Obama Praised for Vintage Gun Ban
If you have been following FirearmsTruth over the last few weeks, you know that the federal government has banned the return of vintage Korean War small arms to this country. The facts of this issue are like drunk drivers, they are all over the place. What is clear is that the president is being praised for stopping the import of M1 Garands and M1 carbines. These firearms are popular with history buffs and collectors. But because of the popularity of recent WWII movies and TV series, these weapons have become expensive to buy. It seems that anti-gun zealots are ecstatic over the ban.
As Mary Bargeman of World News Heard Now wrote: “The Brady Campaign is aglow with praise for the Obama Administration, because these people would love nothing more than to take away the one Constitutional right which guarantees all others- the right to keep and bear arms.” Read more
Gun Owners of America Endorse Haley in South Carolina Governor’s Race
This week the grassroots Gun Owners of American endorsed State Rep. Nikki Haley as a Republican candidate for the governor’s seat in South Carolina. The group, which has more than 300,000 members, continues to support candidates in the upcoming election who are committed to protecting Second Amendment rights.
“Gun Owners of America is proud to make this endorsement,: said GOA Vice-Chairman Tim Macy. “Nikki Haley stands 100 percent behind the rights of South Carolina’s gun owners and sportsmen. In particular, Rep. Haley strongly supports concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding citizens and will work to ease unreasonable restrictions on CWP holders.”
Rep. Haley responded by thanking the group for its endorsement. “Few things are as clearly defined as the right of individual Americans to own and use firearms,” said Rep. Haley. “The right to bear arms was deemed so critical by our Founders that they spelled it out in absolute terms, and it is my belief that any governmental action that undermines that right is in turn undermining the very freedoms that built our great nation. I hold a Concealed Weapons Permit myself, and as governor, I will continue to fight against any government infringement on the 2nd Amendment.”
Rep. Nikki Haley Official Website
AP Reports on Failed Ban on Open-Carry, Sounds Disappointed
Someone at the Associated Press was probably hoping to write a piece on how California lawmakers passed a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public, but instead the news service had to report that the measure failed.
AP noted:
“The Senate narrowly approved the measure… but it failed in the Assembly.”
Additionally, AP noted that lawmakers did not act on a second bill that would have made it a law requiring all long guns, including rifles and shotguns to be registered. AP also stated, “the bill fell short during an initial vote Monday.”
Is this a case of sour grapes from the AP? If so, too bad.
San Diego Tribune Doesn’t Hide Anti-Gun Frustration
In reporting on the open carry “ban,” writer Michael Gardner of The San Diego Union-Tribune noted, “‘Open Carry’ ban falls short in a surprise.” Was this really a surprise? The legislation had already failed to pass before, and many saw this as a last ditch effort.
But Gardner doesn’t stop with a biased headline; he offers this biased intro as well:
“Time ran out for legislation to ban the public display of unloaded handguns, a stunning development it he Assembly as the midnight deadline for passing most bills arrived before a vote could be taken Tuesday.”
That is wording we’d expect to read in an editorial, not a news feature.
Mainstream Media Finally Picks Up M1 Story, Brady Campaign Notes Concern
After nearly two weeks of silence from the mainstream media, FoxNews.com has noted that the Obama administration has blocked the importation of M1 rifles from South Korea. According to the story from FoxNews, the South Koreans wanted to sell one million M1 rifles to gun collectors in America – but numbers closer to 100,000 had previously been reported in the Korean media.
Not surprisingly, the anti-gun zealots have supported the move to block the importation of the guns. FoxNews.com quoted Dennis Henigan of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence as noting:
“Guns that can take high-capacity magazines are a threat to public safety. Even though they are old, these guns could deliver a great amount of firepower. So I think the Obama administration’s concerns are well-taken.” Read more
Kansas City Star Editorial Says U.S. Shares Blame for Mexico’s Woes
In an editorial for The Kansas City Star, Mary Sanchez notes “Mexico’s drug problems are ours, and vice versa.” That is debatable. She tries to offer a misguided history lesson, which is fine. But then she attempts to point the blame at American firearms, and that’s where her editorial needs to be called out. Read more
Cliffview Pilot Calls out Critics of Buyback
In a heavily editorialized “news story” for the Public Safety section of the CliffviewPilot.com community news site, publisher/editor Jerry DeMarco says that “Critics of Bergen’s first gun buy-back program are off-target.” He notes complaints from critics, but yet didn’t take the time to actually talk to any, and the points he addresses are vague at best. DeMarco notes that critics suggest the programs are futile, as the “antique” guns turned in – “both from World War II” he says” serve as an example of this.
As critics of these events, we don’t believe the buybacks are futile because World War II guns – which we wouldn’t exactly label as antiques, but that just shows that DeMarco doesn’t know guns – were among those handed in. It isn’t the age of the guns to us that matters. It is the fact, in this case anyway, that these guns were doing no harm to anyone. These were veteran bring-backs and were family heirlooms. How were these guns any sort of a problem? These guns could have been easily donated to a museum instead, and the owners would have gotten a tax credit likely that was more than the $75 they were handed. Read more
California Rejects Open-Carry Gun Ban… For Now
The gun owners of California have spoken, and it has been reported that this week the California Senate apparently listened, as it rejected a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public. However, the vote on Monday fell one vote short of the majority (20-16) needed to ban the measure.
The irony is that the bill, AB1934, was actually introduced following a series of gun-rights demonstrations in support of the open-carry law. If passed, and it does appear that the legislation could try again today, it would make it a misdemeanor to openly carry a handgun in any public place.
Portland Mayor Tries to Impose New Gun Laws
OrgeonLive.com reported that Portland Mayor Sam Adams is attempting to follow other large city mayors by adopting strict new gun control laws, “that state lawmakers would not – or could not.” This has upped the ante in the war of words that is waging between Adams and local gun rights groups. Read more
National Gun Collectors Association Holds Gun Buy Back
Most of the time gun buybacks sound like a bad deal. Citizens are urged to hand in “old guns” for a gift card or a pittance in cash, and too often taxpayer money is used to support these events. But WTVO 17 via MyStateLine.com reported on a quite different type of buyback.
This event was held this past weekend by a group called The National Gun Collectors Association, which claims to have been partnered with a group called The International Military Collectors Association, and instead of just handing out a gift card, the group’s spokesman actually said they have a panel of experts and connections with dealers and collectors to make offers on firearms as well as military items. Essentially this was a large “motel buy,” a common dealer type event where an individual rents a room, places an add calling for items and waits for people to come by.
While we weren’t able to find any information about either of the aforementioned groups, it is nice to see that the emphasis was on collecting, not destroying the firearms.
