Virginia is fighting for their rights...and ours!

If you are a member of the shooting community, you are probably aware that there has been an escalating series of threats by their governor and other members of state government against the gun community and those who support them.

Immediately after Bloomberg bankrolled Democrats seized a thin majority in the legislature last November, Northam began bloviating about the gun control agenda that would be his focus for this term: private sale bans, firearm bans, magazine bans, additional purchase limitations.

In response, counties and cities began enacting 2A sanctuary ordinances. One sheriff even proposed deputizing large number of his constituents.

Rather than deescalate, Northam and his fellow Democrats floated a variety of ever more extreme proposals: withholding pay or firing law enforcement who will not enforce these very unpopular laws...calling out the National Guard...mass incarcerations.

It is more clear than ever now that gun owners in Virginia are now facing the fight of our lives...and that whatever gun banners succeed in passing and enforcing there will be pushed in the rest of country. This means, we cannot afford to lose. And therefore, Virginia is fighting for ALL of us.

So let's do what we can to help Virginia. Some exchanges with the Virginia Citizens Defense League suggest these priorities:

• Join VCDL to boost their numbers...and clout (link)
  
• Send what contribution you can afford to their general organization (i.e., not earmarked for VCDL PAC)
  
• Write to the Virginia Tourism Corporation (link) and/or companies via Better Business Bureau (link) and let them know you will NOT spend your tourist dollars in anti-gun states!

Remember....anything you let them do to Virginia, they will try to do to you!

Time For A Gun Control FREEZE!

Gun owners around the country are under attack. Bloomberg stooges in blue states sell out their constituents. Even in red states like Montana or Texas, politicians talk blithely about banning guns, magazines and ammunition or of passing Red Flag laws without consideration for due process.

But these reckless actions are also inspiring a REAL resistance....a gun control freeze, in effect. Gun owners in states that have long tolerated onerous laws (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) are refusing to surrender their standard capacity magazines holding over 10 rounds or to register their modern rifles. There have been almost no bumpstocks turned in after the BATF banned them under regulatory laws that made no sense.

County governments, including county sheriffs, have been expressing their defiance of unconstitutional laws. Almost all of New York state's counties have already passed resolutions opposing the SAFE Act gun/magazine ban that Governor Cuomo passed in the dead of night. In Washington state, over half of the 39 counties have already declared that they will not enforce Initiative 1639 rifle restrictions.

One of them is even running for governor in 2020.

So let's talk about the next step: juries that include gun owners who will not vote to convict. 

40% of Washington states voters...essentially, its jury pool...voted against millionaire-funded I1639 last year. What if they all pledge not to convict non-criminals who have run afoul of the gun control initiatives Mike Bloomberg foists off on the uninformed... or for any any magazine gun bans enacted in the legislature?

What if prosecutors suddenly have a much harder time obtaining convictions or much larger jury pools need to be summoned to balance out those of us who say NO??

This might slow down substantially the momentum of this anti-freedom activism...or even stop it.

Fixing The NRA And Protecting Our Rights....Neal Knox And How The Past Repeats Itself

Gun rights in America are under attack right now at a level we haven't seen in years. But at this time when we need the NRA to speak with a strong and united voice, it is riven by controversy and almost Missing In Action. There are accusations of misuse of organizations funds (translation: member contributions meant to be used defending our rights) and accusations that the organization outsiders accuse of being uncompromising actually compromises with gun controllers TOO much.

What is the truth? How can we get back to having a strong, united NRA in time for the 2020 elections? People around the country are asking themselves these questions. This book (Amazon link) can help by shedding light on the NRA's past problems which still exist today. I have been devouring this book since yesterday and want to urge you to read it too.

"The Gun Rights War" was published in 2009 but I only heard about it recently. Though not new....Neal Knox unfortunately passed away in 2005...reading this book will give you the information you need about what ails the NRA...and some ideas for how to fix them.

What are the NRA's problems?

1) Lack of transparency and financial mismanagement

Neal Knox was a key player in the NRA's 1977 members revolt, which helped turn the organization from an educational marksmanship organization into more of a steadfast protector of a vital civil liberty. Following that crucial 1977 meeting, Knox took control of the NRA/ILA (Institute for Legislative Action), the lobbying arm of the NRA. They are a very effective part of the NRA.

Here is an interesting bit. In 1997, the NRA was deeply in the red. A big part of those financial problems resulted from Wayne LaPierre's failure to sever ties with PR firm Ackerman McQueen (a company you will hear being connected to NRA's problems today). LaPierre  previously claimed to have severed ties with Ackerman McQueen and then signed up with the Mercury Group....a wholly owned subsidiary of Ackerman McQueen...

Right now we've got NRA leaders hinting that anyone expressing concern about the NRA's financial policies is a Bloomberg stooge. At the same time, I received another mailing from the NRA yesterday saying that the organization might shut its doors if I don't send more money. So which is it?

2) Too much willingness to compromise on gun controls

For years, I've been apologetic about the NRA and pointed out how the organization often offers more palatable version of gun control proposals. For example, the Staggers Bill alternative to the Brady Bill. But was that really a good thing? This book is making me wonder.

It turns out that this is not a new phenomenon. I knew that the NRA supported the National Firearms Act of 1934: the reason you may spend a year waiting for government approval to buy a suppressor or short barreled rifle and then pay a $200 tax. But it turns out that the NRA in 1937 also supported banning a "freakish" class of firearm: the .357 magnum revolver. Elmer Keith was having none of that, though, and organized to fight to defeat that foolish idea.

The NRA also supported a proposal by Senator Ted Kennedy to ban armor piercing handgun ammunition. There are a couple problems with that. First, armor piercing handgun ammunition was always very rare. Second and worse, it alerted criminals to the fact that the police were wearing bulletproof vests....and more officers began to be shot in the head.

This was long before the NRA and the Trump administration encouraged the development of Red Flag laws and a bumpstock ban that is ridiculously wrong from a legality and technical perspective...

There you have it....these are my concerns with NRA leadership. We need the NRA to get its act together and stop being in denial and going halfway towards resolving financial concerns. We also need the NRA to stop compromising our rights away.

What can you do to help?

• Help make the NRA more solid by participating in Save Our Second (link)
• Be an NRA member with skin in the game and eventually a voting member but let them know you will not make additional contributions or upgrade until financial solvency and transparency to members are a priority. The NRA/ILA seems to be mostly avoiding this whole food fight and is ALWAYS in state capitols fighting bad laws and helping to organize grassroots efforts. Consider supporting them (link).
• Support other organizations like the Second Amendment Foundation (link) and Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (link), which punch WAY above their size.

This will sound corny but I *love* the NRA, its history and its mission. The organization has a history of positive work but you don't improve a group or yourself during troubled times by putting your head in the sand.

The Second Amendment protects a right that is vital to everyone. Neal Knox's book contains insights from a man who fought to protect it for decades. Let's extend his legacy by cleaning house and getting ready to fight harder than we ever did before.

A REAL American Progressive Reading List

Problems are solved with open discussion and brave exploration of all aspects of ideas, not by shutting down free speech and minimizing the Overton window. Or just shouting partisan sound bites at each other.

Towards the end of encouraging that, I have created a reading list of contemporary titles which I wish every American could read and discuss. It includes books that look at the roots of American society and other Western countries, books which look at what can be seen when we spend time trying to understand people unlike us and some of the best thinking and writing about civil liberties that I have read.

America has traditionally held a creative tension between progress and conserving the past. I believe that in normal situations, real progress only comes from convincing others logically, not from the coercive use of government legislation to make others do what we want. These books are meant to give books which can be resources in charting the course for that REAL progress.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5438598-don?shelf=real-american-progress-reading-list

1) The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
by Ben Shapiro
ASIN B07CLMXWT9

This book is a brilliant look at how Western civilization has arisen as a result of the tension between Athenian logic and Judeo-Christian values. Ironically, much of our civilization seems determined to undercut that strong foundation. Shapiro looks at other civilizations that have abandoned those values (Nazi Germany, the USSR) and the high price in pain and loss of life which followed. He offers suggestions for reversing course before it is too late.

2) Republican Like Me: A Lifelong Democrat's Journey Across the Aisle
by Ken Stern
ISBN 0062460781 (ISBN13: 9780062460783)

The former of NPR became concerned about the growing political polarization in our country and spent a year exploring Republican communities. E.g., having an 8 year old guide him on a pig hunt (adeptly correcting his gun safety shortcomings), visiting religious communities and so on.

This book parallels my experiences in life as a moderate/libertarian lefty who risked joining the NRA (and found it exemplary...and not at all like the caricature the media presents) and finally after 2016, the Republican party.

3) Free for All: Defending Liberty in America Today
by Wendy Kaminer
ISBN 0807044113 (ISBN13: 9780807044117)

Wendy Kaminer was on the ACLU board before she was ousted because she was unwilling to compromise on civil liberties. I see her as one of the most fiercely admirable people on the left because of her principled, unflinching stands in favor of individual rights.

4) The Gun Control Debate: You Decide
by Lee Nisbet (Editor)
ISBN 0879756187 (ISBN13: 9780879756185)

This book is the best example I have encountered of how contentious topics should be debated. The author solicited the best works recommended by the NRA *and* gun control organizations, with the goal being to present rational, objective facts people could use to make decisions for themselves, not sound bites and shabby emotional manipulation. This has been a favorite resource for the better part of 30 years.

Dear Republicans: Don't Snatch Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory, Again

I am writing this post out of concerns (as a new #WalkAway Republican) that the party's support for gun rights may be half-hearted. That could be damaging to the its prospects because second amendment advocates are a crucial part of its base. We are crucial to the future success of the party but there have been some troubling news items, recently. Specifically, I am referring to these current news items:

#1 President Trump's bumpstock ban
#2 Lindsey Graham's current gun hearings

Bumpstocks

I don't know anyone who owns a bumpstock. Everyone I've talked to has smirked and commented that they are a dumb gimmick which some people buy, use a couple times and then add to the clutter of old gun accessories in their closet.

But those same people have some very serious concerns about the way in which bumpstocks were banned. Essentially, the BATFE twisted the definition of machine guns to cover an accessory which does not even remotely meet that definition. Machine guns are defined under law as firearms which fire more than one shot per action of the trigger. Bumpstocks do not do that, they only facilitate pulling the trigger faster.

Here's the danger: fudging a technical definition like that sets a dangerous precedent which can now be used to ban anything they want that arguably makes a semiautomatic firearm shoot faster. Stretched far, that could even conceivably include light match triggers used in competition.

Even worse, the new law does not merely ban sales and grandfather bumpstocks that are already owned by the public. It is now a criminal act to own one. The BATFE has been kept on a short leash since for over 20 years, partly because of their rogue and heavy-handed enforcement policies. Remember Waco? There had better not be any Wacos in my area over something as stupid as bumpstocks...

For a really excellent take on this, please listen to Kenn Blanchard's recent podcast Black Man With A Gun (link) on the topic.

Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Graham's star has been rising since last Fall, when he showed some real backbone during the Kavanaugh trial.



However, last week he conducted some gun control hearings on the subject of red flag gun confiscation laws. These laws have been becoming more popular since last year's Parkland school shooting. However, they mostly been enacted in very flawed forms. Here are some components which we need to demand be included in any red flag law remotely worth considering:

• a strong, iron clad due process requirement
• requirement that the subject of the action obtain treatment
• severe punishment for people who make false claims to weaponize these laws against someone who is not really a danger to others (e.g., malicious family members or a vindictive ex)

Graham is now being pilloried in his home state of South Carolina for his support of gun control laws, which now embolden one Senator whose gun control zealotry must be contained (Diane Feinstein). Moreover, he made the statement before these hearings that "every right has its limits". Perhaps he is unaware of all the ridiculous, overreaching limits that currently affect gun owners in the US? There are 20,000 or so gun laws already on the books....enacting more shabby laws will not make us safer.

The Republican party needs to be aware of these things and how they can undercut gun owners' support. We need to be unified in the run-up to 2020. Foolishly attacking part of our base like the party sometimes does can only hurt that prospect.

(And as a staunch supporter of the NRA, they need to help get this message across to the President and the GOP. They are presently doing a poor job of this.)

Foolhardy Washington State Government Deliberately Steers Towards DANGEROUS Waters

I have lived in Washington state for over 20 years now. Being a gun owner, the thing I've enjoyed about living here is that the firearms laws have been reasonably sensible and easy to comply with. Washington state has always been a VERY gun friendly state and its healthy gun culture placid and compliant.

All of that is changing now. This threatens to create a lot of instability, legal jeopardy and turmoil, to the possible benefit of only 1 or 2 people.

The state's executive leadership is unremittingly hostile to gun owners. Governor Inslee, who is beginning a probably futile presidential run in 2020 (already costing the state $2 million in travel expenses), made a petty gesture this year by refusing to sign marksmanship certificates for citizens AND law enforcement, a gubernatorial tradition since 1903. The state's insurance commissioner has banned an NRA concealed carry insurance policy, calling it "murder insurance".

Attorney General Bob Ferguson takes the cake. When he is not trying to sue tax activists into bankruptcy (and denying them legal counsel in bankruptcy court) and grandstanding with a plethora of frivolous lawsuits against the federal government (wasting more tax dollars), he is acting against Washington citizens' interests by pestering lawmakers with misleading, professionally prepared (at whose cost?) requests for magazine and gun bans. Here, he gives stink eye to gun rights activists who have the temerity to oppose his legislation.

Since initiative 1639 passed and Democrats gained more ground in the legislature there is the possibility that some or all of the following legislation will become law:

• Magazine bans above 10 or 15 rounds (despite the fact that this significantly reduces the ability of people to defend themselves with concealed carry guns or whatever guns they legally possess in their homes. There is some grandfathering of existing magazines, IF they are kept locked up and you have kept receipts for them for decades.
• New restrictions on concealed carry. At a time when many states have come to understand that people who get carry licenses are the last people we need to worry about and are REDUCING restrictions, Washington state is pointlessly going the other way. There is legislation being considered which would add new training requirements and even require certification with the specific guns people will carry. In a move adding insult to injury, the House version spitefully strikes out a reference to "the right to bear arms".

• A ban on the sale of "assault weapons", semiautomatics which the state will GRACIOUSLY allow us to keep if they are registered with law enforcement. Registration which could easily lead to confiscation in the future.
• Revoking state preemption, a law which prohibits cities and counties from creating laws stricter than state requirements. Preemption is a very important law which makes it easy for gun owners to comply with relevant laws without having a legal team research obscure statues in every city they want to visit or travel through.
• Banning the manufacture of undetectable or untraceable firearms. In effect, this creates a new ban on the currently legal home manufacture of firearms. Some analysis indicates this could ban many home firearm enhancements (e.g., trigger upgrades) of existing guns or ban new short barreled rifles, which have been legal given NFA compliance for a few years.
• Banning people under 21 from having exposure to lead ammunition...an obvious attempt to prevent young people from becoming shooters or even take safety classes
• Requiring gun owner liability insurance, presumably different from the kind the insurance commissioner just banned.

What is the point of all this legislation? Washington state has a violent crime rate significantly lower than the national average, significantly lower than states with stricter gun laws. The only explanation which makes sense is that most of the state Democratic party wants to enact as much gun control as they can as fast as they can and citizen's rights be damned. The net effect if I1639 and all these laws is to drive gun owners into a minefield of new restrictions which they can easily and unintentionally violate. The danger in this tactic cannot be overemphasized.

That is why the last couple weeks have seen rush of county sheriffs announce that they will not enforce 1639 (or will not actively enforce it). There are parts of 1639 that are obviously unconstitutional (e.g., a storage requirement which conflicts with the US Supreme Court Heller decision), parts which are almost certainly unconstitutional (21 year age requirement, training requirement for purchase) and there are also lawsuits in the works because the format and content of the initiative clearly violate state law.

We hope that sheriffs in other counties will hold to their oaths to defend the state and or federal constitution because otherwise all this legislation is going to put them and the citizens into some very uncomfortable situations. 

Are sheriffs in rural counties like Snohomish and Skagit counties really willing to confront armed citizens for safely exercising a right as they have for decades?

Are they going to stake out shooting ranges or gravel pits and demand to inspect peoples' magazines to determine their capacity? Are they going to arrest people who take their 18 year old shooting safely or attempt to confiscate their firearms?

Do these sheriffs have the resources ($$ and staff) to devote to certifying people who come in to renew or apply for a concealed pistol license and track the firearms certified?

ALL of these proposals are unnecessary and can only serve to further infuriate some very peaceful people who have been ignoring insults and abuse for far too long already...and lead to many unpleasant situations that upset the natural alliance between law enforcement officers and the citizens they are meant to serve.

N.B. Opportunistic prosecutors trying to convict people who break any of these rules will find it hard getting juries to support them.

A Flawed Gun Ban And Ethically Compromised Officials

I am writing to express my utter shock at the Attorney General and Democratic party's current push for an "assault weapon" ban and to highlight some troubling ethical implications that attend this process.

The Attorney General has produced the attached request document with the intention of using it to promote his sales ban. Here are the some reasons why this request is profoundly troubling. He is using misleading and/or irrelevant numbers to encourage support for this egregious attack on our civil liberties.

• The claim that "assault weapons" are 11x more likely to be used in a mass shooting than a handgun is irrelevant. Mass shooting events are extremely rare and have involved handguns to deadly effect many times. The bottom line though is that rifles are very rarely used to commit murders. In 2016, the FBI noted 7,105 murders with handguns and only 374 murders using *any* kind of rifle, semiautomatic or manually operated. 1,604 murders were committed with knives, 472 with blunt objects, 656  without any weapon other than their fists and feet. Rifles are not a significant crime problem. The hand-wringing claim that "assault rifles"...all rifles... are deadlier than handguns is thus irrelevant.
• The claim that "assault weapons" are more likely to kill law enforcement involves sleight of hand by the Violence Policy Center, the most extreme gun ban advocates in the US. These are the same people who first promoted banning these guns by confusing the public into thinking they were machine guns. Why is the AG quoting such compromised resources? In any case, it is more likely that law enforcement (who overwhelmingly support responsible gun ownership) would be HURT by banning them. Most developments in this type of gun have been made by citizen innovation, e.g., for competition.
• The claim that only 2% of Americans own "assault weapons" is specious at best. First, it includes populous areas with low gun ownership, as opposed to Washington state where ownership is 33% to 50% of the population. Second, nobody knows how many guns of this type are owned because they are generally understood not to be criminal weapons....while they are also the most popular rifles in America. Finally, using that 2% as an excuse for attacking gun owners' rights because "there aren't that many of them" is a disturbing line of thought, coming from a state Attorney General.

I have alluded to the deeply flawed logic, misleading sound bites and opportunistic targeting of the population the Attorney General is meant to serve, in his communications to the legislature. Now let me highlight some profound ethical question which these actions raise.

• Why is AG Ferguson distributing this misleading document at the behest of Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire on the other side of the country...and attacking the rights of Washington state gun owners? How much more blatant does this conflict of interest need to be before it produces some investigation and possible reprimand or removal from office?
• Why is AG Ferguson sending this communication in the form of a professionally produced gun control mailer (included below) and  how much has this cost the state? Why does the state tolerate such gross misuse of its scant resources as this marketing type presentation and the Attorney General's raft of frivolous lawsuits against President Trump? Is this being looked at by state accountants and justified?
• Why was AG Ferguson so obsessively interested in attacking the rule of law by promoting initiative 1639...again, with Bloomberg funding...when 1639 was so blatantly an illegal initiative? At the same time, he turns the other way and ignores Seattle's declaration as a "Sanctuary City". 

This apparent contempt for state law and the rights of state gun owners...the double standard as to which legal violations will be winked at and which group of honest citizens who have had (up to this point) extreme motivation to be law abiding cannot lead our state down a good path.

I urge you to reject this deeply flawed attack on our rights and to consider whether AG Ferguson's conduct is as grossly unethical as it appears and what negative legal consequences that conduct should incur. If you do not, we will be forced to consider why you desire to be complicit in unethical activities and spurious attacks on the civil liberties of Washingtonians.