Sean Meets Gabby And Mark

Actually that is a misleading headline as Sean Sorrentino wasn’t one of the 14 hand-picked “gun owners” chosen to sit down for a “discussion” with Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly in a Raleigh BBQ restaurant.

He tells me that he did get to see them…from a distance as they exited the side door of the restaurant surrounded by “a phalanx”. Hmmm.

Sean has an excellent after-action report of the Giffords-Kelly whirlwind visit to Raleigh and the media’s reaction to it. The headlines are not quite what Americans for Responsible Solutions would have liked.

Sean and the rest of his hastily assembled group of friends did a great job yesterday. It shows what real grassroots action looks like.

No, She Isn’t

The Maine Sunday Telegram had an editorial in today’s edition speculating that the visit of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly “could shake up gun stalemate.”

They made this statement in the editorial.

We have just come through a legislative session in which no progress was made in the effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.

Giffords is a national symbol of the consequences of doing nothing. Her career in Congress was cut short when a deranged man armed with a semiautomatic handgun and high-capacity magazines opened fire on her in a crowd of constituents, killing six people and wounding Giffords and 12 others.

If by doing nothing the editors of the Sunday Telegram mean implementing universal background checks, Ms. Giffords is NOT a national symbol of “the consequences of doing nothing.” The shooter did not purchase his firearm through a private transaction, at a gun show, or in an otherwise prohibited transaction. The shooter and killer purchased his Glock 19 from a licensed dealer in
Arizona and passed the requisite NICS background check conducted by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.

If Ms. Giffords is any sort of national symbol of the consequences of doing nothing, the fault lies at the foot of Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and his Pima County Sheriffs Department as well at the foot of officials at Pima Community College. Despite his run-ins with law enforcement and his suspension from Pima Community College for what appears to be mental illness, this information never went any further. Any database is only as good as the information in it and inaction by Dupnik and Pima Community College kept potentially disqualifying information out of the NICS database.

Universal background checks of private sales would not have stopped the shooter in Tucson nor at Virginia Tech nor in Aurora, Colorado and it is time to stop pretending that it would have. They all passed Federal NICS background checks.

A Weekend Tab Clearing

It’s time to do a clean-up on some of the items I’ve bookmarked for which I don’t have time to do a full blog post.

Project Gunwalker or Operation Fast and Furious has been out of the public eye for a while now. Unfortunately, one of the firearms walked in the ATF’s program has now been used to kill a police chief in Mexico back in January. As David Codrea notes, the media is still calling it a “botched operation”. I believe it was ATF Senior Agent John Dodson who said these weapons would be killing for decades. It seems he is being proven all too correct.

Kahr Arms has announced that they will be moving their headquarters from Pearl River, NY to Blooming Grove, PA. They had considered expanding in Port Jervis, NY but canceled those plans when the NY SAFE Act was passed. Kahr Arms will also be building a new plant in Blooming Grove that it expects to employ 80 people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said he didn’t believe the SAFE Act had anything to do with Kahr’s relocation.

Speaking of arms manufacturers leaving states who have passed draconian gun control laws, South Carolina is putting on a full-court press to win Stag Arms. Mark Malkowski was in the Myrtle Beach area the last week of June to look at sites. If South Carolina uses the same personal touch that they used to win PTR Industries, Stag Arms may just end up there instead of Texas.

In the context of the Arlington (MA) Police Department demanding entry to TJIC’s home on the 4th of July because he had applied for a gun permit, I found this rewriting of Lexington and Concord quite relevant.

The Violence Policy Center likes to portray concealed carry holders as Wild West cowboys who can be trusted to carry in public. Clayton Cramer examined their database and found it less than it appears. His analysis can be downloaded from here.


Gov. Jay Nixon (D-MO) vetoed one gun rights bill but signed another one that allows state employees to keep firearms in their cars while on state property. The bill also allows fire chiefs with concealed carry permits and special permission to carry while on duty. The bill would also barred municipal gun-buyback schemes unless the firearms are later offered for sale to the public. The bill that Nixon vetoed would have declared some Federal gun laws void and would have made it a crime for Federal officials to try to enforce them in the State of Missouri.

In what can only be considered a horrible accident if true, the San Francisco Fire Department is saying that one of the two Chinese girls killed in the Asiana Boeing 777 plane crash may have been killed when she was run over by a fire department emergency vehicle. Ah, jeez.

A New York State intermediate level appellate court has denied a preliminary injunction of the NY SAFE Act on July 3rd. This denial of a preliminary injunction could be appealed to the NY Court of Appeals which is that state’s highest court.

Finally, the Farewell to Arms festival last weekend in Colorado raised over $85,000 for the recall effort against Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo).

About That Ban On Knives On Planes

The Transportation Security Administration had planned to remove its ban on certain knives on planes. However in the face of criticism from certain politicians and flight attendant unions, they caved in.

Politics and arrogance likely scuttled the plan by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow small knives back on planes, but it’s not clear that fliers are any safer for it.

Last week, the TSA announced that while the agency’s “top priority continues to be expansion of efforts to implement a layered, risk-based security approach to passenger screening while maximizing resources,” it was putting aside a proposed plan to allow passengers to take small knives, toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks and other currently prohibited sports equipment on board as carry-on items.

The revised list of allowable carry-on items was supposed to go into effect at the end of April, but received strong opposition from flight attendants, pilots, law enforcement, airlines and bi-partisan group of legislators concerned that knives, especially, could be used in attacks on flight crews and other passengers.

The flight attendant unions even had their own webpage devoted to the issue. They celebrated their “win” by saying, “We promised ‘No Knives on Planes Ever Again,’ and today that promise was kept.”

This lead paragraph in an AP story on the crash of the Asiana Boeing 777 yesterday illustrates why the TSA’s capitulation in the face of opposition was such a mistake.

Police officers threw utility knives up to crew members inside the burning wreckage of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 so they could cut away passengers’ seat belts. Passengers jumped down emergency slides, escaping the smoke. One walked through a hole where a rear bathroom had been.

It was a miracle that the plane was evacuated before the fire spread to engulf the plane. Imagine if the airport cops hadn’t given knives to the crew members struggling to get passengers loose from their seat belts. Instead of only two young passengers killed in the crash, the news would have been about all those who burned to death while trapped in the plane.

It certainly does make the case for allowing knives of some sort back on planes. I wonder how many of the co-sponsors of HR 1093 – No Knives Act of 2013 – as well the co-sponsors of S. 1008 – Keep Knives Out of Our Skies Act – are willing to retract their sponsorship of the respective bills in light of this.

Latest Round Of Municipal Meeting To Ban Guns In Illinois

The Illinois State Rifle Association has posted their updated list of cities and towns in Illinois seeking to ban guns. Assuming that the Illinois General Assembly overrides Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of HB 183, they have 10 days to have their gun bans in place. The override is on the calendar and the General Assembly is expected to take it up this coming week.

The order staying the ruling in Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan expires on Tuesday. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has stated there will be no more extensions of their stay. Attorney General Lisa Madigan does have until July 22nd to file an appeal of the Court’s ruling. An override would, it is my understanding, moot those cases and any chance of overturning it on appeal.

From ISRA:

UPDATED LIST OF LOCALITIES VOTING TO TAKE YOUR GUNS

As you know, Bloomberg has teamed up with Emanuel and Quinn to impose gun ban and confiscation schemes across Illinois. But, time is running out on Bloomberg and the gun grabbers. More localities are looking to pass gun bans and confiscations before the deadline comes.

If you think it is OK for the Mayor of New York to tell you what kinds of firearms you may own and which you may not, then just sit back and do nothing.

On the other hand, if you value your freedom… if you value your gun rights, here is what you need to do:

1. No matter where you live, plan to be at one of the meetings listed below. Be sure to bring a friend or two along with you.

2. Wear IGOLD or NRA hats and/or teeshirts.

3. Be prepared to vigorously defend your rights.

4. If you see media there, approach them and tell them that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you do not support gun bans.

5. Be sure to get to the meeting site at least 45 minutes early so you will get a seat. We need to make our voices heard.

6. Pass this alert on to you friends and family and tell them to attend meetings too.

7. Post this to all forums to which you belong.

Again, the question to you is, “Do you want Mayor Bloomberg telling you what guns you may own?”

What: Evanston City Council – Agenda Packet (p11) – Up for vote
Where: 2100 Ridge Ave Evanston 60201
When: Monday, July 8, 7:15 pm

What: Country Club Hills City Council Meeting – Agenda – Up for vote
Where: 4200 W. Main St. Country Club Hills 60478
When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm

What: Western Springs Village Board Meeting – Agenda – Up for vote
Where: 740 Hillgrove Ave, Western Springs 60558
When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm

What: Park Ridge Committee Meeting – CCW and AWB Memo
Where: 505 Butler Place, Park Ridge, 60068
When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm

What: Berwyn Committee Meeting – COW Agenda – Gun Ban Discussion
Where: City Hall, 6700 26th Street
When: Tuesday, July 9, 6:00 pm

What: Hillcrest Village Board Meeting – Agenda not published yet – up for vote
Where: 204 Hillcrest Avenue 61068
When: Wednesday, July 10, 7:00 pm

For status of previous meetings, other meeting times, talking points against semi-auto bans, copies of proposed ordinances, links to other resources; please visit http://isra.org/townhall .

Guess Who’s Coming To Town! (Updated)

The Tar Heel State will be “graced” tomorrow by a visit by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. They are supposed to be somewhere in the Research Triangle – Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill – area but they seem to be very coy about just where. I guess they don’t want what happened to them in North Dakota to happen to them here.

Grass Roots North Carolina would like to properly welcome them. They are offering a reward of a 100 rounds of either 5.56 or 7.62×39 ammo to the first person to locate them.

More from GRNC below:


Yet they hide their “Rights & Responsibilities” tour’s July 7 Raleigh stop from gun owners they purport to represent!

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and astronaut husband Mark Kelly, who fancy themselves the next Sarah and Jim Brady, having been touring the country to push for what they claim are just “background checks.” In truth, of course, the federal proposals they advocate would criminalize mundane behaviors such as gifting a gun to your mother and would further their hidden agenda to turn the computerized “National Instant Criminal Background Check System” (NICS) into a defacto gun registration system.

To divide and conquer gun owners, they claim to be shooters and have posed for photo ops of Giffords flinching off a few shots in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Gee, whiz, they say, they’re just gun owners like the rest of us and, of course, we all support “background checks,” right?

Gun control carpet-baggers in NC TOMORROW

Although their website lists Raleigh as a tour stop, it is the only stop for which the group refuses to provide a precise time and location, indicating they learned from our counter demonstration to greet “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” two weeks ago, in which GRNC’s counter demonstrators outnumbered MAIG’s participants.

Indeed, they are refusing to release the details to the public, leading one to ask: Why are they hiding from the gun owners they claim to represent? Last night, the Raleigh News & Observer said:
“Details have been withheld until Friday night, and even now the precise location has not been publicly disclosed. Reporters will be given information once they are confirmed.

“All that’s known now is Giffords and Kelly will go shooting at a local sporting clay range in the morning, followed by a roundtable discussion with gun owners, and then a picnic with local members of their gun-control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions. The couple will meet with reporters after the roundtable.”

‘Where’s Gabby?’

Since Rep. Giffords and her hubby say they want a “roundtable discussion with gun owners,” GRNC would like to give it to them. So in a variation of that old child’s game, “Where’s Waldo?” GRNC now asks you to play “Where’s Gabby?”

In fact, we will give 100 rds of free 5.56mm or 7.62x39mm ammo to the first person who identifies the Raleigh-area “sporting clay range” and time for Gabby and Mark’s little get together. Please contact GRNC President Paul Valone immediately at: president@GRNC.org.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Contact your club or range and ask if Gabby and spouse are scheduled to arrive. If so:

  • Ask those in charge to rescind their invitation, but not too soon: It would be most effective if it occurred AFTER arrival of the media – that will surely have received invitations.

  • Contact GRNC: Email GRNC President Paul Valone at President@GRNC.org with details.

  • Prepare to counter-protest: Please RSVP to Sean@SeanSorrentino.com with your name, mobile phone number, and the number of people you can bring. The probable time is 11:00 AM. Once we obtain details, we will call you.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact GRNC President Paul Valone with Gifford’s event information at: president@grnc.org.

UPDATE: It looks like the location has been confirmed.

Gabby Giffords Anti-Gun Roundtable

Gabby Giffords and husband plan anti-gun roundtable tomorrow morning at Pit Barbeque, 328 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC at 10 am…

GRNC has received word that Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly will be hosting an anti-gun roundtable tomorrow morning at Pit Barbeque in Raleigh. The event will take place some time around 11:00 am. We need as many pro-gun people as possible to begin showing up around 10:00 am. This will be an anti-freedom lovefest that the media will use to back their false claims that you want more gun control. It is up to you to stop this from happening. By your showing up and defending your viewpoint, you can steal their thunder and prevent their making a case for taking more of your rights.

BE THERE!


IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Be at:

Pit Barbeque, 328 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC at 10 am tomorrow, Sunday.

UPDATE II:  It appears that you had to be one of the “select” to have met with Giffords and Kelly. According to WRAL, they met with 14 selected individuals who were members of their new gun control organization.

After a trip to a shooting range, they met at The Pit restaurant in downtown Raleigh with 14 hand-picked members of the organization, all of whom are gun owners, to lobby for expanded background checks.

“Gabby and I are both gun owners. I’ve served in the military for 25 years,” Kelly said. “We are strong supporters of the Second Amendment.”

 It is hard for me to see just what they accomplished in their trip around the nation other than gathering a bit of media attention. IF they really wanted to draw major attention to themselves in North Carolina, Giffords and Kelly would have joined the disgruntled progressives in their so-called “Moral Mondays” outside the North Carolina General Assembly. Not that I’m trying to give them ideas but there is a major bill awaiting concurrence before the NC House that significantly advances gun rights.


The Raleigh News and Observer has more on the meeting.

Raleigh was the last stop on the couple’ seven-city Rights and Responsibilities tour. The ARS is hosting small roundtable discussions with gun owners, victims of violence and others. Giffords is expected to head to Asheville next for more rehabilitation therapy. She has aphasia as a result of her injuries and struggles to speak and walk.

“Hello, Raleigh. Stopping gun (violence) takes courage,” Giffords said, reading from a statement. “The courage to do what’s right. The courage of new ideas. I’ve seen great courage when my life was on the line. Now is the time to come together. Be responsible. Democrats, Republicans, everyone. We must never stop fighting. Fight, fight, fight people. Be courageous. The nation is counting on you. Thank you.”

Fourteen people were invited to be part of the roundtable discussion. About half said they were gun owners and 10 of the 14 knew someone who had been shot or killed by guns.

The best comments on the Giffords-Kelly visit comes from Sean Sorrention of An NC Gun Blog who was interviewed by the N&O reporter.

“(They’re) having a roundtable discussion with gun owners and somehow our invitation got lost in the mail,” said Sean Sorrentino, a representative for Grass Roots North Carolina.

Sorrentino said criminal-background checks violate citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

“It’s saying I have to prove my innocence before I can use my Second Amendment rights,” he said.

Now I’m going to say something that might be considered impolitic or not judicious but it has been at the back of my mind since Giffords has re-emerged in public. I don’t mean to be insensitive or “a meany” though I will be accused of it by the gun prohibitionists. The mention of Giffords coming to Asheville for more rehab makes me wonder just how capable she is of coherent and rational thought. Every time she speaks in public it is from a simple, pre-written statement or with the words being put into her mouth by her husband Mark. She always seems to have some sort of a “handler” at her side. It is as if she is a puppet or wind-up doll being used to promote someone else’s agenda which I find quite sad.

I don’t know enough about traumatic brain injuries to know whether having a bullet travel through the left side of your brain is worse than the concussive force of an IED explosion. One would have to assume it is much worse. I feel for Ms. Giffords for what she has been through. She didn’t ask for a madman who passed a NICS check to shoot her. That said, I have this nagging feeling that just won’t go away that she is just not capable of having an opinion on gun control one way or another and that she is being used by her husband and others. I also wonder if she wrote or could she even compose the comments she read at the event today.

UPDATE III: Links to video reports on the event are below. I would note that both Sean Sorrentino and Bill Foster represented the position of gun owners quite well. Moreover, it is interesting that the media is invited to the event but not any of the rest of us.

WRAL Raleigh

WNCN NBC 17

An Example Of A Blithering Idiot

Talk show personalities, whether conservative or liberal, are in love with the sound of their own voice. It doesn’t matter to them whether they are right or wrong on the details so long as it helps their ratings.

A case in point is Michael Savage who hosts The Savage Nation. On Tuesday, he postulated that George Zimmerman is at least guilty of manslaughter due to a round in the chamber of his Kel Tec PF-9.

From the transcript at the Daily Caller:

Savage laid out his case, saying that the murder could have been avoided, but based on Zimmerman’s gun having a round in the chamber with the safety off, Zimmerman intended “to find some he could shoot or intimidate.”

“Zimmerman was carrying a Kel Tec semi-automatic 9mm handgun,” Savage said. “So? Big deal. It is a big deal because he had a bullet chambered in the gun and he had the safety off… Had he not chambered a round prior to meeting Trayvon, and had he not taken the safety off, even if Trayvon, during the altercation even if Trayvon had tried to grab the gun away from Zimmerman — had that gun not been chambered with a round and safety off, Trayvon Martin would have had to use two hands. You can’t do it with one hand.”

“Many of you don’t own guns,” Savage said. “He would have had to let go of Zimmerman. He would have had to stop punching him. He would have had to take both hands on the gun, hold the pistol grip with one, pull the top back to chamber a round and then he would have had to unlock the safety, during which time the mixed-martial-artist-in-training Mr. Zimmerman would have had time to throw him off and pound the hell out of him. But because Zimmerman carried a loaded weapon with the safety off, Trayvon Martin is dead. Therefore, the responsibility is in the hands of Zimmerman.

“I don’t care which side you are on,” Savage continued. “He wasn’t just carrying a gun, he wasn’t just a watch guy: He was hunting. He was looking, he was hoping to find someone he could shoot or intimidate with that loaded weapon, ladies and gentlemen of the Savage jury.”

I’m sure some of Savage’s fans are nodding their heads up and down agreeing with him. If so, they are as much a blithering idiot as Savage is himself.

Why?

Because the damn gun doesn’t have an external safety. From Kel Tec’s own description of the PF-9: “Firing mechanism is Double-Action Only with an automatic hammer block safety.”

Even if Savage is a proponent of the Israeli method of draw and rack with a double somersault tossed in for good measure, it is possible draw and rack the slide with one hand.

While I am sure that there still may be some instructors out there who will argue for the empty chamber, draw and rack method, I think the overwhelming consensus is that if you are going to carry, you carry with a loaded chamber or what is otherwise known as Condition 1.

Tool And Die Maker Moves Into Arms Manufacturing

Mennie Machine Company started as a tool and die maker in the founder’s garage. Now it is a major parts manufacturer for numerous large companies such as Caterpillar and Cummins. The problem with only being a part maker is that your company is at the mercy of other company’s success or lack thereof.

One way to protect your company is to diversify. As Bloomberg News reports, Mennie Machine Company is doing just that but not in way that most companies might go. They are beginning to make their own AR-15s in their plant in Mark, Illinois which is about 100 miles southwest of Chicago. They have been an AR component manufacturer for a number of years now and already have their FFL. Mennie believes that going into arms manufacturing will give it more reliable revenues.

(David)Mennie expects firearms to generate more reliable revenue that would insulate it from economic downturns. Eventually, they could account for as much as 25 percent of its business, he said.

The factory cut its workforce of 330 in half after the recession that began in December 2007. The company, with $45 million in sales last year, was looking for steady income, “something to have some long-term growth,” Mennie said. “That’s what pushed us into this.”

Their new division is called MMC Armory. According to their website, MMC Armory has three versions of their AR-15 ready to go. As the interview below makes clear, MMC Armory will be making their own barrels, receivers, and bolt carrier groups.

It is this last part that really intrigues me as, from what I’ve heard and read, they have been in short supply and are a major sticking point in production schedules. Making their own full-auto rated nickel-boron coated BCGs will certainly give them a competitive advantage. A lot of companies make AR lowers; not a lot make bolt carrier groups.

The company also has plans to design and manufacture their own handgun in 9mm. I think they may find this a bit more difficult than ARs given the component nature of ARs and the loyalty that many gun owners feel towards their particular handgun.

This will be interesting to watch. As it is, I wouldn’t mind trying out their MA 15 Tactical which guarantees .75 MOA and weighs only 6.1 lbs.

Cerberus CEO Feinberg Drops “Stalking Horse” Bid

As was reported back in late April, Cerberus CEO Stephen Feinberg and others partners were putting together a bid for the Freedom Group. He explained at the time that while they were selling the group of companies he didn’t want it to go at fire sale prices.

Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal report that Feinberg and his group have dropped their bid for the Freedom Group.

From Reuters:

Feinberg no longer sees the need to make an offer for the gun company, the person said, because Freedom Group is in dialogue with a number of industry players, as well as financial investors, and he views the sale process as robust.

No deal has been agreed to and talks with the potential buyers are ongoing, the person added.

The Wall Street Journal goes into more detail. One source said that Cerberus initially wanted about $1 billion for the Freedom Group but now wants more for it. They have received a number of bids in what is considered to be the first round of bidding.

People familiar with the process say several companies submitted bids last month when a first-round of offers was due.

It is possible Cerberus will opt not to sell, one of the people said.

Freedom Group’s results have improved amid rising gun and ammunition sales since the tragedy and as restructuring moves implemented by Cerberus take effect, these people said. Cerberus initially planned to seek around $1 billion for the company, but now wants more, one of the people said.

Some of the bids came in over $1 billion while others were lower, one of the people said. It is common in a bidding process for the field of suitors to thin out after the initial round of bidding, so the level of interest in the company remains unclear.

I’d love to know who the bidders are as would we all. You have to wonder if the high bidder will be a investment group like Cerberus, a diversified company like DuPont which used to own Remington years ago, or a firearms manufacturer like Ruger or FNH-USA. Whatever happens will be interesting.

Really? On The Fourth Of July?



The Arlington, Massachusetts Police Department needs a refresher lesson in just what was the spark that set off the American Revolution. It was the attempt by the British under General Gage to seize the arms and powder of the local militia. A year and some months later we declared our independence from Great Britain.

Today, the APD demanded to inspect the premises of TJIC for firearms because he had applied for a Massachusetts LTC (license to carry). They had no warrant. They ended up seizing the legally owned firearms of his fiancee’ Jenn.  Tam has the story. Make sure to read the comments for follow-up information.

Weerd has more info on the required permits in Massachusetts to provide some context.

The saddest part of the whole incident is that the local cops think they are just doing “their job”. From TJIC’s comments at Tam’s blog:

At the end, some of the cops who ransacked the house tried to shake hands with me. “No hard feelings”.


I refused and said “Gentlemen, please think about what you’re doing. On the fourth of july, the day we celebrate freedom, you stole legally owned firearms from a women who is engaged to a guy who made a joke you don’t like. You are not the good guys. You are ‘just doing your jobs’. Look in the mirror. You’re the bad guys.”


Response: “I’m sorry you feel that way. Have a good Fourth.”


My lawyer says that there’s a decent chance I may yet be arrested.


And with that, I should probably go radio silent for a while.

As I said back in 2011 when the original incident occurred, I am TJIC.

I still am.

UPDATE: There is now a discussion going on about this on the NortheastShooters.com forum. Unfortunately, it doesn’t add any new information as of now.