An Interesting Question

From David Hardy:

An interesting question:
After President Obama apologized to Afghanistan for a soldier who cracked and killed 16 Afghanis, shouldn't he apologize to Mexico for the 300 deaths caused by Fast and Furious?

Ted Nugent Destroys CNN Gun Control Spin

Piers Morgan plays the dummy...





Via @Smitty_One_Each at TOM.

Tennessee Firearms Alert - Employee Safe Commute and Non-Discrimination Bills

In the Inbox from TFALAC this AM:

Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc.
Legislative Action Committee

---

UPDATE ON EMPLOYEE SAFE COMMUTE --

So, one might ask, what is the status of the Employee Safe Commute (SB3002/HB3560) legislation at this point?

The bill has been delayed in the Senate. It is unclear if this was a move by the governor or those who are bowing to the pressure of "Big Business" or a benefical strategic move by the sponsor. At any event, progress in the Senate, if statements of legislators are accurate is positive. The biggest risk is that some form of amendment, probably bought by Fedex or its cohorts) could substantially remove the objectives of the original bill. To guard against that, citizens who support this bill must be called and contacting legislators to encourage and demand of them that no amendments pushed by Fedex or other Big Business dollars be accepted unless approved by firearms interests.

Senate Action Plan

• Call and email you individual senator (use the email and phone number lookup on the Senate directory. It is important for you to get a written statement if possible that they will co-sponsor and support the bill as written and that they will oppose any Fedex or other "big business" amendments that would dilute the intent of the bill.
  
• Call and email to encourage the sponsor Sen. Mike Fault to keep the bill free from Fedex or "big business" amendments
  

  Faulk, Mike

  R

  - 615

  741-2061

  sen.mike.faulk@capitol.tn.gov

• Call and email to ask that the Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey work with citizens to keep the legislative effective and to defeat any Fedex or other "big business" amendment.
  

  Ramsey, Lt. Gov. Ron

  R

  - 615

  741-4524

  lt.gov.ron.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov

With respect to the House, we are expecting that there will be at least 30 House co-sponsors. Many of those are Republican legislators who are probably starting to realize that the mandates of House Leadership (Beth Harwell, Debra Maggart, and Gerald McCormick) would probably cause those legislators to violate their promises to constituents, to violate their personal convictions, to violate their constitutional oaths of office or their fundamental beliefs that they were elected as conservatives to protect the rights of citizens and to minimize the influence of government in areas where government influence is nothing more than government tyranny needlessly supplanting the rights of citizens.

We do not expect, in part because of the pressure being exerted by FedEx and other "Big Business" interests on those legislators that they controll through their funds (both reported and "indirectly" applied), that the bill will move forward in the House without SUBSTANTIAL pressure and interest from individual voters. It was made clear repeatedly this week by statements to news reporters from House leadership such Debra Maggart and Gerald McCormick that House leadership is working to kill any pro-2nd Amendment legislation and that they are applying pressure in the nature of the proverbial "hounds of hell" against their own members to abide by the demands of leadership's own masters.

For example, this week Debra Maggart told Channel 4 News in response to an apparent question about the Employee Safe Commute legislation :

"We have been focused on what we know what people of Tennessee want us to work on. Our economy needs to be looked at, and we want to make sure it's a job-friendly state," said Rep. Debra Maggart, R-Hendersonville.

Now, you have to put this into context that Debra Maggart has "represented" to firearms owners in the past that she was soundly in support of the Constitution, the 2nd Amendment and working for firearms owners. Indeed, she even has used the firearms owners to raise campaign funds through programs such as her On Target to Win in 2010"1st Annual Sporting Clay Fun Shoot fund raiser (see, https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=160853824412 ) that was heavily promoted not only to the Tennessee Firearms Association but to others as well.

So what did Maggart really mean with her statement this week to Channel 4?

Essentially, that the House Leadership have been admonished by "Big Business" that they want "their" legislators to do what they want them to do - including killing the Employee Safe Commute bill and firearms nondiscrimination bills - or the floodgates of corporate campaign money may be redirected against them or cut off. She probably meant that because "we" are addicted to the corporate money to crush the Democrats and even any prospective primary opposition, we will do what is requested of us to make sure we, individually, are able to get re-elected and to recruit more RINO's and moderates to help us implement our agendas (which do not put any emphasis on constitutional rights).

Why does it appear that these Republican House leadership (and a few in the Senate as well) are so clearly deeply obliged to "Big Business"? Well, step away and look at one of the most common themes that you hear from House Republican leadership this year - "jobs, jobs, jobs". What they mean when they say that is NOT that they are creating more government jobs (although they likely are). It is not that they are making it easier for people to start new small businesses. It means most probably that they want to do whatever is possible - forget the Constitution (look what they did last year to the 7th Amendment and their lack of any focus on the 10th Amendment) - to appease businesses like FedEx, Bridgestone, AT&T, Amazon, etc. Their idea of "jobs, jobs, jobs" is to court big business in hopes that many minimum wages will suddenly be made available to Tennesseans. Not high paying jobs. Not careers. Just simply any job will do.

A verification of that comes from the enormously misguided statement made by Gerald McCormick this week concerning Rep. Eddie Bass. Rep. Bass - a very conservative legislator - has indicated he is considering running this year as a Republican. Perhaps he senses that the Democratic party continues to move left under the leadership of Obamit. Perhaps he feels that his conservative voting record is more consistent with Reagan style leadership than it is with Obamit/Pelosi leadership. It really does not matter because the "hint" from McCormick is in what he said to the news when he REJECTED the potential that Rep. Bass might run as a Republican.

Leader McCormick made this statement to the AP this week:

Republican House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick of Chattanooga said he's heard that Bass has been mulling a party switch for the last two or three years, but said he is satisfied with potential GOP candidates considering a bid in House District 65.

"I'd rather he'd stay where he is, to tell the truth," McCormick said. "He's not doing himself any favors running that gun bill." * * * House Republicans would prefer not to take up the bill in an election year.

McCormick apparently believes that his leadership (Harwell) is of the opinion that the progress for citizens such as the Employee Safe Commute bill is not "favorable." Clearly, firearms owners are a significant voting segment and they favor this bill overwhelmingly. Who does not? Well, clearly House Leadership and that is probably because their "masters" - "Big Business" do not want it.

Also note that House Leadership, according to McCormick, "prefer not to take up the bill in an election year."

Why is the election year so significant that he would mention it? Campaign funds? News coverage? The foolish belief (after the last 15 years) that voting FOR 2nd Amendment rights would cause a legislator to lose a material number of votes rather than voting AGAINST 2nd Amendment rights causing sustained frustration and anger from voters.

House Leadership has picked its bedfellows and those bedfellows are purchasing their "favors" primarily with cash. Not the Constitution. Not Biblical principles. Not natural rights. Not common sense. Not the demands of their voting constituents. CASH - and that is one of the oldest professions known to man.

House Action Plan

• Call and email you individual representative (use the email and phone number lookup on the House directory. It is important for you to get a written statement if possible that they will co-sponsor and support the bill as written and that they will oppose any Fedex or other "big business" amendments that would dilute the intent of the bill.
  
• Call and email to encourage the sponsor Rep. Eddie Bass to keep the bill free from Fedex or "big business" amendments
  

  Bass, Eddie

  D

  615

  741-1864

  rep.eddie.bass@capitol.tn.gov

• Call and email to demand that Speaker Beth Harwell honor her oath of office and support the Constitution and the rights of citizens even if "Big Business" is paying her to do otherwise.
  

  Harwell, Speaker Beth

  R

  615

  741-0709

  speaker.beth.harwell@capitol.tn.gov

• Call and email Rep. Debra Maggart and demand that she honor her oath of office and support the Constitution and the rights of citizens even if "Big Business" is paying her to do otherwise.
  

  Maggart, Debra Young

  R 615

  741-3893

  rep.debra.maggart@capitol.tn.gov

• Call and email Rep. Gerald McCormick and demand that he honor his oath of office and support the Constitution and the rights of citizens even if "Big Business" is paying her to do otherwise.
  

  McCormick, Gerald

  R 615

  741-2548

  rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov

---

Big business access

Big business and their lobbyists often have direct access to legislators through their cell phones and their personal (non-government) email addresses. If you have access to this information, please post it on the TFA Online Forum so that we can take that step to leveling the playing field of legislative access. This would be particularly true for leadership in both houses and in both caucuses.

---

TFA Action Center

The TFA Action Center remains up and operational. So far, more than 10,000 emails have been sent to the legislature just on the issue of the Employee Safe Commute bill.

I encourage you to use it at least once a weel. It is important that you edit both the subject and the message to reflect your personal thoughts. Edit them even if you agree with the sample message. Legislators do not want or need to see 1000 of the same message. They want to hear from constituents and individuals. They do not need long messages, angry messages or threats but they do need to hear that citizens support this legislation.

Share this link, this effort and this mission with every firearms owner, constitutionalists or friend you have. Make sure that they keep the messages going to our legislators that we want progress made on this legislation even if "Big Business" is buying influence with House Republican leadership to do otherwise.

Keep in mind that FedEx, Bridgestone, Nissan, AT&T, Amazon and others spend hundreds of thousands on their lobbyists and contribute hundreds of thousands more - if not millions (directly and, uh, "indirectly") to purchase their desires from the legislators. But, these corporations do not vote. These corporations do not speak for all of their employees. Often, its only a handful of the "upper management" that make these "policy" decisions and those decisions often do not reflect the desires of the shareholders, owners and certainly not the employees.

It can be done but it is critical that voters get involved to remind the legislators that the citizens elected them as our representatives and we do not appreciate them selling their time and efforts, once elected, to whichever "Big Business" will wine and dine them, give them money and perform all manner of indirect "perks" that provide photo opportunities in their districts.

---

If you would like to join or renew your membership, you can do so online at this link JOIN TFA
www.tennesseefirearms.com

Sarah McKinley - Armed Again

Remember Sarah McKinley? She is the 18 year old mother of a newborn who lost her husband to cancer on Christmas Day and a week later had to fend off home invaders with a shotgun while waiting for 911 to get law enforcement to her house. She shot one and the second fled.

Well, local PD had to take her shotgun for evidence which left her less defended. In step the good guys...

Via SayUncle, from Arms, Farms, & Fam:

McKinley’s primary home defense gun, the shotgun, was taken for evidence. “We’ll probably have it for at least a couple of months,” the detective said.

Mr. Boch and some friends decided to make a difference and make sure Sarah McKinley has a replacement home-defense shotgun. Antonio Luna, a part-time adjunct staff instructor with Fortress Defense Consultants, made some contacts and lined up a gun. The Blanchard police chief referred Mr. Boch to a trusted, nearby gun dealer, Nathan Morrison of KAIROS Services, LLC., and offered to send a squad to give Sarah a ride to pick up the shotgun once it arrived.

Everyone at Blanchard PD, from the chief down to the front desk clerk, expressed profound and sincere appreciation for any help we or others could provide. “Anything you can do to help with be very much appreciated as that young woman is having a very difficult time right now,” the desk clerk told Mr. Boch.

Mr. Luna secured most of the money needed for a bare-bones Remington 870. A day later, at the Tuesday evening GSL meeting, Mr. Boch asked GSL members to help come up with a $100 to $150 in order to trick out the shotgun with a side-saddle, sling and to take care of any incidental costs. After Boch started a hat around with $10, a few minutes later, GSL members came through with not one, but two hats, stuffed with $487.

Sarah McKinley’s gun arrived on Martin Luther King’s birthday. It’s a tricked-out Remington 870 Express 12ga with a Hogue fore-end and 13” youth stock, a Mesa Tactical 8 round side saddle, Trijicon ghost-ring tritium sights, an Advanced Technologies mag clamp swivel mount and a Vickers Tactical Blue Force two-point sling. Also included are a few boxes of Federal Personal Defense 00 buck, which the gun loves.

Sarah McKinley picking up the donated shotgun.

The gun was test fired before shipping. Ryan Stoy, of ZX Gun in Goshen, IN told Boch, ”I test fired the gun this afternoon. It’s a good gun. I built it up myself and it’s what I would want someone I care about to have.”

We (Boch, Luna, etc.) are weighing options for either giving McKinley a check for the remaining cash, or making arrangements to (legally) get her a personal defense caliber revolver.

There is a trust account set up to help Sarah McKinley. If you missed the meeting and would like to contribute to help this girl have a better year in the Year 2012, here is the contact information.

Sarah McKinley Trust Fund
Chickasa Bank & Trust
405 485-2300
Ask for Leah.

Awesome!

Starbucks Appreciation Day - TUESDAY

From Sebastian:

We have an announcement from the National Gun Control Victims Action Council, an umbrella group for the usual suspects, that they are going to boycott Starbucks on Valentine’s Day 2012, which is February 14th. I am going to declare February 14th Starbucks Appreciation Day, by encouraging gun owners to head to Starbucks to buy some of their fine coffee and pastry products. Bitter and I will certainly participate. I encourage everyone to follow through to the link to the official event to take a look at what they are encouraging folks to do, and do the same, only with a pro-gun or gun-neutral message. You can e-mail Starbucks here. and tell them you appreciate them not taking a position on this issue, and following state laws, and that you appreciate their products. Don’t use the gun control organization’s form, even though you can change the message. They will likely use that to present to Starbucks corporate and spin your name on the list as a supporter of Starbucks banning guns.

I can promise you we can more than offset whatever paltry decrease in sales the anti-gun people will cause. Nontheless, our opponents have once again brought this deceased equine out for a flogging, so we have to once again show Starbucks there are a lot more of us then there are of them.

Tennesseans Voted for THIS?

Why is GOP Speaker Beth Harwell (Twitter @SpeakerHarwell) stonewalling conservative legislation that expands recognition of the rights of citizens to self defense? From TFALAC:

Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc.
Legislative Action Committee

---

House Leadership playing "Naifeh Style" maneuvers to kill bill?

There are at least 4 bills pending this year that address the issue of allowing handgun permit holders to commute to and from work without being disarmed by employer policies which blindly prohibit the employees from leaving a firearm secured in their vehicles. These bills include SB2061/HB2021 that remains pending from 2011. New bills this year include SB3002/HB3560 (the primary TFA bill), SB2941/HB3479 and SB3451/HB3660.

All of these bills deal with the exact same issue. All of these bills in the Senate are assigned to the Judiciary where historically firearms related bills are assigned.

Now, what has happened in the House is interesting and harkens back to Jimmy Naifeh's creation of the "Constitutional Protections" subcommittee that he created specifically to kill firearms related legislation. In 2011, HB2021 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee by the Speaker's office. That is where firearms bills are historically assigned in the House even though they usually would be further reassigned to one of 2 or 3 subcommittees of the Judiciary committee to start.

However, 2012 is a new year. It is a year in which House Republican leadership has made known to the rank and file caucus members that the leadership (Speaker Harwell and her task force of shadow operatives) do not want any firearms related legislation to surface in the House in 2012. Perhaps they blame it on the unfortunate arrest of Rep. Curry Todd on DUI and firearms possession charges last year after he successfully carried firearms legislation for many years. Perhaps they want to "lay low" on firearms legislation in an election year so that moderates and liberals might view them as "acceptable" candidates to vote for in the election. Perhaps they want to deprive election opponents of challenging whether or not these Republicans really are "good on the 2nd Amendment" as Speaker Harwell claims with increasingly less credibility to firearms owners.

Whatever the reason, a decision was made, perhaps intentionally, to depart from historical practices in the House Speaker's office. This year, all of the Employee Safe Commute bills (except for HB2021 which was already in Judiciary) have been assigned by Harwell's office to the House Committee on Consumer and Employee affairs. Everyone realizes that this committee has a long history of addressing firearms issues including this specific issue - Right! One could easily surmise that Harwell's office intentionally sent this bill to that committee thinking or hoping that it would not get the attention that the House Judiciary normally has and that she would have a much greater chance of having the bill killed or gutted in the Consumer and Employee affairs committee or subcommittee than would otherwise be the case in the House Judiciary.

Of course, this could have been a legitmate decision to place the bills elsewhere thinking that an employee affairs committee would have more expertise than the committee (Judiciary) which has dealt with firearms legislation almost exclusively since at least 1994. Perhaps the Speaker was not aware that this is primarily a firearms related bill that impacts criminal prosecutions and the removal of infringements as required by the State and Federal Constitutions. Of course, the Speaker has been serving since the 96th General Assembly which gives her approximately 23 years of experience on committee assignments and perhaps this was a stroke of genius to realize that this bill deals more with employee affairs than it does with constitutional rights.

However, that same 23 years of experience may have also impressed on the Speaker's office how her predecessors, such as Jimmy Naifeh, worked to kill bills in packed subcommittees without every having a representative floor vote where the voice of all legislators representing all citizens of the state could be heard on a topic so fundamental as the right to effective self-defense and the 2nd Amendment.

Membership in the House Employee and Consumer Affairs Committee and their profile links:

Committee Officers

• Jimmy Eldridge, Chair
• Mark White, Vice-Chair
• Jimmy Matlock, Secretary

Members

• Glen Casada
• G. A. Hardaway
• Sherry Jones
• Steve McManus
• Gary Moore
• Mark Pody
• Joe Towns
• Johnnie Turner
• Tim Wirgau
• Rick Womick

Tennessee Firearms Alert

From the In Box:

Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc.
Legislative Action Committee

---

TFA Email Campaign on Employee Safe Commute Legislation

URGENT - the link/page below is directly to the action center on the TFA website. This page will allow you (and all your friends) to send emails to the Tennessee General Assembly (your individual legislators + all members of both judiciary committees + the governor) telling them how YOU feel about the EMPLOYEE SAFE COMMUTE bill (a/k/a parking lots bill).
It is important that we let our voices be heard - by the thousands - to support this bill because it is almost certain that Speaker Beth Harwell and others who are "first and foremost aligned with Big Business" will try to stop this legislation. It is going to require that we call upon the conservative legislators (not necessarily equal to ALL of the GOP) in both houses and in both parties to carry this bill to law. It will have substantial resistance by those with large and powerful PACS.

Please go to this site now and take less than a minute to participate. Then, forward this message to every email list that would be interested in this change in the law. Next, post this campaign and link on every web forum, blog or bulletin board whose members you believe may have an interest in this change in the law.

TFA Action Center - Employee Safe Commute (Parking Lot) Campaign

Update on Korean Garands

SayUncle:

It looks like the .gov has unforcked itself and they will be imported:

The U.S. is set to import antiquated firearms from South Korea that were previously banned from entry, officials here said Thursday. Defense ministry officials said the United States has approved imports of M1 Garrand rifles, which were used by U.S. forces during the 1950-53 Korean War. “The U.S. sent an approval letter in September last year,” a ministry official said. “The U.S. will be willing to review legal procedures once we seek to export the rifles.” The official added that an exporter will be selected in an open bid at the end of this month at the earliest.

Note to wife: Start saving up.

It's Still True, More Guns = Less Crime

Data and a graph from No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money: Seems as "shall issue" carry spread across the states homicide rates fell dramatically. Armed citizens do not make easy prey.

Americans Fear Big Government

From Gallup: In U.S., Fear of Big Government at Near-Record Level.
And for good reason. And that fear is why the Founding Fathers gave us the Second Amendment.

Dave Kopel's latest paper

Via Arms and the Law:

Dave Kopel's latest paper:

"How the British Gun Control Program Precipitated the American Revolution". I suggest downloading the paper, not only because it's interesting, but also because that drives up the paper's SSRN statistics. If you get a high enough readership, you make "top ten" in Con Law downloads, and all subscribers to SSRN get an email announcing that, which gives a paper wider exposure.

Nashville: Casa Fiesta Does NOT Want Your Business

#tnguns #concealedcarry #opencarry . 

So says Nikki Goeser who asked the manager to take down his "No Guns" sign - a sign that does not comply with Tennessee law. 

So I walk in this afternoon and look him straight in the eye and say...."Well Sir, the Restaurant Carry Bill passed and is now Law so are ya' gonna take that sign up there on the wall down now?" He said NO. So I told him he has just LOST MY BUSINESS.

Mine, too. And I love Mexican food, having lived on the border in El Paso, Texas and in New Mexico for decades.  As Nikki points out, you ARE NOT SAFE at this restaurant if you are defenseless.

Gordon Travis Garrett, of Smyrna, was eating at the Casa Fiesta restaurant located at 1111 Bell Road with his girlfriend and baby when he received a message, which led him to walk outside.
Once outside, police said he was approached by a newer model white Ford Mustang and was shot in the parking lot.
Customers inside heard the gunfire and called police.
Garrett, 26, was taken to Southern Hills Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Here's their contact info:
Casa Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
(615)731-3918 1111 Bell Rd Antioch, TN 37013

If you exercise your Second Amendment rights to self protection, be sure and call them first to see of their sign is still up - and tell them why you won't be eating there if it's in place.

Has It Been A Year, Already?

#tnguns .
WizardPC points out that it has been a year since Ben Goeser was gunned down at a local Nashville sports bar and links a video tribute on YouTube.

When we posted on this story a year ago Nikki Goeser wrote to us of the horror of seeing her husband killed in front of her: "If I could have been allowed to carry my gun (because I do have a permit) perhaps I could have saved him. People that have gone through proper training, background checks, registered their weapon and have the permit should be allowed to carry a concealed gun for their own protection as long as they are not drinking alcohol. Just remember....when seconds count, the police are minutes away. Bad guys don't care about Laws. Let good citizens have the ability to protect themselves and their families. I never want anyone I love to be a sitting target again. Never again. Please, help wake these lawmakers up. I need your help. If there is anything you can do for me....please do this. Do this for Ben."

WWW.BenGoeser.com has been established to "assist families finding themselves in a similar situation. Nikki began the fund knowing that Ben would want her to help others. The pain one goes through when a loved one is taken so suddenly, so violently is immeasurable! The ABSOLUTE last thing they should have to worry about is how they will survive financially. Ben was always bringing people together, making everyone feel as though they were family. We can all come together and make a huge difference in the lives of families coping with such extreme loss. This fund is a Big Ole' "Ben Bear Hug" from above. Through his fund and your help he will always be here to do his usual...lend his helping hands."

Tennessee Handgun Carry: Belle Meade Still Honors Permit

#tnguns .
After going around the horn of argument with several other permit holders about the Belle Meade City Ordinance (2010-2) Belle Meade acted on today and reading the differing reports of what it means, I decided to go to the "horse's mouth" and phoned the Belle Meade PD. The person* answering the phone affirmed what I and others thought: This has nothing to do with Handgun Permits and Belle Meade PD will honor valid permits as they always have. (*The officer answering the phone gave his name and permission to be quoted but I'll keep his name out of this public forum.)

The issue is about the old way the ordinance was worded that allowed - and, in fact, mandated as the only carry allowed - carry "in open hand" of 19th century style black powder "Army and Navy" pistols. The new wording strips this from the city ordinance. This was brought to the fore by the actions of Leonard Embody that we wrote about earlier here and here.

So, despite the email sent by NRA-ILA, Belle Meade has not banned Handgun Permit holders from exercising their self defense rights in their city.

More:
SayUncle -

I sent an email to some folks to see if they had heard of it and ACK posted about it. Turns out (via ACK), not so much:

The current Belle Meade municipal code includes a section on firearms and weapons that says “it is unlawful for any person to carry in any manner whatever, with the intent to go armed and razor, dirk, knife, blackjack, brass knuckles, pistol, revolver or any other dangerous weapon or instrument…”

It also includes the phrase “except the army or navy pistol which shall be carried openly in the hand.”

The new ordinance deletes the exception that would include the Navy black powder pistol Leonard Embody carried when he walked down Belle Meade Boulevard in mid-February.

The author, Sherry Phillips, continues:

Embody, who is active on many gun rights blogs, first gained attention in December when he brandished a loaded AK-47 pistol at Radnor Lake State Park.

Embody may be active, but his activity consists mostly of getting banned and ridiculed on those "gun rights blogs" which are mostly online message forums and not blogs...

Smart Carry for Concealed Carry

#guns #2am .
Got one (SmartCarry Security model) in the mail today... As luck would have it I busted my left hand/wrist at work last Saturday so it will be a while before I can give it a work out.

To the FCC: I ain't been compensated for nothin' and I paid full price for this product, ya goofballs.

Guns in Parks: This is NOT a Time to Celebrate

#tnguns #tcot #teaparty . .

So Obama signed the Credit Card bill with the Parks Gun amendment intact. Now our 2AM bloggers are jumping up and down with glee and throwing it into the face of the Brady Campaign for Citizen Disarmament and other folks.

So I have a question for all of you that are dizzy with perceived victory: Can we carry into parks tomorrow? The next day? The provisions take effect next February. That's right, February 2010.

Here's another question: Do you think the hoplophobes will take this laying down?

Really? What did they do when Bush opened up the parks to permit holders? They did not lay down.

There is a lot of time between now and next February.

On top of that, it was attached to legislation that further erodes the constitutional barriers between government and business. This is no cause for celebration. Sure, we just saw an amendment passed and signed that should become law nine months from now. The problem is that this law won't go into effect for nine months and that it was attached to a law that will project the federal government's tentacles even deeper into our pocket books.

Y'all go ahead and dance. I don't think you'll like the tune once Obama starts playing it with your credit. Dancing with the devil is a dangerous thing.

So what's my bottom line? Am I grousing against the Coburn amendment to allow national park gun rules to conform with applicable state laws? Would I rather see no incremental gain in the name of ideological purity? And how do I square that against my self-proclaimed "Any chair in a bar fight" slogan?

Hey, I'm just pointing out that you don't get benefits without costs, that you dance with the devil at your peril, and that he is unexcelled at making you think you're the one leading. I'm just saying that--amidst all the cheering about what a victory this portends to be--for gun owners and for credit card customers--the central government will emerge with more power than it had before.

But we all knew this, right?

Yeah, we did, and a government that "gives" us the "right" to carry in our parks is one that can take that and more away.

And that government is Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.

Y'all still dancing?

Does it add up to Lexington Green?

Ammo shortage plus arms shortage plus Tea parties may equal Lexington Green says Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee.

But an increasing number of people are openly expressing that the reason they are stocking up on ammunition is that they fear the actions of our federal government. These are people who have never been radicals, most could generally care less about politics, and many have never even dreamed of owning guns until now.

And while it will no doubt come as a surprise to those who would like to perpetrate the stereotype of gun owners as rural and uneducated—the kind that bitterly cling to their guns and Bibles as someone once scornfully said—anecdotal evidence suggests many new gun owners are minorities, and all social classes are purchasing firearms and ammunition.

While we seem to have a tea party movement growing nationwide as people voice their dissatisfaction with our power-mad, spending-crazed government by calling on the symbolism of the acts of Patriots in Boston Harbor more than two hundred years ago, I suspect those protests are hiding a deeper resentment and fears about the competency and goals of our federal leaders.

If our government continues to make citizens feel abused, and makes an over-aggressive miscalculation in asserting their power—certainly possible with our fumbling Attorney General who was part of the Clintonian Justice Dept management nightmare under Reno—tea parties will be the least of their worries.

They should be more concerned they are convincing many Americans to prepare for Lexington Green.

Stock up and get survivalist, folks...
[UPDATE] 2 March 2009 1730 The shortages are real, folks. The Pax Wife and I went out this afternoon looking for a few things to celebrate our upcoming 10th anniversary. One was a Remington 700 in .308. Uh, nope. There isn't one on this side of the town.
We did find a couple Ruger 10/22 Carbines. They have a new home. The guy at the gun shop had just put them out.

It wasn't just rifles. Handgun cases show plenty of empty spots where they were filled to over flowing previously. There seem to be plenty shot guns, but I seem to remember a lot more of those in racks than now.
Ammo? I saw two boxes of .308 in all the places we visited. Most of the shelves in most shops are half or less full. A year ago they would have been almost full. When I asked about getting a thousand or so rounds from the sales guy for the 10/22's he actually laughed.
I think the Pax Wife is a bit disappointed with the 10/22 as a gift. She said something about wishing it was a SKS...
Luckily I have plenty 10/22 accessories and ammo. Project Appleseed, here we come!

More:

GunPundit: Click!

Mumbai in America?

Just a few hours ago special ops commandos of the Indian military stormed a "Jewish center" in an attempt to end the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Islamist thugs have been on a two day rampage in that Indian city targeting hotels, restaurants, train stations, and other populated places killing with abandon and taking western and Israeli hostages. Prominent in their arsenal of terror were AK 47 rifles and hand grenades.

What if what is happening in Mumbai happened in America? In many "blue states" the results would be the same as in Mumbai. In India criminals have easy access to weapons while "as the Indian Law stands today a citizen of this country cannot even own a stick without inviting a penalty of 7 years in prison." In liberal bastions like Chicago, New York, and the District of Columbia law abiding citizens are similarly disarmed. So while emergency services run around "first responding" disarmed citizens become unnecessary casualties.

What if the Islamofascist scum tried this in a community where just a quarter of the average citizens were armed? That is, after all, the only defense. The authorities simply can't respond in time. We saw on 9-11 that our emergency services are brave and fearless when under attack. Police, Fire, and EMTs along with private security rushed into falling towers to rescue those in danger in the face of certain death. Their bretheren converged on New York in the days after to help retrieve the citizens and emergency personnel from under the rubble of those towers. Since then we have seen our military vanquish the enemy in place in Iraq, and given the same chance in Afghanistan they will do so again as the Marines proved earlier this month.

However, in the face of immediate attack from suicidal and homicidal Islamofascists armed with AK 47s and explosives, seconds matter. Help from police and military is minutes -- perhaps hours -- away. While we mourn the dead and help the survivors of the Mumbai attacks we must also think of our personal responsibility in preparing to meet such attacks on our home front. The enemy is evil and will attack us when and where they can. Shame on us if we are not prepared. All able bodied citizens should make use of whatever laws allow them to be armed and trained to meet these thugs no matter where they appear. All law abiding citiznes need to demand the unfettered ability to exercise our Second Amendment rights from our elected representatives. Eliminate so-called "Gun Free Zones."

The truth is that each American is the first responder to any emergency. Emergency services respond to OUR first response. How will you respond to an Islamist thug aiming a weapon at your family? We all hope we never find out, but hope did not keep the Islamists from toppling the Twin Towers or smashing into the Pentagon. Hope did not stay the trigger of Muhammed and Malvo. Hope did not disarm the thugs in Mumbai.

As a friend of mine says quite often, "I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop."

[UPDATE]
CrimeFile's Paul Huebl reports that India's police and militia are horribly under armed:

The local city cops are generally laid back. Up to five officers will share a single six-shot American made Ruger revolver with little in the way of reserve ammunition. They are like cops here, committed to keep their cities and visitors safe.

Some police and the military are armed with the venerable FNFAL battle rifle that fires the substantial 3.08 round. We will have to wait and see the present crisis unfold and learn what beef the cowardly terrorists have with American and British tourists. I’m sure the brave Indian police and military members will round up the suspects and things will return to normal.

Jimmie at The Sundries Shack:

And, please. Don’t give me any nonsense about lax gun laws or any other anti-gun folderol. Criminals will always be able to get all the guns they want because they don’t care about the law. Even if you banned guns entirely, criminals would still get guns because they’re criminals. Breaking the law is built into their job description. Don’t believe me? Look at Washington, DC and Chicago which combine the strictest anti-gun laws in the country with a sickeningly high rate of gun violence.

Via Jimme, Dr. Melissa Clouthier:
On where...

1. Terrorists like drama and dense populations. So, that would favor a city. Some cities are more suitable–Chicago, DC and New York come to mind. Los Angeles and Houston are spread out. So is Miami. Tight quarters are target rich.

2. So let’s a assume a city. Terrorists like unarmed inhabitants. Well, criminals everywhere are armed, of course. But New York, DC and Chicago all have unfriendly gun laws. Perfect! I was thinking about this sort of thing happening in Houston. It wouldn’t last long. I don’t know the number of people with CHLs (concealed carry handgun licenses), but the number is high. That tends to make the populace less willing to comply.

3. Terrorists like symbolism. The Twin Towers were symbolic of our economic and infrastructure strength.

She sums up...

An armed populace trained to fight back would go a long way to increasing security. The old fashioned notion of militias sprang to my mind just now. Maybe that’s the answer: civilians who band together and train for these situations.

Sounds suspiciously like those evil militias... Horror! One additional point on her post:

The terrorist operations are more like guerrilla combat. High school kids weaned on video games and armed to the teeth might have a better chance against such a well-trained enemy. I mention this because American police forces simply aren’t prepared to deal with street warfare, unless there have been massive training exercises I’m not aware of.

There has been a fundamental change in strategy and tactics for LE confronting "active shooters/killers" since Columbine and VaTech. Current thought is evolving and the doctrine of each LEO actively engaging the shooter(s) as soon as each arrives on the scene is gaining prominence.

See: Armed Resistance Stops School Shooters -- Surprise...

[UPDATE II]
Stacy McCain writes:

There is no fool-proof means of preventing such attacks, in India or anywhere else. The only effective long-term strategy is to identify terrorist groups and their members, place them under surveillance, and try to disrupt their plans by arresting them for weapons charges, immigration violations and the like.

Au Contraire, my Bob Barr supporting friend. The best effective long term (and short term) strategy involves an educated and armed law abiding populace willing and able to stop the thugs when they attack -- and, of course, equipped with cell phones to call in the police to clean up and take the after action reports...

Look, according to reports the Indian populace is unarmed and the Indian police are very ill-equipped (fix cops sharing a single Ruger revolver? Military armed with a century old battle rifle?). Modern society must accept that there is an individual and collective responsibility to defend one's life and the well being of the community. That responsibility starts with each able bodied citizen and is necessary for each person to enjoy individual Liberty and for the society to achieve anything close to security.

Yeah, the attacks in Mumbai portend vile things for our nation. That's because we have allowed ourselves to be disarmed and lulled to sleep by the government Nanny State that, like India, has no hope of protecting us. America must wake up to the reasons we have Liberty -- including the Liberty contained in the Second Amendment.

Armed Resistance Stops School Shooters -- Surprise!

Via Of Arms and the Law
From WCPO.com (Channel 9 - Kentucky) comes an item on the evolution of law enforcement tactics in response to profiles of typical mass murderers. It turns out that the "gun nuts" were right about how to deal with them.

Experts even have a couple new names for them. The item states they are called "active shooters" or "active killers" and authorities have mere minutes to stop them as their scenarios play out quickly. Up to the Columbine tragedy law enforcement doctrine stipulated that waiting for the SWAT team to assemble and assess the tactical situation was correct.

Too long.

The two student gunmen killed 15 people and themselves before the SWAT team was in position. Commanders realized that it simply takes too long to assemble a tactical team in time to stop an active killer.

So experts then thought that the first four or so officers on the scene were the answer.

The new tactics developed in response to Columbine involved creating an ad-hoc tactical team using the first four or five patrol officers on the scene.

They would enter the shooting scene in a diamond formation with guns pointing in all directions.This technique was employed by police departments around the country.

Then came the Virginia Tech shootings.

Seung Hui Cho shot 47 people, 30 fatally, in the university's Norris Hall in just 11 minutes.

That means every minute he killed more than three people and shot a total of four.

Once again, the gunman continued shooting until a four-officer team made entry and then he killed himself.

Now?

Based on the Virginia Tech data, experts determined the first officer on scene should make entry immediately with an aggressive attack on the shooter.

Every minute the officer waits for back-up, another three or more people could die.

In other words, while it was once considered suicide for a lone officer to take on an active killer, it is now considered statistical homicide for him not to do so.

And about those "no gun" signs malls and businesses like to put up and all those places politicians have deemed law abiding folks unfit to carry concealed weapons?

The other statistic that emerged from a study of active killers is that they almost exclusively seek out "gun free" zones for their attacks.

In most states, concealed handguns are prohibited at schools and on college campuses even for those with permits.

Many malls and workplaces also place signs at their entrances prohibiting firearms on the premises.

Now tacticians believe the signs themselves may be an invitation to the active killers.

The psychological profile of a mass murderer indicates he is looking to inflict the most casualties as quickly as possible.

Also, the data show most active killers have no intention of surviving the event.

They may select schools and shopping malls because of the large number of defenseless victims and the virtual guarantee no [one] on the scene one is armed.

As soon as they're confronted by any armed resistance, the shooters typically turn the gun on themselves.

How many times have we put on bumper stickers or used tag lines with these slogans:
"I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop."
"Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns."
"When Seconds Matter, Help from 911 is Minutes Away."

Those kids at Columbine and Virginia Tech did not all have to die. Armed teachers and/or guards at Columbine and armed professors, students, and guards at Virginia Tech who believe in the Second Amendment and self reliance could have stopped each incident in its tracks. "As soon as they're confronted by any armed resistance, the shooters typically turn the gun on themselves."

And on and on... We told them. Why does it take so long for the "experts" to listen?

On the "Love" of Guns, and the Role of Private Security

I have received quite a few responses to the recent post Range Day Report in the various forms of email, comments and other -- most laudatory, some derogative. One email I received sought to take me to task for the "love" I displayed for my Smith and Wesson 686. Here is what I posted about that weapon:

The SW686 I had shot and trained with many times before. I stopped counting the rounds through it at 15,000. Purchased in February 1994, this revolver is hands down my favorite weapon in the world. I carried it on and off duty for over a decade and it bears the scars of holster and duty wear as badges of honor. This is the weapon I trusted with my life during trips into mortal danger along the Mexican border and El Paso's barrios. Since my wife and I were married, this is the weapon that resides on my wife's night stand when I am not carrying on duty. A joke my friends are tired of hearing is that soon after we were married, my wife stated that if I started calling it by a pet name she was calling the guys in the white jackets... The SW686 remains unnamed as I don't relish a trip to the looney bin.

The cumulative effect of thousands of rounds has rendered the trigger stroke, already smooth from the factory, a silky smooth experience. I installed pachmayr synthetic grips soon after purchase both for increased control and to mitigate the hardship of carry on the original rosewood grips. Other than that, the SW686 is stock from the factory.

If I am forced to pick one handgun to carry on duty, the SW686 is it. That being the case, I qualified with it first.

The quote in bold is the part that seems to have elicited the most strident objections. The email I mentioned rambled monotonously about my "love affair" with an inanimate object.

Please.

That charge is the result of a juvenile mind unable to raise itself from the gutter of prurient thought.

True, I fawn over this weapon. I trust it. Why? Because of the over 15,000 times I have fired it, it has never failed. I know that if I am in a position that requires use of a weapon to protect the lives of the people I love, that weapon will perform the task for which it was created. At various times over the years my life and those of my family depended on having a weapon that would function as it is intended.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote to George Washington, "One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them." That sums up exactly my "love" for that weapon, and the attraction I have regarding my collection of various weapons. I think I'll go with a couple Founding Fathers and presidents over the addled sophomoric objections of a misinformed bloviator.

Another would-be commenter sought to demean the part I wrote about carrying the SW686 "along the Mexican border and El Paso's barrios." He tried to use the term "security guard" as a pejorative. That I have worked private security is obvious, as I stated in the article that I was taking the Handgun Permit Carry course and the Armed Security course. In fact, I stated that taking the security course was the reason I qualified with two weapons -- so that I could carry either on duty.

What the commenter did not know, and what I do not believe I have written on this blog before, is that I have also served my time as a sworn peace officer. So yes, much of my time carrying the SW686 was as a private security officer in addition to the time I carried it as a peace officer.

However, the slighting comments the commenter made about private security are ill-informed and yet pervasive in our society. Many private security firms are guilty of only performing to the parameters of the contract under which they operate. Many public encounters are with the "warm bodies" that are hired to fulfill these "lowest bid" contracts. Unfortunately, these instances are the ones most often brought to mind when the subject of private security is raised.

The truth behind the subject is different. When one hears of government officials speak of "first responders" the professionals brought to mind are police, fire fighters and emergency medical services. The fact is that the first people on the scene are most often regular citizens and private security. During the September 11, 2001 attacks the first professionals to organize a response to the life taking situation were security guards. The most famous of these was Rick Rescorla who, as head of Morgan Stanley's security, saved thousands of lives during the disaster and died looking for stragglers when WTC 2 collapsed with him in it. Rescorla is also famous for being a member of General Hal Moore's unit that was portrayed in We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang--The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam. The story of his sacrifice was documented in Heart of A Soldier A Story of Live, Heroism, and September 11th by James B. Stewart.

Rescorla's story is not the only one of private security officers saving lives in the WTC attacks. Another is of Esmerlin Salcedo:

World Trade Center security guard Esmerlin Salcedo was in no peril on the day of the attack since he was attending a computer class at a safe distance away. But when he heard the first strike, he raced from his class to his desk at the command center on the B-1 level. He walked fellow worker Roselyn Braud to an open exit and told her to run for her life. The last time he was seen he was helping another guard to safety. The 36-year-old father of four earned $10.51 an hour. He has an $80,000 life insurance policy but, according to the New York Times, his survivors may not be eligible for survivor's benefits because he wasn't officially “on duty.”

Salcedo was not "on duty" but his sense of duty led him to give his lives for others.

Just a Rent-a-Cop.

The stories are there, but only if you dig deep for them. In another post I hope to write about the environment wherein security guards and officers must work, an environment created by lack of pay, lack of training, and lack of support and recognition -- most of which are caused by low bid finances and "warm body" mindsets in the private security sector and the public in general.

So, when that commenter sought to insult me for having been a security guard he failed. I simply considered the source.

Yeah, I love my gun -- for what it does to protect my family. And I am proud to have served as a peace officer and as a private security officer. The next time you see a security officer at a bank or store, think about just who it is the bad guys are going to target first, and who protects you from those bad guys if you have not availed yourself of your state's carry laws. Remember, the security officer is there on location and in high profile uniform, there when the "fit hits the shan." The guys at Emergency 911 are minutes away -- and when the bad guys hit seconds matter.