Supporting Woollard v. Sheridan
We have filed an Amicus Curiae in support of the Woollard v. Sheridan case supporting a district court decision ruling that found Maryland’s may-issue CCW system unconstitutional on 2nd Amendment grounds. While Maryland is in the 4th Circuit and New York is in the 2nd, Maryland law is based upon the Sullivan Act. A win in the 4th District could be beneficial to us down the road if a discretionary licensing challenge makes it to SCOTUS.
Exploiting tradegy for political gain
Some of the usual suspects in Albany are hoping to exploit the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin to push for more gun control in New York. I had a roughly 15 minute interview with a New York Times reporter this afternoon who was doing a story about it and got in one good point:
“… But Jacob J. Rieper, the vice president of legislative and political affairs for the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, said lawmakers were trying to capitalize on the mass shootings to push their own agendas. “They’re trying to throw out a bunch of stuff basically to see what sticks,” Mr. Rieper said, adding, “Since when has taking guns from decent people prevented bad people from committing crime?” …”
What didn’t make it in print is that sometime later this year there will be a special legislative session and NYAGV and the Senate Democrats are trying to get microstamping on the agenda. That is what this is all about.
New MAIG ad
Mayor Mike has bought another gun control ad:
He’s done this before with both broadcast and print adverts and gotten bupkis in return. There is no reason to assume this latest buy will be any more effective.
More nothing
As per ILA, the Senate went on vacation without taking up the magazine prohibition amendment.
Like I said, it’s all a PR stunt. The public is not interested in more gun control.
Possession exemption for students
Governor Cuomo has signed A-10204/S-7436 into law. The bill creates a possession exemption allowing students to use handguns during safety/proficiency classes offered by schools. Some upstate colleges have shooting programs. It is a minor win for our side.
The script
The Huffington Post reports that Frank Lautenberg is refusing to pull his his 10+ round magazine prohibition amendment from the cybersecurity bill:
“… Lautenberg said he has no intention of waiting to debate his proposal. “I’m not prepared to do that,” Lautenberg told The Huffington Post. “We want to connect safety with reality. And the reality is that we lose more people every year to gun murder than we do in the military … It is ridiculous.” Lautenberg said his amendment “belongs in a security measure” like the cybersecurity bill and said he plans to keep pushing it until it gets heard on the Senate floor …”
I’m not buying it. There aren’t the votes in either chamber to pass this and everybody knows it. This is all an act. Here what I think the script is going to be:
- Egged on by the leftist media, Lautenberg, McCarthy, etc. keep mouthing off about gun control. The general public shows no interest in the issue.
- Something else comes along (like the political conventions later this month), and the media loses interest.
- Lautenberg pulls his amendment. Politicians and leftist media outlets blame the NRA, ignore the fact that they were the only ones pushing it in the first place.
- Antis try pressuring candidates up and down the ticket to support their issues. An overwhelming majority blows them off.
- The antis further descend into madness.
Actions speak louder than words
Jackie Hilly from NYAGV wants the candidates to “speak their minds” on gun control.
Both Obama and Romney have addressed the issue. She just doesn’t like that their position is to blow her off.
Intimidation tactics
The antis (more like one antigunner and her media allies) are trying to intimidate Assemblyman Steve Katz over a campaign fundraiser to be held at a training center which features a virtual shooting gallery:
“… Jackie Hilly, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, was sharply critical of the event’s theme. “It is appalling when people are still suffering,” Hilly said of the event’s proximity to the 12 deaths and nearly 60 injuries from a Colorado movie theater shooting. “I think it is in poor taste while people are out there still having funerals for people who were killed by rapid-fire weapons,” she said. “There would have been better ways for him to arrange a fundraiser and it is his responsibility to know how his fundraisers are promoted.” …”
They’re trying to intimidate him and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos who will be guest speaker. They want to shut Katz up and shame Skelos into allowing the microstamping bill to come up in the Senate during a special session later this year.
The appropriate thing to do in this situation is to tell the Journal News (which has a long history of antigun activism) and Jackie Hilly to go fuck themselves. Unfortunately, I think Steve is too polite to do that so the next best thing is to just ignore them. Nobody in the district is clamoring for more gun control.
Like they have a choice
Some nonsense from The Hill:
“Democratic gun reformers are giving President Obama a pass as they push support for tougher gun laws …”
Like they have a choice in the matter. It is blindingly obvious that there aren’t the votes in either the House or Senate to pass anything on the antis agenda. Advocates even admit that in the article:
“… [Rep. Mike Quigley] is quick to note that there hasn’t been a single House hearing on guns since he arrived on Capitol Hill more than three years ago. Indeed, when he requested such a hearing in the last Congress when Democrats controlled the chamber, party leaders rebuffed him. “I never thought the issue would get to this point where we can’t even have a conversation,” he said …”
So, how exactly are the antis giving Obama a pass on the issue? That makes it sound as if the antis have a lot more power than they really do and are doing the President a favor by letting him slide so he can focus on other things:
“… Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Congress’s loudest voice for tougher gun laws, also declined to poke Obama on the issue, suggesting the president is focused on things like the economy that resonate with a much greater number of voters. “I do believe the President of the United States … believes in what we believe in,” she said this week. “But there are other things that, right now, [are] on everybody else’s plate.” …”
What crap. They just cannot admit that the gun control is a fringe issue and that there isn’t the political will to move the agenda.