I’ve been wondering how Ceasefire PA got the money to produce and run an ad against Tom Corbett on the whole Florida Loophole nonsense. Now we have our answer. Rich a***oles seem to be our number one opponents now.
Category: Gun Rights
NRA Amends its Complaint in Texas
Looks like they are adding themselves as an organization and another over eighteen but under twenty one plaintiff to the case where they are challenging restrictions on people 18-20 purchasing handguns.
Understatement of the Year
From a writer to the Allentown Morning Call: “Callahan, Dent differ on gun control laws.” I’m glad someone is getting the word out about this race. PA-15 is one I’ve been keeping a nervous eye on, because Callahan is the first MAIG mayor to run for Congress, as far as I know, and he hasn’t left the group or denounced it. Fortunately, Dent is leading Callahan, and I couldn’t be any happier about that. Still, the poll next Tuesday is the only one that matters, and this race isn’t one to take for granted. Callahan has been the first serious challenger Dent has faced for a while. Here’s hoping Callahan has to go back to being a MAIG mayor instead of an anti-gun Congressman.
Anschutz Responds
A few months ago The Firearms blog reported that Anschutz was working with people out to destroy our rights. I mentioned I’d not buy their products, despite the fact I compete in an area I could use one. The Firearms Blog publishes today, a response from Anschutz that convinces me my decision to never purchase one of their products is absolutely the correct one. I will not do business with a company like this.
You guys were planning to sell us out. You even pretty much admit it. Don’t get pissy with us because we caught you. He closes with:
At the same time, we can assure that the market and the demand determine the products of a company. And ANSCHUTZ has an inquiry from the Biathlon federation to have a look in that topic. In Germany and Europe we have complete different gun laws than in the US. Please keep that in mind.
Yes, you do, so why cooperate to destroy yourselves even further? You don’t notice the noose tightening every time there’s a mass shooting in Europe? You think if you give just a little more they are going to be happy and stop trying to destroy these sports? You’re fools if you believe that.
You want to be a European gun company and only sell neutered guns to Europeans, that’s your prerogative. American shooters take a very different view of companies who sell them out. Smith and Wesson’s near destruction should have taught you that.
New Research into Gun Control
Dave Hardy shares some of his research findings on the history of gun control in the United States. It’s very interesting. We’re glad to hear he’s recovering from his snake bite, and sincerely hope all his future dealings with this phenomena involve liquor and tabasco.
UPDATE: More here.
Bloomberg’s Proposed Rules
If he thinks this is going to avoid a lawsuit, he’s delirious. Under the proposed rules you can literally be denied a constitutional right for being a bad driver or getting fired from your job. These people have a very strange conception of fundamental constitutional rights.
Thirdpower Asks the Question
While everyone has the right to express their opinion, what have you done to make your opinion actually worth something? Besides sending in your annual check I mean.
His point is well taken, in that in most pro-gun groups your membership fee isn’t doing much to help protect your rights, but I wouldn’t ding someone who has better things to do with their time, but makes up for it by writing checks to help the cause. In fact, for people who live in safe districts for gun rights, that might actually be the best use of your resources.
Since my luck in recruiting volunteers for campaigns here has been virtually non-existent, I’ve been thinking about other ways to influence candidates. One thing we tried this year was fundraising in small increments. I’m not sure we were any more successful at raising money than we have been at raising volunteers, but the idea, essentially, is to spread donations out among a lot of pro-gun candidates in the hopes they notice there’s a constituency willing to give money for the Second Amendment. My belief is that it’s probably better for 20 pro-gun candidates to get ten dollars and a note that says “Thanks for supporting the Second Amendment,” than it does for one candidate to get 200 dollars.
One reason we haven’t been able to get rid of Patrick Murphy is because of the amount of money this guy can pull in from outside the district. He is a fundraising machine. The left is far better at this game than the right, and infinitely better at it than libertarians. If you live in a safe district, consider a small donation to a pro-gun campaign in a district that’s not so safe. Most states have them somewhere, so you’d probably not be looking at a completely altruistic donation to a race that doesn’t remotely affect your own situation. Most state nd local activists worth their salt will be able to tell you which races they are concerned with in any given election.
NRA-PVF certainly donates to candidates, but they are a PAC, and PACs are limited by campaign finance rules in how much they can donate. Individual donations still matter.
Gender Gap
Paul Helmke says because women don’t like open carry, that means Democrats have a lot to gain by supporting gun control. How did that work out for Al Gore? Or John Kerry? How’d it work out in 1994? I think we know the answer. Interesting that Brady touts the open carry numbers as evidence women support gun control, when the real numbers show that support for gun control among women has been dropping precipitously.
Why Liberty Loses, Part II
Got a chance to speak briefly to Mike Fitzpatrick, who’s running against Pelosi’s poodle here in the 8th District. today. His first questions were geared at what kind of resources I could send his way. I wish I could tell him I had six people phone banking for him last night who banged out 600 calls to constituents, but I can’t. I have one dedicated volunteer and myself, and a handful of other people who help out here and there. The message I have to get across is that I’ll do everything I can to help him out. It’ll be more than most issues can muster, but not as much as we really need if he’s ever facing a tough vote on guns.
This is especially true if we compare it to what Fitzpatrick is up against. Murphy is the rising star of the Democratic Party. They are not going to surrender this seat easily. We represent the burning edge of the Democratic Party’s Firewall. Our opponents are dumping a ton of money into this district, and Fitzpatrick is worried about busloads of union people being shipped in from New York City and New Jersey for Murphy. This is in addition to other left wing activists being shipped up from Washington D.C. on Murphy’s behalf. Murphy has been quite adept at rallying ground troops and money, mostly from outside of the 8th district. He’s vulnerable this year, but he’s not going down without a fight. Keep in mind this guy supported Carolyn McCarthy’s assault weapons ban which would have banned the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine. Basically any semi-automatic rifle of military pattern, and all semi-automatic shotguns. His talk is about how pro-gun he is, but much it’s about as true as when he says he’s a blue dog. The guy sells himself as a moderate, but his voting record is as left-wing as they come.
People who support liberty can’t draw on this level of support. The left is motivated enough to send their shock troops to the front lines to fight the ragtag local militia we’re mustering here. They are sending people across the country, while liberty has a hard time getting people across the county. This is another reason we lose. The other side just wants it more than we do.
Now Begins the Silly Season
Really, it started a few months ago, but these last few weeks are where it gets intense. Headed to a volunteer fair today for Mike Fitzpatrick. This is essentially where they gather people who want to help, and match them up with things they need done. After that it’s off for a few hours of phone banking for Rob Ciervo. Phone banking isn’t really as bad as one would think. It’s mostly leaving messages on machines. The idea is just to get your candidates name out there so people know who to vote for, and so you can help sway the undecided. On election day, you follow up with the “Did you vote yet?” call, trying to get them to the polls.
I always encourage NRA members to wear an NRA hat, an NRA pin, or something to identify yourself as part of the “gun vote,” mostly so that the local endorsees understand where their bread is getting buttered. I get a lot of people we try to recruit saying “Well, I already volunteer with the GOP.” Around here, if you’re pro-gun, you’re probably a Republican, but that’s not universal. We also have more than a few Republicans who need to improve. It’s great to volunteer directly to parties and campaigns, but that doesn’t help me gain leverage over them for the gun issue. Once the political establishment starts seeing a “gun vote” around, they know there’s energy out there for it. They also know there’s something to lose by voting the wrong way, and something to gain by voting the right way.
Politicians are very self-interested, for the most part. They may tell you it’s all about serving the public, but it’s really all about staying in office. There are true believers out there, but they are rare birds, and that usually only happens when they are gunnies themselves. The key to winning is knowing what motivates this particular species, and baiting them properly.