Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Off To Houston Plus Two Items


I'll be leaving to catch my flight to Houston in a few minutes. Blogging may be sporadic for the next two days as I'll be spending time with family in Texas. Expect it to resume full force during the NRA Annual Meeting and thereafter.

A couple of items before I leave.

First, Sebastian reports that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has turned down the NRA's appeal in NRA v. BATFE. He has a good preliminary analysis of the opinion. This is the case that challenged the Gun Control Act of 1968's restriction on sales of handguns to those between 18 and 21 years of age.

Second, today is the 38th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese communists. Mike Vanderboegh posted a very soul-searching remembrance of the event a couple of days ago. As Mike would be the first to point out, he used to be a left-wing radical. When I say "left-wing", I don't mean a brie and Chablis liberal - think really hardcore.

If you want to read a good book on that last month of the Vietnam War, I'd suggest Black April by George J. Veith.
The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America’s worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame—from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam’s surrender on 30 April 1975—has eluded us.

Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants, this book represents one of the largest Vietnamese translation projects ever accomplished, including almost one hundred rarely or never seen before North Vietnamese unit histories, battle studies, and memoirs. Most important, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of South Vietnam’s conquest, the leaders in Hanoi released several compendiums of formerly highly classified cables and memorandum between the Politburo and its military commanders in the south. This treasure trove of primary source materials provides the most complete insight into North Vietnamese decision-making ever complied. While South Vietnamese deliberations remain less clear, enough material exists to provide a decent overview.

Ultimately, whatever errors occurred on the American and South Vietnamese side, the simple fact remains that the country was conquered by a North Vietnamese military invasion despite written pledges by Hanoi’s leadership against such action. Hanoi’s momentous choice to destroy the Paris Peace Accords and militarily end the war sent a generation of South Vietnamese into exile, and exacerbated a societal trauma in America over our long Vietnam involvement that reverberates to this day. How that transpired deserves deeper scrutiny.

ISRA On Concealed Carry For Illinois


Playing fast and loose with your constitutional rights is just business as usual for some politicians in the State of Illinois. As this latest message from the Illinois State Rifle Association makes clear, the Madigans - father and daughter - are just the latest in a long line to do so.

THE MADIGANS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH YOUR FAMILY'S SECURITY

As most readers know by now, the appeals court has directed the Illinois General Assembly to pass a concealed carry bill by June 9th. As might be expected, the leadership of the House and Senate have been employing every trick in the book to avoid complying with the court order.

The first stalling tactic came when Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked for a review of the decision by the full appellate court. The court refused and told the legislature to get back to work and pass a concealed carry law by the deadline.

Once Madigan's request was shot down, it was time for the General Assembly to work its own special brand of magic. Gun grabbers in the House introduced a "concealed carry" bill with a couple of dozen amendments containing foolish restrictions on concealed carry along with unacceptable gun control provisions.

After that came gun-hater Kelly Cassidy's "concealed carry" bill which was so insanely restrictive that it only garnered 31 votes in the House.

A few days after Cassidy's flop, the House voted on the ISRA-supported HB0997 carry bill. Unfortunately, the bill fell a few votes short of the supermajority requirement imposed by House Speaker Mike Madigan. Once again, the security of law-abiding Illinoisans took a back seat to the politics of gun control.

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, anti-gun Sen. Kwame Raoul was crafting a so-called "compromise" concealed carry bill. Under the provisions of this bill, applicants for concealed carry would pretty much have to surrender most of the protections they enjoy under the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, the bill would have given Cook County special powers to deny carry permits, even though the applicant had passed muster with the FBI and Illinois State Police. In other words, average citizens living in Cook County would be denied the right to defend themselves. Of course, it would be a different story for the county sheriff's political supporters.

Just yesterday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that she has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a 30-day extension for filing an appeal of the lower court's requirement that Illinois pass concealed carry. Madigan's latest stunt is purely political as she hopes to push back any action on concealed carry to a time where it becomes an issue in the 2014 elections. In essence, the political interests of the Madigan family trump the security of your family.

At the moment, we are not sure how all this will play out. There are numerous possibilities and, when your action is needed, we will alert you. So, keep an eye on your in-box.

You may rest assured that the ISRA will not waver in its commitment to deliver a "shall issue" carry bill. We will not accept any bill that denies people the right to self defense because of their ZIP Code. We will not accept any requirements that make it impossible for everyday law-abiding citizens to afford the cost of a permit in terms of either time or money. We will not accept any sort of "compromise" bill that bans semiautomatic firearms or limits magazine capacity or any of the other gun control garbage on the grabbers' wish list.

We will not accept any sort of "may issue" carry bill. The ISRA and its fellow litigants in the McDonald and Shepard cases did not go to the expense of trial just to bring home a half a loaf or less. In fact, any politician who votes for a "may issue" carry bill will instantly earn a grade of "F" - regardless of past voting record. Yes, our commitment to your security runs that deep.

In the mean time, here is what you need to do to help ensure that a "shall issue" carry bill passes:

1. Contact both your State Senator and your State Representative. Politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois gun owner and that you will not accept any "may issue" concealed carry bill or any bill that excludes Cook County or any other jurisdiction. Advise the person that you expect the Senator or Representative to vote for "shall issue" legislation such as that provided for in HB0997.
If you do not know who your State Senator is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here: www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

Once you know who your State Senator and State Representative are, you can find their contact info here:
www.ilga.gov/senate/
and here:
www.ilga.gov/house

2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family; ask them to make calls as well.

3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

Remember - "shall issue" concealed carry will not get passed unless you are prepared to take action. Keep making those calls to your Senators and Representatives!

Reader Meet-Up At The NRA Annual Meeting (updated)


UPDATE: Based on the feedback, Friday or either day were the leading vote getters. So let's go for 11am on Friday at the Starbucks in the George Brown Convention Center. It is located on Level 2.

I'll buy the coffee. "Frou-frou" drinks are on you.


A few weeks back, I had a suggestion from a reader that we have a meet-up at the NRA Annual Meeting in Houston. I'd like to see if there is any interest in that. It would have to be either Friday or Saturday as my flight leaves too early on Sunday to do it then.

Now, please bear with me as this is the first time I've done a poll.




I meant to add that the George Brown Convention Center does a Starbucks where we could meet for coffee. Feel free to leave suggestions for alternative places in the comments section.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Headline Of The Day


Given firearm sales since Barack Obama was first elected President, seeing a headline calling him the "Gun Salesman of the Year" is not really news. Where it appears, is news.


"Barack Obama, Gun Salesman of the Year" is the title of an opinion piece at Bloomberg View.

Just seeing that along with the stats on gun sales must be making the owner of Bloomberg LLC just cringe.

I love to see Mayor Bloomberg cringing!

SIGTac Stabilizing Brace


I've written in the past about devices and/or gimmicks such as the Halix NSN chin brace that will allow you to use an AR-15 pistol as a PDW or personal defense weapon. The general consensus at the time was that it had marginal utility and that the ATF would probably decide it was a stock.

Now comes word that Sig Sauer's SIGTac line is coming out with the SB-15 stabilizing brace. As you can see in the video below, it is a method of strapping the recoil tube to your forearm. According to SIGTac, it is ATF approved. They plan on rolling this out at the NRA Annual Meeting so I'll be interested in seeing the approval letter.

It does appear effective in stabilizing the AR pistol. No word yet on the price.





UPDATE: The ATF approval letter can be found here. Also, according to a comment on this post, the MSRP for the SB-15 will be $139.


H/T GearScout

Gun Prohibitionists To Try Ballot Initiatives


Gun prohibitionists in Washington State think that perhaps they will have more success with a gun control ballot initiative than they have had with the legislature. Their rationale is that the big evil NRA intimidates legislators and "the people" won't be similarly swayed.
Washington Rep. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat who had sponsored unsuccessful legislation on background checks at the state level, said a winning ballot initiative would make a statement with broad implications.

"It's more powerful if the voters do it - as opposed to our doing it," Pedersen said. "And it would make it easier for the Legislature to do even more."

On Monday, proponents of universal background checks in Washington will announce their plan to launch a statewide initiative campaign that would require the collection of some 300,000 signatures, according to a person involved in the initiative planning who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the official announcement.

The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility has scheduled a fundraiser in Seattle at the end of next month and hopes to have a campaign budget in the millions of dollars.
 I don't doubt that they could have a multi-million dollar budget if Mayor Bloomberg and/or Bill Gates opens their wallets. If I remember correctly, Gates was a big supporter of a 1997 Washington State initiative that went down to screaming defeat.

This all presupposes that the gun prohibtionists have a large grassroots backing and that they can mobilize them. You know, like the NRA and other gun rights organizations.

The Brady Campaign's "director of mobilization" seems a little leery of the effort.
Brian Malte, director of mobilization at the national nonprofit lobbying group Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said passage through Congress is the ideal in order to have a national solution and so that states with strong gun laws aren't undermined by nearby states with weaker standards. He noted that initiative campaigns are costly endeavors that can drain important, limited resources.

Still, Malte said, the ballot measures are an option to consider.

"At some point, certainly decisions need to be made about what the right time is to say we take it to the people," Malte said.
I'm guessing the right time is right after a highly publicized mass shooting and when they think they have achieved a critical mass of low information voters.

Still Rep. Pedersen seems quite sure of himself.
Pedersen said he was working with the initiative organizers on language for the proposal, and he said the Legislature would first have another chance to adopt the measure early next year. If it fails among lawmakers again, the proposal would then automatically go to the ballot, where Pedersen said he welcomed a campaign competing against groups like the NRA.

"I'm not afraid of it at all," Pedersen said. "The public is really with us. It's the right policy. I think it can be useful for further progress."
I don't doubt that the Yale-educated Pedersen is a smart guy. I just wonder how he in touch he is with the average Washington State voter outside of King County.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

NC House Votes On HB 937 - Restaurant Carry - On Tuesday


The North Carolina House of Representatives has placed HB 937 on the calendar for a vote on Tueday. This bill would allow restaurant carry, has provisions for firearms in locked vehicles on university and community college campuses, would allow carry in assemblies where admission is charged, and clarifies park carry definitions.

From Grass Roots North Carolina:
Help Fight-off Weakening Amendments!

On Wednesday, HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” which contains; restaurant carry, provisions for guns in locked vehicles on college campuses, carry in assemblies for which admission is charged, and a "cleanup" of parks carry language, passed from the House Judiciary A Subcommittee. It is now calendared for a vote on the House floor on Tuesday, April 30. Attacks by anti-gun leftists, narrowly fended off in the committee, will likely be tried again when the bill hits the floor.

Anti-gun treachery you can expect

Numerous anti-gun amendments were attempted in committee, principally by Reps. Deborah Ross (D-Wake, 0-star) and Darren Jackson (D-Wake , GRNC 0-star) . Although all anti-gun amendments failed in committee, they will try again when the bill hits the floor, so here they are:

Protecting rapists instead of students: Both UNC lobbyist Andrew Moretz and NCSU police chief Jack Moorman testified to the committee in opposition to allowing concealed handgun permit-holders to keep guns on college campuses, but neglected mentioning the high rate of violent crime on those campuses. In fact, Moorman apparently prefers to protect rapists rather than students, since the morning after he testified against self-protection on campuses, a student was dragged into bushes and raped outside the "Free Expression Tunnel." Lest you assume Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, ****) supports the bill, he introduced an amendment which would have undermined the deterrent effect of guns on campus by requiring guns be kept in locked compartments within vehicles.

"Poison pill" amendments to restaurant carry: Although at least 43 states have some type of restaurant carry (including laws recently passed in Georgia, Arizona, Tennessee, Virginia, and Ohio) Reps. Ross and Jackson remain committed to stopping you from protecting your family in restaurants. If they can't remove it entirely, they will use "poison pill" amendments to induce the NC Restaurant & Lodging Assoc., which is currently neutral on the bill, to oppose it.

In committee, Jackson first tried to require restaurants to post signs saying they either allow or prohibit concealed carry, claiming this would "allow restaurants to choose" while actually denying restaurant owners the choice of simply not getting involved in the debate at all by posting nothing. When restaurant association representative Frank Gray stated his opposition, the amendment failed. Next, Jackson tried requiring servers to act as cops by asking patrons whether they were "packing," and demanding permit-holders to qualify to law-enforcement marksmanship standards.

"Yellow Star" Jackson: Reminiscent of Nazi's use of the yellow star inscribed with "Jude," Jackson then introduced an amendment to brand permit-holders by requiring their status to be displayed on drivers' licenses, so that every time you have to present an ID, you would be "outted." This amendment also failed.

Lies about concealed handgun permit-holders: North Carolinians "Against Gun Violence" director Gail Neely stood before the committee to slander permit-holders, citing long-since discredited claims from "New York Times" reporter Michael Luo that permit-holders are criminals. But most telling, Neely perjured herself to the committee by regurgitating a study which she claimed dealt with concealed handgun permit-holders, despite the fact that GRNC President Paul Valone had two weeks prior produced a copy of the study for her (and the audience of an ACLU forum) demonstrating that her claims were clearly false.

Remind legislators: Not only restaurant patrons are disarmed under current law, but also employees. In February, a Charlotte-area Red Lobster employee was shot during an armed robbery, adding yet another to the long list of restaurant victims like Danielle Watson, the Flying Biscuit Cafe manager brutally stabbed to death and left behind a dumpster.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

THANK LEADERSHIP & REMIND THEM YOU WILL ACCEPT NO WEAKENING AMENDMENTS: Call AND email Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg, ****) at Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net 919-733-3451 and House Majority Whip Ruth Samuelson (R-Mecklenburg, ****) at Ruth.Samuelson@ncleg.net and 919-715-3009.

EMAIL FENCE-SITTING HOUSE REPS:
Use the copy and paste list below to bury anti-gun and fence-sitting representatives in an avalanche of input which clearly demonstrates you will not tolerate attempts to undermine the interests of gun owners.

CALL & EMAIL YOUR NC HOUSE REP:
Let them know you expect them to vote against all weakening amendments and for final passage of HB 937. Find your rep HERE or by going to: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

CONTACT INFORMATION

Use the 'copy and paste' email list below:

Alma.Adams@ncleg.net, Kelly.Alexander@ncleg.net, Nathan.Baskerville@ncleg.net, Larry.Bell@ncleg.net, Marcus.Brandon@ncleg.net, Becky.Carney@ncleg.net, Tricia.Cotham@ncleg.net, Carla.Cunningham@ncleg.net, Beverly.Earle@ncleg.net, Jean.Farmer-Butterfield@ncleg.net, Susan.Fisher@ncleg.net, Elmer.Floyd@ncleg.net, Valerie.Foushee@ncleg.net, Rosa.Gill@ncleg.net, Rick.Glazier@ncleg.net, Ken.Goodman@ncleg.net, Charles.Graham@ncleg.net, George.Graham@ncleg.net, Duane.Hall@ncleg.net, Larry.Hall@ncleg.net, Susi.Hamilton@ncleg.net, Edward.Hanes@ncleg.net, Pricey.Harrison@ncleg.net, Yvonne.Holley@ncleg.net, Verla.Insko@ncleg.net, Darren.Jackson@ncleg.net, Paul.Luebke@ncleg.net, Deb.McManus@ncleg.net, Mickey.Michaux@ncleg.net, Annie.Mobley@ncleg.net, Rodney.Moore@ncleg.net, Garland.Pierce@ncleg.net, Bobbie.Richardson@ncleg.net, Deborah.Ross@ncleg.net, Evelyn.Terry@ncleg.net, Paul.Tine@ncleg.net, Ken.Waddell@ncleg.net, Winkie.Wilkins@ncleg.net, William.Brisson@ncleg.net, Joe.Tolson@ncleg.net, Michael.Wray@ncleg.net, Marvin.Lucas@ncleg.net, Jim.Fulghum@ncleg.net, Paul.Stam@ncleg.net, Chris.Whitmire@ncleg.net, Joe.Queen@ncleg.net, Bob.Steinburg@ncleg.net

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: "Pass HB 937, “Amend Various Firearm Laws” WITHOUT amendments!"

Dear Representative:

I strongly urge you to support House Bill 937, "Amend Various Firearms Laws" by passing the bill without weakening amendments. Provisions for concealed handgun permit-holders to carry in restaurants are by no means untested. Among the forty-three states with some type of restaurant carry, in the last five years, it has passed in Georgia, Arizona, Tennessee, Virginia, and Ohio. In the twelve months after Virginia passed restaurant carry, violent crime in restaurants dropped by 5.2%. Moreover, the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association does not oppose the bill (although it does oppose "poison pill" amendments proposed by Representatives Darren Jackson and Deborah Ross.)

With respect to the limited measure for firearms in locked motor vehicles on college campuses, I am stunned by the hypocrisy of UNC and NCSU officials who testified against the measure in the House Judiciary A Subcommittee...just hours before yet another NCSU student was raped outside the NCSU "Free Expression Tunnel." To deter violent sociopaths, it is time to deliver a message that campuses will no longer be "victim disarmament zones."

I will be monitoring your actions via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts, and rest assured I will hold legislators accountable for their votes.

Respectfully,

Manchin's Dead Horse


Joe Manchin's continuing efforts to push background checks and other gun control reminds me of a (bad) joke I heard many years ago.

When told of a pervert's interest in bestiality, necrophilia, and BDSM, the listener just rolled his eyes and said, "That's like beating a dead horse."

Manchin was interviewed by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this morning. In the interview, Manchin continued to insist that his background check bill with a little tweaking could pass the Senate.



















From the Fox News Sunday transcript:
WALLACE: All right. Finally, Senator Manchin, you and Republican -- fellow Republican Senator Pat Toomey, were the coauthors of this expanded background check that was voted down a few days ago in the Senate. You're talking now -- you're talking about revising the bill, bringing it back to the Senate floor.

It came out today that your cosponsor, Pat Toomey says, no, I'm done with it. Do you really think that the expansion of background checks can be revised and can be passed by the U.S. Senate?

MANCHIN: I certainly do. The only thing that we've asked for is that people would just read the bill. It's a criminal and mental background check strictly at gun shows and online sales.

The way the law is today, if you go to a gun store, you have a background check done. If you go to a gun show and you go to a licensed dealer, they still do a background check. But you can go to the next table over and have no check at all.

You can online. If you buy a gun out of state online --

WALLACE: But, Senator, respectfully, we knew all that beforehand and your colleagues didn't vote for it?

MANCHIN: Well, I think -- Chris, I think there were some confusion. The first bill that came out basically was dropped, the Chuck Schumer bill, which was all inclusive. Chuck, we talked to Chuck and he backed off that, and we worked on what we thought was a much better bill, especially coming from a gun culture that I come from in West Virginia.

I've gone down and worked the bill into the coal fields, into the gun--friendly West Virginians that I hunt with, and sport shoot with. And all of them to a "T," when they saw the bill, this basically not only protects your Second Amendment rights, it expands your Second Amendment rights.

WALLACE: But, and we're running out of time, Pat Toomey, cosponsor of Manchin/Toomey, says he's done with it?

MANCHIN: I don't think he's done. I really don't know. I was with Pat last night and Pat's totally committed to this bill and I believe that with all of my heart and we're going to work this bill -- when people read the bill, just take time to read the bill. I've said this, if you're a law--abiding gun owner, you'll love this bill. If you're a criminal, if you've been mentally adjudicated through a court, you probably won't like it.

But all we're doing, we don't infringe on anybody's rights, individual rights, transfers of families --

WALLACE: I want to make it clear: you're going to bring this bill back --

MANCHIN: Absolutely.

WALLACE: -- to the Senate floor. And you think it's going to be different?

MANCHIN: I truly believe if we have time to sell the bill, and people will read the bill, and I'm willing to go anywhere in this country, I'm going to debate anybody on this issue, read the bill and you tell me what you don't like. We stop registration completely from the standpoint of the felony, with 15 years of imprisonment.

WALLACE: And is part of the idea here that you are going to have it stripped away and separate it from --

MANCHIN: The bill needs to be clean, I believe. That's my belief, that if the bill runs clean and people can vote on this bill up or down based on the merits of this bill, how it protects a gun, a Second Amendment gun person, a law-abiding gun owner, it's perfect for that person.

If you're going to a gun show, you're going to expect to have a background check. If you're buying online, whether it's an out-of-state gun or in-state, a background check. No intervening at all with family transfers or any individual rights whatsoever.
Manchin's co-author Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said the effort was over on his part according to his statements in a conference call on Friday. He has indicated he wants to return his attention to fiscal and economic issues.

From the CapitolInq blog at Philly.com:
"My own view is very simple: the senate has had its vote. We’ve seen the outcome of that vote. I am not aware of any reason to believe that if we had the vote again that we’d have a different outcome," Toomey, a Republican, said in a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon. "If that were to change my guess is (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid would consider having another vote."....

"Until we have such reason to believe that we’d have a different outcome I think the issue is resolved by the senate," Toomey said Friday. "I accept when the senate speaks and so I’ve turned my attention to the fiscal and economic matters that I’ve normally focused on."
I guess Toomey is not the glutton for pain that Manchin seems to be. 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

NY SAFE And Jobs


It isn't only the large firearm manufacturers whose business is affected by the NY SAFE law. While I've talked about Remington in the past, the law also impacts small manufacturers who have less clout. A case in point was recently publicized by WHEC-TV of Rochester.

Just Right Carbines of  Canandaigua makes a modern version of the camp carbine in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The design of the JR Carbine allows it to be made with some off-the-shelf parts from the AR including the stock, pistol grip, and trigger mechanism. Therein lies the problem - the pistol grip. Because the JR Carbine uses a pistol grip, it is illegal to sell in New York.




The response of Gov. Cuomo's office is illustrative of the disdain they have for the firearms industry.
“For years, gun manufacturers have modified their products for sale in New York State, and the new law does not change that. The SAFE Act is designed to keep military-style assault weapons that have the potential to cause the greatest harm out of our communities while still respecting New York's long tradition of hunting and sport shooting.”
Let's be clear about one thing. Cuomo and the rest of the gun prohibitionists respect nothing about hunting or sport shooting.  It is only something that they have to endure so as to get the votes from those "Upstate hicks". If it costs a few jobs in western New York, so be it. I would imagine that as soon as an industrial recruiter from South Dakota or Texas or Alabama sees this story, Messrs, Fargnoli and Cutri will be getting a call.




About Motive In These Politically Correct Times


The Israeli satiric news show, LATMA, skewers the FBI over the search for a motive behind the Boston Marathon bombing. Think of them as kind of an Israeli "The Daily Show".

I certainly don't hate the FBI as my Mom served as a cryptanalyst with them during WWII and I have a first cousin who is a FBI Special Agent. I just wish the FBI had done their job correctly.

The video is pretty funny yet sad at the same time. The funny is obvious. The sad part comes from the truth behind it which is that political correctness blinds many in positions who might have been able to do something to prevent this bombing.





H/T Matt Bracken

Friday, April 26, 2013

If I Had The Money....


I like to look over the firearms auctions on Proxibid.com on a regular basis. This week I came across an estate auction that would set the heart aflutter of most any collector.

It is from the collection of Richard Wray of Cincinnati, Ohio. I don't know who Mr. Wray is or was other than he owned Wray Electric Company. I do know he had more Class III NFA firearms than most museums!

In addition to the more common items like a M-16, a Browning M-2, and the M-60 machine gun, the collection has stuff like a Carl Gustafs Model 1921/1924 Browning Automatic Rifle in 6.5 Swedish Mauser with Finnish Army proofs.



OK, that is a bit too pedestrian for your tastes, how about a Vickers Mark I Water-Cooled Machine Gun in .303 and retaining most of its original finish?


Nah, you say, Vickers made a lot of machine guns.  Then try a U.S. Model 1909 Benet Mercie Light Machine Gun made by Springfield Armory.


You need to check this auction out if only to see all the unusual US and foreign machine guns Mr. Wray had.

As for me, what I'd really want to bid on is the Smith and Wesson Model 76 Submachine gun which is the US copy of the Swedish K-gun. I got to shoot one a couple of years ago at the LuckyGunner Blogshoot and really liked it. It was easy to shoot and you might even still be able to get spare parts for it from Numrichs. It is also expected to sell in the 4-digit range and not the 5-digit range. Now all I would have to do is clear the NFA background check and wait...and wait.


Thursday, April 25, 2013

A Look Inside R&D


Knight's Armament Co. puts out a series of YouTube videos about the company and their products. They released one yesterday that showed how a product goes from inspiration to production. In this case, it was for their URX rail system. Needless to say, it doesn't happen overnight and it probably isn't cheap when you figure in the number of prototypes and man-hours involved.


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

GRNC On Passage Of HB 937 Out Of Committee


As I noted in the previous post, the North Carolina State House Judiciary A Committee passed an omnibus gun rights bill out of committee today. From the report below from Grass Roots North Carolina, the gun prohibitionists tried very hard to neuter the bill but ultimately failed.

From GRNC:
Restaurant Carry Passes Committee

After lengthy debate and after rejecting numerous anti-gun amendments, the NC House Judiciary A Committee today passed House Bill 937. The bill will now head to the House floor for a vote, likely next week.

  • In its present form, HB 937 would expand concealed carry into:
  • Restaurants;
  • Assemblies of people for which admission is charged;
  • College campuses (provided firearms are kept in locked vehicles); and
  • Parking lots of state office buildings.

HB 937 would also clean up flaws in the parks carry language passed in HB 650 under which municipalities continue to flout the law by banning guns in entire parks.

During sometimes rancorous debate, Representatives Darren Jackson (D-Wake , GRNC 0-star), Deborah Ross (D-Wake, 0-star) and others proposed amendments designed to be "poison pills" for the bill. All failed. Most surprising was an amendment by Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, ****) who supported the bill, but objected to provisions allowing concealed handgun permit-holders to keep firearms in locked vehicles on college campuses.

Sponsors Jacqueline Schaffer (R-Mecklenburg, ****), Justin Burr (R-Montgomery, Stanly, ****), John Faircloth (R-Guilford, ****), and George Cleveland (R-Onslow, ****) did an outstanding job of defending the bill. Addressing the committee in favor of the bill were GRNC president Paul Valone, Director of Development Josette Chmiel, and representatives for the NRA and NCRPA.

In testifying against the bill, North Carolinians "Against Gun Violence" director Gail Neely perjured herself to the committee by regurgitating a study which she claimed dealt with concealed handgun permit-holders, despite the fact that Valone had two weeks ago produced a copy of the study for her (and audience of an ACLU forum) demonstrating clearly that her claims were false.

Rep. Jackson introduced anti-gun amendment after anti-gun amendment in an attempt to "run the clock" on the bill until he was shut down by Committee Chair Rep. John Blust (R-Guilford, ****), who brought the bill to a vote.

Stay tuned for a detailed accounting of the committee action, including video.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

CONTACT YOUR HOUSE REP: Tell him to pass HB 937 as is, without weakening amendments. Find your rep Here or copy and paste: http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

SUPPORT GRNC: Please help by joining or contributing at: http://www.grnc.org/join-grnc/join-grnc-online

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: "Pass HB937 As Is!"

Dear Representative:

I strongly urge you to not only vote for House Bill 937 ("Amend Various Gun Laws"), but to oppose any floor amendments intended to weaken the bill. The restaurant carry provisions of the bill are being practiced in forty-three states without serious problems. Virginia implemented restaurant carry two years ago, after which restaurant crime dropped by 5.2%.

Provisions for firearms in locked vehicles on campuses of higher learning is a modest first step aimed at reducing campus violence, deterring tragedies such as Virginia Tech and keeping thousands of lawful North Carolinians from becoming accidental felons.

I look forward to hearing of your support and will monitor this issue via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,

Great News Out Of Raleigh


The NC State House's Judiciary A Committee approved a measure this afternoon that would significantly expand gun rights in North Carolina. HB 937 would allow (among other things) concealed carry holders to have firearms on university and community college campuses so long as they were locked in their vehicles.
Representatives of the National Rifle Association, Grass Roots North Carolina and other gun owner rights groups endorsed the bill during the committee hearing, saying it granted changes long sought by gun owners.

"With respect to the campus provisions on this bill, frankly, it's more limited than we wanted," said Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, adding that his group still supported the bill. "The entire purpose of this is deterrence. We are looking at deterring violent sociopaths from crimes on campuses."

The campus provision applies to all public community college and university campuses in the state. Independent colleges and universities would have the choice of whether to allow firearms on campus but would have to post a prohibition
.
This is great news. Current law makes it a felony to have a firearm on university and community college campuses regardless of whether you hold a NC Concealed Handgun Permit or not.

The bill would also allow carry in restaurant and eating establishments that serve alcohol as well as clarify the General Assembly's intent on park carry.

I have more on this bill later this evening as I'm heading out to an appointment now.

More On The Sale Of The Freedom Group


Last week was somewhat consumed with the vote on Manchin-Toomey and the Boston Marathon bombings. The Wall Street Journal ran a couple of stories about the sale of the Freedom Group by Cerberus. You may remember that Cerberus put the Freedom Group up for sale in December after the Newtown shootings in response to pressure from some major pension funds who were investors.

In the first story dated April 16th, the Journal reports that a bid group is being formed by Stephen Feinberg and other partners in Cerberus. The rationale behind this is to provide a floor in the auction price for Freedom Group in order to prevent lowball offers.
Mr. Feinberg, Cerberus's co-founder and chief executive, and other partners, using their own money, are looking to team up with other investors to place a bid for Freedom Group, the people said. The Cerberus partners would have a minority financial position in the group, according to the people. The partners are reaching out to other wealthy individuals and families to join the bid, the people said.

Cerberus would then form a special committee of investors of the private-equity firm who, along with the Cerberus board, would evaluate any bids. The bidding partners wouldn't be part of that review process. The Cerberus group would withdraw from the bidding if a suitor tops its offer by 10% or more, the people said. The group wouldn't receive a breakup fee.
That story also reports that 16 potential bidders have looked at the Freedom Group's financials. The auction is being run by investment bank Lazard Ltd.

A follow-up story in the Wall Street Journal revealed some of the potential bidders for the Freedom Group who have examined the company's financial information.
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. and Sturm, Ruger & Co. have asked for detailed information on Freedom Group, the people said. Alliant Techsystems Inc., an aerospace and defense company that also makes ammunition and firearms accessories, has also expressed interest, they said.
While both Ruger and S&W are firearms manufacturers, this would mark the first move into firearms manufacturing for Alliant Techsystems. ATK currently makes Federal and Estate ammunition along with Alliant powder and a whole host of components such as Speer and CCI. While not mentioned, I think it would be conceivable that FN-Herstal which manufactures both Winchester and Browning sporting arms might be interested as well.

UPDATE: Frank W. James has a very perceptive comment over at SayUncle regarding the interest shown by Ruger, ATK, and S&W in the Freedom Group. In essence, they are using the opportunity to examine Freedom Group's books not to buy the company but to compare their costs to those of Freedom Group. In other words, they are getting competitive intelligence for free.

Short And To The Point


My friend Rev. Kenn Blanchard, the Black Man with a Gun, just posted a short animated message with thoughts about gun control in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. I think it gets the point across that gun control kills. It leaves the good people defenseless while doing nothing to stop terrorists, thugs, and assorted other criminals from obtaining weapons.

I think Kenn's message needs to be shared far and wide.


Something To Start Your Day


I need a cup of coffee to start the morning. Without it, I start dragging by mid-morning and begin caffeine withdrawal soon thereafter.

The video below is about how to make coffee when you are camping. However, you could use the same methods if you've lost power or having to bug out due to a disaster natural or otherwise. As long as you can heat water, you can make coffee regardless of whether you go with instant, French press, or the cowboy method.




Tuesday, April 23, 2013

What's The Constitution Worth To A Billionaire?


The answer to that headline is not much if the billionaire in question is New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

At a press conference held in conjunction with the Conde Nast Celebrates Editorial Excellence: Toast To Editors, Writers And Contributors event, Bloomberg said that our interpretation of the Constitution must change "to allow for greater security" to stave off events like the Boston Marathon bombing.

From the Observer.com's Politicker column:
“The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry,” Mr. Bloomberg said during a press conference in Midtown. “But we live in a complex word where you’re going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change.”
I, for one, prefer the "olden days" before we had America's scold and nanny as mayor of New York City.

Never one to miss a chance to push gun control and show his disdain for the Second Amendment, he had to add comments about guns.
The mayor pointed to the gun debate and noted the courts have allowed for increasingly stringent regulations in response to ever-more powerful weapons.

“Clearly the Supreme Court has recognized that you have to have different interpretations of the Second Amendment and what it applies to and reasonable gun laws … Here we’re going to to have to live with reasonable levels of security,” he said, pointing to the use of magnetometers to catch weapons in city schools.

“It really says something bad about us that we have to do it. But our obligation first and foremost is to keep our kids safe in the schools; first and foremost, to keep you safe if you go to a sporting event; first and foremost is to keep you safe if you walk down the streets or go into our parks,” he said. “We cannot let the terrorists put us in a situation where we can’t do those things. And the ways to do that is to provide what we think is an appropriate level of protection.”
I know some of the wealthy are somewhat arrogant just like many politicians are arrogant. However, when you cross extremely wealthy with politician you get a special kind of arrogance and Mike Bloomberg is the epitome of it.

MrColionNoir To Biden - "At The End Of The Day, You Don't Have The Credentials"


MrColionNoir is starting to grow on me. I'm not hip nor urban nor, unfortunately, young any more but I can still appreciate the way he can communicate a message in effective and simple terms. I think it was a brilliant move by the NRA to add him to their stable of commentators on gun issues.

In his latest, he takes direct aim at the use of the buzzwords "responsible" and "reasonable" by the Obama Administration to push background checks. He then turns to Vice-President Joe Biden and Biden's advice on guns and gun safety. It gets even better from there.


Monday, April 22, 2013

The AK-12 In Action


I came across this video of the AK-12 in action courtesy of the KitUp blog. It looks like an nice upgrade to the basic AK-47/74.

As to what they are saying, I don't have a clue. It could be, "take this, Dzhokhar!", for all I know. Still, the shooting is interesting. I'm guessing a Russian version of 3-Gun.


Self-Defense Advice From Senator Feinstein


It appears that Sen. Dianne Feinstein has trained at the Joe Biden School of Tactical Shooting and Self Defense. She was a guest of Chris Wallace on FoxNews Sunday. He asked her whether in light of the lockdown in Watertown, Massachusetts with the bombing suspect still on the loose, would people have liked to have guns. Watch her answer below.





I guess we should be happy she didn't suggest the person go out on their porch and fire the shotgun in the air. Given the scenes of the police going door to door, bursting into houses, forcing people out, etc., that might have been a death wish.


H/T Dave Kopel

Some Good News For Reloaders


I came across this little tidbit this morning which contains some good news for reloaders. It is from the AccurateShooter.com daily bulletin and contains news of powder shipments to online retailers.
Here’s good news for reloaders. Some large shipments of propellants were delivered in the last week, and we are starting to see supplies of some popular powders start to catch up to demand. Third Generation Shooting Supply received a very large order of Alliant Powders in one-pound containers, including the popular Reloader series. If you need RL15, RL19 or RL22 you may be able to grab some before it’s gone. TGSS has already sold nearly a ton of RL15 this week.

Natchez Shooters Supplies is featuring Vihtavuori powders, and the Natchez inventory system is showing supplies “in stock” for many of the most popular Vihtavuori powders including N320, N133, N135, N540, N150, N160, and N165. All these powders (including 8-lb jugs of N133) are shown “in stock” as of this morning, but we caution that things change quickly!
Links to retailers and more details are at the link above. Perhaps this is a sign that supply is starting to catch up with demand.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Credit Where Credit Is Due


For the last few days since Manchin-Toomey was defeated all we've heard is about the big bad NRA and the "gun lobby" as if it were some monolithic object. The other thing being bandied about by the gun prohibitionists is that the NRA leadership are merely tools of the gun manufacturers.

This is utter bullshit and we all know it.

An article I read within the last few days gave credit where credit is due - to you and me and everyone else in the trenches who wrote letters, made calls, talked to friends, and sent faxes. This same article pointed out that the leadership of the NRA responded to what they were hearing from the grass roots and not the other way around. If Wayne LaPierre is steadfast in opposition, it is because we have pushed him in that direction. As to the manufacturers, they respond to their consumers. A gun maker that supports gun control measures would lose their customer base a'la Smith and Wesson. I really wish I remembered where I read this article and I wish I had bookmarked it.

I think the statement by Chris Cox of the NRA-ILA is recognition that the strength of the NRA come from the grass roots. I think Chris is correct that the fight is not over.
While both sides in the gun control debate regroup after our victory in the Senate earlier this week, I want to give credit where credit is due. The credit for Wednesday’s defeat of gun control goes to the countless gun owners and other Americans who drew a line in the sand--who sent emails and letters and made phone calls to their U.S. senators, urging them to protect private firearm transfers, semi-automatic firearms, and the magazines that millions of Americans own for self-defense.
There is no question that you shocked the enemies of liberty two days ago. Going into Wednesday’s votes, they thought victory was within reach. Many in the media had pushed the idea that resistance to the gun control agenda was futile, and some of our more aggressive adversaries may have started to believe their own propaganda. I’m sure some had convinced themselves that the intensity of their anger toward gun owners was all that was necessary to assure victory.

But you and your fellow gun owners proved them wrong. As you know, the best Americans do what they have to do, not for personal praise, but because it’s the right thing to do. They do what has to be done not only for themselves, but for their fellow Americans today and for generations of Americans to come. Nevertheless, on behalf of all of us at NRA headquarters, I want to thank you for answering the call.

As you know, however, we can take only measured comfort from this week’s success. In his bitter response to the Senate’s votes, President Obama said that this fight is far from over, and that’s the one thing that he is right about.

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), sponsor of the gun control bill debated this week, has promised to bring his bill up at a more opportune moment. Obama’s “Organizing for America,” billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s “Mayors Against Illegal Gun Guns,” and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ “Americans for Responsible Solutions” will focus their efforts on defeating pro-Second Amendment senators in 2014.

I say to those groups and their leaders, that pro-Second Amendment senators stood with us and we will stand with them, as we have with other elected representatives who have supported the Second Amendment before them.

Over the last generation, gun owners have had tremendous success advancing our cause. The refusal of the Obama administration and anti-gun radicals in Congress to attack us during Obama’s first term is a testament to our strength. They became emboldened by Obama’s reelection and over the last four months, we have weathered an anti-gun public relations campaign as severe as any we have experienced. And we have won the first legislative battle at the national level.

Our adversaries are well-funded, though, and as determined as any we have seen before. The fight ahead will be as difficult as this organization and the gun owning community has ever faced. Prepare for what’s ahead. Every gun owner will be needed on the team. Elected officials who support the Second Amendment will be subjected to a well-financed, cleverly conceived campaign designed to convince them that they are on the wrong side of history. Our job and yours will be to expose that claim for the fraud that it is. Please find strength in the knowledge that the victories best savored are those that are hardest fought, and encourage our friends in Congress to do the same.

Thank you for all you did to win this fight, and for your readiness to win the fights that will come.

Ladd Everitt: Noted Ordnance Expert


Modern day journalists have this obsession that borders on compulsion to balance any comment that could be be remotely considered "pro-gun" with one from a gun prohibitionist.

Thus, it isn't surprising that David Trinko of the Lima (Ohio) News reached out to Ladd Everitt in an article entitled "Few mechanical differences found between AR-15s, hunting rifles." The article noted that there were few differences between an AR-15 and the Ruger Mini-14 given that both use the same .223 Remington cartridge, both are semi-automatic, and both have detachable magazines.

As most readers of this blog would agree, the major difference between the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14 is in the action. The former uses a direct gas impingement system while the latter uses a gas operated piston. The rest of the differences are just cosmetic. Not so says Everitt.
Those additional features are really at the heart of the debate about gun violence in America, says Ladd Everitt, director of communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence in Washington.

“They’ll tell you these features are pieces of plastic and are merely scary-looking. They’re just cosmetic,” Everitt said. “That’s just nonsense.”
The article goes on to note that Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 would ban firearms with more than one of the following features: folding or telescopic stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor, or grenade launcher. The article mistakenly says S. 150 hasn't gotten out of committee yet. It has and is supported by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic) because "those additional features on AR-15s" concern them.
“The world’s not affected by scary looks. It’s specific features and what they do,” Everitt said. “Pistol grips, the specific purpose is to keep level and steady during repeated fire. A flash suppressor is to disguise sniper fire at night. A barrel shroud keeps your hand safe while firing round after round so it doesn’t heat up and burn your hand.”
While Everitt is correct that the barrel shroud does provide a heat shield, the rest of his statement is full of nonsense. Pistol grips in a variety of shapes and sizes have been on bolt action rifles for many a year. Look at this page of McMillan stocks - every one has a pistol grip and each one is intended for a bolt action rifle. The main purpose of a flash suppressor is to keep the shooter from being blinded at night by the flash - not to disguise "sniper fire".

Finally, Everitt gets around to discussing semi-auto versus full auto and magazine size.
The speed someone can repeatedly fire a semi-automatic rifle makes it just as dangerous as a fully automatic weapon, Everitt said.

“It’s a nonsense argument that you can’t hold down the trigger so it’s safe,” he said. “You can fire as quickly when you repeatedly press the trigger. It’s highly insulting to those who are victims of gun violence.”

Instead, much of the debate centers on how many rounds should be allowed in a magazine for a semi-automatic weapon. The 1994 law only allowed 10 rounds per magazine. Feinstein’s proposal also used the number 10.

“No one in the world needs more than 10 rounds at a time unless you’re hunting humans,” Everitt said.
Let's be clear about one thing. All firearms used improperly are dangerous. It doesn't matter if you have a single shot Cricket or an AR-15 with a standard capacity magazine as either could be used to kill or injure. That said, if I am protecting my loved ones from a pack of home invaders, I'd prefer to have the AR-15 with multiple standard capacity magazines. More and more, home invasions involve multiple invaders. Furthermore, tests of the 5.56 round show less over-penetration than with most pistol calibers.

There are experts and then there are propagandists who like to portray themselves as experts. The first are useful and the second are useless. Ladd Everitt is in the second category.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Good News From Florida


Buried in the news of the week amongst the Senate votes on gun control and the bombing at the Boston Marathon with the subsequent manhunt for the Chechen bombers, was the defeat of one of Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Mayors in Gainesville, Florida. The last time I had reported on Mayor Craig Lowe, he had just been arrested for driving under the influence with property damage.

In the run-off election for mayor of Gainesville, Lowe lost to former City Commissioner Ed Braddy.
In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a margin of more than two to one, the Republican Braddy defeated the Democrat Lowe by almost 10 percent of the vote. With all 35 precincts reporting, Braddy had 7,258 votes (55 percent) to Lowe's 6,007 (45 percent).
Lowe was one of the 30 mayors featured in a recent MAIG video demanding "a plan".

While Lowe's DUI undoubtedly played some role in his defeat, Braddy attributed his win to a campaign message of making Gainesville more affordable for both people and business. He also pledged to run a more open City Hall.
While campaigning, Braddy said that differing or contrary viewpoints were not welcome under Lowe's leadership. He said the city should do away with more restrictive rules on public comment at City Commission meetings, including the requirement to sign up in advance to speak at the 6 p.m. time for general comment.

"City Hall is open to the people," Braddy told a cheering group of supporters at The Warehouse restaurant. "The people will be welcomed at City Hall."
Why am I not surprised to read that Mayor Lowe wasn't open to differing or contrary viewpoints. That seems to be the modus operandi of all gun prohibitionists.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Misleading Infographic Of The Day


Normally, I like infographics. Used correctly, they convey a lot of useful information in an understandable format. However, they can be misused.

An example of infographic misuse is shown below. It comes from Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Mayors and their Demand Action project.

What the infographic doesn't tell you is that Harry Reid (D-NV) set the bar at 60 votes for any amendment to S. 649 to forestall any efforts at a filibuster. It was part of the motion to proceed to consideration of the bill and to accelerate the discussion. Otherwise, there would have been 30 hours of debate and Harry Reid didn't want the details of Manchin-Toomey subjected to that much sunlight.

Moreover, their argument that five senators representing four states which comprise 1.4% of the US population is specious. You could make the equally valid argument that the six senators from three states - Vermont, Rhode Island, and Delaware - put Manchin-Toomey over the 50 vote mark. These three states, by the way, represent a mere 0.8% of the US population.

Jame Taranto of the Wall Street Journal in his Best of the Web Today column calls these efforts "a thuggish majoritarian rhetoric". It helps put this infographic - which is nothing but authoritarian propaganda - into perspective.



Thursday, April 18, 2013

Don't Know Much About (Constitutional) History


In an editorial published yesterday after the defeat of Manchin-Toomey, the editors of Bloomberg View bemoaned the filibuster and the fact that even small states have two senators. They claim the "rural bias" of the Senate puts gun control out of reach.
The struggle to enact their plan turned uphill this week, with nearly all Senate Republicans opposing it and even a few red-state Democrats running for cover. The proposal’s demise, in a 54-46 vote, is a testament to legislators’ continuing fear of the gun lobby. It also illuminates a political equation that grows more unbalanced, especially in the Senate, every year. The votes of Wyoming’s two senators, representing 580,000 citizens, effectively cancel the votes of California’s two senators, representing 38 million. The votes of Illinois, with a population of almost 13 million, are voided by those of Alaska, with little more than 700,000.

This is a problem for sensible gun legislation. It is also a problem for American democracy. If the nation’s laws fail to represent the views of the overwhelming majority of its people, representative democracy becomes a shallow and unsustainable exercise.

Just as gun laws have failed to keep pace with the advance of technology -- which puts ever greater firepower in the hands of virtually anyone who wants it -- the Senate has failed to adapt to the urbanization and suburbanization of the nation, enabling rural representatives to veto the will of an increasingly metropolitan majority. The Senate cannot, and indeed does not, function if 60 votes are the threshold for every proposal.
Turning their logic on its head, I don't think they would object to the two senators from Vermont, population 626,000, voting for gun control and effectively canceling out the votes of the two senators from Texas, population 25,146,000. Nor would the editors object to the two senators from Delaware, population 898,000, canceling out the pro-gun votes of the senators from Georgia, population 9,688,000.

While I might be able to excuse their lamentations about the failure of the Senate to gun control, there is no excuse for their abysmal ignorance of the Constitution and the history behind its creation which the editors should have learned before they even got to high school.

When representatives from the thirteen states assembled in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation in 1787, the delegates brought with them ideas on how they would like the future government to be structured. James Madison of Virginia brought a plan for a bicameral legislature. The Virginia, or Large State, Plan would have apportioned each house of the legislature based upon population. In response to the Virginia Plan, William Paterson of New Jersey proposed an alternative unicameral legislature with one vote per state. While the New Jersey Plan was rejected in favor of the Virginia Plan, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention finally adopted the Connecticut Compromise which satisfied both large and small states. It is this bicameral legislature that we have today: a House of Representatives apportioned by population and a Senate with two Senators per state.

 The founding fathers were wise in their compromise. The Senate was meant to be a deliberative body somewhat akin to a non-hereditary House of Lords. It was meant to be a bulwark against populist passions. To throw out the filibuster and equal apportionment by state in the name of some ill-conceived claim of discrimination against the urban areas is to trample on the concept of minority rights. I sincerely think the editors of Bloomberg View might want to consider the ramifications of that move.

Building Speed By Pushing Your Limits


In the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses how to build your speed as a competitive shooter. He suggests having a timer and then begin to push your limits. When your performance starts to suffer - larger groups, missed targets, etc. - back off a bit and start to work at that speed. Eventually, your groups will tighten and your speed will increase.


Responses Of The Increasingly Irrelevant Old-Line Gun Prohibitionists


The old line gun prohibitionists are becoming increasingly irrelevant in the debate. When Obama threw his hissy fit yesterday after Manchin-Toomey was defeated, he didn't have Josh Horwitz or Dan Gross by his side. He had Gabby Giffords, former Congresswoman and co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions, by his side.

When Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) partnered with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to revive gun control, it wasn't out of fear of pathetic demonstrations by CSGV or an ad campaign by the Brady Campaign. While we will never know for sure what convinced him to go over to the dark side, I'm sure the pressure from Mayor Bloomberg and his fat wallet had something to do with it.

So I find the petulant responses of groups like CSGV and the Brady Campaign to the defeat of the gun control measures yesterday more amusing than irritating. They are like the high school prom queen who has not aged well and is still expecting to get the same attention she got in high school.

From the Brady Campaign:
“This is an insult to the 90 people killed by gun violence every day and the 90 percent of Americans who believe that felons, domestic abusers, and the dangerous mentally ill should not be able to buy guns without a background check, no questions asked. The Senate failed to pass something that virtually all Americans support and would undoubtedly make this a safer nation. It is unfathomable that a Senator could sit across the table from a Newtown parent who lost a child, and then days later vote against this amendment. We will not give up in this fight and we should not lose sight of the progress we have made. That we have come this far only strengthens our resolve to make the American public heard until we can make the Congress listen. And we will work to make sure that those Senators who refuse to represent the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans on this crucial issue are replaced with others who will.

In addition to continuing the fight for expanded background checks at the federal level, the Brady Campaign continues to work to keep the American public safe from gun violence. We are working to maintain momentum at the state level and pass common sense legislation, as we’ve seen in several states including New York, Colorado, and Connecticut. The Brady Campaign has also created groundbreaking programs to help change the way we approach guns in our communities. With 300 million guns already in the nation, it is imperative that we take shared responsibility for how they are stored and handled.”
From the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic):
The outcome of today’s votes is a stain on the reputation of the U.S. Senate, and insulting to victims and survivors of gun violence nationwide.

At the same time, gun violence prevention advocates have made tremendous progress in changing the political dynamic of this debate, and we will keep the heat on both the Senate and the House of Representatives until we get meaningful reform. More importantly, with today’s recorded votes, we will be able to inform Americans exactly which legislators are prioritizing the grade they are getting from the NRA over the safety of their constituents.

Americans have made it clear time and time again that they want real reform. Strong majorities of Americans support universal background checks, tough new criminal penalties for gun traffickers, and the renewal of the federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

More than 3,482 Americans have been killed by guns since 20 children and six adults were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012. We are destined to bury our loved ones following future tragedies if this Congress continues to willfully ignore this epidemic of gun violence.

Tonight was merely the first step in a tireless campaign to keep the gun issue at the top of Congress’ agenda until decisive action is taken. To Americans who want to stop gun violence, we say don’t retreat. Don’t despair. Redouble your efforts and maintain daily pressure on those Senators and Representatives who have failed to support sensible gun reforms. Working together, we can and we will enact life-saving legislation at the federal level.

Regarding Cornyn And National Right To Carry Reciprocity


One of the amendments offered yesterday was on national right-to-carry. It was offered by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Because it didn't get 60 votes in favor, it was considered defeated. The final vote was 57 ayes to 43 nays.

I think the mood in the Senate yesterday was that if Manchin-Toomey didn't pass, nothing was going to pass good or bad. Otherwise you wouldn't have had 44 Senators voting against the Burr Amendment which would have protected the Second Amendment rights of veterans by requiring that they be adjudicated mentally incompetent before losing their gun rights. To me, that amendment was right up there with Mom, apple pie, and baseball.

What does this mean for national right-to-carry in general? As I see it, national right to carry reciprocity legislation has a majority of the Senate in support of it. However, it is not a filibuster-proof majority as it didn't get 60 votes. It would be foolish to think that a Senator Boxer or a Senator Schumer would not filibuster this as a stand alone bill.

A number of the senators voting against the bill come from states with strong shall-issue carry laws. It might be possible to gain the remaining three needed votes. I see Sen. Harry Reid's votes as a "tactical no" while a Nelson of Florida or a King of Maine might be persuaded to listen to their constituents. It would be close and it again shows the folly of the Republicans in nominating weak, stupid, or ineffectual candidates. McCaskill of Missouri, Kaine of Virginia, and Baldwin of Wisconsin should have been beaten in 2012 and weren't. That would have been the three needed votes.

Ah, woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Here is the breakdown of the roll call vote on the Cornyn Amendment.
YEAs ---57
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)
NAYs ---43
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cowan (D-MA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hirono (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Kirk (R-IL)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NSSF On Yesterday's Votes


The National Shooting Sports Foundation issued this statement yesterday evening after Manchin-Toomey went down to defeat along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein's new AWB.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Today, the U.S. Senate voted on several measures that would have impacted the firearms and ammunition industry and our Second Amendment rights. Thanks to the hard work of our allies in the Senate, in the end no anti-gun measures were adopted.

The flawed Manchin-Toomey amendment, opposed by NSSF, was defeated as was Senator Feinstein's (D-Calif.) amendment to institute a new "assault weapons ban" and an arbitrary limit on magazine capacity. Unfortunately, a handful of positive, solutions-based amendments also failed to pass the Senate.The NSSF-backed Grassley substitute amendment, which would have improved current law and fixed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), fell short by one of the closer margins of today's amendments.

All Americans share the goal of wanting to make our communities safer. The civil debate on the Senate floor today further shows that reasonable minds can disagree on how to best achieve this goal. Looking ahead, NSSF will continue to work to find real solutions that improve current law, fix the NICS background check system to ensure all appropriate criminal and adjudicated mental health records are entered into the system, to provide law enforcement with additional tools they need to arrest and prosecute illegal firearms traffickers and straw purchasers and to urge effective, consistent enforcement of existing laws, all without infringing our Constitutional rights and unduly burdening our industry.

Today's votes do not represent the end of the discussion in Congress or in America. NSSF looks forward to moving ahead with the work that remains to be done to try and help make our families safer and preserve our firearms freedoms.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Headline Of The Day


The headline of the day comes from the National Journal on a story about today's win for gun rights (or defeat of gun control depending upon your perspective).

At Pivotal Point in Presidency, Obama Routed on Gun Control

What makes this headline even more sweet is that it was written by the National Journal's Ron Fournier who has been vehemently anti-gun. He tries to salvage this defeat by saying that the win could backfire if it empowers those backing gun prohibition.

I sincerely doubt that will happen given the differences in intensity between those who support rights and those who want to take them away. Even Fournier recognizes this. That said he still has high hopes for Obama's version of the Young Pioneers.
What if the fledgling OFA unlocks the key to converting Obama’s reelection machine into a million-member lobbying force? What if voters who support the Second Amendment and commonsense gun regulation get angry at Congress for ignoring them? What if these voters realize that the same social and technological forces that democratized 21st century media and commerce—as well as enabling revolutions in the Middle East—also empower individual Americans to change Congress?
To which I would say, dream on.

Heh - Feinstein's AWB Amendment Fails


Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) got the vote she demanded on her Assault Weapons Ban of 2013.

And as expected, she lost. Big time!

The vote was 40 aye, 60 nay.

I'm a bit surprised that Bob Casey (D-PA) voted FOR the bill. I'm sure that will go over well with all the gun owners and deer hunters in Pennsylvania.

The only thing this vote did was allow some red-state Democrats to claim they voted against gun control. I noted that Kay Hagan and Mary Landrieu who both voted for Manchin-Toomey voted Nay on this.

UPDATE: Below is the roll call vote by position. It tells me two things. First, that there are 40 hard core gun prohibitionists in the Senate. Second, Senate seats that were winnable in 2010 and 2012 by Republicans went to anti-gun Democrats due to weak, ineffectual, or stupid Republican nominees. I'm talking about Wisconsin, Virginia, Delaware, and especially Missouri.


YEAs ---40
Baldwin (D-WI)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cowan (D-MA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hirono (D-HI)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kirk (R-IL)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs ---60
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Johnson (R-WI)
King (I-ME)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)


NRA-ILA Statement On Manchin-Toomey Defeat


Chris Cox, head of the NRA-ILA, issued the following statement following the Senate's defeat of the Manchin-Toomey amendment by 54-46 this afternoon.

Statement from Chris W. Cox on U.S. Senate Defeat of Manchin-Toomey-Schumer Amendment

Today, the misguided Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. This amendment would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution. As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools.

The NRA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats who are committed to protecting our children in schools, prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and fixing our broken mental health system. We are grateful for the hard work and leadership of those Senators who chose to pursue meaningful solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.

A Load Of Bovine Excrement


I just read Mayor Bloomberg's response to the defeat of Manchin-Toomey. If you need some organic fertilizer for your garden, there is a lot of it here.
"Today's vote is a damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have on Washington. More than 40 U.S. senators would rather turn their backs on the 90 percent of Americans who support comprehensive background checks than buck the increasingly extremist wing of the gun lobby. Democrats - who are so quick to blame Republicans for our broken gun laws - could not stand united. And Republicans - who are so quick to blame Democrats for not being tough enough on crime - handed criminals a huge victory, by preserving their ability to buy guns illegally at gun shows and online and keeping the illegal trafficking market well-fed. Senators Manchin and Toomey - as well as Majority Leader Reid and Senators Schumer, Kirk, Collins, McCain and others - deserve real credit for coming together around a compromise bill that struck a fair balance, and President Obama and Vice-President Biden deserve credit for their leadership since the Sandy Hook massacre. But even with some bi-partisan support, a common-sense public safety reform died in the U.S. Senate at the hands of those who are more interested in attempting to protect their own political careers - or some false sense of ideological purity - than protecting the lives of innocent Americans. The only silver lining is that we now know who refuses to stand with the 90 percent of Americans - and in 2014, our ever-expanding coalition of supporters will work to make sure that voters don't forget."
At least he blames both Democrats and Republicans alike for the failure of the bill. I'll give him that.

What I find interesting is his ideological blindness bordering on hypocrisy. If you rewrote the first two sentences and substituted Colorado for Washington and US, you'd have exactly what just happened in Colorado. To say that most Coloradans were in favor of those gun control bills would be a lie. Moreover, the Democrats in the Colorado House and Senate were told by their leaders (and Bloomberg's lobbyists) to ignore what their constituents were saying. If that isn't turning their back on Coloradans, what is?

Manchin-Toomey Fails


I just watched the vote on the S. Amdt 715 aka the Manchin-Toomey substitute amendment on C-Span. It needed 60 votes to pass.

It lost! And to be honest, we won.

The vote count was 54 aye to 46 nay.

I will post the roll call as soon as it is available. Of note was that Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) made it to the Senate to vote. Of course he voted for it.

UPDATE: Here is the roll call. Any red-state Democrat who voted for it and says they believe in the Second Amendment is lying to you.  Senators like McCain, Collins, Toomey, and King are just beyond the pale.

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---54
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)
Coons (D-DE)
Cowan (D-MA)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Hirono (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Kirk (R-IL)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs ---46
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)