September 2011 – Page 3 – Shall Not Be Questioned

HR822 Lies and Distortions Continue

Our opponents are continuing to distort the National Recprocity Bill. This editorial out of Eugene Oregon note opposition groups suggesting the bill is setting federal standards for permits, which is does not:

But opponents of the legislation, which includes a coalition of 600 U.S. mayors, the American Bar Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, say, if enacted into law, the measure would â€œdumb downâ€ gun laws all across the country, requiring states, cities and counties with more stringent concealed weapons laws â€” including gun safety training requirements â€” to loosen their standards. And that, opponents say, would create a threat to public safety.

The way MAIG and the other gun control organizations are putting it, it makes it sound as if HR822 weakens established state issuance standards. It does not. It just forces each state to recognize permits from each other state. This is a clever way of putting it, which is not technically a lie, since some states, like Ohio, will only sign reciprocity agreements with other states that mandate training. This bill would indeed take that power away from the State of Ohio, and other states that have similar reciprocity standards. But by distorting it this way, they make the bill sound worse, from their point of view, than it really is.

Not on their Agenda

It would seem there are ideas that are so bad that even the gun control stalwarts in this state won’t get behind them. Such is the case with bar coding bullets, which is an issue being highlighted in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is even dumber than microstamping. Of course, I’m not being very sensitive to victims of gun violence, who are floating this proposal. Our people, you see, have a problem with that. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? They make public policy proposals, and we don’t dare question them, because they are victims. They have absolute moral authority, and we’re just scum of the earth for questioning them.

Latest in Fast and Furious

Fox seems to be moving farther away from the “botched operation” that’s been prevalent in the “in the tank for the Administration” news outlets, and understanding that Fast and Furious was working exactly the way it was intended to work. Here’s more evidence from Fox:

In June 2010, however, the ATF dramatically upped the ante, making the U.S. government the actual “seller” of guns.

According to documents obtained by Fox News, Agent John Dodson was ordered to buy six semi-automatic Draco pistols — two of those were purchased at the Lone Wolf gun store in Peoria, Ariz. An unusual sale, Dodson was sent to the store with a letter of approval from David Voth, an ATF group supervisor.

So taxpayer money was being used. The article goes on to note that this wasn’t your standard undercover sting. Agent Dodson is essentially reporting that he was ordered to let the weapons go. No attempt at all was made to interdict the weapons, or the people trafficking them, on order from ATF superiors.

I’d really like to know how all these gun violence organizations continue to dodge, deflect, and continue to make excuses for this. There is a world of difference between guns that, through criminal theft, or through an unlawful gun purchase, happen to end up in criminal hands, and guns that are deliberately being trafficked to criminals with the full aid and blessing of our government. Where is their outrage? They should be joining our call to get to the bottom of this scandal and try to find out who’s responsible. The fact that they are not should tell you everything you need to know about what they really stand for.

Should We Be Lambasting Kagan Before She Posts a Vote?

Wayne LaPierre addressed CPAC in Florida this past Friday, (written transcript here) and it’s interesting the references to Kagan as if she’s already a sure vote against us.Â I realize it’s a bit of a long shot that she’s going to vote with us, but you don’t really know what issue will next hit the Court, and you don’t know under what circumstances. On the off chance she might actually side with us, I think writing the history on her before she has a chance to post a vote might not be the wisest move.

And even then, I think a smart argument could be made that it’s not a good idea to lambast any sitting Supreme Court justice if you’re in the process of moving multiple cases that could possibly go before the high Court. But that said, NRA has to get their members thinking about the Supreme Court when they go into the voting booth in November 2012. We have to weigh the remote chance that Kagan will vote with us, against the very real possibility Obama gets to replace one of the Heller five, if re-elected. Gun owners need to realize we’re one justice away from the Second Amendment being read clean out of the constitution, so I suspect that’s why Wayne is erring on the side of driving that particular point home.

Help a Researcher Out

Clayon Cramer is looking to know the number of permits issued by the various states. I’ve already corrected him on the PA number. Our state police issues a report every year, but only publishes the number of permits issued that year. You can find the total by taking the past five years, minus renovations if you want something more exact, but revocations are among the noise if you just want a rough number. If you know the stats for your state, go let Clayton know.

GOA Backs Different Reciprocity Bill

GOA is backing a new bill being introduced by Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA). From the GOA press release, it appears that the primary difference is that it would allow people in states that do not issue permits to carry in any other state without a permit. The only problem with this bill is that we tried it before, and it failed in the Senate. The situation in the Senate has not remarkably improved, and it’s likely that Schumer had a few more votes up his sleeve against the bill if he needed them. The reason the current bill doesn’t have those provisions is that it’ll recover a few needed votes if this goes to the Senate.

Remember that we not only need to pass this bill, we are quite likely to need to override a veto if we want this to become law. At the least, you need sixty votes in the Senate for it. While I’m sympathetic to the aims of the GOA bill, the only impacted state is Vermont, and Vermonters can easily obtain a non-resident license from New Hampshire that gets them around the problem.

I appreciate that GOA is doing a lot better on this subject than NAGR, and they have at least decided to support a similar bill. But I don’t believe their bill is going to go anywhere.

Arms Dealer Classifieds

Arms Dealers has been running an add on the sidebar for some time, so we’re happy to see that they are announcing a new gun related classifieds section. To go along with that they are giving away free stuff.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette Doesn’t Get HR822 Close to Correct

We can expect the amount of hysterics over HR822 to continue, and for it to get ridiculous, such as this editorial in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

H.R. 822, or the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, would force every state to honor every other state’s permit to carry a concealed gun — no matter how lax the other state’s standards. That would mean a convicted felon who can’t pass muster in, say, Pennsylvania, could get a permit elsewhere, and local law enforcement would have no choice but to let him walk around with a loaded weapon.

You see, she must have heard of this “Florida Loophole” thing, but instead of doing actual research to understand the issue, she’ll just shoot her ignorant mouth off. First off, in the language of HR822:

Notwithstanding any provision of the law of any State or political subdivision thereof, related to the carrying or transportation of firearms, a person who is not prohibited by Federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid license or permit which is issued pursuant to the law of a State and which permits the person to carry a concealed firearm, may carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, in any State, other than the State of residence of the person, that-

That automatically excludes felons, people who have been adjudicated mentally ill, and anyone with a misdemeanor domestic violence convictions. That makes sense, since these people may not legally own or possess firearms in all 50 states. She also brings up Florida Loophole poster child Marqus Hill. I have shown why Mr. Hill is a failure of the City of Philadelphia, and not the State of Florida. That irrelevant to begin with, because HR822 does now allow you to carry in your state of residence on a reciprocal license, so HR822 would have been no assistance to someone of Marqus Hill’s disposition.

So either MAIG is employing the ignorant to speak out against HR822, or they have resorting to being deliberately deceptive. Not that I can blame them. Half truths and hysterics is all they know.

A Fair Criticism of My Approach to PCUSA

Over at the Captain’s Journal. He believes that gun control is a spiritual battle, as the right to bear arms is granted by God, and that the battle to preserve it is a matter of religion, morality, and righteousness.

I can’t really answer his criticism, because I think it’s correct. Spending enough time in a single issue to tends to make you think more practically about things and less religiously. I agree the right is granted by God, but it has to be protected by men, and for most of our struggle that’s been done through the political process.

Though, in terms of arguing the case from within the context of within a Church, I think the Captain’s approach is probably smarter.

PETA Strikes Again

Apparently they consider it a travesty that Prince William is a bird hunter, and are begging Kate Middleton to put a stop to it. If I were Kate, that would mean I have a very public dinner of pheasant.

As one might expect, the PETA nut cases are once again mischaracterizing the nature of bird hunting, and operating under the delusion that humans were never meant to be predators.