May 2010 – Page 10 – Shall Not Be Questioned

On The Road to Charlotte

We’re hurling down the Pennsylvania Turnpike, on our way to Charlotte. Been on the road since 5AM at this point. There some pretty good media coverage of the NRA Annual Meeting today in the media. First, Josh Sugarmann notes that NRA is getting in good with the Teabaggers and Militia whakos in Charlotte:

Palinâ€™s appearance is only the most public example of growing links between the NRA and the Tea Party movement. The recently released Violence Policy Center (VPC) studyÂ Lessons Unlearned: The Gun Lobby and the Siren Song of Anti-Government Rhetoric details NRA marketing to Tea Party supporters and reveals links in nine states between NRA State Election Volunteer Coordinators, the Tea Party movement, and other factions of the “Patriot movement.” The study also offers examples of how the NRA is once again embracing and validating anti-government rhetoric.

What a sad, rage filled man Josh is these days. WBTV Charlotte notes that the convention will be the largest in the state’s history, and says, “The entire event is expected to pump $20 million into the local economy.Â Love it or hate it, the NRA is going to have a very large, very positive effect on businesses here.”

Huluq notes that there will be 400 vendors with their wares on display, and that “80 percent of those in attendance will be male.” I am happy to report that 33.3% of this car is female, so we’re helping balance that a little bit at least. The Charlotte Observer notes what the other side will be doing during the convention, and sadly it doesn’t seem like they will be protesting us.

“We don’t protest the right to own guns and gunowners,” [North Carolinians Against Gun Violence] said. “We work with them. This is simply another option for people who want to prevent gun violence.”

A shame, because we need someone to snicker at.

iPad Blogging

Since we’re leaving for Charlotte do early, Dan from PAFOA is staying with us here for the night, and he brought his iPad. I’m doing this post from it to try out how I like the keyboard and interface. First impressions is that the iPad is fast, much faster tine the iPhone, and the interface is fantastic. The display is really nice, and I’m finding it much easier to use for blogging than an iPhone. Not sure still if I really have a need for one, but it’s definitely a solid product.

SWAT Raid Quote of the Day

Megan McArdle posted about a SWAT raid, and included video. Go watch. She leaves us with:

I don’t know how anyone can watch that video, and think to themselves, “Yes, this is definitely worth it to rid the world of the scourge of excess pizza consumption and dopey, giggly conversations about cartoons.”Â Short of multiple homicide, I’m having trouble coming up withÂ anything that justifies that kind of police action.Â And you know, I doubt the police could either.Â But they weren’t busy trying to figure out if they were maximizing the welfare of their larger society. They were, in that most terrifying of phrases, just doing their jobs.

And in the end, that is our shame, not theirs.

It actually looks like a fairly professionally executed warrant. Shooting the family dog is often SOP for these kinds of operations. Just better hope they don’t serve the wrong house, or the warrant isn’t based on flimsy evidence.

Pocono Record Fast Becoming Most Loathed Paper

Maybe it’s all the people moving there from New Jersey and New York, but the Pocono Record is fast becoming the most biased paper, with absolutely the worst reporting on guns of any paper in the state. They might as well work out of New York City for as awful as their attitude is towards the shooting sports and gun owners in general.

Take a look at this story about the State Game Commission opening a new range and closing an old one, which the Record turns into a story about terrorists training to use guns.

Making that Front Sight Sharp

This kind of technology could be really beneficial to competitive shooters. It helps focus the front sight without blurring the target. Some would probably argue it’s cheating.

We’re Winning: Campus Carry

The number of campuses that allow carry has doubled since Students for Concealed Carry on Campus got their activism on, and won a major victory in the Colorado courts. It’s really great work on the part of that organization. The Brady folks can claim all they want about how they are winning on this issue, but I think Daniel Crocker has found a great way to look at our progress.

Some Progress in New York

There’s a number of gun control bills in the New York Assembly that aren’t moving, as Jacob mentions, “In the past 18-19 years Iâ€™ve been following gun legislation I cannot recall ever seeing an antigun bill that was put on the Assembly Codes agenda fail to be moved out of Codes at that time.”

Gun control bills that never go anywhere are par for the course in most states, but we’ll take any signs of progress in New York as a positive development.

Do You Agree with NRA?

The Charlotte Observer is conducting a poll ahead of the NRA Annual Meeting. Obviously this is a scientifically rigorous poll, which it would be just terrible if all of you went and voted “Yes.” The Observer also notes that 70,000 people are expected for the meeting. So much for people being pissed about the venue.

We leave for Charlotte at 5AM tomorrow morning. It’s a ten hour drive from Philadelphia. Dan from PAFOA will be going down with us. We have to be there by 5:30PM for our first event. For those who might be going, we’re trying to organize a Foursquare Swarm at the Annual Meeting, so that NRA and the City of Â Charlotte get its first swarm badge. I guess this means I need to sign up for Foursquare.

A New Book from Michael Bellesiles

Eugene Volokh notes it’s titled “1877: America’s Year of Living Violently.”, and notes its publisher mentioned:

1877 is also notable as the comeback book for a celebrated U.S. historian. Michael Bellesiles is perhaps most famous as the target of an infamous â€œswiftboatingâ€ campaign by the National Rifle Association, following the publication of his Bancroft Prize-winning book Arming America (Knopf, 2000) â€” â€œthe best kind of non-fiction,â€ according to the Chicago Tribune â€” which made daring claims about gun ownership in early America.

How about made false claims about guns in early America, such that his Bancroft prize wasÂ rescindedÂ once it came to light. There was no “swiftboatingÂ campaign by NRA”. Last I checked neither Clayton Cramer nor Jim Lindgren were all that cozy with NRA. To be sure, Clayton has been an active part of the RKBA movement, but he’s contributed most to the academic body of literature supporting the individual right theory, and certainly does not take orders from Fairfax.

This is already starting on a good honest footing isn’t it? No doubt his publisher would love some controversy to drum up book sales, but let’s hopeÂ knowledgeableÂ folks go over the claims in his new book with a fine tooth comb.

Bill and Mike’s True Love

Bill Clinton just loves Mayor Mike’s work on gun control.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dztcsYI3rzs[/youtube]

I’m sure the Bradys really miss him. Bill knows as much as anyone what the NRA can do to you, and has said as much, but he never gave up the fight toÂ eviscerateÂ the Second Amendment. I thought Obama’s administration would make Clinton look like Charlton Heston. I’m glad to have been wrong (so far).

Hat tip to Jacob for the video.