gun control

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Sure They Can, Bob

December 5, 2012 by 7 Comments



NBC sportscaster Bob Costas went on MSNBC last night to amplify on his remarks during the Eagles-Cowboys game on Sunday night. He denied using the words “gun control” and “Second Amendment” on the air saying that people had made an inference that he had.

In his discussion with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC’s The Last Word, he then said with reference to the number of football players who own guns:

“Even if all those guns were obtained legally, you can’t have 65 guys in
their 20s and 30s, aggressive young men, subject to impulses without
something bad happening,” Costas insisted.

Sure you can, Bob.

Ever hear of an infantry platoon or a Marine company? You have upwards of 150 hard-charging, aggressive young men armed with fully-automatic carbines (plus grenades and other explosives) in their teens and 20s led by a young officer in his early to mid 20s. The “old man” in the platoon or company might be the platoon or company sergeant who is all of 30. If “something bad” happens, it is at the direction of the officers and NCOs and is directed towards the enemy.

You could argue the difference between a pro football team and a Marine infantry company is discipline. However, that would ignore the fact that it takes a certain level of self-discipline for both football players and Marines to succeed. Neither got there without it.

Given that Costas is reported to live in St. Louis – a free state, so to speak – it is a bit surprising that he still holds his antiquated views on guns and gun control. It is every bit as surprising as that at 60 years old, Costas has so little gray hair.

UPDATE: Robb Allen has a very interesting post on this same comment by Bob Costas. It is well worth reading.

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An Unholy Alliance

November 16, 2012 by 1 Comment

An unholy alliance of gun prohibitionists, politicians, and certain church groups is pushing a so-called documentary called “Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence” that will air on certain NBC owned and affiliated stations. The documentary is part of the Horizons of the Spirit series which airs on that network. The documentary is presented by the National Council of Churches and was produced by the Presbyterian Church USA.

The documentary features such gun control luminaries as Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Colin Goddard, and Dr. Garen Wintemute talking about how “gun violence” (sic) impacted their lives.


In the United States more than 30,000 people are killed every year by gun violence and the disaster caused by gun violence is seen in almost every community. We may hear briefly about the victims and survivors of these shootings, but what happens after the media attention moves on and the wider public becomes numb to “just another shooting”? Drawing upon conversations with lawmakers, emergency room chaplains and surgeons, survivors and victims” families, former ATF officials, police officers, community leaders and others, “Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence” shares the story of how Gun Violence impacts individuals and communities and examines the “ripple effect” that one shooting has on a survivor, a family, a community, and a society.

 The trailer to “Trigger” is below:


Trailer for “Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence” Coming to NBC from Trigger Documentary on Vimeo.

Gun prohibitionists such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and Timothy Johnson of the Media Matters for America have been pushing the documentary today and are pointing people to a sample script/letter that they are asking be sent to program managers at local NBC affiliates. The script is being hosted on a Presbyterian Church USA website.


Dear Station or Programming Manager,

I am a viewer living in your market area, and I care about the issue of gun violence.

I am aware of an upcoming program titled Trigger: the Ripple Effect of Gun Violence, which is part of the NBC Horizons of the Spirit series. The documentary is free and can be aired from November 11th through May 2013.
I have been told that the technical information and blurb about the program is on the NBC Universal APT system (Affiliate Partnership Tool) that every NBC affiliate station has access to.

Trigger is timely, considering the many acts of gun violence that have happened across our nation. It is not a politically driven documentary, but rather it is a documentary that allows people affected by gun violence to share their stories of how one shooting has impacted a survivor, a family and a community — after the shooting incident is no longer on the front pages or on the news channels.

This documentary explores the issue of gun violence through a multifaceted lens of family members, law enforcement, hospital personnel and clergy, to help build an understanding of the ripple effect. It will hopefully encourage awareness and conversation about how our communities can help.

Will you please schedule the showing of Trigger at a time that is convenient for viewers? It would be good to air it more than once to allow as many people to view it as possible during the 6 months it is available.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

To say this is not a politically driven documentary is absurd. When you have leading gun control advocates and politicians such as Carolyn McCarthy who has made her career on gun control as stars of a documentary, it is political.

I don’t belong to a church that is a member of the National Council of Churches nor am I a Presbyterian. If, however, you are a Presbyterian (PCUSA) or belong to one of the NCC member churches, you might want to make your views on this documentary known within your own denomination. You could ask just how much of your weekly offering went to produce this agenda driven political piece which seeks to hamper you in protecting your own family. I’m sure you can think of other questions to ask.

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In Denial

November 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

The media and the gun prohibitionists try to argue that President Obama supports the Second Amendment and has, in fact, been fairly pro-gun over the past four years. You have an expectation that they would overlook his “under the radar” efforts and his statements regarding firearms over time. However, you don’t expect to hear that line when you are in a store looking at guns.

Yesterday, I had some time to waste so I stopped into a pawn shop in Asheville (NC) to see what they might have in the way of interesting guns. Other than an overpriced Ruger Security Six .38 Special revolver in marginal condition, nothing else caught my eye. I asked the clerk about how often they take guns on pawn or in trade. He said it had been light recently due to the election – people are hanging on to their guns.

I made the comment that if Romney wins that would probably change. Another older clerk, presumably the manager, chimed in that it wouldn’t make any difference. He went on to say that “despite what the NRA says, Obama has been the most pro-gun President in the last 18 years.” He gave as his example Obama signing the credit card bill that had a rider that allowed for concealed carry in National Parks.

When I challenged him on Obama being pro-gun, he did acknowledge that the Obama Administration had implemented the reporting requirement for multiple sales of semi-auto rifles in the Southwest. I asked him about Fast and Furious but he blew it off. I left quickly after that as it wasn’t worth my time arguing with a fool.

I can understand why the gun prohibitionists and media distorts facts regarding Obama’s record on guns. I shake my head at Fudds who think their hunting rifles and shotguns are off-limits. However, I am just perplexed that someone who works in a place that deals in cold, hard reality could be so deeply into denial.

Maybe it is being in Asheville, maybe it is just willful ignorance. Either way, I know of many other places where I’d rather spend my money.

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Almost As Bad As Obesity

October 30, 2012 by 4 Comments

Ralph Fascitelli, a member of the gun control group Washington Ceasefire, want Democrats to embrace gun control and make it an issue in this election. He says they are the party of “progressive stands on social issues”. He is upset that the Democrats aren’t saying more about gun control on the campaign trail and in their official platform.


Gun violence, which costs this country as much as a $100 billion annually and is perhaps along with obesity the number one public health issue of our time, was put on mute again.

He goes on to say that the Democrats have taken the wrong message from the 1994 elections which saw the Republicans win the House of Representatives as well as from Al Gore’s loss of his home state of Tennessee in 2000. Fascitelli says embracing gun control isn’t a lost cause. He compares it to Obama’s newly found appreciation for gay marriage as a way to “energize the base”.

Comparing guns to obesity and using specious statistics from the Brady Campaign is no way to make an effective argument. He may get the true believers to agree with him but your average Democratic politician who wants to get elected or re-elected will continue to mumble just enough platitudes to confuse the voters on both sides of the issue.

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What Is It With Violent Rhetoric And Anti-Gun Politicians

October 19, 2012 by 3 Comments

Vice President Joe Biden likes to take credit for writing what became the 1994 assault weapons ban (sic) or, more properly, The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

From an 2011 interview with PBS’s Jim Lehrer:

JIM LEHRER: New subject, Mr. Vice President.

In light of the Tucson tragedy, are you in favor of federal legislation that would ban the sale of these multiround cartridges, holders?

JOE BIDEN: Jim, you may remember, in the old days, when I had some real power…

JIM LEHRER: Oh, yes.

JOE BIDEN: I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

(LAUGHTER)

JOE BIDEN: I’m the guy that first passed and wrote the assault-weapons ban and — and also tried to pass legislation relative to the size of magazines, that is the — those clips that hold all the bullets that get shoved up into the rifle.

JIM LEHRER: The 31 — those 31 rounds.

JOE BIDEN: Yes. And there’s all kinds of them of various…

JIM LEHRER: Sure. Sure.

JOE BIDEN: So — so, I, as a senator, and I, as an elected official, have been on record as supporting — and we did originally have an assault-weapons ban in place.

Say what you will about Biden, he hasn’t shied away from his support of gun control. So it makes one wonder what it is about anti-gun politicians and their fascination with violent rhetoric. Look at what he had to say this afternoon at a campaign stop in Naples, Florida.

Vice President Biden lit into Paul Ryan with a violent analogy during his campaign stop Thursday in Las Vegas.

“Ryan has written a book called ‘The Young Guns’ with two other
members of the House … Republican leaders in the House,” the vice
president said. “You had, unfortunately, the bullets are aimed at you.”

The Republicans have bullets aimed at you? What is with this nonsense? Doe Biden make this stuff up off the cuff or does he actually have someone writing it for him? Is he trying to emulate President Cooler Than Thou who promised to bring a gun to a knife fight?

As to bullets “aimed at you”, while there has been some research on bullets that can alter their direction in flight, bullets don’t aim themselves. You aim the gun and the bullet goes where it is directed. Even a buffoon like Biden ought to realize that.

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Funding The Crazies To Make You Look Moderate? Hmm

October 11, 2012 by

Dave Hardy has a post up on the substantial donation made by Mayor Mike Bloomberg to the Joyce Foundation. The money comes from his Bloomberg Philanthropies. At the same time as Bloomberg is giving money to the Joyce Foundation, the Brady Campaign is running a substantial deficit.

Sebastian examines this pattern of donations in more detail noting that little of the Bloomberg money is going to the more established (and somewhat more moderate) Brady Campaign/Center.

Essentially what Bloomberg is doing is to use the Joyce Foundation as a cut-out to fund the radical gun prohibitionists at CSGV, VPC, and Media Matters. The clamor from these organizations makes Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors aka MAIG look much more moderate and “reasonable” by comparison.

How Machiavellian!

Read both sets of posts from Dave and Sebastian to understand the full impact of Bloomberg’s moves.

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“Four More Years of Obama: Gun Control ‘Under the Radar’ No More”

September 26, 2012 by

Cam Edwards interviewed Dr. A.M.R. Hawkins of Breitbart’s Big Government yesterday. They discuss Obama’s history of support for gun control and how he has the ability to seriously impact gun owners through court appointments, regulatory changes, and executive orders. It does not take action by Congress for him to do things like that.

Hawkins’ full article, Four More Years of Obama: Gun Control ‘Under the Radar’ No More, can be found here.

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Putting The Cart Before The Horse

August 26, 2012 by 2 Comments

The gun prohibitionists were figuratively jumping for joy after the shooting in NYC outside the Empire State Building. I won’t even go into Mayor Bloomberg’s stupid comments.

The Violence Policy Center put the cart before the horse yesterday. They made many assumptions about the handgun used by the killer of his former boss without knowing the facts.

Washington, DC–Following the fourth high-profile shooting in little over a month, this time outside the Empire State Building in New York City and reportedly involving a 45 caliber handgun, the Violence Policy Center, a national non-profit educational organization working to stop gun death and injury, issued the following statement:

“How long are we going to ignore America’s gun crisis? Today’s shooting outside the Empire State building is the fourth high-profile shooting in little over a month, following the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting, the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Sikh Temple shooting, and a shooting outside Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. One can only guess where the next shooting will occur–but we do know that it will occur. Today’s shooter reportedly used a 45 caliber handgun to end the life of a former co-worker, offering yet another example of how the ready availability of semiautomatic handguns that can be equipped with high-capacity ammunition magazines destroy lives and make everyone less safe. All Americans deserve the right to feel safe in public spaces–in theaters, their places of worship, and walking city streets. The deadly mindset propounded by the gun industry and the gun lobby that guns are the ultimate problem solver is stripping away the feeling of safety that communities across the country not only expect, but deserve. It is long past time to regulate the out-of-control gun industry that makes these horrendous public shootings possible.”

From all reports, the Spanish-made Star .45 ACP were purchased legally in Florida 20 years ago. Moreover, even assuming it was larger than the Star PD which only held 6 rounds, this pistol does not have a “high-capacity ammunition magazine.” At most, the pistol used by the killer held 8 round and more likely 7.

Normally I’d suggest that VPC think before they issue such press releases. However, in this case, I’m glad that they show their stupidity.

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Ben Stein On The Need For Gun Control…Or Not

August 19, 2012 by 6 Comments

Economist, lawyer, and actor Ben Stein provides an occasional editorial comment on CBS’s Sunday Morning. Today’s topic was gun control. Contrary to what one usually gets on guns from the mainstream media, this was actually good.

Stein felt the calls for more gun control as well as the attempts to demonize the NRA are misplaced. He pointed out that in places like Chicago, LA, and DC which have strong gun control laws there are many more shootings than in a place like northern Idaho where carrying guns is quite common. While Stein is not sure what the correct answer is, gun control isn’t it.

We know that gun control is a failure and that it will never stop madmen. If we want to prevent the aberrant shootings like Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colorado, I think the answer lies in the mental health realm. This is what Clayton Cramer has been saying for a while now and I think he is correct.

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The White House Still Dances Around Gun Control

August 7, 2012 by

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who could give the Dancing With The Stars contestants lessons, continues to dance around the issue of gun control. The shootings at the Sikh Temple in Milwaukee, Wisconsin led to the obligatory questions from the media at today’s press briefing on whether or not President Obama is going to push for gun control legislation.

On new gun control legislation Carney said:

Q: But does anything — either one of these incidents suggest that there need to be new gun control legislation?

MR. CARNEY: I think the President addressed this at the Urban League, John. And his view is, as I’ve said, that we need to take common-sense measures that protect Second Amendment rights and make it harder for those who should not have weapons under existing law from obtaining weapons.

I think he made clear, too, in his speech in New Orleans that violence in America is a problem that is greater than just the issue of gun laws. And he talked very clearly about the prevalence of violence in America, that even as overall statistics show that crime has gone down over these last many years but there is still too much violence. And incidents like the ones you mentioned are horrific, and our hearts go out to the victims of such appalling acts of violence, but we should not forget that there are victims of violence every day in America, and we need to address that problem in a concerted way that deals with education and summer jobs and other ways to help address the violence problem in America.

I must say that anytime I hear a politician or their flacks use the expression “common-sense measures”, I know they are just itching to impose more restrictions.

Of course, in what seems to be a popular refrain in this White House, Carney went on to essentially blame Congress for being the impediment to gun control legislation.

Q: Does the President share Minority Leader Pelosi’s view that even if Democrats controlled Congress, there still wouldn’t be the votes for significant gun legislation? And is that why the White House hasn’t pushed for new or tougher legislation more strongly?

MR. CARNEY: Well, I think the President has made his views plain on this, which is that he is for common-sense measures that protect Second Amendment rights — very important Second Amendment rights that American citizens have, but that make it harder and harder for those who should not have weapons under existing law from obtaining them.

There is no question that there has been a reluctance to act in Congress on these issues. Whether that will continue to be the case in the future is anyone’s prediction. The President is focused on the progress we can make along the lines I just described.

So again, his positions on various issues I think we’ve talked about. He believes that we can take action within the existing environment that moves the ball forward in terms of enforcement, that enhances background checks, that makes it harder for those who shouldn’t have weapons under existing law — makes it harder for them to obtain weapons, but continues to ensure that Second Amendment rights are protected.

Whether Carney wants to make the prediction for more gun control legislation in the future or not, I think virtually everyone on our side of the issue fully expects more gun control if Obama is re-elected. It may be overt as in legislation or it may be under the radar with how they “interpret” laws and regulations. Without the need to worry about re-election, Obama and his minions won’t be obliged to offer platitudes about “Second Amendment rights” and their protection nor will they feel constrained in their efforts to undercut our freedoms.