Blog
Civil rights
A survey of legislation on Second Amendment issues in 2015
So far this year, 28 states have enacted legislation which expands protections of Second Amendment rights, and one state has enacted legislation to reduce those rights.
What progress has been made on gun law reform in state legislatures this year? Here is a summary of enacted state legislation related to Second Amendment rights.
Teenagers and technology
Austin Haughwout, welcome to the 'No-Fly List'
In case you missed it, this "flying gun" video was making the rounds last week:
The video was reportedly recorded by 18-year-old Austin Haughwout of Clinton, Connecticut, who told ABC News he is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, and that the drone represents "one of my many engineering related activities."
It turns out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating the video, no doubt to see if they can nail Austin and any wanna-be's to the hanger door.
Peter Sachs, an attorney and drone advocate, welcomes the FAA investigation into the armed drone.
“There are countless ways that drones can be useful. Using one as a remote-controlled weapon is not one of them, and I question the judgment of anyone who would attempt to do so.”
Good luck with your "questioning the judgment" of a teenager there Peter.
/fl
Current Events
The 'Oath of Andy Hallinan"
And, I'm sure that every patriotic red-blooded American would agree with those words!
"If they come in here and they say, 'Hey, I don't believe in Jihad. And I don't believe that killing some innocent people in the name of religion is the right thing to do,' (then they're as American as you or I," Hallinan said.
Does Hallinan really believe that, for example, an undercover member of ISIS could not look him in the eye and repeat that "oath?"
And, as to that "rebel flag" backdrop in the video, the Confederate flag is a legitimate artifact of our national history, and there should be no harm found in preserving it and/or displaying it in that context.... But, we all should heed the advice found in 1 John 5:21.
/fl
Perspectives
Does growing up with guns, and hunting, make you a terrorist — really?
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. — Mark Twain
That famous quote is really bad news for fools who talk for a living; a stigmatic hurdle that most of them cannot get over. The good news for them is that it's possible to get a paying job at MSNBC, or one of the major networks.
EXAMPLE: Mitchell Fishes for Better Angle on Chattanooga Terrorist
/fl
Weather
In The Good Ol' Summertime
It's important to remember that we live inside a weather engine here on the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle. Thunderstorms don't all migrate from over the horizon, announcing their arrival time on RADAR. A thunderstorm can brew up right over our head, or right behind us, and we can be in it before we hear the rumble of thunder.
Several years ago, the operator of one of our bareboat charter boats got "blind-sided" by a fast moving summer storm — while under full sail. Nobody was hurt, but every person who was aboard that boat has a lot more respect for the weather than they did prior to that incident! It could have been tragic.
The lazy, hazy days of summer can get exciting in a hurry... And then, there's that beautiful sunset.
/fl
Self Defense Law
Sorting Out The Truth
The truth, however, is that a great many claims of self-defense–I would argue the overwhelming majority–are not in fact made by “good guys” who acted in genuine or even good faith self-defense. Most every defendant charged with a crime involving an unlawful use of force can potentially claim self-defense as justification for that use of force, and many of them do. — Andrew Branca
The Bretherick v. State Decision
Last week the Florida Supreme Court handed down a major decision on the state’s self-defense immunity law. The defendant bears the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence at a pretrial evidentiary hearing. In other words, if you are claiming self defense, the burden is upon you to, in the words of Black's Law Dictionary, be able "to incline a fair and impartial mind to one side of the issue rather than the other."
Remember, and comply with, The Five Principles of Self Defense.
Read more about the court's decision.
A vigorous wag of the tail for Andrew Branca.
/fl
Guns and Crime
Last year saw the largest increase ever in the number of gun permits
Read the full Crime Prevention Research Center report here.
Since President Obama’s election the number of concealed handgun permits has soared, growing from 4.6 million in 2007 to over 12.8 million this year. Among the findings in our report:
- The number of concealed handgun permits is increasing at an ever- increasing rate. Over the past year, 1.7 million additional new permits have been issued – a 15.4% increase in just one single year. This is the largest ever single-year increase in the number of concealed handgun permits.
- 5.2% of the total adult population has a permit.
- Five states now have more than 10% of their adult population with concealed handgun permits.
- In ten states, a permit is no longer required to carry in all or virtually all of the state. This is a major reason why legal carrying handguns is growing so much faster than the number of permits.
- Since 2007, permits for women has increased by 270% and for men by156%.
- Some evidence suggests that permit holding by minorities is increasing more than twice as fast as for whites.
And, owing to the fact that most, if not all, of the citizens who are willing to be fingerprinted, photographed, and jump through the necessary bureaucratic hoops in order to get those permits can be categorized as demonstrably law-abiding, further results are evident in the CPRC study:
Of course, this effect is in contrast to what we see in some urban enclaves where corrupt politicians enslave their constituency by forcing them into exchanging addictive handouts for votes — and a future of poverty and crime. It's in those enclaves where a permit to carry a means of self-protection is most needed, but least likely to be found, and where guns are most likely to be used in crime. And yet we keep hearing, "If only 'they' would embrace some 'common-sense' legislation to deal with 'illegal guns'."
Let's see, while we're outlawing the outlaws, and codifying delusion, we might want to include something about those 'drunk automobiles' too.
/fl
Marine Safety
Fire at Sea
This video shows a man and dog being rescued by the Coast Guard after their sailboat caught fire about 60 miles off Florida's coast.
When your boat catches fire, the only two options are to successfully fight the fire or abandon ship. If the latter is the only option, it helps to have a Coast Guard Air Station nearby.
Semper Paratus!
/fl