GRPC '14 Day 1

W/ the fire at the airport, things are delayed due to the cancelled flights w/ numerous attendees and speakers not being able to make it. They're working on readjusting the schedule to accommodate.I'm going to be a lot less formal this time around and update the site throughout the two days.

More great photos at GSL.

Yours truly:

Meeting some people before the doors open:

Valinda Rowe: IllinoisCarry

 Colleen Lawson: Mcdonald et al v Chicago

 David Codrea: Gun Rights Examiner

Table swag:


 Rhonda Ezell (Ezell v Chicago) Invocation; Colleen Lawson sang Star Spangled Banner.  Moderator Julianne Versnel (Publisher Journal on Firearms & Public Policy) memorial for Otis McDonald & Pat Tartaro

Joe Tartaro & Alan Gottlieb (SAF): State of Gun Rights Battle:

Highlights:

Joe tartaro-  boos at rahm/Bloomberg.  Did they cause the fires to stop conference? ;)

Operation Chokepoint overview

S&W holding meeting- amalgated banks funds  sponsor resolution.  Front for anonymous parties . any monetary/non-monetary to influence legislation/political campaign/publicity campaign.

Bloomberg’s money issue that will effect.  People w/ money want to buy government

10^th anniv. Of AWB sunset

Current/New strategies:  ‘background checks’

Alan gottlieb-

6 seats in Senate needed.  5 ‘key battleground’ states.

9 of 13 Appellate courts in anti-gun hands.

Federal Affairs: Chris Knox (Gunvoter.org), Larry Pratt (GOA), Seth Waugh (NSSF)

Highlights: 

Knox: No nat’l level offensive push. Start a ‘backfire’, make them react.

Ghost guns

Pratt: Rep marloney reported GOA for saying 2A is for overthrowing tyranny in Rolling Stone mag.

BLM/Bundy ranch affair.  Overreach of feds in things like raw milk

Waugh: Gridlock in Senate

Bipartisan sportsman’s act- EPA no regulation over lead ammo.

Working to ban lead ammo and make alternative ammo near impossible to find.  Attacks on copper mining.

Nominees:  Holder stepping down (cheers).  Need pro-gun Senate for SCOTUS nomination.  Some state roundup.  

Stephen Halbrook: Disarming the Jews and “Enemies of the State”

No judicial review while in Nazi ‘protective custody’

1935 arrest: Political affiliation :”Juden”; Crime scene “Police Station”; Crime” Possession of weapons” (not a crime at time ) “Arms in the hands of Jews are a danger to public safety”

‘Executive decrees’ to bypass legislature (hint hint)

1931 Weimar gun registratio; can confiscate guns for 'public safety' option. 

State Legislative Affairs Briefing I

Philip Van Cleave (VCDL), Jim Wallace (GOAL ), Richard Pearson (ISRA), Sean Maloney (Buckeye Firearms Assoc), Stephen Aldstadt (Scope NY, Inc. )

Aldstadt- Safe act passed in middle of night. Opposed by many NY sheriffs/localities. Costing Cuomo lots of support along w/ other unpopular issues (late term abortion, common core). 1 million illegal ‘assault weapons’ in NYS.  Compliance of .5%.

Maloney:  Universal Background Checks = Universal Registration. Ohio- 28 pieces of legislation.  Auto reciprocity in works.  “Rights are borderless” . Eliminated ‘Duty to Retreat’ ,  schoolboards have ability to authorize teachers et al to carry.

Pearson:  Will take about 5 yrs to fix CCW.  No reciprocity yet.  Safe haven in vehicles.  Banks, 23 branches of one bank removed GFZ signs.  Pre-empted handguns.  Watch out for ‘Rule making authorities”.  Approaching 2 million firearm owners.  Normal attacks on firearms expected from legislature (make CCW more restrictive, etc)  w/ 60+ bills . Two veto, one general session after election.  Lots of lame ducks. 

Van Cleave:  Shout out to GSL.  3 anti’s Gov, Lt Gov, AG.  Pro-gun supermajority in house.  Gov ($2m from Bloomberg) trying to rewrite/veto pro-gun laws.  Candor paid price for not listening to constituents. Likely to retake state senate.

Wallace: Thanks for inviting me to a city that sucks worse than Boston. "We as gun owners knew what was coming" after SH.  Between SH and that Feb. over 150 interviews pushing GFZ dangers etc.  "Mandatory Gun Insurance". 2 accidental gun deaths in MA.  200 auto deaths. Purpose of health insurance to give cheaper access to higher quality medical care.  If you're going to give us cheaper access to higher quality guns, we might go for that.  Change the tones of the debates.  Make them look like fools because they don't know what they're talking about.  (DOOT shows that all the time) Reversed anti-gun bill. Women can carry unlicensed pepper spray.  Licenses are good through police bureaucratic paperwork delays.  They have to prove 'unsuitable'.

State Legislative Affairs II:

Paul Valone (GRNC), Scott Bach (NJ Rifle & Pistol), Sean Caranna ( FloridaCarry.org), Tony Montanarella (CRPA), Andrew Rothman (Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance MN)

Bach: Blanket ban on all things firearms w/ limited exceptions.  We were asleep at the switch.  NJ legislators  caught on tape calling for “Confiscate, Confiscate, Confiscate”.  Only goal is to ban and make firearm ownership harder and harder.

Caranna: Win: Defensive display of firearm.  Reining in prosecutors abusing system.  Blanket ban on possession of firearms in an emergency.  Florida Sheriff’s Assoc. declared CCW a privilege.  Bill killed.  FL Manatee Cnty sheriff  Steube threatened to arrest school security guards hired by district.  

Montanarella:  Many state legislators under investigation/indictment (Lee). Only state w/ a state police dept. dedicated to legislators.  Restraining order bill.  Anyone can get a restraining order against someone even suspected of having guns.   Lead ban bills. CA a test bed.   Victories: Challenged ‘Good cause’ requirement in 9^th circuit.   It’s a culture war for firearm rights.  Rhonda Ezell’s case is helping gun owners in CA.

Rothman:  2013 Anti’s thought they had us.  Lots of bills. Obama flew in.  Hundreds and thousands of firearm owners showed up across the state. Took examples from IGOLD but w/ maroon.  Bloomberg hired 4 lobbyists.  ‘Domestic Violence’ new meme.  Accusation makes prohibited person.  Bill got rewritten to follow rule of law/due process & MN carry permit = NICS check.  Not fans of NAGR/Dudley Brown.  MN Gun Rights actually in Iowa.

Quote of the day:  We want all gun owners.  The Rebuplicans , democrats, libertarians, gays, straights, communists, anarchists, fascists.  If you’re a supporter of gun rights, we want you.

Valone: My hobby is inflicting pain on politicians.  Expanded CCW. Repealed a one cnty Jim Crow era registration law. Working to destroy records.  Have become focus of Bloomberg and Giffords.   Played ‘Where’s Gabby’. Bloomie bought NCAGV. Need to keep up pressure, victory tends to reduce active supporters.

Collision Course: Our 2A and the International Gun Control Agenda

Mark Westron, D. Allen Youngman(Defense Small Arms Advisory Council), Julianne Versnel (SAF)

Versnel: Opposition at UN.  Younger and well financed by governments.  Europeans generally don’t get American’s concern w/ self-defense.

Youngman: ATT, signed by ambassador but likely never will come up to be ratified by US Senate. No 2A protection.  Need to get pledges from Senators not to sign.  Treaty includes ‘Responsibility of States’ to prevent ‘Diversion’  (you know, kind of like Fast & Furious) .  ‘Transfer’- Any action that could result in ‘Diversion’. Mexico leader in this. Hired NY law firm.  Goes into effect  on Xmas w/ 53 countries.  Want ‘End User Certificates’ for all firearms exported.

Westron: ISACS-   “Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA)” Umbrella gun control group at UN.  End around to failing ATT.  Set of ‘standards’ (using lots of hippie UN speak terms like ‘youth’ and ‘gender’) ‘National controls over access of civilians. ‘ written by diehard anti-gunner from Monterey institute. “Where permitted”, “May apply”, “registration may be required”, “Secure storage”, ‘Revocation”.  Google and look up ‘modules’ in ISACS.   Avoid exaggeration and panic when advocating. 

Tom Gresham, Gun Talk Radio during lunch:

 Alan Gura (standing next to Mr. Moore of Moore v Madigan)

 Litigate carefully.  Our side will come out ahead in the long run.  Lots of cases ignored by SCOTUS.  Drake- Nothing would be unconstitutional.  Much more coming.

American Legacy Firearms:

 Present a check for $15K to SAF/CCRKBA from sales.  Total this year $90K

Awards:

Grassroots organization of the year:  Georgia Carry

Grassroots Activist of the Year: Frank Fiamingo(sp?) who helped Shaneen Allen in her recent CCW debacle

Researcher of the Year: John Lott

Journalist of the Year: David Workman

State Affiliate of the Year: Washington Arms Collectors

Gun Rights Defender of the year: David Sigele

Legislator of the Year: GA State Rep.  (missed his name)

BOR Award: Aaron Zillman, founder of JPFO (posthumously) Accepted by Charles Heller

Global Leadership Award: David Kopel

Lifetime Achievement Award: Prof. Joe Olson (sp?)

Defender of Liberty Awards (lots)

Thomas Paine Award: Alan Gottlieb

Winning Firearms Freedom One Lawsuit at a Time

Dan Schmutter, Eric Friday, Miko Tempski, David Sigale, David Jensen, Paloma Capanna

Palona Capanna:  Drove 10hrs to get here.  “I got news for the mayor. We got here”.  Defending against a NY ‘Assault Weapon’ charge for an SKS w/ non-detachable mag because police/prosecutors don’t know about firearms or laws.  You know it’s bad when people from  NY are talking about moving to CA for its gun laws.

Schmutter:  Vagaries of NY ‘gravity knife’ descriptions and how police can arbitrarily decide compliance.  Discussion of the Shaneen Allen case  in NJ and how it will help future defendents.

Jensen:  If they want to rule against you, they will find any excuse to do so.  Many of their decisions will be decided by politics, not law. If they rule against their appointers views, it could harm their own future appointments.   Increasingly urban society.  Not coincidence Bloomberg spends his money in the cities.  1905 Kansas case claimed 2A not individual.  Rubber stamped from then on as ‘precedent’. 

Friday:  Three branches of Gov’t.  When the courts don’t get it right, the legislature often has the ability to fix it.  States often violating pre-emption.  Knowing the law kept student lawfully carrying from getting expelled but took threat of lawsuit.  Does the individual have to prove self defense in order to be innocent? Court case on Dec. 2.  Unv. of Florida Campus says women shouldn’t flirt or dress provocatively to keep from getting raped.  (wonder where the ‘rape culture’ advocates are on this one?  Oh right.)

Sigale: Ezell: Firing range ban overturned but so onerous still no ranges.  Ongoing.  Moore v. Madigan overturned Chicago’s license.  Helped Ezell case.  20 challenges down to about 8 due to other lawsuits.   Also the lawsuit over starchamber CCW denials.  Cases are being remanded and rules passed to allow response to denials.  Legal alien cases. National cases about firearm rights for documented immigrants.  Most have resulted in settlements.

Tempski:  10 day waiting period in CA for 2^nd gun case decided in favor of SAF.  IL carry law came about because of ‘snowball effect’ of various SAF etc. cases.   Many other issues will be fixed in turn as snowball gets bigger. 

Pro-Second Amendment Allies & Resources:

Rich Patterson (SAAMI)

General overview of manufacturing, machining, and safety standards of firearm industry. ORM-D "Other Regulated Materials class D" for ammo going away.  SAAMI helped rewrite international standards to remove hazmat fees. Lead bans on the horizon.  Lead ban on one side, heavier metals on the other as 'armor piercing'.

The Bigger Picture 2A
Doug Ritter (KnifeRights.org)

The other front of 2A rights.  Knives.  15 bills in 7 states.  Working on knife version of FOPA act. Ivory ban would confiscate billions in private property. Money spent advocating/confiscating would be better spent against poachers.

Anti-Gun Troika: Background Checks, Microstamping & Smart Guns

Alan Gottlieb (SAF), George Owens (Alabama Gun Rights), Stephen D'Andrilli (ArbalestQuarrel.org)

D'Andrilli- Microstamping monopoly and its dangers.  Fails often, defeat-able, most crimes don't require alleged info, testing process long/expensive, time-to-crime 10yrs+, ammo can be planted, unlikely to be admissible in court (no peer review), gun cost increase $100-$200, can't retrofit millions of firearms already out there and revolvers, S&W/Ruger won't sell guns in CA due to law. Prelude to registration.

Owens: NICS/Background checks.  AL working on license = NICS check. 70% of 400K criminals re-offend according to BJS.  Convicted felons largest denials of NICS (but where are the convictions of these felonies? This speech did not go well)

Gottlieb: More on Background checks.  Dual proposals contradict eachother.  Will go to courts.

Bloomberg's False Claims About Guns:
John Lott

Disagrees w/ previous speakers' view of background checks.  Costly, ineffective, and inaccurate.

Amazing how bad recent 'mass shooting' report is. 40% of cases 1 person or noone killed.  Ignored dozens of cases where people were killed in early years on report. 2000/2001 low years compared to previous years. Clean up data = no trend. Media won't question 'reports' that fit their agenda but will call in lots of counter-arguments for his.  '75 school shootings' lie. Numbers of school shootings have actually fell. Added in all the fake school shooting numbers to 'mass shooting' data. Ages, mental facilities, locations, etc. all wrong in report. Included households as 'guns allowed'. Assumed any non-info was guns allowed. Only two in actual non-GFZ's.  Bloomberg's people refuse to debate. No phone # for Everytown/MDA listed.

Targeting GFZ's

Massad Ayoob, John Edeen MD, Chris Bird

Ayoob:  GFZ's have become hunting preserves for psychopathic murders.  Naive to think someone who will murder will care about a sign. LA shooter in '99 avoided places w/ security.  Went to a GFZ specifically to kill Jewish children. Colorado theatre shooting.  Went to a specific GFZ. What if you could have swapped Jeanne Assam into Sandy Hook?

Edeen: Didn't get 1st gun till '92.  LA riots. 2012, learned about NJ gun laws.  "Got the spirit'. TX code 30.06 makes GFZ's. Created course for physicians. Resolution to remove failed 22-2.  One no vote changed after stalker issue. 80% of staff had concerns about security/safety.  Had security called on him for talking to people about guns.  CEO of hospital tried to censor.

Bird: School GFZ's

TX School marshal program only 7 attendees. Mandates locked up firearm.  About 40 school districts now have armed staff.

Expanding Train Me Arizona Nationwide:
Alan Korwin

Change the language.  Put up signs in Phoenix, city tore them down.  Successfully sued.I own household firearms just like millions of others, in my case though it may be belt fed and water cooled.

Building Effective State Legal Action Organizations. 

Gene Hoffman (Calguns Foundation), Thomas Bolioli (Commonwealth SAF)