Politics – Page 100 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Could Election Fraud Issues Impact Races for Pro-Gun Folks?

When most people think of the voter fraud issue in Pennsylvania, they think of Philadelphia. With turnout running over 100% in some precincts in local-only election primaries, it’s no wonder the city has become the face of election fraud in the Commonwealth. So, outside of statewide races, it’s not something that most people would think impacts races with pro-gun votes since pro-gun candidates don’t run serious, competitive campaigns in Philadelphia.

However, there’s some kind of likely election law violation going on in Berks County which is home to portions of the districts of three pro-gun Congressional incumbents, two of whom are in somewhat competitive races.

An investigation into an unspecified violation of state election law began Thursday at the direction of the Berks County Board of Elections.

They note that the three Commissioners on the board aren’t talking, and the Democrat had to sit out of the vote on whether or not to investigate because of a conflict of interest. The District Attorney says that it’s best to have the outside investigator, and they claim that releasing any information about the investigation whatsoever will jeopardize it.

I have no idea whether the Berks County case is anything that could possibly be influenced by the new law this year over voter ID requirements, but preplanned violations of that new election law by both election officials and voters are have already been announced around the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Christopher L. Broach, a Democratic inspector of elections in the tiny borough of Colwyn, said he would not ask voters to prove who they are on Election Day. …

Though Broach is the only official publicly taking such a stance, Philadelphia’s nonpartisan Committee of Seventy received a call from a Pittsburgh poll worker saying he, too, plans not to demand photo ID from voters he knows. The law has set off defiant talk among voters as well, with a few vowing to vote without the required forms of photo ID.

An echo could be heard in Lower Merion Township. “No, I will not enforce it,” said Joe Breidenstein, 55, a Democratic judge of elections in Ardmore.

Part of Ardmore is in a competitive district for a key pro-Second Amendment vote in Congress. So this isn’t just an urban problem for the typically corruption-plagued city of Philadelphia. Violating election laws is now a planned method of potentially swaying the outcomes of elections in the suburban areas in ways that can cost us valuable seats in Congress.

Adjust Your Tin Foil Hats Accordingly

We’ve got west nile in the county, and that means helicopters flying overhead spraying chemicals to keep a lid on the mosquito population. Or… maybe that’s just what they want you to think! I hear one now. I feel calmer already. I don’t know why everyone is so angry at this Obama guy. Joe Biden is smart.

A Look at Why CU Police Didn’t Act on Theater Murderer

Apparently he would not qualify as “an imminent danger”. Clayton notes, “I suppose if you move from making threats, to loading a gun while making threats, you reach the ‘Imminent Risk’ category.” If the mental health bureaucracy is loaded with utter fail, I don’t see how our opponents expect just adding another layer of bureaucracy to try to patch over the fundamental problem is going to accomplish anything.

Another Problem with Philadelphia Permit Process

The Uniform Firearms Act is pretty clear on this:

The application for a license to carry a firearm shall be uniform throughout this Commonwealth and shall be on a form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police. The form may contain provisions, not exceeding one page, to assure compliance with this section. Issuing authorities shall use only the application form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Except the Philadelphia police illegally require extra forms that are not prescribed by the State Police, notably two reference sheets. In addition, they require fingerprinting, which is not prescribed as part of the process. They require military discharge papers for those who were in the military, which are not part of the prescribed process. They conduct interviews with applicants. They require naturalized citizens to bring their naturalization papers. None of this is in the spirit of “shall be uniform throughout this Commonwealth.”

Either these issues need to be addressed, or Chief of Police’s authority to issue permits should be assigned to the State Police instead.

Philadelphia’s Permit Denials

We have a list of approximately 29 names that were listed yesterday, which provides us a handy means of actually looking to see whether there is just reason for denial of a permit for some of these individuals. I will not reprint full names or addresses here, nor will I link to dockets, but I will go through every name and find their court records, which are online in Pennsylvania. Keep in mind that with common names, confusion is possible, and also that there could be out of state records that we don’t have access to.

Continue reading “Philadelphia’s Permit Denials”

The City of Philadelphia’s Legal Argument

Unfortunately, I think it’s plausible. From the updated post from yesterday:

â€œThe legal department has determined that this is public information. Its publication is legal. An individual who is denied a permit and files an appeal, that person has waived their right to confidentiality. All that said, within the government, there is a concern about the propriety of publishing the information, and so weâ€™re looking at this again. On the one hand, city government wants to be transparent and believes in the concept of open data. Access to information makes for strong citizenry and effective government. But on the other hand, there are public safety concerns with regard to this information.

So the appeals process in Philadelphia is that you first appeal to a board, which will review your case. My understanding is that it is very rare for the board to overturn the determination of the Philadelphia Police. The next step is an appeal in Commonwealth Court, and court records are public information. So the city is suggesting that once the appeal is made, because it goes to a court case which is public record, it no longer becomes private information protected by the Uniform Firearms Act.

This isn’t over, by a long shot. More to come.

Why There is No Negotiation on “Florida Loophole”

As long as the information is public, look at some of these reasons for appeal:

I am pastor of a church; I carry large sums of money to bank at least 2-3 times a week. As a businessman, I was robbed once. I could very well be a target for the automobile I drive and my appearance.

Pastor of a church, real danger to society there.

I answered all questions on the gun permit application truthfully. The previous referred to in the denial letter occurred more than thirty years ago.

Previously denied for a permit 30 years ago when the city was may-issue? This is now a ground for denial? This is illegal.

Â I donâ€™t think it was right for them to take my license. I was the victim. They came into my home and I shot a warning shot.

So someone breaks into your home, you fire a warning shot (admittedly not wise) and that’s ground for a permit revocation?

The reason why my gun was left in my car was due to the fact that my brother asked me to watch my nephew for a few minutes and I was on my way out. My nephew likes to grab on me and hang on me and I was afraid he would grab my weapon. I never leave my weapon in my vehicle and would never do it again.

Leaving a gun in a locked vehicle is grounds for revocation of a license?

I was wrongly accused of being a bartender. I was not arrested or charged with any crime.

So we’re denying based on profession?

There’s an old saying we often tell children: if you can’t play with the toy nicely, you can’t have the toy. The end result of this is going to be the character and reputation clause being removed, since the City of Philadelphia is incapable of not abusing it. Most of these folks have arrests, many of them long long ago. Arrests should not be grounds for denying a fundamental constitutional right. The character and reputation clause is therefore unconstitutional, and should be removed from the Uniform Firearms Act.

Whether the City realizes it or not, they have given actual hard evidence that yes, they are abusing the permit process, and with that hard evidence, we are going to redouble our efforts to stop them from doing it. There can be no negotiation on closing the Florida Loophole until this abuse is taken seriously.

A Violation of Pennsylvania Law by Philadelphia

From the Philly Post:

Last weekend, Philadelphiaâ€™s Department of Licenses and Inspections, an agency not usually known for its transparency and user-friendliness, unveiledÂ a new web appÂ that displays licensing, permit and violation information on a (relatively) easy-to-use interactive map.Â One of the more interesting aspects to this new data transparency is an array of gun permit appeals, essentially aÂ list of Philadelphians who have been denied a gun permit or had their permit revoked and who have appealed to have the decision overturned.

This is completely illegal, and there are penalties. Allow me to point you to the Uniform Firearms Act of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Code. From the UFA:

(i) Confidentiality.–All information provided by the potential purchaser, transferee or applicant, including, but not limited to, the potential purchaser, transferee or applicant’s name or identity, furnished by a potential purchaser or transferee under this section or any applicant for a license to carry a firearm as provided by section 6109 shall be confidential and not subject to public disclosure. In addition to any other sanction or penalty imposed by this chapter, any person, licensed dealer, State or local governmental agency or department that violates this subsection shall be liable in civil damages in the amount of $1,000 per occurrence or three times the actual damages incurred as a result of the violation, whichever is greater, as well as reasonable attorney fees.

If I were one of these people listed, I’d be filing the lawsuit right now. This is unconscionable. The criminals that run that city clearly think they are above the law. I say we ought to show them who can get away with what. I count at least $29,000 dollars worth of violations here, and attorneys fees will probably drive that higher by orders of magnitude. They should be made to pay for this.

A Little 2012 Newsflash

I think there’s a difference between “we’re winning” in the cultural sense and “we’re winning” in the political sense. I don’t think I need to remind people that sometimes something that is highly unpopular and opposed by many people can “win” in the political sense. *cough*Obamacare*cough*

Sebastian already pointed out that we have a Democrat who represents a more suburban/rural part of Pennsylvania running on a platform of gun bans and ammunition control – and he’ll win his race without putting out any serious effort this November!

If my list is up-to-date, we’ll have lost 23 lawmakers in Harrisburg to legislative retirements throughout 2012. Twelve of those are A or A+ rated by NRA. When I went to look up their last opponents to get an idea of what the new races could mean for gun owners, 2/3 of those districts were last challenged by declared or presumed anti-gunners. Folks, that’s an awful lot of pro-gun votes to have at risk.

Think about what a battle it was for us to pass the last Castle Doctrine measure here in Pennsylvania – that fight went across multiple governors. That was simply Castle Doctrine that allows you to defend yourself on your own property, and yet gun owners had to work very had to make that happen. I personally don’t think we can afford to lose any allies in Harrisburg if a simple self-defense bill took so much time and energy.

Culturally, we’re making progress. Politically, we’re still at a very dangerous time for gun rights in many areas.

The Truth About ARs

I’m glad to see outdoor writers clearing the air in regards to AR rifles, and telling the truth about them, including explaining the recent surge in sales. Looks like they interviewed State Rep. Bryan Cutler for this article, speaking of his bill, H.B. 347, which would open the door to legal semi-auto rifle hunting in Pennsylvania:

State Rep. Bryan Cutler, of Peach Bottom, is one hunter and gun enthusiast who joined the AR craze.Â Cutler built his own .223-caliber AR by getting the various parts and creating a custom gun.Â “That’s something I just always wanted to do,” he said.Â Cutler uses his AR for target shooting, and hopes to one day shoot it competitively.Â “I’ve always had an interest in the three-gun competition, so maybe I’ll get into that somewhere down the road when my schedule allows it.”

In a three-gun competition, shooters work through a tactical course, firing a handgun, shotgun and AR rifle at targets.Â Cutler also hopes to someday be allowed to use his AR for hunting varmints and predators in Pennsylvania.Â He’s a co-sponsor of House Bill 347, which would legalize the use of “any semi-automatic rimfire rifle, .22 caliber or less, for the taking of coyotes, foxes or woodchucks,” the bill states.Â The bill is intended to crack the door for using semi-automatic rifles for hunting here.

I’d work hard to keep any politician that was actually interested in three gun and built his own AR. That’s a rare breed in politics. His bill only legalizes semi-auto rimfire in .22 or less, and obviously we’d eventually like to see centerfire semi-automatic rifles hunting legal in Pennsylvania, but baby steps. Read the whole article. It’s pretty refreshing to see something like this in the main stream media.