Veteran's Benefits

Not through the VA. Through citizens saying thank you to those who serve their country.

Went to a local fireworks seller. One of those little ones that set up in a parking lot. The guy noticed I was wearing a few articles of uniform so he asked if I was in the military. After I replied in the positive, he cut 25% off my purchase.

Thank you.

Happy Independence day everyone.

Gura on New Chicago Gun Ordinances

From ChicagoGunCase.com:

Chicago’s new ordinance demands careful review, and many questions still need to be answered about its implementation. But some things are readily apparent...

We applaud Chicago for not adopting the unconstitutional insurance and gun-rationing schemes. Of course, Chicago adopted other measures, not all of which we can approve. This is not a definitive and complete overview, but a sense of where we are.

The bottom line so far: this is far from perfect, but could have been worse, and the city seems to understand its ability to regulate is not unlimited. We may be close to achieving our litigation objectives in this case, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll ignore other problematic laws or practices. There are natural, practical limits on the scope of any particular lawsuit. Most importantly, we are well on our way to achieving a state of affairs in Chicago where law abiding people can exercise their right to keep and bear arms without major unconstitutional obstacles. The new law, some problems notwithstanding, appears vastly better than the old one. We hope to make it better still.

In other words. McDonald II is coming.

If your not a member of the ISRA, SAF,NRA or whatever your preferred organization, now is the time.

Chicago's New Gun Control Plans

Via 'Clout Street'.

*Under Daley's ordinances, handgun owners would need to register all their guns with the city so police know how many weapons are in each home, and would also be required to have a valid Firearm Owner's ID card.

*It requires firearms training, both in a classroom and a firing range.

*Chicago residents would be able to register no more than one handgun per month for each adult in a home. The ordinance "generally prohibits the possession of a handgun by any person except in the person's home," according to a city news release.

*Only one firearm can be kept in immediately operable condition in each home. Other guns must be broken down or have trigger locks in place.

*Assault weapons are banned, as is the possession of ammunition by anyone who does not have a valid FOID card and registration for a gun of the same caliber.

*Applicants must be at least 21 years old, unless a parent signs for a child age 18 or older.

*To protect the city against costs for a lawsuit in case a police officer shoots an armed person while responding to a home, Daley also said the city will pursue legislation at the state and federal levels granting liability immunity for first responders and the city.

*The ordinance bars anyone from possessing a handgun outside a home, which excludes garages, outdoor areas, hotel rooms and group-living quarters.

*Would-be gun owners must take a training course with a minimum of one hour on the range and four hours in the classroom before obtaining a permit to a keep a weapon in the home.

*The ordinance prohibits sawed-off shotguns, assault weapons and “unsafe” handguns.

*It also requires guns kept in homes with minors under age 18 to be secured when they are not in the possession of the owner.

*Penalties for not complying with the proposed law range from $1,000 to 90 days in jail.

*And, as proposed by powerful Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, the new ordinance would create a gun-offender registry to be posted on line by the police department. Anyone convicted of unlawful use or illegal possession of a weapon would be required to register with the police for a four-year period.

*Each individual is entitled to have one “firearm assembled and operable in the home. All other firearms kept or possessed by that person in his home shall be broken down in a non-functioning state or shall have a trigger lock or other mechanism, other than the firearm safety mechanism, designed to render the firearm temporarily inoperable.”

*If there is someone in home under age 18 who “is likely to gain access to the firearm,” a gun must be in the owner’s possession, fitted with a safety mechanism rendering it inoperable or unloaded with the ammunition in a securely locked container.

*To register handguns, a resident must first get a “Chicago Firearm Permit” from the police department. A permit would cost $100 every three years.

*People who have been convicted of a violent crime, two or more driving-under-the-influence charges or unlawful use of a firearm could not get a permit.

*Once obtained, residents must then register each weapon. That would cost $15 every three years per weapon.

These are similar to the registration already in place for long guns plus training and the "Only one serviceable gun" part which is what I see as the most vulnerable part. 'Assault Weapons' are already illegal in the county. As long as the licenses from the CPD arn't arbitrary, I can see most of these standing in the courts.

Obama: That Was Then, This Is Now...

Obama on local laws during the campaigning:

I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.

Obama on local laws now:

We cannot have immigration reform passed individually by each state through a patchwork of laws.

More Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth on McDonald

Besides the usual suspects trying to salvage their jobs, The real loonballs are starting to come out of the woodwork.

First up we have Pam Adams of the Peoria (IL) Star Journal. Her opinion is the recent ruling is meant to disarm blacks because it maintains its restrictions on prohibited persons:

The process by which this decision was reached, however, harbors the most cynical uses of race.

..there is evidence to suggest that expanding gun rights will once again limit the right of disproportionate numbers of black citizens to bear arms.

Yes, that was the reasoning of the court. Keep a prohibition on felons so we can disarm blacks.

Then we have the Socialists. Their defense of the 'collective rights' theory ignores the majority of historical scholarship on the subject but they even contradict themselves.

The original purpose of the amendment was to prevent Congress from disarming the state militias, which would eliminate the militias as a bulwark against national tyranny.

These attacks cannot be combated through individual “self-defense,” but require collective political and social struggle, based on the mass mobilization of the working class.

So they're going to combat attacks by 'mobilizing' a disarmed working class? I'm sure a tyrannical gov't would be impressed. According to basic socialist/communist theory, you're not supposed to disarm the populace until AFTER the revolution.

Jessie Jackson Opposes Civil Rights

In a bit of irony, the 'Reverend' Jessie Jackson considers the expansion of an enumerated right a "Step in the wrong direction".

He wants a 'state of emergency' and a 'war on gun violence and drugs' declared. Until then,he feels that keeping Otis McDonald, the Lawson Family, and Adam Orlov unarmed victims a better solution than letting them protect themselves because gun control 'studies' say they might hurt themselves.

Again I say:

"Sure, I'll support more gun laws for you, as soon as you have your congregation write the names of every family member and neighbor that belongs to a gang and has a gun hidden on this sheet of paper. Let me know when you're done and we'll hold a joint press conference to name names and start to really bring the cycle of violence to an end."

Sound fair? I'm sure the sound of silence will be deafening.

But the fun part? He goes on:

Laying off teachers, closing schools, proposing shorter school days, reducing public transportation, laying off transit workers and raising fees for public transportation and public parking will only aggravate the crisis of violence in the city. The basic issues in the zones of pain are not being addressed. Neighborhoods facing high crime and violence are also facing record home foreclosure rates and student loan defaults.

While his buddy Daley has spent millions on this lawsuit and will spend millions more on court costs, legal fees and useless legislation, all the while he walks around w/ a tax payer funded armed contingent of body guards and his nephew loses millions of dollars in TIF funds. Must be those damn Zionists again.

More Weekend Shootey Fun

Others are analyzing the ruling much better than I can so here's more photos of a good day shooting w/ friends and family.

Quotes of the Day: McDonald Edition

What I would like to suggest to the mayor is he take those millions of dollars that he’s spent in litigation or will continue to spend in litigation and use that to improve his education system in the city of Chicago..

--Don Moran. President. Illinois State Rifle Assoc.



The Chicago crime buffet is over, we are not prey…

--Colleen Lawson. Litigant. McDonald v Chicago

Via CNN video

And Daley the moron: "that person has a right to have a gun in his home? Does he have the right to point it at a child?"

Ray Schoenke, the AHSA, Sotomayor, and McDonald

During the nomination of Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, Ray Schoenke of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) stated:

Based on the available case history, it appears that Sotomayor honors precedent. Now that D.C. v Heller is precedent, gun-owners should feel secure that their rights are safe.

Today, Justice Sotomayor was one of four justices to rule against incorporation and, even according to Schoenke, ignore precedent.

No great surprise. The AHSA has been a shill for anti-gun activities since its inception.

Even though they're effectively defunct, I'm sure they'll pop up again closer to the elections.

H/T to Sensibly Progressive