Month: December 2011

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“Blood Is On The Hands Of Those At The Justice Dept Who Tried To Cover Up”

December 8, 2011 by

ATF Agent Jay Dobyns was interviewed on Fox News’ Justice with Judge Jeanine yesterday about Operation Fast and Furious. When asked if Brian Terry’s blood was on the hands of the DEA, FBI, and ATF, he responded, “Yes”. He then went on to say it was also on the hands of those in the Justice Department who have tried to cover up Operation Fast and Furious. Dobyns then said it was on the hands of those in the White House who made the decision to seal the records of the investigation into Terry’s death.

Dobyns has never been one to mince words and he doesn’t in this interview. It takes cojones to infiltrate the Hell’s Angels and it takes cojones to stand up to the full weight of the Obama Administration and the Justice Department.

Watch the latest video at <a href=”http://video.foxnews.com”>video.foxnews.com</a>

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Kudos To The Hickory (NC) City Council

December 8, 2011 by

Last night the Hickory City Council was presented with two proposals regarding concealed carry in its parks. From the official agenda:

Ordinance Amending Hickory City Code Chapter 21, Section 21-13, “Use of
Weapons” Regarding Firearms in City Parks (Exhibit XIII.A.1.)

A new state law passed in the last General Assembly Session will require the
City of Hickory to amend its ordinance which bans firearms in city parks. Session
Law 2011-268, which became effective December 1, 2011, amends Article 14,
Chapter 14 of the General Statutes which pertains to various laws regarding the
right to own, possess, or carry a firearm in North Carolina. Staff presented two
concealed handgun permit ordinance options to the Parks and Recreation
Commission at their November 8, 2011 meeting. The first ordinance, which Staff
recommended to be endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Commission,
prohibits concealed handguns in certain specified park areas. The second
ordinance simply complies with state law and allows concealed handguns in all
park areas. Six (6) Commission Members voted to endorse and recommend to
City Council the first ordinance option. Four (4) Commission Members voted to
endorse and recommend to City Council, the second ordinance option. Staff
recommends approval of the local ordinance which prohibits concealed
handguns in certain park areas.

While normally city councils give great weight to the recommendations of their staff and usually go along with them, last night the Hickory City Council listened to its constituents and voted for the second ordinance which simply complies with state law and allows concealed handguns in all park areas. They approved concealed carry in parks by a 6-1 vote.

According to reports in the Hickory Record, the overwhelming consensus of those who spoke on the ordinances last night was in favor of unrestricted concealed carry. When asked by Mayor Rudy Wright for a show of hands, 40 people were in favor of unrestricted concealed carry while only 2 in the audience were in favor of restrictions.

Council member Jill Patton “personally opposes firearms. I don’t like what concealed carry says about our society.” But Patton said she respects the wishes of her constituents, and a clear majority of responses she had about Tuesday’s public hearing favored no restrictions on concealed carry permittees.

Hank Guess, a council member who once was a conceal carry permit instructor, said the statistics cited by proponents for Option Two are valid. Council member Sally Fox said she is opposed to firearms in city parks and Hickory does not have a big problem with crime in the parks.

“I feel no safer if someone else is carrying a gun,” she said. Fox was the lone dissenting vote in the motion to conform Hickory’s firearms ordinance with the state law on parks.

It is good to see council members who are personally opposed to firearms like Jill Patton actually listen to their constituents. As I said in the headline, kudos to the Hickory City Council. Hopefully more North Carolina cities will look to the example of Hickory than to that of Winston-Salem or Asheville.

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Ruger Announces New SP101 With 4.2″ Barrel

December 8, 2011 by 2 Comments

Last Friday I picked up a used Ruger SP101 .357 revolver with a 3 inch barrel. The 2.25 inch barrel version is easily found but finding a used 3 inch SP101 is not so easy. So what does Ruger do today but announce that they are coming out with a 4.2 inch version of the SP101 with much better sights.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is pleased to announce a new Ruger® SP101® five-shot revolver chambered in the venerable .357 Magnum cartridge and featuring a 4.2″ barrel with improved sights.

“The SP101 has been an extremely popular small frame revolver since its inception in 1988, but it has always featured a short barrel and minimal sights,” said Chris Killoy, Ruger Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This new version is a quality .357 Magnum small frame revolver with a longer, full shroud barrel and improved sights that offers the shooter a better sight picture, longer sight radius, and additional weight to better control recoil. I am confident enthusiasts will find that this 4.2″ .357 Magnum is a great all around centerfire revolver that remains true to classic SP101 styling,” he concluded.

The newest Ruger SP101 is constructed of weather-resistant stainless steel with a satin finish, and wears checkered and engraved walnut grip panels inset in the one-piece rubber grip. The 29.5-ounce double/single-action revolver features a fully adjustable square notch blade rear sight and green HiViz® front sight. The 4.2″ barrel features a full shroud covering the ejector rod.

Comparing this model with the Wiley Clapp-designed Talo exclusive GP-100, the similarities are evident. Both have similar wood-checkered inserts in the rubber grips, both have the green fiber optic front sight, and both have an adjustable rear sight. They differ on barrel length and, of course, on frame size. I would guess the sales of the Wiley Clapp GP-100 must have caught the attention of Ruger and led them to consider this new model of the SP101.

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A Little Historical Perspective On “Delays” In Confirming Judges

December 7, 2011 by

Yesterday, the Senate refused to invoke cloture and end the filibuster of the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The White House released a statement in response saying, in part:

But today, her nomination fell victim to the Republican pattern of obstructionism that puts party ahead of country. Today’s vote dramatically lowers the bar used to justify a filibuster, which had required “extraordinary circumstances.”

This is rich coming from one of the most partisan administrations in recent history. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) spoke on the Senate floor yesterday regarding the Halligan nomination as well as the other judicial nominations considered. The historical perspective provided by Senator Grassley illustrates the hypocrisy that lies behind Obama’s statement on the Halligan filibuster. The relevant part of what Senator Grassley said is below:

With regard to the vote tomorrow, there will be some who say that this nomination has been vacant for too long, and that this nominee is being treated unfairly – needlessly waiting on the Calendar for too many weeks. Well, such arguments fail to consider the history of this seat or of the record established by my colleagues on the other side, regarding the consideration of nominations to the D.C. Circuit.

This seat has been vacant for over six years. It became vacant upon the elevation of John Roberts as Chief Justice back in September 2005. Following Justice Roberts appointment, Peter Keisler was nominated to fill the vacancy in June of 2006, with a hearing held on August 1, 2006. With a Republican majority in the 109th Congress, one would wonder why he never made it out of committee.

Well, it is not that he didn’t have the votes in Committee. The fact is – the Democratic minority would not allow a vote. This was accomplished by holding him over at his first markup, which the rules permit and is a legitimate exercise of the right of the minority. However, for the remaining executive sessions in September of that year, prior to final adjournment, they either made sure the committee did not have a quorum, so we could not vote, or they took the extraordinary step of invoking the 2-hour rule so the committee could not meet. I would note that a quorum was present early in one meeting but evaporated when Mr. Keisler’s nomination was the pending business. So basically, the opponents ran out the clock on this nomination. He didn’t get a committee vote; he didn’t get the courtesy of floor consideration – not even a cloture vote. Mr. Keisler was renominated in January 2007, when the Democrats again assumed control of the Senate. But his nomination sat in committee with no action until it was returned to the President in January 2009. He was the recipient of a pocket filibuster.

This was despite being rated unanimously Well-Qualified by the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary and possessing outstanding qualifications to fill this position. So, complaints about this seat being vacant for too long just ring hollow with this Senator.

Likewise, when one considers the treatment of previous nominees to the D.C. Circuit, it is evident that the nomination of Ms. Halligan is not being treated in an unfair manner. In fact, her nomination is proceeding far better than many nominated to this court. I would remind my colleagues that previous nominees were subjected to delayed or multiple hearings, to extensive delays in committee, to multiple filibusters on the Senate floor. These include the nominations of Miguel Estrada – a Hispanic immigrant with a compelling personal story and outstanding judicial qualifications who was subjected to seven cloture votes; Janice Brown, an African-American female who had two cloture votes; Brett Kavanaugh, and Thomas Griffith. While all of these individuals, other than Mr. Estrada, were eventually confirmed, the procedural tactics used in their nominations made the confirmations difficult. I am not suggesting that is the pattern to follow, but it is relevant to the argument that Ms. Halligan is being treated differently or in an unfair manner.

As might be expected, the New York Times on its opinion page conveniently ignores this history just as did the White House.

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CCRKBA On Halligan Filibuster And The Rejection Of Cloture

December 7, 2011 by

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms opposed Caitlin Halligan from the start and sent out over 1 million emails asking people to contact their Senators. Here is their statement on the Senate refusing to invoke cloture (end the filibuster) on the debate over he confirmation of Halligan.

SENATE LISTENS TO CCRKBA, VOTES ‘NO’ ON OBAMA COURT NOMINEE

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

BELLEVUE, WA – Grassroots power has helped derail President Obama’s nomination of anti-gun extremist Caitlin Halligan to the District of Columbia Circuit Court, with keystone opposition from members and supporters of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

“We sent out more than one million e-mail alerts to gun owners across the country, warning them of Halligan’s anti-gun philosophy,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and it is clear from today’s 54-45 Senate vote against cloture, thus rejecting Halligan’s nomination, that their voices were heard loud and clear.”

The CCRKBA mailing identified Halligan as a “liberal agitator and a fervent gun hater” who “pushed to bankrupt gun manufacturers in New York with frivolous lawsuits.”

“After the disastrous appointments of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court,” Gottlieb said, “we could not stand silently while Obama put forth his most radical anti-gun nominee for a lifetime appointment to one of the most influential federal courts in the nation.

“Tuesday’s vote,” he continued, “is proof that gun owners are wise to Obama’s anti-gun strategy. He may not be able to pass legislation, but his legacy could be a federal court system stacked with gun-grabbing judges who will do whatever it takes to erase the landmark Second Amendment victories before the Supreme Court in the Heller and McDonald cases.

“We are delighted and proud that our members and supporters told the Senate that this is where it ends,” Gottlieb said. “We are not going to allow President Obama the chance to saddle our country and our Constitution with people like Halligan, who are clearly hostile to the Second Amendment.

“There is no place in the federal judiciary for anyone who so vigorously opposes one of our most cherished civil rights,” he concluded. “We’re gratified that a majority in the Senate understands this.”

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Chance To Win Ammo From Crimson Trace

December 7, 2011 by 1 Comment

I received this offer in an email from Iain Harrison of Crimson Trace. So if you have a Crimson Trace laser or light, here is your chance to win some free ammunition.

Crimson Trace just launched their new website. Not only are they offering a coupon code (30LSR11) for 30 bucks off at the checkout, but if you leave a review, your name goes in the hat on Friday for a thousand rounds of free 9mm, 40s&w or 45acp ammo – your choice. The promo will run until the end of the month, but won’t be published on their website until next week, so your readers will be the first to know.

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A Day That Will Live In Infamy, Year Two

December 7, 2011 by

On the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, let us remember those that died in the sneak attack.

We should also remember those veterans that survived the attack on it as well as those who enlisted in response to the attack. My Uncle John Sheridan was a freshman in college. He and a bunch of his friends skipped class on December 8, 1941 and joined the Navy. While most of his war was spent stateside, he finished WWII aboard the USS Bennington CV-20 as an ETM 3rd Class. Unlike many who enlisted that day, he survived the war, eventually got married, raised three sons, and passed away in 2008 at the age of 83.

My father’s draft papers from October 1940 say he was drafted for Army service in the “Hawaiian Department”. This was one of the War Department’s pre-WWII overseas units. As it was, my father never served in Hawaii but was assigned to what became the Caribbean Defense Command.

The generation that actually served in Pearl Harbor on that fateful day are rapidly passing away. The Pearl Harbor Veterans Survivors Associations estimates that only 2,700 veterans who served there that day are still alive out of the original 60,000 sailors, soldiers, and airmen stationed there on December 7th. 100 of these survivors will attend the ceremonies in Hawaii today.

For a good selection of pictures from Japanese and US Naval Archives, go here.

UPDATE: The Pearl Harbor Veterans Survivors Association will shut down at the end of this year according to a story in the New York Times. It is actually rather sad that what the Japanese Navy couldn’t do, the ravages of time will do.

UPDATE II: Bitter at Shall Not Be Questioned has some nice pictures from Pearl Harbor as well as links to actual AP news bulletins from Dec. 7, 1941.

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North Carolina Cities Are Deliberately Ignoring The Letter And Spirit Of The Law

December 7, 2011 by 3 Comments

When the new omnibus gun laws went into effect on December 1st, one of the major changes was a provision that allowed concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed in state, county, and municipal parks. An exception was made to allow cities and counties to continue to forbid concealed carry in recreational facilities which the statute defined as “includes only the following: a playground, an athletic field, a swimming pool, and an athletic facility.” The amendment with this weakening provision was proposed by Rep. David Guice (R-Brevard).

Many cities throughout North Carolina have chosen to amend their ordinances which previously had prohibited all firearms in city parks so as to continue to ban firearms in recreational facilities. Those that have not made changes will, for now, allow concealed carry in all parks and all facilities within the park.

Some cities have stayed close to the meaning of the law if they made changes and just as many have not. Probably the most egregious misreading of the law is in the city of Winston-Salem where they defined an athletic facility to include greenways, lakes, and walking trails. According to published reports, City Attorney Angela Carmon “said in public meetings that the state law did not define “athletic facilities.” The resolution approving the ordinance change is explicit in saying that they are defining the law as they saw fit.


Closer to me, the City of Asheville amended their ordinance on November 22nd as part of their consent agenda. While not going as far as Winston-Salem, it is obvious from staff reports that they made it as strict as possible.

This action complies with the City Council Strategic Operating Plan for Asheville to be safe and secure

Pro:
• Continues, to the fullest extent allowed by law, the prohibition of concealed
handguns on City property.

Con:
• Potential difficulty in enforcement.

 Asheville defines recreational facilities to include:

Recreational Facility means a playground, athletic field, swimming pool, or other recreation or athletic facility, owned or operated by the City of Asheville, together with any appurtenant premises including, but not limited to, locker rooms, seating areas, concession areas, enclosed areas, parking areas.

I think adding parking areas to the list of recreational facilities is somewhat problematic and could go beyond what is meant by the law. Nonetheless, state law does allow a concealed carry holder to leave their firearm in a locked car or locked area within the car.

Grass Roots North Carolina which was one of the prime movers behind getting carry in parks is not happy with how municipalities are trying to bend the law. An alert sent out tonight says they will be initiating legal action and are seeking plaintiffs in the cities of Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Greenville, and Smithfield. They will be adding more cities to that list as needed.

Of course, the gun prohibitionists at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic) are pushing cities to go even further in their defiance of state law. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times:

They have been under criticism from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, which is urging local governments to ban concealed handguns at athletic facilities, a move Asheville has made already.

“You’ve got a lot of intensity (at these events), a lot of emotion and anger, and one or more people are carrying a concealed weapon,” Roxane Kolar, the group’s executive director, said Monday. “That’s just a bad recipe.”

Asheville, and at least 19 other local governments, already have responded by passing laws banning concealed handguns at athletic fields, playgrounds and recreation areas, such as swimming pools.

I predict that cities that have played by the rules and are conservative in how they define recreational facilities will be OK and those cities like Winston-Salem who have played fast and loose with state law will be slapped down. In the end, the taxpayers of those cities will be the ones footing the bill and, in the meantime, they will be ones who will be left to the mercy of criminals. The other prediction I will make is that the blood won’t be running in the parks other than for skinned knees and assorted athletic injuries.

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Cloture Rejected On Caitlin Halligan (updated)

December 6, 2011 by 5 Comments

The Senate rejected cloture on the filibuster of the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan to be a judge on the D.C. Circuit this afternoon. The vote was virtually a party line vote with every Democrat voting to invoke cloture and every Republican except Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Hatch voted Present and Murkowski voted to invoke cloture. To invoke cloture would have required 60 votes Yea. The final tally was 54 Yeas, 45 Nays, and 1 Present.

How your senator voted is below.

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs —54
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Coons (D-DE)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)		 Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK) 		Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs —45
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)		 DeMint (R-SC)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kirk (R-IL)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lee (R-UT)
Lugar (R-IN) 		McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Present – 1
Hatch (R-UT)

UPDATE: Looking over the list of Democrats listed as voting for cloture, I see a few that have portrayed themselves as friends of the Second Amendment such as Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Jon Tester (D-MT), and David Pryor (D-AR). I guess for them party is more important than principle.


The White House is not pleased that the filibuster will continue according to this statement. Obama describes his nominees as “distinguished” but a more appropriate description might be anti-gun ideologues.

Statement by the President on Republican Filibuster of Caitlin Halligan

I am deeply disappointed that a minority of the United States Senate has blocked the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Halligan has the experience, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction on this court, and she has broad bipartisan support from the legal and law enforcement communities. But today, her nomination fell victim to the Republican pattern of obstructionism that puts party ahead of country. Today’s vote dramatically lowers the bar used to justify a filibuster, which had required “extraordinary circumstances.” The only extraordinary things about Ms. Halligan are her qualifications and her intellect.

Currently, Senate Republicans are blocking 20 other highly qualified judicial nominees, half of whom I have nominated to fill vacancies deemed “judicial emergencies” by the Administrative Office of the Courts. These are distinguished nominees who, historically, would be confirmed without delay. All of them have already been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee – most of them unanimously – only to run into partisan roadblocks on the Senate floor. The American people deserve a fair and functioning judiciary. So I urge Senate Republicans to end this pattern of partisan obstructionism and confirm Ms. Halligan and the other judges they have blocked for purely partisan reasons.

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Diversion Of Legally Exported Firearms To The Narco-Terrorists

December 6, 2011 by

Sharyl Attkisson has a report this morning on the legal commercial sales of firearms to the Mexican government and specifically the Mexican Army. All of these sales must be (and have been approved) by the U.S. State Department before any manufacturer is allowed to ship the guns to Mexico.

The reported number of AR-15s sold in 2006 was 2,400. By 2009, in the first year of the Obama Administration, the number of semi-automatic firearms sold to Mexico was 17,169 plus another 1,361 full-auto firearms. The 2009 figures come from the Department of State’s Section 665 Report to Congress. As Attkisson notes, the Department of State has stopped disclosing the actual number of firearms sold. Checking the FY 2010 report, I find that she is correct and that the State Department just lumps everything into one category which could include anything from a firearm to its firing pin. I find it illuminating that as the drug war intensifies om Mexico and the Obama Administration is making a push to “stop the iron river of arms” going to Mexico that they now stop reporting just how many legal arms are being sold.

The problem as Attkisson points out is not the legal sales of firearms to the Mexican Army, it is the diversion of these weapons from the Army to the narco-terrorists. When a poorly paid Private deserts from the Mexican Army, it has become commonplace for his issued weapon to desert with him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t then become stashed under the floorboards in his home for defending the wife and kids but rather goes to the cartels for a significant sum of money.

Ed Head made this same point in an interview with Cam Edwards of NRA News last week. The Obama Administration would have you believe that the arms going to the cartels are coming from border-state gun dealers. They want you to ignore the man behind the curtain or, in this case, the legal sales of firearms that are being diverted from the Mexican Army.

Attkisson reports that the State Department audits a very small percentage of the sales. Of those that it audited, it found that 26% of the firearms had been diverted or some other unfavorable result. Larry Keane of NSSF agrees that the State Department and the Mexican government need to provide better oversight of these firearms once they are in the hands of the Mexican Army. He is correct when he asserts that this is beyond the scope of what the American firearms industry can do.