Obama and Gun Control – Is the Media Waking Up?

Time and time gun control types and other anti-gun zealots like to paint Obama as a do nothing President on the issue of guns and the Second Amendment. While we agree that President Obama is very much a “do nothing President” on many issues, when it comes to guns we see he is far more sinister and dangerous than meets the eye.

Let’s not forget the ban on those M1 rifles from Korea. Let’s not forget his calls for “reasonable gun control,” and most certainly let’s not forget that he infamously said to Sarah Brady that he was working on gun control but “under the radar.”

So is the media paying attention? As we begin 2012 we can hope. However, for now the year ended with two notable Conservative news sites paying attention.

The New American wrote:

On March 30 of this year, President Obama dropped in to greet Sarah Brady, who was meeting with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. Sarah is the wife of Jim Brady, the former White House Press Secretary under Reagan, who was shot but not killed in an assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. The Bradys subsequently became strong supporters of gun control. According to Brady, the President brought up the issue of gun control “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda. [The President said,] ‘I just want you to know that we are working on [additional limits on gun ownership]. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.’”

Big Government offered this take:

What would four years of a lame duck President Obama mean for gun owners? The only way to know is to gauge it by the things Obama has done already. In 1995, when pursuing a state level office in Illinois, Obama “endorsed a complete ban on all handguns.” At that time, he also expressed his support for waiting periods for handgun purchases. A “waiting period” is a set period of time, usually 5 to 10 days, which has to elapse between the time an individual buys a gun and is actually allowed to take it home. In other words, customer “X” would pay for a gun on Monday of this week, but would not be allowed to pick it up at the store until Monday of next week. (The foolishness of this scenario is evident when one considers what that waiting period might mean for a female who is being threatened by a violent criminal or sexual predator. She would have to buy her gun then spend the next week, the “waiting period,” hoping the criminal or predator would be willing to wait a week before attacking as well.)

Now if only the rest of the mainstream media had its eyes open, and more importantly didn’t have its own gun control agenda.

Sponsor Special: Display Guns From International Military Antiques

Owning a piece of history is something special. Owning a piece of history that is actually a machinegun requires a lot of special paperwork and hassle. The alternative is to get a historic item that doesn’t actually fire. While that might seem like half the fun is missing, think of half the fun you get for having a fantastic display item – one that is generally legal to own and still looks quite impressive.

International Military Antiques (IMA) is one of the premier sellers of such historical items, as well as other unique oddities and collectibles. We talked to owners Christian and Alexander Cranmer last fall about their business, how they got started and what the future might hold for collectors: Gun Collecting: IMA Offers an Alternative for Machinegun Collectors

And now in addition to parts kits, and replicas they are offering some fine resin guns as well.

Display Machine Guns at IMA-USA.com

International Museums: Arizona Military Museum

A hidden gem of a museum is right outside the city of Phoenix. This is the Arizona Military Museum, which is housed in a raw adobe building was constructed in 1936 as a Depression-era public works project. It served as a National  Guard arsenal until World War II, when it was converted into a maintenance shop for German prisoners of war confined at a nearby POW camp. The Arizona Military Museum is operated by the Arizona National Guard Historical Society. Read more

NRA News: New Jersey: Camden Residents Turning in Guns for Groceries

Cam Edwards talks to Scott Bach from the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs

NJ2AS Operation Establish Compliance Records First Substantial Victory

Manahawkin, NJ – The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) has recorded its first substantial victory in Operation Establish Compliance with the reversal of Egg Harbor Township’s policy of requiring the signing of an unlimited release of information and liability waiver as a condition of processing firearms permit applications. Operation Establish Compliance is the ongoing effort to force Municipal Police Departments to issue firearms permits in accordance with the law.

NJ2AS was only days away from filing a lawsuit challenging the additional form when Drew Parker, who serves on the Egg Harbor Township Zoning Board and is a member of NJ2AS, brought the issue to the attention of the Township Committee.  The Committee immediately conducted a thorough investigation, led by Joe Cafero, ultimately concluding that the form was in use, and was, in fact, an illegal additional requirement.  The Committee then acted quickly to stop the use of the form.

“The NJ2AS Board of Directors, Staff and all of our members applaud the actions of the Egg Harbor Township’s Township Committee and the cooperation of their Chief of Police.”, said Frank Fiamingo, President and co-founder of NJ2AS. “We are grateful that they did the right thing, and in doing so, have avoided a costly lawsuit for both parties.  It is encouraging to see such effective and responsible leadership at the local level. That’s the whole point of having a Second Amendment Society.  So we can work together to resolve problems.”

NJ2AS has now shifted focus to another town with similar requirements. “Our current, ongoing lawsuit, NJ2AS v. NJSP, seeking access to the New Jersey State Police Firearms Applicant Investigation Guide, has shown that we are willing to go to the mat.”, Frank Fiamingo went on to say. “We will do whatever it takes to eliminate these illegal practices.  As usual, we will provide updates to our efforts in Operation Establish Compliance as soon as they become available.  Anyone can sign up for our free email alert system at NJ2AS.com.”

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (http://www.NJ2AS.com) is the most relevant pro-gun-owner organization in New Jersey with thousands of members and supporters throughout the State, emphasizing education of the community and legislature, safety and skills training and properly distinguishing between criminals and the law-abiding in legislation and administrative practices.

NY Post Story on Tennessee Gun Owners Adds Unnecessary Bias

Just the facts, just the facts! That line from Dragnet should be how stories about guns and crimes are reported, but apparently reporters like to add extra details that aren’t crucial to the story – and in some cases, add bias in the process. This week The New York Post reported that Meredith Graves of Tennessee, a fourth-year medical student no less, was arrested for possession of hand gun in New York City.

The paper’s reporting started out with the key details:

A tourist from Tennessee waltzed into one of the most secure sites in the city — and politely asked a cop if she could check her weapon.
Instead, she was dragged out in cuffs.
Now, Meredith Graves, 39, is facing at least three years in prison for thinking New York’s gun laws are anything like those in the Bible Belt.
Graves, a fourth-year medical student, showed up at the memorial on Dec. 22 to pay her respects during a trip north for a job interview.
She didn’t realize that the loaded .32-caliber pistol in her purse would be a problem until she saw a sign at the site that read, “No guns allowed,” sources said.

But later the paper added these details:

Mayor Bloomberg, with the help of the five district attorneys, has crusaded against the flow of illegal guns, especially from the South.
Out-of-state weapons have been used in a slew of homicides, including the murder of NYPD cop Peter Figoski on Dec. 12.

Why is it necessary to add those details? Graves gun wasn’t illegal, nor has it been used in a crime. But the paper is essentially marking her as part of the problem for New York’s gun crime. However, the opposite is the case. She is a law abiding citizen, asked and tried to the right thing, and her she is in jail – while many thugs on the streets are still armed with illegal guns.

NY Times Op-Ed Just More Sour Grapes

So ends another year, and how does The New York Times see it when it comes to firearms? Instead of noting a decline in crime, while a booming business in a bad economy the Times’ editors say it as “Another Year for Weapons.”

That’s right, not guns, not firearms, but WEAPONS! And the paper offered this passage:

The F.B.I. reports that gun dealers submitted the names of almost half-a-million customers in the six days before Christmas, with December on its way to surpassing November, which had a record tally of 1,534,414 names submitted for background checks for criminal convictions and mental health issues. Only a little more than 1 percent of buyers are typically rejected by federally licensed gun dealers. No one knows how many more firearms were purchased through the gun-show loophole that enables black marketeering.

It is fascinating that no mention is made of Fast and Furious, nor of the stockpiles of military hardware left in Libya. No the Times is worried about law abiding citizens buying guns! And then of course has to offer the “gun-show loophole” and tie it to illegal guns – without offering any proof that this is ever the case.

But the Times wasn’t finished. It offered this conclusion:

Instead of cowering before the gun lobby, political leaders in both parties should be treating the annual gun death toll as a serious public health and moral problem. Polls show the public is wiser than many politicians on the gun issue. Protest candlelight vigils organized by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence are being planned nationally for Jan. 8, the anniversary of the Tucson rampage. Nearly 30 cities and towns have signed up, proof that sensible voters are demanding stronger protection from gun violence.

Are the political leaders really cowering behind the gun lobby? The first sentence of the op-ed and the first sentence of the final paragraph don’t add up. Isn’t it legal sales, meaning law-abiding citizens were buying guns? Doesn’t that mean that people – law-abiding citizens that is – want guns?

So what the editors are really saying is the voters, the citizens be damned. The Times editors don’t like guns so no one should have guns!

And that statement “polls show the public is wiser than many politicians on the gun issue” needs to be clarified. What polls exactly? What about the Gallup poll from October that showed that more people are opposed to gun control.

Finally, the gun lobby isn’t pushing for mass shootings as the final passage implies. Yes, cities can have mass vigils and should. But these vigils don’t mean these communities want to be rid of guns, to throw out the Second Amendment. Of course it is hard to understand what the editors think, but in their tall towers in Manhattan do they really know anything about what is going on west of the Hudson River?

Gun Rights Policies with John Snyder: Obama Anti-Gun Arrogance Targets U.S. Constitution in Washington DC

Gun Rights Policies with John Snyder:

Obama now says he won’t enforce part of law he signs when he disagrees with it.

He shows his anti-gun colors in so doing. Read more

NRA News: New California Laws Target Handguns, Alcohol

Cam Edwards talks to California attorney Chuck Michel

NRA News: Obama Says He Won’t Be Bound by Gun Control Ban in Omnibus

Cam Edwards talks to John Frazer, NRA-ILA Director of Research & Information