Catch Your Senators While You Can
Easter Break gives you an opportunity

By Jeff Knox

(March 27, 2013) Your two US Senators are supposed to be at home working in their local offices this week and next before returning to Washington where one of their first agenda items will be a vote on S.649, the Democrat gun control package.  As previously reported here, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has decided not to include Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) ban on semi-auto firearms and standard magazines in the base package, but instead will allow Feinstein to offer her gun and magazine bans as separate amendments.  Reid says Feinstein will get two votes, one on adding her full bill, and one on just including the magazine ban.  What is already included in the official bill is Senator Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) language criminalizing private firearm transfers that haven’t gone through a government permission process, and a proposal from Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that piles penalties on already-illegal straw sales and firearm transfers to prohibited persons, thus raising the stakes for dealers who fail to psychically detect lies on paperwork.

Reid’s objective in his management of the legislation is to get the most restrictive gun control bill politically possible, while at the same time providing political cover to himself and colleagues from gun-friendly states who might face repercussions for casting anti-gun votes.  He is hoping that senators can play both sides of the fence by voting down the Feinstein ban and voting for the other legislation.  Reid hopes that anti-gun forces will reward senators who vote for the package and that GunVoters will forgive a vote in favor of the more “moderate” infringements on their rights, especially by those who voted against the more draconian proposals.

Continue reading Catch Senators Now! →

Update: UN Passes Arms Trade Treaty

As we warned in the column below, the Arms Trade Treaty was moving, but even we weren’t expecting it to move this fast.
This morning in New York, the UN General Assembly passed the long-debated Arms Control Treaty placing tight restrictions on import and export of not just military armament, but civilian small arms and ammunition as well.

While it is highly unlikely that this treaty will ever be ratified by the US, it will still have serious impact on US consumers and foreign manufacturers who depend on the US market – even without US ratification. In abandoning their pledge to veto any agreement that did not have full consensus of the drafting committee, the Obama administration not only dealt a blow to US consumers, they also abandoned the US role as defender of human rights for millions of people around the world. The only good that might come from the passage of this treaty is that it could help to steel the resolve of US gun owners to redouble their efforts to fight domestic gun control efforts.
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Here is a link to the story in the Washington Times: 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/2/un-passes-international-arms-regulation-treaty/?page=all#pagebreak

Anti-Gun Treaty Blocked, but Threatening in UN
US reversal invites simple majority vote for adoption

By Jeff Knox

(March 30, 2013) After decades of bickering over an international Arms Trade Treaty in the UN, negotiations hit another snag right at what was supposed to be the conclusion of the drafting process.  Nonetheless, the treaty is far from dead.  Actually, it is a greater threat right now than it has ever been.  While three countries, Iran, Syria, and North Korea rejected the final language, which should mean another return to the negotiation table under the committee’s rules of full consensus, several highly placed UN sources have suggested that the ATT might be pushed on to a vote of the full General Assembly even without achieving consensus in the committee.

That could spell serious trouble for opponents of the treaty, both here in the US and abroad.  The US representative on the committee and the office of UN Secretary General, have both indicated a desire to see the current treaty language moved to the General Assembly for a vote.  In the General Assembly, the treaty would only need a plurality to be adopted by the UN, and without a veto from one of the “big five”, China, Russia, France, the UK, or the US, should easily sail through to adoption.  The big change in the equation is the US position which has consistently been that they would not support any treaty that did not achieve full consensus from all of the committee members.  Now the US representative, Thomas Countryman, has casually dismissed full consensus as being unrealistic, and says the US would vote in favor of the treaty in the General assembly.  That sentiment was echoed by the office of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Continue reading UN-Scrambling a Mess →

Bloomberg Buys Illinois Congressional Seat

The South Side of Chicago has long been a hotbed of political intrigue and corruption, but soon overwhelmingly Democrat residents of the South Side and the southern suburbs will be able to bask in the warm, fuzzy glow of knowing that their Representative to Congress was purchased by a New York, former Republican, Independent. Earlier this week, Robin Kelly, a former treasurer and state legislator, won the Democrat Primary for the seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr. (who resigned in disgrace after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar). Kelly won the right to represent her party in the March Special election by a substantial margin over the various other contenders, most notably former Representative Debbie Halverson, her closest competitor. Halverson pulled down only 25% of the votes to Kelly’s 52%. Kelly and Halverson both gave credit for Kelly’s overwhelming victory to New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg whose Super PAC spent some $2.2 million promoting Kelly and bashing Halverson.

While $2.2 million spent in a campaign doesn’t seem like a lot these days, it must be considered that this is a primary race where candidates typically don’t even break the $100,000 mark. As a matter of fact, it is unusual for a candidate to spend $2 million in the General Election for an Illinois congressional race, much less over $2 million in the Primary. But Kelly, like Bloomberg, is a virulent opponent to gun rights, while Halverson received an A rating from the National Rifle Association, and Bloomberg is trying to prove that being anti-rights is an advantage in elections.

Continue reading Bloomberg-Democrat, Republican, Sugerdaddy? →

Corruption and misconduct revealed in Reese case

              There is clearly something seriously wrong with the US system of justice, because justice is clearly not the objective, or even an afterthought, in a system which displays corruption from the top down and has no simple mechanism for people unjustly prosecuted to recoup any of their losses.

In their ongoing crusade against guns and gun owners, the Obama administration targeted Rick and Terri Reese and their two sons, Ryin and Remington.  After spending 526 days in jail, Rick and Ryin Reese were finally released on bail pending a decision on a new trial.  This after a federal judge overturned their earlier convictions.  Rick, his wife Terri, and son Ryin had been found guilty of failing to psychically intuit that undercover federal agents were lying on firearm transaction forms. 

The reason for the judge’s reversal was the discovery that a key prosecution witness, Detective Alan Batts of the Luna County Sheriff’s Office, was himself under investigation for corruption, and that prosecutors knew this, but presented him as unimpeachable and of the highest integrity.  It was also disclosed that Detective Batts either knew or suspected that he was under investigation, as he had made overtures to the FBI suggesting he was trying to ingratiate himself with them.  Prosecutors intentionally kept this information away from attorneys for the defense and the judge, even though they are required by law to reveal this sort of information immediately.

Continue reading Eric Holder’s Injustice Department →

Gun Owners Won’t Accept “Universal Background Checks”

Registration by any other name is still unconstitutional

The focus in Washington is slowly shifting from legislation banning certain semi-auto firearms and standard capacity magazines to proposals for “universal background checks” – just as we had warned it would.  Politicians know that America’s gun owners are beside themselves in opposition to gun and magazine bans.  They’ve watched as fearful shoppers have cleared the nation’s entire supply of AR and AK type rifles in just a couple of weeks, leaving manufacturers and importers 8 to 12 months deep in backorders.  The politicians remember what happened after the ban was passed in 1994 and they know there would be a serious price to pay for supporting bans on these popular tools today.  On the other hand, the politicians seem to assume that a new law requiring background checks on private firearm transfers would have less negative impact on their ability to be elected.  That’s an assumption that could get them in deep trouble.

While gun and magazine bans are overt assaults on the right to arms, and, by comparison, “universal background checks” seem much less onerous, the fact is, inserting government bureaucracy into private transactions is just as unconstitutional, and potentially more dangerous in the long run, than the proposed bans.  The core of the gun rights movement understands this and has already geared up for the fight and for the paybacks in the next election.

Continue reading Don’t Accept the Check →

Deadly “Assault Weapons”… What Are They?

Most importantly, they’re not machineguns.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about “Assault Weapons,” but it seems that many of the people doing the talking don’t know anything at all about guns, and that’s causing confusion.

As an Army-certified Small Arms Repairman and a lifelong firearms owner and enthusiast, I know a little bit about guns and assault rifles, so I’d like to set the record straight about a few things.

First off, the term “Assault Weapon” is a made-up name.  There really is no such thing.  The term was coined by some firearm marketers back in the 1970s to describe military-looking, semi-auto firearms.  Anti-gun extremists recognized it as a catchy and scary term and exploited it for all it was worth.  The term was a play on the valid label “Assault Rifle,” which is a lightweight, selective fire rifle or carbine.  The key there is that term “selective fire,” which means the operator can select either single shot or multi-shot modes of fire.  In other words, a true assault rifle can fire one shot for each trigger pull, or it can fire a burst or string of shots for each trigger pull – machinegun mode.

Continue reading Assault Weapons →

A Challenge to Major Media: Don’t Identify the Next Murdering Deviant.

We’ve seen the cycle repeated over and over again: a twisted individual, couple, or small group engages in a depraved attack on unarmed innocents.  The media are outraged, astounded, shocked – shocked I say…  Quickly they delve into the identity and background of the murderer(s), naming them, showing their pictures, quoting their Facebook pages, talking to their neighbors, families, friends, teachers, and anyone else who can “shed some light” on who the murderer or murderers were and why they might have done such a terrible thing.  The media are so anxious to share this information, to be first in the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle, that they have often released incorrect information, naming the wrong person or linking to the wrong Facebook account or other information.  They follow the story for weeks, making the vile killer(s) household names and guaranteeing that they will go down in history for their atrocious actions.

A few days, weeks, or months later, some other deranged soul or souls launch a similar attack, like competitors on a video game, trying to “rack up a higher score” with a more repulsive and shocking atrocity – shooting for a higher “body count,” and once again the media play right along, naming the latest criminal, recounting the horror, and delving into the minutia of the deviant’s life.

Suicide experts have long understood that suicides, particularly teen suicides, are directly influenced by the level of media attention they receive.  The less information the media puts out about a suicide, the less likely it is that other troubled people will attempt to end their own lives.  Conversely, the more media attention a suicide receives, the more likely others are to follow suit.

Continue reading Hello Media →

Volunteers available to protect our children

 With the NRA’s call for an armed police officer in every school, a debate has erupted over cost of such a strategy, but there is a much more efficient and inexpensive path to secure schools.  For some reason the teachers’ unions, politicians, and school administrators think that teachers are somehow less responsible, less capable, and less trainable than those who choose a career in law enforcement, and that having anyone with access to a gun in school besides a uniformed police officer would interfere with children’s ability to learn.  Setting aside those confused perceptions for a moment, what about those of us who are not teachers or school administrators?  What about parents, grandparents, and other concerned citizens?

As the loving grandparent of a wonderful 6-year old, a veteran, shooter, and all-around good guy, my answer to school security is the same as Isaiah’s answer to God thousands of years ago; “Here am I; send me!” 

Continue reading Here am I; send me! →

What we must take away from the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre

              Like all Americans, I was devastated by the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  I was shocked and angered as I watched early reports of the atrocity, and then had to shift from the TV to print media because I simply could not emotionally endure the endless loops of anguish and fear being poured from the screen.  I cannot think of the loss or see any of the victims’ pictures without seeing my own precious grandson and imagining the horror of losing him, particularly in such a vile and sadistic act.  Evil visited Newtown that Friday morning, and there was no one there to stop it.  Brave teachers made efforts, but they were no match for an armed murderer. 

Before authorities had even confirmed that multiple children had been killed, opportunistic politicians and hoplophobic media pundits had begun pointing at the weapons the murdering coward used, and calling for new restrictions on firearms.  Those calls have gotten louder and more shrill as the days have passed with politicians from the president on down talking about renewed bans on ugly guns and common magazines.  Talking heads like Piers Morgan and Ed Schultz have vented their rage in almost incoherent rants and assaults on guests who disagree with their radical disarmament demands.  TV coverage has run non-stop since the tragedy began unfolding, showing anguished parents, heartbreaking pictures of happy young faces, and haunting images of the deeply disturbed young man who committed this atrocity.

Continue reading Learning from the Newtown Tragedy →