In Asheville

May 9, 2017 by

The Asheville Gun Show will be this coming weekend at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher. Volunteers are needed to work the Grass Roots North Carolina booth.

ASHEVILLE GUN SHOW
NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!

Volunteers are needed to help man the GRNC table at the upcoming MK Shows, in Fletcher, on May 13th and 14th,
2017. The show will be held at the WNC Agricultural Center, located at 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd., Fletcher, NC
28732.

Help defend
Second Amendment freedom and join GRNC in expanding North Carolina gun rights!

Potential Volunteers should contact John Hammond by email at johndhammond@msn.com or by phone at 828-699-3117.

No experience is needed – only a desire to advance gun rights in the state of North Carolina!

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In Memory Of A Friend Who Died Today

May 9, 2017 by 1 Comment

I had a friend who posted a somewhat strange message on Facebook earlier today. I saw it at the time and just thought it a bit unusual. Within the last hour I found out that he had taken his own life sometime after that post. All I can feel is immense sadness that he felt this was the only way out of whatever was plaguing his soul.

What came to mind when I found out was this excerpt from John Donne’s Meditation XVII.

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

I am diminished.

UPDATE: The friend in question was Bob Owens who was the editor of BearingArms.com. He was found dead shortly after he posted the Facebook message I referred to above. I didn’t want mention his name before it really became public knowledge.

I was a longtime reader of Bob’s from his Confederate Yankee blog days and was excited for him when he was named editor of BearingArms.com. I first met Bob at the Lucky Gunner Bloggershoot in 2011 and would always see him at the NRA Annual Meeting. I spoke to him a few times over the weekend at the recent NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta and he seemed like the Bob I had known for years. Reading what others have written and especially that of Jenn Jacques, I get the impression that whatever was plaguing Bob’s soul was well hidden.

Pray for Bob’s family and especially for his wife and daughters. They will need all of God’s love to get through this tragic period.

Andrew Branca has mentioned setting up a college fund for Bob’s daughters. When I know more about that, I will post about it.

If you feel that suicide is the only way out, reach out for help. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 1-800-273-8255. Alternatively, email or message me. I’m not a trained psychologist but I am a good listener.

UPDATE II: A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for Bob’s widow and daughters.

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Less Diverse Than The NRA Annual Meeting

May 8, 2017 by 2 Comments

The Complementary Spouse and I spent the weekend helping her brother and sister-in-law out at the Mother Earth News Fair. They had a booth as she is a consultant for Usborne children’s books.

Larry and I primarily helped with the set-up and take-down while the Complementary Spouse and Jan did all the selling of books. The Fair attracts a number of families who bring their children with them as well as a significant number of grandparents looking for educational books for their grandkids.

As I noted a couple of years ago, these events are not as granola as you might expect. For every one person wearing dreadlocks you saw probably 10-20 folks with gray hair. These events attract a lot of homesteaders, preppers, farmers, and everyday folks interested in self-reliance.

Larry and I attended workshops on sausage making, whole animal butchery, “wildcrafted” cocktails, and reusing wood pallets. I also attended a workshop on charcuterie while he went to the one on bastes, rubs, and marinades for BBQ. If we had the room, I might have attended others dealing making your own wood-fired pizza oven or on keeping goats.

I did come home with an autographed copy of The Wildcrafted Cocktail and a nice bushcrafter knife from L.T. Wright Knives.

One of the criticisms of the NRA – and it is fairly valid – is that they don’t attract enough minorities and women. That said, the recent NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta featured a much more heterogeneous mix of people than this Mother Earth News Fair. I don’t know whether it was the location, the subject matter, or the decidedly rural flavor of the fair but the attendees were almost uniformly white.

So the next time someone says the NRA is only for old white guys, I’ll respond, “Have you been to the Mother Earth News Fair?” The sad part is that both events had things of interest to all people, of all colors, and in all walks of life.

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Some Good Gun News Out Of Illinois

May 5, 2017 by 1 Comment

Hearing positive gun rights news out of the Prairie State is usually the exception instead of the norm. Yesterday was the exception. The Illinois Senate passed a bill allowing active-duty military members based in Illinois and their spouses to apply for non-resident carry permits. Moreover, they would only be charged the in-state rate of $150 instead of the out-of-state resident rate of $300.

As some might know, while Illinois will issue carry permits to out-of-state residents, the law limits it to residents of those states which the State Police find have “substantially similar” requirements. Thus, only residents of Hawaii, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Virginia qualify to apply for an out-of-state resident carry permit in Illinois. SB 1524 says that this limitation does not apply to active-duty military members and their spouses stationed in Illinois.

Now for the really good news. SB 1524 passed the Illinois Senate on a 53 yea, 0 nay vote. Now on to the State House.

The text of SB 1524 as it passed the Illinois Senate can be found here.

The Second Amendment Foundation’s lawsuit against Illinois on behalf of out-of-state residents with carry permits who are precluded from applying to obtain an Illinois permit is currently on appeal to the 7th Circuit. If the bill above passes, the lead plaintiff in Culp et al v. Madigan et al, Col. Kevin Culp may have to be removed from the case if he is still stationed at Scott Air Force Base.

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Georgia Campus Carry Bill Signed By Gov. Nathan Deal

May 5, 2017 by 1 Comment

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R-GA) signed HB 280 which provides for a limited campus carry at public institutions of higher education. He had vetoed another campus carry bill in the preceding session of the Georgia General Assembly because of his “concerns” about sensitive places. His signing statement explains his opposition to that bill.

The press release from the Governor’s Office goes into detail about the bill and the excepted places. The one part that would concern me as a faculty or staff member at any of these institutions is not that adult students with carry permits might be carry firearms on campus. Rather it is that the prohibition against firearms in any faculty, staff, or administrative office. This means a faculty member could not protect him or herself in their own office.Their SEC rival University of Tennessee doesn’t allow generalized campus carry but does allow full-time faculty and staff to carry on campus.

From Gov. Deal’s Office:

May 4, 2017


Gov. Nathan Deal today signed HB 280, which permits weapons carry license holders to carry firearms in specific and limited areas on college campuses.


This legislation addressed major concerns voiced by the governor last year regarding HB 859, which permitted a weapons carry license holder to carry a concealed weapon into certain areas of a college campus that had previously been prohibited. HB 859 failed, however, to address Deal’s concerns regarding the prohibition of firearms in “sensitive places,” including campus preschools, disciplinary hearings, or faculty and administrative offices. As a result, the legislation was vetoed.


This year, the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed HB 280, which maintains the same restrictions present in HB 859. It also addresses the areas of campus over which Deal previously raised concerns, along with additional areas of college campuses where weapons would not be permitted.


“It is altogether appropriate that weapons not be allowed in sensitive areas on college campuses, and I appreciate the thoughtful consideration given by the General Assembly in expanding these excluded areas within a college campus in this year’s bill,” said Deal. “While HB 280 addresses the rights and restrictions relating to weapons carry license holders on a college campus, it in effect may have greater significance for students who are going to or coming from a campus. Unfortunately, in parts of the state, the path to higher education travels through dangerous territory.


“At the present time, assailants can, and do, target these students knowing full well that their victims are not permitted to carry protection, even those who are weapons carry license holders, because they are either going to or coming from a campus where no weapons are allowed. In recent years, we’ve witnessed college students fall victim to violent attacks in or while traveling to libraries and academic buildings, and while traveling to and from their homes to class.


“As this legislation is more narrowly tailored as to exclude areas on a college campus, I’ve signed HB 280.”


HB 280 prohibits the carrying of a concealed weapon by anyone, including weapons carry license holders, on the following areas of a college campus:


  • Buildings or property used for athletic sporting events;
  • Student housing, including but not limited to dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses;
  • Any preschool or childcare space;
  • Any room or space being used for classes related to a college and career academy or other specialized school;
  • Any room or space used for classes in which high school students are enrolled through a dual enrollment program, including, but not limited to, classes related to the “Move on When Ready Act”;
  • Any faculty, staff, or administrative offices; and,
  • Rooms where disciplinary proceedings are conducted.