Felony or Felony Stupid: It shouldn’t be Rewarded

               Representative Darrel Issa (R-CA) referred to the activities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Operation Fast and Furious as “felony stupid.” Others have suggested that the plan was intentionally designed and cleverly crafted to bolster statistics in support of stricter gun control laws. Whether the operation was just stupid or intentionally criminal, it was clearly bad behavior on the part of ATF and Justice Department (DOJ) and such bad behavior should not be rewarded.

Some members of Congress, Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) in particular, want to reward ATF and DOJ’s criminal stupidity with increased funding and increased authority through tighter regulation of firearms dealers and lawful firearm purchasers. ATF has introduced – and the Administration has now approved – and “emergency” regulatory change requiring firearms dealers in border states to report any purchaser who buys more than one semi-auto rifle greater than a .22 within a given week. The US House of Representatives promptly, and properly, rejected the new regulations by passing an appropriations rider prohibiting any funds from being used to enact or enforce the plan.

Continue reading Felony Stupid →

No Longer Your Castle

Your home is your castle.  That’s what they say, but recent decisions by the Supreme Court of the US and the Indiana Supreme Court have left the castle walls in a pile of rubble – along with the Fourth Amendment.  These decisions pit the rights of persons to be secure in their homes against the ability of the police to take certain actions in the name of public safety.  

At the US Supreme Court level the Justices have been chipping away at the Fourth Amendment for decades, mostly under the cover of the war on drugs. They have drastically lowered the bar concerning the admissibility of evidence obtained by police during an illegal search or the issuance of warrants based on questionable information. Now the Court has taken another swing at the castle walls with their legal wrecking ball.

There have always been exceptions to the prohibitions against police entering private property without a warrant. These exceptions are legally referred to as “exigent circumstances” and include such things as hearing screams for help from inside, directly following a fleeing felon into the residence, or seeing a person (or crucial evidence) in imminent jeopardy, but the Court’s new ruling adds an interesting twist to “exigent circumstances.” One controversial exigent circumstance which has been accepted is that bit about destruction of evidence. When police see, or hear, or otherwise perceive that evidence is being destroyed, they have a compelling need to intervene in the name of justice. This rational is most often used during service of drug-related search warrants to justify “dynamic entry” – kicking down the door – when officers say they hear sounds like repeated toilet flushing.

Continue reading No Longer Your Castle →

My “Dumbness Victory” Or Fooling Fools for Fun and Profit

A few weeks ago I reported about an anti-rights propaganda film called Gun Fight

being shown on HBO throughout April and May. The film, which claims to be a balanced documentary showing both sides of the gun rights issue, is actually a “tingle up the thigh” commercial for the Brady Bunch, and their young rising star Colin Goddard.  

The film presented very reasonable-seeming anti-rights advocates in comfortable conversation, and very radical-seeming rights advocates ranting and railing.  They achieved this by sitting down and talking with proponents of gun control to get their side, and cobbling together snippets of rights advocates from rallies, protests, and hallway ambushes to get ours.  They did have footage of rights advocates carefully explaining our position, including several hours of interviews with me, but they chose not to use any of that footage.

I recently received some “fan mail” from an HBO viewer named John who wanted to let me know what he thought of my brief appearances in the film.  His note confirmed for me the effectiveness of the HBO propaganda and the gullibility of the public.  I enjoyed John’s comments so much I thought others might find them equally entertaining and edifying so I decided to reprint his note:

Jeff, I see lots of stupid people every day. But you are the dumbest of the dumb. I saw your ridiculous speech to the gunowners’ group on HBO, and the meanness factor gives you the dumbness victory over the rest of the pack.

“Whatever’s in front of you dies”? Really, it never makes sense to shoot to disarm or disable, like cops do? No one needs instruction about not carrying the weapon when they’ll be drinking…stuff like that?

A five year old knows enough? What’s going on with the many little kids we hear about– killing each other while playing with guns? Maybe they don’t know everything they need to know.

You really are a fool. Look, you’ve probably got a small dick..and no amount of over-compensation with all this cowboy gun-talk and shooting will change that. Grow up.

Continue reading Stupider →

Obama Admits Stealth Attack on Rights

Media Yawns

              “I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Barack Obama told Sarah Brady regarding gun control.  “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar,” Obama said according to Brady.

This interesting bit of news was reported in an April 11 Washington Post Lifestyle section story about Obama’s gun control and regulatory policy wonk Steve Croley.  Toward the end of the article the writer, Jason Horowitz, mentioned a March 30 meeting between Jim and Sarah Brady and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney during which the President “dropped in.”  He then quotes Sarah Brady relating how President Obama gave his personal assurance that he and his administration were working hard on a gun control agenda.  Brady reported that Obama then told them about advancing the agenda “under the radar.”

What is truly startling about this story is the way it has been totally ignored by the rest of the media. Compare the media’s current silence with what happened during the 2000 presidential campaign when then NRA Vice-President (and GOP activist) Kayne Robinson told a group of rights supporters in California that electing Bush would mean “we’ll have a president where we work out of their office, unbelievably friendly relations.”   The media went into a feeding frenzy over this comment to such a degree that Bush distanced himself from the NRA, publicly endorsed reinstatement of the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban and withdrew overt support for the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The story was carried repeatedly on virtually every major media outlet in the country – and it was not based on anything Bush himself had said. Here the leader of a prominent organization is claiming that the President himself had avowed active support for a highly controversial agenda and admitted that he was violating his own promise of transparency in pursuit of that agenda. Yet the media ignores it.

Continue reading Stealth Attack on Rights →

The History of The Gun Rights War

Part II

As noted in Part 1 of this series, the history of The Gun Rights War is actually a history of vain attempts to control behavior by regulating things, and it actually pre-dates the invention of firearms, probably going back to the very beginning of human history.  But here in the US, the roots of The Gun Rights War were planted in the soil of racism.  

The right to arms was firmly ensconced in the American system and psyche as a fundamental aspect of liberty – distinguishing citizen from subject and master from slave.  It is ironic that, as another group broke the bonds of slavery and strove for recognition as free men and citizens, this same fundamental principle of liberty should cause citizens to compromise their own rights in an attempt to limit the rights of others.

Continue reading History of Gun Control – Part 2 →

The History of The Gun Rights War

The history of the gun rights war goes back as far as anyone wants to dig.  I would not be surprised if someone were to uncover a lost chapter from the book of Genesis describing how Eve and a coalition of mothers from the land of Nod instigated a rule requiring weapons-grade stones to be cleared from fields and work spaces in hopes of preventing crimes of passion such as befell Able.  Throughout history there are examples of governments and people of power attempting to control the peasants by restricting their access to weapons.

Here in the US the history of gun control is integral to the creation of the nation.  It was when British troops marched from Boston to seize militia arms in Lexington and Concord that the people drew the line in the sand and the war for independence began in earnest.  For the better part of the following century the right to arms was clearly understood and recognized in the United States.  Debate over the Second Amendment revolved not around whether the right existed, but whether such a clearly understood and unquestionable right needed to be reiterated in the Constitution at all.

Continue reading History of Gun Control →

ORA Doesn’t Trust You

According to the Oklahoma Rifle Association (ORA) and a good many state legislators from both sides of the aisle, people in Oklahoma are less responsible, less sensible, and less trustworthy than the people of Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and 39 other states.  Or so it would seem based on the arguments they have been voicing against proposals that the state recognize citizens’ right to bear arms out in the open.

The primary proposal, SB129, carves out exceptions to Oklahoma’s firearms carry restrictions for persons carrying their firearms in plain view as long as they are holstered, sheathed, or slung.  Like open carry laws in many states, the Oklahoma proposal would lift restrictions for anyone 18 or older and would not mandate a license or training class.  But, as seems to happen every time a state legislature begins entertaining legislation to broaden recognition of their citizens’ right to arms, the debate over open carry in Oklahoma has been conducted as though this is a new and untested idea.  There has been much hype, speculation, and hypothetical anecdotal postulating from both sides of the issue.  All of this non-evidence is presented as though the state is an isolated island nation with little or no contact with the rest of the world, much less the rest of the US.

Continue reading Mistrust in Oklahoma →

Take Action to Stop Gun Ban

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is seeking public comment on their recent “study” on the importability of certain shotguns.  It is critical that rights supporters express their objections to this “study” and its pending implementation in no uncertain terms.  A strong showing of opposition can help to stiffen the spines of members of Congress and a poor showing will absolutely be pointed to as proof that people support expanded importation bans.

Comments need to be clearly opposed to expanding import bans and, most importantly, they must be submitted in a timely fashion.  Intending to send a comment, but never actually getting around to it, does no one any good.  The comment period is open now through the end of April.  Comments can be submitted via email to shotgunstudy@atf.gov or by fax to (202) 648-9601.

Below is a sample comment you can paraphrase or simply cut and paste into your own email:

Subject: I Oppose Further Restrictions on Shotgun Imports.

I strongly oppose further restrictions on the importation of shotguns and disagree with the findings in the ATF shotgun study.

Continue reading Save Shotguns →

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

Celebrating the Legacy of a Lion of Liberty

By Jeff Knox

On December 21, 2010 Aaron Zelman, Founder and Executive Director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO), author, producer, advocate, and educator, passed away in Hartford, Wisconsin.  Several websites, including WND.com, have published brief obituaries or tributes, but I have held off commenting on the passing of my friend until the reality of the tragedy could sink in and the future of his important work could be determined.

When I first received news that Aaron had died, I was shocked and disbelieving.  I was sure it had to be a mistake.  This couldn’t be the Aaron Zelman I know, he was only 64 and I was unaware of any illness.  I had just spoken with him a few weeks prior and he was just as energetic, committed, and determined as ever, but I finally confirmed that it was no mistake.  What a tremendous loss – for his wife and sons, for his friends, and for all lovers of liberty. Continue reading Aaron Zelman – Lion of Liberty →