2013 – Page 145 – Shall Not Be Questioned

What is The Obama Administration Planning?

To sell such changes, the White House is developing strategies to work aroundÂ the National Rifle AssociationÂ that one source said could include rallying support from Wal-Mart and other gun retailers for measures that would benefit their businesses.

I would have no problem utterly boycotting Wal-Mart. I’m already more of a Target man these days anyway. And then there’s Amazon. Bloomberg is going to be running the public relations campaign once the effort is announced. Fingers on a chalkboard, if you ask me.

The vice president said the White House group would consider a variety of proposals â€” from requiring background checks for all gun buyers to creating a new database that would allow the ATF to track all gun sales, according to participants.

That’s code word for “registration” folks.

The administration is quietly talking with a diverse array of interest groups, including religious leaders, mental-health professionals and hunters, to build as broad a coalition as possible, those involved in the discussions said.

The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. They are also not talking to the NRA. They are not talking to gun owners. We are going to be dictated to, apparently. That’s what “conversation” means to them.

Already, three weeks after the Newtown shooting, gun-control advocates are growing impatient with a legislative process that is just beginning.

You know, we’re just beginning too. I hope all you folks in Illinois are fighting hard still, because your performance so far has been stellar. In the end, if we get through this, we will owe a lot to you. We all will. The anti-gun strategy is to throw everything at the wall, and see what can stick. Then, they will come at us with those parts that look like they have some adhesion, after they have worn us down and broken us. But will we agree to be broken? I have already heard stories from readers who suggest they are running into people who believe the political process is no longer relevant, and are preparing for civil war. I think there is no better way than this to make civil war an inevitability. We must not let it get to that point, and we absolutely can still avert if we fight the political fight hard, and make ourselves heard. We all just have to follow the Illinoisans example.

Austin Looking to End Gun Shows?

Story here. Their refusing to allow them on city property might be lawful, but it strikes me that regulating private gun shows that occur within city limits would be preempted by Texas’ preemption law.

Shooting, For Once

I’ve spent little time on the range since my old company closed up shop and I found new employment. A combination of a lack of time, and the fact that shooting isn’t cheap, especially these days. Of course, I must have dreamed my time at my club, because everyone knows the type of rifle on display here has no use other than killing people. My shooting with the AR, first in standing, then prone rapid-fire, was pretty sad. I’ve never been a particularly good rifleman, however. All my competitive shooting, and nearly all of my training has been with pistol.

My primary purpose today was to check myself out on pistol, given that I carry, and haven’t shot pistol in some months. I’m still largely in a 3×5 card at 10 yards firing rapidly with the Glock, so we’re still good there. I do worse with the Ruger LCP at 10 yards, maybe more like the size of a pie plate, firing rapidly. I find the biggest drawback to the LCP is the fact that it’s too hard to find the front sights. My group expansion was more vertical than horizontal, because it’s just too easy to miss the front sights after the pistol recoils and falls back into position.

But either way, it was good to go back out and get re-acquainted with the reason we fight.

Obama Prepares “Speedy Legislation”

According to Breitbart:

If past is prologue, the media is likely working with the Obama White House already in order to coordinate the roll-out of the legislation in a way powerful enough to either intimidate the GOP-controlled House to pass it or to make them pay a political price in 2014 if they don’t.

I have no doubt the media will be a willing participant in getting the President’s Gun Control agenda through Congress. This is going to be extremely difficult. No one can sit out this fight.

Who Needs to Panic Buy When You Have Friends of NRA?

My mother recently took the first steps to get involved in her (new) local Friends of NRA committee. As any regular reader knows, this is the side of NRA that focuses on training and safety programs that introduce new shooters to our sports. In other words, it’s about the culture of gun ownership and making sure new gun owners panic buying right now have resources available to learn how to safely use those firearms.

If you’re in or south of the Nashville area, you can support these programs and have a chance at picking up some new firearms without the panic buying markup. In fact, you can get a chance at them for just $20. What guns?

DPMS AP4 Carbine .223/5.56mm Nato
Diamond Back 9mm Pistol
Mossberg 500 12 Gauge Shotgun

They will only sell 200 tickets, and the winner gets all three guns according to a flyer that was sent to me. If anyone is in the area, they can pick up tickets at Lock, Stock & Barrel, 105 E. Parkway #106, Franklin, TN or this weekend’s gun show at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center. I don’t know if the FNRA committee will have a table at the show or if they will be at a table for Lock, Stock & Barrel, but the email sent to my mom said that tickets will be available at the event.

Before anyone asks, I know nothing about the committee’s willingness to arrange any kind of ticket sales online, so that’s why I addressed this to local folks. However, raffles and contests similar to this will likely be happening with committees across the country. Find your local Friends committee and inquire about any they might have going on this year. If your local committee isn’t doing a raffle, then check in with the regional field rep who will know if any other committees near your area are selling tickets to win guns. If you want tickets to a local Friends dinner, they should have a nice line up of firearms to win at each one.

Gun Shows Banned from Public Property in Pennsylvania?

Creating a story where there otherwise isn’t one, the AP reported that Gov. Tom Corbett is considering a ban on any gun shows on public property.

Considering that the Governor just recently made clear that gun bans are not on the table for the Commonwealth under his administration, this struck me as extremely odd. This seemed especially out-of-character because gun shows aren’t typically the target of anti-gun groups here in Pennsylvania, so it’s not an issue he is pressured on politically.

I listened to the recording of the radio program to see what on earth could have caused this story to pop up. Gov. Corbett was asked by a caller who identified himself as Brooks from Harrisburg about why Pennsylvania allows businesses engaged in gun sales to rent public buildings to host shows and whether he would push a ban on gun shows on all state-owned property and, if not, why not?

Corbett’s first reaction was to point out that no one else has ever complained about this issue before, that this guy Brooks was the first to ever bring it up. (In other words, he showed that this isn’t even in the mainstream of anti-gun thought at the moment.) His second response says that the state is open to pretty much all businesses who want to use the public property. (In other words, he shows that they won’t discriminate against a lawful industry.) He follows that up with he has never given a ban on gun sales on state property any thought at all. (In other words, this is not a priority, nor will it ever be.) Then, Corbett goes into the polite brush-off which is totally obvious in his tone when he says, “I’ll give thought to it.” (In other words, you’re technically a constituent, so I won’t tell you outright that I’m going to ignore you.) Then, Corbett follows up with the fact that gun show gun sales are checked through PICs just like going through a gun shop. This comment then paves the way for even the radio host to move on to more relevant topics.

Basically, the AP is really reaching to come to the conclusion that the Governor is pursuing or contemplating a ban on gun shows on public property. It was so obvious in the tone of the Governor that this was a polite brush-off, and it was also obvious in the radio host who was quick to move on to other topics that might be more interesting for listeners.

Filed Gun Bills in Congress

John Richardson has a list of bills that have been filed. Remember that not every bill filed in the Congress has a future, and some of these are introduced in Congress after Congress. Bobby Rush is particularly fond of introducing bad gun control bills that go no where each session. We don’t know which bills will get legs and start moving. The thing to watch for is committee hearing, and as we’ve noticed in Illinois, they can come fast and hard, and without much notice. Stay tuned to your friendly neighborhood gun blogs for updates. My days of taking weekends off from blogging completely are probably over for a while, but John Richardson is very good at keeping tabs on happenings as well, and SayUncle is our Aggregator-in-Chief.

Second Attack in Illinois

I’m told that the Chicago machine is preparing a second round of fighting in lame duck session, this time in the Illinois House when it reconvenes Sunday at 5PM. Here we go again folks. Light em up!

UPDATE: Given that this will be a weekend, I’d strongly recommend driving to Springfield and meeting with lawmakers. A personal visit is the most impactful, and when you combine that with phones ringing off the hook, it sends a message.

Former Teacher to Introduce Law for Arming School Personnel

Newly sworn-in PA State Rep. Greg Lucas announced that he’ll soon sponsor legislation allowing teachers and administrators to carry firearms. He is a former teacher married to a current public school teacher, and he was impacted when a friend died after being shot by a student at a school dance in 1998. He says that the body count would have been higher, but that incident was stopped by a citizen who was legally carrying his own firearm.

Reading from the co-sponsorship memo, it looks like Rep. Lucas adds slightly more conditions onto prospective school carry than simply having a concealed carry license:

In the upcoming session, I will be introducing legislation to allow school personnel to carry a gun to school if they have been licensed to carry a concealed firearm AND have a current and valid certification in the use and handling of firearms. The current and valid certification would have to be issued under one of the following:

(1) 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21 Subch. D (relating to municipal police education and training).
(2) The act of February 9, 1984 (P.L.3, No.2), known as the Deputy Sheriffs’ Education and Training Act.
(3) The act of October 10, 1974 (P.L.705, No.235), known as the Lethal Weapons Training Act.
(4) The act of December 13, 2005 (P.L. 432, No. 79), known as the Retired Law Enforcement Identification Act.
(5) Any other firearms program that has been determined by the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police to be of sufficient scope and duration as to provide the participant with basic training in the use and handling of firearms.

Based on this, it also appears to open up the option for districts to simply utilize retired law enforcement for school security.

Illinois Gun & Magazine Ban NOT Dead

Thirdpower is quite correctÂ that the bills are not dead yet, and that another play could be made next until next Wednesday, while the Chicago machine twists arms to get votes. Reports from media sources and other gun blogs that this bill is defeated are just flat out wrong. A defeat only happens when a bill is voted down. This bill is still very much alive, and still very much a threat. Keep calling. Today just bought us time.