Why the Confusion on Assault Weapons?

Most of us are familiar w/ the oft cited statement by Josh Sugarman of the VPC:

"The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons."

How is this confusion encouraged? Let's take a look at some campaign literature from Brady Campaign endorsed Illinois Representatives Kathy Ryg (now resigned) and Naomi Jakobsson (who also sponsored the local ammo encoding bill).

Assassinations? Legal in Illinois? Nope.

Terrorists? Armor-piercing firepower? Nice scary phrasing.
Military assault weapons? Wait. First it was "Assault Rifle". Why the change?

"Gun Show Loophole"? Of which there wasn't one since all legal sales in Illinois require the possession of a FOID card which IS a universal background check unless the police aren't doing their job.

Nice picture of a Browning M2 Machinegun and associated info. This has to do w/ the topic how? Oh, right, more intentional misdirection.


Hey, that looks a little different from the 'Sniper Rifle" pictured above. Of course the other gun, a real machine gun, is NOT legally available in Illinois. But what's a little dishonesty during a campaign right?
More of those scary words and Brady Campaign talking points.

So are people like these ignorant, confused, or deliberately lying to their constituency?

Either way, this is one of the ways that this myth is kept alive. Since the Brady Campaign endorsed these individuals, they are directly complicit in spreading these distortions which graphically puts into perspective their claims of only wanting 'reasonable common sense' laws.

Images provided by Ol' Coach from Illinois Carry. And as a note, these are not new but were sent out some time ago.

New Gun Owner

My buddy who bought the S&W 9mm picked up his new piece yesterday along w/ a holster and a list of accessories* for when he comes to my place next weekend to try it out. That is if he can wait that long and doesn't go to a range before then. He's picked up a variety of ammo to try out to see what works best for him. He's already talking about a .45 and a shotgun.

Methinks numerous toys are going to have to come out of the safe to celebrate Labor Day.



*Hearing protection, eye protection, cleaning kit, small safe, etc.

Cat + 1/4 Stick of Butter + closed room =

An unpleasant laundry experience.

Illinois Mayors Against Guns

As Bitter continues her series on MAIG Mayors and how some have either dropped out for political considerations or stated they'ld been misled on the goals of the organization, we all need to do our part in encouraging our own state's mayors to drop this albatross from their neck. Here is the list of Illinois members:

Mayor Richard Daley
Chicago, IL

Mayor Lorraine H. Morton
Evanston, IL

Mayor Henderson Yarbrough Sr.
Maywood, IL

Mayor Christopher Koos
Normal, IL

Mayor Rita L. Mullins
Palatine, IL

Mayor John A. Spring
Quincy, IL

Mayor Lawrence Morrissey
Rockford, IL

Mayor Richard H. Hyde
Waukegan, IL

Update: MAIG has not been updating their lists. Rita Mullins of Palatine was defeated by Jim Schwantz in the last election. The mayors of Waukegan and Evanston are also out of date. Requests have been sent for information.

Side splitting funny...

The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, which lists gun violence as one of its six priority issues, chooses not to take sides in the debate over gun control."

How anyone could say that with a straight face is beyond me.

"What we are in favor of," spokesman Charlie Boesel said, "is a reduction in gun violence."The foundation offers grant money to groups looking to study the problem or with ideas on how to address it.

Uh huh, sure. Which is why they fund ONLY groups and papers that call for more bans and restrictions as well as denying contrary points to be presented at their 'symposiums'.

Another fabrication in the article:

Currently, several hand-gun bills are under consideration in the state legislature. One, for instance, mandates background checks in private gun sales, which currently don't require them.

That's what the FOID card is. Unless of course the Illinois State Police are failing in their duty as required by law to revoke those of people no longer eligible.

Then we have the Joyce Funded ICPGV selectively leaving out information on their e-mail alerts in order to distort facts. On HB-182 which was signed the other day:

a bill which would allow individuals to carry concealed weapons into other people's homes

What words did they leave out? "With Permission". Kind of an important distinction, don't you think? But that's the way the Joyce's want to solve 'gun violence', by not telling the truth.

The Zombie Constitution

With more than a year behind us since the Heller decision coupled with the more recent confirmation of Justice Sonya Sotomayor, I’ve noticed that Al Gore has generated a copious amount of debate over a “living” vs. “static” Constitution on his interweb tubes.

The general themes are that a living Constitution will continuously evolve to fit the society it currently resides in, ever changing to meet the needs(desires) of the times, whilst the static position is that the Constitution is set in stone and can not be changed without irreparable damage to the original substance on which our country was founded.

I call bullshit.

For those unfamiliar with the card game of the same name, it is a sultry 3-way orgy of poker, politics and a thin slice of “go fish” that would make a Fugu chef quite proud.

A “living Constitution”, in which our Fundamental Rights are subjected to winning a popularity contest protects absolutely nothing and reduces a Fundamental Right to the lowly status of a government approved privilege.

A “static Constitution” locks us into a pigeon hole for which there is no escape from the wisdom of dead people.

All too often we envision, manufacture and then succumb to our own constructions. These are not the only options before us.

In fact, there’s only one option which incorporates the other two AND keeps the spirit of the original alive.

The Zombie Constitution!

Half dead, half alive…………..always present.

I can smell your brains!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, that was supposed to be an acknowledgement of your advanced critical thinking and logic skills but it came out sounding a bit creepy.

The main idea is that our Founding Fathers were brilliant people who did their utmost best to forge a document that, in their minds at the time, would ensure that their children and their children’s children would live free from the British Crown.

We have added to the original Bill of Rights which has granted more freedoms to more people. We have expanded freedoms to those we formally held as property and to those who bore our children; the very inheritors we wished to enjoy the freedoms hard fought through blood, sweat and toil.

A “living Constitution” is all unicorn farts and marshmallow rainbows when WE ADD TO IT the freedom our Forefathers envisioned for themselves.

A “static Constitution” would hold us back and shackle us to the days of slavery and an absence of women‘s suffrage(That‘s the Right to vote for any antis who might read this).

So let us embrace the position that as long as we expand freedoms, the Constitution is a living document. If anyone or any organization wishes to restrict or edit items out of the original document, well that's a different story.

After all that serious crap, what would the Founders think of modern society? What if they were still alive and wished to communicate their original intent to our current society?

enjoy...

Damn that looks good

KFC is now offering a "sandwich" which consists of bacon, two kinds of cheeses and sauce between two pieces of fried chicken.

Rabid Membership

That's what Paul Helmke considers the 4 million people in the NRA.

“I think the gun lobby is starting to lose its clout,” Helmke said.

Which explains why there's no new AWB, Nat'l Park Carry, Heller, etc. He only wishes he had anywhere near as many 'rabid' members.

Illinois Two-fer

According to NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde, Quinn, the Governor of Illinois signed both HB-3714 and HB-182 into law today.

HB-3714 retracts the requirement for minor, non-violent misdemeanors to be action for removal of firearms while on probation.

HB-182 decriminalizes the use of a defensive firearm in a location where you have been invited.

While minor in most states, these are both significant steps in Illinois.

Give them what they want and they won't hurt you.

A former lawyer and firearm rights advocate who befriended an ex-con was murdered by him so the con could steal the lawyers gun collection.

"They forced the victim upstairs, covering his face with a jacket, and forced him onto a bed," the prosecutor said. "It was Bratcher who held the back of the victim's head into a cushion on the bed and smothered him."

Now according to anti-gun advocates like Mikeb, it is Mr. Kuhn's, the victim, own fault as well as the fault of all firearm owners for this murder.

Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said Kuhn was passionate about gun safety. Kuhn served as the group's executive vice president and was a legal adviser and a director for 25 years. He was a trainer, range master, and hunter safety instructor.

I'm a 'Brownshirt' and Proud of it.

At least I was until they switched it to a 'Tanshirt'.

It's OK for 'Them'...

Via Another Gun Blog comes this wonderful quote by Obama:

"I want you to argue with them and get in their face,"

But if you're doing it while not supporting the Obamessiah, you're an UnAmerican extreme racist right-wing terrorist tea-bagging fascist.

What an Incestuous Web We Weave.....

Most of us are well aware of how intertwined gun control advocacy is with organizations being funded by the same groups that fund the reports they cite.

What isn't quite as clear is how close the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) have become in the recent spate of reports that have surfaced this year.

First off we have the (now retracted) "Strategic Report on the Modern Militia" from the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) that was leaked to the public. MIAC is a 'Fusion Center' of the DHS. This was the report that specifically named Ron Paul and Bob Barr supporters as potential terrorists. It cites information from the SPLC.

Then we had the "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" from the DHS that named bloggers who disagree with the mainstream media as extremists.

Then the DHS released the "Rightwing Extremism" paper that, while supposedly a companion peice to the 'Leftwing Extremism' paper, was so broad as to include pretty much anyone who considered themselves 'conservative' or 'rightwing'. It also directly quoted a SPLC report from 2006 (without naming them) pointing 'domestic terrorist' fingers at military personnel. At least one other mention of a 'prominent civil rights organization' is a reference to another SPLC report. According to blogger BVBL, a FOIA request to the DHS on the report was responded to w/ numerous links to the SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL, who also heavily influenced the MIAC paper).

Just recently the SPLC released their own report, "The Second Wave", that cites the DHS paper stating "that suggested a resurgence of radical right-wing activity was under way." among numerous other references. It also numerous 'Lexicon' terminologies in the same format.

Hmm. Where could they possibly have gotten that idea from?

What short memories we have.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've had some home projects chewing up time.

I'm going to try and post something this weekend aligned with my original theme but I just wanted to share a collection of death threats against a former resident of the White House which failed to garmer much attention from the MSM.

Seen here.

I'ld Forget My Own Head

I've been maintaining the trailer for two years now as of last week.

1856 posts with 293,000 pageviews and 196,000 visits by 83,000 vistors later, it's still going strong.

Paul Helmke Responds to the White House

WAAAAAAAAH!

MAIG Defection

Via War on Guns, we learn that the Buckeye Firearms Assoc. has encouraged Mayor Marlene Anielski to quit Bloomberg's anti-gun organization.

From the letter:

Mayor, you and your coalition of allies have misrepresented yourselves to the mayors of America and its citizens. This effort is simply another attempt to shift blame for violent crime from criminals to law-abiding gun owners. This is gun control, not crime prevention. These tactics do not target illegal guns, but rather honest citizens and lawful dealers, essentially criminalizing all gun ownership. This coalition makes no distinction whatsoever between law-abiding gun owners and violent criminals.

Bitter over at SIH has recently done a multi-post series on efforts along these lines for PA.

One Mayor at a time.

Guns at Protests? Not the First Time

Via Newsbusters

we saw at the Texas Republican Convention members of a group called the New Black Panther Party carrying guns on the streets of Houston, protesting the Republican Convention.

And you know what? It's perfectly legal. Welcome to George Bush's America, right, Farai?

Just like w/ the "Obama Joker" poster, the whole situation is nothing more than the attempts to generate controversy and hysteria.

Suicide by Cop: Godfather Edition

How many rounds does it require to take down a single individual who allegedly threatened police?

Apparently it takes 6 firearms being emptied. 59 shots w/ 43 hits.

But here's the real 'money shot':

"We are saying that our people did what we trained them to do," the police chief said.

At least their hit count was higher than normal.

Just another weekend in "Gun Free" Chicago..

Three wounded in Uptown shooting

About 4:50 a.m., three males, whose ages were not available, were in a vehicle traveling through an alley

Hmm. Nothing suspicious there.

Man critical after shot in head in Pilsen

About 12:25 a.m., a man in his 30s was shot in the head

Man shot and critically injured in Bronzeville 2:25am

Man critically injured after Lawndale shooting

2 shot in East Chatham neighborhood

Man shot in back on South Side dies

And not this weekend but it continues the theme of nighttime:

Man upset over breakup charged in deadly rampage

A man upset over a breakup with his girlfriend decided to vent his rage by randomly shooting two innocent people in the back of the head before police arrested him in the middle of a separate robbery

Good thing they had that gun turn in or it could have been REALLY bad. It's obviously the fault of Racist Right Wing Militia Extremists flooding into the city.

Paul Helmke lies...

In other news, scientists discover water is wet.

"There is still time for Congress and the president to take steps to keep loaded firearms away from the valleys of Yellowstone, the cliffs of Yosemite, and the Statue of Liberty -- but they need to act quickly," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

So who wants to point out the blatant inaccuracies in this statement?

How New York City reduces crime...

By fining kids selling lemonade.

Three sourpuss Parks Department agents put the squeeze on a 10-year-old girl in Riverside Park yesterday, slapping the tyke with a $50 ticket for hawking lemonade without a permit.

The parks commissioner gets points for having enough sense to overturn the idiocy of his officers.

The Reality of Gun 'Turn-Ins'.

At Snuffy Pfleger's church.


Thanks to Yas at Illinois Carry with more pictures and info.

UPDATE: The 'buyback' wasn't as successful as past years. Seems there's only so many little old ladies w/ rusty guns in their basements.

And in Daley's "Gun Free Paradise" of Chicago

The two indicted for the shooting near Snuffy's church a few weeks ago? A 17yr old and a 16 yr old.

I'm going to take a stab at it and say that the gun was unregistered, they didn't have FOID's (which means no gun show or legal private sale purchase), have some priors, and that gangs/drugs were involved.

The Grassroots that isn't..

We have the Dr. that isn't.

The daughter of an Obama delegate asking fed questions.

Bused in supporters to townhall meetings.

Obama supporters carrying Obama/Hitler signs.

And a pretend White Supremacist (who isn't) sending fake death threats.

This must be where the SPLC has seen its increase in 'right-wing militia's'.

Silence = Support?

That's Paul Helmke's latest claim in that he wants people to believe the NRA is promoting 'blood in the streets' (yes, that tired old meme again) by not issuing press releases on people carrying to Town Hall meetings.

Of course by this logic, the Brady Campaign then approved of the gun confiscations in New Orleans after Katrina.

One would almost think that Helmke WANTS something to happen. Then the Brady Campaign can send out another E-mail alert asking for contributions amounts in the number of people dead. Just like they did after VT.

Creekmore's Top 10

What to do if you want to guarantee your personal extinction.

Arming Criminals

No, not the NRA as is regularly claimed by gun control advocates, but by the authorities themselves. 'Allegedly', the Mayor of Harvey, Illinois instructed a police detective to return a gun to a convicted drug dealer and gang member, a gun that was evidence in a criminal investigation, and have charges of threatening other police officers, dropped.

Charges weren't dropped but they didn't mean anything since the evidence, the gun, had 'disappeared'.

Gotta love Illinois politicians.

Guilt By Association

So the SPLC, joining the DHS, publishes another report about 'right-wing militia's' and all the nasty stuff they might do. Their statements paint quite a broad brush of correlations:

One federal agency estimates that 50 new militia training groups have sprung up in less than two years. Sales of guns and ammunition have skyrocketed amid fears of new gun control laws, much as they did in the 1990s.

They even include military and law enforcement who promise to do their job:

Oath Keepers, the military and police organization that was formed earlier this year and held its April muster on Lexington Green, may be a particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival.

Gun Control is on the radar:

One Oath Keeper is longtime militia hero Richard Mack, ... won a U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the Brady Bill gun control law in the 1990s.

At the same time, players like the National Rifle Association, which in the 1990s publicly attacked federal law enforcement agents as "jackbooted thugs," are back at it. Two months before the election last fall, firearms manufacturers joined forces to promote NRA membership in a national campaign ominously dubbed "Prepare for the Storm in 2008."

Tea Parties, the NRA, anti-illegal immigration, gun shows, Constitutionalism, etc. are being lumped together w/ KKK, neo-Nazi's, white supremacists and violent reactionaries in an attempt to demonize them all and reduce their influence. And all of it is intersparsed w/ correlations to racism at its core.

The partisanship displayed is so overt that even CNN questioned the report when they did a piece on it. it is clearly shown here:

At the Jacksonville, Fla., July tea party, some protesters carried signs that compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler.

"Bushitler" was the default insult for the previous 8 years. Why the uproar now? Oh, right.

This is the kind of rhetoric that we will continue to see. Count on it.

Missing Something?

The original caption stating that this was US troops and Iraqi police during real operations.

Can anyone tell what's wrong w/ this picture?

Relatively quiet on the Eastern Front

Since I'm off training Anti-Jihadist militia in Northern Elbonia, posting has been and will most likely be sparse for the next few weeks.

CCW lawsuit in DC?

According to poster LegalEagle45 on Huffpo and THR:

The prohibition of CCW by law abidding citizens in DC was challenged in a lawsuit filed today in US District Court for the District of Columbia. Case name is PALMER, et al vs. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA and CATHY LANIER.

Counsel of record?

Alan Gura.

And Chicago files brief opposing SCOTUS review of NRA et al V Chicago.

INCONTHEIVABLE!!!

And in a Brady two-fer, Dennis Henigan shows that the word 'Extremist' doesn't mean what he thinks it means.

The plain truth is that the NRA's policy positions long have reflected the extremist ideology of its leadership, and a core group of "Second Amendment absolutists" in its membership.

Now anyone w/ any clue (or any integrity) about the internal debates that go on between firearm activists and owners would find the above statement laughable on its face. Of course to the Brady campaing, ANY support of firearm rights is extremist.

And what's even funnier is his 'evidence' of NRA 'extremism'. A poll done for the Bloomberg financed Mayors Against Illegal Guns and another by paid anti-gun 'researcher' Hemenway , that one 16 years old to boot.

I also like the term 'self-identified NRA members'. Reminds me of this. When a poll of 150 ACTUAL NRA members was taken, none of them supported Brady style 'reasonable' gun laws.

Watch the dancing Helmke..

The Brady Campaign is reveling in the recent shootings in PA, crying out for politicians to 'do something', which we all know will be followed by calls for more restrictions and bans.

Yet this isn't an atypical day in the Brady Paradise of Chicago where handguns and most long-arms are banned, registration, licensing, universal background checks, the works.

Unorganized Militia: Child Soldiers

Fourth Powers Alpha and Bravo have managed to survive six years w/o me strangling them. As a reward, they got their first Daisy rifles:

and lessons on safety (the four rules) and handling.


They did manage to hit the bucket a few times. Not bad for their first time.


Oh. And here's a Cicada.

Chicago Justice

Via commenter Illinois Voter comes this piece showing how much Chicago authorities really want to crack down on crime.

Man gets 3 years in Englewood girl's death

Yep. Three years.

While he wasn't the shooter, he obviously knew they were going to murder someone. He participated in some way to enable that murder. And all he gets is three years.

Chi-Town. Gotta love it.

Just another Weekend in Brady Paradise

From our very favorite Father "Snuffy" Pfleger:

$5K reward offered in shooting of 2 teens

Man killed, woman hurt in carjacking attempt

6 shot outside a (gangbangers)funeral service in Chicago

And?

A politician who promised on the campaign trail not to raise taxes is thinking about raising taxes to pay for a program most people don't want and will still bankrupt the country.

Next in the news, water is wet, bears crap in the woods, and the NEA spends lots of money on stupid crap.

This Judge shoots blanks..

To show how 'impartial' our judicial system is, we have a former NJ judge who respects hunting but other than that is full of the usual Brady talking points. NRA is bad. BAD ASSAULT WEAPON!!! BAD!!! To many guns. "Guns in every pocket". More guns=More crime. 'Reasonable gun laws', etc.

You know. The same kind of bumper sticker proselytizing that Dennis Henigan hates. Not really surprising though looking at his bio:

H. Lee Sarokin served on the United States District Court (N.J.) appointed by President Carter, and the United States Court of Appeals (3rd Cir.) appointed by President Clinton.

Apparently banning Marlin 60's and JC Higgins 29's as 'Assault Weapons' are more of those 'reasonable restrictions' we keep hearing are needed.

Nice weather we're having, eh?

Via WOG comes the latest missive on the Brady Paradise of Chicago.

Shootings wound at least 15 overnight

And that's not including the murders.

Dennis Henigan puts up a post proclaiming that criminals are more likely to commit crimes.

Shock, I know.

How is this different from what the ebil, nasty NRA (and countless firearm owners) has been saying?

His response is to make more laws that (according to US v Haynes and numerous other cases) criminals don't have to bother following since doing so would incriminate themselves.

So lets analyze Chicago.

Handgun ban? Check.
'Assault Weapon' Ban? Check
Annual registration of all allowed guns? Check
Licensing of all firearm owners (FOID)? Check
Universal Background Checks? Check
5 Times the murder rate of the rest of the state? Check

Like David says. Forget it Jake, it's Chi-town.

Guns from the Government

In a study relating primarily to guns coming from the US, some interesting numbers and claims come out regarding to exactly where the international criminals get their armaments from:

"'insiders' illegally sold over 3000 firearms recovered in crime or surrendered in amnesties to the Metropolitan Toronto Police Service."

"Still less is known about the third source of weapons, the Mexican security forces themselves. The Small Arms Survey 2008 showed that weapons diverted from police and armed forces are a major and sometimes the main source of illicit weapons in many countries."

"Some weapons used in Mexican crimes such as grenades, RPGs and fully automatic weapons are less easy to acquire in the US, and have probably arrived from elsewhere."

Basically admitting that the US isn't really the main problem but their own governments and authority figures.

"The authors speculate US authorities would not only have to stem the supply of smuggled weapons from the US, but also other potential sources to successfully block the flow of deadly arms to criminals and criminal organizations."

Which would entail taking over the gov'ts of Canada, Mexico and numerous other countries. I'm sure that would fly.

Yet, even with millions more firearms being made every year in the US and the claims that "gun crime is reaching 'epidemic' levels"( according to those who don't bother looking at actual crime numbers) we read:

The rate of gun homicide in Canada is statistically low and falling

Another interesting statistic is this:

Toronto, a city with 2.8 million people hit 52 gun homicides in 2005

Chicago, a city w/ a population of 2.7 million, had 449 homicides (total) in 2005. Handguns and most long guns are banned there w/ full licensing and registration of what is allowed.

The rest of the state, where firearms are common, has murder rates only slightly higher than Canada (IL: ~3.0, CA: ~2.0).

Authorized Ignorance

Did you know that CCW Reciprocity is equatable to handing out guns to kindergartners? That's the opinion of one "Authorized Journalist" in PA.

" , it isn't a good idea to allow citizens with concealed-carry permits in their home states to travel to other states while armed."

He should be especially upset since PA licenses are recognized in over 2 dozen other states, recognizes those from 2 dozen states, and even issues non-resident permits. Nevermind the hundreds of other reciprocity agreements across the nation.

Not that we expect much accuracy from the media anymore.

Doing my duty.

Today a friend of mine bought a handgun at a local gunshow.

What's remarkable about this? It was his very first firearm purchase. A Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm.

A year ago he would have never contemplated buying a gun. What he knew was what he saw on TV and read in the papers. He thought an 'assault weapon' was something more than just a tricked out semi-auto. Shotguns and 'hunting rifles' were OK but.... etc. You all know the routine.

Then I started educating him.

I didn't feed him 'NRA talking points'. I asked him questions and encouraged him to find the answers on his own. I provided resources for both sides of the debate and made myself available for any questions he had.

After doing some research, he came back from reading the Brady Campaign site with "You've got to be kidding me. What a bunch of crap."

And another gun nut was born.

Another "I'm a gun owner but..."

She doesn't like the NRA supporting pro-gun legislation. Fine. I can support that. Except when their reasons are based on complete ignorance. For example:

If I may, the NRA was very vocal in the fight concerning assault class weapons, such the M-16 and the AK-47. While these two weapons in particular are not the issue, the debate was that citizens had the right to hunt with assault class weapons.

I disagreed on the principle of the argument. Citizens do not need fully automatic assault class firearms to go hunting. The statement was absurd, but upheld by members of the NRA.

Or (Regarding the Thune amendment):

If a person unable to purchase a gun in one state, can simply skip to a state where he will pass the tests and receive a concealed carry license can then return to the original state, he is now in effect in violation of the original states law, designed with public safety in mind.

Assuming that this individual is really a gun owner, what this shows is that our biggest enemy is not the Brady Campaign or Josh Sugarmann but outright ignorance. Obviously they have not read a single thing about either issue beyond what they saw on TV or read from 'authorized journalists'.

"Assault Class Weapon" is right out of the gun banner lexicon.

Had she bothered to actually READ the amendment she would have noted that it specifically said:

to allow citizens who have concealed carry permits from the State in which they reside to carry concealed firearms in another State that grants concealed carry permits, if the individual complies with the laws of the State.

Now, when called on it, she's hopping around saying she 'remembers' the NRA pushing fully autos (those 'assault class weapons again) for hunting but that semi-autos are 'excessive' anyway.

Hopefully our continued discussion opened her eyes a little. She seemed to be basing her entire philosophy on firearms based upon her personal experiences and needs. She couldn't see the 'need' for a semi-auto rifle yet chose a semi-auto handgun for personal self defense. She couldn't see the 'need' for national reciprocity because she doesn't regularly travel, ignoring the choices or needs of those who do carry across states.

Eight Little Mayors, Sitting in Jail

Tryin' to get to Heaven by the end of their bail....

By the latest count.

Passaic, NJ Mayor Samuel Rivera
Frank Melton, of Jackson MS
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Birmingham, Al Mayor Larry Langford
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon
Jeremiah Healey of Jersey City
Racine, WI Mayor Gary Becker

Are joined in their fine club of indicted and/or convicted MAIG mayors by Bayonne, NJ Mayor Joseph Doria whose house was raided today in conjunction w/ numerous corruption arrests. Included in this was the Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, Leona Beldini, whose boss, Jerramiah Healy is a MAIG member.

I missed this one. Thanks to SIH for the heads up.

Spinning Thune

SIH notes that both the VPC and BC have issued press releases on the failing of the Thune amendment today in the Senate.

What neither presser notes however is that it received 58 votes in support out of 97 cast. A clear majority.

While they're praising this victory over a 'dangerous gun bill' they're secretly on their knees thanking whatever deity they believe in that this required 60 votes instead of a simple majority.

Update: Helmke's Huffpo gloat is even funnier. Still no mention of the 58 senators voting in support but he goes on and on about 'elections having consequences' and the 'diminished clout of the NRA'.

If this is 'diminished clout' then the gun banners are hurting even worse than is commonly thought.

Mandate on CCW Reciprocity

While the Thune Amendment failed to pass by 2 votes, it showed what kind of support it really had in the Senate. 58 Senators voted for it. That means that over 1/3 of the Democrats supported the measure. That's not just a couple of defectors like the few Republicans who voted against it. That's solid support.

This issue will come up again. We'll see what the trend is next time.

Only a few....

That's what we've been told about the heavy weapons used by Mexican drug cartels. They only have a 'few' grenades, RPG's, etc. Some idiots even argue that real assault rifles are to expensive for the Cartels to purchase.

Four months later, police discovered a training camp for the Zetas, one of Mexico's fiercest gangs, a few miles south of the Mexican border in Ixtcan. They also found 500 grenades and thousands of bullets believed stolen from the Guatemalan army

500 grenades in one camp. Stolen from the military. Odds are good those weren't the only items taken.

Yet anti-rights activists like Paul Helmke, Josh Sugarmann, and Bryan Miller are more concerned w/ semi-auto's and revolvers that they get from the US. They think giving MORE money, equipment and guns to the very gov'ts that the Cartels are getting their weapons from is a peachy-keen idea.

It's all those damn gun shows again.

Chicago Style Elections, Honduras Edition

Seems that the 'referendum' in Honduras may have been pre-decided:

Tegucigalpa -- The National Direction of Criminal Investigation confiscated computers in the Presidential House in which were registered the supposed results of the referendum on the reform of the Constitution that was planned by former President

So assuming this is true, will we hear a peep out of our dear leader and his spokes-critters for their support of Zelaya?

Was this a test case for '12?

"Broad Discretion" = Racism and Discrimination

Unsurprisingly, the Staten Island D.A. opposes the federal CCW reciprocity concept.

""The broad discretion afforded by the New York City Police Department to deny permits would be vitiated by this bill because those Mississippi permit holders could carry concealed firearms in New York City without any firearms training whatsoever," he wrote.

Yes, we all know what 'broad discretion' means. It means that unless you're politically connected and/or rich, you're not getting one.

So to justify his support of blatant discrimination, he has to lie:

The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 would open the door for criminals to carry weapons in New York, Donovan said.

As if 'criminals' would bother w/ licensing.

And this is the way it always turns out and why we're winning. When a bill like this comes up, anti's start throwing out the anecdotes and nonsense fear mongering. We respond with logic and a presentation of the facts like the one that violations of any kind by CCW holders are less than by the 'average' citizen and exponentially less than by members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

H/T to NYSRPA

Where do the guns come from again?

MEXICO CITY – Mexican investigators have detained 10 police officers in the torture and killings of 12 federal agents whose bodies were found dumped along a highway in western Michoacan state...

Prosecutors also charged a former mayor of the town of La Huacana, where the bodies were found, for alleged links to organized crime.

Isn't it comforting to know we're sending millions of dollars in cash and equipment to help the Mexican Gov't fight crime?

Illinois Police support Concealed Carry

"If you're not sure if a guy has a gun, you may not try to do some things to him that you might otherwise try to get away with," said Peoria police Officer Troy Skaggs, president of the Peoria Police Benevolent Union. "It's the fear of the unknown."

In February, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association passed a resolution supporting a concealed-carry law in Illinois, with several conditions in place.

Then in May, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis expressed public support for Peoria becoming a test city for statewide legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible way.

During a recent 10-week stint at the FBI's National Academy, which brought 250 worldwide law-enforcement executives to Quantico, Va., Peoria Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard said, "Everyone I spoke to was in favor of concealed carry."

On July 9, the village of Bartonville and its police department passed a resolution in support of the ISA's recommendation for legalized concealed-carry accompanied by stringent regulation of the process.

"We're supporting the sheriff's association with mandated regulations if the Legislature decides to enact concealed- carry in the state," Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel said. "They're already out on the streets. The gangbangers already have guns. This would allow law-abiding citizens to have them with mandatory training and background checks."

Read the rest. The support just continues. This is what you get when a paper does something other than cut and paste Brady Campaign press releases.

HT to WOG

Shooting at "Snuffy" Pfleger's Church

Two people were wounded in a shooting this evening near St. Sabina Church in the South Side's Auburn Gresham community, authorities said.

The teen boys had been inside the gym as part of a youth sports program when they stepped outside and began arguing with someone in a brown van, said Roderick Drew, Chicago police spokesman.

Hmm. Nothing suspicious there.

He could not provide a description of the shooter.

Because none of the 'victims' will provide one, I'm sure.

Pfleger said he was offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.

Seems you need to talk to your parishioners Snuffy.

I'm sure these were just a couple of 'good boys' who've never done anything wrong before and get straight A's in school.

SNAKES ON THE RANGE!!!!

Item No. MRE-865

Each case has 12 meals, a five-year shelf life and includes a hot entrée, dessert, snakes, condiments and a heater. Believe it or not, they actually taste as good as canned food!
Regularly: $79.97

Email Price: $69.97




From yesterdays CTD e-mail offer showing why you shouldn't trust spellcheck. mmm slithery goodness.

"Be Afraid of Our Rights"

Says Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey as he blames everyone and thing except the criminal for the shootings yesterday. "Assault Weapons", "Liberal" gun laws, NRA, etc. The usual litany of finger pointing as he advocates banning pump action shotguns.

More at GRE.

O-day +177: Stimulus then and now

That is why I have moved quickly to work with my economic team and leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will immediately jumpstart job creation and long-term growth.

-Obama Jan 8, 2009

And as we see the unemployment rate continue to spike, in some areas above 15%, enter the weasel words:

"This legislation was designed to cushion the downturn," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. "That's why we have always talked about this as one function of economic recovery."

"It's always challenging to explain that things getting less bad is actually a necessary path on the way to them being good, but that's the truth," Bernstein said. "The trends have to go recession, stabilization, recovery. Negative, less negative, positive."

"Less Bad"? The only industry that is currently solvent due to Obama is the firearm industry and that's because he threatened to end it. Unemployment is rising. Businesses are failing. Banks are still tanking. People are still defaulting on mortgages at record rates.

And this is 'stabilized'?

Yet w/ constant evidence of Obama throwing people under the bus and mismanaging this nation into the ground, his most ardent supporters still cry out "I believe".

And the irony is is that a large proportion of those people are the same ones that attack(ed) fervent Bush supporters for doing the exact same thing.

Chicago Gun Rights Examiner

Don Gwinn of the Armed SchoolTeacher has joined the prestigious ranks of individuals like David Codrea, Kurt Hoffman, and numerous others in propagating our message through Examiner online.

Make sure to check out his very first piece.

Unpossible in Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Three men were fatally shot. One man was fatally stabbed. Police shot one man and at least seven other people were wounded by gunfire -- including an 8-year-old boy sitting in his bedroom -- during an especially violent six hours late Wednesday and early Thursday mainly on the South and West Sides.

But Chicago and Cook County have even stricter 'reasonable, commmon-sense' gun laws than NJ.

I don't believe this actually happened.

NRA on Sotomayer

We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Therefore, the National Rifle Association of America opposes the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Read the whole thing here.

Unpossible in NJ..

NJ has 'reasonable, commonsense' gun control. This is obviously a fabrication.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Five police officers and two suspects were hit in a wild shootout in the area of Bergen Avenue and Reed Street on Thursday morning. A total of eight officers were injured.

Obviously the 'one-gun a month' law would have stopped these individuals in their tracks.

Update: The story's changed from 'automatic' shotgun to 'illegal pump' shotgun.

On Sotomayor

Yes she's going to get nominated. Yes she's going to be a disaster for the country.

But at least Obama didn't nominate this guy:

Goodbye Terror Alert.

The Terror Alert System is either going to be revamped or eliminated all together. Alan of SnarkyBytes suggested it be changed to this:

And for an extra amount of fun, DHS is accepting public suggestions at :

hsasreview@dhs.gov

One of These Things is Just Like the Other..

Via NYSRPA:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership endorses Sotomayor for SCOTUS.

And what other fine organization has done so?

Telling. Isn't it?

Wildlife Photography

For me birfday, I got one of those outdoor cameras for taking pictures of wildlife. Put it out over the weekend and got some pretty neat shots. Mostly of the dogs though and one of a very surprised father-in-law. One thing I noticed was that it gave a similar effect to timelapse photography watching the light change over the time I had it set up.

Look off in the distance on this one.

First Responder

You're driving along, looking forward to a nice hot meal. As you go around a corner you come upon another car, flipped over, wheels spinning, debris still bouncing on the road.

What do you do?

Standing next to the car, you note it's still running.

What do you do?

There's someone inside. He's breathing and his eyes are open but he's not responding to stimulus.

What do you do?

He starts regaining consciousness but is still heavily disoriented and starts thrashing around in the car.

What do you do?

The above is not a hypothetical but an actual situation that I experienced this weekend. Thankfully I've had enough (very) basic training in first aid and accident response to react properly until better trained and equipped individuals arrived on the scene. Others who stopped helped direct traffic, call 911 to report, what have you.

Some just stood gawking and taking pictures.

Who would you be if you were the first on the scene? Do you know enough to help in even a basic way or would you just stand there hoping someone else will help?

I'm glad that I was able to help this individual and do my duty as a responsible citizen and not as a leech on society.

The tale of two Mexicos

What's the difference between Mexican drug cartels and the Mexican Military that Obama has promised to arm to the teeth with your money?

Apparently, not much.

Hopeychange

Free police starter kit

When are we going to see the antis call for this LEO to bear some of the responsibility when these weapons and items are used in crimes?

Brady Campaign looking for new shorts on S845 as well

That bill noone heard of before yesterday? The Brady's are putting out pressers and sending out e-mail alerts w/ some true PSH.

So are they just looking for an easy 'win' on a bill that is destined to die or is there actually some sort of momentum on this thing that's managed to bypass everyone's attention?

VPC craps themselves over National Reciprocity

From a VPC E-mail:

We need your help to stop dangerous legislation now pending in the U.S. Senate that would force our communities to permit dangerous individuals from other states to carry loaded, hidden handguns in public. We need you to call your two U.S. Senators right away and tell them to oppose this measure.

The bill in reference is S. 845 which has 22 co-sponsors as of June 20th. Note that Josh refers to CCW holders as 'dangerous individuals' even though he's statistically more likely to commit a crime than a licensed carrier.

He gives two good reasons to support the bill.

o The bill, S. 845, would dramatically increase the number of individuals carrying concealed handguns in public in your state.

o S. 845 would require states to recognize concealed carry permits that are issued by other states.

And conveniently gives a date:

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on S. 845 as early as Monday, July 13.

Thanks for the heads up Josh. It's appreciated.


H/T to Kaveman for the forward.

This is what should be on the news....

Band Of Brothers Hero, Darrell ‘Shifty’ Powers Dies

To hell with Michael Jackson. To hell with Michelle Obama's hairdo's.

This is news. He should have gotten wall to wall coverage, 1.4 million dollar memorial services, and parades.

Not a has-been pedofile.

H/T to Irons in the Fire.

Just Another Line on the Mausoleum

In a move showing either that he's not completely without wits and wants to withdraw with a shred of dignity intact or that he wants to add a few more lines to his obituary, Roland Burris is stating that he won't run for a full Senate term in 2010.

One point is that he shouldn't have had the chance to make this choice in the first place as our elected Senators should have had enough courage to maintain their original opposition to him after Rep. Bobby Rush (D, IL-1) played the race card to get him seated.

Another is that the odds are we're going to end up w/ another turd anyway. Rumors are that the Illinois Dems are pushing current AG Lisa Madigan (a NON-signatory to theChicago AG Amicus Brief, and a supporter of the DC Handgun Ban) to run for the seat and I suspect the state Republicans will hold up to their moniker in choosing an opposing candidate.

Ah well, we still have another year and a half of the crap sandwich that are our Illinois Senators before the next election.

California IOU's

As the state is billions of dollars in debt and is talking about issuing out IOU's instead of actual money, they decide to spend over a million dollars providing services for the Jacko Memorial.

They're not really upset though because they originally thought it would cost about $4 million.

Bread and Circuses.

Not a 'Gun Ban' Organization?

"Brady does not advocate banning guns."

--Doug Pennington, Brady Campaign Asst. Communications Director

Really?

Wouldn't it be more effective to bar dealers from selling assault weapons to prevent the traffickers from getting the guns in the first place?

---Dennis Henigan, Brady Campaign Vice President and Legal Director

I'm a Gun Owner but....

In a letter making the internet rounds from one eminently proud of his stance, one 'gun owner' hates the NRA and wants Sotomayer confirmed.

It follows the traditional "I'm a gun owner but.." format w/ the author listing his 'credentials' of firearm ownership, how he's really smart, loves his guns, but....

He hates the NRA.

He doesn't actually present a REASON in his letter of why she should be confirmed or dispute any of the points Chris Cox made other than that he hates the NRA:

NRA characterizes the firearms issue through narrow toilet-paper tubes of fear that 'liberals' with anti-gun agenda will take away our guns. The reality is that illegal and improper use, storage or transfer of guns is a significant problem in America. I strongly support gun ownership but come down on the side of organizational and personal responsibility and competence with respect to guns. Guns are dangerous.

Yep, it's not the 80%+ recidivism, gangs, or violent drug culture that's the problem, it's legal gun owners.

He then goes on a rant about how the NRA does nothing for hunters and sportsmen (now there's a familiar phrase). Here's a telling part:

Here in Idaho where I live there are no NRA basic firearm training programs even though this is a great outdoor sports state.

Hmm. About ten seconds on Google found numerous available instructors, courses and programs including Spudguns.net, Idaho Ordnance, etc. Using the 'Find NRA near you' feature, I found even more. Nevermind that our very own Joe Huffman lives in Idaho and could have pointed him to the right people if he didn't do the instruction himself. So our 'strong supporter of gun ownership' is either ignorant or FOS.

Then follows some questions he'ld like to ask Sotomayer:

Do you believe that gun ownership in America carries responsibility by the owner to be competent in the storage, handling, maintenance, and use of the owned firearms?

Do you think that the 'well regulated militia' language in the second amendment implies that private gun owners should be trained and certified perhaps as automobile drivers are tested for knowledge, skill, and abilities?

Should gun ownership carry insurance requirements for liability and health damages caused by the gun owner?

By the phrasing, I'm going to take an educated guess he supports licensing, legislated training, safe storage, and mandatory insurance for all firearm owners because we can trust the Gov't to uphold our rights. That's exactly the view held by the Founding Fathers. Right?

Now, coinciding with the above highlighted phrase, I did a little research on our alleged gun owner. Turns out he is a strong Obama supporter with donations totaling over $2,000 for the last election.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

I'm so glad to have such a 'strong supporter of gun ownership' out there defending my rights even though his 'support' makes a 'Prag' look like a 'Threeper' in comparison.

More from Caleb.

CATO files 2A Amicus Brief

Via IllinoisCarry:

Last summer, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court confirmed what the Framers, most scholars, and a substantial majority of Americans believe: that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. Heller led to lawsuits raising the question of whether the Fourteenth Amendment protects that right against infringement by state and local governments. In a consolidated case involving a challenge to Chicago's handgun ban, the Seventh Circuit answered that question in the negative, finding itself foreclosed by 19th-century Supreme Court decisions. Cato, joining with the Institute for Justice, filed an amicus brief supporting requests for the Supreme Court to review that line of precedent. We argue that the Court's initial encounters with the Fourteenth Amendment yielded a profound misreading of its Privileges or Immunities Clause that has haunted the Court's rights jurisprudence ever since.

Download a copy of the brief

90% Canard Debunked by GAO

"The facts are it's 90 percent of the guns that were traced, that we were able -- that the Mexican government and ATF were able to send back here to be traced by ATF. It does not represent the 75 percent of the guns that we don't know where they came from because they were never submitted for trace. That's clearly stated in our report. So if someone's misreporting that, you know, that's not my problem. But our report is based on the facts."

--Jess Ford GAO

Now we get to watch Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign back-peddle furiously from his statement made back in April:

As the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reports, 90 percent of firearms recovered at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to gun sellers right here in the United States.

So since one big number didn't work, now he's jumping on another one to try and generate any knee jerk reaction to restrict and ban guns. What he doesn't focus on is that the '20,000' guns is over a period of 5 years and that, according to the very GAO report he cites, over 4,000 (20%) came from California, rated A+/#1 by the Brady Campaign.

So even those 'tough, common-sense' laws in place aren't enough to curb their desire for even more restrictions. Never mind the fact that numerous US and Mexican officials have been caught smuggling guns. You know, those ones we're supposed to place our absolute trust in?

Keep throwing out those numbers Paul. Maybe someone will believe you.

Update: Kaveman also notes some previous number fudging that Paul is trying to avoid. Like when the claimed that 2,000 guns per day were crossing the border. Assuming all those 20K went to Mexico and returned within those five years, it would average 11/day. Someone of a discrepancy of 99.45%, Not a very good 'estimate' was it Paul. Nevermind them quoting Mexican officials claiming grenades and rocket launchers are coming from US gun shows.

Armed and Safe has more.

Eat it Helmke

Fairfax, Va. – Two-thirds of the nation’s attorneys general have filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in the case of NRA v. Chicago and hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This bi-partisan group of 33 attorneys general, along with the Attorney General of California in a separate filing, agrees with the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms in the home for self-defense, disagreeing with the decision recently issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

“The historical record clearly shows that the Second Amendment was intended to apply to every American in every state in the country,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “As the Supreme Court said clearly in last year’s landmark Heller decision, the Second Amendment protects an individual right that ‘belongs to all Americans’. Two-thirds of America’s state Attorneys General agree.”

The Seventh Circuit claimed precedent bound it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment. However, it should have followed the lead of the recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Nordyke v. King, which found that those cases don't prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The Seventh Circuit opinion upholds current bans on the possession of handguns in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois.

California attorney general Edmund G. Brown Jr. is filing a separate brief arguing that the Supreme Court should take up NRA’s appeal and hold that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the States.

“It is fundamentally wrong to violate the civil rights of any law-abiding person based on their zip code,” Cox concluded. “The fundamental right of self-defense must be respected by every jurisdiction throughout our country.”

State Attorneys General Amicus Brief
California Attorney General Amicus Brief

I hope Paul, Bryan, and Josh are now crapping themselves hoping they can get a few AG's to support them.

Unsurprisingly, the Illinois AG is not a signatory.

Serial Killers on Parole

The SC serial killer that murdered 5 people in cold blood was, surprise surprise, a lifelong criminal who had just been released on parole.

"Look at this," Lloyd said, waiving a stapled copy of Burris' criminal record. "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street."

But the only thing that made him do it was the gun.

Trust the Gov't. They're here to help.

Fair and Balanced 2A Education in Illinois?

Surprisingly yes. The State Goal Assessment page on the 2A debate actually presents complete neutrality on the issue*.

Is there hope for our future generations?







*Void in Chicago.