A Tuesday Morning Roundup

I'm on vacation this week and in between eating tons of boiled shrimp and playing games with the nieces and nephews I really don't have time to post on all the stories I've bookmarked. I know its tough but someone has to support the fishing industry of South Carolina!

The City Attorney's Office for San Francisco is warning the Board of Supervisors against their plan to ban possession of standard capacity magazines. These would included ones that have been grandfathered under California law. They said there was a "significant litigation risk" and warned that attorneys' fees of upwards of $1 million could be awarded plaintiffs if the city lost. However, since the fees would be paid for with taxpayers' money, they might not care.

At the end of last week, the House of Representatives adopted the Kelly Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2014. This amendment would prohibit any Federal monies for the implementation of the UN's Arms Trade Treaty for the next year. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA). The House adopted the amendment by unanimous voice vote.

Under the heading of just because you have a Ph.D. it doesn't make you smart comes this op-ed from a professor of history at SUNY-Geneseo. Prof. Michael Leroy Oberg says the we should just rescind the Second Amendment. He calls it an "antiquated and blood-drenched amendment." I'm sure those who would like to rescind the 1st and 4th Amendments would agree with him as then there would be nothing to restrain their authoritarian urges.

Fortunately there are some in the professoriate who are not so obtuse and actually do know their history. I would point you to this essay by Prof. Edward Erler entitled "The Second Amendment as an Expression of First Principles."

And we must be clear—the Second Amendment is not about assault weapons, hunting, or sport shooting. It is about something more fundamental. It reaches to the heart of constitutional principles—it reaches to first principles. A favorite refrain of thoughtful political writers during America’s founding era held that a frequent recurrence to first principles was an indispensable means of preserving free government—and so it is.

Finally, here is a word of warning - never throw BBQ at a bear. Seems that a man in Alaska didn't heed this and ended up getting mauled by the bear. As you might expect, alcohol was involved.  The bear probably wanted a beer and not some burnt meat.