gun control

Uncategorized

Sweet Baby James On Gun Control

January 22, 2013 by 5 Comments

Nicholas Ballasy of The Daily Caller caught up with singer-songwriter James Taylor after he performed at the inaugural ceremonies yesterday. One of the questions asked of Taylor was about gun control.

“I think the nation is very divided on gun control,” Taylor told TheDC, “but I think the majority of us feel strongly — even the majority of gun owners feel strongly — that we need to make some sacrifice[s] to our freedoms, if that’s the way to put it. We need to make some sacrifices to what we might want to have, in order to safeguard our children.”

“I think there’s a limit to how much — I think the founding fathers wanted us to be able to arm ourselves, but I don’t think that they would have agreed that we should have the capacity to do the damage that we do have. And we just can’t afford it.”

James Taylor may have seen fire and rain but I doubt he’s actually seen the wrath of those of us who he thinks should make some sacrifices. As it is, given his own mental health past which includes being rejected by the Selective Service on psychological grounds, it is doubtful that he could truthfully answer “No” to question 11f on the Form 4473. I’d put him in the maybe yes, maybe no category.

Uncategorized

Attention Connecticut Gun Owners

January 22, 2013 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has issued an action alert regarding a public hearing in Connecticut on gun control. The Gun Violence (sic)  Prevention Working Group Public Hearing will be held next Monday, January 28th, at 10am in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. This may be the only time to testify regarding many of the draconian gun control proposals being floated.

From the alert:

Legislators in Hartford are in the process of destroying your Second Amendment rights by exploiting recent tragedies. Gov. Malloy, Sen. Beth Bye, and Rep. Bob Godfrey want outright bans and onerous restrictions on your rights through an enormous number of Anti-Gun Bills. Here are a few of the items included in one of their proposals:

  • An outright ban on ALL modern sporting rifles classifying them as “Assault Weapons.”


  • Restricting your ability to defend yourself and family by arbitrarily restricting the magazine size to 10 rounds.

  • Confiscating ALL magazines holding more than 10 rounds, pistols included.

  • Statewide gun registration for ALL firearms; knowing full well criminals won’t ever register their guns.

  • Re-registration every 2 years with ever increasing fees.

  • Requires permit for any rifle with a pistol grip.

  • Limiting how much ammunition you can purchase AND possess.

  • Registration of all ammunition purchases.

  • Bans internet sales of ammo in Connecticut.

  • Mandatory gun storage laws, like the one the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in the Heller decision.

There will only be a few opportunities for discussion and opposition as many in Hartford are trying to pass legislation as quickly as possible. The first hearing (and may be the only time to testify) will occur next Monday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. at the Legislative Office Building.

Gun Violence Prevention Working Group Public Hearing
Monday, Jan. 28, 2013
Legislative Office Building
10 a.m., Room 2C

NSSF is urging all gun owners, sportsmen and hunters to attend Monday’s public hearing to be held in the Legislative Office Building in Room 2C at 10 a.m. and to contact their state representative, senator and all members of the Committee immediately, urging them to oppose knee-jerk reaction legislation.

Find your elected officials here.

If this bill passes, law-abiding gun owners will have to begin surrendering their magazines and possibly modern sporting rifles, or face confiscation by the state police and a felony charge. Again, this proposal would make simple possession of a legally owned firearm or magazine a felony.

This draconian measure will also affect non-gun owners as all Connecticut tax payers will be forced to foot the bill for the extraordinary process of having police confiscate — from law-abiding citizens — AND registration databases.

Making matters worse, Connecticut manufacturers including Colt, Mossberg, Stag Arms, Mec-Gar, OKAY Industries, Ruger and Metalform will be directly affected by this legislation. That means a loss of jobs and tax revenue to the state.

Here are a few of the other pieces of legislation under consideration:

HB 5268, SB140 – To require firearm owners to maintain liability insurance and establish a sales tax on the sale of ammunition at a rate of 50 percent and require all ammunition to be purchased in person.

SB 122 – A class C felony offense for any person or organization to purchase, sell, donate, transport, possess or use any gun except one made to fire a single round.

SB 124 – Prohibit the possession of magazines that accept more than ten rounds.

Don’t let legislators trample your rights. Let your voice be heard now.

Please contact members of the Task Force listed below. These are the main numbers so please ask for the legislator’s office.
Sen. Martin Looney, Co-chair 860-240-8600
Rep. Craig Miner, Co-chair 860-240-8700
Rep. Gerald Fox III 860-240-8500
Rep. Stephen Dargan 860-240-8500
Rep. Bob Godfrey 860-240-8500
Rep. Toni Walker 860-240-8500
Rep. Rosa Rebimbas 860-240-8700
Rep. Janice Giegler 860-240-8700
Rep. Dan Carter 860-240-8700
Sen. Eric Coleman 860-240-8600
Sen. John Fonfara 860-240-8600
Sen. Joan Hartley 860-240-8600
Sen. John Kissel 860-240-8800
Sen. Scott Frantz 860-240-8800
Sen. Tony Guglielmo 860-240-8800
Sen. Kevin Witkos 860-240-8800

Not trying to be overly snarky but I don’t see anything in those proposals that forces troubled young men living in million dollar homes with single mothers to get mental health treatment. I would think that existing Connecticut state law might just cover killing your mom and stealing her guns.

Uncategorized

Two New Bills Introduced In Congress; One Good, One Bad

January 21, 2013 by

Two more pieces of Federal legislation dealing with firearms were introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday.

The first bill was introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and seeks to remove the budget restriction that prohibits the Center for Disease Control from doing “research” that promotes gun control. It has 31 co-sponsors all of whom are Democrats.

HR 321 – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR]
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA]
Rep Chu, Judy [D-CA]
Rep Cicilline, David N. [D-RI]
Rep Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA]
Rep Ellison, Keith [D-MN]
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ]
Rep Himes, James A. [D-CT]
Rep Holt, Rush [D-NJ]
Rep Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX]
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [D-TX]
Rep Lee, Barbara [D-CA]
Rep Levin, Sander M. [D-MI]
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA]
Rep Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA]
Rep McCollum, Betty [D-MN]
Rep Moore, Gwen [D-WI]
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA]
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC]
Rep Pingree, Chellie [D-ME]
Rep Quigley, Mike [D-IL]
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY]
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL]
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [D-PA]
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [D-NH]
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY]
Rep Speier, Jackie [D-CA]
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL]
To amend the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (Public Law 112-175) to permit research on firearms safety and gun violence.
Referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee

The second bill was introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL). It would reinforce and clarify that the Environmental Protection Agency has no authority to regulate lead bullets, ammo, or fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. It has 67 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle.

HR 322 – Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL)
Co-Sponsors:
Rep Alexander, Rodney [R-LA]
Rep Bachus, Spencer [R-AL]
Rep Bishop, Rob [R-UT]
Rep Black, Diane [R-TN]
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Rep Bonner, Jo [R-AL]
Rep Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [R-LA]
Rep Broun, Paul C. [R-GA]
Rep Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Rep Chabot, Steve [R-OH]
Rep Coffman, Mike [R-CO]
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [R-TX]
Rep Crawford, Eric A. “Rick” [R-AR]
Rep DesJarlais, Scott [R-TN]
Rep Duncan, Jeff [R-SC]
Rep Fincher, Stephen Lee [R-TN]
Rep Franks, Trent [R-AZ]
Rep Graves, Sam [R-MO]
Rep Griffin, Tim [R-AR]
Rep Hanna, Richard L. [R-NY]
Rep Hartzler, Vicky [R-MO]
Rep Hastings, Doc [R-WA]
Rep Huelskamp, Tim [R-KS]
Rep Huizenga, Bill [R-MI]
Rep Hunter, Duncan D. [R-CA]
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [R-NC]
Rep Jordan, Jim [R-OH]
Rep King, Steve [R-IA]
Rep Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL]
Rep Kline, John [R-MN]
Rep Latta, Robert E. [R-OH]
Rep Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R-MO]
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]
Rep Matheson, Jim [D-UT]
Rep McIntyre, Mike [D-NC]
Rep Michaud, Michael H. [D-ME]
Rep Miller, Gary G. [R-CA]
Rep Nugent, Richard B. [R-FL]
Rep Nunnelee, Alan [R-MS]
Rep Olson, Pete [R-TX]
Rep Palazzo, Steven M. [R-MS]
Rep Pearce, Stevan [R-NM]
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [D-MN]
Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA]
Rep Pompeo, Mike [R-KS]
Rep Roe, David P. [R-TN]
Rep Rogers, Harold [R-KY]
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [R-AL]
Rep Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL]
Rep Scott, Austin [R-GA]
Rep Sessions, Pete [R-TX]
Rep Shuster, Bill [R-PA]
Rep Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID]
Rep Smith, Adrian [R-NE]
Rep Southerland, Steve II [R-FL]
Rep Stivers, Steve [R-OH]
Rep Stutzman, Marlin A. [R-IN]
Rep Terry, Lee [R-NE]
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS]
Rep Thompson, Glenn [R-PA]
Rep Thornberry, Mac [R-TX]
Rep Tipton, Scott R. [R-CO]
Rep Walden, Greg [R-OR]
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [R-GA]
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA]
Rep Womack, Steve [R-AR]
Rep Young, Don [R-AK]
To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to clarify the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency with respect to certain sporting good articles, and to exempt those articles from a definition under that Act.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Uncategorized

“David Gregory” Clause In NY Gun Law?

January 21, 2013 by

William Jacobson of the Legal Insurrection blog is a law professor at Cornell University Law School. As a class project in one of his courses, they are trying to unravel the new 39 page gun law that Gov. Andrew Cuomo rammed through the NY State legislature.

Jacobson was interviewed by Cam Edwards of NRA News about the new law on Friday. The key point made by Jacobson in discussing this new law is that it is so complicated and full of pitfalls for the law abiding that the intent seems to be to discourage gun ownership entirely. He notes that there are all sorts of ways to run afoul of the new law. For example, Jacobson said that a previously legal “assault weapon” under New York law must now for the first time be registered. He could see someone not realizing this and being stopped with a non-registered rifle on the way to the shooting range. That person would now be a felon if convicted and lose all gun rights.

Uncategorized

“Choosing Between Guns And Words”

January 21, 2013 by

Rob at the SlowFacts Blog had this to say about the gun control laws being proposed by the Obama Administration and how it weakens the citizen vis–à–vis the government.

The Second Amendment isn’t about sport. The Second Amendment exists to keep politicians and law enforcement talking to us rather than demanding obedience at gunpoint. The Second Amendment discourages government officials from using guns when words would suffice. That really bothers some politicians and law enforcement officers.

When we disarm honest citizens, we are choosing between guns and words. We are choosing state sponsored violence over the frustration of peaceful political discussion. By disarming honest citizens, we are telling our government officials that they no longer need to listen to the people. That should frighten us all.

Read the whole post. It is a thoughtful post.

Uncategorized

NC Democrat Party Doesn’t Get It

January 18, 2013 by 3 Comments

Democrats in North Carolina took it on the chin in the 2012 elections. They lost the governorship, the lieutenant governorship, many seats in Congress, and stand at less than one-third of the members of each house of the General Assembly. Given that you’d think that they would be trying to establish positions that would help them regain lost ground.

Sean at An NC Gun Blog reports on how they just don’t get it. Clay Pittman, press secretary for the NC Democrat Party, issued a rambling, stream of consciousness, release attacking Gov. Pat McCrory for calling the gun prohibitionists “foolish” for their efforts to enact a new “assault weapons” (sic) ban. As McCrory correctly points out, all it is doing is increasing gun sales.

When Sean pressed Pittman on his statistics and position, he got a reply that said to check the NCDP party platform and that the state party will support Obama’s gun control agenda. He said what Democrat members of the General Assembly do is up to them.

I think Sean’s suggestion to write and call Democrat state senators and representatives to ask if they support this policy is a good one. My own state representative, Joe Sam Queen, is the only Democrat left in the General Assembly west of Asheville. I think one of the reasons he survived this election is because he wasn’t bad on guns. He isn’t great but he isn’t bad either.

So if you live in North Carolina and have a Democrat state senator or representative now is the time to put them on the spot. Force them to either agree with Pittman’s statement or disavow it. If they agree with it, make sure they are targeted in 2014.

Uncategorized

Obama’s Proposals Attack Crufflers Directly

January 17, 2013 by 2 Comments

The Obama Adminstration’s blueprint for gun control, Now Is The Time, directly targets those of us affectionately known as Crufflers. Crufflers are those of use who hold Curios and Relics Federal Firearms Licenses for the purpose of collecting older firearms. Many who collect these firearms do so out of an interest in military history.

Our ability to collect weapons from overseas that have a military connection such as the M-1 Garands and M-1 carbines in South Korea are directly impacted by Obama’s proposals.

From page 7 of Now Is The Time:

Eliminate restrictions that force the ATF to authorize importation of dangerous
weapons simply because of their age:

ATF is required to authorize the importation of
certain “curio or relic” firearms, and outdated regulations include all firearms manufactured more
than 50 years ago in the definition of “curio or relic.” But today, firearms manufactured more than
50 years ago include large numbers of semiautomatic military-surplus rifles, some of which are
easily convertible into machine guns or otherwise appealing for use in crime. Congress should
get rid of restrictions that prevent ATF from changing this definition, enabling ATF to ensure
that firearms imported as curios or relics are actually of interest as collectibles, rather than letting
these rules be used as a way to acquire fully functional and powerful military weapons.

So if you have a collection of SKS carbines with examples from the Soviet Union, China, Yugoslavia, and other Eastern European countries and need just to get the Albanian variant to complete your collection, Obama says no unless it is in the country already.

Say your tastes are a bit more esoteric and expensive and you want either a FN-49 in 7mm from Venezuela or a AG-42 Ljungmann from Sweden, you can forget it because they both are semi-automatic military-surplus rifles.

I wonder if someone in the Administration can explain just how screwing collectors is going to stop crime in the streets. For some reason, I don’t think so.

Uncategorized

The Ground War

January 17, 2013 by 2 Comments

The fight to preserve our gun rights in the face of the attacks that have been launched by the Obama Administration will come down to who has the better ground war – us or them.

On Monday, Vice-President Joe Biden met with a group of House Democrats regarding the proposals that would be put forth to advance gun control. In addition to laying out the proposals he was going to present to President Obama, he discussed the campaign to get them enacted by Congress.


But Biden did indicate that the remains of the Obama campaign apparatus may be activated in the effort.

“He said that this has been a real focus on the policy and that the politics of this issue, that a strategy on the politics of the issue hasn’t been undertaken yet,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) told POLITICO. “He did remind us that the campaign infrastructure is still accessible.”

Not only is that campaign infrastructure still in place but Obama for America is still actively raising money even though Barack Obama is Constitutionally limited to two terms.

In an article in The Atlantic today, Ron Fournier discussed how Obama and his advisers plan to use his personal political organization, Obama for America, to fight for everything from gun control to higher taxes.


Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, a confidant of the president, signaled the high-testosterone approach shortly before Obama’s announcement on guns, telling MSNBC, “The president has the most exciting campaign apparatus ever built. It’s time to turn that loose.”

He speculated that the National Rifle Association is lobbying lawmakers with the names and numbers of new NRA members in each congressional district, gun-rights supporters galvanized by the Newtown elementary school massacre. “If the NRA has a list,” Gibbs said, “then Obama for America has a bigger list.”

OFA is the president’s personal political operation, affiliated with the Democratic National Committee. One of the great failings of Obama’s first term was his inability to mobilize his election coalition to advance his policy goals from the White House.

He’s going to try again.

Gibbs is probably right that Obama for America has a bigger list than all the gun rights organizations put together.

However, the people who have supported Obama in the past have a multitude of interests and causes ranging from economic issues to gay rights and everything in between. By contrast, gun rights supporters regardless of whether they belong to the NRA, GOA, CCRKBA, SAF, or any of a number of state-level organizations are focused on one thing – gun rights.

The Pew Research Center for People and the Press released the results of their most recent poll concerning gun control on Monday. According to this poll, a majority of Americans favor more background checks and a new assault weapon ban. A near majority favor restrictions on magazines. In and of itself, this is not good news. Overall, a bare majority (51% vs. 45%)  think it is more important to control guns compared to preserving gun rights.

Fortunately, the Pew Research Center did not limit their research to just who favored what ban and in what numbers. They also studied how committed and how active supporters on each side of the gun control debate were. The results were interesting.


There is a wide gap between those who prioritize gun rights and gun control when it comes to political involvement. Nearly a quarter (23%) of those who say gun rights should be the priority have contributed money to an organization that takes a position on gun policy, compared with just 5% of those who prioritize gun control. People who favor gun rights are also about twice as likely as gun control supporters to have contacted a public official about gun policy (15% vs. 8%).

While the numbers expressing an opinion on social media or signing a petition are roughly equal with a slight edge to those favoring gun rights, petitions and posts on Facebook don’t get the attention of those in Congress nearly as much as money and calls from constituents.

Make no mistake that we are in a war but it is a ground war that we can win. Those on the side of the Second Amendment put our money where our mouth is and back it up with calls and letters to politicians.

If you haven’t called your Congressman or Senators yet, do it tomorrow. If you don’t like talking on the phone, send them a fax. Indeed fax it to both their local offices and their Washington office. If you don’t have time to do either of those two, at least go to the Ruger website and use their tool to make your views known. Since it went live on Saturday, almost 450,000 people have taken advantage of that tool which sends a simple letter to your congressman, both senators, governor, lt. governor, and state representatives.

And continue contacting them each and every week for the next few months!

Uncategorized

At Least One Mega-State Governor Gets It

January 16, 2013 by 2 Comments

Unlike Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, there is one governor of a mega-state that actually gets it. That governor is Rick Perry of Texas. His comments today on the calls for more gun control make a lot more sense that the hysteria we hear from the gun prohibitionists in and out of DC.


“The Vice President’s committee was appointed in response to the tragedy at Newtown, but very few of his recommendations have anything to do with what happened there.

“Guns require a finger to pull the trigger. The sad young man who did that in Newtown was clearly haunted by demons and no gun law could have saved the children in Sandy Hook Elementary from his terror.

“There is evil prowling in the world – it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds. As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be. Laws, the only redoubt of secularism, will not suffice. Let us all return to our places of worship and pray for help. Above all, let us pray for our children.

“In fact, the piling on by the political left, and their cohorts in the media, to use the massacre of little children to advance a pre-existing political agenda that would not have saved those children, disgusts me, personally. The second amendment to the Constitution is a basic right of free people and cannot be nor will it be abridged by the executive power of this or any other president.”

I know he bombed on the primary trail when running for president which is a real shame given his economic record in Texas and his strong support for the Second Amendment. I hope he’ll be one of the speakers at the NRA’s Annual Meeting in Houston.

Uncategorized

Sen. Richard Burr’s Response To Obama’s Call For Gun Control

January 16, 2013 by 7 Comments

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) is the senior senator from North Carolina and has been on the correct side of gun rights for years. He released the statement below rejecting Obama’s call for gun control. It is short, sweet, to the point, and unequivocal. I’m glad to see at least one senator from the Tar Heel State stands behind the Second Amendment.

I will fight any effort to further infringe on the Second Amendment rights of American citizens, whether it is legislation or executive action by the President. I am open to having a conversation about ways in which our nation can address mental health issues and reduce violence, but I will not stand by while the President and others try to restrict the rights of law-abiding American citizens.