Month: April 2016

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Quote Of The Day

April 18, 2016 by 2 Comments

The Wall Street Journal ran a story this weekend entitled, “The Stigmatized Olympians“. It was about the success of American shooters in the Olympics and the reluctance of some Americans to celebrate their accomplishments. American shooters have won more gold medals for the United States than in any other sport with the exceptions of swimming and track-and-field.

A good part of the story was about five time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode who is seeking to qualify for her sixth Olympics. Kim points out how the mainstream media treats competitive shooters and the shooting sports differently than other sports.

“Our sport has an unfortunate stigma attached to it,” says Rhode, a 36-year-old Southern Californian. Following December’s deadly shooting rampage in nearby San Bernardino, the media sought out comment from Rhode, who expressed sorrow for the victims and support for gun rights. Why should that crime have placed her in the spotlight? she asks: “You don’t hear them asking Nascar drivers to comment on crimes involving cars.”

Nor, I might add, do you see lawsuits brought against GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and all the other automakers when a drunk driver runs into a school bus and kills children. Contrast that with the grasping at straws lawsuit against Remington Outdoor Company brought against them for making the AR-15 stolen by the killer in Newtown.

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Haywood County Commissioners Are At It Again

April 18, 2016 by 2 Comments

The Haywood County (NC) Commissioners are at it again. They must have thought people would be mollified by their tabling of the carry restrictions on county property – some of which were illegal – so they have decided to bring up their proposal to regulate “commercial” outdoor shooting ranges.

As I noted in an earlier post, the range of the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department would not meet the standards that the commissioners seem that they can require of “commercial” ranges. This range is also used by the Maggie Valley PD and the Canton PD. I’m not sure where the Clyde PD does their qualifications.

The Waynesville PD uses the Waynesville Police Association range off of Howell Mill Road in Waynesville. This range would most definitely fail the new standards if it was applied to them. My former residence was approximately a mere 100 feet beyond the distance required from the range to an occupied building. Many of my former neighbors would not be so lucky. Moreover, this range fails the 300 foot property line setback requirement.

I find it the height of hypocrisy to require a “commercial” range to jump through multiple hoops that the county by ordinance would exempt themselves from. As the alert from Grass Roots North Carolina makes clear, if you have a backyard private range and you allow a concealed carry instructor to use it, it becomes a “commercial” range. Likewise, if you sponsored an Appleseed shoot, it would become a “commercial” range.

If you live in Haywood County or WNC, if you travel or vacation in Haywood County, or if you just want to express your outrage at the commissioners’ hypocrisy, please read the GRNC alert below and act on it.

VOTE MONDAY COULD RESTRICT RIGHT TO SHOOT ON PRIVATE
PROPERTY
A
public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 18th in the
Haywood County
Courtroom of the Historic Courthouse. In late March, the board took
comment on restrictions on display and carry of firearms on county
property and on
a second ordinance restricting “commercial” shooting ranges. In what
might be a deliberate distraction by what many now see as the
“Haywood County Board of Dictators,” however, it appears that the
restrictions on display and carry – which drew outrage from
hundreds of citizens – might have been intended to let the commission
slip through, with minimal opposition, restrictions to shooting on
private
property.
 THE FEINT?
Although the proposed ban on display and carry of firearms Haywood County property appears to have been removed from their
website, you can see it at http://bit.ly/1RA6x1U.
In response to withering opposition, the county seemed to blink in a
March 31 press release saying the ordinance would not be voted on during
their
April 4 meeting. Interestingly, the item has not been returned to the
agenda for the April 18 meeting.
GRNC President Paul Valone spoke against the proposal at a meeting attended by more than 400 GRNC members and county
residents who uniformly opposed it. You can view his remarks in this YouTube Video.
Although the Haywood County manager
attempted to justify the ban by claiming it had been on the books since
1995 and that the county was simply trying to comply with recent changes
to
the law, in truth their proposal would unlawfully ban concealed carry
throughout Allen’s Creek Park.
Rather than justifying prohibitions on lawful citizens protecting themselves against criminals and terrorists, Haywood
County should join 12 other North Carolina counties which have recently removed such restrictions on county property. In a recent editorial,
Robert A. Lovingood, Vice Chair of
the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, responded to the
horrific acts of terrorism in his county by advocating that selected
County employees
and concealed handgun permit holders be allowed to carry on county
property. Rather than sticking their heads in the sand, Haywood County
commissioners should be looking to harden soft targets which are
vulnerable to both criminals and terrorists.
THE REAL POWER GRAB?
The
County Commissioners will vote Monday on an ordinance to define and
restrict “commercial” outdoor shooting
ranges. Unfortunately, if a private property owner were to build even a
rudimentary structure for shooting on his property and then hired a
concealed
handgun instructor to conduct a class on the property for his family —
even once — that property would become a “commercial shooting
range”, requiring him to first obtain a permit from the county.
Say you and a few
friends just share the cost of a private club? Fuggedaboutit. No
exceptions are made for private clubs. If shooting takes place and money
changes
hands, you are the proud owner of a “commercial outdoor shooting range.”
As
the
owner of a “commercial” range, you would be subject to onerous
restrictions, including requirements that shooting stations and targets
be
more than 300 feet from property lines and ¼ mile from occupied
buildings. You would have to build 6 foot fences, post warning signs,
store
firearms and ammunition per BATFE regulations, and restrict shooting to
within stipulated daylight hours. And if you liked those, you’re going
to love this one, straight out of the proposed commercial range
ordinance:
“Liability insurance. The permitee [sic] shall be required to carry a minimum of two million dollars ($2,000,000.00
– USA) per occurrence of liability insurance. Such insurance shall name Haywood County as an additional
insured party and shall
save and hold Haywood County, its elected and appointed officials, and
employees
acting within the scope of their duties harmless from and against all
claims, demands, and causes of action of any kind or character,
including
the cost of defense thereof, arising in favor of a person or group’s
members or employees or third parties on the account of any property
damage,
personal injury, or wrongful death arising out of the acts or omissions
of the permittee, his/her group, club, or its agents or
representatives.”

IMMEDIATE ACTION
REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL &
    CALL     THE HAYWOOD COUNTY
    COMMISSIONERS    .
    Urge them to vote
    against the gun-ban ordinance. Below, find a copy/paste email list,
    and under ‘Deliver This Message,’ you’ll find a copy/paste email
    message
    to send.

 EMAIL CONTACT INFO
County Commissioners copy/paste email
list: 
markswanger@bellsouth.net; kirk@jwklaw.net; lkensley@bellsouth.net; sorrells@cbvnol.com; billupton@bellsouth.net

PHONE INFO

MARK S. SWANGER, Chairman                                   
Phone: 828-627-6109 (h)
Cell: 828-507-2315
J. W. “KIRK” KIRKPATRICK, III, Vice
Chairman       
Phone: 828-452-0801 (w)
Fax: 828-452-1861
L. KEVIN ENSLEY,
Commissioner                                                          
Phone: 828-627-3765 (h)
Cell: 828-734-8713
MICHAEL T. SORRELLS, Commissioner                                          
Phone: 828-926-9549 (h)
Cell: 828-506-2174
BILL L. UPTON, Commissioner                              
Phone: 828-648-7469
Cell: 507-2129


ATTEND THE COUNTY COMMISSION
MEETING THIS MONDAY, APRIL 18. Join GRNC President F. Paul Valone at this critical event. See details below: 


WHEN: 
Monday, April 18, 2016 5:30 PM
WHERE:
Historic Courthouse
Haywood County
Courtroom
215 N. Main St.
Waynesville, NC
HINTS:
Dress for the press! Please no offensive signs, slogans or clothing.
Be sure
to arrive early, as seating may be limited.


DELIVER THIS MESSAGE
Haywood County Commissioners:

I
am outraged by what is either a deception or a
two front power grab being perpetrated by the commission. First, you
tried to restrict concealed carry in Allen’s Creek Park in violation of
state law. And although other restrictions on County property might be
permissible, creating “victim disarmament zones” invariably leads
to predation of the lawful citizens by criminals, sociopaths, and
terrorists. 
Rather
than
justifying prohibitions on lawful citizens protecting themselves
against criminals and terrorists, Haywood County should join 12 other
North
Carolina counties which have recently removed such restrictions on
county property. In a recent editorial, Robert A. Lovingood, Vice Chair
of the San
Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, responded to the horrific acts
of terrorism in his county by advocating that selected county employees
and
concealed handgun permit holders be allowed to carry on county property.
Rather than sticking their heads in the sand, Haywood County
commissioners
should be looking to harden soft targets which are vulnerable to both
criminals and terrorists. 
But
now that proposal appears to be at least temporarily shelved in favor
of onerous restrictions which could prohibit
private property owners from shooting on their land. Under this
proposal, if a private property owner were to build even a rudimentary
structure for
shooting on his property and then hired a concealed handgun instructor
to conduct a class on the property for his family — even once — that
property
would become a “commercial shooting range”, requiring him to first
obtain a permit from the county. 
As
the owner of a “commercial” range, he would be subject to onerous
restrictions, including requirements that
shooting stations and targets be more than 300 feet from property lines
and ¼ mile from occupied buildings. He would have to build 6 foot
fences, post warning signs, store firearms and ammunition per BATFE
regulations, restrict shooting to within stipulated daylight hours, and
pay for $2
million in liability insurance that would indemnify you! 
I demand you immediately
shelf this commercial range proposal, and I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina alerts. 
Respectfully,
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Learning From The Masters

April 12, 2016 by 3 Comments

If you watched golf on TV this weekend, you saw 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth essentially melt down on his last 9 holes in this year’s Masters. He was leading at the time and his meltdown allowed the steadier British golfer Danny Willett to win.

John Farnam had some comments on what we could learn from this in his Farnam’s Quips that were published yesterday. He has graciously given me permission to reprint it here.

“Positive outcomes don’t necessarily demonstrate superior play. Superior
play will lead to positive outcomes more often than will poor play, but
even poor players sometimes catch lucky.


It is when you confuse catching lucky with playing well, that demons sneak
in!”


John Vorhaus


Yesterday, I watched the final round of the four-day 2016 Masters Golf
tournament in Augusta, GA.


Not being a golfer myself, I still love watching these consummate
professionals play this game at the highest level. Their skill is a wonder to
behold!


Jordan Spieth, last year’s winner, was the odds-on favorite, and no
wonder! He was ahead of everyone else for the entire tournament. By the last
nine holes of the final round, he was so far ahead, I thought, as did many,
he was unbeatable!


Then, demons crept in!


And, I felt a kinship with Spieth, as he fell so suddenly, and so
ignominiously, from glory, because I, and many of my instructors, have done the
same thing- more that once!


The question is:


How much continuous, simultaneous bad news can you handle, and still retain
your sanity? At what point do you unwittingly open the window, and let
demons sneak in?


At its best, golf, like fighting, is a smooth, coordinated, orchestrated
flow of events, a seamless whirlwind of motion. That is, until you:


1) Stray from the present tense


2) Get distracted and allow your concentration to dissipate


3) Start hesitating


4) Start getting in your own way


5) Try to alter an otherwise smooth-flowing technique right in the middle


6) Allow doubt an vacillation to consume you


7) Are swept-up in rapidly-compounding disasters and discover that you aren
’t recovering quickly enough!


During the final day of the tournament, there were three holes-in-one (by
other contestants), and the media, of course, swooped-in to cover those.
And, there were many other spectacular shots that also garnered the attention
fo the media. These events were as melodramatic as they were irrelevant.
None of them materially affected the outcome. They never do!


Then we had the humble Englishman, Danny Willett. A great champion to be
sure, or he would not have been there, but I never heard of him until
yesterday!


Willett’s game was devoid of “great shots.” He played steady, careful,
solid golf. However, he had no bogies either! When Spieth blundered, and
the door opened, Willett gracefully walked through, and never looked back!!


And, if you’re wondering if there is a point lurking in the foregoing, it
is this:



“It’s not ‘great shots’ that save you. It’s ‘little mistakes’ that kill
you!”


True in fighting, as well as golf.


The Hollywood, overdramatized version of events always draws attention to
occasional, glamorous (and irrelevant) “great shots.” Like the cavalry
arriving in the ‘nick of time,’ great shots always save the day, and we all
live happily ever after!


Rubbish!


That manufactured nonsense only happens in movies!


When you’re making little mistakes, episodic great shots won’t save you, as
we see!


So, we concentrate on correcting mistakes. It’s not glamorous, nor
entertaining, nor even interesting, at least to the shallow and self-centered.


In fighting, as in golf, the wise work to eliminate “little mistakes.”
The “great shots” will take care of themselves!


“Darling, my legs aren’t so beautiful. I just know what to do with them!”


Marlene Dietrich


/John

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Hyperbole And Lies

April 7, 2016 by 6 Comments

We have come to expect both hyperbole and lies from the gun prohibitionists. The email I received today from Mr. Gabby Giffords (aka Capt. Mark Kelly, USN (Ret)) of Americans for Responsible Solutions contained both. The letter was advocating the addition of people on the so-called terrorist watch list to the NICS banned list.

Kelly’s lie was particularly egregious but not surprising.

Just a few years ago, al-Qaeda encouraged potential terrorists to to take advantage of loopholes in our laws, saying “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?”

While this is a quote attributed to al-Qaeda, no effort was made to correct it. Just as I learned in catechism classes, there are sins of commission and sins of omission. This was a sin of omission as he knew full well that fully automatic firearms are covered under the National Firearms Act, that they are highly regulated, and that the supply of new firearms is constrained by the Hughes Act.

By repeating the lies of terrorists, he was trying to sow fear in the minds of the uninformed. He then blames the evil “gun lobby” for blocking efforts to expand the NICS banned list which conflates those of us who oppose using the terrorist watch list with terrorist themselves.

The reason Mark Kelly has to use lies and hyperbole is that his argument is weak. If he had a good argument, he could just state the facts. Since he doesn’t, he can’t.

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Every Picture Tells A Story, Part V

April 7, 2016 by 10 Comments

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R-ID) signed “permitless” concealed carry (aka constitutional carry) into law on March 27th. It allows Idaho citizens age 21 and over to carry concealed without a permit within city limits. They already had this right outside city limits. This made Idaho the ninth state to have constitutional carry.

On Tuesday, the Mississippi House of Representatives concurred with the Mississippi Senate on amendments to HB 786. The Senate amendments expanded what was originally just a church carry bill into one that included that and constitutional carry. The amended bill passed both houses with veto proof majorities. The bill now goes to Gov. Phil Bryant (R-MS) who is expected to sign the bill. That would make Mississippi the tenth state to have constitutional carry and the third to pass it this year. Some have criticized the bill as also including “nullification”.  Actually the bill doesn’t include nullification as it merely states that Mississippi officials and law enforcement don’t have an obligation to enforce Federal gun control laws which is in line with existing Supreme Court precedent.

Given that the number of states with constitutional carry has increased to 10, Rob Vance and I concluded it was time to update the graphic showing the spread of freedom. The graphic below shows how the United States has moved from no carry to shall-issue and permitless carry over the last 30 years. As I said a few years ago, shall-issue is the new norm. Maybe one day I’ll be able to change this to constitutional carry is the new norm.

Here are the population statistics that accompany the above graphic:

0.4% No Issue, HI
27.0% May Issue, CA,DC,MD,MA,NJ,NY,RI
65.4% Shall Issue
7.2% Unrestricted, AK,AR,AZ,ID,KS,ME,MS,VT,WV,WY

At the same time that shall-issue and permitless or constitutional carry have expanded, violent crime has decreased. While correlation isn’t causation, I do think this is significant. When this graphic was first developed, Rob noted that there was no positive correlation between carry and violent crime. Unfortunately, he also noted that a negative correlation has not yet been proved. Linoge at Walls of the City has been studying gun ownership and the incidence of violent crime for a number of years. His latest is posted here. He has a similar result. Thus, neither more guns or less restrictive carry means more crime.

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Useful Map If You Are Attending The NRA Annual Meeting

April 7, 2016 by 3 Comments

I came across this US Whiskey Map today. With the growth of small craft distillers, it is not a complete map. For example, here in Asheville, we have the Asheville Distilling Company which produces Blonde Whiskey which is a mix of Turkey Red Wheat and White Corn.

Nonetheless, if you are attending the NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville next month, it lists the major Kentucky bourbon distilleries. Many of these distilleries have tours that include a sample or two at the end. The Complementary Spouse and I are making the trip to the Annual Meeting a vacation which will include visits to a number of these distilleries. We plan to hit the Louisville area ones before the Annual Meeting and a number of the other ones afterwards.

Who knows? We may just run into you at one of these bourbon distilleries!

US Whiskey Map

From Visually.

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In Honor Of FireClean’s Lawsuit Against Bloggers

April 5, 2016 by 6 Comments

I present without comment – so I don’t get sued or something – a YouTube video that trainer Paul Carlson of Safety Solutions Academy (and the Gun Nation Podcast!) posted today.

If you liked this video, may I suggest you go to the GoFundMe page set up to support bloggers Andrew Tuohy and Everett Baker’s legal defense against the Federal lawsuit brought by FireClean LLC. I have donated a few bucks to them and would urge you to do so as well. If a company feels so threatened by bloggers especially one who is an undergraduate chemistry student like Baker that they file a Federal SLAPP lawsuit, well I just don’t think much of them regardless of the quality of their product.

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April Gun Contests

April 5, 2016 by 1 Comment

Aaron at the Weapon-Blog.Com has released his monthly list of contests where you can win a firearm or firearm accessory.

This month’s list includes 14 pistols, 15 rifles, and a ton of other stuff. If you enter one or more of these contests, please go over to Aaron’s blog and thank him. Also if you know of a gun giveaway not on this list, please let him know.

I have made the links hot for your convenience.

Handguns

Rifles

Shotguns

  • None this month

Air Rifles

  • None this month

Ammunition

Knives

Constitution

Gun Rights Organizations

  • None this month

Accessories

Raffles

Training

Hunting

  • None this month
Uncategorized

Haywood County Commissioners Blink

April 5, 2016 by

Last week I did a post advising readers in Haywood County that the commissioners were considering three new gun ordinances ranging from prohibition of firearms in all county buildings to an ordinance regulating shooting ranges. I’m pleased to say that thanks to the efforts of Grass Roots North Carolina and others there was a very large turnout at the County Commission meeting last Monday. Not one person who spoke did so in favor of these ordinances.

As I heard unofficially on Friday, the Haywood County commissioners have tabled these proposals. Now, as the alert below from GRNC makes clear, they have officially tabled them for the time being.

The new proposed outdoor shooting range ordinance would have exempted police ranges from the restrictions of the ordinance. While a private shooting range would have had to have a 300 foot property line buffer, no such buffer was required of police ranges. This is probably because they would have failed to meet that standard.

My friend Tim Glance of Old Grouch Military Surplus pointed out another interesting wrinkle. The range that the Waynesville PD uses for training and qualification is not owned by the town. It is owned by a private association of police officers. By the standards of the county’s ordinance, it would not have been in compliance though it would have been grandfathered in.

I salute those who could attend the meeting, those like Paul Valone that spoke, and those that wrote in to the commissioners. During this election year, your voices were heard. We need to keep up the pressure on the commissioners to scrap these ordinances.

The alert from GRNC is below:

ARE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVING SECOND
THOUGHTS ABOUT SNUBBING THE LAW-ABIDING?
What started as a proposed ordinance to ban ALL open and conceal carry
has resulted in some potential backpedalling by Haywood County’s commissioners.
Last
week’s county commission
meeting to discuss this proposed ordinance was a HUGE victory for gun
owners like yourselves. Not only did nearly 400 gun rights activists
pack the
meeting and let themselves be heard, but the county has now announced
that “The Haywood County Board of Commissioners will not take any action at their regularly scheduled meeting of
Monday, April 4, 2016 on the proposed ordinances for Carrying of Concealed Weapons and Displaying of Firearms …”


 
Scorched by hundreds of angry voter contacts, the Haywood
County manager last week attempted to justify the commission’s actions
as
an attempt to bring the county’s 1995 ban on concealed carry in parks
into compliance with changes in the law. In reality, the commission
attempted to manipulate statutory definitions to continue gun bands
which are no longer legal.
In addition to banning open carry and
concealed carry in all county buildings, their proposed changes would
reclassify
Allen’s Creek Park as a “recreational facility” and ban guns throughout
the park in violation of recent changes which GRNC made that
more narrowly define recreational facility to only athletic fields
during scheduled events, swimming pools, and gymnasiums.
GRNC president Paul Valone was the first
to address the commission. In addition to noting that their parks
restrictions were illegal and would result in a lawsuit which they could
not
win, he pointed out that just because they had had restrictions since
1995 in other county facilities didn’t mean they should continue those
restrictions.
Haywood
County is slow to learn what twelve other North Carolina counties
have discovered: that reducing restriction on the lawful concealed carry
of firearms helps save lives and keep citizens safe. Despite what the
naysayers would have us believe (more on them in a minute), county
governments like that in Haywood County are being put on notice that
law-abiding
citizens will not tolerate being disarmed for their so-called
protection.

 

The next meeting of the Haywood County
Commissioners is tomorrow (Monday) evening, and we strongly encourage
our members
to remain vocal about their opposition to this proposed ordinance. These
politicians need to be told, in no uncertain terms, that enacting these
sorts of restrictive ordinances (especially ones that may put them in
violation of state law) will have consequences at the polls and in
the courts.

 

And speaking of the naysayers
… we thought you should also know that the astroturf group North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (a wholly owned subsidiary of
Michael Bloomberg) had
the
audacity to plagiarize GRNC’s March 26 alert and calling for its members
to attend the meeting. The evidence of this group’s ineptitude was
clear:
when asked by one of the speakers addressing the commission for a show
of hands of all who supported the proposed gun ban, none of the
attendees at
last week’s meeting identified themselves as a member of this shady
organization. We know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
but this
simply proves that astroturf will never equate to real grass roots support.


IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • EMAIL THE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
    Urge them to scrap
    the gun-ban ordinance altogether. Below, find a copy/paste email list,
    and under ‘Deliver This Message,’ you’ll find a copy/paste email message
    to
    send.

    Contact list: markswanger@bellsouth.net; kirk@jwklaw.net; lkensley@bellsouth.net; sorrells@cbvnol.com; billupton@bellsouth.net

     

  • Let North Carolinians Against Gun Violence know that plagiarism is
    stooping to a new low, even for them. We suggest leaving them a polite note on their Facebook page encouraging
    them
    to come up with their own material for alerts to their “supporters.”
    Something short and sweet like “Hey gun grabbers, can you please
    stop plagiarizing Grass Roots North Carolina when you send alerts to
    your “supporters?”

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Scrap the Gun Ban in Haywood
County”  

Dear Commissioners:
I have recently been informed of the gun ban that is being considered by the Haywood County
Commission, and I am writing to urge you to scrap bans on open and concealed carry on county property entirely.

As
the nearly 400 gun supporters in attendance at last week’s meeting
made abundantly clear, a patchwork of “gun-free” zones serve only to
make accidental criminals out of otherwise peaceful, law-abiding
citizens, while doing nothing to ensure anyone’s safety. A vote to close
all county facilities to the lawful carry of handguns will only convey
a disrespect for civil rights as they relate to the Second Amendment,
and will ultimately endanger both the citizens and employees of Haywood
County.


You
may be unaware of the new trend that is currently
sweeping our state. In recent months, county after county, after
recognizing the fallacy of “gun free” zones, has moved in the direction
of
more gun-freedom rather than less: Alamance, Ashe, Cabarrus, Cherokee,
Craven, Forsyth, Lenoir, Pitt, Person, Rowan, Union, and Wilkes
ounties, and the list continues to lengthen. This is a positive trend,
and I would strongly recommend that Haywood County consider this course,
rather
than a sure-to-be fruitless and disrespectful gun ban.

I
will continue to monitor this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina. 
Respectfully,