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Time To Turn The Screws Down On Republicans In NC

July 23, 2013 by

It is time for the Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly to either put up or shut up. They talk a good game when they want gun owners votes but when given a chance to actually send a decent gun bill to the governor, they waffle and drag their feet.

HB 937 which would amend a number of gun laws in North Carolina has passed both the House and the Senate in different forms. When given a choice on passing the stronger of the two versions, the House Republicans waffled and sent it to a conference committee. Now the conference committee which is composed entirely of Republicans is dragging its feet. The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn this coming Friday.

We went through this garbage in the last session where one house passed restaurant carry and then it was never acted upon by the other house. It is time for this nonsense to stop. The conference committee needs to report out a bill without garbage attached to it and to do it now.

As Grass Roots North Carolina notes in their alert below, Republicans will be held accountable if they fail to pass this bill. Instead of considering a bill to honor All-American Cities, why not do something that is substantive and not symbolic?

The clock to adjournment is ticking…IT IS TIME TO BRING THE HEAT!

While the gun rights of North Carolinians hang in the balance, Republican leadership can’t stop playing political games. They are being manipulated by the competing misguided interests of the NC Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) and NRA.

The political angst has reached the level that Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer has begun emailing accusations that GRNC is spreading “inaccurate information”. GRNC President Paul Valone quickly responded:

“As I just told your legislative assistant, Sharon, I would love to know what is “inaccurate” about our reporting. My understanding was that to close what you yourself have called the “arming felons loophole,” sans repeal of all or part of the purchase permit statute, you suggested requiring NICS checks if purchase permits were older than 30 days. As we have said all along (and I have numerous positions issued to Republicans to this effect), punishing gun owners for the malfeasance of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association is unacceptable to us. So please, tell me what is “inaccurate,” before I am forced to report to 87,000 gun owners that it is actually you who is disseminating false information.“

It is time to stop the blame game and pandering to NCSA and NRA. These organizations didn’t elect the Assembly. You did. Have they forgotten who they represent?

Apparently they need another reminder. GRNC has set-up a “Pass HB 937” petition at http://grnc.org/pass-h937 that will help the politicians focus on the issue. Sign it, and pass along the link to your friends.

The Assembly is set to adjourn this Friday. We only have a few more days to instill sense in both the Assembly and Governor McCrory and get this bill passed.

We have fought for years for this progress. Failure IS NOT AN OPTION!

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

You need to do three things:

  1. Call the three Republican leaders, Gov. McCrory, Speaker Tillis, President Pro Tempore Berger;

  2. Sign the petition and forward it to others; and

  3. Send the copy-and-paste message to all Republicans in the NC House and Senate

MAKE SURE TO BOTH CALL AND EMAIL Sen. Berger, Speaker Tillis and Gov. McCrory. This is our last chance to make an impression. Let’s make it GOOD!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Speaker Thom Tillis, 919-733-3451, Email: Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, 919-733-5708, Email: Phil.Berger@ncleg.net

Gov. Pat McCrory, 919-814-2000, Email using BOTH this address governor.office@nc.gov AND the webpage at http://www.governor.state.nc.us/contact/email-pat

Use the following cut-and-paste email list to contact NC House Republicans:

Dean.Arp@ncleg.net; Marilyn.Avila@ncleg.net; John.Bell@ncleg.net; Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net; Robert.Brawley@ncleg.net; Brian.Brown@ncleg.net; Rayne.Brown@ncleg.net; Rob.Bryan@ncleg.net; Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net; Justin.Burr@ncleg.net; Rick.Catlin@ncleg.net; George.Cleveland@ncleg.net; Jeff.Collins@ncleg.net; Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net; Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net; Ted.Davis@ncleg.net; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net; Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Jerry.Dockham@ncleg.net; Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net; Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net; John.Faircloth@ncleg.net; Jim.Fulghum@ncleg.net; Mike.Hager@ncleg.net; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net; Mark.Hollo@ncleg.net; Bryan.Holloway@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net; Julia.Howard@ncleg.net; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net; Charles.Jeter@ncleg.net; Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net; Bert.Jones@ncleg.net; Jonathan.Jordan@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net; James.Langdon@ncleg.net; David.Lewis@ncleg.net; Chris.Malone@ncleg.net; Susan.Martin@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net; Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net; Chris.Millis@ncleg.net; Tim.Moffitt@ncleg.net; Tim.Moore@ncleg.net; Tom.Murry@ncleg.net; Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net; Nathan.Ramsey@ncleg.net; Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net; Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net; Jason.Saine@ncleg.net; Ruth.Samuelson@ncleg.net; Jacqueline.Schaffer@ncleg.net; Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net; Paul.Stam@ncleg.net; Edgar.Starnes@ncleg.net; Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net; Michael.Stone@ncleg.net; John.Szoka@ncleg.net; Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net; John.Torbett@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net; Harry.Warren@ncleg.net; Andy.Wells@ncleg.net; Roger.West@ncleg.net; Chris.Whitmire@ncleg.net

Use the following cut-and-paste email list to contact NC Senate Republicans:

Austin.Allran@ncleg.net, Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net, Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net, Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net, Phil.Berger@ncleg.net, Stan.Bingham@ncleg.net, Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net, Harry.Brown@ncleg.net, Peter.Brunstetter@ncleg.net, Bill.Cook@ncleg.net, David.Curtis@ncleg.net, Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net, Jim.Davis@ncleg.net, Thom.Goolsby@ncleg.net, Rick.Gunn@ncleg.net, Kathy.Harrington@ncleg.net, Fletcher.Hartsell@ncleg.net, Ralph.Hise@ncleg.net, Neal.Hunt@ncleg.net, Brent.Jackson@ncleg.net, Wesley.Meredith@ncleg.net, Buck.Newton@ncleg.net, Louis.Pate@ncleg.net, Ron.Rabin@ncleg.net, Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net, Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net, Bob.Rucho@ncleg.net, Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net, Dan.Soucek@ncleg.net, Jeff.Tarte@ncleg.net, Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net, Tommy.Tucker@ncleg.net, Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: Republicans will be held responsible for failure of HB 937

Dear Speaker Tillis/President Pro Tem Phil Berger/Governor Pat McCrory/Representative/Senator:

NC gun owners have worked too hard for too long and have spent too much time and money supporting politicians claiming to be pro-Second Amendment. If HB 937, the omnibus gun bill, fails to be passed into law we will hold you responsible.

You need to make sure this bill leaves the conference committee and is signed by Gov. McCrory. We’ve had enough of the political games. HB 937 must be signed into law this year or there will be a price to be paid during the next election.

You owe this to NC gun owners who are largely responsible for your election. Do not disappoint us.

I will be following progress through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,

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Weekend Tab Clearing

July 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

I got caught up on my email over the weekend and bookmarked a number of items that I planned to blog about. However, other things got in the way as usual for most of us. Stuff like watching the Complementary Spouse’s nephew and his team Requiem win a Halo 4 tournament. I don’t understand half of what they are doing but it is fun to cheer family on to victory.

Earlier in the month Hornady announced that they were suspending production of 150 bullet types and 150 finished ammo types for the rest of 2013 in order to focus on demand for the most popular items. AccurateShooter.com has the list here.

The FAA is being spoil sports. You may have heard about the small town of Deer Trail, Colorado which is offering “drone hunting licenses” for $25. You are limited to a 12 gauge shotgun max. The town is doing it as a humorous way to raise some money. The FAA is not amused and is warning of “criminal and civil liability” if you do shoot one down.

Some Democrats in Florida are calling for the repeal of that state’s Stand Your Ground law.

Shooting Illustrated has an interesting article on an easy way to level your rifle’s scope without special equipment. It shows how to level your scope using only low-cost spirit levels instead the special kits sold by MidwayUSA or Brownells.

Guy Sagi has an interesting post up on a recent break-in at his house. He goes into detail about all the things he did wrong as well as what he did correctly. Guy writes the Fear & Loading Blog for the American Rifleman. It is a short article that is well worth the read.
A report on efforts to hasten the implementation of concealed carry in Illinois.

A humorous look at the rationale for owning a number of firearms from the CityWeekly of Salt Lake City. My favorite is No. 2 – “Because shut up – this is Utah, hippie.”

Finally, a post from Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition on why Stand Your Ground laws must stand.

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So Durbin Wants Hearings On Stand Your Ground

July 22, 2013 by 2 Comments

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced on Friday that he plans to hold hearings on Stand Your Ground laws in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights of which he is the Chair.

In a statement, Durbin said the Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee on Constitution, civil rights and human rights ”will examine the gun lobby’s and the American Legislative Exchange Council’s influence in creating and promoting these laws; the way in which the laws have changed the legal definition of self-defense; the extent to which the laws have encouraged unnecessary shooting confrontations; and the civil rights implications when racial profiling and ‘stand your ground’ laws mix, along with other issues.”

Normally, I’d be dreading the nonsense that would come out of such a hearing. While this still could be true, the composition of the subcommittee gives me some hope.

The Ranking Member of the subcommittee is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who is a fierce proponent of the Second Amendment and gun rights. The Republican members also include Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Orrin Hatch (R-U). While Graham and Hatch have been wishy-washy on many things, they have been solid on gun rights.

The subcommittee’s Democrats consist of Durbin, Al Franken (D-MN), Richard Bluementhal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE),and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). Blumenthal is a hard-core anti gunner while the rest are reliably anti-gun.

Ted Cruz, while a mere freshman, has shown no hesitation in taking it to the anti’s. He took Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on in full Judiciary Committee over her AWB and made her look petty. I think he can do the same to those who would seek to diminish the laws of self-defense.

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I’ll Definitely Keep Buying His Books!

July 21, 2013 by

Chicago-based author Brad Thor has written a number of thrillers which I’ve read. He was interviewed about his most recent book Hidden Order on a ABC-7 Chicago’s morning show Windy City Live. They also wanted to interview him because of tweets he had made the day before offering to buy George Zimmerman a new firearm. Thor was furious that the Department of Justice had impounded Zimmerman’s Kel-Tec PF-9.

As recounted in The Blaze, Thor had some testy exchanges with the interviewers who were somewhat aghast that he’d offer to buy Zimmerman a new gun.

A show panelist asked whether “it’s really a good idea to give George Zimmerman a gun back?”

“He’s not guilty!” Thor said. “And as a matter of fact don’t you think he needs a gun now more than ever with all the death threats against him?”

Co-host Val Warner questioned why Zimmerman would “even risk going through the same thing again” if he had another gun.

“That’s his decision, Val, it’s not for us to decide if we’re going to curtail his liberty or not, that is his Second Amendment right to possess a firearm, defend himself, defend his family, and it is not up to you, it’s not up to me, to decide what’s right for George Zimmerman. He’s an American citizen, he gets to decide what’s right for him,” Thor said.

Warner said it could be Zimmerman’s decision “after everything is over.”

“When’s it over? How much more does he have to go through?” Thor said. “There’s not a shred of evidence that he is a racist and yet the Department of Justice is freezing

I know from past interviews that Thor is a gun guy.  More importantly, I like his willingness to stand up for what is right. I’ll definitely keep buying his books.

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“The Lynching”

July 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

PJ Media’s Afterburner with Bill Whittle gets it right in this video. It was not Trayvon Martin who was “lynched” by George Zimmerman. Rather, it was multi-racial George Zimmerman who has endured a figurative lynching by the media, the Department of Justice, and the dual racialist reverends – Sharpton and Jackson.

After having bought into the narrative that Trayvon was a misunderstood youth who got profiled by the racist Zimmerman because of the color of his skin and then murdered by Zimmerman, the media essentially stopped their investigation of any causal factors. These include the role of Trayvon Martin’s drug use, the role that divorce played in his behavioral problems, and, if you really want to go deep, the ambiguous place of young black men without strong male role figures in a historically matriarchal community. In the video below, Whittle takes the media to task for their false narrative and examines in some detail items that the jury was not allowed to hear.

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What Sheriff Bailey Didn’t Say

July 19, 2013 by 1 Comment

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey is one of the North Carolina sheriffs who is determined to retain the state’s racist, Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit system. In an interview given to WCNC-TV of Charlotte, Sheriff Bailey contends that the pistol purchase permit system would have prevented the shooters in Tucson, Virginia Tech, and Aurora from obtaining their pistols.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey said that he agrees with every law-abiding citizen’s right to own firearms, but says he wants the state to continue to allow his office the right to dispense permits, because of the NICS system does not catch all mental health issues.

“We also check our transport logs for involuntary commits and those kinds of things which wouldn’t be picked up by NICS or some other device.” Sheriff Bailey said, “I think it’s important for us to know who is being permitted for firearms or who is going out to buy firearms…until the process gets where you can really count on it, then I think the sheriff’s need to be involved with it.”

There is only one little flaw in Sheriff Bailey’s argument. Once the permit which is good for five years is issued, it can’t be revoked. It also substitutes for the NICS check. Thus, a person who based a background check up to five years ago can take their permit to a FFL, present their permit, buy a gun, and avoid the NICS check. If they have committed a felony, a misdemeanor involving domestic violence, or had been adjudicated mentally ill after being issued the permit, they could still obtain a firearm. I don’t think the fact that they would be committing a Federal felony by lying on the ATF Form 4473 would matter much to such a person.

The Charlotte Observer – Sheriff Bailey’s local paper – did an analysis on pistol purchase permits. It found more than 60 felons in Mecklenburg County alone held pistol purchase permits. A NICS check would have caught these felons when they tried to purchase a firearm.

Mecklenburg County is also lagging the state in the issuance of Concealed Handgun Permits according to the most recent data. As Sean points out here, something is a little fishy when Mecklenburg County has only seen a rise of 2.83% in new permits as compared to the statewide figure of 9.36%. Moreover, just slightly smaller Wake County has issued 4.5 times as many permits in the same time period.

I think Sheriff Bailey, despite his so-called support for the citizen’s right to own a firearm, has some explaining to do.

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On The Radio!

July 19, 2013 by

In what will be a first for me, I’ll be on a live radio show this evening!

Chris and Brad at Shooter Ready Radio have invited me on their show to discuss the Electronic Freedom Foundation’s lawsuit against the NSA, the injunction against open carry in Mississippi, and my thoughts on the Colorado recall elections from an outsider’s perspective. I will be in the segment that airs from 4:15pm Mountain to 5:00pm Mountain. That is 6:15pm to 7pm Eastern.

I will admit to being a little nervous as my voice sounds a bit nasally when I’ve listened to it on voice mail or a podcast interview. Damn my bad sinuses!

Shooter Ready Radio is part of the I-25 Talk Radio lineup which airs on 1480 AM and 93.9 FM out of Pueblo, Colorado. If you aren’t in the Pueblo area, the station has a live feed over the Internet which you can access here.

If you get a chance, listen in. I’d love feedback on it.

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Kudos To The Buckeye Firearms Foundation

July 19, 2013 by 2 Comments

You may have read that the Department of Justice has requested a hold by the Sanford Police Department on all evidence in the George Zimmerman case while they continue their so-called investigation into the case. This hold precludes Mr. Zimmerman from getting his Kel-Tec PF-9 returned to him. As such, he is being kept defenseless while racist vigilantes are calling for his murder.

The Buckeye Firearms Foundation has stepped up to get Mr. Zimmerman a replacement firearm and necessary accessories.

George Zimmerman has every right to get his property back.

And if Eric Holder chooses to deny Mr. Zimmerman that right, Buckeye Firearms Foundation will remedy the matter by purchasing a NEW FIREARM for him, including a holster, flashlight, and any other gear he wants.

This is about more than mere principle. Zimmerman and his family now face daily threats on their lives. More than ever, he has a right to defend himself against those who would seek to do him harm.

Gun owners must stand together and refuse to allow an injustice like this to go unanswered. If we choose to sit idly by while the full force and weight of the federal government descends upon a free man, it will embolden others to take liberties with our rights.

We know what some will say about this. We know we will be reviled for taking this stand. Our motives will be impugned and our words will be twisted. But that happens already. Those who work against our rights will always do this. It hasn’t stopped us before and it won’t stop us now.

We have created the Zimmerman Second Amendment Fund. We encourage you to donate whatever you can afford, $100 … $50 … $25 … even just $10. We will provide Mr. Zimmerman, who has no current source of income, with the funds he needs to replace his firearm, holster, and other gear. The rest will be set aside to fight similar injustices … and they happen all the time.

Because the Foundation is a 503(c)(3) non-profit, any donation you make will be tax deductible. The link to their donation page is here.

Other groups such as the Illinois-based Guns Save Lives have also stepped up.

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Screwing Up HB 937

July 19, 2013 by 1 Comment

It was not bad enough that the North Carolina House didn’t concur with the Senate on the changes to HB 937 but now the House sponsor Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer (R-Mecklenburg) and House chair of the Conference Committee is proposing to make it worse. I could make snide comments about Mecklenburg County politicians such as Tillis, Schaffer, and McCrory screwing up the state for the rest of the 99 counties but I won’t.

Grass Roots North Carolina has the details below in an alert sent out late last night.


A DEAL TO PUNISH GUN OWNERS

HB 937 was making the partial repeal of the current Jim Crow-era pistol permit system look like a reality. Then, the political pressure mounted.

GRNC has learned that the partial repeal of the current, old-fashioned system is in jeopardy, and worse, the current system might become even more complicated and restrictive. The NRA has not “signed off” on the partial repeal of the old permit system, and worse, someone has convinced HB 937 sponsor, Rep. Jacqueline Michelle Schaffer, to modify the language such that NICS checks are to be required for pistols purchased with permits more than 30 days old.

There are two problems with this:

  1. The NCSA has already said that NICS checks are not adequate. So why subject law-abiding gun owners to additional pointless background checks?


  2. According to GRNC President, Paul Valone, “This action would punish innocent gun owners for the malfeasance of the NCSA, and is unacceptable!”

Speaker Tillis, Representative Schaffer and Governor McCrory are poised to bow to the NCSA pressure. This would be a major sellout of North Carolina gun owners. If political pressure pushes these politicians to punish us, GRNC may encourage gun owners to sit out the 2014 midterm elections. The Speaker, Rep. Schaffer, Gov. McCrory and all of the Republicans in Raleigh need to know that they can’t take gun owners for granted, and any anti-gun actions will not be tolerated. See below to learn what you can do to let these politicians know what you think of their proposed anti-gun deal.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

PHONE SPEAKER TILLIS, REPRESENTATIVE SCHAFFER AND GOVERNOR McCRORY.
E-MAIL THE SPEAKER, REP. SCHAFFER AND THE GOVERNOR.

CONTACT INFO

Speaker Tillis: 919-733-3451

Rep. Schaffer: 919-733-5886

Governor McCrory: (919) 814-2000

Phone them and tell them that you know about their anti-gun scheme, and you won’t be taken for granted. Tell them that following through on the plan to worsen our already old-fashioned pistol permit system may hurt all Republicans in Raleigh by forcing you to consider sitting out the 2014 midterm elections.

Use the following e-mail addresses and link to deliver the message below:

Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

Jacqueline.Schaffer@ncleg.net

E-mail the Governor using this link:

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/contact/email-pat

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Don’t Punish Gun Owners”

Dear Speaker Tillis, Representative Schaffer, and Governor McCrory:

I have recently learned of a compromise being considered regarding HB 937, and I am writing to tell you that making our state’s outdated pistol permit system even worse than it already is will not help your esteem in the eyes of gun owners. Simply leaving the current Jim Crow-era system in place would be bad enough. However, what is being proposed would create a system that is even more difficult for law-abiding citizens to navigate than the current system. The new proposal would add a new thirty-day limit to permit validity, which would then require a point-of-sale NICS check. This is not acceptable.

It is the decades-long malfeasance of the NCSA and their support of a current system that has allowed the “arming felons” loophole to remain in place. Keeping this old-fashioned system, and then making it yet even more complicated and unjust is not an improvement. In fact, if this new restriction to the current permit system is added, I, and surely thousands of other gun owners in North Carolina, may sit out the 2014 midterm elections. Gun owning voters will not be taken for granted.

I strongly urge you to stand firm against the political pressure to compromise at the expense of gun owners. This is not an acceptable compromise by any stretch, and if it happens, the Republicans will be held responsible, and they will feel it at the polls.

I will be monitoring the status of this issue via Grass Roots North Carolina alerts.

Respectfully,

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The Recall Elections In Colorado Are A Go!

July 18, 2013 by 5 Comments

Colorado District Court Judge Robert Hyatt ruled that the petitions submitted for the recall of State Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) are valid and the recall election is a go.

Judge Hyatt said in his oral decision as reported by the Denver Post:

“The petitions here substantially comply with law,” Judge Robert Hyatt said…

“Recalls are a fundamental right of Colorado citizens,” Hyatt said in his oral decision from the bench…

The judge in his ruling pointed out that the templates used by petitioners date back several years and span Democratic and Republican secretaries of state.

“The form used not only fully complied with secretary of state, but in the court’s opinion it complied with the Colorado constitution,” Hyatt ruled.

“The court does give great weight that petitioners made a good-faith effort to comply with law. The court finds the proponents did not in any way consciously mean to mislead the public.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) set September 10th as the date for the recall elections.

It is expected that Morse and Giron will appeal this decision to the Colorado Supreme Court. That said, as Sebastian Bitter rightly noted, the longer these two and their supporters fight to delay the recall election, the more negative sentiment they generate from voters in their districts.

It will also give the Republicans more time to vet the candidates who will face Morse and Giron. The importance of this vetting has already become evident as one of the announced candidates in Colorado Springs – Jaxine Bubis – writes erotica under the pen name Jaxine Daniels. You can imagine the field day that John Morse would have with this tidbit if it had come out during the final days of the campaign.

Fortunately, the El Paso County Republican Committee chose former Colorado Spring City Councilman Bernie Herpin to face Morse in the election. Herpin and Bubis had a prior agreement to abide by the decision of the Republican committee as to which one of them would be the nominee.