Compare and Contrast: Talking Points vs Reality

So the usual pundits are making the annual  push for additional licensing/regulation/oversight of gun shops because Chicago is a sh!t-hole. 

A sweeping gun trace report to be publicly released by the city on Sunday showed nearly one quarter of guns recovered at crime scenes over a recent four-year period came from just 10 Chicago-area businesses.....

 Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called on state lawmakers to approve legislation to more aggressively regulate gun dealers in Illinois, pointing to a newly released trove of data that shows many guns recovered by police in connection with crimes can be traced back to licensed gun stores in the Chicago area.

Not 'Chicago' proper because Chicago has no gun shops but 'Chicago area'.  SCC tears this 'report' to shreds.   So yeah.  Blame the gun shops.  Now here's the clincher.  What happens when someone is actually caught and convicted for 'straw purchasing' or other gun related crimes? 

This:

Simone Mousheh, 23, of the Chicago suburb of Mount Prospect, will have to complete 15 days of community service in the Cook County Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program and 12 months probation after pleading guilty to illegal transfer of firearms last week, as reported by the Daily Herald.
Mousheh was arrested last September and charged with four felonies after an investigation by the Chicago Police Firearm Investigation Team concluded she had bought handguns through the benefit of her state-issued Firearms Owners Identification card and then illegally resold them.

Four felonies.  At least 3 guns sold to criminals.  1 yr probation.

OK. How about the theft and resale to criminals of 100 guns? 

10 yrs.  W/ Illinois' 'day for day' system, he'll be out in 5 or less.

But it's the fault of the gun shops that violent, repeat criminals are out on the streets and being armed by other repeat criminals who get slaps on the wrist and low, if any, bail. Tell me again how it's all about 'safety'. Tell me again how it's all about 'common-sense'. Tell me again how all of this is 'reasonable'. 

NFL's 'Hold My Beer' Moment.

So ESPN, NFL etc are losing viewership/attendance left and right by getting involved in politics.  So obviously the best decision is to get involved in even more contentious issues. 

Thursday, the 49ers and representatives of police unions from San Jose, Oakland, Santa Clara, New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Long Beach and Portland signed a pledge that aims to ease national police-community acrimony at the heart of on-field protests that have extended far beyond the field.
The team has also pledged $500,000 for an outreach campaign that includes public-service announcements. Both the 49ers and the police unions plan to solicit participation from other NFL teams and police unions.
 But much of the news conference at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday focused on rallying behind proposed federal legislation to ban the bump stocks, and advocating to outlaw armor-piercing bullets and gun silencers the unions contend are a significant threat to law enforcement.

Yeah.  Tell me how well that works out for you. 

What's In A Name Pt II

To add to a previous post about the rotating names/terminology of 'gun control'.

The group led by Gabby Gifford's husband as his own personal slush fund is starting a chain of department stores apparently.

Her group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, is changing its name to Giffords. The new name is part of a larger intention of breaking free from the group’s failure to place further restrictions on the Second Amendment.

So I guess they're no longer 'Americans', 'Responsible', nor looking for 'Solutions'.  Funny how that works.

"No One's Coming For Your Guns"

Hear it all the time. Gun nuts are paranoid and delusional. The Gun Lobby is just trying to sell more guns.  Etc. Etc.

Then there's this:

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Makes it unlawful to deliver, sell, or purchase or cause to be delivered, sold, or purchased or cause to be possessed by another, an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly possess an assault weapon, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge 300 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, except possession of weapons registered with the State Police in the time provided. Provides exemptions and penalties. Prohibits delivery, sale, purchase, or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Provides exemptions and penalties. Prohibits the knowing sale, manufacture, purchase, possession, or carrying of a trigger modification device. Defines "trigger modification device". Effective immediately.

Registration, confiscation, and taxation.

25 sponsors/co-sponsors as of posting. 

Any Questions?  

Hitting Close To Home Updates

News is reporting a school shooting in the next town over.  Reports are one student injured and suspect in custody.

The real fun is going to be the rumor mongering.  Some students are apparently putting up on the book of face that there were multiple shooters and half-dozen to a dozen injured/killed.

Update as more information comes up.

Update.:  Male student that was hit.  Female teacher subdued the shooter.

Local rumormill. 100% unconfirmed.  Allegedly the shooter had been bullying a female student, both freshmen, who promptly whooped him.  He brought a gun to school and they got into a screaming match before he pulled out the gun and started shooting.  The teacher grabbed him from behind and he then started just shooting randomly. 

Update II:  Other rumors are that the shooter was the one being bullied by various male students and he was responding.  He is currently being evaluated for mental health.

W. the way rumors are spread, I have a feeling we'll never know the entire truth.

The Illinois Budget: A Parable

You are subsidizing your child.  Each month you give them money for food, rent, and necessities.  Your child, instead of spending all the money on what they're supposed to, spends a big chunk on hookers and blow, putting the difference on credit cards.

After awhile, your child comes to you and admits they spent a bit more than the were supposed to and asks if they can have a bit more money to cover the credit card bills and expenses.  You agree. They then go out and spend that money on more hookers and blow, throwing parties for their friends.

This cycle continues until the child's credit cards are all maxed out, the companies are threatening legal action, they're about to get thrown out of their apartment, and yet the child STILL is spending what they get on hookers and blow instead of food, rent, etc. because the parties are so popular with their friends.

Do you continue to give the child more and more money thinking they'll suddenly be responsible with it and at the cost of your own livelihood or do you cut them off as much as possible until they PROVE they're responsible?

This is the question facing Illinois in a nutshell.

Thus endeth the lesson.

200 Rounds!?!? ErMaGerd!!!!

It's 'old news' now but this headline made me chuckle.
gunman James Hodgkinson had 200 rounds of ammo in storage unit, FBI investigators say

Of course that gives people mental images of :


Leading to reactions of:



But in reality it looks like this:

Yes, that's 200 rounds of evil 'assault gun' ammo.  Next to a set of car keys.

Two Political Groups. Which Do You Want To Support?

A:

“At the very end of December, on the eve of New Years Eve, they tried to sneak the regulations past the public through the administrative process, with no public input whatsoever. When they found out they weren’t going to be able to get away with that they pulled them back,”

or B:

“The ...legislature specifically passed a law to say that ... Department of Justice does not have to go through the rigmarole of public comment and red tape every time they want to develop regulations..."

One group wanting to hold politicians and un-elected bureaucrats accountable to the people. One wanting to give them free reign and showing absolute contempt for the 'public'.

Can you guess which is which?

Full article here. 

It's 93% Now

From the latest Brady email begging for money:

The gun industry wants you to believe this issue is controversial, but the fact is 93% of us agree Brady background checks should take place before every gun sale

Hey, if you're going to make crap up, might as well go for the gusto.

Latest Springfield Armory Press Release

From the SA blog.

The Executive Director of the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association (IFMA)without our prior knowledge and against our principles and those of the industry as a whole with respect to the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. We no longer have confidence in IFMA and after speaking to other directors we have made the decision to sever all ties with the organization, effective immediately.

I take full responsibility for my failure of oversight in this case and deeply apologize to my employees, customers and industry partners for the distraction and divisiveness this situation has caused within our tight-knit community. Our industry has always stood strong and fought fiercely together in the past and I am personally committed to defeating this harmful legislation. To that end, I have pledged to the NRA that we will bring the full resources of my company to bear in this fight.

We are not new to this battle, Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for decades. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the NRA, National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association and others to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

We want to assure all Americans, like us, who fight to protect the Second Amendment that we and our industry partners will leave no stone unturned to defeat this bill.

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com
309-944-8994

aaaaand the IFMA is done.

Latest Rock River Arms Release

They're doing the smart thing:

New RRA statement on IFMA

For immediate release: May 2, 2017
After further review, Rock River Arms, Inc.® (RRA) is immediately severing all ties with the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association (IFMA). We feel that IFMAs integrity is compromised and we will not be a part of the organization. We trusted that contributions and resources provided to IFMA by RRA were
being used to promote and uphold our 2nd Amendment values. IFMAs actions have destroyed that trust.

For more than twenty years, RRA has actively opposed gun control legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. We have supported and provided monetary and product donations to multiple pro-gun organizations including NRA, NSSF, ISRA and countless others. We have attended rallies and spoken at educational events on behalf of gun owners rights. Our employees have collected signatures, written letters and e-mails, called legislators offices, as well as attended events, meetings and hearings in Springfield, Illinois.

What we learned, however, was that we are better at manufacturing firearms and accessories than playing political games at the state capitol. So, we began to utilize the services of lobbyists, first through other organizations and then in 2009, we partnered with several other manufacturers to form IFMA.
Prior to our further review, we believed that the organization had accurately represented us. We feel that IFMAs actions have compromised its integrity. While their actions may be standard practices at the capitol, backdoor politics and convoluted deal-making are counter to the way we do business and lead
our lives.

I sincerely apologize for my lack of direct engagement in IFMAs governance and subsequent actions, as well as the abandonment gun owners are feeling.
If you have any questions regarding, or need more information about, this statement or RRAs position, please contact: Sarah Larson, RRA General Manager at 309-792-5780.

Thank you,Chuck LarsonPresident/OwnerRock River Arms, Inc.

Not Going Well For SpringField Arms and Rock River Armory

Even after their press releases, it just keeps on getting uglier.  Turns out their lobbying firm\lobbyist (of which they are the sole members) have been giving campaign donations to hardcore anti-gunners in this state including Cullerton and Madigan.

Some of those funds went to support other anti-gun politicians in their campaigns against pro-rights contenders.

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Arie Friedman. I'm the Friedman from the Friedman vs Highland Park assault weapons ban court case that ultimately got rejected for appeal by the Supreme Court. Additionally, I ran for Illinois State Senate (29th District) in 2012 as a pro-2nd Amendment candidate against now State Senator Julie Morrison who is an adamant gun grabber. 2012 was not a good year for Republicans in Illinois but I raised a large amount of money, campaigned non-stop and came closer to winning than many other highly competitive GOP candidates that year. My opponent, on the other hand, had difficulty raising money and was an extremely lackluster campaigner. As a result, she received numerous large infusions of cash directly from democrat State Senate President John Cullerton. Without that money, I believe she would possibly have lost the election. Now it turns out that some of that democrat campaign slush fund cash came from Springfield Arms and Rock River Armory via their lobbying arm, the Illinois Firearm Manufacturers Association:

About the only thing SA and RRA can do at this point to save face is to cut all ties w/ the IFMA or can the lobbyist immediately.

Springfield Armory Statement on Dealer Licensing Bill UPDATE

Springfield Armory has always fought hand-in-hand with the NRA, NSSF, ISRA and many others for legislation that fiercely protects the Second Amendment, individual rights and the industry as a whole. Our fight continues today as some members of the Illinois legislature are pushing to overregulate the industry through Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB1657). 
“At the time of my initial statement to the media, I was ill-informed of the ramifications of this bill and its detrimental effects to the Second Amendment, which I have personally fought to protect my entire life. I can tell you now, we at Springfield Armory are unequivocally 100 percent against this bill and will continue to work with the NRA and others to ensure that it is defeated,” said Dennis Reese, Chief Executive Officer, Springfield Armory.
Springfield Armory, like Rock River Arms, was not aware of the actions taken by our trade association, IFMA, until after the fact. We take this situation very seriously and are looking into how this very unfortunate lapse in communication occurred.
Springfield Armory has fought and defeated legislation like this in Illinois for the past 15 years. We are wholeheartedly against this bill and will fight to see it defeated as the unnecessary and harmful overreach that it is.

---

Stefany Reese, PR & Communications Manager
Springfield Armory, Inc.
stefanyr@springfield-armory.com309-944-8994

Hopefully the dumbass in charge of the IFMA loses his job/funding over this.

UPDATE: RRA release available here. Says about the same thing.

Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms Screw IL Gun Owners UPDATE

 

I'm not a fan of TTAG but even a broken clock is right twice a day.  In this case, IL legislators are trying to shut down FFL's through arbitrary licensing, fees, and regulation.  Having forgotten the lessons from S&W selling out to the Clinton administration back in 2000 , they removed their opposition to the licensing bill w/ a promise of exemption for them and big box stores.

The CEO's statement to TTAG ain't helping:

“The legislative process is a fluid process. The bill has only moved through one chamber, and it is still in the process. We fully support the Second Amendment and stand by it. The Illinois Manufacturers Association will continue to fight and protect not only manufacturers, but dealers and the gun owner as well.”

sales@springfield-armory.com
https://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldArmoryUSA/
Springfield Armory
(309) 944-5631

Rock River Arms
(309) 792-5780

More from IllinoisCarry.

Even more from GSL.  

"In short, I don't believe Rock River had any contact with the IFMA lobbyist while this went down.  They trusted him to represent their interests.  Their trust does not seem well placed.
Springfield, on the other hand, is joined at the hip with Keller.  Springfield is tripling down on stupid despite the pressure."

No 'Compassion'? No Accountability? No Sympathy From Me.

The driver responsible for the death of three armed robbers who got shot by the home invasion victim says she has 'No Compassion' for the resident of the home.  He should have 'shot them boys in the leg'. 

The grandfather of one of the thugs blames the victim for shooting them after they broke into his home and threatened him.

“They knew they could be punished for it but they did not deserve to die," said Schumacher...“Brass knuckles against an AR-15, come on, who was afraid for their life,"

'Deserve's got nothin' to do w/ it' as the saying goes. His grandson made a monumentally stupid decision, a series of them in fact, not thinking he would have to face consequences except maybe a slap on the wrist from some judge. 

He was wrong. 

And I've got no sympathy.