January 2013 – Page 11 – Shall Not Be Questioned

What Would Romney Have Done?

I pretty much agree with Tam’s take on this. Romney would be singing platitudes, and trying to avoid talking about the issue, but Barry would still be President right now. The only difference would be that I’d feel a bit better about the future. I say a bit, because I still wouldn’t trust Mitt. The other thing I’d suggest is that if Barry were on his way out, those executive orders would have been a lot worse. They would have been Barry’s dog shit in a paper bag left burning on the White House steps, daring Mitt to step on it.

I think we’d still be in trouble even if we had elected Mitt, but we’d probably need to be less concerned about long term trouble. Mitt would be looking to get re-elected, and throwing a key constituency under the bus early on wouldn’t be a great way to start a term. We also would likely be dealing with a demoralized and defeated left, rather than the energized and active left we’re facing now. So would it have mattered for now? Not much. But over the long term, I think we could count on a fierce fight over the next year, with Mitt disappointing us in some ways, but over the long haul, I think we’d be safer, and would have more options than we do looking forward now. I’d also feel a lot better if the GOP house had a President to protect, rather than to fight against. Mitt would likely, I think, take the Bush approach. He’d endorse legislation he knows Congress has no intention of ever putting on his desk.

The 40% Number

Getting a late start today because I was too busy last night to get anything up for this morning. But I’ll try to catch up a bit.

Clayton has an interesting article over at PJ Media questioning the scope of the “gun show loophole” problem, and also more at his blog on the much touted “40% of all guns sales are private,” number. This sounded awfully suspicious to me too, to be honest. I’m about as gun nutty as they come, and I can count on one hand the number of private transfers I’ve done. In two cases, I was the seller, and in two the buyer. In both cases I knew the person I was buying/selling from. I know people who are true collectors, who do a lot more buying and selling privately than I do, but true collectors do not represent a large majority of gun owners.

Protection Against Tyranny

Two thirds of American agree that is what the Second Amendment is aboutÂ (Warning, auto play video at that link):

Two-out-of-three Americans recognize that their constitutional right to own a gun was intended to ensure their freedom.

While there are often wide partisan differences of opinion on gun-related issues, even 54% of Democrats agree with 75% of Republicans and 68% of those not affiliated with either major party that the right to own a gun is to ensure such freedom.

This was a losing issue for them a few months ago. I think it still mostly is. But I’m not sure how much that matters in the current political climate. The only way it’s really a losing issue for them is if we make them lose.

Ooops

The idiot Cuomo forgot to exempt cops from his draconian new gun ban. I agree with Glenn Reynolds, who notes: “If I were a member of the legislature, Iâ€™d oppose a fix just as a lesson…”

Thoughtful Commentary on Today’s Situation

Dave Hardy looks at some history on this background check issue. Here is the gun control logic in a nutshell, imagined as a conversation between gun control advocates and policymakers:

Circa 1968:

Gun control advocate: “Well, you see, we have this problem, and the problem is that that all these gun transfers are private and largely unregulated, and we need a way to regulate and scrutinize these things.”

Policymaker: “Here is a Gun Control Act, which is the solution! We will license them!”

And the gun control advocates did thus rejoice.

Circa 1993:

Gun control advocate: “The problem is that too many people are complying with your previous solution and getting too many licenses, so now we need a solution to the problem caused by the first solution.”

Policymaker: “Well, OK then, we’ll make it expensive and difficult to get an FFL, and add all kinds of new requirements!”

And the gun control advocates did thus rejoice.

Circa Right Now:

Gun control advocate: “Well, we a problem with all these private, unregulated sales, so we need a solution to the problem caused by theÂ solution to the problem caused by our first solution.”

Policymaker: “It sounds likeÂ the problem caused by theÂ solution to the problem caused by the first solution is an awful lot like the original problem we passed the first solution for in the first place.”

Gun control advocate: “Well, do you want to talk about a solution for the problem of there being gun owners yet?”

More Stolen Guns in New York

Another home robbed of firearms, thanks to the handy map of targets provided by the Journal News. How can these people claim, with a straight face, the anti-gun cause is really about gun violence prevention? It has never been about that. It’s about shaming people out of gun ownership and hating on people who refuse to take cues from hacks pretending to be their cultural betters. If this was about gun violence prevention, something like this never would have been published.

Of course, I guess there’s nothing to worry about since Governor Cuomo made it a crime to fill the magazine. Surely that was complied with, and criminals, of course, have no idea how to top off a magazine.

What Bloomberg’s Money is Buying?

Recommendations from the Gun Policy Summit, which I’m sure did not include any actual experts on guns or policy, and more accurately is a summit composed of a bunch of people with pieces of paper that they think say they are smarter than the rest of us. The rest of us who decided to forgo six figure debt to get into an unrewarding and over-regulated profession controlled by politicians, government bureaucrats and insurance company lobbyists. See also, anti-gun hacks sitting around a table trying to figure out how to better run your lives. No wonder Bloomberg is funding this. He loves this kind of nanny bullshit.

Filibuster Deal?

Being reported by Red State.

The left is fully on board and gearing up for this fight because they think they can get gun control through the Senate and other liberal initiatives.

A big problem we’re going to have is that I’m not sure the GOP would be too concerned about getting certain Democrats on record as supporting gun control. But by the same token, I don’t think they are going to want the House to look obstructionist either. One thing is for sure, if the GOP want to play games, they better pray nothing gets through, because if they hold together, nothing will. This means we still need to be writing our reps.

Al Franken Showing Signs of Weakness?

Not to us, to them. He’s backpedalling quickly, but he still was wishy washy when asked. Franken is up in 2014. I’m going to suggest the threat profile is quickly shifting from assault weapons to magazines. If you’re going to write your reps, I’d make sure they understand that the magazine issue is just as important to use as the assault weapons issue. It’s not a compromise we’re going to accept. Not with what happened in New York, and several other states talking about 7 rounds now instead of ten. They can f**k right the hell off on magazine limits at this point. How long before 7 is just too many? No. NO!

ANJRPC: Q&A

From the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs:

Q. ANJRPC has seemed quiet lately. What’s going on?

A.Â We are deeply engaged preparing for the most critical legislative battles gun owners have everÂ faced. Most of our work is behind the scenes right now and cannot be publicly discussed. We will have a lot to say when the time is right, as always.

Q. What kind of threats are we facing in NJ?

A.Â NJ legislators recently introduced 23 bills containing some of the most extremeÂ measures ever proposed. Like requiring a psychological exam and in-home inspection before you can buy a firearm; 5-roundÂ ammunition capacity limit (a gun ban in disguise); draconian ammunition regulations, and a lot more.Â We will be providing detailed analysis of some of the worst of the bunch. And there may be more coming.

Q. We saw what just happened with the passage of New York’s extreme new gun laws.Â Can that happen here?

A.Â Anything can happen in the Garden State, but there is a very different legislative and political dynamic in New Jersey right now than there is in New York.We are working to keep it that way.

Q. Can my identity as a gun owner be obtained through freedom of information laws and published like what
just happened in New York?

A.Â No. New Jersey law is different from New York law and protects the identities of gun owners from disclosure.

Q. What’s your take on the national situation?

A.Â We’re in the fight of our lives.Anti-gun extremists have seized on the Newtown tragedy as their watershed moment, and are going for broke. Their aim is to destroy the Second Amendment, and they are blamingÂ youÂ for what happened in Connecticut. The media are overwhelmingly biased in their favor, and are falsely portraying gun owners as divided. It is more important than ever that gun owners be unified and support national organizations like NRA. We all need to speak with one voice on a national level and defend freedom.

Q. What can I do in New Jersey?

A.Â Prepare for battle. That means understanding that in the end this is going to come down to a series of committee hearings and legislative floor votes.Those are key moments when we need to make ourselves heard with maximum impact. That means if you have limited time and energy, you might want to conserve your time and energy forÂ thoseÂ moments. We will alert you as we always do as the threats start to move, and we will make specific action requests, like asking you to contact legislators, attend hearings, etc. With 23 bills just dumped on us, there could be a lot of activity and a lot of requests, and each must be treated with the same importance and fervor as the rest

Q. But I want to do more. Is there more I can do?Â Â Â

A.Â Absolutely.You can proactivelyÂ contact your legislatorsÂ right now, you can write letters to the editor, you canÂ donate to pro-Second Amendment organizations. Tell your legislators that these bills will do nothing to prevent another tragedy, will interfere with self defense, and wrongly punish law abiding citizens for the acts of criminals and madmen. But remember, the key moment of action will be committee hearings and floor votes. Your work is not done until you’ve weighed in then.

Q. What about the February 8 rally in Trenton?

A.Â If rallies are your thing, by all means, go. ANJRPC officers have been invited to speak and may well do so. The organizers have worked very hard putting this rally together, and we applaud their efforts. While rallies rarely change how legislators vote, they can be a great show of strength if well attended, and they can be inspiring. Just remember â€“Â your work is not doneÂ until you’ve weighed in with legislators at the key moments of action in the legislative process. For those interested, more on the rally is availableÂ here.

Q. Is ANJRPC going to cave or compromise in the upcoming battles?

A.Â Not a chance. For over a decade, we have fought in the trenches and defeated nearly every piece of misguided legislation that has come our way, against impossible odds. Our resolve is stronger than ever, and we will use every resource at our disposal to defend against this latest legislation dump.

Q. Can legislators really force us to pass a psychological evaluation and have an in-home inspection as a condition of exercising my constitutional right to own a firearm?

A.Â Legislators can write anything they want. If both houses of the legislature and the governor sign it, it becomes “lawâ€ even though it might be unconstitutional. It will stay on the books and be enforced by the organs of the state until someone challenges
it. That’s why ANJRPC has been aggressively using litigation to challenge some of the worst laws in New Jersey, and we have
bigger plans in the works.

Q. What is the impact of a 5-round magazine limitation?

A.Â It’s a stealth gun ban, an assault on the right of self defense, and would do nothing to prevent another tragedy.Â It would give criminals tremendous advantage over the law-abiding, and render many of the firearms youÂ own useless.

To you folks in New Jersey, I can practically piss out my window and hit the New Jersey State Capitol (that’s a bit of a hyperbole, unfortunately), so if you need anything, let me know. In the amount of time it takes for a coffee break I can be over there helping out.