S.O.S.

Steven Crowder: Halloween Obama Style

Steven Crowder on Guns

Free Market America: "If I Wanted America to Fail"

By Free Market America.

More Women Signing up for Concealed Carry Classes

Another try for Campus Carry

Patriotic Senator Ron Gould plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would remove current restrictions for students who poses CCW permits while they are on Arizona College Campuses. I'd love to see an even broader bill, but based on past results this is likely the best first step. Please contact Senator Gould and let him know that you support his efforts. He is currently facing an onslaught of left wing anti-gun media coverage claiming that the sky would fall and blood would run in the streets if 21 year old adults who already have CCW permits and already carry a gun everywhere else in the State were suddenly no longer prohibited from defending themselves while they happen to be in yet another so-called "Gun Free Zone"

For those who think Gun Free Zones work, just ask the victims of the Virginia Tech Gun Free Zone how well the zone worked for them. The simple truth is that criminals, rapists, and crazy people do not obey gun free zone signs any more than they would obey a smoke free zone or a no parking zone. They simply ignore them. The people victimized by gun free zones time and time again are the defenseless victims trapped within them.

How the Presidential Candidates rate on gun rights

It can be difficult to determine where your favorite Presidential Candidate stands on the Second Amendment if you only listen to their standard talking points. As a result it is helpful to look at their ratings from the gun rights organizations that you trust. Unfortunately the NRA does not rate candidates specifically for the primary, so you have to do some digging through the NRA PVF Archive to find NRA ratings from past elections. For your convenience, I've done the digging for you, and below is what I found for the current top contenders along with the date that the NRA rated them.

NRA PVF Ratings:

• A+ Rick Perry (2010 election for Texas Governor)


• A+ Rick Santorum (2006 election for Pennsylvania US Senate)


• A- Ron Paul (2010 election for US House of Representatives)


• B Mitt Romney (2002 election for Massachusetts Governor - prior to signing 2004 legislation)


• Newt Gingrich - I can't find the ratings on Gingrich since the archive only goes back to 2002 and he last ran for office in 1998 but rest assured that Newt Gingrich is a big government progressive with plenty of Gun Rights issues to be concerned about.

Be aware that there are significant concerns with anti-gun legislation that Rick Santorum has voted for in the late 1990's. There are also concerns about legislation Romney signed in 2004 when he was Governor in Massachusetts. Kurt Hofmann has gathered together the details on past gun rights concerns with Santorum and Romney. I have sent questionnaires to the press e-mail of both Santorum and Romney to ask them detailed questions on their current position on critical gun rights issues - if I get responses from either I will post them on this blog.

Unlike the NRA which rates incumbant candidates based on a mathematical grade scale measurment of specific gun rights votes and actions, the GOA rates candidates on a subjective gut feeling of the GOA President, so I recommend considering the GOA ratings as the subjective opinion of a single gun rights activist. However, here are the GOA 2012 Presidential Primary candidate ratings which includes some details on why the GOA rated some of them the way they did.

Update 1: Clarification from the NRA on the 2004 Legislation Mitt Romney Signed

John R Lott Jr on HR 822

John R. Lott Jr posted a great article about HR 822 titled "What's Wrong With Making It Easier to Carry a Gun Across State Lines?"

Take a look at HR 822, it is straight forward, essentially similar to existing Federal law that tells States that they must recognize drivers licenses issued by other States. HR 822 tells States that if they issue concealed carry permits, they must recognize concealed carry permits issued by other States. It is only a few paragraphs long, and is so simple that even my 5th grader understandood it. Really. I had him read it and explain it to verify my theory.

Interview on Gun Laws in CA

Well done interview:



In the interview CA State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino mentioned that he wanted to remove the "loophole" in California that does not yet deny American Citizens the ability to bear unloaded firearms who have not yet been granted a piece of paper by a mighty Sheriff, yet he failed to mention the fact that Thousands of California Residents are DENIED said piece of paper every single year because they write down on their application that the reason they wish to apply is simply because they wish to be able to defend their own life or the life of their loved ones while they are away from their own homes. Not to mention those of us who visit from out of State who are not even eligible to apply for a permit, nor are our own permits recognized.

That's right, apparently in California in the mind of many lawmakers your life is worth LESS than diamonds or dollars. If you are protecting cash being deposited at the bank you can get a permit. If you are defending life and limb, forget it.

My message to Anthony Portantino and any lawmakers who agree with him: It is time to Go HOME!

H/T to Sebastian

USCCA Concealed Carry Report

Have you signed up for the free USCCA Concealed Carry Report put out by the USCCA? It is 100% free, and has a lot of valuable insights and information in every release.

So much for the city of Brotherly Love

Perhaps they should rename Philadelphia the city of we hate law abiding gun owners. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it does fit the stated policy of the Philadelphia PD.

They plan to assume that all people who carry openly are common criminals until proven otherwise rather than the other way around. Why not take the current activity or demeanor of the law abiding citizen into consideration? How many common criminals have you ever heard of that even bother to use holsters much less carry a gun openly? Why not use common sense? It is evident to me that there is not much common sense nor brotherly love coming from the Top Brass of the Philadelphia PD.

Listen to the full details on what happened to Mark Fiorino. Here is part two of the story. Here is the audio of the full incident - be aware that the officer uses a lot of inappropriate language, so do not listen to this with any children in the room. Instead of an apology, the Philadelphia PD says to expect more of the same. Reprehensible. Disgusting. The top Brass at the Philadelphia PD should be ashamed of themselves.

H/T to Mark Walters who will be discussing this story this afternoon on Armed American Radio - don't miss it, always a great program.

Texas Senate Passes Campus Carry

From SCCC:

TEXAS SENATE PASSES “CAMPUS CARRY” BY VOTE OF 21 TO 10

On Monday, May 9, following months of parliamentary challenges, backroom negotiations, and public accusations, the Texas Senate finally passed legislation that would legalize licensed concealed carry (of handguns) at Texas public colleges. By a vote of 21 to 10, the Texas Senate agreed to add Senator Jeff Wentorth’s (R- San Antonio) “campus carry” amendment to SB 1581, a higher education finance bill authored by Senator Steve Ogden (R-Bryan). The bill itself passed by a vote of 19-12 and will now go to the Texas House. Texas Governor Rick Perry has repeatedly voiced his support for campus carry and promised to sign the legislation if it’s passed by the legislature.

W. Scott Lewis, Texas legislative director for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, commented, “This has never been a question of securing majority support; it’s always been about overcoming the parliamentary hurdles laid out by a handful of Senators opposed to campus carry. Now that it’s gotten past the Senate’s infamous two-thirds rule, campus carry has more momentum than a runaway freight train.”

The language of Senator Wentworth’s amendment is very similar to his Senate Bill 354, which stalled in the Senate last month after two Senators abruptly withdrew support during a floor debate, dropping the number of supporters from 22 to 20. A longstanding tradition in the Texas Senate requires that two-thirds of the Senators present (21 of 31) agree to hear a bill.

After exploring various methods for getting his bill heard on the Senate floor, Senator Wentworth was finally able to attach his amendment to SB 1581 after an earlier amendment by Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) changed the overall subject matter of the bill, allowing Senator Wentworth’s amendment to meet the “germaneness” test laid out in the Senate rules. Senator Ogden supported the amendment despite having previously opposed SB 354. Lewis concluded, “Despite all of the media hype, all of the fear mongering, and all of the misinformation, a vast majority of the Texas Senators tasked with researching and voting on this issue opted for empirical evidence over emotional rhetoric.”

###

ABOUT STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY ON CAMPUS - Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising over 44,000 college students, professors, college employees, parents of college students, and concerned citizens who believe that holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else. SCCC has members in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. SCCC is not affiliated with the NRA or any other organization. SCCC extends an open invitation to publicly debate representatives from any organization or institution opposed to “campus carry.”

Governor Brewer Vetoes Campus Carry

In her veto letter yesterday afternoon, Governor Brewer claimed that she vetoed SB 1467 because she was concerned that the public right of way specified in the legislation was not properly defined within it. Is it just me, or does it seem fairly simple to you? If it's a sidewalk or a parking lot, and the public has the right to be there, then it is a public right of way area. If it's a place the general public is not allowed to be, it is not a public right of way area.

That is so simple even a 5th grader can understand it, but apparently it was too difficult for our Governor even with her entire staff to help her out. If they failed to help her figure it out, all she had to do was call me, and I would have been happy to give her a hand. I even happen to have a 6th grader here at home who could have helped her in a pinch if I was too busy at the moment.

She also gave a lame excuse about K-12 schools which were not even mentioned in the legislation at all.

Thanks to her Veto stamp, Students and Teachers will continue to be faced with the decision of getting an education in a defenseless victim zone here in Arizona, or moving to another state like Utah or Colorado where they are free to be prepared to defend their own life if they are threatened by an armed rapist or thug while they happen to be on the grounds of a University or College campus. The criminals either don't know how to read the gun free zone signs, or they simply have been choosing to ignore them. When you're in the dark, alone, and confronted by an armed thug, do you want to be armed with a gun or a cell phone? The gun would be right there at your side in your holster ready to go. The Police would be minutes away, likely to arrive in time only to draw outlines of chalk where they found the bodies of the disarmed victims at the scene of the crime.

The Gun Free Zone experiment is a dismal failure, which has turned competent individuals into helpless disarmed victims. It is well past time for us to stop treating our students and teachers like lab rats. They should be given back their natural right to choose whether or not they wish to be prepared to defend themselves, or to walk around with nothing but a cell phone in their pocket.

AZ: Ask Governor Brewer to Sign Campus Carry

From AZCDL:

Your Action Center letter to the Governor is waiting for you here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=40883501 .

SB 1467, the AzCDL-requested Campus Carry bill passed out of the House on April 7, 2011 and was sent back to the Senate where it was forwarded to the Governor for her consideration.

SB 1467 simply prevents the governing boards of colleges and universities from prohibiting the “lawful possession or carrying of a weapon on a public right-of-way.” That covers streets, sidewalks, etc. open to public use.

We are already getting word that the anti-rights forces have begun contacting the Governor urging her to veto SB 1467 to make sure that campuses remain safe havens for criminals and dangerous places for students.

The anti-rights crowd has pulled out all the stops this year to prevent teachers, staff, and students in Arizona from having a safe learning environment. East Coast based national groups have beefed up their staff in Arizona. At the Capitol, they have spared no expense on lobbying, including holding a closed meeting with “freshmen” legislators (AzCDL tried to attend but we were stopped at the door). On college and university campuses, they have conducted a series of fear-mongering indoctrination sessions, disguised as “forums,” to stop Campus Carry. Sadly, they have also exploited the victims of the January Tucson shooting tragedy in order to intimidate nervous legislators.

Contact the Governor and let her know that you support the passage of SB 1467 and urge her to sign SB 1467 into law. Your Action Center letter to the Governor is waiting for you here:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=40883501 .

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

A list of the firearms and self-defense related bills, along with links, that AzCDL is monitoring can be found at our website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2011_bills.html .

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Renew your membership today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we send out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts

AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

Copyright © 2011 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

AZCDL: Contact House Leadership

From AZCDL:

Much to the delight of anti-rights legislators and criminal empowerment groups, nearly all the House sponsored pro-rights firearms bills have languished without committee assignments or hearings. Meanwhile similar bills have moved swiftly through the Senate and are now under the control of House Leadership.

Your action is needed to ensure that the Senate bills are acted on.

The following Senate Bills have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

SB 1201, the AzCDL-requested bill that says that if a state or local government building or event is going to post a "No Firearms" sign, then security measures must be in place to ensure that no one is capable of bringing in a firearm without detection.

SB 1391, a bill that would authorize and direct the Governor to enter into interstate compacts with other states that have a “Firearms Freedom Act” like the one that was passed last year in Arizona.

SB 1469, a bill that would strengthen current self-defense statutes by broadening the allowance for the use of force and provide greater protection for those forced tdefend themselves from an attacker.

The committee members need to hear from you, politely urging them to support these bills. A letter has been prepared, addressed to all committee members, and is waiting for you at our Legislative Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=36472501
Feel free to add text, or send it “as is.” When you are done, complete the “Sender Information” and click on “Send Message.”

Also in the House are the following pro-rights bills that the House Leadership has not yet assigned to a committee. Since House rules impose deadlines on committee hearings, we hope they are not trying to “run out the clock” by delaying assignments until the deadlines have passed.

SB 1467, the AzCDL-requested Campus Carry bill.

SB 1610, a bill that would establish the Colt Single Action Army Revolver as the state firearm.

SCR 1020, a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would protect crime victims from law suits by those who harm them. Assuming it passes out of the legislature, SCR 1020 will be sent to the Secretary of State to be placed on the ballot.

The House Leadership needs to hear from you, politely urging them to assign these bills to the appropriate committees right away. A letter has been prepared,addressed to the entire House Leadership, and is waiting for you at our Legislative Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=36503501
Feel free to edit the text, or send it “as is.” When you are done, complete the “Sender Information” and click on “Send Message.”

The time for action is now! Your freedom depends on it.

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

A list of the firearms and self-defense related bills, along with links, that AzCDL is
monitoring can be found at our website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2011_bills.html

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Renew your membership today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we send
out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .

AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC

LuckyGunner Special on 308 Ammo

LuckyGunner.com is offering a special promotion through Friday March 25th 2011 for $30 off bulk orders of 308 Ammunition. To take advantage of this limited time offer use coupon code "Magtech308-$30OFF" while checking out. Happy St Patrick's Day!

AZ: NRA-ILA Legislative Alert

From the NRA-ILA:

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Session continues in Phoenix and several bills reported previously need your support. The House Judiciary Committee is set to consider two bills important to not only Arizona’s firearm owners.

As reported last week, Senate Bill 1201 passed in the Senate on its final reading by a vote of 21 to 8, with one absent. This pro-gun bill is a comprehensive firearms reform measure which would make a number of improvements to Arizona’s carry laws. Most importantly, it would help put an end to “gun free” signs limiting your right to carry in most currently prohibited places and unsecured buildings. This reasonable right-to-carry reform legislation is designed to prohibit the arbitrary lines created by these signs which currently restrict your right to self-defense.

Also, Senate Bill 1469 had its first reading in the House yesterday and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration. This important self-defense reform would strengthen the current “Castle Doctrine” self-defense law by broadening the definition of reasonable use of force, including deadly force, to provide greater protection for those forced to defend themselves from an attacker.

Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee listed here and respectfully urge them to vote in favor of SB 1201 and SB 1469.

Yesterday, the full Senate passed Senate Bill 1467 by a 21 to 7 vote, with two votes absent. With an NRA-backed amendment attached, SB 1467 would prohibit an educational institution from adopting or enforcing any policy prohibiting the possession of a concealed weapon by a permit holder or regulating the lawful transportation or storage of a firearm. SB 1467 will now move to the House for its next committee assignment.

On Monday, March 14, House Bill 2645 successfully passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7 to 1. The bill is designed to meet the requirements of the federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 by enabling persons who have lost their firearm rights because of a mental health-related commitment or adjudication to petition a court to have them restored. Before granting a petition, the court would have to find that the person is not likely to act in a manner that is dangerous to public safety and that granting the requested relief would not be contrary to the public interest. This bill will ensure that people who can safely and responsibly possess firearms are not unnecessarily deprived of their rights.

HB 2645 now moves to the Senate floor to be scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

Please keep checking your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for further updates on SB 1467 and HB 2645.

Copyright 2011, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 800-392-8683

AZ: Campus Carry passes out of Senate

SB1467 Campus Carry Passed out of the Senate today 21 to 7 with 2 Senators not voting. It will go to the House next.

AZ 2011 Bills

There are a lot of great firearm related bills being considered in Arizona this year. There are also some bad firearm related bills. You can keep track of all of them from directly from the AZCDL 2011 Legislation Page. Each bill has a brief description and notes whether the AZCDL supports, opposes, or is neutral on the bill. It also has a link to the Arizona Legislature website with current bill status information such as bill text, votes, and even video of any related floor debates or committee hearings.