Gun Rights – Page 377 – Shall Not Be Questioned

New Jersey Bills Passed out of Committee

I guess it’s not surprising, but the three bills passed out of the New Jersey senate committee today, and are on their way to a vote on the floor. Interestingly, about 1/4 of the cars in the lot at the very crowded Valley Forge Gun Show had Jersey tags. There is a gun culture in New Jersey. There aren’t many anti-gun people, really. There’s no reason New Jersey shouldn’t be in play for the pro-gun side. It’s really disappointing.

UPDATE: Looks like the floor vote will be January 3rd.Â Call your senators, New Jersey folks!

Firerams on Public Land

Looks like Senator Crapo has decided to put some pressure on Interior to change their no guns policy.

NRA initiated and worked closely with Senator Crapo on this letter andÂ appreciate his bipartisan effort to get 47 Senators to sign a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne requesting a change in policy allowing state law to govern the carrying and transportation of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges, as in the case of national forests and BLM lands. We have been working for nearly five years to change this policy and applaud the strong Senate support for this policy change expressed in this letter.

Good!Â It’s a stupid policy anyway.Â Hopefully Interior will see the light.

Extraordinary Lethality

Romney wants to ban them.Â It’ll make it very interesting to try to shoot clay birds without my 12 gauge.Â A shotgun is probably the most lethal firearm you can wield.Â I would really like to hear the Governor’s position on this issue.Â Â Can I keep my trap gun?

Quote of the Day

Just as the President said, he would have, he would have signed [the assault weapons ban] if it came to his desk, and so would have I.- Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney on Meet the Press 12/16/2007

I will not vote for Mitt Romney under any circumstance. If the choice is between Mitt and Hillary, I stay home. We must defeat Mitt in the Primary. It’s an imperative. Scroll down on this post to the part titled “On Gun Control.” Mitt was singing a different tune in October. I’m guessing these latest shootings have made him think that it’s better for him to support a new assault weapons ban.

Folks, this guy has to be stopped. He’s truly a weasel and no friend of honest gun owners. He will turn on us in a minute if the polls tell him he should. I urge everyone to get behind a real friend like Fred Thompson or Ron Paul.

UPDATE: He’s also bragging about an NRA endorsement he never received.

UPDATE: Bruce has more.

Our View: The Law Means Something

It looks like the Chambersburg Public Opinion believes that guns and polling places don’t mix. While I don’t find their argument to be entirely unreasonable, the Pennsylvania Legislature could have chosen to make polling places off limits for carrying firearms if they were concerned enough about this issue. The fact that is, that the legislature chose not to do so.

The incident with Mr. Rotz is not really about public policy, it’s what the law is, and whether or not Sheriff Wollyung was within his authority to revoke this man’s license to carry a firearm. I don’t believe the sheriff was, as Mr. Rotz was not doing anything unlawful at the time, and asserted his legal right to be armed at the polling place. If Sheriff Wollyung does not like the idea of a man carrying in a polling place, he’s free to lobby the legislature to forbid the practice. Abusing his authority by making and example out of one man, and revoking his right to be armed without just cause, was not the proper or just course of action to take.

Bad Bills Up in New Jersey

I know I have more than a few Jersey readers, who have no doubt been following what’s been going on in Pennsylvania lately.Â Now its your turn New Jersey.Â It’s time to put your war face on, storm the capitol, and reclaim the rights that are rightfully yours!Â Or you could just write your state representative that are listed in the alert.Â I know, I know.Â No fun.Â But we do what we have to.

How I Was Wrong

Ian Argent pretty much summed up why I was wrong in my post from a few days ago:

Grassroots efforts don’t use political capital in the usual sense – as long as they’re actually grassroots. Brady hasn’t got many “real” roots, it’s a creature of K street.

In this case, individuals lobbying their reps is much different from the NRA-ILA doing so.

He’s pretty spot on with that. It was never my intention to discourage anyone’s effort in regards to grass roots activity, but I think my mistake is not realizing that this kind of spontaneously organized grass roots activity isn’t really that expensive. David Codrea was right: asking for a letter really isn’t asking for much.

It was mostly my intention to question what we were really trying to accomplish by attempting to scuttle Sullivan, because I wasn’t sure that was a hill worth dying on. Now I realize we don’t have to die on the hill, that we can effect the outcome of the fight without taking it. I stand by my assertion that Sullivan will remain in charge of ATF and will be confirmed, but our lawmakers are aware of the issues, thanks in no small part to Ryan being a very effective squeaky wheel. It was a mistake for me to question the value of that in the way I did.

Larry Craig Can Come Tap His Foot …

… in my bathroom any time he wants. I’ll promise I won’t try to accuse him of soliciting gay sex (or give him any either, in case he might, you know, actually swing that way). Countertop’s makes me feel sheepish that I didn’t have more faith.

More on the Cook County Ban

They are also targeting ammunition. Ahab and Thirdpower are blogging about it. Go check it out. I carry Corbon DPX, which is an all copper round, and would be illegal under this ban.

This is what happens when the ignorant legislate on guns to an ignorant constituency. Of course, the people pushing these bans know exactly what they are doing.

Plus, you kind of have to wonder. Here they are saying lead is the only ammunition you can use, because if it’s not lead, it’s evil and armor piercing.Â Meanwhile, the State of California is telling us that lead ammunition is evil, and bullets shan’t be made of it.Â If we make bullets out of lead, it will make little baby condors cry.

Yes folks, they know exactly what they are doing. Next time you hear a hunter type suggest they aren’t coming after him, print out a copy of this post, and stuff it in a lead pipe so you can beat it into his head.

John Kerry Speaking out Against Hold

John Kerry wants the senators to release the hold on Sullivan.Â He supports your second amendment rights, really he does!Â He’s a life long hunter, after all.