Smith and Wesson are making a blue state compliant version of their .22LR M&P AR-15s. This should be welcome news for those behind enemy lines. Also, in what no doubt will make Bryan Miller weep, Tactilite is making an .50BMG upper for the AR-15. I’ve seen other .50BMG uppers for the AR platform, but this one looks pretty good. It’s bolt action. At $1550 dollars, it’s a cheap way to get into long range .50BMG shooting. If I lived out West, I’d think about it, but we don’t have ranges around here long enough to make a .50BMG anything other than an expensive toy.
Category: Guns
ACLU Supporting a Gun Lawsuit?
Really? I’d have to find out whether it’s the national ACLU or the state chapter. Some of the state chapters are not hostile toward gun rights. If it’s the national ACLU, perhaps they are coming around.
Pro-Gun Bill Enacted in Delaware?
And signed by Jack Markell? A few days after Jerry Brown signs onto Second Amendment incorporation? Did NRA launch a leftist mind control satellite with all that money they are making by scamming people into paying for DVDs they didn’t order? If so, can they turn it on Fast Eddie next?
Army Takes Control of M4 Design
Colt will no longer have an exclusive deal, and other manufacturers will be able to sell firearms to the military. I wonder if this will end up making Colt more interested in the civilian market than it currently is.
More on That Joyce Study
Here’s a quick analysis of something mentioned in that Joyce study that SayUncle linked to.
According to the study, cities with the lowest levels of in-state gun trafficking were Santa Ana, CA; Camden and Newark, NJ; New York, NY; and Boston, MA. Each of these cities was in a state that regulates private sales of handguns, four had strong gun dealer oversight and four had discretionary handgun purchase licensing systems. Cities with the highest levels of in-state gun trafficking were Gary, IN; Tucson, AZ; Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; and Indianapolis, IN. None of these cities had any of the gun sales accountability measures examined in the study.
Funny, because if you look at the average violent crime rate for the cities mentioned that have the least gun trafficking, it’s 1083 per 100,000.  If you look at the cities mentioned that have the most gun trafficking, it’s 884 per 100,000. So it would seem if your city has more gun trafficking, it’s actually safer.
What good are passing these dumb laws if they don’t actually reduce crime?
Article on Gun Rationing Law
Fred “One-Gun-a-Month” Madden seems to be trying to get some cover in the media, and I guess Bryan Miller called in some favors from his buddies at the Inquirer:
Corzine pushed the bill through the Legislature late last month only after agreeing to create a task-force team whose first job will be considering amendments to ensure that collectors, competitive shooters, and recreational gun users “are not adversely affected.”
That could open the door for exceptions.
With the plan stuck one vote short of passage in the Senate, the compromise was needed to win over Sen. Fred Madden (D., Gloucester), who agreed to vote “yes” on the condition that concerns of law-abiding gun users – specifically collectors and competitive shooters – were addressed.
So pass a bad law first, and then go back and fix it later. Always a winning strategy! Then you have Bryan saying the same thing:
“We don’t want to create any problems for the hunters, for competitive shooters, for legitimate collectors. If we can find a way to make it easier for legitimate competitive shooters, great,” Miller said.
How do you define a “legitimate competitive shooter?” or “legitimate collector?” There’s no certificate, you know. Am I a legitimate competitive shooter? How can you tell?
But via SayUncle, we have a new study from the Joyce Foundation. You know what it concluded?
The study found no effect on gun trafficking within the state from laws limiting handgun sales to a maximum of one gun per person per month.
Got that? Even Bryan’s funders can’t find evidence this law does anything. So why do we need it in New Jersey?
NRA Gearing Up to Oppose Sotomayor?
It would seem that is on the table, at least. Take a look at this release from them:
Out of respect for the confirmation process, the NRA has not announced an official position on Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation. However, should her answers regarding the Second Amendment at the upcoming hearings be hostile or evasive, we will have no choice but to oppose her nomination to the Court.
This is going to be interesting, that is for sure. More from the Washington Times here.
What is NRA Doing About It?
The story over on consumerist is up over 13,000 views, meaning 13,000 souls are now being told a story about NRA having unethical fund raising practices. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s over 25,000 by tomorrow. That’s the circulation of major gun rag. On top of that, I have a reader who mentions that this might be a violation of the United States Postal Code:
Furthermore, it is illegal for a company that sends you unordered merchandise to follow the mailing with a bill or dunning communication.
So it seems that this little scheme might be a violation of federal law. The question is, what is NRA going to do to rectify the situation? If any of you out there who have received one of these “dunning communications” and haven’t let NRA know your displeasure, you might want to call. You can find contact information in the back of your membership card.
This is an Unacceptable Fundraising Method
The Consumerist is reporting that NRA trying to raise money by sending people unsolicited DVDs, then trying to convince them that they need to pay for them. I’ve seen other interest groups do this scam as well, but I’ve never seen any go so far as to send follow up e-mails demanding payment, or demanding the DVD be sent back.
This is not in any way an acceptable method of fund raising, and now that they’ve been called out by Consumerist, a very well regarded blog with far more reach than any of the gun blogs, I sincerely hope they will resolve this to the satisfaction of its members in a timely manner.
Bitter tells me she’s talked to someone at NRA about this, and they are looking into it. Every public advocacy group does fund raising, because the money they get from memberships isn’t enough to keep the organization going. A lot of folks complain pretty heavily about NRA’s fundraising, and largely because they aren’t members of other public advocacy groups, they don’t realize it’s typical practice. In fact, a lot of groups are worse — far worse. Join the ACLU and they’ll sell your name to every other leftist cause out there, who will all then beg you regularly for money.
But there are ethical limits on the ways funds should be raised, and this crosses it. Sending an unsolicited DVD out and asking someone to pay for it or send it back is bad enough. Continuing to demand payment is unforgivable. If NRA loses members over this, they will have deserved to lose them. This needs to stop. Now.
Iowa Anti-Gun Group Goes TU
After Joyce cut off funding. There’s no real reason for Iowa to be may issue, but they have the same problem Delaware does, in that if you live in most of the state, even Polk County, which contains Des Moines, you can get a license to carry if you jump through the hoops. There are only a few counties in Iowa that don’t routinely issue, like Johnson County, which contains Iowa City, and Linn County, which contains Cedar Rapids.
But I dont’ get the impression we have much of a ground game going on in Iowa either. It’s one of those weird states for the issue. I think, in large part, Iowans tend to be hunters, rather than shooters, or people who are looking to have a gun for self-defense.
UPDATE: Looks like Linn County issues.   Strangely enough, you can get a license in Des Moines, but if you live in Des Moines County you’re screwed. Des Moines County is over by Illinois.