The Replica Prop Forum
Very cool site I am also a member of
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Saturday, May 29, 2021
As TX ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill Awaits Signing, Media Negativity Surges - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- As Texas gun owners wait for Gov. Greg Abbott to sign legislation allowing permitless carry of sidearms in the Lone Star State—so-called “Constitutional Carry”—establishment media is pushing the negative in an attempt to portray the governor and gun rights supporters as being outside the mainstream. It’s the sort of situation that can produce accusations of media bias.
For example, CBS News reported, “The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police.”
But the legislation “does not allow anyone prohibited under state or federal law from possessing a firearm to carry a firearm,” the National Rifle Association pointed out. NRA supported the bill.
Rarely does the establishment media acknowledge that armed criminals don’t bother with licenses, background checks or training requirements, and never have.
The vote on House Bill 1927 was 82-62 in the Texas House. The Senate passed the bill with a 17-13 vote the following day.
“Gun control groups also oppose the measure,” CBS News added, “noting the state’s recent history of mass shootings, including those at an El Paso Walmart, a church in Sutherland Springs and a high school outside Houston.”
But those shootings involved perpetrators armed with rifles, a fact apparently overlooked by reporters.
Perhaps to downplay the ability of legally-armed Texans to respond to such attacks, the New York Times observed, “More than a million people in Texas have permits to carry handguns…In 2019, when a man in a trench coat opened fire with a shotgun in a suburban church outside of Fort Worth, more than half a dozen people who had gathered for the service responded by drawing their own firearms.”
The Times report failed to acknowledge that one of those armed citizens, Jack Wilson, fatally shot the gunman within seconds after the killer opened fire, saving possibly several lives. One-shot to the head brought the murderer down, and it was all live-streamed by the church.
The Sun couldn’t resist observing, “The state of Texas is one step closer to turning into the Wild West as state lawmakers seek to pass an unprecedented gun proposal.” But that’s not accurate either, because there are about 20 precedents set by other states that have already adopted “constitutional carry” legislation.
Rolling Stone chimed in, reporting “Texas is on the verge of becoming the most-populous state in the nation to allow permit-less carry of handguns, meaning any adult who can legally obtain a gun can take it to town, without any training or certification. It’s the firearms equivalent of abandoning drivers (sic) licenses.”
The magazine ignores the fact that legally-armed Texas citizens are already “taking their guns to town,” and they have not been a threat to public safety other than in the wild imaginations of anti-gun extremists.
CNBC was quick to quote former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo—now police chief in Miami—who declared during an interview, “From chiefs to sheriffs to police labor, we do not support permit-less, open carry.”
Acevedo is no stranger to gun politics, having criticized Congress in the past for failing to adopt tougher gun control laws.
But KIRO, the CBS affiliate in Seattle, Washington, quoted Republican State Sen. Charles Schwertner, the bill’s chief sponsor, stating “This is a simple restoration of Texans’ constitutional right under the Second Amendment, a right of the people to keep and bear arms. I think it is a bill that is the strongest bill I’ve seen in my legislative career regarding the rights of our Second Amendment.”
Click the link to read the whole article: TX ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill Awaits Signing
U.S. DOJ’s “Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent” Wasting Your Tax Money? - Ammoland.com
WASHINGTON D.C. –-(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. Department of Justice released its “Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime” to the Department’s employees on Wednesday.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco sent out the document obtained by AmmoLand News. It centers around the Department’s efforts at reducing violent crime. The memorandum separates offenses committed with firearms, which it calls an epidemic, from other forms of violent crimes. The document does highlight the civil unrest that took place last summer and the nationwide lockdown.
The document calls on the DOJ to make law enforcement more accountable to the community. It points to distrust in law enforcement as a roadblock to reducing violent crime because victims do not trust the police. It calls for more transparency and law enforcement to commit to “procedural justice and community policing.”
The memo also calls for the DOJ to issue grants for programs on the local level to prevent violent crime. The directive doesn’t specify if these programs will be government-run or if local non-profits will receive money. Some worry if these grants are given to non-profits, some of the funds will be used for programs that indoctrinate the people to Democrat causes.
In the late 2000s, ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) received multiple grants from the federal government with the mission to help the poor. But the group was using those funds to get Democrats elected to national offices. The effort extended to the election of President Barack Obama. ACORN also faced multiple allegations of voter fraud. Over 400,000 voters registered by ACORN were rejected. In 2009, ACORN field director Amy Busefink and ACORN official Christopher Edwards pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters.”
Click the link to read the whole article: U.S. DOJ’s Comprehensive Strategy
Friday, May 28, 2021
Memorial Day Guest Post by Shannon Ross aka Gun Girl @gun_girl_2211 on Instagram
Memorial Day and What it Means
I can remember that as a child Memorial Day meant the beginning of summer break from school. It meant parades, barbeques, long summer days were here to stay, and lazy afternoons were just around the corner.
As an adult Memorial Day has such a more complex and deeper meaning to me. I grew up in a military rich family, with members having served, or currently serving from every generation. This has not changed as the younger generation are now beginning their military careers.
As a Veteran advocate in my spare time, I have amassed a vast and wide base of virtual and real friends from all across the globe. In our interactions I’ve had occasion to discuss the state of Veteran suicide prevention as well as many other topics.
Some say that Memorial Day is relegated to those who have lost their lives in service to their country, and I agree with this statement, however, we differ on what “in service” truly means.
Memorial Day is a day for reflection, for showing respect and regard for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, in order to provide or maintain freedom for others.
This Memorial Day and all others call to mind the 22 Veterans a day who take their own lives as a result of mental health issues mostly contributed to their time in combat and service to others.
PTS and TBI are the main causes of Veteran suicide. There are many misconceptions in that these diagnoses are inclusive and complete as a simple label and description of these mental and physical illnesses. That is not the case. There are so many complexities and levels of degrees in which individuals are affected by these illnesses. The first step in recovery is recognizing the symptoms.
PTS presents as
Flashbacks Unwanted memories Negative self-image Emotional Distress
Avoidance Sense of threat Intrusive thoughts Isolation
Nightmares Anger, guilt and shame Excessive blame
Hypervigilance Dissociation Easily scared Self-destructive behaviors
Loss of interest Self-medicating Thought Avoiding
TBI presents as
Headaches Light sensitivity
Dizziness Amnesia
Confusion Forgetfulness
Shared symptoms of PTS and TBI
Lack of sex drive Emotional disconnect Depression Mood instability Anxiety
There are many effective treatments for both PTS and TBI, no one will work for everyone.
Since 2016.5 I have been administrating an Instagram page which used dank humor peppered with resources in order to reach Veterans suffering from PTS; since it’s inception we’ve confirmed that nearly 200 Veterans have sought help simply because something made them laugh and helped them turn the corner to seeking out more of “that” through provided and outside resources.
This Memorial Day, let us also remember those who have taken their own lives as a result of their service and their struggles with PTS and TBI.
As a tribute and in honor of these brave souls, I want to share some resources in the hopes that more warriors will reach out and be around to honor their fallen brothers and sisters next Memorial Day and for many more to come.
Active Duty and Veteran Suicide Prevention Hotline
800.273.8255
Addiction Hotline
888.663.3239
Eating Disorder Hotline
800.931.2237
Self-Harm Hotline
800.334.4357
Sexual Assault Hotline
800.656.4673
Poison Control Hotline
800.222.1222
Text VETS or CONNECT to
741741
Reach out to reputable organizations on Instagram and Facebook such as
@22UntilNone
@Save_a_warrior_saw
Camp Hope
877.717.7873
To find shelter for homeless Veterans nation wide
877.424.3838
For Veterans and active-duty military in need of emergency financial assistance
Militarywallet.com - Emergency Financial Services for Military Families
Come visit me @gun_girl_2211 & @gun_girl_2211_ for some laughs, resources, camaraderie and support from the community on my page, and start being kinder to yourself.
Shannon Ross AKA gg
Comments on ATF’s New “Frame or Receiver” Rule Now Open - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On May 21, ATF published a new proposed rule in the Federal Register entitled Definition of “Frame or Receiver” and Identification of Firearms. That publication triggered the opening of the proposed rule to public comments. The comment period will remain open until August 19, 2021.
While the Justice Department has focused on the impact that this new rule would have on privately made firearms, and the proposed rule would destroy that unique aspect of American freedom, the proposal goes well beyond privately made firearms.
The proposed rule would create new definitions for the terms “firearm frame or receiver,” “frame or receiver,” “firearm,” “gunsmith,” “complete weapon,” “complete muffler or silencer device,” “privately made firearm,” and “readily.” The new definitions make it possible for firearms to have more than one “frame or receiver.” A conclusion that is both at odds with the controlling federal statute and could disrupt the entire industry.
In addition to these changes, ATF is seeking to create an entirely new process for licensed firearm dealers to apply serial numbers to unserialized firearms that come into their possession and to require the indefinite storage of firearm records by licensees. That requirement likewise has no basis in federal statutes.
In effect, the rule would mean that many manufacturers would need to get pre-approval from ATF for new firearm designs.
Due to the discretionary scheme created by the rule, the ATF Director would be given an incredible amount of power over the firearm industry. This comes at a time when President Biden has nominated anti-gun lobbyist and gun ban proponent David Chipman to head the ATF. This draft rule is just one more reason why it’s extremely important for all gun owners to contact their Senators and ask that they vote against Chipman’s confirmation.
NRA-ILA will provide more detailed explanations of the many problems with this proposed in the coming weeks as well as filing comments on this terrible rule on behalf of all NRA members. If you wish to comment in the meantime, please keep the following in mind.
These are ATF’s instructions for submitting comments:
You may submit comments, identified by docket number ATF 2021R-05, by any of the following methods—
-
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
- Mail: Andrew Lange, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Ave. NE, Mail Stop 6N-518, Washington, DC 20226; ATTN: ATF 2021R-05.
- Fax: (202) 648-9741.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number (ATF 2021R-05) for this notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM” or “proposed rule”). All properly completed comments received will be posted without change to the Federal eRulemaking portal, www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
ATF also provided the following contact information for any questions regarding the proposed rule:
Andrew Lange, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Department of Justice, 99 New York Ave. NE, Mail Stop 6N-518, Washington, DC 20226; telephone: (202) 648-7070 (this is not a toll-free number).
In addition to these technical requirements, it’s important to keep the following in mind when submitting comments.
-
- Comments must be professional and respectful. While it is extremely frustrating, to say the least, that the Biden Administration is attempting to blame law-abiding gun owners for the actions of criminals, making comments that include profanity will make it easy for ATF to summarily reject those comments.
- Comments should focus on the arbitrary nature of the proposed rule. The fact that it is essentially impossible to determine when a piece of metal or plastic becomes a firearm under the proposed rule and leaves such an important determination to administrative fiat makes the proposed rule incompatible with American principles of due process of law.
- Comments should be individualized and focus on how the proposed rule would impact the commenter. ATF will treat all identical comments as a single comment, so it is important to avoid using a form comment.
Comments can be submitted directly through regulation.gov. Please check back to www.nraila.org soon for more information on this burdensome, arbitrary, and unconstitutional proposed rule.
Anti-Gunner Chipman Provides Disqualifying Testimony to Senate - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for several Biden administration nominees, including professional gun control activist David Chipman for director of the federal agency that enforces the nation’s gun control laws (commonly referred to as ATF). Chipman’s evasive, contradictory, and dishonest testimony disqualified him from further consideration for the position.
CLICK HERE TAKE ACTION!
The structure of the hearing was designed to prevent serious, in-depth vetting of the various candidates. Each Committee member was limited to five minutes of questioning for the entire slate of five high-level nominees. The Democrat-led committee no doubt hoped that hiding Chipman in a crowd of other nominees would diminish the scrutiny brought to bear on his highly controversial nomination.
The gambit did not work. Pro-gun committee members were able to elicit sufficient information to demonstrate that Chipman lacks the professionalism, honesty, candor, and fairness necessary to enforce the law in an unbiased manner to the benefit of the American people.
The most damning testimony that Chipman provided concerned his desire to ban so-called “assault weapons.” Chipman has a long record as a paid gun control advocate of supporting sweeping efforts to outlaw some of America’s most popular rifles, including the iconic AR-15. He is also on record insisting that the prior federal “assault weapons” ban did not go far enough.
Indeed, Chipman’s supposed firearm expertise as a former ATF special agent was meant to lend credibility to the gun control groups that have employed him. These groups include Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety and the oft-renamed gun control lobby associated with former congresswoman Gabby Giffords. If there’s anybody who should be able to provide a chapter and verse on the technical aspects of firearms, shouldn’t it be a career ATF professional?
Even now, the gun control group Giffords lists Chipman as a “senior policy advisor” on its website. That organization, in turn, very explicitly describes “key legislative elements” to “provide a framework” for the enactment of “assault weapons” bans at the federal and state levels. It additionally lists jurisdictions whose laws exemplify the elements of this framework.
The Giffords framework stresses a “generic features” approach that describes the weapons to be banned. The exemplary laws it cites all begin from the starting point of a semiautomatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and then set forth a list of additional “features,” the inclusion of any one of which would result in a banned firearm.
These features include such things as a pistol or forward grip; a folding, detachable, or adjustable stock; a barrel shroud; and a threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, compensator, or muzzle brake. The framework also suggests supplementing this test with an additional list of firearms that are banned by name, as well as empowering a specified law enforcement official to add to that list on an ad hoc basis, thus further expanding the ban.
Most chillingly, Giffords recommends that firearms lawfully acquired before the ban not be exempted from its scope, raising the prospect of forceful confiscation from those who do not voluntarily relinquish their guns.
Needless to say, nationwide adoption of these standards would affect tens of millions of common firearms owned by people who use them exclusively for lawful purposes, including the wildly popular AR-15. It is as radical a position as can be imagined for a country in which the Constitution has been authoritatively interpreted by the U.S. Supreme to protect firearms “’ in common use at the time’ for lawful purposes like self-defense.”
Yet when pressed by committee members to define or describe the types of firearms he would like to see included in assault weapons bans, Chipman refused to display any courage for the convictions he espoused as a gun control advocate or any relevant technical expertise. He simply would not answer the question, as best exemplified in an exchange with Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA). “Just give me your definition,” Kennedy pleaded, after confirming that Chipman still supported a ban. When Chipman refused, Kennedy finally concluded in frustration, “I’m done, Mr. Chairman. I don’t think I’m going to get an answer.”
Needless to say, the over 100 million Americans who own guns cannot be expected to trust a would-be ATF director who claims to support a gun ban in one breath while refusing to specify how far it should go in the next.
Chipman had much to say about his career as an ATF agent in his opening statement, while completely ignoring his more recent employment in a political lobby dedicated to depriving Americans of their Second Amendment rights. He also used the old humble public servant routine in trying to deflect a question about whether the Supreme Court’s recognition of the individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment was rightly decided. The Giffords group, as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) reminded Chipman, had submitted an amicus brief in the case arguing against this interpretation. “Senator, I’m a cop, not a lawyer,” Chipman replied.
Yet it is the more recent gun control advocacy work – backed by powerful figures like Bloomberg – which is the true impetus for Chipman’s nomination. Ranking committee member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) noted during his opening statement that even CNN has described Chipman as a “fierce advocate for gun control.” He added, “Many see putting a committed gun control proponent like Mr. Chipman in charge of ATF as like putting a tobacco executive in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services or ANTIFA in charge of the Portland Police Department.”
Put another way, Chipman’s nomination is embarrassingly political and partisan by any standard.
Wednesday’s hearing gave David Chipman an opportunity to try to reassure gun owners and their representatives in the Senate that he is a person of integrity and professionalism. By failing to answer simple questions about his past policy positions, he has shown himself unworthy of their trust.
Any senator expecting the support of the gun-owning community must vote “no” on David Chipman’s nomination to lead ATF.
Chipman Confirms: ‘I Support a Ban’ on America’s Most Popular Rifle - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Under intense questioning by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, Joe Biden’s nominee to become head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives acknowledged during a hearing Wednesday that if he is confirmed, David Chipman acknowledged he would ban the AR15, which currently is the most popular rifle in America.
Chipman, who is a senior policy advisor for the Giffords gun prohibition lobbying group, told Sen. Ted Cruz, “With respect to the AR-15, I support a ban as has been presented in a Senate bill and supported by the president. The AR-15 is a gun I was issued on ATF’s SWAT team and it is a particularly lethal weapon, and regulating it as other particularly lethal weapons I have advocated for.”
The exchange is the subject of a tweet from the National Rifle Association. NRA strongly opposes Chipman’s confirmation, as do other gun rights groups. The fight to prevent his confirmation could be one of the most intense in recent Capitol Hill history.
Click the link to read the whole article: Chipman Confirms: ‘I Support a Ban’
Bloomberg’s Gun Control Push, News Site & the Chinese Communist Party - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- A major tenant of the Chinese Communist Party is a strict regulation of firearm ownership. They do so under the guise of “protecting human rights” and “reducing gun crimes.” They even criticize the United States for not following their example.
But there’s a connection between CCP antigun propaganda and efforts in the United States and it doesn’t take “six degrees of separation” to see it. The line runs fairly neatly from the CCP, to failed Democratic presidential candidate and billionaire anti-gun crusader Michael Bloomberg and through to his gun control news arm, The Trace. New reporting shows just how strong the connection is.
America’s ‘Dear Leader’
Bloomberg Media’s namesake founder and majority owner, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is a fan of gun control and efforts to enact more of it. Restricting the rights of law-abiding Americans was a platform plank during his abysmal 2020 Democratic presidential bid. During his campaign, Bloomberg claimed it was proper that he employed armed private security services while Americans not cut of his cloth had no legitimate need for similar armed protection. After all, among equals, he was a little more equal because he’s an extremely wealthy businessman and former mayor of a major metropolis.
Asked if his life was more important than that of a town hall audience member, Bloomberg didn’t hesitate. “Alright, look… I probably get forty or fifty threats every week…That just happens when you’re the mayor of New York City, or very wealthy, or campaigning for the president of the United States. You’re gonna get lots of threats.”
With beliefs like that, it’s no surprise Bloomberg’s presidential candidacy flamed out. The $1 billion he spent on gun control efforts to buy more congressional seats and state legislative seats to enact more gun control went up in flames too. Plain and simple, Americans do not support more gun control.
Click the link to read the whole article: Bloomberg’s Gun Control Push
TX: Senate and House Adopt Conf. Com. Report – Constitutional Carry to Governor - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- On 24 May, Monday afternoon, the last significant legislative hurdle for restoring Constitutional Carry to Texas was overcome.
After years of toil, time and trouble, of betrayal and loyalty, of primaries and resignations, a significant Constitutional Carry bill has passed the Texas Legislature and is expected to be sent to Governor Abbott.
HB1927, in its final form, passed the House 82-62, and reported privately to me, passed the Senate on a straight party line vote.
Constitutional carry is a reasonable facsimile of the state of law about the carry of weapons when the Second Amendment was ratified, in 1791. At the time, no government permits were required to carry weapons, openly or concealed, by any State or the Federal government. That situation remained the state of law for about two generations.
It is almost certain Texas will become a member of the Constitutional Carry club in 2021. It will make Texas the 21st state to join the club. There have not been any statistically significant ill effects from Constitutional Carry in any of the previous 20 states.
HB 1927, in its final form of the Conference Committee report contains some relatively minor amendments wrangled over and included in the legislative process.
Click the link to read the whole article: TX: Constitutional Carry to Governor
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
High School Freshman Red-Flagged at Age 14 - Ammoland.com
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Eli Pagunsan’s life changed forever when California officials branded him as a potential school shooter.
It’s not easy for Eli Pagunsan to talk about the ordeal that began seven years ago, when he was a high school freshman in Riverside County, California. His life was destroyed. He briefly considered suicide as a way out.
When he looks back, the now 22-year-old feels a mix of “anger, anguish, and fear.”
“There’s a part of me that needs this story to be told,” he said. “I’ve been trying to tell people about it. I didn’t understand that what happened to me was wrong until I went to therapy.”
Life has never been easy for Pagunsan. He has always been an outsider and somewhat of an introvert. His parents immigrated from the Philippines. Pagunsan was born in Arkansas. He says he grew up the victim of frequent abuse, which was meted out by his father.
“We’ve reconciled now. I’ve forgiven him, but I remember whenever he was mad at us, he’d strip us naked and beat us with whatever was closest – a vacuum pipe, electrical cord or belt,” Pagunsan said.
At one point, he said, his father made him tell his teachers he was “worthless,” and that he wouldn’t be coming to school anymore.
After his parents divorced, an ex-Army officer who was helping raise Pagunsan told him he would either be a heroin addict or shot by police, and that he would be a “juvenile delinquent.”
All three assessments were wrong.
As a young man, Pagunsan found solace in reading, video games, and history.
“I used to be a big fan of World War II films like ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific,’ he said. “I played a lot of ‘Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault.’ I found out that my family fought as guerillas against the Japanese, and I’m very proud of that.”
Pagunsan’s great-grandfather was a carpenter on Luzon when the Japanese invaded.
“He had a choice to either run or fight. He fought with the Americans. He was captured and survived the Bataan Death March. He lived until 1978 when he died of lung cancer,” Pagunsan said.
While most kids his age were socializing and interacting with others, Pagunsan was playing video games, reading in the library, or writing.
He joined a writing club when he was only 12 years old.
“I still get a weird, cathartic feeling creating characters that are based off of experiences I have had,” he said. “I get satisfaction from writing – being able to improve upon it feels good.”
All of Pagunsan’s hobbies and interests would play a role in what was to come.
Click the link to read the whole article: High School Freshman Red-Flagged at Age 14
GOA/GOF & Oregon Firearms Federation File Motion To Intervene in Columbia County - Ammoland.com
COLUMBIA COUNTY, OR –-(Ammoland.com)- Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, and Oregon Firearms Federation, along with Oregon resident Raven Christopher Brumbles filed a motion to intervene in a case involving Columbia County, Oregon undermining pro-second amendment ordinances.
In 2016, Brumbles started a petition to get a Second Amendment Protection Order (SAPO) initiative on the Columbia County ballot. Mr. Brumbles was successful in getting the required signatures, and the initiative was placed on the ballot. In November of 2018, the voters of Columbia County voted the initiative into law.
Two years later, Brumble once again was able to get another ordinance on the ballot. This time it was a Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance (SASO). When he submitted everything to the County, the Columbia County clerk rejected the proposed initiative. Mr. Brumbles appealed the ruling, and after fixing one section, the County clerk placed the initiative on the ballot.
Once again, the voters of Columbia County voted to adopt the measure. The Columbia County board was not happy with the people’s will and decided they needed to do something. After all, the County Board paid for legal help to fight against the initiatives before was even circulated.
The Board amended the SASO and repealed the SAPO. The changes to the SASO made it easier to get rid of the law. The Board added, “shall be automatically repealed” if it is “overturned or declared invalid by a court” to the text of the SASO. Then the Columbia County Board removed all penalties for anyone violating the laws. The move removed all teeth from the ordinances.
The Board never notified Mr. Brumbles of the changes. The voters were never directly notified of the changes. The motion to intervene claims that the Board made these changes to the SASO to protect itself and its agents from the penalty laws. There is a lot of evidence to back up the accusations of GOA’s legal counsel’s claim, including the involvement of For Gun Safety’s campaign against the laws.
The Columbia County Board then asked a court to validate the law. Instead of fighting for the will of the people, the Board argues that the law is invalid. The legal team for Brumbles and the pro-gun organizations believe that the Board changed the SASO in hopes the court will find a single part of the law to be invalid. If the court finds the smallest part of the law invalid, then the whole law will be thrown out.
The timeline to intervene has passed, but the court can rule to allow the parties to intervene. The parties trying to intervene has an excellent reason for the delay. Because of COVID, there has been a lack of public meetings and no publicity for the Board’s anti-gun moves. The petitioners only found on about the Board’s actions last week.
Click the link to read the whole article: Motion To Intervene in Columbia County
ATF Claims FOIA Request on Hunter Biden Gun Violates His Privacy - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- Six months after attorney Stephen Stamboulieh filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on my behalf regarding the agency’s reported involvement in the case of Hunter Biden’s gun, we have received an answer. ATF won’t tell us anything because it says Biden’s privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to know.
It’s a typical pattern of stonewalling and defiance of federal transparency laws by those who ruthlessly enforce edicts on the rest of us that gun owners really saw come to the fore during the heyday of Operation Fast and Furious investigations into ATF “gunwalking.” As AmmoLand Shooting Sports News readers have seen in a series of exclusive reports, that has extended through the years to this day, with the government’s recent non-responsive “response” to a FOIA request filed with Kent Terry, brother of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, whose murder was the catalyst for the deadly criminal scheme to begin unraveling.
The Blaze reported in late October that “Hunter Biden’s handgun was taken from his vehicle without his knowledge by Hallie Biden,” his brother’s widow with whom he then had an affair, “and she placed it in a garbage can outside a Delaware supermarket.” Readers of this column will recall it tied that account in with the question of if the president’s son had broken the law by denying abuse of controlled substances on the Firearm Transaction Record, ATF Form 4473. Lying on the form is a federal felony.
That report was followed up with two separate FOIA requests being filed a few weeks later, to both ATF and the Secret Service, which had also been reported to be investigating the Biden gun incident.
“In response to your FOIA request, the Secret Service FOIA Office has conducted a reasonable search for all potentially responsive documents,” that agency responded in late January. “The Secret Service FOIA Office searched all Program Offices that were likely to contain potentially responsive records, and no records were located.”
Click the link to read the whole article: FOIA Request on Hunter Biden
The Next-Gen Space Stations That Could Replace The ISS | Answers With Joe - Joe Scott - my thoughts
I've had some thoughts on a permanent station. Build the "Sea Dragon" and have it carry 5 Bigelow Aerospace BA330 or BA2100 module setup around a central hub, with a docking station at one end. After the Bigelow modules and their central hub reaches orbit have the engines of the Sea Dragonejct and return to earth, hopefully being recovered to be used again. Leaving behind their fuel tanks which would be "Wet Workshop"
Then use some Ion or Hall effect thrusters to move the whole thing to the L4 Lagrange point near the Hubble Space Telescope. This may allow us to START to Colonize Space and the Moon.
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
NY Microstamping and Anti-Gun Bills on the Move in Albany - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- This week, a trio of anti-gun bills were passed out of Senate committees with the only opposition coming from minority Republicans. The Senate Consumer Protection Committee passed S.1048A, by Sen. Zellnor Myrie, on a 5 to 2 party-line vote. This ill-conceived legislation contends that illegal use of firearms is a public nuisance and attempts to hold manufacturers responsible. Rather than hold criminals accountable, anti-gun legislators are looking to scapegoat an entire industry. This legislation is nothing more than New York’s attempt to flout federal law and the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
On Wednesday, the Senate Codes Committee passed S.4116, by Sen. Brad Hoylman, on a party-line vote of 8 to 4. This bill would require all new semi-automatic pistols to be equipped with microstamping technology. This essentially would ban the sale of traditional handguns. Microstamping is easily defeated with common household tools. Criminals are also able to foil microstamping by simply using revolvers, which do not eject casings, or long guns. They could also pick up casings and even misdirect investigations by dropping other spent cartridges. Microstamping is a failed concept and not a single state in the country has successfully implemented it. This bill has floated around Albany for well over a decade and has gone nowhere for a good reason. It doesn’t work.
Click the link to read the whole article: NY Microstamping and Anti-Gun Bills
Below the Radar: The HEAR Act Rears Its Ugly Head Again - Ammoland.com
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- From now on, when an anti-Second Amendment extremist says they want to “regulate” something, you can take it to the bank that what they really want is a ban. One prime example of this is legislation introduced by Senator Robert Menendez and Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.
The legislation is the Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2021, also known as S 1131 and HR 2544. This legislation was also introduced in the 116th Congress. However, the reintroduction of this legislation is a chance to have a good discussion on two aspects of our Second Amendment advocacy.
In past coverage at Ammoland.com, it was noted that this bill takes the Eric Swalwell approach towards modern multi-purpose semiautomatic long guns and applies it to suppressors. “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in,” to quote Dianne Feinstein, who is co-sponsoring the Senate version of this bill. This is a strategic benefit for Second Amendment supporters in a couple of ways (one of which is a bit of hardball), but it also presents a strategic conundrum.
The benefit is that, this is a ban on a firearm accessory that is already heavily regulated with just about every restriction short of an outright ban due to the provisions the National Firearms Act of 1934. This includes registration – which makes this bill an excellent exhibit to point to when explaining our opposition to other licensing and regulation schemes like the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act.
For those inclined to play a little reciprocal hardball, given the nonsense crap the Cuomo-James regime has pulled, Bloomberg stooges should be asked in hearings for any restriction, “Do you support an eventual ban on this firearm/accessory?” by state and federal lawmakers during hearings when they are under oath. If they say “Yes,” we can point that out to our fellow Americans. If they say, “No,” we can hold them to it.
This is a legitimate question many Second Amendment supporters ask themselves, given what we’ve heard going back to Nelson “Pete” Shields. But there’s nothing wrong with adding the option to hold anti-Second Amendment extremists accountable if they end up lying about their ultimate objective.
Click the link to read the whole article: Below the Radar: The HEAR Act
License Required: The Alarming New Mantra from Gun Prohibitionists - Ammoland.com
ANALYSIS: Gun control proponents have latched onto a new mantra in their effort to reduce the number of guns—and gun owners—on the U.S. landscape, reluctantly recognizing that so-called “universal background checks” are not the solution to violent crime involving firearms, nor have they prevented criminals from getting guns.
The latter fact is underscored in a recent online GUNS magazine report covering incidents in several states where suspects have been charged with “felon in possession” of firearms. The “dirty little secret” is that criminals don’t obey gun control laws, a fact that seems elusive to gun control proponents.
So there’s a new strategy gathering momentum among anti-gunners, and according to Vox, this strategy comes from perennial gun control extremist Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who proposed on the 2020 campaign trail to require a license before purchasing a firearm.
Writing at Vox, reporter German Lopez observes, “A license system…is more comprehensive. In Massachusetts, one of the few states with a license system, obtaining a permit requires going through a multi-step process involving interviews with police, background checks, a gun safety training course, and more. Even if a person passes all of that, the local police chief can deny an application anyway. That creates more points at which an applicant can be identified as too dangerous to own a gun; it makes getting and owning a gun harder.”
The acknowledged end result is a reduction in gun ownership by placing hoops through which prospective gun owners must jump before they can exercise their rights under the Second Amendment.
And that’s where this scheme could collide head-on with the Bill of Rights. Reading Vox, and an Op-Ed in the MinnPost.com by second-generation U.S. citizen Eric Ryu reveals what appears to be a complete lack of understanding about the differences between fundamental rights and government-regulated privileges.
Click the link to read the whole article: License Required: The Alarming New Mantra
Urge Your Senators to Oppose Anti-Gun Nominee, David Chipman, for ATF Director - Ammoland.com
Washington, DC – -(AmmoLand.com)- On Wednesday, May 26th at 10:00 am EDT, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on President Biden’s nomination of anti-gun activist David Chipman to be the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The American Suppressor Association urges all supporters of suppressor rights, and anyone who values hearing safety, to contact your Senators immediately and urge them to oppose his confirmation.
There will be a hearing on Wednesday the 26th.
If approved by the Senate, Chipman will become the Bureau’s first permanent Director since B. Todd Jones resigned in 2015 in the wake of ATF’s attempted regulatory ban of M855 ammunition. As the politically appointed leader of ATF, Chipman would instantly become the most powerful anti-gun advocate in Washington. His ability to weaponize the Bureau against both the firearms industry and the Second Amendment would be unlike anything we have ever seen.
Simply put, we cannot allow David Chipman and his gun and suppressor-banning cronies to run ATF.
Chipman, who currently serves as the Senior Policy Advisor for the anti-gun Giffords group, has a repeated history of making false statements regarding the safety and efficacy of firearm suppressors.
In March of 2017, Chipman made his biased and uneducated position on suppressors clear when he stated;
“Anyone who has worked in law enforcement for as long as I have will tell you that silencers were not designed to protect hearing, they were designed to make it difficult for people to identify the sound of gunfire and locate active shooters. Pretending that silencers are only used for hearing protection is misleading and dangerous. Removing regulations that prevent these weapons from falling into the wrong hands threatens the safety of our communities and will make it more difficult for law enforcement officials to do their jobs.”
In reality, suppressors were invented specifically to reduce the sound signature of firearms in order to make the shooting experience a safer and more enjoyable endeavor.
Click the link to read the whole article: Urge Your Senators
Monday, May 24, 2021
Below The Radar: A Virginia Plan That Deserves Rejection - Ammoland.com
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Loyal Ammoland readers who remember history may have heard of the Virginia Plan presented before the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The convention threw a number of its key provisions out, but they salvaged a few items for the Constitution that has worked since 1789.
So, Second Amendment supporters should feel particularly insulted that Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is now hijacking something that was part of building the Constitution that protects our rights to attack them instead, with a large side of the injustice of punishing people for crimes they did not commit.
Kaine’s “Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2021,” also known as S 1155, combined “universal” background checks with gun rationing in the form of a “one gun a month” provision targeting handguns.
It’s a two-for-one whammy that no law-abiding citizen wishing to exercise their Second Amendment rights should put up with.
“Universal” background checks have been addressed a lot. They’re a back door towards the creation of a gun registration system, and registration leads to confiscation. Lyndon Baines Johnson wanted a licensing and registration scheme and didn’t get it. This is why the Gun Control Act of 1968 was actually a strategic loss for anti-Second Amendment extremism. We can discuss that more later.
But the real issue here is the gun rationing scheme. This is being sold as an effort to stop firearm trafficking. What anti-Second Amendment extremists want people to forget are the provisions already in place with 18 USC 922 and 18 USC 924. This 1999 article by Wayne LaPierre runs the numbers on what the laws already in place could do for a criminal who runs just five handguns from, say, Indiana or Mississippi to Chicago.
When anti-Second Amendment extremists talk gun trafficking, their proposals seem to always involve new laws, when they’ve almost never enforced current laws. In the ongoing and unnecessarily nasty feud between pro-Second Amendment incrementalists and the “no compromise” activists, demands about enforcing existing laws are a bone of contention, but the provisions that could address those who provide firearms to violent criminals are a far cry from a ban on modern multi-purpose semiautomatic firearms.
It goes without saying that a rationed right is not really a right at all. What Senator Kaine is doing is asserting that keeping and bearing arms is a privilege. After all, who’s to say that when the gun-rationing scheme this bill would impose fails (because criminals break laws, of course), he won’t try one gun a year, or even demand that we prove our need for a given gun?
Second Amendment supporters need to contact their Senators and Representative to urge the defeat of this legislation. In addition, they need to support the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action and Political Victory Fund to ensure that the current anti-Second Amendment regimes in the House, Senate, and White House are defeated at the ballot box as soon as possible.
TX: Rep. Schaefer – Conference Committee Reaches Agreement on Constitutional Carry - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Constitutional Carry, in the form of HB1927, is coming close to passage in the Texas legislature.
Constitutional Carry has been pushed for several years in Texas, only to be held back by a combination of Democrats and a few Republicans. 2021 is different. One of the big differences is the sheer number of states which have restored the right to carry a handgun in most public places without special permission from the government. Earlier in 2021, four states restored Constitutional Carry, joining 16 others already in the Constitutional Carry club.
States in the East and West, North and South, Atlantic and Pacific, with large rural areas and large metropolitan areas had all restored Constitutional Carry without any statistically meaningful problems.
The Republican Party in Texas, with Allen West in charge, enthusiastically embraced Constitutional Carry in 2021, along with Dade Phelan, Speaker of the House. With considerable pressure from the conservative base, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Governor Greg Abbott both got on board.
HB 1927 passed the House with a large margin on April 15. Then, with considerable help by Lt. Governor Patrick, and several amendments, it passed the Senate with the minimum number of votes to overcome a filibuster. It took all 18 Republicans on the Senate to do so.
The amendments were a problem. Democrats said they violated the requirement for a law to be on one subject. The House sent the bill to the conference committee.
On 21 May, 2021, the Chairman of the Conference Committee, and sponsor of the HB 1927, Matt Schaefer, announced they have reached an agreement. From Representative Matt Schaefer:
The House and Senate conferees have reached an agreement on House Bill 1927, a critical benchmark before this bill reaches Gov. Abbott’s desk. By working together, the House and Senate will send Gov. Abbott the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history, and protect the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self-defense and the defense of their families. Speaker Dade Phelan has been rock-solid every step of the way as House Bill 1927 has progressed, and I am grateful for his leadership and the bipartisan coalition who supported House Bill 1927.
The agreed-upon bill is expected to be presented to both the Senate and House on May 24th or 25th. The Texas legislature adjourns on Midnight, May 31. There is enough time to pass the bill, but not much extra.
Governor Abbot has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
Constitutional Carry is a reasonable approximation of the state of firearms law when the Second Amendment was ratified, in 1791. At that time, no permit was required to carry weapons, concealed or openly, by the federal government or any state.
Click the link to read the whole article: TX Committee Agreement on Constitutional Carry
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Friday, May 21, 2021
Montana Board of Regents to Litigate Campus Carry, Law Should Not Apply to Them - Ammoland.com
Montana – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Montana Board of Regents (BoR) voted this morning to pursue litigation in an attempt to disallow the campus carry feature of Montana Shooting Sports Associations HB 102. The surprise for me was that it was a unanimous vote.
The BoR believes and will argue in court, that having been created by Article X, Section 9(2)(a) of the Montana Constitution, it somehow becomes some sort of super agency that is above any further authority in the Constitution.
Unlike the executive branch, the Legislature, local governments, and every other entity created by the Constitution, the BoR believes that it is exempt from the limitations imposed by the Declaration of Rights in Article II of the Constitution.
HB 102 specifically declares at Section 5 that the BoR is not exempt from the reservations of power that we the people have reserved to ourselves in the Declaration of Rights. The rights reservations to which the BoR is subject are specified in Section 5 of HB 102 to include freedom of speech, assembly, religion, press, privacy, search and seizure, the right to bear arms, and more.
Thus, the BoR believes itself to be above all of this. Under this lame legal theory, if the BoR wishes to hold criminal trials without juries and execute people for speech it doesn’t like, or because someone practices an unapproved religion, it would be free to do so.
This is all very strange, but it is about power for a governmental institution that has long had the bit in its teeth and will not willingly relinquish that power.
Meanwhile, the wild card in this is the Montana judiciary, including the Montana Supreme Court, which has long demonstrated that it is capable of amazing legal contortions to uphold state power. It is possible that the judiciary will declare that the color of new snow is black, or pull some similar legal trick to uphold the BoR power and nix campus carry under HB 102. We’ll see.
Expect the BoR lawsuit to request a temporary injunction against HB 102, holding it in abeyance while the lawyers duke it out in court, a process that could take months or years. Expect the courts (out of “an abundance of caution” don’t you know) to grant that injunction.
Meanwhile, Montana Shooting Sports Association is gearing up its legal team.
We’ve got that covered. Our very pro-gun Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, will mount the primary defense of HB 102 on behalf of the State of Montana. However, we are looking for some sympathetic attorneys willing to cover ancillary issues in amicus briefs. If you know any attorneys who want in on this circus (albeit important circus), please have them contact me.
Best wishes,
Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association
www.mtssa.org
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
www.mtpublish.com
Louisiana: Constitutional Carry Legislation Passes House Committee - Ammoland.com
U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Today, the House Criminal Justice Committee passed Constitutional Carry Legislation, Senate Bill 118, sending the measure to the House Floor for full consideration. Please contact your State Representative and ask them to SUPPORT Senate Bill 118.
CLICK HERE TAKE ACTION
Senate Bill 118 removes the requirement for law-abiding individuals to obtain a concealed handgun permit before being allowed to carry concealed, a handgun for self-defense. This important legislation ensures that citizens are able to exercise their right to self-defense without government red tape or delays. This measure does not affect previously issued carry permits and allows citizens who still wish to obtain a permit in order to carry in other states recognizing Louisiana permits, to do so.
*****
Tomorrow, the House is expected to consider House Bill 597, NRA-backed legislation that discourages banks, payment processors, insurers, and other financial services providers from discriminating against members of the firearm and ammunition industries. House Bill 597 prohibits businesses that engage in this practice from contracting with governmental entities in the Sportsman’s Paradise. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to benefit the bottom-line of corporations that are actively working to erode the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Louisianans.
Please also contact your State Representative and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 597.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)