I’m glad to see my county making itself a harder target, with LTCs up 175%. I just hope the folks getting these LTC a) seek training (a basic course won’t make you a gun ninja, but it’ll give you exposure to how much more there is to know), and b) will actually carry their guns. The Democrats can push gun control in response to terrorism all they want. This congressional district is only R+1 on the Cook Index, and people are still voting through actions against what the Democratic Party wants to promote. Americans are choosing to arm themselves in record numbers. I guess we’ll see how this plays in 2016.
Author: Sebastian
I’m here with some bread …
… just waiting for the circus to start. Open thread on the GOP debate.
Cultural Bundling and the RKBA
This latest Dana Loesch video from NRA:
This has me thinking back a few days ago to Ken White’s article over at Popehat originally, but now in the LA Times as an op-ed, which I linked to in yesterday’s news post.
First, we could stop culture-bundling. We culture-bundle when we use one political issue as shorthand for a big group of cultural and social values. Our unproductive talk about guns is rife with this. Gun control advocates don’t just attack support for guns; they attack conservative, Republican, rural and religious values.
I get at this point in our political discourse, railing against this video is essentially pissing at the wind. The Obama Administration has successfully driven the sanity of this country’s body politic off a cliff.
So that brings us back to cultural bundling. I get that the prayer shaming that followed the attack in San Bernardino made that issue tangentially gun related. But should Obamacare be an NRA issue? Why use Dana Loesch to drag NRA into all these other right issues that have exactly shit to do with the Second Amendment?
If there’s anything that’s at all certain in politics, it’s that there is no such thing as permanent majorities. Without support from Democrats and people on the center-left, there will be no way to permanently secure the Second Amendment from the depredations of those who oppose it. NRA is tying (Loesching?) the Second Amendment to the fortunes of the conservative movement. It may be successful short term, but I worry NRA is shooting itself and the Second Amendment in the foot long term.
Changing Hearts and Minds: People Can Be Persuaded
A lot of people have probably already seen the new polling data showing the other side is losing public opinion on the “assault weapons” issue. For the first time ever, majority opinion no longer favors banning so-called “assault weapons.” No matter what else I have to say about this, this is an incredible milestone for the movement. I believe we have achieved this through unprecedented educational and cultural outreach by our movement. Back in the 1988, Josh Sugarmann set out to deceive the public with his now infamous quote:
Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.
You’ll recall that the gun control movement started as a movement to ban handguns in the early 1970s. Fortunately for us, they never found much success. Why? Because what people tell pollsters has always been a lot different than how they actually vote on gun control once they get into voting booths. The handgun ban movement were handed two huge defeats in ballot measures in Massachusetts and California, in 1976 and 1982 respectively. A third defeat came in 1986 with the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act. The handgun ban movement was at death’s door, and they needed a new issue. Assault weapons were that issue. The handgun ban movement had spent years trying to reassure hunters and sportsmen they weren’t ever going to go after long guns, well, until they decided to go after long guns. The high-water mark for that issue was the mid-1990s.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban passed into law September 13, 1994. I was 20 years old and in college. I never realized that such a thing could happen in America. The more I started to understand the issue, the angrier I got. I bought my first firearm, a Romanian SAR-1 Kalashnikov right after Y2K when gun shops were clearing out unsold inventory at good prices. The next day I joined the NRA. I don’t think my story is unique.
The gun control movement is a story of failure: failure that can be directly traced to miscalculating public opinion, and reaching too far. They’ve always been quick to believe polling on the issue. Both handgun ban ballot initiatives in Massachusetts and California were polling to handily win, but they didn’t. They claimed 92% public support for “Universal Background Checks” and only managed 60% in a very blue state. Polling on this issue doesn’t matter, and our opponents have never understood that. The politicians, however, do.
The reason they have overreached consistently is because they have to. As much as gun control folks might want universal background checks, that issue isn’t going to keep money rolling into the coffers of gun control groups. Their goal has never been public safety or crime control. Their goal has always been to destroy this country’s shooting culture and the culture of individual rights and self-reliance that underpin it.
The gun control movement has seen a minor resurgence of late. Obama has been successful at making gun control a shibboleth of the progressive left. Bloomberg has succeeded at bringing money to the table the gun control movement historically could only dream of. He is happy to nibble around the edges of our rights, without the need to explain to donors why they have to accept only half-measures for now. We now have three goals ahead of us:
- Destroy Bloomberg’s incarnation of the gun control movement. This is going to be hard, because unlike other donors, he’s willing to spend big to get inches, and he can afford to keep doing it.
- Improve the Supreme Court so we can enjoy robust protections from the courts that will be hard to undo. If any of the Dem candidates win in 2016, this will be hopeless.
- Restore gun rights in states that have been largely successful in eradicating the Second Amendment rights of their citizens. We have to do this one way or another. It’s not an option to have two Americas.
This new polling data shows we can change public opinion, even if it takes hundreds of conversations across hundreds of dinner tables, or millions of conversations on social media. We can take their winning issue today, and make it their albatross tomorrow. With luck, there will be one Second Amendment, for the whole country, with no more “good” or “bad” states.
I’m Having a Hard time Seeing the Problem
Seen floating around the Internets, this map of the east coast if all the ice were to melt because of global warming:
Of course, I suppose all the people who live there would have to move somewhere.
You Know it Has to Kill Him
Dave Kopel congratulates President Obama on signing some common sense gun reforms:
Although the gun control debate is often polarized, Congress and President Obama have demonstrated that common-sense reforms are still possible. Kudos to them.
I take that as very tongue and cheek. The reality is that we all know the President is pretty anti-gun, but that differs from his actual record, thanks to Congress having been pretty successful at cajoling him into signing some meaningful pro-gun measures into law. Obama is not willing to make gun control the centerpiece of his administration, even as Hillary is preparing to make it a centerpiece of her campaign. Never interrupt the enemy when they are in the process of making a mistake.
The Paper of Making Up the Record, Indeed
SayUncle noticed that the New York Times linked to a satire site about California banning all .45ACPÂ in reference to ammunition restrictions. To be honest, I’m not sure how much I can really blame the Times, given that California’s gun laws are pretty much self-satirizing at this point.
In fact, the whole political class in this country now is satirizing itself on a daily basis.
Malloy Unlawfully Implements Gun Control
Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy is preparing an executive order that will prohibit anyone on any of the terror watch list, including the no-fly list, from purchasing a firearm. I’m not sure how the Governor thinks he has the power to do this, considering Connecticut’s law on the matter is pretty clear:
(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall issue an eligibility certificate unless said commissioner finds that the applicant: (1) Has failed to successfully complete a course approved by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection in the safety and use of pistols and revolvers including, but not limited to, a safety or training course in the use of pistols and revolvers available to the public offered by a law enforcement agency, a private or public educational institution or a firearms training school, utilizing instructors certified by the National Rifle Association or the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and a safety or training course in the use of pistols or revolvers conducted by an instructor certified by the state or the National Rifle Association; (2) has been convicted of a felony or of a violation of subsection (c) of section 21a-279 or section 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178 or 53a-181d; (3) has been convicted as delinquent for the commission of a serious juvenile offense, as defined in section 46b-120; (4) has been discharged from custody within the preceding twenty years after having been found not guilty of a crime by reason of mental disease or defect pursuant to section 53a-13; (5) (A) has been confined in a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities, as defined in section 17a-495, within the preceding sixty months by order of a probate court; or (B) has been voluntarily admitted on or after October 1, 2013, to a hospital for persons with psychiatric disabilities, as defined in section 17a-495, within the preceding six months for care and treatment of a psychiatric disability and not solely for being an alcohol-dependent person or a drug-dependent person as those terms are defined in section 17a-680, (6) is subject to a restraining or protective order issued by a court in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person; (7) is subject to a firearms seizure order issued pursuant to subsection (d) of section 29-38c after notice and hearing; (8) is prohibited from shipping, transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm pursuant to 18 USC 922(g)(4); or (9) is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
Emphasis is mine. What isn’t in there? A presence on any “terror watch lists.” If anyone in CT is denied an Eligibility Certificate for reason of presence on any of these lists, they should immediately get in contact with the NRA.
Weekly Gun News – Edition 21
It’s tough after something like the San Bernardino attacks to keep writing about guns. Glenn Reynolds keeps floating the idea that Obama wants us to argue about guns as a distraction from his real failures. This seems plausible to me, and there is a certain amount of feeling like I play into his hands. But the blog must go on.
The Civilian Self-Defense Blog is back, documenting what we are told regularly can’t possibly ever happen. You’ll recall this effort by Clayton Cramer was shut down because of copyright trolls.
The Maryland Minute Men of 1942.
Never let anyone tell you that no one is after your guns.
Thirdpower points so some other loony thing the gun control folks are proposing.
People in San Bernardino are voting on gun control with their wallets. Lines out the door at local gun shops.
Marco Rubio is right on guns, says Washington Post’s fact checkers. Rubio claimed that “no recent mass shootings would have been prevented by gun laws.” They go case by case and show that none of the proposed gun laws would have made a difference. It’s pleasing when they get it right.
Answering the important questions: How much will the CMP 1911s likely cost?
The eight most over-the-top smears of NRA Gun Owners in 2015. And this was put together before San Bernardino!
Tam: “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Jim Geraghty: “The Surge in New Gun Sales is Entirely Rational.”
Obama threatening to use executive power to close gun loophole.
Dave Hardy has further thoughts on the cert denial in Friedman v. Highland Park.
Eugene Volokh: “Can Americans be denied Second Amendment rights because the Attorney General suspects they’re terrorists?” also “Why bans on so-called ‘assault weapons’ are unlikely to reduce mass shooting deaths.” It’s been good for us to have the Volokh Conspiracy in the WaPo.
Law Review Paper: Gay Rights Strengthen Gun Rights
These ISIS inspired militants had a plan.
SayUncle offers some Gear Advice. I don’t really have much to add. I agree when it comes to optics and holsters, you get what you pay for.
Popehat: Talking productively about guns.
Why you can’t find .22LR ammunition.
Why yes, I always form my political opinions based on the opinions of vapid celebrities. I might be worried when the other side tries something genuinely new for a change.
I agree this kind of thing is not helping. It’s worth noting that the Kurds, who are doing most of the killing and dying fighting ISIS, are muslims.
There is now a right to possess a switchblade in Wisconsin.
Depression is no barrier to a gun carry permit. Nor should it be.
Chris Cox: “No, Mr. President, the NRA is not to blame.”
Personally, I’d call it a step in the right direction.
Millennials Support Gun Rights
So says a Pew Poll. It’s funny how the media regards this as mysterious. But that’s probably because Millennials aren’t voting the way most people do in that regard. Like I’ve said time and time again, if they don’t vote the issue, whether they support the Second Amendment or not won’t amount to spit.
Glenn Reynolds notes “Also, anti-gun hysteria was a specific boomer phenomenon, and the people affected by it are as old as Hillary and Bernie now. Later generations are reverting to the American norm.” Most of the gun control we’re dealing with today was enacted by members of the “Greatest Generation,” and the Silents. I actually think Baby Boomers, as a whole, are less into gun control than their parents were.