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GRNC On HB 111 – Guns In Restaurants And Parks

June 7, 2011 by

Grass Roots North Carolina issued a member alert this evening on HB 111 which would allow concealed carry in restaurants and eating places that serve alcohol and would allow concealed carry in state, county, and municipal parks. This bill has passed the State House and is now in committee in the State Senate. While it has met the crossover deadline, it would be nice if it were passed before the General Assembly adjourns for this session.

Haven’t You Waited Long Enough?

HB 111, the long-awaited Parks and Restaurants bill, is currently awaiting action in the Senate Judiciary II Committee. You, the gun owning public, have been patient. Now, it seems that you have waited long enough. The NC House has done its part in moving this vital bill forward. It is time for the Senate to do its part. Raise your voices and tell them you want action before the Senate adjourns.

Permit-Holders Proven Responsible

According to the NC State Bureau of Investigation, 336,743 concealed handgun permits have been approved, yet only 1007 (0.29% — less than 1/3 of a single percent) have been revoked for any reason, with most revocations unrelated to guns.

Although the SBI doesn’t track reasons for revocation, evidence from elsewhere suggests the vast majority of revocations are for reasons unrelated to guns. In Florida, for example, where 1,935,222 permits were issued, only 168 (.009%) were revoked due to misuse of firearms.

As in the 37 other states with concealed handgun laws, North Carolina permit-holders have a 16 year track record of proving themselves sane, sober and law-abiding.

“Wild west” predictions of “shootings at traffic lights” by the law’s opponents have proven false in North Carolina as in all of the 37 states which have adopted such laws.

Why Parks?

State parks: Although violent crime overall has dropped by 27.7% since inception of concealed carry, ostensibly “gun free” state parks have not benefited from the deterrence effect of the law, experiencing only an estimated drop of 8.93%, including an estimated 72 violent crimes and 1278 property crimes.

Municipal parks: Violent crime rates for municipal parks are not tracked by the State Bureau of Investigation, but urban settings and frequent news reports of rapes, murders and assaults suggests a much higher rate and number of violent crimes, perhaps numbering in the thousands.

Deterrence effect: Controlled, multi-variate studies of concealed handgun permit laws around the country show they deter murder, rape and aggravated assault.

Net benefit: Beyond allowing joggers, hikers and families enjoying North Carolina’s state and municipal parks to protect themselves against violent predators, HB 111 is likely to create a drop in crime by deterring criminals who search for unarmed victims.

Why Restaurants?

Restaurant carry is not untested: Even The New York Times admits that at least 39 states (by some counts, 40 states) permit concealed carry in restaurants.

Even a simple buffet restaurant is off limits to concealed carry if it has an on-premises alcohol consumption permit. When concealed handgun permit-holders go to such restaurants, they and their families are unprotected not only there but also in surrounding neighborhoods and parking lots.

Nothing would change the current prohibition on consuming alcohol while carrying concealed firearms contained in § 14-415.11 (c).

Restaurant owners would still have the option of posting against firearms under § 14-415.11 (c).

The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) has said that it does not oppose the bill.

GRNC strongly advises you to oppose the “Guice Amendment,” made in the House, under which municipalities could ban firearms in recreational facilities. Those facilities are precisely where permit-holders most need to protect family members.

Both Virginia (4/10) and Tennessee (6/10) have adopted restaurant carry without reported problems.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

Contact

Contact the members of the Senate Leadership (listed following the message).
Deliver this message:

Dear Senator:

I am writing you to let you know that HB 111, “Handgun Permit Valid in Parks & Restaurants,” is a priority. It is time for you to act. The NC House has done their part and now it is time for you to do yours. NC Republicans were elected for a reason. Act now to push HB 111 forward.

I urge you support and pass this important bill. I will be monitoring the progress of HB 111 and your actions on this matter through the alerts of Grass Roots North Carolina.

Sincerely,

A Concerned North Carolina Voter

Contact these legislators:

Full Contact Info:

Sen. Phil Berger
16 W. Jones Street, Room 2008
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
(919) 733-5708
Phil.Berger@ncleg.net

Sen. Tom Apodaca
16 W. Jones Street, Room 2010
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
(919) 733-5745
Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net

Senator Austin M. Allran
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 625
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 733-5876
Austin.Allran@ncleg.net

Senator Warren Daniel
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 411
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 715-7823
Warren.Daniel@ncleg.net

Senator E. S. (Buck) Newton
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 410
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 715-3030
Buck.Newton@ncleg.net

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HB 650 – Up For Vote In NC House Tomorrow

June 7, 2011 by 2 Comments

The amended HB 650 is calendared for its 2nd and 3rd Readings in the North Carolina State House tomorrow. If it passes, it will beat the crossover deadline of June 9th.

The amended bill includes various amendments to North Carolina’s gun laws plus the Castle Doctrine which was added to the 2nd Edition of HB 650.

Sean at An NC Gun Blog has an in-depth study of each section of the original bill here.

UPDATE: A brief outline of the changes in the bill from the original to the bill up for a vote. Firearms during emergencies has been dropped from the bill and castle doctrine added. Thanks to Sean Sorrentino for outlining the changes.

section 1-3 Castle bill
4- retains wording that says you can have a gun on campus if locked in your vehicle
5 = old section 2
6 = 3
7 = 4
8 is HUGE, rewrites the stupid Mass Death and Destruction law. Now you can own if you own in compliance w/ federal law!
9 more changes to Mass Death and Destruction
10 clarifies law allowing police officers to buy pistols w/out permits.
11 is an Anti-Bloomburg sting law
12 buy long guns out of state
13 parking lot law
14 = old section 9
15 only have to notify officer if he is in the performance of his official duties
16 = old section 10
17 = old section 12
18 = old section 13
19 = old section 14
20 = old section 15
21 = old section 16
22 = old section 17
23 lowers the punishment for not carrying CHP card to an infraction – old section 18 just repealed the punishment entirely
24 = old section 19
25 = old section 20
26 = clarifies that ban on gun ownership and possession during protective order is only in effect if so ordered by court
27 says that guns in places of business is not an OSHA violation and that the Atty General must intervene to protect private owners against OSHA
28 = old section 21
29 says everything starts on DEC 1.

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June’s Gun Contests

June 7, 2011 by

Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has just posted his list of gun contests for the month. This looks to be a really good month for contests with a Sig 220, a couple of Smith and Wessons, a Glock 20 and a Nighthawk 1911in the handgun category. The rifle category has some really cool stuff including a SCAR 16, a LaRue Tactical AR-15, and a Kriss Vector. Having shot the Kriss, I can tell you it is a really cool gun.

Make sure to thank Aaron for this great service he does on a monthly basis.

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12th Straight Month-Over-Month Increase In Firearms Sales

June 7, 2011 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation released their adjusted NICS data for May 2011 today. There was an 11.4% increase in NICS checks for May 2011 over May 2010. For the month, there were 696,947 checks as opposed to 625,763 for the prior May.

This is the 12th straight month with increases over the same month in the prior year.

NSSF adjust the NICS figures to account for states like Utah, Kentucky, and Iowa which use the NICS database for CCW application checks. Though there isn’t a direct correlation with firearms sales, NSSF says “the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide a more accurate picture of current market conditions.”

The raw numbers can be found at the NICS website here.

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Eric Holder’s New Favorite Song

June 6, 2011 by 1 Comment

I think Attorney General Eric Holder will have a new favorite song come next Monday around  1pm. It will be The Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays” which has this lyric in the fourth stanza:

No need to talk it out

We know what its all about

Hanging around, nothing to do but frown

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Dave Workman reports this afternoon that his Congressional sources have confirmed the the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa will hold the first of a series of hearings into Operation Fast and Furious (aka Project Gunwalker) on Monday, June 13th. The hearing will begin at 1pm in Room 2154 of the Rayburn Office Building.

According to congressional sources, the first hearing will focus on the Justice Department’s lack of cooperation with Issa’s investigation and with the agency’s limited compliance with Issa’s subpoena for several documents. The official title for the hearing is “Obstruction of Justice: Does the Justice Department have to respond to a lawfully issued and valid Congressional Subpoena?”

If you will be in the D.C. area next Monday and have the time to attend this hearing, I’d suggest doing so. I’m sure it will be worth your time.

Mike Vanderboegh in Sipsey Street Irregulars reported earlier today on the subjects of the series of hearings. According to his sources, the hearings will have three phases. From what Mike reports, it looks like the Committee is building a case for a Special Prosecutor phase by phase.

Phase I will be “the presentation of allegations and factual information, evidence, and intended direction of the continuing investigation.” This will include documents already presented to Senaqtor Grassley and Congressman Issa by whistleblower ATF agents. Senator Grassley will be among the first witnesses before Issa’s panel. Family members of Project Gunwalker victims are expected to testify, as well as other witnesses with first-hand knowledge of the conspiracy whose knowledge runs from Arizona to DC.

Phase II, according to my sources, “will focus on Mexico issues with witnesses called who have first hand Mexico information.”

Phase III will be when it really gets interesting, when all the big names in ATF and DOJ complicit in this scandal who have been uncovered in the previous two phases are called to explain themselves. One source characterized this as “the testimony of compromised participants to include the numerous ATF and DOJ employees with dirt, blood or both on their hands.”

This reminds me of the old Chinese curse – “May you live in interesting times.” I think we are about to see some very interesting times for certain people in the ATF and DOJ.

UPDATE: Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News has also reported that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has scheduled hearings for next Monday.

UPDATE II: The Hill has an article on the upcoming hearings and notes that that there will be a slew of subpoenas served.

The subpoenas, which Issa said will be issued to key Washington-based government officials with ties to the operation, are slated to serve as a launching pad for a new series of hearings on the matter.

As Scott said in the comments, get the popcorn ready.

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Funding Gun Rights Groups

June 6, 2011 by 1 Comment

Thanks to a tweet from our good friends at CSGV, I found a way to send money to the Second Amendment Foundation. I’m sure that wasn’t their intention but it works just the same. They tweeted:

@CSGV
Buying a #Groupon today through#Goodsearch = a 10% donation for gun violence prevention (cause is Educational Fund… http://fb.me/GNlplxh7

They link to a page called GoodSearch. If you search the Web or shop through them, participating non-profits get a donation. Of course, CSGV wants you to name their sister group, the (so-called) Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. However, a quick search turns up the Second Amendment Foundation as a participating group.

So now you can help fund more lawsuits against anti-gun governments and laws by using this page. Isn’t it fun to turn the tables on the gun prohibitionists?

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Darrel Issa: “This Was No Rogue Operation”

June 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Operations Committee, was interviewed about Project Gunrunner today on FoxNews. Among the things he said in the interview was a promise for a series of hearings, that the hearings will begin this summer, and that the investigation will look into just high this went in the Obama Administration. As he noted, this was “no rogue operation” done by ATF agents in the field on their own. Everyone that his investigators has interviewed in the field, whether for or against this operation, has said that the orders came from above.

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Pelosi Still Most Disliked Congressional Leader

June 5, 2011 by

The Rasmussen Reports’ most recent national survey shows Democrat Minority Leader (and former Speaker) Nancy Pelosi as the most disliked congressional leader.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 28% of Likely U.S. Voters hold a favorable opinion of Pelosi, now the House minority leader, while 63% view her unfavorably. This includes eight percent (8%) with a Very Favorable impression of the San Francisco congresswoman and 45% with a Very Unfavorable one.

I wonder why that could be. Maybe it is the people she associates with.

From Glittarazzi.com under Creative Commons License – 2011 Brady Center DC Gala
From 2011 Brady Center DC Gala

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“So What Are You Waiting For?”

June 5, 2011 by 3 Comments

American-born Muslim jihadist Adam Yahiye Gadahn (born Adam Pearlman) released a video the other day that is making the rounds of the Internet. In the video, Gadahn calls on Muslims in the United States to attack Zionists and Crusaders. He says that “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms” He goes on to say that the jihadis can just go to any American gun show at the local convention center and come away with “fully automatic assault weapons with no background check” and no request for ID.

As one would come to expect, the gun prohibitionists have jumped on this video and are playing it on their websites. Below is a screen shot from Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors “Fix Gun Checks” site.

Of course both Adam Gadahn and those gun prohibitionists who believe this live in La-La Land. The going cost of a fully automatic M-16A1 eligible for transfer under the National Firearms Act sells for approximately $16,000 – and includes a background check that can take up to 6 months, fingerprints, photos, a $200 tax stamp, and the approval of the local chief law enforcement official before the transfer takes place.

Those of us in the gun culture know this is a farce. Unfortunately, there will be some that are taken in by this sham.