Great Satan, Inc.

If you are in Arizona, or will be on June 12, 2015, make sure you attend the Arizona Firearms Enthusiast Club Friends of NRA banquet at Gainey Ranch Golf Club.  The food should be great and the raffles and auctions will be stellar. The money raised will be used to support youth firearm safety and education programs, hunter education, range development and improvement, women’s training seminars, and wildlife conservation efforts.  Don’t worry, your Friends of NRA dinner won’t be politicized.  These events are apolitical.

Did I mention you can win guns at the dinner?

You can order tickets directly through the Friends of NRA website.

I hope to see you there!

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SC Kid (of Sandcastle Scrolls fame) shares his experience shooting a belt-fed machine gun match, with the gun and ammo supplied for free (courtesy of Rio Salado Salado Sportsman’s Club).

He’s a good kid, and I’m glad he got a chance to shoot something that cool with OPA.  I’m not jealous at all.  Nope, not at all.

Ok, maybe just a little bit.

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Gabrielle Giffords’ husband and anti-rights activist, Mark Kelly, recently drew a great deal of (earned) criticism for purchasing an AR-15.  Well, make that ALMOST purchasing.

The President of Diamondback Police Supply just made the following statement on their Facebook page:

Statement of Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc.

“While I support and respect Mark Kelly’s 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use. In light of this fact, I determined that it was in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal From 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm. A full refund was sent to Mr. Kelly, via express mail, on Thursday of last week.

The Sig Sauer rifle will be donated to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association where it will be raffled off to generate funds the association can use to purchase much needed tactical equipment for the organization’s members. The A.T.O. A. represents the SWAT and Special Response officers of the state’s law enforcement community who regularly place their lives on the line to protect the residents of this state.

Additionally, Diamondback Police Supply will make a $1295.00 contribution (the selling price of the M400 rifle) to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program that teaches children, in pre-K through 3rd grade, four important steps to take if they find a gun. The emphasis of the program is on child safety, something that is important to all of us and at the core of the current debate on gun control,” stated Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc.

Mr. Kelly left Diamondback Police Supply with no choice – if they had completed the transaction, they would have been in a heap of trouble and quite possibly lost their Federal Firearms License. Perhaps Mr. Kelly will better acquaint himself with the tens of thousands of existing gun laws before he attempts his next stunt.

Also, kudos to Diamondback Police Supply for their generosity in supporting the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, it’s a great program and that money will be well spent.

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Arizona’s newest (and most “progressive”) Congressional Representative has been noticeably absent in the current debate on gun rights since she was sworn in earlier this year. That’s now changed, and she’s finally responding to her constituent’s letters. I just received her response to one of the many emails I’ve sent regarding gun rights, and I’ve posted it below. Looks like she’s going to try and play both sides – not surprising, considering the number of Republican and Democrat gun owners in her district.

 
Dear Ms. XXXXXX,

Thank you for contacting me to share your views on the issue of gun violence.  I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your position on this very important issue.

I believe strongly in the Second Amendment and that it guarantees individuals the right to own and bear arms.  I also believe that it’s time for Congress to have a serious discussion on how we keep our kids, schools, and neighborhoods safe.  This means discussing how we care for the mentally ill and how expanding universal background checks can be most effective.

I recognize that only a small minority of those afflicted with mental illness may ever become violent and believe that we can strengthen mental health services to help minimize that possibility.  At the same time, we can and should prevent access to guns for the small minority of the mentally ill who are dangerous.

We cannot let politics get in the way of doing the right thing for our kids, families and the millions of responsible gun owners.  As a former social worker at Sunnyslope and Shaw Butte Elementary schools in Phoenix, I understand the importance of this issue and am committed to having a discussion with all sides of the debate to pass legislation that helps protect all Americans.  Should legislation regarding this issue be considered by the House of Representatives, I will keep your views in mind as we work on this complex and important subject.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.  I encourage you to visit my website at http://sinema.house.gov for up-to-date information, press releases, and other information.

Sincerely,

Kyrsten Sinema
Member of Congress
 

Thank you for the response, Ms. Sinema.  If you’re serious about having that “discussion with all sides of the debate”,  I am more than willing to have that discussion with you at any time, any place.  You know how to reach me.

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If you live anywhere near Tucson Arizona, you have an opportunity on Saturday to participate in the “national conversation on gun control”, or at least support the only pro-rights person member on the panel.  Widely praised Second Amendment scholar, author and attorney David T. Hardy will be the only pro-gun/pro-rights member of the panel.  Mr. Hardy will represent your rights, and be the only voice of reason, in the discussion about “common sense gun control ideas.”

From Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik:

Beginning at 2pm at St. Marks Church (3809 E. Third Street – a block west of Alvernon) I’ll be participating in a forum with several other people to discuss the issue of common sense gun control ideas. Also on the panel will be Pam Simon (January 8th survivor and member of Demand A Plan,) State Representatives Bruce Wheeler and Victoria Steele, State Senator David Bradley, and Tucson Attorney and gun rights advocate David Hardy. Possible attendees will also be Representatives Grijalva and Barber – depending on schedules and what’s going on out in D.C.

The forum is scheduled to last until 4pm.

There will be opening remarks by the panel members, and then questions from the audience. I know each of the people ho are on the panel and it is my expectation that this will be an opportunity to listen to varying viewpoints on this volatile topic in a way that is non-confrontational and respectful. With this topic, that’s not always the case.

If you live near the Tucson area and value your right to bear arms, your attendance is critical to demonstrate to the Tucson City Council that they can’t justify trampling your freedoms using sham “forums” like this one.

Saturday, March 16th, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, at St. Marks Church, 3809 E. Third Street, Tucson, AZ.

H/T to Arizona Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of Arizona for the heads-up.

Spread the word and please, arrive early to fill the room with pro-rights people.

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Jacqueline and I volunteered to promote 2nd Amendment rights at a gun show this weekend. The show is fairly small for the Phoenix metro area and it tends to have older guns and an older clientele.  A family of ‘gun show tourists’ (non-gun owners) stopped at the table to talk to us, because we “looked normal” (our wookie suits had just been picked up from the cleaners).  I looked around and saw nothing that looked abnormal, then I noticed the vendor across the aisle with a President Obama dressed as Hitler T-shirt. Ughh!

The sightseeing wife asked a ton of questions about guns, where to shoot, and how to pick out a gun.  It was also clear that she was interested in protecting her family, and target shooting, and learning what-in-the-hell this gun culture thing is all about.

After talking to her about guns for at least five minutes, the woman finally noticed that we were both open carrying.  I don’t know how anybody could miss the purple Elsie-nine on Jacqueline’s hip.  As we talked about buying a gun, the conversation took a strange turn:

Woman:  Do you actually own another gun?

Me:  Yes, of course.

Jacqueline:  We have a gun for each purpose.

Me:  Different guns for different purposes.

Woman:  Purposes? <BLINK!>

Me: Yes, it depends on what you want to do with a gun.

Woman:  ????????????? <ZOT!!!>

Me:  What do you want to do with a gun?

Woman:  <Bug-eyed vapors! Bzzzt! ZOT!!!>

Me:   Do you want a gun for target shooting? Hunting? Plinking soda cans in the desert? Long range rifle competition? A compact self-defense gun for concealed carry? Or a home defense gun?

Woman:   (looking perplexed) I don’t know.

Me:   That’s okay, figuring out what you want to do with a gun will help greatly in choosing the right gun. Give it some thought before you go shopping.

Jacqueline:   While you’re here at the fun show, ask if you can pick up guns that you might be interested in buying. See how they fit in your hand and make sure you can reach the controls (slide release, magazine release, and trigger).

This back-and-forth went on for quite some time.  We recommended she take her family to the Arizona Game & Fish Department Outdoor Expo to try different types of recreational shooting and guns, then take a NRA First Steps class, then go to a local indoor range on ladies night and try a variety of handguns until she found one she liked and worked well for her hand size, while fitting her intended use.   Of course, she needs to practice with the gun to develop and maintain her skills.

Many people have been conditioned by years of dishonest anti-gun propaganda, yet they are interested in learning reality (and unlearning the propaganda).  When I asked the woman what she wanted to do with a gun, it must’ve come across as, “who are you going to kill?”   She was baffled and apprehensive about the question, but relaxed quite a bit when I mentioned four possible recreational uses. I think it was at that point she realized much of what she knew, just wasn’t true.  You could almost hear the ‘pop’ of her paradigm shifting without a clutch.

My experience with this inquisitive woman was an important reminder that we can all be good ambassadors for gun ownership and the 2nd Amendment.  We can’t write off the people who’ve been lied to by politicians and newscasters over the years.  If you see lost and scared gun show tourists, stop and give them some help.  They’re easy to spot, because they don’t look like normal fun show attendees.

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A 2nd Amendment rally was held in Phoenix, Arizona today, the ‘Day of Resistance’ rally, put on by the Phoenix TEA Party. This rally was well attended, with a crowd of 1,500 according to event organizers. Compare that figure to the showing at Congressman Matt Salmon’s office during the Obama For America/Organizing For Action’s National Day of Action in support of gun control. Coincidentally, Congressman Matt Salmon was a featured speaker at today’s pro-gun rally.

Phoenix ‘Day of Resistance’ rally at the Arizona capitol. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu speaking (visible on the right).

Much of the crowd was armed with revolvers, semi-auto handguns, AR-15s, and/or various other rifles. Despite the large number of armed individuals present, only two law enforcement officers were spotted at the rally. One Arizona Department of Public Safety officer who used his car to enforce closing the street in front of the capitol, providing safe passage for all of the pedestrian traffic. The other law enforcement officer was Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, another featured speaker at the rally. As commenter Zermoid noted over at Shall Not Be Questioned, “The fact they felt they needed more cops for an anti rights rally than for a pro gun rally (where alot of the people were probably packing) says ALOT!”

Three local news stations were there to cover today’s event too. I haven’t watched any of the coverage of today’s event, but I have no reason to believe it will be any different than the coverage of last weekend’s pro-rights rally.

UPDATE (five minutes after posting):  I forgot to mention this rally was competing with the International Sportsmen’s Expo, the big Crossroads of the West gun show, and the Winter Range – SASS National Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting at Ben Avery Shooting Range Facility.

UPDATE 2 (9:34AM 2/24/13):  Local CBS affiliate KPHO 5 covered the rally without any fear-mongering nonsense.

CBS 5 – KPHO

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