Happy Birthday Knife Rights

Today is the 10th birthday for Knife Rights. We owe a debt of gratitude to Doug Ritter for taking the initiative to form the organization. The post below tells about the article that inspired him to take action and the successes that they have had over the last 10 years.

July 25, 2016: Knife Rights was born ten years ago today after I read an outrageous and highly inflammatory article headlining the Wall Street Journal, entitled "How New, Deadly Pocketknives Became a $1 Billion Business" demonizing so-called "tactical knives." A discredit to the Journal, the overwrought and sensationalist article was filled with distortions, misrepresentations, innuendo, outright lies and cherry-picked quotes pushing a transparent rabid anti-weapon and anti-freedom agenda. But, the story didn't quite spark the anti-knife response the reporter probably hoped for -- in fact, it had precisely the opposite effect.

Reading that article I became incensed at the blatant, misguided attack on our everyday tools. I realized that there was no NRA for knife owners. There was no aggressive, proactive grassroots organization working to stop the U.S. from sinking into the anti-knife, anti-freedom pit that already exists in Europe and the U.K.

That article ignited a new civil rights movement. Over the past decade Knife Rights has literally rewritten knife law in America. More knives and more freedom couldn't have been further from his objective, but that's exactly what he got. Thank you, Wall Street Journal.

One wonders what the editors were thinking when they chose to illustrate that fateful article with their poster child for evil and dangerous "tactical knives" - a diminutive Buck Knives "Metro" lock-blade keychain folding knife / bottle opener with a 1.125-inch one-hand opening blade. In any case, it demonstrates the absurd idiocy of assigning malevolence to an inanimate object based on physical characteristics. No knife is inherently "deadly" -- that's an irrational and nonsensical label.

A cornerstone of Knife Rights' principles is that inanimate objects like knives must be used by someone against another in order to become deadly weapons. Even then, often they are used for self-defense, not offensively. Knives are simply essential everyday tools used by millions of Americans at home, at work and at play and occasionally they are "arms" used to protect a life. Removing knives from statutory lists of per se (intrinsically) "deadly weapons" is an ongoing goal of Knife Rights.

We formally founded Knife Rights in December of 2006, adopting the slogan "A Sharper Future™ as our objective. The foundation for Knife Rights was expressed as "Essential Tools - Essential Rights™."

It took a few years to get our legs under us, but in 2009 Knife Rights provided the key grassroots knife owner's component of a coalition of groups that opposed U.S. Customs' efforts to redefine a switchblade to include these same one-hand opening knives. The end result was that Congress passed a fifth exception to the Federal Switchblade Act that protected one-hand opening and assisted-opening folding knives.

Springboarding off that success, in 2010 we began our efforts to rewrite knife law at the state level. Knife Rights passed the nation's first ever outright repeal of a state knife ban (switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos) in New Hampshire and the nation's first ever Knife Law Preemption bill in Arizona, ridding the state of its inconsistent patchwork of local knife restrictions. This proved all the naysayers wrong; those who said it couldn't be done.

It was, indeed, possible to repeal switchblade and other knife bans. Having proved those defeatists wrong, we have never looked back. Since 2010 we have been going gangbusters, proving again and again that Knife Rights can do what was once though impossible:

21 PRO-KNIFE BILLS PASSED IN 15 STATES!

Alaska ● Arizona ● Georgia ● Indiana ● Kansas ● Maine ● Missouri ● Nevada

New Hampshire ● Oklahoma ● Tennessee ● Texas ● Utah ● Washington ● Wisconsin

8 ANTI-KNIFE BILLS STOPPED!

Florida ● Maryland ● New Jersey ● New York ● Nevada ● Washington

Knife Rights has also been active in federal and state courts protecting and advancing knife owners' rights. Never backing down from a challenge, our first lawsuit filed five years ago took on New York City's persecution of retailers and tens of thousands of knife owners carrying common pocketknives. While that lawsuit is still ongoing, we've been involved in one way or another with a dozen other lawsuits or trials where knife owners' rights were imperiled. We have been on the prevailing side in every one!

Knife Rights is The One Getting It Done™ for knife owners in America. With the generous support of many of you reading this, our success is unprecedented, unparalleled and unrivaled.

However, we cannot rest on our past wins. The fight continues and it takes money to accomplish what we do. Your donations are the engine that drives us forward.

Good Little Statists

I saw this tweet from the Violence Policy Center applauding the moves yesterday by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D-MA) to rule by edict regarding AWB state-compliant firearms.

At Boston press conference, @vpcinfo applauds new enforcement actions announced by @MassAGO against assault weapons. https://t.co/018lEsEsNQ

— ViolencePolicyCenter (@VPCinfo) July 20, 2016

When you consider that their founder and executive director Josh Sugarmann was the person who popularized the term "assault weapons", it all begins to make sense. He meant for the term to be used to confuse the general public into supporting bans under the guise of "anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun".

Healey and Sugarmann are the people that George Orwell warned us about in 1984. They are the good little statists from the Ministry of Love intent on making us submit to their will. The term "assault weapon" is nothing but Newspeak - the controlled language meant to limit freedom of thought. Those earnest men who assembled on Lexington Green in April 1775 must be rolling in their graves to see what has become of their state.

Governing By Edict In Massachusetts

The gun prohibitionists and anti-rights forces just love the word "loophole". They love it so much in Massachusetts that the attorney general has decided to arbitrarily reinterpret the commonwealth's assault weapons (sic) ban.

Attorney General Maura Healey (D-MA) announced her edict in the Boston Globe today. She says that as of today, if a firearm has either components that are interchangeable with AR-15s and AKs from the free states or an "operating system" that is essentially the same, it is banned.

From the Boston Globe:

The gun industry has found a way to exploit our laws, a loophole of potentially horrific proportions. And it’s time we act.

The Massachusetts assault weapons ban mirrors the federal ban Congress allowed to expire in 2004. It prohibits the sale of specific weapons like the Colt AR-15 and AK-47 and explicitly bans “copies or duplicates” of those weapons. But gun manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to define what a “copy” or “duplicate” weapon is. They market “state compliant” copycat versions of their assault weapons to Massachusetts buyers. They sell guns without a flash suppressor or folding or telescoping stock, for example, small tweaks that do nothing to limit the lethalness of the weapon.

That will end now. On Wednesday, we are sending a directive to all gun manufacturers and dealers that makes clear that the sale of these copycat assault weapons is illegal in Massachusetts. With this directive, we will ensure we get the full protection intended when lawmakers enacted our assault weapons ban, not the watered-down version of those protections offered by gun manufacturers.

The directive specifically outlines two tests to determine what constitutes a “copy” or “duplicate” of a prohibited weapon. If a gun’s operating system is essentially the same as that of a banned weapon, or if the gun has components that are interchangeable with those of a banned weapon, it’s a “copy” or “duplicate,” and it is illegal. Assault weapons prohibited under our laws cannot be altered in any way to make their sale or possession legal in Massachusetts.

We recognize that most residents who purchased these guns in the past believed they were doing so legally, so this directive will not apply to possession of guns purchased before Wednesday. In the dozen years since the federal assault weapons ban lapsed, only seven states have instituted their own assault weapons ban. Many of those bans have been challenged (unsuccessfully) by the gun industry, and we anticipate our directive may be too. But our job is to enforce state laws and to keep people safe. This directive does both.

Healey claims a "moral obligation" to come out with this edict. Methinks it more political grandstanding that any sort of moral obligation.

It will be interesting to see what is meant in real life terms by having an "operating system (which) is essentially the same as that of a banned weapon." Does that mean any and all semiautomatic rifles that use direct gas impingement are banned? Or, in the case of an AK, does this mean all firearms with short stroke gas systems are banned?

You have to wonder if Remington will restart their production of their Model 7615P pump action .223 that took AR15 magazines. It would be a nice in your face workaround to Healey's edict.

Going Old School

Ian from Forgotten Weapons blog goes old school at this run and gun steel match in Arizona. Who am I kidding. Ian always goes old school!

In this video, Ian uses a Roth Steyr 1907 made in 1910 to run the match. He said this about the pistol:

The 1907 was used by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry, and is in my opinion one of the best pistols of World War I. It is a solid and durable design firing a reasonably powerful cartridge (for the time, at least - 8mm Steyr is a 113gr projectile at about 1070fps) and with reasonable sights and good handling. It is mechanically innovative, with a firing mechanism functionally identical to today's "safe-action" systems. The striker is halfway cocked by the action of the gun cycling, and the remaining half is done by the trigger press. The 1907 uses a proprietary stripper clip holding 10 rounds, with a movable follower built in. Pressing down on the clip's follower puts an even pressure on the cartridges, helping to make it a very smooth design to use - I would rate it as equal or better than any other type of stripper clip I have used.

Even with an antique gun using an antique cartridge Ian still comes in 17th out of 21. Considering he was using stripper clips to reload and not magazines, that is pretty damn good.

So What Is Long Range?

Long range can have a lot of meaning to shooters. If you live in the East and deer hunt in heavily forested areas, it might be 50 yards. Out West, it might mean 4-500 yards.

Brian Litz of Applie Ballistics does a good job of explaining long range and extended long range in this new video released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.





Brian will be holding one of his 2-day Advanced Ballistics seminars in Sophia, North Carolina this November. Sophia is a farming community just south of Greensboro. The cost of his seminar is $500. However, if you use the promo code ABSEM100 at checkout, the price falls to $400. For two full days plus all of his books, DVDs, and software, that's quite a deal.

Trying To Decide Between #NeverTrump Or #NeverHillary? Ponder This.

This presidential election may be historic if for no other reason than both presumptive nominees are grossly unpopular. Now if you like Donald Trump or you like Hillary Clinton and you object to that statement, then you are probably in the minority. Both candidates had unfavorability ratings of over 50% as of late June. Frankly, I don't see that changing.

I'll admit right up front that Donald Trump was not my first choice. Heck, he wasn't even my fourth choice. At the start of the primary season, I considered Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz as potential recipients of my vote. I added Carly Fiorina to that list after I saw how she handled the press.

As to Hillary Clinton, oh, please. Her primary qualification to me seems that she married the right guy to have pulled her along with him to national prominence. Without Bill Clinton, she'd be just another Yale educated lawyer with political ambitions. It is doubtful that she would have ever been elected a US Senator from any state especially given she had held no prior elected offices. She would never have been Secretary of State as she wasn't one of the "wise old men" like a Warren Christoper, a college professor specializing in foreign policy like  Kissinger or Madeleine Albright, or a general like George Marshall.

To those who would say I'm forgetting about Gary Johnson, I'm not. While he has gathered more support than prior Libertarian candidates, his role in this election is that of a spoiler. He will either take just enough #NeverTrump Republican votes from Donald Trump for Hillary to win or he will take just enough Bernie supporting Millennials from Hillary for Trump to win. I've participated in every election since 1976 and have studied American presidential politics at the graduate level. Gary Johnson being elected President just isn't going to happen.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was interviewed by the New York Times on Friday. What she said should clarify for any gun owner or any Second Amendment supporter what this race for President is really about. This holds true for both the deer hunters in Gun Culture 1.0 with their .30-06 Remington 700s and the non-hunting concealed carriers in Gun Culture 2.0 with their Glock 19s.

This election is about the Supreme Court which now stands in a four to four split between conservatives and liberals. Another way of putting it is that neither the Originalists nor the Living Constitutionalists hold a majority.

Justice Ginsburg was asked whether there were any cases of recent memory that she would like to see overturned. Here is what she said:

Asked if there were cases she would like to see the court overturn before she leaves it, she named one.

“It won’t happen,” she said. “It would be an impossible dream. But I’d love to see Citizens United overruled.”

She mulled whether the court could revisit its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act. She said she did not see how that could be done.

The court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, establishing an individual right to own guns, may be another matter, she said.

“I thought Heller was “a very bad decision,” she said, adding that a chance to reconsider it could arise whenever the court considers a challenge to a gun control law.

Should Judge Garland or another Democratic appointee join the court, Justice Ginsburg will find herself in a new position, and the thought seemed to please her.

“It means that I’ll be among five more often than among four,” she said.

Rest assured that Michael Bloomberg would spend big bucks to get a gun control case before a Supreme Court in which Justice Ginsburg was now among the five who believe there is no individual right to own a weapon of any sort (firearm, knife, sharp stick). The Wall Street Journal noted yesterday in an editorial that Justice Ginsburg thinks the Second Amendment obsolete and that there isn't even a need for the militia anymore.

So unless something untoward happens this week or next at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump, warts and all, will be the nominee. He is on record as supporting the Second Amendment as an individual right and is on record as opposing gun-free zones.

The coronation of Hillary Clinton will take place in Philadephia the following week. She is on record as saying she'd "change the gun culture". To think that a President Hillary Clinton would appoint anyone to replace Justice Scalia that believed as he did that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right is ludicrous.

I still don't really like Donald Trump. However, I am adult enough to realize that stomping my feet and saying I'm not going to vote or that I'll vote for Gary Johnson is giving aid and comfort to Hillary. This election has become a zero-sum game for the Second Amendment. If Hillary wins, we lose.

I'll boil it down to the essentials:  If you are #NeverTrump, then you are #NeverGuns.

Amazon Prime Day

I don't push the affiliate links that much. However, I would like to remind you that all (as in 100%) commissions earned are donated to gun rights organizations such as the Second Amendment Foundation, the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, Grass Roots North Carolina, and others. If you have a favorite non-profit gun rights group that you'd like me to consider supporting, let me know in the comments section.

Today is Amazon Prime Day with special offers throughout the day for members of Amazon Prime. I use Amazon Prime and like it. It's nice ordering something and having it here in a couple of days. Just as nice are the movies and videos that are available through it such as the the original TV run of Firefly, all six seasons of Justified, the Amazon Originals like The Man in the High Castle, and much more. You can also pick up an 8 GB Kindle Fire Tablet for $33.33. Think of it as a mini iPad that costs a whole lot less.

You can click on the banner below if you are an Amazon Prime member and be linked to the deals. If you aren't a member, click where it says "free trial" which will get you the deals and a month to try it out. For every person who is not already a member of Amazon Prime who does try it out, that means $3 will go to support our Second Amendment rights. Think about that.

Colion Noir Calls Out The Media

The media has been trying to use the shooting of Philandro Castile in Minnesota as a wedge between the African-American community and the National Rifle Association. They are saying that the NRA doesn't care about black gun owners. Moreover, as this article in Inquisitr makes clear, they continue to try and make this a wedge issue because in the NRA's call for an investigation in Minnesota they did not mention Mr. Castile by name. They are saying the NRA is facing an internal split. I don't see it.

Colion Noir calls out the media and commentators who pushing the meme that the NRA doesn't care about black gun owners. He notes that just like Philandro Castile he is a 32 year old black man with a carry permit that was stopped for a traffic infraction just two weeks ago.

Colion Noir is usually somewhat laid back and cool. Here he is not. He's angry and he's tired of putting up with the crap that the media and other critics have spewed towards him personally and to the NRA.

Ah Yes Except The NRA Did Issue A Statement

I picked up a story this morning from a website called .Mic. It is a website devoted to, among other things, bashing the NRA and gun owners. I guess this plays well with their intended audience of "educated Millennials". In a story written Friday by Emily Cahn for their "Policy.Mic" section headlined, "NRA Responds To Dallas Police Sniper Shootings, But Completely Ignores Philando Castile", she noted the NRA release regarding the Dallas murders. Ms. Cahn then wrote:

But missing from the NRA's response was any reaction to the death of Philando Castile, a black man who was killed by police officers during a traffic stop in Minnesota, after he informed them he legally had a gun in his car.

The lack of response to Castile's death is perplexing, given that the NRA staunchly defends Americans' right to lawfully own and carry firearms.

The group has even helped defeat gun control legislation in the wake of the Orlando shootings that would prevent suspected terrorists on the FBI's "no-fly" list from purchasing guns.

I would be troubled if the NRA ignored the shooting of Mr. Castile in Minneapolis. However, they didn't. While not mentioning Mr. Castile by name, they issued the following statement on Friday.

As the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization, the NRA proudly supports the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms for defense of themselves and others regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

The reports from Minnesota are troubling and must be thoroughly investigated. In the meantime, it is important for the NRA not to comment while the investigation is ongoing.

Rest assured, the NRA will have more to say once all the facts are known.

Given that the NRA statement and the Cahn article were both published on Friday, I don't know which came first. Even assuming the Cahn article was published before the NRA released their statement, journalistic ethics demand that a correction or clarification be released acknowledging the NRA statement on the Castile shooting.

Ms. Cahn is a graduate of George Washington University and has worked for papers including the Houston Chronicle, the Washington Post, The Hill, and CQ Roll Call. She is currently .Mic's Senior Political Reporter. Given that background one would have hoped she learned something about journalistic ethics along the way. Sadly, it appears she hasn't.

Really?!

Miguel at Gun Free Zone pointed out this Facebook post from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (sic) from just soon after the murders in Dallas. As Miguel said on Facebook, even vultures will wait before they start feeding on the corpses.

I downloaded this screenshot at about 8:30am EDT. That means it was posted somewhere around 11:30 EDT last night. According to a timeline of the attack in Dallas, the first reports of gunfire was around 9pm CDT or 10pm EDT. Thus, within two hours of the first notice of the attack, the posting below appeared on the Law Center's Facebook page. Notice that it is gun laws that are being blamed. The top commenters are also blaming the NRA and, believe it or not, libertarians and the Koch brothers.

As things stand now, we know the Dallas PD have some suspects in custody, that one potential shooter was killed last night by the DPD bomb squad, and that is about it. We don't know if the murderers were white, black, brown, or purple. We don't know if they were Baptist, Catholic, or Muslim. We don't know if they were affiliated with ISIS, Black Lives Matter, the NRA, or the Boys and Girls Club of Dallas. We don't know if the firearms used were purchased at Billy Bob's Gun Emporium, at the local gun show, out of the back of a car, or smuggled into the country by a drug cartel

The lone exception of the one suspect killed by the bomb squad who justified the attack as retribution for the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile. Other than that, we just don't know because the details have not been made public. This, however, did not stop LCPGV aka LCAV from making the post below.

If you want to keep informed about really what is going on with the investigation in Dallas, I suggest the Dallas News. They are not the cable news stations bringing in "experts". They are the local folks on the ground who work the police beat.

This Is Really Kinda Sad

I received a press release yesterday from the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence (sic). From what I can gather it is a new LGBTQ group that has jumped aboard the gun control bandwagon and is setting up a political action committee (PAC) to support candidates who support gun control.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the nation’s worst mass shooting in history and stalled efforts in Congress to implement gun reform, members of the LGBTQ community today announced the formation of the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence (Pride Fund). This political action committee (PAC) will support federal candidates who will act on sensible gun policy reforms and champion LGBTQ equality.

In the first few days of fundraising, the organization has raised nearly $20,000. Pride Fund plans to have a strong impact in November and is well on its way to raising its initial goal of $500,000 for this election cycle.

“The Orlando massacre was yet another senseless act of gun violence in America and the LGBTQ community and our allies are united in the call for action on commonsense gun reforms. We are tired of Congress’ inaction, so we are adding the strength and organization of the LGBTQ community to help end gun violence,”said Jason Lindsay, Pride Fund founder and executive director. Lindsay is a seasoned political operative with 12 years of experience working in politics, government and campaigns. He also served for 14 years in the U.S. Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003.

During the 2016 election cycle, and beyond, Pride Fund will actively support candidates at the national level who are willing to take on the gun lobby. The safety of our community depends on electing LGBTQ-supportive candidates who will also vote for gun reform measures.

Pride Fund will be working with like-minded groups all across America. Together, we aim to:

• Mobilize the LGBTQ community and our allies,
• Raise funds to counter the gun lobby, and
• Campaign to ensure victory in November 2016 and beyond.

“This is a call-to-action for all Americans to stand up and take political action to end gun violence. Pride Fund gives the LGBTQ community and its allies a strong, concentrated voice to fight back against politicians who are unwilling to act on this important issue. While it will take strong citizen action, fundraising and political muscle to take on the robust financial power of the gun lobby – the LGBTQ community, with the help of its allies, has succeeded before and we plan to do so again,” Lindsay said.

Pride Fund seeks grassroots engagement and donations that will allow our community to meet its goals. Each year, the gun lobby spends tens of millions of dollars to influence Congressional elections and legislative action. Pride Fund gives our community a unique voice to fight back by supporting candidates who champion diversity, equality, and – most of all – sensible gun reforms.

Coming on the heels of the fantastic work that Erin Palette has done with her Operation Blazing Sword and the growth in membership of the Pink Pistols, I find it sad. This is because the LBGTQ community has long been the target of violence due to their sexual orientations. Rather than promoting self-reliance and advocating for the right of self-defense, this organization is actively seeking to remove the one tool that gives the equality of strength. A firearm, properly used, makes a 110 lb. lesbian equal in stopping power to a 220 lb. man who objects to her sexual orientation.

A quick note on Jason Lindsay. According to LinkedIn, Mr. Lindsay is a long-time Democrat operative having worked as a field organizer for Hillary Clinton for President, a staffer for former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), and former Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC). He parlayed that experience into a job as a Congressional Relations Officer with the Department of Veterans Affairs where he has worked since 2011. I am presuming that he hasn't updated his LinkedIn page to reflect that he has left Veterans Affairs to run this PAC. One has to wonder if Mr. Lindsay has, in the immortal words of George Washington Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, "seen my opportunities and I took them."

What makes Mr. Lindsay's efforts even sadder is that he himself is an Army veteran having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is a former Army Reservist. I don't care if he was a REMF while serving in Iraq but, at the very least, he should understand the role of armed self-defense given his military service.

Life Under The Safety For All Act

If you live in California or merely are a shooter visiting the state, you will want to watch the following futuristic video. If you think this could only happen in California, think again.

I had a similar experience in O'Fallon, Illinois many years ago when visiting Ron-Jo's Gun Store. I saw some .30-06 ammo in M1 Garand stripper clips at a decent price. When I went to buy it I was asked for my FOID card. I was told that I needed either that that or a non-resident Illinois hunting license to purchase ammunition. Needless to say but I went away disappointed and without any ammunition. It was also the first time I had even heard of a FOID or Firearms Owner Identification card.

The Law Center Against Gun Violence (sic) helped draft this ballot initiative for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Their push for gun control may seem idiotic but they do have access to very good attorneys who can draft initiatives like this with no wiggle room. Let's put it this way - they are smart enough to realize that without ammunition, a firearm is merely an expensive piece of metal (and wood and plastic).

I see this initiative as another move by the elites to keep the masses under their thumb. The elites will always have their own armed guards and police forces. Without a means to self-defense, the masses will become even more dependent upon a government controlled by the elites for protection. Protection that as we have been told by the Supreme Court they are not required to provide.

John Has A Long Moustache

From behind occupied lines, Radio Free California has started broadcasting.





If you remember, the Firearms Policy Coalition recently won a restraining order against California AG Kamala Harris and the State of California regarding the use of video from the Calfornia Assembly and Senate. It looks like they are starting to make use of it.

Homeland Safety And Security Act Of 2016 Aka We Have To Do Something Act

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced HR 5611, the Homeland Safety and Security Act of 2016, on Friday, July 1st. This bill is an amalgam of items that are supposed to protect us from the Islamofascists. The findings in Sec. 2 of the bill explicitly mentions ISIS and al Qaeda.

This bill has the full support of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) who said:

“While the enemy’s tactics are evolving, the Obama administration’s strategy to defeat radical Islamist extremism is not. We have to step up our game. This counterterrorism legislation provides new tools to protect our homeland, including a provision to prevent terrorists from buying guns. It is a responsible measure that confronts this threat while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. I look forward to a debate and vote on the House floor next week.”

I seem to remember it was not so long ago - like a week earlier - that Speaker Ryan said the Democratic sit-in was nothing more than a publicity stunt and that the Constitution must be defended. He went to say that they wouldn't take away a person's guaranteed rights without due process.

Sec. 5 of HR 5611 states:

SEC. 5. GRANTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THE AUTHORITY TO DENY THE SALE, 
              DELIVERY, OR TRANSFER OF FIREARMS OR EXPLOSIVES TO KNOWN 
              OR SUSPECTED TERRORISTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 922(t) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(7)(A) When the Attorney General is notified of a request to 
transfer a firearm or an explosive to a person who is being, or has 
been investigated during the previous 5 years, as a known or suspected 
terrorist, the Attorney General shall, as appropriate, notify relevant 
Federal, State, or local law enforcement agencies or intelligence 
agencies concerning the identity of the prospective transferee.
    ``(B) Upon being notified of a prospective transfer of a firearm or 
an explosive to a person who is being investigated as a known or 
suspected terrorist, the Attorney General or the United States attorney 
for the district in which the licensee is located may--
            ``(i) delay the transfer of the firearm or explosive for a 
        period not to exceed 3 business days; and
            ``(ii) file an emergency petition in a court of competent 
        jurisdiction to prohibit the transfer of the firearm or 
        explosive, which petition shall receive the highest priority on 
        the docket of that court.
    ``(C)(i) An emergency petition filed under subparagraph (B) shall 
be granted upon a showing of probable cause to believe that the 
prospective transferee will commit an act of terrorism, or is 
prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under subsection (g) 
or (n).
    ``(ii) An emergency petition filed under subparagraph (B) to 
prohibit the transfer of a firearm or explosive may be granted only 
after a hearing--
            ``(I) of which the prospective transferee receives actual 
        notice; and
            ``(II) at which the prospective transferee has an 
        opportunity to participate with counsel.
    ``(iii) In the case of an emergency petition filed under 
subparagraph (B) which is denied, the court shall require that the 
United States pay the costs and attorney fees of the prospective 
transferee.''.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--The amendments made by this section do 
not preclude the Attorney General from arresting and detaining a 
person, including a person described in section 922(t)(7) of title 18, 
United States Code, with regard to whom an emergency petition has been 
filed under such paragraph, if the Attorney General has probable cause 
to believe that the person has committed, conspired to commit, or 
attempted to commit an act of terrorism.

Sec. 5 is a variant of the Cornyn Amendment (S. Amdt. 4749) which failed to secure enough votes in the Senate on a cloture motion. Knowing that there are not enough Senators who would vote in favor of a cloture motion on this bill, isn't this just as much a publicity stunt as the sit-in by the Democrats? Clearly not as visually pleasing to the media as the sit-in, it is still a stunt as it allows the Republican leadership to say, "We did something!".

While Sec. 5 marginally protects due process, lawyers are expensive and there is no guarantee of winning so as to recoup your legal expenses. Moreover, what is to say that someone like Mike Vanderboegh was not put on the list as a domestic terrorist for his Second Amendment activism at the recommendation of the BATFE, the BLM, or even the SPLC. Heck, for all we know it could be all gun rights bloggers, podcasters, or Facebook commenters just because Loretta Lynch doesn't like us.

No one knows how, why, or if they are on the Terrorist Screening Database. There are thousands on the list because they have a similar name, a letter or number was transposed in the original report, or for any number of errors. There are also truly evil and dedicated terrorists on the list who may or may not be under surveillance by the FBI, DHS, or some other alphabet agency. Larry Keane of the NSSF pointed out late last year that under such a law all it would take to confirm to a terrorist that he or she was under suspicion was to try and buy a firearm. The NICS denial would be all the confirmation that they needed.

HR 5611 has been sent to a number of House committees. That said, all indications are that it will be voted on sooner than later. I don't care if the NRA was marginally OK with the Cornyn Amendment or that Donald Trump thought it might be a good idea. I object to secret lists, I object to any attempt to abridge enumerated Constitutional rights, and I object to Sec. 5 of this bill.

Call, email, fax, or write your House member and let them know that you oppose Sec. 5. As the Sultan Knish blog (thanks Kevin Baker for the link) said last year, you can't have a truce with the Left. If you think that the Mike Bloomberg's, Shannon Watts', or Ladd Everitt's of the gun control world are going to compromise with us, you need to think again.

So What If They Outlawed The Bullet Button

The gun prohibitionists in California thought they were sticking it to gun owners when they banned the "bullet button". The two bills signed on Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) which banned the "bullet button", AB 1135 and SB 880, have very similar language. The laws said that to be exempt from consideration as an "assault weapon" the firearm must have a fixed magazine.

(b)  For purposes of this section, “fixed magazine” means an ammunition feeding device contained in, or permanently attached to, a firearm in such a manner that the device cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action.

Darin Prince, the inventor of the original Bullet Button, responded with something that will drive the gun prohibitionists nuts because it fits within the letter of the law yet allows you to replace a magazine very quickly. It may not be as quick as what I can do in a free state but it seems every bit as quick as a "bullet button".

Free Fishing In NC On Independence Day

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has announced that no license or trout stamp will be needed to fish in the state on Independence Day, July 4th. This will apply to both residents and non-residents. This is a great opportunity to take your kids fishing without having to pay for a license. Of course, buying a license does support the conservation of fish, game, and habitat in North Carolina.

Read more in this announcement from the NCWRC:

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 23, 2016) —  The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reminds anglers and would-be anglers of all ages that July 4 is “free fishing day” in North Carolina. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., anyone can fish without having to pay for a fishing license or additional trout privilege license in all public waters, including coastal waters.   

While everyone — residents and non-residents alike — can fish in public waters without a license on July 4, all other fishing regulations, such as length and daily possession limits, as well as bait and tackle restrictions, apply. 

The Commission manages recreational inland fisheries, stocks fish, and provides free access to fishing sites across the state. To make finding a spot to fish easier, the Commission has interactive fishing and boating maps on its website that list more than 500 fishing and boating areas, most of which are free and open to the public. 

Public fishing areas range from well-developed access areas with universally accessible boat ramps and piers, to sites with only gravel parking lots and an access trail leading to the water. These include Community Fishing Program (CFP) sites that are developed through partnerships between the Commission and local municipalities and organizations. Many of these sites receive routine stockings of channel catfish and often have a universally accessible fishing pier. 

Some CFP sites have loaner rods and reels that anglers can borrow for the day on a first-come, first-serve basis. Through the Commission’s Tackle Loaner Program, anglers can check out a fishing rod and reel in much the same way as checking out a library book. They receive a Tackle Loaner card, which is valid at all tackle-loaner sites across the state, although the rods and reels must be returned to the location where they were borrowed. Anglers age 15 and younger who register for the Tackle Loaner Program for the first time receive a mini tackle box filled with hooks, fishing line, a bobber and a stringer.

In addition to providing free places to fish, the Commission stocks a variety of fish in public, inland waters across the state throughout the year to give anglers a better chance of catching fish. Cool mountain waters are stocked with brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as walleye and muskellunge. In warm waters, Commission staff stocks largemouth bass, American shad, striped bass, channel catfish and sunfishes. 

Authorized by the N.C. General Assembly and enacted in 1994, North Carolina’s annual free fishing day always falls on July 4. On all other days of the year, a fishing license is not required for anglers 15 years and younger, but anyone age 16 and older must have a fishing license to fish in any public water in North Carolina, including coastal waters. To purchase a license:

• Call the Commission at 1-888-248-6834. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week;
• Visit the license page;
• Visit a local Wildlife Service Agent. 

Confusing The NRA With The NSSF

The Seattle City Council has mandated that pistols that would normally be traded in when the police department makes upgrades will be destroyed. This boneheaded move which passed council with an unanimous vote will cost taxpayers approximately $30,000 according to the website Blue Lives Matter.

"Officer Blue" then went on to make this statement:

What the Seattle city council is ignoring here is that guns are still being actively manufactured and sold. Destroying old guns doesn’t reduce the number of guns on the streets, it just increases the number of newly manufactured guns being purchased. The NRA is unlikely to oppose such a knuckle-headed policy, because destroying old firearms increases the profits of gun manufacturers. Gun manufacturers only make money on the first time that a firearm is sold. All used gun sales are potentially a lost sale to a gun manufacturer. If other police departments follow suit in destroying their used firearms, then you might want to look into purchasing stock in gun manufacturing companies.

"Officer Blue" is making the common media mistake of thinking that the NRA is an agent of gun manufacturers. While they have good relationships with the manufacturers, it is not the job of the National Rifle Association to increase the profits of the firearms industry. That is the job of their trade association the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

In reality, I think both organizations would oppose the destruction of these firearms. The NRA would oppose it as a matter of public policy as it recognizes that not all shooters can afford new firearms. Moreover, historically many surplus firearms such as M1 carbines were sold directly to shooters under the auspices of the NRA. The NSSF would oppose it because their constituency also includes FFLs as well as manufacturers.

California Gun Owners Get Screwed -- Again

Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) did his usual splitting of the baby with regard to gun control bills today. He signed six and vetoed five. As per the usual lately, gun prohibitionists won much more than they lost and the Constitution was spit on once again.

The bills signed creates a registry of ammo owners, bans loaning of guns between family members and friends, bans the bullet button, adds non-violent misdemeanors as a prohibiting factor for gun purchases, and, last but not least, bans possession of all magazines with more than a 10-round capacity. On this last measure there is no grandfathering of existing magazines.

Brown said he was signing these bills "to enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner". Of course, none of these bills would prevent further terrorist attacks like in San Bernardino or Orlando.

The release below from the Firearms Policy Coalition gives more details:

California Governor Jerry Brown Guns Down the Constitution

Governor Jerry Brown signs 6, vetoes 4 gun control bills that were passed by the California Legislature yesterday.

SACRAMENTO – This morning, four-term Governor Jerry Brown conspired with other members of the State’s corrupt one-party majority to make it easier for criminals and terrorists to kill innocent people, said civil rights advocacy organization Firearms Policy Coalition.

Brown signed six and vetoed four of the eleven anti-gun, pro-terror bills that were passed by the Legislature yesterday. (Note - there was a 5th anti-gun vetoed - AB1176)

The “Gunpocalypse” legislation signed by the Governor today will create new criminal liabilities affecting millions of law-abiding people, cost the state tens of millions of dollars in new fees and fines, and eviscerate fundamental, individual rights.

“These are constitutionally-illegitimate laws passed by a patently illegitimate government that had the audacity to attack and criminalize millions of its own people in Stalin-esque fashion,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs.

“We expect mass non-compliance with these laws and encourage good, peaceful Californians to carefully consider the risks of voluntarily identifying their firearms, magazines, and ammunition to law enforcement officials, especially the California Department of Justice.”

The Legislature suspended nearly every procedural rule to rush these anti-gun, ISIS-enabling bills through to Brown before he left for Europe, a place that may have served as the model for his unconstitutional firearm policies.  Now that the first phase of their year-long campaign to support violent criminals and terrorists is complete, the members of the Legislature who passed the bills have left Sacramento for a month-long, taxpayer-funded vacation.

“The Legislature ignored every rule in the book to fast-track their civilian disarmament agenda and herd the people into a state-wide gun-free-zone,” said Craig DeLuz, the director of public and legislative affairs for Firearms Policy Coalition.

Continued DeLuz, “There are still a dozen anti-gun bills pending in the Legislature, and while Governor Brown’s actions today were disturbing, Firearms Policy Coalition and our members will continue to fight to defend and restore the Second Amendment in California.”

With Senate Bill 1446¾ a statewide, confiscatory ban on lawfully-possessed “large-capacity” magazines¾law enforcement interests once again cut shady deals to exempt their retired members from the long reach of the new gun control laws.

Earlier this year, Firearms Policy Coalition, two other civil rights groups, and a number of individuals filed a federal civil rights lawsuit–captioned Garcia v. Attorney General Kamala Harris–that challenges California’s gun law exemptions for retired law enforcement officers on Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection grounds.

“Jerry Brown and the California Legislature have openly declared war on gun owners and the Bill of Rights,” continued Combs. “By signing the bills that he did, Governor Brown showed us that he has no respect for the rule of law, reason, or law-abiding people. I submit that he and his ilk deserve the same contempt in return.”

“The government would be wise to remember that there are more California residents with guns than there are government officials to take them away. To coin a phrase, ‘come and take it’,” Combs concluded.

The Governor signed the following bills today:

·                  AB 1135 (Levine): Bans common and constitutionally-protected firearms that have magazine locking devices.

·                  AB 1511 (Santiago): Criminalizes loaning of firearms between personally known, law-abiding adults, including family members, sportspersons, and competitors.

·                  AB 1695 (Bonta): Makes a non-violent misdemeanor a prohibiting offense.

·                  SB 880 (Hall): Bans common and constitutionally-protected firearms that have magazine locking devices.

·                  SB 1235 (de Leon): New restrictions on ammunition purchases; creates a DOJ database of ammunition owners.

·                  SB 1446 (Hancock): Statewide confiscatory ban on all lawfully-possessed standard-capacity ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 round; exemption for retired police

The Governor vetoed the following bills today:

·                  AB 1673 (Gipson): Would have redefined “firearms” to include objects that are not firearms

·                  AB 1674 (Santiago): Would have banned buying more than one firearm of any type within a 30-day period

·                  AB 2607 (Ting): Would have dramatically expanded the reach of secret “Gun Violence Restraining Orders”

·                  SB 894 (Jackson): Would have re-victimized victims of theft by criminalizing the failure to report lost and stolen firearms

AB 857 (Cooper), which would require that serial numbers be placed on un-serialized firearms manufactured going back 50 years and on all new home-built firearms, is still pending. 

Happy Dominion Day

To all my Canadian friends and acquaintances in the 51st state, Happy Dominion Day!

Growing up July 1st was always Dominion Day and not Canada Day. It was not until 1982 that the name was switched and then it was only done on a late Friday afternoon under the earlier Trudeau's government. You can read the whole sordid tale of that here.