Month: May 2018

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Illinois Governor Issues Amendatory Veto Of Assault Weapons Bill

May 15, 2018 by 1 Comment

Gov. Bruce Rauner (R-IL) issued an amendatory veto of Illinois HB 1468. An amendatory veto is when the governor replaces language in a bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly with his own language. The General Assembly has three options. First, do nothing and the bill will die. Second, override the veto with a three-fifths vote in each house and the original language becomes law. Finally, pass the law with the amended language with a simple majority.

IllinoisCarry has an extensive post on the amendatory veto which I am posting below. It does contains things that would be objectionable in a more pro-gun state but are seen as a compromise in Illinois. This would include things like a bumpstock and trigger crank ban as well as 72 hour waiting period on all gun sales.

From IllinoisCarry with links to their discussion forum and Gov. Rauner’s veto message:

Gov.
Rauner issued an amendatory veto yesterday of HB1468. The bill sent to
the Governor’s desk 60 days ago with a veto proof majority would have
codified into law, for the first time in IL history, a broad brush
definition of ‘assault weapons’. As we had hoped, he stripped the
‘assault’ language out of the bill and instead opted for a 72 hr.
waiting period on all gun sales rather than risk law abiding gun owners
getting caught up in a felony trick bag set up by anti-Second Amendment
democrats. In a surprising move, the amendatory veto also included
instituting the death penalty for mass killers, freed up local revenue
to fund resource officers and mental health workers in our schools, a
ban on bump stocks, and set the framework for limiting people who are a
danger to themselves or others from having access to firearms. 
With
the veto, the Governor protects Illinois gun owners from a  gun
grabbing scheme which would have made firearm restraining orders easy to
obtain, virtually no-penalty for false testimony, and taking firearms
away from nearly anyone by almost anybody for any reason. With the
amendatory veto, it becomes a roadblock with a  felony penalty for false
testimony,  prevents vindictive grudges being used to take firearms
from lawful gun owners while providing a process to curb mentally ill
respondents – like the Parkland High School and Waffle House killers –
who are a danger to themselves or others from legally possessing
firearms . It also provides a clear and timely process for restoration
of  rights when a person is no longer a danger.
The full text of the veto can be viewed here.  Discussion of the veto can be found on IllinoisCarry’s discussion forum.
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Ken Hackathorn On The M1 Carbine

May 15, 2018 by

Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons just published an interview with the legendary Ken Hackathorn. It is a quite interesting interview dealing with the myth versus the reality of the firearm. Ken said the WWII and Korean War veterans who actually used the M1 Carbine in combat generally liked it. They did acknowledge that the magazines were flimsy and they made a conscious effort to replace them on a regular basis.

I have an IBM-made M1 Carbine and love it. It is light and accurate. However, Hackathorn notes that many of the manufacturers had quality control problems in making these firearms. While the most common, the Inland Division of GM made carbines tended to be the most reliable. That somewhat surprised me.

The interview runs about 19 minutes and is really interesting especially if you like old US military firearms like I do. Now if I could only find a RockOla-made M1 Carbine with an Elmer Keith inspected cartouche like the one Hackathorn has, I’d be set.

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No Changes To What Ruger Makes And Sells

May 10, 2018 by 3 Comments

A shareholder proposal put forth by Catholic Health Initiatives and the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment for a vote by Ruger shareholders passed. The proposal which was opposed by the board of directors requires the company to prepare a report on “on how it tracks violence associated with its firearms, what kind of research it is conducting related to so-called smart gun technology and its assessment of the risks that gun-related crimes pose to the company’s reputation and finances.”

The measure was spearheaded by Colleen Scanlon who is the chief advocacy officer for Catholic Health Initiatives which is an organization of over 100 Catholic run hospitals.

From CNN Money:

The proposal was spearheaded by Colleen Scanlon, senior vice president and chief advocacy officer for Catholic Health Initiatives, a system of hospitals and academic institutions. Her organization was one of four shareholders who spoke at the meeting, and all of them asked the Ruger executives what they were going to do about gun violence and gun safety.

“We as shareholders are saying that gun violence is significant enough that you, as a gun company, need to address what your responsibility to gun safety is,” said Scanlon to CNNMoney.

She said that hospitals within the Catholic health system have treated many patients with gunshot wounds, and she wants Ruger to focus on smart gun technology. She said that her institution was one of 11 religious shareholder organizations to draft the proposal

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see them leading an effort about making a smarter gun, like fingerprint activated guns and tracking systems for finding lost or stolen guns, like with iPhones?” she said. “We know that gun owners are responsible and sensible people, but we know that guns can end up in the wrong hands.”

You can read the shareholder proposal here along with the rationale given for its passage. I would note that any supporting documentation that relies on the Violence Policy Center is suspect. The firm Institutional Investor Services which advises on shareholder proposal urged passage which I assume is the reason some of the major institutional investors vote for it.

Ruger sent out an email this evening with their response to the passage of the shareholder proposal.

The same coalition that pushed this anti-gun nonsense on Ruger will be attempting to do the same thing to American Outdoor Brands Company aka Smith & Wesson. This is the danger that we should come to expect in the future for firearms companies and those that do business with them. I foresee a time in the not too distant future when you will see most of these public companies going private to avoid having to deal with this.

I think it is important that you know just which religious orders are behind these proposals. I’m Catholic but I’ll be damned if I agree with any of these nuns. I certainly wouldn’t be making any contributions to their orders.

Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment

  • Adrian Dominican Sisters
  • Benedictine Sisters of Cottonwood, Idaho
  • Benedictine Sisters of Mt Angel
  • Congrégation des Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie
  • Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
  • Jesuits West
  • PeaceHealth
  • Providence Health & Services
  • Northwest Women Religious Investment Trust
  • Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, U.S. Ontario Province
  • Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province
  • Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
  • Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
  • Tacoma Dominicans

Catholic Health Initiatives

Thirteen congregations of women religious either founded or later joined Catholic Health Initiatives. These congregations support and influence the mission of Catholic Health Initiatives and its public juridic person, Catholic Health Care Federation. Each Congregation appoints a person to represent them at semi-annual meetings with the Board of Stewardship Trustees.

Esther Anderson, OSF, PhD
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Alice Armata, OP
Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena
Taos, New Mexico

Nadine Heimann, OSF
Sisters of St. Francis of Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Joanne Klinnert, OSF
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Little Falls, Minnesota

Joan Elizabeth Cook, SC
Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio

Sharon Ford, RSM
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, West Midwest Community
Omaha, Nebraska

Sally Marie Kiepura, CSFN
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Des Plaines, Illinois

Mary Jo Lewis, MD
Associate Member
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fargo, North Dakota

Ann Marie Friederichs, OSF
Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Heart of MaryHankinson, North Dakota
Hankinson, North Dakota

Susan Gatz, SCN
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth
Nazareth, Kentucky

Francis Schumacher, OSB
Benedictine Sisters of Mother of God Monastery
Watertown, South Dakota

Diane Traffas, OP
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Columbus, Ohio

Sr. Mary Jon Wagner, OSF
Sylvania Franciscans
Sylvania, Ohio

Representative of Partnering Congregations

Sr. Nancy Miller, OSB
Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery
Bismarck, ND

UPDATE: The full transcript of the Ruger annual meeting can be found here. You will note some of the nonsensical questions posed to Ruger CEO Chris Killoy by “religious leaders”.

UPDATE II: For an excellent summary of the shareholder proposal accomplished, please read this editorial by Jim Shepherd of the Outdoor Wire. He compared it to a fly buzzing around a cow. It is pestering rather than the steering claimed by proponents.

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What Does It Say When Even Hi-Point Drops You As A Customer?

May 9, 2018 by 2 Comments

Today’s Shooting Wire contained a release from MKS Supply, LLC saying they would no longer do business with Dick’s Sporting Goods and its Field and Stream subsidiary. MKS Supply is the exclusive distributor for Hi-Point Firearms and Inland Manufacturing.

In recent months, Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiary, Field & Stream, have shown themselves, in our opinion, to be no friend of Americans’ Second Amendment. We believe that refusing to sell long guns to adults under age 21, while many young adults in our military are not similarly restricted, is wrong. We believe that villainizing modern sporting rifles in response to pressure from uninformed, anti-gun voices is wrong. We believe that hiring lobbyists to oppose American citizens’ freedoms secured by the Second Amendment is wrong. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Field & Stream, in purportedly doing all of these things, have demonstrated that they do not share our values.

MKS Supply, Hi-Point Firearms and Inland Manufacturing are standing by the American people by refusing any further sales to Dick’s Sporting Goods & Field & Stream. We are proud of our products, we are proud of our customers, and we are especially proud of the freedoms secured by our great U.S. Constitution. We are committed to all three.

As I reported last week, Springfield Armory severed their ties with Dick’s and the NSSF had expelled them from membership.

This afternoon it was announced that Mossberg was refusing any future orders and evaluating their current contractual agreements with Dick’s and Field and Stream.

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., a leading American firearms manufacturer, announced today its decision to discontinue selling products to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and its subsidiary, Field & Stream, in response to their hiring of gun control lobbyists in April 2018.

Effective immediately, O.F. Mossberg & Sons will not accept any future orders from Dick’s Sporting Goods or Field & Stream, and is in the process of evaluating current contractual agreements.

“It has come to our attention that Dick’s Sporting Goods recently hired lobbyists on Capitol Hill to promote additional gun control.” said Iver Mossberg, Chief Executive Officer of O.F. Mossberg & Sons. “Make no mistake, Mossberg is a staunch supporter of the U.S. Constitution and our Second Amendment rights, and we fully disagree with Dick’s Sporting Goods’ recent anti-Second Amendment actions.”

Consumers are urged to visit one of the thousands of pro-Second Amendment firearm retailers to make their purchases of Mossberg and Maverick® firearms. Firearm retailers can be found through the Mossberg Dealer Locator by visiting http://www.mossberg.com/dealers/.

Dick’s might not be hurt by this but Field and Stream is going to miss both Springfield and Mossberg. The average Field and Stream store devotes about one-third of its overall space to hunting and shooting. A few more of these announcements and they can kiss the hunting and shooting business goodbye.

Finally, when even a low-end producer like Hi-Point wants nothing to do with you, it says you suck and big time.

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Ollie North To Be New NRA President

May 8, 2018 by 6 Comments

An alternative headline might be “The Triumph of the Staff”.

While I think Ollie North is an OK guy and a believer in the Second Amendment, I just don’t think he is the right person to be the next president of the National Rifle Association. In the release below he is being compared to Charlton Heston. In other words he will be a figurehead. What the NRA needs is not a figurehead but an effective leader in the corporate chairman of the board mold who will hold the hired staff – Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox – accountable. An effective president (or chairman of the board) would have slapped Wayne and Chris down when they sandbagged the board by suggesting regulation of bump fire stocks without consulting the board.

My second objection is North’s age. He is 74 years old. I’m sure he is a very vigorous 74 years old but it reinforces the notion that the NRA is old, white, conservative, and bit out of touch. That’s not the truth of many of the members but appearances matter. As Sebastian notes, “Exciting for whom?”

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Third, I think the gun control industry is jumping up and down with glee over the selection of Ollie North. Even though his convictions for gun running in the Iran-Contra scandal were thrown out, he will still be painted as a gun runner. This doesn’t help our cause.

Finally, his attendance record at NRA Board meetings is not stellar. For the eight meetings from January 2015 through May 2017, North only attended three meetings. He had excused absences three times and two unexcused absences. Let’s face it, it sucks.

The NRA has been in reactive mode since Parkland. We have lost more than we’ve gained since then and this is no way to win the war for the Second Amendment. We need to be proactive and I just don’t see the elevation of Ollie North to the presidency of the NRA as going in that direction.

I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But the reality that I’m seeing on the ground right now seems to be saying I’m not wrong.

The full announcement of the North selection:

DALLAS – Lt. Colonel Oliver North, USMC (Ret.) will become President of the National Rifle Association of America within a few weeks, a process the NRA Board of Directors initiated this morning.

“This is the most exciting news for our members since Charlton Heston became President of our Association,” said NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre. “Oliver North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader. In these times, I can think of no one better suited to serve as our President.”

North said he was eager to take on this new role as soon as his business affairs were put in order. North is retiring from Fox News, effective immediately. “I am honored to have been selected by the NRA Board to soon serve as this great organization’s President,” North said. “I appreciate the board initiating a process that affords me a few weeks to set my affairs in order, and I am eager to hit the ground running as the new NRA President.”

The NRA Board acted quickly to begin the process for North to become President, after former NRA President Pete Brownell announced this morning that, in order to devote his full time and energy to his family business, he had decided not to seek election to a second term. In his letter to the Board, Brownell wholeheartedly endorsed North for President.

“Discussing this with Wayne LaPierre,” Brownell said in the letter, “he suggested we reach out to a warrior amongst our board members, Lt. Colonel Oliver North, to succeed me. Wayne and I feel that in these extraordinary times, a leader with his history as a communicator and resolute defender of the Second Amendment is precisely what the NRA needs. After consulting with NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox, First Vice President Childress and Second Vice President Meadows, I can report there is extraordinary support for Lt. Colonel North.”

“Pete has served the NRA with great courage and distinction,” LaPierre said. “I am grateful that he joined me in enthusiastically recommending Oliver North to the Board of Directors.”

After the announcement, NRA First Vice President Richard Childress informed the board that he had multiple commitments in the next several weeks and was unable to be immediately available to serve as interim President. The Board then selected Second Vice President Carolyn Meadows to serve as its interim President. Meadows will step aside in a few weeks, when Lt. Colonel North is prepared to take on his new role as NRA President.

LaPierre congratulated the NRA Board for its action. “The board acted quickly and with great vision,” LaPierre said. “Oliver North is, hands down, the absolute best choice to lead our NRA Board, to fully engage with our members, and to unflinchingly stand and fight for the great freedoms he has defended his entire life.”

“Oliver North is a true hero and warrior for freedom,” LaPierre said, “and NRA members are proud to stand with him.”

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FASTER Program In Colorado

May 7, 2018 by

My friend Laura Carno helped bring the FASTER program to Colorado in an effort to protect students there. Kelsey Harkness of The Daily Signal traveled to Colorado to find out more about their program. She produced a video of what she found out with interviews with Laura, a SWAT commander, and a charter school founder. I think it is a great overview of what they are doing in Colorado to protect students where school boards will allow it.

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NRA Annual Meeting Attendance Sets New Record

May 7, 2018 by

Thank you, Texas!

The attendance figures released for the 2018 NRA Annual Meeting have been released. 87,154 people attended this year which broke the record set in Houston in 2013.

Bitter at Shall Not Be Questioned posted a very good graph showing attendance at NRA Annual Meetings since 2004.

I was there each day and it didn’t feel crowded. I think this might have to do with the layout of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. I will say the line to get into the Leadership Forum to see President Trump and VP Mike Pence was very, very long.

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NSSF Expels Dick’s Sporting Goods

May 5, 2018 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation Board of Governors voted to expel Dick’s Sporting Goods from membership in the organization.  They were expelled for “conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Foundation.” The conduct was hiring a firm of anti-gun lobbyists to push more gun control.  If a company wanted to push away the hunters and shooters in their customer base, Dick’s is doing a damn good job of it.

The full release is below:

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, Board of Governors today unanimously voted to expel Dick’s Sporting Goods from membership for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Foundation.
Dick’s Sporting Goods recently hired a Washington D.C.-based government affairs firm, for “[l]obbying related to gun control.” Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Edward W. Stack announced earlier this year the retail chain would end sales of modern sporting rifles, voluntarily raise the age to 21 to purchase firearms in their stores and called for more restrictive legislation. Dick’s later announced they would destroy the remaining modern sporting rifle inventory. NSSF responded that business decisions should be individually made, but was nonetheless disappointed and the decision does not reflect the reality of the vast majority of law-abiding gun owners.
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NPR Interviews “A NRA Member”

May 5, 2018 by 1 Comment

NPR covered the Leadership Forum at the NRA Annual Meeting today. In addition to the speeches by the various politicians, they sought out individual NRA members.. My friend and roommate at the NRA Annual Meeting Liston Matthews agreed to be interviewed. Liston gave what I think was a great, reasoned interview even though there were some “gotcha” questions by Mary Louise Kelly.

You can hear the whole interview embedded below.

Kudos to Liston for doing such a good job.

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NRA AM 2018 Begins

May 4, 2018 by

My first impressions of the NRA Annual Meeting is that there are a lot of people here. Moreover, there are more press and media here than normal. I had to wait about 45 minutes to get my media credentials this morning. In all the years since 2011 when I first got media credentials, I’ve never, ever had to wait to pick up my credentials.

I was in line with gun bloggers, a reporter from HuffPo, and lots of local media outlets. I don’t know whether it is because of President Trump being here or because of the potential for demonstrators post-Parkland but they are here.