Fox News (as has been documented on a gun blog somewhere, but I lost where I got this from, so I owe someone a hat tip) is noting that Democrats are hoping for a big NRA boost this year. If you want to know why even Chucky Shumer isn’t contesting the NRA exemption, this is why. The article notes that during 2002, NRA only spent 8% of its federal campaign contributions on Democrats. this year it’s 26%.
Category: Politics
DISCLOSE Running Into Trouble
Schumer is having a hard time coming up with the votes. That doesn’t mean he won’t eventually, but if the GOP holds together they might be able to stop this.
Road Side Cameras
Governor Ed wants to use road side cameras in order to catch Insurance scofflaws. They’ll apparently read the license plate number and cross reference with insurance records. Anyone not having insurance gets a fine. Rendell bills it as a revenue generating measure.
I’m glad some people are fighting this. I’m against using fines as a revenue tool, especially when it involves putting cameras in public places.
Public Shooting Range Scenario
We’ve been discussing what appears to be a slight trend toward robberies, including one murder, happening at Pennsylvania Game Commission public ranges. There’s a few things about the latest case involving a murder motivated by robbery that I think are interesting to ponder. Here’s what I would think:
- The guy was shot from a distance, meaning he probably didn’t see it coming. My feeling is that it’s next to impossible to defend against someone willing to kill you for your gun — or rather someone who has made a conscious decision he will murder to get it.
- The guy probably met his killer, who would have needed to get close to get a look at the gun. I can’t imagine if you were going to commit murder to get a gun you wouldn’t want to make sure it was worth enough to justify the risk. I know criminals think differently than normal people, but most of them still understand risk and reward. I would also wager the murderer knows something about guns.
- It’s going to be very difficult, unfortunately, for the police to track down this bozo. There’s unlikely to be any witnesses. Their best bet is if he tries to fence the rifle, which I would imagine he would, because the motivation would presumably be money. The rifle is unusual enough that it’s going to be hard for him to fence discretely.
- The buddy system seems dubious in value if this guy is shooting from a distance as a sniper. Your buddy is unlikely to notice where the shot comes from, and will probably end up just as dead as you if he doesn’t act quickly, and his actions are unlikely to help you. If this murderer is posing as another shooter, a buddy would likely be a significant deterrent, since the shooter would pretty immediately be under fire from your buddy after shooting you (notice you still probably get shot)
- I’m unsure about whether he’d have been shooting as a sniper from concealment. It would seem easier to show up at the range with a gun as a shooter, and wait for the guy to go downrange. Reason being you can get a look at the gun, and keep a good eye on your victim. Downside is if someone else shows up, there’s a witness who saw you.
- I believe if this guy gets away with it, he will do it again. You have to be pretty twisted to do something like this. The money will be good, and this bozo obviously has no regard for someone’s life at all. Hopefully the unusual nature of the weapon will get him caught when he fences it.
All in all this is a very scary situation, because I can’t see an easy way to defend against it. You can carry to the range, but I’m not sure that’s going to help you. Certainly can’t hurt, but this robber/murderer has a pretty scary MO. I would imagine the only way to defend against it would be to have police constantly watching and patrolling around the range. Maybe this is one of those cases where having body armor and a trauma plate would be a significant advantage! Perhaps the Mall Ninjas are smarter than we thought!
Another PA Range Robbery Previously
This one was a few weeks ago, but the guy was robbed at gunpoint, also for his AR-15. I doubt these are connected, but any time I go to the range I’m carrying. Guns are valuable. I wouldn’t have 1000 dollars in cash on me unarmed, and that’s basically what you’re toting when you’re transporting firearms.
Update on Public Range Killing
It’s pretty certain at this point it was a robbery. The autopsy has determined he was killed from a distance. So someone out there is shooting people on public ranges to steal their guns. Authorities are looking for the following firearm:
Police are still looking for the shooter. Meantime they’re asking firearms dealers to check their inventory to see if they may have a custom built AR-15 type semi-automatic rifle with a Lewis Machine Company model Defender 2000 lower receiver equipped with a 30 HRT upper receiver and a Yankee Hill Machine Company Phantom model 308 caliber silencer.
Nice rifle, but killing someone for it? That person needs to be found. If you go to a PA public range, go with a spotter buddy. This guy who did this is dangerous as hell, and it would be a shame for the state to have to waste taxpayer dollars on him. Let’s hope this is an isolated incident.
Public Shooting Range Incident
Funny, I was just talking about this topic, but a person was found dead at one of the PA Game Commission public ranges in Cumberland County. Of course, there’s a great irony in this:
The man killed at a Cumberland County gun range Wednesday was a personal injury lawyer.
At first I thought it was one of the Cletii that Tam mentioned probably did him, and decided fleeing was the wise, if not ethical move. But other stories are calling it a homicide, since it’s unlikely he was shot accidentally multiple times. My guess would be robbery was the motive, since it would seem guns were missing. From yet another article:
Freed also said there was another crime on this rifle range earlier this month when a gun was stolen.
“Anybody who is going out to a gun range needs to take extra care cause we at least know that there’s somebody out there who was willing to steal a gun, and apparently somebody out there who was willing to shoot somebody today,” Freed said.
“Whether those acts are related, i can’t say, but it certainly is reason to take extra care,” he added.
It’s quite possible someone who has no regard for human life figures there’s not much risk on shooting a lone person out in the middle of nowhere to steal his firearms. Not much of a chance of getting caught. Be careful out there.
Why the Dems are Losing
Chris Byrne points out it’s because they seem to think the population is angry at them for not trying hard enough to get things done, rather than the fact that they are bankrupting the country, and misappropriating our tax dollars.
Corbett Sympathetic to Free Market Wine and Liquor
Saying selling off the state liquor monopoly must be on the table has endeared us to Tom Corbett on one other issue. Bitter outlines some of the reasons why on price, noting that Hawaii’s generally expensive nature doesn’t translate to liquor prices due to their free market system. She also notes that people that have tried the PALCB’s ridiculous wine kiosk system won’t be trying it again. It’s a system only a bureaucrat would love.
Pennsylvanians are tired of having to go out of state to find a reasonable wine and liquor selection. The time to privatize the state liquor monopoly is now. Corbett isn’t the first gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania to promise it, but hopefully he can be the first to deliver.
They Don’t Even Believe in the First
I guess it’s difficult to get left wing journalists to believe in the Second Amendment, when they don’t even seem to believe in the First. There’s something rotten in Denmark.