Florida Carry Plans Appeal

Florida Carry has been active in holding state universities in Florida to the letter and spirit of the law regarding weapons restrictions on campus. Florida has state preemption on firearms issues but many municipalities and other governmental units want to go their own way. This would include the University of Florida in Gainesville. As a result, Florida Carry is suing them in state court. Unfortunately, a circuit court judge (and loyal alumnus) ignored a higher court ruling and granted summary judgment to the University of Florida. Florida Carry will be appealing to the 1st District Court of Appeals where they won an earlier case against the University of North Florida.

From Florida Carry:

Florida Carry case against University of Florida gun ban regulations moving to the First District Court of Appeal

On January 10th, 2014 Florida Carry, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the University Florida (UF), seeking a permanent injunction to protect the rights of students, faculty, and the public from the university's illegal and unconstitutional regulations prohibiting or severely restricting firearms and weapons on all university property including in student's personal vehicles and in university managed housing.

Since 1987 the Florida Legislature has preempted firearms law and issued state-wide licenses to carry concealed for self-defense. In December Florida Carry won a similar case against the University of North Florida (UNF). In Florida Carry v. UNF the First District Court of Appeal ruled that "The legislature's primacy in firearms regulation derives directly from the Florida Constitution... Indeed, the legislature has reserved for itself the whole field of firearms regulation in section 790.33(1)..." No public college or university has any authority to prevent students and the public from having a functional firearm in places that are constitutionally protected or permitted under state law.



The University of Florida has failed to comply with the court's ruling by doing nothing more than adding an "Intent" footnote to only one of its illegal policies.

In 2008 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the right to keeps arms in the home is at the very core of the Second Amendment.

Today, (Wednesday July 30th, 2014) Circuit Court Judge Toby S. Monaco granted motions to dismiss and for summary judgement in favor of his alma mater and granted sovereign immunity to UF President Manchen. The lower court Judge ignored the plain language of multiple Florida firearms laws, multiple binding court cases from Florida and the US Supreme Court, turned to blind eye to university policies that are promulgated in continued violation, and refused to conduct any analysis of the right to keep and bear arms.

This is the same failure to follow the law and protect the fundamental right to keep and bear arms that we saw from another lower court in our case against the University of North Florida. Prior to winning the landmark Florida Carry v. UNF case that secured the right of students to store firearms in their cars parked on campus in the First District Court of Appeals late last year, another Florida Circuit Court Judge entered a similarly poorly reasoned decision.

"It's disappointing but this type of ruling is exactly what we have come to expect from far too many intellectually dishonest lower court judges at this phase of any Second Amendment case." said Florida Carry Executive Director Sean Caranna "Once again, we'll appeal to the First DCA... and once again, we'll win."

Boat Ramp Buzzards?

When I first saw the release below from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, I thought that by "boat ramp buzzards", they meant thieves or vandals breaking into cars. I was surprised to find out that the NCWRC meant exactly what the headline indicated - buzzards of the avian variety. Specifically, they mean turkey buzzards in the Piedmont of NC and black buzzards further east in the state.

It seems that the buzzards know a good place to find food when they see it and are hanging out at boat ramps for easy pickings. Unfortunately, they have been both damaging cars and pooping everywhere. Given that they are Federally-protected as raptors, you can't shoot or otherwise harm them. Thus, you just have to make boat ramps unattractive to them.

From the NCWRC:

RALEIGH, NC- The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is requesting public assistance in a battle against boat ramp buzzards.

Buzzards, which are also known as vultures, have damaged cars, trucks and boat trailers at some Piedmont boating access areas. Damage and nuisance issues created by boat ramp buzzards include scratches on vehicle hoods and roofs, exterior moldings pulled apart and windshield wipers torn away, as well as large amounts of droppings.

To scare vultures away from boat ramps, Wildlife Commission staff is using visual and audial deterrents, including pyrotechnics and replicas of dead vultures.

The Commission requests the public assist in the effort to reduce vulture visitation by keeping access areas clean and removing trash and food remnants. Anglers should not leave behind fish guts, unused bait and fish carcasses, including in the nearby waterway.

Many boaters are covering vehicles with tarps or covers to prevent damage. Others are using alternate public boating access areas to reach the same waterway.

Vultures are scavengers, but they also are federally protected birds of prey. Two species are found in North Carolina - the turkey vulture, common in the mountains and Piedmont, and the black vulture, more common in the eastern region.

H/T The Outdoor Wire

Judgment Stayed For 90 Days

As pretty much expected, Judge Frederick Scullin, Jr. granted the District of Columbia a stay of his decision finding DC's ban on the possession of firearms outside the home as unconstitutional. However, the District only got 90 days or until October 22nd.

The plaintiffs had indicated that they would agree to a 90-day stay if the City Council would enact remedial legislation within that time that was consistent with Constitutional standards.

The plaintiffs have until Monday, August 4th, to file a motion in opposition to the stay and the defendants then have until the following Monday to file their reply in support of a 180-day stay pending appeal.

In a footnote to the order, Judge Scullin asserted that he saw no need to clarify his decision noting that the injunction "clearly applied only to handguns and not any other type of deadly dangerous weapon." DC's Attorney General had tried to assert the original ruling was broader than "scope of the gun owners’ lawsuit and that it appeared to apply to restrictions on the carrying of all deadly weapons and not just handguns."

I agree with Bitter that there is no reason the DC City Council cannot enact a workable carry law within 90 days. As she notes, the DC police proved that they could come with something on the fly. 

As to an appeal of the decision, my gut still tells me that DC will go for it.

Palmer v. DC - Order to Stay Decision

Chief Lanier's Memo To Metro Officers (Updated)

Thanks to the efforts of the National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea, we have the memo that District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy Lanier had sent out to all officers of the Metropolitan Police Department regarding carrying a pistol, either open or concealed, within the District.

07-137-14 by David Codrea

UPDATE: David Codrea, the National Gun Rights Examiner, has an updated "official teletype" message from Chief Cathy Lanier that provides further guidance to the officers of the Metropolitan Police Department regarding the lawful carry of firearms outside the home in DC. This message goes into much greater detail than the earlier one issued on Sunday. While the District has officially requested a stay of the decision by Judge Scullin, it has not yet been granted as of early this morning.

Reading through the teletype, it is important to note that it only applies to handguns. The carry of a long gun such as a rifle or shotgun outside the home is still prohibited.

Given the fluidity of the legal situation, I'd be very careful if I were carrying in DC as a non-resident or even as a resident. The motion for the stay could be granted at any time which would probably return things to what they were before the decision. Or to use the full Latin phrase, status quo ante bellum. And yes, it is a war for our rights.

07-138-14 MPD Teletype by David Codrea

DC Does As Expected

In a not unexpected turn of events, the District of Columbia filed a Motion for a Stay Pending Appeal today with the US District Court in the case of Palmer v. District of Columbia. They are asking for an immediate administrative stay, a stay pending appeal, or in the alternative, a stay of 180 days.

The Attorney General of DC and his legal team have communicated with the plaintiffs who would not oppose a 90 day stay if  the city council would enact remedial legislation - that is, a carry law that would cover both residents and non-residents - "that complies with constitutional standards." Alan Gura has indicated he will be filing a response by next Monday to the District's Motion.

In their supporting Memorandum of Points, the District points out that the 7th Circuit granted the State of Illinois a 180 day stay which they extended for another 30 days.

In Moore v. Madigan, the Seventh Circuit found that Illinois’ prohibition on the public carrying of guns, with very few exceptions, violated the Second Amendment. 702 F.2d 933. The Seventh Circuit, however, ordered its mandate “stayed for 180 days to allow the Illinois legislature to craft a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment as interpreted in this opinion, on the carrying of guns in public.” Id. at 942.1 This Court should do the same.

I would note that there was broad support for a concealed carry bill in Illinois by both downstate Democrats as well as Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly. Such a bill had narrowly been defeated in an earlier session on the requirement for a super-majority. No such broad support exists within the DC City Council and they are likely to make a hash of it.

While I would like to think Judge Scullin would tell the District to go lump it, I fully expect that they will get some sort of stay. I hope I'm wrong.

SAF On Their Win Against DC

As you can well imagine, the folks in Bellevue are pretty happy about winning against DC in Palmer v. District of Columbia. They are also ready to fight to preserve that win if DC appeals Judge Scullin's decision. Frankly, I fully expect the powers that be in the District to fight this tooth and nail. While they should have learned something about appealing rulings given former Mayor Adrian Fenty's experience, I doubt that they have.

From SAF:

SAF VICTORY IN PALMER ‘ONE MORE STEP’ TOWARD FIREARMS FREEDOM

BELLEVUE, WA – Saturday’s long-awaited victory in Palmer v. District of Columbia is “one more important step toward firearms freedom,” the Second Amendment Foundation said today after reviewing the ruling, which the District of Columbia now reportedly plans to appeal.

“We will take all necessary steps to defend our victory against an unconstitutional ban on bearing arms outside of one’s home,” vowed SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The decision by Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., reinforces our efforts in challenging burdensome concealed carry laws in several states.”

In his 19-page ruling, Judge Scullin wrote, “In light of Heller, McDonald and their progeny, there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny.”

“Ever since the 2008 Heller ruling by the Supreme Court, the District of Columbia has carried on a campaign of red tape and regulation to discourage citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights,” Gottlieb said. “This has included bearing arms outside the home for personal protection. We applaud Judge Scullin’s ruling, because the time is long overdue for the city to realize that it is the capitol of the United States, not a police state.

“Washington, D.C. is not some political gulag,” he observed, “but the seat of government in a land of free people. A cornerstone of that freedom is the right to keep and bear arms, and where better to exercise that right than in the nation’s capital? We have no intention of letting anti-gun city officials further delay the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their rights. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, ‘A right delayed is a right denied.’

SAF lawsuits have overturned laws not only in Washington D.C., but in several states including Illinois, California, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nebraska, and cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Des Moines and New Haven, among others, Gottlieb noted. Threats of SAF lawsuits have removed well over 100 anti-gun-rights laws across the country as well as stopping hundreds more from being enacted, he added.

“We are focusing our efforts on getting rid of unconstitutional violations of firearms owners’ civil rights in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, California and other states,” he said.

“These victories have been made possible by hundreds of thousands of concerned Americans who have financially supported SAF efforts over the years, Gottlieb noted. “Thanks to them, we have been able to field a first-rate team of legal advocates headed by noted civil rights attorney Alan Gura.

“SAF’s record of legal victories on behalf of the right to keep and bear arms has set the bar for all current and future firearms civil rights litigation,” Gottlieb concluded. “This is not SAF’s last step, but only the latest, in our efforts to win back firearms freedom, one lawsuit at a time.”

Update On Carry In DC (Updated)

Emily Miller had a post a few minutes ago on Facebook regarding enforcement of the now nullified carry prohibitions in the District of Columbia.

Per DC Police Chief Lanier, the only gun arrests allowed now are DC residents with unregistered guns and non-residents who are prohibited under federal laws from possessing firearms. Everyone else is in the clear.

This sounds like good news to those in metro DC.

You know, if you think about it, for the time being, Maryland residents have greater firearm freedoms in the District than they have in the so-called Free State.

UPDATE: Dave Kopel has an excellent post up at the Volokh Conspiracy on this along with some warnings about carry in DC. He suggests caution until an official pronouncement is made.

His long post also delves into the meaning of the win in Palmer. Tom Palmer, by the way, was one of the original plaintiffs in the case that became DC v. Heller when it reached the Supreme Court. He was dropped along the way due to standing issues by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Impressions On The Win In Palmer v. District Of Columbia

By now, many of you are aware that attorney Alan Gura got another big win for the Second Amendment with his win in Palmer v. District of Columbia. US District Court Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. ruled that DC's ban on any sort of carry outside the home was unconstitutional under any level of scrutiny. The decision has been reported in most of the big papers ranging from the Washington Post to the Chicago Tribune to the New York Times (which they buried on page A16).

Congratulations must go to attorney Alan Gura, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the four individual plaintiffs led by Tom Palmer for bringing the fight to the District of Columbia and DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier. Without their efforts, there would be no win for carry in DC and, potentially, for carry in other areas.

Having read the Memorandum-Decision and Order from Judge Scullin, I was struck by a number of things. First, and most important, was the importance to this win of prior cases ranging from Heller and McDonald to Peruta, Ezell, and Moore v. Madigan. Alan Gura has stressed many times in public appearances and in private conversations that the expansion of Second Amendment rights is a building process. Just like the strategic civil rights litigation of Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund didn't end segregation overnight, neither will the Second Amendment Foundation, the NRA, and others involved in the legal battle to advance our Second Amendment rights win back what we lost overnight.

Second, dissents in past cases are often as important as majority opinions. For example, Judge Scullin quotes from the dissent in the New Jersey carry case of Drake v. Filko (originally Muller v. Maenza) by Judge Hardiman of the 3rd Circuit.

To speak of 'bearing' arms solely within one's home not only would conflate 'bearing' with 'keeping,' in derogation of the Court's holding that the verbs codified distinct rights, but also would be awkward usage given the meaning assigned the terms by the Supreme Court.

Perhaps a more important dissent quoted in the case was by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg from Muscarello v. United States regarding the "natural meaning of 'bear arms'". Justice Ginsberg said in her dissent that to bear arms means to "wear, bear, or carry . . . upon the person or in the clothing or in a pocket, for the purpose . . . of being armed and ready for offensive or defensive action in a case of conflict with another person." While some may question quoting Justice Ginsberg, I think it was a masterful move by Judge Scullin.

Third, even losses in Second Amendment cases can be important for future wins. For example, even though cases such as Kachalsky from New York, Drake from New Jersey, and Woollard from Maryland failed to overturn their respective states' rationales for granting their may-issue carry permits, they still helped Judge Scullin reach the conclusion that the Second Amendment guarantees a right to bear arms outside the home.

In light of Heller, McDonald, and their progeny, there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia's total ban on the public carrying of readyto- use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny. Therefore, the Court finds that the District of Columbia's complete ban on the carrying of handguns in public is unconstitutional.

 Fourth, it is significant that this decision applies to both residents and non-residents of the District of Columbia. This means that, as of now, the District of Columbia and its entire bureaucracy including the Metropolitan Police Department are enjoined from enforcing the laws forbidding carry outside the home against both groups. While Judge Scullin found the equal protection and right to travel challenges to residency requirements were not ripe, they may come up again in the future after the District develops a concealed carry permit law.

As I said last night on The Polite Society Podcast, I fully expect this decision to be appealed. The Washington Post reported earlier this evening that DC's Attorney General plans to seek a stay in Judge Scullin's order while they decide whether to appeal the loss.

I'll let Alan Gura have the final say on the implications of this case:

“The decision is in effect, unless and until the court stays its decision,” Gura said Sunday. “This is now a decision that the city is required to follow — the idea that the city can prohibit absolutely the exercise of a constitutional right for all people at all times, that was struck down. That’s just not going to fly.”

Gura said allowing citizens to carry handguns for self-defense will cut crime. “This is a fantastic improvement in public safety,” he said. “Yes, we have a problem in America with gun violence. But no, that problem is not the result of law-abiding people carrying guns.”

Obviously Emblematic Of Gun Control's Sagging Support

I know they say "Keep Austin Weird" but even this is weird by Austin standards.

Earlier this afternoon, CATI (Come and Take It) conducted a walk through downtown Austin to raise awareness for the current restrictions on gun rights in Texas. This walk is done monthly, and today’s walk was led by Thomas Jefferson from their Austin Chapter. Anti-gun protestors decided to arrive though, and they conducted their protest TOPLESS!

While being topless and exposing one's boobs in public is legal in Austin, it does seem a strange way to protest against gun rights. Having seen the pictures of the protesters, I'd say it is emblematic of gun control's sagging support (pun fully intended).

Pictures of the counter-protesters can be seen here but you are on your own for eye bleach.

Chuck Norris To Be Honorary Chair Of Trigger The Vote

I meant to put up this release from the NRA up a couple of days ago. Chuck Norris will serve as the honorary chairman of the Trigger the Vote campaign. The campaign is meant to encourage gun rights supporters to register to vote and then to vote.

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association’s Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF) announced the kickoff of its 2014 “Trigger the Vote” voter registration campaign, and also unveiled its captivating new ad, “Father and Son,” which can be viewed here.

The campaign once again enjoys the support of Honorary Chairman Chuck Norris, and will soon be releasing exclusive new videos featuring Norris that can’t be seen anywhere else.

One of the missions of NRA-FAF is to protect the Second Amendment through a vigorous non-partisan voter registration program. The initial “Trigger the Vote” campaign was introduced in 2009, and it has expanded in scope and reach in every election cycle since. The program uses a variety of means of communications to connect gun owners and Second Amendment supporters with tools to facilitate the voter registration process, and ensure that they are prepared to cast an informed ballot on Election Day. Trigger the Vote field teams have been visiting events across the nation since May of this year to register new voters in person.

This year, Trigger the Vote is also releasing its redesigned website, www.TriggerTheVote.org . The site has new, robust user-friendly tools to help gun owners and Second Amendment supporters easily register to vote, check to make sure their existing registration is current, as well as locate their polling place.

“The Freedom Action Foundation is one of the most critical parts of the NRA,” explained NRA-FAF President Chris W. Cox. “Through its valuable work, the NRA is able to reach millions of freedom-loving Americans and ensure that they are prepared to exercise their right to vote.”

To learn more about Trigger the Vote and how you can be a part of it, please visit www.TriggerTheVote.org .

"Remember, This Isn't A Toy"

The NRA has a great new video out promoting their Trigger The Vote campaign. As you can see below, it involves a father sitting down with his son and explaining that what is contained in the locked pistol case isn't a toy.





The father is absolutely right. Our right to vote isn't a toy but too many voters treat it as such. Otherwise, why would we have politicians like Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi still in office.

I registered to vote on my 18th birthday and I have voted in every primary and election since. When I registered to vote, I had to go down to the Board of Elections office in the Guilford County Courthouse. I didn't have someone from ACORN register me at a shopping mall or get registered when I renewed my driver's license. Frankly, I think we make it too damn easy to register to vote and we are paying the consequences with the number of low-information voters polluting the system.

That said, if anti-gun Democratic politicians want to make it easy to register to vote, I say we should use it to our advantage. If you have a friend, family member, or 18 year old (and up) child, you need to make sure that they are registered to vote if you want to keep your gun rights. Our enemies are not sitting still and we can't afford to either.

If you believe in the right to self-defense, gun rights, and/or a gun owner and you aren't registered to vote, what the hell is your problem? You are putting the burden for preserving your rights on those of us who are registered and who vote. While there are a lot of us, it often just isn't enough. So get your act together and go register to vote. And when the time comes, vote.

About Those .50 Caliber Rifles

"Gunfire at the U.S. border is the latest incident disproving the false claims the NRA makes to keep .50 caliber rifles legal." So sayeth Timothy Johnson of Media Matters.

Except as Kurt Hofmann points out in his excellent fisking of Johnson's hysteria-filled post, it was .50 BMG machine gun fire that was aimed at Border Patrol agents that came across the border from Mexico. In other words, it wasn't a Barrett .50 BMG rifle or any other .50 caliber rifle. 

I would have to say that Timothy Johnson learned his lessons well in how to twist the truth. His internship at the Brady Campaign combined with the tutelage he received from CSGV's Ladd Everitt have prepared him well to be Media Matters designed gun rights hitman.

This Can't Be Good For Gov. Martin O'Malley's Presidential Aspirations

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Maryland) is exploring a run for President in 2016. He will be going to Iowa this weekend to appear at a series of Democratic fundraisers. While he may think his positions on gun control will play well with the hard-core Democrats who vote in primaries, I somehow doubt the announcement from Beretta USA below saying that they are moving their entire manufacturing capabilities will add to his reputation with everyone else.

Manufacturing jobs are the ones that states fight over when it comes to economic development. States rarely seek to push out high-paying skilled jobs but Maryland seems to be the exception. I guess its political leaders believe feeding at the Federal trough with all their government workers is more important than encouraging companies that actually make things.

From Beretta USA:

Beretta U.S.A. Corp., located in Accokeek, Maryland, announced today that it has decided to move its manufacturing capabilities from its existing location to a new production facility that it is building in Gallatin, Tennessee. The Gallatin facility is scheduled to be opened in mid-2015. Beretta U.S.A. had previously planned to use the new Gallatin, Tennessee facility for new machinery and production of new products only.

“During the legislative session in Maryland that resulted in passage of the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, the version of the statute that passed the Maryland Senate would have prohibited Beretta U.S.A. from being able to manufacture, store or even import into the State products that we sell to customers throughout the United States and around the world. While we were able in the Maryland House of Delegates to reverse some of those obstructive provisions, the possibility that such restrictions might be reinstated in the future leaves us very worried about the wisdom of maintaining a firearm manufacturing factory in the State,” stated Jeff Cooper, General Manager for Beretta U.S.A. Corp.

“While we had originally planned to use the Tennessee facility for new equipment and for production of new product lines only, we have decided that it is more prudent from the point of view of our future welfare to move the Maryland production lines in their entirety to the new Tennessee facility,” Cooper added.

The transition of production from Beretta U.S.A.’s Maryland facility to the Tennessee facility will not occur until 2015 and will be managed so as not to disrupt deliveries to Beretta customers. Beretta U.S.A.’s production of the U.S. Armed Forces M9 9mm pistol will continue at the Accokeek, Maryland facility until all current orders from the U.S. Armed Forces have been filled.

“We have not yet begun groundbreaking on the Tennessee facility and we do not anticipate that that building will be completed until the middle part of 2015,” continued Cooper. “That timing, combined with our need to plan an orderly transition of production from one facility to the other so that our delivery obligations to customers are not disrupted, means that no Beretta U.S.A. Maryland employee will be impacted by this news for many months. More importantly, we will use this time to meet with every Beretta U.S.A. employee whose Maryland job might be affected by the move to discuss with them their interest in taking a position at our new facility in Tennessee or, if they are not willing to do so, to lay out a long-term strategy for remaining with the Company while our production in Maryland continues.”

Beretta U.S.A. anticipates that the Gallatin, Tennessee facility will involve $45 million of investment in building and equipment and the employment of around 300 employees during the next five years.

Beretta U.S.A. has no plans to relocate its office, administrative and executive support functions from its Accokeek, Maryland facility.

Days Are Slow But Weeks Are Fast At The Beach

I think as Einstein developed the General Theory of Relativity he must have spent a week at the beach on vacation. That is because though the days are relaxed and time slows, the week itself is over before you know it. We leave tomorrow and it feels like we just got here.

That said, we had a wedding, a visit to the PTR Industries factory, and will take in a car show today for Mustang Week.

Moreover, out in the "real" world, someone shot down a Malaysian Air Boeing 777 and the Obama Administration has essentially banned the import of new Russian firearms through economic sanctions against Concern Kalashnikov. Conspiracy theorists should be having a field day with the timing of the sanctions and the shoot down of the Malaysian Air plane over Ukraine given the sanctions were only a day before the shoot down.

I'll have a full story about the visit to PTR Industries factory when I get home. I have a ton of pictures of the factory floor and the manufacturing process.

An Alert For The Chicagoland Area

The Demanding Mommies are never satisfied and, unfortunately, never give up. Not happy that the Niles (IL) Planning Board turned them down regarding a gun store in Niles, they are taking their fight to the Niles Village Council.

They are pushing the Niles Village Council to turn down the application at their July 22nd meeting. The Illinois State Rifle Association has issued an alert for gun rights supporters in the Chicagoland area. They are asking people to attend the meeting and to make sure that the Village Council doesn't forbid the lawful commerce in firearms.

The alert is below:

URGENT ALERT - YOUR ACTION REQUIRED

BLOOMBERG MOMS SET TO RESUME ATTACK ON NILES ILLINOIS GUN SHOP AND RANGE

The Niles Village Council will soon take a final vote on whether to allow a gun shop and pistol range to open in the village. The application for the permit to open the range was voted on earlier this summer and approved by the Planning Board by a 6:1 vote.

However, gun control extremists led by the BLOOMBERG MOMS convinced the village council to force the Planning Board to take a second vote on the proposal. The objective of the BLOOMBERG MOMS was to have the gun shop and range SHUT DOWN IN COMMITTEE.

The second vote of the Planning Board on July 7th found in favor of the shop and range by a 5:2 margin. The BLOOMBERG MOMS browbeat a female board member into voting against gun rights.

THE BLOOMBERG MOMS WILL BE OUT IN FORCE THE NIGHT OF JULY 22 ND

The supporters of the gun shop and pistol range desperately need your support to help push this proposal through the Village Board. Lawful gun owners cannot allow the BLOOMBERG MOMS to undermine lawful commerce in firearms or the operation of safe shooting facilities.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO STOP THE BLOOMBERG MOMS:

1. Attend the Niles Village Council meeting and enthusiastically defend your right to keep and bear arms.
2. Post this alert to any and all Internet bulletin boards or blogs to which you belong.
3. Pass this alert on to all your gun owning friends and relatives - tell them to go to Niles also.

WHAT: Niles Illinois Village Council Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, 22 July 2014, 7 PM (be there at 6:15 to get a good seat)

WHERE: Niles Council Chambers, 1000 Civic Center Drive, Niles, IL

REMEMBER...ONLY YOU CAN SAVE GUN RIGHTS FROM DESTRUCTION BY THE MOMS.

It Is Not Always Sunny At The Beach

It isn't always sunny at the beach and I have pictures to prove it.

A line of thunderstorms blew into Myrtle Beach around noon today. The clouds were some of the most interesting ones I've ever seen in a storm. Needless to say, we didn't spend the afternoon sunbathing!

Off To The Beach!

There will be lighter than normal blogging the next week. We are leaving for Myrtle Beach in a few minutes.

I should have some great pictures and an interesting story when I get back. Thanks to the help of Bob Owens at BearingArms.com, I will have a tour of PTR Industries of Aynor, SC. They are one of the companies that fled the oppression in the state of Connecticut for a warmer clime and a very warm reception.

So, as SayUncle might say, talk amongst yourselves.

Hey, Mike! About Those Roadless Areas In Colorado

The arrogance of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows no bounds. Of course, we in the gun culture have known that for a long time. Now he has just reconfirmed it in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine with comments about Colorado which are making Democrats like Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) squirm.

In Colorado, we got a law passed. The NRA went after two or three state Senators in a part of Colorado where I don't think there's roads. It's as far rural as you can get. And, yes, they lost recall elections. I'm sorry for that. We tried to help 'em. But the bottom line is, the law is on the books, and being enforced. You can get depressed about the progress, but on the other hand, you're saving a lot of lives.

Those (former) state senators to whom Bloomberg refers would be (former) Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs), (former) St. Sen Angela Giron (D-Pueblo), and (former) St. Sen. Evie Hudak (D-Arvada-Jefferson County). The first two were recalled and Hudak resigned just before she was recalled.

Morse represented Colorado Springs (pop.  439,886) which is the state's second largest city. Bloomberg might be surprised to find out that Colorado Springs has a streets department to take care of their roadless areas.

We seek to render cost effective and competent services to the citizens of Colorado Springs, striving to ensure public safety for the citizens by providing quality maintenance and rehabilitation of public streets and drainage ways being responsive to the citizen's requests and concerns and to handle them in a timely manner.

Colorado Springs is almost as large as New York City's fifth borough Staten Island.  But, I guess I should note, that Staten Island - the hometown of my mother - is also known as the forgotten borough.

Pueblo (pop. 108,249), which was represented by Ms. Giron, is considerably smaller. Still even they have a street maintenance division. According to City of Pueblo's website, this division of the Public Works Department has "32 full-time, dedicated employees" whose primary focus is "to ensure that pavement surfaces are maintained adequately." Pavement? How can you have pavement if it is roadless?

Finally, Colorado Senate District 19 was represented by Mrs. Hudak until she abruptly resigned. That district is centered on Jefferson County (pop. 551,798) which calls itself "The Gateway to the Rockies". Anyplace called "the Rockies" must be roadless. But wait, the county's Road and Bridge Division maintains over 2,900 miles of paved roads. Hudak's district was centered on Arvada (pop. 108,249) which, according to the city's website, has over 1,400 lane miles of streets within the city limits.

Bloomberg is as misinformed about Colorado as he is about firearms. Moreover, he has no hesitation about tossing politicians under the bus after he gets what he wants. Both Udall and Hickenlooper should have thought of that before they took his money.

Freebies!

I'm a few days late in posting this. Aaron at the Weapon-Blog has his monthly update of gun giveaway contests posted.

This month you will find such things as an Armalite AR-50, a Boberg XR9, and the Walther PPQ M2 among the offerings. I had a chance to fire the AR-50 a while back and it is a cool rifle.

Do You Use A Harrier Or A Staghound For Fox And Eland?

I saw two auctions recently that had me wondering how I could rig the PowerBall lottery so as to be the big winner.

The first auction was covered by Wired and features a 1976 Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR Mk3 jump jet. The jet, which saw service with the RAF in the Balkans and the Falkland War, comes with a Rolls Royce Pegasus Mk103 engine and its original ejection seat. It is missing some of its avionics but the auctioneer says that it could be made flyable rather easily (if you had the money).

From Silverstone Auction catalog

 The second auction features Jacques M. Littlefield Collection of armored vehicles including tanks, armored cars, personnel carriers, and a SCUD missile launcher (with missile). There are over 200 lots in this auction.

The include a South African Eland wheeled armored vehicle with a 90mm main gun.

If the Eland with a top speed of 53 mph is too slow for you, then how about a British FV721 Fox Armored Car with a 65 mph top speed. In exchange for speed, you do have to give up some firepower. You are trading the 90mm main gun for a 30mm Rarden cannon.

Now the question remains, would you chase after the Eland and Fox with the Harrier or would you use the Staghound shown below? I'm thinking the Harrier might be the better bet.

Media Bias Or Lazy Reporting - You Make The Call

The Brady Center has announced that they plan to sue the state of Kansas and Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS) over that state's one-year old Second Amendment Protection Act. That Kansas law exempts firearms manufactured and owned in the state from "federal law, regulation, or authority." The Brady Center is contending the law is unconstitutional.

Here is where Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal shows either his bias towards gun control and/or is guilty of lazy reporting for taking the description of the Brady Center straight from their press release.

The Brady Center is a nonprofit organization that develops and implements public safety programs and utilizes the courts to reduce gun violence. The center's Legal Action Project represents victims of gun violence in cases against irresponsible gun sellers and owners.

Let's parse that description. About the only correct parts of that two sentence description that are accurate are "Brady Center", "nonprofit organization", and "utilizes the courts".

The Brady Center programs do nothing to improve the public's safety nor to promote the safe handling of firearms. Furthermore, it uses the court system not to reduce "gun violence" (sic) but rather to maintain repressive gun control laws and to attempt to suppress any moves towards an expansion of civil rights. Finally, the Legal Action Project seeks economic retribution against firearms manufacturers, dealers, and owners for the criminal actions of others.

If mainstream journalists wonder why we don't trust them, you have to look no further than that concluding description of the Brady Center.

The Anti-Gun Regime In Chicago Is Getting More Expensive

The more the anti-gun regime of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tries to suppress Second Amendment rights in that city, the more it is costing them as they lose in the courts. The only downside is that it is the people of Chicago having to pay the bill and not Mayor Emanuel and his gaggle of aldermen.

A case in point. The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois just ordered the City of Chicago to reimburse the NRA over $900,000 for their legal fees fighting the ban on gun stores there.

From the NRA's release announcing the court-ordered award:

The United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois has ordered the City of Chicago to reimburse $940,000 in legal expenses incurred by the NRA. The NRA had challenged Chicago's ban on gun sales within city limits in Benson v. City of Chicago. The Benson case was consolidated into Illinois Association of Firearm Retailers v. City of Chicago and that case challenged five aspects of Chicago's law: (1) the ban on any form of carriage; (2) the ban on gun stores; (3) the ban on firing ranges; (4) the ban on self-defense in garages, porches, and yards; and (5) the ban on keeping more than one gun in an operable state.

This is the second time that the City of Chicago has been ordered to reimburse legal fees in a suit sponsored by the NRA. The first was following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago in which Chicago was ordered to reimburse the NRA more than $600,000.

You may remember that the City of Chicago paid the Second Amendment Foundation $399,950 in attorney fees for the McDonald case. The NRA got even more.

I'm not sure what Chicago had to pay when they lose the Ezell case but it can't be cheap.

And while we are in the state of Illinois, let's not forget the legal fees that will be paid by the good citizens of Illinois to the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation for their wins in the joint cases of Moore v. Madigan and Shepard v. Madigan. The state of Illinois is trying to be a bit more parsimonious than Chicago given the way they are haggling over fees submitted by Alan Gura.

"circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy"

I will admit to being thrilled by the archaic language of the Declaration of Independence. One of my favorite words in the Declaration - beyond that of independence - is the word perfidy.

per·fi·dy[pur-fi-dee]

noun, plural per·fi·dies.
1. deliberate breach of faith or trust; faithlessness; treachery: perfidy that goes unpunished.
2. an act or instance of faithlessness or treachery.

Origin:
1585–95; < Latin perfidia faithlessness, equivalent to perfid ( us ) faithless, literally, through (i.e., beyond the limits of) faith ( per- per- + fid ( ēs ) faith + -us adj. suffix) + -ia -y3

From the list of  injuries and usurpations and other sources of aggrievement submitted to a "candid world" comes this one:

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.

Jefferson did have a way with words.

It Only Makes Sense To Me

Today is Independence Day and Tuesday, July 1st was Canada Day or, as I still call it, Dominion Day. The former celebrates our birth as a nation and the latter celebrates the British North America Act of 1867 which united the provinces of Canada (Ontario and Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into the Dominion of Canada within the British Empire.

Roberta X makes the very sensible suggestion of celebrating the days between July 2nd and 3rd, as Co-Dependence Days.

I'll be excoriated for this, but the inhabitants of U.S. and Canada ought to celebrate July 2 and 3, the days between Canada Day and Independence Day, as "Co-dependence Days," in which we consider all that we love and loathe about our neighbor. We share the longest border in the world without armies watching one another over it, about 2/3 of a common language and all manner of customs, habits and entertainments -- and we share them about the same way fraternal twins between the ages of seven and twelve share the back seat of car over the course of a day-long excursion.

I've always liked Canada and Canadians. The country has a spectacular beauty in many places. As to the Canadian people, they are a likeable people with perhaps the sometimes exception of the Francophones in La Belle Province. Perhaps I hold a rosier view of Canadians as my first girlfriend was Canadian.

Still, I could see this joint holiday working.

Placating The Harpies

Target released a mush-mouth statement yesterday to placate the harpies at Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors. Their interim CEO John Mulligan who, by the way, has only held the job for less than 2 months, issued a Starbucks-like statement that said, in part:

As you’ve likely seen in the media, there has been a debate about whether guests in communities that permit “open carry” should be allowed to bring firearms into Target stores. Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law.

That placated the harpies who proclaimed "VICTORY" in a big banner headline on their website.

Later yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson for Target clarified the statement put out by Mulligan saying, "It is not a ban," she said. "There is no prohibition." In other words, nothing changes.

It's time to remember a few things about Target. They really only care about one thing - money. They have seen sales drop for the last six quarters (oops!) and are desperate to regain their footing. They think that by placating the Shannon Watts of the world that sales might rise. What they forget is that these oh-so-trendy "moms" think Walmart is icky and don't have any other discount chain at which to shop anyway.

The other thing to remember about Target is that they don't give a damn about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The only parts that they care about is the First Amendment protection for commercial speech and possibly the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. The Second, Fourth, and all the rest? While they might not say it out loud especially on the eve of Independence Day, they do not care. They care about the bottom line. It's time we remember that.

UPDATE: The Stupidity and Hypocrisy of Gun Control Advocates Facebook page nails it here. I read it earlier today and then spent an hour or so looking for it again.  Bob Owens and Tam are not far behind in their snarkiness.

I really do like Bob's rewrite of the Target statement:

How the heck did we get caught up in this mess? All we want to do is sell cheap foreign-made stuff to hausfraus who feel they’re too good to be “people of Walmart.” We don’t want to be involved in gun rights politics at all.

But thanks to some grandstanding long-gun open carry yahoos in Texas who can’t figure out basic muzzle discipline, and the response of some shrill harpies in Indiana taking orders from a bitter under-sized billionaire in New York, we’re screwed through no fault of our own.

We really don’t want any part of this… so how can we make it all go away, so we can go back to trying to make money for our shareholders?

I know! We’ll send out a non-committal yet carefully crafted press release that sounds like it’s saying something, while we actually change nothing. The little Moms Demanding Action From Illegal Mayors group will claim victory and come back to buy zinfandel and Xanax, and the retards who never passed range safety will stop muzzling each other’s feet in our parking lots and will go back to playing Call of Duty and leave us alone.

Heck, it worked for Starbucks.

Independence Eve?

The people who brew Newcastle Brown Ale have some smart Geordies in charge of their ad campaigns. They are pushing July 3rd as a new holiday called "Independence Eve". They also have a new hashtag campaign called #IfWeWon explaining how things would be different if the Brits had won the American Revolution.

Along with the fake holiday and hashtag campaign, Newcastle Brown Ale is releasing a series of YouTube videos. I particularly like this one contrasting the language differences between American English and British English.