The New York Daily News' Diversionary Hack At The NRA

The New York Daily News, in a mad attempt to divert attention from (Islamist) terrorism and the threat posed by all these incoming "refugees" as potential terrorist actors, decided to print "Hey Look, Squirrel!" on the paper's front cover.

It's a rather transparent and desperate attempt to get attention back to the left's favorite bugbear, gun control, and to defame the NRA.

National Review: The NRA Is Absolutely Right to Fear the ‘Terrorism Watch List’

The real question is, if there really are 700,000 people in America on the terrorist watch list, is anyone actually watching them? If they're suspected of terrorism or support for terrorism sufficient to get themselves placed on the list, why isn't some serious interdiction occurring rather than just putting them on a list and letting them walk freely about in society save for an occasional and only possible extra experience of being felt up at the airport?

After all, if they're allowed to walk around freely without any real attempt to apprehend them as terrorists that means they can acquire materials to make bombs and such, so perhaps this list is not really being taken seriously by the authorities.

When 280,000 people are on the list with no known terrorist affiliation, that's a cause for concern.

That there are thousands with actual listed affiliations to terrorist groups like Hamas, Al Qaeda, Hezballah, and the Taliban, and they're allowed to just wander around this country while the only thing done after identifying them is putting them on the list shows the government is rather fundamentally unserious about this whole counter-terrorism thing.

Indeed, since the criteria to be placed on it seems rather vague, and that people can be added to the list at whim, there is darn well a reasons to be concerned to add a new disqualification from owning firearms at the whimsy of some faceless official.

One can certainly see the Obama administration expanding such a list very quickly to do some "gun control under the radar" should it become a disqualifying condition. After all, he seems more rather obsessed with his "Republican enemies" rather than enemies of a foreign ideology and origin.

In short the New York Daily News should save the bile it is flinging at the NRA and instead direct it at the administration that has us fighting a phony war rather than a real war on terrorism while humming "I've got a little list".

NRA 2015 Annual Meeting In Nashville

The NRA's 2015 Annual Meeting is coming up fast, April 10-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

To pre-register and get your attendee badge ahead of time go here and sign up.

Yes, you can carry at the NRA's annual meeting at the Music City Center in Nashville if you have a valid CPL recognized by Tennessee.

As stated by the NRA:

During the 2015 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits, lawfully carried firearms will be permitted in the Music City Center with the proper license in accordance with Tennessee law. Bridgestone Arena prohibits the possession of firearms. When carrying your firearm, remember to follow all federal, state and local laws.

Be sure to check out the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security page on Handgun Permits to get the law to ensure you comply with Tennessee's rules while you're visiting Nashville and don't carry in the very few no-carry zones that they have listed.

While civic centers in Tennessee are typically off limits to carry under TCA 39-17-1311, an exception under 39-17-1311(b)(J)(iii) exists for gun and knife shows and this is indeed a gun show of gun shows.

Looking forward to seeing many of my fellow bloggers there, as well as attending the NRA's Firearms Law Seminar, which is well worth the price of admission. Besides, Instapundit will be the luncheon speaker, Mas Ayoob will be lecturing, and David Hardy will be in attendance.

Should be a great time, and we should be able to organize some blogger get-togethers during that weekend.

NRA Day 1 - Switching The View On The Convention Floor

The last booth we went to as the show was shutting down for the night was the MGM Switchview display.

I had recently bought a Switchview for my Vortex Viper PST scope and for some reasons it would not fit no matter how hard I tried following the directions. Luckily and most fortuitously I had it in my bag and asked one of the MGM people there if he knew why it wasn't working. He checked and it was for the older Vortex Viper PST with the rubber focusing knob rather than the newer metal knob which I had.

They had the proper part right there with them and without me saying anything, he switched them around and gave me the right part and gave me a quick tutorial on the best way for installing it.

That's some seriously good customer service right there.

He also showed me their newest product, the MGM Eagle Eye Switchview Universal Speedlever. The Eage Eye, instead of being metal has an adjustable polymer strap and is universal for all variable focusing scopes.

It looks like a solid product.

It also felt solid and it's a great alternative to having to buy a specific model to match your scope.

If you don't know what a Switchview does, it makes changing the magnification on your scope much faster and easier to do then wrestling with the focusing knob - you just push on the switch and the leverage it gives you lets you quickly adjust the scope to your desired magnification.

I was highly impressed with their customer service and knowledge and they make a great product. If you've got a variable-power scope you really should check them out, as they certainly stand by their stuff.

NRA Convention Day 1 Part 2 - The Seminars

The first seminar we attended was the one by Rob Pincus of Personal Defense Network titled "Defensive Shooting Skills Development".

Mr. Pincus was a dynamic speaker with a good presentation and style.

He covered a lot of information regarding defensive shooting including some good techniques for training oneself and others.

After wandering around the convention center some more, we went to the next seminar that we wanted to view by Kyle Lamb titled "Leadership In The Shadows".

For those that don't know, Mr. Lamb of Viking Tactics is the real deal - A former Delta Force operator and he's been there, done that in both Somalia and Iraq and he's a compelling speaker with many compelling stories to tell.

While this seminar was abbreviated from his standard Leadership Seminar, it was well worth attending with a lot of food for thought.

Whether you're in the military, law enforcement or business, there's a lot to be gleaned from his seminar on leadership.

Darn good seminars, and we'll be attending more tomorrow.

After Mr. Lamb's seminar, we headed back to the convention floor which will be the subject of my next post.

It's Three Hundred And Ten Miles To Indianapolis, We've Got A Full Tank Of Gas, Half A Pack Of Chips, It's Daytime, And We're Wearing Sunglasses.

Hit It.

Murphy's Law and I are off on the road to Indy.

We'll hopefully see you (if you're there) at the NRA Convention. Looking forward to meeting up with blogger friends and make some new ones.

Will blog from the convention as opportunities arise.

Sunday Instructional: An Excellent CPL Class

Today I conducted an NRA certified class that is required for the Michigan Concealed Pistol License class for four students.

Interestingly enough, two of the participants are related to bloggers I know, and the two others were acquaintances I knew from elsewhere so it was a very comfortable environment and everyone got on quite well.

There was great discussion, they absorbed the material most attentively and carefully listening to all of it and especially to the Michigan legal section, and everyone enjoyed the class.

At 8.5 hours, it was a bit longer than the required 8 hours and we worked straight through lunch to make sure all the material was covered and everyone fully understood the material.

At the range, they did quite well, except for one getting lost along the way to the range (how you miss it when the route was left form the parking lot, right turn at the first street, a left when that street runs out followed by a right into the parking lot of the range is beyond me....) but the participant manged to find it eventually.

I was able to make some pointers to a couple of them that visibly improved their shooting, which is a nice feeling. One of the attendants, the son-in-law of one of the bloggers I know, needed no pointers whatsoever. He blasted his way most competently through the shooting portion with safety, speed, and accuracy, so both he and the blogger should be proud.

It was a darn good class and I had a very enjoyable time teaching it.

Now I'm home doing the final paperwork for it, and that's a day.

Now New And Improved With An NRA Life Membership

The NRA is currently offering a very nice deal to upgrade from regular to life membership.

I figured that I certainly was gong to remain a member and the offer was for some serious savings over remaining a yearly member and just renewing every year.

So, I went forth and pulled the trigger on the Life Membership, so I'm now an NRA Lifer in addition to being an NRA Instructor.

And It cost less than 250 rounds of Russian steel-cased 9mm from Cheaper than Dirt.

And Two New (Old) CPL Holders Are Trained

Today I held a private NRA class for my friend's in-laws who were interested in getting their Michigan Carry permits.

As it was a private class we held it conveniently at their house which was fortuitously close to a range that I often use for the shooting portion of the class.

We went through the classroom portion of the curriculum, including a heavy focus on Michigan laws regarding firearms and self-defense first. They were attentive, asked good questions and had an excellent comprehension of the material.

I then administered the required written test and they both scored very highly, only making mistakes where the way the question were written was a bit unclear.

The we went to the range and I demonstrated and then had them perform each of the required exercises.

They had some interesting firearms with them: A 1970s all-original Beretta 84 in .380 which ran perfectly and was a joy to shoot; a S&W 357 Magnum again from the 70s that was bought second hand from a guy that had bought it specially tuned by the S&W factory -beautiful factory bluing,m perfect original grips and a trigger beyond compare - the double action was unlike any revolver I've fired before - smooth and light beyond compare. The single-action required slightly more than a sneeze to let off a round.

They shot them very nicely as well. He's been shooting for years, she's a bit newer at it and found the S&W too heavy and the recoil from the 84 a bit snappy. So she tried my Glock 17 and liked it very much, and she was soon tearing the center out of the target once she relaxed and we had worked on her grip and stance a bit.

In addition to all the standard exercises, I brought out the Kahr with the laser sight and had them try the exercises out with it as well. They certainly saw the value of the laser and it certainly sounds like they'll buy one for whatever pistol she settles on for home defense and carry.

They were aged 71 and 64. It goes to show you're never too old to be both interested and capable of defending yourself. That, and you mess with old folks at your peril.

Don't Let The Facts Get In the Way Of An Anti-NRA Concern Troll Editorial

“Never take advice from a donkey.”
― Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One

Brian Dickerson of the Free Press puts on his concerned face worrying Does today's NRA still speak for gun owners?

To answer you question Brian: Yes, yes it does. Perhaps not as strongly, nor as eloquently, nor as artfully as we might prefer, but it does.

But you see, Brian is concerned and considers a grass-roots group with 4.5 million-plus members to just be a front for the firearms industry.

Isn't it time we stopped acting surprised every time the organization reprises the more-guns-equals-less-crime theme its paid mouthpieces have been promoting for decades and started inquiring more closely into who's pulling the NRA's strings, and for what purpose? Because the more you know about today's NRA, the less credible its claim to be the voice of American gun owners seems.

Nice, when you can't contest the facts, attack the speaker and try to attack their credibility.

The NRA likes to paint itself as a grassroots organization whose political influence can be traced directly to the depth and breadth of its membership -- a roster of ordinary Americans that stands, according the organization's own figures, at a robust 4.5 million. The organization's promotional materials have long disavowed any forma affiliation with companies that manufacture or sell firearms or ammunition.

I'd think 4.5 million plus members entitle it to be called grassroots, don't you?

Also, Note the spelling error in that paragraph. Layers of editorial oversight and as he's deputy editorial page editor, so he should know.

Oh, and 4.5 million members as opposed to say the Brady campaign with all of at most 28,000 members?.

But although the NRA says its populist strength continues to grow, demographic data show a long-term contraction in the number of gun-owning households in the United States.

Really Brian, you're going to use that worn out lie that gun ownership is on the decline. Really now?

And especially since 2005, when it launched an aggressive campaign to recruit corporate sponsors for its pro-first-amendment message, the NRA often has appeared more responsive to the priorities of manufacturers and retailers than to those of firearm owners.

Any bets its yet another example of editorial excellence and he meant Second Amendment here?

An April 2011 study published by the non-profit Violence Policy Center found that corporate donors had contributed between $19.8 million and $52.6 million in the first five years of the NRA's Ring of Freedom fundraising campaign, and that 74% of that total -- $14.7 million to $38.9 million -- came from companies involved in the manufacture and sale of firearms or shooting-related products."

Seriously now, Brian is going to be using the anti-NRA Violence Policy Center as a source for this? The same VPC that lies, damned lies, and false statistics? Talk about your reliable and unbiased sources that would have no interest in making up lies about the NRA there Brian.

Next, he uses the sterling and unbiased statistics of Mayors Against Illegal Guns - the group with convictions for criminal conduct above both the gun-owning and the average population of the country.

At the same time, the NRA's aggressive solicitation of corporate sponsors suggests we all should be more skeptical of its self-described mission -- and its claim that constitutional principles are at that mission's core.

Nice attempt to demonize the NRA by association and innuendo there Brian. I'd give it a solid D-.