Nancy Robinson in the News Again

It’s relatively easy to keep up on the activities of anti-gun bloggers, since there are so few of them.  Remember Nancy Robinson?  Who showed up at Yearly Kos whining that lefty bloggers wouldn’t pay attention to her pet issue?  She did start a web site Where Did the Gun Come From, but it looks like it doesn’t get updated much.

She’s back in the news in Boston:

“That created a sense of urgency,” said Nancy Robinson, a Newton resident with a teenage son who will serve as the coalition’s executive director. “We needed to move ahead.”

In 1990, the year Citizens for Safety was first formed, Boston had 152 homicides, the highest number on record. The group helped create after-school programs and jobs for city teenagers. They focused on compelling gang members to get together for basketball matches. They were among several grass-roots organizations whose work with police helped lead to the so-called “Boston Miracle.”

Color me skeptical that basketball can solve violent crime, but I’ll give kudos for the effort here.   I will take issue with this, however:

Robinson said she wants the group to have a national effect and be able to pressure federal authorities to enforce gun laws and urge legislators to pass new laws that would force stricter background checks on gun purchasers.

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who are expected to attend the announcement, said they welcome the group’s return.

“We have a new start and new emergency and renewed commitment,” Menino said.

The group’s goals do not please everyone. Andrew Arulanandam, spokesman for the National Rifle Association, said new gun laws would not be effective.

“The reason that gun control laws don’t work is that they require the cooperation of a very unlikely source, and that is the criminal,” he said. “A criminal intent on committing a robbery or assault or whatever is not hindered by that law. He will do whatever, she will do whatever to get a gun.”

Nancy Robinson’s problem is that from the early 90s until now, background checks have been instituted nationally, and Massachusetts has passed numerous gun laws.  Why did crime go down in the 90s, but it is going up now, when gun laws nationall have not substantively changed, and gun laws in Massachusetts have just gotten more strict?  Maybe it was the basketball.

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Chris Carney Joins Second Amendment Caucus

It would appear folks in the tenth congressional district have elected my kind of Democrat:

“As an avid sportsman, I value the time I spend taking my own children hunting. As a Member of Congress, I know that we must fight to preserve the Constitutional right for individual citizens to keep and bear arms. Hunting and shooting sports are valued traditions in Pennsylvania, and I will always fight to protect the Constitutional right to bear arms,” said Congressman Carney.

The Second Amendment Caucus is opposed to the banning of firearms, their accessories, their manufacture and their importation, and recognizes the right of lawful citizens to carry a weapon both at home and while traveling the nation.

“I have been vigilant to the assaults hurled upon the Second Amendment during my time in office and I joined the caucus to continue the fight,” continued Carney. “The Constitution is clear on this—Americans have the right to bear arms, and I will fight to protect it.”

Good.  Via SayUncle 

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Nebraska’s “Lost & Stolen” Bill

It’s been introduced by Senator Brad Ashford:

Senator Brad Ashford of Omaha says his proposed bill would have caused 19-year-old Robert Hawkins to be reported before the rampage.  Others disagree.

The bill would require gun dealers to include trigger locks on every sale, mandate that stolen guns be reported within 48 hours and trace how youths get firearms.

Because parents who are careless enough to allow their firearm to fall into the hands of their mentally disturbed, convicted felon son are, of course, going to dutifully report it to the police as the law says.

This law wouldn’t have prevented anything, except give the police something to charge the father with.

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How Deep Does the Rot Run?

This is certainly interesting:

When Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama for his ties to a Chicago real estate developer who is facing trial on federal corruption charges, the spotlight revealed far-ranging political connections, including one with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a strong Clinton backer.

Antoin “Tony” Rezko gave $15,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2000, when Rendell was chairman. Although there is no known direct contribution to Rendell from Rezko, Rendell received a $1,000 campaign contribution in 2005 from Ali D. Ata, a former Illinois official and co-defendant in the case against Rezko.

I think it’s a generally good policy for politicians not to take money from anyone connected with Chicago politics.  That city oozes more than any other in the country, with the possible exception of New Orleans.

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Gun Show Promoter Backs McCain

It’s looking like McCain is trying to woo some of the gun vote back, and has landed Florida gun show promoter Victor Bean’s endorsement:

Senator McCain will sign on to a national right-to-carry bill if Congress brings it to his desk. As far as he is concerned, the gun show loophole is a moot point, and he will appoint judges who follow the Constitution.

Perhaps it’s because I’m not a Floridian, but this is the first I’ve heard of Victor Bean.  I do have to wonder what makes McCain think the gun show issue is now a “moot point”?

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PSH From Omaha

This article is filled with so many problems, it would take me all night to fisk it:

The assault guns could be gaining popularity because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to find, Fidone said.

AK-47s are priced online for as low as $400. Other types of rifles cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars more.

That’s just one example of some of the blatant ignorance you’ll find in this poorly researched farce. It’s it funny, though, how all these articles seem to all follow the exact same pattern? Curious indeed.

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A Tale of Two Reactions

Paul Helmke’s reaction to the DOJ brief was apparently different from Dennis Henigan’s.  With Bush establishing a middle ground a lot closer to where the Brady Campaign would like it to be, it makes it easier for Henigan to move the ball closer to Brady’s goal.

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Liveblogging the State of the Union

9:05 – Blah blah blah. Lots of greeting. On HDTV you get to see exactly how old some of our elected leaders really are.

9:07 – Obama and Kennedy are sitting with each other. I guess they are best buddies now. Just don’t let Ted drive home.

9:11 – Off the bat with a message of unity. Democrats and Republicans working together. I prefer when they bicker personally.

9:12 – Now it’s the economy, stupid. Bush is touting the agreement reached on the stimulus plan which will accomplish exactly nothing in terms of helping the economy.

9:14 – Lower taxes, I like lower taxes.

9:16 – Bush talks a tough talk on spending and earmarks. If he had done that two years ago maybe Republicans would still have their majority.

9:19 – Bush wants to make private health coverage deductible. I think this is a good idea to put private coverage on par with employer group coverage. The Democrats don’t seem to stand up and applause for choice and freedom from government control of health care. Kind of tells you how they think doesn’t it?

9:20 – Blah blah blah…. Education. What ever happened to abolishing the Department of Education, back when Republicans were cool? Last I checked my copy of the constitution, it doesn’t grant power to Congress to regulate education.

9:23 – We do need to pass free trade agreements. That should get more applause than it did. I worry free trade is going out of style.

9:25 – Apparently Bush’s copy of the constitution has something about the federal government being responsible for people’s jobs in it. I must have a copy that’s missing some things.

9:26 – Energy policy is probably the biggest snake oil selling going on these days. Clean coal and nuclear are at least real energy sources. Notably absent is ethanol and hydrogen. Good.

9:28 – I should note that I was never a fan of the Republican stem cell research provision, but I think it’s odd that the Democrats didn’t stand and applause for advancement of research that makes adult stem cells possible to use. Seems to me that’s a good thing no matter what you think about the issue.

9:30 – Confirm judges. I agree.

9:32 – Now it’s time for entitlements and immigration. I agree with Bush on entitlements. Bush touts his guest worker program again, which I support, provided we don’t offer amnesty for people who are already here unlawfully. Bush implied he was still on board with amnesty. This is a political mistake.

9:35 – Now it’s time for talking about terrorist killing. It doesn’t seem to get the applause it used to, sadly.

9:39 – Onto Iraq. The Surge. Our soldiers are doing great work. Yay! The surge is working. Democrats silent. Republicans applause.

9:45 – When it comes to supporting soldiers, Democrats seem to applause vigorously. When it comes to specifics on supporting their mission, silence.

9:47 – Everyone likes troops coming home. Democrats don’t like having basing withdraw on the recommendations of commanders and progress on the mission.

9:51 – Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. I’ll believe it when I see it.

9:53 – Bush send a warning to Iran. I’d prefer to send missiles, but this is why I’m not president.

9:55 – The Democrats don’t like warrantless surveillance. I don’t either.

9:57 – America apparently is number one in fighting famine, which is why we are busy driving food prices through the roof by turning food into motor fuel. The best anti-hunger initiative the US could undertake would be to end agricultural subsidies and stop using corn ethanol for fuel. But you won’t hear anyone suggest that.

10:01 – Lots of flowery language about “We the People”, and The Union being strong. Bush is actually pretty good on his delivery tonight.

All in all, a pretty boring and uneventful state of the union. Looks like I picked the wrong week to not drunk blog this, it would have made it a lot less dry.

UPDATE: E-gads!  Sibelius is awful.  If she’s a “rising star,” as the Fox pundits said, maybe I should be more optimistic about the future of the Republican Party.  She sounds and looks like she’s been lobotomized.

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