Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Obama to Move Swiftly on Guns

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , on January 9, 2009| 2 Comments »

Or so it seems based on commentary from folks close to the firearms industry.  The best information on all of this came last Sunday when a number of knowledgeable people were guests on Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio program.  These experts included The Shooting Wire‘s Jim Shepherd (by far the best segment of the program), and The War on Guns‘ David Codrea.  Shepard is a longtime veteran of the media and he has well placed sources who tell him that the new administrationwill move on the so-called assault weapons ban sooner rather than later.  Shepard was on the program for the entire second hour with the most important parts of his analysis coming in the last ten minutes.  I can’t do it justice here so I recommend you listen to his comments yourself.

Codrea’s comments were made during the first hour of the program.  Today he also linked to a post by Michael Bane that talks about how the administration will multi-task by taking on the recession and guns at the same time.

Basically, Bane says his insider source explains due to the fact Obama has taken such a beating from the “moonbats” on the left over the Rick Warren inaugural invocation and the fact Obama is installing a third Clinton administration, he has to “rebuild his left-wing creds.”  Taking on the assault weapons ban so soon will burn a huge amount of political capital, but it will “drive a stake in the ground” to prove Obama means what he says about “change” regardless of the consequences.  Plus, the Republicans are so disorganized and the Blue Dogs in his own party are less likely to band together early in his administration that striking early makes sense.  The source also posed that the “gun lobby” is as weak now as it is ever going to be.

After the reaction to his economic stimulus plan by members of his party in the Senate I don’t know if I completely agree with the Blue Dogs not rebelling this soon but the reasons for a quick strike given by Bane’s source (there were a total of six) make sense to me.

Needless to say there are storm clouds on the horizon for gun owners and they are getting darker as January 20th approaches.

Read Full Post »

This is No Real Surprise

Posted in Politics, tagged , on January 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Barack Obama has named Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to head the Democratic National Committee.  Kaine had previously told Obama that he would not accept a cabinet level position in the new administration.  Kaine said he wanted to finish his term as Govenor.  I guess Kaine figures being chairman of the DNC will not require much time away from his duties as Governor.   Actually, he had a lot of practice considering the amount of time he was on the road for Obama last year. I can’t say I am surprised by this because Obama likely wanted to give Kaine something for all of the work he did on Obama’s behalf and since he would not accept a cabinet post the only thing of substance is the DNC chairmanship.  We shall see if Kaine can do more for the DNC than he has done for the Commonwealth.  To date, Kaine only achievements have been in the political realm – helping put control of the State Senate back in the hands of his party, and working to push Virginia in the “Blue” column last election. 
 
Kaine has signed one pro-gun bill of substance – the bill outlawing N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s firearm straw purchase schemes, as well as some minor pro-gun bills.  But the two most important pro-gun bills to pass during his term – the bill repealing the restaurant ban and the bill allowing non-CHP holders to carry concealed firearms in private motor vehicles if stored locked in container – were both vetoed.  Kaine is also famous for having tried to use public funds to support the 2000 Million Mom March while he was Mayor of the City of Richmond.

Read Full Post »

Ken Blackwell on Eric Holder

Posted in Politics, tagged , on December 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Ken Blackwell has a great article over at National Review about Obama’s pick of Eric Holder as Attorney General. While many of Obama’s picks have been applauded, Blackwell points out that even the Washington Post has raised questions about Holder. You can find the article here.

Read Full Post »

Obama – Gun Onwers Have Nothing to Fear From Me

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged on December 8, 2008| Leave a Comment »

According to an AFP report, Barack Obama said yesterday during a press conference that gun owners have no reason to stock up on guns.

“I believe in common sense gun safety law, and I believe in the second amendment. And so, lawful gun owners have nothing to fear. I’ve said that throughout the campaign. I haven’t indicated anything different during the transition, and I think that people can take me at my word.”

Obama always adds he has no intention of  “taking away folks’ guns.”  True enough. But he has made statements that make it very clear he plans to make it as hard as possible, or in some cases impossible, to get certain types of guns. I think actions speak much louder than words and given Obama’s past record, and the fact that he has announced a very anti-gun nominee for Attorney General, gun owners should be very wary.

Read Full Post »

Do Gun Distributors Compete with Gun Dealers

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , on December 3, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Jim Shepherd writes in today’s Shooting Wire that one of the consequences of the run on tactical rifles is that some of the distributors that service gun retailers end up competing with the folks they are supposed to be servicing. Shepherd writes:
More than one dealer is complaining that one distributor is not only raising prices to dealers, they’re selling that same inventory direct to consumers – for the same price. …As one former dealer told me, “it’s always been up to the dealer to make his own money, a distributor can sell to anyone they please as long as the transaction is completed through an FFL.” But, he confided, he wouldn’t bet on the distributor winning any friends in the dealer ranks.  Some call it an example of supply and demand; others say it’s no different than the “entrepreneurs” who snapped up all the available plywood in their areas and trucked it to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. There, they sold that plywood to disaster victims – at astronomical markups.

You can read all of Shepherd’s article here.

Uncertainty is driving gun sales – uncertainty about the economy and political uncertainty. But on the political side, Obama can’t do anything the day he takes office and the legislative process means that it will be weeks, if not months before any potential gun control bill comes up for a vote. So for now, as demand for these firearms continue to outpace manufacturing capacity, patience should be the word of the day.

Read Full Post »

Prince William Gun Range, Gun Sales Increase and Gun Shows

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , , on November 21, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The President of the Virginia Shooting Sports Association spoke with NRA News’ Cam Edwards on Wednesday night and they talked about several topics of interest to gun owners.

Read Full Post »

Holder at Justice a Diasater for Gun Owners

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , on November 19, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Word is Barack Obama has chosen another Clintonista, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder to serve as the next Attorney General.  Holder is no friend of the Second Amendment.  Dave Kopel writes in this month’s NRA magazine America’s First Freedom that Holder was one of the individuals that signed on to the Reno amicus brief supporting the D.C. gun ban in the Heller Case.  That brief claimed that every Justice Department since Franlin Roosevelt through Clinton always believed that the Second Amendment did not protect an individual right to guns for personal use.  After the decision came down from the Court that the Second Amendment does indeed cover an individual right to keep and bear arms Holder complained it would mean greater access to firearms and more guns on the street.

Obama is batting three for three on attacking gun owners.  First he appoints Clinton’s gun control point man, Rahm Emmanuel, as his Chief of Staff.  Then he posts a very specific gun control agenda on his transition web site.  Now he appoints Eric Holder as Attorney General.

If you are not an NRA member and a member of your state gun rights (all of them) organizations, join them today because we are going to need every gun owner in this battle.

Update: More on Eric Holder can be found here.

Read Full Post »

Gun Rights Activists React to Obama Questionnaire

Posted in gun rights, Politics, tagged , , , , , on November 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Last week the blogosphere was all abuzz with talk about question number 59 on the Obama Employment Questionnaire.  That is the question asking prospective administration employees

“Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun?  If so, provide complete ownership and registration information.  Has the registration ever lapsed?  Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”

Jake Tapper, ABC News’ Senior White House Correspondent, referred to the questionnaire this morning on his blog as a list of “intrusive and extensive” questions.   

Cam Edwards covered the topic extensively on his Thursday and Friday shows and NRA’s Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre was interviewed by NRA News‘ Ginny Simone about what has become known as “question #59.”  Tapper writes that South Carolina Congressman Jim Demint has also jumped into the fray saying,

“I am deeply disturbed that President-elect Obama is asking job applicants whether they or members of their family own guns. Millions of law-abiding Americans own firearms and they should not be discriminated against. The questionnaire already seeks information about illegal activity so there is no reason to ask this question unless the Obama Administration plans to use it to discriminate based on lawful activity. For this reason, I will seek to enact legislation to prohibit this type of discrimination.”

Is this much to-do about nothing?  Obama’s minions say yes.  They told Tapper that the question is not about discriminating against gun owners, but is meant to insure anyone with a gun has one within the “parameters of the law.”  They compare question #59 to the one about whether the prospective employee has had run-ins with the law over any law or regulation, or ever gotten a traffic ticket of more than $50 in fines.

Bill Bennett’s guest host this morning, Kevin Wall, said the questionnaire is a way for the Obama transition team to make sure they don’t run into the problems that Clinton ran into to with some of his nominees in the first term.

Forgive me it I think something else is afoot.  Obama has shown a disdain for guns and gun owners his entire public life.  This is just one more reason not to trust the guy when it comes to our gun rights.

Read Full Post »

HSUS and Lead Ammo

Posted in gun rights, hunting, Politics, tagged , , on November 14, 2008| Leave a Comment »

As Virginia’s hunters await the opening of general firearms deer season on November 15th, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the largest anti-hunting lobby in the country, is pushing for a nationwide ban on lead ammo.  Using a recent CDC study by the North Dakota Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they claim the preliminary findings show North Dakotans who ate wildlife killed with lead bullets had higher levels of lead in their blood than people who ate little or no meat from wild animals.  

 The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) immediately responded with these facts from the study:

1. Consuming game harvested using traditional hunting ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

2. Participants in the study had readings lower than the national average and well below the level the CDC considers to be of concern.

3. Children in the study had readings that were less than half the national average and far below the level the CDC considers to be of concern.

4. The study showed a statistically insignificant difference between participants who ate game harvested using traditional hunting ammunition and the non-hunters in the control group.

5. Hunters should continue to donate venison to food pantries.

Just as anti-gun groups know that a total ban on gun ownership is nearly impossible, the anti-hunting groups know an outright ban on hunting would be equally impossible to achieve.  So as anti-gun groups seek other ways to make it harder for gun owners to exercise their rights, the anti-hunting groups seek to dismantle the culture of hunting and banning lead ammunition is the first step of this larger political mission.

They have already won this battle in California and sensing they will have a friendlier ear in the White House, they have set their sights on the entire nation.

Read Full Post »

Obama “Scrubs” Transition Web Site

Posted in Politics, tagged , , , on November 10, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The Obama transition team was apparently taken aback by all of the Internet chatter on such things as his gun control proposals and his mandatory public service proposals because the change.gov web full of 20 some policy headings that included specifics in each category like “Urban Policy” etc., has been replaced with simply this paragraph:

The Agenda

President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden have developed innovative approaches to challenge the status quo in Washington and to bring about the kind of change America needs.

The Obama Administration has a comprehensive and detailed agenda to carry out its policies. The principal priorities of the Obama Administration include: a plan to revive the economy, to fix our health care, education, and social security systems, to define a clear path to energy independence, to end the war in Iraq responsibly and finish our mission in Afghanistan, and to work with our allies to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, among many other domestic and foreign policy objectives.

Stay tuned.  I’m sure the scrubbing will not change his left wing agenda – just the transparency with which it is going to be carried out.

Update: Thanks to the folks over at Pink Pistols, those who did not see the original agenda pages on the Obama Transition web site are now able to see them.  Someone thinking ahead scanned the pages and uploaded them so the world can still see the leftest turn this country is about to take.  You can see the gun control proposals here by scrolling down to page four of the document.

Hat tip to Big Gay Al at Yahoo’s Gun Issues Group for pointing me to this.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »