February 2013 – Page 13 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Sunday News Dump

Well, it looks like the slow news cycle only lasted for a couple of days, so we find ourselves, once again, with lots of news worth linking.

Connecticut’s “preppers” prepared for gun debate. They are a big and pretty engaged community. I’ve gotten some links form prepper blogs that can rival a link from Instapundit.

The Democratic Farmer-Labor in Minnesota (a.k.a the Democratic Party) sets a course on gun control. Needless to say, they are pushing for more. If you live in Minnesota, your imperative is to keep your rural DFLers in line.

The changing face of gun control. “I support the Second Amendment,” is the new refuge of scoundrels.

By now many of you have seen this video where Joe Biden admits gun control won’t be effective at stopping crime or mass shootings. Well, that’s because the purpose of gun control isn’t either of those things. To say that they want to turn millions of gun owners into criminals is not really accurate. What’s accurate is that they already think you’re a criminal. They just want to be able to punish you for it.

Joe Biden is coming to Pennsylvania to rub elbows with Bob Casey. Remember this in 2018, when casey is up again.

The inmates are truly running the asylum. The election has seriously emboldened the Democratic Party, and now the left is solidly running things. If the Republicans stand with us, we have to punish the Democrats in 2014. That’s going to take effort. Our people are very bad at positive reinforcement, and that’s something we have to change.

How the gun control movement got smart? When did this happen? Next article “How the pro-Second Amendment movement stopped being a herd of cats.”

David Keene sure seems to be racking up his frequent flyer miles. That’s good, because I think he’s been a good spokesman. More here.

Evolving Christian attitudes towards personal defense.

Martin O’Malley takes a swipe at the NRA. Along with Cuomo, he’s one of the other hopefuls for 2016. Hey, running on gun control worked for Al Gore, right?

Coverage of the rally in Trenton, to oppose this. More here. The snowstorm likely did not help turnout. There was also turnout in Utah, Maine, and Ohio.

Guns are fun!

Apparently some of our public schools are solving the problem of low scores in Algebra by just not teaching it.Â I hope you’re brushing up on your Mandarin.

Remember that only police can be trusted with guns.

Passing up a gun show for lack of parking. Seems to be a common problem these days.

Gun accidents down, while other accidents rise. Maybe society, and particularly doctors, ought to get their profession out of the business of taking sides in political debates, and instead focus on more common sources of accidents.

Anti-Gun Teachable Moments

This weekend, a reader sent us a link to a forum posting about a Pennsylvania DJ who was supposedly fired for being anti-gun. Before having all the facts, the original forum poster made a declaration that he was opposed to the firing over personal political views, and the reader indicated similar concerns based on the “facts” of the forum post. I didn’t post it because, to be honest, I don’t trust random forum posts that aren’t backed up by actual news sources.

When I finally found a real news source on the issue, it turns out that not only is the forum post completely wrong on the facts, any employment concerns on the part of the dj have little to do with political views.

To sum the situation up, a morning show dj, Tim Benz, is extremely anti-gun and used his show and the associated social media accounts as a way of promoting his personal politics. Apparently, he has been having fights with listeners in the Pittsburgh area about this issue recently. On Friday, he decided that he was sick of hearing from all these annoying pro-Second Amendment people and walked off of his job while on the air.

In other words, if he is actually fired, the dj will not be fired because of his personal views. If the station does let him go, he will be fired because he is incapable of behaving in a professional manner when people disagree with him – something Benz freely admits to in subsequent interviews. Now, obviously, Benz wants to keep his job. He claims that he did not officially resign, and he’s happy to serve out his contract in whatever manner the station chooses, even if it’s off of the air. However, given that the morning show slots are typically some of the most competitive times for listeners, it would seem unlikely that the station would have much interest in keeping a dj who acknowledges that he brings his personal politics to air and cannot accept disagreement in a rational manner.

I’ll be frank and say I don’t have much pity for the guy. He knew what kind of divisive topic he was bringing to his employer, and he couldn’t handle the notion that the listeners had different ideas that they care enough about to call in and/or comment about it online. He is the one who made the decision to walk off of the air rather than handling the debate in a more reasonable manner. Basically, he made a decision to screw his employer, so I think his employer is more than justified in releasing him from his contract.

That said, I think there are a few lessons here. One, if you’re a radio show host who cannot handle debate about core personal political views, it’s best to leave them out of your show. Two, if you’re a radio show host who cannot handle people who disagree with you, then perhaps you should steer clear of major political debates in general. Three, an employment agreement is not a matter of the First Amendment; you don’t get protection from saying things or behaving in a manner that reflects negatively on your employer, so don’t fall back on that defense. Four, this is somewhat related to a question that Uncle asks often in his posts: Why are anti-gun activists so violent? In this case, it’s not violence, but it is still an inability to control one’s temper to the point where it interferes with his ability to hold down his job.

Private Sale Ban in New Mexico

The New Mexico legislature is controlled by the Democratic Party, and they are wasting no time trying to ram through a ban on private sales. I did not want it to come to this, because I am not partisan when it comes to this issue. I welcome true pro-gun Democrats and appreciate them. I liked it when both parties were competing for our vote.

But the fact is the Democratic Party as a whole are now demonstrating they cannot be trusted when it comes to guns. Guns rights seem to be fashion to entirely too many Democrats. When it’s in-fashion to support gun rights, they support gun rights. But once their dear leader declares gun rights are no longer fashionable, they line up to see who can be the first to screw the Second Amendment. That’s not how a true friend behaves.

And to top it all off, the Republicans might just decide they can go back to being the party of “Not as bad as the other guy.”

More on Registration

Joe notes all the problems with the background check issue, and I would concur that the issue is not about background checks but about registration. We’ve already had defacto registration in the United States since 1968, through the 4473 you fill out with every purchase. But it’s weak tea when it comes to our main concern. With California putting confiscation of registered firearms on the table, that’s going to change the dynamic for many of our people.

Let me offer you a scenario, where a confiscation bill is passed, but they pass it out of the gate, with a failure to do registration first. First, the knock at the door is unlikely, because they don’t know what I have. Sure, they could recall all the 4473s, but I think that would be met with mass civil disobedience. The proper response to such an order would be for gun dealers to take all their 4473s out into the streets and burn them. But would they?

Even if dealers turn in their 4473s, and a registry is compiled from it, you were still free to sell those firearms privately. If the knock does come at the door “Oh, you know, when it looked like they were going to pass that bill, I went to a gun show and sold them all.” Perfectly legal. “Yeah, I checked the guy’s ID, but I didn’t keep any record of who he was.” Perfectly legal. Not that I’d suggesting saying anything to cops who show up at your door, but just to illustrate here.

In the event that private sales are banned, if a California-style confiscation bill is passed, you will have no options. If you answer that you sold the guns without “registering” them, you’re still going to jail. You just admitted to a crime. If you tell them you lost them on a camping trip when your canoe tipped over, well, now you know what “lost and stolen” is really all about. You’re in a no win situation. They know what you have, and if you don’t have it, you’re a criminal. If you do have it, you’re a criminal. You’re screwed.

I am very concerned we’re going to get a private transfer ban rammed down our throats, and if we do, I can only hope it can have enough exceptions tacked onto it such that it does not make for an effective registry. The anti-gun folks have to understand this: we don’t trust you. We don’t trust the politicians. Confiscation is on the table. Your machinations that it is not are soothing lies meant to trick the more gullible among us. They barely avoided confiscation in New York, and now California is floating a bill to confiscate registered firearms. I am very sympathetic to the concern background checks are meant to address, but the whole system would have to be rethought from the ground up before we’re going to agree to apply them universally. It might also help to tell politicians and radicals in your own movement that if you want to have some credibility with “we’re not out to take your guns,” it would help to stop floating proposals that would, you know, take our guns.

I have to say …

… this is an awesome quote of the day. Hey, a few days ago saying you needed an assault weapon to protect yourself from rogue cops on a rampage would have been tin-foil-hat worthy.

Where Registration Leads?

We’re told we’re paranoid and delusional for our tome that registration’s only purpose is to tell the government where they all are so they can be rounded up when a pretext presents itself. Well, here’s what’s happening in California:

The 10-bill package constitutes the single largest gun control push in decades in the Golden State, which already boasts some of the nation’s strictest gun laws. It joins equally controversial proposals from Assembly Democrats that would regulate and tax ammunition sales and consider taking the state’s 166,000 registered assault weapons from their owners.

If you New Yorkers register your guns, you’re friggin nuts. Also, next time some gun control advocate tells you no one is talking about taking your guns, take a copy of Time, roll it up, and smack them with it (assault magazine).

Ending Reciprocity

Just as promised on the campaign trail, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General is now “modifying” reciprocity agreements to restrict carry in the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania residents who have Florida permits can keep them, but they will no longer be valid in Pennsylvania. More importantly, non-Florida non-residents with Florida licenses can no longer carry in Pennsylvania. If you are a Delaware resident who carries in Pennsylvania on the Florida permit, you’re no longer legal to carry here.

In fact, if I’m reading the press release and agreement correctly, there’s a good chance that Florida non-residents who may have been carrying on a Florida license in the last week have actually been carrying illegally. The new agreement went into effect last Friday, but the Attorney General did not post it or announce it until today.

It would be great if a lawmaker would float Constitutional carry while another at least floats a bill to get reciprocity out of the hands of the Attorney General. If she plans to abuse her authority, then take the authority away from her.

UPDATE: Interestingly, Philadelphia politicians from the AG’s party are trying to claim that reciprocity agreements are being completely dissolved:

Her decision to dissolve Pennsylvaniaâ€™s reciprocal conceal carry license agreement gives law enforcement and prosecutors a powerful tool that will keep Pennsylvanians safe.

Does this mean that the modification is just a first step and that other agreements will actually be dissolved?

House Democratic 15 Point Plan

Released here:

Support the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans
Support citizens’ rights to possess firearms for hunting, shooting sports, defense, and other lawful and legitimate purposes
Reinstate and strengthen a prospective federal ban on assault weapons
Reinstate a prospective federal ban on assault magazines
Require a background check for every gun sale, while respecting reasonable exceptions for cases such as gifts between family members and temporary loans for sporting purposes
Strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database
Prosecute those prohibited buyers who attempt to purchase firearms and others who violate federal firearm laws
Pass legislation aimed specifically at cracking down on illegal gun trafficking and straw-purchasing
Restore funding for public safety and law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence
Support initiatives that prevent problems before they start
Close the holes in our mental-health system and make sure that care is available for those who need it
Help our communities get unwanted and illegal guns out of the hands of those who don’t want them or shouldn’t have them
Support responsible gun ownership
Take steps to enhance school safety
Address our culture’s glorification of violence seen and heard though our movie screens, television shows, music and video games

This is a huge, steaming crock of shit. “I support the Second Amendment!” has become the new refuge of scoundrels. Looking at this, they don’t much support the First Amendment either, given point 15.

Friday News Dump

I didn’t have enough to do one yesterday, but I do today:

Gun Control Success is in sight for the Brady Campaign, or so Dan Gross thinks. What really surprises me about this interview is he only said “We are Better than This” once.

Pediatricians warn never to have a gun in the home. This has been their position for years.

New effort for Swiss gun control.

Les Jones: Public still confused about what assault weapons really are. That’s OK, because lawmakers are really confused about what they are too these days.

Minnesota gun control hearings continue. We’re in a lot of trouble in the states where Democrats control the legislature. Democrats love gun control again, and we need to teach them a lesson. Jacob thinks it’ll be suicide for them. Well, that depends on us. It also depends on what the GOP does. In Jacob’s shoes, I wouldn’t feel too great about switching from Tweedledee to Tweetledumb, given Tweedledumb was complicit in the sellout.

Rand Paul complains about his toilet not working to the person responsible.

Salon thinks Obama’s push for gun control is gutsy. Every single cop that appears in these photo ops is a traitor to their oath, and ought to be ashamed of themselves.

David Keene meeting with Colorado Democrats, who want themselves some new gun control.

Pennsylvania Democrats are no different.

Years ago the gun control proponents were pushing measures to require gun owners to buy huge and expensive insurance liability policies, because, naturally, if you have a gun you’re going to shoot someone with it eventually. Those ideas had died out. Not anymore. This isn’t all that California is considering either.

Looks like Maine gun owners will now have their turn to be ritually flogged by hostile Democratic lawmakers.

It’s not all playing defense. Pro-gun bills are moving in Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Private Negotiations on Private Sale Ban

This is interesting, to say the least:

The private discussions involve liberal Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who is the No. 3 Senate Democratic leader; West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, an NRA member and one of the chamber’s more moderate Democrats; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., another NRA member and one of the more conservative lawmakers in Congress; and moderate GOP Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois.

What is Coburn doing working with these clowns?

Participating senators declined to provide details of the talks. But people following the discussions say the talks have touched on:

-The types of family relatives who would be allowed to give guns to each other without a background check.

-Possibly exempting sales in remote areas.

-Whether to help some veterans who sought treatment for traumatic stress disorder – now often barred from getting firearms – become eligible to do so.

If you’re going to shove this crap down my throat, you better give me a better package than that, Tom.