No Guns for Gabby?

By Jeff Knox

We all know that Gabby Giffords was injured in a murderous attack by a deranged Democrat activist.  We know that she suffered serious brain trauma and needed more than a year to regain even partial mobility and speech.  We also know that she has staged a remarkable recovery becoming the figurehead of a gun control operation started by her husband, Mark Kelly.  Rep. Giffords and Capt. Kelly often point out that they are not anti-gun and make show of buying, owning, and shooting guns.

Since we know all of that about Gabby Giffords, let me tell you about someone you don’t know.  We’ll call him Larry to protect his privacy.  Larry grew up in a shooting and hunting household.  As with so many working-class American gun owners, Larry is a patriot, and when he was 18, he volunteered for the US Army.  He went to Vietnam and was one of the last US casualties of that conflict when he was seriously injured by grenade shrapnel.  He suffered a traumatic brain injury and, like Gabby, had to relearn simple things like walking, talking, and feeding himself.  With help from his loving wife, Larry was eventually able to live a relatively normal life, though he suffers with frequent headaches and deals with severe pain that keeps him from being able to hold down a regular job.  The couple have depended on his small disability pension and what his wife has been able to earn cleaning other people’s houses.  One of his few joys has been getting out into nature and hunting – for meat and for the solitude he finds in it – or just tinkering and plinking.

Continue reading No Guns for Gabby? →

Plenty of Work Ahead

By Jeff Knox

(November 6, 2014) Republicans won big on Tuesday.  Not only did they gain the majority in the US Senate, they also picked up seats in the House, state legislatures, and governors’ offices.  GunVoters played a significant role in many of those races.  The question now is what the Republicans are going to do with their new-found power?  They still have Barack Obama in the White House so they’re not going to have much luck getting controversial legislation signed into law, and they don’t have the votes to override vetoes.  The nation is still in the doldrums economically, and things are firing up in the Middle East again with Daesh murdering Christians and Western sympathizers.  And then there’s the issue of illegal immigrants and controlling the border. 

Throw into that mix the bad news out of Washington State where Initiative 594, criminalizing private firearm transfers, was passed by a 60-40 margin.  While 60% is a far cry from the 90% support for “universal background checks” that proponents of the idea continue to claim, it is enough to embolden those proponents to continue with their plans to bring similar initiatives to other states that offer the initiative process, and to keep pushing for state and federal legislation.

Continue reading Washington Loss Means More Work →

It’s All Up To You

By Jeff Knox

Early voting has already started.  Getting out the vote is critical in any election, but especially so in mid-terms when there is no presidential race.  Whether it’s a matter of exposure or something else, for some reason people are less interested in voting when they’re not electing a president.  This year should get a better turnout than usual, but it still won’t be nearly as heavy as in presidential election years, and even 2012’s voter turnout was dramatically lower than it was for 2008.

Low voter turnout is a problem and an opportunity.  The problem is that it’s harder to get people motivated and voting during the midterms.  The opportunity is that the other side faces the same problem, so whichever side does the best job of getting their people turned out is the side that’s probably going to win.

I saw a poll today that should give Republicans something to worry about.  It was an unscientific poll of visitors to my friend Richard Viguerie’s website, ConservativeHQ.com.  The poll asked one question: Have you voted yet? 

It offered three possible answers:

1. No. 

2. Yes.

3. I don’t plan to vote in the 2014 midterm election. 

The response was rather startling, with 44% of respondents saying they had not voted yet, 32% saying they had already voted, and 24% saying they were not planning to vote.

Continue reading It’s All Up to You →

Sphere of Influence

By Jeff Knox

(October 27, 2014) The midterm elections are officially just a few days away, though in many jurisdictions voting has been going on for a couple of weeks already.  The balance of power in the US Senate is on the line and, along with the Senate races, there are hundreds of other federal, state, and local races to be decided – races that could have a serious impact on your personal health, wealth, and liberty.  So what are you personally doing about it?

Have you cast your ballot yet?  Have you donated to the campaigns of candidates you believe in?  Have you written letters to the editor, posted comments on Facebook, posted links to important articles, or called in to radio shows?  Have you attended or tuned in to candidate debates, volunteered for candidates, passed out literature in the park?  Whether you have done any, all, or none of those things, here are 4 things that you can do right now to make a difference in the outcomes of Tuesday’s elections:

1.      Get your own house in order.  Be sure that you have examined the ballot, investigated the candidates – all of them, from Senate to City Council – and studied any initiatives, referenda, bond issues, etc., and decided how you’re going to vote.  Then you need to be sure that everyone of voting age in your household has all of that information and casts informed votes.  You don’t want to find out after the election that your spouse, son, or daughter canceled out your vote through ignorance or indifference.  Make them notes to use when they vote.  They can choose to ignore your suggestions, but be sure they have your suggestions and clearly understand the issues and what’s at stake.

Continue reading Your Influence →

Making the Grade

By Jeff Knox

(October 14, 2014) We in the rights movement have had a relatively easy go of things for the past 20 years or so.  Since the “Assault Weapons” Ban of 1994, the pendulum has been swinging mostly our way.  There have been a few stumbles and some close calls, as well as a whole lot of missed opportunities in that time, but in general, we’ve gained ground.  I fear that could be changing, and I fear this year’s elections could be a critical turning point.

My personal concerns were echoed in an email I received from the NRA this week.  In it, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox declared that we are “within striking distance” of removing Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Chuck Schumer from control of the Senate, and replacing them with a “pro-Second Amendment majority.”  He goes on to point out that the deciding factor will be a few percentage points in a handful of close Senate races, and, of course, Cox followed up those statements with a suggestion that the best way to further these goals is with a generous donation to NRA’s lobbying division.

The problem is that NRA, like some establishment Republican groups, hasn’t been acting in line with their fundraising pitches.

We all know that Republicans must flip six seats to gain the majority in the Senate, and that, along with a couple of seats Republicans are at some risk of losing, there are only a handful of seats currently held by Democrats that Republicans have a chance at converting.  All of those races are expected to be close, and each of them is critical.  

Continue reading NRA Grade →

Do It Yourself Second Amendment

By Jeff Knox 

(October 10, 2014) Remember the hoopla a few months ago when a young, libertarian entrepreneur named Cody Wilson announced that he had constructed the first functional 3D printed gun?  And the growing outcry from the hoplophobes about “Ghost Guns” and 80% lowers?  Now Wilson and his company, Defense Distributed, has introduced a small, self-contained, computer controlled milling machine which can automatically finish an 80% lower in just a couple of hours.  The device has been dubbed the “Ghost Gunner,” in honor of State Senator Kevin DeLeon (D-CA) and his infamous, lunatic rant.  (If you haven’t seen it, look it up on YouTube.  Hilarious!)  The machine sells for $1500.00 and comes with everything you need to get started.

That’s got the professional hoplophobes of the Bloomies and the Bradys all in a tizzy all over again.  Wilson announced the release of the new machine just days after Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced new legislation to require that all home-made guns be regulated in the same manner that commercially manufactured guns are – which, according to the same hoplophobes are completely unregulated…  But all of the hand-wringing and legislation writing is just further proof that these people really have no idea what they’re talking about.  They seem to think that guns are some magical creations forged in high-tech furnaces in Hell.  They clearly believe that making a firearm requires sophisticated machinery and highly specialized skills. 

Of course Shotgun News readers know just how ridiculous that belief is.  While “printing” the parts for an all-plastic, single-shot zipgun is a nifty concept, actually making a similar, but more durable and functional gun, from wood, pipe and nails is child’s play.  Most of us could accomplish the task in under an hour, using nothing but hand tools and junk from the garage.

Continue reading DIY 2A →

Guns in America: An Untold Story

By Jeff Knox

(October 3, 2014) We’ve all heard the old newspaper saying, “If it bleeds it leads,” and we understand that dramatic stories of blood and carnage are attention-getters and ratings-boosters.  The public likes a good horror story, and the news media know it.  Horrific murders, especially those involving multiple victims, are particularly good sellers.  It’s just a fact of life that the core business of media is to “sell papers,” and the advertising in them.  But the core mission of the media is supposed to be to inform the public – you know, report the news.  One area of that mission where the dominant media falls woefully short is in reporting on cases of armed self-defense – even when the actions of the defender clearly saved many lives – and one of the tactics they use when they do report these events is to set the hero apart as something other than a regular armed citizen.

When a worker at a food processing plant in Oklahoma went on a rampage, killing and decapitating one woman and stabbing another several times before being stopped by several shots fired by a senior executive of the company, the hero was repeatedly described as an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.  That hero, Mark Vaughan, was the Chief Operating Officer of the business, and all agree that had he not had his gun readily available, the terror rampage would have taken several more lives.  But painting his actions as those of an off-duty deputy is something of a distortion.  That characterization suggests that he wasn’t an armed citizen, but rather a cop just doing his job.  This helps them to preserve the fiction that only police are qualified and trustworthy enough to go about armed.  In fact, Vaughan is a Reserve Deputy in Oklahoma County; a volunteer position requiring only 11 hours of service per month.  While I don’t mean to denigrate that service, and I’m sure some of the training he received through that service helped, Vaughan was not acting as a deputy; he was acting as a concerned citizen and coworker.

Continue reading GunNews →

The False Promise of Background Checks

By Jeff Knox

(September 25, 2014)

The idea of background checks for firearm purchases seems to sound sensible, but the reality is much different from the appearance.  In truth, expecting firearm background checks to stop criminals is like trying to catch a few particular salmon during spawning season by placing a rock in the middle of the stream and watching for the specific fish to jump over the rock. 

specious:  adjective:

superficially plausible, but actually wrong.

“a specious argument”

misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive.

– merriam-webster.com

There are more than 15 million NICS background checks processed every year, totaling over 180 million checks since the program’s inception in 1998.  Between 98% and 99% of those checks were on regular, unrestricted people – most of whom already own at least one firearm. Of the few prohibited persons stopped from purchasing a firearm, the vast majority either weren’t aware of their prohibited status or thought their rights had been restored; they had no criminal intent.  In 2010, which is typical of recent years, only about 60 individuals – out of 15 million – were considered worthy of prosecution, and only 13 people – out of 15 million – were actually convicted of illegally trying to purchase a firearm.  Not a very impressive return from a program that infringes on an enumerated constitutional right – that “shall not be infringed” – and has cost taxpayers an estimated $2 billion dollars so far.

Continue reading The False Promise of Background Checks →

Demanding Moms’ War on Kroger

Will the grocery giant succumb to the Astroturf campaign?

By Jeff Knox

(September 19, 2014) The PR company, Moms Demand Action, a subsidiary of Mike Bloomberg’s gun control conglomerate, Everytown, is waging a media campaign against one of the nation’s largest grocery and consumer goods companies.  The Kroger Company owns and operates nearly 2500 grocery and department stores around the country including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Scott’s, and other brands.  They employ over 340,000 people, and provide services for tens of millions of customers every year.  Kroger’s stores and subsidiaries make a conscious and active effort to be involved in the communities where they do business, and to operate in a “socially conscious” manner.  They also maintain a policy of following local laws regarding the possession and carry of firearms.

It’s that last bit that has the Demanding Moms targeting Kroger with petitions, email drives, and ridiculous advertising campaigns in newspapers, on billboards, and around the web demanding that Kroger institute a public policy forbidding firearms in their stores.  They say that seeing guns on people who aren’t also wearing uniforms and badges, makes them uncomfortable and feel less safe.

Continue reading Astroturf Assault on Kroger →

Ray Rice and New Jersey “Justice”

By Jeff Knox

(September 12, 2014) The release of a videotape of Baltimore Ravens Running Back, Ray Rice, punching his fiancé and knocking her out, has created quite a stir in the media.  The TV gossip show, TMZ, released the video this week, ushering in a whole new chorus of outrage toward Rice, the NFL, and the Atlantic County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office. 

After an initial 2-game suspension, the Baltimore Ravens have now canceled Rice’s multi-million dollar contract, and the NFL has suspended him from the league indefinitely.  The criticism being leveled at the Atlantic County Prosecutor is based on their decision to allow Rice off through a Pre-Trial Intervention program whereby he must complete an anger management program, possibly perform some community service, report to a probation officer, and avoid any further legal troubles for a couple of years.  In the end, his record will be completely clean, as if nothing ever happened.  Such plea deals are not uncommon for people charged with a first offense, though they are not normally offered in cases involving serious violence.  In this particular case, the prosecutor initially filed a simple assault charge and tried to let Rice off, but had to send the case to a Grand Jury.  The Grand Jury came back with a felony indictment, but the prosecutor decided to be as lenient as possible by offering Rice the Pre-Trial Intervention deal on an aggravated assault charge.

Continue reading Un-Equal Justice in New Jersey →