Broken Minds

I was reading through some of the hunting forums this morning and have come to a startling conclusion. We have among us, and by us I mean sportsman, hunters and shooters, those who do not understand what the anti-hunting and anti-gun movement is doing.

In one forum a member asked a simple question, "Who on the forum is an NRA member?". What ensued was nothing less than startling. Out of many who proudly claimed NRA membership a couple people attacked the NRA as being on the far right extreme fringe. Now, I understand these could have beeen anti's who joined just to attack, but they have other posts on the forum talking about their hunts. The conversation that came about went right back to the Jim Zumbo incident. Do you remember when Jim Zumbo said on his show that the black rifles has no purpose in sporting use and called them a "terrorist weapon"? Not long after this happened, I sat front row and listened to Ted Nugent talk about gun ownership and freedom. (If you ever get the chance, he is a powerful speaker.) Ted told the story of calling Jim Zumbo and talked to him about it. The entire community of competition shooters were ready to hang Zumbo. Ted Nugent told us how he "fixed" Jim by explaining that if we allow the anti's to define firearms by an operating characteristic, look, range, accuracy, or any other trait, they would define, categorize and ban them all. After the conversation Ted invited Zumbo to come to his ranch and go on a hunt with a black rifle. Zumbo accepted and after the hunt decided black rifles are usable for sporting purposes among other things and told Ted he enjoyed the hunt with it.

That is the simple and quick just of the events.

We still have people with a mindset that conforms to the anti's propaganda in our ranks. I don't want to kick them out, I want to help them understand. If the anti's can define and outlaw one class of firearm, they will define and outlaw all of them.

Here is the way the anti-freedom, anti-gun politicians in Illinois greet over 5000 Illinois gun owners...

HB 12 - One Gun a Month
3/11/2009 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Susana A Mendoza
3/11/2009 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez
3/11/2009 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Cynthia Soto
3/11/2009 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. William Davis
3/11/2009 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Marlow H. Colvin

This is how they responded to over 5000 gun owners coming to Springfield, IL on March 11, 2009.

If any of these freedom hating politicians is your State Representative, please vote them out of office.

Common Sense Gun Laws

Now this is a "common sense" gun law!

HB 0171 by Rep. David Reis

"Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that the waiting period for withholding delivery of a firearm after application for its purchase has been made does not apply to the transfer of an operable firearm in exchange for another operable firearm. Effective immediately."

Finally, a bill that makes good sense.

Now, how about a bill that says if you already own a firearm you don't have to undergo the waiting period to purchase another. Doesn't it stand to reason? The whole reason touted for the waiting period is to prevent a person who gets angry at someone from stopping by a store, purchasing a gun, and then shooting who they are mad at, right?

$1million Insurance=less gun ownership?

I think the anti-gun politicians in Illinois are trying to offset the Obama effect on firearm sales!

"One bill that is getting a lot of attention is HB 687, which would be a $1,000,000 insurance policy required of FOID card holders. Outrageous? You bet. One can only wonder at the motivations for introducing legislation like that."-from the ISRA website.

Let's face it, Obama and the liberal majority in D.C. have prompted the highest sales volume of firearms and ammunition we have seen in a long time. The retailer I work for had a stack of 4473's for December that was larger than the stack for the rest of '08. I know Christmas has some effect, but I haven't seen that big of a difference before.

Maybe I give the anti's too much credit, maybe they just want to make gun ownership expensive here in Illinois. Either way, the cost of a $1million policy would make many of us cringe.

Another Thought on Carry

Here is what I have been thinking, why have another ID to carry around?

We have the FOID, why not establish a "carry endorsement" that can be on the FOID?
I think this would lighten the burden on the State and make providing proof of a license to carry easier, we all know the police are going to ask for an FOID if you have a firearm with you.

More thoughts on Carry in Illinois

I was reading HB 2257 and I realized there was no mention of "concealed" being a requirement.

"...qualified to carry firearms on or about their persons..."-HB 2257 Section 5.

The bill simply establishes a system to determine persons eligible to acquire a "LTC" or "License To Carry". There is no mention of the requirement to conceal the firearm. I have always felt that concealed carry would invite charges for brandishing a weapon or something to that effect if your jacket fell open or the wind blew your shirt and exposed the weapon.

The bill also establishes a means for municipalities and businesses to post "No Carry Zones" by posting their property, yet does restrict them from prohibiting carry in ones vehicle on a parking area of that property.

I like this bill. No, I don't favor the municipalities being able to restrict carry, but it may be what is needed to get it passed. This creates the problem of plotting a driving route through Illinois so as to miss all the No Carry municipalities. I think after the leaders of those municipalities that would restrict carry see the resultant decrease in crime, they will change their minds or the voters will change them.

The End of Firearm Sales at Wal-Mart?

From the National Rifle Association, Institute for Legislative Action:

"Wal-Mart To Create Gun Buyer Database

Friday, April 18, 2008

Recently, Wal-Mart joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a gathering of Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, to announce a series of changes to the way in which Wal-Mart handles firearm transactions. At the press event, J.P. Suarez, chief compliance officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said: “The costs are, we think, part of what it takes to be responsible.” Suarez also added, "This is not a signal that we're getting out of firearms."

Once these changes are up and running, firearm purchases at Wal-Mart will involve a video record of the sale, which the store will keep on file -- effectively creating a video database of gun purchasers. In addition, Wal-Mart announced that its employees will be given discretion to deny firearms purchases to anyone who has had a firearm traced by BATFE for any reason -- including those who have had a firearm stolen and later used in criminal activity.

Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President, said, “I view it as a public relations stunt that stigmatizes law-abiding firearms purchasers exercising their constitutional freedoms. I honestly think it's a corporation trying to curry favor with politicians as opposed to doing anything meaningful about stopping crime.”

If you’d like to let Wal-Mart know what you think about their new policy, please contact them by phone, at (800) 925-6278; or electronically, at http://www.walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx."-NRA-ILA


J.P. Suarez may not think this signals that Wal-Mart is getting out of firearms, but he may soon realize they are.

After stopping sales of firearms at all but 12 stores in Illinois, this may be the act that breaks the camel's back. Many hunters have expressed feeling overlooked by the retail giant, our local store didn't have any loads for turkey hunters this spring. Our local store had a hand full of calls, some box call chalk, and a turkey target for patterning a shotgun...that's it. Hunters went to the store looking for the necessary gear and shells for the spring season and were disappointed with the slim to nothing choices. Last fall they dropped archery on October 1, and now they seem to not care about selling items for turkey hunting. I know not all the Wal-Mart stores were without turkey hunting supplies, but we are in the middle of turkey country here!

I understand stores have to make a profit, it is a business after all. But, if they turn customers away by not having what they want the customer will start looking elsewhere for all their hunting supplies.

Now, add this to telling a customer that they have to submit to archived video recording of all firearm transactions and you are asking to stop selling all hunting supplies. Most firearm owners like their privacy and oppose a firearm purchase database, no matter who compiles and controls it.

If Wal-Mart pursues this, they will most likely become the nations smallest retailer of firearms. Maybe they should study the history of Smith and Wesson?

Comments OFF!

I like to wander through the mud, muck, trash, and BS on the Brady Bunch website. I was just reading the misinformation on their blog when I noticed every post since July 2007 has comments turned off. If that doesn't show exactly how the stuffed shirt liberals at Brady feel, I don't know what does. I can just hear Paul Helmke now, "You stupid redneck, hick, trigger happy, murderous gun owners need to sit down and shut up while we tell you what reasonable ban means...I mean restriction."