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Brady Campaign grades the States again

It's their annual publicity event. The Rapid City Journal, for instance, runs the story S.D. GETS LOW MARKS FOR GUN RESTRICTIONS. Yup, a dismal F, 6 points out of 100 possible.

Strange that in 2006, the State, whose population is 150% that of the District of Columbia, had a whole 9 homicides. Homicide rate of 1.2, about 25% the national rate.

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A few embarassing moments...

California Senate President Don Perata, "a leading control advocate," has announced he's turning in a handgun to a gun-buyback. Won't say whether it's his only handgun, either.

And former Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne was sentenced to a year in the slammer , and now has lost his pension,for tax evasion ... specifically, not paying taxes on bribes. Quite a downfall for a Brady Campaign stalwart. Hat tip to Eric Schultz...

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"Gun Guys" and Joyce Foundation

Some research at Armed and Safe.

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Violence Policy Center starts losing it on NICS bill

Josh Sugarman, head of VPC, posts under the title of Trojan Horse Gun Control: The NRA Wins on the NICS Bill:

"Much has been made of the bill's bi-partisan, triangulating support: Democrats! Republicans! The National Rifle Association! The Brady Campaign! Beyond this cheery bon temps, little public attention has been paid to what the bill actually does beyond its title. And that's because if you start looking at the details of the bill--especially after NRA-backed changes made by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn--it becomes clear that the measure is nothing less than a pro-gun Trojan Horse. That's why my organization, the Violence Policy Center, and other national gun control groups, have voiced their strong concerns about the version of the bill that was passed by Congress."

"So why's the NRA so in thrall with an alleged gun control bill? Here are some of the reasons why.

"The bill would resuscitate a failed government program that spent millions of dollars annually to allow persons prohibited from buying guns to regain the ability to legally acquire firearms. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be required to establish a "relief from disability" program to allow persons now prohibited from possessing a firearm because they have "been adjudicated as a mental defective" or "committed to a mental institution" to apply to have their bar on firearms possession removed. As a result of the bill, more than 116,000 individuals would be eligible to apply. States would also be required to establish such "relief" programs to restore the gun privileges of those with mental health disabilities in order to be eligible for potential grant money to upgrade records submitted to the NICS."

"Once a solution, the bill--hijacked by the gun lobby--is now part of the problem. Intended as Congress' response to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech by focusing on improving the current laws prohibiting people with certain mental health disabilities from buying guns, the bill is now nothing more than a gun lobby wish list. It will waste millions of taxpayer dollars restoring the gun privileges of persons previously determined to present a danger to themselves or others."

And of course, the obligatory hit at those who... shudder... have served their country:

"The concerns over these aspects of the bill are not abstract. According to research published earlier this year, male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide as men with no military service and are more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide. .... Veterans with mental health problems may present special risks for gun violence. In 2000, the New York Times examined 100 rampage shootings and found that the majority (52 percent) of such killers had been in the military."

Hmm... Cho, the Columbine killers, others ... I can't recall a vet among them. Discipline and duty are not things that a violent narcissist seeks out.

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Brady Campaign getting a bit antisemitic?

Go to their webpage and look at the animation of Judge Silberman (author of the Circuit opinion that struck down the handgun ban).

Not so long ago, NRA took heat for using an image of an octopus which, the media assured all, was a symbol used by the Nazis. I rather doubt the media have the same interest in Brady using a caricature that Goebbels would have had autographed and framed.

Continue reading "Brady Campaign getting a bit antisemitic?"

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Gun Guys gaffe

The Gun Guys (which is actually an antigun page) has a posting proclaiming how a mentally-disturbed fellow was shot by police after he got a " .50 caliber rifle with a scope on it and pointed it at officers. "

They use this as a opportunity to go with their .50 spiel:

"t's terrifying to think what might have happened if an officer was shot with such a devastating weapon. It's ours, and certainly every officer's worst nightmare. A weapon designed to shoot down civilian aircraft during takeoff and landing would devastate and rip apart a person's body if shot by one of these powerful weapon." Can shoot down an airliner, etc., etc.

But if you check out the story you find:

"Jessica says they told police Casey had no black powder for the muzzle loader, but police say they can't take that chance."

Hat tip to Joshua Berger...

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The sound of silence...

A gunman goes on rampage, kills six.

We hear from the Brady Campaign, which might be expect to cite the case, or at least post a press release expressing their condolences... the sound of silence. Their lead item is still a posting about "God Not Guns Sabbath," held over a week ago. Strange, when there were far smaller shootings in Philadephia and Salt Lake City months ago, they were quick to proclaim "What a disturbed teenager in Utah and a tormented businessman in Pennsylvania have in common is that they had access to guns....We join with our Brady members and Million Mom March Chapters in Utah and Pennsylvania and across America in offering our heartfelt condolences to the families of those that have been lost." When two men were killed in Greenwich Village, they announced "Our hearts and condolences go out to the families of the victims of the terrible shooting in Greenwich Village."

The same sound prevails at the Violence Policy Center. And at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Of course, in the case they ignore the shooter was a law enforcement officer, so his victims wouldn't serve their policy agenda. But we'd have to be awfully cynical to believe that advancing a political agenda has anything to do expression of condolence, I suppose.

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Brady Campaign leaps aboard IACP (and Joyce) bandwagon

I posted with regard the International Assn of Chiefs of Police report, which was funded (and apparently written) by the Joyce Foundation. Today, Brady Campaign climbed aboard that bandwagon, meaning that their idea of "moderate, common-sense gun control" now includes, at a minimum:

Outlawing all private (non-dealer) gun transfers;

"Assault weapon" bans;

.50 caliber ban;

bans on handgun cartridges that can penetrate body armor (i.e., magnum chamberings, and probably a lot else -- the commonest form of body armor is meant to stand up to .38/9mm and nothing more potent -- not to mention that if a ban is written broadly it will include almost all rifle rounds, since pistols are available in .30-30, .35 Remington, etc.);

"health and safety" regulation of firearms design;

"one gun a month;"

repeal the Tiahrt Amendment to facilitate lawsuits against dealers and manufacturers;

and probably a lot else....

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Joyce Foundation buys the International Assn of Chiefs of Police

They started by buying law reviews: now they're buying organizations, or at least their reports.

A while back, the antigun Joyce Foundation made a hefty grant to fund a gun summit meeting by some members of the International Assn of Chiefs of Police. Here's the pdf file.

Surprise! It concludes we need lots and lots of gun control. Ban "assault weapons," repeal the Tihart Amendment, ban .50 BMG, outlaw possession by anyone with a violent misdemeanor record, ban armor piercing using a standard of actual ability to penetrate body armor (which would encompass virtually any rifle round), outlaw private gun transfers, increase ATF's budget, etc., etc.

But the interesting part is that the International apparently let Joyce staffers write the report:

"We are grateful to several key staff at the Joyce Foundation; President Ellen Alberding for her leadership, passionate concern for quality of life in our communities, and particularly for her interest in partnering with the IACP to address gun violence, Program Officer Roseanna Ander for her dedication to reducing gun violence in the Great Lake States and the nation, and her relentless enthusiasm as she worked with IACP staff to make the summit a reality and Communications Director Mary O’Connell, who has aided in highlighting and supporting the vision of our summit participants through her editing, writing and consistent work to produce this report. "

Continue reading "Joyce Foundation buys the International Assn of Chiefs of Police"

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Anti gun legislator arrested for DUI, flight & damaging squad car

I can't beat Instapundit's summary: more support for the theory that antigunners assume we have their lack of self control. And that certain legislators think they are above the law. DUI and leaving the scene would be pretty bad -- but finishing the drink in front of the officer? [Corrected to delete the mention of pulling a gun: the report above apparently got that wrong]

Gad--even more. He was totally crocked, rear-ended a car, led police on a 100 mph chase, kicked out the window of a patrol car while under arrest, and he's chairman of judiciary committee! The officers didn't give a sobriety test because he was so unsteady they feared he'd fall and injure himself. Story here.

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Violence Policy Center takes aim at veterans

VPC takes aim at veterans. It's upset that the proposed NICS changes might be too liberal toward vets who have at some point been diagnosed as having mental illness.

" Under the new standard, federal departments or agencies would be prohibited from providing certain mental health records (including mental health records of veterans) to the NICS if the records fell into any of several newly defined categories. For example, if a mental health patient has been "fully released or discharged from all mandatory treatment, supervision, or monitoring," the record of his treatment or hospitalization could not be submitted to the NICS and the individual would be permitted to possess firearms."

"The bill would re-establish a federal "relief" mechanism for persons prohibited from possessing guns because of a mental health disability and would also require states to establish similar state-based "relief from disability" systems in order to be eligible for the grants the bill makes available to improve mental health records."

"This change to the original bill comes in the wake of recent government and private studies revealing that the number of veterans dealing with mental illness is at an all-time high, with many receiving inadequate care. A recent Department of Defense task force study found that the military mental health system lacks providers and is "woefully inadequate" to deal with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, a new study reports that male U.S. veterans are not only twice as likely to commit suicide as men with no military service, but are also 58 percent more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide. A 2000 analysis by the New York Times of 100 "rampage killers" found that the majority (52 percent) had a military background and 47 percent of the killers had a history of mental health problems."

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"Culture of corruption" in Bloomberg's mayors' group?

Third Power reports that Mayor Samuel Rivera of Passiac NJ, a member of Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has been arrested on federal corruption charges.

He joins Frank Melton, of Jackson MS, another of the Mayor's group, who plead to weapons infractions after he and his bodyguards broke into a house.

Has Bloomberg's mayors group created a culture of corruption? Perhaps someone should demand their resignations!

Add to that a plea to tax evasion and mail fraud by a Brady Campaign LEO, with another such LEO in in hot water over accepting gifts, and certainly sounds as if that's occurring. All this is in the last twelve months, too.

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Another Brady Campaign LEO spokesman bites the dust

From a Brady Campaign press release attacking Florida's expansion of self defense: "Police chiefs who opposed the new Florida law include ... Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne, (954) 831- 8900."

From their Shoot First website: "The Florida statute was passed over the strong objections of law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne opposed the law because "it's easy to say after the fact, I felt threatened." "

From today's Sun-Sentinel: "Federal prosecutors: Jenne agrees to plead guilty to tax evasion, mail fraud"

He's apparently looking at 1.5 - 2 years behind bars.

[UPDATE: I invented "the curse of the gunnies," think it was in a humorous piece for Gun Week back in the late 70s, a tale in which the bill of rights is protected by a curse -- some say carved inside Madison's casket. I noted that the prime mover behind the National Firearms Act died of a heart attack on the Senate floor, while his NRA opponents lived to 96 and 112, that Sen. Dodd's career ended in censure and disgrace, etc., etc.]

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Round up of yesterday's pitiful protests

Alphecca has a roundup. And they do appear to have been pitiful. In Seattle, two people who lay on the ground for 32 seconds before furling their banner and leaving. "About 40" in New York. Outside DC, a few dozen demonstrate, and can't even get a favorable story in the Washington Post.

Update: and on the same day, VCDL turns out over 100 in Norfolk, to protest an illegal arrest for open carry.

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Jesse Jackson: ATF is underfunded

Church of the Duke reports a Jackson speech claiming ATF is underfunded. (The example he cites is inspections: it would take 22 years to inspect all FFLs. Yet he also claims that 1% of FFLs account for 57% of traces. So why inspect all 100% if this is true?).

Third Power fires back an email, citing matters such as the ATF Director's posh suite, the Inspector General's report on his use of agents, etc.

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A bit of hypocrisy...

Sylvester Stallone, a Brady Campaign stalwart, who's said ""until America, door to door, takes every handgun, this is what you're gonna have... It really is pathetic... We're livin' in the Dark Ages over there," turns out to have a CCW permit, issued by the celebrity-loving LA County Sheriff.

Oh, and listing four handguns that he will be packing.

And, interesting -- he answers question 9, has he been convicted of any offense in this or any other country, with "no." That was apparently true when he wrote it (2004) but a few months ago he plead to a charge in Australia that would qualify as a felony. The Supreme Court has ruled that foreign felonies don't count, California law may vary, but I'd assume this would be cause to re-examine his permit. Oh, I forgot, he's a celebrity.

Hat tip to Joe Olson...

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Antigun official in hot water

Miami police chief John Timoney is in hot water. Again. The latest allegations are that he accepted free use of a luxury vehicle from a car dealership, while also drawing an allowance from the city for use of a personal car. The FOP, which doesn't care much for him, is calling for a vote of no confidence. (One of the things that may have them upset is that he reportedly fired a female officer for being married to a convicted felon, conflict of interest and all that, while he keeps his own job despite his son being a convicted felon).

He was pretty much a Brady Campaign poster boy. He endorsed Brady Campaign's opposition to liberalizing self-defense, calling it "unnecessary and dangerous", proclaimed that if the assault weapon ban expired, "We will see a return to the horrific violence that plagued our streets during the late 1980s and early 1990s.”", etc. (last file is a small pdf).

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Brady Center on Parker Circuit ruling

They've posted their response here.

Hat tip to Joe Olson.

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Brady Campaign & Jesse Jackson to protest

They're protesting something or other on August 28.

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An interesting perspective

Imprisoning gun-using offenders is the price of compromise to the Brady Campaign. At least it's good to know they don't actively oppose the idea:

"Gun control advocates have largely supported longer sentences as compromises in order to win support for gun control laws. Chad Ramsey, field director for the anti-gun Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, says his organization believes such "after-the-fact" laws can be helpful for that reason.

"As part of a broader package, we're not going to oppose things like that," Ramsey said. He added, however, "I don't think criminals go out there and don't commit crimes because they're going to get a slightly longer sentence.""

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The view from the other side...

Carolyn McCarthy explains to antigunners why she got into bed with NRA in regard to the recent House bill on mental records and disabilities.

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Must be a REALLY slow news day

Stop Handgun Violence has stopped making strawman buys long enough to issue a press release that reveals (gasp!) NRA doesn't endorse background checks for private sales. And they even have a list of persons and groups that have antigun positions. Those are real shockers!

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Antigun leader makes strawman buy

Gun Owners' Action League has the story. John Rosenthal, of Stop Handgun Violence and American Hunters and Shooters Association, went on a radio show to discuss his latest anti-NRA billboard, and in the process explained how he'd made a straw man purchase at an out of state gun show, after licensed dealers refuse to sell to him.

Not that he'd have to worry about prosecution, of course. Which is why he felt free to confess to a federal felony over the radio. Oh, and the Boston Globe paid for the buy.

[UPDATE: the theory of a strawman sale is (1) if the ultimate recipient is not able to buy (here, he's a nonresident), then he has made an illegal purchase through the use of a third party and (2) whether he's an illegal buyer or not, he's a party to making a false record in connection with a firearms purchase (getting the straw man to fill out the 4473 claiming that he is the purchaser), which is likewise a felony. (2) is even clearer today, when, as I recall, the 4473 form has a clause specifically asking if you are buying for someone else.]

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Resignation from Bloomburg mayors' group

Mayor Harry Moore, of Oldmans Twnsp, NJ, has resigned. Here's his resignation letter.

"I joined your coalition because of its purported purpose to combat the criminal acquisition and misuse of guns, which is a goal shared by all Americans. Regrettably, it has become abundantly clear to me that you are using this coalition of mayors to advance a hidden agenda of bringing lawsuits against members of the firearms industry and spreading anti-gun propaganda.
......
According to ATF and the Department of Justice, your actions in having civilian private investigators conduct clandestine sting operations against federally licensed firearms dealers, without the knowledge of ATF or your own police department, actually interfered with ongoing criminal investigations, putting the lives of law enforcement officers and others at risk. The Department of Justice warned you to refrain from these actions because such efforts could "interrupt or jeopardize ongoing investigations." In response, your Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler stated that the operations would not necessarily stop. I do not want the blood of a police officer on my hands so that you can advance your anti-gun litigation campaign. I prefer instead to support the Fraternal Order of Police, a group that opposes your coalition's efforts to gain access to gun trace data for use in civil lawsuits."

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More Joyce Foundation "astroturf"

According to its website, WAVE, or the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (which strangely only seems interested in firearms violence), is "Wisconsin's only statewide grassroots organization solely dedicated to reducing gun violence, injuries and deaths."

It goes on to list its accomplishments:

"A fully functional professional organization has been created essentially from scratch and is now up and running with a solid infrastructure.

An active coalition of partner groups is in place, drawn from sectors including public health, violence prevention, law enforcement, families and children, education, faith, grassroots, community and neighborhood-based, and others."

Curiously, it doesn't seem to have any true members, just contributors. The only staffer identified is an excutive director who is mentioned in press releases. And its newsletters only go back to 2006. This "grassroots" group seems to have appeared out of nowhere in the last year. How did they muster public support?

They didn't. Bouncing over to the Joyce Foundation's lists of antigun grants, we find:

"Thursday, November 30, 2006 Printable version
WAVE Educational Fund
Milwaukee, WI
Amount: $630,000.00"

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Jesse Jackson plans to expand gun shop protests

Story here.

What I don't understand is this -- Jesse Jackson normally extorts firms with enough money to be worth shaking down. More here and here.

Maybe he's desperate for cash this month. But it's so undignified, like Al Capone collecting protection money from lemonade stands.

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Jesse Jackson plans protests for Aug. 28

From the "Rainbow Coalition" website: "Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, announced today he will organize a national day of protest in 25 cities on Aug. 28, 2007, to rally support for legislation to restrict gun sales."

I did get a chuckle from this. I suppose it would help if he knew something about the subject:

"The National Rifle Association, a powerful special-interest lobbying organization and chief proponent of lax rules for gun ownership, is promoting a federal bill that would, among other things, eliminate any limits on the quantities of guns an individual may purchase."

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Another illustration of how far things have come

Over at the Huffington Post, the head of Brady Campaign is rejoicing in a survey that finds a whole 30% thought that stricter gun laws (the term being left undefined) might have helped a lot at Va Tech, and that on the question of whether allowing lawful carrying of guns on campus would help or hurt, 23% thought it would help and 26% thought it would hurt.

To think that today, their side of the movement has to regard those figures as good news.

The survey is here, in pdf... gun questions are after #60. And that was about the closest thing to good news for Brady.

The survey is of 17-29 year olds (with some questions matched with recent data for all adults), so you'd expect this to be favorable to Brady's cause. (Asked which primary election they'd vote in, Demos outnumbered Repubs almost 2-1). And many questions are "stacked" ("How big of a problem is..." starts you thinking that this is a problem). But...

How big of a problem are guns in schools? Choices are not serious or serious. Serious stacking here, but 70% said not serious.

Would stricter gun control have helped at Va Tech? 42% said no effect, 30% "a little."

And going back to questions No. 1 and No. 6, asked (without prompting) to say what was the most serious question facing people of your generation, and the country ... crime got one response and gun control got zero.

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How things have changed...

When I started studying this issue in the 1970s, the big pushes were for, oh, national registration of all firearms, national permit systems for purchasing and carrying handguns, bans on civilian ownership of short-barreled handguns, and I forget what else. (Those were just the major issues: on the side bills were introduced to ban civilian use of soft-point projectiles in handguns, ban telescopic sights for rifles -- too useful for snipers, etc., etc.). Understand that in 1968, some antigun groups (in particular the predecessor of Brady Campaign) had come out AGAINST national registration, because they thought they could get more than that and were worried that Congress might pass registration, escape the media heat, and stop there.

Today, Brady Campaign issues a press release announcing its hopes for success, entitled "Connecticut, Many Other States Strengthening Gun Laws."

The specifics: one state passed a law to require reporting of stolen guns and another will give more mental health records to the NICS system.

Two more (Mass. & NJ, what a surprise!) are at least thinking about one gun a month.

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Bitter's on a roll!

Bitter has a series of posts that chronicle the financial woes of the Brady Campaign. As in income drop of nearly a third in two years, operating on a loss of over $300,000 the first year, fundraising costs going up from 24% to 32% of budget.

And a good discussion of the NICS bill that's moving thru Congress. I haven't seen the wording and can't vouch for the content, but if it gives mental-committment prohibited persons the ability to regain firearms rights, it will be a big step forward. I know two persons, upstanding types, who right now are barred for life because years ago they had a mental committment.

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Priest who called for "snuffing out" dealer equivocal now

The Chicago Tribune blog has the story. Apparently the Cardinal and he had a talk. Now he says he meant it more like "sniff out," and claims he didn't know that "snuff out" had homicidal implications. Hmmm... "Secondly, John Riggio. He’s the owner of Chucks. John Riggio R-I-G-G-I-O. We’re gonna find you and snuff you out. You can’t keep hiding ‘cause you’re afraid." "Whatever it takes to shut this gun store down. And shut down this legislation. We’re gonna snuff out John Riggio. We’re gonna snuff out legislators against our gun laws. And we’re coming for you because we’re not going to sit idly."

The mystery to me is the story's mention of his foster son. Guess he could be widowed.

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Chaska, Minn. Chief of Police signs on with Mayors

Police Chief Scott Knight, of Chaska Minn., has signed on to do a TV commercial for Bloomberg's Mayors group.

The story also notes that FOP opposes the Bloomberg position, and that two stations refused to run the ad.

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Yet another "this is pitiful" moment

A few years back, Los Angeles gave 1.5 million in grants to a group known as "No Guns."

ATF just arrested its founder for sale of a machine gun, two silencers, and other toys.

Note to LA government: be cautious about trusting a million bucks to a guy who goes by "Big Weasel."

UPDATE: LA Weekly has more detail. He already had one gun charge against him, his son, "Little Weasel," had been indicted for robbery, and his daughter's boyfriend, present in the house when he was arrested, fled but was caught and is charged with felon-in-possession. Oh, and he and relatives were making $200,000 a year each off Los Angeles.

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Brady Campaign and allowing CCW holders to carry on campus

Brady Campaign has released a paper (pdf) arguing that universities should allow neither faculty nor student holders of CCW permits to carry arguing, among other things, that universities might increase legal liability. The paper got some traction in the Chronicle of Higher Education today.

Reminds me a little of Prof. Reynold's comment, in my documentary, that gun control is a litmus test for how a person views their fellow citizens. A few choice quotes:

"A binge drinking, drug using student is dangerous enough; let's not give him or her a gun" (p.8)

" had there been a number of people who had been in that classroom with guns, [there could have been] additional persons killed just as a result of poor judgment calls."

On allowing teachers to arm: "As a society, do we really want our teachers to be prepared to shoot children, perhaps killing them? ... what about the student that merely flashes a gun threateningly?... In how many of those instances would an armed teacher have been tempted to shoot the student because of a perception of danger?"

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ATFE sets record straight

Bloomberg and his "mayors" have been claiming that the present ATFE budget rider somehow restricts ATFE from releasing trace data to local police (in fact, they're upset because it restricts releasing the data for purposes of their filing of civil suits against gunmakers, but they claim it impairs law enforcement use. Here's one example: "Dozens of mayors from around the country gathered Tuesday to urge the new Democratic Congress to fight crime by allowing wider tracking of illegal guns." Here's another: "When handguns with bullets that can pierce body armor showed up on the streets of New Jersey, Sen. Frank Lautenberg asked federal regulators to share data that could help local police figure out where the weapons were coming from. That information, the New Jersey Democrat was told, is off-limits....Insisting that gun trace data is an essential crimefighting tool for cities, Bloomberg used his own funds as seed money, formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns and made repealing Tiahrt's amendment its number one issue this year."

ATF director Michael Sullivan has released an Op-Ed setting the record straight:

"During the past several weeks, numerous questions and articles have arisen in the media, regarding the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to share firearms trace data among members of the law-enforcement community. With the recent tragic events surrounding the senseless criminal use of firearms; I felt the need to clarify this important issue.
.......
Our agency routinely shares trace data with state and local law-enforcement agencies in support of investigations within their respective jurisdictions. Once a requesting agency receives law-enforcement-sensitive trace data from ATF, it becomes the agency's data to disseminate and share with other law-enforcement entities as it deems appropriate.

Let me be clear: neither the congressional language nor ATF rules prohibit the sharing of trace data with law enforcement conducting criminal investigations, or place any restrictions on the sharing of trace data with other jurisdictions once it is in the hands of state or local law enforcement. In fact, multi-jurisdictional trace data is also utilized by ATF and shared with fellow law-enforcement agencies to identify firearm-trafficking trends and leads. Additionally, nothing prohibits ATF from releasing our own reports that analyze trace-data trends that could be used by law enforcement."

[Hat tip to SAF email alerts]

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Brady Campaign on what it wants (for now)

Here's their press release:

"Pass the NICS Improvement Act, introduced by Representative Carolyn McCarthy. This legislation provides funding incentives for states to provide appropriate records to strengthen the information in NICS. --

Require background checks for all gun sales, not just those from federally licensed dealers. --

Rescind the requirement requiring that records of Brady background checks be destroyed within 24 hours of purchase approval. --

Impose a waiting period under the Brady Law, to allow time to do accurate and complete review of appropriate records. --

Reinstate the Federal ban on ammunition magazines of larger than 10 rounds that expired along with the Federal assault weapons ban in 2004, and pass a ban on military-style assault weapons. --

Repeal the so-called "Tiahrt Amendment," which as an annual appropriations rider bars the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from sharing data on the sources of guns used in crimes. --

Require that new semi-automatic handguns be equipped with technology to allow police to quickly match shell casings found at a crime scene to the handgun from which they were fired. This technology, known as"microstamping," would enhance law enforcement's ability to rapidly solve gun crimes."

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A bit ghoulish....

"Hopes That Massacre Will Spark Treaty"

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Antigunners object to memorial statute

Antigunners in the most literal sense. Michelle Malkin has the story. Navy SEAL Danny P. Dietz won a posthumous Navy Cross for a gun battle against the Taliban. The city of Littleton proposed a statue in his memory -- and people objected because it showed him holding ... a rifle.

"They should be putting up a peace dove instead."

Hat tip to The Bitchgirls.

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Story about Kennedy bodyguard arrest in 1986

Story here. I was in DC when it happened. The fellow walked into a Senate building with two subguns, a pistol, and sufficient ammo. Oops!

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Feinstein has a MAJOR conflict of interest

Story here. Wonder why the MSM has carried nothing on it?

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Mystery -- Amer for Gun Safety website down

The website of Americans for Gun Safety (the antigun group founded by Monster.com millionaire Andrew McKelvey) shows only "Account for domain www.americansforgunsafety.com has been suspended." It's reportedly been like that for days. Anyone have any idea why?

Update in light of comments: www.third-way.com, set up by the Third Way Institute, is underwritten by the Tides Center. Here's the webpage on the support. Tides is famous for pumping money to left causes, and also for serving as a nonprofit money laundering outfit. If a person or group wants to finance a cause, but might be embarassed by that being known, they give to the Tides Center with a stipulation that it go to the cause. It appears that AGS's supporters really like to keep things secret, since these funds go from Tides to Third Way to AGS.

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Brady Campaign and Parker v. DC

Brady has long been claiming it only backs "reasonable" gun laws. In Parker v. DC, the DC Circuit indicated that maybe handgun registration might be OK, but total prohibition (and requiirement that guns be kept disassembled so as to be useless in self-defense) was not.

Brady's reaction?:

“The 2-1 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Parker v. District of Columbia striking down the District of Columbia’s handgun law is judicial activism at its worst. By disregarding nearly seventy years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent, two Federal judges have negated the democratically-expressed will of the people of the District of Columbia and deprived this community of a gun law it enacted thirty years ago and still strongly supports.

“This ruling represents the first time in American history that a Federal appeals court has struck down a gun law on Second Amendment grounds. While acknowledging that ‘reasonable restrictions’ to promote ‘the government’s interest in public safety’ are permitted by the Second Amendment, the two-judge majority substituted its policy preferences for those of the elected representatives of the District of Columbia. ”

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Falling for false flag operations

I've mentioned (as has practically every gun blogger) the Jim Zumbo controversy. I haven't gone into it too much, since (1) I've never heard his name before (I'm a shooter, but have little time to hunt and less to read hunting writers) and (2) while I disagreed with what he said, he already was taking a ton of flak over it and didn't need more.

But I'd like to deal with a related issue. Bill Schneider, at New West, has an article, "NRA Destroys Longtime Friend. Full of terms such as "gun rights zealots" and a statement that Zumbo's comment "makes sense to most Americans," and "To me, it seems like outdoor writers are giving the black rifle Gestapo their victory with their silence. And not just writers. Where is the outrage from millions of hunters who agree with every word Zumbo posted on his blog? "

So I looked up Schneider's previous writings. What they illustrate is how the opposition can use this fault line to divide and conquer, and also how easily the hunter-only side of it can be led to fall for "false-flag" operations (Supposedly pro-gun groups actually set up and controlled by antigun organizations).

In "Saving hunters from the NRA" he endorsed the American Shooters & Hunters' Assoc., which is a prominent "false flag" operation. The group "had almost no members and a mere half-million in the bank, but planned on an aggressive membership drive. And aggressive it must be to make any dent in the NRA's body armor. " (Hmm--no members, yet half a million in the bank? Might that lead one to wonder where it came from?) "Hardcore gun owners will remain skeptical, but many hunters who feel burned by the NRA will probably be hopeful this is reality instead of hype."

As I've noted previously, the Amer. Shooters & Hunters group was founded by a Brady Campaign director, and Cam Edwards has a full rundown of its creation.

In "NRA Doesn’t Represent Both Hunters and Gun Owners" he responded to readers who'd said he'd been duped by the group... "I really don't know if the AHSA truly represents the rights of gun owners, but that wasn't the point of the article. The point was: Imagine a little group like this trying to take on the goliath of politics. To this, I say dream on!... In looking at today's political landscape, it seems like we might need another group to step up and save hunting before the NRA destroys it." Then he quotes the "GunGuys" blog, which is another antigun "false-flag" operation. "In response to Wray's original articles, the Gun Guys website where "everybody is a straight shooter," agreed: "One of the reasons we exist is simply to set the record straight on gun issues. For years the NRA has fed lies to the American people because it advances their agenda."

Uh--the GunGuys was long ago exposed as a front for the antigun Joyce Foundation. More data here and here.

The controversy underscores something for me. I can understand there are sometimes conflicts between hunting-only and gun rights, if only because a pro-gun rights legislator may be anti-conservation, or putting resources into one means you can't put resources into the other. (There can even be conflicts within hunting-only: increasing hunting license fees makes hunting more costly, but increases funding for game conservation, restricting off road vehicles may make hunting areas more pristine but makes hunting unavailable to those who can't hike for miles).

Yes, I can appreciate the virtues of a traditional rifle and those who value them. I love the US Krag, and have some interesting 1930s conversions of them into deer rifles. The ingenuity of some of the work is astonishing -- mounting an adjustable peep sight on the cocking knob, for instance. I also happen to like my AR-15 -- the challenge of making a really accurate semi-auto is interesting. The problem here is that folks who like the first may assume (as traditionalists) that traditional values apply. People may be taken at their word. The other side is not obsessive, but has rational limits. If they say they only dislike AR-15s and certain handguns, they must mean it. There are no "false flag" operations. A group with shooters and hunters in their name is a group of shooters and hunters, and a blog named "The Gun Guys" must be run by gunnies.

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Post on Brady Campaign

The Free Market News Network has a fine post on Brady's tactics.

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Brady Campaign and scope sights

Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell has the story.

Via The Bitchgirls.

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This is the best they can do?

California proposes requiring barrels to be microstamped, or should I say microstampers, so as to engrave their gun's serial number on a bullet.

California Brady Campaign "strongly" endorses it. While acknowledging it may not lead to catching a criminal shooter, who "could have gotten that gun illegally," but "if we can go back to the original purchaser or the original dealer of that gun then we can stop some further trafficking of guns to prohibited purchasers."

So in most cases, they'll be able to find the dealer who sold to the person from whom it was stolen. That will be valuable, I'm sure.

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Brady gets stung

Snowflakes in Hell has the story. Brady Campaign releases a report naming alleged criminal, or at least suspicious, gun dealers ... and it turns out that a dealer listed was operating a sting in cooperation with BATFE.

[Via Instapundit]

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Third mayor leaves Bloomberg group

Mayor Kevin Jackson has become third mayor to quit the Bloomberg group.

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US Attorneys slap down Bloomberg

VCDL has the report.The Exec Office of US Attorneys informs the mayor that they will not prosecute any of the dealers he targeted, and warns that his engaging in "stings" without law enforcement authorization could jeopardize real operations and expose him and the city to liability.

The latter is pretty apparent. The dealers would have the defense that they didn't realize that the gun was going to the person who didn't sign the forms, but the buyers have no such defense -- they knew exactly that that was the plan. So there's no doubt that the buyers broke the Gun Control Act, and that those who set them to it were liable as aiders and abettors, not to mention on a conspiracy theory. I'd assume that Bloomberg and company (1) figured it was worth it for the publicity and (2) figured that the laws don't apply to the rich and powerful. They may just have been right on both.

Update: here's the NY Daily News story.

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Another mayor withdraws from Bloomberg group

Achorage Mayor Mark Begich:

"I do support the efforts to strengthen laws and prosecute individuals who dispense or use illegal guns, and getting them out of the hands of criminals. However, upon further review of the coalition, it appears they may have a different agenda than I anticipated.

I am concerned the coalition is working on issues that conflict with the beliefs we share in Alaska about legal gun ownership, and I'm also concerned gun ownership advocates are not part of the full discussion within the coalition. We cannot afford to risk protecting our Bill of Rights and the rights of legal gun owners."

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A hard hit at Philadelpha mayor

In the Philadelphia Bulletin. An excerpt:

"The mayor noted the additional "problems" more police would bring to the city. More police, for instance, would mean more arrests for an already grievously overcrowded prison system. This is already burdening the city with costs it can't afford in addition to more court costs for prosecuting the criminals.

Which means the mayor is not against crime or criminals. He does not want a safer city. He wants to save money. The easy way to do that is with another gun law-- which he will not enforce."

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Bloomberg anti-cop?

The NY Press picks up on Cam Edwards' posting on the subject.

Here's a bit of detail: Daniel Enchautegui was an NYPD officer who was awakened by sounds of a break-in next door. He called 911, was told backup was coming. It wasn't. The 911 operator apparently did nothing.

He went to the scene, was fatally shot by the burglars, but managed to wound them both. His family is now suing the city, and the city is stonewalling attempts to get at the 911 tapes.

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Brady equivocates on self-defense

In the Gainesville Times:

"Incidents like last week's shooting "are definitely being played up to justify this slew of fake self-defense laws," said Zach Ragbourn, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "I know if this (incident) happened two years ago, the result would have been the same. Police and prosecutors are not evil people bent on trying to put citizens away. A righteous shooting is a righteous shooting."

Ragbourn believes the new laws could serve to provide a defense for a criminal who kills someone in a shootout by claiming he feared for his safety. He said the Brady Campaign has never been opposed to the use of firearms for legitimate self-defense purposes.

"There are absolutely times when you have to defend yourself," Ragbourn said. "We do say that while there is legitimate value to gun ownership, the value doesn't always outweigh the risks."

Guns in homes are 22 times more likely to cause harm to the residents than to be used in defense of those homes, Ragbourn said."

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American Shooters & Hunters Assn and the media

I've mentioned American Shooters & Hunters Association -- which is basically an antigun group flying false colors, here and here and here. For Pete's sake, it's not even a good "false colors" operation: it was founded by a Brady Campaign director, with Brady's agenda.

ABC News just ran a piece on Bloomberg's mayors' group, claiming that it's a "gun rights group":

"The head of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, Ray Schoenke, said that gun rights "extremists," including the National Rifle Association, have taken positions that have "tarnished" the reputations of hunters and shooters... He is the first gun rights advocate to join the mayors in their cause."

Welcome fellow Instapunditers! Take a look at the main blog, and if you're a voting NRA member, my board elections roundup of all relevant blogs and webpages. If you're into the Second Amendment, you might take a look at my new documentary film on it.

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Bloomberg group speaks with forked tongue

The NY Times doesn't note, of course, the two quotes in its puff-piece story:

"Members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns insisted that they respected the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Mr. Bloomberg said he was not trying to curb existing gun rights. “That’s ideological nonsense and we’ve just got to move past it,” he said.

and later, after saying the Mayors announced a legislative task force....

"The task force says it will also “work to enact common sense measures” to stem the flow of illegal guns, officials said."

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Brady Campaign going after Firearm Owners Protection Act

From the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center and former mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., said the ATF had been greatly weakened by pro-dealer legislation Congress passed, including some laws dating to 1986. For example, if ATF agents make a surprise visit to a gun shop suspected of breaking the law, they are not allowed to make another surprise visit for 12 months, Helmke said. During that period, the ATF must warn the dealer in advance that they are coming."

Bullpucky. I'll put the real law in extended remarks below. Essentially:

1. ATF can inspect records anytime it traces a gun to the dealer.

2. It can inspect records anytime it has suspicion a third party (the shooter, or anyone who transferred to him) broke the law.

3. What's left is records where ATF has NO reason to believe the gun sold is linked to a crime. The reason for inspecting those is just to ensure the dealer is keeping his books correctly. That they can do, but no more than once a year.

Continue reading "Brady Campaign going after Firearm Owners Protection Act"

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Brady Campaign and cooking the books

The Conservative Voice fisks the Brady Campaign's statistics.

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Brady chapter head: too many gun shows

From a letter to the editor:

" am concerned about the alarming number of gun shows scheduled for Solano County in 2007.
I'm sure we are all aware of the rising level of senseless gun violence in America. I understand that many citizens feel the need to own guns for protection. However, scheduling gun shows for March, June, September, October and November is a bit excessive. ....I have recently become involved with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence by starting a chapter in West Contra Costa County. I believe there should be a Solano County chapter."

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Joyce Foundation, once again

Alphecca has a great post on how the Joyce Foundation is financing anti-gun studies at the Harvard School of Public Health.

I've discussed the $700 million Joyce Foundation before. They're using their millions to create fake grassroots groups, generate studies, stir up campaigns, you name it. They're financing Bloomberg's mayors group, putting $380,000 into the "Legal Community Against Gun Violence", funding "Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence", essentially buying issues of the Stanford Law & Policy Review and other law reviews.

Via Instapundit, which also has this earlier posting on the purchase of law reviews.

[Welcome, Instanpundit readers. I might suggest you take a look at my documentary film on the right to arms (there's a link in the left margin), which stars Prof. Reynolds, not to mention Gene Volkh, Randy Barnett, and many others. It has a Wikipedia page here that sums up the content.

Update--link fixed. Thanks.

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Taking Brady to task

Ohioans for Concealed Carry does a good job of it.

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Anti-Bloomberg rally in DC 1/23/07

Countertop describes the VCDL rally planned for January 23, at the DC Capitol Hilton. Bloomberg and his mayors will be meeting at the hotel, and VCDL plans a protest calling for BATF prosecution of Bloomberg for setting up alleged "straw man" sales. My recommendations for travel are in extended remarks.

Continue reading "Anti-Bloomberg rally in DC 1/23/07"

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NRA "Calling out" the Brady Campaign

That's what Instapundit terms it. Here's the release.

"Get a load of what the president of the Brady Campaign recently said while he was in Maine. Paul Helmke let loose with this: "I absolutely don't want to do anything to make it harder for the legitimate hunters or gun collectors or anybody who even wants it for personal protection."

Oh really? Mr. Helmke, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If you're not opposed to people having guns for self-defense, then I've got an offer for you. Let's make history together. When Congress convenes next year, let's both push for passage of the D.C. Personal Protection Act. This bill would restore the Second Amendment to our nation's capitol, something that I'm sure you support. After all, you don't want to make it harder for people who want a firearm for personal protection, right?

And let's push to end those stupid "one-gun-a-month" laws. Like you said, you don't want to do anything to make it harder for gun collectors, right? Ever try to buy a matching set of pistols in a state with a "one-gun-a-month" law? Good luck. "

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Brady Center on "crime surge"

FBI reports that, after many years of declines, violent crime went up 5%. The Brady Center promptly issued this press release proclaiming it a "a surge in violent crime" and attributing it to guns and less federal money for police.

As to the first: hmmm... funny how crime rates declined for years, as Americans bought more guns.

As to the second: why are cities so dependent on federal funds, for their most basic task of policing their communities?

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Brady Center "grades"

Here's another critique of Brady's grades, noting that states that got a D grade had a larger drop in violent crime than those that got higher grades.

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Brady Campaign on Huffington Post

The head of Brady Campaign has a post at the Huffington Post about its plans & hopes.

One new one: "restricting sales of military style weapons and the ammunition that's used in those weapons."

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More on Bloomberg group mayor pleading to gun charges

I'd earlier blogged how mayor Frank Melton, of Jackson MS, a member of Bloomberg's mayors' group, had plead guilty to illegal gun carry.

Just found this on the FULL set of charges against him. Frankly, the mayor sounds like a mental case, and rather on the dangerous side.

"The most serious of the charges facing the mayor and his bodyguards involve the damage of the duplex on Ridgeway Street in Virden Addition last month. Neighbors allege Melton and unnamed minor boys in his company used sledgehammers to break open the front of the home rented by Evans Welch....Melton and Wright are charged with burglary for allegedly entering the house armed with deadly weapons with the intent to commit a crime."

And that's just the short version. Read the whole thing...

[Udate: abbreviation corrected, thanks...]

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Mayor Against Illegal Guns pleads guilty to illegal gun carry

Perhaps the ultimate case of "rights for me but not for thee..."

Mayor Frank Melton, of Jackson MI, is a member of Bloomberg's mayors group, and just plead guilty to illegally carrying a handgun onto school, and church, property.

The story also notes that he really, really, really, likes to carry. As in he's tried to pack on airplanes and in the US Capitol. Not that I'd complain ... but that's a little hard to reconcile with being a charter member of an antigun organization!

Hat tip to Dan Gifford.

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"Why all the lies?"

A blog asks a very good question.

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Brady grades and crime rates

Here's a paper by Denton Bramwell, studying the relationship between the Brady Campaign's grading of state gun laws, and the homicide rates and total violent crime rates, of those states. (pdf file, but small).

If Brady's report cards made any sense (that is, if the legal measures it wants enacted, the type of thing that earns an A grade), then there should be some correlation between grades and violent crime and murder rates. The paper concludes that there is no such correlation at all. At each grade level, states' homicide/violence rates range from low to high, and there is no evidence of any correlation between grades and homicide rates at all. A regression analysis indicated that the relation between Brady grade and crime rate was no better than you would get by running random pairs of data, plucking grades and crime rates out of the air.

Logical conclusion: Enactment or failure to enact Brady's legislative priorities had no correlation to murder rates. If a state were to go from F to A, from virtually no gun control to everything on Brady's agenda, the only result would be a joyful press release from Brady.

It is quite interesting to see an advocacy group impeached by its own grading system.

[Welcome Instanpundit readers! Take a look at the blog in general, or check out my documentary film on the 2nd Amendment, released last week and starring Prof. Reynolds, Gene Volokh, Dave Kopel, and quite a few others.

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Alas, poor Utah

A Utah antigun group sponors a day of rememberance. "in 2005 Utah received a grade of D- for its laws shielding families from gun violence, from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Utah has no child access prevention laws, no gun safety lock or safety design standard laws, no limitation on assault weapons and magazines or “junk” handguns, no requirement for a license to purchase a gun, no requirement to maintain gun sales records or to register the ownership of a gun, no requirement for background checks on “private” gun sales, and no required safety training for handgun buyers."

Hmm, so let's look at the crime picture in this D- state. Uh -- in that year it had a homicide rate of 2.3, the 42nd lowest in the country (the absolute lowest rate was Vermont, which allows concealed carry without a permit, and the highest rate, 35, was the District of Columbia). In total violence crime it was 47th -- only Vermont, New Hampshire and South Dakota had less violence.

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Edward Welles, early Brady director, dies

Edward Welles, a former OSS/CIA officer who became first Executive Director of what is now the Brady Campaign, has died at age 85.

Brady started out as ... if I remember correctly, the National Council to Control Handguns. It was a very small group until Welles landed Pete Shields, a DuPont vice president, as his replacement. Shields knew organization and PR and put it on the map. In the process, its name changed to Handgun Control Incorporated (because its previous name, and acronym, was too easily confused with National Coalition to Ban Handguns, the other large antigun group). Later Shields recruited the Bradys, after his retirement they named it after themselves.

One of my beefs, BTW, is that the Brady Campaign's website and literature barely acknowledges that Shields existed -- before Brady, there was nothing -- when actually he was the creator of the group as it is today. His counterpart would be Harlon Carter, who largely created the NRA as it is today, and NRA has no trouble remembering him -- he's an honorary life member, the HQ building is named for him, his bronze bust in the its hall, his memory is invoked at every annual meeting. I have trouble understanding why Brady doesn't honor the fellow who put it on the map.

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Joyce Foundation underwriting Bloomberg, too?

Georgiapacking has an interesting page tying together all the links between antigun groups and their financing. From them I got an interesting tip. Joyce Foundation's latest report on their funding of antigun efforts includes a grant of $175,000 to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, "To organize a coalition of mayors from around the country to promote national, state, and local policies, litigatio