About That Ban On Knives On Planes

No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money

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• No She Isn't
• A Weekend Tab Clearing
• About That Ban On Knives On Planes
• Latest Round Of Municipal Meeting To Ban Guns In Illinois

No She Isn't Posted: 07 Jul 2013 08:11 PM PDT The Maine Sunday Telegram had an editorial in today's edition speculating that the visit of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly "could shake up gun stalemate." They made this statement in the editorial. We have just come through a legislative session in which no progress was made in the effort to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. Giffords is a national symbol of the consequences of doing nothing. Her career in Congress was cut short when a deranged man armed with a semiautomatic handgun and high-capacity magazines opened fire on her in a crowd of constituents, killing six people and wounding Giffords and 12 others. If by doing nothing the editors of the Sunday Telegram mean implementing universal background checks, Ms. Giffords is NOT a national symbol of "the consequences of doing nothing." The shooter did not purchase his firearm through a private transaction, at a gun show, or in an otherwise prohibited transaction. The shooter and killer purchased his Glock 19 from a licensed dealer in Arizona and passed the requisite NICS background check conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If Ms. Giffords is any sort of national symbol of the consequences of doing nothing, the fault lies at the foot of Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and his Pima County Sheriffs Department as well at the foot of officials at Pima Community College. Despite his run-ins with law enforcement and his suspension from Pima Community College for what appears to be mental illness, this information never went any further. Any database is only as good as the information in it and inaction by Dupnik and Pima Community College kept potentially disqualifying information out of the NICS database. Universal background checks of private sales would not have stopped the shooter in Tucson nor at Virginia Tech nor in Aurora, Colorado and it is time to stop pretending that it would have. They all passed Federal NICS background checks.  Subscribe in a reader

A Weekend Tab Clearing Posted: 07 Jul 2013 07:14 PM PDT It's time to do a clean-up on some of the items I've bookmarked for which I don't have time to do a full blog post. Project Gunwalker or Operation Fast and Furious has been out of the public eye for a while now. Unfortunately, one of the firearms walked in the ATF's program has now been used to kill a police chief in Mexico back in January. As David Codrea notes, the media is still calling it a "botched operation". I believe it was ATF Senior Agent John Dodson who said these weapons would be killing for decades. It seems he is being proven all too correct. Kahr Arms has announced that they will be moving their headquarters from Pearl River, NY to Blooming Grove, PA. They had considered expanding in Port Jervis, NY but canceled those plans when the NY SAFE Act was passed. Kahr Arms will also be building a new plant in Blooming Grove that it expects to employ 80 people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said he didn't believe the SAFE Act had anything to do with Kahr's relocation. Speaking of arms manufacturers leaving states who have passed draconian gun control laws, South Carolina is putting on a full-court press to win Stag Arms. Mark Malkowski was in the Myrtle Beach area the last week of June to look at sites. If South Carolina uses the same personal touch that they used to win PTR Industries, Stag Arms may just end up there instead of Texas. In the context of the Arlington (MA) Police Department demanding entry to TJIC's home on the 4th of July because he had applied for a gun permit, I found this rewriting of Lexington and Concord quite relevant. The Violence Policy Center likes to portray concealed carry holders as Wild West cowboys who can be trusted to carry in public. Clayton Cramer examined their database and found it less than it appears. His analysis can be downloaded from here. Gov. Jay Nixon (D-MO) vetoed one gun rights bill but signed another one that allows state employees to keep firearms in their cars while on state property. The bill also allows fire chiefs with concealed carry permits and special permission to carry while on duty. The bill would also barred municipal gun-buyback schemes unless the firearms are later offered for sale to the public. The bill that Nixon vetoed would have declared some Federal gun laws void and would have made it a crime for Federal officials to try to enforce them in the State of Missouri. In what can only be considered a horrible accident if true, the San Francisco Fire Department is saying that one of the two Chinese girls killed in the Asiana Boeing 777 plane crash may have been killed when she was run over by a fire department emergency vehicle. Ah, jeez. A New York State intermediate level appellate court has denied a preliminary injunction of the NY SAFE Act on July 3rd. This denial of a preliminary injunction could be appealed to the NY Court of Appeals which is that state's highest court. Finally, the Farewell to Arms festival last weekend in Colorado raised over $85,000 for the recall effort against Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo).  Subscribe in a reader

About That Ban On Knives On Planes Posted: 07 Jul 2013 04:15 PM PDT The Transportation Security Administration had planned to remove its ban on certain knives on planes. However in the face of criticism from certain politicians and flight attendant unions, they caved in. Politics and arrogance likely scuttled the plan by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow small knives back on planes, but it's not clear that fliers are any safer for it. Last week, the TSA announced that while the agency’s “top priority continues to be expansion of efforts to implement a layered, risk-based security approach to passenger screening while maximizing resources,” it was putting aside a proposed plan to allow passengers to take small knives, toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks and other currently prohibited sports equipment on board as carry-on items. The revised list of allowable carry-on items was supposed to go into effect at the end of April, but received strong opposition from flight attendants, pilots, law enforcement, airlines and bi-partisan group of legislators concerned that knives, especially, could be used in attacks on flight crews and other passengers. The flight attendant unions even had their own webpage devoted to the issue. They celebrated their "win" by saying, “We promised ‘No Knives on Planes Ever Again,’ and today that promise was kept.” This lead paragraph in an AP story on the crash of the Asiana Boeing 777 yesterday illustrates why the TSA's capitulation in the face of opposition was such a mistake. Police officers threw utility knives up to crew members inside the burning wreckage of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 so they could cut away passengers' seat belts. Passengers jumped down emergency slides, escaping the smoke. One walked through a hole where a rear bathroom had been. It was a miracle that the plane was evacuated before the fire spread to engulf the plane. Imagine if the airport cops hadn't given knives to the crew members struggling to get passengers loose from their seat belts. Instead of only two young passengers killed in the crash, the news would have been about all those who burned to death while trapped in the plane. It certainly does make the case for allowing knives of some sort back on planes. I wonder how many of the co-sponsors of HR 1093 - No Knives Act of 2013 - as well the co-sponsors of S. 1008 - Keep Knives Out of Our Skies Act - are willing to retract their sponsorship of the respective bills in light of this.  Subscribe in a reader

Latest Round Of Municipal Meeting To Ban Guns In Illinois Posted: 07 Jul 2013 11:42 AM PDT The Illinois State Rifle Association has posted their updated list of cities and towns in Illinois seeking to ban guns. Assuming that the Illinois General Assembly overrides Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto of HB 183, they have 10 days to have their gun bans in place. The override is on the calendar and the General Assembly is expected to take it up this coming week. The order staying the ruling in Shepard v. Madigan and Moore v. Madigan expires on Tuesday. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has stated there will be no more extensions of their stay. Attorney General Lisa Madigan does have until July 22nd to file an appeal of the Court's ruling. An override would, it is my understanding, moot those cases and any chance of overturning it on appeal. From ISRA: UPDATED LIST OF LOCALITIES VOTING TO TAKE YOUR GUNS As you know, Bloomberg has teamed up with Emanuel and Quinn to impose gun ban and confiscation schemes across Illinois. But, time is running out on Bloomberg and the gun grabbers. More localities are looking to pass gun bans and confiscations before the deadline comes. If you think it is OK for the Mayor of New York to tell you what kinds of firearms you may own and which you may not, then just sit back and do nothing. On the other hand, if you value your freedom... if you value your gun rights, here is what you need to do: 1. No matter where you live, plan to be at one of the meetings listed below. Be sure to bring a friend or two along with you. 2. Wear IGOLD or NRA hats and/or teeshirts. 3. Be prepared to vigorously defend your rights. 4. If you see media there, approach them and tell them that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you do not support gun bans. 5. Be sure to get to the meeting site at least 45 minutes early so you will get a seat. We need to make our voices heard. 6. Pass this alert on to you friends and family and tell them to attend meetings too. 7. Post this to all forums to which you belong. Again, the question to you is, “Do you want Mayor Bloomberg telling you what guns you may own?” What: Evanston City Council - Agenda Packet (p11) - Up for vote Where: 2100 Ridge Ave Evanston 60201 When: Monday, July 8, 7:15 pm What: Country Club Hills City Council Meeting - Agenda - Up for vote Where: 4200 W. Main St. Country Club Hills 60478 When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm What: Western Springs Village Board Meeting - Agenda - Up for vote Where: 740 Hillgrove Ave, Western Springs 60558 When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm What: Park Ridge Committee Meeting - CCW and AWB Memo Where: 505 Butler Place, Park Ridge, 60068 When: Monday, July 8, 7:00 pm What: Berwyn Committee Meeting - COW Agenda - Gun Ban Discussion Where: City Hall, 6700 26th Street When: Tuesday, July 9, 6:00 pm What: Hillcrest Village Board Meeting - Agenda not published yet - up for vote Where: 204 Hillcrest Avenue 61068 When: Wednesday, July 10, 7:00 pm For status of previous meetings, other meeting times, talking points against semi-auto bans, copies of proposed ordinances, links to other resources; please visit http://isra.org/townhall .  Subscribe in a reader

 

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