Why Are Gun Control Lobbyists So Violent?

Photo by Manchester (NH) Police Department

Don't be this guy!

Robert Blaisdell, 44, of Manchester, New Hampshire is a well-known lobbyist in the New Hampshire Statehouse. Blaisdell is the managing partner in the lobbying firm of Demers, Blaisdell, and Prasol, Inc. Among his many clients are the NH Troopers Association, the NH Police Association, Everytown for Gun Safety, Bank of America, and Walmart.

Why not be this guy? Other than being a lobbyist, his bio make him sound like an upstanding citizen serving on numerous municipal boards and school foundations.

Well, according to The Patch, he was involved in a "domestic disturbance" on the evening of May 2nd.

From The Patch:

(He) was arrested on May 2, 2019, and charged with domestic violence-simple assault, false imprisonment, and criminal mischief. According to court documents and scanner chatter, a large police presence was sent to a Union Street address at around 9 p.m. for an incident that had escalated from a domestic disturbance.

When they arrived and after conducting an investigation, police charged Blaisdell with three counts. They allege that he "knowingly" confined a family member "so as to substantially interfere with their ability to physically movement by holding the laundry room door closed over a period of several minutes" when the person tried to leave the room. Blaisdell is also accused of stepping on the person's hand during the disturbance. Court documents also allege that he grabbed the victim's cellphone and "using his hands in a twisting motion thus cracking the screen and rendering the phone useless, causing damages in excess of $100."

 I wonder if when gun controllers push for more gun control it is because they think most people are violent like them. Hint -- we aren't.


H/T Rob Reed

It's Not Just Legislatures That Are Targeted

We've long said that if you want to make sure you get pro-gun politicians elected to Congress and the various state houses, we have to start pushing candidates at the local level. It is the rare candidate that starts out running for office at the state or national level. For every Donald Trump, there are thousands and thousands of other politicians that started with the school board, town council, or even just a town or county appointed committee.

Everytown has just made endorsements for three candidates at the school board or city council level. The fact that they are pushing gun prohibitionists at this level says a number of things. First, they are actually using Bloomberg's money to start building an actual grassroots. Second, they recognize that candidates start local and then move up from there. Third, it is an expansion of their efforts from the state level to the local level since they have no had success (so far) at the nation level. Finally, getting anti-gun politicians elected to school boards will help in their efforts to make schools less safe (gun free zones) and to encourage hoplophobia in the curriculum.

From their press release:

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today endorsed three Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America volunteers, two of whom are also survivors of gun violence. The endorsements include Rhonda Hart, a survivor of gun violence and a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action; DeAndra Yates-Dycus, a survivor of gun violence and a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action; and Christine McGrath, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action.

“As leaders in the gun safety movement, these candidates have proven that they will never stop fighting to protect their neighbors,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everytown is proud to endorse Rhonda Hart and DeAndra Yates-Dycus — gun violence survivors who are turning their pain into action — and Christine McGrath, a Moms Demand Action volunteer leader who is working hard to keep her community safe.”

“These volunteers and survivors, some of whom have experienced firsthand the toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, are running for elected office to enact change in their communities,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Our volunteers have the courage and fortitude to do whatever it takes to make their communities safer, including moving from shaping policy as volunteers to actually making it as lawmakers.”

More on the volunteers and survivors endorsed today and their elections:

*Rhonda Hart, Dickinson, Texas School Board
Hart’s 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed in the shooting at Santa Fe High school almost a year ago. Before the shooting, Hart was a school bus driver in Santa Fe, Texas. Hart is a volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action and an Everytown Survivor Fellow. Her general election for Dickinson School Board in Texas is on May 4.

*DeAndra Yates-Dycus, Indianapolis City-Council District 13
Yates-Dycus’ 13-year-old son, Dre, was wounded by a stray bullet in Indianapolis on February 1, 2014. Yates-Dycus is a volunteer leader with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action and an Everytown Survivor Fellow. Her primary election for Indianapolis City-Council District 13 is on May 7.

*Christine McGrath, Verona, New Jersey Town Council
McGrath has been a volunteer leader with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action in Essex County for the past two years. She’s running for Verona Town Council and her general election is on May 14.

UPDATE:  The endorsement of Rhonda Hart by Everytown doesn't seem to have impressed the voters in Dickinson. According to unofficial results, she lost to Corey Magliolo who received 67% of the vote to her 33%.

The endorsement from New York City based Everytown reminds me of this.

Everytown Files Complaint With IRS Against NRA

As originally reported by The Hill on Friday, Everytown for Gun Safety has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service asking for an investigation into the National Rifle Association and their 501(c)(4) status. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the directors, officers, and others are using income and/or assets for personal gain and that the NRA is engaged in commercial, for-profit, activities.

The letter that accompanies the IRS Form 13909 Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) accuses the NRA of related party transactions, financial mismanagement, and lack of transparency. It ask that the IRS begin an investigation to see whether the NRA has violated Section 501(c)(4) laws and regulations. It further asks that if violations are found that the IRS consider what would be appropriate remedies including revocation of the NRA's 501(c)(4) status.

This complaint follows the publication of the expose' of the NRA in The New Yorker by Mike Spies that was published on Wednesday. It relies heavily on the accusations leveled in that article as well as an earlier article that appeared in the New York Times.

Some of the items specified in the accompanying letter include:

• Payments to former NRA Managing Director Michael Marcellin from Lockton Affinity while being paid by the NRA.
• Payment of $1.395 million to HWS Consulting whose owner Wayne Sheets served as Executive Director of the NRA foundation.
• Payments of over $3 million to Crow Shooting Supply since 2008 which has been owned by Brownells since 2011. Some of these payments were while Pete Brownell served as President of the NRA.
• Issues related to Josh Powell who serves as Chief of Staff to Wayne LaPierre.
• Transfer of monies from the NRA Foundation to the NRA itself.

I could only imagine the damage this complaint might have done if it had been filed during the Obama Administration. As it is,  it still isn't good. You can read the entire letter here and make your own estimate of how harmful it is to the NRA.

Larry Tribe Believes In Free Speech (When He Agrees With It)

Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe is one of those liberal lions in academia. He's put out leading books on the Constitution, testified before Congress, advocated for free speech, and is a hypocrite.

What was that last part?

Hypocrite as in saying he is an advocate for free speech but doesn't believe that code is free speech.

I’m co-counsel with @deepakguptalaw on behalf of Everytown for Gun Safety, explaining why 3-D downloadable guns aren’t “speech” under the First Amendment — despite the DOJ change of position under Trump/Sessions ⬇️https://t.co/EVqez4vG8w

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) August 10, 2018

This from a guy who argues that it would be wrong for the FCC and Congress to regulate violent TV programs as it would violate free speech. He has also has written law articles entitled "The Metatheory of Free Speech".

Tribe's argument in the Everytown amicus brief is that code is not protected because it isn't "expressive" and because its purposes are the "widespread violations of federal and state law".

Sorry but just because you are the Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School doesn't mean you are right.

And Now The Reactions From The Prohibitionists, Part 1

Just as sure as the sun comes up in the East, so too is the opposition by the gun prohibitionists to anyone that President Trump might have picked to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. It wouldn't have mattered if it was a DC insider like Kavanaugh or an outsider like Hardiman or Kethledge. If they ever said or wrote anything that was pro-gun rights, then they were anathema.

From Michael Bloomberg's wholly owned Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors:

“President Trump vowed he’d never let the NRA down, and with the Kavanaugh pick, he chose someone whose judicial record demonstrates a dangerous view of the Second Amendment that elevates gun rights above public safety. We oppose this nomination and urge the Senate to vote it down.”

The Supreme Court made clear in its decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, that “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” The Court also confirmed “that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” Judges appointed by both Republicans and Democrats since then have repeatedly upheld reasonable gun laws as consistent with the Second Amendment.

MORE INFORMATION ON JUDGE KAVANAUGH’S SECOND AMENDMENT RECORD:

• Judge Kavanaugh has applied an extreme and dangerous interpretation of the Second Amendment when determining whether a law is constitutional, one that does not take into account a law’s impact on public safety.
• Judge Kavanaugh has made clear he would strike down prohibitions on the AR-15 and other assault-style weapons. In 2011, he dissented from a decision upholding Washington, D.C.’s prohibition on assault-style weapons and its requirement to register handguns. The dissent put Judge Kavanaugh at odds not only with the two other Republican-appointed judges on the court hearing the case, but also every other federal and state appeals court to address the issue.

That last line says more about how judges have ignored and perverted the Supreme Court's rulings in Heller and McDonald than it does about Judge Kavanaugh.

For Those In Florida

Last year, Florida Carry got some grief from Marion Hammer and the NRA due to their stance on some bills in the Florida legislature. Notwithstanding that - and showing that they are united in their support of gun rights - they have passed on the following alert from the NRA and Marion Hammer. I think it shows class on their part.

The alert concerns a move by the anti-gun forces to diminish gun rights in Florida through putting constitutional amendments on the ballot. One need only looks at the moves by Bloomberg and Everytown to force so-called universal background checks through referenda. They succeeded in Washington and Nevada but failed in Maine.

From Florida Carry:

ALERT: Anti-gun CRC Members Want Gun Bans in the Florida Constitution DATE: March 19, 2018 TO:      USF & NRA Member and Friends FROM: Marion P. Hammer             USF Executive Director             NRA Past President ACTION NEEDED NOW Some of the members of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) are very anti-gun and they are proposing and pushing gun ban and gun control amendments to put in the Florida Constitution. Commissioners will be voting on these amendment soon. Links to these amendments are listed at the bottom. Among these amendments are: *An "assault weapons" ban which bans the distribution, sale, transfer, and possession of so-called assault weapons and any detachable magazine that has a capacity of more than 9 rounds.  (Makes possession illegal with no compensation provided for those already possessed that must be surrendered)  *A ban on any semi-automatic rifle that is able to accept a detachable magazine or has a fixed magazine capable of holding more than10 rounds. (that means almost all semi-automatic rifles) *A ban on the sale and transfer of "assault weapons" and defines "transfer" as the conveyance "from a person or entity to another person or entity WITHOUT any conveyance of money or other valuable consideration."  (Note: to "convey" between persons without compensation could mean the simple act of handing the firearm to another person while hunting, on the range, or anywhere) *A 10 day waiting period (excluding weekends and legal holidays) on all firearms to facilitate a background check. *A ban on the purchase of any firearm by a person under 21 years of age.  *A ban on the sale, transfer and possession of bump stocks and other devises, tools, kits, etc.  Please email CRC Commissioners and tell them to OPPOSE gun control amendments! PLEASE DO IT NOW !!! They could be voting on these amendments at anytime IN THE SUBJECT LINE PUT:   VOTE AGAINST GUN CONTROL AMENDMENTS (To send your message to all just Block and Copy All email addresses into the "Send To" box) (Depending on you email program you may need to add commas or semicolons between each email)  jose.armas@flcrc.gov pam.bondi@flcrc.gov lisa.carlton@flcrc.gov timothy.cerio@flcrc.gov hank.coxe@flcrc.gov jose.diaz@flcrc.gov erika.donalds@flcrc.gov don.gaetz@flcrc.gov emery.gainey@flcrc.gov anna.gamez@flcrc.gov brecht.heuchan@flcrc.gov marva.johnson@flcrc.gov darlene.jordan@flcrc.gov arthenia.joyner@flcrc.gov fred.karlinsky@flcrc.gov belinda.keiser@flcrc.gov frank.kruppenbacher@flcrc.gov tom.lee@flcrc.gov gary.lester@flcrc.gov patricia.levesque@flcrc.gov roberto.martinez@flcrc.gov rich.newsome@flcrc.gov chris.nocco@flcrc.gov jeanette.nunez@flcrc.gov jimmy.patronis@flcrc.gov sherry.plymale@flcrc.gov darryl.rouson@flcrc.gov william.schifino@flcrc.gov chris.smith@flcrc.gov bob.solari@flcrc.gov chris.sprowls@flcrc.gov john.stemberger@flcrc.gov pam.stewart@flcrc.gov jacqui.lippisch@flcrc.gov carolyn.timmann@flcrc.gov nicole.washington@flcrc.gov PROPOSED AMENDMENTS: https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/682026/PDF https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/545572/PDF https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/290732/HTML https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/783324/PDF https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/117574/PDF https://www.flcrc.gov/Proposals/Commissioner/2017/0003/Amendment/615688/PDF

#MeToo Is So Yesterday In Pantheon Of Hollywood Virtue Signaling

When it comes to virtue signaling no one does it better than the Hollywood stars. Unfortunately for women who have been sexually assaulted, Hollywood has the attention span of a gnat. In other words, what was hip at the Golden Globes is now passe' and they have moved on to a new virtue signaling cause.

The new, hip virtue signal at tonight's Oscars will be an orange pin from Everytown Mommies for Illegal Mayors.

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Bloomberg's New York-based gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety has created an anti-gun-violence pin for celebrities to wear to the Oscars on Sunday, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre that left 17 dead last month, thousands of young people have called upon the organization to support their efforts to advocate for more stringent gun-control laws and other public-safety issues.

According to one Hollywood stylist, the pins have been sent to The Wall Group and other key Hollywood agencies to dole out prior to the red carpet.

The pins will likely display #NeverAgain, the rallying slogan for the movement. Everytown for Gun Safety has not yet responded to THR's request for confirmation.

So while the stars continue to make movies with gratuitous violence - much of it with firearms - they will continue to virtue signal that they are against "gun violence" (sic).

It should also be noted, as Variety reports, that they will be protected by over 500 armed LAPD officers. As usual, Hollywood is not self-aware enough to recognize the hypocrisy in all of this.

UPDATE: My friend Brandon Combs of the Firearms Policy Coalition sent me a couple of links regarding the hypocrisy of Hollywood and California politicians.

https://calmatters.org/articles/commentary/commentary-one-bill-captures-two-unseemly-capitol-traits/ (Dan refers in the article to our FPCSADC v. AG Harris lawsuit)

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/is_it_time_to_close_the_hollywood_gun_show_loophole

The Best Shills A Billionaire's Money Can Buy

HB 746 has been reported favorably out of both the House Judiciary IV and Finance Committees. Among other things, this bill would allow permitless concealed carry by anyone 18 and above who is legally entitled to possess a firearm. In other words, this bill would bring constitutional carry for concealed firearms to North Carolina.

As you can imagine, the usual suspects are lining up against it. The Raleigh News and Observer reports that the North Carolina chapter of the Moms Demand and Everytown, Americans for Responsible Solutions, and the leftist advocacy group Progress NC are joining forces to defeat HB 746. They have also commissioned "polls" which purport to show the majority of North Carolinians are against constitutional carry.

The mainstream media is doing its part by finding "hunters" and "gun owners" who oppose the bill as this tidbit from the N&O shows.

John “Curly” Brazelton of Havelock, a former Marine who belongs to a hunting club, said in an interview with The N&O last week that everyone in his hunting club opposes the idea of eliminating concealed-carry permits.

“We all have them,” Brazelton said. “We have the best law in the country right now.”

Of course the proposed law does not eliminate NC Concealed Handgun Permits. They will still be available for those who want to take advantage of reciprocity from those states that recognize the North Carolina permit.

However, all of this pales in comparison to the amount of money that Mike Bloomberg is spending on registered lobbyists. Not content with all the free support he is getting from the mainstream media and their efforts to find "gun owners" who oppose constitutional carry, he has hired a fleet of lobbyists from some of the leading North Carolina law and lobbying firms.

Knowing he has to convince just enough Republicans to side with the Democrats so that any anticipated veto of the bill by Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) cannot be overrode, one of Bloomberg's primary hires is lobbyist Chris McClure. McClure is a native of Haywood County where I resided for many years and made his bones working for Mark Meadows and Patrick McHenry. He also served as Executive Director of the NC Republican Party. The North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research ranked McClure the 24th most effective lobbyist in 2013. I'm sure his effectiveness rating is now higher.

Grass Roots North Carolina has more info on the other shills - I mean lobbyists - hired by Bloomberg to curtail constitutional rights in the Tar Heel State. They also request that you help stiffen the spine of the Republicans to withstand this onslaught.

Is NC For Sale? Bloomberg Thinks So.

Yesterday we broke the news that Michael Bloomberg and his collection of astroturf gun grabbing organizations have purchased the service of several registered North Carolina lobbyists in an attempt to bring their dangerous big-government, anti-freedom agenda to North Carolina. Despite their staggering losses (constitution carry is now the law in 16 states), they continue to burn up the out-of-state millions that Bloomberg has pledged to whittle away your freedoms, and they're now bringing paid Bloomberg mercenaries to the table to do their legislative dirty work. Worse yet, they've been stoking media fears by making wild (and untrue) claims about Gun Omnibus Bill H746. Some of their wildest gesticulations are around allowing law-abiding North Carolinians to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Despite the usual fear-stoking and prognostications about blood in the streets, the evidence from the other 13 states that now allow permitless carry suggests the opposite -- that empowering people to defend themselves and their families correlates to a reduction in violent crime. As a supporter of Grass Roots North Carolina, you value transparency and accountability. You know how important it is to follow the law in letter and spirit, and you know that public officials need to be held accountable for all of their actions. Because lobbyists are bought and paid for by special interests, the law requires that they be registered. In that spirit, we'd like to introduce you to the bought-and-paid-for "Everytown" influencers that are now working hard to further Michael Bloomberg's agenda in North Carolina. Go ahead and contact them if you'd like to, but if you do make sure you keep the tone polite, and if you call them, only call once. Be a role model of polite civility, and demonstrate that law-abiding gun owners are model citizens. Meet lobbyist Christopher McClure (chrismcclure@brookspierce.com, 919-882-2502) of the law firm Brooks Pierce. Despite his long history of voting in Republican primaries (why don't you look up his voter registration, which lists his home address as 223 Crisp St., Durham, NC), Chris now finds himself with the unenviable task of convincing lawmakers (many of whom proclaimed to be staunchly pro-second amendment) to do Michael Bloomberg's bidding. Meet Lobbyist Elizabeth Biser (ebiser@brookspierce.com, 919-882-2508), also the law firm Brooks Pierce. Her long history of voting in Democratic primaries (address withheld) is more in line with what we'd expect from a paid freedom-grabbing Bloomberg shill. Meet Brian Lewis (brian@newframellc.com, 919-413-2580). His company, New Frame LLC, is on the Bloomberg take. Like Elizabeth, Brian has a long history of voting in Democratic primaries (his home address is listed in the voter rolls as 114 Southwold Dr., Cary, NC), suggesting that he, too, might be sympathetic to anti-freedom causes. Meet Skye David of New Frame LLC (skye@newframellc.com, 812-881-0200). It's surprising that a person who claims to advocate for victims of domestic violence would align herself with a group that seeks to empower domestic violence aggressors by disarming their victims. Skye's voter registration is recent (address withheld), but her alignment to Bloomberg's blood money make her politics plainly clear. Meet Christy Jones (christy@newframellc.com, 336-905-0428), the third leg of the New Frame LLC Bloomberg anti-gun lobbying tripod (address withheld).

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
EMAIL NC HOUSE REPUBLICANS: Use the copy/paste email list(s) below, and the copy/paste text under ‘Deliver This Message.’ With paid, anti-gun lobbyists now working in Raleigh to thwart your Natural rights, it is more important than ever for you to keep in touch with your Representatives. Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net; Susan.Martin@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net; Chris.Malone@ncleg.net; Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net; John.Szoka@ncleg.net; John.Sauls@ncleg.net; John.Faircloth@ncleg.net; John.Blust@ncleg.net; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net; Harry.Warren@ncleg.net; Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net; Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net; John.Fraley@ncleg.net; Bill.Brawley@ncleg.net
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE
Suggested Subject: "Pass HB 746 Now; Represent the Voters, Not Bloomberg's Paid Lobbyists"   Dear Representative: I understand that a vote on the omnibus gun rights had to be postponed last week due to late-night budget negotiations. That is disappointing, but I also understand the bill will be brought to the floor for a vote this week. That's good news. I am writing today to ask you to vote ‘Yes’ on this bill on the House floor, and to vote ‘No’ on any weakening amendments. The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental human right, and North Carolinians are finally making headway in rolling back the oppressive erosion of this right that has taken place in recent decades. Let’s keep that freedom trend going! On that same note, I would also remind you that strong support for “constitutional carry” is an explicit part of the Republican Party’s 2016 platform (see page 12), just as gun rights in general are. With this fact at the forefront, I can see no reason for any Republican to shy away from supporting this gun-rights legislation. In fact, among other things, pro-Second Amendment policy is precisely what voters had in mind when they chose you as their representative. We are aware of the Bloomberg-funded lobbyists that are whispering in your ear. Do you really want to align yourself with Bloomberg's carpetbagging mercenaries?Represent voters, and not the big-money, anti-gun interests from New York City! I’ll be eagerly awaiting more news on this topic from Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts. Respectfully

Punching Back Twice As Hard

Everytown for Gun Safety (sic) likes to parachute their New York attorneys into states out West in order to push their gun control agenda. This is why you get initiatives in Nevada and Washington State and bills like in Colorado that read like New York law and not the laws of those respective states.

Another place Everytown has parachuted one of their carpetbagging attorneys is Missoula, Montana, They are successfully sought to have the City of Missoula adopt an ordinance that would force NICS checks on all private transfers even though this is in conflict with state law.  Attorney General Tim Fox issued an opinion on this matter which states, "the Montana Legislature has prohibited all forms of local government from exercising regulatory power over the purchase, sale or transfer of firearms."

The city is home to the University of Montana. That plus the school system and the two hospitals are the largest employers in the city. As you might guess, the city trends liberal and tends to be a blue spot in a sea of red. Clinton beat Trump here 53% to 37%. It was only one of six Montana counties that Clinton carried out of a total of 56 counties.

However, Everytown and their carpetbagging attorney did not count on Gary Marbut and the Montana Shooting Sports Association. Using freedom of information requests, they established that Everytown attorney Jonas Oransky provided certain council members what appears to be legal advice on the Missoula ordinance and its legality. Mr. Oransky, however, is not licensed to practice law in the state of Montana. It is illegal in Montana like in most states to practice law without a license.

Marbut and the MSSA have filed a formal complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel with copies to the Montana State Bar Association and the Montana Attorney General's Office. Marbut had this to say:

“It is a criminal act in Montana for a person who is not licensed to practice law to hold himself out as an attorney and to provide legal advice or services. It would be disappointing if members of the Missoula City Council have relied on criminal acts of someone from New York City in formulating public policy deemed suitable for Montana people.”

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel is saying that they don't have jurisdiction over Mr. Oransky. However, both the State Bar and the Attorney General's Office say they are investigating the matter. Mr. Oransky declined to comment to local radio station KGVO on the issue. Missoula Councilman Bryan von Lossberg confirmed that he reached out to Mr. Oransky for advice but said he was not under any retainer.

Bar associations tend to be very protective of their local turf and do not take kindly to unlicensed, out of state attorneys practicing law in their state. This is a great move on the part of the Montana Shooting Sports Association. Other local and state gun rights organizations would be wise to emulate them and use their own state's FOIA to dig into communications between public officials and Everytown. Where it can be established that apparent legal advice was given, it's time to nail them if the attorney is not licensed in that state. Carpetbaggers who connive with local scallywags to limit enumerated civil rights should be dealt with harshly.

Big News Out Of Nevada On Question 1

One of the biggest supporters of the universal background check initiative, Question 1, in Nevada has changed his mind. Casino owner Steve Wynn had given $50,000 to Nevadans for Background Checks. This is the Bloomberg front group that was pushing the universal background check initiative in the state.

As you can hear in the video below, Wynn changed his mind after two of his executives explained all the ramifications of the law.



The NRA released this statement in response.

"This stunning reversal by Steve Wynn – a member of Michael Bloomberg’s gun control advisory board -- could be a game changer,” said Robert Uithoven, Nevadans for Freedom campaign director. “Like many unsuspecting Nevadans, Mr. Wynn believed the Bloomberg campaign’s false claims that Question 1 would keep guns out of the hands of criminals and make Nevadans safer. After taking a closer look at the poorly worded initiative, Mr. Wynn told Fox News he now opposes Question 1, along with Governor Sandoval, Congressman Heck, Attorney General Laxalt and 16 of the 17 elected sheriffs in Nevada. ‘I don't think anyone knows the extent of the overreach that [Question 1] would allow.’ Wynn went on to concede that the NRA Nevadans for Freedom is right when we say that this measure will criminalize the commonplace activities of Nevada’s law-abiding gun owners. The truth is Question 1 will not make Nevadans any safer. It will instead cost law-abiding citizens time, money, and freedom.”

Coming as it did just before Election Day, I am unsure of the real impact of this change of heart given the extent of early voting in Nevada.

My friend J.D. Smith of the AR-15 Podcast told me last week that he thought that despite Bloomberg's multi-million dollar ad campaign the outcome was looking better for Question 1 failing. J.D. attributed this to a strong grassroots effort. Let's keep our fingers crossed that he is correct.


UPDATE: Steve Wynn's conversion on the road to Damascus was too little and too late. Question 1 passed in Nevada by 50.45% to 49.55%. In real terms, the vote was 558,586 yes and 548,685 no.

I have real qualms about whether the SHOT Show should be continued to be held in Las Vegas. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando is larger and the area has approximately the same number of hotel rooms.

Why Are These Official Hotels For The SHOT Show?

The SHOT Show always has a number of "official" hotels where their travel company has negotiated special rates for attendees and exhibitors. One of the pluses of staying at one of these on-the-Strip hotels is that there is shuttle bus service to the Sands Expo Center.

For those that are not aware of it, Question 1 on the ballot in Nevada is on universal background checks. It would criminalize the sale or transfer of a firearm between private individuals unless a background check was performed by a FFL. While there are limited exceptions to this, the first offense is a gross misdemeanor and the second offense is a Class C felony.

This initiative was proposed by Nevadans for Background Checks which is a front group for Michael Bloomberg and his Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors. Tara Paone is a listed as a director of this group. As Jeff Knox notes, she is also the Treasurer for Everytown and was listed as a director in Washington State's I-594 universal background check initiative.

I am firmly of the belief that if this initiative passes that the SHOT Show, Safari Club International, and other firearms related organizations should forever move their trade shows and conventions out of that state. You don't reward states that don't respect your civil rights. The LGBTQ community is very good at this.

That got me to questioning who was financially supporting the initiative and who was funding the opposition. Here is where it gets interesting. There was the big money (over $100,000) donations from Everytown and from Seattle billionaire Nick Hanauer. Hanauer spent over $1 million in a successful effort to pass Washington's I-594 initiative. These type of donations were expected. What I would not have expected were substantial donations from a number of the casino and hotel companies.

• MGM Resorts International - $25,000 - 1/22/2016
• Caesar's Enterprise Services LLC - $25,000 - 12/29/2015
• Wynn Resorts Ltd. - $50,000 - 9/29/2015

There is nothing like biting the hand that feeds you. Just so you are aware, let's see what hotels and casinos belong to each of these groups. I've noted whether it was an official hotel or not as well.

MGM Resorts International 

• ARIA
• Bellagio - Yes
• Vdara
• MGM Grand - Yes
• Skylofts at MGM Grand
• The Signature at MGM Grand
• Mandalay Bay
• Delano Las Vegas
• The Mirage - Yes
• Monte Carlo - Yes
• New York - New York - Yes
• Luxor - Yes
• Excalibur -Yes
• Circus Circus - Yes

Caesar's Enterprise Services LLC*

• Anthology Suites & Villas
• Bally's - Yes
• Caesars Palace - Yes
• The Cromwell
• Flamingo - Yes
• Harrah's - Yes
• The LINQ - Yes
• Paris - Yes
• Planet Hollywood - Yes
• Rio

*Caesar's Enterprise Services LLC is a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment. It was set up in 2014 to protect the company in case they had to declare bankruptcy.

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

• Wynn Las Vegas
• Encore

So what does this leave in the way of official hotels whose owners have not donated to Bloomberg's universal background check initiative?

• The Ventian - owned by Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands
• The Palazzo - owned by Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands
• Elara - owned by Hilton
• Hilton Grand Vacations - owned by Hilton
• SLS Las Vegas - owned by Sam Nazarian's SBE Corp.
• Stratosphere - owned by American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC
• The Cosmopolitan - owned by Blackstone Group (investment bankers)
• Treasure Island - privately owned by Phil Ruffin
• Tropicana - owned by Hilton
• Trump Las Vegas - owned by you know who
• Westin - owned by Marriott International

If you are staying in one of these hotels, you have a decent assumption that you are not subsidizing the anti-gun forces. It makes me glad we finally settled on the Westin instead of Bally's.

There are plenty of other hotels, motels, and casino properties where you can stay in Las Vegas that are not part of the cabal trying to steal your rights. You might want to go here to check on alternatives.

This leaves the opposition to the initiative. The NRA-ILA has been very active from what I have read but Bloomberg has bought most of the air time. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the NRA Nevadans for Freedom has spent about $140,000 on ads. This contrasts with the $800,000 spent by the Bloomberg group. I have read that the NSSF's #GunVote is doing some work against the initiative but I'm not sure what. I do have a question on various Nevada shooting forums asking about it.

This Ad Was Obviously A Failure

I came across this video from Bloomberg's Everytown this morning. I thought in light of the Missouri General Assembly overriding Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of constitutional carry, it would be fun to show this waste of advertising dollars. It is obvious to me that the legislators listened to their own constituents rather than to Bloomberg.





Given that Shannon Watts (then Shannon Troughton) got her start after graduating Mizzou working for as a PR flack for Gov. Mel Carnahan (D-MO), you might be forgiven for thinking she would have a better feel for politics in her former state of residence.

Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Attorney General (Updated)

First there were the many mayors who were members of Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns who ended up convicted of criminal activity. Now, in a step up, we have a state attorney general who owed her election, in good part, to ads on her behalf by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg being convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and other crimes.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Michelle Henry, who joined (Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R.) Steele in presenting the prosecution case, painted Kane as heedless of the law as she carried out her crimes.

"She knew it was wrong, she knew it was against the law, and she didn't care," Henry told the jury. "She did it for revenge. And after that happened, she covered it up with lies."

In its verdict, the jury found Kane guilty of perjury in two instances: That she lied about her involvement in the leak and cover-up, and that she lied again in telling a grand jury she had not signed a secrecy oath pledging not to reveal confidential grand jury information. Prosecutors later found such an oath signed by Kane.

Kane sought revenge against former state prosecutor Frank Fina who she thought he was the source of a news story that was highly critical of how she shut down the prosecution of corrupt Democrats in Philadelphia.

In addition to the two felony counts of perjury, Kane was found guilty of the misdemeanor crimes of conspiracy, official oppression, and false swearing. Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy ordered Kane to surrender her passport and warned that she would be jailed immediately if there was any retaliation against witnesses. Kane could receive up to 28 years in prison but is expected to receive much less since she had no prior criminal record.

Prior to being elected Pennsylvania Attorney General, Kane was an assistant district attorney in the Scranton area who gained attention for criticizing how the investigation of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky had been conducted.

Kane, who has already lost her law license, has until the day of her sentencing to resign. She so far has resisted calls by Gov. Tom Kane and other leading Democrats to step down.

With Kane's conviction, I guess a renaming is in order. Henceforth, the organization formally known as Everytown for Gun Safety will be known as Everytown Moms Demanding Illegal Mayors and Attorneys General.

UPDATE: Kane has announced her resignation effective at the end of the day on Wednesday, August 17th. She says she has "been honored to serve the people of Pennsylvania, and I wish them health and safety in all their days."

Kane's mugshot when arraigned

She faces sentencing in 90 days. While she has promised to appeal, it will be very interesting to see what sentence she gets.

The cartoonist for the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia nails it in the tweet below. Kane, the first female AG in Pennsylvania history, broke the glass ceiling...and floor.

Equality at last! Kathleen Kane has screwed up her office as well as any man could! @PAdems @PAattorneygeneral pic.twitter.com/3ZpTIrkLiT

— Signe Wilkinson (@SigneWilk) August 16, 2016

H/T Bitter and Rob Morse

An Example Of Everytown's Campaign Against McAuliffe's Compromise

Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors is royally PO'ed that a governor that they thought they owned lock, stock, and barrel has now come to an agreement with pro-gun legislators and forces. Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) is, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, the focus of a social media campaign by Everytown in an effort to stop his agreement to reinstate and expand concealed carry reciprocity.

It's possible to find common ground on guns. @GovernorVA's deal with the @NRA isn't that. https://t.co/qEJ0Qey80c pic.twitter.com/EWUOFRcZej

— Everytown (@Everytown) February 5, 2016

Gun rights activists and supporters in Virginia need to keep up the pressure on both McAuliffe and their legislators to reinstate existing reciprocity agreements as well as to expand to universal reciprocity recognition.

An Update On Virginia Reciprocity From VCDL

Grass Roots North Carolina received the following from Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League regarding the negotiations between Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) and gun rights supporters to restore concealed carry reciprocity.

BREAKING NEWS:  *** February 1 cutoff date for dropping recognition of 25 states has been extended to March 1 ***

THE “DEAL”

As you've undoubtedly heard from the media, there is a package deal in the works between Governor McAuliffe and the Republicans in the General Assembly dealing with 1) concealed handgun permit (CHP) reciprocity, 2) voluntary background checks at gunshows, and 3) those subject to a permanent domestic violence protection order.

To many CHP holders, CHP reciprocity is a HUGE deal, especially if they travel out-of-state regularly and want to be able to carry discretely.  For example, there is no solution to carrying in South Carolina if we don’t have an agreement between our two states.

There is a lot of misinformation from the media and elsewhere and a lot of people are coming to the wrong conclusions about what the deal does and doesn’t do.  Rumors are flying that gun owners only get back the reciprocity that was taken away by Herring and the State Police - that is FALSE.  We have gained important ground!

THE DEAL IS STILL IN THE WORKS.  Things could still go south as the key bills that make up the deal work their way through the legislature and onto the Governor’s desk.  SO, FOR NOW, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE THIS WILL BECOME LAW, BUT A REASONABLY GOOD CHANCE IT WILL.  If it fails, we may not be able to fix the reciprocity situation for another two-long-years.

VCDL has been privy to the deal for several days, as was a national group.  VCDL monitored progress of this potentially groundbreaking advancement of our liberty from its genesis, and provided counsel and discussion points during its evolution.

The final product was given the nod by VCDL, however we will be watching like a hawk for any changes that negatively affect gun owners.

IMPORTANT DETAILS ON THE “DEAL”

There are three components that make up the deal, each component represented by matching bills in the House and in the Senate.

#1 - Reciprocity details - gun owners gain ground!

* Virginia will honor the carry permits from ALL states!  This is considerably better than current law and something VCDL has been trying to get for at least seven years now.  

* Because Virginia will honor all other states, Virginia CHPs will be recognized by all the states we have lost AND we will gain some new states:  New Hampshire, Georgia, and Colorado!

* The State Police and the Attorney General will have NO say in the new law.  If another state requires a formal agreement to honor Virginia CHPs, the new law requires the Attorney General to enter into any such agreement.  If he fails to do this, item #3, below, does not go into effect.

* One other change on the reciprocity law:  If your Virginia CHP is revoked for cause, you won’t be able to carry on a non-resident permit from another state.  Not a deal breaker.

NOTE:  Just because we are honoring all other states, doesn’t mean we can carry in all those states.  Someone from New York will be able to carry here, but we won’t be able to carry in New York unless New York is willing to enter into a reciprocal agreement with Virginia, for example. 

As more and more states start honoring out-of-state permits, the prospects of our permit being honored by even more states down the road is bright!

#2 - Voluntary gun show background checks

* Background checks for a private sale are COMPLETELY voluntary.

* The State Police shall be at every gun show in Virginia, by law.  (Some gun owners were thinking this was some kind of a trick - that if the State Police don’t show up, the gun show would be cancelled.  This should put that worry to rest.)

* The gun show promoter shall notify the State Police of the location and times of the gun show at least 30 days in advance, shall provide a free location for the police to set up, and shall have signs letting attendees know of the voluntary background checks at the State Police booth.  (I checked with one of Virginia’s largest gun show promoters on this to see if any of it was objectionable and was told, “no.”)

* The State Police may charge a reasonable fee.  (If they charge more than you want to pay, you can just walk away and do the transaction without the background check.)

* NO information on the make, model, or serial number of the gun being sold will be provided to the State Police - i.e. no federal Form 4473!  The purchaser will have to fill out the Virginia form, which asks a few questions and has the buyer's name, address, and signature.  (If you don’t want to fill out that form, you can just walk away and do the transaction without the background check.)

* There is a carrot: if a background check is run, the seller receives some special legal protections that are currently not available for private sales.  If a background check is not run, you don’t have any more or any less legal protections than under current law.

Yes, down the road inevitably there will be some bills introduced that attempt to make the background check mandatory.  We get bills on mandatory background checks for private sales every year.  We will have to fight and defeat those bills in the future, just as we fight and defeat similar bills today.

For those gun owners who would feel safer selling a gun to someone who has had a background check, this provides a new option in addition to the current option of either asking if the person has a CHP or going through the more laborious and expensive route of letting an FFL do the transfer.  It also has no effect on private sales conducted anywhere outside of gun shows, where this voluntary option is not provided.

#3 - Persons subject to a PERMANENT domestic violence protection order cannot possess firearms until the order expires

* The ONLY permanent protection order this restriction applies to is one for domestic violence and NOTHING else.

* The subject of the protection order must have had his day in court along with any legal counsel.  Temporary protection orders do NOT affect possession of firearms.

* If the judge, after hearing the defense, decides to issue a permanent protection order anyhow, the subject of the protection order will lose his gun rights for the duration of the order (MAXIMUM of two years), and automatically get those gun rights back when the permanent protection order expires.  Note:  a new permanent protection order could potentially be issued when the perament protection order expires if the judge thinks a danger still exists.

* The subject of the permanent protection order will have 24 hours to turn his guns over to a person of his choice, as long as that person can legally possess firearms.

* The above is basically federal law already, and state law already prohibits a person with such a permanent protection order from purchasing  or transporting a firearm.

WHAT’S NEXT?

* VCDL will be monitoring the deal’s progress, watching for changes that negatively affect gun owners. 

* If a negative issue arises and is not fixed quickly, I will advise all of you immediately via an Urgent Legislative Action Alert.  

* I will also be providing links to the three bills described above as soon as the final language is available online.  That way you can read them for yourself.

* For now just standby on this, as I keep you advised of the progress of the deal.

* If you don’t have any absolutely urgent questions, please hold on to them for now as it would be easy to overwhelm me with emails (I’m already getting over 200 a day as is).

 We interviewed Phil for The Polite Society Podcast yesterday evening. I will put up a link to that interview as soon as it is published. However, in the meantime, Phil said that an appropriations bill had been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly that would restore reciprocity to the way it was before Attorney General Mark Herring (D-VA) went full-Bloomberg. Given it is an appropriations bill, Gov. McAuliffe must either approve it in full or veto the entire bill. There is no line-item veto on appropriations bills.

Needless to say, the gun prohibitionists are having a hissy fit over the compromise between McAuliffe and gun rights supporters. A few days ago the Washington Post reported this:

“Governor McAuliffe should reconsider this dangerous gift to the gun lobby,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, which in the fall poured more than $2 million into two state Senate races at McAuliffe’s request.

Late last night the Post reported that Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors has now started a social media campaign against McAuliffe.

On Wednesday, Everytown launched a social media campaign against McAuliffe, who last week stunned gun-safety advocates by announcing that he had struck a gun deal with Republican legislators and the National Rifle Association. It shows side-by-side photos of McAuliffe and the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre.

“What do VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe and NRA head Wayne LaPierre have in common?” one version reads. “Both Gov McAuliffe and NRA Head Wayne LaPierre support allowing dangerous people to carry hidden loaded weapons in Virginia.”

While clearly a lower-budget affair than last fall’s TV blitz, Everytown’s social media campaign against McAuliffe was a stunner, given how closely he worked with gun-safety groups since his 2013 campaign for governor. He narrowly won the race while bragging about his “F” rating from the NRA.

If I were a Virginia politician, I'd look at what Everytown is doing and realize just how fickle they are in their support. Alternatively, you could say that they just want their bought and paid for politicians to stay bought.