I’m glad to see Dustin take this idiot to task. It’s amazing how quickly journalists, who have probably never fired a gun or shot competitively in their lives, suddenly become experts in how many rounds I do or don’t need when it suits their prejudices.
Category: Guns
Parking Lot Bill in Georgia Fast Tracked
NRA has apparently gotten the Parking Lot bill fast tracked in the Georgia Legislature, but Governor Perdue is apparently chickening out and siding with the Chamber of Commerce on this one.
UPDATE: Yeah, yeah, I had to make the chicken joke.
Holmesburg Update
It looks like Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association, which has been under threat of being expelled from the land it leases from the city for it’s club grounds, is still working on securing a lease:
Yes, we’re still here. Yes, we’re still in business. No, it’s not yet a done deal. HF&GPA has four main priorities right now. They are to lobby the Fairmount Park Commission (FPC) for a lease, to get member dues for ’08 in, to recruit new members and to complete the work on club ground that was postponed because of the threatened closing.
The club officers and negotiating committee will take care of approaching the FPC about securing a lease, but if you have any contacts with the FPC we’d be most interested in hearing about them and would be very appreciative for your help. This effort will be ramping up now that the holiday recess is over.
The way most members can help is by sending in your $100 dues for ’08 as soon as you can. An FAQ I can address here is- if the club should have to close (Arrrrg! Not if we have anything to do with it!) your dues would be pro-rated and the unused portion reimbursed. An alternative for you would be to pay $50 towards your ’08 dues now and the other $50 in May, but the club would prefer you send the full dues if possible.
We’re now more optimistic about HF&GPA being around for years to come than at anytime since August 1st 2007 – a date that will live in infamy. But, all of the bad press and political maneuvering has taken its toll. We have lost members and need to replace them if we’re to maintain a fiscally sound and vital association. Do what you can to help bring in new members and you’ll also be helping to insure the longevity of the HF&GPA.
That’s good news. I’m glad things are looking up for them. I know our club has taken in some Holmesburg people, but I hope they will stay members and continue the fight.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, please don’t forget to thank Philadelphia City Council (and especially Joan Krajewski and her office) for supporting our bid to stay where we are. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that Council unanimously supported us in several votes. They also represented us in our negotiations with the other agencies. Without Council’s help and guidance, we’d be selling club assets out of cardboard boxes by now. Please make a point of expressing your gratitude and urging that the FPC afford us a lease. Thank you all for supporting your club leadership through these trying times. Brighter days are ahead if we stay the course if we continue in our roles as responsible and hospitable sportsmen and women.
I’m glad the city is burying their normal gun hating political rhetoric and doing the right thing here. There was nothing to be gained from the city kicking honest sportsmen and women off their facilities.
Workplace Violence Prevention
Everyone should go through this site, of the National Institute For The Prevention Of Workplace Violence. If you want to understand why it’s hazardous to speak about our participation in the shooting sports, our collecting or various other shooting related activities in the workplace, these set of Human Resources worms are a big part of it. Look at early warning signs. Also the section on gun violence.
Apologizes to Human Resources professionals who might be among my readers who are not corporate stooges, but I’ve met precious few HR folks who have a philosophy of HR that is truly beneficial to the employee, rather than focused entirely on preventing the company from being sued.
If I operated this blog under my real name, it would be a virtual guarantee I’d have a very difficult time finding employment. What about people who show up on background checks, an activity companies are doing increasingly for new hires, as having a concealed weapons license? It’s not just the politicians we have to stand up to, it’s the corporate weasels who promote this kind of stereotyping that must be stood up to as well.
Nifty
VCDL has a legislative tracker for state matters that looks pretty good!  They are going to need a useful tool like this in Virginia, because 2008 is going to be a rough year for gun owners there.
“There is no reason for law-abiding gun owners to oppose a background check,” Kaine (D) said. “Now more than ever in the aftermath of April 16th, Virginians understand that this is a public safety issue.”
Yeah, except for the fact that we already banned private sales of handguns in Pennsylvania, and it’s been so effective at fighting crime, that Philadelphia is screaming for one-gun-a-month. Wait a minute…
- One-gun-a-month has been oh so effective in Virginia that now we need to agree to end private sales.
- The ban on private sales has been oh so effective in Pennsylvania that now we must agree to one-gun-a-month restrictions.
Just making sure I get that straight.
But I Still Love Him!
I noticed that we have not heard any statements distancing the Administration from certain statements in the brief of Bush’s solicitor general. Therefore I must conclude that Bush supports these statements, which basically outright state that we can’t have a second amendment that puts any federal gun laws in jeopardy, nor can we have any interpretation of the second amendment which might jeopardize certain other laws should they be reauthorized, nor can we think about jeapoarding possible future bans on certain firearms.
NRA’s weak statement on this matter can be easily explained with this metaphor:
Gun owners are the abused spouses of the Republican Coalition. Yeah, he beats us, but where are we going to go?  And don’t we still love him?
Republicans should know this: it’s not like Americans love you guys. Far from it. Gun owners were a key part of starting the Republican Revolution in 1994, and were credited with defeating both Gore and Kerry in 2000 and 2004 respectively. Even the Democrats in 2006 relying on pro-gun blue dogs to seize power.
Learn this Republicans: We stay home, or start taking a closer look at those blue dogs, and you lose. Keep us happy, or we will decide we’re sick of this abusive relationship and will stop pretending and stay home, or go find another lover to court us.
We Have Some Bad Apples on Our Side
Sandy Abrams got 5 years for firearms trafficking.  The big difference between the anti-gun folks and us, is we’ll air our dirty laundry, where they prefer to sweep it under the rug:
In the Parkville case this year, Baltimore County police charged Abrams, saying in court papers that the sale was illegal because customer Keith J. Showalter had a criminal record that prevented him from owning a gun legally and because such gun sales are supposed to be reported to the Maryland State Police.
Police responding to a call from Showalter’s estranged girlfriend on Feb. 18, 2007, fatally shot him after he refused to surrender and fired seven rounds from a military-style rifle at the officers, according to police.
As part of their investigation, police say they also found an illegal machine gun in Abrams’ custody during a search of his property.
The Brady Campaign will no doubt be savoring this.
Shooting on Federal Lands
NRA has a survey up asking for input from people who shoot on federal lands. Pennsylvania has little in the way of federal land that’s not under jurisdiction of the National Park Service, except for Allegheny National Forest out west. But I figure my western Pennsylvania and readers from The West might want to have some input.
History of Strict Scrutiny
Clayton Cramer goes into some detail. Give it a read.
I Want!
Ahab has a link to the civilianized version of the KRISS Super V complete with pictures. I’m not big on pistol carbines, but this is one I really want to try because of its unique features. I’d even be willing to go the NFA route for one that’s got a short barrel and suppressor on it.