So much for the Trump Slump . . . Smith & Wesson and Ruger Rise As FBI Gun Checks Surge in March – “Well, so much for the theory that a gun-friendly president and Congress would shoot down gun sales. The FBI reported background checks for potential gun buyers surged in March and are on track to record one of the biggest year’s ever. Not surprisingly, the stocks of gunmakers American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ:AOBC) and Sturm, Ruger (NYSE:RGR) have jumped in response. Shares of the parent of the Smith & Wesson brand are 7.5% higher since the report came out at the beginning of the month, while Ruger’s stock is up 6%. The apocalypse many analysts thought would befall the firearms industry following the election of Donald Trump as president seems to have been postponed.”
Your guess is as good as ours.
As far as WaPo editorial board is concerned, California and New Jersey are irresponsibly weak on guns, too . . . Iowa is the new poster child for gun irresponsibility – “MANY THINGS may have changed about the nation’s politics, but one remains constant: Radical pro-gun forces such as the National Rifle Association wield tremendous influence, and the result is the continual worsening of the nation’s firearm laws. The new poster child for irresponsibility is the Iowa legislature, which passed a comprehensive bill loosening a variety of restrictions. Instead of vetoing it, Gov. Terry Branstad (R) hopped on the bandwagon, signing the legislation into law this month. Iowans will be less safe for it. Now the question is whether other states can resist the pressure to exercise similarly poor judgment.”
OMG! A guntry club! In Chicagoland! OMG! Booze and Bullets: Gun Range With Bar Attached Proposed in West Suburb – “Some west suburban residents are hoping their village officials will put a stop to a unique gun range that would also sell alcohol to its customers. Willowbrook residents like Zoltan Baksay oppose the gun range and liquor lounge that would be offered by the Chicago Gun Club at 79th Street and Frontage Road. ‘I’m just against mixing guns and alcohol under the same roof,’ Baksay says. ‘Any combination of firearms ammunition and alcohol sales under the same roof is a disaster waiting to happen in my opinion.'”
But wait! A rare glimpse of sanity from the Tribune’s editorial board . . . Chicago needs to ease the rules on gun ranges – “(T)he city still has to comply with the court’s rulings. In truth, the judges had good reason to reject the reasoning behind the restrictive ordinance. The city, for example, claimed (gun ranges) are an environmental and fire hazard. That’s no truer of commercial ranges than of the law enforcement ranges located in Chicago — which numbered 11 at the time the case was argued. The city claimed commercial shooting sites could generate crime. But the court noted the city furnished no evidence to support this conjecture. And a place frequented by law-abiding adults equipped with firearms and skilled in their use really isn’t the most tempting target for felons.”
If you’ve been looking for a good argument for travelers being able to carry a concealed handgun on commercial airline flights, this little Kenny G. horror show is all the justification that’s needed. What’s depicted in this video is so much worse than cracking a mother on the head with a stroller or dragging a screaming doctor down the aisle, it’s a wonder this hasn’t made the nightly news. Or is this some new ploy by the airline to incent passengers to de-plane more quickly? If this display isn’t enough to land that noodling nudnik on the no-fly list, why bother having one at all?
An email blast from anti-gun org States United to Prevent Gun Violence: “According to a just released University of Michigan study, 45% of Americans, 25% of gun owners and 53% of non-gun owners, believe firearms should not be allowed to be carried in public spaces, including restaurants, schools, college campuses, bars, government buildings, sports stadiums, retail stores, service settings and places of worship. As Congress prepares to vote on the Federally Mandated Concealed Carry bill, making it easier for people to carry guns in public spaces, States United to Prevent Gun Violence launches Carrier or Killer to increase awareness of the realities that lie ahead andconfront the terrifying question: How can you tell what someone with a gun is going to do?”
Sad and useless: Make selfies not war!
