The National Shooting Sports Foundation released this video with Ryan Cleckner today. In it, he goes over some of the basics for good rifle shooting such as sight alignment and trigger control.
Cleckner is the Director of Government Relations for the Freedom Group. He held a similar position with NSSF. He served as a sniper and sniper instructor with the 75th Ranger Regiment at an earlier time. I would say he knows a thing or two about shooting a rifle accurately.
Mitt Romney has been attacked recently by the Obama campaign for not releasing his 2011 tax returns. He appeared on Fox’s Fox and Friends show this morning as part of his counter-attack. You can see the full interview here but this is the part that I found relevant.
Instead of asking why Romney hasn’t released his tax returns, Romney said the question should be why hasn’t the Obama Administration released the documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious. As one Tweet said elsewhere, Romney’s tax returns never killed anyone.
Just as a bad meal keeps repeating on you due to indigestion, so do the Democrats in the Senate keep bringing forth the DISCLOSE Act. After passing the House in the last Congress, it died in the Senate. It has been resurrected by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). He introduced S.3369 this past Tuesday and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled it for a vote today. That is mighty fast action for a Senate that hasn’t bothered to pass a budget for the past three years.
Unlike in 2009, the NRA is opposing this bill. In fact, they are making a record vote for future candidate evaluations.
Next week, the United States Senate will once again take up the latest version of the DISCLOSE Act, in yet another attempt to curtail the First Amendment rights of Americans. The bill, S. 3369, has been fast-tracked on the Senate calendar and is set for a vote on Monday, July 16.
NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), as well as all members of the Senate, expressing the NRA’s steadfast opposition to the legislation.
“Due to the importance of the fundamental speech and associational rights of the National Rifle Association’s four million members,” Cox wrote, “and considering the blatant attack on those rights that S. 3369 represents, we strongly oppose the DISCLOSE Act and will consider votes on this legislation in future candidate evaluations.”
You may read the full text of the letter here.
Provisions of the DISCLOSE Act that violate First Amendment rights include disclosure provisions that require organizations to turn membership and donor lists over to the government. In recent weeks, we have seen media attacks on political donors that illustrate the danger this legislation poses, and that expose its true intent: to stifle free speech.Also, the bill would create complicated regulation of political spending and campaign activity, creating immense costs to comply with the law and cause a severe chilling effect on free speech.While the act would have minimal impact on some institutions, such as labor unions, its biggest impact would be limiting the ability of the American people to join together to make their voices heard on issues of every sort. It would also magnify the power of the mainstream media, severely limiting the information available to the American people and threatening the integrity of our electoral process.
Please contact your United States Senator before the Monday vote and urge him or her to vote against this assault on our First Amendment rights. You can find contact information for your U.S. Senators by using the “Write Your Representatives” tool at http://www.nraila.org/. You may also contact your Senators by phone at (202) 224-3121.
GOA or Gun Owners of America is also in strong opposition this bill. Leave it to the Democrats to find a way to unite the NRA and GOA. The GOA release is below:
Anti-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) really does not want gun owners’ voices to be heard in Washington, D.C.
Democrat leaders have scheduled a vote for Monday, July 16, on the so-called DISCLOSE Act.
You may recall that the DISCLOSE Act passed the House in 2010 but died in the Senate after an intense lobbying effort by Gun Owners of America and other groups.
The bill coming to the floor on Monday, S. 3369, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, puts severe and unconstitutional limits on GOA’s ability to hold individual congressmen accountable in the months leading up to an election.
Instead of protecting the most important type of speech protected by the First Amendment — political speech — this bill would force groups like GOA to “disclose” the names of donors in certain political advertisements.
Since Gun Owners of America is not willing to disclose its membership lists to the Federal Election Commission, we could be prohibited from running radio or TV ads exposing a federal candidate’s voting record during the election season.
This is just another attempt by pathetic, anti-gun politicians like Harry Reid to save their jobs before the political earthquake in November strikes. Indeed, if GOA candidates are victorious in Senate races in November, Harry Reid will no longer be the Majority Leader.
And, as has been the case so often with Reid, there have been no committee hearings to debate the merits of the bill, thus the American people have no opportunity to see just how egregiously DISCLOSE violates the Constitution. In fact, the bill was introduces less than a week ago.
Please urge your Senators to protect ALL of the Bill of Rights. Remind them that your ability to protect the Second Amendment relies on the safeguards of the First Amendment.
UPDATE: The Republicans actually hung together for once and prevented the Democrats from invoking cloture on the debate of the DISCLOSE Act. The vote was 51-44 and it needed 60 to pass. As to why the Democrats brought the bill forward at this time, the Daily Caller has this explanation.
Democrats revived the act during a presidential election campaign in which political action committees and nonprofit organizations, funded by deep-pocketed and largely anonymous contributors, are dominating the airwaves with largely negative political ads.
Yesterday, the Complementary Spouse and I went to the Land of the Sky Gun and Knife Show held at the WNC Ag Center. This was her first gun show and my first one in a couple of years.
Things have changed since the last one I attended. I saw more guns, ammo, and knives and less military surplus and Nazi militaria than in the past. In fact, I don’t think I saw any of the Nazi stuff. The gun show had moved to a new building and this attracted more vendors. This was a welcome change in my opinion. I also didn’t notice that many people selling personal guns like in the past. So much for the myth of the gun show loophole.
I asked the Complementary Spouse for her impressions of the show. She said there were a lot of families and a lot of baby strollers cruising the aisles. Of course, one of those strollers had five Yorkshire Terriers in it! The other thing she noticed that there were a lot of people buying stuff as evidenced the number of shopping bags.
I had a couple of things I wanted to do at the show and I accomplished both. First, I wanted to meet Mark Meadows who is running as a Republican in the 11th District of NC. He has received four stars from GRNC as well as their recommendation. He was the leader in the first primary but just missed the 40% threshhold to avoid a run-off.
The second thing I wanted to do was find .380 ammo at a reasonable price. I ended up getting a box each of ammo from American Eagle, Tula, PMC, and Sellier and Bellot for an average of $15 per box. I want to try them out in my new-to-me Sig P238 which I bought used last week.
Of course, going to a gun show is like going to WalMart – you always leave with more than just what was on your list. I ended up getting large and small pistol primers, some cleaning equipment, and even a leather pocket holster for the P238.
The Complementary Spouse got in the act as well. She ended up with a selection of exotics meats jerky for her son-in-law Jeremy as well as paracord in a variety of cool colors to use in crafting.
We had a good time and I think we’ll be going back the next time they are in town.
Those are the four topics for the nominees in this year’s Emmy Awards Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Scheduled Broadcast category. Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News is one of the four nominees in this category for her series “Gunwalker: Fast and Furious”.
I won’t comment on the other stories except to say that Brian Ross of ABC always comes across as a little slimey.
Congratulations to Sharyl and her team for the nomination and to those who nominated her in the first place. It is well deserved. I do think a couple of names are missing, however, from her team: Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea.
OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley CBS
Dover Mortuary Scandal
Executive Producer
Patricia Shevlin
Senior Producer
Ward Sloane
Producers
Kate Rydell, Mary Walsh
Anchor and Managing Editor
Scott Pelley
Correspondent
David MartinCBS Evening News with Scott Pelley CBS
Gunwalker: Fast and Furious
Executive Producers
Rick Kaplan, Patricia Shevlin
Senior Producer
Bill Piersol
Producer
Christopher Scholl
Anchor and Managing Editor
Scott Pelley
Correspondent
Sharyl AttkinsonCBS Evening News with Scott Pelley CBS
Kansas City Adoption Scam
Executive Producer
Rick Kaplan
Senior Producer
Keith Summa
Producers
Pat Milton, Michael Rey
Correspondent
Armen KeteyianGood Morning America/ABC World News with Diane Sawyer ABC
Mc Donald’s Eggs
Chief Investigative Correspondent
Brian Ross
Chief of Investigative Projects
Rhonda Schwartz
Executive Producers
Jeanmarie Condon, Michael Corn
Producers
Cynthia Galli, Momtaz Rym
Field Producer
Angela Hill
Digital Managing Editor
Mark Schone
Digital Producer
Lee Ferran
Iain Harrison of Crimson Trace sent along this reminder about the first night-time 3-gun match that is being sponsored by Crimson Trace. One additional thing of interest is that footwear and sportswear giant Nike is going to be a sponsor which is a first.
Crimson Trace Kicks Off World’s First Night Time 3 Gun Match
The first and only event of its kind starts Monday with a full roster of shooters, full match schedule and full auto firearms! Shooting entirely at night in the high desert of central Oregon, the Crimson Trace Midnight 3 Gun Invitational is a unique addition to the shooting calendar, featuring night vision equipment, thermal imagers, IR lasers and belt-fed stage guns. When the sun sets on the range, shooters from all over the country will be making ready in anticipation of the eight, challenging stages and the chance to win the $10,000 first prize.
“We’re totally stoked at the response this match has generated,” said Kent Thomas, director of marketing. “Outside of the of military, no one that we’re aware of has put something like this on before and we’re really grateful that the shooting community has embraced it the way they have.” A large number of top-tier sponsors have also joined Crimson Trace in creating this one-of-a-kind competition. Companies based in the Pacific Northwest were quick to throw their hats into the ring, with FLIR, Danner, Leatherman, Leupold, Nosler, BladeTech and Warne providing products for shooters and Range Officers. Local sportswear powerhouse Nike also came on board, the first time they have ever sponsored a shooting event. FNH, Remington, ATK and PWS are providing guns and ammo for use in the exciting courses of fire, which will be covered by TV, print and online media.
The M3GI is open to spectators and is located at the COSSA range on Rte 20, east of Bend, OR.
SAAMI – the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute – delivered an official statement at the Arms Trade Treaty talks going on at the United Nations in New York. SAAMI is a registered UN non-governmental organization (NGO) with roster status. Earlier this year, they took steps to withdraw any reference of SAAMI association from the U.N. agency project to create International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) because they found the process tainted by the anti-gun forces.
Richard Patterson, Managing Director of SAAMI, delivered the following statement on Wednesday to the UN in New York. Mr. Patterson made some very good points that unfortunately will probably be ignored. I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting them.
Thank you, Mr. President. My name is Richard Patterson and I’m the Managing Director of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, also known as SAAMI. SAAMI was created in 1926 at the request of the US government to create safety and reliability standards in the design, manufacture, transportation, storage and use of firearms, ammunition and components.
The true success of this conference requires a focus on the big picture. Guns are tools, and like any tool can be used for great good and great harm. We all know the tragedy caused by those few who choose the path of violence, regardless of the tools they use. But you must also remember that hundreds of millions of citizens regularly use firearms for the greater good. Regulated hunting keeps wildlife populations in balance with healthy ecosystems and is a major contributor to economic stability—and thereby promotes peace—in rural areas and developing countries. Target shooting has its roots in the very beginnings of civilization. This is an Olympic year, and shooting events attract the third largest number of participating nations of any sport at the Olympic Games. And people in every nation in this room—including the UN itself—use firearms to protect the law abiding and enforce peace. A well-meaning treaty that does not support the positive use of firearms is doomed to cause more harm than good. A simple step in the right direction is to focus on the fully automatic weapons of war and exclude sporting firearms.
There are some who want to see the inclusion of small arms ammunition in this treaty. As the UN’s Group of Government Experts has determined, the shear numbers involved in ammunition—the US alone produces more than 8 billion rounds of ammunition per year and there are potentially hundreds of billions of rounds in stockpiles around the world—prevent any sort of realistic marking and tracing scheme. But even if the treaty includes a general requirement for shipments, what will that do? The US has some great legal and technical points supporting their position, but let me focus for a minute on the practical side of the equation. Millions of dollars would be spent creating and implementing an export and import authorization process for ammunition. Even more money must be spent for a system of verification. As an example, let’s say a shipment of 1 ton of small arms ammunition goes through this bureaucratic process and is approved. An expensive follow-up system results in a trained inspector showing up at the intended point of delivery. The inspector sees there is far less than 1 ton of ammunition and says “Where’s the rest of the shipment?”
And the answer is “we shot it.”
Now what does the inspector do? Millions of dollars would have been wasted—diverted into a system that cannot work. This money could otherwise have been used to fight those who choose violence.
Just as you cannot be all things to all people, this treaty can’t either. Focus on the real problems, that can be managed—focus on military weapons, and avoid being distracted by topics like ammunition, which are laudable in their idealism, but completely lacking in their practicality. Be focused, be specific, and draft a treaty with precise definitions that minimize the loopholes of “creative interpretation.” This is the path to a successful Arms Trade Treaty.
Thank you.
Doug Koenig has done a number of short training videos for the National Shooting Sports Foundation on how to be a better pistol shooter. His latest is on the use of video to spot the flaws. He suggests having a friend video you as you practice.
I’m glad to see Lou Dobbs give Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea the credit they deserve for breaking the story on Operation Fast and Furious. They were interviewed this evening on his Fox Business show about their ethics complaint against Eric Holder as well as what they see coming next for the investigation.
Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com
A bit off topic but I think Mike looks good given his recent surgery and the attendant complications. You can tell he’s lost some weight. I hope and pray that his recovery continues without any further complications.
The formal ethics complaint filed with the DC Bar by Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea got some airtime today on Fox News.
William LaJeunesse of Fox discussed the complaint with Brian Darling of the Heritage Foundation and Michael Frisch of Georgetown Law Center. Frisch was formerly senior assistant bar counsel to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. As might be expected, they differed in the seriousness of the ethics complaint and how it would be treated by the DC Bar.
Darling, who is a Senior Fellow for Government Studies at Heritage, thought the complaint was on solid ground. However, he didn’t expect them to take it up until next year.
“It is clearly a reasonable basis for a complaint against Eric Holder to say ‘you are in charge of the Justice Department, the Justice Department is refusing to produce documents that were subpoenaed by Congress and as a result you were held in contempt to Congress not once, but twice’,” he said.
Frisch, who is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown, didn’t think the DC Bar would take the complaint seriously and would likely dismiss it.
“Because this particular complaint is written as if the attorney general had already been convicted of a crime, I think it will likely be rejected on its face,” said Michael Frisch, former member of the D.C. Bar Counsel and current Georgetown Law School professor.
Frisch goes on to add that the DC Bar has the option of deferring any action until such time as a parallel proceeding such as a civil proceeding is completed.
Mike and David fired a shot across the bow and it was a brilliant strategic move. Whether it is squashed or not by the DC Bar is actually irrelevant because it has kept the issue of Holder and contempt alive in the mainstream media.
by