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Grassley Statement On Kavanaugh’s Accuser (Updated)

September 17, 2018 by

Sen. Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a statement today regarding Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and her allegations of an attack by Judge Brett Kavanaugh while they were teenagers. The statement below does a good job at being respectful to Ford, calling out Dianne Feinstein and the Democrats, and nailing those in the media who leaked Ford’s name. Grassley has always championed whistle blowers and he brings that credibility to this statement.

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley issued the following statement regarding the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

“Anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard, so I will continue working on a way to hear her out in an appropriate, precedented and respectful manner.

“The standard procedure for updates to any nominee’s background investigation file is to conduct separate follow-up calls with relevant parties. In this case, that would entail phone calls with at least Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford. Consistent with that practice, I asked Senator Feinstein’s office yesterday to join me in scheduling these follow-ups. Thus far, they have refused. But as a necessary step in evaluating these claims, I’ll continue working to set them up.

“Unfortunately, committee Republicans have only known this person’s identity from news reports for less than 24 hours and known about her allegations for less than a week. Senator Feinstein, on the other hand, has had this information for many weeks and deprived her colleagues of the information necessary to do our jobs. The Minority withheld even the anonymous allegations for six weeks, only to later decide that they were serious enough to investigate on the eve of the committee vote, after the vetting process had been completed.

“It’s deeply disturbing that the existence of these allegations were leaked in a way that seemed to preclude Dr. Ford’s confidentiality.

“Over my nearly four decades in the Senate I have worked diligently to protect whistleblowers and get to the bottom of any issue. Dr. Ford’s attorney could have approached my office, while keeping her client confidential and anonymous, so that these allegations could be thoroughly investigated. Nevertheless, we are working diligently to get to the bottom of these claims.”

UPDATE: A special meeting is scheduled for Monday and both Ford and Kavanaugh will appear.

Judiciary Committee to Hear from Kavanaugh, Ford in Public Hearing


WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today announced that the Committee will hold a public hearing with Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.


“As I said earlier, anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has done deserves to be heard. My staff has reached out to Dr. Ford to hear her account, and they held a follow-up call with Judge Kavanaugh this afternoon. Unfortunately, committee Democrats have refused to join us in this effort. However, to provide ample transparency, we will hold a public hearing Monday to give these recent allegations a full airing,” Grassley said.


Below is the official notice for Monday’s hearing.


NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING CONTINUATION


The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the nomination of the Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States will continue Monday, September 24, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
By order of the Chairman.

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“Book Review: Collector’s Guide To The Savage 99 Rifle”

September 17, 2018 by 2 Comments

Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons has a fine review of David Royal’s A Collector’s Guide to the Savage 99 Rifle. I know some people think that Winchester or even Marlin lever actions are the be all and end all of lever guns but my heart belongs to the Savage of which I have two. Both of mine are in .300 Savage.

Royal’s book was published in 2016 and is available on Amazon in the $40-43 range. There are 52 reviews of the book there and 92% of them are 5 star! I plan to get a copy and suggest other Savage 99 lovers may want to as well.

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Democrat State Party Platforms – Alabama To California

September 17, 2018 by

My earlier post explains that I was intrigued to see what the individual state Democrat parties would have to say about the Second Amendment, gun control, and an individual’s right to self-defense. I want to get this information out to my readers so that when it comes to midterm elections, they will know exactly where the Democrats officially stand on these issues.

Alabama

The Alabama Democratic Party doesn’t as much have a platform as a list of guiding principles. These principles talks about things like progressive taxes, collective bargaining, public education, and the like. The closest it comes to talking about the Second Amendment is this bit on the law and crime:

That the government is of laws and not of men. We condemn any resolution of men’s conflicts save through the legal processes. The Democratic Party stands for law and order and for a total and increasing war against crime, for the strengthening of our law enforcement agencies, and for justice under the law.

As I read it, they are for the rule of law and pro-law enforcement with nothing said about gun control.

Alaska

 You might think that Democrats in the 49th State might be more like those in Alabama and less like the national Democrats. You would be wrong as their 2018 Party Platform makes abundantly clear.

Firearms. We support the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees the
right of the people to keep and bear arms. We support responsible gun ownership, and policies
and programs to reduce gun violence and accidental gun deaths. This policy should include
completed background checks for all gun sales, and education on hunting and weapons safety.
We support a rational and safe policy for gun free zones. We support legislative action that
would ban the sale to the general public of military assault-style weapons. We support
legislation that requires the CDC to collect data on gun related injuries and fatalities. We also
support government funded research into gun safety.

Alaska Democrats also think people that are serving time in prison should be allowed to vote. I’m shaking my head over that one except to think they must think prisoners will tend to vote for Democrats.

Arizona


It is not surprising that the Arizona Democrat Party endorses gun control in their latest (2015-2016) party platform. It is after all the party of Gabby Giffords and the influence of her organization is shown in what the platform says about firearms.

Firearms
Arizona Democrats believe in effective enforcement of existing laws, strengthening background
check systems, and working together to enact commonsense gun safety improvements. Arizona
Democrats support gun control legislation that includes registration/background checks for every
person who purchases a firearm in any venue. We support a ban on assault weapons and denial of
gun purchases to those with a history of mental illness, domestic violence, or criminal acts.

As an aside, their featured speaker at the Hall of Fame Dinner will be Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) which tells me everything I need to know.

Arkansas

The platform of the Democratic Party of Arkansas makes no mention of firearms, the Second Amendment, background checks, or anything else firearm related. I find that refreshing and I even agree with them that the “War of Drugs” has been a failure.

California

It should surprise no one that the proposed platform for the California Democrat Party has a bulleted (no pun intended) list of gun control items. They include this under their “National Security” section of the platform which is less about national security than about diminishing the military.

  • Support a common-sense ban on deadly assault weapons and devices used to turn rifles into automatic weapons such as bump-stocks;
  • Support the expansion of universal background checks;
  • Support keeping firearms out of dangerous hands by expanding firearm prohibitions to those who, based on past behavior or condition, are deemed at risk of acts of violence; and promote policies and programs to limit access to firearms by children, suicidal persons, and those in crisis;
  • Work to deter gun trafficking, “straw purchasing,” and illegal guns by identifying, reforming, or shutting down “bad apple” gun dealers in California;
  • Support California’s strong gun laws by providing the necessary resources and funding for implementation, training, and enforcement of those laws, including the Armed Prohibited Persons System Program, the Gun Violence Restraining Order, the tracing of all crime guns, and the investigation of all denied firearm purchasers;
  • Protect California’s strong gun laws from court challenges and federal intrusion, including defeating forced concealed carry reciprocity and any removal of silencers from current regulations;

I found it amusing that they spoke of the “fundamental human right of free speech” in their communications section while promoting the enforcement of the state’s gun laws that actually suppressed speech. That suppression of speech involving gun shop advertising of handguns was found unconstitutional earlier this month in the case of Tracy Rifle and Pistol v. Becerra.

I will publish the next five states, Colorado through Georgia, tomorrow.

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What Do The Platforms Of State Democratic Parties Say About Guns?

September 16, 2018 by 1 Comment

I was on Twitter this morning when I saw the following tweet by a guy from Colorado.

After reading the 2018 Colorado Democrat Party Platform with regard to Second Amendment rights, I was intrigued about what was in the platforms of other states. What I have found so far isn’t encouraging in terms of respect for the Second Amendment and for an individual’s right to provide his or her own self-defense.

I will be posting from the platforms of the various state Democrat parties over the next few days. There are some states that only have old platforms, others that have none, and others that just say they’ve adopted the national platform. With midterm elections coming in less than two months, it will be interesting to see just how widely the state parties have been co-opted by the gun control lobby.

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A New Word For The Political Lexicon – Feinsteined

September 14, 2018 by 4 Comments

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for Pres. George W. Bush, has come up with a new word for the political lexicon. It is Feinsteined. This is when an anonymous letter from an anonymous source with an unknown allegation is supposedly sent to the FBI in an effort to derail the nomination of a judicial candidate. In this case, the nominee is Judge Brett Kavanaugh and the allegations may or may not be something non-sexual he did at a party with a girl when he and she were 17 years old.

In the interest of full disclosure, I may or may not have gotten drunk at a New Year’s Eve party when I was 17 and may or may not have kissed a girl at the stroke of midnight who was another guy’s girlfriend and may or may not have gotten in trouble with my mom for coming home drunk from a party.

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NC Wildlife Resources Commission Announces Hurricane Related Closures

September 13, 2018 by

With Hurricane Florence slated to come ashore in North Carolina today, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has announced the following closures to ranges and game lands ahead of the storm. I might add that the US Forest Service has closed all campgrounds and recreation areas in both the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests here in western North Carolina.

CLOSINGS 

Education Centers:
  • John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville – Closed Friday, Sept. 14, 2018
  • Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla – Closed Tuesday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018 (due to mandatory evacuation)
  • Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Pisgah Forest – Closed Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday Sept. 15, 2018, due to closure of Pisgah National Forest-USDA Forest Service
Shooting Ranges:
  • Flintlock Shooting Range in Montgomery County – Closed Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018
  • John Lentz Hunter Education Complex in Richmond County – Closed Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Shotgun field closed Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 at 12 p.m., through Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018
  • R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell Shooting Range in Caswell County – Closed Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Open Sunday – pending storm damage
Game Lands (listed alphabetically):
In anticipation of Hurricane Florence, gates are closed to vehicular access on the following game lands or game land tracts, effective Sept. 11, 2018, until further notice. These roads will remain closed until they have each been evaluated and deemed to be safe and suitable for public use.
  • Alligator River Game Land in Tyrrell County
  • Angola Bay Game Land in Duplin and Pender counties
  • Buckridge Game Land, in Tyrrell County
  • Chowan Swamp Game Land in Bertie, Hertford and Gates counties, on the following tracts: Wiccacon; Mapleton; and selected roads on Sand Banks
  • Columbus County Game Land in Brunswick and Columbus counties on the following tracts: Pireway; Old Dock
  • Goose Creek Game Land in Beaufort and Pamlico counties on the following tracts: Parker Farm, Tract 4
  • Gull Rock Game Land in Hyde and Tyrrell counties
  • Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County
  • Juniper Creek Game Land in Brunswick and Columbus counties
  • Lower Roanoke River Game Land in Bertie and Martin counties, on the following tracts: Conaho; Whitley (Minges Impoundment)
  • Neuse River Game Land Craven County
  • North River Game Land in Camden and Currituck counties
  • Stones Creek Game Land in Onslow County
  • Van Swamp Game Land in Beaufort and Washington counties
  • Whitehall Plantation Game Land in Bladen County

CANCELLATIONS:

  • FFA Camp at White Lake has been cancelled.
  • Deer Processing Seminar, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 in Raleigh, has been cancelled.

POSTPONEMENTS:

  • Back in the Woods Again 8th Anniversary Hunt for the Physically Challenged, scheduled for Sept. 14-15, 2018, has been postponed. A new date will be announced. 
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9-11 Plus 17

September 12, 2018 by

It is hard to believe it has been 17 years since the attacks of September 11th. As others have noted, it is was one of those “where were you?” type of days just like JFK’s assassination and the Challenger explosion.

The things I remember:

Watching the second plane hit the South Tower just after 9am on a small TV at Swain County Hospital in Bryson City, North Carolina. I had gone to the hospital on business and learned about the attack soon after I arrived.

Learning that one of my friends in Human Resources lost her older brother who was working on the 102nd Floor of 2 WTC and the outpouring of support she got from the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. While she might have been an Italian-American from NY, her husband’s family was Cherokee and thus the tribe felt a connection to 9-11.

23 alumni from one high school – Monsignor Farrell HS in Staten Island – were killed that day. Two of my cousins had graduated from there and had graduated with some of those killed.

Feeling relief that my second cousin Kevin McEntyre was off-duty from his job with the Fire Dept of NY and had already gone home by the time of the attack. However, in the days that followed he was there helping with the cleanup and rescue efforts. He took a medical retirement a few years ago due to all the toxic dust he inhaled over those days and months.

That the United States was united in our resolve to fight back against those who attacked us.

These are indelible memories for me just like when Kennedy was assassinated which I remember as a first grader in Asheboro, NC.

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Even MORE Gun Control Laws In California?

September 10, 2018 by 3 Comments

Just when you thought California had more than enough gun control laws, the California legislature sends nine more to Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) for signature. With some sort of luck, he may – and I emphasize “may” – veto some of these laws. He has done that in the past.

Gun law attorney Adam Kraut discusses a number of these laws in this video from The Gun Collective. He also has some great alternative names to the official ones for these laws.

If you would like to know even more about these bill and would like to let Gov. Brown know your opinion on them, the Firearms Policy Coalition gives you that info in this release that went out on Friday.

FPC Seeks Veto of 9 Gun Bills from California Gov. Jerry Brown,

Asks for Approval of Public Records Act Bill

SACRAMENTO, CA (September 7, 2018) — Today, Firearms Policy Coalition asked California Governor Jerry Brown to veto nine “dangerous” gun bills that would “radically change” the state’s already-voluminous and complex laws. The advocacy organization also requested that Gov. Brown sign one bill that would help prevent state and local agencies from abusing the Public Records Act attorney fee provisions to chill the public’s right to access government files.

Historically, Brown signs most bills sent to him by the Legislature. But, FPC said, he does sometimes veto bills that don’t make sense to him and has rejected gun bills in the past. FPC’s legislative advocate and spokesperson, Craig DeLuz, thinks that Brown has plenty of reasons to reject the nine gun bills they oppose. “Some of these pieces of legislation are just headline-grabbing garbage because it’s an election year,” he said. “And Brown has vetoed some of these bills before, for good reasons. He may just put the brakes on expanding California gun laws in the last year of his last term to leave these decisions to the next governor.”

SB 1177, “just a few months ago an Education Code bill – would make it a crime to apply for the otherwise lawful purchase of a constitutionally protected firearm more than once a month. This bill is a case study of what happens when opportunistic legislators don’t have any real rules (or ethics),” FPC said in a letter. “The sky is blue, the sun sets in the west, and SB 1177 is yet another ego and animus-driven bill to put Senator Portanino’s name in bold print on yet another bill to attack the right to keep and bear arms.”

Another letter points out that San Francisco state senator Wiener’s SB 221 puts people and rights he doesn’t like in the crosshairs of the state. The bill, that would ban gun shows at the Cow Palace in Daly City if signed, was a health-related bill until it was “gutted and amended” just a few months ago. “In SB 221 the Legislature has targeted for especially unfavorable treatment those who would have the audacity to peacefully exercise their fundamental, individual rights protected under the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments,” FPC argued.

FPC-opposed bills that were passed by the Legislature include AB 1903, AB 1968, AB 2103, AB 2888, AB 3129, SB 221, SB 1100, SB 1177, and SB 1346. FPC supports SB 1244, a Public Records Act bill, by Bay Area Senator Bob Wieckowski.

Gun owners are encouraged to send Governor Brown a message voicing their opinion using FPC’s free Grassroots Take Action Tools at http://bit.ly/2018-ca-gov-brown .

FPC’s letters to California Governor Jerry Brown can be viewed or downloaded at http://bit.ly/fpc-2018-9-7-gov-brown-letters .

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Parkland Kid At Gun Rights Policy Conference

September 7, 2018 by 1 Comment

OMG! A Parkland kid will be at the Gun Rights Policy Conference. What the heck?

Relax, it is one of the good ones – not “Camera” Hogg or Emma Gonzalez. The SAF just released that Kyle Kashuv will be one of the featured speakers at the Gun Rights Policy Conference. He has been a stalwart supporter of the Second Amendment and, if he keeps up his grades, will be the valedictorian of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS Class of 2019.

The Gun Rights Policy Conference will be held September 21st through 23rd at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Airport in Chicago. Attendance is free but pre-registration is requested. There will be a whole host of other speakers including the SAF’s 2017 Ray Carter Blogger of the Year (i.e., me).

33rd ANNUAL GUN RIGHTS POLICY CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO

BELLEVUE, WA – Teen Second Amendment activist Kyle Kashuv, a student survivor of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, will be a featured speaker at the 33rd annual Gun Rights Policy Conference, which will be held Sept. 21-23 in Chicago.


The conference will be held at The Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018. It is co-sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). Hundreds of Second Amendment activists and experts are expected to attend.


Kashuv is scheduled to be a keynoter during the annual Saturday awards luncheon.


Also scheduled are SAF founder and CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, plus Tom Gresham host of the nationally syndicated Gun Talk radio show and Mark Walters, host of the national radio show Armed American Radio, baseball pitching great Curt Schilling, as well as a cadre of Second Amendment attorneys will be discussing current noteworthy court cases. In addition, the Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court will be a hot agenda item.


In addition, SAF and CCRKBA leaders will be joined by representatives from Gun Owners of America, the National Rifle Association, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, who will also be speaking.


The 2018 GRPC will feature some 70 speakers on subjects ranging from the midterm elections to personal protection. The weekend event typically attracts more than 800 gun owners, activists and experts from across the country. Attendance is free, and on-line registration is available at www.saf.org.


WHO: National gun rights leaders
WHAT: Speaking at the 33rd annual Gun Rights Policy Conference
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 22 & Sunday, Sept. 23
WHERE: Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018

The Polite Society Podcast will be live streaming GRPC again this year. I’ll have more details on that later.