Protecting the Second Amendment – Why all Americans Should Be Concerned

[tonyz]

Perspective from the General Counsel for O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.

Gun Bans Don't Work, Only Hurt Business

By JOSEPH H. BARTOZZI | COMMENTARY
The Hartford Courant
8:51 p.m. EDT, March 15, 2013


Connecticut has a rich history of firearms manufacturing — from Eli Whitney to Sam Colt, Oliver Winchester and O.F. Mossberg, among others, our craftsmen have provided high-quality firearms to customers all over the world for generations.

O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc. has been located in Connecticut since its inception in 1919, and is the oldest family-owned and operated firearms manufacturer in America.

Mossberg and the firearms industry have provided generations of good, well-paying jobs in this state — exactly the types of jobs Connecticut needs and is spending millions of dollars to attract. In fact, firearms manufacturers, suppliers and dealers contribute more than $1.7 billion in economic activity to this state alone.

Throughout the recent debate over proposed additional gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, we have asked theConnecticut General Assembly not to react emotionally, but rather to look at areas that will have a meaningful and lasting effect on the safety of residents.

For example, gun and equipment bans (such as banning firearms on the basis of appearance, or creating some arbitrary magazine capacity limit) have never been proved to reduce crime or gun violence. A Clinton administration study regarding the 1994 to 2004 federal assault weapons ban concluded that "the evidence is not strong enough for us to conclude that there was any meaningful effect (i.e., that the effect was different from zero)." Additionally, violent crime and gun deaths have been steadily decreasing while firearms ownership and the number of firearms in circulation have increased.

Mossberg is deeply concerned about proposed legislation that would hurt our significant and long-standing relationship with this state, and especially our roughly 270 Connecticut employees. We have been meeting with state officials to caution them about the economic impact of some of the proposed legislation and to offer our expertise as a resource for technical information to the legislature.

We have opened our doors to legislators and state policy officials to educate them about the types of jobs that we provide; the firearms and component parts that are made in our North Haven facility; and the employees who could be affected by ill-advised legislation. Our position is that because bans on firearms and equipment have never been proved to reduce violence or crime, a different approach is necessary.

Although the reports from the Sandy Hook shooting are not yet public, it seems obvious that an area where the legislature can do some real good is with regard to limiting access to firearms by prohibited or at-risk individuals. Currently there are states that routinely fail to provide timely mental health, restraining order status, or other prohibiting factors to the National Instant Check System, known as NICS. We strongly support state and federal programs to get all proper information into the NICS database as soon as possible.

In addition, the firearms industry has long supported safe and responsible storage of firearms. Mossberg has been providing free locking devices with its firearms since 1989. Mossberg has distributed well over 9.5 million firearms locking devices since that time — without any state or federal requirement to do so.

This legislature can draft new (or revise existing) legislation to criminalize straw purchasers — those who purchase firearms for prohibited persons — and define and prosecute gun traffickers to the fullest extent of the law. These suggestions are but some of the initiatives that, if adopted, would have a meaningful, long-lasting and positive impact on public safety.

We also recommend that the state engage in widespread public service announcements to remind owners of firearms to keep their guns inaccessible to children or other at-risk individuals. The "Click it or Ticket" program was a reminder to buckle seat belts. A similar approach can and should be taken to remind firearms owners to keep their guns safely stored.

We believe that legislation aimed at keeping firearms out of the wrong hands will create a safer community. Mossberg is proud to be a part of Connecticut's manufacturing base, and we would expect that any legislation that comes out of the Sandy Hook tragedy be results-oriented — not politically motivated.

Joseph H. Bartozzi is senior vice president and general counsel at O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc. in North Haven.

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/...,7714416.story

[Team Sergeant]

I think the dem's heard us loud and clear..... Dianne Feinstein (D-Kalif) GO POUND SAND!!!!!
TS

Congress: Assault-weapons ban nixed from bill

Whither assault weapons ban: “Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said on Monday that a controversial assault weapons ban will not be part of a Democratic gun bill that was expected to reach the Senate floor next month,” Politico notes. “After a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday, a frustrated Feinstein said she learned that the bill she sponsored — which bans 157 different models of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines — wouldn’t be part of a Democratic gun bill to be offered on the Senate floor. Instead, it can be offered as an amendment. But its exclusion from the package makes what was already an uphill battle an almost certain defeat.”
Cont:

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2...from-bill?lite

[Streck-Fu]

As long as they don't try to sneak it in as a quiet amendment. But good news, none the less.

[tonyz]

30 seconds left in round #1 and DiFi is sucking wind.

Pressure, pressure, pressure.

DiFi and little Chuckie Shumer, and all those of similar ilk, may be spineless - but they are relentless on this issue.

[tonyz]

Gun Owners Separate Friends from Foes

A fast-growing website flags businesses that permit concealed carry — and those that don’t.

By Frank Miniter
National Review Online
MARCH 18, 2013 4:00 A.M.

"Chris Walsh didn’t set out to punish businesses that don’t allow him to carry his concealed handgun. He’s just a software designer from Richmond, Va. He started the website Friend or Foe in 2009 to keep track of where he could shop and eat without running afoul of business policies and local regulations. But then gun owners started using his website. As word got out on gun-rights blogs, people began adding more business ratings to Friend or Foe, highlighting the establishments that ban firearms and those that don’t. Before long, Walsh found he’d become an activist, and his fast-growing website was helping to fortify a civil-liberties movement. He’s okay with that. He has big plans for how to separate friends of the Second Amendment from foes."

"His latest deed was integrating Google-mapping software. Now anyone can easily log in and rate businesses. A red thumbtack signifies a business that’s not friendly to gun owners. A green thumbtack represents a place that openly welcomes gun owners. A gray thumbtack is a business where folks have carried a concealed firearm without incident, but where the official policy is not known. There are now over 11,000 places rated, and users are adding more everyday."

<snip>

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...-frank-miniter

ETA Friend or Foe link below:

http://friendorfoe.us/

[Congo336]

Fed assault weapons ban a bust?

The Feds certainly should have known they couldn’t succeed with this after the 94 ban at the Federal level...especially now. However, no doubt in my mind that a lot of Federal support in favors & money are going towards the States (like NY and CO) where the 2nd Amendment is being battled. Perhaps the Federal push is more a feint to pull attention from the State actions.

I think the Democrats understand that their biggest chance for a national weapons ban is by getting it done in several States and setting the precedence for the rest of them.

We need a new set of leaders before that happens.

[orion5]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

I think the dem's heard us loud and clear..... Dianne Feinstein (D-Kalif) GO POUND SAND!!!!!
TS

Ahhhh......one major piece of good news, from the bloody sea of scrumming politicians.

[sinjefe]

Originally Posted by tonyz

We believe that legislation aimed at keeping firearms out of the wrong hands will create a safer community. Mossberg is proud to be a part of Connecticut's manufacturing base, and we would expect that any legislation that comes out of the Sandy Hook tragedy be results-oriented — not politically motivated.

This is the crux of it. These laws are packaged as "for the children" or to "make us safer". They are really about control and disarmament but being that obvious would go over like a fart in church even for our low information voters. So, they lie.

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

This is the crux of it. These laws are packaged as "for the children" or to "make us safer". They are really about control and disarmament but being that obvious would go over like a fart in church even for our low information voters. So, they lie.

So true. Think of the "Affordable Care Act." Nothing affordable about it.

In NYS the debacle that was signed by Coumo was referred to as the "SAFE Act."

Sound bites and smoke and mirrors...each piece of legislation chipping away at our freedoms and further empowering the STATE and the endless bureaucracy.

MOO, complete and total civilian disarmament is the end game.

Gun control?...nothing to see here...just some "responsible" "common sense" measures...ask the regime.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

This is the crux of it. (T)hey lie.

Streamlined it, Chief.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

This is the crux of it. These laws are packaged as "for the children" or to "make us safer". They are really about control and disarmament but being that obvious would go over like a fart in church even for our low information voters. So, they lie.

Personally, I think the population of this country loses intelligence and has less knowledge every day.

We punish the successful, reward the lazy, and reinforce failure.

The eventual result is inevitable.

TR

[cbtengr]

This is good news but it's just round one with these people, they have been emboldened and they are not to be trusted. It's a long time before the next election, God help us.

[Dozer523]

So we congratulate ourselves on a win. Right where we were before Sandyhook. Actually, from the sales data there are actually more guns out there now, and more to come with all the back orders.
Except, that the guns and ammo are now much more expensive.
And the kids are still dead and the live ones are no safer.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Dozer523

And the kids are still dead and the live ones are no safer.

Banning violent video games to reduce Sandy Hook-style rampages would do more to keep people alive.

Banning guns a la DiFi's bill is as impractical as banning cars to keep kids safe.

Why don't you libs concentrate on saving the millions of kids killed in car wrecks instead of trying to disarm an entire free society because of isolated instances where insane scumbags play Call of Duty with live ammo?

[BKKMAN]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Banning violent video games to reduce Sandy Hook-style rampages would do more to keep people alive.

Banning guns a la DiFi's bill is as impractical as banning cars to keep kids safe.

Why don't you libs concentrate on saving the millions of kids killed in car wrecks instead of trying to disarm an entire free society because of isolated instances where insane scumbags play Call of Duty with live ammo?

Exactly. Where is the liberals' righteous indignation over these senseless murders?

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, faces the death penalty if convicted of killing seven late-term babies after they were born alive. He is also charged with third-degree murder in the overdose death of a 41-year-old refugee who sought an abortion in 2009.

Medical assistant Adrienne Moton admitted Tuesday that she had cut the necks of at least 10 babies after they were delivered, as Gosnell had instructed her. Gosnell and another employee regularly "snipped" the spines "to ensure fetal demise," she said.

Shop of Horrors...

Senseless murders of innocents indeed...don't hear any liberals arguing in Congress for tighter controls and more restrictions on abortion...

So honestly, liberals, until you get your own house in order, go f__k yourself over trying to take away our 2nd Amendment rights...