by Driving to work this morning it hit me that yesterday was the third anniversary of starting this blog. The realization that three years has elapsed gives me an even greater appreciation for bloggers like Kevin, Tam, JayG, Sebastian, and SayUncle who have been doing this for much longer.
Looking back over these three years is interesting.
We won the McDonald case and it has opened a whole new avenue of Second Amendment litigation in the states. Since then, we’ve won some and lost some. We are still waiting for another case to make it to the Supreme Court. I anticipate it will be a case involving carry outside the home in some manner.
We have seen tremendous growth in the sales of firearms and ammunition. The important thing about this growth is that many of these firearms are going to first time gun owners.
Illinois will have carry in some form thanks to the twin cases of Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan. The Illinois General Assembly is still fighting it out to see what form it will take.
Despite some well publicized mass shootings and in the face of a full court press from White House, the media, and gun prohibitionists, we’ve beaten back efforts for new gun control legislation at the Federal level. Unfortunately, the gun prohibitionists have turned more of their attention to the states and have had some success. The usual areas such as California, New York, and Maryland have new gun control laws. More surprising was the enactment of background checks and magazine bans in Colorado.
We are still working to get to the bottom of the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal. Attorney General Eric Holder is still fighting requests for documents from Congress. Moreover, while some involved have been reassigned, no one has yet to lose their job over this much less be indicted for violations of Federal law.
Among the gun prohibitionists, the old line groups such as CSGV, Violence Policy Center, and the Brady Campaign are fading in influence. Taking their place, for the most part, is Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors. To be more exact, it is Bloomberg’s willingness to spend some of his personal fortune that is pushing this effort more than anything the mayors themselves are doing. I still see the Giffords-Kelly creation of Americans for Responsible Solutions as being on the periphery for now. They are useful mostly as a reliable photo op.
Summing up, we have gained more than we’ve lost over the last three years. The key is to hold on to what we’ve gained by beating back the threats organized and financed by Mayor Bloomberg. The saying about eternal vigilance is true. We have to stay alert, stay focused, and continue to educate and energize those who believe in freedom.
The next three years should be interesting!