I remember one of my first votes cast in a gubernatorial election was a vote for Mike Fisher is the GOP Primary because I was angry at Tom Ridge for supporting an Assault Weapons Ban as a Congressman. He backed away from that when he decided he wanted to be governor, but now we see he was never really any friend.
Category: Guns
What Does a Tidal Wave Look Like?
Something like this maybe? This is traffic to my blog.
It has more than doubled since last Friday. I’ve seen people in the comments I haven’t seen in years coming back and commenting. Welcome back. After a good night’s sleep, I no longer feel so gloomy. Let share with you something I keep being reminded of:
As the Army moved into the field on its expedition, it was operating with incorrect assumptions as to the number of Indians it would encounter. The Army’s assumptions were based on inaccurate information provided by the Indian Agents that no more than 800 hostiles were in the area. The Indian Agents based the 800 number on the number of Lakota led by Sitting Bull and other leaders off the reservation in protest of US Government policies. This was a correct estimate until several weeks before the battle, when the “reservation Indians” joined Sitting Bull’s ranks for the summer buffalo hunt. As one historian wrote: “The (US) Army’s strength estimate didn’t change, because the civilian Indian agents on the reservations didn’t tell the Army that large numbers of Indians had left.” Nor did the agents take into account the many thousands of “reservation Indians” who had “unofficially” left the reservation to join their “uncooperative non-reservation cousins led by Sitting Bull”. The latter were those groups who had indicated that they were not going to cooperate with the US Government and live on reservation lands. Thus, Custer unknowingly faced thousands of Indians, in addition to the 800 non-reservation “hostiles”. All Army plans were based on the incorrect numbers. While after the battle, Custer was severely criticized for not having accepted reinforcements and for dividing his forces, it must be understood that he had accepted the same official Government estimates of hostiles in the area which Terry and Gibbon also accepted. Historian James Donovan, states that when Custer asked Gerard his estimate on the opposition, he estimated the force at between 1,500 to 2,500 warriors.
This is not our last stand, it is theirs. If we beat them back now, if we deny them their agenda and keep the lawmakers in line, we will sweep these people from the field. They will, like Custer, have underestimated our numbers and our ferocity. We will dog our lawmakers. They will be sick of hearing from us by the time this is over. Obama’s historical legacy will be a lousy economy, and an ineffective and bumbling second term. It is our time to show the weak and pitiful Republicans how this is done, and how you beat Obama.
Live Blogging the White House Press Conference
The White House has announced that Obama will inform the American people about his policy process for more gun control today in a press conference. Considering the way the announcement is worded, I expect that not only will he back specific demands in legislation for the next Congress, but he will pick which parts of Bloomberg’s plans to implement that don’t require any Congressional input.
I will live blog the press conference when it starts, so look to this post for updates.
LIVE UPDATES:
While we wait on the White House (presumably they are running late since their own feed is just showing a blue screen), we do know that Joe Biden has been assigned the role of White House lead for the gun control efforts.
Okay, we’re watching the major networks get ready to do their openings, and some blonde flip her hair.
Obama: He says we don’t know why Newtown happened, but we know that Americans are killed by guns. It’s not just about mass killings, but we need more gun control. He’s happy to see nameless high profile people change longstanding positions on guns.
The fact that whatever he’s going to propose won’t likely stop violence doesn’t mean we shouldn’t restrict guns anyway.
Biden has a January deadline, and he’s going to take immediate action. Obama says he won’t wait at all, not wait on people to study the policies he’s going to enact.
He tapped Biden because he was a sponsor of the semi-auto ban. He says that a majority of Americans support gun control like gun bans, magazine bans, and ending private sales.
He calls on Congress to act quickly. He blames Congress for not appointing his ATF choices.
Obama says that he “is betting” that gun owners would be the first to say that we should ban semi-auto rifles. (Hint: Make clear to your Congressman that he is betting wrong.)
Obama is now talking about every person shot since Friday.
He focuses on using every power, so that’s likely to mean damn near every one of Bloomberg’s plan, but he hasn’t mentioned it specifically. Time will officially tell if that’s the blueprint he uses, but he’s making clear that he won’t allow time for debate over the proposals.
Obama says that we are obligated to help him pass his agenda. We aren’t courageous if we don’t agree with his plan.
Obama is taking questions before turning it over to Biden. The first question is actually asking him if he has betrayed voters by his actions in fiscal cliff negotiations.
After several minutes, Obama is still on the defense about his position on taxes and spending.
Wow. Second question is also on fiscal cliff & his actions in negotiations.
Third question – fiscal cliff agreement questions on whether he has any trust in Republicans anymore.
Fourth question – back to guns, but basically told that presidential commissions are pointless and ineffective. Obama says that he will reach out to “stakeholders” who he will not name, Biden will round up “cabinet members who are interested,” and come up with suggestions for actions that will be featured in the State of the Union.
The reporter asks about the NRA, and Obama says that mothers and fathers who are members of NRA need to do self-reflection and help him out. He claims that “a thoughtful approach” is needed, that responsible gun owners “may carry out their activities” – activities which he is refusing to define.
The final question is from Jake Tapper who says that Obama hasn’t been around on the gun issue even though he campaigned on it the first time. Obama swears he hasn’t been on vacation, but that this is a wake-up call. Obama says that healthcare is relevant to this debate, and that’s why he spent his time on it.
Of the yelled questions while Obama was leaving, the reporters were asking about Benghazi.
And, with that, the White House feed has turned the camera and mics off so we cannot hear what Joe Biden has to say.
I’m trying to see if other news outlets are carrying his statements. So far, every news outlet website I have surfed to has cut out and isn’t covering Biden, either.
Okay, so I’m hoping that C-SPAN recorded the Biden remarks and will include them with their video archive later on. By the time I thought to check their site, they had cut over to a Benghazi report issue. I don’t know if that’s because they didn’t carry Biden or if his remarks were just short with no questions from the press.
Okay, so Biden left the room with Obama based on C-SPAN’s camera angle. I guess he didn’t speak at all.
Boehner Weak in the Knee
Hardly surprising, because I’ve seen kittens that have more fight in them than Boehner. The Republicans can always be counted on to not be counted on. This is what we reap from making our rights dependent on a single party:
Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) noted the change on Tuesday, telling The Hill that the mood in the conference among “even the strongest gun supporters” is that they “don’t object to having a conversation about it — which is a big shift.”
We have to put the fear of God us into the GOP. Obama didn’t win by a landslide, but the GOP is acting like he did. The Democrats would never make this kind of mistake if they were in our position. As one of Glenn’s readers noted “I am puzzled why the Republicans continue to want John Boehner to remain speaker. He is genuinely not good at his job.â€
Something Else to Think About
In 1994, there was considerable effort to try to make the federal assault weapons ban less impactful, which required a lot of compromises. But because of that we got a sunset provision, and nothing nearly as bad as what California has.
To what extent should we, using the Courts as a backstop, be more unyielding this time? Would we be better off with a more draconian ban under the theory the Courts may more easily reach its unconstitutionality? Personally, I think that’s very risky, because I don’t know if I believe the Courts would throw out such a ban, even one as broad and horrid as California’s. It’s a tough call. I’m not sure the Courts honestly buy us much right now on this issue.
The NRA Statement
This was just posted to the re-published Facebook page:
The NRA is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting. The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.
Amen to that.
UPDATE: And, a very bold announcement about a press conference on Friday.
Mobilization
Thirdpower notes that the local gun show near him broke records. This weekend around here, the Oaks gun show was absolutely swamped. I just hope all these people panic buying are planning to join the fight, because there’s no guarantee you’re going to get to keep what you panic buy if you don’t. Voting with your wallet is part of the picture, but only part.
But we also need to make the Obama Adminstration sorry they decided to fuck with gun owners, and make sure lawmakers and policy makers can’t take a dump without running into some gun owner asking them to vote against more gun control. We have to hold feet to the fire, of Democrats and Republicans alike. So what do we do?
- Know the facts.
- Communicate with lawmakers. Communicate with them now. Communicate with them when we have an actual bill, and keep the pressure on.
- Show up at rallies and protests when asked.
- Give them idea of things to do (Something must be done!) that doesn’t involve more gun control.
- Talk to neighbors, friends co-workers and family. This can often be more productive than shouting at people on the Internet. Use some of the same idea you use with lawmakers.
- Do you belong to a gun club? Get them involved.
- Sign people up for NRA. I know a lot of people don’t like them, but they are who the politicians pay attention to, and a surge in NRA membership would make them pay attention.
I believe our opponents response was planned and coordinated, and they were ready to execute the moment the awful news hit the airways. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure where I would have found professionally made signs late on a Friday ready for noon Monday delivery. I don’t know how so many of the same outlets were right on message. We were told by anti-gun groups in the weeks approaching that change was coming, and that the writing was on the wall for our day in the sun being soon over. That smacks of someone who knows of a brilliant plan, and who were just waiting for a moment to execute.
Our side is not quite so coordinated. We are composed of a great many more people than our opponents have ever given us credit for. We take time to mobilize, but the Powder Alarm has sounded, and we’re seeing signs of it. The petition at the White House is getting close to 40,000Â (it was 18,000 when I posted yesterday about it). The NRA’s plan was radio silence. We did this without them. If Joe Manchin, who is backpedaling a bit, think what they are facing right now is scary, well, sir, I think you ain’t seen nothing yet. Today I’ve been focusing dark clouds on the horizon, and make no mistake, we’re in the fight of our lives. We emerged from the 1994 AWB beaten up, but our strength renewed. If we fight them back now, this will be it for them. They will no longer be able to keep up the narrative of the NRA, and gun voters as a paper tiger. But that depends on what we’re willing to do.
Something To Think About
This didn’t work. So why is passing a federal ban the answer?
State Gun Control Action – Pennsylvania
It’s time to start talking politics because the politicians are talking about more specific bills, even ones that they acknowledge have nothing to do with the Newtown shooting, but they want to pass anyway.
In Pennsylvania, we’ve got the following reports from various politicians calling for more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, both federal and local.
Federal Lawmakers
Sen. Bob Casey – As the media notes, now that Sen. Casey is no longer running for re-election, his office is actually going on the record that he’ll gladly ban guns.
When pressed to clarify Casey’s stance, an aide said everything is on the table, including an assault weapons ban, an about-face from a stance he took after the Aurora, Colo., movie theater massacre in July. At the time, his office said Casey, who was facing re-election, would not support legislation banning assault weapons.
From the same article, we see that Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Charlie Dent are focusing on the mental health concerns.
Rep. Chaka Fattah – Rep. Fattah is going straight for a gun ban federally, but the sources are light on details like whether he will introduce one to compete with the ban promised by Sen. Dianne Feinstein or will simply back her planned bill.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) also got behind the calls to limit assault weapons and clip capacity.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz – As a frequently tossed around name for the Democratic nominee for Governor in just over a year, we find from the same article above that she’s refusing to answer any questions about specific bills she supports, simply summing things up as new gun laws. She also refused further interview on the subject. I would say that her response is pretty much the clear writing on the wall that she’s going to run statewide. Gun owners would be wise to remember that she’s F-rated for a reason.
Rep. Mike Doyle – Rep. Doyle has made clear that he not only supports a ban on semi-automatic rifles, but also seemingly wants to ban every semi-automatic firearm based on his comments bemoaning the lawfulness of handguns.
“I just don‘t understand the civilian use for semiautomatic weapons, or these clips that hold 30 rounds. That‘s not how you hunt deer,†said Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills. Doyle said he supports reinstating a ban on military-style rifles that expired in 2004. … “If this young man went into his mother‘s house and all she had was a six-shooter and a hunting rifle, there would not have been this many dead,†Doyle said.
Rep. Bob Brady – From the same article above, we see that he wants to ban all private transactions of firearms, ban guns, and limit how many guns that law-abiding gun owners who pass all of his other new proposed restrictions can buy.
Rep. Bob Brady, D-Philadelphia, said Congress should go further by requiring more extensive background checks, closing the so-called gun show loophole — which allows people to buy guns at shows without a background check — and restricting gun purchases to one a month.
Guns such as the Bushmaster rifle don‘t “belong in anybody‘s hands unless they‘ve got a uniform on and they‘re fighting for the United States,†Brady said.
From his comments, it sounds like he also wants to ban police departments from using semi-automatic rifles.
State Lawmakers
Rep. Steve Santarsiero – Early out of the gate, Rep. Santarsiero came out calling for a gun ban in Pennsylvania that would ban not only sale, but possession. The proposal would make tens of thousands of law-abiding residents instant felons.
I will be sponsoring a bill in the new legislative session that would outlaw both the purchase and possession of assault weapons such as those used in Connecticut last Friday. I know that similar efforts will be made at the federal level –and I sincerely hope that they are successful — but that fact should not prevent us from moving forward with our own legislation here in Pennsylvania. Moreover, I understand that at least one of the bills being considered at the federal level would only prohibit the purchase of these weapons on a going forward basis. If such a limited bill were to become law, it would leave a considerable loophole that we here in Pennsylvania should and, indeed, must close.
To him, the current lawful possession of firearms is a “loophole” that must be closed.
Rep. Daylin Leach – After admitting that there’s not a cure-all solution to a crime where a madman was willing to kill his own mother in order to obtain guns to commit a greater tragedy, Sen. Leach doesn’t hold back on the two primary gun control bills he has backed for years that have nothing to do with the Connecticut situation.
But he says he thinks of two bills right away when it comes to gun safety – one would limit a person’s gun purchases to one a month… Another bill would require people to report lost or stolen guns to police within two days of finding the gun missing.
Again, the goal is to limit how many firearms a law-abiding gun owner who has already gone through state and national background checks is allowed to purchase. (Sen. Leach did question the right to own semi-automatic firearms to another media outlet, but made no mention of wanting to ban these common rifles.)
Rep. Ron Waters – In the same main article linked above, we find that the House will have another advocate for banning semi-automatic rifles.
Philadelphia’s Ron Waters says he’s proposed banning such guns four or five times, and he’ll introduce the measure again next year.
Cheaper than Dirt Stepping in It
Cheaper than Dirt is getting savaged right now online for suspending online firearms sales. To be fair, it seems that it’s because they don’t warehouse guns, and there are no guns to be had right now, as they are getting bought up as fast as they can be manufactured. Emotions are definitely high all around. If this were a battle, and I was an opposing general, the panic appearing on my opponent’s lines would only encourage me to attack more ferociously. I’m OK with lining up true traitors in front of the firing squad, but right now, the enemy is that way folks!