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Podcast Post 594…

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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…

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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!

Get them while you still can…

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From the below screen shot, you will see I just got mine!

Screen Shot 2014-11-21 at 6.47.52 AM

What am I talking about I hear you ask?  Well check this out:
Screen Shot 2014-11-21 at 6.51.44 AMRy informed me about this last night so I just bought my Wicked Lasers while I still could.  The only thing I didn’t get was the beam expander.

I hate it when the main reason I go and buy something is because it’s:

a) being banned from import.
b) being made no longer legal for purchase.
d) being limited for purchase due to fear of legal action.
c) any combination of the above.

So I just bought something I hadn’t planned on buying because while I was figuring on getting one in a year or two this is my last chance.  I was also able to get it for almost half off because of that too.  So don’t ever tell me I didn’t warn you that you were going to be limited to 5mW here soon. This is your warning. Go buy your 2000mW laser now!

Remember to use gift code FINAL40 (case sensitive). Your welcome.

On Eating Our Own…

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The election didn’t go the way gun owners in Washington needed it to. Before the vote was even fully solid a particular individual decided to start a rally down in Olympia. While I can speak with no certainty on the organizer’s intentions, given his history, and behavior towards others within the community I really want nothing to do with this rally. Doubly so as the rally is occurring when the legislature is not in session, there is no end goal I can find or figure for the rally other than being largely symbolic and in the end providing stock footage of people wearing camo while carrying guns for the media for years to come.

For the most part I’ve been following the guide of “let people make their own decisions”; if you want to go, go. While I am more than happy to usually crucify people who piss me off, the event itself hasn’t done anything to wrong me, yet. I am trying to give it the benefit of the doubt; however I do not see a reason to invest my time in this venture.

Which brings me to the title of this post. The weekend after the election I was working the SAF table as a volunteer in Monroe and there were a couple interesting incidents. One in particular though created the backdrop for this post.

You see a group of men approached the SAF table and were conversing with another volunteer while I went to arrange to have a custom sticker done for my laptop. When I came back the group was handed over to me. The question was on the rally mentioned above. I made a comment that the SAF has nothing to do with the rally and other than that I’m not in a position to make a statement from the point of view of the CCRKBA or SAF.

To which they then ask, “Well are you going to go down yourself, doesn’t have to be a part of a group.”

My reply, “Personally no, I do not think it will be an effective use of my time. My legislators will not be there, there is no real purpose behind me spending an entire day of my time for something with no clear end goal.”

They then proceed to try to tell me how the media will be there and we will be able to control the message. I then ask if he’s going to be in the editing room to make sure they don’t edit things to fit their normal narrative, and then state I will be going down once the legislature opens in January to visit my legislators but my time is precious.

He argues with me again and when I refuse to budge we get down right hilarious.  I was told, “You’re absolutely useless. You should go join the NRA because you’re useless and aren’t willing to do a damn thing to fight this.”

Read that again:

“You’re absolutely useless. You should go join the NRA because you’re useless and aren’t willing to do a damn thing to fight this.”

That was said to a guy sitting in a booth as a 100% volunteer, who isn’t getting paid a dime for his time. I am happy to do it because I see where my efforts are going and the impact it will provide. While sitting in that booth I do a few other things in the free time spaces such as writing up info for a new group I’m working on starting with a friend. I work on web hosting for a client base that is entirely RKBA based. That server I largely operate at cost or at a small loss, doubly so when you consider the time I spend doing server and site maintenance doesn’t get included in the operating costs. Included in that list is the web hosting for the group running the gun show he was standing in. Again, when I get called up for problems; I help because of what they’ve done for the community. I could turn around and bill them like I should but I figure that money could be better spent for the benefit of all gun owners.

So this asshat, and he is an asshat, didn’t know me, who I was, or what I am doing for the community. Instead he felt it his right to attack me because I wasn’t jumping on his bandwagon. I suspect he was angry because instead of being active over the past year he was counting on other people to do it for him. Now since 594 passed he wants to finally pick up and fight. He’s more than happy to attack anyone who doesn’t fit in his groove because he has to blame someone other than himself. I must be the enemy because I’m not doing what he wants.

So no, I am not going to the rally in Olympia December 13th. I want nothing to do with it if this is the type of people it is drawing out of the woodwork. The rally could be either good or bad and it depends entirely on the attitude of the leadership and participants. At this point I have no faith in either of them. Most certainly I don’t need go be around people with toxic attitudes like that.

Seriously, I know why I do this but when someone treats me like that you know what I ask myself?

Why the fuck do I bother fighting here. These people don’t give a shit about me or my time, they’re more than happy to waste it. If I don’t let them waste it I’m attacked. Maybe I should just leave the state, the voters obviously don’t want me here and it appears the gun owners don’t either.

*It should be noted I directed him to google my name and NRA then come back and talk, but until then to please walk off.  A few people were dragging him away because it was obvious I was getting ready for blood. Sadly I didn’t think of it at the time but I should have just called security and had him removed from the show. He directed a personal insult at me, he was a WAC member, and that is a violation of the bylaws. It probably would have saved the volunteer over at the NRA booth some abuse as well. I have to admit it would have been fun showing up at the board meeting and laying out the list of what I do, largely as a volunteer with a professional commitment level, and then letting him explain how that wasn’t an insult.

I’ll have more on what the attitudes are like in a couple of weeks. I’m still burning in overdrive running at the same pace I was pre-election. Hence me looking at this bullshit and being less than enthused. I’m either working for a paycheck or working to support RKBA and any activity of eating our own is not productive. So if you want to go to the rally, go, that’s your choice. I’ve explained why I’m not going to be there.

TL;DR: Pro-tip, before opening your mouth and acting like a total ass think before you end up eating you’re whole foot. You’ll do more damage to your argument than proving your point. What it will do is turn people off from your position.

I-594, the Political War and Educating Outsiders…

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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.

Open Mouth Insert Hoof… Nick Hanauer

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So I knew about this over the weekend and was marinating on it waiting to see what the other side bothers to do if anything regarding the events of last Friday.

While many may think I am talking about the school shooting in Marysville, I am not. Quite honestly I’m getting sick of people working to exploit tragedy for political gain. Which brings me to the events I am talking about…

nick-hanauer_tweet

To the right is a real screen shot from Nick Hanauer’s Facebook Friday while in the wake of tragedy.

Now many who read this blog are from outside of the state, are not fully familiar with the ongoing legal battle, much less exactly who Nick Hanauer is.

Who is Nick Hanauer?

Nick Hanauer is a leading I-594 proponent and heir to the Pacific Coast Feather Company. To say that Nick Hanauer has had his hand in the development of I-594 is to put it mildly as he had a significant role to play in funding the initiative from the start.

Not only does he fund the initiative but he is heavily involved in Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility being their primary funder and founder.

WAGR…

Well after Friday it is obvious that WAGR is merely a xerox of every other gun control organization we have seen that is not about the things they claim but are really about exploiting tragedy for their own political gains.

Why has WAGR not immediately made a public announcement distancing itself from Nick Hanauer? Could it be because they love his money over their principles? Could it be because deep down they agree with Hanauer’s statement? Honestly I don’t think it could be put any better than a response I overheard at the fun show over the weekend:

What a ludicrous, insensitive and quite frankly, vile, comment!  I find it
offensive and morally reprehensible.  WAGR should publicly disassociate
itself from Nick Hanauer (and return the blood money they have received
from him)

That ladies and gentleman is the cold hard truth and the most basic demonstration of exactly what the other side is. They are so desperate for money that they are willing to swim with scum and villainy the likes of which would make most good-hearted people vomit.

We however will never see WAGR respond, much less distance itself from Hanauer, and never in a million years return his money. Our opponents are too desperate and honestly rely on tragedy to fuel their funding.

We hold events to raise money for charities outside the shooting sports not to mention charities within from time to time. Name one event organized by CSGV, WAGR, or the Brady Campaign where they were raising funds for anyone other than themselves. At Boomershoot we’re regularly raising money for Soldiers’ Angels.

So let me ask one real simple question, who do you really think is trying to make their communities better? The people screaming for more violence so they can capitalize on tragedy. We on the other hand get together for a weekend and say, “Hey lets help some other people while we’re at it.”

This is why we win…

Why We Win…

So if you are thinking about sending money to WAGR, you might want to think again and find a better choice.

Liars, Thieves, and Cheats

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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.