Billionaires Buying Away Rights

Will Washington residents sell out?

By Jeff Knox

(September 4, 2014) There is a major battle under way in Washington State that has serious implications for the rest of the country.  The battle is between two competing ballot initiatives; one, I-591, to limit background checks in the state to federal standards, and the other, I-594, to require all firearm transfer in the state – with a few narrow exceptions – to go through a federally licensed firearm dealer for a NICS check.

The I-594 campaign has raised over $7 million so far, most of it from a few extremely wealthy individuals, including Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen, and information mogul turned New York City Mayor turned anti-gun extremist, Mike Bloomberg.  The grass roots effort in support of I-591, on the other hand, has raised just over $1 million, most of that from small, individual contributions.

Seven million dollars will buy a lot of advertising, but will the billionaires’ bucks – and general ignorance about the seemingly commonsense issue of background checks – be enough to overpower the states 1.5 million gun owners?  Polling has shown support for both initiatives, but the intense advertising campaigns and get-out-the-vote efforts could swing the numbers in either direction.

Continue reading Washington Battleground →

The Twelve Senate Races You Can Influence

By Jeff Knox

(September 12, 2014) In case you haven’t heard, there are going to be important elections in a few weeks; elections that could have a significant impact on our right to bear arms.

The Democrats currently controls the US Senate, meaning they control the floor agenda and names chairmen of the committees, but more importantly to this election is the Senate’s job to “advise and consent” regarding lifetime appointments of federal judges.  Obama could appoint over 100 judges, and probably at least one more Supreme Court Justice, in the next two years, and Democrats have drastically lowered the bar for confirmations by eliminating the filibuster against nominees, so the only chance to effectively block anti-rights extremists from the federal bench is for Republicans to control the Senate.  To do that, Republicans must hold onto all of their current seats, and flip at least 6 more seats currently held by Democrats.

Continue reading Key Senate Races →

Judge Says Maryland Ugly-Gun Ban is OK

By Jeff Knox

(August 13, 2014) A Federal Judge in Maryland has declared that the state’s ban on AR and AK-pattern rifles and ammunition magazines capable of holding over 10 rounds is not unconstitutional because, she says, these rifles, among the most popular guns in the country, are not “commonly possessed for lawful purposes,” are especially dangerous, and that banning them does not present a significant burden to people wishing to use firearms for self-defense in their homes.

The judgment is in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of gun owners and members of the firearms industry.  The plaintiffs presented three key grounds for Maryland’s new ban to be overturned:

●     That it violated Second Amendment rights.

●     That its exemptions for retired law enforcement officers violated the 14^th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause.

●     That the law is unconstitutionally vague because along with banning a list of specific guns, it also includes a ban on “copies” of the guns listed, but does not define what constitutes a “copy.”

Judge Catherine C. Blake, a Clinton appointee, engaged in an astounding level of circuitous reasoning and selective rationale to reach her conclusion that the gun ban is not unconstitutional.  It is pretty clear that Judge Blake went into this case with a personal belief that guns are bad and dangerous, and that it was her job to find ways to protect Maryland’s draconian new law, which was passed in the wake of Newtown, Connecticut atrocity.  Judge Blake accepted distorted statistics presented by the anti-rights advocates and their paid, results-driven “researchers” as absolute gospel, while dismissing evidence presented by the plaintiffs and their experts. 

Continue reading More Bad Judgement →

Bloomberg video Proves Need for Equalizer

By Jeff Knox

(August 6, 2014) Imagine you’re a single mother, 5’2”, 125 lbs.  You and your young son are alone in your home one afternoon when your abusive ex-husband shows up at your door – 6’, 180 lbs – demanding that you give him the child.  You have a restraining order against him, but he has chosen to ignore that and is violently pounding on your front door as he yells at you to open the door and turn over your son.

This is the scene played out in a new propaganda commercial from Mike Bloomberg’s anti-rights company, Everytown for Gun Safety.  In the short ad we see the woman frantically telling a 911 operator what’s happening and begging for police assistance, but as usual in life-and-death situations, seconds count, and the police are still minutes away.  Rather than running with her son out the back door to a neighbor’s, or sending the boy to his room to keep him from witnessing an ugly confrontation, the panicking mother pleads with the 911 dispatcher as her frightened son sits quietly on the couch.  Suddenly the man kicks open the front door and enters the room, grabbing the child and declaring his intention to take him.  The mother cries and ineffectually pulls at the man’s arm, helpless against his greater size and strength.

Continue reading Bloomie’s Pro-Gun Ad →

Up to 40 Not Killed in Shooting Rampage

Crazed Lunatic Stopped Cold by Doctor Who Violated Policy

By Jeff Knox

(July 30, 2014) America’s latest murderous rampage is remarkable for what did not happen.  A single innocent died a needless death.  That’s tragic.  But fortunately, there was only one innocent killed.  A suicidal madman hellbent on leaving this earth taking a load of innocents with him was thwarted not by a sign, paperwork, bureaucratic hoops, or police, but by a citizen first-responder who had prepared for the worst contingency. 

On July 24, Dr. Lee Silverman, a psychiatrist, was meeting with a psychiatric caseworker and a patient she had brought to the psychiatric crisis center at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in a suburb of Philadelphia.  The meeting became heated and vocal to the point that a staff member peeked in to see what was going on.  What the staff member saw, was the patient pointing a gun at Dr. Silverman.  The associate quietly closed the door, to avoid setting off the violent patient, and immediately called 911.  But long before police arrived, the criminal opened fire, shooting Theresa Hunt, the caseworker, in the face and then turning the gun on Dr. Silverman.  The psychiatrist dropped behind his desk and returned fire with his own legally carried sidearm, hitting the murderer with three shots and sustaining a minor head wound.  The attacker stumbled out into the hallway where he was pinned down by another doctor and caseworker.

Continue reading Doc Stops Rampage →

Where’s Chris Christie Now?

Mother facing 10 years for having a licensed gun.

New Jersey’s gun laws – the same types of laws Mike Bloomberg and his ilk want to see adopted nationwide – are outrageous and unjust.  They destroy the lives of innocent people while doing nothing to reduce crime.  Case in point: Shaneen Allen, single mother of two, healthcare worker trying hard to provide for her family in Philadelphia. She was working two jobs, often pulling late shifts and odd hours.  She had been robbed twice in the past year, and a family member encouraged her to get a gun for protection.  She went through a firearms training class, passed a background check, and was issued a license to carry a firearm by the Pennsylvania State Police.  About a week after acquiring a firearm, Shaneen was pulled over for a minor traffic violation.  As she had been instructed in her licensing class, she immediately informed the officer that she had a license and a handgun with her.  Unfortunately for Shaneen, she was on the New Jersey side of the river at the time, and her Pennsylvania license is not recognized in New Jersey.  Shaneen spent over a month in a New Jersey county jail and is now facing up to ten years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of at least three years, along with a felony conviction on her record.  If she is convicted or pleads guilty, the judge will have little choice regarding her sentence, he will be required by law to sentence her to at least three years or more.

 A legal defense fund has been set up to assist Shaneen Allen in her struggle for survival.  Information about it can be found on the Shaneen Allen Legal Defense Fund page on Facebook.

Continue reading Out Christie →

Solving the Open Carry Protest Problem

The announcement by Target Corporation that, while they are going to continue their practice of respecting local firearm laws, they “respectfully request” that customers not bring firearms into their stores, has brought to a head a long-brewing conflict within the firearm rights community.  That issue is the use of open carry of firearms as a form of political protest.

Some folks just oppose open carry in any context.  Their reasons may be tactical, i.e. being an obvious target, or they may dislike potentially making others uncomfortable.  Some oppose it only in the context of political protest.  Some are okay with open carry of handguns, but adamantly oppose open carry of long guns under any circumstances. 

Even those who see open carry, whether long guns or handguns, as a valid form of protest are divided.  Some think the only appropriate place for “political open carry” is in organized marches and rallies on public property intended to raise awareness of the issue.  Others insist that marches and rallies just scare people and that routine open carry, including long guns, should just be part of life to get people used to seeing it and accustomed to the idea that a gun doesn’t make a person a threat.  Yet another camp defends the right of property owners to bar people who are visibly carrying.  And, naturally most of us are particularly disturbed when we see apparent safety violations being committed by protesters carrying long guns.

Continue reading Keyboard Critics →

Bloomberg Off Target

Last week I reported on Mike Bloomberg and his Demanding Moms’ propaganda campaign to convince Target to ban guns from their stores.  This week, Target’s acting CEO released a statement saying that guns were not conducive to the family atmosphere the company strives for in their stores, and that, while they were going to continue to be ruled by local laws on the subject, they were respectfully requesting that customers not bring guns into their stores.

Bloomberg and his PR subsidiary, Moms Demand Action, are spinning the statement as a victory for their anti-rights cause, but like previous “victories,” the Target statement has more to do with getting out of the middle of a battle between Bloomberg’s Astroturf groups and millions of gun owners than it has to do with safety or a family environment.   Target is the fourth national chain the Bloomies have targeted for “allowing” people who are legally carrying firearms to spend money in their establishments, and they are the fourth company to sidestep the issue by politely asking gun owners not to carry in their facilities.

Continue reading It’s A Right! →

Supreme Court Tightens Definition of Straw Purchase

The US Supreme Court released their decision this week in the case of Abramski v. US, which involved a former police officer, Abramski, who purchased a gun for an uncle in another state.  Neither Abramski nor his uncle was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms.  In fact, since the uncle lives in a different state, Abramski subsequently transferred the gun to his uncle through a licensed firearms dealer in that state, and the uncle completed all of the necessary paperwork and background check before taking possession.  The only reason for Abramski making the original purchase was that he could get the gun at a better price due to his police service.  The purchase drew attention while Abramski was being investigated in an unrelated matter.  It is likely that the investigators initially raised the issue as a way of generating leverage to motivate Abramski to cooperate in their primary investigation.  Whatever the reasons, no charges were filed in that original case, but Abramski’s purchase of a gun for his uncle was prosecuted.  The District Court and Appeals Court split on whether Abramski’s purchase violated federal law, and the Supreme Court settled the matter with their 5-4 decision.

The Court split down their standard “liberal” vs. “conservative” line with Justice Kennedy once again playing the role of swing vote.

Continue reading Straw Purchase? Don’t Lie →