Did Elena Kagan, Obama's Supreme Court nominee, compare the NRA to the KKK? It sure seems so. The National Review online contains an article detailing the documents that raised this question. We're already sure that Kagan is not friendly towards the notion of the second amendment. The fact that she would consider the 139-year-old organization as "bad guys" in terms of national volunteerism says more about her view of the constitution than almost anything else.
NY Microstamping Bill Withdrawn
Despite a 32-30 Democrat party advantage in the legislature, the NY microstamping bill was withdrawn from consideration when it was obvious it lacked the votes to pass. Three Democrats from conservative districts did not back the measure. Only one Republican, Sen. Frank Padavan of Queens, voted yes.
“By blocking commonsense gun control, Senate Republicans showed they care more about gun industry profits than the safety of their constituents,” the party’s state Chairman Jay Jacobs said. “Democrats understand what Mayor Bloomberg and law enforcement agencies across the state know from experience: linking bullets with the criminals who fired them would save lives and wouldn’t interfere with the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
Riiight. Other than making felons out of otherwise law-abiding gun owners when their microscopic stampings wear out or become illegible. Or the extra costs it would add to gun makers having to not only manufacture, but perform detailed record keeping at every step of the supply chain.
Gun Purchases and the No Fly List
"It's no surprise that (Republican Carly) Fiorina is attacking me," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA.), wrote in a recent fundraising pitch, "because she's so out of touch with California voters. ... She supports allowing people on the no-fly terrorist watch list to buy guns."
Oh the horrors! How could voters actually nominate someone so out of touch that she actually follows the constitution? Perhaps it's Boxer who's out of touch or didn't she get the memo about the U.S. Supreme Court Heller decision? For Ms. Boxer's further edification, the Constititution also provides that no one can be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Being put on a secret government list doesn't qualify as due process. Especially since there isn't any way to force the government to remove your name.
Why should we deprive a U.S. citizen with a common name like Robert E. Lee, Brian Smith or even Mohammed M. Mahazi from purchasing a firearm based on name alone? Last I remember, my 6th grade civics class told us that "guilt by association" was not permitted in America. One had to be guilty based on facts that showed a crime was committed.
If Boxer wants to play the guilt-by-association game, she had better look around at her colleagues in Congress. Hell, even Teddy Kennedy was on the no-fly list.
In the You Can't Make This Up dept...
Austin police report that a man tried to rob a gas station - with a caulking gun. This crack-smoking sorry waste of oxygen fled when his victim fought back and "the suspect fled the scene in the company of a transgender prostitute". Nope. You can't make this kind of thing up, not even in Hollywood.
Gun Slinging Megan Fox?
Spreaking of Hollywood... Actress Megan Fox (Transformers, Hope & Faith) gave an interview to MTV News to promote her new gun-slinging Western film, Jonah Hex. During the interview, she said she's been shooting guns since around the age of five, starting with her father's shotgun."He taught me how to shoot a shotgun," she said. Fox is big on gun safety and supports the NRA's Eddie Eagle program to teach gun safety in schools.
ATF Sting Store Leaves Questions Unanswered
The headline reads "Criminals fell for fake store" on Albuquerque's KRQE TV website. But a reading of the story leaves many questions unanswered. Federal agents set up a bogus "thrift store and pawn shop" and let it be known they'd buy black-market guns. Criminals, of course, took the bait. During the one year it was in operation, claims U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales, the shop took in 230 guns, including (gasp!) a machine gun. Warrants were issued for 25 people, of which 22 are in custody.
The unasked questions involve putting a perspective on this "sting". Some 230 guns were taken in - that's about 4.5 per week. This would average out to about 9.2 guns sold to the Feds by each suspect. ATF agents said the guns were either stolen, unregistered or had their serial numbers removed. Thirteen of the people arrested are convicted felons who will face additional charges for possessing firearms. ATF agents plan to test fire the guns and compare ballistics to see if any of them are connected to unsolved crimes.
So, why did the feds wait almost a year to obtain warrants for people who were selling illegal guns? How many were stolen between the time the store opened and arrests were made? Wouldn't maintaining a "fence operation" encourage more burglaries of firearms while these criminals were let alone to run amok? And how many burglaries? Why were known felons allowed to bring in multiple guns instead of being arrested after their first or second visit? And why the delay in testing the firearms for use in other crimes? Won't that result in violent criminals running free while ATF fumbles around running their cute little store?
And only one (1) machine gun - certainly a high-priced commodity even on the black market - turned in. Were any others, especially legally registered ones, stolen? What is ATF doing about those?
Americans Favor Gun Ownership
A recent Harris Poll shows Americans believe people should be able to own rifles and shotguns (80%) and handguns (74%). The poll results and even the questions asked by the pollsters are posted here. It makes for some interesting reading. One thing is for certain, we still have a long way to go in convincing people that gun ownership is a right - like the right to vote.
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