Unbelievable news folks! NASCAR rejects gun ads, cites “gradual shift” on attitude toward guns. READ MORE
Looks like this is where NASCAR might be heading with gun owners.
SOURCE: article by David Dolbee, and other sources
One of the largest professional sports organizations on the planet, and one of the most popular, is risking losing the faith and support of a large segment of their fan base.
Nascar’s “Gradual Shift”
In March and April 2019, several firearms retailers and manufacturers were contacted by National Event Publications, official media sales agent for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA, NHRA, and USA Today Lifestyle. The pitch was to buy advertising in the official program for the last 26 races of the season. K-Var, a well respected figure in the firearms industry, opted to advertise, as did at least 16 other manufacturers or retailers including CZ-USA, Beretta, Daniel Defense, and others. The deadline to have artwork submitted for approval was April 19, 2019. Then, on August 19, 2019 (four months later) K-Var was contacted by National Event Publications with the following message:
“We just heard from NASCAR on a number of gun related ads and unfortunately, due a gradual shift in NASCAR’s position on guns, these ads must be edited/changed — especially those that are depicted as assault-style rifles/sniper rifles. NASCAR is still open to some of the less controversial gun accessories, concealed carry, or classes.”
Here’s the ad that K-Var had banned by NASCAR.
Did you know NASCAR was going through a “gradual shift on guns?” What does that even mean? NASCAR has allowed ads from firearms manufacturers for several years. AK-47s, AR-15s, and scoped rifles have all been featured in the past, so, by that statement, it can only mean that NASCAR is marching toward a complete anti-gun stance — it is just slow rolling it for some reason.
We can only wonder what NASCAR might be thinking, or if they’re thinking at all. We don’t have figures in hand, but one can only imagine that a good percentage of their fan base are gun owners, it might be 50 percent, 80 percent, 20 percent, more, less, but it’s bound to be enough that this “gradual shift” will backfire beyond their imagination. Winston Churchill said it many years ago: ‘Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.’ Do they not know the ramifications, the fervent uproar and boycotts the pro Second Amendment supporters have waged against the likes of Dick’s Sporting Goods or Yeti Coolers? All Yeti had to do was state it was cutting ties with the NRA for political reasons to earn the ire of the pro firearms forces, which expressed their displeasure in rather spectacular fashion. What will they do with NASCAR?
Gander Outdoors sponsors the NASCAR Truck Series. Does NASCAR realize all that is for sale at Gander? Bass Pro Shops sponsors a car. Has NASCAR checked out what Bass Pro is selling? This all happened after the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Reports now say Henry USA is vying for a new NASCAR sponsorship. The mixed messaging leaves many scratching their heads.
Whether or not you are a NASCAR fan, do you think the majority of its fanbase is pro Second Amendment or pro gun control? Does anyone really believe an overwhelming majority of NASCAR fans are not going to rebel at NASCAR’s “gradual shift?”
“Low budget, high value bullpup” so says the author. If that’s what you’re looking for, read all about this one HERE
Wilburn Roberts
The Kel-Tec RDB17 could be considered the working man’s bullpup: nothing fancy, but it sure performs. The RDB17 is a no frills bullpup that is very functional with a simplistic approach.
Features and Function
The RDB17 is constructed of two polymer halves that sandwich around a steel action and barrel. The gas piston system has a gas regulator so a user can regulate the weapon to run on all sorts of ammunition and also be adjusted for a suppressor. The gas regulator can be adjusted with the open mouth from an empty 5.56 NATO case. It’s click adjustable and comes from the factory ready to run on standard M193 type ammo.
The RDB17 features a left side charging handle that is non-reciprocating. It locks against the forend when not being used. The cooking handle provides good leverage when cocking the weapon with the support hand on the charging handle and firing hand on the grip.
The charging handle folds out and provides plenty of leverage to cock the RDB.
The outside texture of the polymer features a very coarse grid pattern that is comfortable and offers plenty of grip purchase. A picatinny rail at 12 and 6 o’clock allow mounting of and optic or vertical grip.
The ambidextrous safety selector on the RDB17 is located under the thumb of the firing hand and easy to manipulate. The simple magazine release is designed so a magazine can be stripped away with the support hand.
The controls include an ambidextrous rotating safety selector that is easily manipulated by the thumb of shooing hand like an AR15, but requires less rotation than the typical AR15 selector. The magazine release lever is also suited for left or right hand users. The lever is designed so the magazine can fall free as the operator grasps the magazine to remove it since the operator’s hand naturally falls on it. The simple metal magazine release is pressed to drop or strip away the magazine.
Field stripping the Kel-Tec is simple. Push out two pins and it disassembles similar to an AR15. Rotate the grip downward and the barrel and bolt carrier can be removed from the stock/grip assembly.
The RDB uses a unique downward ejecting system. As the bolt move rearward the extractor pulls the cases out of the chamber and into dual ejectors that push the case down a chute so empties fall at the shooter’s feet.
That slot aft of the magazine is the ejection port on the RDB17. It dumps empties straight down.
The Kel-Tec comes with a 20-round magazine and is also compatible with standard AR15 magazines, which I and I’m sure many others will appreciate. I used Brownells’ aluminum body magazines, Magpul Pmags, and Hexmag, all 30-rounders.
Firing
I tested the Kel-Tec with a SIG Romeo4B red dot sight which excels at close to medium range. At ranges out to 100 yards the dot suffices and while most red dots tend to cover a lot of target at far distances the Romeo4B allows the user to toggle between four different reticles: 2 MOA dot, 2 MOA dot with ballistic holds, 2 MOA/65 MOA Circle Dot, or 2 MOA/65 MOA Circle Dot with ballistic holds. The ballistic holdover points are calibrated for 5.56 NATO and 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. An activated motion sensor immediately powers up illumination when the red dot senses motion and powers down when it does not in order to extend battery life. A nice feature for those of you like me who forget to turn off the red dot and find it dead the nest time you use it.
The SIG Romeo4B red dot was well suited to the RDB.
Three brands of ammunition were used including Aguila 5.56mm NATO with a 62-grain FMJ bullet, .223 Rem. Federal Fusion loaded with a 62-grain soft point, and SIG Sauer .223 Rem. ammo loaded with a 77-grain OTM Match bullet.
At 25 yards using a rest I could create one large hole in the target. At 100 yards and using the same rest the accuracy ranged between 2.5 to 3 MOA. In speed testing, the RDB17 ran well with no malfunctions. The handguard incorporates a ridge so your support hand does not get too close the muzzle. Hot brass falls at your feet. The trigger was not as refined as I would like, but usable.
The Kel-Tec is a basic bullpup that in my opinion and it will get the job done. If you have a need to own a bullpup and have a limited budget this would be an excellent option.
Five tips to reduce shot-to-shot bullet velocity deviation. READ MORE
The age old first step to improving velocity consistency is making sure each case has the same amount of propellant.
Glen Zediker
I’ve spent the last two editions on velocity variations, and this one will offer some ideas on how to get yours as low as possible.
Consistent Propellant Charge
This comes first to mind, and probably comes first in most everyone’s mind, and that’s because it makes the most “sense.” Sure enough, given the effect on velocity from a tenth or two grain variation in propellant, eliminating that variable clearly takes a big step toward improving consistency.
Now comes the big question: Throw or weigh? That one there is another complete article, but the short course is, “it depends.” Bad answer! I know, but there’re more coming in a bit to add to either confusion or clarity, depending on experience. Overall, I’ll say “weigh.”
I say “weigh” because that goes a long way toward eliminating inconsistent amounts of propellant as a factor. I also say weigh because of the previously mentioned undeniable effect of haphazard propellant levels, and weighing each charge should eliminate that. Do, however, make sure that the scale is reliable. I still use an old-school beam scale. A good deal of trials and tests have not given me the confidence I need to have in many electronic scales. The short answer to satisfaction, again from my experience, is that you’ll likely get best, or at least better, results from a scale that ranges upward in cost from the “mid-priced” units, and decidedly better performance compared to the lower-priced models. I’ll also say the same for the scale-based dispensing devices on the market. I’ve used a couple that my meter beat, and a couple that were impressively accurate over a lengthy session.
That goes a whopping lot faster with a little technology! I’ve been impressed with this one, the Hornady LNL Auto-Charge. It’s on sale now at Midsouth HERE
Ignition Enhancement
Numbers 2 and 3 on my 5-point list involve the primer — ignition. This is a crucial point in the life of a flying bullet. If the primer is delivering a consistent flash to ignite the propellant column, then said column will ignite more consistently.
Uniforming the primer pocket can help. The main thing this trick accomplishes is a flat-bottomed primer pocket. The tool faces the bottom of the pocket to squareness and also cuts the entire bottom of the pocket to squareness. Most primer pockets are formed using a punch and that leaves a radius on the “corners,” resulting in a bowl-shape. Since primers are flat, they don’t seat correctly and as designed unless the primer pocket is flat. And, if the primer pocket is flat then the primer can be seated fully, which means that the anvil “feet” make correct, full contact.
If the primer isn’t seated flat and flush then some energy from the firing pin gets absorbed in finishing the primer seating, and that leads to a softer hit, and less (perfect) consistency in ignition. Yes. It’s tiny, but so is all of this!
Proven (by me) consistency helps are inside flash hole deburring and primer pocket uniforming. Both improve ignition consistency. Check out tools at Midsouth HERE andHERE
Uniforming the primer flash hole is another trick that honestly “works” to improve velocity consistency. This is another usually punched process and can leave a burr visible on the inside of a case. A uniforming tool removes this burr and, depending on the tool design or its adjustment (if possible) will also create a little funneled area believed to better spread the initial flash to ignite the powder column. Some worry about losing metal in this area, but it will not weaken the case in any detrimental fashion.
Consistent Bullet Grip
Bullet “release” has to be consistent for the combustion behind it driving it forward to be consistent. First, that means the case neck walls should ideally be consistent so the case neck cylinder will be sized to a consistent dimension. The “spring back” in brass means thinner or thicker walls respond differently to the same dimension sizing apparatus. Again, this is a tiny thing, but they all add up.
Further, myself and a good many others have found that we usually see better shot-to-shot velocity consistency with a little more, not a little less, case neck grip, or bullet retention, however you prefer to call it. By “grip,” which some also often call “case neck tension,” I’m talking about the difference between the sized case neck inside diameter and the bullet diameter. This is something that my friend and associate, David Tubb, has done a good deal of experimentation with, as have I.
We both found that best results, again meaning best velocity consistency, came at more than 0.002 inches difference. I routinely use 0.004 for my competition loads.
One way to improve the consistency in grip is using a mandrel as a separate operation. A mandrel is pretty much a sizing button or expander that’s got a longer surface area, and, of course, is precisely sized. The idea is to use the mandrel on a case neck that is sized at least 0.003 inches smaller than the mandrel, run the mandrel into the case neck for a 5-count (important) and then withdraw it.
Another thing: I’ve got all the means but not yet had the time to experiment with adhesives. Right: That’s glue between the bullet and the case neck inside. Varying bond-strength glues have been used in honking big cartridges for military use for years and one of the pretty well demonstrated benefits is increased velocity consistency. This is a new area for the handloader and I hope to have some more information about it later on.
Last
I really don’t like it when we sometimes (and honestly) say that it’s “more art than science.” We say that when there’s a predictable or at least reproducible combination of things that give great results. In handloading that’s something like very good accuracy and very small shot-to-shot velocity variations.
Of course it’s science! But it’s just not that well understood, meaning it’s not precisely predictable, or at least not by me and most who recite that mantra. There is a combination of case, propellant, primer, bullet, and barrel that appears magic compared to some of the other things we’ve tried. It’s all a system. Since we’ve got the barrel and it is what it is, propellant and primer are the main variables, and of course we can try different cases. I believe that it’s case volume as part of the system that has its influence on performance.
Back to the first point, ultimately the answer to the “throw or weigh” question comes as a combination of the precision of the meter and the choice of propellant. I don’t weigh charges, or not making up the loads I settled on for use in tournaments, and that’s because I see zero difference in on-target results, and that starts with seeing zero difference in shot-to-shot velocity readings in testing. I, however, have seen radical differences in on-target results with other combinations comparing weighed and thrown. However! Those loads still didn’t make my cut because, overall, the velocity consistency just wasn’t there in the first place. Folks I can tell you absolutely that just weighing each charge does in no way mean you’re going to get suitable spreads with any old gunpowder. The ultimate answer to attaining tiny shot-to-shot velocity variations, and tiny shot groups, comes from experience in doing your own testing. That’s a “said nothing” statement, but there has to be a willingness to experiment.
Beyond only experimentation, though, I think these few tips will help ensure you’re getting the best that combination can give you.
This article is adapted from Glen’s book, Handloading For Competition, available at Midsouth HERE. For more information on that and other books by Glen, visit ZedikerPublishing.com
There are few items in the firearms world with as much mystique and wonder as the modern day suppressor. These handy devices have seen an astronomical increase in interest as people begin to discover all of the benefits of owning and using a suppressor on their firearms. The first step in this conversation about suppressors is to get a quick look at how these little gems work.
When we press the trigger the gun fires and a chain of events is set into motion. The fired round produces hot and pressurized gases that force the bullet down the barrel. Once they launch the round out of the barrel they escape into the open and in doing so experience a dramatic change in environment which causes the explosive sound we hear. Suppressors work by chambering and controlling those gases to more efficiently funnel them and cool them before they leave the gun.
The suppressor is composed of several parts depending on the brand and design, but essentially all share some common parts. The main body or expansion chamber is composed of a series of baffles that efficiently funnel, cool, and spread out the gasses to reduce their noise once they do reach the outside. The number and design of the baffles is often a trademarked item as each company looks to find the holy grail of silence. The end result of this gas pinball action is a quieter shot with reduced recoil.
Contrary to popular belief, suppressors do not completely eliminate the sound of a weapon being fired. Some do an exceptional job but they are in no way truly silencers. The funny thing about that is that the ATF in the NFA division actually list suppressors as “silencers.” Why they do so is not known to me, but my guess is that it was a term in common use when laws were written and it simply stuck. Suppressors are also commonly referred to as “cans” because of their design. The ultimate goal of a suppressor is to make the weapon “hearing safe.” This means the sound is controlled and diminished to the point that hearing protection is not required. In some guns this is easy and made easier by the use of subsonic ammunition. Others, however, will never reach that level, but the percussion of the shots are less spleen damaging.
The perks of running a suppressor are many, but protecting your hearing is by far the most critical. This is especially true for shooters that put a lot of rounds down range each year. There is a cumulative effect and in time without superior hearing protection you will begin to notice the effects. Suppressors help to reduce and even eliminate that problem. Another benefit is a reduction in muzzle rise. This allows us to stay on target and in turn shoot faster. One last positive aspect of suppressors is their ability to diminish muzzle flash. This is very important to military and law enforcement that use night vision.
There are essentially three types of suppressors that we have access to. First is the thread on can. These devices attach to the threaded portion of your rifle or pistol barrel. Once the most common type of can, they are starting to become a little rarer as designs have improved. Our second can is the quick detach or QD can. These devices are sold with a host muzzle device that is attached to the rifle. The can simply slides on over the top of the device and then locks into place via the company’s chosen method. These are popular because they allow us to more quickly move our can from one gun to another. All you need to do is buy additional muzzle devices and you can share one can across many guns. The last type are integral suppressors. These are devices that are incorporated into the actual barrel of the gun. These are considered to be the quietest cans because they have larger chambers and are set up for a specific gun. To the naked eye, these guns simply appear to have just a slightly thicker barrel. A great example of this is an integrally suppressed .22LR bolt rifle with a port. When using subsonic ammunition this gun is as close to silent as a suppressor can get. In fact the mechanical sounds produced by the gun such as the trigger clicking are many times louder than the shot.
The downside to suppressors is that they fall under the National Firearms Act or NFA. This means that in order to get one, you need to file specific paperwork with the ATF and pay a $200 tax stamp fee. The approval process can run anywhere from 90 days to nine months or more depending on how many forms the NFA has to process. Once approved you literally will get a stamp. It looks like a fancy postage stamp and is your golden ticket to owning your suppressor. You need to go through this process for each can you purchase and many people have become “stamp collectors.”
Even with it being a pain in the caboose, owning a suppressor is a great idea. If you take a new friend shooting for the first time, using a suppressor is a good way to ease them into things. Once again, I will mention hearing protection as one of the major benefits. Overall, the benefits of having a suppressor far outweigh the downsides. More companies are making them and prices have dropped dramatically over the years. If you have been considering going quiet, I encourage you to make the jump. The quicker you do the paperwork, the faster you will get your can!
Fred Mastison is a national magazine contributor, professional firearms and combatives instructor and executive protection provider and trainer. He is also the host of the weekly firearms podcast Center Mass. He has written over 600 articles for 27 different magazines. He is a reserve police officer and has been training in firearms & close quarter combatives for over three decades. Additionally he has almost 40 years in the martial arts and holds advanced degrees in multiple arts. He currently holds 17 separate law enforcement POST course certifications around the U.S. and is a certifying instructor for law enforcement firearms instructors in handgun, patrol rifle, shotgun and sub machine gun. In addition to training in the US, Mr. Mastison has divisions in Germany, Ireland and Mexico.
If you have them, here’s how to keep them, and keep them handy. READ MORE
Jason Hanson
A few months ago, police in Las Vegas, Nevada, released a troubling report —
Three hundred guns were stolen from homes in a period of 40 days!
Obviously, Las Vegas is a big city. But the scary thing is there are 300 more guns in the hands of bad guys who might be willing to use them to commit more crimes. According to Officer Larry Hadfield, “People get their firearms stolen, and the same people that are committing these crimes commit other crimes.”
The sad fact is most people don’t think about locking up their guns until it’s too late. Another factor is that many states (Nevada is one) have no gun registration. So when a firearm is stolen, it’s difficult to track or verify if it ends up being used in a crime.
As gun owners, we are responsible for our firearms whether they are on our person or stored in our home. I’m a big fan of home security systems that include cameras and other layers of added protection.
But here are some more specific things you can do to protect your firearms — in addition to the security measures you should already have in place for your home:
Rapid-Access Safes
This type of safe typically uses RFID or similar technology to open quickly when you need to access your firearm. They can be opened with biometric technology, a card, bracelet or key fob and are a great way to keep others from getting to your guns.
Rapid-access safes are the perfect size for a nightstand or dresser. In fact, my home defense pistols (a Sig Sauer P226 and Springfield 1911) are stored in a rapid-access safe on my nightstand. I recommend looking at Hornadyand Gunboxrapid-access safes.
To keep a criminal from walking off with the safe, secure it with a cable that runs down the back of your nightstand and is fastened to a large piece of furniture. Even if a criminal goes straight to your nightstand, they won’t be able to take the safe with them because the safe is anchored and the cable can’t be cut.
Gun Safes You might think this is obvious. However, there are several factors to consider when it comes to gun safes — I can assure you all gun safes are not created equal. Plus, a gun safe is something you don’t want to go cheap on because it’s so important.
A large, quality safe will run you a few thousand dollars. A large safe will be difficult to move unless you have the right equipment and a number of people to lift it. The majority of criminals won’t even try to move a massive safe.
In addition to being heavy, safes of this caliber are very secure. They are extremely difficult to break into — unlike what you see in the movies.
Generally, most thieves who break into a home want to grab as many valuables as they can and quickly leave. They won’t spend hours trying to crack a large gun safe. Safes made by Winchester and Liberty are great options.
Wall Safes This might seem like another obvious choice for secure firearm storage, but the fact is wall safes are a perfect way to store guns because they are easily concealed. You could install a wall safe behind a picture, mirror, clock — basically anything you can hang on your wall.
Even if a criminal uncovers your wall safe, they most likely won’t have the time or tools to pry it out. One wall safe I recommend checking out is made by Console Vault. Their Wall Vault sells for around $270.
Hidden Safes These days, more and more companies are selling furniture with hidden compartments for firearms — beds, dressers, bookcases, clocks and more. In my opinion, this isn’t the most secure way to store firearms, but it is an option many people prefer.
One reputable company that makes this type of furniture is called Tactical Walls. This company sells everything from tables to clocks to lamps to stash concealed firearms. Most of their products utilize RFID technology to open the storage compartment which keeps your guns instantly accessible in an emergency.
Like I said, this isn’t necessarily the most secure way to store firearms, but I know many people would rather have an extra piece of furniture in their home instead of a massive safe. Plus, how many street criminals are smart enough to recognize a piece of furniture designed to store a gun and then be able to figure out how to open it?
The Bottom Line Ultimately, the best thing you can do to lower the chances of your firearms being stolen is to have multiple layers of home security including an alarm system, cameras, a dog AND a safe. If you have children or grandchildren, please take the extra steps to ensure all guns in your home are secure and inaccessible to kids.
Even if you live alone, I highly suggest using some type of safe or hidden storage area for your firearms. If you have a plumber or an electrician in your home, you don’t want them to see guns lying around. Even if they’re honest, you never know who they’ll share that information with.
Jason Hanson is a former CIA Officer and New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life. To get a free copy of his book, visit www.SpyEscape.com.
The Hornady Rapid Access is on SALE now at Midsouth HERE
Bill and Hillary Clinton just don’t draw like they used to. READ MORE
SOURCE: NRA-ILA
Shunned by much of his own party, (described by one Vanity Fair commentator as “2020’s bubonic plague”) the former president has been relegated to providing lazy commentary on the issues of the day. Such was the case this week when the would-be first gentleman penned an op-ed touting one of his presidential administration’s abject policy failures, the so-called “assault weapons” ban.
Enacted in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the Clinton semi-auto ban prohibited several models of semi-automatic firearms by name and prohibited other commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms based on certain cosmetic characteristics. The measure also banned standard capacity magazines that could hold more than 10 rounds. The legislation contained a 10-year sunset provision and required the Department of Justice to study the efficacy of the ban. The ban was not renewed in 2004.
The ban was allowed to lapse because in infringed on the constitutional right of law-abiding Americans, and, more simply, it didn’t work. The primary focus of the ban was the prohibition on certain configurations of semi-automatic rifles. Rifles of any description are rarely used in crime. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data shows that in 2017 there were nearly four times as many individuals listed as killed with “knives or cutting instruments,” than with any type of rifle. Rifles were also listed as being used in less homicides than “blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)” or “personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.).
A pair of DOJ studies on the ban found the ban ineffective precisely because the banned firearms were rarely used in crime. A 1997 DOJ study explained that “At best, the assault weapons ban can have only a limited effect on total gun murders, because the banned weapons and magazines were never involved in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders.” A 2004 DOJ study reiterated this point, noting “AWs [assault weapons] and LCMs [large capacity magazines] were used in only a minority of gun crimes prior to the 1994 federal ban” and that “relatively few attacks involve more than 10 shots fired.” The study went on to determine, “the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”
In his commentary, a strident Clinton proclaimed that his gun ban ameliorated mass shootings. Regarding such shootings, the 1997 DOJ study explained,
We were unable to detect any reduction to date in two types of gun murders that are thought to be closely associated with assault weapons, those with multiple victims in a single incident and those producing multiple bullet wounds per victim.
The 2004 DOJ study found, “it is not clear how often the outcomes of gun attacks depend on the ability to fire more than 10 shots (the current limit on magazine capacity) without reloading.”
In promoting further gun controls, Clinton pointed to a wide-ranging 2018 RAND Corporation study of the firearms issue. The former president must not have bothered to read what RAND had to say about so-called “assault weapons” bans. After surveying the available research on the topic, RAND researchers noted, “We found no qualifying studies showing that bans on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines decreased any of the eight outcomes we investigated” The outcomes the researchers investigated included “violent crime” and “mass shootings.”
Prodding lawmakers to reenact his failed policy, Clinton wrote,
The gun lobby often invokes the Democratic losses in the 1994 midterm elections after passing the assault-weapons ban and the Brady background-check bill to try to scare lawmakers of both parties into maintaining the status quo.
Clinton went on to assure lawmakers that “it’s a different world now.”
First, it is not just gun rights supporters that point to the 1994 midterm elections. Clinton himself has repeatedly acknowledged the devastating toll pro-gun activism and the Clinton gun ban exacted on Democratic incumbents.
Recalling the 1994 election in his autobiography “My Life,” Clinton explained,
On November 8, we got the living daylights beat out of us, losing eight Senate races and fifty-four House seats, the largest defeat for our party since 1946…. The NRA had a great night. They beat both Speaker Tom Foley and Jack Brooks, two of the ablest members of Congress, who had warned me this would happen. Foley was the first Speaker to be defeated in more than a century. Jack Brooks had supported the NRA for years and had led the fight against the assault weapons ban in the House, but as chairman of the Judiciary Committee he had voted for the overall crime bill even after the ban was put into it. The NRA was an unforgiving master: one strike and you`re out. The gun lobby claimed to have defeated nineteen of the twenty-four members on its hit list. They did at least that much damage….
Hillary Clinton reiterated this point in her 2017 book, “What Happened.” Hillary wrote,
In the 1990s, my husband fought hard to pass both a ten-year ban on assault weapons and the Brady Bill, which, for the first time, required background checks on many gun purchases at federally licensed firearms dealers… The NRA funded an intense backlash to the new safety measures and helped defeat a lot of Democratic members of Congress in the disastrous 1994 midterm elections. Then, in 2000, the NRA helped beat Al Gore.
Second, Clinton is correct that it is “a different world now,” just not in the way he thinks. Banning commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms has become less popular over the last 25 years. A March 1993 Gallup poll found that 66 percent of respondents supported an “assault gun” ban. When asked in a October 2018 Gallup poll about an “assault rifle” ban, 57 percent of respondents opposed the measure and only 40 percent supported it.
Aside from a general recognition of the failure of the Clinton’s ban, it is easy to see why public opinion has shifted on this issue. There are now well over 16 million commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles possessed by Americans. Since the end of the Clinton gun ban, the AR-15 has become the most popular rifle in the country. Further, Americans now own hundreds of millions of magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds. As ignorance about these firearms and magazines has receded, so too has the unfounded prejudice against them.
For a whole host of reasons, much of the Democratic Party has chosen to move on from Bill Clinton. The party would be wise to move past his stale and ineffective gun policies as well.
State appeals “Get Out of Jail Free” ruling by Leon County Judge. READ MORE
SOURCE: NRA-ILA, Marion P. Hammer (USF Executive Director, NRA Past President)
On Monday, July 29th we reported that a Leon County Circuit Court judge had struck down the penalty provisions that punish local government officials for knowingly and willfully violating state law and had essentially given them a “get-out-of-jail-free card.”
On July 30th Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a notice of appeal the ruling to the 1st District Court of Appeals. AG Moody wasted no time in making it clear that she will defend the right of the state to govern and punish (when necessary) its creations — local governments for misconduct and/or malfeasance.
Specifically, in a lawsuit brought by several anti-gun South Florida cities and counties, the court struck down the $5,000 fine and the risk of removal from office for individual public officials, local governments, and government agencies who knowingly and willfully violate the state preemption law by adopting local gun control ordinances.
Despite pleas from a group of anti-gun local officials urging The Attorney General and Governor Ron DeSantis not to appeal, the state quickly moved forward with a notice of appeal. The state cannot sit by and allow rogue local officials thumb their noses at the law.
Interestingly, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried the Democrats highest ranking official couldn’t wait to attack the Attorney General’s decision to protect the rights of the state to punish those who violate the law.
Be aware: without penalty provisions, the only recourse against willful violations of law which infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens is for citizens or organizations to file expensive lawsuits against public officials to enforce the law. Then, law-breaking officials use tax dollars — YOUR MONEY — to defend themselves for violating the law. Local governments use the “bottomless pit” of tax dollars while citizens must spend their own money to protecting their rights.
The following article provides more information and is reprinted with permission.
STATE APPEALS RULING ON LOCAL GUN REGULATIONS
July 31, 2019
Jim Turner
Florida will appeal a circuit judge’s ruling that struck down a state law threatening tough penalties for local officials and governments that approve gun regulations.
Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a notice late Tuesday that the state will appeal the ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, who found last week that the 2011 law threatening the penalties was unconstitutional.
Asked for a comment Wednesday, Moody’s office released a copy of the notice of appeal, which puts a hold on Dodson’s ruling. Meanwhile, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, blasted the decision to appeal.
Fried called the threatened punishments for passing gun regulations “some of the most extreme anywhere in the nation.”
“Our state shouldn’t threaten local elected mayors and council members with fines, lawsuits, and removal from office,” Fried said in a prepared statement. “We should restore local democracy and allow communities to consider common-sense local measures that reflect their values.”
Fried, whose Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services handles concealed-weapons licensing in the state, added that the appeal “is not only a waste of taxpayer money and time, but the wrong direction for our state.”
The lawsuit was filed in April 2018, after the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people and injured 17 others. The school shooting led to widespread calls for gun-control measures, including calls for cities and counties to act.
Florida since 1987 has had what is known as a “preemption” law that prevents local governments from passing gun regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. In 2011, lawmakers passed another measure that included a series of steps designed to prevent local governments and officials from violating the 1987 law, including imposing penalties of up to $5,000 against officials and potential removal from office.
The law also allowed individuals and groups that successfully challenged local governments over gun regulations to receive damages up to $100,000 and attorney fees.
During arguments last month before Dodson, Daniel Bell, an attorney for the state, said the law prevented a “potential patchwork regulatory scheme” of gun restrictions across Florida.
In his ruling issued late Friday, Dodson found that the 2011 law was unconstitutional, but he did not strike down the underlying 1987 law.
Moody’s move to appeal Dodson’s ruling to the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal was not a surprise. But a group of local officials in recent days had urged Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis not to appeal.
The law was challenged by more than 30 local governments, mostly South Florida cities, but also including Orlando, Gainesville and Tallahassee, and Miami-Dade, Broward and Leon counties.
Jamie Cole, the lead attorney for the local governments, said Wednesday he expects Dodson’s ruling to be upheld on appeal. “Judge Dodson’s decision was well-reasoned, well-written and supported by decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, Florida Supreme Court and Florida’s district courts of appeal,” Cole said in a statement.
Proposed “Assault Weapons” Ban Amendment Bans ALL SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS. READ MORE
SOURCE: NRA-ILA, Marion P. Hammer (USF Executive Director, NRA Past President)
The so-called “assault weapons” ban that is proposed for a constitutional amendment to be on the 2020 Election Ballot bans the possession of:
“any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun CAPABLE of holding more than ten (10) rounds of ammunition at once, either in a fixed or detachable magazine or other ammunition feeding device.”
The fact is, any rifle or shotgun that is “capable” of accepting or using, a detachable magazine that holds 10 rounds or less is also “capable” of accepting a magazine or magazine extension of any size. Magazines with a capacity of 3 all the way up to 100 rounds are in common use throughout the United States.
Therefore, ALL semiautomatic rifles and shotguns “capable” of using a detachable magazine or fixed magazine would be banned. UNLESS YOU REGISTER THEM WITH THE GOVERNMENT within a year — so the government knows who has guns and how many. Otherwise you can be arrested, charged and prosecuted for felony possession of so-called “assault weapons” and your guns confiscated.
That means all Ruger 10-22 semiautomatic rifles, all Remington Model 1100 shotguns, all Benelli shotguns, all semiautomatic hunting rifles, all semiautomatic plinking and target rifles — you get the picture. If it is semiautomatic, kiss it goodbye.
Firearms that you legally purchased, legally owned, legally used, and legally possessed for years could suddenly be banned and you could end up in prison for merely continuing to possess your own property if you fail to register with the government. History shows that when the government knows who has guns and where they are, they can come and confiscate them.
Remember, once convicted of felony possession of a so-called “assault weapon,” then YOU LOSE ALL OF YOUR GUNS because felons can’t possess ANY GUNS, Period.
Further, manufacture and sale is also banned since there is no exemption whatever for possession due to manufacturing, distribution or sale.
Simply put, over 150 manufacturers may be forced to shut down and move out of Florida if they manufacture semiautomatic rifles or shotguns. Goodbye jobs, goodbye Pittman-Robertson money for youth gun safety programs, goodbye retail gun shops, HELLO, major damage to the job market and Florida’s economy.
A recent Gallup poll shows that over 40% of households ADMIT to owning at least one gun. That number is probably much higher since we don’t like telling pollsters what we own. In Florida with a population of over 22 million, that means 9-10 million Florida households could lose their home defense firearms if they are semiautomatic rifles or shotguns.
At an August 16th hearing, sponsor and supporters of the “Assault Weapons” Amendment said the following:
“We don’t think it bans Ruger 10-22 rifles, they’re just .22s.” –BUT IT DOES!!!!!
“My Benelli shotgun is beautiful and shouldn’t be banned. — BUT IT WILL BE!!!!!
“We don’t want to shut down your shooting range and gun shop.” — BUT IT WILL!!!!!
Welcome to reality. What they think or what they say they want doesn’t matter.
ONLY the words matter and the proposed amendment will ban Ruger 10-22s, Benelli Shotguns, Remington Model 1100 shotguns and all semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable or fixed magazine.
What matters is what the language says and does. And past experience has shown us that the government will enforce it as badly as they possibly can.
BOTTOM LINE: The sponsors and supporters either don’t know what the heck they are doing or they are lying.
AND your Second Amendment rights are in danger. PERIOD.
“I’m not inclined to discuss private conversations with President Trump or other key leaders on this issue,” says Wayne LaPierre, CEO and EVP of the National Rifle Association. “But I can confirm that the NRA opposes any legislation that unfairly infringes upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. The inconvenient truth is this: the proposals being discussed by many would not have prevented the horrific tragedies in El Paso and Dayton. Worse, they would make millions of law abiding Americans less safe and less able to defend themselves and their loved ones.”
LaPierre continued, “The NRA will work in good faith to pursue real solutions to the epidemic of violence in America. But many proposals are nothing more than ‘soundbite solutions’ — which fail to address the root of the problem, confront criminal behavior, or make our communities safer.”
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. More than five million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at NRA on Facebook and Twitter @NRA.
There’s a lot of hate out there folks directed at gun owners. Here’s one time it backfired. READ MORE
SOURCE: NRA-ILA
NRA member Darrell Kennedy was on vacation with his family at Yellowstone National Park earlier this month when an anti-gun vacationer snapped a photo of his holstered firearm and tweeted out a hate message.
“Sat waiting for Old Faithful the Yellowstone geyser to blow. Lots of families, kids and people having a good time. Then I spot this (expletive) in front of me with a revolver strapped to his side. Is there really any need? Most people I’ve met in the US want gun control,” the tweet read.
Kennedy and his family didn’t know about the tweet at first. But later that night, a friend of Kennedy’s 24-year-old daughter, Brooksie, forwarded her the tweet and asked, “Is this your Dad?”
“It made me mad at first,” Brooksie Kennedy said. “I know my blood pressure went up. I was shocked.”
The social media shaming came at the climax of their trip, and the Kennedys were understandably upset that their time together was interrupted by such an unsettling event. But later that night, Brooksie Kennedy started reading all the comments below the tweet and she felt better.
“I really am amazed at how that man’s tweet backfired. All the comments were from people sticking up for my dad,” she said.
Darrell Kennedy, 58, is a former law enforcement officer who says he carries almost everywhere he is allowed to. He always checks the rules and laws before going someplace new with his firearm, and he knew he was allowed to have his firearm on him at Old Faithful that day. The tweet, he said, was an aberration from how he’d been received throughout the family’s 10-day trip.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “There was probably a 10 to 1 ratio of people walking up to me and shaking my hand and thanking me for having my firearm and exercising my Second Amendment rights.”
One of those people, he recalled, thanked him for the safe feeling Kennedy provided by carrying.
“The biggest thing for me, I guess, I’ve always been a defender of the defenseless. Women, children, or the elderly,” he said.
In his hometown of Bath Springs, Tennessee, Darrell Kennedy carries his firearm to church on Sundays and sits in the back of the congregation on the request of his preacher.
When asked how the tweet made him feel, Kennedy said, “Even the person who took the picture of me, if something happened to him, I would have helped him and defended him. I’m not some kind of a hero. I’ve always just tried to help.”
This kind of situation is all-too-common in America, and the NRA hears from people regularly who are shamed, or discriminated against, or made to feel bad for exercising their constitutional rights. It’s a shame.
The Kennedys didn’t let the incident ruin their vacation, though. They saw Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, the Rocky Mountain National Park, Mount Rushmore, and a number of state parks.
“It was just an awesome trip,” Brooksie Kennedy said.
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