Writing on Opposing Views, NSSF’s Larry Keane highlights how the response to Wal-Mart selling guns in more stores from Boston Mayor & MAIG leader Tom Menino reveals that even when they get what they want, MAIG still isn’t happy as long as law abiding Americans are still allowed to purchase & own firearms.
Month: May 2011
Keeping Busy
I have been planning to work on the NRA convention protest video, but yesterday I was tied up with Friends in an hours-long meeting. Not friends as in shooting the breeze friends, but Friends as in Friends of NRA. I got word that they were looking to restart a committee locally, and now I’m co-chair. It’s kind of amazing how that happens.
Anyway, Jason from NUGUN happened to accompany the Eastern Pennsylvania Field Representative out to the NRA Youth Education Summit here in Pennsylvania, and captured a few action shots to illustrate just what the Friends of NRA program supports.
If you happen to read this blog and live in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I’d like to invite you to attend our dinner in September. To get an idea of the gear we’re going to give away in raffles, games, and auctions, follow us on Facebook. We’ll be posting updates on prizes and programs running in the area that benefit from the generosity of gun owners who want to recruit more to our ranks. (Example: Know a woman who wants to learn more about shooting? We have a Women on Target clinic coming up on May 14 in Green Lane that will cover handguns, rifles, shotgun, and archery.)
You can buy a regular banquet ticket here. Or, if you have a little more money burning a hole in your pocket and you want some extra goodies such as a knife and a chance at some special gun raffles, we can send you information about our higher end ticket packages that give you a tax deduction & some good gear. (Sorry, I can’t tell you about the exact gun in the special raffle because, well, we haven’t picked it yet. That should be done at our next meeting.) Just email the committee at BucksNRAtickets@pagunrights.com with the request, and I’ll make sure someone gets back to you as soon as possible.
If you happen to own a business in Southeastern PA or want customers from the area, email the same address above for sponsorship & ad opportunities in our program. We’ve got bargain rates for our first year, and we’re working on a possible incentive program for our attendees to visit our advertisers.
So if you’re reading anywhere near the Bucks County, PA area, just remember that I’m asking you to come out because it’s for the children. And for the women. And for the gun clubs that host events supported by NRA Foundation grants. And for the Boy Scouts who earn their shooting merit badges. And for the 4-H kids who benefit from the programs. You get the idea. If you want our shooting & hunting cultures to grow, supporting the Friends of NRA program is a great way to have a good time while ensuring those legacies are passed on.
As a side note, if you’re in the Lansdale area, the Montgomery County Friends of NRA banquet is on May 19, and they still have tickets available. Their upgraded ticket packages include entries into a special raffle for a Remington Model 700 SPS. Just email or call the contact on the linked page and ask about their Gold & Silver packages.
Concealed Carry Comes Up Short in Illinois
We came very close, with a 65-32 vote. In Illinois, a supermajority is required to be able to overcome home rule and make a state wide law. So we came up six votes short of what was needed. That’s not a bad showing. It’s amazing to me that Chicago has stacked things so much in their favor that they can effectively control the politics of a state with this strange supermajority requirement.
We’re Winning
The Brady Campaign had a press conference the other day:
Things have to be pretty depressing at the Brady Campaign these days. I can sympathize. We’re cracking out the tequila here too guys, though our closing party has more people at it than this presser :)
PA Senator In Trouble for Gun Incident
Sounds like a he said, she said incident. I myself have always worried about the possibility of some road raging drama queen getting pissed at something I did on the highway and reporting me flashing a gun when I did no such thing. Because the police will then pull you over, and will find a gun. Senator Mensch said:
He said he felt state police jumped to conclusions and weren’t interested in his side of the story. Mensch said that he didn’t want to talk about the details of the case before a hearing. However, after the two had contact with one another at a gas station, Mensch said he drove away, and the other driver stayed at the gas station.
Keep in mind this is how they are treating a sitting State Senator. Imagine how they’d treat you? There is no charge of brandishing a firearm in Pennsylvania. I believe it can be simple assault, but in this case they are charging disorderly conduct. VPC seems to have already found him guilty, but I’m going to bet Mensch is found not guilty by an actual judge.
Last Day
This is the last functional day of our company. Everyone’s last day except mine and the two other people who are being kept on for two additional months to facilitate the liquidation. Blogging will be light until a little later.
Grilling Eric Holder
From the fine folks over at NRA News:
I understand his testimony today before the Senate was worse than this.
Photoshop Of the Day
Go have a look over at Miguel’s. Trust me, it’s worth the click.
What’s Up With Jan Brewer?
I don’t know much about Arizona politics, but Brewer vetoing two pro-gun bills in a row tells me she’s in a lame duck term, or isn’t interested in running again. She signed Constitutional Carry, but that was before her re-election campaign. The Governor may very well feel she’s done enough for us, and since she isn’t running again, doesn’t have to care what we could do to her come election time.
A Sea of Red
The Bradys are touting new state rankings for 2010, which includes convenient red/blue maps showing how badly they are losing most everywhere. Of course, we’re already well into 2011, but I’m not really going to blame those folks for phoning it in given the last time I looked at their Form 990s.
But I do I think we can do better. It’s like losing weight. Shed a few points here, a few points there. I look forward to turning Pennsylvania from blue to red over the next few years. Just looking over our score sheet, I think we could lose 3 points easily this session. That would at least move us south of Michigan on the Brady list. Pennsylvania has a grand total of 26 out of 100 points. Most of that we get from the ban on private transfer for handguns. The rest mostly comes from state dealer requirements.
What’s interesting is that Brady is hardly scoring carry laws anymore at all. In fact, if you take a look, they tend to rank current agenda items higher than issues they’ve already largely lost on.