Archive for December, 2008
Governor Rod Blagojevich Has Firearm ID Card Taken
Posted by: | CommentsIn a touch of irony, the anti-gun Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, had his Firearm Owner ID card taken by a judge as part of the conditions of his pre-trial release. Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested earlier this week on federal corruption charges, including accusations that he was trying to sell a US Senate seat (vacated by President-elect Obama) to the highest bidder.
Governor Rod Blagojevich has proved once again that it is the politicians that can’t be trusted, not the citizens of the United States.
Delaware State Police Violate Laws, Rights With Gun Purchase Database
Posted by: | CommentsThe Delaware State Police have been violating citizens’ rights and the law with a firearm purchase database discovered The News Journal. The violations? Not destroying purchase records, accessing citizens’ medical records, and denying lawful citizens the right to purchase a firearm for reasons such as gender and age.
The Delaware State Police maintain an instant check database where gun dealers can call to confirm a person is not prohibited from purchasing a firearm, such as someone who is a fugitive, a convicted felon or who has been adjudicated as being mentally ill. This program is called the Firearms Transaction Approval Program (FTAP). FTAP, however, has been violating laws and the rights of Delaware citizens, by going beyond the scope of their purpose with little, if any, oversight.
Recently it was discovered that FTAP was denying people their Second Amendment right to purchase and own a firearm because of gender and age. In one example uncovered by The News Journal, a senior citizen was denied the right to purchase a .22 revolver for self-defense because she was a woman and “too old.” The woman had a spotless criminal history, no history of mental illness, and by all accounts is a solid citizen.
It was also discovered that FTAP was maintaining records of firearms purchases, establishing a database of gun ownership, which is strictly prohibited by law. In fact, the law states FTAP must destroy records within 60 days of the transaction.
Additionally, FTAP was allowing law enforcement officers to access their databases for routine investigative work. This means that law enforcement officers, without the consent of the citizen, were accessing medical records not normally available to inspection by the government.
The Delaware State Police FTAP unit needs to be reigned in and placed under the same kind of scrutiny that they have been placing gun owners under. Contact Governor Ruth Ann Minner and Governor-elect Jack Markell, along with your state representatives, and let them know that these abuses must not continue!
Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Stocks
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve had several people recently inquire about the availability of aftermarket stocks for the Ruger Mini-14. Specifically, they were interested in tactical style stocks for the Mini-14. There are two Mini-14 stocks I suggest people consider if they are looking for something more tactical for their Ruger: the TAPCO and the ATI stocks.
TAPCO is a company based in Kennesaw, GA, that has been involved in the firearms industry for many years now. I recall stopping into their offices back during the Clinton years and buying SKS stripper clips from them when I still lived and worked in that area. The TAPCO people are good folks.
TAPCO manufactures a Mini-14 replacement stock called the FUSION system. The FUSION system is a complete stock replacement that gives the owner a M4 style, adjustable buttstock, SAW-style pistol grip, and a Picatinny rail on the top and the bottom of the barrel cover. Other nice features about the FUSION system include the pistol grip has a storage compartment, the lower rail has a removable cover, the system is available in black, dark earth, and olive drab colors, and the system works with the Mini-14 in .223 or 6.8 SPC plus the Mini-30. MSRP is $129.99 and is worth every penny.
Advanced Technology, Inc. (ATI) manufactures glass-filled, injection molded stocks for a wide variety of firearms. ATI recently introduced the Ruger Mini-14 Strikeforce Package, which gives your Mini-14 a definite tactical look and feel.
The Strikeforce gives the Mini-14 four Picatinny rails on the forend of the stock and molded inserts to cover them when they are not in use. The Strikeforce also features a folding, six-position adjustable buttstock that can store batteries in the tube. The stock has a pistol grip and a removable/adjustable 3/8″ cheekrest.
The Strikeforce MSRP is less expensive than the TAPCO at only $109, but only comes in black.
Ohio Has More Anti-Gun Mayors Than Any Other State
Posted by: | CommentsMayors Against Illegal Guns, Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, has announced that Ohio has had more mayors join their association than from any other state in the union. 51 Ohio mayors have turned their back on the US Constitution and are working to curtail your Second Amendment rights.
I guess somebody had to be #1.
Hey, Ohio! Get busy with your local leaders. Let them know your opinion on the Second Amendment and what Bloomberg’s group is all about. Change some hearts and minds with these mayors. If that doesn’t work, hit them where it hurts: the ballot box.
Permits to purchase ammunition is but one of the new gun control laws the Durham, NC city council wants to impose on its citizens in 2009.
The Durham city council is putting together an agenda to present to the state legislature next year. One of the main topics: ammunition control.
A local minister, Rev. Melvin Whitley, has been pushing for North Carolina to adopt his proposal for ammunition regulation modeled on Illinois law. The proposal would require a citizen to obtain a permit from the local sheriff prior to purchasing any ammunition. Additionally, the proposal would ban certain people from purchasing ammunition. For example, the proposal would make it illegal for anyone to purchase ammunition if they have been convicted of a domestic battery, which is already illegal under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a).
Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden and Councilman Howard Clement have indicated that they support this proposal. Additionally, Whitley is looking to assemble a coalition of anti-gun groups like ACORN and the NAACP to push his proposal and further infringe on the rights of the citizens of North Carolina.
So, this call to action should sound familiar if you are a regular reader of this site. Everyone needs to be a NRA member and needs to get active in their local politics. Anti-gun legislation and politicians often come from the local level.
Contact Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden through e-mail or call her at (919) 560-4396 ext. 277 or (919) 477-2484. Contact Councilman Howard Clement through e-mail or call him at (919) 682-5211. The contact information for the other councilmen and-women can be found at the Durham City Council web site.
When contacting these men and women, politely express your opposition to this proposal. Rudeness is never acceptable and is only counter-productive.
The NFL’s Anti-Gun Stance: You Better Not Want to Defend Yourself If You Are a Player
Posted by: | CommentsBy now everyone knows that NFL player Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself and was subsequently arrested for carrying a firearm into a New York City bar. As I don’t have all of the details surrounding the case, I’ll skip commenting about the incident other than (1) always remember and implement the four rules of firearms safety, and (2) all free citizens of the United States should be allowed to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense.
What I found to be interesting about the whole case is the National Football League’s stance on the lawful ownership of firearms. The NFL does not allow players to possess a firearm on any property used or owned by the NFL or team, even locked up in a personal vehicle. Additionally, the NFL discourages players from exercising their Second Amendment right away from the job.
From the NFL policy manual:
“In some circumstances, such as for sport or protection, you may legally possess a firearm or other weapon. However, we strongly recommend that you not do so.”
So, the NFL strongly opposes your right to own, possess, and use a firearm for self-defense and every other legally acceptable reason. Curious.
Something to consider… NFL players are high profile sports celebrities. They make a lot of money and seen every week on television. It would seem to me that NFL players stand a better chance to be the victim of a home invasion or of stalking than the average citizen. We’ve seen celebrities killed by a crazy fan and in common robberies. Yet, the NFL strongly suggests players not own a firearm.
As a side note, I wonder how Florida’s new self-defense law that allows gun owners to keep their firearm locked in their vehicle while at work will apply to thise NFL rule.
The Department of the Interior has finally updated their regulations as many of us have asked them to do for many years now: carrying a concealed firearm in a national park is no longer banned.
According to the NRA_ILA website, “[the new rule] would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located.”
Previously, the Department of the Interior banned all concealed carry of firearms under the misguided belief that people would be safer without them.
Thank you to all of you who wrote in to the Department of the Interior supporting this change. Also, thanks to the NRA for spearheading this effort. When we all get together for a common purpose, we can get things done. Lets keep this positive victory in mind as we move forward into 2009.
The anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns announced they have expanded their ranks again, adding 29 additional mayors to their coalition. This group staunchly opposes the rights of the individual to keep and bear arms for self defense and other lawful purposes in the name of “public safety.”
“The ranks of our coalition continue to grow with like-minded mayors who believe in common sense practices to keep streets safe and guns out of the hands of criminals,” said coalition co-chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
The mayors were also briefed on the Mayors Against Illegal Guns federal legislative agenda. The coalition has proposed a four-point plan to fix the background check system, including:
- Closing the “gun show loophole”;
- Requiring gun dealers to perform criminal background checks on all gun-handling employees;
- Closing the “fire sale loophole” that allows dealers whose licenses have been revoked to continue to sell their inventory; and
- Closing the terror gap that leaves those on the terrorist no-fly list off the list of prohibited purchasers of firearms.
I really believe the ‘gun show loophole’ is the first gun-related item that Congress will go after. As I have discussed before, there is no “loophole.” Gun shows have nothing to do with this legislative agenda. All dealers are required to do a background check prior to selling a firearm to anyone at a gunshow or elsewhere.
The real issue that the gun grabbers are going after is more government tracking of private property. The private transfer of property from one individual to the next should be free of government scrutiny in a free society. However, if the anti-gun folks get their way and stop the private transfer of firearms, a father will no longer be able to pass his guns to his son without going through a dealer. A husband could no longer give his wife a gun for Christmas. A daughter could not buy her father a custom shotgun for his birthday.
The alleged “terror gap” is especially scary. No one seems to know how someone winds up on the “no-fly” list and no one seems to know how to get off of it. There is not any due process associated with inclusion on the list; a government worker just puts you on there. And now Bloomberg and the other anti-gun zealots want to prevent anyone on the list from purchasing a firearm. I hope I don’t have to explain how bad this is, but in case I do, here goes:
Bloomberg would like to prevent a US citizen from buying a firearm, when he or she has no criminal record and no history of mental illness, but was placed on a list that no one has access to and was placed there by an unknown person for unknown reasons, AND the person on the list has never been notfied or allowed any opportunity to clear his or her good name. Mayors Against Illegal Guns calls this a “common sense” gun law.
As I addressed in another article, we all have to be involved at the local level. Politicians rarely jump onto the national stage without climbing the state and local political ladder. If someone is anti-gun, work to defeat them on the small stage so they never have the chance to reach the big one.
Most of these mayors in Bloomberg’s coalition are from relatively small cities and towns. This means they are accessible to you and their other constituants. Schedule time with them to sit down and explain your views and opinions on the Second Amendment and how you cannot support anyone who is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns or any other group that would curtail your rights.
By getting involved at the local level, we can ensure a better future.
