Daniel Easterday Talks About Gun Rights In Deerfield

Daniel Easterday, a resident of Deerfield, Illinois and the name plaintiff in the lawsuit against Deerfield, was interviewed by Dana Loesch of NRA-TV. It's a short interview - less than two minutes - but the most interesting part in my opinion is who he first credits. It is my friends from the Firearms Policy Coalition Brandon Combs and Alan Normandy.




The Firearms Policy Coalition is a small gun rights group on the national scene when compared to the NRA, GOA, and SAF. Their size and their background from the fight for gun rights in California has given them an agility that is essential in the fight against the corporate, big money, gun control lobby.  A few bucks sent their way goes a long way.

The Follow-Up Question 60 Minutes Should Have Asked

I just finished watching Steve Kroft's report on the battle for concealed carry reciprocity on 60 Minutes. I would suggest everyone either watch it or read the transcript. The episode was better than I hoped though you still could hear the sneer in Kroft's voice when he asked Tim Schmidt if you should be allowed to carry "anywhere". Schmidt, to his credit, gave a one word answer - "yes".

One of the people interviewed was Robyn Thomas of the Giffords Law Center who is adamantly opposed to carry reciprocity. Trying to make a point on how much stricter a may-issue state like California is on who gets a permit, she said:

Someone who lives in Nevada, who's able to carry a loaded, concealed weapon in Nevada could now bring that loaded gun into Los Angeles, into San Francisco, and carry their loaded weapon, even though in San Francisco that's not someone who would get a permit.

 Kroft's follow-up question was a softball asking wouldn't reciprocity "usurp" the gun laws of anti-gun places like New York, LA, and Chicago. This brought the expected "yes" answer.

The question that should have been asked - and the responsible question to ask if one wasn't biased - is how many carry permits have been issued in San Francisco. While I had a good idea it was a slim number, I reached out to Brandon Combs of the Firearms Policy Coalition and Cal-FFL to get an accurate answer. According to him, historically, the total number for both San Francisco city and county for the last two decades has ranged between 0 and 15.

Think about that. In a city and county (they are coterminous) of approximately 800,000 residents, at most 15 permits have been issued at any one time. In other words, unless you are the most connected person in San Francisco, you are not getting a permit.

Moreover, while San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego issue very few, if any, permits, there are approximately 90,000 permits in California. Many of these are issued in a virtually shall-issue manner by a number of other California counties. These permit holders are legally able to carry in any city or county in the state including both LA and San Francisco.

Never forget that our civil rights opponents and their media allies will shade the truth when it serves their purpose. Robyn Thomas did it in the interview and Steve Kroft perpetuated it by not asking the questions that should have been asked.

UPDATE: Professor David Yamane details his experiences when he asked about getting a carry permit in San Francisco back in 2013. He knew the answer going in but thought he'd ask anyway.

Great New Hire At SAF/CCRKBA

Brandon Combs of the CalGuns Foundation and Cal-FFL was just appointed Director of Programs and Outreach for SAF and Director of Advocacy and Coalitions for CCRKBA. I have corresponded with Brandon many times and this is a great appointment. He'll bring a new vibrancy to both organizations' outreach and advocacy efforts. Having cut his gun rights teeth in the notoriously gun unfriendly state of California where innovative tactics are a must to get noticed, I hope he'll bring that same verve to SAF and CCRKBA.

There is a lot of innovative advocacy going on at the state level ranging from the guerrilla tactics of CalGuns to the outreach technology that Maryland Carry used to shut down the Maryland State Capital that need to be shared with other gun rights groups. I'm glad to see that the SAF and CCRKBA has recognized this need. For example, I would love to see the outreach technology of Maryland Carry used by Grass Roots North Carolina when we push for restaurant carry (again) in the next session of the General Assembly.

From the e-mail announcement:

SAN CARLOS, CA & BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation announced today that Brandon Combs, a veteran California gun rights advocate, has joined the Second Amendment Foundation as its director of Programs and Outreach.  He will also serve as director of Advocacy and Coalitions at Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

In addition to his roles at SAF and CCRKBA, Combs will continue working with The Calguns Foundation (CGF) and California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (Cal-FFL) as Secretary and President, respectively, and as an elected member of the board of directors for the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the Golden State's NRA affiliate organization.

“Developing relationships and effective programs are key to really being successful in the long term,” explained SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.  “When you can add a creative, experienced leader like Brandon to your arsenal, you do it.  I’m very excited for the future and delighted he is here with us.”

“I’m excited for Brandon and thrilled that we have an opportunity not only to export some of our gun advocacy culture and concepts nationally, but also to develop a much closer relationship with the larger network of gun rights organizations,” said Calguns Foundation chairman Gene Hoffman.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity to serve SAF’s and CCRKBA’s members and work to advance our fundamental rights,” said Combs.  “I’m looking forward to building the next generation of gun rights advocacy and the new gun rights culture with supporters and fellow advocates from organizations across the United States.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

The Calguns Foundation (calgunsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which serves its members by providing Second Amendment-related education, strategic litigation, and the defense of innocent California gun owners from improper or malicious prosecution. The Calguns Foundation seeks to inform government and protect the rights of individuals to acquire, own, and lawfully use firearms in California.