Great Satan, Inc.

Anti-gun group, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, rolled into Arizona this week, along with their latest tool paid poster boy, Colin Goddard.  Mr. Goddard was wounded during the 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting, and is now using his cred to assist the Brady Campaign with their efforts to take guns out of the hands of lawful citizens.

Arizona Senator Steve Gallardo (D-13)* has teamed up with the Brady Campaign and another local anti group to host a series of “forums” on college campuses, and to voice their opposition to AZ Senate Bill 1467, which prohibits college and university governing boards from creating or enforcing a policy or rule that prevents CCW permit holders from possessing a “concealed” weapon on campus.  Currently, law abiding CCW permit holders must leave their constitutional rights at the door when entering college and university campuses.

I am very sorry that Mr. Goddard ended up in the middle of the Virgina Tech mess, but I must question his logic.  The idea that the nightmare he endured has motivated him to fight against a person’s right to defend them self is just astonishing to me.  Virgina Tech was a gun-free “safe zone” when the shooting occurred, and Mr. Goddard is advocating that the colleges and universities in Arizona stay that way.  Wouldn’t that mean that others are doomed to suffer the same fate (or worse) as Mr. Goddard if these misguided policies are allowed to stay in place?

I was thinking about attending one of the “forums” this week, and asking Mr. Goddard in person about his decision to fight to continue to be a victim, but fellow blogger Tam’s recent post on the subject reminded me why I generally stay away from the anti-gunners, either in person or on the interwebs:

I don’t really care about the statistics or the efficacy (or lack thereof) of gun control laws. My right to own a gun (or anything else, for that matter) is not contingent on what other people do with that right. It wouldn’t matter if everybody else on the planet misused their firearms every day, that doesn’t have a thing to do with me or mine

Or, as Uncle Ted says: “To keep” means it is mine, you can’t have it.

* Senator Gallardo is the sole sponsor of AZ SB 1586, which would require federal background checks on all firearm sales (including private) at any “firearm show” (broadly defined to include almost any gathering where firearms might be sold).  Another “we’ve got to do something” bill that does nothing but restrict the freedom of law abiding citizens.

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New Hoppe’s No. 9 Air Freshener. For the one or two days a week we don’t already smell like Hoppe’s.

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Sebastian over at Snow Flakes in Hell notes that Arizona has a slew of pro gun rights legislation in the pipeline this year. The proposed laws include the Firearms Freedom Act, legalizing defensive display of a firearm, allowing university professors to carry guns on school grounds, and eliminating the requirement for a permit to carry a concealed weapon (HB 2347 and SB 1102).

The New York Times points out:

There would still be an advantage to obtaining a permit; carrying a gun into a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol would require one, and the permit would be valid in some other states. Permit holders can also buy new guns without a background check.

Permit reciprocity between states, restaurant carry, and an easier process for gun purchases would still make it advantageous to obtain a Concealed Carry Weapons Permit. Under the proposed law, a CCW permit would also prevent law enforcement from confiscating a weapon possessed lawfully by a CCW permit holder. As expected, the sky is falling for gun banning, anti-civil rights groups like the Violence Policy Center and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

“That’s sheer insanity,” said M. Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center. “If you remove the background check requirement, you’re literally writing a death sentence for law enforcement officers, family members, just people in the street.”

No, Ms. Rand, criminals won’t be affected by any changes to our gun laws. Stricter gun laws never encumber criminals, just law abiding citizens. If you could get criminals to comply with laws, then we wouldn’t call them criminals.

“You have no laws meant to reduce gun violence and protect the public, and you have an active gun lobby there that wants to do away with even the bare threshold of laws you do have,” said Ladd Everitt of the Washington, D.C.-based national Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Contrary to what Everitt believes, we have a plethora of laws intended to reduce all types of violence, including violent crimes involving firearms. I’m sure that Everitt would be comforted to know that we still have capital punishment in Arizona. If the death penalty isn’t a good enough deterrent against gun violence, a background check surely isn’t going to stop it. Perhaps, these groups should campaign against violent people, instead of inanimate objects.

As a lifelong Arizona resident and a CCW permit holder, I support the passage of all of these bills, with one exception. I have reservations about Senate Bill 1102 allowing concealed carry without a permit. Arizona is a battleground against human and drug trafficking through our Southern border with Mexico. Phoenix has the second highest rate of kidnapping in the world, human smugglers often have running gun battles on our freeways, and home invasions have become routine.

We have a systematic failure to enforce several existing laws, due to vote pandering policies that circumvent the rule of law. These corrupt policies prevent law enforcement officers in many municipalities from arresting human smugglers and criminals, unless they have solid proof a serious crime has occurred. Allowing police to enforce all laws would solve this problem. Otherwise, our carry laws are one of the few ways law enforcement officers have to easily distinguish law abiding citizens from criminals.

Law abiding citizens open carry weapons, or carry with a CCW permit and notify an officer when encountered under current laws. A criminal won’t have a permit and can be easily removed from the streets for the weapons violation alone. If the bill allowing concealed carry without a permit passes, we will take away an effective tool for removing criminals from the streets.

I know my position puts me at odds with AzCDL, but I believe that passage of this bill will provide effective ammunition for the anti-civil rights groups. As an unintended consequence, these groups will be able to disingenuously point to any crime involving a firearm and claim that the crime is due to our “lax laws”, when the lack of enforcement our existing laws and borders would be the true cause. I believe passage of SB 1102 could cause the pendulum to swing against lawful gun owners, undoing much of the headway made on fully restoring our 2nd Amendment rights.

Kevin over at Exurban League has different concerns about this bill that you may find interesting.

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This is not another version of the 494 stories about the shooting last night in Mesa that were copied and pasted from the news wire.  The shooting occurred a mere 957 feet (319 yards or .18 miles) from our home,  and we happened to be outside when the whole thing went down.

Here is our first hand eye ear-witness account of the events that occurred WAY too close to our house last night:

Last night, about 11:30 pm MST, Capitalist Pig and I went outside for a cigarette.  A few minutes later, we heard 8 or 9 gunshots coming from fairly close range.  Five or six rounds followed by a second or two pause, then three shots – each spaced about a second apart.  We surmised the following from what we heard:

• The shots were being fired from the Northeast, and were VERY close.
• A handgun was being used, probably a .40 or .45 caliber
• We were on the muzzle end of the shots – a very uneasy feeling to say the least.

In retrospect, it would have been in our best interest to go inside at that point, but we did not.  I’m not sure what CP was thinking at this point, but my brain was still trying to process what I had just heard.

The second round of shots came about four minutes later.  We heard a faint scream (female voice),  a siren from a distance that sounded like a fire truck, then a “chirp” from what sounded like a police car pulling up to the scene.  Immediately following, rapid fire, sounded like at least 12 rounds.  At least one magazine was being emptied as quickly as possible, and in the general direction of our house (again).

Four minutes would be the minimum amount of time it would take for the police to get there from the Mesa Police substation (1.1 miles from the scene)  If someone had called 911 immediately after the first shots were fired.  While I consider this an exemplary response time from the PD, the old saying, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away” came to mind right after the second round of shots were fired.

A barrage of police, ambulance and fire truck sirens could now be heard in the distance, and were moving closer to us by the second.  About one minute later, massive rapid fire from several firearms.  I couldn’t tell you how many rounds were fired in this exchange, but I can say that it sounded like several magazines were emptied in a couple of seconds.

At this point, CP and I realized that this was very likely an ongoing situation, and we needed to get inside right quick.  My fight or flight response had kicked in after the first round of fire, but the rest of me apparently needed time to catch up.

I shuffled myself off to the safest place in the house (a small bathroom), and CP was cool headed enough to grab my cell phone and hand it to me before getting out the Ruger P90.  CP then valiantly stood watch – finding a good place in the house to keep an eye on the doors and still have cover.  As I worked on calming myself down, I sent a text to my next door neighbor to let her know that she needed to stay inside and find cover.

I think I had been in the bathroom about 15 minutes when I heard a loudspeaker that may have been coming from the helicopter that was still circling directly overhead.  I think they said, “Do NOT go outside” twice (it was very Charlie Brown Teacher sounding).

If the last part of the story seems extreme, or overly dramatic to you, keep in mind that our normally quiet and somewhat serene neighborhood had just been turned into a gunnery range.  CP saw police cars racing down our street and we could hear the sound of the helicopter changing positions (which it does when it is still hunting for someone), and it was apparent that the situation was not yet under control.  Even after several dozen rounds of fire, the bad guy(s) were still loose, and it was very possible that someone was looking for a place to hide (or worse) in the neighborhood.

At about 1:30 am, the noises had died down, and CP sounded a tentative all clear.  A search on the internet and Twitter for what had just happened was fruitless, so we proceeded outside with caution.  CP did a sweep of the yard (all-clear), and at about 1:45, we heard the sound of fire trucks leaving the scene.

We found out this morning that after this guy killed his ex-wife and friend at a house party then traded shots with the police (where he shot an officer), he barricaded himself in the house for a couple of hours before surrendering.

While we weren’t victims last night, I was still pretty scared during the event.  The only comfort I was able to find while this was all going on is that we had the ability to defend ourselves if the bad guy had tried to make us another victim.  While we both consider firing our weapons at another living thing a VERY last resort, knowing that we could if we needed to – Priceless.

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We have to offer a hat tip to Ballistic Deanimation for pointing out this great article by Patrik Jonsson in the Christian Science Monitor titled:
A rifle in one hand, a laptop in the other. Behind the scene with pro-gun bloggers. Jonsson’s article covers the rise of “new media” bloggers covering the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits, and does it without the elitist condescension commonly found in the “old media” (does anyone remember Dan Rather?). Its an even handed portrayal of citizens who are active in the shooting sports, who also happen to write about their interests on the internet. The article features several of the participants from the 2nd Amendment Blog Bash. Have a look and let us know what you think.

Speaking of citizens utilizing their first amendment rights to express views that are not represented by many of the mainstream news journalists, it just so happens that the Days of Our Trailers blog debuted their new Unorganized Militia patches at the NRA Convention today. Thanks to the generosity of ThirdPower, we were fortunate enough to receive the full assortment of patches, stickers, and even a pin.

Cruise on over to Days of Our Trailers site to see the new designs. We’ll also post more photos of the new patches, once we have time to sew them on our shooting jackets.

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Here’s something the MSM has failed to mention so far about the incident in Pittsburgh today where 3 police officers were killed.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made quick reference to the fact that the shooter, Richard Poplawski was dishonorably discharged from Marine Corps. basic training. The Department of Treasury Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms document TD ATF-391 states:

Section 922(g)(6) of the GCA makes it unlawful for persons who have
been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions to receive or possess firearms.

Richard Poplawski was a convicted felon, and could not have legally owned firearms. The guns that were used in Saturday’s shootings had to have been obtained illegally.

So, why is this important? Because the recent tragedies that have involved firearms could be the perfect excuse for the current administration to enact the “common sense” gun laws (meaning bans and restrictions on firearms for people who don’t commit felonies) that Obama has stated he favors.

Pennsylvania State and Federal firearms laws already in place, as well as any future gun laws would not have stopped this horrible occurrence today because Poplawski broke several of these laws in order to commit his heinous crimes. Only the responsible, law-abiding gun owner will be effected by more gun bans and restrictions, while the criminals will enjoy a climate where they can produce more victims.

Ed. Note: We are very saddened today by the events that occurred in Pittsburgh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. This article is not meant in any way to condone or justify Mr. Poplawski’s actions, which we find abhorrent. It is our hope that he is severely punished in our world, as well as the next.

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