Bitter – Page 39 – Shall Not Be Questioned

No Cert for Woollard

The Supreme Court has, once again, opted not to weigh in on the issue of carry in regards to the Second Amendment. It would seem like they really don’t want to go there at this point, or perhaps they don’t have the votes in our favor. From SCOTUSBlog:

The Court also granted review of a second case: on the legality under federal law of the owner of a gun selling it to someone else, if the new owner can have a gun legally. That case is Abramski v. United States (12-1493). However, the Court followed its recent pattern of refusing to hear constitutional challenges to gun control laws under the Second Amendment, turning aside a Maryland case seeking to expand the personal right to have a gun beyond the home (Woollard v. Gallagher, 13-42).

The fact that the Supreme Court is completely unwilling to protect your right to actually bear the arms instead of just keeping them should motivate gun owners to get involved in the political fights. It is absolutely clear that you cannot count on the courts, and elections have consequences.

“Grow the hell up.”

I have to say that I rather enjoyed this video that takes on the issue of anti-gunners justifying their infringement upon your rights because doing so makes them feel good.

California Update

I just noticed that VSSA is reporting a live update from California that the effective overall semi-auto ban in California was vetoed. On the other hand, their lead ammunition bill was signed.

I would say more on this, but my brain is currently decompressing from trying to better understand the role of the X-chromosome in genetic genealogy. Have I ever mentioned that science was one of my worst subjects in high school? Ouch.

UPDATE: Wow, I’m kind of surprised by some of the language Gov. Brown used in saying the semi-auto ban went too far. Here is a key quote from the LA Times: â€œI donâ€™t believe that this billâ€™s blanket ban on semiautomatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun ownersâ€™ rights.â€

It’s not exactly a rousing endorsement of the Second Amendment, but it’s more acknowledgement than most Democratic leaders in these solid blue states give us.

I wonder if Gov. Cuomo in New York is starting to wonder if his gun control push was a bad idea now that there’s another big gun control state governor backing off of the most extreme bills.

Buying Guns & Saving Bambi

If there’s one thing that I really love about stories generated from Pittman-Robertson fund, it’s that you get a focus on happy wildlife loving programs that effectively celebrates expanded gun sales and the good they do for the environment.

Because we gun owners know how important it is to save Bambi. I mean, if we don’t save the young deer, then how else are they going to grow up into a giant pot of venison chili?

Government Overspending is Your Gain

Normally, as a taxpayer, you’re just screwed when the government spends beyond its means and finds itself desperately in debt with no feasible means to get out. But, if you’re a gun collector, well, time to benefit at least a bit from Harrisburg, PA’s misfortune of a terrible Democratic mayor who focused on using resources to buy up “Wild West” collectibles at the expense of ignoring major infrastructure needs.

They are running another two days of auctions and have gun-related items as novel as an arrest warrant for the thief of a Colt Revolver to lots and lots and lots of very old guns. (I didn’t link nearly all of them, just the ones that caught my eye.)

While the residents of Harrisburg enjoy their view of the ever-expanding sinkhole collection around their city, you can buy up what’s left of the city’s gun collection – hopefully at reasonable prices.

Attn: West Virginia Gun Voters

As part of the government shutdown publicity tour, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin wants you to know that he’s even willing to answer his own office phone! If you’re a pro-gun voter who still isn’t happy with Sen. Manchin over his anti-gun bill earlier this year, this would be a great opportunity to possibly reach him directly and let him know how much you look forward to voting for the other guy or gal on the ballot.

It’s Not Just the Policies, It’s Your People

Reading a bit more about the situation in California that broke yesterday with a girl being ordered to take off her NRA t-shirt by a public school official, it appears that there are consistent issues of late with this particular school and its officials.

The first piece of evidence is the NRA shirt case, where the district now admits that the shirt never violated any policies at all. However, these are the same people who specifically wrote the policy to state that if anything a student wears is declared “divisive or offensive to a staff member,” then it is banned. In other words, expressing an opinion contrary to any staff member in the school on your t-shirt is banned for being divisive. Needless to say, that’s not remotely constitutional since it gives staff the power to ban political expression they consider divisive or anything they don’t like for personal reasons.

The same school, apparently under a different principal, but largely the same staff, had to apologize last year and undergo more training on policies when they endorsed “Seniores” and “SeÃ±oritas” events that encouraged the overwhelmingly white school kids to dress up to fit ethnic stereotypes. Some kids apparently opted to dress as gang members and pregnant chicks. Gee, who couldn’t see that kind of poor decision-making coming from a mile away? But the school district promised that more training and more policies would keep the school out of trouble.

While the two incidents seem pretty different, there is one common theme to both of them. Perhaps it’s time to admit that policies aren’t the only problem here. Perhaps it is time to admit that the people incapable of making reasonable decisions, even after they’ve been given all of these policies and all of this training, are the problem. In fact, I would say that the fact the new principal, appointed after the “Seniores” and “SeÃ±oritas” snafu made headlines, is the one defending the unconstitutional t-shirt policy, it really just goes to show that no one in the school really learned anything in all of their “training.”

Sadly, even if the school district leaders did admit that no amount of training will fix the situation, there’s not really much they would do to change it.

Saving Us From Fun & Novelty

You might find entertainment in purchasing a novelty lighter that amuses you for any number of reasons – maybe you collect whatever item it is shaped like, or maybe you like being a little bit different when you bust out your lighter. Regardless, New York has come to the rescue by banning novelty lighters. However, the particular emphasis of what they really want banned are lighters that are shaped like guns and ammunition.

The Bronx Democrat who sponsored the bill cited a reason for banning them because “…there’s no reason for them to exist.” Retailers will now face a $500 fine per oddly shaped lighter if they are caught with them. Trying to import them into the state will set you back $10,000 if caught. Leave your whimsical lighter at home when you visit the Empire State. In fact, just leave behind your sense of humor, desire for fun, and any sense of amusement you might possess.

Fundraising

I know that plenty of people complain about the volume of fundraising mail from NRA all of the time. I now plan to tell those people that if they want, they can go join the anti-gun groups to see how great they have it under NRA.

In the last two days, my account for OFA to see what they are doing on gun control, has received 8 fundraising messages. That’s 4 requests for money a day.

They try using guilt, they try giving rewards, and they try creating false reporting deadlines. Oh, and don’t forget the standard messages that the world will end if you don’t give them money.

And don’t think you can get away from the demands for more money on social media since they also posted multiple times there about how it’s time for you to give them more cash.

So, yes, while I understand the annoyance of getting several fundraising letters from NRA, just imagine if they were clogging your inbox with 4 pleas for cash every single day. We’re not talking informative messages with news or links you want that just happen to have a fundraising request at the bottom, we’re talking about emails only making a fundraising request and providing no other value to the recipient whatsoever.

Lying to Cheer Themselves Up

GOOD NEWS ALERT > New gun permits may be delayed by the shutdown. Wonder if the Tea Party renegades realise their helpful gun control move?

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 1, 2013

Whatever makes the gun control advocates sleep better at night, even after people point out that NICS is still up and active for gun purchases, they can keep lying to their followers.

Of course, Charles C. W. Cooke takes on Piers to note that this celebration of the idea that guns can’t be sold to people who pass background check seems to conflict with his claims of not being against gun ownership:

I thought you weren't anti-gun, per se. MT @piersmorgan: GOOD NEWS ALERT > New gun permits may be delayed by the shutdown.

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) October 1, 2013

And Emily Miller tries her best to deflate his good mood with a little basic fact-checking:

Not true. NICS functions normally. RT @piersmorgan: GOOD NEWS ALERT. New gun permits may be delayed by the shutdown.

— Emily Miller (@EmilyMiller) October 1, 2013