Calling for assault weapons to be banned. Of course, the fact that the SKS was never an assault weapon and was never covered by the ban will never enter into the debate.  Neither will the criminal records of the scumbags who were responsible. The Reading Eagle doesn’t seem ot want to talk about that.
Category: Gun Rights
Pat Murphy Jumps on Gun Banning Bandwagon
He has signed onto HR1022, the McCarthy Gun Ban, which bans a number of common sporting and target rifles, in addition to many common shotguns:
Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, a co-sponsor of a bill to reinstitute the assault weapons ban and son of a former Philadelphia police officer, said the government needs to be “proactive†to quell gun violence.
“While I support the right of gun ownership and I believe in the Second Amendment, I strongly believe that if someone wants to fire an assault rifle they should join the military,†Murphy said.
The congressman’s opponents in this year’s House race, however, said reinstating the assault weapons ban would do little, if anything, to stop gun violence.
Tom Manion, a Republican from Doylestown Township, said the focus should be on stricter law enforcement, not on enacting more gun laws.
“I really don’t think a ban on assault weapons is going to do anything to keep the criminals from getting their hands on guns,†Manion said.
Concealed weapons permit or not, Congressman Murphy, I can promise you that Mr. Manion will be getting my vote this fall, and I will do everything in my power to make sure the 1200 person club I belong to, and my many thousands of readers know why.
The Bill Congressman Murphy has signed on to, does not merely ban “assault weapons” , whatever they are, it bans two of the most common target rifles being sold today, including the AR-15, and many models of the Ruger 10/22. It is so badly worded, that it would, in effect, ban all semi-automatic shotguns, and many common semi-automatic rifles like the M1A, and the M1 Garand. The Ruger Ranch Rifle would also be banned under this bill. It give the attorney general authority to ban any firearm, so long as the attorney general makes a judgement that they are not sufficiently “sporting” guns, by whatever definition the attorney general chooses to use.
This is a bad law for hunters and shooters, and voters in Pennsylvania’s 8th district should be aware their congressman has signed onto it.
Should Doctors Have Guns?
A comment asks for my thoughs on this. I don’t see why Doctors should be different than any other business owner. The primary objection, I would imagine, is that it violates their hippocratic oath to “do no harm.” But to me, that doesn’t require being taken to suicidal conclusions. The “do no harm” directive applies to the practice of medicine, it doesn’t apply to a doctor’s right to defend himself, and the employees and patients in his practice.
To me, it’s a matter of personal choice for the doctors. If a doctor chooses to have a gun in his office, fine by me. If he chooses not to, that’s fine by me too.
Packin’ in Louisville
Normally, NRA conventions are in convention facilities that prohibit firearms, but not this year.
One of Louisville’s biggest conventions, the National Rifle Association, begins Friday May 16th with most events at the fairgrounds. The NRA is advising its members to feel free to bring along their own firearms if they are so inclined. And apparently even to a speech by the republican presidential candidate John McCain.
So McCain called off the Secret Service. He is either a man of great faith in NRA members and lawful gun owners, or a man of great faith in kevlar. But seriously, if McCain is trying to woo gun owners, he’s making all the right moves so far.
UPDATE: Argh! Might be a reporter error. I’m awaiting further clarification.
UPDATE: It was a reporter mess up. You can carry at the convention center, but it’s unknown as to McCain’s security plans. My advice is to expect security at the event.
UPDATE: Dave Hardy advises caution about carrying at the convention.
ATF Reform
Armed and Safe provides a timely reminder in regards to ATF reform. We need to get this passed. If you think the ATF is bad now, wait until you see Obama’s ATF.
Quote of the Day
Speaking of which, shouldn’t the constitutionality of D.C.’s gun ban hinge on the Constitution, as opposed to the suicide rate in Montana? By cautioning against “blind allegiance to the Second Amendment,” the VPC essentially concedes that D.C.-style gun control is unconstitutional, while arguing that it should be upheld anyway.
If they just go by the constitution, they lose.
Democratic Attorney General Candidate
Read this, and see what he thinks about guns:
The Northampton prosecutor said that the state attorney general does not need legislative approval to require Pennsylvania gun owners to report their missing weapons or to mandate gun merchants to inform their customers that they cannot permit their guns’ use by anyone not legally authorized to possess a firearm. He believes a Pennsylvania statute stating the “attorney general may adopt, after public hearing, such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the enforcement and administration of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL)” gives Mr. Corbett the necessary leeway to impose the aforesaid regulations.
This guy is going to be a disaster for gun rights, and it’s very important that he get nowhere near the Attorney Generals office in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is becoming increasingly Democratic, and we don’t stop the tide, we’ll be New York and New Jersey before you know it, and I’ll be a Texan, Tennessean, or Arizonan.
More Gun Control in Pennsylvania
From PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs:
The anti-gun folks are using the Philly police officer killing to push their agenda. Some are trying to say that if Philly had been able to enforce their gun laws, the killing wouldn’t have happened. While our sincere sympathy goes out to the officer’s family, we all know that banning the sale of firearms to law-abiding citizens would not have stopped this career criminal from illegally obtaining a weapon.
They attempted to file amendments to SB 1250, The Marriage Act. Here are some amendments that were filed. I am told SB 1250 has been tabled, but it shows you that these people aren’t going to give up. They aren’t going to stop. They have the media on their side 100%, and they are moving ahead at full steam.
Nutter Can Bite Me
It’s amazing that all the gun control people are willing to use the death of a police officer to score political points. NRA members aren’t the ones shooting police officers, Mr. Mayor.
“I think that they should make an immediate statement acknowledging that there is no legitimate reason for anyone to have such a weapon and should join us in supporting — at least — this kind of reasonable legislation. They don’t have a leg to stand on, and they owe the Liczbinski family an apology for their obstructionist activity in this regard.”
Because there are legitimate reasons. Why does what gun the scumbag used matter? Any gun is dangerous in hands of people who would murder police officers. The problem, Mr. Mayor, is that your city’s justice system isn’t getting these people off the streets. One of these losers escaped from a halfway house. Why was this guy in a halfway house and not the big house? These are the kinds of questions Philadelphia needs to be asking itself.
Meanwhile, while Mayor Squidworth is busy taking pot shots at the NRA, the third suspect is still at large. It seems to me that Nutter’s first priority as mayor ought to be bringing this guy to justice. His public statements and rhetoric should be focused on that. What does it say to criminals to hear a message of “Shoot a cop, I’ll blame the NRA!?” The Mayor’s rhetoric needs to be “You shoot a cop, we’re going to catch you, we’re going to try you, and we’re going to put you on death row.” Is that kind of tough talk too much to ask for from the Mayor?
Small Arms – Threat to Peace and Security
More on the international front, this time by the UN:
“We have all witnessed how these weapons have been used to maim and kill; plunder and rape; instil fear and insecurity; block humanitarian aid; hold communities at ransom; destroy the social fabric of entire countries; and how their excessive accumulation and misuse has hindered stability and development in every way possible,†said Hannelore Hoppe, Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
Representative for Disarmament Affairs? Why are we still paying for this crap, and allowing them to occupy some of the most valuable real estate in the country? The problem is guns can also protect against all these things, and disarmament efforts tend to take guns away form the people who most need them.