Uncategorized

Mortality, Google Searches, And What The Media Reports

June 4, 2019 by 2 Comments

I came across a very interesting infographic that compares actual causes of death, what people find in Google searches, and how the media treats the various causes of death. The media was represented by examining coverage in the New York Times and the UK’s Guardian for the period 1999 to 2016.

If you only relied upon the media, you would believe that over 50% of deaths were the result of either terrorism or homicide and that very few were due to heart disease. The reality is that heart disease followed by cancer are the first and second causes of death in the US. Moreover, the two combine to account for almost 60% of deaths.

This comes from OurWorldInData and you can get the data behind these charts here. You can read more analysis of the data here.

Uncategorized

Rachel Malone – Three Myths About Suppressors

June 4, 2019 by

Given President Trump’s foolish remarks about suppressors, it is time again to take apart the myths about suppressors. My friend and fellow co-host of the Polite Society Podcast Rachel Malone does just that in the video below. Rachel, by the way, it the GOA Director for Texas and fights for gun rights on a daily basis. She is a trainer and musician.

Uncategorized

Northam Doesn’t Want To Let A Crisis Go To Waste

June 4, 2019 by 1 Comment

When Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) isn’t trying to figure out if it was actually him in the picture wearing the Klan hood, he is pushing gun control. Now he is taking a page from the Rahm Emanuel playbook and calling a special legislative session of the Virginia General Assembly to push for more gun control after the murders in Virginia Beach.

From the Roanoke Times:

Northam was joined by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring, all Democrats, at a news conference with other Democratic leaders to challenge the Republicans who control the General Assembly and have repeatedly stifled efforts to consider any form of gun control.

“It’s time for decisive action,” Northam said. “Let Virginia show the nation that we can respond to tragedy with decisive action.”

Most gun-control bills have failed in previous sessions of the legislature, including those that would broaden the ability of local governments to limit firearms in public buildings, mandate universal background checks, limit purchases to one handgun per month and allow authorities to seize the weapons of a person found to be a threat to themselves or others. The bills have usually been killed in committee and not progressed to the full legislature for a vote.

Northam said he wants the General Assembly to debate and vote on the bills.

“These are common sense pieces of legislation we have introduced them year after year,” he said. “They have never received a fair hearing. … I want these pieces of common sense gun safety legislation to get to the floor and let these individuals elected by you, the people, to come to the floor and cast their vote.”

Gun control activists are also calling for a ban on “high capacity magazines” (sic). Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City County) said in an interview that “none of the failed legislation met standards for merits, practical application, and efficacy.” That said, Norment might be open to restricting magazines to 10 rounds.

Specifically, Norment said he expects the General Assembly to tackle large-capacity or extended magazines.

“An extended magazine is optical, but does it change the outcome, I’m not sure, but it’s something the citizens like this would say at least it’s an incremental effort to do something,” Norment said. “At least that is an issue that it’s very easy to resolve.”

Norment did vote against a similar ban earlier this year in committee. Those pushing for a mag ban ought to view Joe Huffman’s video on reload times made after Gabby Giffords was shot in Tucson.

As to Northam’s proposals, let’s examine whether they would have done anything to have stopped the murders in Virginia Beach.

Limiting firearms in municipal buildings? The killer was a municipal employee of Virginia Beach and had access to secured sections of the municipal building. He would have also known how to avoid any metal detection devices.

Universal background checks? The guy passed background checks on both of his firearms.

Limit purchases to one handgun per month?  He bought one handgun in 2016 and the other in 2018.

Red flag law? The killer had no history of violent actions, interacted normally with another employee in a bathroom before starting his killing spree, had no disciplinary problems at work, and had received a satisfactory evaluation on his last performance evaluation at work.

Finally, with regard to President Trump and his “I don’t like them” attitude towards suppressors, the killer purchased his suppressor legally. That means he bought a highly regulated product, paid a $200 tax, had to submit fingerprints and pictures, and go through a BATFE background check while waiting probably 6-9 months before taking possession of his suppressor.

Virginia gun owners have a fight on their hands if they don’t want to become the New Jersey of the South. When the Republican Majority Leader is waffling on standard capacity magazines, it is time to start to put the pressure on.

Uncategorized

What Michael Bloomberg Bought With Pocket Change

June 3, 2019 by

Mark Johnson (R-NC) is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of North Carolina. When he beat incumbent June Atkinson in 2016, he became the first Republican elected to that position in over 100 years. In his role as Superintendent of Public Instruction, he has control over the public schools in the state including their policies and their curriculum.

Despite being a Republican, Johnson has always been somewhat suspect in my estimation. When the Republican receives a donation from Michael Bloomberg, I am suspicious. I wrote in 2016 about how this made me feel wary of him. I found it interesting that Bloomberg contributed $5,100 to him and nothing to Democrat June Atkinson who was a strong supporter of Common Core. Bloomberg’s daughter Emma also contributed another $100 to Johnson. I noted that contributions like this come with implicit strings attached.

Johnson started to show his true colors back in 2018 when he opposed allowing teachers with the requisite training from being armed. Johnson said at the time, he wanted firearms on campus restricted to “these trained, uniformed law-enforcement professionals who courageously choose a career protecting citizens from violent threats.”

As bad as that was, it wasn’t too far out of the mainstream even for a Republican. His latest move, on the other hand, involves partnering with anti-gun group Sandy Hook Promise to set up an anonymous reporting system. The system will involve a mobile app with the tips monitored by volunteers with Sandy Hook Promise.

NC State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today that the state education agency has contracted with Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) to provide a statewide Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in the 2019-20 school year. The Say Something program, including an anonymous mobile tip app, is a school safety program designed to change and save lives by teaching students, educators, and administrators how to recognize the signs and signals of those who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and to anonymously report this information through the mobile tip app, the website or the telephone crisis hotline.


“Students play a critical role in helping to keep schools safe,” Johnson said. “They may see and hear concerns that adults need to know about but may be reluctant to report it. With the Say Something program, middle and high school students will better understand what warning signs to look for and when and how to report important tips through an app. Making this app available will be an important part of our efforts to make schools safer.” “We are proud and eager to work with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to train students across the state to ‘know the signs’ of potential violence and report them to a trusted adult via the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System,” said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. “With these comprehensive violence prevention systems in place, North Carolina schools will be safer, protecting millions of lives and empowering youth to be upstanders in their communities.”


Through the Say Something program, students, parents, educators and others can download the app and share school safety concerns with school administrators and school resource officers at schools, who will respond appropriately. More than 5,100 schools nationwide are currently using Sandy Hook Promise’s anonymous reporting system. North Carolina will be the second statewide partnership for Sandy Hook Promise, with implementation of an anonymous reporting system that will encourage student participation in protecting themselves and their peers.

 According to the Raleigh News and Observer, the 2018 state budget allocated $5 million to fund the project. It is estimated that it will cost about $650,000 per year to run it. While the release from Johnson and Sandy Hook Promise wasn’t explicit about this, the N&O reports that the “command center” will be staffed by Sandy Hook Promise and not local NC law enforcement.

An anonymous reporting system with no connection to local law enforcement is an invitation for abuse. I see a lot of kids getting back at other teens for imagined slights, I see “swatting“, and I see innocent people getting killed. This is “pre-crime” brought to the schools of North Carolina and civil liberties be damned. That is what Michael Bloomberg bought with his pocket change.

Uncategorized

The Full Ack-Mac Statement On Terminating Their Contract With The NRA

May 31, 2019 by 2 Comments

Oklahoma City News 9 published the full statement from Ackerman McQueen on their move to terminate its contract with the National Rifle Association. Previous news reports only quoted excerpts from this statement.

From News 9:

May 29, 2019 State From Ackerman McQueen

“Today, faced with the NRA’s many inexplicable actions that have constructively terminated the parties’ Services Agreement, Ackerman McQueen decided it is time to stand up for the truth, and formally provide a Notice to Terminate its almost four-decade long relationship with the National Rifle Association.

“Over the last very difficult year, the NRA’s chaos led us to lose faith in the organization’s willingness to act on behalf of the NRA’s mission. We implored everyone involved to stay true to the NRA membership. In return, we were attacked in frivolous lawsuits and defamed with made-up stories that were then cowardly peddled to the media. Our employee’s rights to privacy were challenged by a determination to drag false allegations into the public with leaks and innuendo. The intent was to make us afraid. We will never fear the truth.

“The NRA has been a powerful force to protect the civil liberties of law-abiding Americans. For 38 years we were with them, as we are with all of our clients, to serve their mission. The turmoil the NRA faces today was self-inflicted. It could have been avoided. We deeply regret that it wasn’t.”

I speculated on Wednesday that Ack-Mac may be recognizing the rise of William Brewer III and his firm in the equation of things and Brewer’s goal to be the one stop shop for both legal and PR needs. I’ve had two NRA Directors who shall remain unnamed contact me since I wrote that to say they thought that was spot on and that Brewer was pushing in that direction. Both took a dim view of the efforts of Brewer.

In response to a question I posted on NRA Director and WLP loyalist Todd Rathner’s Facebook page asking if Brewer would be the new go-to for PR, Mr. Rathner replied:

No. I have asked that exact question and was told that his PR shop is specifically set up to support his legal work. They are not equipped to provide the type of services the NRA requires for overall PR. A lot will be coming in house, some services will be outsourced.

Maybe yes, maybe no but don’t be surprised to see Brewer’s billings increase even more.

Uncategorized

Cuomo Capitulates In New York And Signs Gravity Knife Bill

May 31, 2019 by

The third time is obviously the charm. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) signed AB 5944 which removed the vague term “gravity knife” from the Penal Code. Cuomo had vetoed two previous passed bills which would have changed the law. He signed this bill in the face of both Federal court rulings and the realization that the Supreme Court probably would have changed the law anyway.

From his signing message:

As I review this bill for a third time, the legal landscape has changed. In March of this
year, the United States District Court for the Southern District ofNew York declared the State’s
existing “gravity knife” ban unconstitutional. As argued by many who have advocated for this
change in law, the court reasoned that the existing law could result in arbitrary and
discriminatory enforcement.


While I remain aware of the cautious community voices, I cannot veto a bill passed by
the Legislature to address a decided constitutional infmnity in existing law, as recently affirmed
by a federal court. I remain confident that our law enforcement community will continue to keep
our communities safe by pursuing anyone who uses, or attempts to use, one of these knives in an
unlawful manner.

This is a huge win for Knife Rights who have been fighting in both the courts and in the New York State Assembly and Senate to rectify the injustices caused by the prior knife law. It is also a big loss for New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. who used the Penal Code to charge way too many honest people with violations of the gravity knife ban and who also used it to shake down a number of businesses.

Knife Rights was assisted in this battle by the New York Legal Aid Society whom they recognized in their statement below. Knife Rights is still warning people to be careful carrying a knife in NYC.

Nine years of hard work and effort, including eight years of
costly Federal litigation and the threat of losing big time at the U.S.
Supreme Court (see below), has finally convinced New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo to sign A5944,
repealing the state’s bans on Gravity Knives. Cuomo previously vetoed
two similar bills which Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs,
Todd Rathner, also worked on tirelessly in Albany.

Although the
bill leaves the definition of a gravity knife intact, the statutory
repeals make the knives legal, stripping New York City and District
Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. of their ability to continue to abuse the
definition of a gravity knife and continue to arrest and prosecute
people by claiming a common lock blade folding knife or utility knife is
an illegal gravity knife

The repeal is effective immediately.

Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, “After nine years fighting, it
is a relief to close the book on this extraordinary abuse of authority
by a corrupt system that has terrorized over 70,000 honest, law-abiding
people, disproportionately minorities, for simply carrying a common tool
used daily in their lives. I am thrilled that we and our partners
across the political spectrum in this fight have finally prevailed, but
it is a sad commentary on the state of politics and justice in New York
State, New York City and at the Second Circuit that it took this long
and that tens of thousands of innocent folks had to suffer so much for
so long.”

“This is a big win for Knife Rights, the people of New
York, and for the sponsors who tenaciously fought to get these
injustices stopped. I am very proud to have worked with them on the
ground in Albany as we fought so long to get this done,” said Rathner.
Knife Rights congratulates our longtime legislative allies in this
effort, sponsors Assemblymember Dan Quart and Senator Diane Savino, as
well as Senator Robert Jackson, for gaining unanimous approval of this
bill this time around and for helping to assemble the coalition of
diverse organizations and politicians who urged Cuomo to sign the bill
after two previous vetoes of similar overwhelmingly passed bills.

“No stage hand, no plumber, no maintenance worker, no office worker, no
New Yorker should have to risk their freedom to carry a tool because of
a vaguely worded 1950’s era statute,” said Assemblymember Dan Quart.
“I’m proud to have been a part of this unlikely and diverse coalition
that included public defenders, union members, criminal justice reform
advocates and Knife Rights. Knife Rights’ tenacious 9-year fight in
Federal court against this unjust and unconstitutional enforcement
scheme proved an important element in this struggle.”

We are very thankful for the support of our friends at The Legal Aid Society who have been on the front lines in this fight.

Legal Aid Society’s Martin LaFalce said, “Repealing New York’s gravity
knife statute has been a team effort with Legal Aid and Knife Rights
partnering to lead the charge. Governor Cuomo’s signature was clearly
influenced by Knife Rights determined litigation strategy and
partnership with Legal Aid. Together we exposed the wrist flick test as
constitutionally absurd and NYPD’s enforcement of the statute flagrantly
discriminatory.”

We’d also like to credit journalist Jon Campbell whose series of articles starting in 2014 in the Village Voice
publicized these abuses and helped immeasurably to catalyze public
support for a solution. Also credit to VICE News who more recently highlighted this issue and Knife Rights’ efforts to solve it to a broad audience, further arousing opposition to this abuse.

Unfortunately,
this is unlikely to be the end of knife owners being harassed by the
New York Police Department.  READ OUR WARNINGS BELOW on why knife owners
in New York and especially in New York City need to still be careful
about what knife they carry going forward and how they carry it in NYC.


Cuomo’s action on this bill came as briefing was completed in Knife Rights’ appeal of its federal civil rights case on these gravity knife arrests to the Supreme Court of the United States. With a strong case including a 4 to 1 circuit split against the Second Circuit on an important constitutional issue, three strong amicus briefs from across the political spectrum and, just recently, feeble and obfuscatory opposition briefs from NYC and DA, the possibility of Knife Rights’ case being heard increased significantly.

A conference to decide whether to take up this case is currently scheduled for June 13th.
A decision in favor of the plaintiffs against the City and DA Vance in
our case would make it much harder for the Second Circuit to abuse the
issue of vagueness, as they have in our case, to make other cases
opposed by these politicians go away, again, as they have also done
previously. That possibility was so concerning that even DA Vance, who
previously steadfastly opposed any reasonable solution and who is a
close confidant of Gov. Cuomo, reversed his prior opposition to the
Governor signing any bill that would stop his abuse.

As cited in the Governor’s signing statement, it didn’t hurt that in another case recently a Federal Judge in New York issued a very narrow ruling saying that the City’s “wrist
flick” test was, indeed, unconstitutional, although in limited
circumstances that did not substantially impact the ability of the City
and DA to continue the arrests and prosecutions. That case relied
heavily on the briefs in our case. But, despite its serious limitations
and the fact that NYC and Vance were working around it, that decision
provided some public cover for Cuomo and Vance without revealing their
real fear, losing at the Supreme Court in our case. They hope the
signing of this bill will moot our case.

Even better for Vance,
if they don’t lose to us in court, Vance won’t be forced to pay our
million dollar legal bills for eight years of Federal litigation, which
he’d consider doubly painful on top of the embarrassing loss he’s
facing. (This is also painfully illustrative, by the way, as to why we
oppose the Interstate Transport Act (S.542) in the U.S. Senate because
is leaves individuals and other open to similar financial abuse while
providing the appearance of solving a problem that it does not
adequately accomplish.)

NOTE: The repeal also applies to true gravity knives, such as the German Paratrooper Knife that we demonstrated in Federal Court. Please note the WARNING below as to New York City.
In particular, some of these aforementioned true gravity knives have
blades that are 4-inches or longer and would not be legal in NYC.

WARNING! 
New York City Administrative Code still has an Under-4-inch Length
Limit and requires knives be carried COMPLETELY concealed.
Knife Rights recommends that you never carry your knife clipped to your pocket in New York City.
If you plan to carry a folding knife in New York City, we suggest that
if it has a pocket clip, you should remove it so you don’t inadvertently
clip it to your pocket after use. Even when covered by a jacket, simply
moving the jacket aside to get to a wallet has been enough to get folks
stopped. Always ensure your knife is completely concealed at all times,
including not “printing” on the outside of your clothing. In addition,
be extremely circumspect about using a knife for any purpose in a public
setting. Knife Rights suggests that you never carry a knife with a 4-inch or longer blade in NYC.


NOTE:
While there is nothing in the Administrative Code compelling or
allowing seizure of the knife in question, invariably the knife will be
taken by the officer and chances of it being returned are very low. In
cases where it has been returned is has taken months of effort and often
use of an attorney. Knife Rights  recommends that you never carry a
valuable knife in NYC or one you would not want to lose.  Knife Rights
strongly suggests that you not resist the officer seizing your knife as
that can lead to more serious legal complications.

For more information on New York City’s Administrative Code with regards to knives: https://kniferights.org/legislative-update/new-york-city-administrative-code-knives/
For more information on what to do when stopped or arrested: https://kniferights.org/if-arrested/
WARNING: Assisted-Opening Knives may be considered illegal Switchblade Knives in New York State.

On June 10, 2018, the highest court in New York State upheld the conviction of an individual in possession of an assisted-opening (spring-assisted) folding knife that
he used in his work under the theory that it was an illegal switchblade
knife under New York law. Essentially, this decision redefined what a
switchblade is under New York State law to include assisted opening
(spring-assisted) knives. This decision applies to the entire state, not
just New York City.  The New York Police Department and DA Vance have
since been prosecuting those caught with assisted-opening knives as
having illegal switchblades. Knife Rights recommends that you do not carry an assisted-opening knife in New York. 

Uncategorized

Remington Arms Will Furlough Many Employees This Summer

May 30, 2019 by 1 Comment

Remington Arms will furlough up to 500 employees at its Illion, NY plant and up to 199 employees at its Huntsville, AL plant this summer. The upaid furlough will be from June 3rd until August 2nd.  The Ilion plant was already scheduled to be scheduled for a maintenance shutdown for the first two weeks of July and employees are getting paid leave for that time.

Ilion Mayor Brian Lamica had this to say to the Utica Observer-Dispatch:

Ilion Mayor Brian Lamica received word of the layoffs Tuesday. He was told that one of the product lines, employing about 280 people, will continue to run through the summer, but the rest will be idled.

“During that period there’s a normal two-week shutdown. That will be a paid vacation period for those who have paid vacation,” Lamica added.

He noted that Remington is planning to bring back the entire workforce Aug. 9.

“It’s not good,” Lamica commented of the move. “I’m optimistic things will pick up for them come early fall and everybody will be back to work. Two weeks is one thing, but two months — even though two weeks would be paid — I feel sorry for the workers and their families.”

The furlough could result in some workers leaving the area to find another job, the mayor said.

“I’ve been hearing rumors for about two weeks. I was hoping things would turn around. There’s too much in the warehouse and not enough being bought,” Lamica said.

According to the Rome (NY) Sentinel, no notice was given to the NY State Department of Labor as may be required under the New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. However, in Alabama, the Department of Commerce did receive notice and has said it will work to help the impacted employees.

No stories have detailed which product assembly lines will be affected by the furloughs.

Chuck Lester of the Village of Illion Board of Trustees was interviewed by Utica WIBX Radio and had more details in the video recording of it below.

Uncategorized

NRA Response To Ack-Mac Terminating Contract

May 29, 2019 by 1 Comment

The NRA has responded to the news that Ackerman McQueen has moved to terminate their contract. Interestingly, the place where I find the most complete version of their statements is on Bloomberg. Go figure.

The statements made on behalf of the NRA come from their outside counsel William Brewer III and NRA Public Affairs Director Andrew Arulanandam.

From Bloomberg:

“It is not surprising that Ackerman now attempts to escape the consequences of its own conduct,” William A. Brewer III, a lawyer for the NRA, said in a statement. “When confronted with inquiries about its services and billing records, Ackerman not only failed to cooperate — it sponsored a failed coup attempt to unseat Wayne LaPierre. The NRA alleges that Ackerman not only attempted to derail an investigation into its conduct, but unleashed a smear campaign against any who dared to hold the agency accountable.”


NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the group would begin shifting its communications work. “We have an opportunity to elevate our brand, communicate with a broader community of gun owners and press the advantage in the upcoming 2020 elections,” he said in a statement.

As I said in an earlier post, it looks like Brewer is angling to be the provider of both legal and PR services to the NRA. That would be a serious mistake in my opinion. Arulanandam’s statement does give me a little hope that the NRA will beginning reaching out to more than just conservatives for support. However, they may have burned their bridges on that.

Even though the NRA and Ack-Mac were facing off in court, they still continued to work together. Indeed, Ack-Mac was in the room when in the Board of Directors went into executive session at their board meeting. We find this out from a court filing made by the NRA in their suit against Ack-Mac. The motion asks for a freeze in the proceedings due to Ack-Mac coming into possession of the Powerpoint slides that William Brewer III used to outline the legal strategy.

Again, from Bloomberg.

Then came the alleged subterfuge: An employee of Brewer gave a thumb drive with the PowerPoint file to an audio-visual assistant at the meeting so he could load it onto a laptop computer to display. That AV man was an employee of Ackerman McQueen and later “absconded with a digital copy of the presentation,” according to an NRA filing Thursday in Virginia state court.

After an employee of Brewer’s firm realized the laptop was gone, he called the Ackerman employee, who said he had deleted the presentation, according to the filing. But two weeks later, a lawyer representing Ackerman notified an NRA attorney that he was in possession of not one but two thumb drives onto which the the PowerPoint presentation had been copied. He said no one at his firm reviewed the document because it appeared confidential. He offered to destroy or deliver the drives.

The NRA isn’t satisfied. It filed an emergency motion seeking to halt the lawsuit until it gets to the bottom of how its legal strategy ended up in the possession of Ackerman and its law firm. Virginia ethical guidelines instruct lawyers who receive misdirected communications to promptly notify their legal adversaries. But the NRA claims the conduct by Ackerman has done “imminent, irreparable harm” to it and asked the court to consider disqualifying the firm’s lawyers.

“The facts uncovered so far raise grave concern, because AMc stole the NRA’s confidential and privileged information for its benefit,” the group said. “The PowerPoint provides a roadmap of the NRA’s strategy in the litigation, as well as the thoughts, mental impressions and work product of the NRA’s counsel.”

I’m sure the NRA would like to disqualify Ack-Mac’s attorneys. I’ve read their counter-claim against the NRA and it is certainly better written than the NRA’s original complaint. I will admit to being a bit picky about the quality of writing in legal briefs as I’ve read a lot of good ones over the years for this blog.

As it is, what brilliant person in executive management thought it was a good idea to have employees of the company you are suing to provide technical support? Moreover, it leads to the question as to whether Wayne and Company are so intertwined with Ack-Mac that they can’t tell the difference between an Ack-Mac employee and a NRA employee?

Uncategorized

Ack-Mac Moves To End Contract With NRA

May 29, 2019 by 4 Comments

The NRA’s longtime advertising firm Ackerman McQueen has formally provided notice that they will be moving to terminate their contract according to the Wall Street Journal.

In the announcement Wednesday, Ackerman said it had formally provided a notice to terminate its contract with the NRA, claiming the agreement already had been “constructively terminated” by the NRA’s own “inexplicable actions.”

The NRA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ad firm said it had implored all parties to stay true to the NRA’s membership, but instead was “attacked in frivolous lawsuits and defamed with made-up stories” peddled to the news media.

This move comes on the heels of two lawsuits by the NRA against Ackerman McQueen and a counterclaim by Ack-Mac.

There is no word what will happen to NRATV which is produced for the NRA by Ack-Mac. As a reminder, NRATV personalities such as Cam Edward and Ginny Simone are Ack-Mac employees  while others like Dana Loesch are independent contractors.

While many of us have long wanted Ack-Mac gone or have, at the minimum, wanted a competitive RFP (request for proposal) search for an ad firm, this is a bit of a surprise to see Ack-Mac just walking away. It could mean that they see the NRA as a diminishing source of revenue and are fleeing like rats from a sinking ship. Alternatively, it could be a recognition by Ack-Mac of the rise of William Brewer III and his attempt to be the one stop shop for both legal and PR work for the NRA. Only time (and targeted information leaks) will tell.

Uncategorized

Gun Culture 2.0 Or How A Liberal Professor Became An Armed American

May 27, 2019 by 2 Comments

My friend David Yamane, Professor of Sociology at Wake Forest University, delivered the lunchtime address at the NRA Foundation’s National Firearms Law Seminar in Indianapolis last month. It detailed his journey from a non-gun owning, non-shooting college professor raised in the shadow of San Francisco to becoming an armed American. It was very well received and thanks to John Correia of Armed Self Protection and associates it is now available on YouTube.

In the video he credits his wife Sandy with helping him make the journey. She, like my in-laws, is a native of Mocksville, North Carolina. According to some tongue-in-cheek sources, it is the most redneck town in the state. I’d say it really is like many small towns across the state with farmland surrounding it, a small downtown area with various small shops and offices, and a Walmart out by the highway.