gun control

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Vile Opportunist(s)

December 15, 2012 by 3 Comments

On a day that should have been reserved for thought, reflection, and praying for the repose of the souls of those killed in that school in Connecticut, certain gun prohibitionists just couldn’t resist the temptation to call for more gun control. Never mind that gun control has never stopped any madman in a officially gun-free zone, the siren call proved too great for some of them.

In proof of the saying that money can’t buy class comes this statement from Mayor Bloomberg:

“With all the carnage from gun violence in our country, it’s still
almost impossible to believe that a mass shooting in a kindergarten
class could happen. It has come to that. Not even kindergarteners
learning their A,B,Cs are safe. We heard after Columbine that it was too
soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After
Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For
every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Today, many of
them were five-year olds. President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt
condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to
send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for ‘meaningful
action’ is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the
rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the
White House and not from Congress. That must end today. This is a
national tragedy and it demands a national response. My deepest
sympathies are with the families of all those affected, and my
determination to stop this madness is stronger than ever.”

His erstwhile colleague in the Illegal Mayors, Boston’s Thomas Menino joined in the fray and included automatic weapons in his call for more gun control:

“As a parent and grandparent, I am overcome with both grief and outrage
by the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. This unspeakable act of violence
will forever imprint this day in our hearts and minds. My heart goes
out to the families impacted by this senseless tragedy and the many
others we have recently witnessed across the United States. As a Mayor
who has witnessed too many lives forever altered by gun violence, it is
my responsibility to fight for action. Today’s tragedy reminds us that
now is the time for action. Innocent children will now never attend a
prom, never play in a big game, never step foot on a college campus. Now
is the time for a national policy on guns that takes the loopholes out
of the laws, the automatic weapons out of our neighborhoods and the
tragedies like today out of our future.” 

Josh and Ladd were not to be outdone at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic):

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE NOT ENOUGH

Washington, DC—We can only imagine the scale of the human tragedy that has unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut as reports continue to emerge about the massacre committed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. There are many parents, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and others who will now never see their loved ones again, never again know the warmth of their presence, never see their potential realized over the course of their natural lives. While shockingly familiar, the nature of this tragedy has left those of us at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence feeling shaken to our core, physically and spiritually sick that this could happen in a civilized society in a place of learning for children.

Our elected leaders, in the coming hours, will issue the typical platitudes to those who have seen their loved ones gunned down in cold blood, telling them, “Our thoughts and prayers with you.” Then, if the pattern holds, they will immediately retreat into silence and refuse to engage in any meaningful debate about America’s catastrophically flawed gun laws, which directly facilitate one gun massacre after the next.

To people of conscience, this should not be acceptable. After today’s horror, Americans must demand immediate action by our President and Congress to reform our gun laws. This must include legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales, strengthening those background checks (particularly in terms of mental health and substance abuse screening), and renewing the ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. We expect President Obama—as a man who has seen first-hand the devastation that gun violence inflicts on families and communities during his time as a volunteer in Chicago—to be a leader in this process and to speak out boldly and directly.

If we’ve reached a point where our children cannot attend school without fear of being gunned down by a homicidal maniac who has obtained easy access to firearms, then the freedom we cherish as citizens of the world’s greatest democracy is at risk of extinction.

More than a dozen children were massacred in a kindergarten classroom today. If elected officials cannot find their voices now and call for change—if NRA campaign contributions and threats continue to dictate their decision-making, taking priority over the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—what will it say about them?

Moreover, if we allow them to remain silent, what will it say about us?

Dan Gross of the Brady Campaign was more reserved on the surface though I have heard reports that fund-raising e-mails went out yesterday.


Like all Americans, our hearts are broken by this terrible tragedy. We send our thoughts and prayers to all those directly affected. Across the country, we will be giving extra strong hugs to our kids when they come home safely from school. But in the name of those who didn’t and in the name of the eight children and teens that die from guns every day in our nation, we cannot let it end there. We have to take terrible moments like this and use it as a catalyst to demand the sensible change in our nation that is too long overdue. We are better than this.

Please go to WeAreBetterThanThis.org and sign the letter of condolence to the families of the victims in Connecticut We all just want to live in a safer nation.

One wonders how soon after sending the “letter of condolence” will you be put on a mailing list for fund-raising purposes. I’d wage sooner than later.

The Violence Policy Center seems to have no official release on the matter. Nonetheless, on their links to the stories about the tragedy, they can’t resist noting that Newtown, CT is also home to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. How subtle.

LCAV or the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence as they are now known had not one but two posts calling for more gun control.

It would be too much to expect that Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) remain silent and I was right.

GARDEN CITY, NY – Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) issued the following statement on today’s school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut:

“Our hearts go out to the victims and families from this horrific tragedy, especially during the holidays when kids should be thinking about presents and having fun with their families and friends, not America’s deadly problem with gun violence.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions right now, but one thing is clear – there’s too much gun violence in our country. These shootings are becoming all too common, and it’s too easy for dangerous people to get the weapons that help them perform mass executions like today’s.

“Leaders in Washington from both parties, and groups like the NRA, all say that now is not the time to talk about how gun safety laws can save lives in America. I agree, now is not the time to talk about gun laws – the time for that conversation was long before all those kids in Connecticut died today.

“We owe it to our children to work harder to reduce gun violence. The Second Amendment is the law of the land but it was never intended to allow murderers to take the lives of innocent kids. It’s our moral obligation as policymakers and as parents to do more to save lives.

“I hope the President’s words about taking ‘meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics’ stay true as we continue down this road again.”

I’m sure there are more statements such as these but I can stand only so much. It goes without saying that there will be more calls for gun control and “meaningful action” in the coming days. The Newtown tragedy is, and I hate to say it, tailor-made for the gun prohibitionists’ purposes. It reads like something out of a Matthew Bracken novel in terms of its utility for more gun control legislation. We need to be prepared for it and get ready to act to stop any of this misguided legislation.

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CCRKBA On Media’s Double Standard

December 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued a release yesterday severely criticizing the media’s double standard when it comes to the NFL. On the one hand, they go all righteous and pro-gun control when Jovan Belcher kills the mother of his child and then himself. On the other, they barely blink an eye when Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent drives intoxicated and kills a fellow Cowboy teammate.

From the CCRKBA:

NEW NFL DEATH SHOWS MEDIA’S DUAL
STANDARD ABOUT GUNS, SAYS CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, WA – After yet another tragic death involving an NFL player over the weekend, there is the appearance of a double standard in media handling of the case, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“A week ago,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “NBC’s Bob Costas was having fits about a so-called ‘gun culture,’ but what about the culture of big money, flashy cars and alcohol that permeats the NFL? Dallas player Jerry Brown is dead from what appears to be a drunken driving crash involving teammate Josh Brent. Brown is no less dead than Javon Belcher or his girlfriend and Brent faces criminal charges. Costas was alarmed at the number of NFL players with guns, but he’s said virtually nothing about the ones who drink and drive.”

Costas ignited a firestorm last week, showing a lack of knowledge about firearms, current laws and the so-called “gun culture” when he editorialized about the Belcher case and then had to do damage control for several days.

“What Bob Costas doesn’t know about guns,” Gottlieb said, “would probably fill a library. His remarks about violent crime, gun owners and semiautomatic firearms demonstrated why the firearms community distrusts mainstream press because many, if not most, of the talking heads don’t know what they’re talking about.

“According to FBI crime data,” he continued, “the number of homicides involving firearms has declined over the past several years. Last year, out of 12,664 homicides, firearms were used in about 8,500 of those crimes, and handguns were used in less than half.

“Compare that to more than 10,000 deaths attributed annually to drunk driving,” Gottlieb said, “yet where is the great discussion about that after Brown’s death?

“Last week, Costas asked who ‘needs’ a semiautomatic firearm,” he added. “Well, who needs to drive drunk? NFL players certainly have enough money to pay for a cab ride, don’t they?

“How many drunks are on the road every weekend following tailgate parties at NFL games,” Gottlieb questioned. “What’s more dangerous, a citizen with a firearm or an NFL player with a bar tab?”

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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.