by If the President’s limo was a Chevy Volt or a Toyota Prius, he might have a point about the gas mileage of certain SUV’s. However, when you always are driven around in either an armored limo or an armored Chevy/GMC Suburban or Tahoe and your gas is paid for by the taxpayers, I think you’ve forfeited your right to criticize anyone who drives a SUV or any car for that matter. I think the only electric vehicle that you’ll see Mr. Obama in is a golf cart.
Month: April 2011
They Agree On One Thing
The two men running for Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida agree on one thing. They don’t want any part of Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors unlike the outgoing mayor, John Peyton, who is a member.
According to a story in the Florida Times-Union, agreeing on non-participation in MAIG is about the only thing that Democrat Alvin Brown and Republican Mike Hogan do agree on.
Mike Hogan, the Republican, is currently the Tax Collector for Duval County and was formerly a Florida State Representative. Hogan, pictured below with his wife Judy, had this to say on his website about Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Second Amendment.
Mike Hogan is the only candidate in this race with a proven record of fighting on behalf of Florida’s gun owners. He fought against legislation that would have virtually halted our gun shows and voted for legislation that prohibits state and local governments from suing gun manufacturers. Mike has an A Rating from the NRA.
As Jacksonville’s next mayor, Mike Hogan will continue to fight for the Second Amendment, beginning with an end to the City of Jacksonville’s affiliation with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a deceptively-named national organization that often puts gun control over crime prevention.
Alvin Brown, the Democrat, is currently Executive in Residence at Jacksonville University’s College of Business and is a former advisor to President Bill Clinton, VP Al Gore, and NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo when Cuomo was Secretary of HUD. He calls himself a conservative Democrat. Brown, pictured below, at a press conference on his position opposing membership in MAIG as reported by the Florida Times-Union.
Brown, asked about (Hogan’s) website reference , said he believed that anything accomplished by the program could be handled locally and saw no need to spend resources to continue in the program.
Brown said he’ll first focus on keeping youths from having the need to seek out a gun that can only be purchased illegally.
“I would focus,” he said, “on making sure we prevent young people from becoming ex-felons in the first place.“
While Brown’s statements above are not as strong on the Second Amendment as those of Hogan, they both agree that participation in Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns is not in the future for Jacksonville, Florida.
Speculations On Operation Fast And Furious
Michael Bane devoted a good part of his weekly Down Range Radio podcast to Project Gunwalker. Given that Michael is the master of the rant, it was entertaining as well as thought-provoking. You can listen to it by going to the link above or downloading it on iTunes.
He has two threads of speculation about Project Gunwalker and those involved in running it. As he calls it, “just wild and crazy speculation”. Nonetheless, it makes good sense.
First, that Operation Fast and Furious is only one of the programs with “Jolly Pirate names” that allowed weapons to be smuggled into Mexico. We only know of this one because of the brave whistle-blowers who were sickened that fellow U.S. law enforcement officers were killed with the “walked” guns.
Second, in his experience Bane notes, that BATFE loves their gadgets. This is especially true of gadgets that supposedly will help them in their law enforcement functions. The gun dealers who worked with BATFE on Operation Fast and Furious (despite their grave reservations on selling AK-47s to what they knew in their gut were straw purchasers) were selling 10, 20, and even 40 AKs at a time. This leads to the question – why didn’t BATFE chip the guns with mini GPS trackers? It would have been very easy to chip these guns and then call the purchasers saying your guns have arrived.
The chip shown above was from 2008 and sold publicly. Imagine how much smaller one of these devices sold into the restricted Federal law enforcement market would probably be.
Expanding on the mini GPS trackers, one must wonder why the cars and trucks of the known straw purchasers and smugglers weren’t tagged with auto-sized GPS trackers. It might have enabled BATFE to actually follow the guns into the Mexico and not lose them.
As Michael notes, this is all speculation. Maybe we have all watched too many cop shows on TV and expect all law enforcement to use those gee-whiz gadgets even when they don’t. Still, you have to wonder.
107 – 105 (Updated)
No, that isn’t a NBA basketball score. And it certainly was not the score in the UConn vs. Butler game for the National Championship.
Actually that is the number of co-sponsors that HR 822 – National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 – has versus those for HR 308 – Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act of 2011. We have finally overtaken the number of co-sponsors for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy’s bill. While they are close to topping out, there are still a good number of pro-gun Congressmen who have not signed up as co-sponsors.
The seven Congressmen who put it in the lead are:
Rep Denham, Jeff [CA-19] – 4/4/2011
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] – 4/4/2011
Rep Camp, Dave [MI-4] – 4/4/2011
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] – 4/4/2011
Rep McKinley, David B. [WV-1] – 4/4/2011
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] – 4/4/2011
Rep Reed, Tom [NY-29] – 4/4/2011
The new co-sponsors include six Republicans and one Democrat. Representatives Camp and Lucas are also part of the Republican leadership as chairmen of major committees (Ways and Means Comm. and Agriculture Comm.)
UPDATE: It should now read 116 to 105 as another nine Representatives have joined the co-sponsors’ list. I am especially pleased to see Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC-2) on the list as she has a concealed carry permit and didn’t hide the fact during the 2010 campaign – or after Gabby Giffords was shot.
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] – 4/5/2011
Rep Guinta, Frank C. [NH-1] – 4/5/2011
Rep Brooks, Mo [AL-5] – 4/5/2011
Rep Ellmers, Renee L. [NC-2] – 4/5/2011
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] – 4/5/2011
Rep Flores, Bill [TX-17] – 4/5/2011
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] – 4/5/2011
Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18] – 4/5/2011
Rep Brady, Kevin [TX-8] – 4/5/2011
JayG Reviews The S&W Model 360PD
Jay G of MArooned just did a guest article for GunsForSale.com on the Smith and Wesson Model 360PD. This is a .357 Magnum snubbie with a fireball to prove it.
Or as Jay G calls it, “the Snubbie from Hell™..”
The recoil of a .357 Magnum round through a 12 ounce handgun has been described as anywhere from “stout” to “punishing” to “oh my word what have I done to my wrist”. This author has, on more than one occasion, offered the 360PD to accomplished shooters who are curious to see what a 12 ounce .357 Magnum revolver feels like to shoot – and gotten the snubbie back after only two rounds.
However, as Jay G concludes when it comes to concealed carry, “life is about tradeoffs.”
Weak Industry?
Josh Sugarman, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center, had an article in the Huffington Post on Monday with his analysis of the retracted Freedom Group IPO. Based on this one company, he said the gun industry was in decline due to a “a cratering gun market”.
I guess the folks at Sturm, Ruger didn’t get the message that their market was “cratering”. They announced on Monday the results of the share repurchase program.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR), today announced that during the first quarter of 2011 the Company repurchased 133,400 shares of its common stock for $2.0 million in the open market. The average price per share repurchased was $14.94. These repurchases were funded with cash on hand. At the end of the first quarter of 2011, $8.0 million remains authorized and available for share repurchases and 18.9 million shares remain outstanding.
Rarely do weak companies repurchase their own stock. The primary reason is that they don’t have the cash on hand for the transaction. You will note that Ruger used cash on hand to fund these repurchases.
Stock repurchases generally increase shareholder value and are a positive thing. Ruger paid an average price of $14.94 per share. Yesterday’s closing price for Ruger (RGR) stock was $23.00 per share. That is a 53.9% increase.
The stock market obviously doesn’t perceive that Ruger is in a “cratering gun market”. According to website Seeking Alpha, in mid-March when the S&P 500 dropped 4.3%, Ruger was one of the companies that bucked the trend.
The bottom line is that certain segments of the firearms market are stronger than others. Handguns are the hot segment of the firearms market. This is especially true of smaller, more concealable handguns. Freedom Group – other than Remington’s 1911R1 – is not in the handgun business. Ruger is in the handgun market and has moved strongly into the smaller pistols and revolvers. The results of that move are evident in its stock price.
Rainier Arms XD Flash Hider
There are a lot of flash hiders available for the AR-15 platform now that the AWB sunset in 2004. Some are relatively cheap like the GI birdcage flash hider and some are in the $150 ( or more) range.
As the KitUp blog noted –
The interesting thing is the geometry isn’t much different from one manufacturer to the other — with the open prong design dominating the look. But one thing is radically different about the Ranier Arms product: it’s price.
Checking the Rainier Arms website, the XD Flash Hider retails for $47.45. It is available in either a black parkerized finish or a matte stainless steel finish.
I have not tried it out in the field but from the video below it seems to work just fine. Depending on where you shop, the Smith Vortex is similarly priced.
SAF Sues Bloomberg (Updated)
This just in:
SAF FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST
BLOOMBERG OVER GUN PERMIT FEESBELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that alleges New York City’s $340 fee for a permit to keep a handgun in the home is “excessive andimpermissibly burdens the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and five individual New York City residents. Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
“Under state law,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, “the maximum fee for issuing a New York State handgun license is $10, but the law exempts citizens living in New York City. That exemption allows the city to charge an exorbitant fee for the license, which discourages city residents from exercising their civil rights while violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“For decades the City has charged its residents exorbitant license fees that far exceed the fees charged by other states and cities that impose them,” said attorney David Jensen, who is representing the plaintiffs. “The effect of this is to force a punitive tax on New York City citizens who choose to own firearms in compliance with the law. But people have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and the City cannot simply impose fees for the sake of burdening law-abiding gun owners.”
“The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association was founded 141 years ago in New York City and we are proud to participate in an action to help restore the Second Amendment rights of all New York City residents,” said NYSRPA President Tom King.
In its lawsuit, SAF notes that the $340 fee is not used to defray administrative costs, so there appears to be no purpose for it other than to discourage people from applying for a permit. The excessive fee, according to Gottlieb, puts the exercise of a constitutional right solely within the financial reach of the wealthy class, essentially turning a civil right into a privilege for the rich and well-connected.
“New York is one of only two states that require a permit just to keep a handgun in one’s own home,” Gottlieb said. “Citizens in the other 48 states would consider that an outrage. The city’s residence premises’ handgun license amounts to a charge of more than $100 annually to keep a handgun in one’s home, which is ridiculous. Mayor Bloomberg is essentially taxing the fundamental right to defend one’s self in his or her own home. We cannot think of anything more egregious than perpetuating a fee structure that puts a financial obstacle in the way of citizens who want to protect their homes and families.
“We believe the only recourse is to take this issue to the federal court,” he concluded. “Billionaires like Mayor Bloomberg can be cavalier about a citizen’s rights, but we can’t, and we won’t.”
UPDATE: SAF has added two more plaintiffs to the complaint which can be found here.
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation announced this morning that it has filed an amended complaint in federal district court against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City of New York over exorbitant gun licensing fees, adding two additional plaintiffs who came forward asking to be part of the legal action.
SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb said with these additional plaintiffs, there are now seven private citizens who have joined SAF and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in the lawsuit.
“We are being overwhelmed with calls following yesterday’s announcement about the lawsuit,” Gottlieb acknowledged. “We want to assure everyone that they do not need to be part of the lawsuit in order to benefit from a victory.
“SAF truly appreciates the wave of enthusiasm and support from New York gun owners,” he continued. “We need to move forward right now, and if people would like to support our lawsuit with a tax-exempt contribution to SAF, we would welcome that.”
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. Plaintiffs are represented by attorney David Jensen.
“Almost immediately after the lawsuit was filed,” Gottlieb said, “our phones started ringing as people wanted to join the lawsuit. We simply cannot take on more plaintiffs at this point and further delay the process.
“We do not want New York’s outrageous $340 license fee to continue one more day than it has to,” he explained. “Imagine if this was a poll tax. How many New Yorkers would be storming city hall right now, demanding their voting rights? The city’s excessive gun licensing fee amounts to the same egregious assault on every citizen’s right to self-protection in their own home.”
Crimson Trace Rebates
I received this today from Iain Harrison of Crimson Trace:
CRIMSON TRACE LAUNCHES $50 CONSUMER REBATE PROMOTION
(Wilsonville, OR – April 4, 2011) Crimson Trace, maker of the world’s finest laser sighting systems for personal defense and professional users, announces a $50 rebate promotion for its industry-leading LASERGRIPS®, LASERGUARD® and Modular Vertical Foregrip (MVF) products. The mail-in rebate applies to products purchased between April 2 – June 30, 2011.
“The rebate is intended to make it easier for more customers to experience the benefits of our top-quality, reliable laser sights,” said Kent Thomas, Marketing Director. “Our customers consistently tell us that we make the best personal defense products money can buy, and for a few months it will take a little less money to get them,” he added.
To redeem the rebate, customers must send the original UPC code from the product packaging, and the original sales receipt showing the product was purchased during the rebate period. They will receive a check for $50 within 4 – 6 weeks. Redemption instructions can be found at gun dealers, online dealers, and at www.crimsontrace.com, or by calling 800-442-2406.
The rebate does not apply to OEM products shipped as a package with a firearm or installed by the firearm manufacturer. It also does not apply to LIGHTGUARD™ products, and any product that does not include a valid UPC code and purchase documentation.
All Crimson Trace products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States.
Here is the link to the Rebate Form you’ll need to submit your request.
I just bought the Crimson Trace LaserGuard for my Ruger SR9c this afternoon. I would have probably bought one anyway but getting the $50 rebate spurred me to do it sooner than later.
April Gun Contests
Aaron at Weapon Blog has just posted his list of gun, knife, ammo, and accessories giveaways.
Included in April are a trio of Glocks, a Caspian 1911, and a Savage Model 25 Walking Varminter. You can see the whole list here.
What could be better to welcome Spring than a new gun? It sure sounds better than the snow flurries I had this morning in North Carolina!