by I solemnly pledge not to show up!
H/T Sister Toldjah
Month: December 2011
Only Caitlin Halligan Could Unite The NRA-ILA And The GOA In Opposition
Caitlin Halligan is Obama’s nominee for a seat on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She formerly served as Solicitor General for the State of New York from 2001 until 2007 under then-NY Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. Her nomination is being filibustered in the Senate due to her leftist views on abortion and gun rights. Tomorrow, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is calling for a cloture (end of debate) vote on Halligan’s confirmation.
Pravda on the Potomac aka the Washington Post has endorsed her. Meanwhile, the Joyce-funded Media Matters for America is trying to say that Halligan’s anti-gun rights actions were in the past and now she supports the Second Amendment. I seem to remember that the “Wise Latina” Justice Sonya Sotomayor made similar comments during her confirmation battle and then dissented on the McDonald case.
Accordingly, the NRA-ILA released this letter that was sent today to every senator.
December 5, 2011
Dear Senator:
I am writing to express the National Rifle Association’s opposition to the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Our opposition is based on Ms. Halligan’s attacks on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Specifically, she worked to undermine the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), enacted in 2005 with strong bipartisan support. This legislation was critically important in ending a wave of lawsuits sponsored by anti-gun organizations and governments, which sought to blame firearms manufacturers and dealers for the criminal misuse of their products by third parties. This bill was an essential protection both for the Second Amendment rights of honest Americans and for the continued existence of the domestic firearms industry as a supplier of arms for our nation’s defense.
Among the governments that sued the industry was the state of New York. This case was pending while Ms. Halligan was New York’s solicitor general, and she strongly supported the litigation both inside and outside the courtroom.
Ms. Halligan represented the state in its 2001 lawsuit against numerous gun manufacturers, in which the state argued that the legal sale of handguns created a “public nuisance” under state law. In a 2003 speech while that case was pending, Ms. Halligan claimed that the PLCAA “would likely cut off at the pass any attempt by States to find solutions—through the legal system or their own state legislatures—that might reduce gun crimes or promote greater responsibility among gun dealers.” That statement was simply wrong. The legislation then under debate—like the version that finally passed two years later—only prohibited lawsuits “resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse” of firearms or ammunition by third parties. It exempted traditional tort actions against gun makers. The bill most certainly did not restrict the actions of state legislatures, as the introduction of numerous anti-gun bills in the New York legislature proves each year.
Ms. Halligan also claimed the PLCAA “would make the gun industry the only industry in the country to be so broadly shielded from lawsuits.” In fact, Congress had previously passed targeted liability protection for many industries and other enterprises, ranging from aircraft manufacturers to food banks to makers of medical implants.
After passage of the PLCAA, Ms. Halligan participated in the legal attack on the PLCAA. The state filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit supporting New York City’s attack on the law’s constitutionality. The arguments in that brief were ultimately rejected by the Second Circuit, as they have been by every other appellate court (and every federal court at any level) that has considered the issue.
Given Ms. Halligan’s clear opposition to a major federal law that was essential to protecting law-abiding Americans’ right to keep and bear arms, as well as an important industry that equips our military and law enforcement personnel, we must respectfully oppose her confirmation, including the vote on cloture.
We greatly appreciate your attention to our concerns. If you have any questions, please contact NRA Federal Affairs at (202) 651-XXXX.
Sincerely,
Chris W. Cox
Executive Director
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
The Gun Owners of American is also standing strong against the confirmation of Halligan and has issued an alert to their members that says in part:
As New York’s solicitor general, Halligan was one of the chief lawyers responsible for New York’s baseless and politically motivated efforts to bankrupt gun manufacturers using frivolous litigation. In so doing, Halligan proved that she places liberal political activism above fealty to the law.
Halligan’s public hatred for firearms was only matched by her zealotry inside the courtroom. In a speech on May 5, 2003, Halligan called for “handgun manufacturers [to be held] liable for criminal acts committed with handguns.”
Certainly, no other manufacturer of another item — whether it be cars, baseball bats, or anything else — would be held liable for the criminal misuse of its product. And, as Halligan well knows, the application of that principle to firearms would surely eliminate the manufacture of firearms in America.
After attempts of legal extortion of the firearms industry were repudiated by a bipartisan vote in Congress, Halligan’s office did not let up on attacking gun rights, signing a brief calling for New York courts to declare the federal Gun Makers’ Protection Act unconstitutional.
Finally, Halligan, in written testimony submitted to the Senate in connection with her nomination, attempted to conceal the extent of her anti-gun animus.
Halligan’s failure to provide information that would clarify her statements, thus keeping her testimony from being misleading, constitutes “fraud” against the Senate. As such, the only role she should play in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the role of a defendant.
But, of course, none of this matter to Harry Reid. He already did his part getting two strident anti-gun Obama judges onto the Supreme Court, and now he’s doing what he can to pack the Appeals Courts with radical leftists as well.
We have to stop this Reid/Obama court-packing scheme. Please act now, as the vote is scheduled for this Tuesday.
To facilitate contacting your state’s senators, GOA has set up a CapWiz letter generator that will send either an email or printed letter to them. It can be found here and I would urge you to select “by email” as the vote is tomorrow.
In an interesting coincidence, Halligan graduated in the same law school class (Georgetown University Law Center, 1995) as Alan Gura. I would have to say that Gura was more successful in his advocacy for the Second Amendment than Halligan was in her attempt to sue the firearms industry out of business and we can all be thankful for that.
Eighteen Months And Counting
November marked the 18th straight month in which the year over year FBI-run NICS checks increased according to the adjusted statistics provided by the NSSF. The numbers from NSSF show that 1,101,076 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks were run during the month. This figure is an increase of 16.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 945,463 in November 2010. Undoubtedly, this was pushed along by the almost 130,000 checks run on Black Friday, November 25th, alone.
The NSSF research staff has to adjust these figures because a number of states use the NICS checks for concealed carry permit approval purposes and for checking on active CCW permit holders. The states include Kentucky, Iowa, and Utah.
Moreover, this November had the second highest number of NICS checks for the month of November in the last 10 years. Only November 2008 had more. I believe that we can reasonably say that November 2008’s sales can be explained by the election of Barack Obama and the feeling that he would seek to implement new gun control measures once in office. He did after all says that we gun owners were bitterly clinging to our guns and religion.
November is also an auspicious month as it marks the 18th anniversary of the signing of the Brady Act on November 30, 1993 by President Clinton. I can’t think of a better way to mark the 18th anniversary than to have 18 straight months of year over year increases in NICS checks. It somehow seems fitting.
In Dealing With The TSA, It’s Time To Look To The Amish
In Amish society, those who have sinned against the community and its values are excommunicated and then shunned. Shunning is the practice of social avoidance or rejection. The offending person is avoided socially and members of the Amish community have nothing to do with this person. The goal of shunning is to show the person the error of their ways in hopes that they will reform, seek repentence, and become a member of the community again.
From AmishAmerica.com on the practice of shunning and the thinking behind it:
As this Amishman explains, shunning is done out of concern for the deviant member. Shunning is also done to protect the body of the church. Shunning in some ways is a fence that keeps the wolves away from the flock. Amish often point out that an individual can’t sit on the fence. Were Amish to accept any practice or belief that came along, the body of the church would be in danger of being corrupted and members led astray spiritually.
How is shunning practiced in reality? With the Amish community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, there is a recognition that all social contact with the shunned person is not feasible:
Actually, shunning does not mean total avoidance. Restricted interaction is permitted. For instance, spouses may continue to live together but they may not engage in sexual intercourse.
Also, shunned members may attend family gatherings. However, on such occasions they are required to sit at a separate table to symbolize their exclusion.
Usually, active members can not engage in business transactions with shunned members. However, if such a transaction is unavoidable, a third party must handle the exchange of money.
The word shun comes from the Middle English shunnen and the Old English scunian meaning to abhor. To abhor is quite appropriate.
How does this relate to the Transportation Security Administration, its agents, security officers, and employees? Hardly a week goes by without another story of an elderly person humiliated, an attractive woman felt up, an amputee belittled, a parent made to feel helpless, a child molested, privacy invaded, or some other event evidencing stupidity, malice, and abuse by a TSA security officer all in the name of “security”.
Everytime it occurs, you get a spokesperson for TSA saying procedures were followed or that no abuse occured. Or now that TSA security officers are allowed to be unionized, a spokesman for the union who insists “the TSA are comprised of workers just like you.” There is also “Blogger Bob” on the TSA Blog who rivals Baghdad Bob in his propensity for denial.
Admittedly, there are good TSA officers and bad TSA officers. There are those who abuse their authority as well as passengers and those who don’t. That said, so long as the TSA officers who perform their job in a just and nonabusive manner countenance those who don’t, then they all will be tarred with the same brush and deservedly so. As the quote attributed to the British statesman Edmund Burke goes, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
What made me think of the practice of shunning and the TSA was seeing a TSA security officer in uniform one day at a local Walmart. This sighting was just after another of their egregious acts was reported in the news. I wondered at the time what would be the best way to make my displeasure known about the behavior of TSA agents as they go about their security kabuki dance.
While a violent or confrontational response to their abusive behavior might feel good for all of a minute, it would be counter-productive as you would have the full weight of the government and the law come down upon you. Moreover, it might even engender sympathy towards TSA.
Likewise, forcing delays on busy travel days by requesting a pat-down would fail because it requires enough people to make the request for it to work, it requires one to actually be flying, and it would cause resentment among those delayed along with some amount of sympathy towards TSA.
Shunning has many advantages and one major disadvantage. First, it is non-violent. Not speaking to or associating with a person is not against the law and you can’t be forced to do it. It is an act of omission rather than an act of commission.
Second, it can be practiced by anyone regardless of whether they are a traveler or not.
Third, social avoidance and social ostraticism are very powerful forces.
Fourth, shunning hits the TSA employee outside of the workplace. While they may be mentally prepared to deal with confrontation on the job as well as having their agency’s resources behind them, being avoided socially while off the job is unexpected.
Fifth, their agency and the government can do nothing to stop it.
Finally, my guess is that TSA employees will begin to have a bunker mentality which may well cause them to either quit or become more outlandish in their abuse. The more outlandish the abuse, the greater the pressure for the agency to be abolished or, at the least, be reined in by Congress.
The major downside is that shunning requires the buy-in of the public. Unlike the Amish community where those who don’t shun the outcast are themselves subject to excommunication and shunning, there is nothing to force you to shun the TSA employee. It is a voluntary action with no adverse consequences if one doesn’t shun the TSA employee. Frankly, the only way that shunning will work is if enough people are angry enough to do it and to continue doing it.
I am not saying that shunning will work but that it has the potential to work. I plan on doing it and would call on all those who are outraged by the continued assault on our civil liberties by the TSA and its agents to say enough is enough and to social ostracize those who are a part of that agency.
Helping Those Who Put Their Lives On The Line For Us
There is an organization called Soldiers’ Angels which exists to provide aid and comfort to the men and women of our Armed Forces, their families, and veterans. Their motto is “May No Soldier Go Unloved.” To date, they have:
- Sent hundreds of thousands of care packages and letters to deployed troops
- Provided over 6,000 voice-controlled, adaptive laptops to severely wounded soldiers as they recover
- Provided wounded soldiers with over 25,000 First Response backpacks
- Provided emergency aid to veteran’s families
- Provide Level III Kevlar blankets to soldiers in Iraq to help protect them in the early days of IEDs before up-armoring.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Linoge at Walls of the City – a veteran of service in the US Navy – is spearheading a fundraising drive for Soldiers’ Angels and has asked other bloggers to help get the word out. In an effort to encourage donations, he has organized a giveaway which can be entered by donating to Soldiers’ Angels. A number of people and companies have donated gifts and prizes including a Dragon Leatherworks holster, a Best Belt from Michael’s Custom Holsters, Gunwalker T-shirts from Sean Sorrentino, Crimson Trace Lightguards, and a copy of Stephen Hunter’s newest book. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Thinking back over my childhood, my father was deployed with the US Army for at least five Christmases when I was growing up. While we sent him gifts and care packages, I imagine that there were many soldiers in his units who were not so fortunate. I know from personal experience just how much these letters and care packages mean to deployed servicemen and women. I would ask you to participate in the fundraising drive for Soldiers’ Angels as it is for those who protect our freedoms here at home.
Here are the rules for Linoge’s giveaway:
How to Earn a Ticket:
1. Every five dollars you donate directly to Soldiers’ Angels nets you one numbered ticket.
2. Every five dollars you spend in their Dollar Days or Amazon shops (where the products are shipped directly to them) gets you one ticket.
3. Every five dollars you spend in the Angels’ Store for any product that is shipped to “ANY Hero”, “ANY Wounded Soldier”, or “A SPECIFIC Soldier” earns you one ticket.
4. DO NOT SEND ME MONEY. All money and goods should go directly to Soldiers’ Angels.
5. DO SEND ME THE RECEIPT. Anonymize it however you like, and use the actual receipt or a screencap, but email from an address I can reach you back at. Send the receipt/proof to “linoge (at) wallsofthecity (dot) net”.
6. Within 24 hours, you should receive an email from me indicating your ticket numbers. If you do not, feel free to email me again or comment here.
To get more information on Linoge’s fundraising drive, go here. His original announcement of the program is here.
I have sent a donation to Soldiers’ Angels. Now it is your turn and I hope you will be generous.
The Ranks Of Gun Owners Swelled On Black Friday In Illinois
While Illinois may be the only state that does not have some form of concealed carry, it was not left out of the rise in sales of firearms on Black Friday. According to WLS-TV in Chicago, the Illinois State Police reported a 42% increase in the number of applications for Firearms Owner ID (FOID) cards on Black Friday compared to last year. Almost 2,900 new applications were received for FOID cards this year. Bear in mind that these are NEW (would-be) gun owners because once you have a FOID card it covers all your guns and is good for 10 years.
However, and I think the reporter for WLS-TV doesn’t quite get Illinois firearms law, an application for a FOID card is not approved immediately. The State Police have up to 30 days to approve it and return it to you. Until you have a valid FOID card in hand, you can’t buy a firearm, ammunition, or a Taser.
This is from an email this evening from Thirdpower of Days of Our Trailers blog:
You can apply for your FOID through most FFL’s if they’re smart. It normally takes 3-4 weeks to get it through the ISP so while you could ‘purchase’ your firearm by perhaps putting down a down payment, you cannot actually fill out the 4473/NICS check until you have the FOID in your possession. Then there’s a 24hr waiting period for long guns and 72 hour for handguns.
We will have to wait until the NICS stats are out to get a better idea of just how much actual gun sales rose in Illinois during this period. Nonetheless, this many applications for FOID cards means another 2,900 gun owners are added to the rolls of gunowners in the Land of Lincoln. And THAT is a good thing.
Note: A big thanks to Kurt Hofmann, the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner, and Thirdpower for answering my questions so quickly about Illinois gun law and FOID cards. I really appreciate their help!
Thirdpower put together this primer on Illinois gun laws a couple of years ago. It is a good starting place.
Black Friday Gun Sales
As noted elsewhere, NICS checks on Black Friday hit an all-time one day high of 129, 166 which is up 32% from the previous high reached on Black Friday in 2008. Larry Keane of the NSSF attributed to a growing awareness among Americans that they have a right to own a firearm.
Of course, the naysayers at the Brady Campaign are doing their best to emulate Ebenezer Scrooge and say “bah humbug”.
Dennis Henigan, acting president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said he was “skeptical” of the Black Friday gun surge.
“I think there may be no real signifcance at all,” Henigan said. “It’s possible that gun companies are just catching on to creating a Black Friday frenzy for themselves.”
Sorry Dennis but the numbers don’t lie – people bought more guns on that one day than ever before regardless of whether there were sales or not. Moreover, given that in many states, CCW holders are exempted from NICS checks, the actual number could be higher.
I do like Sebastian’s suggestion to Henigan – repeal the Brady Act so numbers such as this won’t be reported.
Here in North Carolina, the amount of firearm sales on Black Friday attracted the attention of reporters at WCNC in Charlotte. They visited Hyatt Gun Shop which is one of the larger dealers in North Carolina as well as the nation.
It was nice to see a reporter not only recognize the growth in sales but know enough to index her trigger finger along the receiver.
H/T NRA News and Sebastian
Colt Expands To Florida
Given the relatively hostile climate for gunmakers in Massachusetts and Connecticut, I think it should come as no surprise that Colt’s Manufacturing Company – the civilian side of Colt – announced yesterday that it is setting up a regional headquarters and production facility in Florida. According to the announcement from Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office, Colt is making a $2.5 million capital investment in a building owned by Osceola County. They expect to have a staff of 63 that will begin phasing in during 2012.
I don’t have a crystal ball but I think this is only the first of many expansions by firearms makers outside of their traditional “Gun Valley” home. I think the moves will be made for two major reasons: a more favorable (and gun friendly) business climate in the new location and lower personnel costs due to non-unionized workforces. It was only last year that Olin Corporation’s Winchester Division began moving most of its center-fire ammunition production from East Alton, IL to Oxford, Mississippi. That move was done for both those reasons.
I would also keep my eye on announcements out of the state of South Dakota. They have an industrial development project run out of the governor’s office that is targeting firearms manufacturers and others in the gun industry. They promote their gun-friendly attitude as an attraction for businesses in the industry.
The full announcement for the office of Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) is below:
12/1/2011 Osceola County, Fla. – Today, Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC announced its commitment to create 63 jobs in Osceola County for its new regional headquarters and product manufacturing center. The center will hire people for engineering and manufacturing jobs, among others. In 2012, Colt is projected to begin phasing in the first of 63 jobs paying an average salary of $45,060 to be created during the following three years. Governor Rick Scott and Colt’s Manufacturing Company President and CEO Lieutenant General M. William Keys USMC (Ret.) were joined by the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners for the announcement.
“As a supporter of new job creation and the Second Amendment, this announcement sends the clear message that Florida is both open for business and a defender of our right to bear arms,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said. “My primary responsibility as governor is to be our state’s chief advocate for job creation. My personal involvement in bringing Colt to Florida demonstrates my administration’s deep commitment to rebuilding our economy.”
Colt is making a $2.5 million capital investment in a vacant building, which the company will lease, that is owned by Osceola County. Governor Scott and his economic development team at Enterprise Florida Inc. and the Osceola County Economic Development Department worked with Colt to bring this project to fruition. State incentives include $250,000 from the Governor’s Quick Action Closing Fund and funds for workforce training. Osceola County is offering additional incentives, including renovation of the building and rent concessions.
“Colt looked at many possible sites across the nation, but we ultimately decided to locate our new facility in the State of Florida,” Gen. Keys said. “Florida offered a strong pro-business incentive package. Coupled with the low cost of doing business in Florida and a favorable regulatory environment, opening this new facility was very attractive to us. Governor Scott’s personal commitment to both Colt’s growth plan and America’s right to bear arms was instrumental in our decision.”
“Attracting an American icon like Colt, which is one of the world’s top brands, is a real coup for our economic development efforts,” said Commission Chairman John Quiñones. “Beyond creating new, high-wage jobs, Colt is going to be a great asset to our community.”
“Colt’s expansion to Osceola County is a perfect fit for the region,” said Dr. Sanford Shugart, president of Valencia College, which will design a specialized training program for the company. “Valencia College stands ready to deliver the best trained, best educated workforce possible. We welcome Colt’s Manufacturing Company to Osceola County and commit to partnering with them and serving their employees and families for many years to come.”
Osceola County is located southeast of Orlando and just due west of Cape Canaveral.
More Than A High Priced Toy
I received a press release the other day for a new thermal imaging weapon sight released for the civilian market by ATN. Given the MSRP of $6,599, I at first thought this was a bit much even for the most ardent mall ninja. Then I started thinking about it.
For the average person, it is a bit much. However, for a farmer who loses thousands of dollars in an evening to crop damage by feral hogs, it might be worth its weight in gold. Given that it doesn’t need available light to work nor is the image altered by ground fog, it would allow the farmer to see and shoot the feral hogs in all conditions. So long as the state allows night hunting for feral hogs – or coyotes in the case of livestock ranchers – this plus a suppressed rifle could be just the tool needed to take out that sounder of hogs eating his crops.
I would think contractors who have a crop depredation permit and provide their services to farmers could pay for this in short order from their increased effectiveness.
Of course, if you are just planning for the Zombie Apocalypse and want the ultimate night scope, this might be it. However, I’m unsure about the thermal signature of the living dead so you just might want to stay with your normal red dot sight.
Details on the ATN ThOR-320 Thermal Imaging Weapon Sight from the press release:
South San Francisco, CA – American Technologies Network, makers of military, law enforcement, security and outdoor night vision and thermal applications, is introducing the latest product in their ThOR series of thermal optical rifle scopes; the ATN ThOR-320. The ATN ThOR series of thermal imaging scopes are based on the same 320 x 240 high resolution microbolometer core technology used by the US Military and law enforcement agencies. The new ATN ThOR-320 is the smallest, most compact and lightweight in the ThOR series. The ThOR-320 uses forward-looking infrared (FLIR) that detects heat to create the visible image. The ThOR-320 provides extremely clear images through total darkness, fog or smoke. Nothing affects the sensitivity of these mini scopes, neither darkness, camouflage nor bright lights.
The ATN ThOR-320 is available in three different optical powers to suit the mission; 1x, 2x or 3x. The digital zoom option doubles the magnification. The ATN ThOR-320 thermal imaging sight is easy to use with digital controls and menu buttons that provide the user with a variety of aiming reticles, allow for the change in polarity and adjustment of image brightness of optimal image view. The scope also comes with precision digital windage and elevation adjustments and a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny Rail quick release mount. The multipurpose ThOR-320 can also be converted into a compact handheld viewer by removing the mount and adding a hand-strap (included).
ATN ThOR-320 Features:
• 320 x 240 resolution
• Uncooled VOx Microbolometer technology
• 800 x 600 OLED display
• High resolution OLED Microdisplay
• Available in 30hz Fast Image frame rate and 60hz Enhanced Image frame rate
• Easy to use digital controls
• Interchangeable reticle patterns with push of the button
• Digital brightness control
• Video output
• Precision digital windage and elevation adjustments
• Rapid start up in 3 seconds
• Up to 6 hours of operation with two 3V lithium batteries
• Quick release Picatinny mounting system
• One-Year Warranty
• MSRP $6,599.00 for the ThOR 320-2x
Savings At Crimson Trace
I received an email yesterday from Iain Harrison saying that to celebrate their new website, Crimson Trace is offering a $30 discount to anyone buying one of their lasers.
Use coupon code 30LSR11 at checkout.
Seems like a nice discount on a great laser to me.