Arms and the Law

Story in the Washington Times. It envisions their used against "domestic unrest," and the story reports that the Administration considered using the military against Clive Bundy and his supporters, but rejected it. Interesting, too, in that the military apparently leaked the plan. When a ruler starts to lose control of his own defense forces, it's time to reconsider.

As far as constitutional authority, Article IV §4 says that the United States shall "protect each of them [States] against invasion; and on application of the Legislature, o of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence." I doubt the orders have a "the President, when requested by the legislature or governor of the State involved, may..." provision. But then, "we don' need no steenking constitution."

A while back, I noted that Bloomberg had given $2,000,000 to the Joyce Foundation, which turned around and awarded $400,000 to "Media Matters," which immediately began postings defaming NRA. Today, it posted a whopper, under the headline of "Pundit Who Blamed UCSB Mass Murder On Gay Marriage Is An NRA Official." It attacks NRA Board member Ken Blackwell. If you read what Blackwell actually wrote, he said "here's a crumbling of the moral foundation of the country," and that the attack on "natural marriage and the family that has been a part" of this. "When these fundamental institutions are attacked and destroyed and weakened and abandoned, you get what we are now seeing and that is a flood of these disturbed people in our society that are causing great, great pain. And as opposed to dealing with the foundational problems, we look for ways of blaming the Second Amendment, or blaming knives or blaming cars when they are used."

Operation Choke Point officially involved investigating banks that dealt with "high risk" businesses, in order to pressure them to drop their customers. Now it's becoming obvious that its targets include licensed firearms and ammunition dealers. (It also was expanded to payday lenders, for no apparent reason except that the government frowns upon them).

Clayton Cramer gives his thoughts, at PJ Media.

The study will take into 2015, I note.

Hat tip to reader Jeff Harris.

"On October 16th, 1814, a 15-ft. wave of beer ran rampant through the streets of London". The tidal wave of brew drowned seven.

Why am I not surprised?

BTW, he bought his guns legally, in California, which Brady Campaign rates as having the strictest gun control laws in the U.S.. And killed three people with knives.

Restaurant with "No Weapons/No Concealed Firearms" Sign Robbed at Gunpoint."

"Craig said he doesn't understand why anyone would have a problem with a police chief saying he supports the Constitution.

"I'm pro-life," he said. "I'm pro-safety. I support law-abiding citizens' right to protect themselves against imminent danger."

"Police officials said Monday there have been 13 justifiable homicides by citizens so far this year -- up 2 from the same period last year.

"This is something that's been going on since before I got here," he said. "Clearly, Detroiters are sick and tired of being victims."

Here's the complaint. Essentially, the NJ legislature passed a law in 2002, which required the attorney general to report whenever "smart gun" technology went on sale in the US. Three years after he so reports, the only handguns that can be sold in NJ will be ones so equipped. The complaint alleges that the technology is now on sale, and seeks an order that the AG file the report. Nevermind that there are major concerns about reliability and safety. If people don't want to rely on such guns, Brady figures, we'll just have to force them to do so.

Ah, "reasonable gun control"! Brady apparently thinks that even New Jersey is "unreasonably mild" on the subject.

Humane Society of the US pays $16,000,000 to settle racketeering suit against it. It had sued Ringling Bros. for alleged mistreatment of elephants, lost after it was discovered that HSUS had paid its lead witness almost $200,000, and then was sued for racketeering.

The request for bids is here. They don't want just any subguns, these must be in .40 S&W, with tritium night sights, rails for flashlights, enlarged trigger guard for winter operations with gloves.

The solicitation is on behalf of their Office of Inspector General, the watchdog office that searches for fraud, waste, and abuse. So they must anticipate needed full auto fire while investigating departmental employees, or perhaps while investigating abuse of food stamps. Although it seems hard to imagine either group shooting back with a Thompson while shouting "you'll never take me alive, G-men!"

Dave Workman has the story. Just inside the "no firearms allowed" sign was an armed guard, for their protection.

Right here. In response to the court's questions, the sheriff says he supports California's motion to intervene, and case is not moot since he won't issue permits until the court orders him to do so (which would be after the appeal is remanded to the district court).

Rep. John Conyers does not qualify for the primary. Two of his signature-gatherers were not registered voters, as MI law requires. Of course, I'm sure there will be a legal challenge, and with a friendly judge it is amazing what can turn out to be unconstitutional.

By PewResearch.

Findings:

The gun homicide rate has fallen by 49% over the last twenty years, and the rate for other gun crimes has fallen by 75%.

BUT...

"Despite national attention to the issue of firearm violence, most Americans are unaware that gun crime is lower today than it was two decades ago. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, today 56% of Americans believe gun crime is higher than 20 years ago and only 12% think it is lower."

The government of Mexico has announced it is demobilizing the vigilante movement against drug cartels there.

Under the demobilization agreement, the ranchers and farmers will keep their now-illegal guns, the government will proclaim the gun legal, and they will be organized into the rurales.

"The new rural forces are designed to be a way out of an embarrassing situation, in which elected leaders and law enforcement agencies lost control of the entire state to the pseudo-religious Knights Templar drug cartel. Efforts to retake control with federal police and military failed. Eventually government forces had to rely on the vigilantes because of their knowledge of where to find the cartel gunmen.

Since the commissioner, Alfredo Castillo, was named in January, federal forces have arrested or killed three of the main leaders of the Knights Templar. The fourth, Servando "La Tuta" Gomez, is in hiding and rumored to be in the rugged hills outside his hometown of Arteaga."

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state...

A student tries bullying another, isn't successful, so he tries another tack. When the other student is twirling a pencil, the bully calls out, "He's making gun motions, send him to juvie." The school obliges, the bullied student gets suspended, has to take a psych evaluation, and blood tests for drugs. No word if they did anything to the bully.

The cry would be to disarm the dangerous lunatics. 377 shots fired, the suspect and an unarmed passenger in his car killed, reports that the wounded passenger was killed while trying to raise his hands, so much firing that two people experienced eardrum ruptures.

The shooting is under review, and "those reviews will likely take years to complete."

The Oklahoma Senate voted unanimously to override the governor's veto of a bill requiring CLEOs to sign off on NFA firearms transfer applications. The override had already passed in the House.