gun control

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GRNC On Hagan’s Uncessary Infringements

January 13, 2013 by

As I wrote on Thursday, the form letter from Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) prattled on about “traditions of hunting”, “common-sense debates”, and how it was important that we not “unnecessarily infringe on the legitimate Second Amendment rights”.  Grass Roots North Carolina caught that “unnecessarily infringe” bit as well and has released an alert on it.

If you are a North Carolinian, I would urge you to read this and act. The Complementary Spouse and I have already sent in this message and will be calling on Monday.


Thousands of GRNC members have recently received a form letter from Sen. Kay Hagan (D-GRNC *) in response to concerns about the Obama/Biden/Feinstein anti-gun attack that is currently underway in Washington, DC.

In a painful attempt to appear supportive of our rights without actually supporting them, she has succeeded only in making it clear that her position needs significant correction. She writes,

“it is important that we not unnecessarily infringe on the legitimate Second Amendment rights of responsible gun owners”

The Senator apparently does not appreciate that government cannot infringe upon fundamental liberties whether it is deemed “necessary” or not. It is also troubling to note she believes there are “legitimate” Second Amendment rights, which of course implies that some “illegitimate” ones also exist. Which ones are these?

She completes a trifecta of Second Amendment misunderstanding by raising her family’s “long tradition of hunting”. Grandpa’s side-by-side shotgun isn’t of much use against tyranny, is it?

HAGAN CAN’T HIDE HER LUKEWARM TREATMENT OF GUN RIGHTS

Sen. Hagan’s prior votes have earned her a GRNC “one star” evaluation, consistent with voting with gun owners 62% of the time. This is not a person we can be confident about protecting our interests in the largest battle to maintain gun rights in a generation. Hagan needs an attitude adjustment, and needs it now!

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Email AND call Sen. Hagan.

Call Sen. Hagan Monday, January 14th between 9 am and noon. If unable to call during these times, call when you can: 202-224-6342
Remind the Senator: the Second Amendment confirms and protects a fundamental liberty.
The right to keep and bear arms is not subject to perceived “needs”.
These rights SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!
Bans, limits, registration schemes and all other gun-related restrictions currently being “floated” are UNACCEPTABLE!
North Carolina gun owners will tolerate NO COMPROMISE!

CONTACT INFO

Email Sen. Hagan using her webform: http://www.hagan.senate.gov/contact/

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “No Compromise on ‘Obama Gun Ban'”

Dear Senator Hagan:

The Second Amendment confirms a fundamental liberty of North Carolinians to keep and bear arms. The need for this right is made clear within the Amendment itself: the “security of a free state” depends upon it. We have unfortunately seen how this is true following repeated attacks upon defenseless citizens within “Gun Free Zones” where these rights have been unconstitutionally usurped.

The right to bear arms has nothing to do with hunting or sports, it is necessary for defense of life, liberty and property. Such defense clearly requires effective, non-obsolete, militarily-relevant weapons. Thus, North Carolinians will tolerate no compromise with bans or restrictions of semi-automatic rifles, pistols or of magazine capacity.

You are free to pursue better management of the violently insane, and are encouraged to repeal the dangerous “Gun Free School Zones Act” of 1996. Any other cooperation with Obama/Biden/Feinstein proposed gun control is unacceptable. There can be no compromise with these anti-freedom plans.

Sincerely,

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An Idea So Off The Wall It Just Might Work

January 13, 2013 by 2 Comments

Gun control pushing politicians and their media supporters usually know squat about firearms. Most have seen the clip where Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) when asked what a “barrel shroud” was, answered she thought it was a “shoulder thing that goes up.”

In this vein, Frank J. Fleming has a suggestion about new gun control laws. Make them “pretend gun control”.

What we can do is pass a law banning a bunch of made-up things that
sound scary, and many gun control proponents already have great ideas
along this line. For instance, I read a column
in which Howard Kurtz mentioned a ban on high-magazine clips — we can
certainly do without something that nonsensical. And I’ve heard the
press before mention armor-piercing hollow points and plastic guns
(actually, I think we already banned that made-up weapon in the ’80s).
And as long as the NRA and Wayne LaPierre go apoplectic about it (“This
ban on sorcerer-enchanted guns is just a slippery slope toward
eliminating all witch-hexed weaponry!”), gun control proponents won’t
know the difference between this and actual gun control. And this will
help protect our most vulnerable people out there: politicians. Because
long after the gun control advocates move on to other things, like who
they want to tax next, gun owners will still be annoyed by any actual
gun control legislation. One of the greatest fears politicians have is
seeing an angry guy with lots of guns charging down the street, because
they know he’s probably on his way to commit an act of voting.

You know this idea is so off the wall that it just might work. While my preference is for no law, banning made up stuff just might satisfy those clamoring that “we must do something”.

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A Week’s End Tab Clearing

January 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Sometimes there isn’t enough time and energy to write about all the stuff you come across. I guess I should do tab clearing posts more often but that would take time and energy. Nothing like a tautology to being the weekend!

Let’s start off with something to make you smile and a good reason that politicians should always register domains that have their name in them. Dimitrios Karra of Ares Armor, a gun parts and accessories store, has registered the domain SenatorFeinstein.com which will be a pro-gun site.

In other good news, the Sportsman’s Channel will now be broadcasting NRA New’s Cam & Co. live every weekday from 5-6pm EST beginning January 15th. This will help broaden the reach of pro-gun rights news. As Cam said about this move on his Facebook page, “It took 20 years, but I can now say I’ve gone from cable access to a national cable broadcast!” Congratulations and good luck to Cam on this venture.

In guns are icky news, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, a $155 billion pension system, said they will divest all their investments in firearms companies. They have stock in Ruger and Smith and Wesson as well as an investment in Cerberus Capital Management. Their investment totals $11.7 million or 0.00754 percent of their total holdings.  

Michael Z. Williamson’s “We need to regulate cars the way we regulate guns” has been making the rounds. He discusses things like the Car Dealer Loophole which allow individuals to sell their cars privately without going through a Federal Automobile Licensee who would conduct a background check through the Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles.


In an editorial published yesterday in Investor’s Business Daily, IBD calls the response by the Obama Administration to Newtown “panicked gun control” that won’t stop the violence. As they note, “
Rushing to enact the left’s longtime dream of unconstitutional gun
control will not save lives. National gun databases would not have saved
the victims in Newtown, Aurora or Columbine.”

One of the things that reported the Obama Administration is eying is the use of Executive Orders to implement gun control measures. Joe Biden said as much but this article in the Washington Times points out that this is easier said than done.

Writing in the National Review Online’s The Corner, Charles C. W. Cooke argues that there is no way that Biden’s Gun Violence (sic) Task Force can make any meaningful recommendations about violence where firearms are involved. As he notes, ” But if you are earnestly concerned by America’s gun violence, and you
are of the view that a concerted effort could actually diminish its
frequency, then I’d presume that you might consider just a fortnight’s
work on the problem to be somewhat insulting.”

Cooke is referring to the announcement by Joe Biden that his task force will deliver its recommendations this coming Tuesday. Biden says that a consensus is emerging to have universal background checks and ban standard capacity magazines. I guess when you start calling gun prohibitionists by the Orwellian term “gun safety groups”, you can define consensus any way you want.

Dr. Janet Rosenbaum tries to argue that we should not use the examples of Israel and Switzerland as evidence that armed societies are less violent. Finen Respice shoots holes in her arguments here and her use of flawed statistics. The New York Times last Sunday tried to make similar arguments that more guns equals more killing using international gun control group IANSA and Harvard anti-gun researcher David Hemenway as their sources. They were examining cartel riddled Central and South America as their examples.

In a sign that Vanity Fair should stick to covers of nude pregnant women and who is the best dressed at the Oscars, they ran an article by Kurt Eichenwald suggesting that the Second Amendment be repealed. No offense against Mr. Eichenwald but his very name conjures images of black-shirted Nazi SS troopers kicking down doors after guns. I will say I do like the picture they used to illustrate the article – a classic Vietnam War era M-16 with a pencil barrel, triangular handguards, and no forward assist.

If you are like the millions who head to the coast of South Carolina in the summer for the beach and the sun, here is some good news. Horry County, South Carolina which is home to Myrtle Beach is looking at zoning changes to make the establishment of shooting ranges easier.

Finally, if you believe the AR-15 it too dangerous for the average person to own, then you should read this. It might make you feel better that the White House is having to do damage control over a report in the New York Times that the administration doesn’t realistically believe a new AWB is feasible. Just this once, I hope the Times is correct.

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Democratic Senators Up For Re-election In 2014

January 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

The Instapundit mentioned this handicapping of those Senate Democrats at -risk up for re-election the other day. It was done by Moe Lane and offers his assessment of their re-election chances. The ranking leaves out four Democrats who are up for re-election – Coons, Durbin, Harkin, and Reed – and I’m assuming that is because they face no risk of losing.

Using Lane’s assessment as a starting point, I went back and added in each senator’s 2008 NRA-PVF rating and their current GOA rating. The chart with this is below:

State
Senator
Est. Risk
NRA (2008)
GOA (2012)
Alaska
Mark Begich
Serious Risk
AQ
D
Arkansas
Mark Pryor
Some Risk
C-
F
Colorado
Mark Udall
Some Risk
C
F
Louisiana
Mary Landrieu
Serious Risk
C
F
Massachusetts
John Kerry
Only if vacant
F
F-
Michigan
Carl Levin
Low Risk
F
F-
Minnesota
Al Franken
Serious Risk
F
F
Montana
Max Baucus
Some Risk
A+
D-
New Hampshire
Jeanne Shaheen
Some Risk
F
F
New Jersey
Frank Lautenberg
Only if vacant
F
F-
New Mexico
Tom Udall
Low Risk
C-
F
North Carolina
Kay Hagan
Serious Risk
F
F
Oregon
Jeff Merkley
Some Risk
F
F
South Dakota
Tim Johnson
Serious Risk
A
F
Virginia
Mark Warner
Low Risk
A
F
West Virginia
Jay Rockefeller
Low Risk
D
F

Of the five ranked as “Serious Risk”, two are A/AQ rated by the NRA, two are F rated by the NRA, and one is C rated by the NRA. While all of these senators should be the target of letters and calls regarding the various gun control proposals, the five at “serious risk” should be deluged with calls and letters from those of us who believe in the Second Amendment.

There is an old saying that goes a senator should be a statesman in his first two years, should be half politician and half statesman in the middle two years, and damn well better be all politician in the last two years. Let’s use that to our advantage in this fight for our gun rights.

UPDATE: Sen. Jay Rockefeller announced today that he will be retiring at the end of his term in 2014. That means a low risk seat in the chart above just became an open seat and one that can be picked up by a pro-gun rights candidate.

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Walmart And Guns

January 10, 2013 by 5 Comments

SayUncle had a post up yesterday evening about the meeting that representatives from Walmart will be having with Vice-President Joe Biden and his “gun violence” (sic) task force. He posted a reader suggestion to call Walmart’s corporate office. I am reposting it below.

Ok, everybody, don’t call stores, call corporate. Here’s the number: (479)273-4000

That gets you the home office. Tell them you want to express an opinion and they’ll immediately transfer you to another line where you will talk to a real person who will take your comment and record the call.

They are getting calls going both ways right now. They said that they have made not decisions going forward except to hear what Biden’s group says and then weigh that with the comments from their customers.

So start calling. Have your family and friends call. Overwhelm their switchboard with calls and we may keep them on our side.

SayUncle said to let them know that if they cave, you and your family will no longer shop there and that you’ll urge all your friends to do the same. I agree fullheartedly.

The one thing big business understands is money and sales. Walmart had dropped the gun department in many stores but brought it back due to the demand. The only reason that they started selling AR-15s in the first place was due to consumer demand.

As of June 2012, there were 67,369 Federal Firearms Licensees in the United States. This does not include those with a Curios and Relics FFL. Out of those 67,369 FFLs, 1,823 were held by the various Walmart stores around the country. This is about 2.7% of all FFLs. My point is that you have plenty of other options when it comes to purchasing guns and ammo. While Walmart is convenient, they are not the be all and end all in the gun market.

Walmart does not live and die by your gun and ammo purchases but they do live and die by your other purchases. If 90 million American gun owners suddenly said we aren’t going to do business with you anymore, they would be hurting. That is what they need to understand.

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Supporting Our Friends

January 9, 2013 by 1 Comment



Kurt Hofmann, the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner, posted yesterday after the efforts of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic) to “punish” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) for her bucking the gun control orthodoxy of the Obama Administration.


CSGV has also bought ads to run in Politico, Roll Call, and several North Dakota newspapers, exploiting the Sandy Hook Elementary atrocity and excoriating her for opposing so-called “assault weapons” bans (Connecticut has such a ban) and private sales bans (whether or not the killer’s weapons used in Newtown were bought without background checks, the buyer–the killer’s mother, and first victim–would by all accounts have passed even the vastly more invasive sort of checks demanded by Senator Schumer). These ads also urge readers to call Senator Heitkamp and chastise her for having the courage to stand up to her party.

Kurt urges readers to contact Sen. Heitkamp’s office and let her know we support her principled stand.

I agree and would encourage you to do so. The contact numbers, Facebook, and Twitter links are in Kurt’s post.

UPDATE: TPM covered CSGV’s campaign to intimidate Sen. Heitkamp. It was headlined, “Anti-Gun Group Declares Victory After Brushback Pitch At Heitkamp.” Heitkamp issued a statement in response to the ads and harassment.

Everitt said his group is “happy” with the statement, and that it proves the ads had an effect. “We liked it,” he told TPM. “We were happy to see more moderation there.”

Heitkamp’s office doesn’t see things the same way. “Senator Heitkamp’s position has not changed, nor shifted,” Heitkamp spokesperson Whitney Phillips told TPM.

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Hey, Felons!

January 8, 2013 by

Do you have a “hot” gun that you need to ditch?

Did that no-good two-timing son of a bitch give you a gun to “hold” for him while he did his time?

Do you live in the Greensboro, North Carolina area?

Well then, the Greensboro Police Department have a deal for you! They’ll take that gun off your hands with no questions asked. They will even do it anonymously! The only thing they won’t do is give you any money for it. They’re calling it their “Safe Surrender” program which means you ain’t going to Central Prison.

Details below in the GPD press release:


Greensboro Police Offer Two-Day Weapon “Safe Surrender”

GREENSBORO, NC (January 7, 2013)

On January 11 and 12, the Greensboro Police Department is offering gun owners another means of removing unwanted firearms from their homes. Police employees will be accepting handguns, rifles,
and shotguns at three Greensboro churches Friday from 8 am to 3 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.

Participating churches are:
Saint Matthew’s United Methodist Church at 600 East Florida Street•
Bessemer United Methodist Church at 3015 East Bessemer Avenue•
Christ Wesleyan Church at 2400 South Holden Road.

The “Safe Surrender” event was inspired by Councilwoman T. Diane Bellamy-Small as a way for city residents to reflect upon the tragic events in Newtown,Conn. “Although we are saddened by the impetus for this ‘Safe Surrender’, we welcome the opportunity to take weapons off the street,” said Deputy Chief Anita Holder. This is not a buy-back program. No cash will be given in exchange for eapons. Anyone age 18 and above can turn in a weapon.

Weapons can be surrendered anonymously. There is no limit to the number of firearms a person can surrender. Once a weapon is surrendered, it will not be returned. Weapons should be unloaded and cleared when they are turned in. A police employee will receive each weapon and render it safe. Ammunition may also be surrendered. Firearms will be checked to determine if they have been reported lost or stolen. Police will make every effort to return lost/stolen weapons to their rightful owners. All other weapons will be destroyed. “This two-day program supplements our existing method of taking unwanted weapons off the street,” explained Holder.

At any time throughout the year, Greensboro residents can call the non-emergency line, 373-2222, to coordinate to turn in an unwanted firearm. Citizens who are not comfortable handling a firearm may find this to be a useful option. A sworn or non-sworn member of the Greensboro Police Department will pick up the weapon from the owner’s home.

Far be it from me to accuse the Greensboro Police Department of racism or anything but I find it strange that the three churches mentioned just happen to be in areas that heavily populated by minorities.

St. Matthew’s United Methodist was, according to their church history, the first Methodist Church in Greensboro established for African-Americans. It is located in a census tract that is over 95% minority. Bessemer United Methodist is located in a census tract that is 87.5% minority and bills itself as the Triad’s Native American Church. It’s pastor, Rev. Joel Locklear, is a Lumbee Indian. Finally, Christ Wesleyan Church is located in a census tract that is over 66% minority.

So why not hold it at Temple Emanuel or Our Lady of Grace or even New Garden Friends Meeting?

Well?

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Alan Korwin And The 51st State

January 7, 2013 by 4 Comments

Alan Korwin is an out of the box thinker when it comes to debates over gun control. His letter to the editor below illustrates that. He equates teachers to the 51st state for concealed carry. Blood didn’t run in the streets when other states got shall issue concealed carry so why, he asks, should armed teachers be any different.

Alan has given permission for this letter to circulate far and wide as well it should.

Dear
Editor,

I knew this sounded familiar — I’ve heard this whole
fear-factor argument about the danger of arming teachers against known
classroom hazards 49 times before. It played every time a state enacted a
discreet-carry CCW gun law for its citizens. It was met with the exact same
prejudice, scorn and derision.

But those blind fears about people
exercising their right to arms have been proven wrong time and again. They
were the empty paranoid rantings and bigotry of the news media, elected
officials and ignorant masses. Their wildly promoted fantasies of death and
mayhem desperately needed correction. What we got, and are getting again,
is repetition.

The sky never fell, remember? Brainless bubbas left
no pools of blood. Instead, crime dropped as millions of decent citizens
armed themselves against crime. Only Mr. Obama’s crime-riddled Chicago
holds out one state from the national tidal wave of peace.

So —
do we really need to go through the old Dodge-City nonsense again now?
Should you in the ethical media remain complicit? Are our schools’
teachers, their staffs and principals so hopelessly incompetent and without
judgment that even with training they can’t match the performance of
toothless gun-toting hicks in torn T-shirts, or even doctors, lawyers and
professionals with CCW permission slips in their wallets?

America
is not having a debate about guns, America is having a debate about
hoplophobia — morbid fear of guns. The preposterous disarm-the-innocent
proposals from the left are a false flag. Guns are good. Guns protect us.
Guns save lives. Guns stop crime. Guns are why America is still free. That
aspect of this debate is missing in your narrative.

The errant
behavior of a psychopath is not grounds to disarm or infringe upon innocent
people who did nothing. That is an irrational, sick, hoplophobic response
that cannot work, and cries out for compassion and counseling — for the
person who suggests it. You don’t want hoplophobes setting gun policy any
more than you want aquaphobes as lifeguards.

Infringing upon the
innocent to protect the innocent will not work. Denying a teacher the right
to arms is a perverse policy choice fraught with ulterior motives and is
constitutionally forbidden. Its very suggestion is a violation of
the oath of office for elected officials and should be grounds for removal
from office. Reporters should recognize this simple fact as swiftly as half
the public does. The tearful emotional frenzy incessantly whipped up by the
media does not change this.

Baby boomers universally remember
rifle teams in high schools, varsity letters awarded for competition,
bringing firearms to class to go hunting afterwards. The notion that guns
and schools don’t mix, and that gun ignorance should supplant gun education
is a modern one whose origin is murky and suspicious.

The
disarmed-teachers policy currently in place has caused grievous harm. Those
responsible for this gross denial of a specific enumerated civil right
should be identified and held accountable, and the disarmed-teachers policy
should end without delay.

Denial of human rights never advances
the cause of freedom or the human condition. It is almost as if we are
fighting the civil-rights battles of the 1960s again. A bill to reverse the
egregious discrimination against the people responsible for our children’s
safe education should be drafted and introduced immediately before further
harm ensues.

Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
The
Uninvited Ombudsman

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Quote Of The Day

January 7, 2013 by

The quote of the day comes from Herschel Smith who writes the Captain’s Journal blog. It is to the Republicans in Congress, especially those in the House, about what will happen if they don’t block any and all gun control measures currently being pushed.

However, the Republicans stand warned.  If – controlling the House of
Representatives – they allow new gun control measures to pass to the
President’s desk, the GOP will cease to exists as a viable political
party.  Voters are having difficulty finding differences between them
and the Democrats anyway.  Caving on gun control would seal the fate of
the GOP as a historical relic rather than a future possibility.

Read his full post. He discusses what we can expect in the next few months.

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ISRA: It’s Just A Lull

January 7, 2013 by

The Illinois State Rifle Association sent out an alert last night regarding the State House version of the “Cullerton Gun Grab Bill”. They noted this appears to be the end of gun control moves for this session of the Illinois General Assembly. And before, you think you can relax a little they go on to note the session ends on Wednesday when the new session begins.

Read the alert below. If you can spare ISRA a few bucks, send some their way. Just like me you may not live in Illinois but you need to realize that they are, in military terms, that forward detachment ahead of our lines. Keeping more gun control out of Illinois or California or New York or Massachusetts where they have the most sympathetic legislators means we have a better chance of keeping it out of the rest of the states.


ILLINOIS HOUSE ADJOURNS WITH NO MOVEMENT ON GUN BILLS – BUT DO NOT BE MISLED.

As reported earlier, the House version of the Cullerton Gun Grab Bill was supposed to be debated before the House Judiciary Committee I at 2:00 PM today. The Chairman of the committee convened the committee, announced that there would be no gun bills debated for the rest of the session, then adjourned..

From all appearances, this was the end of the push for gun control in the legislature this session. But, don’t be confused – the session ends Wednesday. There is nothing saying that the legislature couldn’t call the bills anyway. So, be on guard and watch for alerts from the ISRA..

Also, be advised that the newly elected legislature, the 98th General Assembly, gets gaveled into action on Wednesday as well. With several pro-gun stalwarts leaving the legislature, and several brand new gun grabbers to contend with, the next session of the General Assembly promises to be turbulent times for law-abiding gun owners. We will update you as issues arise..

In short, the entire ISRA lobbying staff would like to say “THANKS” to all those gun owners who stood up this week and told the General Assembly, “NO. . . you can’t take our guns!” The huge response and reaction by the gun-owning public is largely responsible for the failure on the part of Senate President John Cullerton to move his massive gun grab this week..

We really hate to sound like a broken record, but protecting your rights this past couple of weeks has severely depleted our cash reserves. We honestly don’t like going to the well this often, but we badly need your financial help or we will not be able to field a full staff of lobbyists next week. It would be great if everybody receiving this alert could donate as little as $25, we would be able to continue full speed ahead against the Emanuel/Cullerton attacks on your gun rights. If you don’t step up to help protect your rights, nobody else will!.

On behalf of all law-abiding Illinois firearm owners, thanks for your continued support!.

P.S. Organizers are reporting record crowds at gun shows held this weekend in Marion, IL and the DuPage show in Wheaton.