Category: RKBA

A new one by Charles C.W. Cooke, editor of National Review.

 

Freedom Is An Issue That Stirs Voters

The American gun-control movement has long insisted that public opinion is firmly on its side, and that its aims are thwarted not by their political unpopularity but by the obstinacy of a handful of over-powerful players. What happened in Virginia at the beginning of this year demonstrates once again that this claim of public support is flatly untrue.

By now, we are well-accustomed to hearing that “Republicans!” or “the NRA!” or “extremists!” have hijacked our elections and set about destroying the prospect of meaningful “gun-safety” reforms in the United States. But, if that is true, what should we make of Virginia’s failure to push through the gun ban that the governor and others had so confidently promised?

Certainly, one cannot blame the Republican party, which fared so poorly during the last set of state elections that the Democrats were left in charge of every branch of state government. Nor can one blame the country’s pro-Second Amendment advocacy groups, which, as usual, were outspent in the state. And one cannot claim with a straight face that the Democrats did not care enough about the issue, given that they campaigned on imposing new restrictions, promised after they won that they would impose new restrictions and, at the first opportunity, tried to impose new restrictions. Could it be, perhaps, that when push comes to shove, limiting the right to keep and bear arms is a losing proposition in America?

The scale of the reaction in Virginia suggests the answer is “yes.” Gov. Ralph Northam and the Democratic legislature insisted they were going to prohibit the sale of the most-commonly owned rifle in the United States and ban and confiscate standard-capacity magazines. In return, the people of Virginia insisted they were going to do no such thing. Six cities and 91 out of the state’s 95 counties passed resolutions declaring themselves Second Amendment “sanctuaries.” In Richmond, NRA-ILA organized lobby day, where more than 2000 members met with lawmakers to voice their opposition to new gun laws. A week later a rally against the proposals drew more than 22,000 peaceful protestors. And the letters and phone calls flew in by the day. Eventually, the legislature backed down—first by pretending to water down the proposals in a number of entirely meaningless and wholly unconvincing ways, and then by pulling bills before they got out of committee.

At the heart of the gun-control movement lies a terrible misconception as to who American gun-owners are—a misconception that explains a great deal about our debates over the Second Amendment and helps to explicate what happened in Virginia. In the gun-control activists’ imagination, meaningful support for the right to keep and bear arms is a fringe phenomenon, present only among society’s oddballs and outliers, and gun owners are a small, rural, homogeneous and dangerous minority.

In reality, that support exists across the spectrum. Why? Because gun owners are half of the country. Electricians are gun owners. Bankers are gun owners. Teachers are gun owners. Stay-at-home moms are gun owners. Your neighbors are gun owners. They may be quiet about it most of the time, but, when the government tries to strip them of their elementary rights in the name of protecting them, they will break that silence in an instant and stand up to say “no.” In Virginia, it looked for a while as if all the chips had fallen in the wrong place. For the first time in decades, the Democrat Party not only controlled the entire State government, but it seemed determined to use its power to infringe upon the Second Amendment. The game was up, we were told.

And then, it lost its central attempt at a gun ban and possible confiscation.

What happened? You happened. I happened. “We the People” happened. Not today, Virginia.

“Can’t stop the signal.…”

Deterrence Dispensed , the developer of a printed AR-15 and Glock, now have come up with a printed auto-sear for the Glock. As always, the disclaimer that the manufacture of a firearm that can fire more then one shot by the single function of the trigger is highly regulated by U.S law.

As Gun Sales Rise, Education and Training Are Critical

What I am about to say may surprise some people, especially considering that I am the president and founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Despite the fact that I have been pleasantly surprised by the large swath of Americans who are working to improve their preparedness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic — indeed, the last two months have seen record firearms sales — I want to emphasize that going out and purchasing a gun is not the sole requirement of actually being prepared. Rather, it’s a small step at the beginning of a lifelong and life-changing journey for millions of Americans who want to keep their loved ones safe.

As the coronavirus pandemic has spread in recent weeks, many Americans have begun truly evaluating their own levels of personal security and preparedness for the first time and are also considering what they would do if they were ever forced to protect themselves or their families.

The result of such evaluations? Record firearms sales in virtually every state and municipality across the country. Gun sales in the states most affected by the virus thus far (California, New York and Washington come to mind) have been particularly high. Images of Americans — many of them first-time gun owners — lined up at gun stores and sporting-goods stores have become commonplace.The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) reported a 168 percent spike in ammunition shipments for the week ending March 14. Figures from the FBI show 3.7 million background checks were done that same month—the most for a single month since the system began in 1998.

Perhaps not surprising in a world where seemingly everything is politicized, particularly when it comes to firearms, anti-gun groups and politicians have predicted that rising gun sales, coupled with schools being closed, will lead to more accidental shootings and deaths. Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, recently claimed, for example, that an “unintended consequence of these panic-induced purchases in response to COVID-19 could be a tragic increase of preventable gun deaths.”

Try again, Mr. Brown. The reality is that this type of fearmongering and effort by some to use the pandemic to further erode gun rights is not rooted in fact. Even as gun ownership has consistently risen year after year — with roughly 100 million gun owners in the U.S. today — preventable accidents have steadily decreased; there was a 44 percent decline from 1999 to 2018. A recent report from the National Safety Council, a reference resource for safety statistics, shows that preventable or accidental gun-related deaths totaled only 458 cases in 2018, which was the lowest figure since the organization began keeping record in 1903. This represented just 1 percent of all firearms fatalities in 2018, even as concealed carry permits have soared by more than 215 percent in recent years.

One key reason for this is that responsible gun owners take firearms safety very seriously. Many of these individuals have proven that they are willing to comply with the law by fulfilling all of the requirements associated with obtaining a concealed carry permit. In fact, a recent report by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that concealed carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding demographic of Americans today.

All of this aside, the bottom line is that all of us share the common goal of working to reduce future tragedies. Being a responsibly-armed American does not stop with your constitutional right to bear arms. In fact, making the decision to carry a firearm, or even to simply keep a gun for home defense, is where the real responsibility begins.

In addition to firearms safety, education and training must be top priorities for all gun owners, particularly for the thousands of Americans who have purchased a firearm for the first time in recent weeks. There’s no substitute for live-fire training, and many gun ranges have closed their doors during this pandemic, but gun owners still have the option to access countless online training materials and courses from knowledgeable instructors.

Safe firearms storage is also critical. Every new gun ships with a gun lock. A gun owner should use that lock or another secure storage device any time he or she is not either training at a range or carrying said sidearm. Many police and fire stations offer free gun locks — no questions asked. Again, when not in use, a firearm should be stored in a secured lockbox to which only the lawful owner or another authorized individual has access.

There will continue to be political and policy disagreements about gun ownership in the coming days — and beyond — and that’s OK. But right now, as millions of Americans continue to embrace their right to self-protection and others still are just starting to open their minds to the responsibly-armed lifestyle, we need to remember that education, training and safety must remain the uncompromisable tenets on which we all stand.

Revisiting RAND’s Gun Law Research Review

As with the initial report, the key takeaway is that there is no solid body of empirical evidence to support the common gun control wish list items such as bans on modern sporting rifles, magazine size limits, minimum age requirements for purchasing a firearm, universal background checks, licensing and permitting requirements or mandatory sales reporting and registration.

Also, the methodological quality of the existing body of research is low at best. As the report concludes, “the scientific literature we reviewed shows that many of the best recent studies suffer from important methodological limitations that should be addressed in future research,” and, “with a few exceptions, there is a surprisingly limited base of rigorous scientific evidence concerning the effects of many commonly discussed gun policies.” We know this already, of course.

Heritage Foundation’s online DGU database. Add it to your bookmarks.

Defensive Gun Uses in the U.S.

All of the law-abiding citizens featured in this database successfully defended their liberties, lives, or livelihoods with the lawful use of a firearm. These cases are not based on hearsay, but on verifiable reports found through public sources.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost every major study on defensive gun use has found that Americans use their firearms defensively between 500,000 and 3 million times each year. There’s good reason to believe that most defensive gun uses are never reported to law enforcement, much less picked up by local or national media outlets.

This database, therefore, is not intended to be comprehensive. Instead, it highlights just a fraction of the incredible number of times Americans relied on the Second Amendment—not the government getting there in time—to protect their inalienable rights. Despite the limitations on data, these confirmed cases of defensive gun use help prove that the “good guy with a gun” is not a myth, but an integral part of American society.

First-Time Buyers Explain Why Coronavirus Drove Them to Gun Stores in Record Numbers

Aaron Eaton learned how to shoot in the Army back in 2006 but holstered a pistol for the last time when he left in 2009 and took a job as a technician for a sewer company. That all changed on March 26 when the father of four walked out of an Alabama gun store with a Beretta 92FS, the same gun he handled as a military policeman at the height of the Iraq war.

“Simply put: I wanted peace of mind when it comes to the safety of my family,” Eaton said.

Eaton’s pistol was one of 2.3 million firearms to fly off the shelves in March, the single busiest month for gun sales ever. The Washington Free Beacon spoke to half a dozen new gun owners who purchased a total of six handguns and two shotguns. All of the new gun owners provided proof of purchase, though some asked not to have their last names published because of potential career backlash.

“To me, it’s all about protecting my family, and if a gun makes that easier, so be it,” Scott, a California tech worker with a wife and daughter, said.

Many of the new gun owners cited concerns about personal protection as states began emptying jail cells and police departments announced they would no longer enforce certain laws. Jake Wilhelm, a Virginia-based environmental consultant and lacrosse coach, purchased a Sig Sauer P226 after seeing Italy enact a nationwide lockdown on March 9.

“[My fiancée and I] came to the conclusion in early March that if a nation like Italy was going into full lockdown, we in the U.S. were likely on the same path,” Wilhelm said. “Given that, and knowing that police resources would be stretched to the max, I decided to purchase a handgun.”

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry’s trade group, said new customers represented a large swath of new gun sales even as gun stores faced depleted stocks and shutdown orders from state and local governments across the country. “A large portion of the 2.3 million sales during the month of March were to first-time buyers is what we’re hearing back from our retailers,” Mark Oliva, a spokesman for the group, said.

Retailers told the Free Beacon they’d never experienced anything like the recent surge of new buyers.

The Bill of Rights Matter – Even in a Pandemic

The Founding Fathers realized one of the most important aspects of life – our rights are not granted by man, but by God. They understood that if any government is responsible for giving rights to an individual, those freedoms and liberties can be quickly taken away. Instead, when the Bill of Rights was composed, they agreed and recognized that God is the authority of our prerogatives. Whether an elected official likes the Bill of Rights or not, they must adhere to them at all times, not just when it is convenient for them.

New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy was on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight this past week for an interview on the condition on the state. During the conversation, Carlson mentioned the widely publicized incident of 15 men arrested at a synagogue after attending an orthodox Jewish funeral, accused of violating the governor’s edict against large gatherings. Carlson asked Murphy,” By what authority did you nullify the Bill of Rights in issuing this order? How do you have the power to do that?”

Murphy’s response is indicative of an authoritarian. He chuckled at Carlson’s question and said, “that’s above my pay grade Tucker,” but did not say who’s pay grade it was. Murphy is the governor of the state of New Jersey. He sits in the highest political office. His decisions affect every citizen and anyone who passes through while traveling or on business. There is no one else above him politically. Murphy rejected responsibility.

Also, did you notice Murphy’s reaction to the question about the Bill of Rights? He chuckled. That is what he thinks about your rights as a United States citizen. His response should not surprise anyone. The Democrats laugh at the Constitution daily – they hate it. They abhor the fact that it restricts them from doing what they want to accomplish full-blown socialism.

Murphy could not answer Carlson’s question directly. He made excuses and blamed an imaginary person who is making other executive decisions in the state of New Jersey. Why? He knows that he cannot answer the question truthfully – the Democrats are in a power grab.

Carlson’s question was necessary for this reason: we have seen too many Democratic politicians act like the Bill of Rights does not apply to them. Since we are amid a pandemic, certain governors are governing by executive edict.

There were congregants cited for attending a drive-in church service in Mississippi after the Democratic mayor issued an executive order against them. The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, Democrat Greg Fischer, attempted to ban the same type of church service but failed after a judge overruled him. The Kentucky governor ordered the State Police to record all vehicle license registration plates of any vehicle in a church parking lot on Easter Sunday with the threat of forced quarantine.

It is ironic. Democrats are proponents for a more powerful federal government with less power handed to states, except now there is a Republican president in office. All of a sudden, they are enjoying States Rights, perhaps to the point of illegal decrees.

The Bill of Rights guarantees us individual freedoms in America. It gives power to the people and restricts the government from reaching too far into our lives. It is one of the most precious documents in the founding of our country – without it, there is tyranny.

The COVID-19 virus is dangerous. It is responsible for the death of thousands of people. Pandemics do not annul our Constitution, and Civil liberties are under assault by the left.

The Democratic Party does not care about liberties and freedoms as initially intended. They are more concerned with creating a victim mentality nationwide, making their victims feel entitled to certain rights, government checks, and social entitlement.

Pandemics are not new and have been around for thousands of years, causing countless deaths. The Founders did not place anything in the Bill of Rights about widespread illness, and there are no clauses in the Constitution about them. Freedom is inherently dangerous. Much less perilous than security granted by the government, however. 

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin

Army Corps of Engineers Considering Expanded Firearm Policy

The Army Corps of Engineers, which manages more than 400 waterways in the U.S. and many of the recreational opportunities found there—camping, fishing, boating, hiking and more—is accepting written comments on a proposal to modernize its firearm policy and better recognize the right to self-defense.

“This proposed revision would align the Corps regulation with the regulations of the other Federal land management agencies by removing the need for an individual to obtain written permission before possessing a weapon on Corps projects,” the announcement explains.

Hunting and fishing during authorized seasons, in designated areas with proper licenses—and law enforcement—are the only exceptions under the current regulation. Comments will be accepted through June 12, 2020.

The proposal explains, “…the revised regulation would permit an individual to possess a weapon and associated ammunition when the possession both complies with the Federal, state, and local law where the project is located, and the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the weapon.” Gun owners with a valid concealed carry permit at this time are required to secure written permission, although that would change if the new regulation is formally adopted.

The Army Corps of Engineers manages projects across 43 different states, with many home to extremely popular recreation areas. Camping facilities are well developed in many of them and often include the full hookups and amenities that attract expensive recreational vehicles. Ninety percent are within 50 miles of major metropolitan areas—convenient location for outdoor enthusiasts as well as opportunistic criminals..

Comments on the proposed change can be e-mailed to firearms@usace.army.mil or sent in writing to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CECW-CO-N, Steve Austin, 3F68, 441 G Street NW, Washington DC 20314-1000. Include docket number COE-2018-0008 in the subject line or letter.

Kopel: Gun rights being chipped away a piece at a time

Decades ago, the head of one the most venerable gun-control groups explained the long-term strategy: “The first problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns being produced and sold in this country. The second problem is to get handguns registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors-totally illegal.” (The New Yorker, July 29, 1976).

Some things have changed. The group quoted above changed its name thrice, most recently to “Brady.” Gun control no longer aims only at handguns. But the basic approach has been constant.

Starting in 1998, the Brady Campaign organized lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry. Allegedly, firearms manufacturers and retailers who complied with all laws regarding arms sales were responsible for the acts of gun criminals. In response, Colorado, most other states, and eventually Congress passed legislation forbidding such abusive lawsuits.

Democratic presidential candidates Biden and Sanders favor repealing lawsuit limits. In the meantime, gun-control organizations are working to convince courts to invent loopholes in the federal statute.  They have succeeded in the Connecticut Supreme Court.

In California since 2013, all new models of semiautomatic handguns have been prohibited. A California statute outlaws all new models unless they can double-microstamp ammunition cases. No technology exists to perform such a feat. Even the inventor of double-microstamping has been unable to demonstrate that his mechanism meets the impossible California standards.

Registration. 

Confiscating guns (step 3) is much harder if the government does not know who has which guns (step 2). The “background check” law enacted by the Colorado legislature in 2013 is also a system for gun registration. For example, if you go on vacation for three weeks, and store your guns at your cousin’s house, to reduce the risk of theft, you are supposed to first go to a gun store with your cousin. The store will fill out all the same registration forms as if your cousin were buying firearms from the store’s inventory. When you return from vacation, you and the cousin must return to the gun store, to repeat the paperwork. This time, you will be treated as if you were buying firearms from the store’s inventory.

The obvious purpose of this is to get as many guns as possible recorded on the federal gun registration forms that firearms dealers must keep for each gun they sell.

According to the head of the National Institute of Justice under President Obama, “universal background checks” are unenforceable unless the government already has comprehensive registration lists. So as political circumstances allow, the gun-control lobbies demand universal registration, to close the supposed “loophole” in background checks.

Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom used registration lists for confiscation — euphemistically called a “buy back,” even though the government never owned the guns. Such confiscation has been praised by many American gun-control advocates. Several months ago, Virginia Gov. Northam proposed confiscating so-called “assault weapons.”

While confiscation was not enacted in Virginia, it has been in New York City and California, where all guns are registered. Some confiscations are slow motion, allowing current owners to keep their arms until they die, but not to pass them on to their heirs. This is what Colorado does with magazines and New York City does with what it calls “assault weapons,” such as 6-shot bolt-action rifles.

Every inconvenience possible.

The more people who own firearms, the harder it is to pass anti-gun laws.  Reducing the number of people who possess firearms helps with step one (reduce production), and is necessary in the long run for steps two and three.

New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York City, the United Kingdom and Australia provide the model: First, enact a licensing system. Then, as anti-gun officials make applications arduous, people are discouraged from acquiring their first firearm. Over a generation, the system greatly reduces firearms ownership.

Another approach is the 2018 Bloomberg law passed in Washington state. If you own a Winchester Model 1903 rifle, which uses low-power .22 caliber ammunition and has a maximum capacity of 10 rounds, you supposedly have a “semiautomatic assault rifle.” You must waive your medical privacy and pay special fees, which fund a bureaucracy to inspect your medical records at least once a year. Naturally, many people will forego firearm acquisition rather than surrender medical privacy. Which is the point of the law.

Waiting periods that require two trips to a store to buy a single gun might not matter to someone who resides near the Cabela’s in Thornton. But for the busy rancher or farmer who lives hours away from a gun store, the additional burden is high enough to make firearms acquisition impossible, especially during peak periods.

Alternatively, California’s badly-administered new laws for background checks on ammunition is making ammunition purchases impossible for many lawful buyers.

Maximizing harassment of law-abiding gun owners is a feature, not a bug, of gun control. The fewer gun owners, the easier to constrict the remnant of clingers.

David Kopel, research director at the Independence Institute and a longtime Second Amendment scholar, attorney, and advocate joins Cam to talk about the history of the gun control movement, and why anti-gun activists are so terrified of the number of Americans exercising their right to keep and bear arms for the very first time.

4 TIPS FOR GUN OWNERS TO BEAT BOREDOM WHILE AT HOME

While the Coronavirus pandemic has left many of us stuck indoors, that doesn’t mean that we can’t still dedicate some time to our favorite activity — guns. We at Guns.com have gathered together a handful of activities for you to pass the time.

1. CATCH UP ON READING

Gun books

Brush up on some reading with gun themed books. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com)

Practicing social distancing has given many of us time to catch up on reading we might perhaps ignore the rest of the year. If you’re 2020 goal is to be a bit better read, brush the dust off your favorite books or download some new ones to your preferred electronic device. Some of our favorites include The Dry Fire Primer by Annette Evans, Handgun Hunting by Kat Ainsworth and You’re Not Lost if You Can Still See the Truck by Bill Heavey.

2. INVEST IN DRY FIRE PRACTICE

Rob Pincus training

Using a laser pistol like a SIRT, pictured in the hands of trainer Rob Pincus, is a great way to train at home. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)

Just because you can’t head to the range doesn’t mean those skills have to deteriorate. Break out that laser trainer pistol or unload your current firearm and put in some dry fire reps. Simple drills can include malfunction drills, reloads, drawing from concealment and trigger press — but remember, carefully inspect your gun prior to any manipulation to ensure it is unloadedand free from ammunition. We also suggest removing all ammunition from the training area just to be sure no rounds accidentally make their way into the firearm.

3. CLEAN YOUR GUNS AND ORGANIZE YOUR STASH

Glock cleaning

Caring for guns is a great way to maintain firearms and pass the time. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)

Take advantage of the time home to do a little spring cleaning and organize your stash. Now is the perfect time to break out the CLP and ready guns for your next hunt or range visit. With a little cleaner, some gun oil and some spare cloth you can clean up any gunk and make sure your guns are functioning properly. Once your done cleaning, invest some time organizing guns and gear.

Whether you choose to focus on prettying up the gun safe or you want to rearrange a favorite range bag, take stock of what you have and make sure to organize it in a way that fits your range or hunting flow. You can even take it a step further by making a list of items you want or need in the future like ammunition, targets, extra mags and even guns that are on your mind.

4. EDUCATE YOUR FAMILY

According to the NRA, the Eddie Eagle program started in 1988 and has taught over 30 million youth the basics of firearm accident prevention (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

According to the NRA, the Eddie Eagle program started in 1988 and has taught over 30 million youth the basics of firearm accident prevention (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

If your family isn’t already on the up-and-up when it comes to gun safety practices, now is a great time to get them involved. For younger kids, the NRA’s Eddie Eagle or NSSF’s Project ChildSafe offers fun learning tools to educate little ones on the importance of gun safety. Making sure that everyone understands what to do if they see a gun in addition to covering safe handling practices keeps family members safe. While you’re at it, now is a good time to evaluate how you store guns and make sure that little ones don’t have access.

If you want to continue the education with fun books for the kiddos, check out some of our favorite gun oriented books for youth by some of our favorite authors.

The Lies the Gun Control Industry Tells

By Will

Gun control might not be an oft-discussed topic recently, but I think that it is an important one. Why? Because the gun control lobby is lying to us. Still. Like with other “pandemics,” such as the topic of the moment, Coronavirus, our friends on the left use fear and very misleading numbers as the basis of their arguments.

Rather than objectively looking at the evidence, they cherry-pick data and then misuse or misrepresent it. The most distorted among these are gang violence and suicides.

Gang Violence

“Gun violence,” as it’s currently known, is a problem in America. I completely agree with that and think that there are potential solutions to it. However, law-abiding gun owners are overwhelmingly responsible individuals. Aside from an insignificant minority, they don’t commit crimes.

On the other hand, gun-related gang violence is a massive problem in America. Those (illegal) gun owners frequently use firearms to commit crimes. Those gang-related shootings, homicides, and other forms of violence show up in the general gun violence data. In response, many on both the left and the right propose gun control as a response.

But gun control won’t work. It’s only relevant to the law-abiding gun owners. The ones who don’t use their weapons to commit crimes. Gang members, on the other hand, don’t care about the law. They’re criminals. So it doesn’t matter to them that certain types and classes of weapons are made illegal. They’re breaking the law anyway.

Gun violence — crimes involving the use of firearms — could be limited by focusing on reducing gang membership. Education and policing reforms could be very effective at cutting down the number of gangs, and gang members in America. Then we would certainly see a drop in gun violence.

As the tweet at the top shows, many homicides are gang-related killings. So are many so-called “mass shootings.” While those incidents are tragic, including gang-related gun crimes with more traditional mass shootings and homicides is misleading.

Because most homicides are gang-related, gun control will be ineffective at cutting the homicide rate, and the only ones who think otherwise are people who don’t understand that the gun control lobby is lying to them. Instead, these laws will only punish law-abiding gun owners. That shouldn’t happen; the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding gun owners should be respected.

Suicide

Suicide is a horrible tragedy. I firmly believe that societies should do every reasonable thing that it can to cut down the suicide rate around the world. But gun control is not a rational response to suicide.

Most people who commit suicide are people who technically should be allowed to own a firearm. Although they are often depressed, they have done nothing wrong. It would be a gross violation of civil liberties to prohibit the sale of firearms to anyone who seems depressed. Not only would that be ineffective, it, like all gun control attempts, would punish the innocent along with the guilty.

Furthermore, it is not the role of government to get involved in the lives of law-abiding citizens. That is a cure worse than the disease because of how much it would limit individual liberty and our right to privacy.

Controlling the availability of firearms to law-abiding citizens is morally wrong and would most likely have a limited effect on suicide rates.

So, what can be done? The mental health system should be reformed. Concerned friends and family members should be able to report people who they think are struggling so that those people can be checked out.

Having a professional work with those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts could be effective, but the patient and doctor have to be connected. Setting up a report line and allowing concerned friends and family to submit names could be a great way to connect patients and doctors.

Additionally, those involved with treating patients who have suicidal tendencies should rely on more personal care and fewer pills. Medicines have their place. But many psychoactive drugs have dangerous and unpredictable side effects on the mental health of those taking them.

These are powerful tools, but can also be quite dangerous. Doctors and psychiatrists should work with their patients in person to help them through their problems rather than relying on pills.

Suicide is a complex problem. I don’t have all the answers; I probably don’t have any good answers or solutions. But what I do know is that gun control won’t work and that when people say it will, they only think that because the gun control lobby is lying to them.

As with gangs, those who want a gun will always be able to get one. We should focus on patient care, not restricting individual rights for society as a whole.

Conclusion

Suicide and gang violence are complex topics. They are also responsible for the overwhelming majority of firearm-related homicides. Too many people die from such “gun violence.” That is an issue that needs to be addressed in a variety of ways.

But gun control will not fix either problem, and restricting law-abiding citizens’ access to firearms is both unconstitutional and immoral. Gang members will always be able to get weapons. Those who really want to commit suicide will find a way to do so.

However, if more gun control is put in place to try and fix those issues, then everyone will be punished. That makes it not only an ineffective policy, but also an immoral one that will lead to the deaths of innocents.

We need to be on the lookout for these attacks by an emotional, reactionary minority on our Second Amendment rights. Gun control laws have proven to be ineffective time and again. To pretend otherwise is both dishonest and dangerous.

The gun control lobby is lying to us. It wants us to believe not only that gun violence rampant in America (it’s not), but also that gun control is an effective solution to the violence we do have. Don’t listen to the braying gun control crowd. Their ideas don’t work. They will only restrain your freedom and your liberty.

 

Antis Talk ‘Gun Safety’ During Pandemic, NRA Teaches It Online

Even before the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic panic, when people began rushing to gun stores—many for the first time—gun prohibition lobbying groups have been preaching against allowing such businesses to operate, and against buying firearms, while the National Rifle Association has taken a different, and decidedly proactive approach.

This NRA email says it all: “In response to the growing number of first-time gun buyers during the coronavirus outbreak, the National Rifle Association’s Education & Training Division is pleased to announce the launch of four new online gun safety courses.”

According to the NRA message, the courses include:

  • Gun Safety Seminar
  • NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course – Distance Learning
  • NRA Basic Rifle Shooting Course – Distance Learning
  • NRA Basic Personal Protection In The Home Course – Distance Learning

Each course, lasting from one to eight hours, is available at NRAInstructors.org.

In a recent statement, Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, welcomed all the new gun owners to the shooting fraternity.

“We encourage all new gun owners to seek competent training,” Gottlieb said. “Learn to handle your new firearms safely, and remember it’s up to all of you to protect your rights. It’s sad and at the same time uplifting that so many Americans will no longer be fence-sitters. They’re joining the ranks of gun owners and will soon understand, if they don’t already, why so many of their friends, neighbors and even family members have remained so zealous in their efforts to protect the rights you now hope to exercise and enjoy.”

Likewise, Joe DeBergalis, executive director of NRA General Operations, says in the NRA email, “The NRA recommends that all new gun owners seek professional training at the range, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a head start on learning the basics of firearm safety at home. New gun owners, old gun owners, it doesn’t really matter. Taking one of these classes moderated by a certified NRA instructor can only make you safer, and that’s our primary goal.”

“These courses will provide an option for first-time gun owners who don’t have the ability to take an NRA certified instructor-led class at their local shooting range at this time,” DeBergalis, continued. “While there is no replacement for in-person, instructor-led training, our new online classes do provide the basics of firearm safety training for those self-isolating at home.”

By contrast, the Michael Bloomberg-supported Everytown for Gun Safety lobbying group has been urging people to pressure the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security to reverse course and declare gun stores “non-essential.” This, even after admitting in an email blast, “It has been reported that gun sales have been going way up…A flood of guns at this precarious moment compounds the risks of death and serious injury during this incredibly stressful time.”

But the NRA is doing something about that, and CCRKBA has counseled all of these new gun owners to take advantage of available safety training.

Second Amendment activists have frequently argued “If you’re not teaching gun safety, you’ve got no business preaching about gun safety.” Translation: Firearms instructors provide genuine gun safety training, while so-called “gun safety” organizations are gun prohibition lobbying groups in disguise.

There is a considerable difference between just telling people to lock up their firearms and support a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” and actually providing competent instruction on the safe handling of firearms, whether they are handguns, shotguns or semi-auto modern sporting rifles.

It is important for new gun owners to be able to tell the difference between the two.

This has got to be feeling just like a big fat burr under the saddle

Bloomberg to Gun Culture: “Help Me!”

Thank you, Michael Bloomberg, for finally admitting that gun owners are correct.

Oh, I’m certain that he didn’t mean to do it; after all, the non-opinion piece titled You Just Panic-Bought a Gun. Here’s How to Handle It Safely was written by Alain Stephens, not Bloomberg himself, but as it was published in Bloomberg’s anti-gun organ The Trace on March 20th, and as Bloomberg is its owner and publisher, that means he owns, in every sense of the word, what it says.

https://www.thetrace.org/2020/03/you-just-panic-bought-a-gun-coronavirus-safety/

I imagine that galls Bloomberg terribly, since he has told us for nearly two decades that no one needs a gun. Now, despite his best efforts, his anti-gun magazine is acknowledging the awkward truth that people want guns to protect themselves and their families in a crisis where the police may be late to arrive (if in fact they arrive at all, given how many city police departs are stretched to the breaking point with many officers out sick) and so in acknowledgement of that fact, The Trace is reluctantly giving these new gun owners advice on how to safely handle their new firearm.

The irony of this situation is that neither The Trace, nor any other anti-gun organization, nor even Michael Bloomberg himself has experience in this regard. His position has always been abstinence-only when it comes to firearm education, and like an abstinence-only parent who discovers that his child is having premarital sex, his choices have become “Ignore the situation and hope it goes away” and “Accept reality and seek advice from a professional.” As ignoring the situation almost always leads to unfortunate consequences like unplanned teenage pregnancies or negligent discharges which result in injury or death, Bloomberg, has decided – most likely unintentionally, and almost assuredly to his great gall – to take the mature course of action and seek the advice of experts.

Unfortunately for Bloomberg, those experts whose advice he has sought are precisely those people whom he and his various anti-gun organizations (Everytown, Moms Demand Action, March for our Lives, et al.) have vilified. After the article’s obligatory references to “numerous studies” about the inherent dangers of gun ownership, the first given piece of firearms safety advice are the Four Rules of Gun Safety:

  1. Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
  2. Never let the muzzle of the firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy.
  3. Don’t place your finger near the trigger until you are ready to fire.
  4. Always identify your target – and what lies in front of and behind it.

Accompanying these rules are a link to the blog of Springfield Armory, a manufacturer of semi-automatic weapons including the much-maligned AR-15 rifle, a firearm which Bloomberg would dearly love to make illegal.

https://blog.springfield-armory.com/four-cardinal-rules-for-handgun-owners-what-you-need-to-know

What’s more, in that same blog post Springfield Armory is quoting Colonel Jeff Cooper, the man who not only created the Four Rules but was also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Rifle Association. Yes, you read that correctly: an article in Bloomberg’s anti-gun The Trace just went to the NRA for help. Isn’t it curious that, after years of calling the NRA and its members awful people who value guns over safety, the very first piece of firearm safety instruction comes from the NRA? Thank you, Michael Bloomberg, for admitting that the NRA actually teaches firearm safety.

Oh, but the hits don’t stop there. Not only is there a link to an instructional YouTube video titled How to Use an AR-15 by Lucky Gunner (the ammunition drop-shipping company which was sued by the Brady Campaign after the Aurora, CO shooting), there are also links to other YouTube videos made by the Tactical Rifleman and Legally Armed America channels. Thank you, Michael Bloomberg, for endorsing the instructional content of  YouTube gun channels.

This whole article has been a parade of amazement, but the part of it which left me most amazed was that its paragraph on safe storage did not take the opportunity to state that firearms and their ammunition must be stored separately. I don’t know how this tacit admission that it’s a terrible idea to keep your self-defense firearm locked up separately from the ammunition needed to operate it ever made it past the editors, but it did, and I find myself worrying about the future career prospects of The Trace’s editor-in-chief.

Unfortunately this article, and therefore Michael Bloomberg, never actually took that final step of admitting that in a self-defense situation the time needed to retrieve ammunition kept separately from a firearm can result in the death of innocents, but given all of the other admissions in this article I’ll gladly forgive this oversight. I will also take this opportunity to state for the record that if your self-defense weapon is a pistol kept properly holstered on your body, not only can you keep it loaded and ready to deploy to defend yourself or loved ones, but you are also keeping it safe and out of the hands of your children, thereby negating the need to lock it up during the day.

Thank you, Michael Bloomberg, for admitting that guns keep us safe, that citizens can responsibly own the AR-15, that firearm education is necessary, and that gun owners were right all along. Now it is up to you to decide if you wish to keep to this new philosophy or revert back to your abstinence-only worldview once this crisis has passed. As you do so, please keep in mind that many new gun owners will be doing the same, and now that they have skin in this particular political game they may no longer be as receptive to your old views as they once were. Bear that in mind, lest you alienate a now-growing segment of your readership.

Why Owning A Gun Is A Completely Rational Insurance Policy Against Danger
Owning a gun is like keeping a spare tire in your trunk, a first aid kit at home, or an emergency savings account. We hope never to use them, but we’re glad we have them.

The social and economic uncertainty surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has Americans understandably concerned about their personal safety. In March 2020, the FBI reported the highest monthly number of firearms background checks ever recorded: 3,740,688. Compared to March of the previous year, Americans bought 1.1 million more guns in a single month. Ammunition is also flying off the shelves, with sales in some states increasing more than 4,000 percent.

Many recent first gun-buyers are people who were previously either ambivalent or even opposed to gun ownership. Several such people have reached out to me with questions about which gun they should buy. Many fellow firearms instructors report the same experience.

It’s easy to see why Americans are worried. While we live in a generally high-trust society, catastrophes can easily disrupt the delicate social order on which that trust depends. As it is sometimes said, we are all only nine meals away from anarchy.

Desperate people do desperate things. Economic goods are human goods, and while the current lockdowns are necessary to contain the pandemic, they carry real human costs. Many of these costs — joblessness, homelessness, mental health issues, and drug abuse — lend themselves easily to criminal behavior.

Always Be Prepared

Am I saying society is on the brink of collapse? No, we are far from an apocalypse. The point is simply that the world is and has always been a risky place, so it makes perfect sense to be proactive and prepared. When things are peaceful and prosperous, we often don’t pay attention to danger because things are going so well. But in times of great social and economic stress, we are more attuned to things that might go wrong.

Having a disaster plan isn’t as foreign as some might think. We routinely make decisions aimed at mitigating risks. We purchase insurance, maintain emergency savings, and get flu shots. We keep spare tires, jumper cables, flashlights, and fire extinguishers handy, and buy extra supplies just in case we might need them.

Unless you happen to be naively optimistic, you’re already a “prepper.” Even if you’re relatively “lucky,” you can bet something catastrophic will eventually befall you sometime in your life. Better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.

Prepping for improbable events isn’t necessarily irrational; it is often wise. Consider this: In 2017, more than 2.7 million people were injured in 6.4 million car crashes. With 327 million people in the United States, this means the baseline probability of you getting injured in a car accident each year is slightly over 0.8 percent.

Now, a 0.8 percent chance might be perceived as pretty good odds. After all, that’s a 99.2 percent chance you won’t be injured. But .8 percent of 327 million still comes out to 2.7 million people each year, which is no small number. Are you willing to bet you’ll never be one of those unlucky few? Probably not.

Although your chances of getting into an accident are small, consider what you stand to lose if you do get injured. Making preparations, such as buying insurance or carrying road flares, isn’t irrational, despite statistical improbability.

The Odds of Violent Crime Are Higher than You Think

With that point in mind, let’s look at the odds of violent criminal victimization. In 2018, 3.3 million people ages 12 and older were victimized in 6 million violent crimes. There were 23.2 violent victimizations per 1,000 U.S. residents ages 12 and older, meaning 2.3 percent of Americans 12 and older were victims of violent crime in 2018. This is much greater than the baseline odds of injury from motor vehicle accidents, for which preparation is rational.

If you have a 1-in-50 baseline chance of being violently victimized each year, wouldn’t it be rational to take prudent measures to protect yourself? I think so.

That is exactly why millions of ordinary Americans own guns. Firearms are extremely effective in preventing injury and do not require a great deal of effort to use and keep around. Guns are a perfectly reasonable, cost-effective, safe, and convenient form of risk mitigation.

Owning a gun is like keeping a spare tire in your trunk, a first aid kit at home, or an emergency savings account. We hope never to use them, but we’re glad we have them. None of this indicates paranoia. Carrying a gun is similar to carrying insurance, except it’s better: You actually get to collect the benefits without having to incur serious harm.

Insurance against national catastrophe makes pretty good sense when you consider the past few hundred years of failed states, civil wars, and less-than-ideal regimes. Among other things, the track record of state-sanctioned citizen slaughter, vigilante violence, and racial conflict shows that when societies do go bad, they tend to go extremely bad. Think of the hundreds of sovereign nations that no longer exist due to war and internal strife.

Police, of course, serve a valuable public function. But most police responses come after crimes have already been committed. Less than half of all personal crimes are even reported to police. Moreover, in times of crisis, police are stretched thin. At the time of writing this, 17 percent of the New York Police Department is out sick, and many police departments are not performing arrests or even responding to “minor” crimes.

All this highlights the need to be self-reliant. Ultimately, we are our own last line of defense. We may delegate some of our protection to civil authorities, but the natural right to protect ourselves is inseparable from our humanity.

Gun Owners Aren’t Paranoid, They’re Smart

Some people believe you’re more likely to harm yourself or someone else with a gun than to use it in self-defense, but that isn’t the case. The findings of more than 19 surveys specifically designed to measure the number of defensive gun uses all confirm that defensive uses are vastly more common than criminal uses. A small sampling of these can be viewed on the Active Self-Protection YouTube channel, which has collected several hundred video clips of successful civilian self-defense encounters.

The often-heard charge that gun owners are paranoid and fearful is just naive psychoanalysis unsupported by credible research. Indeed, a recent study has found that gun owners report lower levels of fear and victimization than those who don’t own guns. If anything, there is a lot of irrational fear directed toward firearms as inanimate objects, something famed firearms instructor Jeff Cooper calls “hoplophobia.”

To all the new gun owners out there: Welcome to the Second Amendment community. We’re glad you’ve decided to take the protection of yourself and your loved ones seriously. Get training, be responsible, and be prepared.

Gun Law Reform in Bolsonaro’s Brazil, Homicides Drop Precipitously

In December, 2018, in an article published by the Wall Street Journal, this pronouncement was made. From the wsj.com:

Now, Brazil is set to embark on an experiment that will determine what happens when you loosen gun restrictions in a country battling an overpowering wave of gun crime.

Homicides in Brazil were at historic highs in 2017. They dropped a bit in 2018, as candidate Bolsonaro ran on reform of the gun laws to allow self-defense, and reform of the law to get tough on crime.  The homicide numbers dropped from 59,000 in 2017, to 51,000 in 2018. President Bolsonaro was elected in October of 2018.

After taking office on 1 January 2019, President Bolsonaro issued his first decree reforming some of Brazil’s extreme gun laws on 15 January 2019. The drop in Brazil’s homicide rate accelerated.

Gun control in Brazil has a long history. By 1997, restrictions on gun ownership were deemed as “severe” by the Wall Street Journal. From the wsj.com:

In Brazil’s violent cities, where 90% of the murders are committed with guns, ownership restrictions have become so severe that Taurus has branched out into motorcycle helmets, bulletproof vests, and auto parts.

(snip)

Brazil’s 1997 law, which requires gun owners to have unblemished police records and pass rigorous psychological and shooting-proficiency tests, has slashed Taurus’s sales to private individuals by more than 80% in the past two years, Mr. Murgel says. Taurus has sought to make up for that with an aggressive push into motorcycle helmets and increased gun sales in the U.S., where Taurus’s advertising spending is up threefold this year.

Early in the Bolsonaro presidency, a Brazilian lawyer predicted the homicide rate would drop. From ammoland.com:

César Mello, asked that I include information that early reports are showing a 25% drop in Brazil’s homicide rate, in the first quarter of 2019. If this trend continues, 16,000 lives will have been saved in the first year of President Bolsonaro’s time in office.

The rate reduction was not quite that high. Only 10,000 lives were saved.  From wtop.com:

Brazil had 41,635 killings in 2019, down 19% from the prior year and the least number of homicides since 2007, when the so-called Violence Monitor index was launched. It is a partnership between the non-profit Brazilian Forum of Public Security, the University of Sao Paulo’s Center for the Study of Violence, and news website G1, which published the data Friday.

“IN OUR GOVERNMENT HOMICIDES, VIOLENCE AND FALLACIES FALL!” an exultant Bolsonaro wrote on his Twitter account, sharing the G1 news report. “Our government extends a strong embrace to all the security agents of the country. Brazil continues on the right path.”

When translated to homicide rates, the rate dropped 17% in 2018, then 23% more in 2019. The population of Brazil in 2019 was 210 million. The rate of homicides per 100,000 was 19.83.  That is less than 2/3 of the homicide rate in 2017, which was 30.8.

Brazil has not had a homicide rate this low since 1995, before the highly restrictive gun law of 1997 was passed.

When the NYTs did an article on the reform of Brazil’s gun laws during the Bolsonaro administration, somehow, the reduction in the Brazilian homicide rate was not included.  The article was published on 31 March, 2020.   From the nytimes.com:

During Mr. Bolsonaro’s first year in office, the government issued more than 200,000 licenses to gun owners. The federal police, which issues licenses for self-defense, approved 54,300 permits in 2019, a 98 percent increase from the previous year. The army, which grants permits to hunters and collectors, issued more than 147,800 new licenses in 2019, a 68 percent increase.

The only mention of homicides in the NYTs article is this:

In Brazil, a country of more than 209 million that has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, the right to bear arms is not a constitutional guarantee, as it is in the United States. The gun rights movement has long been on the losing side of policy debates.

Will the Brazilian homicide rate continue to drop? We will find out over the course of the next few years. Leftist academics are already finding excuses as to why the reform of Brazilian gun laws made no difference.

They had predicted homicides would rise as the reforms were implemented.

Deeming firearms retailers ‘essential’ during the pandemic affirms the 2nd Amendment as an individual right

And this gets laid out at The Trace of all places…

What does seem clear, Blocher said, is that the closures do not amount to a ban on armed self-defense, since anybody with access to one of the hundreds of millions of guns circulating in the United States can still use it to protect themselves.

That can be very true. That the collective right to keep and bear arms is not harmed in anyway by the closure of gun stores. However, the great precedent set by Trump declaring at a federal level (And many states individually doing the same) that firearms retailers are deemed essential is that it affirms the right to keep and bear arms as an individual right and that even someone who does not already own a firearm has the right under the second amendment to go out and purchase one.  Awesome.