Category: Guns
Gun Nutty Pittsburgh
Allegheny County, which is home to Pittsburgh, issues more licenses to carry than any other county in the state:
About one in 20 people in Allegheny County has a permit to carry a concealed firearm, state police records show. With 60,000 licensed gun owners, the county has more than any county in the state. Statewide, more than 800,000 people can carry a concealed weapon.
That figure for the whole state is a lot higher than previously reported. Could be wrong, or it could be we’ve had an increase in the number of people seeking licenses.
M14 Petition
Blackfork points to a petition to reverse current practice of destroying surplus M14, and allow them to be sold through the CMP after being converted to semi-auto firearms. This would fly in the face of ATF’s “once a machine gun, always a machine gun” rule, but an Act of Congress could easily fix this. Somehow I doubt this will be high on Nancy Pelosi’s list of things to work on in the next Congress.
New Orleans Injunction
GunPundit pointed out a great post over the weekend describing why getting a permanent injunction against New Orleans unlawfully confiscating firearms really was a substantive victory, rather than just a symbolic one.
Book Bomb A Success
Just got an e-mail from The Independent Institute, where Steven Halbrook is a research fellow, on the success of the Second Amendment Book Bomb so far:
As an update, our book THE FOUNDERS’ SECOND AMENDMENT: Origins of the Rights to Bear Arms, by Independent Institute Research Fellow Stephen P. Halbrook, has skyrocketed to the following rankings at Amazon.com:
#1: Law
#1: Civil Rights and Liberties
#1: Constitutions
#1: Constitutional Law
#1: Revolutionary and Founding History
#12: History
#11: Professional and Technical
#26: Nonfiction (all)The book has soared to an overall ranking of #140 at Amazon.com and #105 at Barnes&Noble.com. (With the enormous response, Amazon.com temporarily sold out of the book and is now being restocked.)
By any measure this is a pretty stunning success for a special interest, academically oriented book. If we keep buying, and encouraging other people to buy, this book could rocket even higher. I am pleased so far. I was worried that we Internet warriors have become much better at tearing other people down, than building people up. This shows that we can do both, which encourages me.
More on One-Gun-a-Month
NRA reports that the New Jersey one-gun-a-month bill was indeed pulled from a floor vote. It will remain a pending bill in the legislature for the next thirteen months remaining in the term, and could have a floor vote at any time. But NRA does mention:
While this legislation will remain in a position to be posted for a vote by the full Senate for the rest of the 13 months remaining in the term, this development can only indicate a softening of support for this dangerous bill. Overwhelming effort on the part of the grassroots networks of a variety of gun rights groups in New Jersey must be credited with this apparent reversal of fortune for the anti-gun crowd.
There are people who deserve credit for this. Scott Bach, who is an NRA Board Member and President of the Association of New Jersey Rifle Pistol Clubs, Andrew Jennison, who is the NRA state liaison for New Jersey, and probably more than a few other people who I’m overlooking. But really, none of these people are scary to politicians without grass roots who are involved and engaged.
This is a minor, and possibly short lived victory, but it wasn’t too long ago the anti-gun forces in New Jersey could steamroll us whenever they wanted to. That might be changing, but we must keep up the fight.
New Jersey Sportsmen Get Representation in Trenton
It looks like a few lawmakers have decided it’s still okay to publicly support hunters in Trenton.
New Jersey’s nearly 1,000,000 anglers, hunters and trappers are claiming a historic day. They are referring to the creation and first official meeting of the New Jersey Angling and Hunting Conservation Caucus (NJAHCC), a bipartisan assembly of political leaders and recreational outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to advancing the state’s conservation interests.
The NJAHCC was initiated and organized by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney (Democratic Majority Leader) at the suggestion, and with the cooperation, of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance. The Caucus is comprised of a total of 26 senators and assemblypersons.
Hopefully these lawmakers will also vote the right way on gun issues. I haven’t looked up their grades or voting records yet. If they aren’t gun-friendly yet, this is one way gun owners can approach them.
Unfortunately, gun owners in New Jersey have a long way to go because 26 lawmakers in both chambers isn’t very many when there are 120 legislators in total.
Pittsburgh’s Illegal Gun Law to go into Effect Soon
It looks like it will be your Christmas gift, Pittsburgh residents.
A controversial gun-control law passed by Pittsburgh City Council will take effect within 10 days without Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s signature.
Whether it will be enforced remains to be seen.
The law, which many believe violates the state Constitution, requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen gun within 24 hours of noticing it’s gone. The measure is designed to stop the flow of guns into the streets through straw purchasers — people with clean records who buy guns to sell to criminals.
Pittsburgh: Where the Constitution is optional.
On Stopping Power
Lawdog has a pretty good post on the matter. The short of it is, stopping power is being able to hit your target.
Hat Tip to Kevin
New Jersey One-Gun-A-Month Vote
The vote did not happen today in the Senate. At this point, that’s all the information I have about it.