The gun has long been called an equalizer.  As in, “God made men, and Colonel Colt made them equal.”

My friends and colleagues at the Second Amendment Foundation have a new push for this theme: see it here. http://www.examiner.com/article/saf-launches-equal-gun-rights-campaign?cid=db_articles

The gun is a force multiplier. As has been noted in this blog more than once, it allows a handful of beleaguered black Americans to fend off larger numbers of Klansmen.

The gun allows the righteous few to hold their own against many who are doing violent wrong. Do a Google search for Elfego Baca. Wise modern gun experts from Don Kates to Tamara Keel have pointed out that if you want to know how warm and fuzzy it would be to have a world without guns, you have only to look back to the outlawry and oppression of the Middle Ages.

The gun allows the female of our species – generally smaller and lighter, and always with proportionately less upper body strength and less cultural predispositioning to using physical force – to defeat men attempting to rape her.  The modern feminist version of the Old West saying about Colonel Colt and equality is the popular tee-shirt slogan that says, “God made men and women equal…and Smith & Wesson keeps them that way.” I remember one of my graduates who confronted a burglar in her home. She drew her gun and snapped, “Don’t move!” He came at her. She shot him in one of his upper limbs. He came at her again.  She shot him dead with a bullet to center chest. The shooting was, of course, ruled justified. To this day, I shudder to think what this aggressor would have done to her if she hadn’t had her SIG-Sauer.

The gun allows the poor and powerless to protect themselves as well as the rich and powerful. It is axiomatic in our country that any citizen should be able to become President. A poor kid raised by his grandparents recently did so, and got re-elected.  He and his family are surrounded by Secret Service agents with high cartridge capacity firearms. Us ordinary po’ folks don’t have heavily armed security guards provided by taxpayer funding to guard us and our families like Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, or Michael Bloomberg.  How sad and ironic that the poor kid who grew up to be President doesn’t want your potential-future-President kids to be protected as his own potential-future-President children are.

Equality. Freedom. Guns.

Yes, they all do belong in the same sentence.

1 COMMENT

  1. BREAKING: Colorado Background Check Bill Passes Out of Senate Committee

    Posted on March 4, 2013

    “A proposal to expand [state] background checks on all firearm purchases advanced in the Colorado senate after dozens testified including Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,” kjc8.com reports. ”The Democratic sponsored bill passed on a 3-2 party-line vote in the State Senate, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. The bill would expand background checks to include private and online firearm sales.” Given the CO Dems control of the State Senate, it’s all down to Governor Hickenlooper. In other words, preventing gun registration in the Rocky Mountain State is perilously close to a lost cause. Opponents of the mag cap bill face the same long odds.

  2. “Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size.
    When danger threatens, call on me and I will equalize.”

  3. hickenlooper and the rest of the democraps better get there asses in line at the job center because they are done in politics. maybe they can go to new york and cuomo and bloomberg will give them a job cleaning toilets.

  4. RE: Patrick, that’s pretty interesting. Online firearm sales already require a FFL transfer, where a NICS background check is required upon transfer. It’s redundant to require two NICS checks for an online purchase.

    And requiring NICS checks for private sales…How can sales between two private parties effectively be enforced?

    Clearly the people passing the legislation don’t understand what they’re legislating. Or it’s baby steps towards registration, which Canada recently found is costly and doesn’t work.

  5. Er…meant to say, “How can regulations on sales between two private parties effectively be enforced?”

  6. Isn’t it ironic that the party that has so carefully crafted, with the help of the media, an image of being the protector of personal rights, is hell bent on making the American citizen subservient to a tyrannical government and an out of control criminal element? Is their intent to destroy this country by ushering in a civil war or do they believe that that the populace will willingly give up their God given right to self defense? If you are upset about the current shortage of ammunition and weapons on the civilian market, just wait until our “leaders” decide to make food and water commodities that are in short supply. If that happens(and I believe it will),the average urban citizen will bow down to an all powerful government and will willingly trade freedom for a slice of bread and and a cup of water.

  7. Speaking of the secret service, how is it that the president is always tossing around the phrase “those guns belong in wars on foreign soil” or something to that effect, then his own body guards have them 24/7. Shouldn’t the secret service immediately transfer their rifles and high capacity pistols to the Dept of Defense (off to Afghanistan on the next C130) and go to Joe Biden approved double barrel shotguns and S&W model 10’s.

    Seems like a great law to introduce in congress. That pesky constitution gets in the way of regulating the people, but congress sure can regulate federal law enforcement all it wants. Call it the “prevention of foreign battlefields in America act.”

  10. Colorado (and the rest of the country) should study Illinois. Illinois gun owners are required to register (themselves, not their guns) with the State Police. A successful background check will be certified with a Firearm Owner ID (FOID) card. You cannot buy ammo or a gun or shoot at a range in Illinois without one. Private sellers must verify the buyer has a current FOID card and must retain a detailed record of the transaction for ten years. This is true everywhere in the state, including gun shows. So Illinois has had (for 40 years) a form of universal background checks! Cook County (home to Chicago), largest population center in Illinois, has had an “assault weapon ban” for years. Given all that regulation and control, how do you explain the gun violence in Chicago? Simple – they are all criminals. Laws do not apply!

  11. One of our democrtic senators in CO was lecturing a rape victim during rthe CCW testimony and said for every woman who used a handgun to defend herself from rape, 83 women were killled by said gun.

    Anyone know where to fact check this? I find these stats a hard to believe????

  13. @Jack, I took the senator’s meaning to be for every woman who killed an attacker (not wounded, injured, or scared away) a woman was killed with a (any) gun, not just theirs and not just during a rape. I believe that statistic but, if I interpret the statement correctly, it has no meaning in this context. Its just a nearly random statistic. Statistics can be made to say anything if the statement is phrased correctly. Also, IMO, the senator has no business chastising someone for their convictions about their own self-defense.

  14. Mas, excellent post, as always. Many on the left and some on the right just don’t seem to exercise (or even possess) common sense. Keep the words acommin’.

  15. Jack, those stats undoubtedly came from Handgun Control Inc., the Brady Campaign, etc. They’ve been fabricating stats for years. TL

  16. Democratic Colorado senator Evie Hudak to rape survivor: “Statistics are not on your side.”

    Quick background here: essentially, Colorado Democrats have decided to respond to recent criminal mass murders by legislating bans on high-capacity magazines, banning concealed carry, taxing legitimate gun purchases, and requiring background checks before private transferal of firearms. And, oh, yes, Colorado Democrats also want to make gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with those guns, but that’s scheduled for later… what’s that? How would any of this stop a crazy lunatic from mass murder? Oh, that’s easy: it won’t. But it will make a bunch of legislators with Ds after their names to feel a little less scared at night, which is apparently more important.

    Anyway, I will give Democratic state Senator Evie Hudak this much: she at least had sufficient lingering human empathy to not want to make too much eye contact when she uncomfortably denigrated the testimony and feelings of a rape survivor who DARED insist that concealed carry might have stopped her rape.

    “I just want to say that, actually statistics are not on your side even if you had had a gun. You said that you were a marshal arts student, I mean person, experienced in tae kwan do, and yet because this individual was so large, he was able to overcome you, even with your skills[*]. And, chances are that if you would have had a gun, then he would have been able to get that from you and possibly use it against you….”

    …and the response, which I found remarkably measured and even-toned, considering the provocation.

    “Respectfully Senator, you weren’t there. You’re right, my parents equipped me to ensure that I would not be an easy victim and not be an easy target, they did everything they could to reduce the risk of me being raped. And, that’s all it did. It reduced the risk, it did not guarantee that. Furthermore, if I had been carrying concealed, he would have known I was carrying my weapon. And, I was there. I know without a doubt in my mind, at some point, I would have been able to stop my attack by using my firearm. He already had a weapon of his own, he didn’t need mine.”

    Amanda Collins at HB 1226 Hearing video below.

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

  17. There was a ‘study’ by Arthur Kellerman where he claimed people were more likely to die by use of a firearm than they were to use one in self defense.

    The problem with his ‘study’ was that only when a death of the attacker occurred was it counted as self defense. Fending off an attacker while only wounding them, or no shots fired at the attacker, were *not* considered in counting a self defense use.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Kellermann

  18. I was gonna stay out of this, for personal reasons. Oh well. This kind of dancing around the issue makes me angry. (Too many Irish genes)

    Look – y’all are splitting hairs over stupid numbers. We’re talking life, death and even life-altering experiences. Rape isn’t just something that happens and you “get over it”. It is not like breaking a bone and it heals. It changes you forever – in good ways, as well as not so good.

    Unless you’ve BEEN THERE, then you don’t understand the impossibly huge hypocrisy in imposing – nay, forcing a woman’s “right to choice” into law, even subjugating religious freedom to this right, over a woman’s perogative to choose to become pregnant or not, as some holy grail freedom…

    while at the same time, denying her the freedom and the right to SURVIVE long enough to exercise that kind of choice. Even past the age of pregnancy, the injuries from rape are quite real and will affect later quality of life for any woman. How many women are raped — and then killed?

    Perhaps – if y’all think numbers are going to win arguments over the emotional stuff that the lawmakers seem able to avoid dealing with – try using the number of how many NEW women shooters there are; how many women have taken CCW classes and applied for their license; try to find out how many women are sitting around completely trusting that the gov or some big strong man is going to protect them and their EXISTING children.

    Last number I saw was around 2 million. “Is she carrying? Only her hairdresser knows for sure!” LOL.

  20. Read ‘Em and Weep: 80 Civilian Disarmament Bills (Not Including All the Other Ones)

    Posted on March 6, 2013

    California’s contracostatimes.com has taken a tally of civilian disarmament bills at the federal and Golden State level. According to their count Uncle Sam’s contemplating 13 gun ban bills in the Senate and 40 (yes 40) pieces of firearms-related legislation in the House. Golden State gun owners are staring down the barrel of 12 gun control bills in the Senate and 14 in the General Assembly. Make the jump for the list–which does not include New York’s SAFE Act or the dozens of bills being mooted in Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington and elsewhere. Fasten your metaphorical seat belts; this is going to get rough . . .

    U.S. SENATE

    S. 2, the Sandy Hook Elementary School Violence Reduction Act, by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. — S.2 would express the Senate’s support for the president’s gun-violence reduction efforts and other common-sense proposals; for aid to law enforcement officers; for safe learning conditions for school students; for developing tools to identify people who pose a threat to themselves or others; for keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals and others not legally allowed to have them; and so on. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.2:

    S. 22, the Gun Show Background Check Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. –S.22 would require background checks for all firearms sales at gun shows, with “gun show” defined to include any place where more than 50 guns are on sale/display. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.22:

    S.33, the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. — S.33 would prohibit the sale, transfer, importation or possession of any magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, unless it was made before the law’s effective date. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00033:

    S.34, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. — S. 34 would prohibit those on the government’s terrorism watch list from buying a firearm or obtaining an explosives license. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00034:

    S.35, the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. — S.35 would require face to face purchases of ammunition, require licensing of ammunition dealers, and require reporting regarding bulk purchases of ammunition. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00035:

    S.54, the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. — S.54 would specifically prohibit the straw purchase of firearms and beef up the law prohibiting material false statements when purchasing a firearm, establishing penalties for anyone who buys a firearm or ammunition with the intent to transfer it to someone else, particularly in cases involving crimes of violence or drug trafficking. The bill also expands existing trafficking law to make it a crime for an individual to smuggle firearms out of the United States. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.54:

    S. 82, the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. — S. 82, the companion bill to HR 410, would invalidate any past, present or future executive actions on gun control, like those President Obama took Jan. 16, rendering them as advisory only unless Congress enacts them.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.82:

    S. 147, the Common Sense Concealed Firearms Permit Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. — S. 147 would require that each state that allows residents to carry concealed firearms create a permit process involving local law enforcement and requiring that those receiving permits be legal U.S. residents, at least 21 years old, have good cause for requesting the permit, and demonstrate that he/she is worthy of public trust. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00147:

    S. 150, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. — S.150 would ban semi-automatic weapons that can accept a detachable ammunition magazine and also have one or more specific military-style characteristics, including pistol grips, flash suppressors and a folding or telescoping stock. It also would ban large-capacity magazines and other ammunition-feeding devices holding more than 10 rounds. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00150:

    S.174, the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. — S.174 would require an instant background check for the purchase of ammunition, and would restore pre-1986 requirements that sellers track their inventory and keep records of their customers; purchases of 1,000 rounds or more, or thefts of large amounts of ammunition, would have to be reported to law enforcement. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00174:

    S.179, the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. — S.179, like companion bill H.R.452, would make a federal crime of buying or transferring a firearm with the intent to deliver it to someone else who’s barred by state or federal law from having it; impose prison terms of up to 20 years for such “straw purchasers”; and provide stiffer penalties for organizers or managers of firearms trafficking networks. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00179:

    S.261, the No Firearms for Foreign Felons Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. — S. 261 would prohibit anyone convicted of a felony or crime of domestic violence in a foreign court from possessing a firearm in the United States. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00261:

    S.374, the Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013, by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — S.374 would make congressional findings that Congress supports and respects Second Amendment rights and the existing prohibition on a national firearms registry, but also that the Justice Department should make a priority of closing holes in its firearm background check system and that citizens should be more vigilant about keeping firearms from dangerously mentally ill people. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:s.00374:

    U.S. HOUSE

    HR 21, the NRA Members’ Gun Safety Act of 2013, by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va. — HR 21 would require a background check for every firearm sale or transfer, with the only exceptions being gifts between immediate family members; probate or executor transfers after the owner’s death; a loan to someone who believes they need the firearm in their home to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm; and certain loans while target shooting, hunting, fishing or trapping. It also would require owners to report a firearm’s theft or loss within 48 hours, and would require any state that allows concealed carry to establish a permit process if it doesn’t already have one. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.00021:

    HR 34, Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2013, by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. — HR 34 would bar anyone from buying or owning a firearm without a background check and government-issued license; the U.S. Attorney General would establish a federal record-of-sale system, and any firearm thefts or losses would have to be reported to the government within three days. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.00034:

    HR 35, the Safe Schools Act of 2013, by Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas — HR 35 would repeal federal laws mandating “gun free zones” around schools. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.35:

    HR 65, the Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2013, by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas — HR 65 would raise the minimum age for handgun ownership from 18 to 21; prohibit people under 21 from possessing “semiautomatic assault weapons or large capacity ammunition feeding devices”; stiffen federal criminal penalties for gun ownership violations by minors and for selling or giving handguns, assault weapons or large-capacity magazines to minors knowing they intended to use it for crime; requires all firearm sales to include a gun storage or locking device; prohibits keeping a loaded firearm or unloaded firearm and ammunition within a child’s reach; and lets the attorney general provide federal grants for gun-safety classes for parents and children. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.65:

    HR 93, the Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act, by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. — HR 93 would close the “fire sale loophole,” which lets gun dealers with revoked licenses transfer their weapons to their private collections, then sell the firearms in inventory clearance sales without federal background checks. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.93:

    HR 117, the Handgun Licensing and Registration Act of 2013, by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. — HR 117 would require that each state provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of every handgun sold in the future. The bill is based upon New Jersey’s mandatory handgun registration law. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.00117:

    HR 133, the Citizens Protection Act of 2013 by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. — HR 133 would repeal federal laws mandating “gun free zones” around schools. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.133:

    HR 137, the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. — HR 137 would require a background check for every firearm sale and “ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system,” in part by widening the range of mental-health situations reportable to the FBI’s background check database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.137:

    HR 138, the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. — HR138 is the House companion bill to Lautenberg’s S.33. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.138:

    HR 141, the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. — HR 141 would require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring at gun shows. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.141:

    HR 142, the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. — HR142 is the House companion bill to Lautenberg’s S.35. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.142:

    HR 226, the Support Assault Firearms Elimination and Reduction (SAFER) for our Streets Act, by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. — HR 226 would create a $2,000 refundable tax credit ($1,000 for two consecutive years) for an assault weapon owner who turns in his or her firearm to state police. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.226:

    HR 227, the Buyback our Safety Act, by Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla. — HR 227 authorizes $15 million over 5 years for the Justice Department to provide matching grants to local law enforcement agencies for firearms buyback programs. The bill also directs the National Academy of Sciences to identify guns most often used in violent crimes and create a pricing scale for buying such weapons. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.227:

    HR 236, the Crackdown on Deadbeat Gun Dealers Act of 2013, by Rep. James Langevin, D-RI — HR 236 would increase the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to inspect federal firearms licensees for compliance with recordkeeping requirements by increasing the allowable inspections per year from one to three; increase the penalties for knowingly misrepresenting any facts about a firearms sale; and authorize the attorney general to suspend a dealer’s license and assess civil penalties for firearms violations, including failure to have secure gun storage or safety devices. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.236:

    HR 238, the Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act, by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. — HR 238 would close the “fire sale loophole,” which lets gun dealers with revoked licenses transfer their weapons to their private collections, then sell the firearms in inventory clearance sales without federal background checks. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.238:

    HR 321, the Firearm Safety and Public Health Research Act of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. — HR 321 would release the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health from restrictions placed on them in 1996 that have prohibited them from conducting peer-reviewed research into gun violence prevention.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.321:

    HR 322, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act, by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla. — HR 322 would exclude all firearm and ammunition components from the definition of “chemical substance” under federal environmental laws, so that the lead and other substances in ammunition couldn’t be regulated or restricted. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.322:

    HR 329, the Strengthening Background Checks Act of 2013, by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. — H.R. 329 would require states to share mental-health information with the FBI’s system or else lose 10 percent of their federal Justice Assistance Grants for local police. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.00329:

    HR 332, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank — HR 332 lets civil cases proceed against irresponsible bad actors in the gun industry who turn blind eyes to straw purchases and trafficking, overriding a 2005 law that providing immunity from civil liability in state and federal court for gun makers, distributors and dealers. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.332:

    HR 339, the Fairness in Firearm Testing Act, by Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga. — HR 339 amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to make a video recording of the entire process of its examination and testing of an item for the purpose of determining if it’s a firearm (and if so, the firearm’s type) or ammunition; the bill also bars ATF from editing or erasing any such recording. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.339:

    HR 404, the Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act, by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank — HR 404 adds more prison time for those convicted of making straw purchases of firearms, and forbids courts from putting such convicts on probation or reducing their prison term to compensate for multiple convictions. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.404:

    HR 410, the Restore the Constitution Act of 2013, by Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas — HR 410, the companion bill to S. 82, would invalidate any past, present or future executive actions on gun control, like those President Obama took Jan. 16, rendering them as advisory only unless Congress enacts them. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.410:

    HR 427, the Trafficking Reduction and Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act, by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. — HR 427 would require that federal background check records be maintained for at least 180 days, rather than the current 24-hour limit; that gun dealers do inventory checks to report lost or stolen guns; and that new firearms include a second, hidden serial number printed inside the receiver which could only be removed by dismantling the entire weapon.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.427:

    HR 431, the Gun Transparency and Accountability Act of 2013, by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo — HR 431 would abolish a series of 2004 amendments that weakened gun safety rules: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could once again use information on guns traced to crimes; background check information wouldn’t have to be destroyed within 24 hours; and the ban on federally required inventory audits of gun dealerships would be lifted.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.431:

    HR 437, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. — HR 437 is the House companion bill to Feinstein’s S.150. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.00437:

    HR 449, by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla. — HR 449 would provide a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.449:

    HR 452, the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013, by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. — HR 452 would make a federal crime of buying or transferring a firearm with the intent to deliver it to someone else who’s barred by state or federal law from having it; impose prison terms of up to 20 years for such “straw purchasers;” and provide stiffer penalties for organizers or managers of firearms trafficking networks. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.452:

    HR 538, the Protect Law Enforcement Armor Act (PLEA) Act, by Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y. — HR 538 would expand federal law’s definition of “armor piercing ammunition” to include certain handgun ammunition that can pierce body armor, and would ban the making, sale and possession of any handgun that uses such ammunition.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.538:

    HR 575, the Second Amendment Protection Act of 2013, by Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas — HR 575 would express the sense of Congress that the United States should not adopt any treaty that threatens national sovereignty or abridges rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right to bear arms, and should stop providing financial support to any entity that does so. It would bar the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations for a fiscal year unless the president certifies to Congress that the U.N. has not acted to infringe on individuals’ rights in the United States to have a firearm or ammunition, or abridge any other constitutionally protected rights of U.S. citizens.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.575:

    HR 577, the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, by Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas — HR 577 would make sure any veteran deemed mentally incapacitated, mentally incompetent or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness in a Department of Veterans Affairs case is not considered mentally defective for purposes of prohibition from firearm ownership without a separate court order or finding that the person is a danger to self or others.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgibin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.577:

    HR 578, the Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013, by Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind. — HR 578 would guarantee that individuals who legally carry a concealed weapon in their home state may also carry in any other state that allows concealed carry. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.578:

    HR 602, the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla. — HR 602 is the same as HR 577.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00602:

    HR 619, the Keep Kids Safe Act of 2013, by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. — HR 619 would prohibit possession of a firearm by, or the sale or transfer of a firearm to, anyone who has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor sex offense against a minor. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00619:

    HR 661, the Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act, by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland — Like HR 427 and HR 431, HR 661 would repeal current provisions that require federal firearm background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours; prohibit ATF from requiring licensed dealers to conduct annual inventory checks to detect lost and stolen guns; and restrict state and local authorities from using trace data to fully investigate corrupt gun dealers and traffickers.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00661:

    HR 720, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013, by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. — HR 720 would let the attorney general deny the right to buy firearms or to get a firearms and explosive license to anyone engaged in, or who has providing material support to, terrorism and might use a firearm or explosive to terroristic ends; those denied firearms or licenses could challenge it in court. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00720:

    HR 722, the Detectives Nemorin and Andrews Anti-Gun Trafficking Act of 2013, by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. — HR 722 would impose stiffer penalties for gun-trafficking crimes; expand the Justice Department’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program; require the attorney general to make a report to Congress every two years on gun traces and trafficking prosecutions; require the FBI to share its National Crime Information Center Stolen Gun File with ATF; impose a 5-year prison term for having a stolen firearm or a firearm with an obliterated serial number while committing any felony; and impose a 7-, 9- or 12-year penalty for using such a firearm during a violent or drug-trafficking crime.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00722:

    HR 793, the Firearm Safety and Buyback Grant Act of 2013, by Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Cerritos — HR 793 would establish a grant program within the Department of Justice in which grants would be eligible to state, tribal and local units of government and law enforcement agencies to carry out anti-violence campaigns, gun safety campaigns and firearms buyback programs. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00793:

    HR 848, the Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013, by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa — H.R. 848 would make federal grants available to states that develop programs with the goal of removing firearms from people no longer allowed to own guns due to criminal convictions, mental illness incidents or other causes. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:H.R.848:

    H.Res. 40 by Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga. — H.Res.40 would expresses the House’s sense that active-duty military personnel stationed or living in the District of Columbia should be allowed to fully exercise their Second Amendment rights and be exempt from the district’s gun control laws. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d113:40:./list/bss/d113HE.lst::

    H.Res. 55 by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla. — H.Res.55 would condemn “unfounded reliance on Stand Your Ground laws to protect actions that extend far beyond historical use of self-defense;” urge any state legislature to reject or repeal such bills and laws; calls for creating incentives for states to find alternatives to such laws, such as community-policing grants; encourages states to create penalties for those found to have caused “substantive harm” through racial profiling;” and urges the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to seek to study black males’ higher rates of school expulsions and suspensions, homicides, incarceration, poverty, violence, drug abuse and other disparities. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d113:55:./list/bss/d113HE.lst::

    CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE

    SB 47 by state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco — SB 47 would prohibit the use of the “bullet button” and other devices that allow for easily changeable magazines on assault weapons. Such weapons would only be allowed to have ammunition magazines holding 10 or fewer rounds, which could not be changed without taking the weapon apart; essentially, bullets could only be loaded one-by-one from the top of the gun. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_47&sess=CUR&house=B&author=yee

    SB 53 by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles — SB 53 would require anyone buying ammunition to first pass a background check and receive a one-year permit — for an estimated $50 fee — from the state Justice Department.http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_53&sess=CUR&house=B&author=de_le%F3n

    SB 108 by state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco — SB 108 would require that all guns be properly stored with a trigger lock or in a lock box at a residence when the owner is not present; current law requires only that gun owners also own a trigger lock or lock box, but doesn’t require such devices be used on idle firearms. The bill also would make it illegal to loan a handgun to anyone not registered as its owner. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_108&sess=CUR&house=B&author=yee

    SB 127 by state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado Hills — SB 127 would permanently prohibit gun ownership for anyone who has been judged by a court to be a danger to others due to mental illness or has been judged a mentally disordered sex offender; courts could no longer issue certificates allowing gun ownership for such people after treatment. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_127&sess=CUR&house=B&author=gaines

    SB 140 by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco — SB 140 would let the state Justice Department use money from Dealer Record of Sale background check fees to beef up use of the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) program, which identifies and confiscates handguns and assault weapons from those no longer legally allowed to own them due to criminal convictions, mental illness or protective orders. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_140&sess=CUR&house=B&author=leno

    SB 293 by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord — SB 293 would require that handguns have an owner authorized safety mechanism, such as biometric readers or other technologies. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_293&sess=CUR&house=B&author=desaulnier

    SB 299 by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord — SB 299 would require that anyone whose firearm is lost or stolen must notify local law enforcement within 48 hours of the time they knew, or reasonably should have known, it was missing. If the firearm is later recovered, the local law enforcement agency must be notified within 48 hours of the recovery. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_299&sess=CUR&house=B&author=desaulnier

    SB 363 by state Sen. Roderick Wright, D-Inglewood — SB 363 would require gun owners living with someone prohibited from possessing firearms to keep any guns in the house locked up. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_363&sess=CUR&house=B&author=wright

    SB 374 by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento — SB 374 would add to the state’s assault weapons law all semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, thus banning their manufacture and sale; those already owned would have to be registered. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_374&sess=CUR&house=B&author=steinberg

    SB 396 by state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley — SB 396 would revoke the “grandfathering” of large-capacity magazines owned before 2000, making it illegal to even possess any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_396&sess=CUR&house=B&author=hancock

    SB 567 by state Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara — SB 567 would ban “rifled bore” shotguns with revolving cylinders such as the Circuit Judge .410/.45; it’s already illegal to use or possess to “smooth bore” shotguns with revolving cylinders in California. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_567&sess=CUR&house=B&author=jackson

    SB 755 by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Vacaville — SB 755 would expand the list of misdemeanors for which convictions result in a prohibition from firearm ownership; make it a felony to possess a gun after two or more convictions within three years for crimes committed while using alcohol or drugs; prohibits firearms ownership by anyone ordered by a court to undergo assisted outpatient treatment for mental illness; and more. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_755&sess=CUR&house=B&author=wolk

    CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY

    AB 48 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley — AB 48 would require ammunition sellers to be licensed; ammunition purchasers to show identification; ammunition sellers to report all sales to the state Justice Department; and the Justice Department to create a registry of ammunition purchases, which would be available to all law enforcement agencies, as well as to notify law enforcement of large-quantity purchases. The bill also would ban kits that convert legal ammo feeding devices into high-capacity magazines. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_48&sess=CUR&house=B&author=skinner

    AB 134 by Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Chico — AB 134 would prohibit law enforcement agencies from publicly disclosing personally identifying information such as phone numbers or addresses of concealed carry weapons permit holders and applicants. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_134&sess=CUR&house=B&author=logue

    AB 169 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento — AB 169 would prohibit people who are allowed to buy handguns designated as unsafe by the state Justice Department from selling or transferring those handguns to others who aren’t allowed to have them. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_169&sess=CUR&house=B&author=dickinson

    AB 170 by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, D-Inglewood — AB 170 would limit the possession and use of registered assault weapons or machine guns to individuals only; current law lets both individuals and organizations apply for permits, even if organization members might not have passed background checks. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_170&sess=CUR&house=B&author=bradford

    AB 174 by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland — AB 174 declares the Legislature’s intent to end all “grandfather clauses” allowing ownership of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_174&sess=CUR&house=B&author=bonta

    AB 187 by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland — AB 187 declares the Legislature’s intent to put a tax on all ammunition sold in the state, with the revenue directed to a fund for crime-prevention efforts in the state’s high-crime areas. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_187&sess=CUR&house=B&author=bonta

    AB 202 by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Hesperia — AB 202 would let school districts, county education offices and charter schools pay for training for any school employee who’s qualified to be trained and willing to carry a concealed firearm as a “school marshal.” The bill also would protect those employees’ anonymity by exempting their concealed-carry permit information from public release by law enforcement. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_202&sess=CUR&house=B&author=donnelly

    AB 500 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco — AB 500 would require gun owners to keep their firearms under lock and key if someone else in the house is legally prohibited from owning guns due either to criminal convictions or a mental-health problem. The bill also would let the state Justice Department extend the 10-day waiting period for gun purchases by up to a week if a background check can’t be completed within 10 days.http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_500&sess=CUR&house=B&author=ammiano

    AB 538 by Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento — AB 538 would require the state to make updates in handgun, assault-weapon and other firearm ownership records within five business days; exempt law enforcement officers from the law requiring a license to sell, lease or transfer a firearm to a dealer, wholesaler or manufacturer; require local, state and federal government agencies to report the destruction of its weapons; require firearms sellers to provide purchases with copies of the background-check transaction; and more. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_538&sess=CUR&house=B&author=pan

    AB 539 by Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento — AB 539 would require the state to notify anyone who’s temporarily prohibited from owning a firearm, whether due to a restraining order or probation or some other cause, that they can transfer their firearms to a licensed dealer for the duration of the prohibition. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_539&sess=CUR&house=B&author=pan

    AB 740 by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas — AB 740 would lengthen the list of crimes that bar a convict from owning a firearm for 10 years, adding offenses such as illegally buying or selling firearms or ammunition; interfering with public officials or first responders; possessing ammunition when prohibited from possessing firearms; carrying ammunition on school grounds; and others. The bill also would tighten the number of sales, leases or transfers of firearms a person could do in a year without a license. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_740&sess=CUR&house=B&author=alejo

    AB 760 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento — AB 760 would impose a five-cent tax on each bullet sold in California, dedicating the revenue to an existing program to screen young children for mild to moderate mental illness, and intervene with strategies to address their problems. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_760&sess=CUR&house=B&author=dickinson

    AB 761 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento — AB 761 would require CalPERS and CalSTRS to divest any existing pension fund investments from companies that manufacture, sell, distribute or market firearms or ammunition. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_761&sess=CUR&house=B&author=dickinson

    AB 1020 by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland — AB 1020 would require the state attorney general to send a letter to gun purchasers during the 10-day waiting period informing him or her of the state’s laws on gun trafficking and safe storage. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_1020&sess=CUR&house=B&author=bonta

    AB 1084 by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Murrieta — AB 1084 would toughen the existing penalties for carrying or firing a firearm in school zones; carrying a firearm on public or private university campuses; carrying a firearm in a playground or a public or private youth center during operating hours; for being a felon in possession of a firearm; providing a firearm to anyone prohibited from having it; and selling a firearm to a “straw purchaser” who’s known not to be the actual buyer. The bill also would require probation supervision for anyone released from prison after doing time for any offense involving deadly weapons. http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_1084&sess=CUR&house=B&author=Melendez

  21. Quick, someone disarm the female cops in Colorado lest some muscle bound ex-con over powers them. Shoot, open carry by a female cop is a give away.

    I think part of the Colorado fiasco is to chase out red blooded Americans/discourage them from living there to turn the state blue permanently. But it seems that a lot of these half baked orgies of legislation will: a) turn the union rank and file against the democrats, and b) be shot down by the supreme court.

  22. Audrey Gibson: Mandatory Anger Management Before Buying Ammo

    Posted on March 6, 2013

    A Florida state senator has recently introduced a bill that seeks to end the “plague” of “gun violence” by requiring anyone who wants to buy ammunition to first take an anger management course. There’s an interview with Florida State Sen. Audrey Gibson above [about two minutes in]. Meanwhile, Fox News has the details . . .

    The bill filed Saturday by state Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, would require a three-day waiting period for the sale of any firearm and the sale of ammunition to anyone who has not completed anger management courses. The proposal would require ammo buyers to take the anger management courses every 10 years.

    “This is not about guns,” Gibson said. “This is about ammunition and not only for the safety of the general community, but also for the safety of law enforcement.”

    As a member of the millions of gun owners who have never fired a shot in anger or committed a crime, I find this highly offensive. The requirement for anger management classes makes the assumption that all gun owners are angry, and that the only reason people buy guns is to settle grudges.

    I’d think that someone with her background would be overly sensitive to laws that assume someone’s behavior based on one of their traits, like the assumption that all black people are too dumb to vote. What she has said by introducing this law is that all gun owners are too angry to own ammunition.

    “It’s about getting people to think, really, about how much ammunition they need,” Gibson said. “It’s a step, I think, in a safer direction. It’s about getting people to think before they buy.”

    I need as much ammunition as I want, buddy. What does it matter how much ammunition I have on hand? Do I go around asking how many baseball bats you have in your house? Or questioning how many death machines (I mean cars) are in your garage? Do you also want to limit the number of newspapers someone can read?

    Gun and ammunition ownership has already been established as an individual, basic human right. A right that is protected by the Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court. And this Florida legislator wants to introduce an onerous and pointless requirement to keep people from practicing with their legally owned firearm. It fails the “strict scrutiny” test by any account, and would be laughed out of court if introduced.

    Gibson insisted the bill is not “accusatory” toward gun and ammunition owners, but rather an effort to improve the safety of her community.

    I’m going to call bullshit on that statement. A bill (such as this one) can be BOTH accusatory towards gun owners AND intended to improve security, the two are not mutually exclusive. And the inability for Audrey Gibson to realize exactly how offensive her bill is to gun owners shows exactly how little she thinks of those who own guns. Untermensch, perhaps.

    This is another indication of the ongoing vilification of gun owners by gun control advocates. They’re constantly and repeatedly trying to paint gun owners as rednecks and yokels who are too dumb and too irrational to be trusted with firearms, without actually looking at any evidence on the matter. They’re legislating based on personal biases and stereotypes.

    Gun owners are becoming the new favored and politically correct “minority” to vilify, now that racial issues have more or less died out in the United States. Its just sad that legislators like Audrey Gibson have such a short memory, since it wasn’t too long ago that her parents were being persecuted in the exact same way.

    Rather than requiring gun owners to take anger management courses, I think we should require our legislators to take a course on history and the constitution before they propose
    legislation.http://www.thebucketheadshow.com/player/?mid=22952921

  25. So, if the stereotype gun owner is angry and rural how come the SPLC’s map of known “Hate Groups” shows the largest clumps of these right around those very blue, sophisticated, progressive cities… and NJ?

    Jacob Morgan: if they think it’s a good thing for women to be on the front lines in infantry combat situations… or to have equal opportunity with men in all situations (and I’m a little more realistic on this topic)… then they simply can’t with a straight face turn right around and insist that women can’t handle a gun for self-defense because they might hurt themselves.

    Someone call the CDC – there’s an epidemic of Hoplophobic Idiocy spreading across the country.

  26. Mas — keep the down-to-earth logic and truth in the forefront for all of us. Your insight is very valuable in these times of lunacy in our country.

    Folks we are headed downward in this country. The current administration wants it that way and will see to it that the U.S. is driven into a deep hole of restrictions on our rights and freedoms. And we will pay dearly while it happens. Our president doesn’t love his country – he apparently despises it. If you don’t believe it, you haven’t been paying attention.