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“Industry Leading Firearms Manufacturing Company” Is Considering Rockingham County, NC

June 13, 2013 by 3 Comments

The Town of Mayodan and the Rockingham County Partnership for Economic and Tourism Development have announced that “an industry-leading firearms company” is considered locating a major facility in Mayodan. The unnamed company will be hosting an open house on June 18th for potential employees. They are trying to find out if there are enough qualified employees to staff the plant.

As I posted in mid-May, Ruger had announced at their Annual Meeting that they had narrowed their search for their third manufacturing plant down to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. One of their major requirements was an existing manufacturing facility of approximately 250,000 square feet. Rockingham County has approximately six available facilities that would meet this qualification according to a list from
Rockingham County Partnership for Economic and Tourism Development. Mayodan has two facilities on this list that were former Unifi Textile plants. 


Rockingham County is also home to the headquarters of Remington Arms/Freedom Group which has about 200 employees in Madison. However, as WGHP MyFox8 reports, the company considering Mayodan is not Remington.

Officials have not disclosed what the company is, but Graham Pervier, president of the RCPETD, said it is not Remington Arms.

Pervier could not say how many jobs would be created as a result of the possible expansion, but he said it is “a substantial number.”

The company is now working to decide whether the region has enough qualified candidates to support the expansion, Pervier said.

Town officials in Mayodan are quite excited about this possible new company and are strongly urging potential candidates to send their resumes.

“We’re pretty excited about what this could mean for our community,” Mayodan Town Manager Michael Brandt said. “This offers the potential to reuse one of our existing buildings and provide hundreds of much needed jobs for the area.”

Brandt said the amount of support demonstrated in this early candidate screening process would be a major determining factor in the company’s decision on location.

“So we really need people with the right skills and experience to apply as soon as possible,” Brandt said. “There’s a short timeframe here and we want to show the workforce is here and ready.”

The latest unemployment reports show that Rockingham County has a 10% unemployment rate. Mayodan, which is located in western Rockingham County, is located equidistant (or about 30 miles) from both Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

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Finding Paul Revere

June 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

Kieran Healy is a sociologist at Duke University. He just published a satirical blog post on using social network analysis to track down Boston radicals. Only it was not radicals from the 21st century Boston but rather those 1772 Boston.

I have been asked by my superiors to give a brief demonstration of the surprising effectiveness of even the simplest techniques of the new-fangled Social Networke Analysis in the pursuit of those who would seek to undermine the liberty enjoyed by His Majesty’s subjects. This is in connection with the discussion of the role of “metadata” in certain recent events and the assurances of various respectable parties that the government was merely “sifting through this so-called metadata” and that the “information acquired does not include the content of any communications”. I will show how we can use this “metadata” to find key persons involved in terrorist groups operating within the Colonies at the present time. I shall also endeavour to show how these methods work in what might be called a relational manner.

The analysis in this report is based on information gathered by our field agent Mr David Hackett Fischer and published in an Appendix to his lengthy report to the government. As you may be aware, Mr Fischer is an expert and respected field Agent with a broad and deep knowledge of the colonies. I, on the other hand, have made my way from Ireland with just a little quantitative training—I placed several hundred rungs below the Senior Wrangler during my time at Cambridge—and I am presently employed as a junior analytical scribe at ye olde National Security Administration. Sorry, I mean the Royal Security Administration. And I should emphasize again that I know nothing of current affairs in the colonies. However, our current Eighteenth Century beta of PRISM has been used to collect and analyze information on more than two hundred and sixty persons (of varying degrees of suspicion) belonging variously to seven different organizations in the Boston area.

Rest assured that we only collected metadata on these people, and no actual conversations were recorded or meetings transcribed. All I know is whether someone was a member of an organization or not. Surely this is but a small encroachment on the freedom of the Crown’s subjects. I have been asked, on the basis of this poor information, to present some names for our field agents in the Colonies to work with. It seems an unlikely task.

The post shows the power of social network analysis to shift through metadata to find the key players in an organization, their linkages, and centers of influence. Just as importantly the post will give you an idea of how it works. It is hard to criticize something if you don’t know how it works.

So when you hear all the disclaimers from President Obama or Rep. Mike Rodgers (R-MI) or Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that they didn’t listen to anyone’s phone conversations or read Grandma’s forwarded emails, it doesn’t matter. The metadata is all they need to convict anyone of us in abstentia of “crimes against the state” – or what they would have you believe are crimes.

On an off-topic, side note, I’ve always pondered the use of social network analysis to find the linkages amongst the gun prohibitionists. It certainly would be interesting.

UPDATE: This post by DaddyBear is a must read about the NSA revelations. His military time was spent in signals intelligence working alongside the NSA. Moreover, the current head of the NSA, Gen. Keith Alexander, was his battalion commander when he was in Germany.

H/T Instapundit

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HB 937 Comes Up For A Vote In The NC Senate Today

June 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

HB 937 with the Senate Judiciary I Committee substitute language comes up for its Second Reading vote in the North Carolina Senate today. The Senate goes into session today at 3pm so the vote should happen sometime this evening. I just sent my State Senator a note encouraging him to vote for it which I anticipate that he will.

This bill does many things as the alert from Grass Roots North Carolina outlines below (see also Sean’s detailed analysis of the bill). Despite what the gun prohibitionists and some in the media might want you to believe this bill does not allow you to carry concealed on educational property and it doesn’t allow you to carry concealed while drinking alcohol in a bar or restaurant. What it does do is allow you to store your firearm in a locked vehicle while on educational property and it allows you to enjoy a nice meal in a restaurant that serves alcohol while carrying concealed.

From GRNC:

Senate improves on HB 937

House Bill 937 passed the NC Senate Judiciary I Committee today and will head for the Senate floor as early as tomorrow. Please see below for immediate actions required.

Due to the efforts of Senator Buck Newton (R- , GRNC ****), Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham, ****) and Senate Rules Chair Tom Apodaca (R, Henderson, ****), the version passed by the committee was far stronger than what left the House.

Although debate was limited, when asked for public comment, the chief of security for the University of North Carolina, along with security heads from all 17 campuses stood, in uniform, to express “concerns” about the bill’s campus provisions. Afterward, GRNC president Paul Valone addressed the committee by noting that UNC objections to campus carry on the premise that it would harm their ability to “protect” students rang false in light of the fact that violent crime on campuses across the state, plus attempts by two schools to suppress reports of violent crime, reveal that UNC is doing a poor job of “protecting” anyone.

GRNC wishes to thank Senate leadership for working with our organization to strengthen laws, better enabling lawful North Carolinians to protect themselves and their families.

Improvements to HB 937

In addition to restaurant carry, guns in locked vehicles in state-owned parking lots and a limited provision for guns in locked vehicles on state college campuses, all of which were in the House version of the bill, the Proposed Committee Substitute passed by the Senate:

  • Expands the guns-in-locked-vehicles provision for concealed handgun permit-holders (CHP-holders) to include all campuses rather than simply institutions of higher learning. As before, employees of the institution living in detached dwellings could still transfer firearms to and from their homes, but also added is a limited measure for employees who do not have CHPs.


  • Enables CHP-holders to carry at assemblies of people for which admission is charged and any establishment serving alcohol unless the person in control of the premises posts against firearms. As before, permit-holders would be prohibited from imbibing alcohol.

  • Narrows and clarifies the definition of “recreational facilities” within parks where municipalities may still ban concealed carry in parks, specifically prohibiting bans when organized athletic events are not taking place, and prohibiting bans in greenways, biking and walking paths and other open areas.

  • Removes handgun permits from public record, rendering them unavailable to the media.

  • Repeals the current prohibition on firearms for CHP-holders at funerals and parades.

  • Repeals NC’s Jim Crow-era handgun purchase permit system in its entirety.

  • Requires sheriffs to revoke CHPs from permit-holders convicted of disqualifying crimes.

  • Expands hunting to include use of sound suppressors.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • CALL & EMAIL YOUR STATE SENATOR: Tell them to not only support HB 937, but to oppose all weakening amendments, particularly “poison pill” amendments to restaurant carry and any amendment which would weaken campus carry.


  • SEND AN EMAIL TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE SENATE using the copy and paste list below.

  • EMAIL THE UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS: Even if you have already contacted them, email them again to ask whether 17 UNC security heads, in uniform, were lobbying against HB 937 at taxpayer expense.

CONTACT INFO

NC SENATE:

Austin.Allran@ncleg.net, Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net, Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net, Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net, Phil.Berger@ncleg.net, Stan.Bingham@ncleg.net, Dan.Blue@ncleg.net, Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net, Harry.Brown@ncleg.net, Peter.Brunstetter@ncleg.net, Angela.Bryant@ncleg.net, Ben.Clark@ncleg.net, Daniel.Clodfelter@ncleg.net, Bill.Cook@ncleg.net, David.Curtis@ncleg.net, Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net, Don.Davis@ncleg.net, Jim.Davis@ncleg.net, Joel.Ford@ncleg.net, Thom.Goolsby@ncleg.net, Malcolm.Graham@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, Clark.Jenkins@ncleg.net, Ellie.Kinnaird@ncleg.net, Floyd.McKissick@ncleg.net, Gene.McLaurin@ncleg.net, Wesley.Meredith@ncleg.net, Martin.Nesbitt@ncleg.net, Buck.Newton@ncleg.net, Earline.Parmon@ncleg.net, Louis.Pate@ncleg.net, Ron.Rabin@ncleg.net, Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net, Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net, Gladys.Robinson@ncleg.net, Bob.Rucho@ncleg.net, Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net, Dan.Soucek@ncleg.net, Josh.Stein@ncleg.net, Jeff.Tarte@ncleg.net, Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net, Tommy.Tucker@ncleg.net, Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net, Michael.Walters@ncleg.net, Mike.Woodard@ncleg.net

UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS:

peter.hans@nelsonmullins.com, renee@fairproductsinc.com, ann.goodnight@sas.com, lbissette@mwbavl.com, maedog@bellsouth.net, pgb0902@aol.com, lbuff@embarqmail.com, president@uncasg.org, wcdavenport@nc.rr.com, jdeal@dealmoseley.com, phildixon@daglawyers.com, jfennebresque@mcguirewoods.com, flood_dudley@bellsouth.net, paulfulton@triad.rr.com, hgage@ec.rr.com, thomasharrelson@aol.com, lawyers@pinehurst.net, leroylail@hickoryfurniture.com, amax2@suddenlink.net, emcmahan@littleonline.com, charles.mercer@nelsonmullins.com, fgm@millsconstructionco.com, bmitchell@wcsr.com, hnath45@yahoo.com, powersd@rjrt.com, tarheel111@att.net, raiford@trasklandco.com, pdwalk@charter.net, brad.wilson@bcbsnc.com, david@youngandassociates.com

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

TO THE NC SENATE:
(Suggested subject: “Please pass HB 937 as is”)

Dear Senator,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your efforts in moving HB 937 through the Judiciary Committee today, clearing the way for a full vote on the Senate floor soon. Your commitment to the safety of all North Carolinians is to be commended. Each one of you, especially Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Senate Rules Chairman Tom Apodaca and Senator Buck Newton has worked closely with Grass Roots North Carolina to insure that my safety should not be compromised due to pressure from several anti-gun organizations as well as their unfounded fears.

The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association opposes repeal of the archaic, redundant and arbitrary handgun purchase permit system which is, in fact, a leftover Jim Crow law. The facts are, however, that: (1) Background checks for handgun purchases will continue to be done, as they are in other states, via the National Instant Background Check System (NICS); and (2) Sheriffs currently impose a broad array of obstructions, including notarized character affidavits (3 in Orange County), limiting permits issued to as few as five per year, and extra checks (and fees) from local clerks of court. Worse, because there is no way of tracking permits once issued, people convicted of crimes after receiving a permit can use them to bypass NICS. This system is dangerous and needs to be repealed.

UNC President Tom Ross would have us believe that his safety record is sufficient to belay the fears of his staff and students, but when we take a closer look at his actual record, we find it severely lacking. Not only is he currently being investigated for covering up the actual number of attacks across many campuses across the state, he also sent 17 of his campus police units, in uniform at tax payer expense, to the NC General Assembly to oppose HB 937.

Despite the coordinated pressure against HB 937, you stood strong and carried out the heroic passage of true “common sense” legislation. I now look forward to HB 937 going to a full vote on the Senate floor soon, and having it passed as is without weakening it through amendments or procedure. I will continue to monitor this legislation via alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,

TO UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS:
(Suggested subject: “Don’t use my money to lobby against my rights”)

Members of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors:

Today, the North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee approved HB 937 and it will soon be taken to the Senate floor for a full vote. I would like to ask each of you if UNC security chiefs were testifying, in uniform, while on the payroll, and therefore at taxpayer expense, while expressing their “concerns” about HB 937 to the Senate Judiciary I Committee. Is this the case?

I support higher education, but I cannot support a university system which fails to protect students from violent predators, actively hides the fact, and then opposes legislation which might deter such predation.

Accordingly, I will not contribute money to any UNC or supporting institution — and will advise alumni and others to do the same — until UNC withdraws its opposition to HB 937. Please advise me of your position on this issue.

Respectfully,

We in North Carolina are very fortunate to see our gun rights expanding at a time when they are contracting like it is in places like California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Colorado, and New York. Bills like this and support for them don’t happen overnight. Just like the Castle Doctrine, much of what is in this bill has taken years of patient effort by gun rights groups like GRNC to make it a reality. Since ammo is hard to find anyway, why not take the cost of a box of ammo and send them a donation. You may also want to send the NRA-ILA a little bit as well for their efforts at the Federal level.

UPDATE: According to the bill’s record on the NC General Assembly website, three amendments were considered, two passed, and the amended bill passed its Second Reading. No roll call vote is recorded so it may be that they are late reporting it or that it passed on a voice vote.  The amendments that passed came from the pro-gun side.

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Time To Help Out One Of Our Own

June 12, 2013 by 2 Comments

If you follow gun rights litigation the name Gray Peterson might ring a bell.

Gray is the plaintiff in Peterson v. Garcia (formerly known as Peterson v. LaCabe and Peterson v. Martinez) which challenges the state of Colorado’s concealed handgun law as specifically applied to the City and County of Denver. A Washington State resident, Gray sought a Colorado CHL as that state did not recognize either his Washington permit or his non-resident permit.

In February, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Gray’s appeal. They have also denied his request for an en banc rehearing of the case.

Gray put it on the line to challenge Colorado’s refusal to recognize non-resident CCW permits. Now he needs our help and that help has nothing to do with guns or gun rights.

Gray’s father Dave Wilson is suffering a loss of cognitive function due to an unknown and undiagnosed illness. Gray is his next of kin and needs to raise $10,000 to pay for a cash-only diagnosis.

David Wilson, age 55, is the father of one (me). About 2 years ago (and without my knowledge) , he started losing cognitive function due to an unknown condition which is currently un-diagnosed due to his refusal to get treatment on prompting of his mother, and only somewhat with his ex-wife (my mother).

As David’s only son, I am his next of kin under Florida law and when he is potentially incapacitated, it falls on me to get him treatment, placing him under guardianship through the court system if necessary. Unfortunately, as he’s been jobless due to his loss of cognitive functions which have been increasing as time goes on (no unemployment, no social security as he’s too young)…

Why 10K? Going to cash-only diagnostic route will be quite expensive, plus travel expenses, transport expenses, my personal income loss in dealing with this. 10K seems like the minimum the safe-bet/assumption, and I don’t want to run out before we start dealing with more obscure issues. I also am OK with getting more than that to deal with further unexpected expense (attempting to be conservative here).

I love my father very much, which is why I’m putting this out there, to help save him from cognitive deficiency (if acute or due to mental health) or if it cannot be saved from (if chronic due to physical health), making sure he is set up to live with me, or somewhere geared to his condition nearby me.

This kind of hits home for me. My mother spent the last 4 1/2 years of her life in a nursing home with organic brain syndrome or dementia. While she had excellent health insurance as a retired school teacher, that didn’t cover long-term care expenses. I was fortunate that she had a good pension and had been a saver so I didn’t run out of money for her care. The other reason this hits home is that I’m a year older than Gray’s dad. Hearing about something like this hitting someone younger than you makes you look in the mirror and say there but for the grace of God go I.

I have sent Gray a donation and would encourage you to make one if you can. He has set up a page to handle the donations and it can be found here. So far, donations total $650 so there is a long way to go. Please be as generous as you can afford to be.

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Pistol Purchase Permits May Be A Thing Of The Past In NC

June 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

The North Carolina Senate’s Judiciary I Committee held a hearing on HB 937 today. This bill is the omnibus gun bill that would allow restaurant carry, clarifies the law on park carry, and would allow concealed carry permit holders to have their firearms on university campuses locked in their vehicles.

The Judiciary I Committee adopted a committee substitute by voice vote which does all of the above and a lot more. Sean Sorrentino has the whole list but the change that was most overdue in coming was the abolition of pistol purchase permits issued by local sheriffs. The pistol purchase permit had been in place since 1919 and was intended, more than anything else, to keep African-Americans and other minorities disarmed.

This little relic of the Jim Crow South has been in effect for 94 years and it time for it to go. With NICS checks in place, there is no rational argument that can be made in favor of it. Even today, while not used to discriminate against minorities, there is still a disparate issuance of permits by counties. In some counties, you have no trouble. In others, the local sheriff will use it to limit residents with delays in getting the permit as well as how many you can get at one time.

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Time For Pressure On Republicans In The NC Senate To Pass HB937

June 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

Grass Roots North Carolina says now is the time to pass HB937 – the omnibus gun rights bills that includes restaurant carry – through the North Carolina Senate. The bill could go from the Senate Judiciary I Committee as early as this week. GRNC is warning about efforts to strip out the provision that would allow concealed carry holders to store their firearms in lock vehicles while on university and community college campuses. This provision is getting a lot of push-back from UNC System President Tom Ross.

From GRNC:


Continue The Fight To Pass HB 937

Push now for HB 937 Senate hearing!

Your continued vigilance helped carry HB 937 through the NC House last month despite coordinated efforts to kill the bill before it could pass to the NC Senate, where it may soon receive a committee hearing. We must insure that the Judiciary Committee members know that you are expecting to pass as is, without key provisions such as Campus Carry being removed!

The Senate Judiciary I Committee now has a chance to send HB 937 to the Senate Floor for a full vote as early as this week. Despite efforts to derail the bill through coordinated attacks from UNC President Tom Ross and others, HB 937 is now closer than ever to bringing several real changes designed to enhance the safety of all of North Carolina’s residents.

UNC President Tom Ross continues attacks on HB 937

University of North Carolina president Tom Ross continues to fight campus carry provisions of House Bill 937. As you recall, the bill, which passed the NC House and now resides in the Senate, contains restaurant carry, a limited measure for guns in locked vehicles on state university campuses, and other pro-gun initiatives.

When HB 937 received its hearing in a House Judiciary Committee meeting, representatives for NC State testified that it would hinder campus security’s efforts to “protect” students, echoing opposition previously expressed to the media by Ross. Just hours after their testimony, however, a student was raped outside the NCSU Free Expression Tunnel and, two days later, another was robbed at knife point near Reynolds Coliseum, demonstrating clearly that UNC can’t “protect” students, who must therefore be allowed to protect themselves.

Given his inability to protect even his own students on college campuses across the state, North Carolinians cannot sit back and do nothing while Tom Ross and others try to stop the passage of this bill. We must act now!

New GRNC radio spots promote HB 937

GRNC has launched a new round of radio spots in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte targeting NC House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg, GRNC ****) and NC Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Randolph, ****), both of whom are potential challengers for US Senator Kay Hagan (*), challenging them to show support for gun rights by passing HB 937 THIS YEAR and WITHOUT WEAKENING AMENDMENTS. To hear the spots, CLICK HERE or go to: http://grnc.org/home/grnc-in-the-media/485-hb-937-radio-spot

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • CONTACT REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY I COMMITTEE using the copy-and-paste list below and ask them to pass HB 937 to the Senate floor without removing key provisions such as Campus Carry.


  • CONTACT UNC’s BOARD OF GOVERNORS using the copy-and-paste list below and let them know you don’t appreciate Ross using his left-wing politics to oppose legislation which stands to reduce the significant problem of violent crime on UNC campuses.

  • CONTACT YOUR NC STATE SENATOR: Let them know you want campus carry kept in HB 937. To find your state senator, CLICK HERE or go to: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx where you may scroll to the NC Senate section, enter your address and then click on the district number which comes up.

  • HELP FUND HB 937 RADIO SPOTS: Please consider making an additional contribution to fund the radio campaign by CLICKING HERE or going to: http://www.grnc.org/join-grnc/contribute

CONTACT INFO

North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans:

Thom.Goolsby@ncleg.net, Buck.Newton@ncleg.net, Peter.Brunstetter@ncleg.net, Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net, Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net, Harry.Brown@ncleg.net, Kathy.Harrington@ncleg.net, Bob.Rucho@ncleg.net, Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net, Dan.Soucek@ncleg.net, Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net, Trudy.Wade@ncleg.net

UNC Board of Governors:

peter.hans@nelsonmullins.com, renee@fairproductsinc.com, ann.goodnight@sas.com, lbissette@mwbavl.com, maedog@bellsouth.net, pgb0902@aol.com, lbuff@embarqmail.com, president@uncasg.org, wcdavenport@nc.rr.com, jdeal@dealmoseley.com, phildixon@daglawyers.com, jfennebresque@mcguirewoods.com, flood_dudley@bellsouth.net, paulfulton@triad.rr.com, hgage@ec.rr.com, thomasharrelson@aol.com, lawyers@pinehurst.net, leroylail@hickoryfurniture.com, amax2@suddenlink.net, emcmahan@littleonline.com, charles.mercer@nelsonmullins.com, fgm@millsconstructionco.com, bmitchell@wcsr.com, hnath45@yahoo.com, powersd@rjrt.com, tarheel111@att.net, raiford@trasklandco.com, pdwalk@charter.net, brad.wilson@bcbsnc.com, david@youngandassociates.com

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

TO THE SENATE JUDICIARY I COMMITTEE:
(Suggested subject line: “Please do not weaken HB 937”)

Dear Senator,

As a legal, gun-owning resident of North Carolina, I am deeply concerned that anti-gun groups will attempt to coordinate their message and convince some members of the Judiciary Committee to remove key provisions of HB 937, or weaken them through various amendments and procedural diversions. It is imperative that HB 937 pass as is.

We must be able to protect ourselves while we are in public, to include concealed handgun permit-holders who are students attending class on college campuses across the state. Each week seemingly brings us another reminder of how vulnerable we are as we read about yet more attacks at the hands of criminals. Our students even within our own state’s educational system are being attacked in record numbers, and yet the response from campus officials remains indifferent, at best.

I urge you to pass HB 937 without delay, and without removing key provisions within the bill such as Campus Carry. I will be monitoring this issue via Grass Roots North Carolina alerts.

Respectfully,

TO THE UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS:
(Suggested subject line: “No money for UNC”)

Members of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors:

University of North Carolina president Tom Ross continues to marshal opposition to House Bill 937 (“Amend Various Firearms Laws”) over its limited provision to allow concealed handgun permit-holders, who have undergone training and background checks, proving themselves sane, sober and law-abiding, to keep firearms in locked vehicles on college campuses.

Ironically, only hours after North Carolina State University officials testified to the North Carolina House that the bill would hinder their ability to “protect” students, yet another student was raped, this time outside the Free Expression Tunnel. Two days later, a student was robbed at knife point near Reynolds Coliseum.

Sadly, these are not isolated cases: Both UNC Chapel Hill and Elizabeth City State University are under investigation for deliberately reporting violent crime, including sexual assault. Indeed, even by these under-reported measures, one source cites thirty-five sexual assaults at UNC Chapel Hill over just three years, placing the university 50.1% above the national average for such institutions.

Is this the sort of “protection” Mr. Ross envisions? Is it what you envision?

Controlled, multi-variate research indicates that concealed handgun laws deter murder, rape and aggravated assault. Indeed, research by John R. Lott and William Landes indicate that such laws are the only effective measure in deterring multiple victim public homicide such as occurred at Virginia Tech.

Ross appears to be allowing his political ideology to interfere with rational public policy: His position as former director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation enabled him to promote various hard-left causes, including funding the state’s primary gun control group, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence.

Moreover, I am shocked that a rape victim at UNC Chapel Hill is being threatened with expulsion for even naming her rapist. Is it the intent of UNC to stifle its failure to protect its students at all costs?

I support higher education, but I cannot support a university system which fails to protect students from violent predators, actively hides the fact, and then opposes legislation which might deter such predation.

Accordingly, I will not contribute money to any UNC or supporting institution — and will advise alumni and others to do the same — until UNC withdraws its opposition to HB 937. Please advise me of your position on this issue.

Respectfully,

Uncategorized

Three Years And Counting

June 11, 2013 by 2 Comments

May 2013 became the 36th straight month – or three full years – in which the NSSF-adjusted NICS check figures topped the same period in the preceding year.

The May 2013 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS) figure of 974,457 is an increase of 15.9 percent over the
NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 840,412 in May 2012. For comparison, the
unadjusted May 2013 NICS figure of 1,424,450 reflects a 9.1 percent
increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,305,392 in May 2012.

While the NICS checks are not a direct correlation with sales, they are an indicator of trends. The National Instant Criminal Background Check
System is also used by a number of states for concealed carry permit background checks for both new and active permits.

There are many anecdotal reports that a good part of current gun sales are from first time buyers. If this is indeed the case – and I’ve come to believe it is – then this is not a bubble but a shift in the demand curve.

This could also explain the scarcity of ammo. If I were to buy a new 9mm pistol, I have ammo for it that I’ve bought over the years. I don’t have to run out to Walmart, my local gun store, or go online right away to get ammo. However, if someone who has never owned a gun now buys one, he or she will need ammo for it. In the past week, I stopped into two Walmarts that were over 100 miles apart. Both had a decent selection of rifles and shotguns. Neither of them had any ammo in the more common calibers even though they have restrictions on the amount one can buy.

Uncategorized

Second Anti-Gun Colorado Senator May Be Recalled

June 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Denver Post is reporting that more than 13,500 signatures have been submitted to the Colorado Secretary of State in an effort to force a recall of Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo). The number needed to trigger a recall election in her district is 11,285.

Giron joins State Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) as the second anti-gun Democrat for whom opponents have potentially gathered enough signatures to trigger a recall. The Secretary of State’s office must verify that there are enough valid signatures. After that, both Giron and Morse each have 15 days to challenge any signature. If there are still enough valid signatures remaining after the appeals, then an election date is set that is between 45 and 75 days afterwards.

Both Giron and Morse could resign in which case a “vacancy committee” would pick a successor to serve the remainder of their terms. The replacement would be a Democrat. However, both Giron and Morse have said they don’t plan to resign.

Political analyst Eric Sondermann says it’s hard for him to see Morse, or any Democrat for that matter, resigning when faced with a recall.


“If he resigns because he thinks he can’t win, then that says it’s likely in 2014 another Democrat isn’t going to win either,” Sondermann said.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports that Giron doesn’t regret her vote and doesn’t plan to resign.

A second Colorado Democrat who is facing possible recall over gun control says she wouldn’t change her votes and has no plans to resign.

Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo says she’ll fight for her seat and that most constituents support the measures she backed. Giron oversees the Senate committee that first approved a measure to require background checks on most private and online gun sales.

Giron’s district is heavily Democratic whereas Morse’s district is evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliateds. 

UPDATE: The Colorado conservative blog, Colorado Peak Politics, is speculating that Senate President John Morse will resign rather than fight the recall battle. They point to comments made by Kjersten Forseth saying they are evaluating options. They liken Forseth as equivalent for Morse as Karl Rove was to Pres. George W. Bush. In other words, his chief political strategist and advisor. Forseth has a deep background in union and leftist politics in Colorado.

Uncategorized

Senate Judiciary Hearing On B. Todd Jones (Updated)

June 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Senate Judiciary Committee takes up the nomination of B. Todd Jones to be the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives next Tuesday, June 4th, at 10am – it has been rescheduled to June 11th at 9:30am. Jones is currently the Acting Director as well as the US Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Interestingly, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) will be presiding over this nomination hearing instead of Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT).

Given the Obama Administration’s efforts to punish whistle blowers as well as intimidate the press, Mr. Jones’ roll in this should be examined. Last July, Jones issued a video to all ATF employees under his “Changecast” set of videos. Changecast No. 8 was entitled Choices and Consequences. While Jones tried to portray this as a warning not to do stupid stuff, most in the field took it as a warning not to follow the path of whistle blowers like Senior Agent John Dodson. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) saw it this way as well and pressed him on this. I don’t know if he ever bothered to answer their letter.

Even if Jones sticks with his denial that it was meant as a warning to whistle blowers, it most certainly has had that impact. A case in point is the CleanUpATF.org website. Many who have followed this blog for a while know that it is a website run by and for dissident ATF agents who were fed up with the cronyism, stupidity, and malfeasance of the ATF leadership.

For the most part, this website has gone quiet since the beginning of the year. The Grapevine thread which used to be very active has had no posts since March. The Fast and Furious page has had nothing except a cartoon since February, The ATF-EEO violations thread has had nothing since January.

I’m sure veiled and not so veiled threats have been made to ATF Special Agents that they are to keep their mouths shut if they want to keep their badge. I do realize that correlation isn’t causation but I don’t think CUATF going quiet is just happenstance. While I do think ATF needs a permanent director, I don’t think B. Todd Jones is the person for the job.

UPDATE: The webmaster at CUATF posted the following on June 4th regarding the nomination of B. Todd Jones and their adamant opposition to it. I think they make a good case as to why B. Todd does not deserve to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will soon hold hearings
regarding B. Todd Jones, Barrack Obama’s nominee to become the next
Director of ATF. By any rational measure, Jones has been a pathetic disgrace and utter failure as ATF’s Acting Director. He represents exactly what is wrong
with the Bureau; a profound lack of integrity, transparency and
competence, shameless cronyism, vicious protection of the ATF management
“good `ol boy club”, and institutionalized corruption. His
confirmation as Director will only ensure that what was once one of the
world’s greatest law enforcement agencies will contine to decline and
fail in its primary mission. If anything, Jones should be summarily fired, if not prosecuted for his breathtaking malfeasance as Acting Director.


While it is certainly true that ATF desperately needs a
permanent Director, can’t we do better than this? In a nation of over
300 million people, can’t we find someone who actually has the basic
integrity, commitment to justice, and elemental competence to finally
put an end to the embarrassing plague of disgusting corruption and
managerial stupidity that has paralyzed the Bureau for far too many
years?

As Acting Director of ATF, B. Todd Jones has:


  • Played a starring role in ATF’s criminal obstruction of justice and
    outrageous stonewalling of Congress in a wide variety of matters, but
    particularly with regard to the “Fast & Furious” debacle.
  • Engaged in flagrant relatiatory conduct against legitimate
    Whistleblowers. He is currently the subject of several federal
    investigations for this illegal conduct.
  • Presided over one of if not the lowest government-wide employee approval ratings ever recorded since such surveys have been conducted.
  • Repeatedly protected, promoted or otherwise rewarded profoundly
    incompetent and corrupt managers, including the SAC/DAD of Milwaukee,
    who was directly responsible for ignominously failed operations. Jones
    personally ensured that this beacon of performance was quietly
    transferred to where he had been begging to go for years.
  • Allowed the ATF Reno office to be closed due solely to grotesquely incompetent local leadership, with zero adverse consequences for the guilty managers.
  • Personally approved or at least looked the other way regarding the
    blatantly illegal arrangement” under which William McMahon, one of the
    primary perpetrators in the horrendous “Fast & Furious” scandal, was
    allowed to “double-dip” (collect a “no-show” ATF paycheck while
    actually working elsewhere) in flagrant violation of federal law and ATF
    policy. This was most likely done to buy McMahon’s silence and protect
    both the Obama Administration and ATF from rightful scrutiny.
  • Personally assisted the notoriously lawless, abusive and shockingly
    corrupt Chief Counsel’s office to unlawfully attack, smear, relaiate
    against and personally destroy legitimate Whistleblower and EEOC
    complainants, while aggressively protecting the litany of corrupt
    managers who necessitated the complaints.
  • Promoted one of the most viciously corrupt, dishonest and
    incompetent managers in the history of ATF (and that is really saying
    something) to head the Bureau’s Internal Affairs Division.
  • Has repeatedly rewarded unethical or demonstrably incompetent
    Assistant Directors that have miserably failed in their HQ duties by
    giving them paid moves back to cushy SAC positions of their choice.
  • Engaged in numerous additional actions to cover ATF management’s
    asses at all costs, regardless of trivial considerations such as truth,
    justice, law, policy or the disasterous consequences that all of this
    corruption has wrought on the agency and its ability to protect the
    American public.


The U.S. Congressional Committee on
Government Oversight and Reform assesses B. Todd Jones’ tenure as Acting
ATF Director as follows:


  • Failure to hold all the ATF personnel responsible for Operation Fast and Furious accountable –
    Nearly two years have gone by since the congressional investigation
    began. Still, several key individuals identified by both Congress and
    the Inspector General as having played prominent roles in using reckless
    tactics remain with the agency.
  • Failure to support Fast and Furious whistleblowers –
    The Congressional investigation, the independent Department of Justice
    Inspector General, and an internal ATF review during Jones’ tenure exonerated the Fast and Furious whistleblowers.
    Yet, Jones has never commended or publicly defended these agents who
    brought the wrongdoing in Operation Fast and Furious to light. These whistleblowers faced retaliation
    from both inside and outside the Department of Justice, but Jones has
    steadfastly declined to recognize their heroic efforts to stop ATF
    gunwalking.
  • Perceived hostility to ATF whistleblowers – In a video sent agency wide, Jones instructed ATF employees not to complain about problems outside their chain of command.
    ATF released the video as Fast and Furious remained prominently in the
    news. Agents within ATF were concerned enough to contact Congress
    about what they perceived to be a veiled threat and indirect criticism
    of Fast and Furious whistleblowers who spoke to Congress and reporters
    about gunwalking after complaints to ATF officials had fallen on deaf
    ears.
  • Affording special treatment to ATF supervisor cited for negligence in Fast and Furious – In a particularly outrageous series of events, one of the key players in Operation Fast and Furious accepted a lucrative job at J. P. Morgan
    while still on ATF’s payroll. While the agency had no obligation to do
    so, the supervisor was given a special waiver under Jones’ tenure as
    Acting Director to remain employed by ATF while he simultaneously worked
    for J.P. Morgan. This was apparently done so that the agent could gain
    seniority for his government pension.
  • An unwillingness to engage Congress – Jones
    has refused to discuss his actions and problems within his agency
    related to Operation Fast and Furious with congressional investigators.
    This position stands in stark contrast to his predecessor, former
    Acting ATF Director Ken Melson, who proactively sought an opportunity
    to tell investigators his understanding of what had gone wrong in
    Operation Fast and Furious and with the Justice Department’s flawed
    response to whistleblower allegations.
  • Failure to apply lessons ATF has learned from Fast and Furious
    – Jones has, to date, exhibited a general failure to articulate to
    Congress, ATF agents, and the public his understanding of what went
    wrong, who is responsible, and what ATF needs to do in the future to be
    successful in its mission of enforcing firearms laws. He has not
    offered plans for reforming or restructuring the failed supervisory
    framework that allowed reckless tactics to continue for over a year and
    contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent and numerous Mexican
    citizens.


Please contact your Congressmen and Senators immediately and urge them to just say “Hell No!” to B. Todd Jones.

Uncategorized

Free Gun Time, Again

June 9, 2013 by

Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has just updated his monthly list of contests where you can win guns.

This month I count a couple of 1911s,  a couple of Glocks, an HK P30, and a pair of Springfield Armory XdS pistols. As to rifles, I see nine ARs, a handful of nice bolt guns, and at least one AK-47. Shotguns are a little sparse but do include a Mossberg 500 Waterfowl Pump Shotgun as well as one on my list, the Mossberg 500 Bantam Tactical in 20 gauge.

Please be sure to thank Aaron for this service he provides on a monthly basis.