Wednesday News Links

All the news that’s fit to link …

Teletype

Very busy. This will probably be the first year I don’t attend NRA Annual Meeting. I have attended every one for the last 10 years, but this time I’m too short of time, too broke, and Dallas is just too far. Bitter is also starting a new job, so there’s also that complication. I am disappointed I cannot go, given what we’re up against.

They see me trollin’ they hatin’: Everytown for Knife Safety

Glenn Reynolds on Fair Weather Federalism.

I’m afraid there’s not much that’s going to stop New Jersey from getting worse. Any state where the Democratic majority is largely untouchable is going to be in trouble.

Can we dispense with this notion that 97% want universal background checks? On the ballot it got 59% in a deep blue state, was a razor thin win in another bluish state, and outright lost on the ballot in a purple state. People tell pollsters all kinds of shit. They act differently in the voting booth. This is, at best, an issue where Americans are divided pretty evenly.

The Hoggs have signed a book deal. But this is a genuine, organic grassroots response to a tragedy. Hell, when I was in high school, I could have pounded a book out no problem while touring the country.

They are going after preemption in Illinois. They will go after it everywhere they can. Really, gun ownership without preemption is unworkable. No one could possibly know the laws of every jurisdiction they pass through. Which is exactly why they want to get rid of it. Going after preemption is a direct assault on carry and transportation rights for firearms owners. It’s not a “no big deal” kind of thing. Preemption is a defend at all cost issue.

Pennsylvania has dropped reciprocity with Virginia. I figured when Virginia recognized our licenses by statute, they’d statutorily recognized by PA, but I guess not. Shapiro also removed recognition of non-resident permits. Added reciprocity agreements were made with Alabama and Idaho. Shapiro was careful not to screw anyone who can vote in Pennsylvania. I’d like to see Pennsylvania pass universal reciprocity, and tighten the Attorney General’s power with regards to reciprocal agreements. I’d be willing to trade a fix to make it so that a PA resident has to have a PA LTCF to carry in PA.

I did this kind of analysis a while ago, and came to the same conclusion: “Everybody’s Lying About the Link Between Gun Ownership and Homicide.” This guy did a much more thorough job. The reason researchers control for confounding factors is based on the idea that comparing say, New York City to rural Vermont isn’t a fair comparison, so we have to control for differences. But there’s a lot of room for bullshit in that process. Also, I think admitting there are confounding factors at all is tacit admission that guns aren’t the real issue.

You’re damned right it’s intentional. Remember, when New York City banned almost all semi-automatic rifles, they used the registration lists to round them up. We already have a sort of de facto registration with the 4473, but at least it’s distributed.

Speaking of New York City, when you concentrate this kind of power into a small number of hands, corruption is inevitable. It’s not a matter of getting the right people. There are no right people.

The same people who a few months ago were saying it was unreasonable to expect armed police officers to engage an active shooter with an AR-15 are now saying only wimps need a gun to engage an active shooter with an AR-15. This Hogg kid is going to grow up to be a great slime ball some day. I’m not saying that because he disagrees with me: I’ve met plenty of gun control people who are otherwise decent folk who I just disagree with. But there’s something about Hogg that is very off putting. Maybe he has a career as a politician ahead of him? I don’t know. Politicians have to be likable, and this dude always looks angry and pissed off. Maybe a yellow journalist? Sleazy lawyer? In the typography of sleazy professions, which one do you think fits?

Speaking of the Parkland Kids, one of them is now admitting that the confiscation of all semi-automatic weapons is the goal. Remember, this has never been about public safety. In the words of Glenn Reynolds, “It’s about sticking it to those flyover rubes and showing them who’s boss.”

Gee whiz, I can’t imagine what issue could be killing the Democrats right now?

I think Apple realizes that if they let SJW’s dictate content, there’s no logical end to their demands. Of course, Apple says they are keeping a close eye out for “Hate Speech.” How long before one of their Ack-Mac approved loose cannons says something stupid enough to get NRA TV kicked off? I’m so old I remember when NRA TV was basically just Cam & Company, and not much else. While some of their additional voices have been good (think Colion Noir), overall I’m not so sure. I have a strong preference for happy warriors. The angry pundit deal doesn’t work for me.

AR-15 used to repel home invasion. But I thought the AR-15 was no good for home defense? I’m told this by noted experts bought and paid for by Mike Bloomberg.

Apparently the CDC has been holding out on studies it did that suggests Gary Kleck’s estimates on defensive gun use (DGUs) were correct.

27 thoughts on “Wednesday News Links”

  1. Per the end of this Reason article Kleck has withdrawn his SSRN paper for now, it was based on the assumption that the CDC was surveying the whole country, but someone else looked closely at the raw data and realized it only covered 15 states. So he’ll have to do a more detailed analysis to see how well the data set matches his research.

    1. I was going to note that the SSRN link has been dead for several days now.

  2. NJ’s lawmakers have decided they’re tired of being the second-worst in every category (which may have made them the worst overall), I guess.

  3. “On the ballot it got 59% in a deep blue state, was a razor thin win in another bluish state, and outright lost on the ballot in a purple state.”

    Which elections were those?

      1. Also note that was the timeline – one might suspect the votes of having been reduced by practical knowledge of what happened elsewhere.

    1. Washington State proposition i594, vote in 2014, was the bellwether for this tactic.

      Bloomberg and other allied rich douchebags buried the opposition with political spending during the campaign, by more than ten to one. Yet the final vote was only 59% in favor.

      Quite a contrast with current claims by some anti-gunners who actually claim that 97% of gun-owners(!) support “universal background checks”.

      1. Maybe they support “universal background checks” but don’t support the imprisonment of otherwise lawful gun owners due to innocuous exchanges of firearms? Maybe they read the bill instead of listening to the bloomberg paid ads lying about what the bill does? Maybe they support something like Coburn’s DIY checks? Remember, these polls were conducted by pollsters that specifically advertise their services as being able to get the answer the client desires.

  4. How long before one of their Ack-Mac approved loose cannons says something stupid enough to get NRA TV kicked off? I’m so old I remember when NRA TV was basically just Cam & Company, and not much else. While some of their additional voices have been good (think Colion Noir), overall I’m not so sure. I have a strong preference for happy warriors. The angry pundit deal doesn’t work for me.

    Yup. The NRA’s current public-relations strategy is abominable. I simply cannot fathom how anybody legitimately thinks the latest Angry Dana video moves the needle in a positive direction.

    1. I happen to like the Angry Dana videos; I cringe when I see the NRA logo on them, though.

  5. The Democrats are probably getting at least 40 seats in the house minimum if not 50. The Senate I’m not sure. But odds are almost every governorship is going to flip and states are going to become blue. Pelosu see is already said they will try and force gun control when they get back in power.

    So there will be a MASSIVE gun ban push by the states starting next February. We could see Florida get an AWB that makes California’s in its current configuration look tame. Oregon could make semi autos blanket illegal. If not by that proposition but by ramming it through the legislature.

    1. Well, I’ll say this……Our side can’t do the typical thing it does after elections; Get apathetic, throw it’s hands up, cry and complain and say, “voting doesn’t matter”, “it’s all the same” etc. If our side stays home in 2018 like it did in 2006 and 2012, than we deserve to lose everything.

      One of the reasons that the gun rights community and the political right in general wind up losing long term is because we “stay home”. We don’t get involved in the Primaries, therefore not getting good candidates, then throw our hands up come time for the General Elections, and stay home again. We then say to ourselves; “Oh well. It’s all the same. I gotta go to work”.

      The 2012 Presidential Election is the perfect example of what I just laid out. Our side could’ve had someone like Ron Paul gad we gotten involved in the Primaries in 2012. Instead, we stayed home and Obama got reelected.

      The ultimate reason that the gun-banners are so embolden at the State Level is because after 2012, up until early 2015, Obama was able to pack the lower Courts with anti-gun Judges, because gunowners and others on the right stayed home in 2012.

    2. I don’t believe in the Blue Wave Theory. None of this will happen.

    3. Baghdad Joe?

      When are the great and glorious forces of the Revolutionary Guard going to be striking, sir?

      1. I certainly don’t appreciate being mocked but, by “Revolutionary Guard”, are you referring to the Communist Mercenary/Red Guard Armies of Mao Zedong in Red China?

        BTW, Washington State is now getting slapped again by Bloomberg. Washington State Senate Substitute Bill 6620 (with a couple extra “Bells and Whistles” for the gun banners) is going to the Ballot Initiative for 2018.

        The Obama Judges that were stuffed into that 9th Circuit Commiecrat Court will uphold this, happily. This is the minimum blueprint for what the Democrats will do for 2018 and/or 2020.

        https://www.nraila.org/articles/20180426/washington-anti-gun-group-files-ballot-initiative-after-failing-in-legislature

  6. I find it funny that Time blames Gerrymandering for the fact that they can’t get “universal” background checks passed.

    Democrats have been gerrymandering for decades, yet only now that Republicans are gerrymandering, are they concerned? Since when were Republicans able to gerrymander so many places?

    Oh, yeah, it’s because Democrats have been losing State legislatures.

    Time also seems to ignore that (1) you can’t gerrymander Senate seats and governorships, and (2) you can’t gerrymander ballot initiatives. Yet Democrats have been losing Senate seats and governorships, and the very ballot measure in question has failed in one of three States (well, two, if you consider that Nevada’s failed on a technicality), and in the other two States, support wasn’t nearly the 97% they imply.

  7. “when you concentrate this kind of power into a small number of hands, corruption is inevitable.”

    That could be interpreted as an indictment of the concept of “representative government”, which by design does exactly that. ;-)

  8. Sleeze professions for Camera Hogg? Have you considered televangelist? The Rev. Hogg of the First Church of the Children’s Crusade for Disarmament, Gun Control, and Self-Aggrandisement.

    If he were to become a lawyer, I’d suggest CUNY Law would be the perfect place for him. Any law school that takes pride with “F the Law” would be perfect for him.

    1. I see him as the sleaziest of all professions… gun control lobbyist. Once his 15 minutes are up, we’ll see him bouncing around to whichever gun control group has the most money with a title like “Director of Media Relations”, like what’s his face… Colin Goddard (And yes, I had to google what his name is even though I was heavily in the debate when he was still a thing). They love having victims with personal stories in prominent roles rather than the most qualified person for the job (lucky for us).

  9. I’d like to see Pennsylvania pass universal reciprocity, and tighten the Attorney General’s power with regards to reciprocal agreements. I’d be willing to trade a fix to make it so that a PA resident has to have a PA LTCF to carry in PA.

    THIS. Our legislature could have accomplished so much when we had a GOP governor. But NO, they had to be lazy.

  10. Part of the NJ package I see is requiring a justifiable need for a weapon?

    I kinda hope this passes. The purpose of NJ is a) generate some fodder for lawsuits; 2)show the rest of the country that the Dems really are coming for their guns.

    1. That “Justifiable Need” stipulation you’re referring to regarding NJ is for getting a Carry Permit.

      Unfortunately, Massachusetts requires a Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) Card Applicant to write down a “need” for just owning firearms. Courrs have upheld this too.

    2. The NJ law change is codifying in law the practice of the issuing authorities for a carry permit, in response to the last Governor’s attempt to reduce the bar ever so slightly to obtaining a carry permit.

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