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Good Advice For Newbies

February 23, 2013 by 2 Comments

Greg Hickok – Hickok45 on YouTube – has some good advice for new shooters on how not to shoot a semi-auto pistol. I’m glad he’s doing videos like this as they are needed.

At my company’s regional meeting that I mentioned yesterday, I spoke with at least two of my colleagues who were considering getting their first firearm. One of these colleagues also said his dad, a NRA-hating retired college professor, was also considering buying a gun for the house. My point is that there are a lot of new shooters out there who could use this type of info.

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Franken-FAL

February 23, 2013 by 8 Comments



I was reading a story about a letter sent by Republican congressmen calling out President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder demanding enforcement of existing firearms laws before consideration of any new laws. However, that isn’t what caught my eye. Look at the picture below of firearms confiscated in Chicago. The photo is credited to the Associated Press and I presume it is from some sort of show and tell put on by the Chicago Police Department.

My eye immediately went to the top rifle in the photo. I see the carrying handle from both an AR and the FAL. then I look at the handguard and front sight. It is an FAL! What the hell?

I have never seen a FN-FAL or any of its variants with an AR carry handle/rear sight scabbed on to it. I wish I had a better photo but it appears that it is part of the dust cover.

That the firearm was confiscated I don’t doubt. However, I would be really shocked to hear that it from confiscated from either a crime scene or taken from some gang banger. If you told me it came from a crime scene in Sao Paulo or Buenos Aires I might believe it but not Chicago. Moreover, it doesn’t look like the only one in the photo. Check out the stock of the rifle that is under the leg of the Franken-FAL’s bipod. It appears to me a FAL as well.

If you’ve ever come across something like this, I’d be interested in knowing more.

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NRA-ILA On Win In 7th Circuit

February 23, 2013 by

The NRA-ILA was also pleased with the ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday that denied Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s request for an en banc hearing of the dual cases – Moore v. Madigan and Shepard v. Madigan.

They released this statement yesterday.


Fairfax, Va. – The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled on December 11, 2012, that Illinois’ total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home or business is unconstitutional. Today, the same court sitting en banc denied the State of Illinois’ petition to rehear the case. The case involves lead plaintiff Mary Shepard, an Illinois resident and a trained gun owner, who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in both Utah and Florida. The National Rifle Association is funding this case. The Illinois State Rifle and Pistol Association is a co-plaintiff in this case.

On September 28, 2009, while working as the treasurer of her church, Ms. Shepard and an 83-year-old co-worker were viciously attacked and beaten by a six-foot-three-inch, 245 pound man with a violent past and a criminal record. Ms. Shepard and her co-worker were lucky to survive, as each of them suffered major injuries to the head, neck and upper body. Ms. Shepard’s injuries required extensive surgeries and she continues physical therapy to this day attempting to recover from her injuries.

In the ruling which was upheld today, Judge Richard Posner ruled that Illinois’ ban on carriage is unconstitutional. The Judge went on to say, “One doesn’t have to be a historian to realize that a right to keep and bear arms for personal self-defense in the eighteenth century could not rationally have been limited to the home. . . . Twenty-first century Illinois has no hostile Indians. But a Chicagoan is a good deal more likely to be attacked on a sidewalk than in his apartment on the 35th floor.”

“Today’s decision is a major victory for the Second Amendment and all the law abiding citizens of Illinois who wish to both to keep arms, and to bear arms,” added Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “It is now clear that no state can deny law-abiding residents the right to carry a firearm for self-defense outside the home. We have been fighting this case for years and are prepared to keep fighting until the courts fully protect the entire Second Amendment.”

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SAF On Win In 7th Circuit

February 23, 2013 by

The refusal of the 7th Circuit to grant Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan an en banc hearing is a win for concealed carry in that state. While the question remains whether Madigan will appeal to the US Supreme Court, in the meantime the Illinois General Assembly has to get to work on a concealed carry law that would pass the court’s muster.

As you can imagine, the Second Amendment Foundation is thrilled with the refusal to grant an en banc hearing.


7TH CIRCUIT LETS POSNER RULING
STAND; HUGE WIN FOR CCW, SAYS SAF

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today won a significant victory for concealed carry when the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals let stand a December ruling by a three-judge panel of the court that forces Illinois to adopt a concealed carry law, thus affirming that the right to bear arms exists outside the home.

The ruling came in Moore v. Madigan, a case filed by SAF. The December opinion that now stands was written by Judge Richard Posner, who gave the Illinois legislature 180 days to “craft a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment…on the carrying of guns in public.” That clock is ticking, noted SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.

“Illinois lawmakers need to create some kind of licensing system or face the prospect of not having any regulations at all when Judge Posner’s deadline arrives,” Gottlieb said. “They need to act. They can no longer run and hide from this mandate.”

“We were delighted with Judge Posner’s ruling in December,” he continued, “and today’s decision by the entire circuit to allow his ruling to stand is a major victory, and not just for gun owners in Illinois. Judge Posner’s ruling affirmed that the right to keep and bear arms, itself, extends beyond the boundary of one’s front door.”

In December, Judge Posner wrote, “The right to ‘bear’ as distinct from the right to ‘keep’ arms is unlikely to refer to the home. To speak of ‘bearing’ arms within one’s home would at all times have been an awkward usage. A right to bear arms thus implies a right to carry a loaded gun outside the home.”

Judge Posner subsequently added, “To confine the right to be armed to the home is to divorce the Second Amendment from the right of self-defense described in Heller and McDonald.”

“It is now up to the legislature,” Gottlieb said, “to craft a statute that recognizes the right of ordinary citizens to carry outside the home, without a sea of red tape or a requirement to prove any kind of need beyond the cause of personal protection.”

The ruling also affects a similar case filed by the National Rifle Association known as Shepard v. Madigan.

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Interesting Report On Concealed Carry Hearings

February 23, 2013 by

Chicago’s ABC 7 had a report on the legislative hearings about concealed carry in Illinois in the wake of the 7th Circuit’s denial of an en banc hearing for Moore/Shepard v Madigan. You just have to shake your head in dismay about the hysteria and ignorance spouted by officials from the Chicago Transit Authority and from the gun control lobby. Fortunately, this was offset by Dr. Paula Bradich and Todd Vandermyde.

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Back From Charlotte

February 23, 2013 by 4 Comments

I spent the last two days in Charlotte attending a regional meeting of my company which explains the light blogging. Anytime I take a trip out of town I try to scope out the local gun shops. This is especially true now in light of the run on guns since Obama was reelected and the Newtown shootings.

On the way down I stopped at the Shooter’s Express in Belmont. I had bought my first AR lower there many years ago. I did see a few ARs and AKs in stock plus a decent assortment of handguns. The used rack was a bit sparse. One of the clerks told me that before the rush they had six used racks and now they have one.

I was looking for some reloading supplies and the folks at Shooter’s Express suggested Little Hardware which I checked out this afternoon once the meeting ended. What a cool place! It was like the old fashioned hardware store on steroids with a little bit of everything yet better organized. The clerk that helped me told me that they had sold out of most of their reloading supplies. I was looking for powder to reload 5.56×45. Specifically, I was looking for Hodgdon CFE223. I didn’t have any luck there. The clerk pulled out a reloading manual and we looked to see if anything would be appropriate. As luck would have it, I found a 1 lb. canister of IMR 8028 XBR which has a great reputation for accurate loads. I also came home with a 500 round box of  148 grain HBWC for my .38 Special.

On my way out of town I dropped in at Lawman’s Supply off Clanton Road. Having been there a couple of years ago, I knew they often had a number of police department trade-in pistols. They didn’t have anything I really wanted. However, if you are in the market for either a Glock 21 (.45 ACP) or a Springfield XD-9, they had a number available in the $350-360 price range. I’d guess they had about 10 of each.

Finally, I went all yuppie and visited Ikea for the first time ever. It was actually a rather cool place even if I felt like the only conservative in the store. I was looking for the Ordning cutlery canister to use as a bushcraft/hobo stove. I figured for $2.99 how could I lose. The only problem is that I kept finding other stuff that caught my eye like a LED lamp for my desk, some new towels, and some small glasses that I thought would be great for a bourbon tasting.

I’ll be back to regular blogging tomorrow. I’m just glad to be back home in the mountains.

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What If…

February 22, 2013 by 4 Comments

Jim Shepherd, publisher of the Outdoor Wires, had a very interesting column this morning regarding the new gun control legislation that has been surfacing in places as disparate as Colorado and New Jersey. The language of the bills seems to have been derived from the same source – Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors. This is something Michael Bane just pointed out about the Colorado legislation in his weekly Down Range Radio podcast on Wednesday.

Jim asks the question what if the purpose of the legislation is really the redefinition of legal terms.

But what if the intent of this legislation wasn’t really the banning of magazines or classes of firearms? What if the real intent was to let the bans be watered down while pushing through sweeping redefinitions of terms we all think are clearly defined?

Consider, for example, the lawful transfer. That’s a transfer of ownership between two private parties or between a federal firearms licensee and a purchaser, right? To a point.

But what if language broadened to the point that the term “transfer” was applicable to any regulated item -such as a “high-capacity magazine” used in competition and not just a “firearm”?

It seems to be a very small distinction, until you realize that a lawful transfer, as stated under Colorado’s proposed statutes, would be applicable to magazines. And those definitions went on to broaden a “recognized competition” as having been run by either a state agency or non-profit. SASS, IDPA, USPSA are not, technically non-profit organizations. Under that broadened definition, USPSA/IDPA match officials picking up a magazine dropped during a competition stage would be participating in an illegal transfer.

Jim poses a very interesting question which illustrates the Machiavellian nature of some of our opponents. Read Jim’s whole column. It is a must-read.

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Ahh, Those Leftist Monkeys

February 22, 2013 by

I’ve been at our regional business meeting since yesterday morning which explains the lighter than normal blogging. One of our presentations yesterday included this clip from YouTube involving grapes, cucumbers, and Capuchin monkeys. It was from the TED talk by Frans de Waal.

You will notice that it is the monkey on the left that pitches the fit when it is only given something that is good for it. I’ll leave it at that.

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GRNC – Five Phone Calls For Freedom

February 21, 2013 by 3 Comments

In response to news that Obama’s former campaign organization would be having a “National Day of Action” in support of gun control on February 22nd, Grass Roots North Carolina asks that people make five phone calls on February 25th and 26th. They are calling this Five Phone Calls for Freedom.


On Feb. 25 & 26, make ‘Five Phone Calls for Freedom’

Friday, February 22, will witness an unprecedented attack on your rights as Obama mobilizes his army of left-wing activists to push for federal gun bans. “Roll Call” recently ran a piece entitled, “Organizing for America Plans ‘National Day of Action’ to Mobilize Grass Roots on Guns.” It went on to say:

“Organizing for Action is planning its first official mobilization in support of President Barack Obama’s proposals to curtail gun violence. The nonprofit that inherited Obama’s campaign infrastructure and 2 million strong volunteer army will hold a ‘national day of action’ on Feb. 22, officials said Tuesday.”

If that doesn’t scare you, it should

What you are seeing is “Barry the Community Organizer” doing what he does best: Attacking your rights using millions of rabid radicals who will stoop to any level of deceit in order to control you. The grass roots initiative began with his State of the Union address, in which he packed the house with families of victims of mass killings. Next, Obama went on the road to sell his plan at schools in Atlanta and elsewhere.

Now MoveOn.org is joining the fray by running TV ads that proclaim, “The NRA doesn’t speak for me.” In case you didn’t know it, these are the same folks that you brought you “ACORN”; MoveOn.org is funded by the left wing “Tides Foundation” which is itself funded by none other than freedom-hating billionaire George Soros.

Your voice needed now more than ever

You have politicians scared. As a founding member of the Coalition to Stop the Gun Ban, which now comprises 38 state and national organizations, GRNC members have been blasting Congress with a coordinated message that we will punish any legislator who supports gun control. So to counter your influence, “Barry” plans to “out-grassroots” you. Will you let him?

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Make ‘Five Phone Calls for Freedom’

To fight back against this left wing attack, we are asking millions of Second Amendment supporters, represented by the Coalition and others, to deliver a loud and clear message to Congress by making 5 phone calls on Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 25 & 26). Please note that we said CALL, not email. We want millions of voices to ring through the congressional switchboard, so please note that you might have to try several times to get through.

Specifically, we are asking you to call:

  1. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at 202-224-2541

  2. House Speaker John Boehner at 202-225-0600

  3. Senator Richard Burr at 202-224-3154

  4. Senator Kay Hagan at 202-224-6342

  5. Your representative to the U.S. House. To identify your US House representative, go to: http://www.house.gov/representatives/ and then enter your zip code in the upper right corner of the page.

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Give congressional staff 3 simple talking points:

  1. Nothing about the federal proposals is acceptable – not banning semi-automatic firearms and magazines, not expanding the list of people prohibited from owning guns, and not registering private gun sales via the National Instant Check System;

  2. Because “compromise” means losing freedom, you will not “compromise” on this issue, including any “lite” version of registering private sales through the National Instant Check System; and

  3. As a member of one of the organizations comprising the National Coalition to Stop the Gun Ban, you will support coordinated Coalition action against any legislator who supports gun control.

ADDITIONAL ACTION

If you have additional time, please CALL other US House representatives in the North Carolina delegation, including:

Rep. G. K. Butterfield, Jr. (D – 01) 202-225-3101

Rep. Renee L. Ellmers (R – 02) 202-225-4531

Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R – 03) 202-225-3415

Rep. David Price (D – 04) 202-225-1784

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R – 05) 202-225-2071

Rep. Howard Coble (R – 06) 202-225-3065

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D – 07) 202-225-2731

Rep. Richard Hudson (R – 08) 202-225-3715

Rep. Robert Pittenger (R – 09) 202-225-1976

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R – 10) 202-225-2576

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-11) 202-225-6401

Rep. Mel Watt (D – 12) 202-225-1510

Rep. George Holding (R – 13) 202-225-3032