Anti-Gun Folks – Page 80 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Let’s Not Make Up False Claims by Anti-Gunners

I’ve noticed something about some comments that some conservative commentators have been using to frame the new McCarthy-Launtenberg ammo sales ban/restrictions. It gets under my skin because it makes it easier for our opposition to say that we’re delusional and don’t understand their “reasonable” attempts at gun control. We don’t have to misrepresent the anti-gunners to highlight just how creepy and restrictive their proposals really are. We can just give straight up facts and people will find it bothersome!

Take, for example, this tweet from Tim Graham that Cam from NRA News retweeted:

Do Liberals Think Gold Medalist Skeet Shooter Kim Rhode Has No Business Using 1,000 Rounds/Day? ow.ly/cBVGa @camedwards

— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) July 30, 2012

Without having been in NYC to watch the press conference live, I have not read anything that indicates McCarthy, Lautenberg, Bloomberg, or any of the other speakers said Olympic & world record holder Kim Rhode should not be practicing with 1,000 rounds a day – except the post written Tim Graham’s group that tries to make that leap. I hate that they do that. You know why? Because it’s so damn easy for the anti-gun groups to say that they said nothing on that order. In fact, Sen. Lautenberg actually congratulated Matt Emmons and recognized him as an Olympic shooter this week. Now you want to say that he was out attacking Olympic shooters? Yeah, it doesn’t stick and it’s so easy to tear down as an argument.

You know what isn’t so easy to defeat? Telling people what the bill actually does.

Instead of saying that Lautenberg & McCarthy don’t want Rhode to practice as much as she has to in order to compete at the Olympic level, why not emphasize the fact that Senator Lautenberg and Representative McCarthy want Kim Rhode to be reported to law enforcement authorities every single week for the rest of her career?

Most gun owners and non-gun owners alike would find that creepy as hell and consider it a case of government overstepping its bounds. The anti-gunners can’t argue with it. If she’s shooting that many rounds a week, her name and information will be passed on to authorities every single time she stocks up on her practice ammunition. They will be put into the corner of having to defend why our Olympic athletes should be treated like “pre-“criminals. And it’s all factual. No need to make up statements or claim more than what is really in the bill.

Emily Miller reported on Facebook that the bill targets those who buy more than 1,000 rounds at one time. That is factually true. However, even many gun owners wouldn’t buy more than 1,000 rounds at a time. (Let’s face it, many gun owners don’t actively shoot that often.) It’s not unheard of by any means since just a couple of bricks of .22 and even one extra box of anything else would put you over the limit, but it’s not something that’s done all that commonly by many folks. For those who don’t shoot at all, 1,000 rounds seems like a ton of ammunition regardless of the fact that it’s really not.

However, you know what message will really hit home with far more folks – gun owners or not? The mass of paperwork and bureaucratic headaches this reporting requirement will cause for small businesses.

Because, while Emily’s claim is true, it actually leaves out that businesses selling ammunition will have to track every single round you buy since the 1,000+ round reporting requirement actually spans every five business days. That means that JoeBob’s Gun Shop will have to take down your information when you buy that first brick of .22 for your son’s Boy Scout shooting event on Saturday. Then, should you pop in on Tuesday to pick up the boxes of shotgun shells for your club’s Women on Target event, JoeBob will need to write down everything you purchased, find the record for your Saturday sale, and add the two up. If you cross that 1,000 round limit, he has to report you to the authorities. That means at the end of every business day, these licensed ammunition retailers will have to read through all of their paperwork of the previous week to figure out if anyone crossed over the limit.

On top of all this, without having a bill to actually read, we don’t know what happens with chain stores like Dick’s, Cabela’s, Bass Pro, or Wal-Mart. Will they have to calculate the list of buyers and ammunition purchase totals across their entire network or stores, or will the reporting requirement only kick in for each location? Regardless, at high-volume businesses like that, they will likely have to cut workers from other areas to monitor these sales and pay thousands of dollars for new software to track such specific information or just give up and get out of the ammunition sales business altogether. Even gun owners whose rifles have sat in their cases collecting dust for half a decade will understand why that kind of reporting burden is too onerous.

Once again, the point is that we have plenty of ammunition (pun intended) to attack this bill for the incredible burden government wants to put on businesses. It’s not like that hasn’t been a theme of the Obama administration or anything…

My advice to gun owners who oppose this bill is not to put words in the mouths of the sponsors that could set off people’s BS detectors, nor should you simplify the talking points down to something that can give a perception of not impacting many people. Focus on the facts. Connect this bill to feelings of unease about government overreach and attacks on business that people already feel and identify with, and you’ll have more success in highlighting why this bill is not the solution.

What Does Anonymous Actually Mean?

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. – Inigo Montoya

Emphasis added:

Two Democratic lawmakers on Monday will announce new legislation to regulate the online and mail-order sale of ammunition. …

â€œThe shooter who killed 12 and injured 58 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater this month had purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition anonymously on the Internet shortly before going on his killing spree, according to law enforcement officials,â€ the statement [from Sen. Lautenberg and Rep. McCarthy] reads. …

Lautenberg and McCarthy, who will unveil their new proposal at New Yorkâ€™s City Hall say they intend to â€œmake it harder for criminals to anonymously stockpile ammunition through the Internet.â€

I have a big problem with this proposal before I’ve even read the exact language simply because of the statement. Think about how you purchase anything online. You have to enter a name and address to have it shipped somewhere. You have to enter a name that matches an address and credit card number in order to pay for it. In other words, there’s very little that’s truly anonymous online when it comes to ordering products from actual businesses.

However, there’s nothing unlawful about walking into a gun shop with cash and buying ammunition. That is truly anonymous. There’s no name, no address, and nothing that needs to process through a bank that is connected to the buyer. It’s straight up cash and carry from a traditional and highly regulated brick-and-motar gun shop.

So, if Lautenberg & McCarthy are truly disturbed by anonymous ammunition sales, why are they complaining about online transactions? It’s just one more piece of evidence that there’s nothing serious about their so-called effort to reduce gun violence. It’s simply about control – gun control.

Should We Preemptively Break Out the Fail Whale for the Brady Campaign?

I noticed on the Brady Campaign Facebook page that they are going to protest for stricter gun laws tomorrow:

WHITE HOUSE DEMONSTRATION MONDAY, JULY 30 – 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

A group of concerned citizens will lead a peaceful demonstration across from the White House on Monday, July 30, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Organizers believe America is better than this and they want improved gun legislation to prevent mass murders like the Aurora tragedy.

I applaud the Brady Campaign for this action. In fact, every reader of this blog should give them a pat on their sweat-coated backs tomorrow – even if it’s a digital shout-out. Why?

Because the new Brady leadership clearly believes that leading a three-hour protest for legislation the week that Congress prepares to break for August recess in an election year during some of the warmest hours of the day when the forecast calls for temperatures near 90 degrees in the former swamp we call Washington DC is a brilliant move. We hope they continue that line of thinking because it’s sure to be a resounding…success?

Gun Registration Bill on the Way

I love the age of social media when lawmakers who support our civil liberties can give us a little insight into what kinds of bills we can expect from our opposition:

Just got Dem Rep’s memo that he’s introducing bill to require all guns in PA be registered with State Police. Nope, not gonna fly.

— Rep. Stephen Bloom (@RepBloom) July 27, 2012

Thanks to Rep. Bloom for standing up for our rights!

I realize that it seems like a no-brainer that a gun registration bill wouldn’t stand a chance in Pennsylvania, but I find it is helpful to see what our opponents want to push. This is their way of testing the waters, and they will try to strike if they manage to find more support for such bills in the future.

I also suggest that anyone with an “on the fence” state representative – someone with maybe a B, C, or D rating – should shoot an email to their lawmaker telling them that they hope he/she refuses to sign on to this bill. Since it’s a memo sent in advance of the bill, it will speak volumes to them that you pay that much attention to the issue. Politicians notice when we watch…

MAIG Going After Church Leaders of Politicians

All Nine Yards continues to do superb citizen journalism uncovering the tactics of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. His latest posts shows an e-mail exchange that must be read to be believed. I’m going to bet this is a pretty ineffective tactic. Not only is it creepy, but I doubt you’ll find too many ministers in Florida willing to preach a pro-gun control message, given that Florida is more culturally gun friendly than many states, and most of the churches who would be willing to preach such a thing are going to be in communities that already have a disposition in favor of gun control. Another revealing e-mail here is that she requested an intern position solely for outreach to the faith community. One wonders whether or not that is a paid intern position, which would likely be at taxpayer expense.

Redefining Insane

We’ve highlighted quite a bit of rhetoric from anti-gun advocates who view Second Amendment supporters as less than human, or at least as people who deserve less respect than they do as citizens. They want us thrown out of the political debate, our rights to petition our government officials stripped, our right to organize taken away, and our First Amendment right to even speak out with our opinions on what various government entities are doing in regards to firearms policy restricted.

With the Aurora shooting bringing more attention to the issue of mental health qualifications for gun ownership, I couldn’t help but notice a trend in quite a few pieces written by those looking for more gun control. (Emphasis added below.)

“US gun laws: Guilty by reason of insanity” – Laramie Boomerang: “Perhaps, if sane laws on gun control, including the ban on high capacity magazines, were in place, many in Aurora who are now dead or seriously injured would be alive and well today.”
Washington Post: “The gun lobby barely had to say a word before the media sent advocates of saner gun regulation shuffling off in defeat.”
New York Times: “The fact that Congress found it impossible to extend the law against guns that allow you to shoot off 100 bullets in a couple of minutes is simply insane.”
“NRA’s definition of ‘sane American‘ sure has changed” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Today, sane Americans can’t even talk about guns.”
“Gun Sanity” – The Record: “Stop the insanity. It is that simple. The Second Amendment does not give Americans a constitutional right to weapons of mass destruction.”
“Gun Insanity” – Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus: “The Luntz poll suggests that gun owners are saner than our leaders think. Responsible gun owners donâ€™t need access to assault weapons.”

They want to define their political opponents down. See, you can’t possibly be sane if you have a different opinion on public policy. If you’re not sane, well, we can’t trust you with firearms. It’s as simple as that…

Don’t Expect Transparency on Gun Policy from the White House

I love going back to look at some of President Obama’s promises about transparency in government. We gun owners and Second Amendment supporters shouldn’t be shocked that the administration’s dedication to keep public policy secrets is likely to be used against us. I mean the guy violated a key transparency promise to share all non-emergency bills with the public for five days before acting on them only nine days into his term. Nine days for the first transparency lie, is it any wonder that we still can’t get his administration to turn over documents about Fast & Furious? They’ve had three years now to perfect the ways they will violate the transparency pledges.

Remember last year when the White House promised to work on gun control secretly so that voters won’t know what he’s doing?

[Sarah] Brady, for whom the law requiring background checks on handgun purchasers is named, then met with White House press secretary Jay Carney. During the meeting, President Obama dropped in and, according to Sarah Brady, brought up the issue of gun control, “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda,” she said.

“I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Brady recalled the president telling them. “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

Obama’s buddy Mike Bloomberg already made sure that the White House has a blueprint for how he can enact more gun control without the oversight of Congress. Certainly, it sounds like the White House could be dusting off those plans from Bloomberg.

A day after President Obama vowed in a speech to â€œleave no stone unturnedâ€ in his quest to reduce gun violence, his spokesman said the presidentâ€™s efforts wonâ€™t include any new gun-control proposals.

â€œThere are things that we can do, short of legislation and short of gun laws, as the president said, that can reduce violence in our society,â€ White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

And another report:

President Obama suggested Thursday that he isn’t backing away from talking about gun policy.

“I’m sure we’ll have more opportunity to talk about this,” he said to a reporter’s question after he made brief remarks pressuring the House of Representatives to pass the middle class tax cut extension that cleared the Senate on Wednesday. …

Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president was focused on gun control measures “short of legislation.”

Even the DC political press is outlining ways for Obama to enact more gun control while skirting the accountability to the people that typically comes with pushing it through Congress first. They note that we probably shouldn’t expect to hear much on what actions Obama might take:

Obama is no stranger to dipping deep into the murky waters of executive powers and finding ways to achieve policy goals that Congress has thwarted. Proponents of gun control say that the president has crystal clear and uncontested powersâ€”some used by an NRA card-carrying GOP president (Bush resigned from the group in 1995)â€”to deal with assault weapons.

Yet the White House remains stonily silent on Obamaâ€™s intentions even to reevaluate whether to exercise these powers.

I would not be surprised if shortly after election day – regardless of the outcome – we start learning about all sorts of actions by various agencies to more tightly regulate guns in a way that circumvents the legislative process. You cannot expect transparency from this administration, so it’s probably best to prepare for the worst given the resources Bloomberg has provided and the promises the White House made to Brady in a closed meeting.

Schumer Attempting to Attach Magazine Ban to Cybersecurity Bill

In a way I’m glad for this. I could stand a good fight to all this sneaking around:

S.A. 2575 would make it illegal to transfer or possess large capacity feeding devices such as gun magazines, belts, feed stripes and drums of more than 10 rounds of ammunition with the exception of .22 caliber rim fire ammunition.

The amendment would only affect sales and transfers after the law took effect.

So there we have it folks. Our opponents have made their move. Now we have to counter.

Another Illegal Mayor?

It looks like there’s a potential opportunity to add to the list of criminal mayors in Bloomberg’s anti-gun group.

In a CBS 21 News exclusive into the Harrisburg financial crisis, CBS 21 News has learned that the United States Justice Department is conducting a wide-ranging criminal investigation into financial transactions during the administration of former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed.

Multiple sources have confirmed that a secret federal grand jury has convened in Williamsport to investigate Harrisburg’s financial mess, specifically financial transactions involving current and former city officials, including former Mayor Stephen Reed. …

Now, sources tell CBS 21 News the grand jury is looking at evidence concerning campaign contributions and if former Harrisburg officials personally profited from city business.

While Reed is not currently a member of MAIG, he was part of the organization before being ousted from office.

Brady Out of Politics?

The National Journal reports:

The nation’s largest anti-gun violence lobby is taking a step back this week in the wake of the Auoroa, Colo., shootings. No aggressive pushes for specific policy fromÂ The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Instead, they’ve launched the “We Are Better Than This” national campaign to get the public talking about gun violence.

They believe they are in hearts and minds territory, and they are correct. This is a good place to have them.