Month: March 2013

Uncategorized

ISRA – McCarthy Must Go

March 31, 2013 by 2 Comments

It was a hot night in the city last night. While the weather was just warm, the teen mob violence on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile became rather hot with 28 arrested. According to multiple reports, a mounted policeman was assaulted, passerbys were attacked, and a group of women were attacked on a Chicago Transit Authority train.

In response to this out of control mob, the Illinois State Rifle Association reiterated their calls for the firing of Chicago Police Superintendent Gerry McCarthy. They are calling it “one rampage too many.”

CHICAGO, March 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

The ISRA is once again calling upon Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fire Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy . This latest call for McCarthy’s ouster comes after a mob of young thugs – estimated to be in the hundreds – swarmed the Magnificent Mile shopping district Saturday night and began beating dozens of innocent shoppers. This latest mob action appears to be the most serious in a string of events over the past two years involving gangs of youths randomly attacking shoppers on North Michigan Avenue.

“Just like dyeing the Chicago River green on St. Patty’s Day, cracking tourists’ heads on North Michigan Avenue is becoming a Windy City tradition,” commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson . “The first warm night of the year, and all hell breaks loose in the city’s most tony shopping district. It should be clear to everybody by now that Supt. McCarthy has lost control of the city. What are things going to be like when the weather really heats up? What has to happen before Emanuel wakes up and gives the nod to a more effective top cop?”

“The ISRA has been cautioning folks against making Chicago a leisure time destination for a few years now,” continued Pearson. “Unless you’re the kind of person who wants to be terrorized, beaten, raped or robbed, then you should definitely find another place to vacation. For the law-abiding citizen, Chicago has become just too dangerous to visit.”

“While vicious mobs have been busily destroying Chicago’s tourism industry, Mayor Emanuel and Supt. McCarthy have been busy as well – vilifying law abiding firearm owners,” said Pearson. “If they spent more time thwarting crime and less time trying to take guns away from hunters and sportsmen, then Chicago might be a better place in which to live and work.”

“The sad events of Saturday night will certainly bolster efforts to pass concealed carry legislation down in Springfield,” said Pearson. “Good people have a right to defend themselves against lawless thugs. I’m positive that the prospect of encountering armed citizens would make such flash mobs vaporize in a hurry.”

The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

Uncategorized

North Carolina SB 408 – Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act

March 31, 2013 by 3 Comments

North Carolina State Senators Jeff Tarte (R-Mecklenburg), Andrew Brock (R-Davie), and Shirley Randleman (R-Stokes) have introduced SB – Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act. This bill would expand where Concealed Handgun Permit holders could carry and includes a employer parking lot provision.

Grass Roots North Carolina issued an alert today on the bill asking North Carolinians to contact their state senator and to thank Sen. Jeff Tarte for his leadership on this issue. Sen. Tarte is a freshman who ran on a platform of protecting and advancing gun rights in the state.

Senate bill would remove certain restrictions for CHP holders…

Last week, Senator Jeff Tarte (R-Meckenburg, GRNC ****) along with Sens Andrew Brock (R-Davie, Iredell, Rowan, GRNC ****) and Shirley Randleman (R-Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, GRNC ****) became the primary sponsors for SB 408, the “Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act”. The bill would expand areas in which lawful Concealed Handgun Permit holders may carry or keep firearms for self protection. The bill makes changes primarily to G.S. 14-269.3 which currently restricts all guns from being carried in establishments where alcohol is sold and consumed, and G.S. 14-277.2(c) which restricts all forms of carry at parades, picket lines, funeral processions and demonstrations.

Another change within SB 408 establishes the legality of CHP holders to lawfully keep and secure their firearms in locked vehicles at their places of work. The bill would prevent business owners from establishing policies which would prevent CHP holders from locking their weapons in their vehicles while they are at work, enhancing their ability to protect themselves if the need arises.

GRNC applauds SB 408’s sponsors, Sens. Jeff Tarte, Andrew Brock and Shirley Randleman for boldly stepping up for the rights of gun owners across North Carolina. This bill, along with others introduced in the past few weeks, will greatly enhance all of our abilities to legally defend ourselves in the case of an ever-growing public threat. We urge you to contact the NC Senate Leadership and your State Senator and let them know that you expect their full support in passing SB 408 in short order.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • Immediately email and call your NC state Senator and ask them to not only support SB 408 with their vote, but also to ask Senate leadership to give it an expeditious committee hearing. Find contact information for your NC state senator, CLICK HERE or go to: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx


  • Thank Senator Tarte for his leadership: Rarely do freshmen stand up so boldly for gun rights. Those who do should receive the recognition they deserve. Contact Sen. Tarte at: jeff.tarte@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Support SB 408, Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act!”

Dear Senator ________:

Please support Senate Bill 408, the “Lawful Citizens Self Protection Act”, not only by giving it your vote on the Senate floor, but by contacting Senate leadership to ask for an expeditious hearing. The bill would expand our concealed handgun law into establishments where our families visit every day, as well as providing a resource of protection at our places of employment. Despite predictions of mayhem, states like Virginia which have adopted restaurant carry have exhibited virtually no problems.

Since inception of our law in 1995, concealed handgun permit-holders have spent eighteen years proving themselves sane, sober and law-abiding. With violence creeping into our schools at an alarming rate, we must have the ability to protect our children from further tragic events. While law abiding citizens stand by virtually helpless, our children are being slaughtered. We must have the ability to protect ourselves and our families. I will be monitoring action on this bill via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,

Uncategorized

Neutrality Through Marksmanship

March 30, 2013 by 3 Comments

Greg Hickok – Hickock45 on YouTube – just did an excellent overview of the Swedish M96 Mauser and the 6.5×55 cartridge. This is a rifle and round that I really like. My very first rifle purchased with my C&R license was a Swedish M38 Mauser made by Husqvarna. Over time my collection of Swedish Mausers has expanded to the point where I’m only missing the M94.

Greg goes through some of the history of the M96, compares it side-by-side to the German K98, and then provides some shooting demonstration of the rifle. For those that think the 6.5×55 round is a bit light for big game, it has taken many an “elk” (or moose as we call them) in Sweden.

The title of this post comes from Doug Bowser’s excellent guide to all the Swedish Mausers and the Ag/M42 Ljungman. The book which had long been out of stock is now available from Empire Arms. If you have a Swedish Mauser or want one, I can highly recommend this book.

Uncategorized

US Abandons Requirement For Consensus On Arms Trade Treaty

March 30, 2013 by

Late this afternoon, the US delegation to the United Nation’s Arms Trade Treaty talks said that the US would vote “yes” on the Arms Trade Treaty regardless of whether other countries do so. In the past, the US had insisted on a consensus for this treaty.

The National Sports Shooting Foundation issued an immediate response taking issue with the US position.

NSSF Objects to U.S. Government Abandoning
Position that U.N. Treaty Must be based on International “Consensus”

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation today strongly objected to the last-minute reversal of the U.S. government position regarding the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. In the closing hours of negotiations on Thursday, March 28, the government abandoned its previous insistence that the treaty be approved only through achieving “consensus” of all the member states. Requiring consensus had been the United States position going back to earlier administrations.

At the end of the session, a U.S. government spokesperson told reporters “It’s important to the United States and the defense of our interests to insist on consensus. But every state in this process has always been conscious of the fact that if consensus is not reached in this process, that there are other ways to adopt this treaty, including via a vote of the General Assembly.” The spokesperson went on to say that the United States would vote “yes” on the treaty in the General Assembly, regardless of the positions of other member states. By abandoning the requirement for consensus the United States is assuring passage of the treaty by the United Nations.

“This abrupt about-face on the long-standing United States requirement for ‘consensus’ illustrates that the Obama Administration wants a sweeping U.N. arms control treaty,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “We are troubled by the timing of the Obama Administration’s decision to abandon consensus on the eve of the Senate debate on pending gun control measures. The United Nations treaty would have a broad impact on the U.S. firearms industry and its base of consumers in the U.S.”

Industry analysts have identified three major areas of concern with the treaty text. The treaty clearly covers trade in civilian firearms, not just military arms and equipment. It will have a major impact on the importation of firearms to the United States, which is a substantial source for the consumer market. And it will impose new regulations on the “transit” of firearms, the term defined so broadly that it would cover all everything from container ships stopping at ports to individuals who are traveling internationally with a single firearm for hunting or other sporting purposes.

“We hope that the Members of the U.S. Senate are closely watching the White House abandon its principles and promises in the rush to ramrod this flawed treaty into effect. Not only will they later be asked to ratify this attack on our constitution and sovereignty, but they will also be lavished with new promises from the administration in its drive to push a broad gun control agenda through the U.S. Senate when it returns from recess. They would be right to question those promises strongly,” concluded Keane.

Uncategorized

No More Nanny? No More Mumbles?

March 29, 2013 by

What in the world is Mayors Against Illegal Guns going to do next year?

Their more well-known co-chair, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is term limited and can’t run again for mayor of New York City. Meanwhile, his erstwhile co-chairman, Mayor Thomas “Mumbles” Menino, announced yesterday he won’t be running for a sixth term.

Given that the whole organization runs on Bloomberg’s money, I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave Bloomberg some sort of honorary title like Chairman Emeritus and let him continue to run the organization behind the scenes.

As to Mumbles, unlike many of his other mayors, at least he won’t be spending his retirement in prison.

Uncategorized

United Network Of Rational Americans? Huh?

March 29, 2013 by 2 Comments

A new group pushing gun control and background checks has emerged on the scene. Calling themselves United Network of Rational Americans, they have just released a gun control video. The video quotes the late Ronald Reagan from 1991 as saying that if there had been background checks in 1981 then he and Jim Brady would never have been shot.

Ignoring President Reagan’s statement and his later signature on a letter supporting the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban which one of his own sons has attributed to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, just who the heck is United Network for Rational Americans?

It appears to be the invention of Scott Crider of Watchdog Causes LLC. Located in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Watchdog Causes calls themselves a “a progressive-leaning social media & online/interactive marketing consultancy.” They are the ones responsible for inventing and promoting the Dogs Against Romney campaign which did draw a good bit of media attention.

About the ad, Crider is quoted in US News and World Report saying:

“We need to convince Republicans in Washington. Reagan lived by the Grace of God, not because he had armed security. And he lived to tell Republicans in Washington today to use your brains, use your hearts, and have enough guts to do what’s right,” says Scott Crider, the creator of UNRA. “Instead of being selfish and worrying that the NRA will give you a primary opponent in your next election, worry about that next child that will get murdered by a madman with a gun if you don’t do your job.”

From his resume, Crider states he is a 1987 graduate in communications from Ouachita Baptist University and independent social media and interactive marketing consultant.

An award-winning digital marketer and social media strategist with real-world accomplishments and quantifiable results, Scott Crider has 25- years of experience as a marketing executive. A digital marketing leader and innovator for more than 15-years, Crider drives the strategy and execution of digital marketing programs that leverage viral opportunities in social media and related applications. With a proven track record of identifying high-impact opportunities and innovative strategies for clients and brands, Crider focuses on application strategy and technology integration within the social media space.

Beyond a Facebook page and a website, there doesn’t seem to be much to UN-RA. Despite The Hill calling them a “pro-gun-control group”, there doesn’t seem to be much group there. Their Facebook page was put up on March 6th and their webpage only has its first posting on March 19th where they are pushing bumper stickers and magnets.

In UN-RA’s “about page”, they say:

The UNRA (United Network of Rational Americans) is composed of people and groups who support the 2nd Amendment and honor America’s history of responsible gun ownership. Many UNRA members own guns, store them and use them responsibly, undergo training to learn to defend themselves and their families, and participate in hunting and shooting sports.

Given their sparse background and their recent creation, it would be interesting to know just where the money is coming from for the video and webpage that seems to be targeting Republican politicians. Is it coming from Mr. Crider’s own pocket or is it being funneled to him groups like Obama’ Organizing for America or Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors? I doubt we will ever really find out the answers to this question.

In the meantime, we should keep monitoring this group if only because Mr. Crider has been successful in garnering media attention for lefty causes in the past.

Uncategorized

A Bit Of History

March 29, 2013 by 1 Comment

Old NFO has a very interesting post up about an abandoned airstrip located on the Pacific island of Tinian. What makes North Field and Runway Able of note is that it is where the instruments that ended WWII took off from.

Those instruments were two B-29s – the Enola Gay and Bockscar – which carried “Little Boy” and “Fat Man”. In other words, the planes that carried the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

My dad was in an Overseas Replacement Depot in Florida having returned from service with the Army in the Caribbean Defense Command. He could very well have been reassigned to Operation Downfall for the invasion of Japan. As it was, VJ Day was August 14th and my parents were married later that month.

Read Old NFO’s full account as it makes interesting reading for those interested in the history of WWII.

Uncategorized

A Hearty Cheer For Sean!

March 29, 2013 by 1 Comment

Sean Sorrentino of An NC Gun Blog made the news yesterday. He, in his own words, crashed a MAIG press conference held in Durham, North Carolina. I think when they saw Sean there they assumed he was one of them. After all, he is a younger looking guy with a ponytail. Oh, little did they know!

Sean asked them about Sen. Harry Reid’s S.649 which is an amalgam of a number of gun control bills.

That bill would have criminalized something I did last year. My wife wanted to learn to shoot my Ruger 10/22. I took my rifle to a friend’s farm and gave it to him. My wife went up to his farm and he taught her to shoot it safely out on the “back forty.” Then he put it in her truck and she brought it home. He had the rifle for about 4 months. S649 would put all three of us in Federal prison for 5 years each, minimum. I asked the mayors, “How would making me, my wife, and our friend Mike into federal felons keep criminals from selling guns to each other on the streets of Durham, Morrisville, or Chapel Hill?”

It was a good question and one that has an obvious answer. It wouldn’t.

As a side note, I recently participated in a webinar put on by the UNC School of Government recently. One of the last questions asked came from the town attorney of Chapel Hill. He wanted to know if a “large capacity assault weapon” could be considered a weapon of mass destruction under NCGS 160A-183. That statute says a town or city can prohibit “any weapons or instrumentalities of
mass death and destruction”. He was told it wasn’t and that the town was preempted from regulating firearms. I mention this because it goes to show just how far towns run by Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors are trying to go.

Go to Sean’s blog, read the whole account, and watch the video. Sean deserves a lot of credit for going there and standing up for what is right.

Uncategorized

About That .323 Caliber Rifle

March 29, 2013 by 14 Comments

The search warrant for the Newtown shooter’s home was released yesterday. This occasioned a number of stories about what was found. The detestable Piers Morgan tried to claim that both the shooter and his mother were NRA members based upon certificates for completing a basic NRA firearm safety course and a copy of the “NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting” being found in the house. The NRA confirmed later that neither the shooter nor his mother were members.

 CBS News reported that the police found a number of firearms and knives.

Authorities found numerous knives, including samurai swords. They found a
military-style uniform in Lanza’s bedroom and handwritten notes
containing the addresses of local gun shops. The guns found at the home
included a .323-caliber Enfield Albian bolt-action rifle, a .22-caliber
Savage Mark II rifle, a BB gun and a .22-caliber Volcanic starter
pistol.

Normally, when we see such obvious mistakes in a report from the mainstream media, we would pass it off to their persistent lack of knowledge about firearms. While the lack of knowledge about firearms may be present in this case, that description of a “.323-caliber Enfield Albian” rifle comes directly from the search warrant inventory.

The search and inventory of the house was conducted by the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad and their forensics team. If you look on pages 8 and 9 of the released search warrant and inventory, you will see listed a number of items. In particular look at Item 13 and Item 14. The first is the contents of a gun safe which included two boxes of .303 British ammunition. The second is a rifle described as “One Enfield Albian bolt action rifle, .323 caliber, model no. 44MKI, SN HC22273A”. The inventory was signed by Detective Jeffrey Payette, #679, of the Connecticut State Police.

In all likelihood, the rifle in question is an Enfield SMLE No.4Mk1 in .303 caliber made at Albion Motors during WWII. Given that the Connecticut State Police found .303 British ammunition at the home, one would have thought that the detectives would have made the link between the ammo and the rifle. That they didn’t goes to show that just because a cop carries a gun it doesn’t mean that he or she knows much about firearms.

Uncategorized

But What About The Sequester?

March 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

I guess the sequester is for screwing the military and the little people. That is the way it seems. Otherwise why would the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives be spending good money in this time of cutbacks to revamp their website.

I received an announcement from BATFE in yesterday’s email that “ATF.gov is Getting a New Look!” The email announced all the new features that the upgraded website would have including a library, a tab-based structure, and user-friendly navigation.

I’m sure having a new, more user-friendly, look and feel to their website would be a useful. However, given the size of the budget deficit, it seems a little frivolous to be spending money on the website graphics when it could be  better spent on picking up violent felons.

Or maybe it is all a joke given the new website goes live on April 1st.

The letter from BATFE is below since it doesn’t seem to be on their old, less user-friendly website.

As part of our ongoing overhaul process of ATF.gov, our site is getting a new look and added features in the coming weeks. ATF.gov will continue to provide the wealth of relevant information, statistics, and news updates that you have come to expect. Look for the updated site to “go live” on April 1, 2013!

Some of the new features include –

• User-friendly navigation: This new topic-based approach helps you find what you need easily and quickly. The new look allows you to immediately choose the ATF related topic you are interested in and effortlessly find the information you are looking for.

• Tab-Based Structure: A conveniently organized tab structure will allow easy access to information you need most at ATF.gov without having to constantly go to another page.

• Library: We have placed all of our forms, publications, rulings, and other relevant documents in one easy to navigate location!

Additional features and aesthetic enhancements will roll out between Spring and Fall 2013, culminating in the all-new ATF.gov! We invite your feedback though our online surveys, and look forward to hearing from you.