Today marks the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I like to honor this day by remembering those veterans – Army, Navy, and Marine – who were there on that fateful day as well as those stationed on Wake Island and in the Philipines. These vets are dying out daily and the time will shortly come when no one who faced the waves of Japanese bombers will still be alive. So if you know one of these vets, take the time today to thank them for their service.
I’ve never participated in cowboy action shooting but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from it. In one of the most recent shooting tips videos put out by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Jim “Long Hunter” Finch shows some single and double loading techniques for a pump shotgun. While Jim is using a Winchester Model 97, his techniques would work just as well with a Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870.
Even if your pump shotgun has an extra long extension tube and you have 7 or 9 shells in the tube, these techniques could be invaluable if you need to switch from buckshot to slugs or vice-versa. I’m no expert but it just makes sense to me to practice some of these techniques regardless of whether you are using the shotgun for hunting or self-defense.
UPDATE: It occurred to me early this morning that if you are trying to load the shotgun while you have a full tube, there are other techniques you have to add in to prevent the round(s) in the tube from loading.
Todd Vandermyde is a lobbyist for the NRA in the state of Illinois and a person I respect. He has been fighting in the trenches for gun rights in Illinois for a long time. He has a different take on Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter and his troubles after being found with a small pistol while attempting to board a plane at O’Hare Airport this week.
Todd asked me to check out his Facebook comments and I did. I am doing him the courtesy of reposting his comments here so that they may reach a wider audience. While I may not agree with Todd 100% on this, he does bring up some good points.
Yesterday, Senator Donnie Trotter was arrested for possessing a handgun in his carryon bag when trying to board an airplane at O’Hare airport.Some have tried to jump on a bandwagon of trying to dance in the misfortune of Senator Trotter’s inadvertent mistake. And that is what this appears to be, a simple mistake. The inattention to detail to realize that his bag contained a firearm and he was about to go through security at an airport.
It is a “crime” of possession, having it in his control at the wrong time at the wrong place. And like I said a mistake. I don’t think that Senator Trotter, nor the flight attendant should have their lives and carriers ruined for a mistake. Neither of these cases was the individual aware of the presence of the firearm. Nor did they have any ill intentions. They were not associated with Al Qaeda nor a street gang. And neither has some sort of lengthy criminal record.
Some want to point to the hypocritical nature of Trotter being “caught” with a firearm despite is past voting record. The Sun-Times even went back to 1995 to dredge up his opposition to a concealed carry bill. People change positions on issues over time. Is votes in the past don’t reflect the conversations we have had over the last two years. Just this past week, Senator Trotter joined with 48 of his colleagues to override the Governor’s veto of a bill to allow the mail order sale of ammunition by Illinois retailers to Illinois residents.
His new district runs from the South side of Chicago, to Kankakee, with changing boundaries, come changing constituents with different perspectives. Senator Trotter has maintained an open mind and we have always been able to talk. And we continue to do so.
Out of state groups who never spend any time working the halls of the Capitol would do well to learn the whole record rather than issue knee jerk press releases reveling in the misfortune of an otherwise law abiding gun owner. Minorities and women are the fastest growing demographic in new gun owners. Gun owners would do well to continue to reach out to this growing group, not drive them away by snotty press releases.
The real lesson of this is the lack of any semblance of compassion in the criminal justice system. We have laws for reasons, but justice for the sake of being punitive is not justice. What is absolutely appalling is the lack of any reasonableness in evaluating the situation and the circumstances around it. Instead we have a notorious anti-gun states attorney, who due to her own ineptness, can’t look past the totality of the situation in these cases, the flight attendant or Senator Trotter, and see that justice is not being done. Instead she clings to her disdain for firearms and people who would own them or even want to carry one for self protection. At a time when other states’ attorneys are publicly announcing that they will not prosecute people with FOID cards and no evil motives from carrying a firearm for self defense, we have Anita Alverez who wants to make an example out of people who make a mistake.
What is really glaring is the lack of proportion. Ms. Alverez was the COS under Dick Devine who in prosecuting Tyrus McCants for gun running, the illegal transfer of 3 or more firearms racked up the whopping sentence of 18 months probation on what is a class 1 felony – for supplying firearms on the streets of Chicago.
Yet Senator Trotter and a flight attendant should be made out as felons for a simple mistake, facing 1 to 3 years and a host of fines and legal costs. Which should offend our sensibilities more; the lack of common sense in the prosecution of these cases, or the inattention to detail that led to these charges?
Donnie Trotter will have spent almost 36 hours in detainment for his mistake. He now gets to go through the meat grinder many law abiding gun owners face. TSA shows they have about 1500 of these a year. He also gets to see the Cook County criminal justice system up close and personal as a person who had a legal firearm, a FOID and even a PERC card. He faces a smear of his reputation and achievements for this event. I would rather have someone who has tasted that for a mistake as an ally.
Donnie Trotter is a friend. But I know that but for the grace of God, in my haste on a trip someday, I could be sitting where he is today. And I would want the same opportunity not to have my life ruined because I made a mistake.
That’s why I will give Donnie Trotter and the flight attendant the benefit of the doubt and won’t pile on.
Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has released his updated list of contests giving away guns and gun related products for December,
Want to win a nice 1911? There are five contests with 1911s ranging from the Ruger SR1911 to custom guns by Harrison Design and Volkmann Customs. Prefer the Glock? There is a Glock 19 plus the Timberwolf Glock clone.
Can decide between the AR and AK? They have contests with both as well as a number of nice bolt action rifles.
If you do enter any of the contests, please thank Aaron in the comments for providing this service.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms points out the hypocrisy of anti-gun Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter who was arrested while trying to board a plane at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with a firearm.
CHICAGO ANTI-GUN POL’S ARREST SHOWS TRUE GUN CONTROL HYPOCRISY, SAYS CCRKBA
BELLEVUE, WA – Today’s arrest of Illinois State Sen. Donne Trotter by authorities at O’Hare International Airport for having a gun in his carry-on bag is a revealing look at the hypocrisy of anti-gunners, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Trotter was arrested at a security checkpoint early this morning. A candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat vacated recently by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Trotter had a .25-caliber Beretta semiautomatic pistol in his bag. The Chicago Tribune said Trotter told police he worked late last night as a security guard and didn’t realize the pistol was in his bag.
“Trotter is a South Side Democrat and he was a leader in the move to ban so-called ‘assault weapons’ during his first term as a state representative,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “A man who favored banning firearms for thousands of his fellow Illinois residents shouldn’t even have a gun, much less be packing one illegally into an airport.”
Trotter has reportedly been charged with one count of attempting to board an airplane with a weapon, which is a Class 4 felony.
“Senator Trotter, by his own action, has demonstrated the monumental hypocrisy of gun control advocates who try to disarm average citizens while reserving the right to bear arms for themselves alone,” Gottlieb observed. “He should not even be serving in the state legislature, much less be running for a seat in Congress, which already has its share of gun prohibition hypocrites.
“Today’s incident underscores just how pathetic the anti-gun philosophy has gotten,” he concluded. “Perhaps now he will realize how other citizens feel when they run afoul of some anti-gun law or regulation. He should apologize to every gun owner in Illinois.”
As SayUncle noted last night, “it’s universally known on the internet that the .25 sucks.”
Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers notes that while Trotter does hold a FOID card and is licensed to carry as a security guard he doesn’t believe that you should be able to carry. Trotter is also reported to be interested in running for the Congressional seat formerly held by Jesse Jackson, Jr.
So he is your typical anti-gun hypocrite. It’s perfectly OK for him to carry and own a gun since he measures up to his own personal standards but all the rest of you inbred, knuckle-dragging rednecks are too stupid/ignorant to be trusted and might do something like try and carry one onto a plane.
oh wait.
Maybe he is the perfect replacement for JJJ.
About the only thing I might say in defense of the terminally stupid Sen. Trotter is that he did vote to override Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of SB 681. It still doesn’t excuse carrying a Beretta .25 ACP.
NBC sportscaster Bob Costas went on MSNBC last night to amplify on his remarks during the Eagles-Cowboys game on Sunday night. He denied using the words “gun control” and “Second Amendment” on the air saying that people had made an inference that he had.
In his discussion with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC’s The Last Word, he then said with reference to the number of football players who own guns:
“Even if all those guns were obtained legally, you can’t have 65 guys in
their 20s and 30s, aggressive young men, subject to impulses without
something bad happening,” Costas insisted.
Sure you can, Bob.
Ever hear of an infantry platoon or a Marine company? You have upwards of 150 hard-charging, aggressive young men armed with fully-automatic carbines (plus grenades and other explosives) in their teens and 20s led by a young officer in his early to mid 20s. The “old man” in the platoon or company might be the platoon or company sergeant who is all of 30. If “something bad” happens, it is at the direction of the officers and NCOs and is directed towards the enemy.
You could argue the difference between a pro football team and a Marine infantry company is discipline. However, that would ignore the fact that it takes a certain level of self-discipline for both football players and Marines to succeed. Neither got there without it.
Given that Costas is reported to live in St. Louis – a free state, so to speak – it is a bit surprising that he still holds his antiquated views on guns and gun control. It is every bit as surprising as that at 60 years old, Costas has so little gray hair.
UPDATE: Robb Allen has a very interesting post on this same comment by Bob Costas. It is well worth reading.
I know it is 2012 but sometimes you hear stuff on the news that makes you think you are in 1789 France with King Louis XVI, his queen Marie Antoinette, and the rest of the Royal Court at Versailles.
I know it is tradition to pay off big donors with cushy diplomatic posts but isn’t appointing Anna Wintour ambassador to anything a bit much?
The Illinois State House of Representatives has overridden Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of SB 681 by a vote of 78 yea to 28 nay. The breakdown of the vote by representative can be seen here.
Quinn used his amendatory veto power to graft on a ban on certain semi-automatic firearms, standard capacity magazines, and .50BMG rifles to a bill that would allow Illinois dealers to sell ammunition by mail order.
The Illinois State Rifle Association issued this legislative alert on the override this afternoon:
SB681 Bill Has Been Over-ridden By The House of Representatives and the Governors Veto!
Today, the Illinois House of Representatives has voted to over ride SB681 and the Governors veto. By a vote of 78-28-0, the bill is now considered dead.
SB681 as previously reported had to do with restriction of shipping ammunition to Illlinois residents.
Thanks to the Illinois State Rifle Association membership and gun owners throughout the state, along with the many phone calls made to legislators, we were able to stop this bill from becoming law.
As a point of clarification, Quinn’s substitute language is dead and the original language of the bill restored meaning that Illinois dealers can now ship ammo to FOID card holders.
In not unexpected news, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is reporting that the NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System total hit an all-time high in November 2012. This follows on the heels of the announcement that Black Friday was also a record breaker. The previous high had been December 2011.
The November 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,525,177 is an increase of 38.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,101,076 in
November 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2012 NICS figure
of 1,997,703 reflects a 30.8 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS
figure of 1,527,454 in November 2011.
This marks the 30th straight month in which the NICS checks have surpassed the number in the same month of the prior year. You can see this trend in the NSSF chart below of adjusted NICS checks for the past 12 months.
If you want to see the impact of the election and re-election of Barack Obama has played on these numbers, examine the chart below. November 2008 and November 2012 are significantly higher than the other months of November since the year 2000.
It should be remembered that these NICS checks do not have a direct correlation with sales though they are indicative of sales trends. States such as Kentucky, Iowa, and Michigan use the NICS checks for background checks on those applying for concealed carry permits as well as to check on active CCW holders. Furthermore, as readers pointed out on my Black Friday sales post, in many states including North Carolina holders of concealed carry permits are exempted from the NICS background check.
First the Canadian government ditches the firearms registry and now you have Canadian pension plans buying US firearms accessories manufacturers.
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan just bought Plano Molding Company of Plano, Illinois. Plano makes everything from tackle boxes to cosmetics cases with a large line of gun cases in the middle. I know about those gun cases because I have a number of them.
From the press release by OTPP:
TORONTO (November 28, 2012) – Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) today announced an agreement for the acquisition of Plano Molding Company, Inc. (Plano), the premier supplier of outdoor sports storage systems.Based in Plano, Illinois, and founded in 1932, Plano is recognized as the leading brand in fishing and fall sports markets where it enjoys dominant market shares in tackle boxes, bait storage, gun cases, archery cases, and ice fishing products. It also produces cases for cosmetics, tools and crafts, as well as storage containers and shelving for home and office.
Teachers’ is making the acquisition through its private equity investment division, Teachers’ Private Capital (TPC). Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
“Plano has exceptionally strong brands and product categories supported by attractive market characteristics. It also benefits from its long-standing relationships with top North American retailers,” said Jane Rowe, Senior Vice-President of TPC. “Plano’s proven management team has a record of solid organic growth and has strongly positioned the company to benefit from acquisition opportunities. We look forward to supporting their success.”
“The Plano management team and I are extremely excited to be partnering with Teachers’,” stated Tom Hurt, the Company’s President and CEO. “Together we look forward to growing Plano’s heritage brands to their full potential and continuing our dedication to exceeding our customer expectations in product innovation, market leadership and world-class customer service. An exciting new journey has just begun for Plano, our valued associates and the many market leading brands under our umbrella. The Teachers’ partnership in Plano promises to yield more exciting opportunities than ever before.”
H/T The Outdoor Wire
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