Month: June 2016

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Sit-Ins Pay Off For The Democrats

June 30, 2016 by 6 Comments

It was only last week that the House Democrats held an all-night sit-in the House chamber to protest in favor of gun control. We sadly saw a hero of the civil rights movement, Rep. John Lewis (R-GA), protesting in favor of actions that would actually curtail both 2nd and 5th Amendment guarantees. At the time, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said the Democrats sit-in was nothing more than political theater and that the Constitution must be protected.

That was then and this is now.

According to the Washington Examiner, Ryan told the House Republican Conference that the House will vote next week on a package of measures including one that would use the no-fly list to deny firearms purchases.

The House will vote on an anti-terrorism measure next week that would prevent terror suspects from purchasing guns, House Speaker Paul Ryan told GOP lawmakers Thursday.


In a conference call with the House Republican conference, Ryan, R-Wis., outlined a plan to vote on a legislative package that responds to the recent terrorist shootings, including limiting access to firearms by those on federal terror watch lists.


“The terrorism package will include measures to disrupt radicalization and recruitment, and a provision to prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns,” a GOP aide said….


The move comes as Democrats threaten to continue “sit-in” demonstrations on the House floor until the GOP majority allows votes on two specific Democratic gun control measures. The demonstrations forced the House GOP to gavel out early for a week-long recess earlier this month.

You know what this means – time to start calling/emailing/faxing your Representative. You can find their webpages and phone numbers here.

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Being Prepared

June 30, 2016 by

You don’t have to have been a Boy Scout to know that the Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared”. As the newest video commentary from Dom Raso makes clear, Islamofascists are going to target gun-free zones. These include night clubs like in Orlando and shopping malls like in Kenya.

And it doesn’t have to be only Islamofascists. A suicidal man who wanted to achieve notoriety with his death targeted the Von Maur Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. He killed eight people in that gun-free zone.

You do have some choices. First, you could just avoid shopping or visiting a place that is a gun-free zone. It might crimp your social life but shopping shouldn’t be too hard given the growth of Amazon Prime. (Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial.)

Second, you could still obey the gun-free zone signs but have a plan. In other words, be prepared. That preparation should include your family if you have one. Have an agreed upon meeting place if you have to suddenly exit, have an alert word that everyone knows means get out now, and make sure everyone knows where the exits are including the less obvious ones. This is just a start.

Third, even if you aren’t allowed to carry a firearm you can carry a knife, an ASP baton, pepper spray, or other weapon. Gun-free doesn’t have to be weapon-free.

Finally, you can carry a firearm regardless of the signs. Note, I am not advocating disobeying the law. You should know the law of your state or the state which you are visiting. You should know if the gun-free zone signs have the force of law or are they merely a suggestion. You should know the legal consequences of disobeying the law and weigh them in your own mind compared to the alternatives.

Would having a gun make a difference? It did in a South Carolina night club just last Sunday night.

Deputies said 32-year-old Jody Ray Thompson pulled out a gun after getting into an argument with another man and fired several rounds toward a crowd that had gathered out in front of the club.

“His rounds struck 3 victims, and almost struck a fourth victim, who in self-defense, pulled his own weapon and fired, striking Thompson in the leg,” Lt. Kevin Bobo said.

Bobo said the man who shot Thompson has a valid concealed weapons permit, cooperated with investigators, and won’t be facing any charges.

I don’t know the South Carolina law on carrying in clubs and don’t know if the legal concealed carrier actually went into the club but I do know it stopped a mass shooting.

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NRA Releases Ad – It’s Powerful

June 29, 2016 by

The NRA-PVF has released their first ad of this presidential election cycle. The ad is not so much pro-Trump as it is anti-Hillary.

I’ve watched the ad a few times and every time I’m struck by how powerful a message it sends. It features Mark “Oz” Geist who is a retired US Marine and is the security contractor who led the mission in Benghazi. He is the co-author of 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi. With the Rep. Trey Gowdy’s House Select Committee on Benghazi releasing their report damning both the White House and State Department, it is very timely.

Watch it and share this with your friends.

UPDATE: I just saw the NRA ad featured in a story regarding Donald Trump on CNN this morning around 9:30am EDT. They didn’t run the whole ad but enough to get the gist of it. According to CNN, the NRA-PVF is spending $2 million on air time.

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The Sicilian Widow

June 28, 2016 by 1 Comment

I came across an editorial in the National Review from June 14th. While I’m a little behind times as we have family visiting, the editors of the National Review said we don’t need a new assault weapons (sic) ban. You can read the whole editorial here.

However, what caught my eye was this characterization of the AR-15:

An “assault weapon” is the Sicilian widow of the firearms world: a little scary-looking and all dressed in black. 

I love it! This can lead to a whole plethora of names for new AR builds. The old style one could be named Mrs. Corleone. A more modern one could be Francesca or Isabella or Carmella or Elena. The possibilities are endless.

No word, though, on whether an AR-15 can pull off the malocchio or evil eye.

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Because Civil Rights Don’t Have Borders

June 24, 2016 by 1 Comment

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to ride gun control to the governor’s mansion in Sacramento. His opponents in the gun rights community, while underfunded compared to Newsom, are determined that he isn’t going to win without a fight.

The Firearms Policy Coalition recently released this 30 second spot noting that civil rights don’t have borders and that Newsom’s proposals could spread to the rest of the nation. If you can spare a few bucks, you might want to donate to the fight. Even better donate the equivalent of the price of a box of ammunition. That would appropriate since Newsom wants to have you to have to buy a $50 ammo purchase permit.

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Paul Ryan: “We’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights.”

June 23, 2016 by 2 Comments

I know Speaker Paul Ryan has gotten a lot of bad press from conservatives lately. However, this is a time we should be applauding his stance on due process which is forthright and to the point. He rightly points out the sit-in yesterday by some Democrats was nothing but a publicity stunt.

From the transcript provided by the Speaker’s Office:

This Is a Publicity Stunt
“This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That’s point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights. We’re not going to take away a citizen’s constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation.”

The Real Issue Here Is Terrorism
“Now, let’s focus on the issue at hand here: terrorism. And let’s find out what we need to do to prevent future terrorist attacks. And if a person is on a terror watch list, and they go try and buy a gun, we have procedures in place to deal with that. We want to make sure that those procedures are done correctly. And that is something we should be able to do in a calm and cool manner without these sort of dilatory, publicity-stunt tactics to try and bring a bill that already died over in the Senate to the House floor. That’s not any way to bring a bill to the floor.”

We Must Defend the Constitution
“They know we will not bring up a bill that takes away a person’s constitutionally guaranteed rights without their due process. We don’t agree with that, and the Senate already doesn’t agree with that. So I think, look, the point here, Wolf, is this is a publicity stunt. They’re trying to get you to ask me those questions for publicity’s sake. This isn’t trying to come up with a solution to a problem. This is trying to get attention.”

The House Rules Are Clear
“Look, this is the way the rules work in the House, and they have ever since we had TV. We had a similar protest when we were in the minority in 2008. Not only did the cameras not go on, they turned the lights off on us. This is what you do when you go into recess subject to the call of the chair. These are the House rules, and they’ve been this way for years.”
“This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That’s point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights. We’re not going to take away a citizen’s constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation.”

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Campus Carry For F-T Employees In TN Goes Live July 1

June 23, 2016 by

When the Tennessee legislature voted earlier this year to allow campus carry on state university campuses, they limited it to full-time employees of the schools. Moreover, in an effort to appease the governor and university administrators, they put the liability for accidental/negligent discharges on the employee.

Liston Matthews, the Knox Gun Guy and a retired college instructor himself, has done yeoman’s work in getting details from the UT Police Department on what’s required and the necessary forms.

Desiring to get the straight facts, I emailed Lt. Mike Richardson of the University of Tennessee Police Department. I also wanted the form that UT employees must complete in order to comply:


June 17, 2016
Subject: Notification form for faculty/staff handgun carry
Dear Lt. Richardson:


I am working on an article for my blog knoxgunguy.com, about the new law effective July 1. I know that they are required to notify UTPD in writing of their intent to carry.


Is there a specified format?
Is specific information required?
Is there a form they are required to complete?
Are they required to register their handgun with UTPD, or only supply information about themselves?


Thank you for your help?


Lt. Richardson replied with inline answers:


Jun 17 (4 days ago)


Is there a specified format?
There is a registration form that must be completed at UTPD and witnessed by a commissioned officer.


Is specific information required?
The information is specific to the employee.


Is there a form they are required to complete?
See first question and response.


Are they required to register their handgun with UTPD, or only supply information about themselves?
The full-time faculty/staff must only register themselves and their permit number, not the handgun itself.
You can also visit our department website, which should answer any other questions you may have.


Lt. Mike Richardson

Notice that Lt. Richardson (no relation) mentioned the form required to be completed. However, he did not send a copy with his responses. It took a bit of back and forth before Liston was able to get that form. Perhaps it was the mention of his attorney that shook it loose. You can see the form here.

Nashville’s The Tennesseean has a long story on both the bill and the reaction around Tennessee campuses to the coming change. For a large newspaper it was both fairly accurate and fairly evenhanded. I recommend reading it.

Thanks to Liston for his work in prying loose the form and answers from the UTPD.

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CCRKBA Calls Out Sit-In Democrats

June 23, 2016 by

Alan Gottlieb of the Citizen’s Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms that the Democrats no longer represent the ideals of a free society. Due process to them is just something that stands in the way of their gun prohibitionist goals.

Alan’s full statement is below:

Dems No Longer Represent Ideals Of A Free Society

BELLEVUE, WA – While Capitol Hill Democrats staged a symbolic “sit-in” today in the House chambers to demand action on new gun restrictions, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said these lawmakers clearly define by their actions how far the party has strayed from the ideals of liberty their predecessors stood for.

“Democrats in the 1960s used sit-ins to expand Constitutional rights,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb recalled. “But today, they are using a sit-in to restrict those same civil rights.”

While Democrats professed to be interested in curbing gun-related violence, he said, their true motives are aimed more at eroding not only firearms rights, but the right of due process. Clearly, Gottlieb asserted, the sit-in is a carefully-choreographed attempt to fool the public into believing that it is right to pass legislation to strip someone of their rights without any criminal charge, much less a conviction, by placing them on a secret “watch list” without benefit of due process.

“Their party no longer represents the ideals of a free society,” Gottlieb said. “Democrats who are participating in this exhibition think they symbolize the frustration of American citizens. What they’re really symbolizing is the fact that they have been sitting down on the job rather than addressing the genuine threat of worldwide terrorism that has once again erupted in this country while Democrat Barack Obama sits in the Oval Office.

“Instead of demanding direct action against dangerous Islamic extremists,” he continued, “they’re distracting the public by pushing gun control measures that they know would not have prevented Orlando, Boston or San Bernardino. But it creates the deceptive impression that they are doing something, when in fact they are doing less than nothing by trying to penalize the wrong people.

“This is an insult to many of us that participated in sit-in demonstrations to extend civil rights a generation ago,” he added. “Many of us were armed to protect participants from the Ku Klux Klan and other bigots. We were also armed with the facts, something that today’s gun prohibitionists know little about. This demonstration is a disgrace, but today’s crop of Democrats don’t seem to care.”

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I Wish Sen. Collins Would Stick To Worrying About Lobsters

June 22, 2016 by 1 Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (RINO-ME) usually worries about important things like whether Maine lobsters are invading Europe. Now she and an unholy alliance of senators are introducing a “compromise” bill that allows the Attorney General to deny firearms purchases to anyone on the No-Fly List or the “Selectee” List. Their idea of due process is to allow you to appeal to the US Court of Appeals if denied, pay an attorney big bucks, and then, and only then, recover your attorneys fees if your appeal was successful.

The bill is entitled the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016. I wonder if she considers the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) or Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) as terrorists as both ended up on the No-Fly List. If not for their positions in Congress they still might be on it. The bill is pitched as a compromise between the failed bills of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). While I didn’t like either of those bills, the Cornyn bill at least had some recognition of the 5th Amendment guarantee of due process. The ACLU, to their credit, didn’t like either bill.

Here is a summary of the bill as put out by Sen. Collins. Please notice item no. 4 which gives the Attorney General the power to approve a sale to someone on the list so as to not impede a FBI counter-terrorism investigation. Given that current Attorney General Loretta Lynch can’t even say the word “Muslim terrorist”, what’s to say that all terrorists won’t be OK’ed as a matter of policy. As we saw during Project Gunwalker, most of those firearms are still in the hands of the cartels.

Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016

Sponsor: U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

Cosponsors: U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND); Kelly Ayotte (R-NH); Martin Heinrich (DNM);
Jeff Flake (R-AZ); Tim Kaine (D-VA); Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Angus King (I-ME); Bill
Nelson (D-FL); Joe Manchin (D-WV); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); and Mark Kirk (R-IL)

The bipartisan “Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016” would prevent people who are on the No Fly
List or the Selectee List from purchasing firearms. If our government has determined that an individual is
too dangerous to fly on an airplane, that person should not have the opportunity make a legal firearm
purchase. Due process principles require that Americans denied their right to purchase a firearm under
this provision have the opportunity to appeal this denial to a federal court.

What the Amendment Does:


1. Gives the AG the authority to deny firearms sales to individuals who appear on the No Fly List or the
Selectee List.
2. Provides a process for Americans and green card holders to appeal a denial in U.S. Court of Appeals
and to recover their reasonable attorneys fees if they prevail.
3. Sets forth a procedure for protecting classified information during the appeal.
4. Protects ongoing FBI counter-terrorism investigations by giving the AG the discretion to allow gun
sales to go forward to individuals covered by this Act.
5. Includes a “look-back” provision that ensures prompt notification to the FBI if a person who has been
on the broader Terrorism Screening Database (TSDB) within the past five years purchases a firearm.


How It Works: The TSDB is the broad consolidated watch list comprised of several more narrow threat
databases that various government entities maintain. The No Fly List is a subset that precludes an
individual from boarding a commercial aircraft that departs in, arrives from, or flies over the United
States. The Selectee List is used to identify individuals who require additional screening.

Individuals on the narrower No Fly and Selectee lists would not be allowed to purchase guns, but
Americans and green card holders would have due process rights to appeal in the Court of Appeals
following a proscribed procedure. The AG would have the burden of proof, and the court would be
required to make a decision in 14 days.

Classified information would be reviewed by the court following procedures similar to those in the
Classified Information Procedures Act used for criminal proceedings. In cases where the classified
information is relied upon, the court would have a range of options to protect the information while fully
ensuring due process. These options range from providing an unclassified summary to disclosing some or
all of the classified information.

To ensure appropriate oversight and transparency, the Attorney General would be required to report to the
Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate on the number of persons denied a
firearm, the number of appeals filed, and number of persons who prevailed in their appeals under the
provisions of this Act.