Bitter – Page 42 – Shall Not Be Questioned

A Prime Opportunity

There’s good news and bad news out of Colorado. A court is throwing details on how the recall elections will function into disarray once again. At this point, I can’t keep up with understanding exactly how the election – scheduled for less than two weeks from now – will even work in Colorado. It looks like this latest decision impacts how absentee ballots will be distributed and how residency proof will be recognized.

At this point, Colorado gun owners shouldn’t be looking for election details here anyway. NRA is certainly trying to assist in the last minute push by gathering activists for grassroots events on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

I will say this about the headlines about the confusion and bickering, it turns many low information voters off. That means it’s easier for highly dedicated activists to make a difference with their own votes.

At least they have the ballots figured out…finally.

There are No New Gun Owners!

Remember this little factoid the next time you hear the anti-gun groups claim that the only people driving gun sales are established gun owners just adding to their collections:

The report shows that one-fifth of target shooters in America first started participating in the shooting sports between 2008 and 2012. That means 20 percent of all target shooters began participating in the past five years.

The data from the survey also shows that newer shooters are more likely to be young (under 35), female, and urban dwellers.

A Non-Gun Owner Reviews Top Shot

This piece in Slate from a non-gun owner who claims he doesn’t know many gun owners is an extremely positive review of Top Shot. He highlights what’s great about the show, mainly that they focus on true competition judged solely by documented performance rather than some arbitrary opinion or rating from a so-called expert.

But, he really emphasizes the importance of shows like this post-Newtown.

For people like me, who neither own a gun nor know very many people who do, the show helps counteract some of the most extreme, uninformed stereotypes that many liberals and urbanites have about â€œgun guys.â€ The show clearly demonstrates something that often gets lost in the heat of the gun control debate: that gun owners arenâ€™t all crazy survivalists or slavering right-wing fanatics. A lot of them are just reasonable, responsible sportsmen who enjoy shooting guns because shooting guns can be a lot of fun.

You really should go read the whole article, even if you’re not that into the show. It’s a very eye-opening piece on many levels of the gun debate.

It almost makes me regret not having cable since it means we can’t easily tune in.

Guns Offer No Protection

An anti-gun gun group wants everyone to know that guns don’t really protect you from criminal assault. Really. Miguel says that this new incredible tip from the anti-gun groups must be spread far and wide, and he’s going to start helping them out:

I am sending this to every law enforcement department in the nation and to the Defense Department too. Weâ€™ve been doing it wrong all this time!

In a monthâ€™s time, every cop in the nation will be carrying a rubber ducky instead of a sidearm. â€œStop or Iâ€™ll squeak!â€ will be the new call to armsâ€¦wait, not armsâ€¦ oh hell, never mind.

Maryland Training Requirements Released

It would appear that Maryland gun owners may no longer casually introduce friends to shooting and firearms safety. From the Maryland State Police:

Unless otherwise exempted, a person may not purchase, rent, or receive a handgun unless they possess a valid Handgun Qualification License (H.Q.L.) issued by the Maryland Department of State Police. Unless otherwise exempted, prior to submitting an application for an H.Q.L. or Handgun Wear/Carry Permit, applicants must complete a firearmâ€™s safety training course by an approved and registered Qualified Handgun Instructor.

The Firearmâ€™s Safety Training Course, for the Handgun Qualification License, shall consist of a minimum of four (4) hours of instruction and affirms the applicantâ€™s safe operation of the firearm which requires firing at least one round of ammunition.

I’m not sure what all the exemptions are, but one would assume that at least one is this formal class since firing a round would require “receiv[ing]” a gun. Otherwise, it would be impossible to meet the training requirements.

Though NRA-certified instructors are eligible to become Qualified Handgun Instructors, they are now required to develop a brand new course curriculum rather than strictly use NRA’s curriculum. NRA’s training division highlights at least one concern on this front since the new curriculum requirements involve teaching legal issues in firearms ownership. This comes from an email sent to certified instructors:

…there is a requirement that instruction must be given on Maryland state law pertaining to firearms and self-defense. Rendering legal advice or interpretation is a task for attorneys, and instructors who are not licensed to practice law may wish to seek legal advice regarding the limits of what they can do in this regard.

So now instructors, in addition to registering with the state for new qualifications and developing a brand new curriculum, must now also consult with an attorney to help them write up their new class contents. That will drive up their costs, and that will likely be passed on to students. Now Maryland has successfully made basic safety training more expensive and harder to teach.

One of the interesting aspects of their requirement to develop a new curriculum is that NRA requires that you not call something an NRA class if you’re not following the NRA curriculum. (That was part of the instructor class when I took it years ago.) That effectively means that people just coming into the shooting sports will no longer associate the NRA brand with teaching firearms safety courses.

If you really want to look at an ultra-creepy perspective, this training database means that Maryland will not only have information on gun owners in the state, but they will also be keeping a list of everyone who even learns how to fire a gun.

Defining Women Down to their Girly Parts

Sebastian sent me this press release from Moms Demand Action that says they plan to make their new efforts follow a back to school theme. They will promote a website that tries to convince anti-gun people not to allow their children onto the campuses of colleges that have to allow the presence of firearms. They are promoting CVS and Costco as stores that should be applauded for banning licensed concealed carry holders from their stores, and asking their members to buy their school supplies there.

But I think what I find truly offensive about their press release is the fact that they claim women really only have a moral authority to talk about guns if they have used their reproductive organs to procreate.

I might be one of those crazy feminists who believes that defining women only by their decisions on whether or not to reproduce or telling women that the only body part they should be depending on to make political decisions is a bad thing and a step backwards to times when a woman was judged largely on her status in the home and as a bearer of a man’s babies. But, you know, war on women–or something…

Oh, and their new corporate target is Staples since it has no company wide policy banning all guns. (There are apparently stores that do it, and they have a state policy in Arizona banning them, but they are allowed in some stores in some states. But nothing short of a nationwide gun ban is good enough for Moms Demand Action.)

More on the Colorado Recall

From a round-up on the election news from Jim Geraghty, we see the Democratic Party is apparently resorting to making the recalls all about the supposed war on women as the recall against Colorado’s Senate President John Morse continues to not look so good for him. Basically, they hope to out single-issue the traditional single-issue voters.

But, perhaps more interesting is the fact that the way the recall is planned may well be unconstitutional. Looking at how election officials have handled this, it is pretty clear that Colorado’s election laws are an absolute mess of conflicting orders and requirements. That is to blame on lawmakers, but you’d think that election officials would have prepared for it.

John Morse Recall Ad

NRA released this ad in Colorado, so feel free to spread it around if you know some voters who need to get out and vote.

Local Elections Matter

In Pennsylvania, we elect our judges. This can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing. One of the biggest issues is the fact that even the most informed voters often know nothing about the judges on the ballot before them. Add to that the fact that these judges are elected in off-year elections with very low turnout, and it’s both an opportunity and an uphill battle if you want to see meaningful change in the justice system.

Consider the case in Erie right now. Erie 4th Ward District Judge Tom Robie isn’t on the ballot again until 2015. He last won in an unchallenged race in 2009 with the support of both parties from the looks of one of the election results pages I found. Unfortunately for the citizens of Erie, that may not be such a good thing if Judge Robie’s reported actions in a recent gun possession case are any indication.

Pennsylvania has a pretty clear preemption law that doesn’t allow local governments to regulate possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens. The City of Erie violated the ban and passed their own ban on possession in city-owned parks. Several men were cited in violation of this illegal ordinance. And, according to social media posts by those involved in the case, the judge decided to find them guilty of violating the illegal ordinance anyway, despite the case law on the subject. I haven’t found a news story about the decision yet, but here is one with better background on the case.

For purposes of legal action, these guys can clearly appeal and hope that, at some level, they get a judge who cares about actually making sure that the laws are followed by both the government agents and citizens. However, even if that happens, the judge who ignored the case law on the issue gets to enjoy the perks of his taxpayer-funded job with few people caring that his cases may end up overturned because he appears to have opted to ignore the state’s preemption law and related established case law.

For election purposes, this is a great opportunity for local gun owners to get involved with local parties and start finding a replacement for Judge Robie on the next ballot. They can find him a primary challenger from either side. So, will local gun owners pick up this cause? It’s a long way to 2015, but since they need to find a candidate willing to take on this judge, the process needs to start early. But, if local gun owners would be willing to take up this cause, then it can send a clear message to many more local politicians – judicial or otherwise.

Telling Our Stories

One way that seems to calm reactive anti-gun attitudes that pop up from time-to-time when the media stirs the pot is to emphasize what new gun regulations do to us as individuals. It makes it much less likely that high school acquaintance will want to mindlessly rant and rave demonizing gun owners if they see pictures periodically of safe and lawful use by someone they know. If a gun owner gets out there to tell their story, it really makes an impact with people who otherwise don’t follow the gun debate or typically feel passionate about it one way or the other.

Smith & Wesson is embracing the same strategy within their community, and it has caught the attention of local media.

James Debney, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson, said it was time for the company to start telling its story and the story of the 1,500 people who work at the company with an annual payroll of $77.5 million. The local ads also explained that Smith & Wesson doubled the size of its work force since 2007 and spends $63 million a year on goods and services with other Massachusetts employers.

â€œEmployees have told us that they are proud to work for Smith & Wesson and pleased that the company is reaching out to the local residents to make our presence known,â€ Elizabeth A. Sharp, Smith & Wesson vice president for investor relations, said in an email response to questions. â€œWe have also been hearing from the community as well, more than ever before. Many reach out to tell us that our presence is appreciated, and that they were previously unaware of the size of the company and its impact on the local economy.â€

The entire story is worth reading, as they highlight the way that Smith & Wesson is also using this same type of publicity effort to motivate more activism against anti-gun bills.