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Wanted – Field Organizer For Arizona

January 8, 2011 by 5 Comments

The Brady Campaign placed the following help wanted ad on idealist.org.:

Field Organizer – Arizona

Posted on: January 6, 2011

Posted by: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Job Announcement
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Field Organizer
Based in Tucson, AZ

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence seeks a dynamic field organizer to help build the gun violence prevention movement in key areas of Arizona to build momentum to pass stronger gun laws at the federal level.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
Ø Educating key groups and constituencies on gun violence issues using available health and law enforcement data, through meetings, written materials, websites, Facebook and other relevant sources,
Ø Utilize existing national programs, resolutions, timely state legislative issues or gun issues in the news to help recruit new advocates and groups to our issue,
Ø Build and/or utilize local grassroots organizing and communication structures in key legislative districts in Arizona to facilitate the activation of constituents on the gun violence prevention issue supporting federal legislation,
Ø Conduct outreach to key constituencies including Hispanic, college and university students, law enforcement, faith, and victims of gun violence through one-on-one meetings, group meetings, attending community and university/college meetings,
Ø Coordinate activities and share information with other gun violence prevention organizations/structures in the state.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
· Demonstrated fluency in Spanish
· Professional or volunteer experience in the field of organizing (electoral, union, community, canvassing, etc.)
· Excellent organizational skills
· Excellent interpersonal skills, both one-on-one and in groups
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills
· Good computer skills
· Self-motivated and able to function independently as well as in a team
· Availability for possible weekday evenings and weekends
· Have access to a car, have a valid drivers’ license, and willing to travel in designated project areas
· Physically able to do outreach and carry meeting supplies
· Demonstrated cultural competence
· Commitment to sensible gun laws
· Able and willing to work from home

Brady Campaign is an equal opportunity employer.

I guess the Brady Campaign would disagree with my characterization of constitutional carry as being “sensible”. Too bad.

However, this ad does give a good idea of areas that the Brady Campaign plans to target in an effort to curtail gun rights – college students, Latinos, liberal church groups, and law enforcement.

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NRA Opposes Traver Re-nomination

January 8, 2011 by

From the NRA-ILA:

NRA Strongly Opposes Obama’s Re-nomination Of Anti-Gun-Leaning Andrew Traver To Head BATFE

Friday, January 07, 2011

This week, President Obama re-nominated Andrew Traver to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Obama first nominated Traver on November 17, 2010, but the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to act on his nomination.

Last November, NRA strongly opposed Obama’s nomination of Traver. Our strong opposition has not changed.

Traver has been deeply aligned with gun control advocates and anti-gun activities. This makes him the wrong choice to lead an enforcement agency that has almost exclusive oversight and control over the firearms industry, its retailers and consumers.

Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose Andrew Traver’s ill-advised nomination to head BATFE. You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121.

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White House Puts Hold On New ATF Multi-Rifle Sales Reporting

January 7, 2011 by 5 Comments

According to a story from Reuters, the White House and the Office of Management and Budget are delaying the implementation of the ATF’s new “two-a-day” reporting rule that was supposed to start at the beginning of the year in the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

The White House Office of Management and Budget was expected to approve the emergency rule change on Wednesday. But an official with direct knowledge told Reuters that “ATF’s information collection request is still under review,” and declined further comment until the “deliberative phase is concluded.”

Of course, Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign expressed disappointment and hoped that this was only a temporary delay. He termed it a “common-sense” policy and added:

“Dealers are already required to report multiple sales of handguns and this is just implementing the same thing for long guns,” Helmke told Reuters.

“It shouldn’t be that much more of a burden on anyone in terms of paperwork and data collection, and it could help save lives … It seems like a measure that should be fairly noncontroversial.”

At the heart of this “delay” is stiff opposition from gun rights groups and their allies – including Democrats – in Congress. The Montana delegation has been particularly vociferous on the issue.

The Gunleaders.com Blog has the documents submitted by ATF to OMB in justification of their reporting rule. The ATF estimated that the cost to FFL’s would be nil since most would fax it in and that the new reporting rule would have no impact on small businesses. Unless the ATF is providing a toll free number there is a cost. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of gun shops in this country are not the “big box” stores but rather small businesses.

If the White House is wavering on this, now is time to put more pressure on them. Call, fax, write, or email both your Senators and your Congressman opposing this “emergency” requirement that is only supposed to last 6 months if one believes the Federal Register. Note that in the documents submitted to the OMB by ATF, they are saying one year.

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Bionic Ear For Soldiers … And Hunters And Shooters

January 7, 2011 by

Etymotic Electronics’ Blast Plug enhances low sounds and attenuates the high decibel sounds that can harm hearing. The report above is from the Consumer Electronics Show currently in progress in Las Vegas. The only downside I can see to the Blast Plug is the price. $450-499 depending upon the model is pricey. I can wear my Peltor Tactical 6S muffs and get much the same effect.

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He’s Baaaaack!

January 6, 2011 by 1 Comment

Among a whole list of re-nominations sent by the White House to the Senate is that of Andrew Traver to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. I guess Obama really does think he can poke us in the eye again with this anti-gun nominee.

The website Main Justice notes that Traver’s nomination is opposed by the NRA and other gun rights groups as well as that the agency has not had a permanent director since 2006.

No word yet from the Brady Campaign on this nomination. However, Dennis Hennigan praised it last December as the beginning of the end of Obama’s “appeasement” of gun rights forces.

While I really don’t think Traver can get approved by the Senate given his record of anti-gun activism, I think his renomination actually can serve a useful purpose for gun rights. The confirmation hearings will be an opportunity to air much of ATF’s dirty laundry which has been ignored by the mainstream media. These range from gross mismanagement in the upper levels of the bureau to allegations of looking the other way to AR’s being smuggled into Mexico so that they could be traced back to the U.S.

David Codrea’s Gun Rights Examiner has a number of columns dealing with these issues as does Mike Vanderboegh’s Sipsey Street Irregulars blog. Sources within ATF are now sending substantive leaks to both of these sites because they are so disgusted with what is going on.

The dissident ATF agent website, CleanUpATF.org, is also full of details about how the bureau is being mismanaged. If one wants to get a feel for how the rank and file in the ATF are suffering under the mismanagement, this is the place to go.

Given all the dirt that can and will come out at Traver’s confirmation hearings, one must wonder if this is some sort of end game to abolish ATF which has served as lightning rod for the gun rights movement and then reconstitute its gun control functions in a less public part of the Federal bureaucracy. That would be truly Machiavellian if true!

H/T Sebastian

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Wisconsin City Pays $7500 To Woman Arrested For Legal Open Carry

January 6, 2011 by 4 Comments

Back in October, I reported on the case of Krysta Sutterfield who was arrested at gun point after wearing her pistol to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brookfield. She was arrested for illegally transporting a firearm despite having her pistol in a zipped case and not on her body. Afterwards, the district attorney declined to prosecute because the officers had no probable cause to stop her and search her car and the charges were dropped.

Ms. Sutterfield and Wisconsin Carry filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin charging her 14th Amendment rights had been violated.

This week the lawsuit was settled with the City of Brookfield paying $7,500 according to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and court filings. The city made the offer on December 20th and gave the plaintiffs 14 days in which to accept the offer. The plaintiffs accepted it that same day and judgment was entered on December 30th. The heart of the offer was:

a joint offer to allow judgment to be taken against them in the above referenced action in the total amount of $7,500.00, inclusive of costs and attorney’s fees. This offer is intended to resolve all claims, state and federal, arising from the incident which forms the basis for all claims by Wisconsin Carry, Inc. and Krysta Sutterfield against the above defendants. It must be accepted by both Wisconsin Carry, Inc. and Krysta Sutterfield in order for there to be a valid acceptance. This offer is not an admission of liability on behalf of these defendants, and should not be construed as such.

Despite the settlement, it does not appear that the City of Brookfield won’t make a similar mistake in the future if the comments of  Greg Gunta, an attorney for the city, are to be believed.

An attorney for the city said police will still always respond in force to calls of a person with a gun, and if turns out to be an open carry situation, that’s just the cost of doing business.

“These are kind of ‘gotcha’ cases,” said the attorney, Greg Gunta. “The courts are being used for a political stage.”

Mr. Gunta went on to suggest that if the plaintiffs really brought this case based on principle they should give the money back to the City of Brookfield for “gun education.” To think that a city whose police force was so ready to violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendment rights of it citizens could conduct “gun education” is laughable. Whatever use Ms. Sutterfield and Wisconsin Carry find for the money I’m sure will be better than that offered by Mr. Gunta.

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Free Guns For January

January 5, 2011 by

If there is anything guaranteed to chase the post-Christmas blues, free guns would be near the top of my list.

Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has just posted the list of gun contests for January. Prizes range from a S&W Model 29 to Crimson Trace laser grips.

You may want to leave a note thanking Aaron for providing this monthly service.

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Obstructionists

January 5, 2011 by 4 Comments

It appears that some law enforcement officials in central Iowa are not too happy with the new “shall-issue” carry permits. Huxley Chief of Police Mark Pote sent a letter to local businesses last month advising them to post large signs saying no guns were allowed. In an on-camera interview with reporter Aaron Brilbeck of WHO-TV, he backtracked a bit.

 

One wonders if the phrase “with all deliberate speed” means anything to him.

Sean McClanahan of the Iowa Firearms Coalition called it what it was – scare tactics. Sean’s Des Moines Gun Rights Examiner column has more example of these tactics throughout Iowa.

H/T NRA News

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112th Congress Convenes And No More Recess Appointments

January 5, 2011 by 3 Comments

Andrew Traver is out of luck in terms of getting a recess appointment. The 112th Congress, 1st Session convened at 12 noon today.

Checking the White House website regarding any more recess appointments, the last – and only ones – were made on December 29th.

Now it remains to be seen whether Obama will renominate Traver to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. If he does, the chances of being confirmed by the Senate are even less today than they were in November. When the Senate went into sine die adjournment on December 22nd, they returned Traver’s name to the President.