Don Kates on the California gubernatorial race
Don writes:
"I have been asked to comment on the up-coming California
gubernatorial election: Of the Republican candidate, an immensely
wealthy woman named Meg Whitman, I know nothing except that she is the
former Chief Executive Officer of eBay and that she is alleged to be
anti-gun by some people who claim to know and that the allegation is not
surprising to anyone.
SPECIFICS: Whitman has no interest in meeting with gun groups to solicit
their support; Whitman has supported Barbara Boxer; Whitman supports
"environmental" lawsuits that are anti-hunting but makes no attempt to
gain the aid of gun groups on environmental issues.
In contrast, I do know Jerry Brown. We went to law school together
though we were not big buddies. And when I contacted him about
supporting the pro-Second Amendment position in the McDonald case, he
filed an influential pro-Second Amendment brief with the US Supreme
Court. I know that he personally made the decision to do this,
overruling his staff; and he wrote the brief himself. (He is an able
lawyer.) When he was assailed by anti-gun forces, his response was that
the 2d Amendment is a "civil rights issue.""
Permalink · Politics · Comments (11)
medicinal pot grower defends self
Story here.
Sounds like a hazardous occupation: "I don't want to shoot people, but God, this is our eighth home invasion since last May." He ought to get something a bigger than a .22, at that rate!
Hat tip to XD Owner....
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (2)
A good year in Virginia
The Virginia Citizens Defense League is reporting a very good year indeed at the Legislature.
Permalink · State legislation · Comments (0)
Tidying up after self defense
Story and photo here.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (3)
Interesting questions re: pistol grip shotguns
From CleanupATF.org comes this interesting question. ATF has consistently taken the position that a shotgun that leaves the factory with a pistol grip and no buttstock, and is kept in that condition, is a pistol rather than a shotgun. I suppose this was in accord with their desire to construe statutes in ways that increased regulation: here, an 18-21 year old couldn't buy it if it was a pistol, but would have been able to if they declared it a shotgun.
But a commenter there raises a question ATF will find difficult: if such a shotgun is actually a pistol, can't he saw the barrel below 18" without it becoming an NFA firearm? The NFA dictates a minimum barrel and overall length for a shotgun, but not for a pistol.
Permalink · National Firearms Act · Comments (25)
Utah votes for "John M. Browning Day"
Story here. A demigod deserves at least a day!
Wash. Times on Starbucks debate
Editorial here. Interesting note:
"From sea to shining sea, the climate for guns is changing, and the progress extends beyond Starbucks. Major retailers such as Home Depot, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble apparently also are friendly to people who openly pack heat, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Brady Campaign warns businesses that allowing customers to carry guns will scare away other customers. Yet it seems pretty obvious that the businesses themselves - despite all the pressure they face from trial lawyers and bureaucrats to ban guns - are in a much better position to know what their customers want."
Hat tip to George Mocsary....
An interesting point. We're seeing, simultaneously, (1) an increase in gun sales to record levels, and increases in new gun owners; (2) Collapsing poll figures for public belief that guns are bad and gun restrictions are good; (3) legislatures predictably pulling away from those ideas, as well, and (4) the judiciary (and not just the Supreme Court, either) endorsing gun-related rights. It's hard to say which is cause and which is effect, or whether all are being driven by some manner of collective consciousness.
The economy is truly tanking
The "million dollar Luger" is auctioned for half that figure.
Hat tip to Sixgun Sarah....
Low Brady Campaign ratings = lower violent crime?
Over at Calguns, an interesting chart on the subject.