“The next chairman of a key house committee with oversight over federal funding for wildlife conservation has a long history of opposing hunting, trapping, and gun ownership.

U.S. Representative Jim Moran (D- VA) is expected to be named Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This subcommittee oversees funding for the Department of Interior and its various agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This makes this chair one of the most powerful positions influencing public policy on federal lands including whether to keep such land open to sportsmen.

Rep. Moran has sponsored and cosponsored a number of anti-hunting and anti-trapping bills during his time in Congress. One of his most high profile battles against sportsmen was an effort to ban the use of bait to hunt black bears on federal land despite being considered a valid management option by wildlife professionals in numerous states. This effort earned him the support of the nation’s leading anti-hunting group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Further anti-hunting and anti-trapping bills supported by Rep. Moran during the current Congressional session include co-sponsorships of:

* HR 3710- which would prohibit the use of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
* HR 2480- “Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009” which would enforce more restrictive labeling requirements on fur.

Rep. Moran’s anti efforts were not the only thing that earned him applause from HSUS. In February, 2009, he helped form the “Creature Caucus” in order to promote animal rights issues in Washington. The head of HSUS’ lobbying wing, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, gushed about this group at the time by saying, “We could not be more excited about this new organization of humane lawmakers.”

Whenever the Humane Society celebrates, sportsmen should brace for government intrusion. Sportsmen should take notice when a powerful congressional committee leadership position goes to a politician who is eager to be photographed with animal rights extremists.

Even more disturbing in Representative Jim Moran’s involvement in the donations-for-appropriations scandal.

“In summer 2007, for example, senior executives at a small McLean defense firm tried to figure out which of them would buy a ticket to a wine-tasting fundraiser for Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), a member of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense. At the time, the company sought help from Moran’s office in securing contracts through special earmarks added to the defense bill.

In an e-mail exchange, one senior officer said he didn’t understand why he had to attend the fundraiser when he didn’t even drink wine. “You don’t have to drink,” Innovative Concepts’ chief technology officer, Andrew Feldstein, shot back in an e-mail. “You just have to pay.” “LOL,” responded the other officer.

The fundraiser was hosted by the PMA Group, a powerful lobbying firm whose unusual success in obtaining “earmarked” contracts from members of the military subcommittee was a key focus of a recent House ethics investigation.

Moran raked in $91,900 in campaign checks to his personal campaign and leadership PAC that day. He secured an $800,000 earmark for Innovative Concepts in the 2008 defense appropriations bill.”

Hen-house, meet the fox.

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SOTS maintains a strong support of law enforcement officers. They are the thin blue line protecting individuals from anarchy. In order for law enforcement to be effective, they need to maintain certain minimum levels of competence.

This was not the BATFE’s greatest hour:

“One glance at the headlines would have convinced you that a major tragedy was averted by the keen eyes of U.S. Customs inspectors at the Port of Tacoma recently. KOMO blared: “Customs agents nab shipment of machine guns in Tacoma.” Other news outlets pointed out the dastardly nature of the shipment. KIRO in Seattle claimed: “Automatic Rifles Labeled As Toys Seized In Tacoma.” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer went with: “Customs seizes gun shipment labeled ‘toys.’”

Working from a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release entitled “Tacoma Seaport U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Seize Shipment of Machineguns,” these news organizations had every reason to feel that they were just reporting the news, especially when Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director Rolando Suliveras Jr. claimed:

These rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population. This was a good interception by our officers.

But there was much, much more to the story that Suliveras and the CBP failed to mention, starting with the fact that the 30 “machine guns” seized in the raid really were toys.

To be specific, the items seized were 16 WE TTI (WE Tech) M4A1 and 14 WE TTI (WE Tech) M4 CQBR gas blowback Airsoft rifles that shoot plastic BBs.

For those unfamiliar with these toys, Airsoft offers a less messy and more realistic looking alternative to paintball for both gamers and tactical training. The lightweight BBs can sting and leave welts at close distances on bare skin, but they don’t pose the same threat of shooting your eye out we’ve come to associate with more traditional BB guns and their copper-coated steel payload. Because Airsoft guns can be made to look like existing firearms and can mimic their controls, they are sometimes used for military and police training scenarios where real firearms using live ammunition would be unsafe, and at a per-round cost far cheaper than alternatives.

Of course, Airsoft guns are not real firearms, even the most realistic looking ones.”

We hope BATFE leadership can focus on cases that actually threaten the safety of innocent Americans. We are counting on them.

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The Sportsman Channel has released their list of the 8 ‘Sportsman Presidents’ and Teddy Roosevelt tops the list.

“In honor of Presidents Day, the Sportsman Channel has released its Great Eight list of “Sportsman” U.S. Presidents. The list is online at thesportsmanchannel.com and at facebook.com/sportsmanchannel where users can vote for their favorite. The Great Eight include Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, George Washington, Herbert Hoover, Andrew Jackson, Chester A. Arthur, Dwight Eisenhower and Calvin Coolidge. Even though all eight have a background in the field sports with rod and gun, I believe that Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt will always be the most renowned Sportsman and President that ever lived.”

“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”

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The Grand Canyon state would like to join Alaska and Vermont as being the only states in the union that allow concealed carry without a government issued permit and the New York Times does not approve!

“Arizona’s permissive gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15 rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Obama.”

*Can you believe the nerve of the guy?!…exercising his constitutional rights in the presence of the man sworn to defend the U.S. constitution?! Does he think he lives in America or something?!*

Now, gun rights advocates are hoping for even fewer restrictions on where they can have a firearm. Among their top goals is to make Arizona the third state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Bills in the House and the Senate would also eliminate background checks and training classes for people to carry hidden guns. ”

While we believe it is in the interests of all citizens to expand gun liberties, it is ultimately a question for the good people of Arizona to decide and not Appletini-sipping editors of a dying medium that seldom leave Manhattan and couldn’t tell a carbine from a concubine.

State Senator Russell Pearce of Arizona, left, says gun laws are only “handcuffing good people.”

…right of the people…

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The U.S. Army has need for shoulder-fired, precision guided explosive weapons. American soldiers in theater in South Asia regularly engage enemy in fortified positions such as caves and bunkers which are designed to resist bombing from air, ground artillery and long range missiles.

American soldiers also regularly engage enemies in urban settings where full-scale air strikes would result in massive civilian casualties.

Weapons designers have come up with a solution. The XM25 ‘Smart’ High Explosive Weapon.

“When the HEAB round explodes, the target is peppered with fragmentation,” Murray said. “Our studies indicate that the XM-25 with HEAB is 300 percent more effective at incapacitating the enemy than current weapons at the squad level.”

Because of the XM-25’s unique TAFC and HEAB round, Soldiers will be able to engage enemy forces located in the open and “in defilade” -behind cover, such as walls, rocks, trenches, or inside buildings. The semi-automatic weapon’s magazine holds four 25mm rounds and can be employed at night or during inclement weather thanks to the XM25’s built-in thermal sight.”

The XM25 is so effective, it has TV reports trembling with fear.

Lead on target

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The good people at usacarry.com have created a firearms carry permit reciprocity map for people who want to know if their home state’s permit is valid in other states.

The reciprocity map classifies the concealed firearms carry permits into five groups:
1. Shall Issue Residents Only:

“A shall-issue jurisdiction, within the context of gun law, is one that requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun, but where the granting of such permits is subject only to meeting certain criteria laid out in the law; the granting authority has no discretion in the awarding of the permits. Such laws typically state that a granting authority shall issue a permit if the criteria are met, as opposed to laws where the authority may-issue a permit at their discretion.”

2. Shall Issue to Residents and Non-Residents.

3. May Issue to Residents Only:

“A may-issue jurisdiction, within the context of gun law, is one that requires a permit to carry a concealed handgun, and where the granting of such permits is partially at the discretion of local authorities (frequently the sheriff’s department or police): the law typically states that a granting authority may issue a permit if various criteria are met.”

4. May Issue to Residents and Non-Residents.

5. Right Denied: The state denies the issue concealed carry firearms permits and it is against the law.

Technically there is a sixth category
6. Unrestricted

“An unrestricted jurisdiction, in the terminology of firearm laws, is one where no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.”

Since there is no restriction, no permit is required and is therefore not relevant to the CCW mapping.

If you travel like I do, you may find this CCW reciprocity map useful. The Interactive map toggles between ‘Permits Honored By State’ and ‘States That Honor My Permit(s)’.

It is in your interests not to rely solely on the reciprocity map and to contact the local law enforcement authority before you travel.

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Scott Brown’s commitment to the second amendment and to the liberties of sportsmen made it an easy endorsement.

“I support the Second Amendment and believe that citizens have the right to legally keep and bear arms as a basic constitutional liberty and have been an advocate for safe and responsible gun ownership. Massachusetts already has the toughest gun regulations in the country and I have consistently worked with Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) and other groups to oppose further unnecessary, redundant and possibly unconstitutional laws on sportsmen of the Commonwealth.

Sportsmen are great stewards of our land and I strongly support this culture of responsibility. As a State Senator, I have supported common-sense environment policy to reduce pollution and preserve our precious open spaces. I realize that every step we take today to safeguard the land, the air and the water preserves and enhances our Nation’s resources for those who follow.”

Nice truck

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He is proposing legislation that he said would set up a “2nd Amendment weekend.” This legislation would give gun buyers temporary tax exemptions for the purchase of rifles, pistols and shotguns.

Guns AND no taxes? We hope this becomes a popular trend.

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The border between the United States and Mexico is a region with casualties higher than battlefields like Iraq or Afghanistan. The smuggling of drugs, weapons and human beings is profitable and violent as rival gangs use paramilitary gangs to fight over dominance.

The good people at Nat Geo take a look at this war-zone on the USA’s doorstep:

“The US-Mexico border stretches for 2,000 miles, over mountains, through deserts and dividing cities. Each year over one million undocumented people cross this border. The call of the northern country is clear US dollars are the answer for many poor people struggling in Mexico, Central America, and beyond. Over the past few years the Border Patrol has raised the stakes for anyone attempting to cross. They are daily adding to their arsenal of high tech cameras, ground radar and cutting edge unmanned predator drones. They are recruiting highly qualified agents and training new recruits daily. From the skilled tracker on foot to the agent able to see in the dark with special night-vision equipment, the USBP faces the challenge of controlling the desert every day. It is not a job for the fainthearted. In Border Wars, National Geographic goes inside the world of the US Border Patrol with unprecedented access to the surprising world of the southern border.”

January 18, 2010 on the National Geographic Channel

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Holder tells Senate committee Justice Department supports more ‘gun control’

“In unmistakably clear admissions before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 18, Attorney General Eric Holder signaled strong administration support for additional “gun control” edicts.”

If you create a national database and a politician can revoke your right to keep and bear arms simply by declaring you an enemy of the state, then you have no right to keep and bear arms.

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