Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
SMYRNA, Ga. – Today, GLOCK, Inc. launched the annual GLOCK Safety Pledge Drive with the chance to win a 30thAnniversary pistol by helping to spread the word about firearms safety.
Make the pledge on the GLOCK Safety page and earn an entry for a custom engraved 30th Anniversary Pistol. Earn more entries by sharing and spreading the word about firearms safety on the GLOCK Safety Pledge page here https://us.glock.com/safetypledge/. Read more
By Jim Shepherd
For instance, if you’re an “average” Washington, DC resident who happens to own a “high capacity” magazine for a modern sporting rifle, you can expect to find yourself in legal trouble. If, however, you’re an NBC news reporter trying to make a point – on television- by having the exact same object with you while you’re live on national TV, the same illegal object apparently morphs into an “illustration of an illegal object” and the old “No harm, no foul” law comes into play.
Over the past week, I’ve done my best to keep my opinions to myself regarding Katie Couric’s involvement in – and defense of- a so-called gun documentary “Under the Gun”. There are several reasons why I’ve done that.
Most importantly, I haven’t seen it. And I don’t plan to. I’ve been around enough to know that documentaries -especially when they’re hot-button issues- will always be seen as having an innate bias. Which brings me to a second reason why it wasn’t on my viewing list: it’s not exactly a secret where either the producer or the host stand on guns. They don’t like them.
To me, that’s the end of objectivity in journalism. Having seen promising reporters’ careers ended because they monkeyed with the facts in “investigations” it’s a point where I don’t grant leeway. Facts aren’t pro or con; that’s why they’re called “facts”.
Facts simply are .
Now, however, there’s a troubling fact coming out about the documentary. It seems that Stephanie Soechtig, the film’s director, knowingly sent a producer to Arizona for the specific purpose of purchasing firearms illegally. It seems he achieved the goal – and in the process committed as many as four felonies.
If that’s the case- and it’s pursued as it would be if it were a pro-gun “documentary” Ms. Soechtig is guilty of conspiracy to commit felonious acts. Either that or she’s guilty of “embellishment” of her story. To me, either are punishable acts.
The gun purchase is punishable under federal firearms laws. The act of “embellishment” should get her banished from any future work in journalism.
Having been a street reporter, producer and investigative reporter, I know there are times when you skirt the edges of the law in order to do your job. As a journalist, you try to protect your confidential sources. But you can’t hide under the protection of the so-called shield laws if you know a crime’s going to be committed, especially if you -acting in your role as producer- are responsible for initiating the act.
Here’s now the NSSF’s explains the problem:
“Journalists and filmmakers investigating what they see as shortcomings in laws are not absolved of their responsibility both to gain the requisite understanding of how those laws work and to abide by them.”
That’s why the NSSF and most other Second Amendment-conscious groups are so inflamed at an interview Soechtig gave where she acknowledged sending a producer to Arizona to purchase firearms. As a non-resident, those purchases were illegal.
Now, the NSSF is calling for- justifiably, it would appear to me- for a federal investigation into the matter.
The NSSF’s call for an investigation isn’t based on fairness in the documentary, it’s based on the fact that laws are supposed to apply -equally- to all citizens.
It’s no secret that several of the “celebrities’ in the outdoor industry have been burned because of stupid things they did in the making of their TV shows. Granted, their explanations have at times been on the far side of lame, but they have all generally taken their medicine and owned up to their acts.
It’s the same point federal officials roll out at every opportunity, if there’s a pro-gun person involved in anything that even hints of a conspiracy. “The law,” we’re reminded, “is the law- and it’s supposed to apply to everyone equally.”
And it’s true. That’s the reason the lady holding the scales of justice is wearing a blindfold.
The NSSF’s right when they write that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) should open a criminal investigation into the whole matter.
If they don’t, the case could be made -again- that there are two classes of citizens.
“It’s no surprise that the gun prohibition lobby has a litmus test based on erosion of the Second Amendment, and it is less of a surprise that Hillary Clinton passed it with flying colors,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “If there were any remaining doubts among American voters about Clinton’s intentions if she wins in November, these endorsements make it clear that she is determined to rip the right to keep and bear arms from the American fabric.”
Early last fall, Clinton was caught on audio at a private fund raiser declaring that “The Supreme Court was wrong on the Second Amendment.” Gottlieb said today’s endorsements by Everytown and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – two organizations supported by anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg – amount to “damning proof” that a Clinton presidency would pose a direct threat to the individual right to keep and bear arms. Read more
In an announcement today, the Fish and Wildlife Service found a petition filed by The Center for Biological Diversity and Honor the Earth “provided substantial scientific or commercial information” that listing under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted.
“This substantial 90-day finding initiates a rigorous status review in which the Service will determine whether the species warrants listing under the Endangered Species Act,” the Service said in a news release.
To ensure the process is comprehensive and the final determination is based on the best available scientific and commercial data, the Service has opened a 60-day comment period to solicit relevant information from the public.
The northwestern moose subspecies (Alces alces andersoni) being evaluated is found in the Upper Peninsula, including Isle Royale, northeastern and northwestern Minnesota, northeastern North Dakota, as well as a small, recently established population in Wisconsin.
During the subspecies status review – commonly referred to as a “12-month finding” –the Service will take a closer look at the moose subspecies population, including threats.
BELLEVUE, WA – Wednesday’s tragic shooting incident on the UCLA campus in California serves as yet another reminder that restrictive gun control laws and so-called “gun-free zones” provide a dangerous illusion, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
“California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, including universal background checks, and state lawmakers are presently working to add more,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “But those laws, and the fact that firearms are not allowed on California college and university campuses, has once again provided a false sense of safety to the thousands of students and faculty affected by Wednesday’s crime, which appears to be a murder-suicide.
“While authorities are still sorting out what happened,” he added, “it is clear that simply writing a law or adopting a rule is not going to deter someone bent on committing a violent act. It should have been abundantly clear after San Bernardino that pursuing a policy of restrictive gun control has been a failure in the Golden State.
“Sadly,” Gottlieb observed, “too many lawmakers in Sacramento are deliberately blind to this fact, and their likely reaction to the UCLA incident will be to propose still more laws that only restrict the rights of law-abiding California residents. That’s not common sense, it’s nonsense.” Read more
SCI Litigation Wants to Know!
Animal rights and anti-hunting groups have made public records requests of state and federal agencies to get personal information about hunters. On some occasions, the groups used the information to harass hunters – sending ugly and even threatening e-mails and letters, and sometimes worse. Were you contacted by an individual or organization that requested and/or received your information? If so, we want to hear from you. Email aseidman@safariclub.org and tell us about it.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs has been diligently working with legislators to fix a problem many of our affiliated charitable sportsmen’s clubs have been facing in recent years: the assessment of new property taxes by local township assessors after decades of nonprofit exemption. These clubs offer community services such as hunter’s and firearms safety courses, range time for local police departments, sponsoring conservation education materials to local schools and even meeting time for local community service groups. These new taxes threaten the viability of these clubs to continue to provide these public services.
To protect charitable sportsmen’s clubs from the imposition of new tax assessments, Senator Peter MacGregor (R-Rockford) introduced SB 570, which we fully support. We learned yesterday that the bill will receive a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, June 7 at 8:30am, and it is critical that clubs which have faced this situation send a representative to tell your club’s story to the legislative committee. We understand that it’s short notice, but it’s critical to our legislators’ understanding of the issue and the passage of the bill.
Please contact Dan Eichinger, MUCC Executive Director at deichinger@mucc.org if your club can send a representative to the committee hearing.