NYT Blog Debate on Guns

Featuring one of our blog community members who might be familiar to many.  See the full set of posts on the topic here.  The media is starting to take gun bloggers seriously!

UPDATE: At the end of the day, my hat’s off to David.  I think he did a fine job of representing our side.

Bonehead of the Week

This week’s bonehead is Noreen O’Donnell.  How’s this for respecting the dead?

Charlton Heston once famously said, “From my cold dead hands,” and held up a rifle as a challenge to anyone who would dare take it away.

Well, now he is dead. No word yet on the rifle, but the battle over guns continues.

Classy, classy way to open up a story.

Not Many Reloading

Bitter points to an article that shows only 1/4 of rifle shooters reload.  I would haver thought that number was going to be much higher these days, considering the price of ammo, and the chronic shortages of reloading supplies.  The only thing I don’t reload these days are shotgun shells and .22LR, which also happens to be what I shoot the most of.  Everything else I’m reloading.

Speaking of reloading, they are looking to restrict reloaders in Canada.  Massachusetts already restricts them in this manner.

One Blogger’s Response from Wal-Mart

Over at Firearms and Freedom, Wal-Mart responds.  I still haven’t gotten anything yet.  If I get the same thing, I’ll let everyone know.  I find that response to be wholly inadequate, and while I understand Wal-Mart’s desire to be a “responsible retailer” they were already doing that by following the relevant state and federal regulations in regards to firearm sales.  This is not about being a responsible retailer.  If you want my guess, it’s about opening stores in New York City.  Wal-Mart is free as a business to decide these are reasonable steps, and I’m free as a consumer to shop elsewhere, which I will do.

Pretty Much Looked Like a Gun Show

A fair article from the Tuscon Citizen.  I wish Philly media could be that balanced.

The pictures I couldn’t take would show:

  • It looked sort of like a craft show. There were leather belts, German helmets from World War II, polished stones, wood carvings and special handbags for women who carry guns.
  • It looked sort of like an Army surplus store, with bayonets, canteens, Samurai swords and even a box of disarmed grenades that could make panic-inducing paperweights.
  • It looked sort of like a convention of hunters, with lots of bright orange and camouflage.
  • But mostly it looked like a gun show
Yep.  Gun shows tend to look the same everywhere, and there’s not much else that’s like it.  I attended the Nations Gun Show last weekend at the Dulles Expo Center, and it looked pretty much the same as the ones in Pennsylvania.  In fact, I recognized a lot of the vendors from shows in PA.  Read the rest the article.

Michelle Obama Telling Us What We Know

Speaking to students of a liberal arts college in a wealthy Philadelphia suburb, Michelle Obama explains her husbands statements about rural Pennsylvanians:

“If I’m telling you something that you don’t know, let me know,” she said. “Maybe things are better, and I’m just missing the boat and I’m out of touch.”

Yep, I’d say so.

New York Alert

Looks like gun owners in the Empire State are about to get screwed royally.  I guess Assembly members were upset that California and New Jersey got a higher Brady rank than they did.  Look at the margins by which these things pass.  Scary stuff.

Philadelphia District Attorney Testifies

Lynne Abraham told City Council today that she wasn’t going to enforce the City’s new gun control laws because they are unconstitutional.  Mayor Squidward (a term I have to credit to Wyatt) is trying to convince her otherwise.  No doubt the rationally self-interested Abraham doesn’t want to have to defend herself or any of her assistant DA’s against Section 1983 suits in federal court.  I can’t say I blame her.

Restraining Nutter

Looks like the groundwork is being laid for a lawsuit.  As much as I might think a straightjacket is the best way to restrain the good mayor, I’ll settle for a temporary restraining order for now:

Fairfax, VA-Today in Pennsylvania court, the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed for a temporary restraining order blocking the City of Philadelphia from enforcing recently enacted gun control measures. Pennsylvania’s state preemption law maintains uniformity over a statewide system of gun laws by barring municipalities from enacting gun control laws that are more restrictive than those passed by the state legislature. NRA is joined in this effort by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and local citizens of Philadelphia.

Last week, Philadelphia’s city council passed a package of gun control bills that were clearly preempted by state law. Mayor Michael Nutter, in a brazen act of lawlessness, signed the bills. District Attorney Lynne Abraham warned the city council and mayor that their taxpayer-funded folly was unconstitutional.

“Apparently, Philadelphia politicians believe they can circumvent the will of the Pennsylvania legislature,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist. “This is the third time the City of Philadelphia has tried to thwart state law by passing its own gun control restrictions. First it tried suing the state legislature, then it tried strong-arming the state legislature, and now it has decided to ignore state law altogether.  Despite what it seems to believe, the City of Philadelphia is not above the law.”

I’m going to bet the temporary restraining order is granted, given how the law couldn’t be more crystal clear.