Blog
Question
"Gun control didn’t stop the triple-murder shooting in Colorado."
The statement came as anchor Brianna Keilar quizzed Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) about the shooting, saying “those [gun control] efforts which your spearheaded obviously didn’t prevent [the Planned Parenthood shooting].”
My question:
What is it about Colorado that attracts unrestrained marijuana users with their attendant sociopathy?
HINT: It isn't Planned Parenthood Clinics, or lax gun laws.
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Health & Civil Rights
Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership
Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership (DRGO) is a project launched in 1994 in response to a coordinated public health campaign against gun rights. DRGO is now a nationwide network of physicians, allied health professionals, scientists, and others who support the safe and lawful use of firearms. DRGO’s members include experts in public health, firearm technology, gun safety education, and tactical medicine.
Unlike many public health academics who claim to be experts on firearms, DRGO’s members and leadership are experienced in the safe and proper use of firearms. Many have advanced training or experience in firearm safety, firearm self defense tactics, and firearms technology. This fund of expertise, coupled with their medical and scientific training, uniquely qualifies them for a role in advising on firearm policy.
Originally conceived as a project of the Claremont Institute, DRGO is a project of the Second Amendment Foundation, a non-profit foundation promoting educational and legal action programs designed to better inform the public about the gun control debate.
Download the DRGO Resource Document “What to Do When Your Doctor Asks About Your Guns”
Marksmanship
Magazines: Show a Little Respect
I cringe every time I see someone indiscriminately toss a magazine around.
It is common practice, during training, to drop an empty magazine to the ground while reaching for a full replacement. The empty magazine should hit the ground on its floor plate, resulting in no damage being done to the lips. But, if you throw a magazine around any other way, it could land in a manner that will lead to a malfunction.
When a gun jams or other firing problems occur, it is as often a cause of a malfunctioning magazine as it is shoddy ammo or actual problems with the firearms.
The magazine is an integral part of your auto-loader, and needs to be treated with respect, and kept clean — as pointed out in an article by Doug Howlett at Gun Digest.
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Law & Order
Why you need to carry a gun
All of us need reminding that the “first responder” in a case like this is YOU! Police are “subsequent responders.”
Johnny Max Mount & Robert Lewis Dear are two contemporary examples of why any law-abiding person should be prepared to defend themselves, and other innocent persons as well when possible, from evil incarnate.
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Gun Abuse
The Latest Entry in the 'Pogo Cartoon Award' Contest
"A teenager sustained minor injuries in a hit-and-run wreck that lead to an arrest Wednesday morning.... [The driver] exited the vehicle and fled on foot.... Paramedics who witnessed the crash pursued the driver and witnessed him throw a gun.... [The driver] surrendered in the woods southwest of the intersection...[and] was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, reckless driving causing property damage, no valid driver's licence, driving with suspended licenses second offense, possession of a new legend drug without a prescription, possession of marijuana, failure to provide insurance in a crash, open container of alcohol and not wearing a seat belt."
I read that reported list of charges three times, and there seems to be something missing. Did the driver who fled the scene have a CCW permit? Is it lawful to just "throw a gun" while fleeing the scene of a crash; what if some innocent kids found the gun and picked it up?
Don't we already have laws on the books that cover this kind of behavior? We hear plenty of people calling for more "gun laws." Why wasn't existing 'gun law' applied to this case? There is nothing in this news report to indicate that it was.
Will more gun laws prevent this kind of behavior? The answer to that question can be found in the news report:
"This is the 11th time [the driver] has been booked in the County Jail."
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Thanksgiving 2015
President Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
Recognizing, as we do, the importance of the preamble found in the Second Amendment to our Constitution, we come to a day of recognizing this, another important and profound preamble; a recognition of the source of all blessings:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by afford- ing them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
October 3, 1789
Introduction
Following a resolution of Congress, President George Washington proclaimed Thursday the 26th of November 1789 a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” Reflecting American religious practice, Presidents and Congresses from the beginning of the republic have from time to time designated days of fasting and thanksgiving (the Thanksgiving holiday we continue to celebrate in November was established by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and made into law by Congress in 1941).
In setting aside a day for Thanksgiving, Washington established a non-sectarian tone for these devotions and stressed political, moral, and intellectual blessings that make self-government possible, in addition to personal and national repentance. Although the First Amendment prevents Congress from establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exercise, Presidents, as well as Congress, have always recognized the American regard for sacred practices and beliefs. Thus, throughout American history, Presidents have offered non-sectarian prayers for the victory of the military and in the wake of catastrophes. Transcending passionate quarrels over the proper role of religion in politics, the Thanksgiving Proclamation reminds us how natural their relationship has been. While church and state are separate, religion and politics, in their American refinement, prop each other up.
A friendly wag of the tail to The Heritage Foundation
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Politics
Thanksgiving Turkey
During a recent White House press briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest continued to press an old left wing narrative set up by gun control activists.
“As people sitting around the Thanksgiving table talking about these issues as they should and I’m sure they will all across the country, I hope that’s a question that will be raised and asked by members around the table,” Earnest said, referring to a bill supported by Democrat to ban people on the no-fly list from purchasing a gun.
Earnest attributed opposition to the bill from Republicans and some Democrats to “fear” of the National Rifle Association.
Is it malice, or just plain stupidity, that keeps these guys trying to deny civil rights to citizens, based solely on unscrutinized information? That kind of behavior is "no fly" in a Constitutional Republic.
Enjoy your turkey!
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Law & Order
Soft and Liberal Targets Preferred
“To a liberal, Paradise would be a place where everybody has guaranteed employment, free comprehensive health care, free education, free food, free housing, free clothing, free utilities….and only Law Enforcement has guns.
Believe it or not, such a place indeed exists….it’s called prison.”
~ Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Owing to the fact that "liberalism" is, itself, a failure of intelligence, the results that we are seeing should come as no surprise.
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Politics
Showing Respect
Respecting the "citizen-responder" paradigm of most law-abiding firearm owners, GOP Presidential front runner Donald Trump says the 13 million concealed carry permit holders in the United States have an obligation to carry. He points out that whether or not to carry a firearm is a decision to be made by the individual citizen.
In a statement on concealed carry responsibility released exclusively to Breitbart News Trump says:
There are nearly 13 million concealed carry permit holders in the United States who are part of the 100 million gun owners who defend the Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms.” This fundamental liberty is held closest by those who have gone through the process of vetting required to be entrusted with the ability to defend themselves, their families and their property with concealed weapons.
The concept of concealed carry is as much intended to deter criminal activity as it is to provide direct defense of those who have those permits. Not all concealed carry permit holders “carry” all the time. Thus, the deterrent value is that those who might contemplate criminal behavior will think twice when that doubt exists.
Carrying a weapon is not always feasible or appropriate. However, given the increased tensions that are the result of continued, escalating terrorism around the world, more legitimately armed individuals on the streets is a positive outcome. Each permit holder must make the decision to carry or not carry. I will carry more often than I have in the past, and I am sure other concealed permit holders will do the same. Do we have an obligation to carry? The answer is “yes,” but we must do it in such a way as to raise serious doubts in the minds of those who might be considering violence in America. Deterring violence is far better than dealing with the aftermath of an act of terror. Less blood, more security. That is what will make America great again.
It's refreshing to see some respect for our Constitution.
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Politics
The 2016 Presidential Primary
When Hillary Clinton publicly declared that the nearly five million members of the National Rifle Association were her "enemy", she inadvertently trashed the possibility of her future involvement in any amiable resolution to the gun debate. Not very smart! Rest assured, she will be treated as an enemy by the NRA — and everyone else who understands Clinton's criminal misconduct or citizen's rights according to our Constitution.
So, who does that leave on the left side of the 2016 presidential ballot?
In a reality show election starring Hillary Clinton, it takes real effort to be the most appalling, disgusting, and morally bankrupt character in the cast. Enter stage left Bernie Sanders, the “democratic” socialist. He’s not some cute curmudgeon who fights the little guy. He’s a committed adherent to an ideology that starved, tortured, and murdered north of 100 million people over the last century...
Even for the Democrat Party, which founded and nurtured the KKK, embracing a sycophant of psychotics is a mortifying new low....
It’s no surprise that Sanders abhors the First Amendment so much that he makes a huge point of demanding that our free speech be circumscribed and limited...
Kurt Schlichter ran out of space before he finished with Sanders and the First Amendment.
All of the talk that we have been hearing about 'securing the border' seems moot until we secure the border around the oval office.
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The Gun Debate
Guns and The Press
On May 29-30, 2015, the Dart Center organized a two-day workshop on covering guns and gun violence, for 30 journalists, at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The first day of the workshop saw a panel consisting of David Kopel, JD Research Director, Independence Institute, and Associate Policy Analyst, The Cato Institute, and Lawrence E. Rosenthal, JD, Professor, Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University.
The panel discussion, as recorded in the accompanying video, illustrates how ignorance causes problems in the debate over guns and gun control. During Rosenthal's presentation, some dung popped to the surface of his punch bowl — notably his comments about Florida law and the Zimmerman case.
A more credible title for this conference would be, to paraphrase Pogo, "we have found the problem, and the problem is us."
In the video, a comment was made that a "bazooka" would be harmless in the hands of a law abiding citizen in Montana, and yet a small handgun is dangerous in the hands of an outlaw gang-banger in New York City. Even after noting this, what we are seeing is advocacy for applying a 'New York solution' to Montana, rather than a 'Montana solution' to New York City. Instead of solving the 'local' problem locally, the New York problem is being exported, as a burden, on law-abiding citizens in Montana — and other states as well.
The late Tip O'neill was famous for his observation that "politics are local", and Professor Rosenthal, in this video, makes a good case that crime is also a local issue. The 'common' ground is right before our eyes, and it's "local". Until more people see the connection between politics and crime, I don't see any resolution to the gun debate. Unscrupulous individuals (on both sides of the issue) will go on collecting donations and making money off of the debate as long as they are allowed to do so.
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Veteran's Day 2015
Veteran's Day
This is the day that we remember all of those who, at one brief moment in our history, raised their right hand and gave their nation a 'signed blank check', a blank check for everything that they had — their life. Some of those checks were cashed, some were not.
As Billy Ray Cyrus reminds us in his music: All gave some, Some gave all.
The following from Albert Mohler:
[T]oday is Veterans Day and that’s November 11. It has been that way for a long time, pointing back to November 11, 1918, when World War I came to an end. That war was originally called the war to end all wars. It’s not anymore because it didn’t clearly end all wars. In fact, it didn’t even end with a surrender, it ended with an armistice and that became the setup for what became the second world war. But that armistice was declared as being in effect in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918 and it did so only after millions of soldiers had died on both sides in that horrifying war. Armistice Day was declared in 1919, it was made a national holiday in 1926. It is different than Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a national holiday to remember those who died in the uniform of our country. Veterans Day is a day to remember all those in uniform now living who served. It is the necessary companion to Memorial Day and it is a very important day, morally speaking in the United States. It reminds us to that the liberties we know and the liberties we prize were bought indeed with a price. Bought at the price of those who were willing not only to put on a uniform, but to enter into the nation’s armed forces in order to defend our freedoms and they did so by the millions. The last known statistics go back to 2013, when there were 19.6 million veterans of the military living in the United States, 2.1 served in the Korean War, 1.3 now living in World War II, 4.7 in peacetime only, 7 million served in Vietnam ,5.2 million now living served during some era of the Gulf War. But Veterans Day is so important that it is better not just be a day that government offices are closed. It better be a day when our hearts are open, that too, is our moral responsibility on Veterans Day.
Thanks be to all.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
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Law & Order
The Suicide of Open Borders
Unharnessed depravity:
What, if anything, keeps this sort of thing from happening in the United States? I would guess that our system of law, based upon a Constitution that guarantees the citizen's right to keep and bear arms, will play an increasingly important role in our national security.
Praise The Lord, and pass the ammunition!
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Freedom & Politics
'Progressive' Stimulus Package
From The Washington Free Beacon comes this:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed a record number of background checks in the month of October, indicating that gun sales were at an all time high for the sixth month in a row.
The FBI’s National Instant Background Check System lNICS] processed 1,976,759 firearms related checks in October. That is a 373,290 increase in checks over last year and a new record for the month. It also makes October the sixth consecutive month to see a record number of checks.
Currently, 2015 is on pace to beat 2013’s record 21,09,273 checks.
There are no political "term limits" on freedom!
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Law & Order
'Progressive' Collapse
What do "gun-free zones" have in common with "speech-free zones"?
Answer: "Trigger Warnings."
When burning the American Flag is considered a form of speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while displaying an historical relic such as a Confederate Flag is NOT protected by the same law, any intelligent person would assume that our system of law is breaking down. An extrapolation of the current trend produces an ugly mental image.
Those person's of the "do it yourself" mindset have already augmented their personal library with a personal armory... You don't need a Ph.D. to understand why!
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