Archive for the 'Gun Control' Category

Am I reading this right?

SENATE BILL NO. 353Offered January 8, 2020Prefiled January 6, 2020A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 18.2 a section numbered 18.2-511.2, relating to outdoor shooting ranges; prohibited adjacent to residential areas; exceptions; civil penalty.

———-Patron– Bell———-Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice———-Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 12 of Title 18.2 a section numbered 18.2-511.2 as follows:

§ 18.2-511.2. Outdoor shooting ranges; prohibited adjacent to residential areas; exceptions; civil penalty.

A. As used in this section, “outdoor shooting range” means any partially enclosed or unenclosed area or facility designed for the use of rifles, shotguns, pistols, silhouettes, skeet, trap, black powder, or any other similar sport shooting.

B. It is unlawful to operate an outdoor shooting range within 500 yards of any property zoned for residential use unless the Range Design Criteria developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security have been met.

C. Any person who violates the provisions of this section is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $100,000 for the initial violation and $5,000 per day for each day of violation thereafter.

By stipulating “any partially enclosed or unenclosed area,” they seem to want to outlaw any backyard or woods shooting, regardless of county or town regulations.  In other words, your “range” doesn’t have to be a formally designated range open for business.  It might be your backyard, as long as you’ve put up a berm or some steel targets.

I guess they really are coming for the Fudd regardless of what he thinks.  Shooting is a perishable skill.

There appears to be no depth to which they will not stoop.

American Partisan, The Mother of all Buffalo Jumps.

Just make sure that you’re not being stampeded toward a cliff, by devious political operatives who are more clever and cold-hearted than you. Remember Charlottesville, and what happened at Twin Peaks. Please think long and hard about stampeding into Richmond for what might turn out to be the mother of all buffalo jumps.

Keep it smart, and keep it local. Be the Indian, not the buffalo.

I’ve already got my finger of blame ready to point.

In the mean time, I really wonder if it might be a much better use of time and resources to leave Richmond alone (after all, there is virtually nothing that can be done to stop the controllers on their way to the Tower of Babel), and schedule a cup of coffee with your local town police, county Sheriff or county deputies.

You can see exactly where they stand, and perhaps make a difference in their views.  If not, you know exactly where you stand.  Yes?

Shhh … quiet.  Hidden from view.  Don’t telegraph your plans to the controllers.  Prepare your own terrain, physical and human, and meet them there.  Focus on your strengths, not theirs.  The pit of vipers is their terrain.  Don’t silhouette the skyline.

News from Virginia.

A.J. Goode, an Albemarle County native and a hunter for more than 40 years, says he is not worried about his personal safety, nor is he concerned that legislators in Richmond might ban future sales of assault-style weapons.

“I don’t hunt with them. No hunter I know uses one,” he said while on his way to go hunting near Esmont the day after Thanksgiving. “My rifles are all I need to hunt and protect my home.”

Goode emphasizes that people should be allowed to use their weapons of choice for target shooting, competitive events and gun collecting.

“Hunters already abide by regulations concerning what guns can be used and when and where,” he says. “I’m not worried.”

Yep.  I see you holding that turkey gun.  That’s what the second amendment is all about.  As long as you can hunt your deer with the boltie and turkey with that 12 gauge, everything is right with the world.

HB 567:

Indoor shooting ranges; prohibited in buildings not owned or leased by the Commonwealth or federal government; exceptions; civil penalty. Prohibits the operation of an indoor shooting range, defined in the bill, in any building not owned or leased by the Commonwealth or federal government unless (i) fewer than 50 employees work in the building or (ii) (a) at least 90 percent of the users of the indoor shooting range are law-enforcement officers or federal law-enforcement officers, (b) the indoor shooting range maintains a log of each user’s name, phone number, address, and the law-enforcement agency where such user is employed, and (c) the indoor shooting range verifies each user’s identity and address by requiring all users to present a government-issued photo-identification card. The bill provides that any person that violates the provisions of this section is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $100,000 for the initial violation and $5,000 per day for each day of violation thereafter.

This is a strange one.  It begins quite draconian, and then stipulates that it doesn’t apply to buildings where fewer than 50 employees work.

Why the cutoff of 50?  I’m not familiar with indoor shooting ranges in Virginia.  Are there any which employs over 50 people?  And why would any of this matter?  What do they think they gain with this legislation?

I’m not sure to whom this would apply?  Or am I misreading this?  Also, could it be that a simple change in the future (e.g., strikethrough of the number 50) might be the next step?

Via David Codrea, this interesting bit of information about one Virginia politician.

This is telling, but not what caught my eye.  To me this quote is more important.

The behavior of the 2A supporters at the forum was childish and boorish … they were disturbing and indicative of mental health issues among many 2A supporters.”

I’ve complained before about incorrect use of the phrase “begging the question.”  Many people use it in the context of a question that necessarily comes to mind given that something else has been said.

That’s not right.  Don’t use the expression that way.  Begging the question is a formal logical fallacy, to wit, presupposing the consequent.

In this case, he begs the question.  He’s in the position is explaining that many 2A supporters have mental health issues, and if someone were to ask him what constitutes a mental health issue, he would have to say, “Why, there it is, right there.  Unyielding support for the 2A.”

You see, they want to confiscate weapons from people who have mental health issues, and to them, the mere act of wanting a firearm in the first place is a sign of mental health issues.

Understand?

Reason.

The Colorado legislature’s official fiscal analysis of that state’s new “red flag” law, which took effect this week, projects that police and “family or household members” will use it to seek gun confiscation orders against people they portray as threats to themselves or others about 170 times a year. The analysis also assumes that 95 percent of those petitions will be granted, which is not far-fetched given Florida’s experience with such orders.

Such a high approval rate reflects the due process problems with red flag laws, which take away people’s Second Amendment rights for a year or more based on vague standards and dubious evidence that judges are not inclined to question because they worry about the potentially deadly consequences of rejecting petitions. But there are a couple of reasons to think Colorado’s approval rate may not be quite as high as Florida’s.

The land of pre-crime requires that you be squared away in your family life.  Seriously.  The best way to avoid crap like this is to never call the police about anything, especially any family disputes or firearms.

Men, be leaders.  Spiritual leaders, physical leaders, providers and protectors.  The costs of not being so is higher today than ever before.

NC Renegade.

My neighbors said that the newspapers had been printing false information on town hall meetings. Said that votes were not going to be taking place when in fact they did. Seems the powers that be didn’t want the people coming to express their opinions. Neighbors also stated that buses have already been chartered for taking people to the capitol on the 20th. They are expecting thousands from their area to travel.

Ammo is being purchased as quickly as possible. The sound of Gunfire could be heard throughout the hills during the day.

Read the rest here.  He says “false” information.  I have no doubt.  It just isn’t that difficult for journalists to round up accurate information.

“These people are crazy”, “Yea, they’re like little kids. As long as we don’t reply we’ll get through this.”

Some listeners are claiming that it’s impossible to hear it accurately.  I could, especially with the help of the comments which link this cleaned up version.  The contact information for this group of vipers is here.

The Daily Wire.

Gun retailers in Virginia say they’re seeing sales of weapons and ammunition skyrocket as the now fully Democratic Virginia legislature moves closer to passing strict gun control within the state — including a provision that allows the state government to confiscate so-called “assault weapons” if citizens who own them don’t register the weapons.

The Washington Examiner reports that at least one gun retailer has seen sales rise more than 200% year over year. Cash sales are way up, especially amid news that Democrats in Virginia and in Congress want to use credit card information to track gun purchases.

“This is the largest Christmas and November, December that we’ve had, basically, since Trump has come on board. The only other person that was a better salesman right now is when we had President Obama,” one retailer told the Examiner.

[ … ]

Democrats in Virginia say they’re paving the way for a national gun control program, and have proposed a number of possible restrictions, including a complete ban on assault rifles, backed up by the threat of confiscation. The Examiner adds that Democrats are also pursuing  “restrictions on magazine capacity, universal background checks, and restrictions to one gun a month purchases.”

This is a continuation of the trend we already noted.  Meanwhile, governor Ralph “Kill the babies give me all your guns” Northam continues Virginia careening down the road to possible civil war.

“We see in the governor’s proposed budget that he wants $4 million and 18 new law-enforcement positions to enforce a ban on commonly-owned firearms,” said Erich Pratt, Gun Owners of America senior vice president.

“Gun owners want to know: Is this money going to be used for the gun confiscation?” he added.

[ … ]

At today’s budget hearings, the groups have urged their members to ask questions about Northam’s budget that includes $4.8 million for an 18-person force to implement his proposed assault weapons ban.

Anyone who joins that 10-person force is a fool, and it isn’t clear that 18,000 would be enough.  That’s all assuming that Virginians are serious about this thing.  As I have said before, this “cannot be an empty warning.  If it is, no one should be issuing the warning at all.  If the next step is to turn to the black-robed tyrants, you will lose …

So-called “assault weapons” bans are in place in New York and Connecticut and have been for some time.  No state or federal court has ever struck them down.  If you trust your future to the tyrants, you’ll be disappointed.  When Sheriffs say they will deputize a posse, they must mean it.  State agents will have to be put in county prisons.  Road blocks will have to be set up.  Show downs will occur, and they’ll be armed show downs.  Teams of agents will have to refuse to do the bidding of the state tyrants for fear of the consequences.  The same goes for the national guard troops.”

I’m certain that the baby-killing governor is certain that he intends to do all of this.  What I’m uncertain of at the moment is whether Virginians intend to go down peacefully.  There is a huge difference between active resistance and hiding weapons in the back yard, never again being able to go to the shooting range for practice, waiting for that time when the .gov finds you out, and hoping for leniency.

Examiner.

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie thinks some local law enforcement leaders will be willing to go to jail rather than comply with state gun control laws they deem unconstitutional.

“Attended my first 2A sanctuary meeting today in Lewis County (where I live). Standing room only. Friends and neighbors spoke passionately and articulately. County officials unanimously passed a resolution,” Massie tweeted on Dec. 30. “This grassroots movement feels even stronger than the Tea Party in 2010.”

[ … ]

Massie cited Weld County, Colorado Sheriff Steve Reams, a critic of the state’s “red flag” law, who has offered to put himself in his own jail rather than enforce the state law.

“His county government has already voted to fund his legal fees should he end up in a protracted legal battle that might go all the way” to the Supreme Court, Massie told the Washington Examiner.

“And so that’s one of the things that when you boil it all down and say, ‘What does the sanctuary county movement mean?’” Massie said. “So, what it could mean is that county governments decide to use taxpayer dollars, with the blessing of the taxpayers in those counties, to support the sheriffs in their court battles.”

Massie compared the potential circumstances to the jailing of Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis by a judge when she refused to sign same-sex marriage certificates in 2015.

“A lot of people didn’t think she was willing to do this, but she resisted a judge’s order to issue marriage licenses with her name on it, and she refused to do it, and he found her in contempt and threw her in jail without a jury trial,” Massie said.

“So, she was basically a political prisoner,” Massie said. “She stayed in jail until it became a national issue.”

That is a horrible analogy.  She lost her legal battle, cost the state a quarter of a million dollars in legal fees, and then lost her bid for reelection.

I do like Thomas Massie, but listen to me sir.  This isn’t anything at all like Kim Davis.  That time has come and gone.  The ballot box is corrupted, the voice box is being used now, and the warning to the Virginia legislators is to use the cartridge box next.

That cannot be an empty warning.  If it is, no one should be issuing the warning at all.  If the next step is to turn to the black-robed tyrants, you will lose, just like Ms. Davis.  So-called “assault weapons” bans are in place in New York and Connecticut and have been for some time.  No state or federal court has ever struck them down.

If you trust your future to the tyrants, you’ll be disappointed.  When Sheriffs say they will deputize a posse, they must mean it.  State agents will have to be put in county prisons.  Road blocks will have to be set up.  Show downs will occur, and they’ll be armed show downs.  Teams of agents will have to refuse to do the bidding of the state tyrants for fear of the consequences.  The same goes for the national guard troops.

I’m not getting the vibe that the participants understand all of this.  I’m virtually certain the Sheriffs don’t.