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The Knox Update

Ammo Drought

The Ammo Drought

(May 6, 2009) Where has all the ammo gone?  That’s a common refrain these days and not just in a few places, but all across the country.  The answer is simple and complicated, but it’s not part of a nefarious plot hatched up by Washington politicians.  Ammo supplies got thrown out of kilter as a result of military action in Iraq and Afghanistan and several former Warsaw Pact nations transitioning to NATO caliber arms.  Some sources of military surplus ammo have been drying up under a UN agreement to "de-militarize" (read destroy) surplus ammo rather than let it into the open market.  During the same period the costs of metals for components, particularly lead and copper, started climbing due to global demand.  Ammunition prices, which have held remarkably

 

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The Knox Update

Why Not CIFTA

Obama Signs Press Control Treaty

             (April 30, 2009) In a surprise move last week President Barack Obama signed a treaty with a broad coalition of nations agreeing to limit "dangerous, derogatory, and politically biased information" from being disseminated across international borders.  The International Treaty on Fair and Responsible Dissemination of Information (which goes by the acronym BS-IDA in its original Chinese title) is intended to stop the flow of "confusing and conflicting news, ideology, and political philosophy" (referred to in the treaty by the acronym IDA) which causes so much rancor and even violence in many countries, particularly those countries which enforce rigid ideological standards and homogeneity of thought such as China, Cuba, North Korea, and Iran.

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The Knox Update

Hoplophobe Visions

Equipped to be a Killer

 (April 9, 2009) There is a funny story about a woman who rowed her husband’s boat out for a little solitude.  While she was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine a Park Ranger pulled up alongside and asked to see her fishing license.  When she told him she didn’t have one he said that he was going to write her a ticket because, even though she was just sitting in the boat reading, there was fishing equipment in the boat.  The woman replied that she wanted to charge the Ranger with rape then because, even though he was just sitting in his boat talking, he had all of the necessary equipment.

Unfortunately, in the real world, the woman’s quick wit would probably not get her out of the ticket and might cost her more charges, but there is a truth in this story that deserves careful consideration.  

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The Knox Update

Range Protection

Range Protection

The Noisy Wheel Gets the Shaft

By Jeff Knox

 

      (April 2, 2009) Range protection is a hot topic these days and it’s becoming more important every day.  Urban sprawl continues to envelope ranges and traditional shooting areas, pushing shooters farther and farther out to engage in their sport and training.  Developers build houses closer and closer to established ranges and soon the new residents are complaining about the noise.  While much of the emphasis in range protection has been focused on passing laws shielding ranges from noise complaints, such laws only provide limited protection and can give ranges a false sense of security.  Noise is just the tip of the iceberg and ranges need to guard against the mountain hiding beneath the surface.

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The Knox Update

Training Politicians

Training Bad Behavior

 

By Jeff Knox

 

(March 5, 2009) The Republican Party lost big in 2006 and lost even bigger in 2008.  They didn’t lose because of opposition to the war in Iraq.  They didn’t lose because of the floundering economy.  They didn’t even lose because of a "culture of corruption." Those were symptoms and side issues.  The reason Republicans lost, and continue to lose, is because they have failed to keep their promises, live up to their stated beliefs, and they have provided little reason to their base to get excited about keeping them in office. 

From taxes to abortion to free trade to fiscal responsibility, Republicans have routinely betrayed the trust of important issue groups and constituencies.  But no group has been betrayed, ignored, and taken for granted by Republicans more than gunowners.

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The Knox Update

Mandatory Training?

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

The Myth of Mandatory Training

 (March 12, 2009) Rights activists are shooting themselves in the foot whenever they advocate for mandatory training for concealed carry, and they’re shooting themselves in the foot a lot lately.  There is absolutely no question that all gunowners, especially those who choose to carry in public, need to take their responsibilities seriously and seeking out quality training is just the beginning of the responsibility. 

But legislating training is a seriously bad idea. 

If it is reasonable and prudent to mandate training for concealed carry, why would it not be reasonable and prudent to mandate training for open carry?  If that is reasonable, what about mandating training for anyone wishing to even own a firearm, and mandatory training for anyone who lives in a home with a firearm?  If mandatory training makes sense, then what is the argument against mandatory storage requirements?  The bottom line is that firearm safety is a matter of personal responsibility and that responsibility can not and should not be legislated by government.  Personal responsibility is, by definition, personal.

The idea of mandatory training stems from the huge and disturbing assumption that the people have no common sense of their own and must be led to sensible behavior by the government.

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The Knox Update

NRA Director Endorsements

NRA Candidate Endorsements

 

(March 5, 2009) Every year about this time the NRA sends out ballots and voting information to all of their members eligible to vote (Lifetime and 5 consecutive year Annual Members.)  Each year we look at the candidates and offer our suggestions on which candidates we think will serve the best interests of the membership.  Here are those recommendations for this year in alphabetical order:

Scott Bach, John Burtt, Joe DeBergalis, Owen Mills, Don Saba, Bob Viden.

We recommend that members vote for no more than 6 or 7 candidates because the fewer candidates you vote for, the more weight your votes hold.

Here’s how we came up with these 6…

 

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Offers, The Knox Update, Uncategorized

CCW Courtesy Card

1 Comment

The Firearms Coalition Merchant Education Card

Leave this card with your local merchants who post “No Firearms” signs instead of your money!

 

It informs!

It educates!

It’s courteous!

It lets unfriendly merchants see money leave their pocket!

Merchant Card Front Merchant Card Back

(actual design may vary)

As more and larger areas are posted “No Firearms” our rights are being hedged, hemmed, maybe infringed? Here‘s a way to fight back. Let the pizza joint know that robbers probably won‘t read that sign anyway. Clue the dry cleaners in about creating a safe work environment for criminals. Let Costco know that you have bought a Sam‘s Club membership because of that sign on the door!

Pack of 100 is yours with a $10 donation!

 Simply click on the “Donate” button or send a check or money order to:

    The Firearms Coalition
PO Box 1761
Buckeye, AZ  85326

We sincerely thank you for your support.

The Knox Update

The NRA Board: Where Is Your Voice?

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

 The NRA Board:  Where is Your Voice?

By Chris Knox

(February 11, 2009) If some mythical “conservative” President were to appoint James Dobson of Focus on the Family to head the Federal Communications Commission, can you imagine the stink that would arise from the American Civil Liberties Union?   Likewise, if some hypothetical “liberal” President were to appoint Planned Parenthood Vice President Dr. Vanessa Cullins to be Surgeon General, the protests from pro-life activist organizations would rattle the walls.

So why is it that when this President appoints a virulently anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment activist to be the chief enforcer of the nation’s gun laws (and defender of the Constitution), the largest and most powerful organization tasked with preserving, protecting and defending the Second Amendment confines its opposition to a nicely written letter to the Judiciary Committee that closes with a meek request to “consider our concerns carefully?” 

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The Knox Update

Surrender or Die!

The Knox Update

From the Firearms Coalition

 

Interpreting the Second Amendment

 

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,

the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

 

By Jeff Knox

 

    (February 5, 2009) It has been famously said and often repeated that the Constitution means what the Supreme Court says it means. While this statement is generally true, it is incomplete. Regardless of what the Supreme Court says, the Constitution ultimately means what the People believe it to mean.

 

    So far in our history the Supreme Court has refrained from any interpretation of the Constitution that was so flagrantly at odds with the beliefs of the People that a serious, violent uprising ensued.  But they may have come perilously close in last year’s decision in DC v. Heller. In that case the Court unanimously agreed that the Second Amendment refers to an individual right to arms, but disagreed in a 5 – 4 split as to whether the District of Columbia’s virtual ban on handguns violated that individual right. Even in the prevailing opinion, the justices expressed positions which are completely at odds with the understanding of those of us in the Second Amendment community.

 

 

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