Passed 41 to 30. This law actually stipulates biometric technology, which I don’t think will ever be reliable enough. As might be expected, law enforcement is exempt.
Year: 2008
Race Baiting with Father “Snuffy” Pfleger
Apparently the reason Hillary was crying is because she felt entitled because she’s white.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H11x6bMu4Y&e[/youtube]
I actually agree with him that Hillary feels she’s entitled, but I think she feels that way because she’s Hillary. I couldn’t give a flying fossilized pterodactyl turd that Barack Strawberry Shortcake Obama is a black guy and Hillary is a white woman. I’m not voting for him because his policies would be bad for the country, and because I don’t want to elect a president who’s spiritual mentors continue to fan the flames of racial division. America has had enough of that.
I Could Use This
The ultimate clip loader for the Ruger Mk II and Mk III and the Buckmark. The only problem I’d have is that my club has a five round limit on magazines. A highly obnoxious rule, especially if you’re an M1 shooter, but it’s mostly a shotgun and silhouette club, and it’s 10 minutes from my house.
A New Brady Blog Feature
Looks like they are trying to post more in hopes of attracting more traffic. I was wondering why I suddenly had three new posts in Bloglines, which is unusual for them. Either way, they point out that the guy who got into a gunfight in Seattle, and has a CHL from the State of Washington, never should have had one. Well, the fact that get got into a scuffle with someone and shot him ought to be an indication he wasn’t the type of person who ought to be armed. Regardless, the fact that he was addicted to a controlled substance means he wasn’t eligible to own a firearm, let alone carry one. CeaseFire Washington had this to say:
Kristen Comer, executive director of Washington Ceasefire, a gun-control advocacy group, said the situation underscores problems with Washington state’s concealed-weapon law.
“The background checks done in Washington state are very primitive,” she said. “We didn’t have background checks before 1994.”
Right now there are two background checks, Comer said.
The state check is the equivalent of law enforcement asking each other if “John Doe is on your list,” Comer said. “And the federal system and the state system don’t talk to each other much, as far as mental health goes.”
The problem is, there is no more thorough background check that would have likely turned up these records, since it’s not clear they exist. Was there ever a previous adjudication or commitment? Were the authorities ever involved in his addiction treatment? No doubt this will be used as an example of why we need ever deeper probing of carry license applicants, but it’s not clear it would have made a difference in this case.
Quote of the Day
Rachel Lucas demonstrates how to refine the rant into a fine art:
Finally, regarding principles. I understand that some of you will not vote for McCain because of your principles, and I do not question your principles. I disagree with your conclusions about what will follow your application of them.
Rachel has been voting for as long as I have, since George H.W. Bush, and feels the same about her choices since then as I do. Maybe I feel that way because I never got to vote for Reagan, but then again, I don’t think I really liked Reagan all that much either.
Trouble in Illinois
Looks like they are pushing the “Lost and Stolen” crap there too. Sounds like they managed to get a 3/5th supermajority requirement in that goes into effect on June 1st, which will raise the barrier for passing more gun laws in that state, so if this can be stopped now, it might have a hard time passing at a later date.
UPDATE: Kurt updates:
I didn’t make that very clear. It’s not that we managed to get a 3/5ths requirement–it’s just that the deadline for the end of the spring session is May 31st. The budget is such a mess that they’ll almost certainly have to call special sessions during the summer, so they’ll keep meeting, but anything passed during a special session must pass by super-majority.
Damn shame. Imagine how much better off we’d be if it took a bare majority to repeal a law but a supermajority to pass one?
Convention Center Boondoggle
Eric posts about a historic firehouse that’s being demolished in Philadelphia to make way for Ed & Mike’s Convention Mega Emporium. It goes on to talk about the declining convention business. Having just attended one of the larger conventions out there, I can’t imagine there are that many large events that make this kind of project a good investment. Even after Philadelphia completes the expansion, I’d be doubtful that NRA would ever return of Philadelphia, given Mayor Nutter’s glowing love for the second amendment. It’s hard to see how a city like Philadelphia can compete for convention business with a city like Las Vegas, or even a smaller city like Orlando.
Repealing Dog Breed Preemption?
Apparently a Pennsylvania lawmaker is looking to repeal state preemption of dog breed specific legislation because of one incident in his district. This is a lot like gun control, where the solution is to punish irresponsible owners, not to try to control the species of dog.
Fighting the Free Market
New Jersey politicians don’t seem to want to allow oil companies to price gasoline differently in different markets. If New Jersey outlaws zone pricing, the end result is going to be shortages of gasoline in some areas, and surpluses in others, which won’t get evened out through the price system. New Jersey already regulates the frequency at which gasoline prices may increase, which causes prices to fall more slowly than in the rest of the country.
Maybe the oil companies should just take a lesson from Ronnie Barrett, and tell New Jersey that if they don’t want to have a free market in oil, then fine, they don’t get any. Maybe then the voters there will have some motivation to change the smelly political diaper.
Democracy Worship Coming Back to Haunt Dems
I have to say, I think this is poetic justice, but I agree with Greg that the party is pretty much free to ignore primary results if they so wish. The primary system was one of those progressive reforms to take the power of nominating candidates out of the proverbial smoke filled rooms filled with party bosses, but the party is still a non-governmental entity, and is free to choose to punish state delegations that don’t follow the rules.
We live in a society where both parties, but Democrats in particular, hold up democratic rule as our greatest aspiration. To quote Barack Obama’s spiritual mentor, “The chickens are coming home to roost.”