Don’t Tread On Us

A couple of weeks ago, while several state governors shut down their jurisdictions in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a few even attempted to suspend the exercise of Second Amendment rights.

One such governor, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, quickly found himself on the receiving end of a federal civil rights lawsuit, filed by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). Much smaller in membership than the National Rifle Association, SAF has become a powerhouse in the legal arena, responsible for a majority of recent gun rights victories and case law since the 2010 landmark Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago.

In the New Jersey case, SAF was joined by the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, Firearms Policy Coalition, Racing Rails LLC d/b/a Legend Firearms, Legacy Indoor Range and Armory LLC and four private citizens, Gina DiFazio, Jontell Platts, Witold Kwiatkowski and the man for whom the lawsuit is named, Robert Kashinsky.

When New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell talked about prohibiting gun sales in the city during the Coronavirus pandemic, SAF issued a statement: “We sued New Orleans then, and we’ll do it again.” The jets seemed to cool.

McDonald was a SAF case, despite what you may have heard otherwise. When governors, and some local governments, started shutting down gun sales and telling gun stores to close their doors, SAF went to work.

SAF was the brainchild of Alan Gottlieb, whose vision was to one day take back the right to keep and bear arms “one lawsuit at a time.” Since the McDonald ruling a decade ago, SAF has been doing precisely that. And while the group doesn’t always win, even setbacks move the drive closer to the end zone.

SAF relies on contributions to conduct its legal work. Last year, members of the Washington Arms Collectors reached contributed more than $9,000 in a single weekend to SAF to help finance a federal challenge to an onerous Washington state gun control law passed by citizen initiative in 2018. That case is still in the federal court.

https://www.saf.org/saf-sues-n-j-governor-for-depravation-of-rights/

https://www.saf.org/saf-to-n-o-mayor-cantrell-we-sued-city-once-well-do-it-again/

Via email, NSSF Director of Public Affairs Mark Oliva told Insider, “Our rights don’t end during a pandemic. In fact, the need for responsible and law-abiding adults to exercise their rights is magnified.”

Longtime pal Larry Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, was quoted by The Crime Report noting, “This is exactly when the Second Amendment right is most important, because people are concerned about the safety of their families, their property and their businesses.”

https://thecrimereport.org/2020/03/25/firearms-industry-opponents-squabble-over-whether-gun-stores-essential/

Capitalizing on Coronavirus

Anybody who thinks anti-gunners won’t exploit every opportunity to push their gun prohibition agenda may be living in denial, and that’s not a riverfront house in Egypt.

For the record, COVID-19 is a disease. Some say gun control is the same thing; a mental malfunction that afflicts people the late Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper famously dubbed hoplophobes. It’s not a term of endearment but rather a derogatory slap at people who would unilaterally disarm law-abiding citizens and erase the Second Amendment.

In addition to New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is a well-known anti-gunner. His “stay-at-home” order, which was originally set to expire this week, also considered gun stores to be “non-essential.” Insider Online checked three times with Inslee’s office to get them to acknowledge that gun stores weren’t considered “essential,” but marijuana shops were. Maybe Inslee’s office thinks crime victims should mellow out.

Initially, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf also tried to close gun stores. However, he later reversed his position and allowed those businesses to operate after a dissenting opinion by a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice. SAF applauded his change of heart.

Likewise, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recognized gun retailers and distributors as “essential” in his shutdown order, but others either didn’t want to acknowledge Pritzker’s move or would rather fight than win.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hoplophobe

https://www.saf.org/saf-applauds-pa-governor-wolfs-about-face-on-gun-dealers/

‘An Epiphany!’

Gottlieb, having observed the rush on gun shops as states began restricting gatherings and people were stripping grocery store shelves bare, suggested that people who were trying to buy guns for the first time had experienced “an epiphany.”

“We are witnessing what amounts to an epiphany for many Americans during this crisis, as they remember what the Second Amendment is about,” he said.

The irony is that these very people, who may have previously supported gun control measures, have discovered what “universal background checks” and “waiting periods” are really all about. They’re designed to discourage the law-abiding from having guns, not prevent bad people from committing crimes.

People don’t like waiting for anything, but they’ve had to wait to purchase rifles, shotguns and handguns during the past month. For some, the experience has been an eye-opener.

Many suddenly figured out why SAF fights so many legal battles, including the federal lawsuit filed a few weeks ago against the “high capacity magazine” ban in Connecticut.

https://www.saf.org/saf-sues-connecticut-over-mag-limit/

Proof that guns aren’t the problem

A guy currently facing charges in Cowlitz County, Wash., is proof people don’t need guns if they’re determined to hurt somebody.

Enter a fellow from the small city of Kelso, who stands accused of shooting his former girlfriend… with a bow and arrow. According to KCPQ News in Seattle, this guy is no Robin Hood, and he sure isn’t Cupid.

The former gal pal went to our hero’s trailer to retrieve her dog when he came out and tossed a bottle of bleach at her car, causing a crack in the windshield. That was just for starters. As the woman was getting into her car to make her getaway, our archer followed her down the driveway with a compound bow, and he launched an arrow that struck her in the head.

A passenger in the woman’s car crouched down so he didn’t get hurt, and a phone call to the county sheriff’s department brought lawmen to the rescue.

The suspect told investigators he fired the feathered projectile because he was worried people in the car might come out and attack him.

https://q13fox.com/2020/03/24/police-arrest-washington-man-accused-of-shooting-woman-with-bow-and-arrow/