Gun ban crowd getting revved up

From Ohioans for Concealed Carry:

As predicted, the gun grabbers are salivating in the wake of the election of an anti-gun president.

"The election of Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice President was a decisive victory for common sense gun laws," said the Brady Campaign in a statement on their website. "The election also represents a critical loss for the National Rifle Association"

Sarah Brady, Chair of the Brady Campaign, praised the election as, "a bad day for extremists who are stuck in the rhetoric of the past."
...
Now, with renewed vigor, the gun grabbers intend to push their anti-gun agenda... disguised under the euphemism of "common sense gun measures". Of course, to them, banning guns is "common sense".

"President-Elect Obama has talked repeatedly about his support for sensible gun laws and the need to keep dangerous guns out of the hands of dangerous people. He even highlighted his support for restrictions on assault weapons in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver," Helmke said.

Article here.

Election triggers surge in gun sales

As noted previously, gun sales across the nation have spiked. Here's yet another article from Utah, post-election:

As polls and pundits in recent weeks increasingly pointed to the election of Barack Obama as the next president, scores of Utahns flocked to gun stores.

Obama has supported renewing the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban, which stops the manufacture of several semiautomatic guns with large magazines.

"Such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets," Obama's Web site states.

Local gun dealers quickly are running out of stock of magazines for Colt AR-15s and AK models and many have seen a sharp increase in the sales of those guns. [emphasis added]

"Pretty much anything with more than 10 rounds is in high demand right now," said Michael Martin, a sales representative at Impact Guns in Salt Lake City. "We had one supplier go from 92 assault rifles to 12 in one day. Our suppliers are just frantically scrambling."
...
"For customers out there thinking about getting one of these guns, don't think," said James Bunten, president of FBMG, who has had to order stock much further in advance to guarantee his store's stock. "At least put money down on it now to get a place in very long line."
...
"I've seen a wider demographic of customers. There are more and more professionals. I see doctors getting assault weapons instead of just their hunting rifles," Bunten said.

Article here. If you don't have the proper defensive tools already, now might be a good time to seek them out. Normal capacity magazines for those tools, along with a supply of spare parts and a healthy supply of ammo may be good investments as well.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama

Congratulations to you and Vice-President-Elect Biden on your historic victory. May God grant you the wisdom to govern and lead our nation wisely, and the grace to uphold and defend the Constitution in accordance with the solemn oath to do so that you will take before assuming our nation's highest office.

Frankly, your past actions regrettably leave me skeptical that you will truly support the intent and spirit of the Constitution, but hope springs eternal. In your victory speech you call on us to resist the "partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long." When you are sworn in, as my President, I hope that you will lead by example in that regard.

Again, congratulations to you on your historic victory, and good luck in the coming four years as President of our great nation. God bless America.

Rasmussen: Obama more likely to restrict gun rights

From Rasmussen Reports:

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. voters (63%) say Barack Obama is more likely than John McCain to restrict an individual’s right to own a gun, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Just 16% believe McCain is more likely to do so, and 22% are undecided.

A plurality of Democrats (42%) agree that Obama is more likely to restrict gun rights, as do 84% of Republicans and 64% of unaffiliated voters.

Article here.

Obama and Heller

Article by Dave Kopel on the possible effects on gun-rights of an Obama presidency:

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller plainly stated that the Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms is, indeed, an individual right. Ironically, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama often states the same thing.

In truth, Obama poses a more serious threat to the future application of the landmark decision than any other American.

Heller was a 5-4 decision. Even if a Supreme Court a few years from now did not formally overrule Heller, it could construe the decision so narrowly as to make it the last case that meaningfully applied the Second Amendment.

A future Supreme Court could also greatly reduce Heller’s scope by refusing to make it enforceable against state and local governments. And there is every reason to believe that an Obama Supreme Court, at the urging of an Obama Department of Justice, would do so.

Although Obama claims to support the Second Amendment, his record shows virtually unrelenting hostility toward gun ownership, especially for lawful defense. Consider these facts:

As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Obama said there should be a national ban on concealed carry licenses, because licensees commit so many crimes. He claimed that Texas’ licensing of Right-to-Carry endangers people in Illinois. In truth, a Texas license does not authorize carry in Illinois, and Illinois is one of only two states that have the Obama favored policy of not even allowing people to apply for carry permits.

California law, while generally hostile to concealed carry, allows carry by some domestic violence victims who have received a court order against a stalker or a similar personal threat. Obama successfully fought against enactment of a comparable bill in Illinois. ...

Read the rest here.

Obama and McCain on carry in National Parks

From the Los Angeles Times:

When asked about whether a general ban on carrying loaded guns in national parks should be eliminated, the answers were sharply different and somewhat predictable.

McCain, who is against gun control, stated: "I believe the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service should remove their prohibitions against law-abiding citizens transporting and carrying firearms to lands managed by those agencies."

Obama, who is against assault weapons and a gun show loophole that allows trading of weapons between private individuals, stated: "I believe in Second Amendment rights and the rights of hunters and sportsmen to bear arms and use them in a responsible way. But I am concerned about allowing loaded firearms into family-oriented spaces."

Article here. Notice how Senator Obama only refers to the Second Amendment in the context of "hunters and sportsmen", and not in the context of self-defense? Isn't protecting your family in "family-oriented spaces" the reason law-abiding citizens need to be able to carry firearms in those spaces?

Gun sales increase in Ohio

Yet another story about the increase in gun sales in advance of the election:

NEWS9 learned Tuesday that a local gun store owner is attributing an increase in assault weapons sales to the approaching election.

Shooters owner Bill Monahan said that many local gun owners are buying more assault weapons because they fear that Sen. Barack Obama will ban them if he wins the White House.

"As soon as Obama looked like he was going to be the presidential candidate, that's when the sales started going up and they've been increasing every month," Monahan said.
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"I used to only buy one at a time, but the last time I bought them I bought seven in one day," David Gwynne said.

Article here.

Seen one debate, seen 'em all

On this Halloween night, a look back at the presidential debates:



Scary, huh? :)

Life after Heller

Article in Guns and Ammo by attorney Don Kates, on life in a post-Heller world:

In June, the Supreme Court held that the Washington, D.C. gun bans violate the Second Amendment's guarantee that law-abiding, responsible adults may have guns for the protection of their homes, families and selves. (District of Columbia v. Heller.) This has understandably been an occasion of great joy for advocates of the right to self-defense. Nevertheless, we must understand how fragile this result is and how limited the opinion is.

The case was decided by the scantest of majorities: 5-4. The dissenting opinions are, to put it bluntly, ahistorical garbage that treat the Second Amendment in ways in which no other portion of the Bill of Rights is treated. The case for the right to arms is so overwhelming that both sides call it the Standard Model view of the Second Amendment, which has been accepted not just by gun owners but also by many honest scholars who are anti-gun.
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But despite the intellectual weakness of the anti-Standard Model argument, the four dissenters clung to it. This emphasizes the fanaticism of the opponents, particularly given how extreme the D.C. gun bans were: Handguns were totally illegal; long guns could be owned but only for sporting purposes; and no gun could be kept loaded and available for defense of the home.

As I am writing it appears that Barack Obama will likely be the next president. If so, we can expect every justice he appoints to the court to be unscrupulously dedicated to reversing Heller. This is not quite as ominous as it seems because Obama may not have a chance to appoint a replacement for any of the five justices who made up the majority in Heller. They are relatively young compared to the four dissenters. Most likely any justices who die or retire during Obama's term in office will be among the four dissenters, so Obama's new appointees to replace them will still be in the minority.

But it is always possible that one of the majority will retire or die, whereupon Obama will be able to appoint someone whose vote will reverse Heller.

Read the rest of the article here.

Iowa gun sales increase in advance of election

From Iowa, another article on the spike in gun sales:

WATERLOO --- Gun sales have shot through the roof as the presidential election looms.

Fears of tighter control were mutual Saturday among shoppers at the Gun & Knife Show, which ends today at the National Cattle Congress' McElroy Auditorium. It offers a buffet of rare guns and hard-to-find accessories.

According to the Associated Press, Republican candidate John McCain supports background checks for buyers at gun shows and has his name on a law restricting special-interest group advertising, two positions strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association. Democratic challenger Barack Obama has been accused of wanting to put the firearms industry out of business.

But both campaigns' running mates, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, own guns.

It's no surprise, then, why uncertainty has pushed sales up 30 to 40 percent from show to show, said Dennis Pearson, show manager with On Target Promotions, which hosts about 14 shows a year in Iowa and Missouri.

Article here.

Gun company executive supports Obama, shoots self, company in proverbial foot

From the not-a-smart-career-move files, comes the story of Dan Cooper, who until very recently was president of Cooper Arms, a small Montana-based manufacturer of hunting rifles. On Monday, USA Today reported that Mr. Cooper had donated $3,300 to Barack Obama's campaign:

WASHINGTON — Dan Cooper, a proud member of the National Rifle Association, has backed Republicans for most of his life. He's the chief executive of Cooper Arms, a small Montana company that makes hunting rifles.

Cooper said he voted for George W. Bush in 2000, having voted in past elections for every Republican presidential nominee back to Richard Nixon. In October 1992, he presented a specially made rifle to the first President. Bush during a Billings campaign event.

This year, Cooper has given $3,300 to the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. That's on top of the $1,000 check he wrote to Obama's U.S. Senate campaign in 2004, after he was dazzled by Obama's speech at that year's Democratic National Convention.

What happened next ought to have been come as no surprise to Mr. Cooper. According to the Los Angeles Times blog:

Cooper Arms makes hunting rifles, and hunting gun owners — who largely support Republican John McCain and do not appreciate Obama's stance on gun control — went ballistic over the news in various Internet chat rooms.

Gee, ya think? Did Mr. Cooper not think that giving money to support a candidate who wants to put him out of business and has voted to infringe Second Amendment freedoms at every turn might raise the ire of his customers? Perhaps Mr. Cooper is one of those "Second Amendment is only about hunting" types, who somehow naively think the anti-gunners won't come after them with the same fanatacism that they now go after makers of cosmetically-challenged firearms.

Evidently, the outrage at Mr. Cooper's preceived betrayal forced the company into major damage control mode, and the company's website homepage now sports the following message:

In response to the recent article highlighting Dan Cooper’s personal political donations, the board of directors, shareholders and employees of Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc would like to issue the following statement.

The employees, shareholders and board of directors of Cooper Firearms of Montana do not share the personal political views of Dan Cooper.
Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms.

The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as President of Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc.
Daily operations will continue with the competent staff currently in place in Stevensville, MT producing the finest, most accurate rifles money can buy.

Dan Cooper has spent all of his working life producing the highest quality rifles built here in the USA. He started with nothing but the American Dream and built that into firearms company anyone would be proud of. We firmly believe Dan stands by the 2nd amendment.

We wish him all of the best in his future pursuits.

Perhaps we ought to have a refresher course in the meaning of the Second Amendment for all gun manufacturers and other so-called Second Amendment "supporters" to remind them that the Second Amendment isn't about hunting, or target shooting, or "sporting purposes". That way, we might avoid future unpleasantness of the type we experienced here.

[Hat tip to reader Jim P. for the story]

Gun sales increase in slumping economy

From the Washington Post:

Americans have cut back on buying cars, furniture and clothes in a tough economy, but there's one consumer item that's still enjoying healthy sales: guns. Purchases of firearms and ammunition have risen 8 to 10 percent this year, according to state and federal data.

Several variables drive sales, but many dealers, buyers and experts attribute the increase in part to concerns about the economy and fears that if Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois wins the presidency, he will join with fellow Democrats in Congress to enact new gun controls. Obama has said that he believes in an individual right to bear arms but that he also supports "common-sense safety measures."
...
Gary Kleck, a researcher at Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice whose work was cited in the District's recent Supreme Court gun-control case, said that although there are no scientific studies linking gun sales and economic conditions, people often buy firearms during periods of uncertainty. People often buy weapons because of concerns about personal safety or government actions to limit access to firearms, causing spikes in sales, Kleck said.

Industry experts and law enforcement officials point to several examples over the years. In 1994, there was a rush to buy guns when President Bill Clinton pushed for a ban on military-style semiautomatic rifles. Handgun sales jumped last year after the massacre at Virginia Tech as some worried about personal protection and others feared sweeping restrictions on handguns, pushing applications for concealed gun permits in Virginia alone up 60 percent. People also rushed to buy guns after the 1992 riots in Los Angeles and the breakdown of order in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Bob Leyshion, who visited a gun shop in Manassas recently, said the economic crisis and Obama's lead in the polls were on his mind.

"People are preparing for catastrophe right now," said Leyshion, 55, of Nokesville. "It's insurance. With the stock market crash and people out of work, and the illegal aliens in this area, the probability of civil disorder is very high."

Article here. If Senator Obama wins the Presidency, I suspect that gun stores will become even busier after November 5th, as law-abiding Americans prepare for the anticipated onslaught on Second Amendment rights by an anti-gun Obama administration and an anti-gun, Democrat-controlled House and Senate.

NRA vs. Obama

From a Human Events editorial:

Speaking of self-defense, Obama is completely opposed to that as well. In the decades before the Heller decision, many parts of Chicago put handgun bans in place that necessitated making the use of a handgun for self-defense illegal. (Think about it -- how could you legally use an illegal tool to protect yourself?) Proving he meant it when he said states, cities, and municipalities should be able to regulate and restrict the Second Amendment, Obama supported these unconstitutional bans when a 2003 case in Wilmette, Ill. provided him the opportunity to stand up for the “individual right” he also claims to support.
...
But if Obama’s record is any indication of things, he’s not going to come to the realization Guzman hopes for. Just think about other aspects of his record as an Illinois senator: He supported a proposal to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park (which is tantamount to banning gun stores period); he supported H.B. 2579, which prohibited law-abiding individuals from purchasing more than one gun a month; he opposed laws that permitted law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense (i.e., he opposed concealed carry permits); he supported a ban on “junk guns” (cheaper guns that poor people could actually afford to buy and use for self defense); and he voted not to inform gun owners when the state of Illinois did records searches on them (S.B. 1936).

His U.S. Senate record is just as dismal: He supports the reintroduction of the assault weapons ban; he favors a ban on high capacity magazines; he voted with Ted Kennedy on ammunition bans (that included hunting ammunition); and most troubling of all, he voted against the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Roberts and Alito are two of the five justices who upheld the Second Amendment in the Heller case. Just think, if Obama had gotten his way, they wouldn’t have been there, and the Second Amendment wouldn’t be there either.

Op-ed here.

Texans stocking up on those Evil Black Rifles

From the Lone Star State, another report of sales of, uh, "cosmetically challenged" rifles spiking:

Gun owners have expressed concern that Barack Obama, if elected, will not only renew the ban on assault weapons, but also make it permanent.

"Not that people are fear-buying,” said John Mannewitz, a manager at Target Master. “But, if there's something cool you want to get, people are saying sooner is better than later."

Target Master, a gun store in Garland, used to sell a couple of assault weapons, such as AR15s and AK47s, every week. But now, a little more than a week away from the election, sales have tripled.

"I had a customer today who came in and bought an AR15,” Mannewitz said. “He said he had always wanted one and he was afraid if Obama got elected there wouldn't be anymore."

At least ten other gun stores in North Texas, contacted by News 8, have reported a recent spike on sales of assault weapons.

Article here.

Let's never find out

From NeverFindOut.org, a series of short videos on Obama:

"The Chicken Button"

Obama and guns, part 2,980

From Buckeye Firearms Association, dissecting Senator Obama's latest ad attempting to portray himself as a (gasp!) supporter of gun rights:

The Ad Does Not Mention That Obama Has Called For Banning The Manufacture, Sale & Possession Of Handguns – Firearms Used For Self-Defense. Question from a 1996 Independent Voters of Illinois questionnaire: “Do you support state legislation to … ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns?” Obama’s Answer: “Yes.” (Independent Voters Of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization 1996 General Candidate Questionnaire, Barack Obama Responses, 9/9/96)

The Ad Does Not Mention That Obama Believes The D.C. Gun Ban Is Constitutional. “[T]he campaign of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said that he ‘...believes that we can recognize and respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the right of local communities to enact common sense laws to combat violence and save lives. Obama believes the D.C. handgun law is constitutional.’” (James Oliphant and Michael J. Higgins, “Court To Hear Gun Case,” Chicago Tribune, 11/20/07)

* The Ad Does Not Mention That During An Interview, Obama Acknowledged His Support For The D.C. Gun Ban. Questioner Leon Harris: “One other issue that’s of great importance here in the district as well is gun control. You said in Idaho recently – I’m quoting here – ‘I have no intention of taking away folks’ guns,’ but you support the D.C. handgun ban.” Obama: “Right.” (Leon Harris and Sen. Barack Obama, Forum Sponsored By ABC And Politico.Com, Washington, DC, 2/12/08)

The Ad Does Not Mention That In 2001, Obama Voted Against And “Helped Defeat” A Bill To Allow Individuals To Carry A Concealed Weapon When They Have A Valid Order Of Protection Out Against Another Person. (S.B. 604, Senate Floor Third Reading, Failed, 29-27-0, 4/4/01, Obama Voted Nay)
...

Read the rest of the article here. Senator Obama doesn't appear to have met a gun-control law he didn't like. Although you have to give him credit for one thing: he's got a lot of that "Audacity of Hope" to try to portray himself as a supporter of gun rights. Sadly, with the mainstream press seemingly actively campaigning on Senator Obama's behalf, he might just get away with it.

Obama the Magnificent

From a WSJ op-ed today:

To kick off our show tonight, Mr. Obama will give 95% of American working families a tax cut, even though 40% of Americans today don't pay income taxes! How can our star enact such mathemagic? How can he "cut" zero? Abracadabra! It's called a "refundable tax credit." It involves the federal government taking money from those who do pay taxes, and writing checks to those who don't. Yes, yes, in the real world this is known as "welfare," but please try not to ruin the show.

For his next trick, the Great Obama will jumpstart the economy, and he'll do it by raising taxes on the very businesses that are today adrift in a financial tsunami! That will include all those among the top 1% of taxpayers who are in fact small-business owners, and the nation's biggest employers who currently pay some of the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world. Mr. Obama will, with a flick of his fingers, show them how to create more jobs with less money. It's simple, really. He has a wand.
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We're back now. And just watch the Great Obama perform a feat never yet managed in all history. He will create that enormous new government health program, spend billions to transform our energy economy, provide financial assistance to former Soviet satellites, invest in infrastructure, increase education spending, provide job training assistance, and give 95% of Americans a tax (ahem) cut -- all without raising the deficit a single penny! And he'll do it in the middle of a financial crisis. And with falling tax revenues! Voila!

Read the op-ed here.

Black Conservative: "I escaped the plantation"

The leftist "liberal" plantation, that is:

Obama's attempt to destroy the Second Amendment

From a Pajamas Media article by noted pro-gun attorney David Hardy:

During Obama’s tenure, the Joyce Foundation board planned and implemented a program targeting the Supreme Court. The work began five years into Obama’s directorship, when the Foundation had experience in turning its millions into anti-gun “grassroots” organizations, but none at converting cash into legal scholarship.

The plan’s objective was bold: the judicial obliteration of the Second Amendment.

Joyce’s directors found a vulnerable point. When judges cannot rely upon past decisions, they sometimes turn to law review articles. Law reviews are impartial, and famed for meticulous cite-checking. They are also produced on a shoestring. Authors of articles receive no compensation; editors are law students who work for a tiny stipend.

In 1999, midway through Obama’s tenure, the Joyce board voted to grant the Chicago-Kent Law Review $84,000, a staggering sum by law review standards. The Review promptly published an issue in which all articles attacked the individual right view of the Second Amendment.

In a breach of law review custom, Chicago-Kent let an “outsider” serve as editor; he was Carl Bogus, a faculty member of a different law school. Bogus had a unique distinction: he had been a director of Handgun Control Inc. (today’s Brady Campaign), and was on the advisory board of the Joyce-funded Violence Policy Center.

Bogus solicited only articles hostile to the individual right view of the Second Amendment, offering authors $5,000 each. ...

Go read the article here. Having served as an editor on law review during my law school days, I can say that the arrangement of having an outsider edit an issue would be quite unusual. Having all articles in a "theme" issue, particularly on a topic as contentious as gun-control or the Second Amendment, reflect only one side of the argument with no opposing viewpoints would also be highly unusual.

Obama-speak, translated

Senator Obama's "Plan for Change", with subtitles for the hearing bitter-impaired: