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The Sicilian Widow

June 28, 2016 by 1 Comment

I came across an editorial in the National Review from June 14th. While I’m a little behind times as we have family visiting, the editors of the National Review said we don’t need a new assault weapons (sic) ban. You can read the whole editorial here.

However, what caught my eye was this characterization of the AR-15:

An “assault weapon” is the Sicilian widow of the firearms world: a little scary-looking and all dressed in black. 

I love it! This can lead to a whole plethora of names for new AR builds. The old style one could be named Mrs. Corleone. A more modern one could be Francesca or Isabella or Carmella or Elena. The possibilities are endless.

No word, though, on whether an AR-15 can pull off the malocchio or evil eye.

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Because Civil Rights Don’t Have Borders

June 24, 2016 by 1 Comment

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to ride gun control to the governor’s mansion in Sacramento. His opponents in the gun rights community, while underfunded compared to Newsom, are determined that he isn’t going to win without a fight.

The Firearms Policy Coalition recently released this 30 second spot noting that civil rights don’t have borders and that Newsom’s proposals could spread to the rest of the nation. If you can spare a few bucks, you might want to donate to the fight. Even better donate the equivalent of the price of a box of ammunition. That would appropriate since Newsom wants to have you to have to buy a $50 ammo purchase permit.

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Paul Ryan: “We’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights.”

June 23, 2016 by 2 Comments

I know Speaker Paul Ryan has gotten a lot of bad press from conservatives lately. However, this is a time we should be applauding his stance on due process which is forthright and to the point. He rightly points out the sit-in yesterday by some Democrats was nothing but a publicity stunt.

From the transcript provided by the Speaker’s Office:

This Is a Publicity Stunt
“This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That’s point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights. We’re not going to take away a citizen’s constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation.”

The Real Issue Here Is Terrorism
“Now, let’s focus on the issue at hand here: terrorism. And let’s find out what we need to do to prevent future terrorist attacks. And if a person is on a terror watch list, and they go try and buy a gun, we have procedures in place to deal with that. We want to make sure that those procedures are done correctly. And that is something we should be able to do in a calm and cool manner without these sort of dilatory, publicity-stunt tactics to try and bring a bill that already died over in the Senate to the House floor. That’s not any way to bring a bill to the floor.”

We Must Defend the Constitution
“They know we will not bring up a bill that takes away a person’s constitutionally guaranteed rights without their due process. We don’t agree with that, and the Senate already doesn’t agree with that. So I think, look, the point here, Wolf, is this is a publicity stunt. They’re trying to get you to ask me those questions for publicity’s sake. This isn’t trying to come up with a solution to a problem. This is trying to get attention.”

The House Rules Are Clear
“Look, this is the way the rules work in the House, and they have ever since we had TV. We had a similar protest when we were in the minority in 2008. Not only did the cameras not go on, they turned the lights off on us. This is what you do when you go into recess subject to the call of the chair. These are the House rules, and they’ve been this way for years.”
“This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. That’s point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we’re not going to take away a citizen’s due process rights. We’re not going to take away a citizen’s constitutional rights without due process. That was already defeated in the Senate. And this is not the way to try and bring up legislation.”

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Campus Carry For F-T Employees In TN Goes Live July 1

June 23, 2016 by

When the Tennessee legislature voted earlier this year to allow campus carry on state university campuses, they limited it to full-time employees of the schools. Moreover, in an effort to appease the governor and university administrators, they put the liability for accidental/negligent discharges on the employee.

Liston Matthews, the Knox Gun Guy and a retired college instructor himself, has done yeoman’s work in getting details from the UT Police Department on what’s required and the necessary forms.

Desiring to get the straight facts, I emailed Lt. Mike Richardson of the University of Tennessee Police Department. I also wanted the form that UT employees must complete in order to comply:


June 17, 2016
Subject: Notification form for faculty/staff handgun carry
Dear Lt. Richardson:


I am working on an article for my blog knoxgunguy.com, about the new law effective July 1. I know that they are required to notify UTPD in writing of their intent to carry.


Is there a specified format?
Is specific information required?
Is there a form they are required to complete?
Are they required to register their handgun with UTPD, or only supply information about themselves?


Thank you for your help?


Lt. Richardson replied with inline answers:


Jun 17 (4 days ago)


Is there a specified format?
There is a registration form that must be completed at UTPD and witnessed by a commissioned officer.


Is specific information required?
The information is specific to the employee.


Is there a form they are required to complete?
See first question and response.


Are they required to register their handgun with UTPD, or only supply information about themselves?
The full-time faculty/staff must only register themselves and their permit number, not the handgun itself.
You can also visit our department website, which should answer any other questions you may have.


Lt. Mike Richardson

Notice that Lt. Richardson (no relation) mentioned the form required to be completed. However, he did not send a copy with his responses. It took a bit of back and forth before Liston was able to get that form. Perhaps it was the mention of his attorney that shook it loose. You can see the form here.

Nashville’s The Tennesseean has a long story on both the bill and the reaction around Tennessee campuses to the coming change. For a large newspaper it was both fairly accurate and fairly evenhanded. I recommend reading it.

Thanks to Liston for his work in prying loose the form and answers from the UTPD.

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CCRKBA Calls Out Sit-In Democrats

June 23, 2016 by

Alan Gottlieb of the Citizen’s Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms that the Democrats no longer represent the ideals of a free society. Due process to them is just something that stands in the way of their gun prohibitionist goals.

Alan’s full statement is below:

Dems No Longer Represent Ideals Of A Free Society

BELLEVUE, WA – While Capitol Hill Democrats staged a symbolic “sit-in” today in the House chambers to demand action on new gun restrictions, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said these lawmakers clearly define by their actions how far the party has strayed from the ideals of liberty their predecessors stood for.

“Democrats in the 1960s used sit-ins to expand Constitutional rights,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb recalled. “But today, they are using a sit-in to restrict those same civil rights.”

While Democrats professed to be interested in curbing gun-related violence, he said, their true motives are aimed more at eroding not only firearms rights, but the right of due process. Clearly, Gottlieb asserted, the sit-in is a carefully-choreographed attempt to fool the public into believing that it is right to pass legislation to strip someone of their rights without any criminal charge, much less a conviction, by placing them on a secret “watch list” without benefit of due process.

“Their party no longer represents the ideals of a free society,” Gottlieb said. “Democrats who are participating in this exhibition think they symbolize the frustration of American citizens. What they’re really symbolizing is the fact that they have been sitting down on the job rather than addressing the genuine threat of worldwide terrorism that has once again erupted in this country while Democrat Barack Obama sits in the Oval Office.

“Instead of demanding direct action against dangerous Islamic extremists,” he continued, “they’re distracting the public by pushing gun control measures that they know would not have prevented Orlando, Boston or San Bernardino. But it creates the deceptive impression that they are doing something, when in fact they are doing less than nothing by trying to penalize the wrong people.

“This is an insult to many of us that participated in sit-in demonstrations to extend civil rights a generation ago,” he added. “Many of us were armed to protect participants from the Ku Klux Klan and other bigots. We were also armed with the facts, something that today’s gun prohibitionists know little about. This demonstration is a disgrace, but today’s crop of Democrats don’t seem to care.”

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I Wish Sen. Collins Would Stick To Worrying About Lobsters

June 22, 2016 by 1 Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (RINO-ME) usually worries about important things like whether Maine lobsters are invading Europe. Now she and an unholy alliance of senators are introducing a “compromise” bill that allows the Attorney General to deny firearms purchases to anyone on the No-Fly List or the “Selectee” List. Their idea of due process is to allow you to appeal to the US Court of Appeals if denied, pay an attorney big bucks, and then, and only then, recover your attorneys fees if your appeal was successful.

The bill is entitled the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016. I wonder if she considers the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) or Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) as terrorists as both ended up on the No-Fly List. If not for their positions in Congress they still might be on it. The bill is pitched as a compromise between the failed bills of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). While I didn’t like either of those bills, the Cornyn bill at least had some recognition of the 5th Amendment guarantee of due process. The ACLU, to their credit, didn’t like either bill.

Here is a summary of the bill as put out by Sen. Collins. Please notice item no. 4 which gives the Attorney General the power to approve a sale to someone on the list so as to not impede a FBI counter-terrorism investigation. Given that current Attorney General Loretta Lynch can’t even say the word “Muslim terrorist”, what’s to say that all terrorists won’t be OK’ed as a matter of policy. As we saw during Project Gunwalker, most of those firearms are still in the hands of the cartels.

Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016

Sponsor: U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

Cosponsors: U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND); Kelly Ayotte (R-NH); Martin Heinrich (DNM);
Jeff Flake (R-AZ); Tim Kaine (D-VA); Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Angus King (I-ME); Bill
Nelson (D-FL); Joe Manchin (D-WV); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); and Mark Kirk (R-IL)

The bipartisan “Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016” would prevent people who are on the No Fly
List or the Selectee List from purchasing firearms. If our government has determined that an individual is
too dangerous to fly on an airplane, that person should not have the opportunity make a legal firearm
purchase. Due process principles require that Americans denied their right to purchase a firearm under
this provision have the opportunity to appeal this denial to a federal court.

What the Amendment Does:


1. Gives the AG the authority to deny firearms sales to individuals who appear on the No Fly List or the
Selectee List.
2. Provides a process for Americans and green card holders to appeal a denial in U.S. Court of Appeals
and to recover their reasonable attorneys fees if they prevail.
3. Sets forth a procedure for protecting classified information during the appeal.
4. Protects ongoing FBI counter-terrorism investigations by giving the AG the discretion to allow gun
sales to go forward to individuals covered by this Act.
5. Includes a “look-back” provision that ensures prompt notification to the FBI if a person who has been
on the broader Terrorism Screening Database (TSDB) within the past five years purchases a firearm.


How It Works: The TSDB is the broad consolidated watch list comprised of several more narrow threat
databases that various government entities maintain. The No Fly List is a subset that precludes an
individual from boarding a commercial aircraft that departs in, arrives from, or flies over the United
States. The Selectee List is used to identify individuals who require additional screening.

Individuals on the narrower No Fly and Selectee lists would not be allowed to purchase guns, but
Americans and green card holders would have due process rights to appeal in the Court of Appeals
following a proscribed procedure. The AG would have the burden of proof, and the court would be
required to make a decision in 14 days.

Classified information would be reviewed by the court following procedures similar to those in the
Classified Information Procedures Act used for criminal proceedings. In cases where the classified
information is relied upon, the court would have a range of options to protect the information while fully
ensuring due process. These options range from providing an unclassified summary to disclosing some or
all of the classified information.

To ensure appropriate oversight and transparency, the Attorney General would be required to report to the
Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate on the number of persons denied a
firearm, the number of appeals filed, and number of persons who prevailed in their appeals under the
provisions of this Act.

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One Way To End A Sit-In

June 22, 2016 by 2 Comments

Anti-gun Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) tweeted this out picture of the Democrat’s sit-in of the House of Representatives floor. They are demanding a vote on gun control.

Here’s a suggestion for Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership. Be kind to those aging Democrats. I’m sure they are thirsty and you don’t want them fainting from dehydration. Send them some water or even some energy drinks (full of caffeine).

Make sure you provide them with a lot of liquids. Insist that they continue their sit-in for many more hours and don’t let them leave. I assure you that those old male Democrats with their old man bladders are going to start to get really twitchy sooner than later. I don’t care how much Flomax or Toviaz they are taking for BPH and OAB.

Trust me, it’ll work.

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GRNC Doesn’t Take A Double-Cross Lightly

June 21, 2016 by 6 Comments

When you attempt to double-cross Grass Roots North Carolina by going back on your word, they don’t take it lightly. Their response may not always win them friends but it does put politicians on notice about going back on your word.

Sheriffs in North Carolina have been dragging their feet on issuing pistol purchase permits. What used to be an immediate issuance has now started to drag into weeks and months because of a new requirement for a mental health check. I spoke to a client recently in Henderson County who waited over four months for his pistol purchase permit.

What GRNC sought was a sun-setting of the paper medical-release provisions once the records had been digitized. Sen. Shirley Randleman (R-Stokes, Surry, Wilkes) had inserted these provisions into a bill that was due for a floor vote. Now she has taken what she wanted in that bill and transferred it into another bill due for a floor vote and left the sunset provision to die on the vine.

More in the GRNC alert below. It’s time to play some General Assembly hardball.

SENATOR SELLS OUT ON PISTOL PERMIT

MEDICAL-REPORTING FIX
Last week’s gun-rights hero is this week’s gun-rights turncoat . .
. 

It was not even a week ago that
GRNC issued an update praising NC Senator Shirley
Randleman (R-30, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes) for courageously standing up for gun owners alongside another courageous legislator, NC Rep. Michael Speciale (R-3, Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico).

Unfortunately, it appears that the victory Sen. Randleman helped hand to
gun owners last week was only a feint, and she apparently never
intended to
follow through on her pro-gun stance during this legislative session. In
short:

SENATOR SHIRLEY RANDLEMAN IS A
SELLOUT!

Last week, Sen. Randleman was a key figure in
helping GRNC fix the NRA’s previous blunder, a major blunder that was
giving sheriff departments cover to flout state law and force citizens
to wait inordinately extensive (and illegal) lengths of time to receive
pistol
purchase permits (PPP). Randleman helped to insert the administrative
fix to this problem into S89,
a bill that, at the time, was sure to receive a
hearing and a floor vote. This is all gun owners wanted from this bill,
and it’s such a small thing really—simply sun-setting the outdated
paper medical-release system once records-digitization is completed.

Unfortunately, even this small thing, this minor administrative fix that
will go a
long way in easing pressure on sheriff departments, and make life easier
for gun owners like you, was just too much for Sen. Randleman to
continue to
support. You see, this week, Randleman moved her favorite projects from
S89 to another bill, another bill that will surely receive a hearing and
a
vote. However, the medical-reporting fix must not have been one of her
favorites after all, because she left it where it was, and now it is
believed
that S89 is going to be left to languish and die without a vote. With
all of this in mind, there really isn’t any other way to say it: 
Sen. Randleman sold out gun owners—big time!

Randleman received her positive, “pro-gun” press last week, and
must have figured that was all she needed to gain some gun-rights cred.
However, she didn’t count on the fact that GRNC is still paying
attention. We are paying attention, and we are here to tell gun owners that Sen. Shirley Randleman pulled the ol’ slimy
politician’s feint against you when she thought you weren’t looking! She may have been quietly laughing at you when she
pulled this little stunt, but she likely won’t be laughing once she learns that she has been caught.

Why Did Leadership Allow This
Trickery?

This cannot stand! We must demand that Shirley
Randleman
return the Medical Form Sunset provision to whichever bill is sure to
receive a hearing and a floor vote, and we want an explanation. Also, we
need to
know why GA leadership, Speaker Tim Moore and
Senate Leader Phil Berger, allowed this trickery
to occur in the first place.

Below, see how you can easily contact Sen.
Randleman, and also the House and Senate leaders. They must answer for
this!
Please make the phone calls as well as sending the emails. If at all
possible, make the phone calls during the time requested (today, 9-11
AM).

Untrustworthy politicians like Shirley Randleman must be
informed that she can’t throw gun owners under the bus and get away with
it!

IMMEDIATE ACTION
REQUIRED!

  • PHONE SENATOR
    RANDLEMAN    : (919) 733-5743.
    Please make phone calls today, Tuesday, between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. If you can’t call during those times, please call
    later.
     

    Suggested phone message:
    Hello,
    my name
    is ___________. I am calling because I am a North Carolina gun rights
    supporter, and I’ve just learned of the about-face that Senator
    Randleman
    pulled on gun owners. We were counting on the senator to help us fix the
    medical reporting system for pistol purchase permits, and last week,
    she
    acted as though she was going to come through for us. However, I am now
    aware that the senator has moved all of her favorite projects from
    Senate Bill
    89 to another bill, but left the administrative medical-reporting fix in
    S89, where it is now likely to languish and die. I am demanding that
    Senator
    Randleman provide voters with an explanation for why she sold us out,
    and I’m insisting that she find a way to return the medical-reporting
    fix
    to a bill that will receive a hearing and a vote. I will continue to pay
    very close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots
    North
    Carolina. Thank you.


  • PHONE HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP: Senator Phil Berger (919) 733-5708 &
    Speaker Tim Moore (919) 733-3451. Please make phone calls today, Tuesday, between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. If you can’t call
    during those times, please call later. 

    Suggested phone message:  

    Hello, my name is ___________. I am calling because I am a North Carolina gun rights supporter, and I’ve just
    learned that [Speaker Moore] / [Senator Berger] has
    allowed pending gun rights legislation, which would sunset the
    requirement for paper medical release forms for pistol purchase permits,
    to be positioned so that it has no chance of receiving a floor vote. I
    would
    like to know why he would allow this pro-gun legislation to be left
    behind, in Senate Bill 89, where it will languish and die, and I insist
    that
    leadership stand up for gun owners and find a way to place this language
    in a bill that is sure to receive a floor vote. I will continue to pay
    very
    close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North
    Carolina. Thank you.



  • EMAIL SENATOR RANDLEMAN at this address: Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net

    Use the copy/paste
    message provided below under ‘Deliver This Message to Sen. Randleman.’

  • EMAIL SENATE AND HOUSE LEADERS
    using these copy/paste
    email addresses:
    Tim.Moore@ncleg.net;
    Phil.Berger@ncleg.net

    Use the copy/paste message
    under ‘Deliver This Message to Sen. Berger & Spkr. Moore.’ 

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE TO

SENATOR RANDLEMAN

Suggested Subject: “Fix Your Sellout of Gun
Owners! 
Dear Senator Randleman:

I have just been informed of the
fast
one you have pulled on gun owners. Last week, you were basking in praise
for your courageous efforts to make sure pro-gun language was inserted
into
Senate Bill 89. This language would sunset the antiquated paper medical
reporting requirement for pistol purchase permits, once the records are
digitized. An obvious update for the twenty-first century. A small
change perhaps, but this small change would make a huge difference.

As you know,
various sheriff departments around the state have been using this
antiquated reporting requirement as an excuse to delay pistol purchase
permits for
extended, and unlawful lengths of time. I was sure you were going to
help the voters end all of that, but I was clearly wrong. It appears you
have
sold out gun owners, and I am incensed.  Please understand that the
little trick you just pulled did not go unnoticed. I am fully aware that
you
moved all of your favorite projects to another bill, but have left the
medical-reporting fix in S89, where it will now surely languish and die.

I
am
demanding that you explain your about-face on this legislation, and I’m
insisting that you find a way to return the medical-reporting fix to a
bill that will receive a hearing and a vote.

I will be paying very close
attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully, 

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE TO
SEN. BERGER
& SPKR. MOORE 


Suggested Subject: “Pistol Permit
Medical-Reporting Fix Must Receive a Vote”  
Dear Senator Berger and Speaker Moore:

I have just learned that the NC House
and
Senate Leaders have allowed pending gun rights legislation, which would
sunset the requirement for paper medical release forms for pistol
purchase
permits, to be positioned so that it has no chance of receiving a floor
vote. This is unacceptable, and I would like to know why the ostensibly
pro-gun House and Senate leadership would allow this legislation to be
set aside where it will surely languish and die.

As you know, various
sheriff
departments around the state have been using the antiquated paper
medical-reporting requirement as an excuse to delay pistol purchase
permits for
extended, and unlawful lengths of time. I was sure you were going to
help the citizenry end all of that. If that is not the case, I am
terribly
disappointed.

As a gun owner, and a voter, I must insist that you correct
this reversal by standing up for gun owners and finding a way to place
this
language into a bill that is sure to receive a floor vote. Is it really
too much to ask that you support gun owners on such a small thing, like
this
simple administrative fix? This is a minor item that will make a major
difference to gun rights voters, and it serves to bring our state’s
background check system into the twenty-first century.

I will continue to
pay very close attention to this issue through alerts from Grass Roots
North
Carolina.

Respectfully,  
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“Armed Heroes in Teacher’s Clothing”

June 20, 2016 by

My good friend, fellow blogger, and fellow podcaster Rob Morse spent several days recently training with a group of Ohio teachers in the FASTER (Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response) program.

He begins his post:

They don’t look like heroes, but they are. I spent several days with a group of Ohio teachers who want to protect their students. Most teachers feel the same way, but these extraordinary individuals did something about it. They took a training course. They learned to stop an armed attack in their schools. They learned to treat the injured. Rather than shelter in place and wait for the police and EMTs to save them, these teachers became the good guy with a gun and bandages. The training program is a success. The volunteer organization that trains teachers doesn’t have enough money to train everyone who wants instruction. These men and women do it for love and they need our help.

Read his full report here.

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Cert Denied For Challenge To Connecticut's AWB

June 20, 2016 by 3 Comments

The Supreme Court denied certiorari in Shew v. Malloy. This is the case that challenged the state of Connecticut’s assault weapon (sic) ban.

This lets stand the ban imposed after the Newtown shooting.

I am in a location without Internet access so I am making this brief and without links.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone


UPDATE: The order list listing the denial of cert is here. I think Luke below and Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned are correct in that this is about the best we could hope for with a 4-4 divided court. By not accepting the case, the justices have limited the impact to only the 2nd Circuit with consists of New York, Connecticut, and Vermont.