What Michael Bloomberg Bought With Pocket Change

Mark Johnson (R-NC) is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of North Carolina. When he beat incumbent June Atkinson in 2016, he became the first Republican elected to that position in over 100 years. In his role as Superintendent of Public Instruction, he has control over the public schools in the state including their policies and their curriculum.

Despite being a Republican, Johnson has always been somewhat suspect in my estimation. When the Republican receives a donation from Michael Bloomberg, I am suspicious. I wrote in 2016 about how this made me feel wary of him. I found it interesting that Bloomberg contributed $5,100 to him and nothing to Democrat June Atkinson who was a strong supporter of Common Core. Bloomberg's daughter Emma also contributed another $100 to Johnson. I noted that contributions like this come with implicit strings attached.

Johnson started to show his true colors back in 2018 when he opposed allowing teachers with the requisite training from being armed. Johnson said at the time, he wanted firearms on campus restricted to “these trained, uniformed law-enforcement professionals who courageously choose a career protecting citizens from violent threats.”

As bad as that was, it wasn't too far out of the mainstream even for a Republican. His latest move, on the other hand, involves partnering with anti-gun group Sandy Hook Promise to set up an anonymous reporting system. The system will involve a mobile app with the tips monitored by volunteers with Sandy Hook Promise.

NC State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today that the state education agency has contracted with Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) to provide a statewide Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in the 2019-20 school year. The Say Something program, including an anonymous mobile tip app, is a school safety program designed to change and save lives by teaching students, educators, and administrators how to recognize the signs and signals of those who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and to anonymously report this information through the mobile tip app, the website or the telephone crisis hotline.

"Students play a critical role in helping to keep schools safe," Johnson said. "They may see and hear concerns that adults need to know about but may be reluctant to report it. With the Say Something program, middle and high school students will better understand what warning signs to look for and when and how to report important tips through an app. Making this app available will be an important part of our efforts to make schools safer." "We are proud and eager to work with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to train students across the state to 'know the signs' of potential violence and report them to a trusted adult via the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System," said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. "With these comprehensive violence prevention systems in place, North Carolina schools will be safer, protecting millions of lives and empowering youth to be upstanders in their communities."

Through the Say Something program, students, parents, educators and others can download the app and share school safety concerns with school administrators and school resource officers at schools, who will respond appropriately. More than 5,100 schools nationwide are currently using Sandy Hook Promise's anonymous reporting system. North Carolina will be the second statewide partnership for Sandy Hook Promise, with implementation of an anonymous reporting system that will encourage student participation in protecting themselves and their peers.

 According to the Raleigh News and Observer, the 2018 state budget allocated $5 million to fund the project. It is estimated that it will cost about $650,000 per year to run it. While the release from Johnson and Sandy Hook Promise wasn't explicit about this, the N&O reports that the "command center" will be staffed by Sandy Hook Promise and not local NC law enforcement.

An anonymous reporting system with no connection to local law enforcement is an invitation for abuse. I see a lot of kids getting back at other teens for imagined slights, I see "swatting", and I see innocent people getting killed. This is "pre-crime" brought to the schools of North Carolina and civil liberties be damned. That is what Michael Bloomberg bought with his pocket change.

Don't Shoot The Messenger, Part 2

Just like Chinese water torture, I think we are in for a series of NRA articles from The New Yorker detailing self-dealing, lavish spending, accounting irregularities, nepotism, and sweetheart deals at the National Rifle Association. The latest episode was released yesterday and is entitled, "An Internal Memo Raises New Questions About Self-Dealing At The N.R.A."

The article starts off describing a one and a half page memo from the NRA's accountants to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The memo details a range of "questionable transactions and business arrangement" involving several of the NRA's top vendors and executives. This memo, unlike earlier leaks, does not go into the Ackerman McQueen issues but rather deals with other items that were found to be irregular. These include reportedly payments made to former CFO Woody Phillips' "significant other", cumulative rent of $1.8 million paid for a house to be used by Associated Television International and owned by ATI's president, and to their fund-raising contractor Membership Marketing Partners.

The memo goes on to question management overrides and approval of housing expenses for certain upper executives.

In addition, the memo drew attention to “senior management override of internal controls,” which led to violations of “accounts payable procedures” and “HR policy,” including “hiring of staff without HR knowledge.” It names four executives who, at the time, were receiving “reimbursement of expenses relating to apartments and living expenses beyond HR Policy Manual stipulations and on a permanent basis.” The N.R.A.’s accountants added that there was “no contract to support the reimbursement request,” which the four individuals continued to claim as a “relocation expense.” The executives named include Doug Hamlin, the N.R.A.’s executive director of publications; Eric Frohardt, the director of education and training; Joe DeBergalis, the executive director of general operations; and Josh Powell, LaPierre’s chief of staff.

Andrew Arulanandam, the N.R.A.’s managing director of public affairs, said that the organization “has, at times, made such accommodations for employees who travel extensively for their jobs.” He added, “The practice of providing such accommodations is approved by N.R.A. leadership and is not uncommon for an organization the size of the N.R.A.”

Powell is the person responsible for bringing in CarryGuard while Eric Frohardt is the former Navy SEAL whom Powell installed as director of education and training and director of training for CarryGuard. Frohardt still lives in Colorado where he owns a range and other businesses according to his LinkedIn page. It is my understanding from those who would know that Frohardt is flown in at the NRA's expense to work 3-7 days a month. While I have the utmost respect for Frohardt's service to the nation, 12 years as a Navy SEAL does not make one an expert in training civilians in the legal use of a firearm.

As to Josh Powell, the memo to the Audit Committee mentions his multiple conflicts of interest including the hiring of his dad to do photography for the NRA and his wife, Colleen Gallagher, was hired by a top NRA fund-raising vendor McKenna and Associates. It gets worse.

The N.R.A.’s accountants completed their memo in mid-July. Around this period, the N.R.A.’s new C.F.O., Craig Spray, had to temporarily step away from his role at the organization to deal with a health matter. Someone would need to take his place as the organization’s chief manager of financial activities. According to an internal N.R.A. communication, in July, 2018, Powell was appointed acting C.F.O. for about three weeks, placing him in charge of the accountants who documented his conflicts of interest.

I won't get into the other issues with regard to Powell other than to say his departure from the NRA would help the organization. Placing him as the senior strategist to work with outside counsel William Brewer on New York litigation is a disaster in the making.

I would be remiss if I didn't note that a lot of the research on the NRA's problems come from Bloomberg's The Trace and they did help with The New Yorker articles. I have a theory as to how they are gathering this information. I think Michael Bloomberg and his associates have hired a corps of private investigators whose job it is to find former NRA employees who have left because they were disgusted with the self-dealing and other financial issues. I can't think of any other way that they could be gathering this inside information unless it was being funneled to them by Ack-Mac.

One way or another the NRA will get its house in order. It can be done either by the Board of Directors or it will be done for them by the State of New York, the Internal Revenue Service, and other outside agencies. Far better that the changes come from within than from without. It can be controlled and managed to make the organization stronger, bigger, and more diverse.

My fear is that new officers of the NRA - Carolyn Meadows, Charles Cotton, and Willes Lee - and much of the Board are such stalwart Wayne LaPierre supporters that they will go along with the status quo (ante bellum) to the NRA's detriment. Ignoring it is not going to make it go away and will only make matters worse. That, however, is the most probable outcome as things stand now.

NRA Attendance And Voting Statistics

The official attendance at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis was approximately 81,000. This is about 6,000 less than last year's meeting in Dallas. I will say I had no trouble getting about on the floor nor in the hallways of the Indiana Convention Center.

Now to more important statistics.

At the Meeting of Members on Saturday, William Satterfield, chairman of the Elections Committee announced the statistics for the 2019 NRA Board of Directors election.

2,452,893 ballots were bound in the official magazines of the NRA 

145,920 ballots received back 

141,101 ballot were valid 

4,819 were invalid

Ballots that were deemed invalid for a variety of reasons. Among the reasons enumerated by Mr. Satterfield were arrival after the April 7th cutoff date, more than 25 candidates marked, no candidates marked, and some were actually prior year ballots. I think he said there was even one ballot from 2009.

When you do the math, you are left with the conclusion that most members eligible to vote - Life members and 5-year continuous members - don't give a big rat's ass who serves on the Board. The response rate for just returning the ballot was 5.94% and the response rate for a valid ballot was 5.75%.

That is pathetic. Moreover, it is scary. Think what could happen to gun rights if Michael Bloomberg just spent a few million bucks on advertising to run a slate of stealth (or Manchurian) candidates. With the proper slate and modern ad targeting, it would be possible to take over the organization in as little as two years. Whether it could be kept secret for that long is another matter.

Yes, Thank You Moms Demand Action In NC

Mike Bloomberg, billionaire, former mayor of New York City, erstwhile potential Democrat candidate for President, and funder of all things gun control put out this tweet yesterday evening.

Thank you to every @MomsDemand volunteer here in North Carolina for your leadership. State by state, we’re making progress to pass laws that will save lives, and you all deserve a lot of credit for that. pic.twitter.com/Ni0GmtFK4r

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 19, 2018

Yes, thank you for your continued support of a Jim Crow era law, the pistol purchase permit system, that was intended to keep African-Americans, union members, and Republicans disarmed.

Yes, thank you for your support of red flag laws that turn Due Process on its head and that will get innocent people killed.

Yes, thank you for making our schools less safe by your continued opposition to any policy that would let trained teachers and administrators carry firearms to protect the students under their care.

Yes, thank you for supporting efforts to introduce even more government interference into private affairs by demanding universal background check.

Yes, thank you for all you do to make North Carolina a less safe place for ordinary, law abiding Tar Heels and more safe for criminals who, by definition, ignore the law.

 There is plenty more for which we can thank the North Carolina contingent of Moms Demand Action but saving lives isn't one of them.

A Takeaway For Gun Owners From Pelosi's Campaign For Speaker

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will probably be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. I say probably because there are some Democrats that are opposed to her and the aging leadership. She, Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and James Clyburn (D-SC) are all in their 70s. However, while this group of dissidents might prevent Pelosi from getting the requisite number of votes (218), it is doubtful they will win in the end.

In a story in the Washington Examiner about Pelosi's campaign for Speaker and the battle her allies are waging on her behalf was this:

As the leadership fight escalates, Pelosi’s lined up endorsements from former President Barack Obama — who called Pelosi “one of the most effective legislative leaders” on Tuesday — and key advocacy groups that helped Democrats retake the majority. Progressive groups, gun control organizations, unions, reproductive rights groups like NARAL Pro-Choice and more have thrown their weight behind Pelosi’s speaker bid.

“Do you really want to make enemies out of these groups?” said (Rep. Jan) Schakowsky, adding later, that the fight “is not just inside baseball, this has enormous ramifications for how we successfully move forward to pass an agenda that’s going to help people.”

The Brady Campaign and Shannon Watts have all formally endorsed Pelosi for Speaker. Moreover, Michael Bloomberg who "invested" over $100 million in this election cycle to get Democrats elected has worked closely with Pelosi and shared office space with her super PAC.

What does this mean for gun owners?

It should be obvious - expect gun control to be on the Democrats agenda in the House from day one of the new Congress. Pelosi has a constituency to repay and she will. I fully expect that bills will be introduced that will contain every gun control measure that you can think of and some that we haven't. Moreover, these bills will get a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee and most will pass in the House. Furthermore, the Hearing Protection Act, national reciprocity, and even provisions for use of Pittman-Robertson funds to construct shooting ranges are dead.

Our only hope for stopping these infringements will be the Senate which remains in Republican hands. Even then, there are some Republicans who might vote for things like red flag laws or bans on bump fire stocks. Fortunately, the filibuster is still alive when it comes to bills passing the Senate and it still will require 60 votes to invoke cloture. Therefore, if you haven't contacted your two Senators or Senator-elect, you better do it now and put opposition to gun control on their radar.

The Chinese curse "may you live in interesting times" will epitomize the next two years when it comes to the fight for gun rights.

What Is Wrong With This Statement?

I read a story this morning from the local NBC station in San Francisco. It detailed how the prohibitive gun laws in California and especially San Francisco made trafficking in stolen and/or illegal guns a very lucrative business. That comes as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog or has any knowledge of the Prohibition Era.

The story contained this gem. Let's dissect it to see what's wrong with it.

Roger contacted NBC Bay Area following a joint investigation with the non-profit journalism organization The Trace, which found more than 20,000 guns across the country that were previously reported stolen were later recovered by police in connection to crimes.

Stolen guns used in crime? That makes sense as guns are stolen to be sold or traded to other criminals who are probably already prohibited persons. Guns are a tool of the trade for armed robbers and home invaders and they will do what is necessary to obtain them.

Roger? Nope that was just the fake name used by the criminal for the story. He's now in a witness protection program.

The non-profit journalism organization The Trace? Ah, there's the problem with the statement. While its tax status is irrelevant, calling The Trace a "journalism organization" is one hell of a whopper.  It is the Bloomberg-funded media propaganda arm that masquerades as journalism. Funding for it also came from the Joyce Foundation and Seattle anti-gun billionaire Nick Hanauer. Following the money always will lead you to the truth.

The First Bloomberg Professor Is No Surprise

Daniel Webster is a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University. He is also the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Anyone who follows "gun violence" (sic) or "gun safety" research should have run across his research. It would not be an exaggeration to say his research is slanted against most of what my readers believe in.

Thus, it is not much of a shock to see he has been named the very first Bloomberg Professor of American Health. This is an endowed professorship funded by one of Michael Bloomberg's charities called the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. For those that aren't up on academia, an endowed professorship is considered an honor, it carries great prestige, and it comes with money in terms of salary, extra research monies, and often a dedicated assistant.

The following comment from his benefactor more or less sums up what to expect in the way of "research" from Webster.

“No other developed country in the world has even close to the rate of gun deaths we have in the U.S., and we can’t accept that,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City. “This new position will support the great work Dr. Webster is leading on gun violence and help build evidence for smart policies that can prevent more needless deaths.”

Johns Hopkins University's school of public health is also named after Mayor Bloomberg.

 You can read the full press release here.

After reading this and being aware of Webster's work, all I can think of is the title of the famous short story by Stephen Vincent Benet - The Devil and Daniel Webster. Unlike farmer Jebez Stone in the story, in this case it is Webster himself who has sold his soul or so it would seem.

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

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.

Bloomberg Buying Another Attorney General For Pennsylvania?

Michael Bloomberg's first attempt at buying an Attorney General for Pennsylvania didn't end too well. As most know, his investment in former AG Kathleen Kane was for naught as she had to resign her office in disgrace.

However, like any good investor Bloomberg is resilient. He knows that if one investment doesn't pay off you cut your losses and look for a better one. His new investment is named Josh Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro is a former Pennsylvania State Representative and is the current chairman of the Montgomery County (PA) Board of Commissioners. Shapiro is the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Pennsylvania.

"Gun violence" (sic) is one of the items on Mr. Shapiro's agenda.

“The horrific violence perpetrated against victims in every corner of our Commonwealth makes clear that we must do more to combat gun violence. Gun trafficking, straw purchases, and gray market gun sales threaten us all by putting weapons in the hands of dangerous people. As Attorney General, I will aggressively pursue the sources of these illegal guns and work with police and prosecutors across Pennsylvania to reduce gun violence.” – Josh Shapiro

• Beef up and expand the Gun Violence Task Force beyond Philadelphia’s borders.
• Establish and implement model gun show procedures.
• Prosecute prohibited purchasers who fail background checks.
• Review concealed carry permit reciprocity agreements.
• Increase awareness of laws against straw purchasing and simplify purchase forms.
• Expand background checks to cover private sales of long guns.
• Advocate for a statewide lost or stolen gun reporting requirement.

 You may wonder why in a state with over 1 million hunters that a candidate for attorney general would think gun control is a winning platform. Perhaps it is because he has 250,000 reasons to be for gun control.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Democratic Attorney General candidate Josh Shapiro may favor a number of gun-control initiatives, but he doesn’t lack for political ammunition. According to campaign-finance reports released last week, he received an eye-popping $250,000 donation from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leading proponent of more expansive gun-control measures nationwide.

That Aug. 1 contribution accounted for more than 9 cents of every dollar raised by Mr. Shapiro and his rival, state Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, this summer.

 The NRA-PVF has rated Sen. Rafferty as an A- and given him their endorsement. Meanwhile, Shapiro was lucky to get a D instead of a F.

While anti-gun attorneys general do not make the law, how they carry it out sets policy. You can see that in the past month with the way Massachusetts AG Maura Healy has redefined what qualifies as an "assault weapon" in that state making thousands of gun owners potential felons. Moreover, carry reciprocity agreements have been negated by both former Pennsylvania AG Kane and by current Virginia AG Mark Herring. While Herring's attempt was overthrown by legislation, I don't recall that Kane's move has been.

I have seen reader polls putting Rafferty ahead of Shapiro in this race but I don't put much faith in them. With Hillary leading Trump in the state and Pat Toomey (RINO-PA) dead even with Katie McGinty (D-PA), down ticket races like this will be impacted. I hope for my friends in Pennsylvania that Rafferty can pull this one out.

"Don't NYC My Maine Gun Rights"

My late father lived in Maine for many years after he retired from the Army. Even though he was a born and bred Tar Heel he was accepted by the locals. He lived in Medomak which is on Muscongus Bay.

I spent my (first) honeymoon in the Rangeley Region at a camp on Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Rosanne and I gave serious consideration to moving to Maine. We joined the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and took a local paper. We never did make the move but I still love the State of Maine. I guess that is why I am so afraid for them with Bloomberg's money trying to buy gun control there.

Ginny Simone does a good job of showing how Bloomberg and his money is trying to buy the election. I'm glad that there are organizations like the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. politicians like Gov. Paul LePage, and others like my friend Genie Jennings who will be speaking at GRPC fighting this tooth and nail.

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

Bloomberg Won't Take The Risk

Just a few minutes ago, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he would not run as a third-party candidate for President of the United States. He acknowledged the reality that a three way race might throw the presidential election into the House of Representatives where the (evil, gun-totin' bitter clingers) "party loyalists" aka Republicans hold sway. He said that was a risk he just could not take.

As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience.

He then goes on to trash both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

The other risk that he didn't acknowledge is that even if the election didn't go to the House of Representatives that a vote for him is a vote that Hillary Clinton wouldn't get. I can't think of many Trump or Cruz voters who would have voted from Bloomberg as an alternative to either Trump or Cruz.

Given that Hillary has gone all in for gun control, does anyone want to bet that Bloomberg's PAC Independence USA won't be doing mega-ads for Hillary and against any Republican? That's a bet I wouldn't take with any amount of money.

A Republican Getting Money From Bloomberg Makes Me Feel Wary

Mark Johnson is a Republican running in North Carolina for Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent is the person in charge of the Department of Public Instruction which governs teacher licensing, K-12 curriculum, state-mandated testing, and the $9.2 billion state school budget.

The current occupant, June Atkinson (D-NC), is running for reelection and is strong proponent of Common Core. While it was thought she might retire, she is running and has primary opposition from retired principal Henry Pankey.

Johnson is a lawyer in Winston-Salem, a member of the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Board of Education, and is an alumnus of Teach for America who taught high school in Charlotte. According to Andrea Dillon aka Lady Liberty 1885 who is staunch Common Core opponent, Johnson has told her he is not a fan of Common Core.

What makes me leery of Mark Johnson is a personal contribution to his campaign by our longtime friend Mike Bloomberg. Bloomberg and his daughter Emma have donated a combined $5,200 to Johnson's campaign. Johnson says he doesn't know why the Bloombergs made the donation. He said, "Some of his people mailed a check to me."

Sorry, dude, but checks like that come with obligations to the donor. Just ask Virginia AG Mark Herring. If Johnson wins, will he be expected to fight to keep schools gun-free zones? Or will he argue before the General Assembly that they should overturn the law which allows concealed carriers to keep their firearms in locked vehicles on school property? Will Everytown's joke of "gun safety" training be mandated in NC schools?

Johnson has amassed a substantial war chest with over $173,000 cash on hand at the end of 2015. By contrast, his opponents, Dunn school teacher J. Wesley Sills and Alamance County pediatrician Rosemary Stein, had less than $5,000 combined in their campaign accounts. That's a lot of money for down ticket office.

Early voting has started in North Carolina. One thing I do know is that Mark Johnson will not be getting my vote. Lady Liberty likes Dr. Stein and I think I'll give her a look.

Angling For A Veep Spot?

“Mike Bloomberg is a good man. We disagree on a whole lot of things, but he’s a good person and he’s a patriot and wants the best for the country.”

So saith John Ellis Bush to Jake Tapper.

That would be Jeb! Bush who has spent over $128 million to secure 5th place in a national poll of Republicans.

Bloomberg is, as Michael Bane call him, a nasty little Fascist who would abrogate one, if not more, of our rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. He already thought he could mandate what residents of New York City could eat and drink. Imagine what he would want to do if President.

Given that, is it any wonder that Jeb! is finding that money can't buy him neither love nor votes.

It is almost as if he wants Bloomberg to run so that he can be his vice-presidential running mate.

Evidently Money Talks In Virginia

There has been a lot written about the ad hoc decision of Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D-VA) to drop the recognition of out of state CCW permits from 25 states. The move impacts approximately 6.3 million Americans. I am one of those as Americans as North Carolina's permit will no longer be recognized in Virginia. However, I can assure my friends in the commonwealth that their permit will be recognized in North Carolina as we have universal recognition of out of state permits.

The non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project takes as its mission the goal of making government data regarding campaign finance disclosure understandable and accessible to the general public. From what I can see, they do a good job of it.

Given how much money Michael Bloomberg has funneled into Virginia both directly and indirectly I thought it would be interesting to see if Attorney General Herring was a recipient of his generosity. As Deep Throat said to Woodward and Bernstein, "Follow the money".

Lo and behold the top donor to his campaign for Attorney General was none other than Independence USA PAC. They gave $1,292,417 of in-kind donations to his campaign. The money went for media production and advertising buys. To put this into perspective, the next two highest donors gave approximately half this amount each. The only candidate to get more money from that PAC was Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA).

Independence USA PAC is Bloomberg's personal super-PAC. FactCheck said this about it:

Independence USA is a super PAC that focuses largely on helping to elect candidates who support stricter gun-control laws. It was founded in October 2012 by Michael Bloomberg, and, so far, has been entirely funded by the former New York City mayor.

The race for Attorney General between Herring and Republican St. Senator Mark Obershain was exceedingly close. The final vote tally left Herring winning by little more than 900 votes. Indeed, up until the last poll, Obershain was either in the lead or tied with Herring.

When you owe your elected position to Michael Bloomberg, when he says jump, you say how high. Evidently now was the time that Bloomberg said jump and jump is what Herring did in response.

A Picture To Start Your Day Off Right

Michael Bloomberg spent a pile of cash in Virginia to help Democrats try to take over the State Senate.

He failed.

Posted by Miguel on Facebook

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the composition of the Virginia State Senate will remain at 21 Republicans and 19 Democrats. If the Democrats had won just one seat then Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) could vote to break ties. The real battle was for two open seats - the 10th in the Richmond area and 29th in the Manassas area - which were held by the Republicans and Democrats respectively. Voters in both districts voted for the status quo ante bellum.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA), no friend of gun owners, is term-limited to only one term. With Republicans holding both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, any plans he has for more gun control go nowhere.

Below is an example of the ad that Bloomberg's Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors ran in the Virginia 10th Senate District against Republican Glen Sturtevant. He ran a similar ad in the Virginia 29th Senate District against Republican Hal Parrish. In that case, he had more success.




Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned had a number of posts regarding Bloomberg's efforts, Andy Parker's unstable behavior, and the Virginia elections. He recognized the impact of these elections before most in the gun blogging community.

On a related note, Mr. and Mrs. Gabby Giffords dropped a pile on the race between Sen. Dick Black (R-Loudon-Prince William) and pediatrician Jill McCabe. Final results show Black winning majorities in both Loudon and Prince William counties.



H/T Miguel

Not Only No But Hell No

With Hillary Clinton mired in her email and other troubles, Rupert Murdoch is trying to start a "Draft Bloomberg" movement.

Now enter a man who knows a thing or two of drumming up attention (and selling papers) - Rupert Murdoch. Just as massive stock drop has many investors eyeing the financial headlines, the media mogul is stirring the pot, trying to draft fellow billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg into the presidential race.

Murdoch wrote in a tweet last night, “with Trump becoming very serious candidate, it's time for next billionaire candidate, Mike Bloomberg to step into ring. Greatest mayor.”

Yahoo News has the story in this video below. They discuss how Trump has upended things and perhaps set the stage for a Michael Bloomberg.



The very thought of having, in Michael Bane's words, that nasty little fascist as the President of the United States is repugnant. It is not just what he would do to the Second Amendment that scares me but his entire "I know what's best for you" agenda. If you combine Bloomberg's authoritarian impulses with what Barack Obama has done to to the Executive Branch, I could see myself moving to a freer country. You know, like China or Russia. They couldn't be as bad as living in a country where Mike Bloomberg controlled the reins of government.

Not Just Illegal Mayors Anymore

Mayors Against Illegal Guns has had so many of its members run afoul of the law that I've taken to calling it Mayor Bloomberg's Illegal Mayors. Thanks to news out of Philadelphia, I will have to expand that.

The special prosecutor and grand jury investigating allegations that Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane leaked secret information to a newspaper have found evidence of wrongdoing and recommended that she be criminally charged, according to numerous people familiar with the decision.

The panel concluded that Kane violated grand-jury secrecy rules by leaking investigative material in a bid to embarrass political enemies, sources said.

Some of those familiar with the grand jury presentment say it recommended charges that included perjury and contempt of court.

The statewide grand jury sitting in Norristown has turned over its findings to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who must decide whether to affirm its findings and arrest Kane, the state's top law enforcement official.

 Kane reportedly leaked those grand jury materials in order to embarrass political opponents

Michael Bloomberg invested heavily in Kane ($674,000) when she first ran for Attorney General in  2012. Kane ran as an anti-gun candidate saying she would review all concealed carry reciprocity agreements with other states and cancel those that didn't measure up to her standards.

This last year has not been a good one for Kane. Earlier in the year reports surfaced about how she tried to squash an investigation into corruption in Philadelphia. Then, as the year came to a close, she announced she was getting divorced from her husband Christopher after 14 years of marriage saying the marriage "was irreparably broken."

Bitter has her take on this news here.

All I can say is that Bloomberg knows how to pick them. Or not.

Dingy Harry Is Right - Billionaires Are Trying To Buy Democracy

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) gave a speech yesterday on the floor of the Senate. It was his first floor speech since the end of the August recess. As The Hill reports it, he said, in part,

“We have had in this country a flood of very, very dark money coming into this nation’s political system,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “Radical billionaires are attempting to buy our democracy.”

Reid is correct in his statement - just not in the billionaires to whom he referred. He, of course, was continuing his jihad against the libertarian Koch brothers.

However, if one were to examine the backers of the universal background check initiative in Washington State, I-594, you would come to the conclusion that a gaggle of billionaires was indeed trying to buy "our democracy."

Examining the public reports from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, one finds that a full 72% of the funding for the anti-gun Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility has come from five billionaires (including spouses) plus one very wealthy woman from an "old Seattle family". In dollar terms, these six have donated $5,171,600 out of the $7,175,542 donated to the anti-gun organization. Small contributions to this gun control ballot initiative total only $63,009 or less than 1% of the total.

So who are these billionaires (or near billionaires), how much have they given individually, what is their estimated net worth, and where do they stand on the Forbes 400 list of richest people in America. Here is the list in order of contributions:

1. Nick Hanauer, $1,485,000; net worth $1 billion, venture capitalist, Second Avenue Investing


2. Bill and Melinda Gates, $1,050,000; net worth $72 billion, No. 1 Forbes 400, co-founder Microsoft


3. Michael Bloomberg*, $1,030,000; net worth $31 billion, No. 10 Forbes 400, founder Bloomberg LP


4. Connie and Steve Ballmer, $830,000; net worth $18 billion, No. 21 Forbes 400, former CEO Microsoft, owner LA Clippers


5. Paul Allen, $500,000; net worth $15.8 billion, No 26 Forbes 400, co-founder Microsoft, owner Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers


6. Ann Pigott Wyckoff, $276,600; net worth est. multi-millions, heiress and daughter of the late Paccar Corporation president Paul Pigott. Paccar manufactures Peterbilt, Kenworth, and Leyland trucks.

To put these contributions into perspective, let's look at the campaign committee for I-591 which is the other ballot initiative which opposes universal background checks. Protect Our Gun Rights is the campaign committee formed to support I-591. The largest individual (non-organizational) contribution was $1,500 by a Boeing engineer. The primary contributors to Protect Our Gun Rights are the Washington State-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and Washington Arms Collectors. This committee has raised a total of $1,121,535 at last report.

As Dave Workman, the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner, put it, this is a billionaire bombardment and he is correct. So when Dingy Harry speaks of "radical billionaires attempting to buy our democracy", he just has the wrong set of billionaires in mind. It isn't the Koch brothers, it is the Hanauers, the Gates, the Allens, the Ballmers, and the Bloombergs who plan to dominate the TV airwaves with their appeals to low information voters in an effort to impose their will on the people of Washington State.

*Bloomberg's contribution was funneled through MAIG and Everytown for Gun Safety (sic).