Month: June 2015

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Sour Grapes, Much?

June 30, 2015 by 2 Comments

This past Saturday the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) rallied to gather signatures for a recall of NJ Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester). According to NJ.com, there were 200 activists there ready to go door to door to gather signatures.

We have interviewed both Alexander Roubian and Dan Roberts on The Polite Society Podcast about their plans for this event. It should be noted that only New Jersey registered voters are allowed to solicit the signatures. Thus, the majority of the people at the event were residents of the state registered to vote.

Bearing that in mind, I was amused to read this comment in the story from gun prohibitionist Bryan Miller of Ceasefire NJ and Heeding God’s Call.

Bryan Miller, executive director of Heeding God’s Call, a faith-based group in Philadelphia that seeks to prevent gun violence, called to respond to the NJSAS gathering on Saturday.

When he heard about the number of people who showed to the event, he said he didn’t think it was “a very impressive number.”

Can you say “sour grapes”? When was the last time the anti-gunners were able to assemble 200 people in one place for a protest even if they were paid and bused in? They didn’t get that many in Nashville even though they tried to make it look like more through trick photography.

Sorry, Bryan, but 200 people that are predominantly registered voters in a state that isn’t gun friendly is a heckuva lot of activists.

I’d like to also note that newly elected NRA Board member Tim Knight spoke to the rally before they set forth to gather signatures. It is great to see a NRA Board member getting down in the trenches with gun owners in the fight for gun rights.

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Florida Carry Is On The Case

June 29, 2015 by 9 Comments

Open carry is generally not legal in Florida. However, it is allowed when you are hunting or fishing. The Tampa PD seems not to have gotten that message. George Freeman, as you can read below, was fishing on a city pier when he was detained and then ultimately banned from a city pier while open carrying.

While I personally prefer concealed carry, I do so in a state where unlicensed open carry has been the rule since the early 1920s thanks to a NC Supreme Court ruling. I believe open carry should be legal because, at the very least, concealed carry holders need protection when inadvertently exposing their firearm.

Florida Carry files lawsuit against Tampa for violations of members’ rights and Florida law.
Tampa went too far.
Our member, George Freeman was NOT breaking any law but he was detained for over an hour, disarmed, searched, and ultimately banned from a Tampa city pier and all city parks for exercising his Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms.
The fact that a person is peacefully exercising their right to bear arms is not cause for police officers to attack, detain, search, and trespass a citizen who is a law-abiding gun owner.
To insure that this does not happen again, our lawyers are coming fishing with us at the next regularly scheduled Florida Carry Fishing Meetup, on Saturday, July 11th – 10am Ballast Point Pier in Tampa. Information and directions can be found by clicking HERE.
We have also filed a lawsuit to defend the right to bear arms, our members, and your rights.  You can read about the case by clicking HERE.

We are raising funds to support the lawsuit.  please read more and consider contributing to your fellow gun owner’s case at: https://www.gofundme.com/DefendingRKBA
Open Carry Fishing
Open Carry Fishing

We often have to go to the courts to demand our rights.

You can keep up to date on our court cases at: https://www.floridacarry.org/litigation
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Learning Patience

June 26, 2015 by 2 Comments

This week is teaching me patience.

We had intended this week to be one of having fun with family out in St. Louis. While we have had a small graduation party for my nephew Grant and introduced Olivia Grace to another wing of her family, most of the week has been spent at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

My mother-in-law fell on Saturday while getting out of bed at her memory-care center. She got a nasty bruise on the chin and she had trouble putting weight on her leg. This was the second fall in as many weeks. A mobile X-Ray was inconclusive so her doctor suggested a short in-patient stay to allow her to get an MRI and CT Scan. So she was transferred to the hospital on Monday afternoon. The doc said that my mother in law would probably get the MRI quickly and the doc could evaluate the results shortly after that.

It took over 24 hours to get that MRI done. The results were that she had two fractures in her pelvis and would need rehab.

Her nurses, patient techs, and rehab people have been great at MoBap.

Her case managers, or whatever they call them here, not so much. To be honest, and I’m biting my tongue so I don’t say anything worse, they need lessons in how to communicate. I have gotten to the point where I just have to bury my head in a book or the computer so I don’t lash out at them. The Complementary Spouse has been a great advocate for her Mom and as a nurse she can speak the language. She has been patient to the extreme and has finally gotten them working for her Mom.

Medicare rules must vary from state to state. My mother-in-law was admitted for observation. One would think that after a diagnosis of a fractured pelvis, a BP spike, AND going into afib, she would have been reclassified to in-patient status. According to the case managers this was not the case. She only got reclassified to in-patient status due to her chin bruise becoming infected and that was only yesterday. The case managers and utilization review say that can’t go back and reclassify her. Color me skeptical on that claim.

The reason that status matters is because under Medicare guidelines a person needs three days in the hospital as an in-patient (three midnight rule) in order to have Medicare to pay for rehab at a skilled nursing facility (nursing home). Fortunately, in our case, my mother-in-law will be admitted to an acute rehab facility where the three midnight rule isn’t needed. Hopefully, it will happen this afternoon.

To top things off, the hospital somehow, somewhere have lost my mother-in-law’s eyeglasses. What next?

The week has had some bright spots. I got to meet Charlie Foxtrot who has been helping us on The Polite Society Podcast. We had a great lunch on Wednesday and a great time meeting one another. The other bright spot is that I’ve found some really good bourbon that I can’t get at home as well as a great place to buy it. Imagine a liquor store in a former Best Buy location with many select barrel offerings and you have Lukas Wine and Spirits. I will be patient and wait until I get home before cracking the seal on the bourbon I purchased.

Keep your fingers crossed for my mother-in-law that she gets moved to her new location sooner than later. A prayer or two would be welcome as well.

UPDATE: My mother-in-law was moved to SSM St. Mary’s Rehab on Friday afternoon. I knew things were starting to look up when we were talking to the transfer EMTs. One was a North Carolinian and the other a South Carolinian. Moreover, the lead EMT was a graduate of Western Carolina University where I just so happen to teach a class each semester. Perfect!

The difference between the two facilities was like night and day. The room was bigger, the staff was more devoted to the patient than to the computer, and everyone was just a quantum leap more friendlier. I think this is going to work out just fine.

She’ll be in acute rehab for at least 2 weeks so long as she shows improvement. Our goal is to get her on her feet again and walking. She was walking without any assistance prior to the fall.

Keep your fingers crossed and prayer wouldn’t hurt.

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Light Blogging This Week

June 23, 2015 by

I will have very light to non-existent blogging this week.

We are in St. Louis to check up on my mother-in-law, see the rest of the family, introduce my granddaughter Olivia Grace to her great-grandmother, and the like.

I will also get a chance to meet Charlie Foxtrot of Not One More Gun Law. He has been helping tremendously on The Polite Society Podcast.

If I am lucky I will also get some pictures of the Mississippi and the Meramac Rivers. I have never seen them so high. The Meramac is supposed to crest at 35.9 feet today in Arnold. Flood stage is 24 feet.

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Puerto Rico Goes Constitutional Carry

June 20, 2015 by 14 Comments

Most of us don’t think much about the US territories and commonwealths. Maybe we should.

Thanks to the Ladies of the Second Amendment and their lawsuit in a Puerto Rico commonwealth court, Puerto Ricans can now carry, open or concealed, without a permit and they no longer need a permit to purchase a firearm. The court’s ruling also abolished the gun registry in Puerto Rico. All firearms transactions will now handled in accordance with Federal firearms regulations.

Wow! That’s way better than I have it in North Carolina. I still have to have a concealed carry permit and people still need to go to their local sheriff to get a pistol purchase permit (thanks to some Republicans who kow-towed to the Sheriffs’ Association.)

Below is the release that the Second Amendment Foundation put out announcing this win for gun rights in Puerto Rico.

BELLEVUE, WA – A surprising victory for gun rights in Puerto Rico has eliminated the firearms registry and licensing requirements to purchase and carry in the Commonwealth, the Second Amendment Foundation has confirmed.

As of now, according to Sandra Barreras with Ladies of the Second Amendment (LSA), the group that brought the lawsuit, “there is no regulation to purchase or carry (and) all purchases will be handled in accordance with federal firearms regulations.” LSA is affiliated with SAF through the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights (IAPCAR).

The class-action lawsuit challenged various articles in Puerto Rico’s gun law, which the court declared unconstitutional. Because of the ruling, Barreras said, Puerto Ricans may now carry openly or concealed without a permit, and they do not need to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm.

This was a class action lawsuit involving more than 850 individual plaintiffs, she reported to SAF offices. The news was greeted with delight, especially because in reaching its decision, the court cited the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court cases, and the recent ruling in Palmer v. District of Columbia. Both the McDonald and Palmer cases were won by SAF.

“Cumbersome firearms regulations have never prevented criminals from getting their hands on guns,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “They have only inconvenienced law-abiding citizens, or deprived them outright from exercising their rights under the Second Amendment.”

Gottlieb said the lawsuit was brought in a Puerto Rican Commonwealth court, rather than a federal court. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and thus is subject to federal court jurisdiction.

“This case turned out better than anyone had really anticipated,” he commented. “We’re very pleased to have played an advisory role in this case, and if there is a government appeal, we’ll definitely be there with whatever support we can provide to our good friends in Puerto Rico.”

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A Movie I Might Actually Like To See

June 20, 2015 by

I’m not big on movies. For one thing, I don’t want to subsidize the anti-gun liberals in Hollywood. For another, I get bored just sitting there. The Complementary Spouse and I like to joke that we have Movie ADD. I don’t think we’ve been in a movie theater since about the year 2000.

However, I came across this trailer for an Australian documentary entitled “Dazzle: The Hidden Story of Camouflage.” I think I’d live to view it. Camo in its many forms and permutations intrigues me. Indeed, I spent part of this morning checking out urban camo patterns for an AR-15 that I’m thinking of painting. I’m seriously thinking of trying to go with one of these Dazzle type patterns that are akin to Swedish M90 camo.


DAZZLE: The Hidden Story of Camouflage from Off the Fence Financing on Vimeo.

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Interesting Tidbit From CNN

June 19, 2015 by

The first reports from Charleston said that the Emanuel AME Church murderer was given his pistol as gift by his father. The implication was that it was a private transaction. This seems to be incorrect.

A report today from CNN had this to say about the purchase of the weapon used to commit the murders.

One key part of this horrific scheme — the weapon — came in April, when (the murderer) bought a .45-caliber handgun at a Charleston gun store, the two law enforcement officials told Perez and Bruer from CNN, the first network to report this development. His grandfather says that (the murderer) was given “birthday money” and that the family didn’t know what (the murderer) did with it.

As with most media reports after a horrific event, the first reports are usually in error.

If CNN and the law enforcement officials are correct in that the murderer purchased the firearm at a gun store, this indicates that a NICS check was performed and he was cleared to purchase the firearm. This is just like the murders at Virginia Tech, Tucson, Santa Barbara, and Aurora where the murderers all cleared a NICS check.

While the Shadow may know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, I certainly don’t.  I just know it exists and that we should be able to protect ourselves from it.

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A Neutered HB 562 Passes The NC House

June 18, 2015 by 5 Comments

After considering 10 amendments and voting on seven of them, the NC House passed HB 562 by a 78 yea to 37 nay vote in its 3rd Reading. The pistol purchase permits system repeal was deleted in its entirety. As things were left yesterday, the pistol purchase permits would have only been required for private sales as an exemption was made for sales through FFLs. Today’s Amendment 10 by Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) stripped that provision out of the bill.

There are some good things left in the bill. The process for obtaining a pistol permit has been standardized, newer shooting ranges will be protected, state preemption is reiterated, and chief law enforcement officers have to sign off on NFA items if the applicant is not precluded by state or Federal law. Oh, and you can also carry an ordinary pocketknife in the State Capitol and on its grounds.

As you can probably imagine, the Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors and their backers in the legislative gallery who wore their Felon-Orange shirts are crowing about the defeat of the pistol purchase permit repeal. In fact, they are proclaiming victory saying that “the Moms fought the law and the Moms won.”

“It was really great that most of the amendments were brought forth by Republicans. This is not a partisan issue: we are talking about common sense safety laws. We’re building strong, bipartisan opposition to the gun lobby,” said Sarah Green, state chapter leader of Moms Demand Action.

Sarah Green is correct that the amendments that neutered the bill were brought by the Republicans. The GOP is not called the stupid party for nothing. If the Republicans who knelt in obeisance before the state’s sheriffs think that avoiding the issue will gain them political points, they are even stupider than I thought. Those in the galleries wearing their Felon-Orange shirts will never support them and those of us in the gun rights community will never forget.

Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, certainly doesn’t intend to forget those Republicans who paid lip service to gun rights in 2014 and then deserted us in 2015. In an email to me, with which I have permission to quote, he said:

“Grass Roots North Carolina would like to thank North Carolina House Republicans for giving us exactly what we asked for: Recorded votes. Lots of recorded votes that tell us exactly who our friends are and are not, and which activate our core supporters going into the 2016 primary elections. Inevitably, the party in power becomes comfortable and unmotivated, in time forgetting who ‘brung ’em to the dance.’ When they achieve supermajorities and draw themselves comfy districts, that time apparently shrinks to four short years. But in their safe Republican seats, they forget something: Other Republicans can occupy those seats. In 2016, we will use those recorded votes to provide them a few little reminders of that fact.”

 Paul is correct. We know who our real friends are when it counts. We also know who is just a fair weather friend making nice noises about the Second Amendment but deserts us when push comes to shove.

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GRNC – RINOs Sell Out To The Sheriffs

June 17, 2015 by 1 Comment

Grass Roots North Carolina has sent out an alert this evening before the 3rd Reading of HB 562. That is scheduled for tomorrow and more amendments may be expected to come up.

I think Paul Valone must be as pissed off about this as I am. November 2016 will be here sooner than many of these so-called Second Amendment supporters realize. Indeed, some of them may end up getting primaried.

The letter below mentions GRNC will be watching. I know this is a GRNC alert but I might add in that it will be both GRNC and the NRA that will be watching. Let these politicians figure out which one can harm them the most.

You may want to send a special message to those Republicans that I highlighted in my earlier post. These Republicans including Speaker Pro Tem Paul Stam (R-Wake), Rep. Allen McNeill (R-Randolph), Rep. David Lewis (R- Harnett), and Rep. Brig. Gen. Gary Pendleton (R-Wake) not only sold out gun owners but stuck the knife in and turned it.

SELLING YOU OUT TO THE SHERIFFS!

Remember how you helped to
to elect a supermajority of Republicans in the State legislature? Well, guess what? They’re showing their true colors.


In
what can only be described as a display of sheer cowardice, several
amendments that have considerably weakened H562 (including an amendment
to leave
the dangerous pistol purchase permitting process in place) were passed
during the bill’s second reading in the House today. Given the
considerable
Republican majority in the house, this can only mean one thing: many of
the “pro gun” Republicans care more about the NC Sheriffs’
Association than they care about you..




Still unwilling to give up their cash cow, even after admitting that the pistol purchase
permit system is fraught with problems, it’s becoming clear where the loyalties of many of our Republican house members rests.


The
fight isn’t over, though, and we need to flood the inboxes and voicemail
mailboxes of our House members. Demand that H562 pass third reading
tomorrow
without any more crippling amendments.


We would like to
take a moment to thank Speaker Moore, though, for bringing the bill to
the house floor for a vote, and for the votes of the House Patriots that
did
their best to stop these damaging amendments. Extra thanks goes to House
members Adams, Pittman and Speciale, for their strong defense of the
second
amendment.

Lastly: we need to remind all of the House
members that we’ll remember how they voted (for better or worse) in the next election cycle.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • EMAIL NC HOUSE REPUBLICANS. Use the copy/paste email list provided below, and the copy paste text under ‘Deliver
    This Message.’ Let them know that you’re watching carefully, and that we don’t need any more weak-kneed amendments.

  • CALL YOUR
    NC HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE    . Tell him or her the same thing: that H562 has been unnecessarily weakened, and that you
    will not support any more weakening amendments. Find your NC House rep by clicking here 

    (or go to: http://ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx).

  • DONATE TO
    THE GRNC-PVF    . We need your help for primary paybacks. Please visit us at http://www.grnc.org/grnc-pvf/donate-to-grnc-pvf
CONTACT INFO


NC House Republicans Email List:

Jay.Adams@ncleg.net;
Dean.Arp@ncleg.net;
Marilyn.Avila@ncleg.net; John.Bell@ncleg.net; Dan.Bishop@ncleg.net;
Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net; John.Blust@ncleg.net; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net;
John.Bradford@ncleg.net; Bill.Brawley@ncleg.net; Mark.Brody@ncleg.net;
Rayne.Brown@ncleg.net; Brian.Brown@ncleg.net; Rob.Bryan@ncleg.net;
Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net; Justin.Burr@ncleg.net; Rick.Catlin@ncleg.net;
George.Cleveland@ncleg.net; Jeff.Collins@ncleg.net;
Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net;
Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net; Ted.Davis@ncleg.net; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net;
Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net;
Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net;
John.Faircloth@ncleg.net; Carl.Ford@ncleg.net; John.Fraley@ncleg.net;
Mike.Hager@ncleg.net; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net;
Bryan.Holloway@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net; Julia.Howard@ncleg.net;
Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net; Charles.Jeter@ncleg.net;
Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net; Bert.Jones@ncleg.net;
Jonathan.Jordan@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net;
James.Langdon@ncleg.net; Chris.Malone@ncleg.net;
Susan.Martin@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net;
Chris.Millis@ncleg.net; Gary.Pendleton@ncleg.net;
Larry.Pittman@ncleg.net;
Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net; Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net;
George.Robinson@ncleg.net; Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net;
Jason.Saine@ncleg.net;
Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net;
Michael.Speciale@ncleg.net; Paul.Stam@ncleg.net;
Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net;
John.Szoka@ncleg.net; John.Torbett@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net;
Harry.Warren@ncleg.net; Sam.Watford@ncleg.net; Roger.West@ncleg.net;
Chris.Whitmire@ncleg.net; Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net;
Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net; Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net; Paul.Tine@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Why is H562 Getting Gutted?“
Dear Representative:
I
was shocked and disappointed to see so many weakening
amendments passed this afternoon on House Bill 562. Not only do these
amendments retain the dangerous and capriciously bigoted Pistol Purchase
Permit
system, but they also repeal necessary protections for the collection of
a patients’ personal information that has absolutely nothing to do with
the
delivery of good health care. These actions are dangerous for the
citizens of North Carolina and contradict the rights of the state’s
law-abiding
citizens.

I insist that you actively oppose any further amendments that
will weaken H562 when it goes for its third vote in the House tomorrow.

I will
continue to monitor the progress of H562 through Grass Roots North Carolina alerts.

Sincerely,
Uncategorized

Naming Names – NC Republicans Who Deserted Gun Owners

June 16, 2015 by 5 Comments

As I said in the prior post, there were three amendments that gutted much of what was good in HB 562. The gutted parts include both the repeal of the pistol purchase permits system and the patient privacy protections. It is obvious that the unholy alliance of the North Carolina Sheriffs Association with the gun prohibitionists triumphed today. The only major things that helped out gun owners that survived are range protection, must-sign requirement for the CLEO on NFA items, and the reiteration of statewide uniformity on firearms law. Any of those three could have been a separate bill that would have passed.

Amendments One, Five, and Seven were the key amendments that gutted the bill. Every Democrat voted for them as expected. It is the Republicans who should be ashamed of their actions.

Amendment One seemed to have the quasi-support of some of the bills sponsors and may have been a previously agreed upon change to the final bill.

Here are the Republicans who voted for Amendment One:

Representative(s): Arp; Avila; B. Brown; Blackwell; Boles; Brawley; Bryan; Burr; Conrad; Daughtry; Davis; Dixon; Dobson; Dollar; Faircloth; Fraley; Holloway; Horn; Howard; Hurley; Iler; Jeter; L. Johnson; Lambeth; Langdon; Lewis; Malone; McElraft; McGrady; McNeill; Pendleton; R. Turner; Robinson; Ross; S. Martin; Schaffer; Shepard; Stam; Stevens; Tine; Warren; Watford; Yarborough

Amendment Five, as I noted, doubled down on keeping the pistol purchase permit system. The Republicans who voted for it were:

Representative(s): Avila; Blackwell; Boles; Brawley; Bryan; Daughtry; Davis; Dobson; Faircloth; Fraley; Holloway; Horn; Howard; Hurley; Iler; Jeter; L. Johnson; Lambeth; Langdon; Malone; McElraft; McGrady; McNeill; Pendleton; R. Turner; Riddell; Robinson; Ross; Stam (CHAIR); Stevens; Tine; Warren; Watford; Zachary

Finally, Amendment Seven removed the patient privacy protections, weak as they were. It had less Republican support but could not have passed without these Republican representatives:

Representative(s): B. Brown; Blackwell; Brawley; Bryan; Davis; Dollar; Faircloth; Fraley; Horn; Jeter; L. Johnson; Lambeth; Lewis; Malone; Pendleton; Ross; Stam; Tine; Watford

If any of these Republicans are your representative, you may want to call them, email, or fax them your displeasure. Frankly, I’m at the point where I don’t give a damn if what is left of HB 562 passes or not. Is a neutered, watered-down bill worth it if it gives our so-called “friends” something with which they can say to voters that they voted for gun rights? I say no.