Big Columbus Gun And Knife Show Today and Tomorrow

UPDATED: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, 5:09 pm -- Just got a call from my colleagues working at the Columbus Gun Show today, who said the event was absolutely jam packed. This week's news from the U.S. attorney general's office that the Obama administration plans to proceed with a permanent ban on competition rifles has people realizing this administration would say anything the voters would believe in order to get elected, including falsehoods about not taking peoples' guns from them. Couple that with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging the White House to slow down with that plan, saying that she is not "yet" ready to do that, shows everyone her mindset.

I will be out there tomorrow working the NRA recruiting table. From what I hear, gun shows and gun stores across the United States were heavily patronized today in light of the news coming out of the White House. For those who "tsk tsk" at ordinary Americans purchasing firears, I would say this in reply. Look to the White House. Barack Obama is arming America.

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C&E/Showmasters Gun Shows is putting on a big gun and knife show today at Franklin County Veterans Memorial exhibition hall in downtown Columbus, Ohio today. Show days are Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28 and March 1. Admission is $8.

Go to the C&E/Showmasters website for more information, directions, and to download a coupon good for one dollar off the show admission. I am working the NRA recruiting table tomorrow, Sunday. Stop by and say hello!

Back Door Gun Brab In Stimulus Bill?

Some are suggesting that there is back door gun grab language squirreled away in the budget blueprint to be released by the Obama administration in the coming days.

If so . . . the powers that be controlling Congress should remember 1994 -- the last time Americans saw an overt attempt to whittle away their basic human right to self defense.

This redaction of a policy is something that even the BATFE doesn't want, and has said so publicly -- repeatedly.

Details here.

Movement In 2A Cases in Chicago Post Heller

Chicago, that swamp-heap of questionable ethics that has spawned a pay-to-play ex-governor, a sitting U.S. Senator who appears to have perjured himself, a newly elected president who wants it all to just go away as fast as possible, and a mayor who speaks proudly of the vitality of his city but keeps his citizens unarmed, making them victims to some of the worst crime sprees in modern history, is making news on the Second Amendment front recently.

Lawsuits, post Heller, are moving their way through the courts -- much to the chagrin of of anti-gun advocates who have run out of ideas, none of which ever contained any intellectual capital.

Reason Online has the latest.

These will be important to watch, for though states' rights is an important part of American culture and a foundation of our legislative and legal system, Chicago is attempting to buck the U.S. Bill of Rights. The District of Columbia tried the same thing and, after 35 years, that government entity finally was slapped down hard by the highest court in the United States.

Which is why several other Illinois cities scrapped their illegal gun bans, knowing what was likely coming via the courts.

More Firearms, Policy Ignorance at CNN

Not that I'm at all surprised, but CNN does it again. Uncle has the details.

This time implying that it is somehow incredibly simple to go into a gun store and buy a bazooka for shipment to Mexico. Right . . . like anyone can just go do that.

CNN should be renamed the "Useful Idiot Network (look it up if you don't recognize the reference) . . .

Obama/Clinton State Department To Stick Its Nose Into Sales of Imported Ammunition?

This comes from the Shooting Wire in an email to me via Marlin Arms. This is a problem if even parts of it are true. Vigilence is what got the shooting sports community through the Clinton years. The Obama years will be no difference.


Read this and PASS IT ON!

State Department Floating Ammo Import Ban

It looks like those who said the Obama Administration would strike while the iron is hot may have been correct, and the Administration may be doing it in a way that does not require them to even get a vote in Congress. In this morning's edition of the Shooting Wire, Jim Shepherd writes that Canadian officials have it on "good authority" our State Department may be on the verge of cutting off all imports of certain calibers of ammunition.

Ammos listed for this rumored ban include the .50BMG, 7.62x39mm Soviet, 7.62x51mm NATO, .308 Winchester, 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington. Additionally, we're hearing that an expansion of this proposed ban might be broadened to include the 6.8mm SPC, 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP- among others. In other words, State Department officials may be floating a trial balloon to see if there are howls of protest, or whimpers of compliance. Canadian elected officials who have directed this information to me say the move seems to be motivated by "emboldened" anti-gun officials who think they have a kindred spirit in President Obama.

Shepherd continues that there may also be a plan to ban exports on certain firearms to Canada from the US, resulting in the State Department hammering gun manufacturers, distributors and exporters in the United States while simultaneously making firearms -and ammunition - ownership and acquisition more difficult for Canadians.Many in the pro-rights community have said since the election that Obama could circumvent Congress by using regulations in his various cabinet departments to attack gun owners. It appears that it may have already begun.

Regards,

Tom Smith
Mfg Engineer - Lever Rifles
Marlin Firearms Co.
100 Kenna Drive
P.O.Box 248
North Haven CT 06473-0905
Tel 1-203-985-3216

tsmith@marlinfirearms.com

One hell of an alert. Folks, you need have no doubt that the powers that be are testing the waters to see how the American public will react . . .

h/t to Jude Cuddy

Ohio Senate Battle Shaping Up

UPDATED: Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 2:38 pm -- Yeah, I know. I goofed. Lee Fisher has only resigned from his Ohio Department of Development position, not as Lt. Governor. My mistake. I did not read all the way down through the story, but relied on two radio news reports I heard that both said he was stepping down from being Number Two in the guv's office. Wishful thinking on my part, perhaps . . .

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On one side, take a congressman with an A rating from the National Rifle Association from conservative southwest Ohio.

On the other side, a primary battle between a former national board member of Handgun Control Inc. (now benignly known as the Brady Campaign) and the state's sitting secretary of state, whose decisions in last year's elections raised some eyebrows.

The goal? 2010 and the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by George Voinovich.

Read it here.

One good thing has come out of this. Lee Fisher, the former HCI board member, this week resigned his post as Ohio's lieutentant governor. At least if something tragic happens to pro-gun democrat Gov. Ted Strickland, the virulently anti-gun Fisher won't be waiting in the wings to ascend to the big chari in our governor's office.

But Gov. Ted, please stay on that high fiber diet I recommended some time back. We want you around for a while.

And on that note, Strickland will likely be running for re-election that same year. One of his possible opponents is republican John Kasich. If it comes down to that matchup, Strickland will have my vote. He has been pro gun in Congress and in the governor's office. He has never wavered. Republican Kasich, when he was in Congress, was a deciding vote in 1994 that passed the widely ridiculed 10-year "Brady Ban."

Bottom line: Ohio gun owners are highly unlikely to support a gubernatorial bid by Mr. Kasich.

Newly Appointed New York Senator Moves Guns After Newsday Spills The Beans

Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand, the New York democrat appointed to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate, was forced to move her firearms in her upstate New York home after Newsday newspaper disclosed in its publication where she keeps them hidden.

The senator, a pro-gun pol in a party well known for its anti-gun, anti-safety rhetoric, mentioned in a lengthy interview with the newspaper that she keeps two rifles for self defense under her bed. After the paper printed this fact, she very smartly moved them to a new undisclosed location in the home.

It is NO ONE'S BUSINESS where a law abiding firearm owner keeps their guns. Printing such was bush league on the part of Newsday, and put the senator and her family in danger by telling the bad guys where her self defense firearms are kept.

Kudos to sen. Gillibrand for not apologizing for exercising the basic human right of self defense.

Today, Tens of Thousands of Americans Stimulated The Economy

Today I witnessed something our president has been hoping -- praying -- would happen. Ordinary Americans, working together in concert to stimulate the economy. Individually, and in groups large and small. To go out and buy things with confidence.

To spend their hard-earned dollars in a way that supports merchants, which helps prop up manufacturers and keep our economy humming as best it can in these hard times.

Even more? Today was Valentine's Day. A day when people came out to buy things for those they love. To purchase items they know will make a difference in their loved ones' lives -- perhaps even save a life.

In fact, what I witnessed today took place all across the United States. People by the tens of thousands came out and spent money. A lot of money, as they do every weekend somewhere in America.

Yes, today I -- and tens of thousands of women, men, grandmothers, asians, african-americans, caucasians, hispanics and pretty much people of every color and creed imaginable . . . spent the day at a gun show.

And working the NRA recruiting table at the C&E/ShowMasters gun show in Columbus, Ohio today, I saw people of every economic category imaginable (urbanites, suburbanites, 20-somethings, elderly, etc.) walking out of the show with their very own economic stimulus packages. Cases containing items of chrome, others blued, some fit in your hand and are concealable for self defense, others were long and suited for sporting competitions, hunting and self defense.

And again . . . it was Valentine's Day. Truly, nothing tells your special something you love better than a personal protection sidearm for their safety. Or some extra ammunition, particularly at a time when city police departments are cutting back on services because of budget constraints, leaving the bad guys thinking they will have a little more leeway when they go about their business.

President Obama, we listened. We did what you asked. The next time you give an interview, please thank gun owners for going out and doing everything they can to stimulate the cconomy. We do it every weekend in America. And when we're not at weekend gun shows, we stimulate the economy through the week at retailers.

Even better, the economic stimulation I witnessed today won't even bump up inflation. Which is what economists fear most. I mean, it's the right thing to do. And you can't disagree with that, Mr. President. Can you?

Pick Up A Love Gift At The Big Ohio Gun Show This Weekend

If you are in or near Ohio this weekend, you might want to travel over to Columbus for the Big BIG Valentine's Weekend gun show at Westland Mall. Sponsored by C&E/ShowMasters Gun Shows, this is the perfect place to stop by and pick up a gift of love for your sweetie.

I mean, think about it. Nothing says you love your mate more than picking up something that will keep them safe.

I will be at the show working the NRA membership table on Saturday and maybe part of Sunday. Stop by and say hello!

For directions, and more information on the show, click here.

One Of The Good Guys, Cornell McCleary, Is Gone

UPDATED: Sunday, February 15, 2009, 6:34 pm -- Dirk Thompson, radio personality at WTVN-AM, posted a tribute to Cornell that is worth listening to. He also reminded everyone of one of Cornell's most powerful posts on his American-Experience.us blog . . . a look at what is ahead and a suggestion for a national conversation in the wake of the November 2008 presidential election. Cornell truly captured the essence of the discussion that needs to take place. Please read it to understand the kind of thinker this man was.

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Cornell McCleary, a gentleman who enjoyed getting under the skin of the political elite in Central Ohio, died yesterday at his home in Columbus. He was 55.

Nothing else need be said but the following words: He was one of the good guys.

But I will say a bit more. I first met him more than 10 years ago at some function. I don't even remember exactly when or where. More than once I wound up on his radio show with a colleague, talking about personal safety, concealed carry and the Refuse To Be A Victim crime avoidance program.

One night, my closest friend and I were in the studio with Cornell talking about RTBAV, along with Tom Rice who had just been named head of TSA for the Columbus airports, and another guy whose name I can't recall. It was a rousing, fascinating, interesting couple of hours with a lot of callers asking great questions and sharing their opinions on safety, personal safety, self defense, and what government was going to do to protect the citizenry in the months after the brutal 9-11 attacks.

Over the years we would bump into each other at different functions and talk about the Second Amendment, and outreach to various constituencies throughout the Central Ohio community. We always had a great time and enjoyed bantering around ideas.

Cornell had been in declining health for some time. A diabetes problem and heart issues had slowed him significantly in recent months. Even so, he still loved posting controversial stuff, information that made people think, to his blog, AmericanExperience.us. He had a very successful weekend radio show on WTVN-AM for nearly a decade, and his mantra in everything he did was "power to the people." His pride and joy was the successful private police training academy he founded about five years ago.

One of the most memorable times with Cornell was in Columbus City Council chambers, when the powers that be were discussing competition rifles. The discussion was on a ban of these so-called "assault weapons." Cornell and I were sitting together watching the proceedings when one of the council members made a particular statement. I don't even remember the detail of what was said, but I do remember this; it was so startling that he and I looked at each other out of the corners of our eyes, asked each other, "Did she say what I think she just said?" . . . and agreed that we needed to get a videotape copy of that night's hearing to ensure that what had been said would forever be on the record.

Cornell was involved in everything. A high-profile republican, he spent a year or so as outreach coordinator to the african-american community. He ran unsuccessfully for Columbus City Council, and was one of the movers and shakers behind the Community Relations Council in Columbus. He never liked the way the Council ultimately was used, but he was proud that he was on the ground floor of its founding. During the time he was a vice president at the NAACP, he even helped author local anti-intimidation language that was some of the strongest in the nation when passed in the late 1980s.

Just a few weeks ago, he and I were bantering back and forth on email regarding a new post he had put together for his blog, and he was looking for feedback. Ever the champion of freedom, he was getting tired of people saying the fix is in regarding the Obama administration and looming firearms restrictions. We agreed that pro-gun advoctes need to stay on the offensive and not merely dig in for a defensive battle.

I share this text of our final conversation, in the order in which it unfolded. I want you to read this for it shows who this man was, and in my book, will always continue to be. A thinker, a philosopher. A couple of times he joked that he liked to bounce these things of people who were smarter than he. I had used the same words to describe Cornell once or twice, myself. He thought a lot of me, and the feeling was mutual. For your consideration, here is the text of the the online conversation:

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Please review link

http://www.american-experience.us/2009/01/28/he-might-not-want-to-but-advocating-an-article-v-constitutional-convention-will-prove-to-be-president-obamas-most-effective-means-in-addressing-americas-many-ills/

Thoughts

Cornell

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Cornell:

Oh...my friend.

Very, VERY well written. I do not argue with a single point.......except......

I cannot advocate for a Constitutional Convention. For EVERYTHING will be on the table. And I am concerned that there might be enough folks on the other side of the firearms debate that we might wind up watering down what already is a tenuous agreement that the 2A guarantees an individual right. Even today there is the caveat from so many that "well it is an individual right, subject to restrictions..."

Contradictory statements. And undefined.

I understand there are issues that should be addressed. But there are so many sheep in this nation.....so very many......

Can we fill the room with enough free people to talk common sense to federal lawmakers nowadays? Will they listen? So many people who have been "taught" to fear guns could rule the day..... and that is not what the fathers of the nation could ever have envisioned....

Your thoughts?

Brent

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Brent

Thanks for the great comments my friend. This nation was not built on fear but on opportunity and true grit. The wolves are many but so are the bears. Bear on baby Bear on.

Cornell

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It is not out of fear that I question a CC, but out of an understanding of the reality. The bears and wolves out there on the other side of the 2A argument don't like the toys you and I keep for our protection and safety.

The idea that we don't depend on government...that we are individuals who believe we are responsible for our own safety and well being, that we do NOT want to burden an already over-burdened system -- particularly during a time of crisis.

But in the name of "public safety" the very real possibility exists that it could be taken away.

Why do you want to open up the entire bag of goodies for discussion and change, rather than focusing -- like good marksmen -- on particular changes that need to be made? Can you expand some on your thinking for me? Would love to continue this conversation....maybe we should do it over lunch or coffee sometime soon!

Respectfully,

A Bear

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That's not a bad idea. Where you and I mostly disagree on is the degree that the public has come to distrust the government. The election of Obama was a "throw the bumbs out" action on the part of the public. There is going to be a Convention its just a question of who is going to be at the table. If all the good people hang back for whatever reason they are going to cause the very thing that they fear to happen. My thinking, load the room with advocates of the people.

Cornell

. . . And that final note from my friend, on Jan. 28, was the last time we chatted.

Cornell was absolutely right on this account -- whenever these gatherings occur, whether they be hearings at a Statehouse, City Hall or in the halls of Congress, we need to continue to fill these rooms with "the people."

Cornell McCleary wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but he had his finger on the pulse of this city like few people. Hardly an elitist, he cut through a lot of crap with his own version of "straight talk" and reveled in his reputation as a "former radio bad boy." Even his appearances on WOSU television's weekly "Columbus On The Record" was criticized by some because they didn't like his blunt criticism of city government. Here was this black man, who successfully walked both in the suit-and-tie world and the world of the streets, taking on the administration that so many in Ohio's capital city felt was doing them good.

He hated suck-up politicians and their "weenie factor" (I love that phrase he made up to describe the phenomenon of politicos being so afraid of offending someone that they do nothing). That is what made him a refreshing presence on the airwaves, and a shit-stirrer extraordinaire.

Rest In Peace, my friend. You are already missed.

More Insanity In Illinois

All I can say is . . . how can people stand to live there?

The latest proposals from state lawmakers in Illinois include a requirement that if you own something as simple as a single shot, .22 rifle, you must buy a $1 million insurance policy.

Crazy you say? It can't get any worse? Get this -- how about the proposal that if your Firearms Owners Identification Card (FOID) expires -- even after you have sent in the renewal and the state hasn't gotten the new papers back to you yet -- that you could be evicted from your home by the state's attorney if you are a renter.

Idiocy.

A Gun Controller? In Charge of Drug Policy?

Another gun control zealot has been named to a key leadership post in the Obama administration, but it is raising eyebrows.

Specifically, why are an individual's opinions on gun control being touted as the reason for his pick to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy?

Jeff Soyer at Alphecca has some thoughts, and links to several stories. This guy, who looks to be as bad as AG Eric Holder on the Second Amendment, has even demonized hunting shotguns as a tool for "hunting people."

Irrational, scary, nonsensical. Is this truly the "change" people say they voted for?

Florida Ammunition Shortage The Tip Of The Iceberg

Updated: Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 2:23 pm -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation issued an email recently alerting dealers that most manufacturers are working three shifts, 24/7 to try and meet the demand, but they are still six months behind in supplying enough ammunition to dealers.

The Huffington Post reported earlier this month that the shortage is driven by the wars in Iraq and Afganistan and police agencies stepping up training after the 9/11 terrorist attacks upon the United States. Interestingly, the Post does not mention that private citizens have been stocking up on ammunition based on President Obama's well documented history of support for gun control measures and concerns over civil unrest in uncertain economic times. Frankly, many police agencies across the nation have curtailed their ammunition purchases because their budgets are close to being broke, meaning there is little extra money left for practice ammunition. Here in Central Ohio, at least one big police agency has scaled back the hours the range is open for qualifying -- not because of a shortage of ammo but because it simply doesn't have the budget for purchasing ammunition for practice. Which has resulted in officers buying and using their own ammunition for qualification purposes.

Further, there is a raw materials shortage. Which any hand-loader will tell you has been the case for nearly a year. Do you know what the world price for scrap brass is today?

And so on . . .



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Actually, the shortage is across the United States, but in Florida in particular firearms dealers and outdoor sports retailers are having a tough time keeping ammunition on the shelves. Worse, they are having trouble getting deliveries.




As pretty much everyone knows, sales of firearms and ammunition are up across the nation after the change in administrations in the White House. The anti-gun history of both the president and most of his key advisers, as well as the leadership of Congress, has thinking people ..well, thinking. And they are acting.



Its not surprising. Even here in the Buckeye State firearms sales are up, and people who have never before owned firearms are taking safety, marksmanship and CCW classes. Attendance at gun shows is up, as well, as people become more enlightened about the very liklihood of restrictions on either firearms purchases or possession. I have met people from urban areas and suburbs, alike, all saying the same thing. They have never been to a gun show before and they don't like the administration's nor the Congress' viewpoints on firearms and gun control.



It used to be said that Bill Clinton armed America when he pushed through the ban on so-called "assault weapons" in the early 1990s, and talked of restrictions on civilian access to ammunition. He is solely responsible for guns and ammo flying off the shelves over those next several years. Today, it is Obama and Company who are arming America. Its not about race, its not about a political party. It is about the Second Amendment and a right that an increasing number of Americans have never thought about . . . until now. It is about a president and his minions trying to have it both ways on the one civil right that protects the entire Bill of Rights.


Here in Ohio we are fortunate to have a pro-gun democrat governor in Ted Strickland. But his lieutentant governor, Lee Fisher, is not so friendly to lawful firearms ownership. Fisher, a former national board member of Handgun Control Inc., now known as the more civil-sounding (but just as dangerous) Brady Campaign, is forming an exploratory committee to look into a 2010 run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by George Voinovich. Voinovich didn't like CCW, but he never pushed anti-gun legislation. Fisher, on the other hand, would likely be an advocate for increased gun control, a theory which has yet to prove it can do anything to fight crime.



There have been spot shortages around the nation regarding ammunition. With so few ammunitino manufacturers left in the U.S., and the U.S. military being the biggest customer right now, don't look for self defense, hunting and sporting ammo to be plentiful anytime soon.

Teacher Suspended For Photo With Gun On Her Facebook Page

How someone can be suspended from their job for exercising a constitutional right is beyond me, especially when it is only a photograph on a social networking site. It's not like the woman took a firearm into her school. And what is with the colleague who was "concerned"?

More than one school watcher is hoping the school system gets their collective pants sued off on this. The big mystery is why the teacher accepted the suspension.

Read it here.

Five Takes on DC v Heller

A new Ohio State Law Journal piece is out and the analysis of the Heller decision, which showed that the District of Columbia's draconian ban on handguns was grossly unconstitutional, is pretty comprehensive. Five major points are covered in this law article.

It is authored by Brannon P. Dennon, Cumberland School of Law, and Glenn Harlan Reynolds, University of Tennessee College of Law.

Worth reading. Take a look, make a copy then pass it on.

White House Regulatory Czar Advocates Banning Hunting, Giving Animals Rights To File Lawsuits

This is interesting.

In a 2007 speech at Harvard University, Cass Sunstein, President Obama's pick to be White House Office of Administration and Regulatory Affairs, said he advocated banning hunting eating meat. The regulatory czar, as the position is generally called, is responsible for every regulatory agency in the country, such as the EPA, and will oversee all administration rules.

This man will have power that most Americans do not understand.

In a 2004 book entitled, "Animal Rights -- Current Debates and New Directions," Mr. Sunstein advocated giving animals legal rights (with human beings as their advocates) to sue in court. In 2004 he also authored a book called, "The Second Bill of Rights." Here he essentially argues that our rights as Americans are inalienable, but are granted by the state. And can be taken away by the state.

Many opinions from the left and the right about this appoint ment. PETA and friends are rejoicing. Sportsmen and sportswomen are wary, as they should be.

Says the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom: "Think about every outrageous idea PETA and the Humane Society of the United States have ever had, and imagine them all having the force of federal law. This doesn't look good for hunters, ranchers, restaurateurs, biomedical researchers, or ordinary pet owners."

Without question, this is food for thought. Of course, Mr. Sunstein would not want that food to be meat. Change truly has come to Washington DC.

Don't ANY Of These People Pay Their Taxes?

Soooo . . .

Just so I have this right: The count is now up to four -- FOUR high-profile individuals who have been nominated to key posts in the Obama administration who are creating problems for the "transparent," "corruption free" new way of thinking in Washington DC. The most egregious being newly annointed Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (who oversees the Internal Revenue Service) whose ignorance of federal tax law was branded as no big deal. The latest being Rep. Hilda Solis, secretary of labor designee, whose Senate confirmation hearing was abruptly cancelled today when word got out that her husband yesterday had quietly, and quickly paid off tax liens against his business -- some as old as 16 years.

Two appointees dropped out of the running, though one -- Tom Daschle -- tried to tough it out.

Remember, every one of these folks, and thousands more who want to work for the new administration, were asked if they owned a gun when they filled out job applications. Amazing -- especially considering that if such a question about someone's religion were asked, there would be outrage. That such a question would appear on a job application was appalling to many. A shock, to say the least, since it has nothing to do with most positions in the departments of labor, state, justice, agriculture, defense, and so on. In was designed to be intrusive and controversial.

Which brings us back to the current tax scofflaws that seem to be pervasive among the new administration. Apparently missing from the job application that received so much international attention and scorn . . . was a question about whether job applicants pay their taxes.

Once again this all begs the question, "do any of these people pay their taxes?"

And Another Thing . . . The Curious Case of Michael Steele

The republican base is none too charged up about Michael Steele, the newly elected head of the GOP.

And before the bigoted Left starts shouting "racism," no, it isn't because he is an african-american. Steele, known for his "outside the box" creative thinking (something I admire) has another problem that bugs mainstream Americans: He simply isn't exactly friendly to firearms owners and the lawful ownership of competition rifles.

Judge him by the interview he gave to the Washington Post in 2006:

"Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you're going hunting? That's overkill. But I don't think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that."

So what exactly does that mean? He apparently has never heard of "the slippery slope." Its bad enough when you know the enemy ahead has four years to push through an agenda that is known to make crime rates go up -- its worse when you have to guard your flanks (and sleep with one eye open) wondering whether the party that historically has been on the side of individual liberties might try a kidney punch when you aren't looking.

Holder AG Vote Set For Today

Though President Obama promised change (and hope), it is likely not good news for firearms owners.

In his confirmation hearings, Eric Holder, who is expected to be voted on the full U.S. Senate today as Attorney General, stated what many have worried over -- his contradictory beliefs about the Second Amendment.

In 2001, Holder brazenly tried to link gun shows to terrorism, parroting the propaganda of billionaire Andrew McKelvey`s anti-gun group Americans for Gun Safety in his column, op-ed, in the Washington Post.

Worse, during his confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the past few weeks, Holder stated that the Second Amendment means what the Supreme Court says it means . . . and then went on to declare that the Court's decision in Heller leaves plenty of room for such things as closing the so-called "gun show loophole," restricting so-called "cop-killer bullets," and reinstituting a ban on so-called "assault weapons."

So much for supporting the Second Amendment. So much for a new day in Washington.

As the Citizens Committee For the Right To Keep and Bear Arms has stated in a recent news release, democrats in Washington are showing that they continue to be the party of gun control. Never mind that gun control actually endangers lives and has done nothing to combat crime.

I have called Sen. Voinovich's office here in Ohio, but do not expect my lame-duck U.S. senator, who already has announced he will not seek re-election, to do anything to make his voice heard on Mr. Holder's troublesome nomination. Voinovich, a moderate to left-leaning republican, opposed concealed carry reform when he was governor here.

The vote is today. Call your senator and urge them to vote against the Holder confirmation. If for no other reason than to send a message to President Obama.