I think we all have a right to a “high five” over Harry Reid’s announcement that the assault weapons ban is going to be dropped from the Democrats’ current legislative package in the Senate.  However, it’s far too early to declare victory and go home.

Dianne Feinstein has already announced that she’ll try to restore it as a late amendment to other legislation before the session is over.  And there are still the matters of the proposed ban on standard capacity magazines, and the “universal background check” remaining before Congress.  The latter, of course, has particularly huge loopholes which promise to criminalize the innocent, and create the gun registration which, historically, has been a precursor to gun confiscation.

And, the fight continues in numerous theaters.  New York, where the already passed and ironically named “SAFE Act” waits to trickbag citizens of the Empire State.  Colorado, where Governor Hickenlooper is expected to sign a truly Draconian anti-gun package into law this very day.  Connecticut, where some totally off-the-wall legislation is under discussion at the state house. And the rest of the country.

An excellent perspective on the hidden dangers in some of this poorly conceived legislation is seen here: http://completecolorado.com/pagetwo/2013/03/19/colorado-magazine-ban-range-officer-perspective/ .

At best, we’ve won one round of a long fight.

That’s my take, anyway…what’s yours?

1 COMMENT

  1. Good news, but I cannot wipe my brow until the UBC is dead, as well. I may be missing the mark, but it almost concerns me more than an AWB.

  2. For the record, this coming Saturday will mark the 80th anniversary of the passage of an innocuous-sounding piece of legislation called the “Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich”. Will history repeat itself? If studying history has taught me anything, it’s that the answer to that question is “Yes, but only when those who lived such things are no longer around to warn us”. Not too many left from The Greatest Generation, are there?

    Not by a bang, but by a whimper…

  3. Well, I would bet, that no matter what the Democrats say, or claim, they will still try to find some dirty, sneaky, underhanded way, to rip another small part of our sacred Constitution and Bill of Rights away, no matter what?

  5. The fight is never ending. Heaven help us if the Democrats take the House in 2014 – and it is more than just unconstitutional firearms laws, too. Everyone needs to vote. If the same number of people voted Republican in the last general election, the Man-who-would-be-king and his Court Jester would not have been elected. This is a war of attrition.

  6. Dropping the AWB will increase the likelyhood of other gun control legislation making it past the senate. It is important to pay attention to all other bills moving forward.

  8. You are absolutely correct that this is a war and there are many battlefronts at the local, state and federal level. Like so many misguided initiatives, the push to ban a class of firearm and limit magazines to some random number less than 10 or 15 distracts from meaningful progress on prosecuting law already on the books, discussing the real mental health issues that allow an adult child to plot the murder of children for months and the judgement issues surrounding a mother keeping firearms within his reach.

    I am so tired of those in favor of bans and restrictions talking about not taking away hunting rifles or stating the case that we can restrict nuclear bombs so why not semi-automatic firearms? They are not working in the realm of facts and will not be satisfied to stop at the thousands of weapons listed today and a magazine capacity of 10. Tomorrow it will be another type of firearm and down to 7 or less.

    My plan is to continue to be active, write to my representatives regularly to remind them of our Constitution and the economic impacts of decisions that have been shown to have no impact on criminal activity. That and donate to the NRA since they have proven to me that their interests are aligned with mine – the protection of our fundamental rights.

  9. Furthermore, we should not forget that we are but one lunatic in a gun-free zone away from new life being breathed into the effort to strip law abiding citizens of constitutionally protected rights.

    The shooting in Herkimer, NY received almost no press but make no mistake that had it been an AR instead of a shotgun, it would have been put into the limelight. The almost daily instances of an armed citizen preventing bodily harm are also ignored, but any story that furthers the anti-gun agenda is not.

    As law abiding citizens, we must not cede our argument to feelings or claims of false “common sense” when it comes to our rights. Stay vigilant!

  10. Governor Cuomo Sticking to His Guns, Wants to Keep 7 Round Limit

    Posted on March 19, 2013

    While RF was spreading the cheer about New York Democrats wanting to revise the NY SAFE Act, it looks like Governor Cuomo might not be on board. The news program Capital Tonight is reporting that the Gov says he will not accept any change to the magazine capacity limit. From the program’s blog . . .
    Gov. Andrew Cuomo was quick to hold his first question-and-answer session since Thursday with reporters after Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver confirmed that alterations to the state’s new gun control law had crept into the budget negotiations.
    Cuomo, who insisted he would not accept a change in the limits on high-capacity magazine, opened the door to the budget not be completed by the end of this week.

    Honestly, I’d be pretty happy if Cuomo strong-armed New York Democrats into keeping the SAFE Act as-is. The man has his eyes on the presidency, and something tells me that he’ll be wanting to use the SAFE Act to sell his bona fides to New York and California voters. So keeping the act in place is high on his list of priorities. Which means that legal challenges like the Tresmond case can run their course and completely and totally bitchslap the bill out of existence.

    In short, this thing isn’t over. Not even close.

  11. CO Gov. Hickenlooper Signs Mag Cap, Registration Bills

    Posted on March 20, 2013

    As predicted, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has just signed three gun control bills passed by the Rocky Mountain State’s legislature. HB 1224 limits ammunition magazines to 15 rounds; HB 1229 requires “universal background checks” for gun sales or transfers; and HB 1228, forces gun customers to pay for the costs of the background checks. As denverpost.com reports, the Hickster signed the bills and waved the bloody shirt, simultaneously “Each time he signed a bill, applause erupted from lawmakers and their guests, who included Jane Dougherty, whose sister was killed in the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.; Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was killed in Aurora; and Tom Mauser, whose son was killed in the 1999 Columbine shooting in Colorado . . .
    Phillips, who lost daughter Jessica Ghawi, reminded Hickenlooper that it was the eight-month anniversary of the theater rampage.

    “You’ve given us a real gift today,” she told the governor.

    Later, Phillips added: “Thank you so much. You’re leading the entire country.”

    Hopefully, not. In fact, Hickenlooper’s spokesmouth was quick to unleash damage control on his boss’s behalf.

    “Large magazines have the potential to turn killers into killing machines,” said Hickenlooper spokesman Eric Brown.

    “This law won’t stop bad people from doing bad things. But it does open the possibility that a person determined to kill people might be slowed down even for an instant. That instant might mean the difference between life and death for some people.”

    Well it’s certainly going to be the death of 200+ jobs in Colorado. true to their word, CO-based mag makers Magpul are pulling out. Here’s their statement, via Facebook:

    With the signing of the HB 1224, we want to reassure Colorado residents, now officially in occupied territory, that the “Boulder Airlift” will continue until we can no longer legally ship to CO residents at the approach of the July 1 deadline, so long as demand continues.

    We are looking at additional ways to give Coloradans the opportunity to buy the magazines they need prior to the enactment date, as although we’ve been swamped with tens of thousands of orders, our shipping department limitations have only allowed us to get a few hundred thousand magazines out to CO residents…a small portion of our monthly production. We’ll continue to support the Airlift as long as demand exists, and up to the active date of the legislation, and we’ve allocated a little over a million magazines for the effort up to that point, give or take.

    Customers in the rest of the country should rest assured that the airlift only takes a small portion of our production, and magazines and other products are continuing to ship to the rest of the nation. Our transition to a new home will occur in a phased and orderly a manner to allow us to continue to serve our customers during the move, as well as to allow an orderly transition for affected employees. We are actively working on those plans.

  12. This actually looks like a bad thing to me. If they dropped it from the bill because they think the bill might pass without it, it seems they are simply using good strategy. I would rather they leave the bill with strong (and unpopular) restrictions and watch it get voted down, than weaken it and get it through. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that all they did was make the bill more likely to restrict our ability to protect ourselves. I don’t view myself as being very politically savvy, so maybe I’m missing something. Can anyone set me straight?

  13. I’ll agree with Kevin. And history will repeat itself. Registration is this is going And then what? We can still change this by voting. Also, for Those with brand new AR-15 rifles, learn to use them properly.

  14. Mas, I am going to assume for the moment that this is a true story. I’m wondering what your reaction to NYS looking for folks to rat out each other for money over the AW ban? My take is that the Albany folks want some sort of a front page disaster as a result. Showing how crazy gun folks are. A couple of months ago I wouldn’t have thought that they could be that evil. My opinion has changed.

    http://www.pagunblog.com/2013/03/20/all-good-soviets-new-yorkers-inform/

  15. We haven’t won anything. This is merely a distraction tactic. They never had any illusions of the AWB making it to a vote.

    Meanwhile the Colorado magazine ban+background check legislation got signed, despite being a total incoherent mess. Hopefully soon to be fought and overturned, with a recall of the governor and several legislators. I can only hope this has severe and immediate repercussions for the Colorado state politicians, as that’s the kind of message that needs to be sent.

    I never had any illusion about Feinstein’s ban. It was offered up as a sacrificial lamb, to show that the Democrats are ‘serious about compromise’. Of course they don’t tell Diane, because seriously how hard is it to snow a woman who thinks a barrel shroud or a bayonet lug makes a firearm more deadly? Her pie in the sky, draconian and overreaching ban makes almost any legislation look reasonable by comparison.
    Consider it a preview, if they get control of the house in 2 years they’ll be sure to shove it down our throats.

  16. “Mommy, when will I get a little sister?”
    “Ummm, well dear that might be a while.”
    “Then can I have a puppy?”
    Of course you may!” (whew!)
    Little girl walking away…”Works every time.”

  18. bottom line…NEVER trust any politician that agrees to a ‘compromise’ NEVER’….the gun grabbers crossed the Rubicon in DC and many states…legal gun owners will be put to task to repel the use of force to make them ‘comply’ to ‘laws’ that the gun grabbers have passed….If they obey and comply we as a people will be totaly enslaved…I for one will NEVER Comply…as an Oath Keeper, I will defend with my life the Bill of Rights and the Constitution..against these domestic enemies that enact ‘gun laws’…Semper Fi

  20. Keep up the fight for your rights. In Canada we never imagined our government’s bills C17 and C68 in the 1990’s would actually criminalize law abiding firearms owners but it did. And lead to confiscation it did. We only last year got rid of a costly, wasteful and completely useless gun registry. And a registry that the police used time and time again to harass law abiding firearms owners with. Resist with every legal means any attempt to give more powers to the State over your rights to own and use firearms as once any class of firearms becomes the forbidden fruit, the government will come to get your firearms. Keep up the fight for your rights America. Look north to Canada to see how classification, licensing and registration has worked out here. You won’t like what you see.

  21. The news today was good for one sigh, that’s it. We can’t take our eyes off of them for a second or they will slip an amendment in at the last second when they think no one is looking (or when your congressman is out to lunch).

  22. We haven’t “won” anything.

    Reid’s pulling the AWB was strictly because he knew it would likely scuttle the whole thing, and this way he can claim they “compromised” and demand that we do the same next time . . . and next time will come way too soon. They may very well also try to sneak it thru on the coattails of another totally unrelated bill.

    They never give up . . . so we cannot, either.

    Eternal vigilance!!!

  23. Fight it as we may the deck is stacked against us. Some how some way we’ll get snookered then we’ll have to find an all new approach.

  24. I’ve often called the gun grabbers the ultimate warriors. They never give up. They never quit. No matter how badly they are beaten, they come back. They have no concept of being beaten or concession. They will never quit trying to take our guns and our freedoms.

  25. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

    We’re not done yet. If anything, these ill-conceived laws show us that complacency on our part can’t be tolerated in the 2014 and future elections. The pro-Second Amendment folks need to register and vote, and make themselves truly vocal and unashamedly eloquent in their insistence on the right to keep and bear arms, including running for public office if their abilities and means allow.

    At the minimum, taking the time to vote for pro-Second Amendment candidates in the future elections should be done, so we don’t end up with a government that is not only unsympathetic, but also hostile to our Second Amendment positions.

    I’m being guardedly optimistic that in 2014 there is a backlash so that these ineffectual gun control laws are repealed, and a more common sense approach to the treatment of mental illness is adopted. Don’t be too hasty in saying that mental illness doesn’t affect you, either directly or indirectly. The last ten+ years of war has taken a toll on the millions of men and women who served overseas, including their families. The economic collapse has done the same to millions of families here in at home who have lost jobs and homes. Does anyone remember that the 1990’s was supposed to be the decade of the brain? We should have another national push to invest millions, if not billions, of dollars into another decade for mental health. We’ve spent over two trillion (that’s two thousand billiion–$2,000,000,000,000) dollars in our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to spend that much here at home on treating mental illness, assuring the safety of school campuses (NOT by posting “This is a gun-free zone” signs), supporting pro-second amendment law-makers and businesses, and voting out those legislators who are wasting our dollars and time with “gun control”.

  27. politics is like a magic show. that is not to say it’s magical. the real show happens behind the curtains. what the public audience sees is just for approval ratings. we may have just seen a sleight of hand – a disappearing act – it’s going to pop up somewhere else. the show’s not over yet.

  28. A long fight it will be. But it may be worth the effort.

    Emperor Cuomo now realizes, as does the Democrats of NY, that Upstate NY is quite aware of their goal; confiscation and imprisonment of all previously law-abiding firearms owners. Now, the Emperor and circle of Kings is looking to legalize the SALE of 10 round magazines, but not back off the 7 round LIMIT for carry. (Competition would allow you to load 3 more.) This is noting less than a way to trick NY firearms owners in to committing a misdemeanor or felony (depending on where and when).

    Just the fact that this change is being considered is a testament to those of us who fought the good fight. Now, we must redouble our efforts to petition our legislators to keep up the pressure for repeal, or at least, positive reform. Control freak politicians cannot stand heat or light.

  29. Shooting Victims to LAPD: Keep Your Truck and FOAD

    Posted on March 21, 2013

    Remember when LA’s finest went a tad trigger happy in pursuit of cop killer Christopher Dorner? For a while there it was pretty much open season on any vehicle remotely matching the description of the fugitive’s car. Two of the unlucky motorists on the receiving end of the 5-0 lead were Emma Hernandez and her daughter, Margie Carranzahad, who were out early delivering newspapers. They had the flow-thru ventilation in their Toyota Tacoma enhanced by 102 rounds of po-po ammo. Two of which went through Hernandez’s neck. Feeling bad about the mixup, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and a local Ford dealer promised to replace the vehicle for the ladies. Except there were a couple of strings attached . . .

    As reported by nbclosangeles.com, Hernandez and Carranzahad have an attorney, Glen Jonas, representing them.

    According to Jonas, LAPD and Galpin Ford wanted his clients to pose for a photo opportunity and pay income tax on the truck. The women no longer want the truck after they were told they needed to fill out a 1099 form for the donation, Jonas said Monday.

    “You tried to murder the woman, now you’re telling her she can’t have a four-wheel drive, you’re telling her she can’t sell it and you’ve got to be taxed on it?” Jonas said. “How would anyone react to that?”

    So instead of covering the costs the two women incurred because of the cops’ jumpy negligence, Jonas is now preparing a “government claim” which is the first step before filing a big ass suit against the city. He says that Ms. Hernandez “is still recovering from two bullet wounds to her neck, which are giving her life-threatening complications.” It’s probably nothing a $20 or $30 million jury award won’t take care of.

  30. This is not a war, its a chess game. We did not win a battle, we blocked a check. We can not win with what we have, they have stollen too many valuable pieces. In order to win, we have to take some of theirs with out giving up any more of ours.
    When rights guaranteed by the Constitution are forfeited and substituted with rights never mentioned in the Constitution nor imagined in that time, we are losing.

  31. This country is divided over contoversial laws, like those relating to abortion, same-sex marriage, drug legalization, gun rights and some others. How can diverse people live under unified laws peacefully? If the leftists win, we will be miserable, and if we win, they will be miserable. We have fifty states. Let the people of each state decide the laws for themselves, then I can move to the state which has laws I like, and I won’t have to live with liberals anymore. The liberals can move to their states, and they won’t have to put up with me, and we can still remain one country. DIVERSITY IN LAW. How else can we keep the peace?

  32. I think you’re right Mas. This war on the Second Amendment has been going on a long time. Feinstein’s ban being discarded is a win for one battle, but we’ve also lost several battles this week. We must all remain vigilant and regularly let our elected representatives know what we expect from them if they expect our vote and support. It’s unlikely the antis will give up in our or our children’s future.

  33. I would like to think we have a chance in this war, but realistically if we depend on our representatives to fight for us all is lost. Yes, in election cycles a few “moderate” democrats will stand up for the second amendment in order to keep their positions in so called purple states and their feet should be held the fire, but the truth is, we are one supreme court appointment away from having our rights obliterated. Once the gun control freaks get the rulings they seek, our gutless representatives will have all the cover they need to ignore us and continue their quest for their socialist utopia.

  34. Biden: Mag Cap Limits Are Arbitrary, Handguns Are the Real Problem, Props to the “Black Helicopter Crowd”
    Posted on March 22, 2013

    Speaking to NPR, Vice President Joe Biden says Senator Feinstein’s DOA AWB will rise again! “I believe that the vast majority of the American people agree with us. The vast majority of gun owners agree with us.” No so vast! the NPR interviewer interjects. “It’s 56 percent. A very slim majority.” Biden: “That is a pretty good majority.” Melissa Block: ”But not the vast majority.” Biden blusters, casting doubt on the poll. Block goes in for the [proverbial] kill, pushing the Veep on his support for ammunition capacity limits. Block: ” Gun owners will say that all of these lines are arbitrary? Why 10 rounds? Why not seven?” . . .
    Biden: Sure they are arbitrary. Why age 18 to vote? Because society has concluded that the capacity to keep yourself from doing damage and or allowing other to do damage – you don’t let 9 year old drive – well that is arbitrary. There’s some 9 year olds might be able to drive better then some 16 year olds. Limiting it to 10 rounds makes a difference in how many shots you can let off before someone can intervene.

    Block: If you look at the numbers the vast majority of deaths in this country are not from assault weapons, they are from handguns. Are you really fixing the main problem?

    Biden: No, you are not fixing the problem. That is like saying, does it make any sense to ban cigarette smoking while you still have global warming going on? C’mon. Does that fix the environmental problem? No. But it saves some people’s lives. Do you say the fact that we took lead out of gasoline? Does that solve the problem? No. It doesn’t. We still have too many emissions going into the air. But it helps. I find that a bizarre argument; if it doesn’t solve the whole problem but, guess what? The fact is that it does impact. The people I go to, to look to, when we talk about assault weapons and magazines; talk to the police officers. They are tired of being outgunned. They are tired of being outgunned.

    I wasn’t aware that cops were outgunned. They say they’re outgunned, especially when they want new guns, but where’s the evidence? The LA shootout? Two words there: head shot. And anyway, the po-po are AR’ed and MRAP’ed up the yin yang these days.

    But you gotta give Double Barrel Joe some credit. The man knows his political limitations.

    Block: What’s the problem with having a gun registry? A national, mandatory gun registry? We license our cars, why shouldn’t we have to license and register our guns?

    Biden: Because there is a – this is where you start to cross a cultural line. The idea that you register your guns – it may make logical sense to say this, but there isn’t a constitutional right to own an automobile. There is a Second Amendment constitutional right to own a weapon: The right to have and bear arms. When you go to registration, it raises all the black helicopter crowd notion that what this is all about is identifying who has a gun so that one day the government can get up and go to the house and arrest everyone who has a gun, and they’ll cite Nazi Germany and all that.

    You don’t need to register guns to have logical gun safety laws. This is not – there is a healthy gun culture in this country with regard to hunters. They husband their guns and their weapons; they lock them up, they use them responsibly, they pass them down to their children, like my dad. This is about keeping guns out of the hands of people who, constitutionally, the government is able to prohibit from owning those guns.

    “Gun safety.” I don’t think that means what all the President’s men want it to mean. As for constitutional prohibitions against gun ownership, I wasn’t aware that the document made any such specifications. Just sayin’

  35. BREAKING – NY on SAFE Act: Judiciary Branch Has No Power over Legislative, Executive

    Posted on March 22, 2013

    Today is the day when the State of New York was due to turn in their documents stating why the “message of necessity” used to push through the SAFE Act (without any debate or even reading the legislation) was constitutional under a “show cause” order from the Appellate Division of the state’s judicial branch. And instead of proving the constitutionality of their actions, Governor Cuomo and his cronies argued that the judicial branch has no jurisdiction and cannot interfere with the Legislative and Executive branches (full text here). In short, FOAD. The court will make its final decision on this matter shortly, either handing down the injunction or kicking the can down the road to the next level. Until then, make the jump for Shults’ response (the plaintiff in this case) . . .

    “We have received the State’s response to the Court’s Order to Show Cause. We plan to be at the Appellate Division first thing Monday morning to file a Reply,” said Schulz.

    “The essence of the State’s response, is that under the “Separation of Powers” doctrine, the Court should leave the Executive and Legislative branches alone when it comes to the use of a Message of Necessity and this would not render the three day rule meaningless.”

    “In essence and especially with regard to controversial issues, the Governor and key legislators want to enact laws quickly, in less than three days, suspending all public discussion and deliberation.”

    “We say that the “Separation of Powers” doctrine does not establish a wall of separation eliminating checks and balances between the Judiciary and the two political branches.”

    “We hear too often “this is just the way Albany conducts its business, always has and always will.” We are part of a growing movement of people in this state who aren’t as concerned with who we voted for or what party we belong to, as much as what is now happening to our state and our country which very much concerns us. We say “Hogwash” to the Albany status quo and will do everything we can to restore constitutional governance carried out in decency and good order,” Schulz concluded.

    I asked them what the next move is, and here’s their game plan:

    Next move is a written reply from us on Monday if the Appellate Court will accept it.

    Appellate Court may then decide on the preliminary injunction by Thursday. We have also asked our overall Appeal be expedited and are waiting to hear movement on this.

    We want to get to the Court of Appeals and get that decision overturned. It can’t be that the Message of Necessity has no arbiter or check on its use. If it is not going to come from the Court, it will have to come from the People!

  36. It is pretty sad to think about, but I really believe that the anti’s such as Feinstein go to bed every night praying for more mass murders using firearms, especially if they happen in ‘free fire zones’ such as in Newtown.

    Anything to advance their agenda.

  37. Glad to see for now we won the battle but these lying liberals will keep trying to get gun bans. I wish they would see it how we law abiding folks do from a means of wanting a firearm for not only sport, collection but for personal safety. When carrying a firearm you will be out gunned in today’s society with any magazine ban, as these criminals often travel in packs. If you don’t believe me look up a you tube video on home invasions and see how many usually show up to your home and how heavily armed they are. The criminals will completely ignore any gun ban as demonstrated by cities such as Chicago NYC and DC, which has the stickiest gun, bans yet the highest gun murders/crimes. The liberals are fully aware that the data is not there to support any reduction of crime by eliminating guns or restricting magazine capacities.

    In conclusion I have been a police officer my entire adult life, enjoyed guns since I was a small boy however retired several years ago. I am pro gun and very happy to see the assault weapon ban not come to be this time around. I personally think our current President, Vice President and his cronies will not give up and have ruined this country with not only gun control policy attempts with other failed policies. They are not tuned to the common working folks with families. They seem to have special interest in mind such as those morons that will not get jobs 99% that occupied wall street, giving out entitlements for life, well fare for life, highest food stamps in history and that is what their proud off. Meantime with all these unemployed nuts walking around, millions of strange desperate homeless near our homes they want our guns, go figure!

  38. Obama Urges Lawmakers’ Vote on Assault Weapons Ban
    ABC OTUS News – 46 mins agoEmail0Share125Share1PrintPresident Barack Obama says each of his proposed steps to reduce gun violence should get a vote in Congress — even an assault weapons ban that both parties agree stands little chance of passing.

    Senate Democrats dropped the ban from the bill they plan to debate next month out of concern it could sink the whole package. Still, Obama says he’s pushing for it.

    In his weekly radio and Internet address released Saturday, Obama says the U.S. has changed in the three months since the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., left 20 first graders and six educators dead. He says Americans support the ban, plus limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines, school security funding and a crackdown on gun trafficking.

    “Today there is still genuine disagreement among well-meaning people about what steps we should take to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in this country. But you, the American people, have spoken,” Obama said.

    The White House said Saturday that Obama will make additional trips outside Washington to rally support for the measures, including the assault weapons ban. The White House also said that before Obama left for Israel earlier this week, his push for gun control was among the issues he raised with lawmakers from both parties as he embarked on a concerted effort to reach out to Congress.

    In the Republican address, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah says the Senate Democrats’ budget raises taxes by $1.5 trillion without doing anything to save entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. He says Republicans want a balanced budget that lives up to the nation’s moral obligation to act in the best interest of future generations.

    “Republicans recognize that keeping dollars, decisions, priorities and power in the hands of the people is what has made America the greatest civilization the world has ever known,” Lee says. “Now is the time to return to that model.”

    ———

  39. Bloomberg, mayor group tout big gun control push

    Associated Press – 42 mins agoEmail0Share89Share1Print
    View PhotoAssociated Press/Patrick Semansky, File – FILE – In this Jan. 14, 2013, file photo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at a gun violence summit at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in …more Baltimore. On Saturday, March 23, 2013, Bloomberg announced on a new $12 million television ad campaign from Mayors Against Illegal Guns will push senators in key states to back gun control efforts including comprehensive background checks. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) less
    NEW YORK (AP) — A new $12 million television ad campaign from Mayors Against Illegal Guns will push senators in key states to back gun control efforts, including comprehensive background checks.

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the ad buy Saturday — just days after Senate Democrats touted stronger background checks while acknowledging insufficient support to restore a ban on assault-style weapons to federal gun control legislation.

    “These ads bring the voices of Americans — who overwhelmingly support comprehensive and enforceable background checks — into the discussion to move senators to immediately take action to prevent gun violence,” Bloomberg said in a statement issued by the group he co-founded in 2006.

    The two ads posted on the group’s website, called “Responsible” and “Family,” show a gun owner holding a rifle while sitting on the back of a pickup truck.

    In one ad, the man says he’ll defend the Second Amendment but adds “with rights come responsibilities.” The ad then urges viewers to tell Congress to support background checks.

    In the other ad, the man, a hunter, says “background checks have nothing to do with taking guns away from anyone.” The man then says closing loopholes will stop criminals and the mentally ill from obtaining weapons.

    The Senate is scheduled to debate federal gun control legislation next month. On March 28, the group plans for more than 100 events nationwide in support of passing gun control legislation that includes background checks.

    Mayors Against Illegal Guns and other gun-control advocates frequently cite a mid-1990s study that suggests about 40 percent of U.S. gun transfers were conducted by private sellers not subject to federal background checks. Based on 2011 FBI data, the group estimates 6.6 million firearms transfers are made without a background check for the receiver.

    A spokesman for Bloomberg could not immediately say if the $12 million was coming from Bloomberg or the mayor’s political action committee, Independence USA. The New York Times, which first reported the ad campaign Saturday night, said Bloomberg was bankrolling the ad buy.

    A spokesman for the National Rifle Association blasted Bloomberg and the new ads, saying NRA members and supporters would be calling senators directly and urging them to vote against proposed gun control legislation.

    “What Michael Bloomberg is trying to do is … intimidate senators into not listening to constituents and instead pledge their allegiance to him and his money,” said spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.

    Bloomberg has long supported efforts to curb gun violence, including sending New York City undercover investigators into other states to conduct straw purchases from dealers. Last month, Bloomberg’s PAC poured more than $2 million into ads supporting Illinois state Rep. Robin Kelly, who won a special primary and ran partly on a platform of supporting tougher gun restrictions.

    The new ads will air in 13 states the group believes are divided on gun control: Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

  40. Bloomberg to launch $12M ad campaign to counter NRA on guns
    By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News

    Senior Media Reporter

    PostsEmailRSSBy Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 2 hrs 13 mins agoEmail0Share35Share0Print
    LaPierre, Bloomberg (Getty Images)
    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre squared off on Sunday’s “Meet The Press” over the assault weapons ban being debated in Congress.

    “I don’t think there’s ever been an issue where the public has spoken so clearly, where Congress hasn’t eventually understood and done the right thing,” Bloomberg, who has become one of the most vocal gun control advocates in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, said in a taped interview with NBC’s David Gregory.

    “We are going to have a vote for sure on assault weapons and we’re going to have a vote on background checks,” Bloomberg continued. “And if we were to get background checks only, it wouldn’t be as good as if we got both, but we demanded a plan and then we demanded a vote. We’ve got the plan, we’re going to get the vote. And now it’s incumbent on us to make our voices heard.”

    To do so, the billionaire mayor said he’s spending $12 million on an advertising campaign—set to launch in 10 states on Monday—that touts tighter gun laws.

    “I think I have a responsibility, and I think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities, to try to make this country safer for our families and for each other,” he said. “And if I can do that by spending some money and taking the NRA from being the only voice to being one of the voices, so the public can really understand the issues, then I think my money would be well spent, and I think I have an obligation to do that.”

    LaPierre says Bloomberg would be better off spending his money elsewhere.

    “He’s going to find out this is a country of the people, by the people and for the people,” LaPierre told Gregory. “And he can’t spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public. They don’t want him in their restaurants, they don’t want him in their homes. They don’t want him telling them what food to eat; they sure don’t want him telling them what self-defense firearms to own. And he can’t buy America.”

    [Related: NRA’s LaPierre slams critics of school gun plan]

    The NRA chief criticized the gun control legislation currently on Capitol Hill, calling the proposed universal background checks a “speed bump” for law-abiding gun owners.

    “The whole thing, universal checks, is a dishonest premise. There’s not a bill on the Hill that provides a universal check. Criminals aren’t going to be checked,” LaPierre said. “The mental health records are not in the system, and they don’t prosecute any of the criminals that they catch. … It slows down the law abiding and does nothing to anybody else.”

    LaPierre then reiterated the NRA’s post-Newtown plea for armed security officers in every American public school. “Not a mom or dad wants to drop their kid off at school and leave their kids unprotected.”

  41. Wayne LaPierre on Meet The Press
    Posted on March 24, 2013
    My favorite thing about this video is Biden’s speech claiming that “not one” thing in the proposed legislation would infringe on people’s second amendment rights. “This is not about anybody’s constitutional right to own a weapon” he says. Classic BS from the White House. It was a softball pitch to LaPierre, who swings and misses completely. Instead of immediately refuting the statement, talking about how the legislation would indeed infringe on U.S. citizen’s rights by banning common firearms, LaPierre goes into a speech about how the AR-15 is underpowered compared to “hunting rifles” and how the AWB didn’t work. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand, and David Gregory calls him on it. At which point LaPierre picks up the scent and gets back on track. Its like herding cats with this guy, not even Ted Cruz can get him to connect on an obvious and simple set-up. He gets to the point eventually, and finishes strong, but I still think there might be a need to look into swapping him out.

    http://video.msnbc.msn.com/meet-the-press/51309112

    http://video.msnbc.msn.com/meet-the-press/51303213

  43. Civilian Disarmament Dispatch from Delaware

    Posted on March 26, 2013

    My name is Jeff Spiegelman [not shown]. I am a representative in Delaware’s General Assembly. I am a longtime reader of your website. The anti-gun movement (which includes members of the House and Senate, as well as the Governor) is currently attempting to enact “safety” laws that would make Delaware one of the most gun-draconian states in the region. This package has six parts . . .

    1. Assault weapons ban- Unwritten as of 3/25

    2. Hi cap mag ban – “This bill would prohibit the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer or delivery of large-capacity magazines, which are defined as ammunition feeding devices with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.”

    3. Gun-free school zones – No link as of 3/25. This law would criminalize the possession of a firearm within a school zone.

    4. Ban on private sales and mandatory record keeping of all firearm transactions – ”This bill would require that a criminal history background check be performed in connection with the sale or transfer of all firearms… Dealers would be required to maintain records of such background checks in accordance with state and federal law”

    5. Mandatory reporting of a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours – ”This bill would require owners of lost or stolen handguns to report such loss or theft within 48 hours of discovery.”

    6. Municipalities would have ultimate jurisdiction when it comes to firearms possession – A law that would end state pre-emption, creating the possibility of city ordinances restricting firearms ownership.

    I know I represent a small state, but any coverage you could give that would help fight these laws would be greatly appreciated. And, by the way, we are very very VERY sorry about Joe Biden…… (I changed my mind. You can leave that in.)

  44. Is there an organized movement or an NRA initiative somewhere to petition the major firearms makers to stop the sale of “assault weapons” to the governments of such states as NY, CT, CO?

    It really says a lot that so many of the major manufacturers – Cot, S&W, Ruger, Kimber, Remington, etc – continue to HQ and manufacture in the states that are trying to put them out of business, or shrink them.

  45. Obama Scolds Nation for Insufficient Gun Control Fervor

    President Obama is disappointed by the waning prospects for federal civilian disarmament proposals. And so the Petulant in Chief played the scold in this morning’s speech. In front of a gaggle of mothers who’d lost children to “gun violence,” Mr Obama hectored his audience from on-high. He brazenly claimed that an assault weapons ban, ammunition capacity limits and federal gun registration would not be “taking away anyone’s gun rights.” He criticized pro-gun rights supporters for “running out the clock.” And admitted that no matter what, “there would still be gun deaths.” Here’s what the President told the American people . . .

    Shame on us if we’ve forgotten. I haven’t forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we’ve forgotten. If there is one thing I’ve said consistently since I first ran for this office, nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change.

    And that’s why it’s so important that all these moms and dads are here today, but that’s also why it’s important that we’ve got grassroots groups out there that got started and are out there mobilizing and organizing and keeping up the fight.

    That’s what it’s going to take to make this country safer.

    It’s going to take moms and dads and hunters and sportsmen and clergy and local officials, like the mayors who are here today, standing up and saying, this time really is different, that we’re not just going to sit back and wait until the next Newtown or the next Blacksburg or the next innocent, beautiful child is gunned down in a playground in Chicago or Philadelphia or Los Angeles before we summon the will to act.

    Right now members of Congress are back home in their districts and many of them are holding events where they can hear from their constituents, so I want everybody who is listening to make yourself heard right now.

    If you think that checking someone’s criminal record before he can check out a gun show is common sense, you’ve going to make yourself heard. If you are a responsible, law-abiding gun owner who wants to keep irresponsible, law-breaking individuals from abusing the right to bear arms by inflicting harm on a massive scale, speak up. We need your voices in this debate.

    If you’re a mom like Katarina who wants to make this country safer, a stronger place for our children to learn and grow up, get together with other moms like the ones here today and raise your voices and make yourselves unmistakably heard.

    We need everybody to remember how we felt 100 days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn’t just a bunch of platitudes, that we meant it.

    And the desire to make a difference is what brought Corey Thornblad here today. Corey grew up in Oklahoma, where her dad sold firearms at gun shows. And today she’s a mom and a teacher. And Corey said after Newtown she cried for days for the students who could have been her students, for the parents she could have known, for the teachers like her who go to work every single day and love their kids and want them to succeed.

    And Corey says, “My heart was broken and I decided now was the time to act, to march, the time to petition, the time to make phone calls because tears were no longer enough.”

    And that’s my attitude. Tears aren’t enough. Expressions of sympathy aren’t enough. Speeches aren’t enough. We’ve cried enough. We’ve known enough heartbreak. What we’re proposing is not radical, it’s not taking away anybody’s gun rights. It’s something that, if we are serious, we will do it. Now is the time to turn that heartbreak into something real.

    It won’t solve every problem. There will still be gun deaths deaths. There will still be tragedies. There will still be violence. There will still be evil.

    But we can make a difference if, not just the activists here on this stage, but the general public, including responsible gun owners say, you know what, we can do better than this. We can do better to make sure that fewer parents have to endure the pain of losing a child to an act of violence. That’s what this is about. And enough people like Katarina and Cory (ph) and the rest of the parents who are here today get involved, and if enough members of Congress take a stand for cooperation and common sense, and lead and don’t get squishy, because time has passed and maybe it’s not on the news every single day.

    If that’s who we are, if that’s our character, that we’re willing to follow through on commitments that we say are important, commitments to each other and to our kids, then I’m confident we can make this country a safer place for all of them.

    So thank you very much, everybody. God bless you.

    (APPLAUSE)

  46. Gun control efforts persist but public support dims

    Polls show fewer favor restrictive measures

    Vice President Joseph R. Biden, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other gun control advocates insisted Wednesday that both momentum and public opinion are on their side, but recent polling shows Americans turning against stricter laws as more time elapses since the Newtown shootings.

    Mr. Biden rallied gun control advocates ahead of a “day of action” organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, telling supporters that bans on so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are “just the beginning.”

    “Let me say this as clearly as I can: this is just the beginning,” he said on a conference call organized by the group, which is co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “We believe that weapons of war have no place on our streets. That’s the message that retired admirals and generals have spoken to us about. The comment one of them used was if you want to learn how to use a semiautomatic weapon, join the United States military. But these are weapons of war.”

    President Obama is also scheduled to host mothers, victims of gun violence, law enforcement officials and others at an event at the White House on Thursday, and Brina Milikowski of MAIG said the group has more than 140 events planned in at least 29 states.

    “The most important thing we can do in the lead-up to the vote in Congress in a couple weeks is to make our voices heard,” Ms. Milikowski said. “We know that Congress is paying attention — not just to the polls and to the news, but also to grass-roots events and mobile initiatives showing overwhelming support among Americans for common-sense public safety measures.”

    But despite the proclamations, White House spokesman Josh Earnest struck a much more cautious tone Wednesday, saying the mere fact that the Senate will be voting on an assault weapons ban is a step in the right direction.

    “I think because of all the talk of the president and because of his aggressive advocacy of this issue, there will be a vote in the United States Senate on whether or not military-style assault weapons will be banned from the streets of this country,” Mr. Earnest said. “I think that is — that represents progress.”

    Though surveys show that a sizable majority of Americans continue to support individual measures like universal background checks, a new CBS News poll shows that only 47 percent of Americans support stricter gun control laws, compared to a high of 57 percent right after the December shootings in Connecticut. Further, a CNN poll from last week showed 43 percent of Americans support “major restrictions” or a complete ban on guns — down from 52 percent in December.

    ——————————————————————————–

    SPECIAL COVERAGE: Second Amendment and Gun Control

    ——————————————————————————–

    National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said such numbers show people realize that “gun control is not the answer to reducing crime or trying to make sure the horrific shootings like what happened in Connecticut and Colorado don’t happen again.”

    “I think they understand and they agree with the NRA that in order to reduce crime and reduce the instances of mass shootings, we need to fix our broken mental health system, we need to increase prosecutions of our violent crimes and we need to provide a blanket of security for children in our schools,” Mr. Arulanandam said.

    A gradual decline in support for stricter gun laws also occurred in the wake of other recent mass shootings. According to Gallup, two-thirds of Americans supported stricter gun laws in April 1999, right after the Columbine school shootings in Colorado. By December, that number had dropped to 60 percent, and it sat at 51 percent by October 2002.

    The same number actually decreased from 56 percent in October 2006 to 51 percent in October 2007 — a time period that included the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007.

    But Mrs. Pelosi said gun control advocates have not lost momentum this time.

    “I’ve been to a number of states since this Congress has gone in and many parts of different states and the public is so far ahead of the Congress on this subject,” the California Democrat said Wednesday. “I believe whatever passes in the Congress now will not be the end of the day for this issue.”

    Mrs. Pelosi said that if a ban on so-called assault weapons does not pass, it would create an even greater impetus for Congress to approve strong legislation on universal background checks. She added that members voted for the ban that passed in 1994 knowing it would cost them their seats, but that they said later it was worth it if it saves lives.

  47. NY Snags Another One: Down Goes Guerrero!

    After a spate of high profile arrests of unsuspecting out-of-towners about a year ago who somehow hadn’t gotten the word that the five boroughs aren’t particularly accommodating when it comes to Second Amendment rights, things seemed to settle down for a while. Bloomberg’s Army went back to their usual business of shooting bystanders, arresting home invasion victims and adding to their stock of heavy weaponry. Until, that is, boxer Robert Guerrero decided he deserved a birthday trip to Las Vegas after promoting an upcoming flight in the Big Apple . . .

    So, he approached the Delta ticket counter to check in and declare the gat that was unloaded and packed in his luggage. Big mistake. The dutiful Delta agent — probably after charging him $25 for the checked bag — dropped a dime on the champ who was arrested on four weapons charges (the gun’s registered in California).

    He has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and three counts stemming three high capacity unloaded magazines he was carrying at the time.

    We’re sure he’ll want to send Governor Cuomo a thank-you note, too. Under the provisions of the new SAFE Act (that’s so dramatically reduced Empire State crime already) Guerrero’s facing felonies rather than misdemeanors.

    ‘If a passenger chooses to travel with a weapon, they should first acquaint themselves with the weapon laws of the jurisdiction that they are visiting and comply with any and all legal requirements,’ Queens DA Richard Brown told WNBC-TV.

    Good advice. Or gun owners could just avoid New York altogether.

  48. Jim Carrey’s Cold Dead Hand – A Rebuttal

    This little interchange—between Jim Carrey’s Cold Dead Hands and Reason TV’s rebuttal—highlights the cultural divide between the two camps. On one hand you have an ad hominem anti-gun broadside “inspired” by the Sandy Hook slaughter; a video that’s basically an extended dick joke (with some condescending “southerners as stupid rednecks” thrown in for good measure). On the other, Reason’s crafted a mostly fact-based condemnation of Carrey’s hypocrisy on child vaccinations (pointed out by several TTAG commentators underneath our original post on the comedian’s dietribe [sic]). Does it matter that gun rights advocates take the high road while their opponents throw poo from [what they perceive to be] a great height? Yes it does. Tone matters. But at the end of the proverbial day, it’s fingers on triggers that’ll win this war. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f1ULcGyCGTo

  49. Gun control: Did Obama let the moment pass?

    While polls show a shift in US attitudes, President Obama is insisting, 100 days after the massacre in Newtown, Ct., that it’s not too late to get gun control legislation through Congress.
    By Linda Feldmann | Christian Science Monitor .

    Has the moment passed for tighter gun restrictions?

    President Obama himself raised that question Thursday at a White House event aimed at revitalizing the prospects for legislation, 100 days after a Connecticut elementary school massacre that shocked the nation.

    Flanked by families affected by gun violence, the president made an emotional plea for action and insisted it’s not too late.

    RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

    “The notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened at Newtown happens, and we’ve moved on to other things?” he said. “That’s not who we are.”

    Next Wednesday, Obama will travel to Colorado to highlight the state’s new laws requiring universal background checks for gun buyers and a ban on ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds. Colorado has seen two of the deadliest shootings in US history – one last July in Aurora, the other at Columbine High School in 1999.

    There are certainly signs that momentum toward significant gun legislation has slipped since Newtown. In a CBS News poll out Monday, 47 percent of respondents said gun control laws should be more strict, down from 57 percent right after the Newtown massacre. According to Politico, the National Rifle Association is enjoying record fundraising, which translates into more donations to politicians.

    Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.

    In the Senate, a growing roster of Republicans is ready to filibuster legislation. On Thursday, two senators, Marco Rubio of Florida and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, joined three others – Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, and Ted Cruz of Texas – in signing a letter threatening to filibuster any bill with new restrictions on guns.

    But there are other ways to look at public opinion. A broadly worded question about making gun control laws “more strict” clearly raises concerns with a lot of Americans, but a narrowly tailored question can produce a markedly different result. In January, a Quinnipiac poll found 92 percent of voters, including 91 percent of gun-owning households, support background checks on all gun buyers. A CBS-New York Times poll in January produced the same result.

    Obama homed in on this point on Thursday. “Think about that,” he said. “How often do 90 percent of Americans agree on anything?”

    Senators working on a compromise on background checks reached an impasse three weeks ago, but their staffs are talking again, the New York Daily News reports. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) of New York told the paper he expects to meet with Sen. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma before the Senate returns from recess April 8.

    At issue is whether records of private gun sales must be kept. Senator Schumer is insisting on it. Senator Coburn rejects the idea. Gun-control advocates say background checks would be unenforceable without record-keeping. Gun-rights supporters say that record-keeping could lead to a national registry of gun-owners, and potentially, confiscation.

    Still, given public opinion on the issue, some analysts predict that a tightening of the background check system has a chance of passing.

    RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

    “Expansion of background checks is the piece that has the most public support, so we’ll get something there,” says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

    “Clearly, background checks on private sales between family members or neighbors that requires record-keeping is not going to get any support, but closing the gun-show loophole does.”

    Related stories

  50. The Mayors Against Illegal Guns Want YOU!

    The Mayors Against Civilian Gun Ownership Illegal Guns want you—yes you!—to make a choice. Apparently, “Washington needs to pass gun laws that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals and other prohibited purchasers and keep military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines off of our streets.” MAIG reckons the federal government “should pass laws that will: 1. Require criminal background checks for ALL gun sales, including private sales. 2. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. 3. Make gun trafficking a federal crime.” I’m guessing that’s what they mean by “common sense.” Click over to popvox.com to either support or oppose the proposal. At last count, 80 percent (50,668) are on board with civilian disarmament while 20 percent (12,465) are not.

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