2009 – Page 176 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Anti-Aircraft Weapon?

The New York or LA Times I could almost forgive, but the Idaho Stateman should know a Browning .30 caliber machine gun from a .50 caliber anti-aircraft weapon.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has traced many guns seized at scenes of drug violence in Mexico to U.S. commercial sources. But determining the source of military-grade weapons such as grenades and fully automatic machine guns is more complicated.

The ATF says the grenades are mostly smuggled in through Central America, and have been traced back to the militaries of many countries, from South Korea to Spain and Israel. Some may be leftovers from the Central American civil wars.

Assailants have fired on government aircraft performing anti-drug missions in Mexico in the past, but apparently never with the caliber of weapon found Monday.

The Mexican government are lying about what they are finding, lying about where it’s coming from, and our media are buying it hook line, and sinker.

UPDATE: I realize the Idaho Statesman could use some help with terminology, as could some other journalists.Â This is an anti-aircraft gun:

Anti-Aircraft Gun

Rendell Pushing Gun Control

Just last week, a Rendell spokesman said he wasn’t going to pursue gun control.Â It now appears that statement came with an expiration date:

Rendell, at the Allegheny County Courthouse to announce economic development grants, declined to give details on his gun control request. He plans to announce more at a press conference tomorrow in Harrisburg, he said.

At the very least, he said, he would like state legislators to allow local governments to set their own gun laws, something prohibited in 1996, he said.

It’s not going to happen Ed.Â We’ll fight for preemption like our gun rights depend on it, because they do.Â If local governments are allowed to set their own laws, any of us who travel with firearms, which we do regularly both for self-defense, to travel to matches, to hunt, or what have you, risk unknowingly committing criminal offenses.Â We will have no idea where we are and aren’t in compliance with the law.

Presumably Ed Rendell is OK with making millions of Pennsylvanians criminals because they happen to own guns.Â Preemption is a bedrock principle.Â There’s no negotiating on that.Â End of story.

UPDATE: It looks like Ed Rendell is using the Josh Sugarmann playbook by asking the Legislature to ban “automatic weapons”

Reasoned Discourse^TM Breaking Out Again

Another gun blog points to an entanglement with a blog that asks what evidence we have that Obama is anti-gun.Â Apparently she doesn’t want to listen to the answers.Â The greatest bit of evidence is Obama’s history with the Joyce Foundation.Â That sealed the deal for me.

So far, Obama hasn’t expressed any desire to burn political capital trying to push gun control in a serious way, but that has more to do with it not being smart politics, than because he’s a real believer in gun rights.Â Obama is anxious not to repeat the mistakes of Bill Clinton, which is smart on his part.Â But what happens when he’s done spending all our kids’ money?

UPDATE: Looks like the post linked was removed.Â Reasoned Discourse strikes again!

HK32

The Firearms Blog catches some Mexican Police with the unusual HK32.

Specter Begging Dems to Register as GOP

Our favorite Senator from Pennsylvania was in Philadelphia on Monday begging Democrats to switch registrations so they can vote for less conservative candidates in the GOP primary.

Facing a tough primary rematch against conservative Pat Toomey, Specter stumped with a House Democrat in Darby, Pa., and told one group in Philadelphia: “I don’t know if there are any Democrats in this room. If there are, I’m going to need you to become Republicans, Republicans at least for a day.”

NRA Board Election Fast Fact

The top vote getter in 2008 was Tom Selleck with 84,399 votes cast. His name was selected on more than 92% of valid ballots. He received 13,856 more votes than the next highest winner – Peter J. Printz.

What We’re Up Against

This tirade against millions of Americans who value the Second Amendment shows what we’re up against:

But not quite. Perhaps money is the real answer. I think that Russell Simmons, Arianna Huffington, George Soros and other limousine liberals should gather their forces and raise enough money from the wealthy who are actually interested in our civilization. With enough money, they just might be able to put a hole in the bucket of the gun lobby.

We have to match actions like this with those of our own.Â As I mentioned yesterday, Bloomberg seems intent on creating a well financed and effective 527 organization to push gun control.

In honor of Mr. Crouch’s suggestion, I have just donated 50 dollars to NRA-PVF and 100 dollars to NRA-ILA.Â It’ll take a serious commitment on our part, in time and money, to defeat rich guys with an agenda like Bloomberg and Soros.Â Given the choice betweeen a couple of rich guys who donate millions, and millions who donate a bit here and a bit there, politicians will generally go with the latter.Â Bloomberg and Soros are still only two votes.

Lamenting The Inaction

The Washington Post is sounding curiously like the Brady Campaign this morning:

Progress has been stifled thanks to the outsize power of the gun lobby and its lawmaker allies. Equally disturbing is Capitol Hill’s failure to revive the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 or to defeat the Tiahrt amendment, which limits public disclosure regarding where and when guns used in crimes were sold.

As a candidate, President Obama campaigned on a promise to push for the closing of the gun show loophole and a revival of the assault weapons ban. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said during his confirmation hearing that he supports both actions. How many more people must be killed, and how many more families and communities devastated, before they and the Congress act?

Yeah, Tiahrt is all about stopping mass killers.Â Got to stop those gun shows too, even though it’s not been said any of the killers ever used one.Â Assault weapons ban?Â Â Far better if they use far more deadly shotguns and rifles. Or gasoline and a match.

20/20 Segment – How Would You Do?

Here’s the segment 20/20 ran on the shooting incident:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MX3QtumSuE[/youtube]

Raise you hand if you carry a retention holster concealed at 1:00?Â No takers?Â But even with a good holster, from an active shooter point of view, that lecture hall is a death trap.

Guns aren’t magic devices that allow you to prevail against another armed person 100% of the time. Even a well trained police officer would have a difficult time drawing from concealment and firing in this situation, without taking a hit himself.Â I don’t feel too confident I would do all that much better than these kids.Â It’s a small, intimate lecture hall, some concealment but no good cover, and no way to easily move.Â 20/20s implication is that because there are some situations where a gun isn’t going to do you any good that there are no situations where a gun will do you any good.Â Let’s look back at the event that 20/20 exploited for this piece of journalistic garbage:

About halfway through class we heard the noises. Someone said something like, “It’s probably just construction.” The noises didn’t stop. The teacher stiffened up and said “That’s not what I think it is, is it?” That’s when I remember going into panic. I pointed at the teacher and said, “put that desk in front of the door, now.” She did it, and then said “someone call 911.” Colin to my right stood up and called 911.

At that point, the door was nudged open aggressively, and I saw a gun emerge into view. It was surreal. Following the gun was a man. He was Asian and had a lot of ammunition and gun gear on â€” like a big utility belt or something for ammo. That was the only glimpse I got. I quickly dove under a desk â€” that was the desk I chose to die under. He then began methodically and calmly shooting people down. It sounded rhythmic â€” like he took his time in between each shot and kept up the pace, moving from person to person. After every shot I thought, “OK, the next one is me.” Shot after shot went off and I never felt anything. I played dead and tried to look as lifeless as possible. Sometimes after a shot, I would hear a quick moan, or a slow one, or a grunt, or a quiet, reserved yell from one of the girls.

Let me ask you this, if you were in this situation, would you rather have a gun, or would you rather imagine yourself too stupid to use one, like 20/20 says you are?Â Would you rather be under a desk waiting to die?Â Would you feel safe with a cell phone in your hand, as 20/20 recommends, rather than a Glock?

I can’t help anyone who says they would rather be a sheep waiting for the slaughter, though I have no doubt some would, but I suspect most sensible people can see 20/20s assertion for the bullshit that is, and would see the utility of a gun in this situation.

UPDATE: Brillianter has more.

Bloomberg Starts a New Anti-Gun Group

We might be able to get somewhere in this issue if it wasn’t for arrogant rich New Yorkers.Â Michael Bloomberg is financing another gun group, called Americans United for Safe Streets.Â Who could be against safe streets?Â Here’s a write-up in the Washington Post about their inaugural effort:

On Monday, Bloomberg, whose gun control campaigns in Virginia have roiled gun rights groups, will join Omar Samaha at an Arlington hotel to unveil a 30-second commercial that will air statewide next week. Their campaign calls for the General Assembly to close the so-called gun-show loophole in Virginia law that allows private sellers to sell firearms without conducting background checks. The commercial, which will be previewed at the Crystal City Marriott at 11:30 a.m., was paid for by Americans United for Safe Streets, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that counts Bloomberg as a financial contributor.

It gets interesting when you start looking at who’s behind this new group.Â If you look at the AUSS web page, you see that the contact is Alex Howe, who is a Senior Account Executive at Fenton Communications.Â If you take a look at Fenton, you will notice who they provide services for:

Alex Howe provides publicity support and strategy for a broad range of public interest issues and political clients, including MoveOn.org, the ONE Campaign, Avaaz.org and Win Without War.

This is the left-wing new media machine involved with a lot of this effort.Â Right now, if you look at their domain records, they are registered to an address above a deli in New York City.Â To a William Swenson, who is Advisor to the Criminal Justice Coordinator at the Office of the Mayor.Â This guy works in Bloomberg’s office.

This also looks like a 527 organization, rather than a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(4) non-profit, along the lines of NRA or the Brady Campaign.Â You can see where their money is coming from, as well as who they are spending money with.Â They got a million-five from Bloomberg himself, and not a small amount from people who work for the City of New York.

I’ve worried about the possibility of a well-funded, new media savvy anti-gun group springing on to the scene.Â The Brady Campaign is still largely interested in re-fighting the battles of the 1990s, and relies increasingly on a dying media establishment to get their message out.Â A new group would come with new ideas, and come at us from unexpected directions, and through mediums that have until now been entirely dominated by us.Â These people might be the real deal.

Ultimately the left needs a counter to the NRA if they are to be successful long term.Â One way to counter NRA is the old “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” strategy.Â While that might be acceptable to a lot of moderate rural and suburban Democrats, it’s not acceptable to the urban progressive left.Â They need an answer to NRA that brings the twin pillars of influence to the table in the form of money and votes.Â This folks have a track record of bringing that, so I wouldn’t laugh this group off.