GRE Round Up for February 28

Here are the latest offerings from my fellow GREs:

Sean McClanahan/Des Moines:

• Senator Sodders sees changes in gun laws

Liston Matthews/Knoxville:

• Knoxville mayoral candidate Marilyn Roddy

John Pierce/Minneapolis:

• With friends like this: Part II

Dave Workman/Seattle:

• Dueling billboards: CCRKBA, ISRA v. Mayors, Bloomberg; Notes from a gun show

Kurt Hofmann/St. Louis:

• The toxic 'embrace' of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

Also check out these other Liberty-oriented Examiners:

• Cochise County Libertarian
• Conservative
• LA Anti-Establishment
• Michigan Firearms

Don't Have a Cow

SB 1246 by Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, would make it a first-degree felony to photograph a farm without first obtaining written permission from the owner.[More]

Jeez, that could get you up to 30 years.  And make you a prohibited person.

Nice digs, Jim.  With any luck, maybe we'll be able to stop by the side of the road and take pictures of the bulls supervising you on the work farm, and the prohibited person will be you.

We're the Only Ones Going for a Ride-Along Enough

According to Lt. Ray Evers, an altercation broke out inside a car between a civilian and an off-duty police lieutenant. [More]

Yeah, I can't begin to tell you how many times I've gotten into arguments in my car that ended in shots fired.

We'll be there when we're there.  And you should have gone last time we stopped.

[Via Tango Down]

A Good 'Buy Back'

Austinites outbid Police in gun buyback counter-program [More]

In principle, I like it. In practice, I'd want to make sure I'd thought through various potentials. For instance, some of the "official" events provide for traces to return stolen guns to rightful owners.

[Via Mark G]

To Be or Not to Be?

John Richardson says HR 822 looks like "a pretty good bill."

Dan Gifford forwarded an email that says not so fast:

If You Want to Follow my Lead…: A few list members shared with me their comments to congressmen and the NRA-ILA regarding HR 822. These are the comments I sent to my representative, Paul Gosar, by means of GOA’s contact option at http://capwiz.com/gunowners/dbq/officials/:

I am a dedicated and long-term activist for the restoration of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Still, I must ask that you vote "no" on HR 822, the Stearns-Shuler bill to mandate nationwide recognition of state carry permits. Laudable as the goal sounds, the concept is a Trojan horse.


Sen. Feinstein has already announced her intent to establish federal standards for the issuance of concealed-carry permits at state level, to include a California-style requirement for proof of need. Costly medical and psychological testing, along with police-level "qualification" courses could also be included.


While none of this is in the current bill, making the carry of firearms a federal matter creates a ready vehicle for amendment when the political pendulum swings back to the left. The nation's experience with the 55 mph speed limit showed how easily the federal government can obtain compliance with federal standards simply by threatening to withhold federal funds.

I suppose now advocates for both viewpoints are going to hash this out on blogs and in forums...

Me, I've always been kinda partial to Constitutional carry...

We're the Only Ones Witnessed To Enough

"The inclination might be to try to stop it. We don't want people to do that. We want store employees to be witnesses to shoplifting, not victims of assault," says Skoogman. [More]

 So should we assume that Skoogman & Co. wouldn't try to stop it either, or just that they think they're the "Only Ones" qualified to try, because, chances are, whatever a mob wanted to do to you would be fait accompli by the time they got there and swilled down some free coffee while they took down their report?

Seems to me like one of those "30 round clips" we're hearing so much about lately might just persuade a mob to leave quietly and not assault anyone.

[Via cycjec]

We're the Only Ones Setting the Bar High Enough

Recently, here in the state of Washington, King County prosecutors announced that they would not charge Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk for the shooting death of Native American woodcarver John T. Williams despite a police firearms review board deciding that the shooting was unjustified. In this case, prosecutors cited Washington State law which they say sets such a high bar against prosecuting police officers in such cases that they could not charge Birk even though his actions appeared negligent at best. [More]

If we don't like it, we are told, we can always change the law.

I wonder who could possibly be against such a change?  Aside from all the usual suspects.

And, of course, it would still leave those mourning victims killed before any change SOL as far as any legal recourse goes.

So much for securing the blessings of Liberty...

[Via Ron W]

What's to Debate?

Didn't every single one of you fork-tongued weasels who presume you even have a say in the matter take an oath? [Read]

[Via Ed M]

Wyoming Governor Has a Big "But"

Mead, a former U.S. Attorney for Wyoming who has prosecuted federal firearms cases, has said he supports gun rights but will wait until the bill reaches his desk before deciding whether to sign it...[More]

What's to decide?

Will Libya retain its progressive monopoly of violence?

Then just call gun owners who believe their right to keep and bear arms is another check and balance against tyranny “extremists” or “hatriots” or—what does Saif call them?— “terrorists.” It’s not like media supportive of that government monopoly of violence, either here or in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, are going to challenge it. [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner commentary nominates some domestic Gaddafi sympathizers for a well-deserved international award.

Field Report

Verbatim reports from the field via FreeFor counterprotesters in opposition to Saturday's union/fellow traveller demonstrations in Atlanta and Raleigh...[More]

Here's a special message to the trivial Teajacker who somehow thinks the struggle is about effects instead of causes. Believe it or not, yours is not the last word.

But you're right: Those men did not speak for you. That you're oblivious to the irony of that tells us all we need to know.

Photos and videos.

This Day in History: February 28

Ten days after the event, on February 28, 1779, General Henry Knox wrote a letter to his brother William describing the Grand Alliance Ball: "We had above seventy ladies, all of the first ton in the State, and between three and four hundred Gentlemen. We danced all night--an elegant room, the illuminating fireworks were more than pretty." The entertainment was given by the artillery corps, which erected a temple, or frame, of 13 Corinthian arches, about 100 feet in length and proportionally high, each arch containing an illuminated painting emblematic of the Revolution. [More]