Rendering Unto Caesar

A church whose pastor is a leader in the local pro-life efforts has earned an Internal Revenue Service demand for an audit of the organization's books by posting its biblically mandated support for life on its marquee.

Funny--I'd expect by now they'd also be looking into Snuffy Pfleger's anti-gun political activities.

A Call for Black Vigilantism

So here's the question: Should black people accept government's dereliction of its first basic function, that of providing protection? My answer is no. One of our basic rights is the right to defend oneself against predators. If the government can't or won't protect people, people have a right to protect themselves.

You say, "Hey, Williams, you're not talking about vigilantism, are you?" Yes, I am.

Time was, before charlatans like Jesse and Al and their ilk took over the "leadership," this was understood through bitter experience.

Some Small Comfort

There is some small comfort in the University of North Carolina's gun-free policy on the system's 16 public campuses.

Don't be so modest. Prospective shooting rampage perpetrators find enormous comfort in that.

Nothing like giving aid and comfort to the enemy, is there?

How can there be any doubt that anyone proposing enforced defenselessness is anything but an enemy himself?

We're the Only Ones Oldest Professional Enough

A Newport Township part-time police officer was working as an escort when he was arrested in a prostitution sting at a Wilkes-Barre motel on Friday, according to arrest papers.

I guess he's blown his career now...

[More from "The Only Ones" Files]

Gary from Billings

We showed yesterday how we have a choice to either lead or snipe from the sidelines. I wanted to share an email exchange I just had with "Gary," the gun owner who has taken it on himself to lead the effort in his home town to spread the word about the August 28 Ammo Buy :

I dropped off flyers at the 3 remaining ‘big box’ sporting goods stores, Billings Gunsmith, and 2 pawn shops. I also wrote a letter to the editor of the Billings Gazette flagrantly plagiarizing your post. Will concentrate on the remaining pawn shops tomorrow with some help from coworkers. Will be emailing the info to every sportsman in my address book tonight.

Gary

My response:

Gary, thank you. If there was one gun owner like you in every city, we'd be winning this thing. I just saw another forum idiot put the idea down and recommend a 'solution' that would require a thousand times the effort--with of course no pledge that he would do a thing toward making it happen.

I appreciate your leadership.

I'd appreciate yours, too.

Time to Separate Church from State in Kennesaw

"We passed an ordinance banning firearms, and the state, in its infinite wisdom, passed a law saying people can have guns in parks and endanger our kids," said Church. "We think we ought to have the right to protect our kids and our citizenry."

Now tell 'em the truth, Mayor Leonard Church.

The truth is, it's already illegal for criminals to carry, so these "people" you don't trust--the only ones who would obey such a ridiculous edict--are the ones who aren't causing a problem. You insult them by accusing them of being a danger to "our kids" (and the claim that children belong to some collective hive is symptomatic of your statist mindset). And you offer the further unsubstantiated assertion that the best way to protect yourself is to allow the state to disarm you while it utterly fails to disarm the violent among us.

And let's extrapolate a bit: if a citizen with a gun is a danger to himself and others when he's in a park, why is he not also a danger to himself and others when he's at other places where it's "legal" to have one? How could anyone adopt your position, Mayor Church, and not also hold that the only solution is to give martinets like yourself the power to ban guns everywhere?

Great logic there, genius. Perhaps you're right--perhaps anybody dumb enough to vote for a an ignorant, blowhard tyrant wannabe like yourself is too stupid to have a gun.

Hopefully, come the next election, there'll be enough smart ones in Kennesaw to vote for separating Church from state.

I got this story from Ed Stone and Matt Knighten of Georgia Carry. Matt adds:

The good news is that they repealed their ordinance because Georgia has a law preempting local counties or cities from "regulation in any manner" the carry and possession of firearms (other than discharge or bans regarding county employees).

The bad news is that they are so upset that they are going to lobby against the preemption law during the next legislative session.

The AJC has done something with the first article that appeared online earlier Tuesday which quoted Mayor Church of Kennesaw as saying GeorgiaCarry.org is a group “that doesn’t have anything better to do than to endanger our kids” in Kennesaw and other cities.

Well, so much for Guntown USA.

How You Can Show Support for Red's

Buy a hat. Click the title link for details.

Ryan Horsley "will be speaking out Thursday at the Regulatory Fairness Forum in Boise."

He continues:

Second Amendment Organizations: Let me make this clear, I have not been speaking out to receive help, this is not about Red's Trading Post, this is about all dealers. Our case is in the hands of the Judge, I have been speaking out to raise awareness of what is happening to our Second Amendment. Since speaking out I have become an even bigger target of the ATF. I'm not looking for a pat on the back, all I am looking for is some support. Simply write a letter, acknowledging what all of us know, that there is a problem with the ATF and it needs to be resolved. Thank you!

Hear, hear. Aside from JPFO and some individuals affiliated with gun rights organizations, the organizations themselves have been conspicuously absent from the fray.

It may not be "about Red's," but that's certainly where the current engagement--that will either chasten or embolden BATFU--is being fought. It's past time these groups--that rely on gun owner generosity to exist and prosper from--stopped lurking from the sidelines while volunteers do all the heavy lifting.

This Day in History: August 22

August 22, 1777

British Colonel Barry St. Leger abandons Fort Stanwix for Canada as Arnold's forces approach.