2010 – Page 170 – Shall Not Be Questioned

More Hysterics

This time from the Washington Post, because Virginia is considering lifting its gun rationing law. They tell us to “get ready for mayhem” and say:

We hope reason prevails, and the state Senate kills the repeal. Because if Mr. Lingamfelter’s bill is enacted, here’s what police and prosecutors expect: Crack dealers in New York will pay 21-year-olds with no criminal records to buy dozens of Glock pistols at Virginia gun shops.

And to top it all off, we link to the queen of screaming, raving, mad hysterics, Abby Spangler.

Unbelievable Article in the Philly Inquirer

One of the sad facts, as we approach the day that the ban on firearms in National Parks expires, is that we have to listen to the hysterical machinations of the media. I’ve seen some bad ones, but this one from the Philadelphia Inquirer takes the cake:

Whatever the gun rights of law-abiding park visitors, having loaded firearms in the national parks certainly will change the experience for everyone.

Every day could seem like the start of deer hunting season with people strolling the parks armed. That has to be a frightening prospect for families and others who aren’t accustomed to being around guns. And there’s also the risk of accidental shootings.

Like the start of deer season? Because we’re just going to shoot our guns all over eh? Does the Inquirer staff not wonder why this isn’t a problem in state parks, where people can legally carry guns, and have been able to for a few years now? How many times do they have to make dire predictions, only to have them turn out to be gravely wrong? I think this more than anything has destroyed the credibility of the gun control movement in the eyes of the public.

Swarthmore Considering L&S

Now Swarthmore is considering this useless measure:

â€œThis is a pro-cop measure, as those are the people who very often have to face illegal guns. This nationwide group with a strong presence is united in a common effort and has support of locally and beyond,â€ Lowe said.

That’s Mayor Richard Lowe, who is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Even if you accept that local municipalities can be “Laboratories of Democracy,” shouldn’t the fact that no one can name a single prosecution under this law prove that it’s a worthless, feel-good measure? At least, even in very liberal Swarthmore, we had at least one person show up in opposition. If you’re opposed to this, and live in the area, be sure to let them know.

New HSUS Sponsored Dog Food

Fresh from Uruguay, you too can turn your dog into a vegetarian. Nevermind that dogs are carnivores. Terrierman’s Daily Dose has the low down on the food, which is sponsored by the anti-hunting animal rights group Humane Society of the United States. If I were a dog, and my owners fed me this crap, I think I’d kill them in their sleep and eat them. I would argue a dog that did that ought not be put down. I’d understand.

The only real disappointment is, though it’s certified USDA organic, it is not, in fact, Vegan, since it contains vitamins found only in animal products. Good thing too, since I’m pretty sure Vegan dog food would kill your pooch. Hell, I think this stuff might too.

Time for a Federal Lawsuit in Lower Merion

It would seem to be that Lower Merion School District administrators are being sued. Why? They apparently were using integrated web cams in student laptops to spy on students at home. The lawsuit is a class action, and in addition to civil rights violations under Section 1983, they are going after a laundry list of other federal laws regarding communications, computer fraud, and wiretapping. Good. The people who thought up this scheme ought to have their lives ruined. In my opinion they should also face criminal charges.

Open Carry Deters Armed Robbers

People have always argued that openly armed individuals are a deterrent against crime, this case from Kennesaw Georgia would seem to bear that out. My opinion is that open carry would likely deter most armed robbers, who are more interested in cash than killing. Seriously violent individuals might just shoot first, but I believe those kinds of folks are a minority.

Roll Up For the Stimulus Tour

According to Capitol Ideas, Governor Ed is going on a magical stimulus tour of Western Pennsylvania:

Gov. Ed’s Magical Stimulus Tour wends its way through western Pennsylvania today.
At 10:25 a.m., he’s appearing atÂ Carnegie Mellon University for a joint appearance withÂ U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, all the better to discuss the economic wonders brought on byÂ The Stim.
At 11:30 a.m.,Â Rendell’s off to a private residence in Carnegie, Allegheny County, to discuss how the feds have paid for weatherization projects. The homeowners, wrapped in plastic weatherstripping, are also expected to be on hand.

Touring through Western Pennsylvania to tout all the wonders the porkulus has wrought? One can see from the Center for Workforce Information Analysis, many parts of Western PA still stuffer from crushing levels of unemployment.

To exaggerate a bit to make a point, isn’t a tax and spend politician like Ed RendellÂ touring the state touting the the porkulus when much of PA is still at 9.5+ unemployment kind of like touring Berlin, circa summer 1945, speaking to its people about all the wonders the autobahn has brought to Germany?

The Brady Rankings – In Context

The Brady Campaign has officially declared itself to be a radical gun banning organization. There’s no other way to view them after reviewing their latest state rankings of gun laws released this morning.

The rankings are conducted on a 100-point scale. Their “best” state is California which comes in at 79 points – a C+. The second spot is secured by New Jersey with 73 points – a C-. However, I consider the most telling grade to be Massachusetts. Brady said they only scored a 54 out of 100 – or have an F in the gun control grade book.

Massachusetts is a state with discretionary license to own. If you walk into a police station and offend the police chief by wearing his least favorite color, he has the authority to deny you a license to even own a rifle or handgun in your home. Massachusetts is a state where the gun laws go so far that pepper spray requires its own firearms permit. If a new shooter wants to take empty shell casing home after a successful day at the range, they risk criminal charges for inert cases if they do not have a gun license.

This is what the Brady Campaign considers to be a failing grade?

There is no right to own arms in Massachusetts. That is still not good enough for the Paul Helmke. What is good enough? Confiscation? Would that get them up to maybe a B? What is an A for the Brady Campaign?

CNN Covering L&S Controversy in Pennsylvania

Transcript here, and here’s the relevant expert, with the part I’d like to comment on bolded at the end:

Right now, there’s a major fight going on at the local level over a new law that’s intended to keep guns out of criminal hands. Critics though say it’s just another case of legislating against the legal and responsible gun owners. Ed Lavandera is on the gun trail for us this morning.

It’s a very emotional issue, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Kiran. You know, we spent the last two mornings talking about how guns are illegally trafficked across the country and out of the country. I wanted to take a look this time at a possible solution. And so we to Pennsylvania where it is becoming a very controversial issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANA FINDER, CEASEFIRE PA: So you get tired of hearing people complain.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Jana Finder says not enough is being done to keep illegally trafficked guns off Pennsylvania’s streets. This might be the heart of northeastern gun country.

FINDER: To report their handguns when they’re lost or stolen to the police.

LAVANDERA: But Finder, along with a group called Ceasefire PA has launched a grassroots campaign to get local governments to sign on to what’s become a highly controversial law called “Lost and Stolen Ordinances.” Supporters of gun rights hate it. The ordinances require gun owners to report if their weapons have been lost or stolen usually within 24 hours.

FINDER: There is very strong support for lost concerns because they have told us that this kind of requirement would give them another investigative tool to help crack down and reduce the numbers of illegal handguns in our streets.

LAVANDERA: Finder says these laws target the number one source of guns for criminals, people with clean records who buy guns then supply them to street criminals, the so-called straw purchasers.

(on camera): The battle over straw purchase ordinance is being waged across small towns all over Pennsylvania in city council chambers like this one here in Duquesne.

(voice-over): Duquesne’s city council was one of the latest to get behind it. So far 25 Pennsylvania cities have adopted the ordinance.

MAYOR PHIL KRIVACEK, DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANIA: I think that doing this gives us a chance of maybe to reduce violence in the city.

LAVANDERA: That maybe in the mayor’s answer is what infuriates Kim Stolfer and his gun rights activist group called “Firearms Owners Against Crime.

KIM STOLFER, FIREARMS OWNERS AGAINST CRIME: To come up with an idea and adopt it based on, well, it might work, is ridiculous. We wouldn’t get into an airplane that might fly. There is an awful lot of laws relating to firearms. The real problem here is that it’s not illegal to lose a firearm. It’s not illegal to have it stolen. But they want to prosecute you for being in that situation.

LAVANDERA: Supporters of the Lost and Stolen Ordinance say it’s a way of keeping a tighter watch on guns that go missing.

Gun control advocates say images like these are playing out too often across Pennsylvania. Six law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty last year alone. This funeral honored Officer Michael Crenshaw who was murdered with an AK-47 in this neighborhood outside of Pittsburgh. Investigators say the suspect was wearing an ankle bracelet, a parolee on drug and gun charges.

So far more than a hundred police departments have come out in support of the Lost and Stolen Ordinances.

CHIEF HOWARD BURTON, PENN HILLS POLICE: Most of these ordinances that are being passed…

LAVANDERA: But not everyone in law enforcement thinks it’s the answer. Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton says “lost or stolen” is just another feel good law that wouldn’t have saved Officer Michael Crenshaw.

BURTON: We still have to realize we’re dealing with a criminal element. No matter how many laws that are out there, there’s still going to be broken.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: So about a year ago is when this movement started gaining steam there in Pennsylvania. And as far as we’ve been able to put together, no one has been prosecuted or convicted of this Lost and Stolen Ordinance, which obviously drives critics crazier. But the supporters of this say it’s still early. Some of those ordinances have been tied up in lawsuits and other police departments they say are still trying to figure out exactly how to implement this, Kiran.

So it’s freely admitted no one has been prosecuted, and the police have no idea how to implement it, even though this is supposedly vital for fighting criminal trafficking of guns in Pennsylvania? None of the lawsuits have stopped the locates from enforcing the ordinance.

This is a load of crap if I’ve ever seen one.

Democratic Gun Owners Need to Get to Work

A key message from yesterday’s post on the challenging climate we’re facing here in Pennsylvania is that we need Democratic gun owners to show up in a big, big way. If you’re a Pennsylvania gun owner who is registered as a Democrat, you don’t have the option of staying home for the primary election.

Consider that the most “moderate” of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates on record only wants to ban your rifles. (Whether you decide to cast your lot with the one seeking the least amount of gun control or the far-left progressive who can’t win statewide is up to your own voting strategy.)

But as of tomorrow, one of the more extreme gun control advocates is dropping his gubernatorial bid to instead challenge a pro-gun Democratic House member for an open Senate seat.

The Senate seat in question has been primarily Democratic since 1963, so it is likely that the Democratic primary will serve to determine the final office holder, regardless of the election in November. The Democrats who have held it before have been very pro-gun, and hopefully we can keep that tradition. Right now, State Rep. Jim Wansacz currently holds an A rating and is hoping to continue the trend. But tomorrow he will be challenged by Chris Doherty who wants to limit the number of guns you can buy, end statewide preemption, make your license to carry obsolete, and possibly create a formal gun owner registry to track how many guns you try to purchase. It doesn’t matter if you’re a carry advocate, recreational shooter, hunter, or all three, your status as a lawful gun owner under Chris Doherty will be impacted in a very negative way.

That’s one nice thing about Pennsylvania, we still have some pro-gun Democrats. It means that Democratic voters who actually respect the Second Amendment will often have a choice of candidates. In this case, it’s pretty clear that Rep. Wansacz needs your vote, your political donations, and your time.