Month: September 2012

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Banning The Tool And Not The Act In NJ

September 27, 2012 by 5 Comments

The New Jersey General Assembly has passed a bill out of the Consumer Affairs Committee that would ban the sale of laser pointers that generate more than one milliwatt output. The ostensible reason behind this ban is that law enforcement authorities say people have been shining laser pointers at plane cockpits.

Earlier this month, state and federal law enforcement authorities warned
of the dangers of pointing lasers at planes, an increasingly common
occurrence that can temporarily blind pilots and put the crew and
passengers at risk.

There were
269 reported laser “strikes” in New Jersey airspace last year, authorities said, as compared to just four in 2007.

“Laser pointers can serve a legitimate need in the classroom and in
business settings, but clearly in those cases we don’t need
super-powered laser pointers that can put people at risk,” the sponsor
of the bill, Assemblyman Nelson Albano (D-Cumberland) said.

The bill would impose fines of not more than $500 for the first offense
and not more than $1,000 for each subsequent offense. An identical bill
passed the Senate in June.

people at risk.”

The bill, A3169, doesn’t just impact those laser pointers used in making presentations. From the text of the bill:

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    a. No person shall sell
or offer to sell a laser pointer that exceeds one milliwatt in output power.
     b.    For the purposes of this
section, “laser pointer” means any device that emits laser light to
project a beam that may be used for aiming, targeting, or pointing out
features.
     c.     Nothing in this section
shall apply to the sale of a laser pointer intended to be used by, or under the
supervision of, a health care practitioner licensed under the laws of the State
of New Jersey.

By this definition, the sale of the laser products sold by Crimson Trace, Viridian, and LaserMax would all be outlawed.  Their peak output is 5 milliwatts.

This is a bill that needs to go nowhere. It will end up banning a self-defense tool that can help in stressful situations. It is so typical of politicians that rather severely punishing the transgression they think it is easier to just ban something.

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Agenda For 2012 GRPC

September 26, 2012 by 1 Comment

The agenda for the 2012 Gun Rights Policy Conference has been released and I’ve posted it below. The Second Amendment band Madison Rising will be doing the National Anthem as well as playing at both the Friday and Saturday night receptions. How cool is that!

27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference
September 28-30, 2012
Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida, Airport

FRIDAY, September 28, 2012—Regency Ballroom
7:00 p.m. Registration Table Opens
7:00–9:00 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar
Co-hosted by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)
Music by the patriot rock band Madison Rising

SATURDAY, September 29, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
7:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverages hosted by Women & Guns Magazine

8:00 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator—Julianne Versnel, publisher, Journal on Firearms & Public Policy, director of operations, SAF
Color Guard—University of Central Florida, Air Force ROTC
National Anthem performed by Madison Rising
Invocation—Rev. Anthony Winfield, chaplain, Elmhurst Hospital Center, New York City

8:10 a.m. State of the Gun Rights Battle

Welcoming Remarks
The Road Traveled—Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF
The Road Ahead—Alan M. Gottlieb, chairman, CCRKBA and founder, SAF

8:30 a.m. The Most Dangerous Election of Our Lifetime
Maria Heil, board member and spokesperson, National Rifle Association

8:45 a.m. Federal Affairs Briefing
Mark Barnes, president, Mark Barnes and Associates
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issues columnist
Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America
Joe Waldron, legislative director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

9:15 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing I
Hon. Sam Slom, Minority Leader Hawaii Senate, trustee of the Second Amendment Foundation
Sandra Barreras, Puerto Rico, Damas de la Segunda Enmienda
Jim Irvine, president, Buckeye Firearms Association
Richard Nascak, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org.
Patrick Shomo, president, Maryland Shall Issue Inc.

9:45 a.m. Beverage break hosted IAPCAR

10:00 a.m. State Legislative Affairs Briefing II
Stephen Aldstadt, president, Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE, Inc.) NY
Thomas Bolioli, secretary, Commonwealth Second Amendment, Inc.
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Tony Montanarella, president, California Rifle & Pistol Association
Philip Van Cleave, president, Virginia Citizens Defense League

10:30 a.m. Global Gun Control: Down but Not Out
Gary Burris, founder, Lone Star Shooting Association
Sheldon Clare, president, National Firearms Association of Canada
Julianne Versnel, publisher, Women & Guns, director of operations, Second Amendment Foundation
Maj. Gen. Allen Youngman, USA (ret.), executive director, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council

11:00 a.m. “Stand Your Ground” Laws under Fire
Eric Friday, Esq., counsel for Florida Carry
Jon Gutmacher, Esq., firearms instructor, attorney and author of Florida Firearms — Law, Use & Ownership

11:20 a.m. Protecting the Right to Protect
Mark O’Mara, Esq., defense attorney for George Zimmerman

11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Panels

12:00 Noon Recess and break to prepare for box luncheon

12:15 p.m. Awards Luncheon Hosted by CCRKBA and SAF
Speakers:
U.S. Representative. Joe Barton (R-Texas 6th Dist.)
Ambassador Donald A. Mahley
Otis McDonald, lead plaintiff, McDonald v. City of Chicago
Awards presentations

1:30 p.m. Recess Break

1:45 p.m. Fine-Tuning Arms Rights in the Courts
David Jensen, Esq., SAF counsel in Kwong vs. Bloomberg, Moore v. Madigan and Piszczatoski v. Maenza
Donald Kilmer, Esq., counsel to CalGuns Foundation and SAF
David Kopel, Esq., research director, Independence Institute, co-author, Firearms Law & the Second Amendment
Dan Schmutter, Esq., legal counsel, Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs

2:15 p.m. The Second Amendment and the Legal Community
Bobbie K. Ross, Esq., Chair, Second Amendment Civil Rights Litigation Subcommittee, American Bar Association

2:30 p.m. The Realities of Self-Defense in Washington, DC
Emily Miller, senior editorial page editor, The Washington Times and author of Emily Gets a Gun

2:45 p.m. The “Fast and Furious” Fiasco
David Workman, senior editor, TheGunMag.com, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner

3:00 p.m. Beverage service hosted by KeepAndBearArms.com

3:15 p.m. Those Dangerous Gun-Free Zones
John Lott, PhD, commentator for FoxNews.com and Wall Street Journal

3:30 p.m. Breaking the Establishment Media’s Stranglehold
Robert Farago, publisher, TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Bob Harvey, host, Bullseye Radio Talk Show
Fredy Riehl, editor and press coordinator, Ammoland.com
Mark Vanderberg, Gun Rights Radio Network

4:00 p.m. How Gun Rights Are Really at Risk if They Steal the Election First
John Fund, senior editor The American Spectator and columnist for National Review Online

4:15 p.m. The 2012 Elections: A Nation at the Crossroads
Alan Gottlieb, chairman, AmeriPAC, chairman, CCRKBA
Stephani Scruggs, president, Unite in Action and national chair, The 912 Project
Kirby Wilbur, chairman, Republican Party of Washington, SAF trustee

4:45 p.m. Growing State Gun Rights Networks
Gene Hoffman, chairman, CalGuns Foundation
Brent Carlton, president, Commonwealth Second Amendment Inc.
Sean Caranna, co-executive director, Florida Carry.org

5:15 p.m. Which Case Will Be the Next RKBA Case to Go to SCOTUS?
Alan Gura, SAF chief counsel and lead attorney, D.C. v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago and Ezell v. Chicago

5:30 p.m. Q & A on afternoon panels

6:00 p.m. Announcements and Adjournment

6:30-9:30 p.m. Reception with Cash Bar—Regency Ballroom
Hosted by Second Amendment Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation
Entertainment by patriotic rock band Madison Rising

SUNDAY, September 30, 2012—Intercontinental Ballroom
8:30 a.m. Registration Table Opens
Beverage service hosted by TheGunMag.com

8:50 a.m. CALL TO ORDER
Moderator: Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women & Guns, board member CCRKBA

9:00 a.m. Growing the Gunowner Base in the Popular Culture War
Alan Korwin, author, After You Shoot, Bloomfield Press Richard Mgrdechian, president, Madison Rising
Neil Schulman, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker
Peggy Tartaro, editor, Women & Guns magazine, board member, CCRKBA

9:35 a.m. The Supreme Court: A Majority of One
David Kopel, Esq., adjunct professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver
Joseph P. Tartaro, executive editor, TheGunMag.com, president, SAF

10:00 a.m. The Many Faces of the Second Amendment
Rev. Kenneth V. Blanchard, pastor, firearms instructor, blogger
Doug Ritter, founder and chairman, KnifeRights.org
Erik Royce, founder, TruckerGuns Foundation
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association<

10:30 a.m. Is Patient Privacy Dead after Florida Court Ruling?
Timothy Wheeler, MD, director, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the SAF

10:45 a.m. The Academic Front in the Gun Rights Battle
David Burnett, Students for Concealed Carry
Brian Patrick, associate professor of communications, University of Toledo

11:05 a.m. The Anti-Gunners’ Homeland Security Gambit
Charles Heller, executive director, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Benjamin Smith, director of Strategic Affairs, Unite in Action, and contributor to Breitbart and Fox News

11:25 a.m. Countering Media Bias
Don Irvine, president, Accuracy in Media
Malia Zimmerman, editor, Hawaii Reporter, director, Hawaii Rifle Association

11:45 a.m. Q & A on Morning Session

12:00 Noon Report of the Resolutions Committee
Genie Jennings, W&G columnist
Stephen Aldstadt, president, SCOPE, Inc.
Linda Farmer, Georgia gun rights activist
Jeff Knox, managing director, Firearms Coalition, gun issue columnist
Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association
Herb Stupp, Vice Chairman CCRKBA
Miko Tempski, director, CCRKBA
Linda Walker, board member, National Rifle Association
Robert Wiest, SAF board of trustees, Tennessee activist

1:00 p.m. Closing remarks and adjournment
Alan M. Gottlieb and Joseph P. Tartaro

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PETA Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone

September 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

Brasstown, North Carolina is a small little town in the far southwestern corner of the state. It is home to the John C. Campbell Folk School where they teach everything from woodworking to quilting to story-telling.

The Cherokee County town is also home to a quaint New Year’s Eve tradition called the Possum Drop. Held at Clay’s Corner, the Possum Drop actually involves the lowering -not dropping -of a live possum (oppossum, if you are a stickler for spelling) starting around 10pm. It is Brasstown’s answer to the dropping of the ball in Times Square. This event is unique enough to have caught the eye of CBS’s Bill Geist who did a story on it for CBS Sunday Morning.

Unfortunately, it has also caught the attention of the busybodies at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They are now taking the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to court for issuing a permit to the organizer of the Possum Drop, Clay Logan.

From WRAL-TV:

PETA attorney Martina Bernstein said possums are timid animals and can actually die from the stress. She likened the New Year’s Eve event to torture for the animal.

“It is something you wouldn’t do to your own dog or cat – have them hoisted up on a Plexiglas contraption for several hours with fireworks going off you know swinging in in the cold air,” Bernstein said.

She argued that the state permit for the event was improperly issued because North Carolina law doesn’t allow wild animals to be kept captive unless it’s for rehabilitation – and that requires a captive animal permit.

“There are very strict rules for that. It’s not a free-for-all,” she said. “But apparently the agency believes, if you don’t fit into these permits, we’re just going to make up something.”

Norman Young, the assistant attorney general representing the Wildlife Resources Commission, said the permit was legal. New Year’s Eve falls during possum season in the state, so Logan’s hunting license allows him to trap one for the drop, he said.

“(This is) an event that does not show any particular harm to the opossum and I might add doesn’t meet the elements of the animal cruelty statute,” Young said.

Senior Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison Jr. refused the state’s motion for the case to be dismissed which means that the case will live for another month.

The last time that PETA threatened a suit over this Mr. Logan resorted to using a roadkill ‘possum which didn’t thrill the New Year’s Eve revelers. If PETA does win, the state’s assistant attorney general says it would be entirely legal for Mr. Logan to kill a oppossum, keep it in his freezer, and then put the frozen carcass in the plexiglass box on New Year’s Eve.

My suggestion to PETA and one that I think at least the men in the Brasstown community would appreciate is for them to volunteer one of their brainless – but attractive – starlet backers to be put in the box and lowered on New Year’s Eve.  Naked, of course, since wearing any fur would be against their principles which we couldn’t have.

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Request For DOJ IG To Investigate Zapata Murder

September 26, 2012 by 1 Comment

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News is reporting this afternoon that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have sent a letter to Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice Inspector General, requesting that he investigate the murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata. The murder weapons used in Zapata’s death have been traced to guns that ATF allowed to be walked.

According to the letter, ATF may have had probable cause to arrest
two firearms dealers before they bought and trafficked a weapon used to
murder Zapata, who was on assignment in Mexico. “Only after Agent Zapata
was murdered…and one of the weapons was traced back” to suspect
Otilio Osorio “did ATF finally arrest Otilio, his brother and a third
suspect for their gun trafficking activity,” reads the letter.

Congressional
investigators say ATF had earlier witnessed the Osorio brothers in a
Walmart parking lot providing 40 weapons with obliterated serial numbers
to be trafficked to Mexico. It was what’s known as a “controlled
delivery,” meaning law enforcement officials were monitoring the sale.
In this case it was part of a joint investigation with the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA). But “ATF failed to confront the two
individuals” leaving them to continue to allegedly traffic weapons,
including one used in Zapata’s killing, according to the letter.

The DOJ IG’s office is said to be reviewing the request.

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“Four More Years of Obama: Gun Control ‘Under the Radar’ No More”

September 26, 2012 by

Cam Edwards interviewed Dr. A.M.R. Hawkins of Breitbart’s Big Government yesterday. They discuss Obama’s history of support for gun control and how he has the ability to seriously impact gun owners through court appointments, regulatory changes, and executive orders. It does not take action by Congress for him to do things like that.

Hawkins’ full article, Four More Years of Obama: Gun Control ‘Under the Radar’ No More, can be found here.

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I’m Going To Need Some Eye Bleach!

September 26, 2012 by 2 Comments

Aging pop star Madonna is a big supporter of Barack Obama. So much so that she stripped to her underwear at a concert last night in Washington, DC to show everyone her fake tramp stamp that says Obama in large letters. She also entertained them with political commentary.

  The 54-year-old Material Girl roused the crowd in Washington,
D.C. Monday night with her political commentary, telling concertgoers,
“Y’all better vote for f***ing Obama, OK? For better or for worse, all
right? We have a black Muslim in the White House!

Does the former Mrs. Sean Penn know something that we don’t?  Unless I am grossly mistaken, President Obama and his supporters have always insisted that he is a Christian. Given his comments today about “the prophet of Islam” at the United Nations she may be on to something.

And lest I forget, here is Madonna. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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It’s Crunch Time For Second Amendment Film Project

September 25, 2012 by

October 5th is the deadline for pledges of support to Dead Patriot Films and their project Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire. I received this email from the producer Kris Koenig today:

We’re at the bottom of the seventh and it’s not looking good for us, but this is America and we never give up.  I still believe we can reach our goal by Oct 5th. Why? We each know three friends that can join this campaign.  We just need our friends to match our pledges to reach the target.

Please email, Facebook and tweet this project (http://kck.st/OllEYn) to everyone you know.  Let them know why this is important to you and why getting this film made should be important to them.  Remember, if each of us bring three of our buddies to this campaign, we’ll easily round the bases and launch this film.

Thank you,

Kris

They have a goal of raising $65,000. As of a few minutes ago, they’ve received a bit over $23,000 from 317 backers. I’ve made a pledge and would encourage you to do so as well.

In his email, Kris states that he’ll be at the Gun Rights Policy Conference this coming weekend in Orlando. I hope to meet up with him and learn more about this project.

And if you haven’t registered for the conference, it isn’t too late! While pre-registration is officially closed, you can still register at the door. This will make my third GRPC and I can barely wait until Friday. If you live within driving distance and have an interest in Second Amendment rights, you owe it to yourself to attend.

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Since All The Cool Kids Are Doing It..

September 24, 2012 by 2 Comments

Since all the cool kids are posting either their Top 20 from their iPod or a screen cap of their desktop, I thought I’d play as well. I tend to use my iPod Classic for listening to podcasts more than anything else. When I checked my top played songs, the list was dominated by Christmas music! Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper was number one so it wasn’t all bad.

I think I’ll just go with the screen cap instead. My wallpaper is from the FX show Justified. As you can tell, I’m a fan of the show.

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Now For The Real AK Cleaning Video

September 24, 2012 by

Greg Hickok – Hickok45 – had people going with his spoof video on cleaning an AK-47/AK-74. Now he has released the real video below on cleaning an AK.

One thing Greg makes clear in this video is that you are often dealing with corrosive ammo. He refers to using Windex but prefers using Ballistol. I’ve used Windex myself in the past but anything that dissolve the corrosive salts will work. If I remember correctly, the British had a special funnel for pouring boiling soapy water down the barrels of their Enfield rifles which would work as well.

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Small Gun Shows

September 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Complementary Spouse and I trekked up to Micaville to attend the High Country Gun Show. Micaville is about 45 minutes north of Asheville in the shadow of Mount Mitchell which is the highest peak in the eastern United States. It was just the right distance for a Sunday drive.

There is something to said for the smaller gun shows. They are less crowded, the vendors have more time to spend with you, and everything and everybody is just friendlier.

I had a short list of things I was seeking. I was looking for 5.56 and 7.62 stripper clips and spoons, AK-47 steel magazines, and paracord for the Complementary Spouse. I did end up buying 4 AK mags, a handful of 5.56 stripper clips for a nickel each, a box of small rifle magnum primers, a couple of boxes of Yugoslavian 7.62×39 ammo, and 2 Rite in the Rain notebooks. We couldn’t find any paracord other than already made-up survival bracelets or any spoons for the stripper clips.

I can’t speak for all smaller shows but at least at this one vendors were happy to send you to a competitor if they didn’t have what you wanted. That’s how I ended up with the AK mags and ammo.

While the High Country Gun Show had lots of handguns, they also had a lot more hunting rifles and shotguns than other shows I’ve been to recently. They also had some rifles in more unusual calibers such as a gorgeous Winchester Model 70 in .300 Holland and Holland and a Remington 700 in .416 Rem Mag (or maybe .416 Rigby). I also came across a Browning Citori O/U shotgun in 16 gauge. I love 16 gauges and this was a nice one at a good price.

To sum it up, if you get a chance to go to a smaller gun show, take it. I think you’ll have a good time.