I have an issue with having to go to a dealership and do a background check before you can even trade a gun or sell a gun to your brother or your best friend. That’s my concern, that’s infringing upon our second amendment rights.
Russell Shafer
Quay County Sheriff
February 20, 2019
‘Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties’ Declared in New Mexico
[I like this trend (see also the map here).—Joe]
Finding and arresting the armed criminals, that’s what makes you safer. That’s what we all seek, or should. Keep the dangerous, the repeat offenders, the people who have guns by the millions who should not have them — isn’t that what you want?
Spending all this money and police effort and computer power to find and write down the name of every innocent citizen who goes out and buys or transfers a gun — what does that do but make people who don’t understand feel good?
Americans buy and transfer tens of millions of guns all the time, all of it legal, none of it connected with crime. Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schumer, Bernie, Hillary, the solid block of knowing (and unwitting) Democrats in both houses of Congress, they want to control THAT. That’s what their H.R. 8 background checks are aimed at. Checks have nothing to do with making us safe and controlling crime and danger. Their leadership is 100% aware of this.
Alan Korwin
February 15, 2019
Background Checks Are…Wrong
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
The problem is I am not going to sit in a state that is going to try to take away our firearms, either by regulation, by cost or by confiscation, are you? So if they try to do that the only solution left is the 51st state. A lot of people say, ‘Why do you want to do that?’ It would better represent downtown Seattle’s values and our values in Eastern Washington if we split. They would stop calling us the welfare freeloaders, as one publication said. They would stop calling us names, we’re the ignorant hicks. Have your socialist values in downtown Seattle. It’s awesome. Go and do that do that experiment, but let us live free.
Matt Shea
Washington State representative
February 15, 2019
Supporters of forming 51st State of Liberty gather at capitol rotunda
[As Richard said yesterday:
Absolutely right about CW2. I have never experienced it, thank God, but have studied it enough to know I want no part of it. Trouble it takes only one side to start it. That is why I want a civil divorce before it is too late.
Sounds like a plan. Make it so.—Joe]
Most of the information you obtain from the mainstream media on guns has to do with the adverse effects of the ownership and use. What follows is a glimmer of light in a very dark landscape–Any Study Of ‘Gun Violence’ Should Include How Guns Save Lives:
But regardless of whether “gun violence” research is being conducted by the federal government, states, universities, or private organizations, there are three key principles all public health researchers and firearms policy analysts should remember.
The first principle is:
* Firearms save lives as well take lives.
…
A second key principle in judging gun violence research:
* The value of firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens should be measured in terms of lives saved or crimes prevented, not criminals killed.
…
Finally, a third principle to remember in analyzing public health gun violence research:
* The right to self-defense does not depend on statistics and numbers.
The first principle should be obvious but it is extremely rare this is brought up in the media.
The second principle is obvious to most people when you point out. And you have to point it out to most people. And in the case of the anti-gun people you have to really “rub their noses in it” before they will even acknowledge your mention of it.
The third principle is will probably take some convincing to a most people and it is an extremely rare anti-gun people who acknowledges you even bringing this point up.
Regardless of the difficult it getting acceptance, and even acknowledgement, these things have to be said whenever someone wants to talk about gun policies.
This ban was completely unjustified and a great concern for gun owners.
…
These bans are not about public safety. They are merely political theater and an excuse for City Councils to ‘virtue signal’ for publicity and personal aggrandizement.
Dean Rieck
Buckeye Firearms Foundation executive director
February 11, 2019
Buckeye Firearms Foundation Wins Legal Battle Against Cincinnati over Bump Stock Ban
[I’m close to giving up with the legislative arena in Washington State. We are getting some traction in the courts and I suspect that with the anti-gun hysteria sweeping the nation our best chance to stop it is in the courts. The law is on our side and many judges have a little better connection to reality through the written law than do the legislators and the executive branch.—Joe]
I’m probably the only commenter here who has arrested and convicted a genocidal mass murderer. During my investigation, I interviewed witnesses in two countries, and their statements still disturb my sleep fifteen years later. (Quick example: A witness was being chased by the murderer, and only escaped because the murderer stopped to shoot a baby.)
So whenever I read about a new barbarity, it dredges up unwanted memories that I can only try to dispel through sick humor. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I remember reading somewhere about judging and being judged. Or maybe not.
Old 1811
February 13, 2019
Comment to Quote of the day—Benedict Rogers
[Yeah, I’d bet he is the only commenter with those credentials here. Those experiences are rather rare.
Old 1811, thank you for what you did. Are there things you can share which will help others avoid enabling more mass murderers? Any advice on any related topics?—Joe]
If the president can declare an emergency on something that he has created as an emergency, an illusion that he wants to convey, just think of what a president with much different values can present to the American people.
…
You want to talk about a national emergency? Let’s talk about today—the one-year anniversary of another manifestation of the epidemic of gun violence in America. That’s a national emergency.
Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives
February 14, 2019
Pelosi Warns GOP: Dem POTUS Could Declare Emergency for Gun Control
[Hell must have frozen over. I agree with Nancy Pelosi on something.
Allowing the anyone to have too much power is a very dangerous thing.—Joe]
AOBC’s customer base of knowledgeable, law-abiding firearms purchasers views criminal acts solely as the responsibility of the criminal actor, and does not blame manufacturers of firearms, including Smith & Wesson, for criminal behavior. Actions which seek the approval of non-customers or anti-gun groups would not only be futile, they would damage AOBC’s business and reputation.
Smith & Wesson
February 8, 2019
Smith & Wesson Spurns ‘Smart Guns’ Despite Pressure from Investors
[There was a time when people were saying “Smith & Wesson must die.” And there was a significant chance that might have come about because of the backlash against their misbehavior.
Apparent they learned their lesson this time.—Joe]
The problem with socialism is that you can vote your way into it but you need to shoot your way out of it.
Larry Lambert
January 30, 2019
Threat Assessment
[Via Oleg:
It’s not the only problem, but it certainly is a significant one.—Joe]
The response is not as bad as I was afraid it might be. He didn’t say he was going try to prosecute them or anything. The worst he said was:
I am deeply concerned that the failure of local law enforcement to perform Initiative 1639’s background check requirement will jeopardize public safety in our state by allowing the sale of semiautomatic assault rifles to dangerous individuals not lawfully allowed to own a gun. State law provides immunity to local law enforcement officers who run these checks “in good faith.” However, in the event a police chief or sheriff refuses to perform the background check required by Initiative 1639, they could be held liable if there is a sale or transfer of a firearm to a dangerous individual prohibited from possessing a firearm and that individual uses that firearm to do harm. In short, the taxpayers of your city or county assume the financial risk of your decision to impose your personal views over the law.
I find it very telling that he doesn’t address the possibility of liability if someone is denied their right to keep and bear arms is harmed because they were unable to defend themselves.
Near the end of the letter he attempted to peg the irony meter:
Under Article 1, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution, “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.” As public officers, our duty is to abide by the will of the people we serve, and implement and enforce the laws they adopt.
He acknowledges the purpose of the constitution is to protect the rights of the people then he claims it is the duty of public officers to infringe upon the right of the people.to keep and bear arms.
Analogies to marijuana and immigration law enforcement are misplaced. This is not a situation where the
federal government is trying to force the state to enforce federal laws.
So… is he saying that it would be acceptable if they were to refuse to enforce Federal gun laws?
He might have been inspired to write the letter because of this map:
I’m keeping a copy of Ferguson’s letter in multiple places for use as evidence at his trial.
Hastings said, “In 2018, we endured a school shooting nearly once a week.”
He arrived at that figure by looking at the 24 school shootings documented by Education Week and dividing that into a 180-day school year. (If we applied the same math to a calendar year, it would work out to half that amount.)
A statement about the number of school shootings warrants an explanation of what types of shootings were included. The Education Week database includes any K-12 shooting on a school property during school or a school event that resulted in injury or death. That means it includes both indiscriminate mass shootings as well as other types of incidents such as fights in a parking lot after a football game or an accidental shooting.
Hastings’ statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details about the database he cited. We rate this statement Half True.
Amy Sherman
February 11, 2019
Was there one school shooting a week in 2018, as a Florida lawmaker said?
[That’s being very generous to Hastings. It was a deliberate exaggeration to push a political agenda to infringe upon the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.
Spokane County Sheriff responds to death threats:
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said it checked the Facebook account with the name that the caller provided and found a comment referencing Republicans stating, “i am going to kill every single one of them.”
Investigators said they found more posts referencing I-1639 that stated, “sheriffs that are non compliant will be shot. by me.” and “Ozzie Knezovich is gonna get a bullet in his skull.”
After all, it’s just common sense, right?
They want you dead. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever give up your guns.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday on new gun control legislation Democrats plan to push on the American people. The top Republican on the committee, Doug Collins, R-Ga., asked committee Democrats if I could testify about this legislation in an appropriate setting to offer another perspective as both a survivor of a shooting attack and strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights. But the Democrats said no. While liberals may try to silence conservative voices, I will not be silenced. The American people deserve to hear all perspectives.
Rep. Steve Scalise
February 6, 2019
Rep. Steve Scalise: Democrats don’t want you to hear what I have to say about guns and the Second Amendment
[Socialists cannot tolerate the truth and must repress opposing points of view. Particularly when that point of view involves individual liberty. Socialism is about coercion. And an armed society is able to resist coercion and hence the view of people like Representative Scalise must be repressed.—Joe]
The raging communist moron Bernie Sanders and half of Hollywood held Venezuela up as the Utopia of the future just a few short years ago. These liberals are also classic gun grabbers. So please enjoy this video of “Venezuelans Without Guns…”
James Woods @RealJamesWoods
Tweeted on January 31, 2019
The National Guard of Nicolas Maduro in #Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/ctc9zQ4lNr
— Todd Kron (@Toddkron) January 29, 2019
[Never give up your guns.—Joe]
@RealJamesWoods Thought for the day. pic.twitter.com/pIDh0qYgkU
— Rick Wingfield (@rickjw58) January 27, 2019
On one hand, the gun grabbers talk about how mandatory training is necessary, and that only the well trained should be able to own guns, etc…
Then they introduce a law that will prevent people from training.
CBMTTek
February 5, 2019
Comment to Connecticut State Representative admits gun control bill is to hurt target shooters
[See also what Sebastian has to say about this.
This reminds me of dealing with people with Borderline Personality Disorder. They create no-win situations. BPD people don’t consciously create these situations. Their messed up minds don’t recognize their own irrationality. I suspect many of the anti-gun people don’t recognize the conflict either. They just recognize every restriction hurts gun owners and that is a “good thing” in their mind.
On the other hand I’m certain some of them are truly evil and chortle as they come up with these ideas.—Joe]
It’s going to continue ramping up. That the enemy gets a say, doesn’t mean we’ve lost the war. Note the game is always the same they’ve played, only it’s working less now, now that us thought criminals know we’re not alone. They are not by and large, safe for the antifidiots resorting to physical violence. (And the antifidiots only operate in the cities where they feel safe.) They’re yellow under all the black paraphernalia. They are using what they always used: doxxing, whisper campaigns, mobbing and destruction of reputations and livelihoods.
They’ve done this my whole life. It’s their modus operandi. It’s just that now half of their campaigns (at least) fall apart and what they wish to keep under the rug comes flying out. And we’re not alone. And we know we’re not alone.
My guess is that we’re so far from alone that the end-game for the US is the same as Romania, in terms of the worm turning (hopefully not in terms of the stupid afterwards, but that is up to all of us.) One morning the “progressives” are riding high and by evening they’re cooling meat.
Sarah H. Hoyt
January 30, 2019
The Liberation Won’t Be On The Payroll
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
When we look at Auschwitz we see the end of the process. It’s important to remember that the Holocaust actually did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence.
Auschwitz Memorial @AuschwitzMuseum
Tweeted on November 26, 2018
[Correlation to present day circumstances are left as an exercise for the reader. Possible reference materials are here and here.—Joe]
I really hope that the idiots pushing for this stuff wise up soon and get a clue about how far they’re pushing us. I drew my line in the sand back before 1994 – and currently considered legislation is driving up to that line with a bulldozer.
Defens
February 2, 2019
Comment to Quote of the day—Superkick Paulty @paulbensonsucks
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
All gun owners are criminals. Only then will we be free.
Superkick Paulty @paulbensonsucks
Tweeted on January 31, 2019
[I know. I doesn’t quite make sense. But almost none of the rants from anti-gun people make sense anyway.
But if you put just a little bit of a twist on it then it makes sense in a different way. What if you were to interpret it as once gun owners are considered criminals they will be free to do what they want with us and the rest of the country? —Joe]