October 2012 – Page 4 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Muckraking in the 21st Century

Anyone who’s gotten politically involved to any degree will eventually run into a kook. Normally this will happen very quickly. Working gun shows in 2008, I ran into several. To some degree, since you’re not there to pick fights with people, you humor them for a bit and hope they move on. Usually it’s run of the mill conspiracy nonsense, or something that’s mostly harmless. Often time the kook wants to be heard. They’ll have their say, you can be polite, nod a lot, and they’ll move on.

When this James O’Keefe video first started, I was somewhat sympathetic to Patrick Moran, because he legitimately tried to steer the videographer’s energy back to legitimate tasks. And then he went completely off the rail. Full context is provided at the end, and I watched that too. I thought full context was worse than the editing:

I might have tried to steer this person back to legitimate tasks too, but once it became clear this character would not be dissuaded, I would have said “Well, what you’re talking about is voter fraud, and it’s illegal, and we don’t do things that way, sorry.” What I definitely would not do is offer some advise on how to pull it off.

Oral Arguments in the Woollard Case

This is the challenge to Maryland’s restrictive carry laws, that won in District Court, and are on appeal to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.Oral arguments happened yesterday. We do not yet have full oral argument audio or transcript, but press accounts can found atÂ the Baltimore Sun.

Fortune Sued

You probably all remember the Eban article that appeared in Fortune Magazine a while back. Rank apologia if I ever saw it. Dave Hardy is reporting that Fortune is now facing a lawsuit by one of the whistleblowers for publishing a known falsehood. These kinds of cases are difficult to win, but as Dave notes, Fortune may be in trouble here.

A New 2A Blog

Before I get too hard on Fordham University, it is the school where Nick Johnson teaches, who e-mailed yesterday to mention he’s started blogging. The more the merrier. He also has aÂ Federalist Society faculty podcast out on the, very first of its kind, textbook on Second Amendment law, which Professor Johnson co-authored along with Professors Dave Kopel, George Mocsary, and Michael O’Shea.

Where is the Debate? It’s Here.

The Fordham University newspaper is very concerned about the crushing of debate by the evil NRA:

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is determined to squash public discourse on the issue of gun control. The NRA opposes even reasonable measures to curb the explosion of gun violence in America. There is no reason, as far as we can tell, that any citizen should need an AK-47. With atrocities such as the massacre in Aurora,Â Colo. (which involved the use of an assault weapon), the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin and the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman GabrielleÂ Giffords, we need to reevaluate the basis for easy accessibility of assault weapons.

No, we had a debate, and your side lost. This might be a shock to college students in New York City, but the rest of the country is nothing like New York City. There is also no crushing of debate. Debate would actually make gun blogging interesting again. But when we start to debate, our opponents immediately descend into insults, ad hominem and penis jokes. That’s the “your side losing” part. If you want a serious intellectual discussion of the topic, we’re happy to have one. But first you better be prepared, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from folks on the other side of this issue, is preparedness for serious debate is not their strong suit.

Can You be a Menace on Your Own Property?

That’s part of the question in an Alabama case that the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund is getting involved with down there. It’s definitely an interesting case based on the details provided in this news account.

A developer/landlord was convicted of misdemeanor menacing after he was merely holding his shotgun (not pointing it, from the description in the article) on his property while ordering a former tenant who owed millions in back rent off site. The former tenant was removing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items from the property that the landlord said were considered part of the property until the back rent was paid – items like sinks, stoves, and booths that might, depending on the nature of the contract, actually be considered part of the building. In other words, the tenant wasn’t on site to grab his coat or family pictures that he left behind. He was ordered from the property, and the police were called.

The police officers at the time didn’t feel like the developer was committing any crimes in how he handled himself with the trespassing tenant. However, the trespasser filed charges later. So now there’s a question over whether or not Alabama residents may legally possess a firearm on their own property while ordering a trespasser to leave.

The Politicization of Medicine

Stanford School of Medicine highlights:

Children are safest in homes without guns, the AAP statement notes. It adds that pediatricians should tell parents that storing guns properly (unloaded, in a locked cabinet, with ammunition locked up separately) is the next-best option, providing substantial protection against suicides and unintentional gun injuries to children and teenagers when compared to storing firearms unlocked and loaded.

I don’t really have a problem with physicians speaking about guns in the home in the context of other potential household dangers, many of which kill more kids each year than guns. One should beware of owning pools, bathtubs, and 5 gallon buckets. But singling out guns as a unique danger, or suggesting they be removed from the home, is using the medical profession to promote a political agenda. I think doctors, many of which are gun owners, need to start speaking out about the politicization of their profession in manners like this.

It’s a Far Cry from Hunting to Gun Rights

Apparently Justice Kagan is going to try to bag herself an antelope in Wyoming. I’d like to see Justice Kagan come around to the Second Amendment, but there are plenty of people who hunt who have a poor conception of the right. I’m not sure I’d read too much into this, but it is certainly encouraging.

Also, it would seem Dave Hardy has been a busy bee. Both articles sound quite interesting, and the former would certainly be a welcome addition to the cause.

Coverage of the Courts in NRA Ads

I was pleased to see this ad:

UPDATE: Also this from the Florida Senate Race:

How to be Paranoid and Afraid on Halloween

Joan Peterson, Brady Board member extraordonaire, meets Hickok45, and hilarity ensues. These people would have made fantastic Puritans, wouldn’t they? Remember not to be so afraid and paranoid, and to ask parents whether there’s a gun in the home when you take the kids trick or treating. Also, don’t carve pumpkins with guns! Heavens no!

UPDATE: Joe Huffman seems to agree with Joan Peterson that carving pumpkins with guns isn’t necessarily the best way to celebrate Halloween.