Year: 2007

I’m an NRA Apologist

I figured I’d put this out in front for all to see. From the comments:

This is another in a long line of stories that makes the nra apologists squirm because it threatens their denial mentality about the nra.

Rather than re post the same hard hitting stuff so sebastian can avoid it, I’ll just post this very telling link so all can see how he behaves when he’s shown the ugly truth about the nra. http://www.pagunblog.com/?p=1494#comment-11852

He seemed to want everyone to see that, so I figured I’d help out. I’d also like to point out, just to complete my treason, that I’ve said in the past there are gun control laws I’m willing to live with. Not that I think they are worth anything, mind you, but given the courts have chosen to do nothing about the second amendment, there are compromises I’m willing to live with.

So yes, I don’t really care of NRA has expressed support for the NFA 6 years before I was born, because I’d be happy just to get rid of the 1986 Hughes Amendment, and if that means I need to stand on the NFA in order to make politicians comfortable with that idea, then so be it. If I have to stand on the NICS system to prevent further restrictions on gun purchases, so be it.

We did not get where we are today because of the NRA, or because we compromised. We got here today because our fellow citizens elected politicians that wanted us to be here. If you’ve ever spent any time talking to real people about the gun issue, you know that most people believe that some level of gun control is necessary. That’s what we’re up against, and that’s why we’re here. The only solution to that is changing hearts and minds, and I’ve becoming convinced we’re making progress in this area, but there is a long way to go.

Once we get to the point where the NFA is even up for serious debate, I’ll be happy, but we’re a long way from that. The second amendment was meant to put these issues outside of the political process, but until the courts actually say it means something, that’s an academic consideration. Until then, it’s politics. I know it sucks, but that’s the reality.

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Abraham’s Pilgrimage

Lynn Abraham, District Attorney for Philadelphia, has made a pilgrimage to Harrisburg to plead for more gun laws.

When challenged by Rep. John Pallone, a Democrat from a pro-gun district in southwestern Pennsylvania, Abraham said her testimony was not an “assault” on gun dealers or law abiding gun owners.

“My constituents are different. All I see is dead bodies and people who are quadriplegic.”

Her constituents are different.  It’s only a small percentage of her “constituents” that are causing a problem in Philadelphia.  The vast majority of people are law abiding.  If I lived in Philadelphia, where I might actually need a gun to protect myself, I’d be outraged that Lynn suggests I’m “different” and thus my rights may be curtailed at the whim of city government, while nothing is done about putting more police on patrol, or keeping criminals behind bars.  The City can’t protect it’s residents, and they would prefer its residents not be able to protect itself either.  If there’s a way out for Philadelphia’s political culture, I’m not seeing it.

Abraham said she took issue with two other gun violence bills under consideration today, one that would set bail at $50,000 for anyone displaying a firearm while committing an offense and another that would create a firearms bureau in the state Attorney General’s office and give that office the power the authority to investigate local firearms trafficking cases.

I might have a problem with the former too, depending on the definition of “display” and “offense”, but I find it interesting that when it comes to enforcing the laws the state already has, Abraham’s office gets territorial about having the state AG involved.  We can’t have that, now, can we?

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Helping out Holmesburg

Looks like there was a meeting on Monday to try to stave off the City of Philadelphia from closing the Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association by refusing to renew its lease.  I feel bad that I couldn’t make it.

I feel for the club, that it’s future is in jeopardy.  All clubs in the Philadelphia area are susceptible to these types of problems, and while the suburban townships that other shooting ranges reside in are generally more friendly to the shooting community than the City of Philadelphia, the political winds can shift unexpectedly.  This is one reason I’m so intent on trying to convince my shooting club that weakening its relationship with NRA would be a very unwise move.

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Political Donations

John Lott tells us who gives more political donations, the NRA or MoveOn.org.  It’s not even close.  NRA-PVF donated 11 million, and MoveOn.org donated 27 million in the 2006 election cycle.  It’s important to note that PVF is a PAC that is separate from NRA proper.  Money from NRA can’t be used to fund PVF; PVF being entirely dependent on donations from NRA members to operate.

Much of NRA’s power in Washington has to do with the votes it can bring to the table.  Money matters in politics, but votes matter more.  Indeed, money is only really useful in the sense that it helps get votes.

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Having Real Friends Helps

Ahab notes that Rudy makes both he and Paul Helmke nervous, but for opposite reasons:

My concern with Rudy as a presidential candidate isn’t that he is switching to pro-gun side of the debate, but rather that I feel like he’s just saying what he feels he need to say to woo pro-gun Republican votes.  I worry that if he were elected, he would immediately flop right back to his NYC gun control methods.

If Rudy wants to serve a second term, he wouldn’t flip back.   But I don’t think that honestly matters all that much.  I would take Rudy over Hillary, if only because Rudy will know where his bread gets buttered.

The real problem with Rudy is he’s not a real friend of gun owners, no matter what he tells you.  We already have an example of this in our current President, who has signed some good bills for us, and put people on the Supreme Court that will likely vote to uphold the second amendment, but the gun issue is politics for Bush, not passion.

This couldn’t be any clearer than in ATF’s actions while Bush has been president.  There has been no attempt by the administration to bring this agency under any semblance of control, either fiscally or focusing them on their proper mission of going after criminals.   This is why having real friends in the white house matters.   There’s too many behind the scenes, under the radar ways an unfriendly administration can screw gun owners, even if their public face is very friendly.  Ahab is correct to be worried, because having real friends in the White House matters.

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Another ATF Audit for Red’s

Looks like the ATF has paid Red’s Trading Post another visit for rubber glove treatment. Upset about how Red’s Trading Post is being treated? Contact the Office of Inspector General at the DOJ. Be polite, but make sure they know you believe ATFs actions in regard to Red’s are excessive. I will post what I’ll be sending along to them later this evening.

Also, it wouldn’t hurt to contact your Congress Critter in regards to reforming the law to deal with these abuses. There were several bills working their way through Congress before the changeover happened in 2006. We’d all like to see the ATF abolished, but the fundamental problem is with the law, and if that isn’t fixed, the problem would just shift to another agency. The ultimate problem isn’t that there’s federal law enforcement tasked with enforcing federal gun laws, it’s that there are too many federal gun laws to enforce. Until the latter is fixed, the problem will continue.

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On Blaming Pennsylvania

Scott Bach has a post responding to the increasingly more frequent statements coming from across the river that Pennsylvania’s “weak” gun laws are to blame for crime in New Jersey.

What I’d like to know is why no one blames Delaware?  Delaware’s gun laws are actually less stringent than Pennsylvania’s in nearly all respects except for the issuance of concealed weapons licenses.   Delaware also shares a rather lengthy border with New Jersey.

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