Quote of the Day – Dec 15, 2014 (PDB)

What would truly deter the next attack is to have it end without the glamour. Getting unceremoniously shot in the face by barista Cindi (“I’m really an actress!”) after she pulls her J-frame from under her apron before you can even take hostages is a lot less glamorous than meeting your end against a dozen of Sydney’s finest. Sadly, this is not an option in Australia, but where it is legal? Carry your damn guns, folks.

PDB – Facebook Status Update
December 15, 2015


[I have nothing else to add. -B]

Podcast Post 594…

Part two of my 2A Today podcast just went up. I talk about the details of what happened, what the future looks like, and what’s on the horizon.

I also discuss the December 13th rally and some of the interesting bits that have come across my desk about it. Again if you want to go, go. It is symbolic and there has been no clear-cut plan of what or how they plan on what their going to accomplish. There has also been plenty of drama from the organizer that makes me want to keep as far away from it as possible. Doubly so as the drama is unnecessary and detracts from the goal and merely serves to draw him attention, drive away those in the middle, and give ammunition to an already hostile media.

I’ve had a few people tell me that it is going to “establish precedent” that it’s unenforceable. Internally all I can do on that one is laugh. That is not going to affect a legal case, no matter what you think. The goal of this law is, and always has been, selective enforcement and to provide a chilling effect regarding the free exercise of the right.

If you want to go, go, I’m not stopping you. I have other things to do and better ways to apply my valuable time. If you do go, be aware, be vigilant, and have an escape route. Do not be surprised to find bad actors, or people who are otherwise there to merely manipulate a crowd of that size. Remember mob dynamics and that there is a large difference between a person and a group of people. There are people out there who look to take advantage of that.

Sidenote and update:
I do have one correction, when we recorded we were planning on January 13th, 2015 for the rally at the start of the legislative session. After chatting with a bunch of other people who work regularly with state legislators it has been moved to January 15th, 2015. This is because legislators will still be largely busy with unpacking and other items on the 13th.

You can watch for updates and more information here. Here is the announcement notice.

On January 15th, 2015 at 9 a.m. the Washington Firearms Leadership and Activism Group (WAFLAG), Protect Our Gun Rights Washington and the Gun Rights Coalition will host and both the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and the Second Amendment Foundation will sponsor the first 2015 Legislative Rally against I-594 and other bad gun laws on the front steps of the Washington Capitol building in Olympia.

This grass roots event will include hundreds of voters, supporters of Second Amendment rights with speakers Adina Hicks (Executive Director, Protect Our Gun Rights Washington), Rick Halle (National Coordinator, Gun Rights Coalition) and Paige Biron (President, Pink Pistols of Seattle) helping to kick off a day of sharing the concerns of Second Amendment supporters with legislators throughout the Capitol campus.

The legislature is in session for this rally, legislators are on campus and this is a great opportunity for us to make our voices heard. To drive home to our legislators that you should be taken seriously please dress to impress and make sure that all sidearms are securely holstered. Wear business semi-formal or formal if you’ve got it (slacks, good denim, suits, dresses, etc.).

Please leave your long arms home to avoid scaring uncommitted legislators into the arms of Bill Gates, Nick Hanauer and the rest of the 594 crowd. We’re going to Olympia to create a positive impression and WIN, not to put on a media show.

After the rally, attendees will visit their individual legislators to talk with them about the many flaws of I-594 and other firearms rights issues. For help scheduling meetings with YOUR legislator, call Adina Hicks of POGR at (425) 351-4088.

Help will be provided at the rally to folks unsure of who their legislator is and how best to meet with them. In the meantime, locate your legislator by using http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ or contact them using the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Let them know your views!

Be Present. Be effective. Fight the Fight!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

I find this fitting…

So I saw a post from Oleg today and I saw the post before I saw his email. Considering I saw the image before anything else I had to do a double take for a second. bro_I594_5034web

Joe has some comments on it. I largely agree. Rights are rights, they are natural. However in the grand scheme we all did lose something because of 594. It makes education, competition, hunting, and recreational shooting all perilously difficult. It isn’t a joke or off the wall either, these fears are being confirmed. It has chilled the rights to the point where we have lost parts of them for fear of exercising them.

So why do I find this fitting… Well my expression nails the statement above oh so well. Most significantly is that rifle in my hands. That is my baby. If you don’t understand, go read it will make sense. It ties me to how I entered the frey.

Thanks for the pic Oleg!

I-594, the Political War and Educating Outsiders…

I had a request come in last week to be a guest host on 2AToday to talk about I-594 and I-591, Washington political history, and basically provide a solid overview to educate people on the situation, especially those outside of Washington.

The creator worked his tail off and got it posted at BF 30 this morning.

There will be a part 2 follow on episode for after the election where fallout and the political horizon will be discussed.

While you may not live in Washington so you have no ability to vote on the initiatives I highly recommend you listen. I didn’t do this  just because of Washington politics. There is more going on that many people realize and we’re already seeing the glow of smoke on the horizon. We’re in a fight whether you like it or not and I suggest finding out what’s going on from people currently on the front lines before you find yourself in a middle of a political war zone with no clue what’s going on.

You will notice I broke out the “It Can’t Happen Here” category, because I suspect we will be hearing a lot of it in the near future.

Liars, Thieves, and Cheats

So I came in to work the show this morning and was informed of this insanity:

Screen Shot 2014-10-25 at 10.18.42 AM

It has been a good while since I’ve done a good fisking, shall we?

Myth #3 – Gifts of firearms are exempted. Nowhere in the text does it imply that all firearm gifts are exempted. To imply that anyone assumed that makes *them* look not too bright. Any responsible gun owner should WANT it to be known whether a specific gun was transferred to someone else or not. Why? Because while you may have given it to someone you “think” would never use it in the commission of a crime, the fact of the matter is, you don’t know. You couldn’t know. How many times do you see friends and family members shocked and incredulous over what the people they have known their whole lives end up doing? How many times do you hear interviews with family members who say “I just can’t believe he did it. He was always so easy going. I don’t understand where that came from.”? Do you really want to be the person who “gave” your gun to a would be assassin regardless of the fact that you think “they would never do that”?

Gifts are exempted in very limited circumstances. I can give a gift to my mother but not mother-in-law. There is no straight exemption of gifts and to claim otherwise is deceptive and misleading. Here is the exact wording on gifts:

  • (a) A transfer between immediate family members, which for this subsection shall be limited to spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles, that is a bona fide gift

If you were really about increasing the knowledge to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands, why not a public background check number or an indicator that is printed on all drivers licenses. While that has other issues it’s certainly a fair cry better than the monstrosity you’re trying to sell.

Myth #6 (loaning a gun to a friend for repair) and Myth #8 handing a firearm off to a student…etc. Yeah, this is a real bummer because most people want to have friends and family fix their guns or teach them how to use them properly. Seriously? If you were a responsible gun owner, you SHOULD want these things done by a professional. Someone licensed to do so. Not uncle Joe.

Difference between an amateur and professional is whether or not you are paid and nothing more. I am an amateur radio operator and let me tell you, there is nothing amateur about us. I’ve had law enforcement park next to me because I will have comms when they don’t. I have the tools and training to change barrels and do other work on firearms however that is not my everyday job. So I should not be allowed to do work I enjoy for friends and family despite my training?

Further there is no exemption for “professionals” except for gunsmiths who have an FFL. Let me repeat, there is no exemption for certified trainers or at a professional training event. The only exemption that may help is as follows:

  • (f) The temporary transfer of a firearm (i) between spouses or domestic partners; (ii) if the temporary transfer occurs, and the firearm is kept at all times, at an established shooting range authorized by the governing body of the jurisdiction in which such range is located; (iii) if the temporary transfer occurs and the transferee’s possession of the firearm is exclusively at a lawful organized competition involving the use of a firearm, or while participating in or practicing for a performance by an organized group that uses firearms as a part of the performance; (iv) to a person who is under eighteen years of age for lawful hunting, sporting, or educational purposes while under the direct supervision and control of a responsible adult who is not prohibited from possessing firearms; or (v) while hunting if the hunting is legal in all places where the person to whom the firearm is transferred possesses the firearm and the person to whom the firearm is transferred has completed all training and holds all licenses or permits required for such hunting, provided that any temporary transfer allowed by this subsection is permitted only if the person to whom the firearm is transferred is not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law; or

There is no definition of what an authorized range is. Also many loaner weapons used in firearms training are owned by the instructor and not the range. Further you will not there is no exemption for instructors handling firearms owned by students. The only other line that comes close is “practicing for a performance” but that pertains to drill teams, not training.

Not to mention that deep down is economic elitism and discrimination as you are require additional money to be spent when honestly they may know someone who is perfectly capable of fixing their firearm or offering training.

Myth #9 – I can loan a hunting rifle to a friend during hunting season. Again, nowhere in 594 does it state that.

You can only loan a rifle in a very specific set of circumstances:

  • (v) while hunting if the hunting is legal in all places where the person to whom the firearm is transferred possesses the firearm and the person to whom the firearm is transferred has completed all training and holds all licenses or permits required for such hunting, provided that any temporary transfer allowed by this subsection is permitted only if the person to whom the firearm is transferred is not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law;

What this means is if you wander within 150 feet of a road, or cross a stream or any other area where hunting is not legal you are committing a misdemeanor the first time or a felony the second. It is only legal as long as you are in the hunting area. You better get the firearm back before you reach your truck.

Myth #10 – I keep a rifle in my truck and occasionally allow my daughter to drive this vehicle on our property – this can’t be a crime? All I can say is this…if you think it’s ok to drive around, unsupervised, with a weapon, then you really aren’t a responsible gun owner.

Myth #10: You have never lived in a rural area have you? I regularly drove around my friends rig with his rifle in the back while helping with their farmland. Under this it would be crime, not to mention I regularly drove around my uncles truck as a minor, with a rifle. Why would I have a rifle? To shoot coyotes and other predators that prey upon livestock. But such a well-rounded and educated person such as yourself knew that there are predators out there right? Because me trusting the person I’ve given the keys to my truck and is acting to protect my property is irresponsible? WTF?

So there, I have backed up my case by citing the initiative text and if you think I’m wrong, here’s a past supreme court justice from the state of Washington on the subject.

Maybe you should leave the interpretation of the law to professionals instead of amateurs.

And since you’re a “gun owner” I’m more than happy to meet up with you at West Coast armory so you can get some practice with your firearm, if it exists. I will pay your ammo and range fees, my treat.

Ladd Everitt – Safety for Gay Bashers!!!

I’ve said it before in a nice long post, if you don’t know why I get angry and will go into a rant like what is about to follow, go read the post.

So why a friend forwarded me this article this morning I didn’t think much of it, until I hit the end.

Ladd Everitt, communications director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said that hate crime is an issue our federal government has taken very seriously, pointing out the Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2009. 

“The law contains explicit protections for members of the LGBT community,” he said. “If groups like Pink Pistols are feeling targeted or under threat, it might be from members of their own community in the pro-gun movement.”

Because people who are so willing to beat the crap out of someone over sexual orientation actually give a crap over some “hate crime” bill. Get real boy wonder. If felony assault or attempted murder charges don’t already phase someone the extra gravy of a “hate crime” charge isn’t going to matter.

Like a restraining order, a law merely a piece of paper and doesn’t physically stop anyone from doing anything. Know what works great to stop someone who hates your race, your sexual orientation, or any other thing about you from physically assaulting you?  A 230 grain hollo-point center of mass. Repeat application until said assailant has stopped his attack on you.

The idea that people who are active in this community, who most of which are devout in securing the civil rights of all, is just complete bull crap. The idea of telling someone who may very well be assaulted over their sexual orientation, “Don’t worry about it, there are hate laws in place. You may die but we’ll send him to prison” just makes me sick. If someone wants to take responsibility for their own self-defense who is that petty tyrant to chastise them, look down on them, or otherwise disparage them. Ladd is nothing more than a sniveling coward who preys upon those who fall victim to evil in this world. Ladd needs evil to triumph to continue his assault on the rights of innocent people, it’s why he is the most evil of evils.

Heaven forbid a person be allowed to choose to exercise their right of self-defense, to say no with such conviction no harm befalls them but hell rains down upon the aggressor.

Then again this is the same asshat that called Joe Huffman and me the most offensive.

Lastly I have numerous friends who are very out of the closet and very active within the community. I have yet to personally see an incident of bigotry against them by the community personally, much less anything even approaching what you claim.  Even then even after years in the community they’ve only run into one or two and they were quickly dealt with and everyone else around was equally pissed off at said individual.

Here’s a direct quote from one of them:

That sorta bigotry particularly offends me both as bigotry per se AND with its wild departure from reality – I have been largely open in the 2A community and with but one or two exceptions received naught but support…

So Ladd, do the world and go fornicate with a rusty chainsaw you bigoted ass. Because quite honestly the only way you can come to some off the deep end conclusion such as yours is if you yourself would try it.

The Worthlessness of Background Checks…

So this came across my inbox today via Sean and my immediate though was of I-594.

According to an Executive Summary “on the investigations the Oregon State Police (OSP) is conducting regarding denied firearm transactions through the Firearm Instant Check System (FICS) Unit”   of the 331 “denial” investigations only 8 people have been arrested. That’s a total of only 2.41% of the people denied!

And of course, there is no way of  knowing how many of the people taken into custody were arrested for actual offenses and how many were victims of the same sloppy record keeping that kept most of the other 97%  from completing transfers.

Honestly this is not surprising to anyone who is actually active in this community or works with the facts on the subject. Doubly entertaining is when you also consider that criminals need not take part in this system since that would require them to self incriminate.

I am one of those who has received a NICS denial, got a couple of them actually while the state took it’s time updating records associated with a felony charge. But I hear you cry, how do you know you were legal? Because the prosecutor who charged me ordered the firearm I was carrying the day of the wreck returned to me.

So let’s think about this, what does an overly broad definition of transfers, where any handling of a firearm can be classified as a transfer get the other side?

The answer is simple, it makes firearm ownership so dangerous and precarious that very few will want to exercise their rights. Further even fewer of those will be willing to risk felonies to educate others. Not to mention the costs of attempting to stay within the bounds of the law given transfer fees and the use tax involved.

Vote NO on I-594. Don’t let the 1% confuse you in to vacating your rights.

Quote of the Day – Darrell Issa (9/25/2014)

Eric Holder is the most divisive U.S. attorney general in modern history,… by needlessly injecting politics into law enforcement, Attorney General Holder’s legacy has eroded more confidence in our legal system than any attorney general before him.

Darrell Issa – Quote to Fox News on Holder Stepping Down
September 25, 2014


[Nailed it and I have nothing else to add other than Christmas came early. -B]