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My Day Is Made!

May 2, 2013 by

I was so afraid that the ne’er do wells from the lesser gun prohibitionist groups would not show up in Houston to the NRA Annual Meeting. They are always amusing in their sad pathetic way.

My prayers have been answered and there is joy in Mudville.

From today’s Houston Chronicle:

Opponents gather

Outside the convention center, an array of gun-control advocates is expected to demonstrate opposition to the NRA and its lobbying prowess.

“I don’t think it’s a losing battle at all,” said Heather Ross, an organizer for the “Occupy the NRA” group that plans to lead the reading of names of 4,000 gun-violence victims under a #NoMoreNames banner at Discovery Green, across from the convention center. The list will start with the 26 victims of gunman Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December.

Texas is not as uniformly pro-gun as most people believe, Ross insisted.

“The concept that we’re all a bunch of gun-toting crazies is inaccurate,” she said. “That’s largely pushed by people elected to office.”

Of course, they never would have you believe that lives are saved and rapes prevented through the use or even mere presence of a firearm.

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SAF Wins Injunction In Illinois

May 2, 2013 by

The Second Amendment Foundation announced today that they had won a permanent injunction against the Warren County (IL) Housing Authority and their ban on possession of firearms by residents or guests.

This is good news from Illinois.


BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has won a permanent injunction against the Warren County, Ill. Housing Authority’s ban on the possession of firearms by residents or guests.

The case was filed more than a year ago in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Rock Island Division. Ronald G. Winbigler, a resident of Costello Terrace in Monmouth, is a physically disabled former police officer who wanted to keep a handgun in his residence for personal protection.

SAF filed the lawsuit on his behalf, and they were represented by attorney David Sigale, who noted, “People do not lose their Second Amendment rights just because they are of limited means. It is an indignity to make the waiver of constitutional rights a condition of government-subsidized housing.”

SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was delighted with the ruling.

“We brought this case because it was unconscionable,” Gottlieb said, “in the wake of our victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago that a public entity in Illinois would engage in this kind of discrimination against a citizen. The WCHA has removed the lease provisions, and agreed that they were unconstitutional.”

In an order signed by District Judge Sara Darrow, plaintiffs are awarded reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. In her ruling, however, she did not make a constitutional declaration, but only recognized that SAF and the WCHA had agreed in that issue.

“Public housing is the last place one would expect to encounter residency provisions that run counter to the Bill of Rights,” Gottlieb said. “We’re delighted that this issue has been resolved to the benefit of Mr. Winbigler and citizens like him.”

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In Houston At The Convention Center!

May 2, 2013 by 1 Comment

I’ve made it to the George Brown Convention Center and have picked up my media credentials. So far I’ve seen a bunch of British reporters plus one from Bloomberg News. It’ll be interesting to see what she reports!

I’ve haven’t caught up with any of the other bloggers yet.

Parking seems to be adequate with a number of lots surrounding the Convention Center. With the exception of the Hilton’s parking deck, parking prices are in the $10-12 for the day.

UPDATE: Those were the prices for parking before the meeting started. They rocketed up to $30 near the center with the prices falling the more you had to walk. I paid $15 on Friday, $10 on Saturday, and lucked into a City of Houston lot for only $5 on Sunday.

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Update On HB 937 – Omnibus Gun Bill In North Carolina

May 1, 2013 by

The vote scheduled for yesterday in the North Carolina House of Representatives on HB 937 was pulled from the calendar. The gun prohibitionists are saying it was due to them but, in reality, it was due to the need for a fiscal note to be attached to the bill.

As Grass Roots North Carolina notes, we still need to keep up the pressure on the General Assembly to act on this bill soon and not to dilute it.



Keep pressure on: delay gives gun control extremists time to prepare opposition

At the last minute HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” was pulled from the House schedule and not voted on. The reason for this unexpected rescheduling is not, as North Carolinians “Against Gun Violence” would have you believe, due to gun control input. At least as stated by leadership, it was due to a delayed request for a fiscal note to be attached to the bill. There is, however, a chance that it was delayed due to UNC opposition listed below.

This bill is critical for NC gun owners and contains restaurant carry, provisions for guns in locked vehicles on college campuses, carry in assemblies for which admission is charged, and a “cleanup” of parks carry language.

It has already raised the hackles of citizen disarmament proponents, including UNC President Tom Ross, who apparently doesn’t trust our state’s brightest young men and women with the means to effectively defend themselves.

We need to increase the heat on the NC House to ensure that this bill is both voted on and passed without the weakening amendments that will be proposed by extremists who want North Carolinians disarmed. MAKE SURE to participate in this email effort – the stakes are high and we need full participation to drive our message home!

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

  • EMAIL HOUSE REPUBLICANS: Use the copy and paste list below to deliver a clear message that you expect them to pass HB 937 without delay.

  • CALL & EMAIL YOUR NC HOUSE REP: Let them know you expect them to vote against all weakening amendments and for final passage of HB 937. Find your rep HERE or by going to: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

Contact Information

Copy and paste email addresses for 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,

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Pass HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” WITHOUT amendments!”

Dear Representative:

I strongly urge you to support House Bill 937, “Amend Various Firearms Laws” by passing the bill without weakening amendments. Provision for concealed handgun permit-holders to carry in restaurants is already law in surrounding states like TN, VA, GA and OH. The “Chicken Little” predictions of gun control extremists in those states have not been realized. Are not North Carolinians as trustworthy as citizens of surrounding states?

It is past time that we are able to defend ourselves and our families while eating at dinner restaurants. It is past time that law-abiding faculty and staff are able to adequately defend themselves while traveling to and from work.

Your constituents have a fundamental right to bear arms for defense. It is your responsibility to help remove infringements on this right. This is why NC gun owners elected pro-Second Amendment legislators in an election that went liberal in other states.

We worked hard for you. Now it is your turn to return the favor.

I will be monitoring your actions via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts, and rest assured I will hold legislators accountable for their votes.

Respectfully,

As I write this, I am in Texas. On the morning news here, there was a report that the Texas legislature is considering a bill that would allow concealed carry holders to store their firearms in a locked vehicle while on campus. This is the same as HB 937 would allow. Just like in North Carolina, the usual suspects are objecting.

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Off To Houston Plus Two Items

April 30, 2013 by 3 Comments

I’ll be leaving to catch my flight to Houston in a few minutes. Blogging may be sporadic for the next two days as I’ll be spending time with family in Texas. Expect it to resume full force during the NRA Annual Meeting and thereafter.

A couple of items before I leave.

First, Sebastian reports that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has turned down the NRA’s appeal in NRA v. BATFE. He has a good preliminary analysis of the opinion. This is the case that challenged the Gun Control Act of 1968’s restriction on sales of handguns to those between 18 and 21 years of age.

Second, today is the 38th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese communists. Mike Vanderboegh posted a very soul-searching remembrance of the event a couple of days ago. As Mike would be the first to point out, he used to be a left-wing radical. When I say “left-wing”, I don’t mean a brie and Chablis liberal – think really hardcore.

If you want to read a good book on that last month of the Vietnam War, I’d suggest Black April by George J. Veith.

The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America’s worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame—from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam’s surrender on 30 April 1975—has eluded us.

Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants, this book represents one of the largest Vietnamese translation projects ever accomplished, including almost one hundred rarely or never seen before North Vietnamese unit histories, battle studies, and memoirs. Most important, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of South Vietnam’s conquest, the leaders in Hanoi released several compendiums of formerly highly classified cables and memorandum between the Politburo and its military commanders in the south. This treasure trove of primary source materials provides the most complete insight into North Vietnamese decision-making ever complied. While South Vietnamese deliberations remain less clear, enough material exists to provide a decent overview.

Ultimately, whatever errors occurred on the American and South Vietnamese side, the simple fact remains that the country was conquered by a North Vietnamese military invasion despite written pledges by Hanoi’s leadership against such action. Hanoi’s momentous choice to destroy the Paris Peace Accords and militarily end the war sent a generation of South Vietnamese into exile, and exacerbated a societal trauma in America over our long Vietnam involvement that reverberates to this day. How that transpired deserves deeper scrutiny.

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ISRA On Concealed Carry For Illinois

April 30, 2013 by

Playing fast and loose with your constitutional rights is just business as usual for some politicians in the State of Illinois. As this latest message from the Illinois State Rifle Association makes clear, the Madigans – father and daughter – are just the latest in a long line to do so.

THE MADIGANS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH YOUR FAMILY’S SECURITY

As most readers know by now, the appeals court has directed the Illinois General Assembly to pass a concealed carry bill by June 9th. As might be expected, the leadership of the House and Senate have been employing every trick in the book to avoid complying with the court order.

The first stalling tactic came when Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked for a review of the decision by the full appellate court. The court refused and told the legislature to get back to work and pass a concealed carry law by the deadline.

Once Madigan’s request was shot down, it was time for the General Assembly to work its own special brand of magic. Gun grabbers in the House introduced a “concealed carry” bill with a couple of dozen amendments containing foolish restrictions on concealed carry along with unacceptable gun control provisions.

After that came gun-hater Kelly Cassidy’s “concealed carry” bill which was so insanely restrictive that it only garnered 31 votes in the House.

A few days after Cassidy’s flop, the House voted on the ISRA-supported HB0997 carry bill. Unfortunately, the bill fell a few votes short of the supermajority requirement imposed by House Speaker Mike Madigan. Once again, the security of law-abiding Illinoisans took a back seat to the politics of gun control.

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, anti-gun Sen. Kwame Raoul was crafting a so-called “compromise” concealed carry bill. Under the provisions of this bill, applicants for concealed carry would pretty much have to surrender most of the protections they enjoy under the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, the bill would have given Cook County special powers to deny carry permits, even though the applicant had passed muster with the FBI and Illinois State Police. In other words, average citizens living in Cook County would be denied the right to defend themselves. Of course, it would be a different story for the county sheriff’s political supporters.

Just yesterday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that she has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a 30-day extension for filing an appeal of the lower court’s requirement that Illinois pass concealed carry. Madigan’s latest stunt is purely political as she hopes to push back any action on concealed carry to a time where it becomes an issue in the 2014 elections. In essence, the political interests of the Madigan family trump the security of your family.

At the moment, we are not sure how all this will play out. There are numerous possibilities and, when your action is needed, we will alert you. So, keep an eye on your in-box.

You may rest assured that the ISRA will not waver in its commitment to deliver a “shall issue” carry bill. We will not accept any bill that denies people the right to self defense because of their ZIP Code. We will not accept any requirements that make it impossible for everyday law-abiding citizens to afford the cost of a permit in terms of either time or money. We will not accept any sort of “compromise” bill that bans semiautomatic firearms or limits magazine capacity or any of the other gun control garbage on the grabbers’ wish list.

We will not accept any sort of “may issue” carry bill. The ISRA and its fellow litigants in the McDonald and Shepard cases did not go to the expense of trial just to bring home a half a loaf or less. In fact, any politician who votes for a “may issue” carry bill will instantly earn a grade of “F” – regardless of past voting record. Yes, our commitment to your security runs that deep.

In the mean time, here is what you need to do to help ensure that a “shall issue” carry bill passes:

1. Contact both your State Senator and your State Representative. Politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois gun owner and that you will not accept any “may issue” concealed carry bill or any bill that excludes Cook County or any other jurisdiction. Advise the person that you expect the Senator or Representative to vote for “shall issue” legislation such as that provided for in HB0997.
If you do not know who your State Senator is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here:
www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

Once you know who your State Senator and State Representative are, you can find their contact info here:
www.ilga.gov/senate/
and here:
www.ilga.gov/house

2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family; ask them to make calls as well.

3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

Remember – “shall issue” concealed carry will not get passed unless you are prepared to take action. Keep making those calls to your Senators and Representatives!

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Reader Meet-Up At The NRA Annual Meeting (updated)

April 30, 2013 by 2 Comments

UPDATE: Based on the feedback, Friday or either day were the leading vote getters. So let’s go for 11am on Friday at the Starbucks in the George Brown Convention Center. It is located on Level 2.

I’ll buy the coffee. “Frou-frou” drinks are on you.

A few weeks back, I had a suggestion from a reader that we have a meet-up at the NRA Annual Meeting in Houston. I’d like to see if there is any interest in that. It would have to be either Friday or Saturday as my flight leaves too early on Sunday to do it then.

Now, please bear with me as this is the first time I’ve done a poll.

I meant to add that the George Brown Convention Center does a Starbucks where we could meet for coffee.

Feel free to leave suggestions for alternative places in the comments section.

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SIGTac Stabilizing Brace

April 29, 2013 by 10 Comments

I’ve written in the past about devices and/or gimmicks such as the Halix NSN chin brace that will allow you to use an AR-15 pistol as a PDW or personal defense weapon. The general consensus at the time was that it had marginal utility and that the ATF would probably decide it was a stock.

Now comes word that Sig Sauer’s SIGTac line is coming out with the SB-15 stabilizing brace. As you can see in the video below, it is a method of strapping the recoil tube to your forearm. According to SIGTac, it is ATF approved. They plan on rolling this out at the NRA Annual Meeting so I’ll be interested in seeing the approval letter.

It does appear effective in stabilizing the AR pistol. No word yet on the price.

UPDATE: The ATF approval letter can be found here. Also, according to a comment on this post, the MSRP for the SB-15 will be $139.

H/T GearScout

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Gun Prohibitionists To Try Ballot Initiatives

April 29, 2013 by 2 Comments

Gun prohibitionists in Washington State think that perhaps they will have more success with a gun control ballot initiative than they have had with the legislature. Their rationale is that the big evil NRA intimidates legislators and “the people” won’t be similarly swayed.

Washington Rep. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat who had sponsored unsuccessful legislation on background checks at the state level, said a winning ballot initiative would make a statement with broad implications.


“It’s more powerful if the voters do it – as opposed to our doing it,” Pedersen said. “And it would make it easier for the Legislature to do even more.”


On Monday, proponents of universal background checks in Washington will announce their plan to launch a statewide initiative campaign that would require the collection of some 300,000 signatures, according to a person involved in the initiative planning who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the official announcement.


The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility has scheduled a fundraiser in Seattle at the end of next month and hopes to have a campaign budget in the millions of dollars.

 I don’t doubt that they could have a multi-million dollar budget if Mayor Bloomberg and/or Bill Gates opens their wallets. If I remember correctly, Gates was a big supporter of a 1997 Washington State initiative that went down to screaming defeat.

This all presupposes that the gun prohibtionists have a large grassroots backing and that they can mobilize them. You know, like the NRA and other gun rights organizations.

The Brady Campaign’s “director of mobilization” seems a little leery of the effort.

Brian Malte, director of mobilization at the national nonprofit lobbying group Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said passage through Congress is the ideal in order to have a national solution and so that states with strong gun laws aren’t undermined by nearby states with weaker standards. He noted that initiative campaigns are costly endeavors that can drain important, limited resources.

Still, Malte said, the ballot measures are an option to consider.

“At some point, certainly decisions need to be made about what the right time is to say we take it to the people,” Malte said.

I’m guessing the right time is right after a highly publicized mass shooting and when they think they have achieved a critical mass of low information voters.

Still Rep. Pedersen seems quite sure of himself.

Pedersen said he was working with the initiative organizers on language for the proposal, and he said the Legislature would first have another chance to adopt the measure early next year. If it fails among lawmakers again, the proposal would then automatically go to the ballot, where Pedersen said he welcomed a campaign competing against groups like the NRA.


“I’m not afraid of it at all,” Pedersen said. “The public is really with us. It’s the right policy. I think it can be useful for further progress.”

I don’t doubt that the Yale-educated Pedersen is a smart guy. I just wonder how he in touch he is with the average Washington State voter outside of King County.