The quote of the day comes from an open letter by Alan Gottlieb and Dave Workman of the Second Amendment Foundation to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City of New York which appeared in the Canada Free Press (and perhaps other papers).
Mr. Mayor, when your gun laws are so crazy that even a member of the city council is compelled to admit it, you’re in trouble. When you perpetuate such laws and pretend they are sensible, you’re in denial. When you defend laws that persecute honest citizens; laws that epitomize the term “infringement” and clearly violate the Constitution, you’re in the Twilight Zone.
New York is not a city-state, but part of the United States. The Constitution applies there as it does in the rest of the nation, from Fairbanks to Fort Lauderdale. It is time for you to admit that.
New York is not Renaissance Florence and Michael Bloomberg is not Lorenzo de’ Medici no matter how much of a Prince he considers himself.
The German Democratic Republic or East Germany was ruled by the Communist Party with an iron hand until things began to break apart with glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall. To enforce the will of the Party was the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit aka the Stasi.
His network of 85,000 full-time domestic spies and 170,000 ‘voluntary’ informers kept tabs on millions of people. So many people collaborated with the Stasi that when the records were opened, it was discovered that in every public building, at least one of its members kept the Stasi informed about everything that happened within it.
In a move aimed at emulating Erich Mielke and the Stasi, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is now trying to build a network of spies in that New Jersey city to turn in their neighbors who have guns.
I guess it comes as no surprise that a mayor intent on emulating one of the worst features of the Stasi has won the 2009 Sarah Brady Visionary Award from the Brady Center.
Diane Sawyer led off ABC’s World News last night with a story that is claiming that cops are undergunned when facing criminals. According to the visuals in the story shown below, it is cops and their Glock 22s versus violent criminals armed with AKs and ARs. Diane introduces the story using buzzwords like “mow down”, “staggering numbers”, and “high powered guns”.
The story by Pierre Thomas featured a recent shooting in Ogden, Utah that left one police officer dead and five wounded. The shooting involved a special drug enforcement team serving a warrant on a suspect who opened fire on them with an AK-47. His father said in other reports that he had PTSD.
Thomas says that cops are often facing career criminals who are willing to shoot it out rather than to go back to prison and that they are using “assault rifles” which can be bought a “virtually any gun store, online, or through a vast black market.”
The insinuation that career felons Joe Bob, An’twan, and Paco can walk into a gun store and buy anything is false. Every gun sale made or delivered through a FFL requires a background check by the FBI but that is never mentioned. Moreover, while you can purchase a firearm “online”, it still must be delivered to you at a local FFL who will do the background check. As to the vast black market, this is where criminals get their guns. It is illegal for them to possess these guns and illegal for them to buy them so why does anyone presume to think one more law would stop them.
AR-15s or “patrol rifles” are becoming almost a standard issue firearm in many police departments. Moreover, virtually every patrol car still carries a 12 gauge riot gun which is very effective in close quarters encounters. Of course, none of this was mentioned in the ABC report.
The only rationale I can see for this story is to build a case for a new assault weapon ban. If it was just a story about cops getting killed in a raid, that is all they would have featured. However, Pierre Thomas went well beyond that, Diane Sawyer led off with an introduction filled with emotion-filled buzzwords, and it was the lead story on the newscast. I have no doubt we will see more and more stories like this throughout the year. I just wish they would take time to point out the obvious stuff like how it is already illegal for a felon to possess not just an AK but any firearm. That really is wishful thinking on my part.
David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh put up posts last night indicating that three ATF managers implicated in Project Gunwalker have been relieved of their duties in advance of the Office of Inspector General report. It is also in advance of Eric Holder’s appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 2nd.
According to reports they received, William Hoover, Mark Chait, and William McMahon have been sidelined pending the outcome of the OIG report. From the Gun Rights Examiner:
William Hoover, ATF’s Deputy Director during Fast and Furious, who was recently reassigned as Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office, Assistant Director in Charge of Field Operations Mark Chait, likewise reassigned as head of the Baltimore Field Office, and Deputy Assistant Director of Field Operations William McMahon have reportedly been sidelined pending the outcome of the anticipated report from the Office of Inspector General. Debbie Bullock a mid-level manager has reportedly been advised that she is now the acting SAC for Baltimore, and will assume Chait’s functions.
As they note, this would indicate that they are implicated in the OIG report – which is supposed to be confidential – and that Eric Holder wants to appear before Darrell Issa on February 2nd saying we’ve cleaned things up. Again, from David:
Disciplinary actions could take momentum away from that (a Special Prosecutor). Sources tell Gun Rights Examiner and Sipsey Street Irregulars that “ATF is going to follow the long-awaited OIG report to a ‘t’: If OIG says XX gets terminated, they are going to terminate.” That this would be treated as a personnel matter, subject to disciplinary procedures, as opposed to a criminal matter, subject to prosecution was the topic of a recent post in this column.
Left unsaid is why these three have been singled out prior to the OIG report being submitted, particularly since their sharing findings with the Department of Justice and ATF subjects of their investigation would violate all principles of independence from influence. If that did not happen, a fair conclusion to assume would be that the process of the investigation itself led those answering questions and providing documentation to an inevitable conclusion. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa wrote a December 7 column claiming Attorney General Eric Holder, scheduled to testify again on February 2, was “protecting staff over ‘Fast and Furious’.”
This latest reported development lends itself to the observation that Holder is protecting something else, and that this is a tactical move in anticipation of the report’s release and his next trip to the Hill.
Do these mid-level managers need to go? Sure but they were not the ones who dreamed this whole debacle up in the first place. It was way above their pay grade and level of Machiavellian intrigue.
Conspiculously missing from this list are Ken Melson, George Gillett, David Voth, and Bill Newell. You have to wonder why?
UPDATE: Jeremy Pelofsky of Reuters reports on the changes in the Chicago Tribune here. No mention of either David or Mike.
However, the Federal law enforcement webpage, ticklethewire.com, covers it and gives credit for breaking the story to Sipsey Street. They also have the statement given by Scot Thomasson of ATF concerning the changes:
“Taking into consideration the depth and breadth of the Fast and Furious investigation a decision to detail ATF Deputy Assistant Director William McMahon, Special Agents in Charge William Hoover and Mark Chait from operational positions with oversight responsibilities to non-operational positions was made by the Deputy Director Thomas Brandon. These new assignments will remain in effect pending the outcome of the OIG investigation.”
They also notice that all three had been moved once before as a result of Project Gunwalker.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced today that Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to testify before the full committee on February 2nd.
Attorney General Holder to Testify Feb. 2 on DOJ’s Response to Operation Fast and Furious
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today announced that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has been scheduled to testify on February 2 about the Department of Justice’s knowledge of, and response to, gunwalking that occurred in Operation Fast and Furious. The Attorney General will be asked to address management deficiencies within the Department that occurred both during and after the conclusion of Operation Fast and Furious. This will include the Department’s steadfast refusal to disclose information following the February 4, 2011 letter to Senator Grassley, which the Department has withdrawn because it contained false information denying allegations made by whistleblowers about Operation Fast and Furious. The committee’s investigation has found documentation that numerous members of the Justice Department knew the letter to Congress contained false information both before it was sent and later withdrawn.
“The Department of Justice’s conduct in the investigation of Operation Fast and Furious has been nothing short of shameful,” said Chairman Issa. “From its initial denials that nothing improper occurred, to efforts to silence whistleblowers who wanted to tell Congress what really happened, to its continuing refusal to discuss or share documents related to this cover-up, the Justice Department has fought tooth and nail to hide the full truth about what occurred and what senior officials knew. Attorney General Holder must explain or reverse course on decisions that appear to put the careers of political appointees ahead of the need for accountability and the Department’s integrity.”
Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley have led the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious. In December 2011, the Justice Department explicitly informed the Committee that it would not deliver subpoenaed documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious created after February 4, 2011. In interviews with committee investigators, senior Justice Department officials who had management responsibilities for Operation Fast and Furious have also refused to answer questions about decisions and conversations that occurred after February 4, 2011.
The hearing will occur in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The start time has yet to be determined.
For more information about the committee’s investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, visit the website at www.FastandFuriousinvestigation.com.
The question now is which Groundhog Day will this be. Will it be the one in the movie where Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again or in this case Eric Holder tells the same lies over and over?
Or will it be the one where the mainstream media doesn’t see the shadow of the Obama Administration and finally begins to cover the scandal for what it is – an attempt to promote more gun control on the bodies of hundreds of dead Mexicans and two U.S. federal law enforcement officers?
The quote of the day comes from a comment made on Professor William Jacobson’s excellent blog Legal Insurrection. The comment from “El Cid” was made in reference to a post about President Obama using a recess appointment to put former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray in as head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Bearing in mind that back in 2008 Obama never hesitated to remind one and all that he had taught Constitutional Law as the University of Chicago Law School, El Cid’s comment puts it into perspective.
One can safely say, that the sole purpose of Obama studying the Constitution, was to undermine the document.
You can tell that the SHOT Show is fast approaching as major gun manufacturers are starting to announce new guns. On Monday, Ruger announced the SP22 pistol and the Ruger American Rifle. The first is a polymer-framed DA/SA .22LR semi-auto pistol while the later is a lower-cost American-made bolt action rifle aimed, in my opinion, squarely at the Savage Axis and the Mossberg 100ATR and 4X4.
SR22 Pistol
From Ruger’s press release on the SR22:
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce the new Ruger® SR22™ pistol, the do-it-all .22 pistol for the shooter who appreciates style and demands reliability. The SR22 is a rugged, scaled-down version of a full-sized pistol, perfect for plinking, target shooting and small game hunting. The lightweight SR22 has modern styling and is fun to shoot while using inexpensive rimfire ammunition.
“Ruger has built a solid reputation for excellence in rimfire pistols with the Mark III™ and 22/45™ product families, and the new SR22 will contribute positively to that reputation,” said Chris Killoy, Ruger Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This pistol is feature-packed and an incredible value – consumers won’t find a similar product with everything the SR22 offers at a comparable price. It functions with all types of .22 LR ammunition for extreme reliability; once rimfire enthusiasts pick it up, they won’t want to put it down,” he concluded.
The SR22 has light double-action and crisp single-action trigger pulls. Its external hammer is designed with a rounded spur for easy cocking and single-action shooting. The SR22 features a polymer frame and two interchangeable (no tools required) rubberized grips with angled serrations, allowing shooters to select either a slim or wider palm swell option. The aerospace-grade aluminum slide has serrations on both front and rear for better grip and slide manipulation. The easy-to-use underside Picatinny rail features multiple cross slots for variable mounting of most popular accessories.
The 3-dot sight system has a fixed front sight and a rear sight that is adjustable for both windage and elevation. A reversible blade allows shooters to select two white dots or a solid black blade. Other SR22 features include a stainless steel replaceable barrel, an ambidextrous manual thumb safety/decocking lever, ambidextrous magazine release, plus a visual inspection port to determine the load status of the pistol. The SR22 includes two finger grip extension floorplates that can be added to the magazine for comfort and grip. Each SR22 is also shipped with two 10-round magazines and a soft case.
Jeff Quinn at Gunblast.com has produced a review video on the SR22. He says this pistol is a “keeper” and that it took 19 different varieties of .22LR with virtually no problems. He report only one failure to eject with a Winchester Dynapoint.
American Rifle
From the Ruger press release on the American Rifle:
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to present the Ruger American Rifle™, an all new, 100% American made bolt-action rifle that sets a new standard of excellence among value-priced, bolt-action rifles. Offered in short- and long-action calibers, the Ruger American Rifle combines the rugged reliability of Ruger’s past with the award-winning ingenuity featured in so many of Ruger’s new products.
“The Ruger American Rifle delivers exciting features and outstanding accuracy at a very reasonable price,” remarked Ruger President and CEO Mike Fifer. “Our new rifle is lightweight and quick handling, yet manages recoil surprisingly well. With a great trigger, smooth-cycling bolt, and tack-driving accuracy, the Ruger American Rifle gives hunters an affordable tool to achieve success in the field,” he concluded.
The 6-1/4 pound Ruger American Rifle offers no-compromise engineering innovation, proving that a world class rifle need not come with a high price tag. The new Ruger Marksman Adjustable™ trigger offers a crisp release with a pull weight that is user-adjustable between three and five pounds. Ruger’s new patent-pending Power Bedding™ system utilizes stainless-steel bedding blocks insert-molded into the stock to positively locate the receiver and free-float the barrel. The barrel’s rifling is cold hammer forged to exacting tolerances, providing sub-MOA accuracy, long-term endurance, and a mirror-smooth finish that is easy to clean.
The Ruger American Rifle’s three-lug, 70 degree bolt provides ample scope clearance, and utilizes a full diameter bolt body and dual cocking cams for smooth, easy cycling from the shoulder. The reliable 4-round, rotary magazine fits flush with the stock and offers the smooth feed that has become the hallmark of Ruger rotary magazines. The receiver is drilled and tapped for mounting the included scope bases.
The Ruger American Rifle carries easily, shoulders quickly, and shoots comfortably, thanks to the ergonomic design of its trim, lightweight stock with an ambidextrous palm swell, forend finger relief, and soft rubber recoil pad. The easily accessible tang safety, which can be placed “on safe” while the bolt is cycled, is complemented by the passive, trigger-mounted safety which positively locks the trigger for an additional measure of security.
Jeff Quinn has also produced a video on the American Rifle. Using off the shelf non-premium loadings, his worst 3-shot group was 1 inch at 100 yards. That is excellent in any rifle and extraordinary for a rifle in this price category.
I anticipate seeing a lot of these rifles sold at the Walmarts of the world. At this price point and the Ruger name, it should sell well and could inject some new life into the bolt-action rifle market.
When asked whether the woman deserved any leniency, Mayor Michael Bloomberg indicated to reporters at a press conference in Brooklyn today that she had other problems.
“Let’s assume she didn’t get arrested for carrying a gun,” he said. “She probably would have gotten arrested for the cocaine that was in her pocket.”
Chemical tests proved the “alleged cocaine” was nothing of the sort according to the Manhattan D.A.’s office. If I had to make a guess, it was either a Goody’s Headache Powder or a BC Powder. Both products were developed by pharmacists in North Carolina early in the 20th century and consist of aspirin, caffeine, and, in the case of Goody’s, acetaminophen. Both powders are now made and sold by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
Anyone raised in the South would know what a headache powder was because we’ve seen it since we were infants. However, I guess if you run in certain New York City high society circles like Mayor Bloomberg, white powder in a glassine packet always translates into cocaine.
To encourage cultural literacy in the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, I would make the following suggestion. Go down to your local pharmacy, get yourself a small package of either BC Powders or Goody’s and mail it to Mayor Bloomberg. If you live in an area that doesn’t sell it, no problem. You can order both Goody’s and BC Powders from Amazon.com and have it shipped directly to Hizzoner.
We just got in from St. Louis/Southern Illinois just a bit ago. The last 50 miles were slow going with slick roads and snow blowing everywhere. I’m whupped and am fighting some sort of viral thing. Time for bed.
I did pick up a bottle of Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum at a really good liquor store in Knoxville called MacScrooge’s Wine and Spirits. I think a shot of that rum would kill damn near anything!
More tomorrow on taking some new shooters to the range while out in St. Louis, a review of my goals for 2011, and some comments on DC paying $1.1 million in attorney fees for the Heller case.
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