Great Satan, Inc.

Robb Allen has a great post about citizen engagement in legislation and how you need to be involved to get good laws, specifically good gun laws.  He notes that legislators aren’t experts on the issues they legislate.  That’s where you, the engaged and informed citizen, have a duty to write, call, or visit your elected officials.  Deeply flawed bills can be derailed by investing a little of your time in the process.  Stopping bad bills from becoming law is cheaper, easier, and safer than trying to overturn a bad law in our court system.

For instance, a politician trying to “do something” might be extremely uninformed about the standard magazine capacity for a firearm.  For the ambitious legislator, limiting magazine capacity might sound like a great way to “do something” about crime.  Making it a felony to possess a magazine that can hold more than ten rounds will prove that the politician is really serious when he/she/it is trying to do something about crime.  A courteous meeting with your politicritters could educate them about the range of standard capacities available, how the law will unjustly criminalize their voting base, negatively impact the poor, minorities, and women.

The alternative is; bad laws, a loss of rights, and hours wasted on internet forums complaining about how NRA let you down because they didn’t airdrop a team of lawyers and lobbyists in to rescue you from the city council/legislature/Governor your fellow citizens elected.  At the local and state level, it’s your job to engage your representatives!

Even if NRA has a lobbyist in your state, that lobbyist doesn’t have as much influence as large numbers of constituents calling a state senator, flooding a representative’s inbox with email, or overloading the governor’s phone system.

The NRA is the 800 pound gorilla for Federal gun legislation and elections.  At the state level in Arizona, the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) and the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association (ASRPA) are our 800 pound gorillas when it comes to gun rights.  If your state has an NRA affiliate like ASRPA, or a comparable Citizens Defense League, you should join immediately.  In California there is CalGuns and Florida has Florida Carry.  Just about every state has a group fighting for their resident’s rights.

After you’ve joined a group that protects your rights, you need to participate as well.  These groups get a reputation as 800 pound gorillas because their members demonstrate that they are watching, voting, and dethroning bad politicians.

If you don’t interact in the process, you are dependent on a few dedicated volunteers and a generous individual or two to protect your rights and interests.  If you aren’t gaining ground in your state, it’s probably time for you to get involved.

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That’s right, Arizona House Bill 2625 does nothing!

HB2625, sponsored by AZ House Majority Whip Debbie Lesko, allows employers to opt-out of certain mandated benefits, based on the business owner’s beliefs. It doesn’t authorize the firing of women, it doesn’t violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), it won’t deprive women of health care or contraceptive choices, kill kittens, or dictate the color of your panties.

HB2625 merely lets a business owner choose what they will and won’t pay for in the reproductive health insurance area. Contrary to the ACLU’s dishonest agitprop, the bill doesn’t, “give your boss the green light to fire you for using birth control.” It does prevent employees and politicians from forcing their beliefs onto a business owner.  An employer’s rights shouldn’t be any different than yours.

Sadly, there are allegedly liberated women, freaking out that the government might not use laws to take care of their tender bits.  Shocking isn’t it?

This outraged woman happily shared her personal details with Arizona State Representative Brenda Barton and everyone else on Facebook.  Alvin (not her real name) can’t claim privacy rights when she’s posting the details of her period for the whole world to see.

I thought most women wanted the government to stay out of their nether regions.  These outraged women are unfortunately getting false information and haven’t stepped back to look at the situation.  If you invite the government, and your employer, into your “women’s healthcare” issues, don’t be surprised when the government, or your boss, wants to have a say in what you do with those body parts.  This bill removes your boss and your government from your reproductive organs.

If you believe contraceptive issues are your private business, please support HB2625 and don’t use the government to force other people to pay for your beliefs.

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The Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) held their annual luncheon on Saturday in Tucson.   If you are unfamiliar with AzCDL‘s mission:

The purpose of the Arizona Citizens Defense League is to protect individual freedom and laws that attend to it through lobbying, petitioning, fund raising and all lawful means to enforce Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Arizona.

You want to know what Article 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution is about?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Article 2, Section 2 states:

Article 2 – Political power; purpose of government

Section 2.

All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.

Mz. VRWC and I headed down to the Old Pueblo for the annual celebration of individual rights and some great BBQ. About 400 of AzCDL’s 5,000 members attended the luncheon, and almost everyone open-carried, with a few concealing.

For an event like this, it is customary for the attendees to get dressed up a bit. For many, it meant opening the gun safe and grabbing a pretty gun appropriate for this special event (much like having a strand of pearls or a tuxedo for special occasions).

We had a tasty lunch of barbequed chicken, pork ribs, and beef tri-tip, slaw salad, cobblers and more, catered by Sapphire Catering.  As we finished our meal, AzCDL Communications Director and JPFO Executive Director, Charles Heller spoke to the crowd for a bit before turning the microphone over to Arizona State Representative Brenda Barton (AzCDL rated A+) to introduce the rest of the speakers.  The speakers included Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, candidate for the Arizona District 7 House seat (running against Raul “boycott my state” Grijalva) and Arizona State Senator Frank Antenori (who is considering a run to replace Rep. Gabriel Giffords). Also in attendance, AZ State Representative John Kavanagh, accepting a lifetime achievement award on behalf of AZ State Senator Russell Pearce, AZ State Senator Paula Aboud, as well as chief’s of staff for various other legislators. It’s always good to see that elected citizens aren’t afraid to be around those they represent.

There were even raffles for various firearms. Despite the Smallest Minority handing us two raffle tickets before retiring for an early siesta, we did not win the Ruger LC9 he should have won. However we did steal win a faux zebra skin rifle case (perfect for Mz. VRWC’s tactical shotgun) and a family membership to Shooters World, an air conditioned indoor range in Phoenix, at the silent auction.

Long story short, the annual luncheon was a pleasure and again, members were given the microphone to suggest new laws they wanted to fight for, as well as laws they wanted repealed.  I have no doubt that AzCDL will continue the fight to maintain and regain our liberties.

Bottom line, don’t pay any attention to the lazy hippies and communists putting on their Occupy Wall Street demonstration (sidewalk camping).   They won’t accomplish anything sitting around whining for “change” and whining for handouts.  Joining, supporting, and participating in a group that represents and lobbies for your interests will get you the government you want and deserve.

If your state doesn’t have an organization like AzCDL, consider starting your own group.  Citizens have a right to the same access and persuasion as any other special interest.  The power is yours, if you want it.

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New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg is at it again, this time he’s committing Federal felonies in Arizona to prove the “need” for a national gun registration database. The media is happily parroting Bloomberg’s press releases, confirming that a felony was committed at an Arizona gun show. The problem is, the illegal acts were done by Bloomberg and his “investigators”.

Bloomberg paid people to go to a gun show and buy handguns for him. Something the Mayor wouldn’t legally be able to do, as he is not a resident of Arizona. This is a straightforward Straw Purchase, defined as the illegal purchase of a firearm by one person for another. A felony committed by Bloomberg’s people, punishable by a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.

These transactions occurred between Bloomberg’s private investigators, Kroll, Inc and private individuals (not gun dealers). Kroll doesn’t list any locations in Arizona, so I’d love to know how the straw purchasers came up with the Arizona driver’s licenses presented to the gun seller during the transactions. I hope Bloomberg’s people didn’t violate Arizona’s Criminal Impersonation (ARS 13-2006) and Forgery (ARS 13-2002) laws.

From the ABC News article, Bloomberg and his anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) want to require a background check and permanent record of every firearm sale that, “would be archived in the background check database”. They want a national gun registration database and they’re willing to do anything to get it.

Will ATF’s Project Gunrunner go after Bloomberg? Will the Attorney General of Arizona pursue these alleged crimes? Or will the so-called “good” intentions of a rich man in NYC trump the rule of law?

UPDATE: No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money has a similar take from a different angle.

UPDATE II: The Tribune of San Luis Obispo reports that the Bloomberg’s office claims that “the investigators were Arizona residents and broke no laws”. If no laws were broken, will anyone call Bloomberg out on his deception and false proclamations of illegal sales?

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I found a list of crazy Arizona laws today.  As I tried to verify the existence of these mythical laws, I came across numerous laws that I had been blissfully ignorant about. As a public service to my visitors, I’ll pass along these pearls of legislation, so you don’t end up in jail like Mongo.

Dueling
Dueling in Arizona is an absolute no-no. You might think it was already illegal to have a duel in the street, but Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 26-114 makes it a crime to promote a duel, be concerned in, connive to have, or even have knowledge of the pending gunfight without notifying “the proper authority”.  A violation of this law is punished as determined by court martial.

Tripping Horses
If you come to visit Arizona, make sure you don’t trip a horse, pony, mule, donkey or hinny. If you do, you could be facing a class 1 misdemeanor under ARS 13-2910-09.

Slaughtering Horses for Food
Arizona’s gastronomical diversity apparently has a wide range. ARS 3-2122 makes it illegal to slaughter horses for public consumption without first obtaining a license. This law also requires that the contact information and purchase data for each buyer of Trigger meat is retained for at least one year.

Gathering Cattle for Tournament or Contest
ARS 3-1301 makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to use other people’s cattle for amusement or contest, if it’s done without their written permission. How’s a suburbanite going win a state fair ribbon if he can’t appropriate someone’s limosin?  Organized cow tipping is probably out of the question.

Toy Guns
ARS 13-3109 makes it a class 6 felony to give a child a toy pistol, if that toy pistol might discharge “dangerous and explosive substances”. This could probably be twisted to cover cap guns (explosive), Nerf guns, and spud guns. After all, you could put an eye out with that thing.

I’ll post more of these laws as I come across them.  If you hear about someone being arrested for giving a kid a toy gun and having duel with him or her, while eating a horse burger and riding a stolen prize winning Brahma bull, it wasn’t me.  Mongo did it.

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