Around these parts, they seem to work just fine. Elkins Park is just outside of Philadelphia. I also note that this was an apartment, and it doesn’t appear that the shot over-penetrated. Interesting to note that the homeowner’s Congressman is a staunch advocate for banning his rifle, and is the likely candidate to go up against Governor Corbett in 2014.
Year: 2013
Bloomberg Targeting Mark Pryor?
Seems they are considering it, according to Salon. What purpose would this serve? Do they think they can get a better deal on guns from an Arkansas Republican? The fact is Toomey was about the only Senator they could conceivably hoodwink scare into accepting a deal. Helping Toomey ruin his relationship with an important GOP voting block could pave the way for an anti-gun Democrat. That was a huge victory for Bloomberg.
Bloomberg is not going to be able to do a thing to Pryor on guns, short of replacing him with a pro-gun Republican. Same goes for other red state Democrats. They voted the way they did because the consensus on guns in Arkansas is vastly different than it is in New York City. Bloomberg will be running campaign ads for Pryor if he buys up Arkansas airtime telling everyone Mark Pryor hates gun control.
A Great Way to Explain How Gun Control Lost
Megan McArdle explains it succinctly here:
If you want to actually understand why gun control failed, let’s try a simple exercise. Â Raise your hand if you had a strong opinion about the background check bill that was in front of Congress.
Keep your hand raised if you know how your own Senator voted on it. Â Otherwise put your hand down.
Keep your hand raised if you actually live in a state that might plausibly elect a Republican to congress.
Okay, now keep your hand raised if that bill was in the top one or two issues that you’ll be voting on in 2014 or 2016. Â By which I mean, if your Senator votes the wrong way on that bill, you will vote for anyone who opposes them. Â Anyone–even someone with the wrong opinions on gay marriage, social security reform, transportation subsidies, the Keystone XL pipeline, carbon taxes, marginal tax rates on people who make more than $250k per annum, the deficit, and student loan repayment programs.
Now look around. Â Aside from those three guys in the back from Handgun Control Inc., do you know who still has their hand raised? Â NRA members.
Support for new gun control laws was high in the immediate post-Newtown period. Â But that support was evanescent; it’s already back below 50%, and probably still falling. Â Gun owners care year in and year out. Â And they vote on the issue.
RTWT, because it’s certainly true. We even write blogs that focus exclusively on the topic. In truth I’m not a completely single issue voter, but it’s certainly one of my top issues, given that it’s such a handy proxy for what a candidate thinks about the citizen’s place in our country. Megan has also made some very good points about negotiation. It was a horrible mistake for the other side to come at us with everything and the kitchen sink, because it helped us mobilize our people in a way I haven’t seen since I’ve been involved in this issue in a meaningful way (about 10 years now). It’s now becoming apparent that gun bans are no longer politically viable, and some minor regulatory changes are the best the gun control supporters can hope for.
Copper Shortages Coming?
Apparently a huge landslide has happened in an open pit mine that supplies 17 percent of US copper. Gun folks are already pretty good recyclers, but I think we can do better, and we’re going to have to do better. There’s only so much copper and lead in the world, and as we use up all the easy supplies, it’s not going to get anything but more expensive. A lot of clubs and ranges these days do lead reclamation, but many don’t. As the price of raw materials goes up, it’s going to become more and more important that we recover most of the lead and copper we shoot. It’s not only better for the environment, it’s just going to make economic sense once the raw materials hit a certain price point.
h/t Tam.
Senate Rules and the Gun Control Vote
Chris from Alaska has an analysis. I really question whether they actually wanted something to pass. There was certainly a path forward for some kind of bill, even if the pot had to be sweetened over what Manchin-Toomey tried to do. It’s been quite telling that each time this issue has gotten hot, they’ve had a pure background check bill they’ve been capable of advancing, but it’s always rejected because the bill lacks sufficient provision to assure that all guns are “papered.”
We’re in Trouble Now
Bloomberg is recruiting the best cartoonists in the world for the cause of gun control. Oh, if only to be so rich as to be able to impose my preferences on the rest of the world. It must be nice for billionaires. Of course, if I had that kind of money, I’d be spending it on a law degree, and then helping the underprivileged sue the government pro-bono. I think that would be more meaningful.
Harry Reid Proposes New Background Check Bill
Requiring folks to pass a background check before buying powders. I’d note that Massachusetts already requires a license to buy reloading components, and that didn’t stop the bombers. And would we really prefer jihadists start mixing up ANFOÂ and other improvised high explosives? If high explosives were used instead of gunpowder, the death toll would have been higher. These were crude devices.
Explosives regulations are even dumber and more easily thwarted than gun regulations. I made black powder in my basement as a kid, and managed to get a hold of the ingredients before we had this Internet thing. Today it’s even easier. What then? Background checks for potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal? Are we going to require Home Depot to run background checks on fertilizer? Check the terror watch list before delivering home heating oil? It’s ridiculous.
House to House Searching, Not Just Boston Anymore
Police in Nashville have noticed the tactics of the Boston PD and emulated them. Apparently much more quickly than anyone would have anticipated. I thought it was amusing people accusing SayUncle of being anti-cop, given that I don’t think he hates his dad.
I don’t think being wary of civil liberties violating tactics makes one anti-cop. I’m willing to give the police pretty wide berth to apprehend (or kill) violent subjects, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask to at least pretend to respect the civil liberties of the people you’re sworn to protect, and to actually be able to hit what you’re aiming at.
We are supposed to be a nation of laws, and it seems more and more apparent we’re a nation of bureaucrats and enforcers, who believe the law to be optional, or at least pliable. Perhaps what’s even more disturbing is a population who seems to have no issue with this state of affairs, as long as it’s not their goose being cooked, and there’s some vague and comforting idea of being made safe.
UPDATE: On the opposite side of the coin, a lot of College Professors don’t live in the real world (not any real surprise, I suppose). If the cops in and around Boston had turned the bombers into swiss cheese in the shootout, I would want to give them a high five. It’s what was done to everyone else who wasn’t the bombers I have a hard time with.
Some Pics from the PA Capitol
Thanks to Twitter follower David:
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Definitely bigger than previous years, but not overwhelming. I’ve seen the crowd at that rally as large in previous years. A big reason for that, I think, is that PA currently isn’t under threat, given that the GOP controls all three branches of the PA state government, and statements by House leadership and the Governor made it clear early on there wasn’t going to be any of that crap here we’ve seen in neighboring states. Not having to deal with a state fight in the middle of a federal right was hugely beneficial, and we owe Governor Corbett and House leadership a debt of gratitude for holding the line and allowing us to focus federally.
It looks like the big legislation in Pennsylvania now will be preemption enhancements, to actually give it some teeth. It’ll be starting in the Senate, having been introduced by Senator Richard Alloway. While I think preemption enhancement is important, I’d also like to see the state come to a deal on the “Florida Loophole” issue by removing the remaining discretion from LTC issuing authorities, including Philadelphia, granting universal reciprocity to out-of-state licenses, and clarifying that the Attorney General may not alter, modify, or rescind reciprocity agreements except at the behest of the reciprocal state. I’d be willing to trade that for a requirement that PA residents need a PA LTC in order to lawfully carry concealed, rather than a foreign license or permit.
Another, and better alternative to liberalizing the LTC regime, would be to push constitutional carry. But despite the shout out by Rep. Saccone for his bill at the rally today, I’m not going to hold my breath that the votes will be there for quite some time. At least we’ve gotten to the point where we’re getting a bill introduced. That, at the least, means there’s enough interest in it among the gun rights community that we’ve become a constituency to be pleased, and that’s a start. But in the mean time we have a city that does not fairly issue and Attorney General who thinks dinkering with longstanding reciprocity agreements is a fun pastime.
Biden Announces New Gun Control Legislation
Not the Biden you’re thinking of. Fresh off a recent legislative victory on banning private transfers in Delaware, Beau Biden wants some more gun control:
The DOJ could then ask a judge to prohibit the person from owning or possessing a gun. The judge also could order the seizure of any guns that the person owns. In the case of a troubled child, authorities could seize any guns owned by a parent or guardian with whom the child is living.
It needs to be adversarial. If my rights are going to be removed, I ought to be able to contest that. If it’s just a judge issuing orders based on the word of government officials, that does not amount to due process in my book, and ought to be unconstitutional.
Also, we have a long tradition in this country of eschewing corruption of blood. It’s interesting that the left, newly emboldened after the late election victory, is slowly trying to do away with limits on governmental power that have served civilized society for hundreds of years. Taking my guns away because my kid is troubled?
With the exception of being a may-issue, but mostly does issue state, Delaware’s gun laws haven’t been too bad for a state that’s been pretty deep blue for a while now. It’s a shame to see that changing so quickly, but it was probably inevitable. The Democrats were afraid to be seen as the Party of Gun Control for the better part of two decades, and so in many of these states there has been an uneasy stalemate. But with Obama declaring the Democrats the Party of Gun Control again, and the Democrats believing the Republicans are finished in states like Delaware, the stalemate is over, and now they are doing to us what they can. Part of this is demographic, especially in states like Delaware. But part of it is the utter failure of the Republican Party in the Northeast, which is now spreading into the Mid-Atlantic states as well.
If gun owners don’t start thinking of ways to turn around some of these states, I expect the divide between the Two Americas I have spoken about here will continue to deepen, with blue states not having gun rights to speak of, and the rest of the country continuing to liberalize their gun control laws. What truly worries me is where Pennsylvania will fall on that divide.