Jeff's Blog

More Media Outrages

    It is absolutely outrageous that the media is giving any credence at all to the Democrat/Brady shill group American Hunters and Shooters Association.  The Brady's and the media were "shocked, shocked I say" when they discovered that one of their volunteers was apparently working for pro-gun interests – even though all of the reports indicate that the woman was an active and effective worker who was very successful in her anti-gun activities.  Contrast that to the media fawning over AHSA and treating them as a bona fide gun rights organization even though the founders and leaders of the group have long records of support for gun control groups and are closely linked to anti-gun Democrat politicians.  Reading AHSA president Ray Schoenke's blog is like reading Brady Campaign director Paul Helmke's; they use the same talking points and phraseology and could easily be interchanged.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were both written by the same Brady staffers.

    Even so, the media insists on treating this bogus organization – which has virtually no members – as a credible voice for gunowners and "a competing gun rights organization" to NRA (Glen Johnson – AP).

   This is not a case of the media being bamboozled by slick political operators.  This is collusion in the worst degree.  Any "journalist" that treats AHSA with any credibility at all is doing so because that "journalist" personally supports the views expressed by AHSA – especially as they oppose the NRA.

    Such yellow journalism is outrageous and inexcusable.  Media watchdog organizations and journalism societies should be calling foul and the "journalists" participating in and perpetuating this charade should face disciplinary action.

The Knox Update

Concealed Carry: Stack the Salami

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

 

Concealed Carry:  Stack the Salami

 

By Chris Knox

(October 14, 2008) Most of us are familiar with the “salami” illustration – the analogy of gun owners losing our freedoms one tiny piece at a time like a salami being sliced extra thin.  With each oh-so-reasonable “first step” our rights are gradually diminished.  What enables that “salami” strategy is that the other side is smarter than we are – they are willing to take what they can get, and when that doesn’t “work” they use it as evidence that more is needed.  Meanwhile many in our movement look for a total repeal of existing gun laws and consider acceptance of anything less to be the rankest compromise of principle.

Continue reading Concealed Carry: Stack the Salami →

Jeff's Blog

Bailout Alternative

    I usually don't stray from topics involving guns, but if things on this whole bailout mess continue as they've been going, I'm afraid guns will be involved sooner or later.

    Everyone is upset about the Bailout plan, but I've heard few alternatives suggested – the most common being send everyone to jail and let Wall Street melt down and the one where the government should give us all a million dollars so our dollar would really be worthless…  

    Here is an alternative I got from my old friend Dave Ramsey (www.DaveRamsey.com) that actually makes sense and doesn't cost 700 Billion dollars.  I don't know if this is Dave's idea or one he picked up from someone else, but it's a good plan and needs to be read by every elected representative in the country.  Remember that little politicians and party activists often have unlisted numbers for the big politicians so don't be shy about spreading this around.

———

The Common Sense Fix
Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic
nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the
answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support
any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I
submit the following three-step, Common Sense Plan.
I. INSURANCE
   a. Insure the sub-prime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type
insurance.  Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant
market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity.
   b. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance,
they must do two things:
     1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent
to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage.
        a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into
the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a
chance to keep their homes.
        b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or
the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of
foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any
deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage
companies to go the extra mile while working with the borrower—again
limiting foreclosures and ruined lives.
     2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and
executive team members as long as the company holds these
government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps underperforming
executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs.
   c. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of
the current proposal.

II. MARK TO MARKET
   a. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only
subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being
forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the
underlying mortgages and real estate.
   b. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate
stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer
nothing.

III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX
   a. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the
real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating
tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the
taxpayer nothing.
   b. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many
will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but
it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all
Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up
instead of down.

This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time
for all of us, as Americans, to stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.
The Knox Update

You Must Vote!

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

 

You Must Vote!

 

By Jeff Knox

 

(September 16, 2008) Your vote absolutely matters and if you fail to vote, your rights and liberties could be in greater jeopardy.  Not voting is a vote for your least favored candidate, as is voting for someone who can not possibly win.  The time to send a message was during the primaries when there was still a chance of getting a solid, pro-gun candidate at the top of the ticket or of at least moving the eventual winner toward a more favorable pro-gun position.  In the general election for President, unless the two major party candidates are both simply abhorrent, it is best to cast your vote for the candidate who will best work with the congressional candidates you support.  This also raises the question of voting for congressional and state candidates.  Voters who choose to stay home or go hunting on Election Day because they don’t like Obama or McCain, are throwing away their votes for lower-ticket candidates as well.  Since lower-ticket candidates have smaller voting districts and fewer eligible voters, the lower on the ticket a candidate is, the greater impact your individual vote has on their race.  There are currently slim pro-gun majorities in both houses of congress, but that could easily change in the coming election if GunVoters don’t bother showing up or don’t take the time to do a little research before heading out to the polls.

When it comes to the president, the “lesser of two evils” is not always the less dangerous threat and, while voting for the “lesser of two evils” simply because he is “less evil” would be Continue reading You Must Vote! →

The Knox Update

Courts Misusing Heller

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

 

Courts Misusing Heller

 

By Jeff Knox

 

(September 10, 2008) “A person does not have the right under the Second Amendment, or under any other provision of the Constitution, to possess a machinegun.  A person does not have a right, under the Second Amendment, or under any other provision of the Constitution, to possess a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches that the person has not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.”  (Instructions to the jury in U.S. v. Gilbert)

In the months since the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, there have been over a dozen rulings by judges referencing the case and virtually all of them used Heller to support limitations on firearms rights.  The degree to which they used the opinion ranged from simply rebutting an appellant’s erroneous claim that Heller nullifies the law under which they were convicted, to actually using the language in the Heller opinion to support restrictions as constitutional.  In U.S. v. Gilbert, the Federal Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit did both.

On appeal, the 9th Circuit rejected Gilbert’s claim Continue reading Courts Misusing Heller →

The Knox Update

GunVoter.org Needs You!

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

 

GunVoter.org Needs You!

 

By Jeff Knox

(August 26, 2008) What if there was a single web site where you could go to learn about the gun rights position of every candidate in every race in every state and federal election in the US?  A site where you could find voting records, editorials, and discussion groups of knowledgeable, committed, gun rights activists?  A site where local grassroots organizations from all over the country come together to share information and ideas for legislative and electoral success?  That web site doesn’t exist, but it could exist.  It could be GunVoter.org.  We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it.  We have the structure in place.  The software is operating smoothly.  The technical bugs have been worked out and our user base is growing, but we need your help to turn GunVoter.org into the valuable resource that it has the potential to be.

This year everyone knows who’s running for President, but few people know who’s running for Senate and fewer still know who’s running to represent them in the House, much less who’s running for seats in the state legislature.
Continue reading GunVoter.org Needs You! →

The Knox Update

The Nine Principles of Policing

The Knox Report

From the Firearms Coalition

 

The Nine Principles of Policing

 

By Jeff Knox

 

            (August 12, 2008)  Sir Robert Peel, the architect of Nineteenth Century English police process (and from whom English “bobbies” get their name), established the following nine principles as a guide to reorganizing and refocusing the London Metropolitan Police: 

 

Peel’s Nine Principles of Policing:

1. The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

2. The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.

3. Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

4. The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

5. Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

6. Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.

7. Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.  

8. Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

9. The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.

 

Take particular notice of principle number 7: Continue reading The Nine Principles of Policing →

Ammunition for the grassroots gun rights movement