Dave Hardy points to his original 1974 law review on the Second Amendment. He scanned the whole paper if you want to read it. Pretty interesting.
Author: Sebastian
How to Report the News
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtGSXMuWMR4[/youtube]
Smart Gun Reality?
If the New Jersey AG or California AG declare this is a certified smart gun, it will be the only gun you’re allowed to buy in either of those states. Fortunately, Jerry Brown has been more friendly on the issue lately, and we just had an administration change in New Jersey. Nonetheless, it’s interesting how much it costs, and it’s only a .22LR.
Gun Show Bill Dead in Virginia
Normally they just let bills that aren’t going anywhere languish in committee, but the Virginia House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee held a vote and voted it down 4-1. This kills the bill. They also killed a bill that would have weakened preemption considerably. This means the bills are dead, and sends an effective message that gun control will find no welcome in the Old Dominion. Obviously some folks are upset.
He Better Hope He Doesn’t Get Browned
Chuckie Schumer is dropping in the polls. I’m sure Chuck can count on the anti-gun vote to save him. All he has to do is ask his buddies Jon and Martha. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but it would be awfully nice to run the Scott Brown treatment on Schumer. I’d love to send one of the major architects of gun control legislation for the past two decades packing.
Bill Schneider: “I Told You So”
Bill Schneider, who backed Obama in the election, is now coming out with “I told you so” articles, saying how great Obama has been for gun rights. While I will give Mr. Schneider the benefit of agreeing that Obama has kept his word to moderate Dems like Tester, Baucus, and Webb, to lay off the gun issue, I think he’s blind to the bigger picture.
Obviously he’s not following the Brady machinations, who are quickly realizing they flushed their endorsement of Obama down the toilet. They weren’t fools. They looked at his record just like we did and drew the appropriate conclusions. He’s also incorrect that the Ensign Amendment repealed anything (it was amended on the DC voting rights bill, which is being held up by Democratic leadership because they hate the gun amendment). He’s overlooking that Obama only signed pro-gun legislation because it was amended onto must-pass legislation, that Obama wouldn’t have had much room for exercising a veto. These amendments were a partnership between Republicans and pro-gun Democrats, and not anything pushed or desired by the White House or Pelosi.
I have to admit that to the extent that Obama made deals with pro-gun Dems to lay off the issue, he’s kept his word. The assertion that Obama is pro-gun, or good for gun rights, is as ridiculous now as it was before the election. His history on this issue is not one of respecting the Second Amendment. While he’s not done anything to us, he’s also not done anything for us. If Bill Schneider wants us to praise a Democrat for helping us get pro-gun legislation through the House and past the Oval Office, he should be telling us to praise Harry Reid, not President Obama.
Still Aiming for a State Rifle
It would seem that Sen. Pat Browne is still hoping to get the Pennsylvania Long Rifle designated as the official state firearm. It’s not clear on how this is an update on the bill which was actually dropped last year.
Tough Night for the Brady Campaign
The President’s State of the Union address would have been a prime opportunity for Obama to speak about gun control. The police officer who stopped the Fort Hood shooting was among the audience, but was never acknowledged (none of his guests were, actually, which is kind of shocking). You have all the props there to make a good argument for the Brady Position. Not a peep. Nothing. That has to hurt, especially after they tried to embarrass him by making a media sensation out of giving him a failing grade.
The Magic is Gone
Listened to the State of the Union. I think President Obama does much better as an aspirant than an established politician. He’s not as eloquent when he has to speak to specific political situations, compared to when he can just speak in the lofty and abstract. This past year, the people that supported him have expected him to live up to the lofty rhetoric, and he’s not been able to deliver. He seemed to have moments where he was prepared to admit that, but not too much, you know.
I’ve become increasingly convinced Obama is no Bill Clinton. My disagreements with Clinton on many specific policy issues, including and especially related to the topics this blog covers, are fairly profound. But Clinton had a raw political talent that has been matched in my lifetime only by Ronald Reagan. I don’t believe Obama is capable of triangulating in the face of defeat in the way Bill Clinton did.
My impression of President Obama’s State of the Union Address was that it was doubling down on the concept of him. At this point, pretty clearly that’s neither the “hope” nor “change” many people voted for. If he doesn’t learn quickly, this will not end well for the Democratic Party.
Injecting Race
Josh Sugarmann notes that Pennsylvania is number one in Black Homicide victimization. His solution, naturally, is to “put a focus on reducing access to firearms.” I don’t see any reason to inject race into the equation, other than it makes his numbers work out for states that he wants to put pressure on. Any murder is a problem for society, and the solution to fixing the problem of murder is the same no matter what the race, color or creed of the murderer or victim — locking the criminals up, and making sure they serve real time. Studies have shown that among alleged murderers in Philadelphia, nine out of ten have had prior criminal records, with half being charged with either violent offenses or weapons offenses. Josh’s response is to turn society into a low level prison, where the innocent and guilty are likewise punished.