by I am a big fan of the TV show Justified. My friend Bob from college turned me on to it and I have turned the Complementary Spouse on it. Season Four premieres tonight on the FX Network at 10pm Eastern.
I know where I’ll be at 10pm!
Uncategorized
Lies, Damned Lies, And Statistics
Jim Shepherd, publisher and editor of The Outdoor Wire, called out the Associated Press today for some of their reporting on gun sales. We all know that gun sales have been surging throughout the year. However, the AP would have you believe sales in Colorado and Connecticut, scenes of horrible tragedies, were off.
From the AP story “Fewer excited gun-buyers in Colorado and Connecticut”:
The government’s figures suggested far less interest in purchasing guns
late in the year in Connecticut and Colorado, where background checks
also increased but not nearly as much as most other states … Only New Jersey and Maryland showed smaller increases than
Colorado in December from one month earlier.
Sales must really be impacted there, right?
Not exactly as Jim notes:
Sounds reasonable, right? After all, these states are both reeling from the havoc caused there by crazies.
Not necessarily. While the story is accurate that the biggest surges in
background checks for gun purchases were in the South and West, the
numbers weren’t exactly insignificant in either Connecticut or Colorado.
The increases in NICS checks, and as may be implied, gun sales, in
those states were only sixty five and sixty-four percent,
respectively. Colorado’s checks frose from 35,009 in October to 53,453
in December. Connecticut went from 18,761 to 29,246 during the same
period.It might be more accurate to say that “despite horrific tragedies, the
demand for firearms in both Connecticut and Colorado grew, although not
as fast as the red-hot markets in the South and West.”But that wouldn’t fit the narrative, although the observation that
“background checks also tend to increase after mass shootings, when gun
enthusiasts fear restrictive measures are imminent.”
Wouldn’t fit the narrative should be the new motto for the mainstream press when it comes to gun sales and the use of guns for self-protection.
Hey, Felons!
Do you have a “hot” gun that you need to ditch?
Did that no-good two-timing son of a bitch give you a gun to “hold” for him while he did his time?
Do you live in the Greensboro, North Carolina area?
Well then, the Greensboro Police Department have a deal for you! They’ll take that gun off your hands with no questions asked. They will even do it anonymously! The only thing they won’t do is give you any money for it. They’re calling it their “Safe Surrender” program which means you ain’t going to Central Prison.
Details below in the GPD press release:
Greensboro Police Offer Two-Day Weapon “Safe Surrender”GREENSBORO, NC (January 7, 2013)
On January 11 and 12, the Greensboro Police Department is offering gun owners another means of removing unwanted firearms from their homes. Police employees will be accepting handguns, rifles,
and shotguns at three Greensboro churches Friday from 8 am to 3 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.Participating churches are:
Saint Matthew’s United Methodist Church at 600 East Florida Street•
Bessemer United Methodist Church at 3015 East Bessemer Avenue•
Christ Wesleyan Church at 2400 South Holden Road.The “Safe Surrender” event was inspired by Councilwoman T. Diane Bellamy-Small as a way for city residents to reflect upon the tragic events in Newtown,Conn. “Although we are saddened by the impetus for this ‘Safe Surrender’, we welcome the opportunity to take weapons off the street,” said Deputy Chief Anita Holder. This is not a buy-back program. No cash will be given in exchange for eapons. Anyone age 18 and above can turn in a weapon.
Weapons can be surrendered anonymously. There is no limit to the number of firearms a person can surrender. Once a weapon is surrendered, it will not be returned. Weapons should be unloaded and cleared when they are turned in. A police employee will receive each weapon and render it safe. Ammunition may also be surrendered. Firearms will be checked to determine if they have been reported lost or stolen. Police will make every effort to return lost/stolen weapons to their rightful owners. All other weapons will be destroyed. “This two-day program supplements our existing method of taking unwanted weapons off the street,” explained Holder.
At any time throughout the year, Greensboro residents can call the non-emergency line, 373-2222, to coordinate to turn in an unwanted firearm. Citizens who are not comfortable handling a firearm may find this to be a useful option. A sworn or non-sworn member of the Greensboro Police Department will pick up the weapon from the owner’s home.
Far be it from me to accuse the Greensboro Police Department of racism or anything but I find it strange that the three churches mentioned just happen to be in areas that heavily populated by minorities.
St. Matthew’s United Methodist was, according to their church history, the first Methodist Church in Greensboro established for African-Americans. It is located in a census tract that is over 95% minority. Bessemer United Methodist is located in a census tract that is 87.5% minority and bills itself as the Triad’s Native American Church. It’s pastor, Rev. Joel Locklear, is a Lumbee Indian. Finally, Christ Wesleyan Church is located in a census tract that is over 66% minority.
So why not hold it at Temple Emanuel or Our Lady of Grace or even New Garden Friends Meeting?
Well?
You Knew This Was Coming
With all the publicity that ABC News has been using to promote Diane Sawyer’s “exclusive” interview with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, I just had a bad feeling about it. That doubled when they said Giffords and Kelly would be announcing a new initiative and had recently met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
I was right.
Giffords and Kelly look to become the new Jim and Sarah Brady.
They are calling their initiative Americans for Responsible Solutions. Interestingly, according to the webpage it is a political action committee. It is obvious that they mean this PAC as a cover for politicians just like the American Hunters and Shooters Association. The difference is that they evoke much more sympathy than AHSA could ever hope to do.
Giffords and Kelly say they want to propose “commonsense solutions” to “curb gun violence” (sic). Their proposals mirror some of those of Bloomberg and MAIG. They want universal background checks for private sales and they want magazine restrictions. Reading their op-ed in USA Today and the ABC News article, I don’t see any mention on banning semi-automatic rifles.
They make strong efforts to portray themselves as gun owners with Kelly noting he had recently purchased a firearm at Walmart and that they have two guns at home “in a safe”. In their op-ed they describe themselves as “a Western woman and a Persian Gulf War combat veteran who have exercised their Second Amendment rights” who aren’t out to take your guns.
I think you will see a strong effort by them to try and marginalize the NRA as being fringe or extremist.
Special interests purporting to represent gun owners but really advancing the interests of an ideological fringe have used big money and influence to cow Congress into submission. Rather than working to find the balance between our rights and the regulation of a dangerous product, these groups have cast simple protections for our communities as existential threats to individual liberties. Rather than conducting a dialogue, they threaten those who divert from their orthodoxy with political extinction.As a result, we are more vulnerable to gun violence. Weapons designed for the battlefield have a home in our streets. Criminals and the mentally ill can easily purchase guns by avoiding background checks. Firearm accessories designed for killing at a high rate are legal and widely available. And gun owners are less responsible for the misuse of their weapons than they are for their automobiles.
Forget the boogeyman of big, bad government coming to dispossess you of your firearms. As a Western woman and a Persian Gulf War combat veteran who have exercised our Second Amendment rights, we don’t want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home. What we do want is what the majority of NRA members and other Americans want: responsible changes in our laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence.
We saw from the NRA leadership’s defiant and unsympathetic response to the Newtown, Conn., massacre that winning even the most common-sense reforms will require a fight. But whether it has been in campaigns or in Congress, in combat or in space, fighting for what we believe in has always been what we do.
Watching the interview above as well as others they have given, you have to wonder how much of this is Mark Kelly as opposed to Gabby Giffords. She has had a traumatic brain injury and has made a great recovery. That said, after such an injury I would think – and I’m not an expert – that it would have to affect the thought processes and the ability to make rational decisions in some way. Kelly does most of the talking for them while Giffords looks at him and utters a little something here and then.
Make no mistake, Giffords, Kelly, and Americans for Responsible Solutions are a threat to gun rights. They present a sympathetic face, their agenda scarcely differs from that of Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors, and the mainstream media have signed up to be their propaganda agents.
I Know Where You Can Win An AR
Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has posted his monthly list of gun contests. As Aaron noted in his email:
With all the craziness and talk of banning guns, why not take the opportunity to
win one (or two or ten)? Especially with prices inflated the way they are at the
moment…
I count at least five AR-15s, an AK-47, and a slew of handguns including a very nice custom 1911 by Volkmann Customs. There is also a Les Baer .38 Super Stinger and a SCAR 17s Heavy. If none of those meet your fancy, I guess you’ll have to settle for that Hi-Point .45. Heh!
If you enter any of the contests, take a moment and thank Aaron for this monthly service he provides.
Alan Korwin And The 51st State
Alan Korwin is an out of the box thinker when it comes to debates over gun control. His letter to the editor below illustrates that. He equates teachers to the 51st state for concealed carry. Blood didn’t run in the streets when other states got shall issue concealed carry so why, he asks, should armed teachers be any different.
Alan has given permission for this letter to circulate far and wide as well it should.
Dear
Editor,I knew this sounded familiar — I’ve heard this whole
fear-factor argument about the danger of arming teachers against known
classroom hazards 49 times before. It played every time a state enacted a
discreet-carry CCW gun law for its citizens. It was met with the exact same
prejudice, scorn and derision.But those blind fears about people
exercising their right to arms have been proven wrong time and again. They
were the empty paranoid rantings and bigotry of the news media, elected
officials and ignorant masses. Their wildly promoted fantasies of death and
mayhem desperately needed correction. What we got, and are getting again,
is repetition.The sky never fell, remember? Brainless bubbas left
no pools of blood. Instead, crime dropped as millions of decent citizens
armed themselves against crime. Only Mr. Obama’s crime-riddled Chicago
holds out one state from the national tidal wave of peace.So —
do we really need to go through the old Dodge-City nonsense again now?
Should you in the ethical media remain complicit? Are our schools’
teachers, their staffs and principals so hopelessly incompetent and without
judgment that even with training they can’t match the performance of
toothless gun-toting hicks in torn T-shirts, or even doctors, lawyers and
professionals with CCW permission slips in their wallets?America
is not having a debate about guns, America is having a debate about
hoplophobia — morbid fear of guns. The preposterous disarm-the-innocent
proposals from the left are a false flag. Guns are good. Guns protect us.
Guns save lives. Guns stop crime. Guns are why America is still free. That
aspect of this debate is missing in your narrative.The errant
behavior of a psychopath is not grounds to disarm or infringe upon innocent
people who did nothing. That is an irrational, sick, hoplophobic response
that cannot work, and cries out for compassion and counseling — for the
person who suggests it. You don’t want hoplophobes setting gun policy any
more than you want aquaphobes as lifeguards.Infringing upon the
innocent to protect the innocent will not work. Denying a teacher the right
to arms is a perverse policy choice fraught with ulterior motives and is
constitutionally forbidden. Its very suggestion is a violation of
the oath of office for elected officials and should be grounds for removal
from office. Reporters should recognize this simple fact as swiftly as half
the public does. The tearful emotional frenzy incessantly whipped up by the
media does not change this.Baby boomers universally remember
rifle teams in high schools, varsity letters awarded for competition,
bringing firearms to class to go hunting afterwards. The notion that guns
and schools don’t mix, and that gun ignorance should supplant gun education
is a modern one whose origin is murky and suspicious.The
disarmed-teachers policy currently in place has caused grievous harm. Those
responsible for this gross denial of a specific enumerated civil right
should be identified and held accountable, and the disarmed-teachers policy
should end without delay.Denial of human rights never advances
the cause of freedom or the human condition. It is almost as if we are
fighting the civil-rights battles of the 1960s again. A bill to reverse the
egregious discrimination against the people responsible for our children’s
safe education should be drafted and introduced immediately before further
harm ensues.Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
The
Uninvited Ombudsman
Quote Of The Day
The quote of the day comes from Herschel Smith who writes the Captain’s Journal blog. It is to the Republicans in Congress, especially those in the House, about what will happen if they don’t block any and all gun control measures currently being pushed.
However, the Republicans stand warned. If – controlling the House of
Representatives – they allow new gun control measures to pass to the
President’s desk, the GOP will cease to exists as a viable political
party. Voters are having difficulty finding differences between them
and the Democrats anyway. Caving on gun control would seal the fate of
the GOP as a historical relic rather than a future possibility.
Read his full post. He discusses what we can expect in the next few months.
ISRA: It’s Just A Lull
The Illinois State Rifle Association sent out an alert last night regarding the State House version of the “Cullerton Gun Grab Bill”. They noted this appears to be the end of gun control moves for this session of the Illinois General Assembly. And before, you think you can relax a little they go on to note the session ends on Wednesday when the new session begins.
Read the alert below. If you can spare ISRA a few bucks, send some their way. Just like me you may not live in Illinois but you need to realize that they are, in military terms, that forward detachment ahead of our lines. Keeping more gun control out of Illinois or California or New York or Massachusetts where they have the most sympathetic legislators means we have a better chance of keeping it out of the rest of the states.
ILLINOIS HOUSE ADJOURNS WITH NO MOVEMENT ON GUN BILLS BUT DO NOT BE MISLED.As reported earlier, the House version of the Cullerton Gun Grab Bill was supposed to be debated before the House Judiciary Committee I at 2:00 PM today. The Chairman of the committee convened the committee, announced that there would be no gun bills debated for the rest of the session, then adjourned..
From all appearances, this was the end of the push for gun control in the legislature this session. But, dont be confused the session ends Wednesday. There is nothing saying that the legislature couldnt call the bills anyway. So, be on guard and watch for alerts from the ISRA..
Also, be advised that the newly elected legislature, the 98th General Assembly, gets gaveled into action on Wednesday as well. With several pro-gun stalwarts leaving the legislature, and several brand new gun grabbers to contend with, the next session of the General Assembly promises to be turbulent times for law-abiding gun owners. We will update you as issues arise..
In short, the entire ISRA lobbying staff would like to say THANKS to all those gun owners who stood up this week and told the General Assembly, NO. . . you cant take our guns! The huge response and reaction by the gun-owning public is largely responsible for the failure on the part of Senate President John Cullerton to move his massive gun grab this week..
We really hate to sound like a broken record, but protecting your rights this past couple of weeks has severely depleted our cash reserves. We honestly dont like going to the well this often, but we badly need your financial help or we will not be able to field a full staff of lobbyists next week. It would be great if everybody receiving this alert could donate as little as $25, we would be able to continue full speed ahead against the Emanuel/Cullerton attacks on your gun rights. If you dont step up to help protect your rights, nobody else will!.
On behalf of all law-abiding Illinois firearm owners, thanks for your continued support!.
P.S. Organizers are reporting record crowds at gun shows held this weekend in Marion, IL and the DuPage show in Wheaton.
Not Just The Asheville Gun Show
Not surprisingly, reports of heavy crowds at this weekend’s gun shows abound. What I saw at the Asheville Gun and Knife Show was replicated across the country. Below is a bit of tab clearing on reports on the shows from both the media and from other gun blogs and forums.
From the comments section of Sipsey Street Irregulars. Mike couldn’t get to the Birmingham Gun Show so asked for reports.
From The AK Forum which has a great panoramic picture of the line waiting to get into the Portland Gun Show. It also has links to reports on other gun shows.
A couple of different reports from Arfcom. One here and the other here on the lone protester at the Roanoke Gun Show.
Now for some from the media:
Winston-Salem, North Carolina which also reports on some protesters at the show.
Rochester, New York. This report makes sure to find “hunters” who don’t like handguns.
The list could go on and on. The bottom line is that people are voting with their feet and their wallets on the Second Amendment. They are going out to the gun shows and they are, to be frank, in panic buying mode.
A Visit To A Post-Newtown Gun Show
I had seen reports of record attendance at other gun shows but today I saw for myself. I attended the Asheville Gun and Knife Show held at the WNC Agriculture Center. I was struck by three things at the show: the crowds, the prices, and the level of commitment to fight for gun rights.
First, the crowds. I arrived at the Ag Center just a few minutes after 8am. I was at the show to volunteer at the Grass Roots North Carolina booth. Having volunteered for their booth at the previous gun show, I was shocked at the crowds and by how early people had started lining up. One person told me he got on line at 5:30 this morning after he got off of work!
The picture below is the line-up to get in just before the 9am opening. The line stretched down one lane, across to another, and then up again. When I left at 12:30pm, there was still a decent sized line to get into the gun show!
To put this into more perspective, here is a satellite map of the Ag Center with the red line representing the line to enter at 9am. The small red circle represents the entrance to the Davis Event Center. The building is 300 x 150 feet and has 45,000 square feet of exhibition space.
As you might well imagine, it got crowded inside. At first, it was just the outside perimeter but as time passed every row was filled with people 3 to 4 abreast. You couldn’t zip up and down the rows checking out stuff at your leisure. You pretty much either stopped or moved with the crowd. You can see in the picture below what I’m talking about. I wish I had an overhead picture to show just how crowded it was.
There are probably a number of reasons for the record attendance. First, with all the calls from politicians and the media for greater gun control there is the urge to buy it while you still can. Second, you have people like Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell who are calling for gun shows to be banned in Asheville. While the Ag Center is not city-owned, Bothwell claims the land underneath is owned by the City of Asheville. Unfortunately for him, Session Law 2012-121 (HB 552) forced the City to cede title to the land underneath the Ag Center as well as remove any part of it from being within the city limits. Finally, it was the first gun show of the year and it was nice day.
Bob Owens asked me by Twitter whether they had any “fighting guns” left as he had reported none were available in his town. See Bob’s excellent post on the subject, “Something funny happened on the way to tyrrany.” He would be happy to know that you could find a number of AR-15s, some AKs, and a few odds and ends of other stuff. I noticed a handful of people selling their own ARs as well as stuff like FALs and Mini-14s.
As I said above, you could find AR-15s and AK-47s as well as magazines for them. However, the prices have sky-rocketed due to supply and demand. Plain jane AR-15s were selling for $1,500 and up. If you wanted an AR with all the bells and whistles (optics, rails, laser, bipod, etc.), one dealer had them for $2,900. AKs had similar price jumps. I saw an AMD-65 which I had just purchased in September new selling for $439 selling for $1,000 used.
Magazine prices were outrageous. Used GI 30-round magazines were selling for $30. Strangely enough, they were selling new ones for the same price. The same dealer had Magpul PMAGs for $40 which were selling a month ago for $12.95. I did see Bulgarian AK-47 magazines for $30. It wasn’t just the dealers who were marking up prices on magazines. I did see one guy go by offering to sell Glock 17 and 22 magazines for $90 for two.
Not all prices were outrageous. I picked up two boxes of Hornady 6.8 SPC ammo for $20 each. Wolf primers were selling for $20 a box. Hunting stuff seemed price like it had been in the past. In terms of private sales, I spoke with a young man selling his FN-FAL for $900 with scope and bipod which I found to be reasonable. If I didn’t have an FN-FAL and had an extra $900 hanging around, I would have bought it. Another guy had a pre-ban HK-91A1 for $3,500. While that may sound outrageous, it was the going rate before all the assault weapon (sic) ban talk started.
As I wrote earlier, I was volunteering for the Grass Roots North Carolina booth as I had at the last gun show. The difference was amazing even though the previous one had been just before the election. We signed up at least 10 new members by noon as compared to none the last time I was there. Secondly, people were very happy to sign GRNC’s petition to the North Carolina congressional delegation telling them they didn’t want any new gun control. We had 300 printed up and I’d estimate we had close to 250 signed by the time I left at noon. Those signing the petition were young and old, men and women, white and non-white. I spoke with people with nose rings and old men with canes. They were all similarly committed in their opposition to any new gun control.
Speaking with the people who stopped by the booth, I could tell they were ready to fight. I doubt any of them would voluntarily surrender their guns, magazines, or ammunition. Moreover, speaking with a former Force Recon Marine, he said he didn’t know any of his former colleagues who would enforce an order to confiscate firearms. He said they would rightfully consider it an unlawful order.
It was a good gun show except for the high prices on some things. However, I understand the laws of supply and demand. Moreover, the dealers selling now will have a hard time replenishing their stock for the next show. There will be a gun show in Waynesville at the end of the month. I may try to make that one just for comparison’s sake.
UPDATE: The gun show was covered by the local media.
Below is the video report from WSPA of Spartanburg, SC on the Asheville Gun and Knife Show. There were a lot of visitors from the Upstate of South Carolina at the show.
Reporters from the Asheville Citizen-Times also covered the show. Below is a video that they shot at the show which gives a good idea of how crowded it was. I love the comments by Phil Flack of PF Custom Guns regarding the so-called “gun show loophole.” You can read more of the story here which, unfortunately, goes overboard on “fairness” by soliciting comments from the gun prohibitionists.