Shall Not Be Questioned – Page 93 – The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …

Orlando Terrorist Attack Roundup

This is basically splitting two ways, with the right blaming an inept foreign policy and radical islam, and the left blaming American Christians for promoting a culture of hate, blaming guns, and blaming pretty much everyone except the jerk off who did the shooting. If we are vigilant, I believe we can weather this. Here’s some of what’s being said:

“After Orlando, We Must Ask How Our Society Got This Way”

You First, Whoopi: “‘The View’ Talks Orlando; Whoopi Goldberg Tells Second Amendment Supporters to ‘Back Off’” There’s one person who’s responsible for this act, and that guy is dead. American gun owners are sick to death of having this shit pinned on us, and we’re not going to take it anymore.

Kansas City Star: “Gun industry, NRA leaders and Congress have enabled killers in America.” Any time they try to make this about “the gun industry” or “gun lobby” they are marginalizing your voice and marginalizing you.

Hartford Courant: “Ban Assault Weapons Now.” They are doing the same thing they did after Sandy Hook. This will awaken our people in huge numbers and they will get nothing.

President Obama is pushing the gun control issue hard.

“Orlando Shooter Used Same Weapon as Past Mass-Shooters: The AR-15”

“Orlando shooting changes US presidential election” Notice a pattern? They aren’t calling it Orlando Terrorist Attack.

“Obama warned just 11 days ago that an ISIL sympathizer could get a gun in the US”

“Nobody needs an AR-15: The Orlando massacre teaches us (again) that we must ban semi-automatic human killing machines”

“The AR-15: the most popular rifle in the US”

“Trump says assault weapons needed for protection”

“Clinton calls for ban on â€˜weapon of warâ€™ AR-15 assault rifle”

Clinton on Orlando Terror Attack: ‘We Can Not Fall Into The Trap Set By The Gun Lobby’

Christie Todd Whitman: “From what we know now, the shooter had acquired his automatic weapon legally just days before the shooting. Who, besides law enforcement and the military, really needs a fully automatic weapon?Â Â Really.” Please educate yourself, Governor. This was not a fully automatic assault rifle here. This was not a weapon of war. She was elected in part because of Jim Florio’s assault weapon ban, then promptly proceeded to do nothing when she got into office.

Of course she does: “In Wake Of Orlando Shooting, Clinton Suggests Broader Terror Watch Lists” We’ll all be suspected terrorists before too long. And who’s to stop them?

Bob Casey’s New Gun Control Plan

Sen. Bob Casey who ran a campaign to get the support of gun owners changed his tune quite a while ago. He’s on board with the sweeping semi-auto bans, private sale bans, and magazine bans.

Now he wants to make gun owners a felon if they are even suspected of potential crimes – beyond the standard “terror watch list” restriction which could end your right to possess firearms just for having the same name as some person who may not have even visited this country.

Convictions, evidence, and watch list status are no longer required under the plan he announced today. Let someone give your name as a suspect in some crime that happens to include a victim in a protected class, and you lose your Constitutional rights.

“The Hate Crimes Prevention Act would prohibit the purchase, possession or shipment of a firearm by anyone convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime or who received a hate crime sentence enhancement, and prohibit the sale of firearms to anyone reasonably suspected to be guilty of a misdemeanor hate crime. “

(Link via Reason.)

Turning Point: Election 2016

Despite Sebastian’s early read that, as an unambiguously terroristic act, the massacre in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando would not cause the same level of blame as Sandy Hook, my Facebook feed this AM tends to disagree. While that’s a pile of anecdotes rather than data, the blood was still warm when the dance started, and it started with the old classic tune of “This Was The NRA’s Fault,” and the chorus is “AR-15s should be banned and all other firearms strictly restricted, because nothing less will work.” They’re either attacking the BG check system because the shooter was allegedly a wife-beater and mentally unstable and still was able to get a firearm, or ignoring that he passed a BG check in the first place. And pointing out that he was investigated by the FBI for terroristic ties (without mentioning that the investigation was dropped for lack of evidence).

(All are ignoring that he passed separate BG checks to become a licensed armed security guard – a BG check that should have been more in-depth than the NICS check, I would expect. OTOH, I don’t know FL lawÂ and company policy there; perhaps all they do is a NICS-equivalent check. Which seems sloppy).

The result is that the Democratic Party has increased their bet on “gun control is a winner!” By doing so, they’ve put defenders of the Second Amendment on deadly ground. My gut read is that Trump’s chances just got better.

France Not a Developed Country?

Shannon Watts is such a horrible Public Relations person, I’m surprised Bloomberg was impressed with her. Everyone and their mother knows about the shootings in Paris and Belgium, unless they live in caves:

Dear Congress: This isn't happening in any other developed nation. DO YOUR JOB! #PrayForOrlando #MassShooting #Orlando

— Shannon (@shannonrwatts) June 12, 2016

John Richardson points out:

The attack by Muslim terrorists at Le Bataclan in Paris which killed 130 and wounded hundreds more is off of Shannon’s radar because it doesn’t fit her gun control narrative. France, by the way, had very, very strict gun control laws as does Belgium where many of those terrorists obtained their weapons.

Terrorists are going to kill people. It is what they do …

Shannon was beating the drum for terror watch list legislation even before all the facts were in.

Terror Attack in Florida

Last report I saw was more than 50 dead. Being that this is unambiguously a terrorist attack, we’re probably not going to suffer being blamed the same as after Sandy Hook. People view terrorism differently than random attacks. It would appear the shooter was a “known wolf,” and had previously been under FBI investigation. Early on I was wondering why the police took so long to go in. After Columbine, the doctrine stopped being “wait for the SWAT guys to show up.” It appears in this case he may have been wearing a suicide vest or facsimile.

Meanwhile, in LA, “terrorist,” or “careful when you leave America?” Indiana plates with a trunk full of guns and tannerite? Sounds like the latter to me.

We will undoubtedly fall under attack and get the finger pointed at us for this. The media is already doing it. The obvious threat coming is the “terror watch list” bill, because it would be most relevant to this case. Make no mistake, they will attempt to blame us for this and get whatever they think they can get, but “terror watch list” is the obvious line of attack. Remember, the courts don’t think this is a right, and will likely ignore the serious due process issues with denying people fundamental constitutional rights based on being on a secret government list. We’ll have to fight. Don’t depend on the courts to save us here.

Weekly Gun News – Edition 39

Happy Friday! Time to clear the tabs again.

Member of DNC Platform Committee doesn’t think anyone should have a gun.

Clayton Cramer examines “Gunning for America,” which we talked about here. Clayton notes in the paper: “The Gunning of America Builds on Sand.”

Notice how women’s magazines are running all these anti-gun articles? I don’t believe this is a coincidence. It’s got to be someone’s campaign. If this sage advice had been followed.

Civil Rights victory in New Hampshire! They are no longer allowed to deny permits on the basis of not having one from their home state. We happen to know the parties involved in this case. New Hampshire was a good option for New Jersey people to be able to carry in other states, and now it is again!

More evidence that Katie Couric’s documentary “Under the Gun” is just a propaganda piece masquerading as a documentary.

John Lott: “Four ways Hillary Clinton will work to end gun ownership as president”

The Guardian profiles Cody Wilson.

Gun related stocks tank on news that NICS numbers are softening. At some point the gun bubble is going to burst, but if you look at the numbers, this is still the best April on record.

Crime drops when NRA comes to town. Happens every year. You’d think based on what the anti-gun groups say, the city would be rife with shootings over parking spaces and gun accidents.

Dennis Henigan: “Guns Make Killing Easy.” Of course, the flip side to that is they also make it easy to defend yourself. That old saying “God may have created man, but it was Sam Colt that made them equal.”

Boston Globe: “Katie Couricâ€™s editing of â€˜Under the Gunâ€™ seems to have backfired.”

Yeah, it’s a sad truth thatÂ if you watch gun handling at the NRA convention, you’ll start to wonder how accidental shootings are so rare. I’ve always told myself there are probably a lot of non-gun folks who come to ooh and ah. Yes, that sounds comforting.

Hillary Clinton won’t say whether there’s a constitutional right to carry a firearm. Almost certainly she’ll put people on the Supreme Court who will say there isn’t one, if they don’t just overturn Heller outright.

Don’t for a minute let anyone tell you Hillary isn’t flatly against the Second Amendment.

Brian Anse Patrick has a few unkind words to say about ~~“Arming America”~~ “The Gunning of America”

Hot Air: “Remember when Obama lectured Kimberly Corban on firearm safety? Well, her story saved this womanâ€™s life”

The Ivory ban is going through, but it looks like there’s some exception for firearms.

Denying fundamental constitutional rights based on browser history. Obama is a master of “Let me argue against this stereotype of what you believe rather than addressing the real issues.”

Off Topic:

Slaying Daesh: An American Advisor in Iraq.

Not all news from New Jersey is bad

Scott Bach wins one in New Hampshire for out-of-staters.

Guide to the Gun Nut Vacation

I was pleasantly surprised to catch a link on Instagram from Colonial Williamsburg advertising “A CW Guide for Gun Enthusiasts.”

What? A general family vacation spot specifically advertising they would be happy to host people who enjoy the shooting sports? Love it.

If you’re looking for a family vacation spot this year, then maybe check out their entire daily itinerary geared just for gun nuts. It sounds like an enjoyable day. (I’ve never been, so I can’t vouch for it.)

Peruta v. San Diego Loses En Banc

This is probably it for the Second Amendment in the 9th Circuit, at least as far as bearing arms goes. From the decision:

We hold that the Second Amendment does not protect, in any degree, the carrying of concealed firearms by members of the general public. This holding resolves the Second Amendment question presented in this case. It alsoÂ necessarily resolves, adversely to Plaintiffs, their derivative claims of prior restraint, equal protection, privileges and immunities, and due process. In light of our holding, we need not, and do not, answer the question of whether or to what degree the Second Amendment might or might not protect a right of a member of the general public to carry firearms openly in public.

I’m hoping they do not appeal this. Without Scalia, this would, if we are very lucky, split 4-4, which would uphold the lower court ruling.

If Hillary wins this election, there will be no judicially enforceable Second Amendment of any meaning. That’s not hyperbole, it’s what’s going to happen. I also am very skeptical that losing three national elections in a row is going to make a lot of GOP and Dem politicians start whispering among themselves that NRA and the gun vote isn’t such the big deal they think they are.

This was really no time to nominate a clown car campaign to go against Hillary.

“Under the Gun” Director Stephanie Soechtig Admit to Federal Crime

I mentioned a few days agoÂ that Katie Couric and Stephanie Soechtig may not have necessarilyÂ violated the law by sending a resident of Colorado to Arizona to purchase firearms in a private sale, since an element of the crime under 18 U.S.C. Section 922(a)(3) is transporting back to your home state.Â I did not mention 922(a)(5), because I was hoping they’d feel the pressure and open their mouths about what happened to it, possibly admitting to a federal crime in the process. Â I’m happy to report I am not disappointed!Â Soechtig informs us that the firearms in question were turned over to the police in Arizona.

That does not violate 922(a)(3), but it does violate 922(a)(5), which is just as serious as an offense. Section 922(a)(5) makes it unlawful for a non-licensee “to transfer, sell, trade, give, transport, or deliver any firearm to any person …Â who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe does not reside in …Â the State in which the transferor resides” Now there’s an exception if you’re transferring it to a licensee, so Couric and Soechtig had the legal option to have it transferred back to an FFL holder outside of Colorado. But there is no exception for police, who under the state in question are non-licensees. So their Coloradan agent here, and Couric and Soechtig by way of conspiracy, did commit a serious federal felony if the circumstances they have described are correct.

Now, will they be prosecuted for it, or will they get the David Gregory treatment? Almost certainly the latter. But there is a technical violation of the law, and otherwise good people have been sent to federal prison for these kinds of violations. There is no “good intentions” exception to these laws, and people with good intentions are routinely prosecuted. But I doubt those involved with “Under the Gun” will be, and that’s because elites take care of their own. One thing it’s not is justice.