May 1st, 2012 by Mas
With Mitt Romney’s nomination a fait accompli, the search is on for the Republican vice-presidential nominee.
Marco Rubio is looking awfully good from this end. I haven’t met the man, but people I know who have, came away from the meeting very much impressed with him. And he seems to be in the right place on issues of gun owners’ civil rights.
Who’s your choice for the position, and why?
Posted in Uncategorized | 58 Comments »
April 26th, 2012 by Mas
A recent case in the national headlines has revived the debate over “stand your ground” laws, which in essence rescind any retreat requirement and allow innocent crime victims to repel force with appropriate force if attacked in any place where they have a right to be. There has been much confusion with the Stand Your Ground (SYG) principle and other legal rules, such as Castle Doctrine and Presumption of Reasonableness.
This past Monday, I had the privilege of participating in a forum at the headquarters of the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, DC, addressing this matter. It can be found here: http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9141
It opens with moderator Tim Lynch of Cato Institute giving an overview of the matter. Next, for twenty minutes each, we have historian Clayton Cramer explaining the origin and development of the laws and principles involved in the debate…me explaining why I consider the objections to SYG to each be somewhere between weak and bogus…and Steven Jansen, vice president of a prosecutors’ association, advocating that SYG laws be eliminated.
It’s all very civil, and very much worth an hour of your time, particularly if you keep or carry a firearm for defensive purposes.
(Early on, you’ll also get a reminder why it’s important to turn off your cell phone before people start recording…)
Your comments are very much welcome here.
Posted in Firearm Owner's Civil Rights | 26 Comments »
April 20th, 2012 by Mas
With a Florida shooting this past February having become a cause célèbre that has triggered strident demands for more restrictive laws on guns and self-defense, it is a good time to review the history of the “gun control movement.” The following comes to you from Ann Coulter. As you read it, you might want to remember that Martin Luther King – a Republican gun owner – was denied the concealed carry permit he requested.
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/04/19/the-democrats-racist-gun-control-history/
For more on this topic, read “Black Man With A Gun” by my old friend Kenn Blanchard.
Kenn Blanchard, left, with Mas (center) and Steve Denney (right) at SHOT Show. Kenn’s book “Black Man With A Gun” details the racist beginnings of “gun control” in the US.
Posted in Firearm Owner's Civil Rights | 20 Comments »
April 15th, 2012 by Mas
Well, our likely Republican nominee has completed his address to the National Rifle Association and its members.
Romney’s comments of Friday the 13th reported here http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75116.html
And here: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romney-warns-nra-against-an-unrestrained-secondterm-obama-20120413,0,250411.story
The day before Romney and the other heavy hitters spoke at the NRA conference, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran this as their front page headline story: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/romney-s-relationship-with-gun-enthusiasts-in-the-spotlight-as/article_8b9680ce-35d4-5bd3-99da-b5b6c7d1f3f3.html.
This was the front page story in St. Louis’ major newspaper when NRA members hit the ground there for the annual meeting.
Mr. (and Mrs.) Romney spent more time discussing women’s issues than gun owners’ civil rights issues with the NRA audience.
Posted in Firearm Owner's Civil Rights | 41 Comments »
April 12th, 2012 by Mas
It has been a week in which national news has been dominated by a couple of issues that impact directly on gun owners’ civil rights. One of those issues is the fait accompli that Mitt Romney will almost certainly be the Republican candidate for President in the next election.
Romney does not have a good record on gun owners’ issues from my perspective, though he has shown signs of coming more to our side in recent years. Some see it as strictly a political move on his part, some are more hopeful.
One skeptic on the issue is my old friend Frank James. There are lots of gun bloggers out there, and Frank’s is one of the few I have on my RSS feed. Frank has little respect for politicians who are soft on this issue – he refers to Mitt Romney as “Mittens” – and he had this to say in his blog recently:
http://frankwjames.blogspot.com/2012/04/mittens-to-address-nra.html
Like Frank, I’ll be watching and listening with interest when Romney joins several other political powerhouses to address the NRA gathering in St. Louis this coming Friday. Hopefully, it will be on C-Span or some other venue where the nation can watch, listen, and use their life experience and their own BS detectors to gauge the sincerity of the speakers.
Feel free to comment. I’m particularly interested to hear from Massachusetts readers who lived under Mitt Romney’s governorship from 2003 to 2007.
Posted in Firearm Owner's Civil Rights | 42 Comments »
