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Another Update On NC Range Protection Bill

May 23, 2011 by

The NC Senate Judiciary II Committee held hearings on SB 560 – the Sport Shooting Range Protection bill this past Thursday. Grass Roots North Carolina reports on a weakening amendment that was proposed at the committee hearing.

On Thursday, SB 560, “Sport Shooting Range Protection” passed out of the Senate Judiciary II Committee thanks largely to the efforts of sponsor Sen. Andrew Brock (R- Davie, Rowan, GRNC ****) and committee chairman Sen. Buck Newton (R- Nash, Wilson, ****), both of whom deserve an immediate e-mail of thanks.

SB 560 is intended to close loopholes in our existing range protection law by extending the existing “grandfather” protection against noise and environmental complaints to ranges forced to relocate due to rezoning, annexation, condemnation or development.

A SMALL DARK CLOUD

After complaints that a range relocating to a different county might supersede existing ordinances, committee members of both parties, unfortunately, offered an amendment under which ranges which relocate to different counties may only do so if they meet the requirements of the new county. GRNC will work to remove the restriction. It should be noted that Sen. Newton argued vehemently against the amendment as just another anti-gun action.

The problem with this amendment is that many of the ranges that are feeling the impact from urban encroachment are in the larger urban counties of North Carolina. Twenty years ago, it would have been easy to drive 10 miles from city center within the same county and be surrounded by rural land suitable for a shooting range. Those days are gone. Now if a range is in a Mecklenburg (Charlotte) or a Wake County (Raleigh), the only way to escape suburbia is to move to a Union or Johnston County respectively. Even now, those counties are becoming the home of commuters seeking lower costs who are bringing with them the restrictions and regulations of the city.

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Overshadowed By Events

May 22, 2011 by

The Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives issued a press release on Thursday which detailed what they termed as their “mid-year significant adjudications”.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Andrew Traver released a list of the top investigations undertaken during the first half of fiscal year 2011. The Chicago Field Division encompasses the entire State of Illinois.

“Chicago ATF has been very successful in obtaining significant judicial outcomes so far this year for a range of criminal defendants that represent the results of using the full spectrum of ATF’s arsenal of investigative techniques from the basic felon in possession of a firearm case to the very sophisticated RICO conspiracy gang prosecution,” said Traver. “Of course, the majority of these outstanding criminal prosecutions were only made possible through the dedicated cooperative efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and we’re only getting started.”

Another way of looking at this release is that it is Andrew Traver’s way of saying “I’m still here guys!” given how he and his nomination to be head of ATF have been overshadowed by the unfolding revelations of Project Gunwalker. As to the events described in the release being significant, let’s just say that a full third of the “significant adjudications” involved a felon in possession of a firearm.

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May Is Zombie Awareness Month

May 21, 2011 by

Where have I been? I didn’t even know that it was Zombie Awareness Month. The things you find out on the Interwebs!

I know the CDC just issued an advisory on how to handle a zombie apocalypse but they never mentioned anything about firearms. Must be why I missed the announcement of the Zombie Awareness Month.

So in honor of Zombie Awareness Month, I present Pitbull Daycare and their cover of REM’s “The End of the World As We Know It”.

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In Honor Of The Rapture Non-Event

May 21, 2011 by 3 Comments

6 a.m. came and went and we are all still here. I didn’t feel the Earth move. Oh, well.

However, the Rapture non-event needs something to celebrate it. I saw this on Facebook and thought it would do just fine – even if it is from 30 years ago. The lyrics of the first stanza are:

Toe to toe
Dancing very close
Barely breathing
Almost comatose
Wall to wall
People hypnotised
And they’re stepping lightly
Hang each night in Rapture

And here is Debbie Harry of Blondie singing Rapture.

H/T Andy Langlois

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Credit Cards Versus Debit Cards

May 21, 2011 by

Having been the victim of identity theft in the past, some of the tips this video gives make sense to me. I really like the part about using a debit card as a credit card with a signature. By doing this, you aren’t creating more debt but still are preventing scammers from getting your PIN number.

Regarding PIN numbers, do not use your birthdate! That should be obvious but bears repeating. Pick a number that is non sequential that you will remember. My favorite for married men is your wedding anniversary. It is a safer number plus it helps you remember your wedding anniversary so you don’t get caught forgetting it by She Who Must Be Obeyed.

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Hissy Fit Warning

May 20, 2011 by

A certain director of communications for a certain group of gun prohibitionists is about to have a hissy fit. He just doesn’t know it yet.

According to a summary of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”

Thanks to a friend of Thirdpower at Days of our Trailers, we have a powerful parody of a poster put out by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Go here to view it.  I must admit I had a little hand in this project but credit must go to Thirdpower and his graphics artist friend for taking some ideas and creating a masterpiece.

Those guys rock!

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Saying No To Self-Protection

May 20, 2011 by 3 Comments

Saying no to self-protection seems to the modus operandi within corporate America. I put this down to risk managers making the calculation that it is cheaper to pay a death claim on a murdered employee than it to defend a lawsuit filed by a personal injury lawyer on behalf of a criminal.

The latest case involves the Walgreen’s chain of pharmacies.

Jeremy Hoven was the night shift pharmacist at the Benton Township, Michigan Walgreens. I say “was” because he was fired by Walgreens after he stopped an armed robbery by firing his 3-4 shots from his revolver at the criminals. Mr. Hoven holds a Michigan concealed carry permit and was one of four employees in the store when the attempted robbery took place. According to his interview with the Herald-Palladium of Southwest Michigan,

Hoven said his first hint something was wrong was seeing a manager run into a storeroom on the building’s west side. Seconds later he saw a man brandishing a handgun, guiding the second manager around the shelf at the northeast corner.

“The first thing I tried to do was dial 911 but I couldn’t get it done,” Hoven said. “Within seconds he was over the counter. And I’m looking at the wrong end of a 9-millimeter (gun). He was holding it gangster-style” – sideways.

The robber had jumped over the counter, leaving the manager in the aisle. The robber came within a few feet of Hoven.

Hoven said the only thing behind the attacker was a cinder block wall. Thus he pulled his gun and fired three or four shots.

“I was creating a safe zone for myself,” he said.

The attacker tried to fire back, but his gun either malfunctioned or the safety had been left on, Hoven said.

Mr. Hoven says he would do it again because he knows he did the right thing in protecting himself and his fellow employees.

As to Walgreens, on this past Monday they informed him by e-mail that he was fired. Frankly, I do not plan to give my patronage to a store that (a) cares so little about their employees’ safety and (b) has so little class that they fire the guy by e-mail.

H/T Brian

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Moore v. Madigan – More Plaintiffs Added To Complaint

May 20, 2011 by 1 Comment

The Second Amendment Foundation’s case challenging the state of Illinois’ complete prohibition on the carrying of a handgun for self-defense just added one organization plaintiff, IllinoisCarry, and two individual plaintiffs, Peggy Fechter of Carmi and Jon Maier of Bloomington.

Below is their release on the amended complaint. I am working on a post comparing the SAF and NRA lawsuits against Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the state of Illinois. I hope to have it up sometime this weekend.

SAF ADDS PLAINTIFFS IN ILLINOIS FIREARMS LAW CHALLENGE
For Immediate Release: 5/20/2011
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation announced this morning that it has filed an amended complaint in federal district court in Illinois, challenging the state’s statutory prohibitions on the carrying of handguns for personal protection.

Joining SAF in this amended complaint are Illinois Carry, a volunteer organization founded to educate the public about Illinois gun laws, and two more private citizens, Peggy Fechter of Carmi, and Jon Maier, a resident of Bloomington. Michael Moore of Champaign and Charles Hooks of Percy remain active plaintiffs.

Defendants in the lawsuit are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and State Police Superintendent Hiram Grau. SAF is represented by attorneys David Jensen of New York and David Sigale of Glen Ellyn. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield.

The lawsuit alleges that Illinois statutes that completely ban the carrying of handguns for self-defense deprive the plaintiffs of civil rights under color of law, making them “inconsistent with the Second Amendment.”

SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb welcomed the additional plaintiffs, noting, “After the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, we were overwhelmed by requests to participate. We want to assure everyone who contacted us that they do not need to be actual plaintiffs in order to benefit from a victory.

“SAF truly appreciates the wave of enthusiasm and support from gun owners all over Illinois,” he continued. “But right now we need to move forward and if people would like to support our lawsuit with a tax-exempt contribution to SAF, we would welcome that. We simply cannot take on more plaintiffs at this point and further delay the process.”