The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
War on Guns has a very detailed post up on what happened to one of Carolyn McCarthy’s constituents who had his guns seized after exercising his first amendment rights to petition the Congresswoman for a redress of grievances.
We covered this a bit here, and pointed out last week that this whole incident has Tom King, who is normally a pretty easy going guy, up in arms. Or maybe I should say reasonably agitated, since they tend to be a bit touchy up there.
The text of HR6691, the Bill by the House Democrats to enforce the Heller decision on the District of Colombia is H.R.6691. No surprises, really. It’s actually a bit better than the Republican version, since it allows DC residents to obtain firearms in Maryland and Virginia. NFA stuff will still be illegal in DC, and it does not address prohibition on carrying firearms. I call that a good start, so hopefully we can get this through Congress before the elections.
For the past eight years, we’ve generally been able to stop this nonsense from happening:
At the outset of that gathering, U.S. representatives indicated that they would not accept any final agreement that mentioned ammunition, civilian possession of small arms or transfers to nonstate actors. Although not the only obstacle, the United States’ positions were viewed as a major cause for the meeting’s failure.
If Obama is elected, we will be enthusiastically participating in this UN scheme to disarm the people of the world.
Coating bullets with pollen as a unique identifier. I guess if you have allergies, you’ll just have to give up the shooting sports then.
Freedom is arguing with a nameless, faceless government bureaucrat, who has knows little or nothing about your job, that you need a basic tool of self-protection.
There’s speculation that he’s considering it, but I he’s playing games too:
Chicagoans with guns in their homes might be required to have insurance to protect taxpayers from frivolous lawsuits, he said.
“We’re talking about putting first-responders in a very, very delicate position of people being armed without being notified how many guns they have in their homes,” Daley said. “We have to be able to fashion a law that truly protects first-responders and protects the citizens.”
Requiring gun owners to have some ridiculous amount of insurance is not a new tactic. But expect it, and others like it, to get dragged out of the basement and dusted off as politicians and gun control advocates look for new/old ways to discourage gun ownership.
I had the pleasure of introducing a newbie to the joys of shooting today. My former girlfriends’ younger brother was only 9 or so when I first met him, but he recently graduated from high school, and was out visiting his sister. He wanted to go shooting, so I decided to take him to the club’s plinking range.
I still stand by the AR-15 as a great rifle for the introduction of enthusiastic beginners. For people more timid about shooting, the .22LR is a better choice. I loaded up 50 rounds for Jason, and we went through all of them. We went through 30 more rounds with the AK-74, and a few rounds with my Mk.II and Glock.
His mom is going to want to kill me, because I know she doesn’t like guns, and now he wants to buy a rifle. Hopefully he can find a range or club in Iowa that can help him get started.
From Glenn Reynolds on the 2008 Bejing Olympics:
I won’t be going, and I don’t plan to watch. The Olympics are a fount of corruption and chicanery anyway, upholding no ideals and promoting no good ends anyway. Plus, they’re boring.
I won’t be watching either. Even the shooting events. What the Chinese government is doing is a disgrace. The only thing more disgraceful is the IOC’s capitulation. China should not be permitted to host another Olympics until it cleans up its human rights record. What’s next? Havana Olympics?
Dave Hardy provides a few links to the motion for summary judgment in the Chicago handgun case. A few things pop out at me:
Whatever the value of registration, the requirement that guns be constantly re-registered burdens gun ownership but serves no useful purpose. The city already mandates that registrants immediately notify police of any changes in their registration information, including loss or disposition of a gun or registration certificate. Chicago Mun. Code § 8-20-140. Moreover, “[a] state may not impose a charge for the enjoyment of a right granted by the Federal Constitution.†Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105 (1943). The penalty for lapsed or improper registration rendering the subject firearm “unregisterable†is likewise unconstitutional.
One bite off the apple at a time is how we’ll win this.
The bill is now in Thomas, if you care to search for it. Interestingly, Congressman Patrick Murphy has signed on as a cosponsor. Makes you wonder why he was unwilling to sign on to the congressional amicus brief to help overturn DC’s law at the Supreme Court. Sorry, but if Congressman Murphy is only going to be a friend of gun owners close to election time, and spend the rest of the session screwing us, that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it?
I am willing to accept that perhaps the Congressman has realized he has erred in his position on second amendment rights, and has now seen the light. If it’s a true turnaround, I welcome it. But color me skeptical.