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Sen. Chuck Grassley: Facts Are Stubborn Things

November 30, 2011 by

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is taking exception to statements made by Attorney General Eric Holder and his apologists who are saying mistakes made during Operation Fast and Furious did not directly lead to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. In a release sent out today by his office, he says:

Setting the Record Straight on the Department of Justice Oversight Hearing

“Facts are STUBBORN Things”
“…and whatever our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams, December 1770

Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing with Attorney General Eric Holder, Nov. 8, 2011

Connection Between Fast and Furious and Agent Terry’s Death

Attorney General Holder to Senator Cornyn: “It is not fair, however, to assume that the mistakes that happened in Fast and Furious led directly to the death of Agent Terry.”

FACT
According to the FBI, two weapons were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. The bullet removed from Agent Terry matched the caliber of those two weapons, not the caliber of the weapons in possession of the Border Patrol agents, so it appears he did not die from friendly fire. Congressional investigators have asked the FBI to explain its theory of the case, since if there was no third gun at the scene and the bullet didn’t come from the Border Patrol, there must still be an unknown third gun which law enforcement has not yet recovered. It is possible that that third gun is not related to Fast and Furious. However, since two guns walked in Fast and Furious were present, it is possible that a third may have been as well. The two found at the scene were both part of a lot of three weapons purchased by known straw buyer Jaime Avila on the same day in January 2010.

Prior to the purchase of the weapons found at the Terry murder scene, Avila had already been identified by the ATF as a likely straw purchaser at least two-and-a-half months earlier. In November 2009 Uriel Patino, the largest purchasing target in Operation Fast and Furious, brought Avila into a cooperating gun dealer to buy five weapons. ATF received real-time notice from the gun dealer and knew the purchases were significant enough that agents rushed to the store to follow them. However, they arrived too late. Yet rather than going to Avila’s address to question him, ATF opted to sit back. Avila continued to purchase through December 2009 and into January 2010.

When the weapons found at the Terry murder scene were bought by Avila on January 16, 2010, the cooperating gun dealer gave the ATF same-day notice via fax. One business day later, the ATF entered the purchases in their Suspect Gun Database. Nevertheless, the ATF still failed to question Avila the day of the purchase, the day the purchase was entered into the Suspect Gun Database—or at all, until Avila was arrested 11 months later in direct response to Agent Terry’s death. The falsification of forms charge for which Avila was arrested on December 15 could have been made months earlier.

Regardless, by using the word ‘directly,’ Holder seems to be echoing the statement of Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer: “The tragic truth is that if those criminals who killed Agent Terry had not gotten the guns from this one source, they would have gotten the gun from another source.” That is hardly an excuse for federal law enforcement to watch criminals collect more than a thousand firearms without acting to stop them.

 The link to all the supporting documents can be found here.

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Supreme Court Says No To Sean Masciandaro’s Appeal

November 29, 2011 by 10 Comments

In their orders released today, the Supreme Court denied Sean Masciandaro’s writ of certiorari without any comment. He had appealed to the Supreme Court from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals which had punted the case.

Mr. Masciandaro was originally convicted of possessing a firearm on National Park Service property when he had stopped to take a nap before continuing his drive home. At the time of his arrest this was illegal but the law changed before he went to trial. Nonetheless, under existing precedent, this was valid even though it was no longer illegal.

As the Christian Science Monitor noted about this denial of certiorari:

Lawyers for a Virginia man had asked the justices to examine a question left largely unresolved in the high court’s two prior landmark rulings identifying the scope and substance of Second Amendment protections. The question is: Does the Second Amendment guarantee a right to bear arms in public for personal protection?

The court dismissed the case in a one-line order without comment. The action leaves lower court rulings intact and postpones the prospect of high court clarification on a key gun rights issue.

On one hand, I am sorry that the Supreme Court did not take this opportunity to clarify their rulings in Heller and McDonald. On the other hand, this opens the door for the Supreme Court to consider some of the cleaner cases working their way through the lowers courts.

By cleaner I mean ones that do not involve a criminal conviction but rather deal with the denial of permits or state laws that deal with carry. Some of these better cases include Woollard v. Sheridan in Maryland, Bateman v. Perdue in North Carolina, and  Kachalsky v. Cacace in New York. These three, I should note, are all Second Amendment Foundation cases with Alan Gura as the lead attorney.

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NRA’s Illinois Rep On “Snuffy” Pfleger

November 28, 2011 by

Todd Vandermyde, the NRA-ILA representative for the state of Illinois, was interviewed by Cam Edwards of NRA News on Fr. Michael “Snuffy” Pfleger’s recent press conference objecting to concealed carry in Illinois. As Vandermyde said, things are getting tough even in Illinois for the gun prohibitionists if they have to trot out Fr. Pfleger for a press conference during Thanksgiving Week.

As to the why he is called Snuffy, Fr. Pfleger called for snuffing out gun dealers in the Chicago area a few years ago. He, of course, denies he meant for any harm to come to them.

Pfleger’s sacramental faculties – the right to celebrate Mass, consecrate the Eucharist, etc. – were suspended earlier this year by Francis Cardinal George of the Chicago Archdiocese. It is my understanding that Pfleger is now back in the good graces of the Church after making his amends with Cardinal George.

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Both Good And Bad Advice

November 28, 2011 by 2 Comments

According to this story on WHNT, Huntsville, Alabama is seeing a great increase in burglaries. Because of this many people are arming themselves against burglars as well they might. According to the story, Huntsville Police said there were 241 burglaries of homes and businesses during the month of October.

WHNT interviewed the head of the Alabama State Rifle and Pistol Association, James Moses of Huntsville, who generally gave some good advice. For example, he emphasized training and safety saying “both long-time and new gun owners (are urged) to brush up on basic firearm safety skills, and take instruction classes if needed.” He also emphasized that people need to be able to identify their target and make sure it is an intruder – and not a family member – they are preparing to shoot at.

Where I consider his advice a bit suspect is when he said:

If he (a burglar) is in my house and I can get to my gun and get it loaded, I’m not going to give him a chance to hurt me or hurt my wife.

The question I would ask is why his gun is unloaded. Armed burglars and home invaders are not going to give you the time to open up the gun safe, pull out your shotgun, rummage around for a box of shells, and then load it. If you are worried about small children, then take the advice of Kathy Jackson of Cornered Cat fame and keep your pistol on your body. With the rash of home invasions occuring nationwide, that isn’t bad advice for everyone.

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The Mainstream Media Notices Gun Bloggers

November 28, 2011 by

This weekend, the New York Times and the Arizona Republic, two papers on opposite ends of the country, featured stories in which gun bloggers played a role. To see this much recognition paid to gun bloggers by major newspapers is frankly amazing. I don’t think I’d be overstating things if I said that most in the media consider us gun bloggers as crazy fringe types ranting about gun rights, the Constitution, and the Second Amendment or posting about arcane topics such as the difference between .308 Winchester and 7.62 NATO.

The New York Times’s lead story in their Sunday Business section was about Cerberus and the Freedom Group. In a rather straightforward story, Times reporter Natasha Singer described how financier Stephen Feinberg, CEO of Cerberus, created what has become the Freedom Group of companies starting with Bushmaster and then adding icons such as Remington, Marlin, and Harrington and Richardson to the mix. The story details their place in the market, the relative lack of handguns in their product mix, and how this last factor could impact Freedom Group’s growth as concealed carry expands.

It is in the discussion of the growth of Freedom Group that gun bloggers are mentioned.

Still, the Freedom Group has ingested so many well-known brands so quickly that some gun owners are uneasy about what it might do next. Two years ago, a Cerberus managing director, George Kollitides, ran for the board of the N.R.A. Despite an endorsement from Remington, and the fact that he was a director of the Freedom Group and Remington, he lost. His campaign didn’t sit well with some gun bloggers, who viewed him as an industry interloper.

Andrew Arulanandam, the N.R.A.’s director for public affairs, declined to speculate about why Mr. Kollitides lost. “It’s a great question to ask our four million members,” he said.

The gun bloggers mentioned in the story are Sebastian and Bitter of Shall Not Be Questioned. It links to their 2009 endorsements for the NRA Board of Directors where they discussed why they were not endorsing George Kollitides.

The Arizona Republic featured a front page story today entitled “ATF gun probe: Behind the fall of Operation Fast and Furious.” The story by Dennis Wagner is one of the better overviews of Operation Fast and Furious and does a good job at outlining the scandal. It is even better at bringing to light the behind-the scenes moves that brought this scandal to public consciousness. As Wagner notes,

The initial story line of Fast and Furious was about outrage — anger that guns, let out of sight, had been used in crimes. But the backstory of the investigation is one of hidden motives, curious contradictions and strange allegiances, both among those who organized the effort and those who exposed it.

It goes into detail on how Senior Agent John Dodson sought out the advice of ATF veterans Jay Dobyns and Vincent Cefalu who eventually began to network with bloggers David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh.

Dobyns and Cefalu began networking with two of the most prominent and prolific Second Amendment bloggers in America.

David Codrea, an Ohio-based writer, is field editor for GUNS Magazine and an author on a website known as “The War on Guns: Notes From the Resistance.”

Mike Vanderboegh runs a website, Sipsey Street Irregulars, which he identifies as a gathering place for the 3 percent of Americans willing to fight for the right to bear arms.

Vanderboegh and Codrea, longtime friends, this year received Soldier of Fortune Magazine’s Second Amendment Freedom Award and the David and Goliath Award from Jews for Preservation of Firearms Ownership.

Dobyns says he turned to the bloggers because of a shared animus toward ATF administrators. “Do they have an agenda? Of course they do,” he said. “But it’s my experience that they’re not anti-ATF; they’re anti-bad ATF.”

Codrea and Vanderboegh began churning out essays on Fast and Furious, even giving the operation its sardonic nickname, “Project Gunwalker.” They joined forces with other bloggers, government employees and gun dealers in what Vanderboegh calls “a coalition of willing Lilliputians.”

The story recognizes the role that Codrea and Vanderboegh played as intermediaries between the whistleblowers and Congressional staffers. Indeed, it was their pressure that got people like Sen. Chuck Grassley to pay attention to the whistleblowers and give them protection. It also makes note of how improbable it was that a pair of Threepers got together with the ATF whistleblowers.

In interviews, Vanderbeogh and Codrea chuckle at the irony of government agents relying on their critics to find a congressional audience.

“It’s so improbable that ATF guys would come to us, the Second Amendment advocates,” Vanderbeogh says. “But we realized we did have common enemies in the ATF hierarchy.”

I am glad to see gun bloggers get their due in both stories. It is about time.

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He Looks, He Runs, He Scores

November 26, 2011 by

I don’t usually brag about finding good deals at stores. This time I have to make an exception with the hope that others might be able to take advantage of it.

The Complementary Spouse and I were cruising one of the local Walmarts last night long after the Black Friday crowds had dispersed. At the end of a gondola in the sporting goods department was a rack of hard-shell gun cases. They were the Plano Gun Guard All Weather 36″ gun case.

It is similar to the Pelican Storm gun case which I have been lusting after. It probably isn’t as well built as the Pelican and doesn’t have the in-line wheels but it still looks to be a good sturdy case MidwayUSA will have one of those on sale tomorrow for $149. As it is Amazon has the case I bought for $99 and Cheaper Than Dirt lists it at $109. 

The price I paid? $30 each. I bought five of them and I anticipate I’ll probably give at least a couple of them as gifts.

The UPC code is 0-24099-10836-2; the SKU number is 108360; and the item number is 992965. If your Walmart will price match other Walmarts, the telephone number for the Walmart I bought it at is (828) 333-9505. At the very least, it never hurts to ask.

I hope others will be as lucky as I was this afternoon!

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CalGuns Foundation Store Has Its Grand Opening Tomorrow

November 25, 2011 by

The CalGuns Foundation is opening an online store and it opens tomorrow! Not only can you get some cool stuff but since they are a 503(c)(1) non-profit, part of your purchase price counts as a tax deduction. How cool is that! Moreover, through the end of December they are offering 10% off with the coupon code CGFFTW.

Here is the official announcement.

We’re excited to announce the Grand Opening of the NEW CGF store, and to celebrate what we think is a really cool way to support your rights we’re offering a 10% off coupon for all purchases through December 31! Remember, a portion of every purchase is tax-deductible!

We have a great selection of sweet CGF gear ready to fill your stocking, including:

  • Super-fresh “CGF Steamroller Roast” bold blend coffee, shipped direct from the roaster to you
  • NEW tee shirts featuring color “CGF On-Target” artwork
  • Lapel pins
  • “Notice to Law Enforcement” safe magnets and decals
  • Bumper stickers
  • 4″ round color decals with “CGF On-Target” artwork
  • Ladies “Bella” fashion tees

Over the next 1.14 weeks, we’ll be adding some truly badass stuff that I am positive you’ll want under the tree this year! Needless to say, we’re here to support “ATF” – the “convenience store” version of ATF, not the government agency. For example, some of the things you should stay tuned for:

  • Zippo 8oz stainless steel hip flask, laser-etched with the CGF logo
  • Zippo lighters, both laser-etched and color CGF logo options
  • 16oz. Brewery glasses featuring color “CGF On-Target” logo art
  • Double old-fashioned drink tumblers with color “CGF On-Target” logo art
  • Shot glasses with color “CGF On-Target” art
  • Black “el grande” 15oz coffee mug with CGF logo
  • Black, reusable grocery bags featuring a white CGF logo (make shoppers at Whole Foods jealous!)
  • Limited-edition CGF challenge coins
  • Limited-edition, top-quality metal license plate frames made by the only American manufacturer left and hand-finished to exacting standards
  • Patches!
  • CGF “bag tags” featuring our “Notice to Law Enforcement” image on one side (like our safe magnets) and a self-laminating information section
  • CGF “Evil Black Espresso” blend coffee

 This is a chance to buy some cool stuff and help an organization that is on the front lines – literally – of the battle for the Second Amendment.

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Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy – 2011 Edition (Updated)

November 24, 2011 by 7 Comments

Last year about this time, I posted all the Black Friday (or earlier) sales that were gun, knife, tactical, or outdoor related that I could find. Here is the 2011 edition.

I have included any coupon codes that are needed. If you find others, please share them in the comments section.

Brownells

Brownells will again have their Black Rifle Friday featuring special pricing on a number of items. It begins at 12:01am on Friday.

MidwayUSA

Every day from Monday, Nov. 21st through Monday, Nov. 28th, MidwayUSA will be offering special deals daily. For non-sale items, they are offering $15 off with a $100 purchase if you use Promo Code 11281177.

Galco Holsters

Order online from Galco on Friday November 25th through Sunday November 27th and get 20% off your complete order! Just enter promotional code BF2011 in the coupon field to receive your discount! Excludes custom-made or exotic-hide items.


Comp-Tac Holsters

Is offering 20% off their entire line of holsters, gun belts, and mag pouches on Friday only. The coupon code is BLACK-2011. I bought one of their contoured and tapered gun belts last year on this sale and love it.

Gunsite Academy

Orders from the Pro Shop over $100 receive free USPS shipping. Also, if you sign up for any 2012 Gunsite training class on Black Friday, Nov. 25th, they will discount the class $200. You must send an email to Karen at coordinator@gunsite.com

DSG Arms

Use Coupon Code: NOVMAGPUL when checking out to receive an additional 5% off
all MAGPUL Retail prices this week. Plus FREE shipping on orders subtotaling $25 and up with no code required. Code and Shipping discount valid until Cyber Monday at Midnight.

Cabelas

In-store door busters include a Ruger 10/22 for $169. They open at 5am. Cabelas is offering free shipping on orders about $99 through Tuesday, Nov. 29th with coupon code WGIFTS


Gander Mountain

They are having Camo Thursday where they will giving away one free order every hour plus will have specials on camouflage clothing. They also have free standard shipping. The coupon code is GME1124.


Old Grouch’s Military Surplus

10% off orders of $100 or more with coupon code NOV10 and 15% off of all orders of $150 or more with coupon code NOV15. Sale has started and is good through Nov. 28th.

U.S. Cavalry

20% off on all items and 25% on selected items. Good through Saturday, Nov. 26th. Use coupon code PN11BF20.  They will also have the 12 Deals Of Christmas starting on Nov. 29th. Sign up for them on their website.

Gadsden & Culpepper

Is having their Back in Black, Part II sale featuring 30% off on all their black shirts, jackets, patches, flags, and hats. Ends Sunday.


Express Police Supply


Their pre-Black Friday sale features 20% off of all apparel and 10% off of all knives.


Natchez Shooters Supplies

Offering $10 off all $100 orders; $20 off all $200 orders; and $30 off all $300 or more orders. This offer is good from today through 11:59PM EST on Nov. 28th. The coupon code is S1000663.

Deadwood Knives

Offering 15% off of all U.S. made knives through Nov. 30th. These include knives by Case, Schatt and Morgan, Canal Street, Buck, and Yellowstone. The one-time use coupon code is USMADE. They are also offering free standard shipping within the United States.

Academy Sports

In-store on Friday only are such deals as $14.99 for a box of CCI Blazer Brass .45 ACP and $289 for the Taurus 640 in .40 S&W.


JSE Surplus

Sale starts at Noon (Central Time) on Thanksgiving and goes through Midnight on Monday, Nov. 28th. They have complete AR-15s for as low as $500 and complete AR uppers for $335.

Copes Distributing

They have already started their Black Friday sale. Among the items on sale are DPMS Oracle AR-15s for $599.

Tractor Supply Company

If you have one near you, they are selling the Cannon 36-gun safe for $699 on Friday only. Normally this is $999.

LA Police Gear

Starting on Black Friday – 20% OFF all 5.11 products, 20% off select Magnum products and $10 OFF a select few Under Armour products. I don’t know if a code is required. They are having a 20% off sale on all Maxpedition items through Thursday with coupon code MAX20

The Mako Group

They are calling their sale the Dark Earth Friday Sale because everyone has a Black Friday sale. They are offering 30% off on all accessories for your AR, AK, etc. from Wednesday, Nov. 23rd through Monday, Nov. 28th. Use coupon code DE.

Elite Tactical Components 

Elite Tactical Components will be featured again on Gearhog on Thanksgiving and Black Friday!! You’ll have a chance to get $30 Gift Cards for only $15!! The deal will start on Gearhog on Thanksgiving Day (Thurs 11/24) through Black Friday! This will be in addition to their Black Friday deals on Adams Arms Uppers (PDW’s, Tactical Elites, 5×45’s, 5.56 & MORE!!), Troy & Magpul Iron Sights, EOTech & Aimpoint Sights,.308 Uppers, etc. 

4Sevens

Will be offering 10-20% off on their tactical flashlights starting now.

UPDATE: Here are more to add to the Black Friday list.

Grey Group Training

It is the time of the year again, when everyone has a boring Black Friday Sale…and Grey Group gets a little crazy. Beginning the 23rd of November and running through the 4th of December Grey Group will be running the A Very Grey 12 Days of Christmas. Each day will feature different killer sales from Gear, Training, Outerwear, Footwear, Electronics, Weapon Accessories, and more… Keep an eye on the Grey Group Facebook, Grey Group Community, Grey Group Twitter, and the front of the Grey Group Online Pro Shop for the sale of the day.

Sinclair International

Starting on Thanksgiving Day, the exclusive savings run through midnight, on “Cyber-Monday”, November 28! Selected items have special, reduced prices, available all weekend; AND, by using the code customers can take and additional 10% off the sale price! They are giving 10% off on orders of more than $199. The code can be found on their website on Thanksgiving.

Policestore.com

Another of the Brownells companies, they will be having Black Ops Friday. You save 10% on purchases of over $199. The code will be available on their website and can be used for Brownells and Sinclair International as well.


10-8 Performance

Through midnight EST on Saturday 11/26, enter coupon code TURKEY in the coupon code box in the checkout screen and get 10% off these following items: new 10-8 shirts, 10-8 1911 Grip Panels, all styles, 10-8 1911 Grip Screws & Grip Screw bushings, Grip Tape, 10-8 Armorer Tools, 10-8 Lube, Slip 2000 725 cleaner and Carbon Killer, Loctite, and Froglube

UPDATE II:  I have a bunch more to add to the list!

Sportsman’s Warehouse

They are having a Black Friday Super Sale with 6am to 10 am doorbusters which include Nikon binoculars for $49. The rest of the all day sale includes things like the Ruger SR9c for $389 and the Marlin 795 .22 semi-auto rifle for $99.99. Check back with them on Cyber Monday as they will have online specials with free shipping.

G-Code Holsters

They are offering free shipping for orders over $50 and then 10-15% off on orders of $100 and $150 respectively. The coupon codes are FREESHIP, 10FREESHIP, and 15FREESHIP.

Benelli USA

They will offer free shipping on Cyber Monday for all orders over $50. The coupon code is CYBERMON.

AIM Surplus

Offering a Thanksgiving Weekend sale which includes things like a Moisin-Nagant package, both a M91/30 and a M44, for $219, 10% off on all accessories, and Tula .308 ammo for $125 for 500 rounds. The code is blkfriday. They also offer free shipping on many of the accessories.

Gun Digest Store

Thanksgiving Only. Free shipping with coupon code THANKS2011.

LaRue Tactical

Free shipping for all orders over $500 through midnight Nov. 27th. Use coupon code FREESHIP.

Uplanders Warehouse

Will have Blaze Orange Friday with a number of items on sales. Starts at 8am MST on Friday. Also will be offering 15% off all Filson items through Dec. 2nd. Free shipping for all orders over $100 with coupon code freeshipping and $3 shipping for order under $100 with coupon code 3ship.

CDNN Sports

Black Friday only sale expires at 7pm CST. $5 shipping on Internet orders. Many items below dealer cost.

iAMMO


Offering a S&W M&P 1522 at $50 off through Nov. 28th. Use coupon code BLACK2011.

Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine Store


Thanksgiving only. Free shipping with coupon code THANKS2011.

Sportsman’s Guide

Free shipping on orders over $99 through Dec. 5th with coupon code SH280.

Krause Publications

Thanksgiving Only. Free shipping with coupon code THANKS2011.

Blade Magazine Store


Thanksgiving Only. Includes both knives and books. Free shipping with coupon code THANKS2011.

Extreme Outfitters

On Cyber Monday, everything is 20% off and includes free shipping. 

 Rifle Gear


10% off with coupon coder BF10 through Nov. 27th.

Primary Arms



Sale includes Streamlight TRL1S light for $89 and Aimpoint T-1 with quick release mount for $529.




Other compilations of Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales can be found at Soldier Systems and the Michigan Gun Rights Examiner.

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Have I Found Nirvana?

November 23, 2011 by

Bacon Jam?

From the description of how it is made:

What is bacon jam? Well, we take a big bunch of really, really good bacon and render it down…add a bunch of spices, onions, etc. and let it simmer for about 6 hours, give it a quick puree, blast chill it…take a left turn, and end up in pure bacon heaven.

My mouth is already starting to water!

Skillet Street Food’s online store is here and they will ship in both the US and Canada.