While hundreds of people crammed into the plaza in from of the Alamo to celebrate and promote gun rights, the gun control advocacy organization “Moms Demand Action” held their own rally at a bar a mile down the road. Why did they hold it at a bar? Well…
In Texas, if a restaurant makes more then 51% of its revenue from the sale of alcohol, it is a felony to carry a concealed handgun there. Despite styling themselves as “supporters of the second amendment” (as is being reported on NPR), they disagree with that whole “keep and bear” part.
As usual, I was carrying my handgun. Concealed, of course. So in order to go inside, I needed to divest myself of that particular piece of safety equipment. I followed Robert around the corner where I slipped my gun into my jacket and handed him my gear so that he could wait across the street while I investigated the event.
Once inside, the scene was pretty subdued. At most, I could identify about a dozen people who were actually there for the rally, and I wasn’t sure if the others were supporters or simply people who wanted to get something to eat and happened to be there at the time. It’s a nifty tactic, setting your rally at a popular restaurant, as the normal traffic will make it look like your rally is more popular.
As I wandered around the event snapping pictures, the few MDA members I could identify started huddling around and pointing at me. One of their members had wandered over to the rally earlier, and when Robert tried to introduce himself she recoiled in horror and didn’t even want to stand near us let alone talk to us. I guess they aren’t big fans of that pesky freedom of speech amendment as well as the RKBA one.
Now, that same woman was concerned about my mere presence at their event. As a result, she sent Lonnie Phillips (from the Brady Campaign) to “handle” me. We had a nice discussion about ways to reduce “gun violence,” but he was stuck on the idea that adding another law to prevent the transfer of firearms from state to state by unlicensed individuals (which is already a federal felony) would stop “gun trafficking.” I tried to get him to realize the insanity of trying to stop an already illegal activity with another piece of paper, but he wasn’t having any of it. And then Robert got hungry and called me to come back.
The contrast between the two events could not be more clear. Where the gun rights rally had (conservative estimate) 500 people, the Moms Demand Action event only attracted about a dozen; there may have been more reporters that actual MDA members. Where the gun rights rally was full of angry and motivated people wanting their voices heard, the MDA event was as subdued as you could get.
Where one was promoting civil rights and celebrating gun ownership, the MDA event was more like smug and disappointed parents trying to talk down to their misbehaving children. But as usual, the two events are getting nearly equal coverage in the media despite one being vastly more popular and well supported than the other.
According to the Moms Demand Action Facebook page, their quiet lunch a mile from the rally constituted “standing up” to the gun rights advocates. Somehow, I don’t think that counts.
We’ve had universal expanded background checks for the last 20 years. That’s exactly what the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 did. It expanded the Gun Control Act of 1968 to a universal National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
“Do you favor or oppose requiring background checks for all gun buyers?”
We already have background checks for all gun buyers — buying guns at a store. Which is what most people think when asked about buying something.
Who’s the fascist that came up with the “51% rule”?
Nice gun free zone you wandered into there. At least Robert was across the street keeping an eye out for bad guys.
Nice!
The question suggests right now there are no checks of any kind at any time or any place and that any form of check is a new idea. Apparently many people believe this and probably think school children pick up Uzi’s at Walmart.
Next we ask who is better, the POTUS or an organization. The NRA can’t run for president nor does it have executive power. How about comparing the NRA to the Brady Bunch or VPC, although the names alone imply intrinsic goodness of intent.
A better question is who is right, Barry O or the US Constitution? Since we live under one as law and the other needs to respect it.
Did you guys cover the uncial incident at all? If so I missed it.
Lobbies to pass anti gun laws to save kids from guns, holds event at a bar. I think the irony is lost on Mother Who Demean Critical Thinking.
I’ve never made a dime’s worth of profit in all my years of buying and shooting guns. I never saw it as a business, but a love affair. And love will empty your wallet and tie you in knots.
As the Boys in Blue are wont to say, “NHI.”
Anyone else find it, er… ironic? that MDA was promoting a “family atmosphere” with face painting and activities for children… at a bar?
But people who enjoy firearms safely are the bad ones?
Criminalizing an honest mistake like this is a clear sign of a mentally ill society.
MDA “standing up” to gun owners… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA – that’s a good one! Still, it was larger than the last OFA or MAIG rallies. But not by much.
For all those counseling patience and forbearance with Coonan on this issue –
My Daddy used to say, “You’ll be known by who your friends are.” Evolve seems quite proud of being in tight with Pears Morgan. Why didn’t Coonan just skip the middleman and align his company directly with that famous protector of the Second Amendment, Pears? Would those of you willing to give him a pass on associating with Evolve be just as tolerant if he were to endorse the PM patented approach to “a common sense dialog”?
Your efforts to be calm and evenhanded scare the sh1t out of me. It is pacifistic, don’t-rock-the-boat gun owners like yourselves that are responsible for the constant threats to our rights that we now face. If every gun owner became a dedicated, active single issue voter for just one election cycle we would run the anti-gun law makers out of Washington on a rail and leave an object lesson writ large in the memory of ANYONE running for public office in the foreseeable future.
Instead we have self proclaimed “people of the gun” who think we need a little more patience and understanding for people doing their utmost to deny your rights. People who would be fine with concentration camps for those with the audacity to oppose them if it “saves one child.” Think that is extreme, just read the violent, hateful language they so often use. Don’t have the quote at hand, but just a few days ago remember the anti who hoped that gun supporters children would be shot in the next outbreak of “gun violence”?
You can’t compromise with these people. And you can’t have a “meaningful dialogue”. with them either. They are our bitter enemies. If you fail to recognize that inconvenient truth, you have a very unpleasant awakening looming in the near future.
There is an important factor missing from the map and the story: Just how many 24-hour basketball courts are within a five-mile radius of the epicenter of this horrific gun violence? It is a well-known fact that the ready availability of basketball courts and basketballs has a direct bearing on such things. A near-by basketball court inspires all inner-city youth to completely eschew firearms, drugs, alcohol, loose women, sloth, and general ne’er-do-wellness while inculcating in them the true spirit of sportsmanship and good fellowship to all Mankind.
/sarc/
More embarrassing pictures and the embarrassing local story here:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Moms-rally-focuses-on-gun-safety-common-sense-4909612.php
And Alex jones did a nice non-hysterical piece (with charts even) here:
http://www.infowars.com/photos-anti-gun-rally-gets-virtually-no-participants/
Went and looked at the pics. That three-star clown that for some reason has the authority to simply order his officers not to enforce a no open carry law at his own whim and if/when he decides, is comfortably chatting with the Mom’s while CARRYING A PISTOL! OMG! And as far as I can tell no one was shot. Go figure.
BTW, did the Lieutenant General make an appearance at the Alamo?
Thanks for the link. I watched the Alex Jones video and it was interesting to say the least to listen to Lonnie phillips flip out about the loss of his daughter at Aurora and actually use that as support for his argument and agenda. It was also interesting watching him get violent in the interviewers face.
I just don’t understand how Lonnie couldn’t connect the dots. I mean, The aurora shooter took legal means to obtain firearms without a “mental” background check. That said, he was crazy, and if he wanted to get a gun (if they were not available or if this was like the socialiste republik of the united kingdom) then his determined self could still obtain one. Worse yet, if he had used a bomb (easier to make or obtain than a gun) then there likely would have been many more victims. What would Lonnie say if he used a bomb, those are banned already. He would have nothing to say – same as the OKC bombing victims. I mean what are you going to do? Ban fertilizer? Ban vehicle fuel? Alas no… no dots were connected by Mr. Lonnie Phillips. Instead we are going to blame laws, society, and gun culture… not the Aurora shooter. Whatever it takes to not blame the shooter himself.
@ Anonymous –
Holmes, the Aurora shooter is thought to be mentally unstable, right? He was a med student, so it begs the question – how TF did this guy ever get into med school?
Could it be he was the product of the left’s mantra that “College is for everyone?”
Wasn’t that poll also conducted in three northeast blue states?
SAPD Chief William McManus is a hoplophobe ….especially when the weapons are in the hands of his fellow Americans. He also fears the Constitution, the law and intelligent law-abiding citizens.
San Antonio TX Mayor Julian Castro ( Obama campaign co-manager) , city attorney Michael Bernard ( brother of White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard) and SAPD Chief William McManus are being sued in Federal Court for Constitutional violations after they banned a law-abiding citizen from City Hall and public meetings for almost four years in an effort to conceal public/police corruption. Along with Councilman Diego Bernal, Councilman Cris Medina, IT Director Miller, etc .they have been reported to the DOJ, HUD, the FBI, etc. for helping cover-up decades of grant fraud, bond fraud, theft, falsification of government documents, perjury, obstruction, theft/misuse of 911 funds ( 25% failure rate for emergency calls) , Open Meeting violations, two” frauds upon the court” – 2009 and 2013 financed with tax dollars, HUD theft/fraud where city persons submitted false statements to federal investigators in case HL-10-0465, etc…
The Free-Speech / Freedom of Assembly lawsuit is moving forward and former City Telecommunications Manager John E Foddrill Sr obtained the representation of a Dallas TX law firm. US District Judge Xavier Rodriguez has denied the City’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit …5:13-cv-00051…stating- ” Each day that Plaintiff was allegedly barred from accessing public facilities he suffered a constitutional injury” and “the fact that for close to four years Plaintiff was prohibited from exercising his rights to free speech and assembly”.
Great article! Does anyone know if if buying rifle kits can be a money saving alternative to reliable, entry level rifles?
I own two Bushmaster AR’s. The first is the CMP Marksmen rifle, weighing a few bricks at 16.5 pounds. It’s a good rifle, accurate and enjoyable for competitions. But it’s not anything remotely useful for any other purpose.
My other one is a .308/7.62N MOE Mid Length Carbine. Now that it’s broken in, I am really enjoying it and with the EOTech 552 .308 BDC on it, it’s a fun, quick shooting rifle. Even my wife will shoot it and says it’s easy to shoot.
My backup SHTF rifle is an M-1 Garand. Might be heavy, might only hold 8 rounds. But it’s proven effective in many parts of the world:p
Maybe I’m missing something, but I didn’t see anything on that page that suggested this was a national survey. The text indicates that this was a poll of Florida voters and that their views were “pretty much in line with” results from other states.
Was there another source for the “90% of Americans” or is it just wishful thinking on their part?
I really want a BCM since there a Wisconsin company. My dad has a old Bushmaster XM15E2S
OK, somewhat noob here with some questions.
What does ‘setup correctly for your POU’ entail exactly? All I’m coming up with is barrel length and trigger for long range/bullseye shooting, or a shorter barrel close in, and either way make sure it has enough rail space for your light, laser, and soft drink dispenser collection. What am I missing? Which features go with which POU?
Question 2, what exactly does more money buy you? What does the 1500 entry level gun have that the 900 doesn’t? 2000? 2500? What are the tiers and what differentiates them? Is it all nebulous build quality or are there specific features that pop up at specific price ranges that determine the cost? Is this a buy cheap or go expensive but avoid the middle type thing?
From a newcomer perspective, the differentials in pricing are downright enigmatic. Actual gun shop conversation:
Me: What about that one?
Clerk: Oh xxxxx brand is awesome I love that one.
Me: And that one?
Clerk: Same brand, also awesome.
Me: Apparently 600 dollars more awesome. How so?
Clerk: Well, this one has quad rails versus just top and bottom on the xxxxxx.
Me: … So I’m paying 50 dollars an inch extra for two 6 in bumpy metal parts? That’s it?
Clerk: Ummmm…
Other than obvious stuff like caliber and barrel length, what does differentiate models and pricing?
incidentally… isn’t this some kind of national security risk, having all the lead for bullets smelted overseas?
Not to worry, the gubermint uses depleted uranium, right?
Dear Matt Bors,
Some of us are already happy you were born with a micro-brain. If you had a fully developed brain there’s no telling what havoc you could wreak on the world.
Oh, Matt, you seem to think that people own guns because they are insecure, paranoid, and want to feel safe. Actually, we aren’t afraid of very much. You see we don’t have to be afraid anymore because we have taken responsibility for our own safety. We don’t have anything to prove. Only those who are afraid have to posture for others, deflecting their slings and arrows through humor, perhaps?
You see, Matt, being responsible for your own safety isn’t about the size of ones genitals, but the depth of ones manhood. I know you probably confuse the two as in your world the more manly is also the more endowed. We sort of take a different approach – in our world the more manly (or womanly) or simply adult approach is to bear ultimate responsibility for our personal, family, and community safety ourselves.
We do not arm ourselves and train in order to feel safe. We do so to be safe. I would say I am sorry you can’t understand that, but then you’d just make another graceless joke and we’d just have to sigh and turn away thinking “children…”
“And why do we need ‘citizen protectors’?”
Oh… to protect citizens from killer cops, just for starters.
Having fired an original Trapdoor Springfield (arsenal refinished in 1886) I can attest to its accuracy…first round hit on an 8″ plate at 100 yards standing. The rifle’s recoil, firing modern .45-70 ammo, gently rocks you back – rather than being snappy. I remember asking my uncle (the keeper of the rifle in our family) what such a big round was used for. He replied, “Indians.”
Here leopard, leopard, leopard!