Category: Gun Rights

The Brady folks don’t seem to be too happy about Joe’s Starbucks day:

In case you missed it, last Saturday was “Starbucks Appreciation Day.” No, it was not a gesture of support from lovers of strong coffee (like me). The “appreciation” was on behalf of Americans who believe it is their sacred right to have a handgun with them wherever they go – even to carry it openly to make sure the rest of us know who are the real defenders of the Second Amendment.

Hey, it’s not me, it’s the Supreme Court. It would seem they at least have some people who agree with them. There seems to be a plausible legal argument under Heller that there may be regulation on how arms are worn, in that you don’t have any real specific right to carry concealed, or openly, but that you do have a right to carry in some fashion. So take your pick — open or concealed. You can prohibit one, maybe, but you may not prohibit both. There’s an easy way to stop this — reform California’s permitting system to make it shall-issue.

I should also note that Starbucks Appreciation Day was Sunday, not Saturday. But we’re not really that strict. I got a muffin and French Vanilla Latte on Monday too, which I would also consider part of the appreciation, considering I’m not a coffee drinker. But add enough milk and sugar to anything, and I will drink it.

Caleb reports on some malfeasance happening in Indiana. I tend to think you should take Democrats as they are individually, but never trust the party. Come to think of it, that advice is probably good for Republicans too.

Barack Obama might have done more than any other President to help boost the firearms industry, but it’s hard to argue that he beats Bill Clinton when it comes to boosting gun rights organizations. Every time Bill says something like this …

“They have a lot of advanced notice now. I think the biggest problem that the president’s got is that the lifetime — it’s the — the danger that people who want health care will be disappointed and stay home; that happened to me,” he said.

Clinton added that the National Rifle Association also played a bigger role than it’s credited in turning over Congress during the 1994 Republican revolution.

They were mad about this whole weapons ban and the Brady Bill, and they probably took 15 of our House members out. That was their number, they said between 15 and 20, and I’d say, at least on the low side, they were right,” he said.

… it just adds to our political reputation. Obviously Clinton wasn’t our best buddy. Sometimes I wonder if senior Brady Campaign people don’t have a picture of Bill on their desks, next to the wife and kids, which they stare at wistfully, thinking of better days. No President has ever put more on the line for them than Bill Clinton. But Bill Clinton’s willingness to be honest and forthright on the backlash from gun owners has helped our political reputation immensely, and destroys the credibility of the gun control groups when they try to argue we’re a paper tiger — a ghost story that Democrats like to tell their kids, “Don’t support gun control, or the gun lobby will get ya!”  All I can say is, “Thanks Bill!”

Hat Tip to Dave Hardy for this one.

Good work on the part of activists here, especially the residents of Radnor Township, who did a great job of making our case. We heard reports earlier that L&S was going to be tabled, but it looks like they went through with tabling it at the meeting tonight.

This is not a final victory. Tabling means the bill can still be brought up again for a vote any time. We will have to keep a close eye going forward, and ensure that this ordinance stays on the table, and ends up dying without getting a vote. CeaseFirePA is going to be highly upset at this. This is their home turf. Most of them live here, and a few used to be Commissioners. They won’t go away quietly.

Center For Responsive Politics, which runs OpenSecrets.org notes the arrival of the new National Park rule on guns by this:

A federal law takes effect today that allows gun owners to tote their weapons within national parks, so long as they obey local laws. It’s a major victory for gun rights advocates, who argue gun owners should have had such rights decades ago. And it comes as pro-gun forces spent more on federal lobbying efforts in 2009 than in any year since 2002 — all told, nearly $5 million. They targeted at least some of that money at both the House and Senate versions of the “Preservation of the Second Amendment in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges Act,” a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates. Gun control advocates, meanwhile, spent a relative pittance in 2009 on federal lobbying efforts — $180,000. Most of that came from a single organization:Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The decline in gun control advocates’ lobbying power is striking: In 2001, the special interest area spent more than $2.1 million on federal lobbying efforts.

And it’s worth nothing that it’s up to us to make sure NRA-PVF‘s coffers are full so they can keep up this pace of donation. There’s no rich patron keeping the money flowing, unlike with Bloomberg’s group. Sadly, the quickest way to influence in Washington is money.

This is the day, if you were to pay attention to the media, our National Parks will explode with violence, with people happily shooting their guns off into the air, at animals, and each other. Mass hysteria! The South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks we’re nuts, and editorializes like a bunch of Jr. High kids with name calling. The LA Times says we’re permitted, but not welcome, and notes that the variation in state law is just too confusing for us stupid gun owners to follow, even though we do regularly already. Maybe for NPS bureaucrats, but not for us. The Asheville, NC Citizen-Times reports on a person who thinks it’s an invitation to violence.

Me? I’m just happy I no longer risk breaking the law when I go to see friends and relatives in Phoenixville, and have to transit Valley Forge National Park. Under the old regime the NPS would enforce state law on state rights of way through a park, but hit a deer and have to get out of your car? Less clear. And hitting a deer in VFNP is a high probability event.

If you haven’t gone down to your local Starbucks and gotten some caffeination or other product, please do. It shows them that there’s a lot of upside to staying out of the gun debate. I myself am a tea drinker, but I really like their Chai Lattes (it’s like pumpkin pie in a cup), so that’s what I got. I have also sent the following along to Starbucks Corporate:

Just wanted to let Starbucks know that I, along with several of my fellow Second Amendment bloggers, encouraged our readers to show their appreciation for Starbucks today by going to purchase Starbucks products.

Our blogging community focuses specifically on firearms policy attracts many thousands of readers who are pro-Second Amendment. My blog alone brings in about 60,000 visits a month. Many of us were looking for a way to show appreciation, and thought there really would be no better way than picking a day to encourage our readers to patronize their local Starbucks.

We thank you for resisting pressure from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to make a statement in regards to this contentious issue. We would encourage Starbucks to continue to concentrate on great products, and service, and encourage you to continue deferring to state and local laws in regards to this subject.

Sincerely,

Real Name (a.k.a. Sebastian, author of Snowflakes in Hell Blog)
http://snowflakesinhell.com

I wanted to focus on showing them the kind of numbers we’re talking about on our side of the issue. The Bradys have 25,000 signatures, they claim. Big deal. I rack up that many eyeballs on this blog in two weeks. If half of my monthly readers spent what I did, that’s $600,000 dollars extra sales, which based on daily sales figures, would represent about a 2% boost. Even if the number is less than that, you can see our numbers, just in this small corner of the blogosphere, are nothing to sneeze at.

I would encourage all of my readers to continue patronizing Starbucks not just today, but for as long as they agree to stay out of this issue, and stand up to the Brady Campaign.

A report from the protest outside of Shooter’s Shop:

I was rather unimpressed by the numbers that ceasefire and heeding god’s call drew.

I drove by and saw what looked like 50 people out front, and thought “Gee.. this is gonna fun”. Once I arrived at the shop, and started talking to people, I realized that from the 50 people, half were on our side, a quarter were police, and the other quarter were the nutjobs.

Also, props to Son of the Revolution. That man came prepared, and the antis were simply no match for his debate skills and facts.

So it would seem we outnumbered them. That’s good to hear, though I feel bad I couldn’t make it.

UPDATE: Some video coverage here. I’m not sure there’s honestly anything to gain by trying to argue with the other side. The folks who show up to these things are true believers. You won’t convince them. In the mean time there will be reporters there taking note of everything said, and the worst of it is going to end up in the papers.

UPDATE: More video, talking to the media, which I think is helpful if you know your shit, and this guy seems to.

UPDATE: Fairly unbiased reporting of the event from the Inquirer.

UPDATE: From the sounds of things, it would seem that Shooter Shop has their act together. They were checking IDs at the doors to prevent a repeat of the “sit in” protest experienced by Colosimo. Plus they had their attorney on hand to speak to the media. According to this person, they also asked people not to open carry, probably because they know how the media would likely spin it.

UPDATE: It would appear Shooter Shop is generally pretty careful about checking IDs:

I would like to clarify, the police were not checking ID’s, they were employees of the Shooter Shop. The shop has been requiring ID from all patrons for some time now. Nobody enters the shop without ID unless they are known to the shop. This practice helps prevent potential robbery and straw purchases. A person who is ID at the door is less likely to enter and commit any type of crime. Though there is no sure fire way to prevent any sort of crime, we feel this acts as a deterrent.

I agree considering the neighborhood that this is a reasonable precaution, and I agree it’s likely to discourage criminals. So why is Heeding God’s Call protesting a gun shop that, at considerable expense, is hiring Act 235 certified security guards, to prevent straw purchasing and other criminal activity that can facilitate guns ending up in the wrong hands. This seems like a responsible shop. Do the anti-gun people want to argue that people who live in crime ridden neighborhoods don’t deserve the same access to personal protection that middle-class people enjoy in the ‘burbs?

It’s tomorrow, but it could be today if you can’t do it tomorrow. The important thing is, you let corporate know.

They are protesting the Shooter’s Shop this weekend. I’m told an NRA alert is going out about it:

Various anti-gun organizations have mounted an offensive to harass legitimate firearms dealers across the Keystone State.

One of these groups, Heeding God’s Call, will be holding a rally tomorrow in front of The Shooter Shop in Philadelphia between 12 noon and 1 p.m.

Please attend a silent vigil of support for legitimate firearm dealers who are under mounting harassment by this anti-gun organization. Show your colors and proudly display your American flag.

The Shooter Shop is located at 2001 E. Allegheny Ave. in Philadelphia (on the corner of E. Allegheny and Emerald Streets).  It is two blocks east of the Allegheny stop on SEPTA’s Market/Frankford el/subway line.

Be advised that Shooter’s Shop is located in a dicey neighborhood. You should have no problem in daylight, and I doubt the local neighborhood folks are going to mess with a bunch of NRA members, but carry your gun with you, do not leave it unattended in a vehicle if you go where someone could break into your car and steal it!