IGOLD 2013

One of the major annual events for the Illinois State Rifle Association is their Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day. This is the day that gun owners from across the Illini State gather to lobby the Illinois General Assembly.

ISRA recently set the date for the 2013 event. It will be held in Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, March 6th.  You can download their flyer for the event here.

To get an idea about the turnout, check out these pictures on the Days of Our Trailers blog. By contrast, here is the turnout for a Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic) event outside the White House.

IL Gov. Quinn's Amendatory Veto Over-Ridden In State Senate

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto of a bill that would have allowed Illinois residents to purchase ammunition by mail order was over-ridden in the Illinois State Senate yesterday by a 49-4 vote. Quinn used the amendatory veto to rewrite the bill to ban semi-auto rifles, standard capacity magazines, and rifles in .50 caliber.

The original sponsor of the bill says that Quinn overstepped his authority:

Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (LUK'-tuh-feld) of Okawville (OH-kuh-vil) says Quinn overstepped his authority. Luechtefeld's original bill merely allowed approved Illinois gun owners who buy ammunition through the mail to purchase it from Illinois companies as well as those out of state. 

The Peoria Journal-Star reports that Quinn is not giving up on his attempts to ban semi-automatic rifles with cosmetic features he doesn't like.

Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson says the Democratic governor will continue seeking a statewide assault-weapons ban to enhance public safety. She would not elaborate on his strategy.

The measure now goes to the State House for action on the governor's veto. If they override it, Illinois residents will be able to purchase ammunition by mail-order from Illinois companies.

Kurt Hofmann, the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner and a resident of southern Illinois, has more on it here.

UPDATE: Richard Pearson, Ex. Director of ISRA, included this info in his Thursday bulletin about overriding the veto.

On Wednesday, Nov. 28th, 2012, the Illinois Senate passed SB681 in its original form at a margin of 49 – 4. The bill, SB681, was a simple bill that allowed ammunition to be mail ordered from dealers or companies in Illinois and shipped to FOID card holders in Illinois. FOID card holders could already order ammunition from out of state sources.

The Governor illegally used his amendatory veto power and substituted language to turn SB681 into an all encompassing ‘assault’ weapons ban. The Illinois Senate reaffirmed the original language and intent of SB681.

Next week, SB681 will have to be voted on in the Illinois House of Representatives. Be sure to call your state representative and ask them to vote for the override of the Governor’s Veto of SB681. To reach your representative, please click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections website to learn who your legislators are!

 The Illinois House of Representatives goes back in session on Tuesday, Dec. 4th.

Number One Bad Dad... Or Not

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are attention whores. I don't think that comes as any surprise to anyone who has seen some of their earlier stunts such as splashing fake bloods on fur coats or putting body-painted models in cages. And lest we forget, it is due to their actions in court that Brasstown's New Year's Eve Possum Drop was forbidden to use a live opossum.

Their latest attention getting scheme is to send Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) their "2012 Bad Dad Award". His offense? He took his daughter Liza on a successful father-daughter deer hunt over Thanksgiving. They said it is for "low caliber" parenting. For some reason I don't think they mean it as a commentary over Liza using her own Remington 700 in .243 Winchester as opposed to a .270 or .308.

In their letter to Ryan telling his of the award, PETA insinuates that parents who take their children hunting are creating future school shooting incidents.

November 28, 2012

The Honorable Paul Ryan United States House of Representatives

Dear Representative Ryan:

On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) more than 3 million members and supporters worldwide, including thousands in Wisconsin, I am writing to present you with PETA’s Bad Dad Award (your certificate is on the way). You deserve the award because, instead of teaching your young daughter respect for wildlife and encouraging her to embrace nonviolence, you gave her a gun and encouraged her to kill animals for fun.

You seem to have a desperate need to assert your old-fashioned idea of manhood, to wield power over those who can’t defend themselves, even to the point of stealing their very lives for nothing more than the perverse thrill of it. I imagine there must be a lot of people who are disappointed in your lack of empathy, not only for those who are unarmed in the face of the fancy weaponry that helps you do your dirty work but also more broadly. I suspect that while you love your daughter, you don’t understand that the love of one’s offspring is shared by other living beings, including deer, whose fawns become orphaned when they are killed. And given that your daughter was “practicing,” one wonders if she is already among the ranks of hunters responsible for allowing deer to flee wounded, only to die out of sight, slowly and in agony.

How appalling to use your influence to desensitize your child to the suffering of others. In fact, the young people who have opened fire on their schoolmates—including 16-year-old Andrew Golden who, along with an accomplice, killed five people at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark., and 17-year-old T.J. Lane, who killed three people at Chardon High School near Cleveland earlier this year, had first expressed their love of hunting animals. In light of this fact alone, it seems grossly irresponsible to encourage a child to kill for “fun.”

You can’t teach kids to be tough, if that was the purpose, by encouraging them to kill those who can’t defend themselves. Being a good dad means encouraging children to engage in safe, peaceful, and fun ways for them to enjoy nature, including canoeing, bird watching, biking, and hiking—even clearing the woods of hunters’ beer cans and other trash would be a blessing. While this letter is blunt, its point is to ask you to ponder the value of encouraging compassion in your daughter, as well as in your other children, by switching to humane family activities.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

I think it is an understatement to call these people bat-shit crazy. Their next stunt is put up billboards featuring talk show host Wendy Williams nude. I can't wait for what Joel McHale will do with that in the next episode of The Soup.

As for the award to Paul Ryan, I'm sure that it might get him a few more votes in his home district in Wisconsin from Democrats who hunt deer. I know he won't be losing any votes - or sleep - over it.

Principles Be Damned When It Is Something We Want

People say that they want politicians with principles: men and women who will stand by their word and who will honor prior agreements even if it isn't the most popular or expedient thing to do. People say that until such time as principle and honoring prior agreements get in the way of some goody that they want. Then it is those obstructionist politicians are impeding progress or whatever.

A case in point was the procedural vote on S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act of 2012, that took place on Tuesday morning. The roll call vote on S. 3525 was 50 yea, 44 nay, and 6 not voting. It was a vote to "waive all applicable budgetary discipline" and accept Majority Leader Harry Reid's substitute amendment (S. Admt No. 2875). With the exceptions of Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), it was a straight party line vote for or against this procedural measure. Republicans were against it and Democrats for it. Because the amendment did not get a 3/5 majority, it failed. With its failure, time now becomes an issue.

Leading the fight against this motion was Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee. Sen. Sessions said the Sportman's Act is legislation is something he strongly supports. However, he went on to say, that the bill violates the Budget Control Act of 2011. From the Congressional Record:

The question is, if we lay out a plan to address our fiscal issues, will we adhere to it? Will we follow it? So I am a little bit taken aback that my colleagues seem oblivious to the idea and the concern that, plainly, the Sportsmen’s Act legislation violates the Budget Act. The staff of Senator KENT CONRAD—our Democratic chairman of the Budget Committee, who is retiring— has concluded and certified that it violates the budget because it spends more money than we agreed to spend on this item 15 months ago when the Budget Control Act was passed in order to raise the debt ceiling in America.

Sessions acknowledges that the amount of money in question is miniscule when compared to other budget items.

So at a time of unprecedented spending, unsustainable debt, and low public confidence in Congress, should we not adhere to even the smallest spending limits that have been enacted? Should we again violate the Budget Control Act for a mere $14 million a year—a mere $14 million a year—when this could easily be fixed? I say ‘‘a mere $14 million’’ because we deal with billions of dollars on a routine basis around here.

He notes that the Congress spends over $900 million on wetlands conservation programs. Yet no one has examined these projects to see if enough efficiencies could be found to fund the $14 million expenditure in question. We are only talking about finding a mere 1.55% of waste and overages in other projects that could be re-budgeted to provide the $14 million in question.

Ben Lamb writes the Open Country blog for Outdoor Life magazine and is quite put out that the GOP finally stood up for principle.

Ten bucks. That’s what killed the progressive, popular, good-government Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 yesterday.

Ten bucks, or the increase of the cost of a federal duck stamp from $15 to $25.

But that $10 created a partisan divide large enough to kill something that hunters and anglers have been asking for: congressional help to provide public access to public land, end the nonsense of lead-ammo restrictions, and allow a few polar bears to be liberated from their importation purgatory.

Here’s the fact: On Monday, November 26th, the United States Senate beat a well-worn path of partisanship and pettifoggery (look it up!) by voting down the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012. They did it in such a manner that they avoided being labeled anti-sportsman by the NRA, while ultimately catering to the whims of fringe environmental groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, and anti-hunting groups like the Humane Society of The United States.

On a procedural motion to waive the budget rules and allow for an increase in the cost of the federal duck stamp from $15 to $25, the United Sates Senate proved once again that no good deed goes unpunished.

He goes on to say that the Republicans are really doing this out of spite over Sen. Jon Tester getting reelected.

Mary Clare Jalonick of the AP gets into the act as well with her story on the vote. She entitled it "GOP blocks bill to give hunters more land access". While her article wasn't as inflammatory as Ben Lamb's Outdoor Life blog, the headline still puts the onus on the Republicans.

I want more public ranges funded by money I spend in excise taxes for ammo, I want Congress to remove lead ammo and lead fishing tackle from the purview of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. I want to see the leaders of the Center for Biological Diversity with frowns on their faces as if they had just sucked a lemon. I, too, want to see the Sportsmen's Act of 2011 passed.

I am glad Sen. Jeff Sessions and virtually all the Republicans finally drew a line in the sand over spending and violating the Budget Control Act. By ignoring the little things for so long, both Democrats and Republicans have put this country into the fiscal mess in which it resides today. If they can't stand up and do the right thing on a mere $14 million, then there is no hope that they'll do the right thing on bigger and more important issues.For once somebody stood for principle and honored their prior commitments and we should be glad that they did.

We all know that government agencies pad their budgets and that the $14 million in funding can easily be found. If the Ben Lambs of the world want to find a villain they need to look no further than Majority Leader Harry Reid. He could have easily brought a bill to the floor of the Senate that met the requirements of the Budget Control Act but decided he didn't want to be bothered.

Now the question is will Reid do the right thing, get the bill fixed, and schedule it for a vote with enough time so that the House of Representatives can vote on it. In an interview with Cam Edwards last night, the NSSF's General Counsel, Larry Keane, was hopeful that it can be worked out. He also noted that the budget issue would have been a sticking point for some in the House as well.

SAAMI - Sporting Ammunition and the Fire Fighter

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute (SAAMI) have produced a video for firefighters about the impact of fire on stored ammunition. This video and the tests they performed serves to dispel many of the myths about stored ammunition. It is actually rather interesting and I would recommend you share it with any friends that are either paid or volunteer firefighters.

The bottom line is that while it makes a lot of noise when it is "cooking off", ammunition poses little risk of injury to fire fighters or neighbors. When they burned up over 28,000 rounds of ammo in a bonfire, very few of the projectiles even penetrated one layer of sheetrock and none penetrated the second layer. A firefighter who near the fire in full turn-out gear could feel the projectiles hitting his coat but none penetrated it nor did they cause any pain.

Emily Miller On SAF's Illegal Mayors Initiative

In a follow-up to her Washington Times article on the Second Amendment Foundation's push to point out all of Mayor Bloomberg's illegal mayors, Emily Miller was interviewed by Cam Edwards of NRA News on Monday.

Emily discusses how MAIG jumps on any shooting "like white on rice". She then discusses the background of some of the MAIG members and their criminal past (and present). Of course, this is not new information to anybody who has followed gun blogs for a while. Still, it is good that this info is getting out. Even better is that the NRA through NRA News is acknowledging the roll that the Second Amendment Foundation is playing in publicizing this information.

Heath Becomes A Dookie*

My soon to be former congressman, Heath Shuler, has a new job lined up. He's becoming the top "Federal affairs official" for Duke Energy aka Duke Power. That is Beltway-speak for lobbyist.

From The Hill:

The conservative Democrat won’t vote on any matters affecting Duke Energy for the remainder of his time in Congress, the company said in a statement that touted the hiring of the one-time Washington Redskins quarterback.

“Heath is well known in Washington for working with leaders from both political parties and for bringing people together in his district in Western North Carolina,” said Keith Trent, a vice president with Duke Energy's regulated utilities.

Shuler, who announced in February that he was not seeking reelection, will be based in Duke's Washington, D.C., office.

A Duke spokesman, citing House ethics rules, said Shuler would not be “actively lobbying” for one year but could do so after that period. Shuler will be overseeing and determining how to strengthen Duke’s D.C. office, spokesman Tom Williams said.

The environmental activist new site Grist offers this rather snide comment on the revolving door between Congress and K-Street:

That’s the commitment to ethical integrity our Congress is known for: No voting on issues related to your future employer. Strictly verboten. Hard line in the sand.

Plus, he’ll have to wait an entire year before coming back to Capitol Hill.

Wow! A whole year. That must suck.

If you wondered about his commitment to living in Waynesville with his wife Nikol and kids Navy and Island, wonder no more. His house is for sale. If you have $2.7 million lying around it can be yours.

If you listen carefully to the video below, you will notice Heath saying that they have enjoyed living in the house for six years. Hmm. How long did Heath serve in Congress? Six years. Do you think Rahm Emanual parachuted him into Western North Carolina to run for Congress? Yep.





*Dookie. A term of "affection" traditionally used for graduates of that politically correct university in Durham, NC where one is guilty until proven innocent if you are male and white. The same family that endowed Duke University founded Duke Power thus my use of the term Dookie.

243,292

That is the number of point-of-sale NICS checks that were performed on Friday and Saturday combined. The NSSF is reporting that the number of NICS checks on the day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday", set the all-time one-day record of 154,873.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving also made the list of top ten highest days coming in at number six.

With regard to the numbers, NSSF points out:

That total was nearly 20 percent more than the previous high of 129,166 set on Black Friday last year. Since a federal background check is mandatory for every firearm sold at retail, background check activity serves as an indicator of retail gun sales.

They attribute the high sales to Obama's reelection, an increase in hunting license sales, and the fact that more and more Americans are taking responsibility for the safety of their families as well as themselves.

Since these numbers are strictly from point-of-sales, it will be interesting to see how the gun prohibitionists try to spin this.

Final Vote On Sportsmen's Act Of 2012 Expected Today (Updated)

The Senate Calendar for today lists S.3525 as the first act of legislative business for today.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another alert that the bill is coming to a vote and urging support for it.

What makes this alert a little different is that they acknowledge indirectly GOA's opposition to the bill. I know this will put me on the other side of the fence from some of my readers but I think NSSF has it right on this. I have heard criticism of NSSF's support for S.3525 as "consider the source". This assumes that NSSF only cares about lead ammo and shooting ranges and not Federal confiscation of land. Frankly, I think this improperly denigrates both NSSF and the gun manufacturing community as "unAmerican" and only looking out for themselves.

UPDATE: The Senate voted 50 yea, 44 nay, and 6 not voting on a substitute amendment by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). The amendment is described as "Motion to Waive all Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 2875; In the nature of a substitute." The amendment failed as it required a 3/5 majority. Every Republican except the lame duck Sen. Olympia Snowe (RINO-ME) voted nay on the amendment.

 According to today's Senate calendar, S. 3525, is being placed on the Unanimous Consent calendar to:

1.—Ordered, That S. 3525, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes, be returned to the Calendar status quo; provided, that at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader after consultation with the Republican Leader, it be in order for the Majority Leader to resume consideration of S. 3525. (Nov. 26, 2012.)

Where this leaves the bill in terms of scheduling, I'm not sure.

UPDATE II: The NSSF released this statement regarding S. 3525 yesterday. They still hope it will be brought to a vote in this lame-duck session.

NSSF today expressed disappointment with the results of last evening’s procedural vote in the U.S. Senate that has delayed action on the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S.3525), but pledged to continue working in a bipartisan fashion, along with a coalition of more than 45 other leading sportsmen’s and conservation groups, to advance the historic package of bills before the adjournment of the 112th Congress.

“It is clear there is broad bipartisan support for the policies contained in the Sportsmen’s Act, which contains our industry’s top legislative priorities” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “While we are disappointed by Monday’s procedural vote, we will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to address budgetary concerns raised by senators in time to ensure a vote on the Sportsmen’s Act before the end of the lame-duck session.”

NCWRC Sued Over Night Hunting Of Coyotes

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is being sued by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Welfare Institute to stop night hunting of coyotes with artificial light in five eastern NC counties. A judge in Wake County Superior Court has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the hunting of coyotes in Dare, Tyrrell, Hyde, Washington and Beaufort counties.

RALEIGH, NC- Coyote hunting at night with the aid of an artificial light will be disallowed temporarily in five counties - Dare, Tyrrell, Hyde, Washington and Beaufort - pending the outcome of a lawsuit questioning the temporary rule adopted by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway issued a preliminary injunction halting coyote hunting at night with the aid of artificial light only in those five counties. The order was issued in response to a complaint filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Welfare Institute.

"While we accept the judge's decision, it is important to note that this is a decision on a preliminary injunction only. It is not a decision on the lawsuit," said Wildlife Commission Executive Director Gordon Myers. "We remain confident of our position and its merits."

The Wildlife Commission passed temporary rules in July allowing the taking of coyotes and feral swine by hunting on private lands at night with a light. Night hunting is one means of controlling localized populations of coyotes and feral swine, both of which are non-native to North Carolina, destructive to the landscape, and potential disease carriers. Coyotes also pose predatory threats to pets and livestock.

The preliminary injunction issued today by the Superior Court only applies to hunting coyotes at night in Washington, Beaufort, Tyrrell, Hyde and Dare counties The order does not prevent taking of wildlife, including coyotes and red wolves, while in the act of depredation. It does not affect hunting feral swine at night with the aid of a light.

The preliminary injunction will remain in effect pending the final ruling by the Superior Court on this issue. Wildlife Officers in the five-county region will work to alert hunters about today's ruling.

The plaintiffs are alleging that the rule allowing night hunting of coyotes in those counties violated the NC Administrative Procedure Act and will put the red wolf, an endangered species, at risk. A copy of the lawsuit can be found on the Animal Welfare Institute's website here.

As a North Carolinian, I am a bit worried about the use of the legal system by groups like PETA and now the Animal Welfare Institute. AWI describes their mission as:

Since its founding in 1951, AWI has sought to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by people. In the organization's early years, our particular emphasis was on the desperate needs of animals used for experimentation. In the decades that followed, we expanded the scope of our work to address many other areas of animal suffering.

I would think that if they were really concerned about the health of the red wolf they would be all for the hunting of a non-native invasive species that competes with the red wolf for food and habitat. Moreover, one of the biggest threats to the survival of the species is hybridization with coyotes.

The Spoils Of Winning The Presidency

Ah, the spoils of being the victor. Not only does Barack Obama get to stay in the White House another four years with Secret Service protection, Air Force One at his beck and call, and a whole host of other amenities but now he has had a fish named after him.

The Etheostoma obama or Spangled Darter is a newly discovered fish that lives exclusively in the fresh water river systems of Tennessee. (corrected)

According to Sci-News, a total of five new darters were discovered and named after Obama, Teddy Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Jimmy Carter because they "worked to promote conservation and environmental protection." These five darters live in the river systems of Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Funny Of The Day

This was posted by Simply Rugged Holsters on their Facebook page.

When you think about the racist origins of gun control, this picture becomes a very droll comment on the gun controllers and their aims.

Black Friday Gun Sales Crash NICS

According to a story in the Bangor (ME) Daily News, the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICS suffered intermittent outages on Black Friday due to call volume. A number of Bangor-area firearms dealers reported trouble with the system which caused them to lose sales. While a number of their customers were local, a good proportion were from the more rural areas of Maine and made a special trip into the Bangor-Brewer area just to purchase a firearm.

The FBI confirmed the outage to the newspaper.

Black Friday sales played a role in the problems with NICS, the director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division said, responding to an email from the Bangor Daily News.

“The NICS has experienced intermittent outages today due to high call volumes,” Stephen G. Fischer Jr. said at about 2:15 p.m.

Lozier, who has worked at Van Raymond’s for more than a decade, said the outages cost him at least half a dozen customers by the time the business day was only half over.

“If we can’t call it in, we can’t sell a gun,” Lozier said. “It’s cost us some money.”

This report of high sales and resultant outages on the East Coast correlates with what Dave Workman was finding in Washington State. 

Friday may have broken records for gun sales across the country, and for background checks with the National Instant Check System (NICS), and gun dealers here in the Pacific Northwest were definitely along for the ride.

Examiner checked with Wade’s Indoor Gun Range in Bellevue and learned that there were times during the day when sales clerks simply could not get through to the NICS headquarters to conduct the necessary background checks.

It was the same story from Robin Ball, proprietor at Spokane’s Sharp Shooting Indoor Range, who told this column that “We had guns (and paperwork) stacked up...and we were doing speed dialing to finally get through.” When they did, she noted, clerks would have to do several checks at a time. She noted that Wednesday was also busy.

Ball said that NICS access began improving Friday afternoon as East Coast and central-U.S. gun shops began closing for the day.

I can't wait to see the NSSF-adjusted NICS statistics for November. I think you are going to see records broken yet again.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The (Gun) Economy - 2012 Edition

For the last couple of years, I have posted all all the Black Friday (or earlier) sales that were gun, knife, tactical, or outdoor related that I could find. This year I've also added some sales that are prep related.

I have included any coupon codes if needed. If you find others, please share them in the comments section.

MidwayUSA Black Friday All Week

Every day through Monday, Nov. 26th, Midway will be offering select items such as SOG knives, Leatherwood scopes, Hornady reloading kits, and other stuff substantial discounts. There is a limit of 3 items per customer at these prices.

Deer and Deer Hunting

They will be offering stuff such as game cameras, hunting clothing, knives, and books at 15% off through Sunday night. Use code EXTRA15.

 Core 15 Rifle Systems Black Friday Sale

They will be running their Black Friday specials Nov. 23 through 26th.

Sportsman's Warehouse Black Friday Super Sale

Their doorbuster specials run from 6am until 10am. They will also have a Cyber Monday sale beginning 12am on Nov. 25th. Doorbusters include SmartWool (and other brands) wool socks, buy 1, get the second for $1. They also have the Ruger SR22 for $289 and the 10/22 for $199.

Gadsden and Culpepper

All of their black shirts, caps, patches, jackets, flags, etc. will be 30-50% off. I've bought patches, caps, and shirts from them in the past and have been very satisfied.

Gunsite Black Raven Friday

Gunsite Academy's ProShop will have everything on their Christmas Ideas page priced at 20% off on Friday. Free USPS shipping for orders over $200.

Surefire Cyber-Monday Holiday Blowout

On Monday, Nov. 26th only (all day), SureFire will be offering 25% off and free shipping on select products. Use code XMAS25

Wilson Combat Black Friday Sale

This sale begins on Wednesday evening at 7pm EST and ends Monday morning at 1am EST. Items on sale include certain 1911 magazines, holsters, shirts, gun lubes, gun parts, and ammunition.

CDNN Sports Black Friday Sale

Ends on Nov. 23 at midnight CST. Flat $6.99 shipping and free shipping for orders over $99 with code FS99.

CRKT Knives

Offering free shipping on all orders over $50. Began Tuesday and will run through Jan. 7, 2013.

Galco Gunleather

Order online beginning Thanksgiving Day and get 20% off complete order with code BF2012. Sale runs through Sunday, Nov. 25th. Does not include custom orders or exotic hides.

Cabela's After Thanksgiving Doorbuster Sale

Special doorbuster sales are in-store only from 5am until 10 am on Friday. Includes the Ruger 10/22 Take Down for $279. They will have a number of other firearms at special prices through Nov. 28th.

OPSGEAR Thanksgiving Weekend Sale

OPSGEAR will have special pricing on their DVDs, targets, and other gear. On other gear, they are offering 20% off your entire order with code thanks20. This ends on Nov. 26th.

Harbor Freight

They will be having a special sale on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Items of interest include a 45 watt solar panel kit for $139 and a 60" workbench with 4 drawers for $129. I bought the latter to use a solid reloading bench.

WalMart

Of interest to gunnies are a couple of their in-store firearms specials. They will have the Sig M400 for $867 and the Ruger American Rifle in .270 for $337. I have read that each store should have at least 2 each of these rifles. The doors open at 8pm on Thanksgiving evening.

Dicks Sporting Goods

Dicks is having their doorbuster sales starting at 12am on Friday until 2pm. There are some good gun buys including a Remington 700 Varmint for $349, a Troy AR-15 for $799 (with full rail system), and the Ruger 10/22 for $179. Check your local store's circular online.

eFoods Direct

If you are looking for some long-term storage foods, eFoods Direct is having some good specials for the holidays with free shipping through Nov. 30th on certain items.

DSG Arms

Their Black Friday sales are good through Nov. 30th or until they run out. Included are Magpul non-windowed PMags for $100 for a 10 packs or $125 for windowed. They also have mil-spec stock hardware kits for $35 for your AR builds. No codes are required.

Palmetto State Armory

They have released their list of items on Arfcom here and it includes a M4 assembled upper (no BCG) for $249. If you are looking to do a build, they have a lot of their parts on sale including Geissele triggers.

For other listings of Black Friday-Cyber Monday deals, Rob Reed, the Michigan Gun Rights Examiner, has his list up. If you are looking for more tactical oriented stuff, Soldier Systems has a large compilation of tactical gear sales on their webpage here. Here is another compiler of the Black Friday sales that is more general in nature.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving and if you do venture forth for Black Friday, stay safe.

UPDATE: Here are some more to add to the list.

Uplanders Warehouse

They will be having their Blaze Orange Friday sale which will run through Monday at midnight. Use code shipfree for free shipping if your order is over $100 and ship3 to get $3 off shipping for orders under $100.

Brownells

They will be having the Black Rifle Friday sale. Use code DU9 to get 10% off on order of $150 or higher.

U.S. Cavalry

Get 20% off storewide beginning today through Nov. 24th. Use code PN12N20.

Sportsman's Guide

Now through midnight CST on Monday, Nov. 26 get free shipping with no minimums. Use code SH974.

Slick-Guns

This is another compilation site that has many of the gun offers for Black Friday.

This Should Convince You That The Fiscal Cliff Is Real

In what I consider a combination of gun and financial news, Sturm, Ruger & Company declared a special dividend of $4.50 per share. By contrast, their regular third quarter dividend was 38.2 cents. While CEO Michael Fifer says in the statement below that this special dividend will increase Ruger's return on shareholder's equity, I can't help but wonder if tax considerations also played a role in this.

Come January 1, 2013, there will be a new 3.8% Medicare tax on investment income including dividends for individuals with adjusted gross incomes over $200,000 and couples with adjusted gross incomes over $250,000. In addition, dividends for those in the 25 % or above tax brackets are currently taxed at 15% and nothing if one is in the 10 or 15% bracket. If Congress and the President do not come to an agreement and the Bush-era tax reductions revert to their old levels, dividends will be taxed at 10% for those in the 15% tax bracket and 20% in any bracket above that. Thus, some taxpayers could be seeing their dividends taxed as high as 23.8% or an almost 59% increase over current levels.

The takeaway is that the fiscal cliff is real, taxes do matter when it comes to investments, and that companies are taking it seriously. Now if only those within the Beltway were equally as serious.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) announced today that its Board of Directors voted to declare a special dividend of $4.50 per share on the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock. This cash dividend will be paid on December 21, 2012 to shareholders of record as of December 7, 2012.

Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer commented on the special dividend, "The decision to return this cash to our shareholders was based on an analysis that indicates we can continue to fund our high rate of organic growth, including expected increases in both working capital and capital expenditures, and fund our quarterly dividend while still growing our cash reserves at a modest rate. In addition, the special dividend will substantially increase the Company's return on our shareholders' equity, as the equity will now more accurately reflect the net assets being used in the conduct of the business. Likewise, after the special dividend, our long-term investors will still own the same future stream of earnings, resulting in an increase to their return on investment."

Mr. Fifer concluded, "This special dividend reflects our confidence in the future to be able to pursue good opportunities that come our way. We remain committed to our new product development strategy and will continue to seek accretive acquisition opportunities and prudently expand our manufacturing capacity."

About That Secession Petition You Signed...

In the aftermath of the election, secession petitions for all fifty states (and maybe for the rest of the 57 as well) have sprung up on the White House's petition website and over 800,000 signatures have been collected. There is also a counter-petition asking that anyone who has signed such a secession petition be declared a traitor and then be hung, drawn, and quartered with the remains scattered to the four corners of the earth. Actually, I'm kidding about that last little bit but the true believers are asking for signees to be declared traitors.

In the midst of all of this has come the Department of Defense's Defense Security Service. They are the agency at DOD charged with managing the Secret, Top Secret, and other such security clearances for defense contractors. A few days ago, they issued a notice regarding the secession petitions and whether signing one would be considered a reportable event for contractors.

November 16, 2012

DSS personnel have recently received questions from security personnel at cleared contractors about whether contractors should file adverse information reports pursuant to NISPOM paragraph 1-302 regarding cleared persons who sign petitions to allow a state to withdraw or secede from the United States.

It also appears that erroneous statements have been made to the effect that DSS is directing contractors to treat the signing of such petitions as reportable adverse information.

Please note that DSS has not provided any approved direction or guidance. DSS is not directing any contractor to file adverse information reports regarding persons who have signed secession or withdrawal petitions. This issue is under review and DSS will provide information to contractors when that review is complete.

So while they aren't requiring defense contractors to report employees who has signed such petitions yet, they are still studying the situation. David Martosko of The Daily Caller has more on this story.

David Codrea has written on some of the implications for gun owners of signing these secession petitions at the National Gun Rights Examiner. His advice is to not sign any of these petitions. While it may not equate with renunciation of your citizenship which is a disqualifying event for gun purchases, I wouldn't put anything past the Obama Administration. When it comes to being vindictive and petty, they could have given Richard Nixon lessons.

Doug Koenig On Precision Pistol Shooting

In another of the National Shooting Sports Foundation's Shooting Sportcast, champion pistol shooter Doug Koenig discusses how he approaches precision pistol or bullseye shooting events. He discusses how to adjust your stance, the one-handed grip, grip tension, dry fire practice, and building muscle memory.

A Couple Of Blog Meets Of Note

A few days ago Kevin of Misfires and Lightstrikes wrote me about a blogger meet-up at the 2013 SHOT Show. One of these days, I'll get there again but not this coming year. Here are the details as sent by Kevin who asked that I post this:

As another SHOT Show approaches, (is it REALLY only 60 days away?!!), it's time for another SHOT Show gunblogger meetup!

As the evenings during SHOT are dedicated to awards dinners and the like, this year, we'll be meeting on Thursday, January 17th at 11:30 am for lunch at the Grand Café Lux restaurant in the Venetian Hotel and Casino.

If you can't make it, I'd appreciate a post letting people know that it's not just for bloggers; Vloggers, podcasters and blog visitors are all invited, too.

Please RSVP via email  (Kevin AT Exurbanleague.com) or join the event on Facebook.

Sean Sorrentino of An NC Gun Blog and Borepatch are trying to set up blogger shoot in the Raleigh-Durham area of central North Carolina either before or after Christmas.

From Borepatch:

Who's up for a Christmas blogshoot in the Carolinas?

Some of us have been emailing for a bit, and so let me toss out a question to the gunblogging community: who would be willing to get together for a meet 'n shoot sometime around the Christmas holiday?

I know that there are a bunch of folks in the Washington DC area, and there are a surprising number of us here in Atlanta.  It seems like Charlotte/Raleigh/Durham NC is about splitting the driving distance.

Please leave a comment if you're interested, along with preferred date and location.  Also, if anyone knows a range in any of those areas that could accommodate a decent size group, please leave that info as well.

Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors Project

Given that yet another member of Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Mayors was convicted on theft charges just last week, I'd say this new project coming from the Second Amendment Foundation is quite timely. The "Meet the Mayors" ad is quite interesting. Make sure to click the link to it below.

BELLEVUE, WA - Inviting Americans to "Meet the Mayors" who have been involved in the anti-gun-rights Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Second Amendment Foundation is launching a campaign in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet that exposes the criminal and ethical wrongdoings of many members of that organization.

The "Meet the Mayors" ad can be seen at: http://saf.org/images/maig.pdf

"Michael Bloomberg created this group to further his personal agenda of public disarmament," noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "But within the ranks of his organization, our research has found several politicians who have been convicted of various serious crimes, thus making it impossible for them to finish their terms.

"We discovered," he continued, "one mayor convicted of perjury and embezzlement, another who was convicted of attempted child molestation, and yet another who was convicted of assault and racketeering. There was one who was convicted on bribery, fraud and money laundering, and another who was convicted of domestic violence.

"In short," Gottlieb explained, "many of these elitist politicians can no longer own firearms. The crimes they were convicted of suggest they are public enemies rather than public servants. No wonder they want to take guns from law-abiding citizens!"

"Perhaps Bloomberg should worry about background checks on his colleagues, rather than law-abiding gun owners," he suggested.

Gottlieb said SAF research discovered a far higher rate of criminal activity within the ranks of the MAIG than among the ranks of more than 8 million citizens who are licensed to carry concealed firearms in 49 states.

"While Michael Bloomberg has been campaigning to turn gun owners into criminals," Gottlieb said, "the criminals in his own ranks were engaged in such activities as tax evasion , extortion, accepting bribes, child pornography, trademark counterfeiting and perjury. One was even convicted of assaulting a police officer.

"And these people have the audacity to smear law-abiding gun owners as potential criminals, simply because they exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms," he concluded. "He should pay more attention to what his friends are up to than worry about the gun owners he's been trying to demonize."

NC General Assembly Speaker Pro-Tem Race

It appears that there is a three-way race among Republicans in the North Carolina State House to be elected Speaker Pro-Tem which is the number two position. The race is between House Majority Leader Paul Stam, Rep. Bert Jones, and Rep. Julia Howard. Stam was instrumental in attempts to weaken the Castle Doctrine passed in the last session among other things.

Grass Roots North Carolina has issued an alert on the race and is asking that people write Speaker Thom Tillis to urge his support for Rep. Bert Jones who is strongly pro-gun.

As you will recall, House Majority Leader and current candidate for the Speaker pro tem position, Rep. Skip Stam (R, GRNC **) earned "Weasel" status last year by undermining pro-gun legislation through outright opposition and support of weakening amendments. His attempt to gut Castle Doctrine and successful removal of HB 650 language that would have allowed guns in locked vehicles at places of employment will not be forgotten.

Fate has smiled upon NC gun-owners in the form of Pro-gun challenger Rep. Bert Jones (R, GRNC ****) who vies with Stam for the No. 2 position in the NC House: Speaker pro tem. Also in the race is Rep. Julia Howard (R, GRNC ****) who is also a better choice than Stam.

All NC gun owners should urge House Speaker Thom Tillis to support Jones' bid for the pro tem position.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Email NC House Speaker Thom Tillis

Urge him to support Bert Jones for Speaker pro tem.

CONTACT INFO

Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: "Support Bert Jones for Speaker pro tem"

Dear Speaker Tillis,

As a North Carolina gun owner I am pleased that a pro-Second Amendment Representative is seeking the position of Speaker pro tem.

I urge you to support Rep. Bert Jones in his effort to win election to this important leadership position.

Sincerely,

Deer Versus Plane

In the battle between a whitetail deer and a Department of Homeland Security jet, neither won. The deer is dead and all that remains of the jet is part of the cockpit and nose.

Just before noon on Saturday, a plane identified as a Cessna C550 (Citation II) jet hit a deer with its left wing as it was landing at Greenwood (SC) County Airport. After hitting the deer, the plane burst into flames. Fortunately, the pilot and the sole passenger were able to exit safely.






It appears the plane belonged either to DHS or to the Border Patrol. The news stories are somewhat conflicting on this. However, Greenwood County Sheriff Tony Davis did say that it carried surveillance equipment.

Davis could not identify the type of plane or where it came from, but said that it carried sophisticated surveillance equipment that can be used in a variety of operations -- including border control and marijuana eradication operations.

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/abbeville-greenwood-news/Plane-burns-after-colliding-with-deer/-/9654572/17457632/-/31jbgt/-/index.html#ixzz2CcOQg5sy

 Davis could not identify the type of plane or where it came from, but said that it carried sophisticated surveillance equipment that can be used in a variety of operations - including border control and marijuana eradication operations.

Now I wonder just what they planned on "surveilling" in the Upstate of South Carolina. Maybe they were looking for the moonshine still of Bill and Josh who star on the Discovery Channel's Moonshiners. Or maybe they just happened to be landing at the wrong airport at the wrong time. I guess we'll find out when the FAA who are reported to be investigating the crash release their report.

Davis could not identify the type of plane or where it came from, but said that it carried sophisticated surveillance equipment that can be used in a variety of operations -- including border control and marijuana eradication operations.

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/abbeville-greenwood-news/Plane-burns-after-colliding-with-deer/-/9654572/17457632/-/31jbgt/-/index.html#ixzz2CcOQg5sy

Davis could not identify the type of plane or where it came from, but said that it carried sophisticated surveillance equipment that can be used in a variety of operations -- including border control and marijuana eradication operations.

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/abbeville-greenwood-news/Plane-burns-after-colliding-with-deer/-/9654572/17457632/-/31jbgt/-/index.html#ixzz2CcOQg5sy

#15seconds

The Israel Defense Forces have put out a YouTube video entitled #15seconds. 15 seconds is about the amount of warning Israelis living near the Gaza Strip get as they seek shelter from the Katyusha rockets being fired on them by Hamas.

I'd say this is a pretty powerful video that gets the message across very effectively. It is a shame that those on the Left and within the Obama Administration lean more towards the terrorists than towards the citizens of the only real democracy in the Middle East.

I anticipate it will only get worse given the continued diplomatic failures of the Obama Administration and the State Department led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Quote Of The Day

I don't always agree with Peggy Noonan, former Reagan speechwriter and current columnist for the Wall Street Journal. However, she does have a way with words.

In her column yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, part of the discussion was about the other woman in David Petraeus' life - Paula Broadwell.  After pointing out all the attributes that Broadwell ascribed to herself including author and biographer, Noonan has this to say.

She calls herself a biographer, but biographers actually do something arduous—they write biographies.

Broadwell, for those that aren't aware, used a ghostwriter for the book All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.  If you think about it, Paula Broadwell was nothing but a highly-rewarded research assistant while Vernon Loeb, the ghostwriter, is the actual biographer.

Clay Logan On The Possum Drop

The Possum Drop in Brasstown, North Carolina has been in the news a lot lately due to the suit brought by PETA to stop it. Cam Edwards of NRA News interviewed Clay Logan, owner of Clay's Corner and the organizer of the Possum Drop, about his plans now that Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison, Jr. ruled in PETA's favor.

In a rather humorous interview, Mr. Logan noted that in all the years that they've had the Possum Drop not one opossum get scared or traumatized enough to "play possum" or act dead. I believe that says something there.

While the New Year's Eve festivities will continue in Brasstown, Mr. Logan said he didn't know what the guest of honor would be. He was noncommittal on whether or not they will just ignore the judge's ruling and use a live opossum.

Frankly if they aren't allowed to use a live opossum, I think they should put Ingrid Newkirk in the cage and use her. I'm sure she wouldn't object as it would be a human in the cage and not a four-legged critter.

Update On S.3525 - Sportsmen's Act of 2012

The Senate will vote on S. 3525 - Sportsmen's Act of 2012 - on Monday, November 19th. Today's Senate calendar listed the motion to bring the vote as having unanimous consent.

S. 3525 (ORDER NO. 504) 1.—Ordered, That at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 26, 2012, all post-cloture time on S. 3525, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes, be deemed expired, and the Senate vote on the motion to waive the Budget Act point of order, if raised; provided, that if the motion to waive is successful, Amdt. Nos. 2876, 2877, 2878, and 2879 be withdrawn, en bloc, and substitute Amdt. No. 2875, offered by the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Reid), be agreed to; provided further, that no further amendments or motions be in order prior to a vote on passage of the bill, and the Senate vote on passage of S. 3525, as amended, with no intervening action or debate; further, that if the motion to waive is not successful, the Majority Leader be recognized.

Ordered further, That on Monday, November 26, it be in order for the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Sessions), or his designee, to be recognized to raise a Budget Act point of order against substitute Amdt. No. 2875; provided, that it be in order the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Reid), or his designee, to make a motion to wave the point of order. (Nov. 15, 2012.)

The text of S.Amdt.2875 can be found here. It is just too long to try and publish in the blog. Scroll down to No. 2875 and go from there.

As Sebastian pointed out yesterday, while this bill supported by both the NRA and the NSSF, the Gun Owners of America (GOA) has come out in opposition to the bill due to concerns about private land being taken by the Federal government using non-Federal funds. Read his post and the comments.

For an opposing view, I suggest reading this guest analysis that David Codrea posted on his WarOnGuns blog today. It seems the concern is over the National Fish Habitat Board and the impact it could have on wetlands and their use.

I would be the first to agree that the definition of wetlands leaves much to be desired and that some bureaucrats have defined mud puddles (for lack of a better word) as a wetland. That said, I think any move to undercut the EPA's coziness with the radical environmentalists at the Center for Biological Diversity is good. Until they were called out on it, the EPA through its General Counsel was actively giving advice to CBD on how to bring a petition to ban lead ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. This bill if passed would remove lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle from the EPA's purview.

An Unholy Alliance

An unholy alliance of gun prohibitionists, politicians, and certain church groups is pushing a so-called documentary called "Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence" that will air on certain NBC owned and affiliated stations. The documentary is part of the Horizons of the Spirit series which airs on that network. The documentary is presented by the National Council of Churches and was produced by the Presbyterian Church USA.

The documentary features such gun control luminaries as Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Colin Goddard, and Dr. Garen Wintemute talking about how "gun violence" (sic) impacted their lives.

In the United States more than 30,000 people are killed every year by gun violence and the disaster caused by gun violence is seen in almost every community. We may hear briefly about the victims and survivors of these shootings, but what happens after the media attention moves on and the wider public becomes numb to "just another shooting"? Drawing upon conversations with lawmakers, emergency room chaplains and surgeons, survivors and victims'' families, former ATF officials, police officers, community leaders and others, "Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence" shares the story of how Gun Violence impacts individuals and communities and examines the "ripple effect" that one shooting has on a survivor, a family, a community, and a society.

 The trailer to "Trigger" is below:



Trailer for "Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence" Coming to NBC from Trigger Documentary on Vimeo.

Gun prohibitionists such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and Timothy Johnson of the Media Matters for America have been pushing the documentary today and are pointing people to a sample script/letter that they are asking be sent to program managers at local NBC affiliates. The script is being hosted on a Presbyterian Church USA website.

Dear Station or Programming Manager,

I am a viewer living in your market area, and I care about the issue of gun violence.

I am aware of an upcoming program titled Trigger: the Ripple Effect of Gun Violence, which is part of the NBC Horizons of the Spirit series. The documentary is free and can be aired from November 11th through May 2013. I have been told that the technical information and blurb about the program is on the NBC Universal APT system (Affiliate Partnership Tool) that every NBC affiliate station has access to.

Trigger is timely, considering the many acts of gun violence that have happened across our nation. It is not a politically driven documentary, but rather it is a documentary that allows people affected by gun violence to share their stories of how one shooting has impacted a survivor, a family and a community — after the shooting incident is no longer on the front pages or on the news channels.

This documentary explores the issue of gun violence through a multifaceted lens of family members, law enforcement, hospital personnel and clergy, to help build an understanding of the ripple effect. It will hopefully encourage awareness and conversation about how our communities can help.

Will you please schedule the showing of Trigger at a time that is convenient for viewers? It would be good to air it more than once to allow as many people to view it as possible during the 6 months it is available.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

To say this is not a politically driven documentary is absurd. When you have leading gun control advocates and politicians such as Carolyn McCarthy who has made her career on gun control as stars of a documentary, it is political.

I don't belong to a church that is a member of the National Council of Churches nor am I a Presbyterian. If, however, you are a Presbyterian (PCUSA) or belong to one of the NCC member churches, you might want to make your views on this documentary known within your own denomination. You could ask just how much of your weekly offering went to produce this agenda driven political piece which seeks to hamper you in protecting your own family. I'm sure you can think of other questions to ask.

Obama Nominates Seven For US District Court Judgeships

On Wednesday, President Obama sent the names of seven nominees to the Senate for US District Court judgeships. Unfortunately, I don't know where any of them stand on Second Amendment issues. According to the White House statement, they "represent my continued commitment to ensure that the judiciary resembles the nation it serves."

The last nominee on this list, Derrick Watson of Hawaii, graduated from Harvard Law with Obama in 1991.

Valerie E. Caproni: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Valerie E. Caproni is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Northrop Grumman Corporation.  Previously, she served for eight years as General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Caproni has had a distinguished legal career in both private practice and public service, including stints at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the New York State Urban Development Corporation, and the law firms of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Cravath, Swaine & Moore.  She began her legal career by clerking for the Honorable Phyllis Kravitch of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.  Caproni received her J.D. summa cum laude in 1979 from the University of Georgia School of Law and her B.A. magna cum laude in 1976 from Newcomb College of Tulane University. 

Kenneth John Gonzales:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
Kenneth John Gonzales currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, a position he has held since 2010.  Prior to his confirmation by the Senate, Gonzales spent eleven years working in the same office as an Assistant United States Attorney.  In 2001, he was commissioned an officer in the United States Army Reserve.  He presently holds the rank of Major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School.  From 1996 to 1999, Gonzales worked as a Legislative Assistant for United States Senator Jeff Bingaman.  He began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Joseph Baca, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court, from 1994 to 1996.  Gonzales received his J.D. in 1994 from the University of New Mexico School of Law and his B.A. in 1988 from the University of New Mexico.

Raymond P. Moore: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Raymond P. Moore currently serves as the Federal Public Defender for the Districts of Colorado and Wyoming, a position he has held since January 2004.  Previously, he was an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Colorado from 1993 through 2003.  From 1986 through 1992, Moore worked at the law firm of Davis, Graham & Stubbs in Denver, Colorado, becoming a partner in 1987.  Beginning in 1982, he spent four years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Colorado.  He began his legal career as an associate at Davis, Graham & Stubbs from 1978 to 1982.  Moore received his J.D in 1978 from Yale Law School and his B.A. cum lade in 1975 from Yale College. 

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell currently serves as a Superior Court Judge for Los Angeles County in California, a position she has held since 2005.  For a five-month period in 2010 and 2011, she sat by designation on the California Court of Appeals for the Second District, Division 8, and has since served as Assistant Supervising Judge of the North Valley District of the Superior Court.  Prior to becoming a judge, Judge O’Connell served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California from 1995 to 2005.  From 1990 until 1995, she worked at the law firm Morrison & Foerster, where she handled a variety of civil litigation matters.  Judge O’Connell received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1990 from Pepperdine University School of Law and her B.A. in 1986 from the University of California at Los Angeles. 

Judge William L. Thomas:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Judge William L. Thomas has served as a Circuit Judge in Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit since 2005, where he has presided over both civil and criminal matters.  For seven years, from 1997 to 2005, he served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Southern District of Florida, where he represented indigent clients in federal criminal cases.  Judge Thomas began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender at the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office in 1994.  He received his J.D. in 1994 from the Temple University School of Law and his B.A. in 1991 from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Judge Analisa Torres:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Judge Analisa Torres currently serves as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where she has handled criminal felony cases since 2010.  Judge Torres served as an Acting Justice of the same court in Bronx County from 2004 to 2009.  From 2003 to 2004, she was a judge on the New York Civil Court and from 2000 to 2002 she was a judge on the New York Criminal Court.  From 1992 to 1999, Judge Torres clerked for the Honorable Elliot Wilk of the New York State Supreme Court.  She also served as a Commissioner of the New York City Planning Commission from 1993 to 1995.  During the early portion of her legal career, Judge Torres worked for seven years as a real estate associate at three New York City law firms.  Judge Torres received her J.D. in 1984 from Columbia Law School and her A.B. magna cum laude in 1981 from Harvard College.

Derrick Kahala Watson:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
Derrick Kahala Watson has been an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Hawaii since 2007, and has served as Chief of the Civil Division since 2009.  Previously, he worked at the San Francisco law firm of Farella Braun + Martel LLP, where his practice focused on product liability, toxic tort, and environmental cost recovery litigation.  He joined the firm in 2000 and was named partner in 2003.  Watson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California from 1995 to 2000, serving as Deputy Chief of the Civil Division from 1999 to 2000.  He began his legal career at the law firm of Landels, Ripley & Diamond in San Francisco, where he was an associate from 1991 to 1995.  Watson received his J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School, his A.B. in 1988 from Harvard College, and is a 1984 graduate of The Kamehameha Schools.

NSSF Alert - Sportsmen's Act Of 2012

I checked the Senate Calendar for today and this is the first item on the agenda. So if you are going to call, do it now!

This act will not only remove lead shot, ammo, and fishing tackle from the purview of the EPA and the Toxic Substances Control Act but it will allow more shooting ranges to be built using the money we pay in excise taxes on ammunition. Both of these are a win for the entire shooting community whether they hunt or not.

We have some great news! By an overwhelming 92-5 vote, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed an important procedural motion that will allow senators to vote on the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S.3525) currently scheduled for this Thursday, but that could slip to Friday.

NSSF thanks everyone who called and emailed your senators to help make this upcoming vote possible. Now we need all hunters, target shooters and firearms owners to keep the pressure on. Call your senators again and urge them to vote YES on the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 (S.3525), the most important package of measures for the benefit of sportsmen in a generation.

While we believe phone calls are most effective at this late stage in the process, you may also send a quick e-mail using the link provided on this page. In either case, your involvement will take only minutes. If this is your first opportunity to weigh in, the timing could not be better. Act today.

This historic legislation includes the firearms industry’s top legislative priority, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (S.838) that would clarify that ammunition is excluded from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Anti-hunting groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity are suing the EPA to force a ban on traditional ammunition made with lead components that would devastate hunting and shooting sports participation, drive up ammunition prices by almost 200 percent on average and dry up conservation funding.

No less than 46 of the nation’s leading sportsmen and conservation groups including NRA, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, American Sportfishing Association, International Game Fish Association, Center for Coastal Conservation, and Boone and Crockett Club are championing S.3525. This bipartisan legislation is strongly supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 is a package of 19 separate bills — the majority of sportsmen’s legislative priorities on Capitol Hill. (See below for an overview of the components of the bill.) A similar package of bills–the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R.4089)–was passed by the House in the spring by a bipartisan vote of 276 to 146. Passage of this pro-sportsmen’s legislation will promote, protect and preserve our nation’s hunting, shooting and conservation heritage for generations to come.

Your voice must be heard! As you read this, anti-hunting forces are working to defeat S.3525. So act now, call your U.S. senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to vote YES for the bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.

Sportsmen’s Priorities in the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012

The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act: Specifically excludes ammunition and fishing tackle from the Toxic Substances Control Act, preventing unnecessary regulations that could devastate hunting, shooting, conservation funding and the firearm and ammunition industries.

Making Public Lands Public: Requires that the 1.5 percent of annual Land and Water Conservation Fund funding is made available to secure public access to federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.

Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act: Makes Pittman-Robertson funds available to states for a longer period of time for the creation and maintenance of shooting ranges. The bill encourages federal land agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain shooting ranges and limits liability for these agencies.

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to urge your senators to SUPPORT the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.</blockquote>

UPDATE: The Senate voted on cloture for this bill today. There were 84 yeas, 12 nays, and 4 not voting. The nays were a weird combination of anti-gun Democrats and conservative Republicans. I'm guessing the Republicans didn't like the part about Federal land purchases. Invoking cloture means that debate is brought to an end and the bill is now ready for passage. Given the numbers who voted for cloture, I'd say passage should be a formality.

Me And Paula

It turns out that Paula Broadwell and I have something in common.

You guys went to same school? Nope. She went to West Point and I, believe it or not, am a graduate of a Quaker college. Go figure.

You both served in military intelligence? Again, no. While my father did serve in the US Army for 28 years, I have never served in the armed forces. I do, however, have the utmost respect for those who have served our country in the armed forces.

You both have written a book? Alas, no. I haven't written any books with or without a ghost writer though I've thought about it once or twice.

And no, I'm not having an affair on the Complementary Spouse!

Actually, what we both have in common are visits from the FBI. Her visits have been a little more "intense" and are related to harassing emails she supposedly sent to Jill Kelley. The visit I got was to my blog and it was from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems in Clarksburg, WV. Someone there was interested in the blog post I did on Paradigm SRP's Gator Shotgun Spreader device. According to Wikipedia, their mission is:

The mission of CJIS is to reduce terrorist and criminal activities by maximizing the ability to provide timely and relevant criminal justice information to the FBI and to qualified law enforcement, criminal justice, civilian, academic, employment, and licensing agencies concerning individuals, stolen property, criminal organizations and activities, and other law enforcement related data.

They are also the home of the NICS database. I'm guessing the CJIS wants to have info about the shotgun spreader device in their database. Either that or the title of my post, "If Society Disintegrates, I Want One Of These", triggered some key word search function. I don't believe supporting the Constitution and the Second Amendment rises to the level of "treason" or "insurrection" even if we are continually being called "traitors" and "insurrectionists" by the ne'er do wells at CSGV.

Dead Possums Only For Possum Drop

As I wrote a couple of months ago, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was suing the NC Wildlife Resources Commission over the granting of a permit to the organizer of Brasstown's Possum Drop. That event is held annually on New Year's Eve and involves the lowering - not dropping - of a caged opossum to the ground in a take-off of Times Square's dropping the ball.

It seems that PETA must have found the most gullible judge in North Carolina. Senior Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison, Jr. ruled yesterday that the NCWRC cannot issue a permit to Clay Logan for the live trapping of a opossum. A dead opossum is OK with the judge but not a live one.

Logan had a sportsman’s license and could have killed the animal, which was in season at the time. But he didn’t meet standards for either a license or a permit to keep animals in captivity, PETA argued, and no statute permitted the WRC to allow ‘possum-caging on a special and temporary basis.

Morrison agreed. Killing the animal was lawful; confining it was not.

“WRC should therefore have instructed Logan to immediately release the opossum into the wild where the opossum had been captured, or kill it,” Morrison wrote in his order.

Judge Morrison went on to say:

“Hunters must afford wild animals the same right Patrick Henry yearned for,” Senior Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison Jr. wrote in his order. “’Give me liberty, or give me death!’”

I'm sorry but Judge Morrison is an idiot. I suppose it would be considered harassment if I mailed Judge Morrison a road-kill possum or sent him a snide email. Given I don't want either Postal Inspectors or FBI Special Agents knocking on my door, it is a nice idea but one on which I'll pass.

The NCWRC has 30 days in which to decide to appeal this case to Wake County Superior Court. Frankly, I hope they do.

If Society Disintegrates, I Want One Of These

Back during the Vietnam War, USAF Security Police, Marines and Navy SEALs often used shotguns with "duck bill" spreader choke devices. The device would cause the shot to spread out in a wide horizontal pattern. It was designed to be used with No. 4 shot. An example is shown below.

This duck bill spreader device had a couple of faults. First, the openings would catch in jungle vegetation. Second, they had a tendency to crack after extensive use.

Paradigm SRP has just released their own versions of the spreader choke that they call the Gator Shotgun Spreader. Unlike the Vietnam-era chokes, it can be used with both No. 4 and 00 buckshot. Moreover, they make one version that will screw into shotgun barrels that use screw-in chokes and another version that can used with the Saiga shotgun. Neither version needs to be welded on unlike the earlier Vietnam-era spreaders. Both versions are door-breaching capable and will spread shot six feet wide at 12 yards.

The screw-in version is priced at $179 while the Saiga version is $199. The screw-in version will work with a variety of shotguns and are threaded to fit specific choke systems from Remington, Winchester, Benelli, and Beretta. A portion of the Gator profits will go the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.

If society ever breaks down to the point where we might defend ourselves against roving hoards of mutant zombie bikers, I could see the utility in having one of these. That said, until then, I wouldn't want to have to defend its use in court of law, castle doctrine or no castle doctrine.

Videos are available of the device in action on Paradigm SRP's Facebook page.

H/T Soldier Systems

CCRKBA Defends Stand-Your-Ground Law At Florida Hearing

Joe Waldron, Legislative Director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, testified today at a commission hearing in Florida that was examining their stand-your-ground law. The commission was established by Gov. Rick Scott to make recommendations about the law in response to the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman shooting incident.

From CCRKBA:

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today defended the legal concept of Stand-Your-Ground, which is the law in 24 states, during a public hearing in Florida, where a movement is underway to change that state’s statute.

CCRKBA Legislative Director Joe Waldron told the committee examining Florida’s law that the state should not change a law that has been working for seven years. Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed a commission to examine the law earlier this year following public outcry over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

The incident provided a launch pad for attacks on similar self-defense statutes across the country.

“But after that single incident nine months ago,” Waldron observed, “we’re told Florida’s stand-you-ground law is terribly flawed, and should be repealed or at least restricted severely. The law has been in place for seven years. Laws should not be made – or repealed – based on a single, anecdotal incident.”

He noted that in some states, the stand-your-ground concept has been adopted via “black letter law,” that is, by judicial rulings.

“The stand-your-ground concept has been through the courts all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Waldron said. “The legal concept governs federal case law regarding self-defense.

“In all 50 states,” he added, “if you are subjected to a potentially lethal attack or one that poses the risk of serious bodily injury, you have the right of self-defense, up to and including the use of lethal force.”

“Laws that protect millions of citizens should not be changed because of public reaction to a single case,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We are hopeful that Florida lawmakers use common sense and back away from any attempt to change or repeal this statute.”

Knife Rights Leader In NH Legislature Defeated

Hidden in among all the recent election news was the defeat of NH State Representative Jenn Coffey (R-Merrimack) who had led the successful fight to reform New Hampshire's knife laws.

Coffey, the winner of Blade Magazine's 2011 Publisher's Award, had sponsored the bill that removed penalties for both possession and selling switchblades, dirks, daggers, and stilettos. Her bill which passed and was signed by the governor of New Hampshire changed the emphasis from the tool to the crime. In addition, Coffey is the National Legislative Director for the Second Amendment Sisters. She has written a book, Knives, Lipstick, and Liberty about the experience of going from an apolitical EMT to being recognized as a leader for knife rights.

Coffey lost to Democrat Mario Ratzki by approximately 200 votes. Mr. Ratzki, according to his website, had relocated to that area of New Hampshire a mere three years ago to retire after selling antique rugs in Boston. The voter guide from NH Public TV says that Coffey is a graduate of Lycee Henri Poincare (Nancy, France) and U. Cal. - Berkeley.

As to his position on the Second Amendment, he said in a letter to the editor, "We need to  balance gun rights with public safety." An equivocating statement like that tells you everything you need to know.