May 10, 2012

HOW EASY IS IT TO STOP ALL GUN SALES?

Most shooters and hunters never give it a thought. You buy a gun at the store, they do the instant background check, you get your gun and go home. Only those of us who are sometimes considered "paranoid," "reactionary," or even just plain "whacko" think of the FBI-operated background checks as a perfect way to shut down all gun sales. All it takes is for the system to go down ...or be shut down. No "instant" checks means no gun sales from any store.

Whacko? Paranoid? Hardly. There have been a few times when the FBI system hit a glitch, causing it to be offline for minutes or hours.

Then, there's what's going on in Pennsylvania. The state police have announced that they will shut down PICS (Pennsylvania Instant Check System) at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 19, and will not start it up until 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 22. This is to "upgrade" the fingerprint system.

The Rev. Martin Luther King once proclaimed that a right delayed is a right denied. Certainly, delaying the ability to buy a gun is denying that right. If the system can be shut down for an upgrade, could it be shut down due to budget issues? Of course it could.

Would an Obama administration -- free of the need to worry about reelection -- consider using the recession and the need to cut government spending to reduce the hours during which a store could run a background check? Sure! All checks have to be done between 8:00 and 5:00 Eastern time. You're on the West Coast? Not their problem. The store is open until 9:00? Fine, but you can't buy a gun after 5:00pm Eastern. Then, why not just Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays?

Yep, we're just paranoid. No one would ever do that. No one would ever shut down the system by which the government doles out your Constitutional rights, would they?

That'll never happen. Except ... it's already happening.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Some listeners got riled up last Sunday when I was talking about the presidential election this year. Good! It's time we got riled up and stayed that way. To be fair, some were angry at me for repeating the idea that Mitt Romney was the "presumptive" nominee for the Republican party. He probably is, but that wasn't really the point. What's important -- no, make that critical -- is that no matter who ends up as the nominee, gun owners simply have to support him if we are to have any hope of avoiding 40 more years of Obama's policies. No, that's not a typo. I mean 40 years, not four more years.  

Yes, he wants to bring back a permanent ban on your AR-15 rifle (he calls them "assault weapons"). Yes, he said that no one should be able to carry a concealed firearm for protection. Yes, he slammed and mocked us with the "cling to guns or religion" statement, which really tells you everything you need to know about his feeling toward gun owners. Yes, his Attorney General headed up the effort to run thousands of guns into Mexico with the clear and stated goal of running up those numbers so the administration could use it to curtail you gun rights here (not in Mexico). That effort, called the Fast and Furious program, has resulted in hundreds of deaths, and those deaths will continue for many years.

We don't even need to talk about the BATFE orders -- contrary to law -- that gun stores in border states report multiple sales of long guns. He does what he wants, regardless of the law.

No, put aside all that. It's the judges!! Not just the Supreme Court justices he will get to appoint, but the other federal judge positions he will continue to stack with anti-gun lawyers. These judges make the calls in the lower courts, and they form the pool from which Supreme Court justice nominees usually are pulled.  

Forty years, at least. That's how long we would be moving backward, away from gun rights, as a result of Obama's reelection.

What can you do?

1. Make sure you are registered to vote. Double check. I'm told that half the NRA members are not registered to vote. Embarrassing.

2. Vote, and take your gunny friends with you.

3. Talk about this to everyone. Many will believe the nonsense that "Obama hasn't signed any anti-gun legislation." He doesn't have to when he can gut your rights with a stroke of the pen (think "executive order").

4. Consider making a financial donation to help the Republican candidate get elected. 

We'll talk about this more as the election nears, but I honestly think this one is for all the marbles. I knew that Bill Clinton was going to be a disaster. From the first moment I saw him on TV, I knew he was a snake. Obama is much worse.  

WE'RE GIVING AWAY A GUN SAFE!

The Gun Talk Giveaway this month is underway! Just go to www.guntalk.com/contest and enter for a chance to win a Liberty Safe Franklin 25 - a really nice gun safe - plus free delivery. It doesn't cost anything to enter. Free! And, we're also giving away a bunch of the uber-cool lighted baseball caps from Liberty Safe. You know you need (another?) safe. Just go ahead and enter. Someone has to win! Details are on the website. Good luck!

THE JOY OF GUN CLEANING

I can't be the only one who gets a kick out of cleaning guns, can I? There's something elemental about it.  Guns are simple devices, and cleaning them isn't difficult. Yet, somehow, it's rewarding. For me, it doesn't matter if it's a shotgun, rifle or handgun. Getting the gunk off and wiping it down is just plain fun.

Probably, it's nothing more than a chance to spend a bit more time with the guns I enjoy. Then again, maybe there's something more to it. What do you think?

NEW GUN GROUP

It's called the Armed Citizen Alliance, and a number of gun companies and several top shooters are involved.  What is it?  Well, I'm not sure I quite get it, yet, but at the website it says, "The ACA is the first and only national membership organization designed to promote actual hands-on practice, training, and recreational shooting with concealed carry and personal defense firearms within a structured context."

Sounds interesting, and I'll have someone from the ACA on Gun Talk Radio soon, so we can all get a better handle on what this new group is about.

LATEST VERSION OF GUN FACTS IS OUT

Guy Smith does a great job putting together a veritable bunker of intellectual ammo for you to use in the fight for gun rights. His free, downloadable e-book, Gun Facts, is exactly what you need when debunking the myths about guns, gun shows, "assault weapons," ballistic fingerprinting, etc.  

Whether you are writing a letter to the editor, commenting online about a story in your local paper or TV station, or just having a conversation with a friend who has been fed bull about guns and has believed that stuff, Gun Facts has what you need.

Oh, did I mention that it's free? Just go to the website www.gunfacts.info and download Version 6.1. Don't hesitate. Just get it, and start using it.

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