tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33193843440598592532011-07-08T00:52:51.010-07:00News, Commentary, and Reviews about your 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.Josh K.noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-30028648402303065892010-10-04T00:39:00.001-07:002010-10-04T10:37:40.800-07:00

Last night I was reading an article about how Atlantic City, NJ is terrible with managing its money. Despite casino revenue, a high sales tax, hotel occupancy taxes, rental car taxes, and exorbitant property taxes, they can't seem to keep their heads above water. The city also seems bad at (re?)negotiating with the police union, since they are laying off 40 patrolmen to help close their budget

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-41077013685281247752010-09-29T19:47:00.000-07:002010-10-01T16:15:19.634-07:00

A report recently released by Michael Bloomberg's gun control group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), has been swiftly taken up by a sympathetic media. Hungry for a now-rare win in the gun control debate, reporters are splashing quotes, misquotes, factoids, and blurbs across headlines from the Huffington Post to your local editorial board. The report itself claims to show a link between

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-21535760458597393962010-03-26T13:24:00.000-07:002010-03-26T15:33:11.425-07:00

Today, the District of Columbia Federal District Court ruled against Dick Heller's latest challenge to DC's restrictive gun laws. Heller claimed that the District's gun registration, assault weapons ban, and high-capacity magazine ban were not "usual and reasonable". Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign, short on victories recently, quickly praised the ruling:Politicians and legislatures at all

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-20560132263953397672010-03-04T13:12:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:25:57.541-08:00

The oral arguments for McDonald v Chicago, challenging Chicago's ban on handguns, took place earlier this week. The official ruling will not be handed down until sometime in June, but the transcripts of the arguments and firsthand accounts by those who attended have all indicated that the Court is likely to incorporate the 2nd Amendment against the states. Having seen this coming since Heller

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-27186415078656244202010-03-01T11:23:00.000-08:002010-03-01T11:45:56.395-08:00

McClatchy News has an article on their website previewing tomorrow's oral arguments in the McDonald v Chicago case, which challenges the city's ban on private handgun possession. Amidst a smattering of tiring firearms metaphors ("in the crosshairs", "restrictions will be blown away", "test-fire arguments") and the assertion that the Conservative Justices will "stretch the Second Amendment

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-89895956355770270672010-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:002010-01-14T17:31:39.025-08:00

I don't like to simply parrot articles from other gun rights blogs, but there is a great piece posted on "Of Arms and the Law" that needs to be shared. Dave Hardy's "Ducking the Bullet: District of Columbia v. Heller and the Stevens Dissent" (published in the Cardozo Law Review) illustrates how we came within one SCOTUS vote of not have an individual 2nd Amendment right. While the Scalia

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-21139741245689516492009-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:002010-01-14T17:32:28.917-08:00

Rep. Todd Tiahrt, author of the Tiahrt Amendment, wrote an editorial letter to the Witchita Eagle (his hometown newspaper) explaining in plain language what the amendment does do, does not do, and strikes down the opportunistic attacks from Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns:It comes as little surprise that liberal political bloggers, along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-56288287257272517252009-08-11T17:03:00.000-07:002010-01-14T17:37:35.080-08:00

Kudos to TalkingPointsMemo.com. While their tone clearly is biased against owning/carrying guns, at least they have the decency to note when someone open carrying is well within the law and acting in a peaceful manner. They reported today that a protester in New Hampshire was open carrying a firearm outside of an event that President Obama was attending. While their first post was a bit

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-18815570332139324782009-05-15T11:43:00.000-07:002010-01-14T17:46:23.874-08:00

Elmer Smith at the Philadelphia Inquirer is furious at his Senators and the NRA for a rider in the Credit Card bill that reinstates the right to carry within National Parks. His view of the bill is limited to his local National Historic Park that is run by the Park Service - Independence Hall. He attempts to scare readers with the "threat" of not only armed citizens with concealed pistols, but

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-47371091412484081562009-05-05T22:20:00.000-07:002010-01-14T18:01:08.169-08:00

An interesting story out of Georgia. College students are at party when two masked gunmen invade. After corralling the victims, the gunmen count their bullets aloud to determine if they have enough to kill everyone, and then proceed separate the men and women held captive. One of the male victims retrieves his own weapon from a bag and fires on the gunman that is guarding them. That gunmen

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-77471286301061938042009-04-30T11:02:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:36:38.684-07:00

Chico News and Review guest commentator Stephen W. King has guts. He also has a healthy respect for the Constitution. Yet I completely disagree with him. In his column, Mr. King cites a number of recent high profile shootings to make a case for increased gun control. But then he does what few anti-gunners have been able to do: admit that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual's right to keep

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-86011672060034843582009-04-20T16:46:00.000-07:002009-04-20T21:22:38.738-07:00

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which formerly held a collectivist view of the 2nd Amendment, has ruled today that the 2A is "incorporated" to the states via the 14th Amendment. This means that the Heller decision (which states that the 2nd Amendment affords a personal right to keep and bear arms) applies to not only the Federal government, but the states as well."The right to keep and bear

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-75546340055218022912009-04-16T09:55:00.000-07:002009-04-20T12:00:04.708-07:00

Respected firearms scholar and researcher John Lott posted a blog entry on Fox News where he too responds to the rigged "experiment" produced by 20/20. I am happy to say that Prof. Lott and I came to similar conclusions about the nature and tone of the program. He illustrates how 20/20's methods were poor and their summations biased (and perhaps disingenuous): The show ends with this claim:“If

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-81237922675054907012009-04-10T14:13:00.000-07:002009-04-20T01:12:43.446-07:00

ABC News and 20/20 are running a special entitled: "'If I Only Had a Gun': 20/20 Examines Gun Violence in America." In addition, they have posted a companion article on ABCnews.com called: "Carrying a Gun Wouldn't Necessarily Get You Out of a Shooting".The mainstream media we know and love are finally getting back to their anti-gun bias now that there have been some high-profile shootings in the

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-44601521797496892202009-04-07T22:10:00.000-07:002009-04-08T22:24:11.630-07:00

During a hearing on the House floor concerning the DC Voting Rights Act, non-voting Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton referred to the loosening of Washington DC's gun laws as the greatest risk to Homeland Security. What has gotten Holmes in such a fury is the Ensign Amendment tacked onto the bill that strips the District of the privilege to create and enforce its own gun laws. This amendment

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-87858272987065924742009-03-31T14:46:00.000-07:002009-04-03T15:24:07.922-07:00

In his latest column, Newsday's Wallace Matthews calls for a fair and honest sentencing for Plaxico Burress free of any celebrity clout - a reasonable request for our system of justice. But in doing so he shows his vitriol for firearms as a whole, ignoring vital statistics and resorting to tired stereotypes.Before we go any farther, let us be clear on a few things. Burress, by carrying a loaded

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-21865075197362857702009-03-09T16:33:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:29:48.727-07:00

The Associated Press is reporting that President Obama signed a memorandum today "restoring scientific integrity to government decision-making." The president's statement included these words:Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-53887072633354454122009-01-22T18:56:00.000-08:002009-01-22T19:09:43.709-08:00

Since I am a happy owner of the Ruger LCP, I figured it could not hurt to mention that there is currently a recall by the manufacturer for all LCP's with the serial number prefix "370". It has been determined that, if dropped forcefully, the LCP could potentially discharge a round in the chamber, though no incidents have yet been reported.The recall process is quite amazing and "370" owners

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-57764003460438611992009-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:002009-01-21T13:35:43.465-08:00

A new dawn - for better or for worse. In his inaugural speech, the newly minted President told us that we should not judge government by its size, but by its results:The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small but whether it works...Essentially, the ends justify the means. For some that may be inspiring, for others foreboding. Who gets to be the 'decider'

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-82994666418614953232008-11-19T09:42:00.000-08:002008-11-19T16:56:46.112-08:00

UPDATE: I just read via the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) that Holder was a signer on an Amicus brief in DC v Heller that was in favor of upholding the city's total ban on handguns and functional firearms. Read the brief here. So much for "respecting the Second Amendment". This is the kind of common sense we are in for... Epic fail...More details are coming out about Eric Holder and his view

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-51580899628712671992008-11-18T14:54:00.000-08:002008-11-18T15:11:22.657-08:00

Recently on President-Elect Obama's transition website, an agenda was posted that detailed the goals of his administration. Buried under the "Urban Policy" section was Mr. Obama's true intent when it comes to the 2nd Amendment. Outlined was a four step plan to chip away at the rights of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. The steps include making the Clinton-era assault weapons ban

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-18505112149918182972008-11-18T13:07:00.000-08:002008-11-19T14:37:25.750-08:00

Drudge is currently running a news article that President-elect Obama is trying to gauge if he will have enough Senate confirmation votes to successfully nominate Eric Holder, former Clinton administration Deputy AG. Holder was one of Clinton's enforcers when it came to firearms policy, and while Obama says his administration will choose to focus on other things than guns, it is hard to see

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-78212596827789166302008-09-19T12:20:00.000-07:002008-09-19T13:06:33.013-07:00

Obama's recent comments about "getting in the face of" and "arguing" with friends and neighbors who disagree with the Senator are making the rounds across the internet. Here are the exact words from his address to a crowd of about 1500 in Elko, NV:I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-49557061682135951022008-09-17T15:46:00.000-07:002008-09-17T22:32:48.925-07:00

The 11th hour actions by the DC City Council yesterday to remove some of the more restrictive regulations on handgun ownership were not enough to stop the pro-gun House of Representatives from passing a law that exercises their authority over the District. The Second Amendment Enforcement Act, an amendment to The National Capital Security and Safety Act, revokes the authority of DC to restrict

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-77439256099525133552008-09-16T22:25:00.000-07:002008-09-17T21:57:47.617-07:00

A recent update from the Washington Post reveals that the DC City Council has voted unanimously to ease some of the more burdensome restrictions of firearms ownership that have existed since June's Heller Decision. Mayor Fenty has signed the legislation, which takes effect immediately. This emergency measure by the council allows the possession of semi-automatic handguns, removes the mandatory

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-25631111147355570812008-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:002008-09-16T22:52:11.843-07:00

It looks like Mayor Fenty and the DC City Council are looking to avoid an embarrassing rebuke from the House of Representatives while maintaining some sort of control over their ability to legislate firearms. One of the council's chairmen, Phil Mendelson, said:I think we're addressing the Supreme Court ruling and, coincidentally, addressing Congress's concern...The severity of the District's

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-13621637883236690472008-09-12T12:14:00.000-07:002008-09-15T15:18:28.775-07:00

I have been busy lately, so I will let one of my favorite websites - Reason.com - do the heavy lifting for me. The short version goes like this: The House of Representatives are considering passing a bill that would put Washington DC in full compliance with the Heller decision without the need for costly and drawn out legal battles. By exercising their right over the District, Congress would

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-67381332788144309542008-08-03T14:43:00.000-07:002008-08-03T22:15:18.321-07:00

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Mayor Daley might be starting to listen to a few people other than his cadre of anti-gun big city mayors and Chicagoan sycophants when it comes to the city's handgun ban. As newspaper editors warn him not to waste city money on legal fees for a losing position, Daley is starting to hint that it might be time to comply with the Heller ruling. It was only a

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-88468134070805736872008-07-20T19:18:00.000-07:002008-07-22T14:32:26.995-07:00

The ripple effect of the DC v Heller ruling is just starting to truly show itself. The next series of law suits have already been filed, and the main target is the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Once known for having the second most restrictive gun laws in the country, these communities are now number one...uh...without a bullet. These handgun bans are clearly not in compliance

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-81152690342384477672008-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:002008-07-17T22:49:22.135-07:00

Other 2nd amendment and gun rights sights are covering this story, but I feel like I need to add my thoughts as well. Today is the first day of firearms registration in Washington, DC. The plaintiff (and victor) in DC v Heller, Dick Heller, was the first person to arrive at DC police headquarters to attempt to register his weapons. The result? His application was rejected on two

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-5853188799742848812008-07-14T10:36:00.000-07:002008-07-16T21:44:46.265-07:00

Reason Magazine, as per its name, lends some reason on the subject of firearms and suicide in what is part II of our look at statistics and hysterics in the post-Heller media.With the subhead "Why buying a gun is not a suicidal act", Reason editor and Chicago Tribune contributor Steve Chapman is clearly prepared to take anti-gun 'experts' to task and ask two very relevant questions:Does access to

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-87455266186092948172008-07-11T15:11:00.000-07:002008-07-11T22:20:24.628-07:00

Syndicated columnist Larry Elder wrote some insightful commentary this week that provided a much needed counter to the hysterics that the mainstream media has been perpetuating since the DC v Heller ruling.From Justice Breyer's dissent to the New York Times editorial page, it seems as though the perceived impacts of the ruling are more important than the historical and textual facts of the law.

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-53391132304432440532008-07-03T22:51:00.000-07:002008-07-07T16:00:17.902-07:00

A little over a week ago I commented on the ACLU's then-current position on the 2nd amendment. This analysis pointed to the single page buried on their website where they address gun rights, or in this instance the lack thereof. I also posed a challenge - and a hope - that if the Heller case landed on the side of individual rights the ACLU would drop their current position and defend this right

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-40306122479197956032008-06-29T23:28:00.001-07:002008-07-14T22:45:41.040-07:00

Jackson Williams reacted swiftly after the DC vs Heller decision was handed down. He quickly moved to his keyboard and submitted an article to the Huffington Post that was...wait for it...measured, logical, and honest? I was a bit surprised myself. Unlike many of the slanted diatribes that I have read on the Post, Williams does not hesitate to praise Scalia (in this instance), and put the

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-63066243578781023842008-06-28T11:58:00.000-07:002008-07-03T14:51:44.840-07:00

Reason's Senior Editor Brian Doherty speaks on Reason.tv about what the Heller decision means for the future of your 2nd Amendment rights. He covers the basics of the case, the implications it has for strict gun control in the states, and how gun control groups are going to react.Watch the whole thing here.

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-34343556252781704532008-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:002008-06-27T15:33:11.424-07:00

On Thursday, June 26th, 2008 the Supreme Court of the United States officially and definitively declared what all gun owners have known in their hearts for years - the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution recognizes and grants an individual right. From the majority opinion:There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the second amendment conferred an individual right to

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-81354504927740712922008-06-20T16:31:00.000-07:002008-07-03T22:52:47.127-07:00

I have always been at odds with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their position on gun control. Buried within the 'police practices' section of their website is a solitary page that states their opinion on firearms ownership as a civil liberty, or lack of recognition of such. The ACLU is known as a staunch defender of the all civil liberties: those found in the explicitly in the

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-83067039402837303592008-06-20T12:14:00.000-07:002008-06-20T14:16:10.281-07:00

The new Governor of New York, David Patterson, wants the NRA to be the agency responsible for training gun owners in the Empire State. Though Patterson is recognizing the NRA's history and reputation as the gold standard in firearms training and safety, the request is buried within a bill that would further restrict the rights of the state's constituents.Paterson is proposing a gun safety bill

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-48467304013554764162008-06-19T13:55:00.001-07:002008-06-19T16:55:57.713-07:00

James Carroll over at the Boston globe has contributed an op-ed piece in response to last week's open carry news article that made its way across the wire. Not surprisingly, he takes a tone that has become commonplace for the Globe when it comes to firearms and gun rights: reactive, emotional, and afraid. Carroll opens with a tale of a pre-pubescent encounter with his FBI agent father's gun,

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-38265798427594057002008-06-14T11:46:00.000-07:002008-06-14T17:33:33.347-07:00

ABC News has a report that the Brady Campaign is bracing itself for a loss in DC v Heller - the DC handgun ban challenge that the Supreme Court will decide on by the end of this month. Furthermore, Brady President Paul Helmke has conceded that his people have "lost the battle on what the second amendment means":Seventy-five percent of the public thinks it's an individual right. Why are we

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-41234194177274616832008-06-09T15:11:00.000-07:002008-06-11T23:35:00.770-07:00

Reason.TV has posted a 9 minute interview with Alan Gura, the lead attorney in the DC v Heller case. Not surprisingly, due to the nature of this blog, Gura is the lawyer for Heller, who is fighting against the city's current gun ban. Lots of great things to be heard here directly from the man who is standing up for all of our rights. He makes a very astute point about how many politicians

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-66223556681491695352008-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:002008-06-09T21:56:01.507-07:00

On Sunday and Monday there was a decent amount of coverage on firearms in the Seattle newspapers.First the good. On Sunday the Seattle Times posted an LA Times article on the subject of open carry. The article gives a fair report on the everyday people who have not only adopted concealed carry, but expanded to openly carrying a gun in public as well. Generally they are not depicted as crazy or

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-80244238565623907832008-06-04T18:38:00.000-07:002008-06-14T17:31:48.428-07:00

Eliot Van Buskirk wrote a post on the "MP3s and Music Reviews" section of Wired's blog today. While it ostensibly is a review of Ted Nuget's fairly disappointing "I Am The NRA", Van Buskirk does not hesitate to take the same tired jab at the 2nd Amendment and its supporters. While he claims that he can "get down with Ted's...respect for the Constitution", he quickly belittles the meaning of the

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-38586820261601579902008-05-31T16:29:00.000-07:002008-05-31T16:56:33.061-07:00

This Friday the Grey Lady had a surprisingly even-handed look at the proposed rule change for concealed carry within US National Parks. The article lead with a link to the NRA and quotes from Chris Cox, their chief lobbyist. They also noted that the other large federal landlords are currently governed by state, not federal, law - a widely overlooked fact when this subject is debated.Beyond this

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-77066201045678060782008-05-29T10:52:00.000-07:002008-05-29T19:09:58.883-07:00

The Canadian website the National Post had a heartening article yesterday challenging Toronto Mayor David Miller's absurd and ever-expanding anti-gun positions. The editors waste no time getting to the point in a cutting fashion:He either completely misunderstands the causes of crime in his city --or, worse, he is cynically redirecting public anger from criminals to law-abiding gun collectors

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-64306187992089270692008-05-28T12:02:00.000-07:002008-05-28T15:42:54.721-07:00

File this one under the rebuttals section of old "the NRA is a Republican party front group" argument. The NRA is endorsing the re-election bid of Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat. Wayne LaPierre of the NRA had this to say in a telephone press conference:He's just done a great job defending the Second Amendment, hunting, fishing (and) access on the part of the public to public

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-70517920519496937062008-05-27T10:09:00.000-07:002008-05-27T15:26:56.290-07:00

On May 21st I wrote a post commenting on Tom Eblen's Kentucky.com's article which praised the American Hunters & Shooters Association for its willingness to compromise on gun rights and denouncing the NRA as shill of the Republican party. Since that time, Elbin has been peppered with e-mail from angry NRA members and gun rights supporters. They said, much as I did, that the AHSA was the real

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-73958834701325292812008-05-22T11:49:00.000-07:002008-06-11T23:36:19.000-07:00

Today the Miami Herald printed a response letter from a reader who is clamoring for more gun control. Susan Walsh from Coral Springs, FL echos some familiar defenses for strict gun control:Is your freedom to drive impinged upon by the state's licensing or automakers' safety codes? Do you want to be operated on by someone unlicensed to practice medicine because his ''freedom'' was violated at

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-58847899812382242532008-05-21T16:44:00.000-07:002008-05-21T17:41:14.368-07:00

Lisa Kaiser of ExpressMilwaukee.com posted an article today focusing on the demographics of illegal gun use in the city. Unfortunately, her analysis is based on a number of assumptions and the focus of her ire meanders from gun shows to legal gun purchases. Throughout the piece she fails to offer any review of the criminal justice system in the city, county, or state - especially in regards to

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-64992448327305368332008-05-21T09:55:00.000-07:002008-05-21T15:28:11.104-07:00

Columnist Tom Eblin of Kentucky.com took the time yesterday to fall in line with the latest, and perhaps most deceitful, attempt at restrictive gun control. Step one is the standard implication that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is simply an arm of the Republican party, and cares more about advancing the overall conservative platform than protecting gun rights:Last weekend's National

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-60843156734227244392008-05-20T16:32:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:56:57.404-08:00

Today the Billings Gazette tackled the issue of the Democratic white working class voter. While talking about wooing the vote of Reagan Democrats, author Tom Lutey tries to assure us that our gun rights would be safe under an Obama administration.Democrats in Western states should be assured that Obama has no intention of diminishing Second Amendment rights. Gun rights didn't get much of a

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-23529522591373833352008-05-20T10:54:00.000-07:002008-05-20T13:44:17.334-07:00

Next to Washington D.C., Chicago has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. All guns must be registered every year, and unless you are grandfathered in before 1982, handguns are forbidden. These laws, we are told, are to protect Chicagoans from gun crime. Needless to say, it has been less than effective.So what happens when a city Alderman, who helped pass the yearly registration law,

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-9813757954012943902008-05-19T11:17:00.000-07:002008-05-19T12:05:27.480-07:00

NPR's show Tell Me More aired and posted a 15 minute interview today with Laura Browder, author of the book Her Best Shot. The interview, Guns: Not Just for Men, contains a retrospective of how women and guns are portrayed in the media throughout American history. Kudos to NPR and Browder for an even handed look at this topic, which was mostly devoid of bias and loaded questions.The interview

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-51759915684251082382008-05-18T16:19:00.000-07:002008-05-18T16:33:11.755-07:00

A quick note on the "joke" that Mike Huckabee made at the NRA convention this week. When a loud noise was heard offstage during his address he commented:"That was Barack Obama. "He just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he ... he dove for the floor."Indeed a tasteless comment, and the bad press it garnered does nothing to help shed the negative

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-14164472296274708142008-05-17T16:53:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:56:57.693-08:00

Though John McCain's address to the NRA garnered a lot of press this week, along with accusations of the NRA being a pawn of the Republican Party, there was another story coming out of Louisville that was mostly overlooked.U.S. Representative Dan Boren of Oklahoma was named as the latest member of the NRA Board of Directors. I am sure that if the story received more coverage liberal bloggers

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-48208855808181510372008-05-16T11:29:00.000-07:002008-05-16T15:24:40.125-07:00

There has been plenty of press about the Department of the Interior (DOI) proposing to allow concealed carry within National Parks. The new rule would have the carry laws within parks align with the laws in which the park exists (i.e., Mt. Rainier National Park would have the same carry laws as Washington State, Joshua Tree would have the same carry laws as California).The DOI's public comment

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-11684791154416121132008-05-15T23:51:00.000-07:002008-05-16T00:23:52.281-07:00

Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue signed a much-needed bill into law this week that expands the rights of concealed carry permit holders within the state. These law abiding citizens will now be able to exercise their 2nd amendment rights on public transportation, in state and local parks, and in restaurants that serve alcohol (provided the permit-holder is not imbibing).These arbitrary boundaries

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319384344059859253.post-90550346684546837752008-05-15T23:09:00.000-07:002008-05-15T23:46:15.076-07:00

Some news and commentary sites are criticizing the National Rifle Association (NRA) for its public acceptance of John McCain yesterday. Insinuations, such as those by Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic, that this is evidence that the NRA is a pawn of the GOP is a stretch at best and an outright lie at worst.Others, such as Paul Helmke of the Huffington Post, offer up McCain's C+ NRA rating as an

Josh K.noreply@blogger.com0