GOA: Help Stop the Attack on Concealed Carry

House Leaders Trying to Kill Constitutional Carry Immediate phone calls are needed.  Please tell your Representative -- at 202-225-3121 -- that if concealed carry reciprocity comes to a vote (H.R. 986), it MUST contain protection for Constitutional Carry. Not a GOA member yet?  You can join Gun Owners of America today for only $20! Tell Your Rep. to Stand Up for 2nd Amendment Rights! Dear Paul: I rarely ask this of you.   But I need you to drop what you're doing and call your Congressman right now.  You can reach your Representative at 202-225-3121. Why the urgency?  The House leadership is pressuring Representatives to oppose Constitutional Carry reciprocity. To combat this, I personally communicated with House offices yesterday. I told them that the only acceptable concealed carry reciprocity bill is one that protects the over 20% of states which have enacted Constitutional Carry. And so now, I need you to communicate the same message to your Congressman: 1. If concealed carry reciprocity comes to a vote, it MUST contain protection for Constitutional Carry. 2. More and more states are recognizing Constitutional Carry.  It is now the law in more than one-fifth of the country (11 states) -- and more states are expected to enact it by year's end. This is not a fleeting issue. More and more Americans are demanding that their state honor the Second Amendment. But House leaders don't seem to think that citizens like you should be able to exercise their constitutionally-protected rights without getting permission from a bureaucrat. I hope that you will agree that the government should NEVER be allowed to pick the winners and losers.   It should never decide which honest citizens can exercise their rights, and which ones can't. Congress must pass a GOOD Reciprocity Bill We don't need a reciprocity bill that shuts out the freedom-loving residents from permitless carry states. That would be very harmful. The reciprocity bill that could come up for a vote over the next few days is H.R. 986.  Under this language, if a gun owner has a concealed carry license from a liberal state like New York, they can use that license to carry anywhere in the country.   But if a person comes from a pro-gun Constitutional Carry state, they are out of luck under H.R. 986 unless they seek permission to carry concealed and get registered like a sex offender. That's why we must send a STRONG MESSAGE to the Republican leadership that gun owners want to safeguard the Second Amendment. You send a strong message by telling your Representative that any reciprocity bill MUST protect Constitutional Carry. Otherwise, the primary impact of any reciprocity bill passed by Congress would be to discourage additional states from joining the Constitutional Carry club.  So please call your Representative right away at 202-225-3121. Again, please tell your Congressman that if concealed carry reciprocity comes to a vote, it MUST contain protection for Constitutional Carry. Remind him that more than one-fifth of the country (11 states) has already enacted Constitutional Carry -- and more states are expected to enact it by year's end. If you are not sure who your Representative is, then go to www.house.gov and enter your zip code in the upper right hand corner. Please take action right away! In liberty, Erich Pratt Executive Director Gun Owners of America P.S.  Please call your Representative at 202-225-3121.  Tell him that if concealed carry reciprocity comes to a vote (H.R. 986), it MUST contain protection for Constitutional Carry.   P.P.S. Remind your Congressman that more than one-fifth of the country (11 states) has already recognized Constitutional Carry -- and more states are expected to enact it by year's end.  See who your Congressman is at www.house.gov. Please do not reply directly to this message, as your reply will bounce back as undeliverable. Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 703-321-8585 www.gunowners.org Contact Form If this alert was forwarded to you, you can subscribe to receive alerts directly by clicking here.

How Guns Separate Alaskans from the Rest of the U.S.

From a yesteryear article in the Alaska Dispatch:

One thing most Alaskans know is that guns are tools. Many in the 49th state still live close to the land. They use guns to feed themselves by killing animals for food, and they use guns to defend themselves against grizzly bears that would like to make them food.

Confession here: I once used a handgun to shoot a grizzly bear off my leg after making the unfortunate discovery that not all grizzly charges are bluffs. Whether the gun saved my life or simply prevented the bear from ripping me up even more is up for debate; suffice to say that even though I had no desire to shoot this bear, I'm glad I did. Obviously, this incident also colors my attitudes toward guns.

But it is in most ways irrelevant to what I'm about to say next to advocates of gun control: If you're in the anti-gun crowd wondering why those in the pro-gun crowd think you're nuts, look no further than Joe Zamudio.

 ~ snip ~

Life is a dangerous business. We're all under a death sentence. None of us are going to live forever. Often luck, good or bad, determines the outcome.

~ snip~

People can argue back and forth, one way or another, about whom in this country should have guns and who shouldn't. But in the end it really comes down to something pretty simple: You either trust your fellow citizens, or you believe we're only going to be safe if firearms are limited to officialdom and maybe the ruling elite.

This debate is often painted Outside as a "culture war" issue of the lefty/big government/anti-gun liberals versus the righty/small government/pro-gun conservatives and libertarians. Well, the partisan lines fracture here in Alaska, where guns remain tools. Yes, former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin is pro gun - herself a former big-taxing, big government Lefty turned anti-tax, anti-government Mama Grizzly Righty - and a "rabid" supporter of the Second Amendment. But so is former state Democratic Rep. Eric Croft, who ran for governor at the same time Palin did, and who has always been an unabashed "liberal."

Croft authored the legislation that got rid of an Alaska law requiring concealed-carry permits. The Anchorage attorney thought the law went too far. "I object to the government putting a precondition on that Constitutional right," Croft said. "I'm presumed to be a responsible citizen until proven otherwise."

Go RTWT.

On the Topic of Firearms

A lady I've known for several years came by my office the other day, and saw my holster sticking out from under the tail of my vest as I retrieved papers from the floor.

She got a little pale, and said, "I hope you don't have a gun in that thing. Guns make me nervous."
I tried to keep a straight face while answering that it wouldn't make much sense to wear an empty holster.

So I asked if I make her nervous, and she said no. As gently as possible, I said that the firearm is an inanimate tool, and that it obeys my commands.

While she thought that over, I said, "If I'm trustworthy, then you needn't fear any tool I might use. A hammer or screwdriver, a cordless drill - all could be dangerous, in the wrong hands."

She allowed as how that's true, and then said, "And you were in the military, so I guess it's okay."

I also could have said that with Constitutional carry, quite a large percentage of Alaskans are armed all the time, but I didn't want to provoke a panic attack. :)



Baby steps ... sigh. But at least those steps are in the right direction: I'll take that conversation as one minor victory. At least it made her stop to think about it.

Overheard at Work

"My boss is now encouraging me to carry concealed at work. I love Alaska!"

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill

Stutzman to Introduce GOA-Backed Reciprocity Bill for Concealed Carry Not a GOA member yet?  Make sure to join Gun Owners of America! It's a problem as fresh as today's headlines. A Pennsylvania woman with a concealed carry license drives over the New Jersey line with a gun in her car.  In a routine traffic stop, she is arrested and charged for violating New Jersey's unconstitutional gun laws. Only a national campaign saves her from a decade in prison. And that's just the point:  In an era where states like New York and California use draconian and labyrinthine gun laws in order to try to outlaw guns by fiat, a legal gun owner shouldn't risk a life behind bars because he or she drives across a state line into a socialist-leaning state.  A Floridian shouldn't live in fear of a move that takes him through New York, or a Virginian, of a trip through Maryland. So it is good news that, after a campaign that has lasted for over a decade, we are now within striking range of passing reciprocity legislation that is friendly to citizens living in constitutional carry states. Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) has told Gun Owners of America that he will be introducing this reciprocity bill within the next few weeks.  This bill will prohibit states like New York and California from cancelling the Second Amendment rights of Americans from other states.  If you have a concealed carry permit -- or if you come from a freedom-loving state that doesn't require one -- you can carry anywhere in the country without fear of losing your constitutional rights because of where you are. With six constitutional carry states -- and at least four other states which may pass those laws this year -- the Stutzman bill is a particularly important contrast to competing bills which would require states like Vermont to change their pro-gun laws in order to benefit. Now, we know that some of our members would argue:  "Why shouldn't principles of federalism allow states to spit on the Second Amendment if they want to?"  We respect this view, but respectfully disagree.  Gun grabbers have no problem creating national rules to take away our Second Amendment rights, irrespective of what we do.  So it's time they were hoisted on their own petard. In addition, the Supreme Court (correctly) ruled in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that the reach of the Second Amendment extends beyond just the federal government and applies to all 50 states. In this landmark decision, the Court noted (approvingly) that anti-gun Justice Stephen Breyer was "correct that incorporation of the Second Amendment right will to some extent limit the legislative freedom of the States, but this is always true when a Bill of Rights provision is incorporated." (p. 44) Why are we so optimistic about Stutzman?  The answer is that we now have a filibuster-proof majority to pass it in the Senate -- if we can get the new GOP leadership to give us the opportunity to offer it as an amendment to a must-pass bill.  ACTION: Contact your Representative.  Ask him or her to call Congressman Stutzman and sign up as an original cosponsor to the Stutzman "constitutional carry" friendly reciprocity bill.

Sponsor Pulls Bill To Allow Guns on UA Campuses

The Associated Press reports that Senator John Coghill (R-North Pole) has asked the Senate Finance Committee to defer further action on his bill for this legislative session.

Apparently Sen. Coghill recognized some questions that were raised during initial hearings, and didn't yet have good answers for them.

The bill would have specifically permitted the carry of firearms on University of Alaska campuses, at least in open areas and parts of buildings not specifically prohibiting such possession. While such carry is not illegal, the University's Board of Regents has instituted a "no firearms on campus" policy, leading to some minor clashes in the past.

This issue is far from over.

Read the whole thing here.

Mid-Week Wondering

I haven't been on-line long enough to know if the President has done something horrible or not, regarding his proposals for gun control; forgive me if I don't comment on it.

The mood here in Anchorage is somber. Firearms are part of our everyday wear; you put one on, just like a belt knife, before leaving home. We have bears that roam our neighborhoods (and they don't all hibernate, no matter what some schoolbook says).

Bears have frequently wandered our parking lot, too, and sometimes employees can't go to their cars because there's a bruin standing in front of the car. Trust me, a bear big enough to stand flat-footed and look at you across the hood of your car is scary. And no matter the enviro-weenies wish, that brownie ain't Winnie the Pooh.

For the last three or four years, there have been a couple of wolf packs roaming the green belts between Elmendorf AFB & Fort Richardson (now combined into Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson); joggers have been chased, and a couple of dogs (pets) killed by the wolves.

There's a BIG mama moose & her annual twins that live in the woods adjoining our parking lot, and are frequently seen wandering between the cars, or sleeping in a snow bank where it can get heat from the automotive radiators as they cool down in the mornings.

It's not uncommon, especially in the winter when snow on the mountainside drives more moose into town in search of plants to eat, for people to be late for work because Mr. Moose was standing near their front porch, munching on a bush or young tree.

A full-grown bull moose weighs around 1,200 pounds; unsuspecting people (usually tourists) get trampled or kicked every year. That's nothing to mess with.

This is going to be an interesting time, no? But I think you'll find that Alaskans will not disarm, in general.

Firearms at Work: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

with a h/t to Guffaw in Arizona for starting this line of thought. I posted a reply there, but quickly realized there was more to say than would be proper as a response on someone else's blog.

I think the one of only places where "don't ask, don't tell" really works is in regard to a no-firearms-at-work policy. In his post, Guffaw refers to a decorated 'Nam vet who said, "I don't ask questions I don't want to hear answers to." 


Most of you know that Alaska was the second state to adopt "Constitutional carry", right after Vermont. If an Alaska resident is 21 or older, and otherwise legally able to purchase a firearm, then that Alaskan may carry concealed. Open carry is also perfectly fine. You don't see a lot of open carry in Anchorage due to the high percentage of nanny-staters from the Left Coast who have relocated here - and only God knows why - but it's frequently seen elsewhere, as well as on trails around town.

Given the preponderance of Outsiders in this city, it may be best to keep your peace about keeping your piece. But not always, and not for all reasons. There are good arguments for peacefully raising awareness of peaceable gun owners who happen to be armed while out & about.

Under Alaska law, landowners may post a sign on entryways thereby making their premises off-limit to weapons, but that sign doesn't apply to the building owners nor their property managers. If the building you're entering does have such a sign, you're breaking the law if you bring a firearm across the threshold.

In Alaska, you also must not carry a firearm into another person's residence without obtaining their permission, first. But those two things aside, the signs on the UAA campus prohibiting firearms on the premises are ... well, not quite a joke. More of a suggestion, really, because there's no law against it. The worst they can do is ask you to leave, or face trespass charges if you don't. On the other hand, anyone care to guess at the percentage of older students who are armed but keeping it to themselves?

There are no such signs on my building, nor do I intend to post any. The property I manage is run differently. A lot of folks here know that I carry, and I've had a number of good conversations with other gun owners/shooters, and have even helped one tenant select a pistol because she'd gotten mugged when interrupting a drug deal in progress. There are a number of tenants who also carry, and I've written in the past about one lady here who had a humongous stainless .44 Magnum revolver in her purse. (How do I know? She showed me.)

I have carried openly here, on occasion, but find that I generally carry concealed because I'd prefer any panhandlers or other types of ne'er-do-wells to not know whether I'm armed. That uncertainty on their part might be the edge I need if things go south.

We have bears in the neighborhood who are frequently seen in our parking lot, as well as a mama moose who's a prolific producer of offspring. Moose aren't usually a threat, but can be if provoked ... and approaching a calf is a sure way to find out some surprising things about Mama's attack policy.

Several of my tenants' businesses are owned by corporations in the eastern part of the U.S., and one of them approached me last year about their need to comply with the parent company's "no firearms" policy. The lady in question had offered me a tour of their sterile area, which meant that I had to wear scrubs and booties to enter that part of the space. This was before I began my weight loss, so the "guest" scrubs were dang near too small for me.

It turned out I could just fit into the jumpsuit, but only if I removed everything from my belt. So she watched as I removed a Leatherman, then my 1911 in its holster, and a spare magazine. It didn't seem to alarm her, which was a relief to me at the time.

So, knowing that I carry, she asked how she could properly word the required signs for the premises she controlled, inside my building which permits the carry of weapons. Her company's policy was "no weapons except for sworn law enforcement personnel."

I suggested that her signs read, "No weapons except for sworn law enforcement personnel and those otherwise permitted by State law" (my emphasis).  Of course, that meant that anyone lawfully carrying already could enter her space without concern. She thought it was a great idea, and - as far as I know - that's what she did.

And strangely enough, there haven't been any mass murders, no blood in the halls, nor any mayhem of any kind. Who knew?

p.s. Along with all the above, there's something else to think about.

Guns Culturally Separate Alaskans from the Rest of U.S.

From the Alaska Dispatch:

One thing most Alaskans know is that guns are tools. Many in the 49th state still live close to the land. They use guns to feed themselves by killing animals for food, and they use guns to defend themselves against grizzly bears that would like to make them food.

Confession here: I once used a handgun to shoot a grizzly bear off my leg after making the unfortunate discovery that not all grizzly charges are bluffs. Whether the gun saved my life or simply prevented the bear from ripping me up even more is up for debate; suffice to say that even though I had no desire to shoot this bear, I'm glad I did. Obviously, this incident also colors my attitudes toward guns.

But it is in most ways irrelevant to what I'm about to say next to advocates of gun control: If you're in the anti-gun crowd wondering why those in the pro-gun crowd think you're nuts, look no further than Joe Zamudio.

 ~ snip ~


Life is a dangerous business. We're all under a death sentence. None of us are going to live forever. Often luck, good or bad, determines the outcome.

~ snip~

People can argue back and forth, one way or another, about whom in this country should have guns and who shouldn't. But in the end it really comes down to something pretty simple: You either trust your fellow citizens, or you believe we're only going to be safe if firearms are limited to officialdom and maybe the ruling elite.

This debate is often painted Outside as a "culture war" issue of the lefty/big government/anti-gun liberals versus the righty/small government/pro-gun conservatives and libertarians. Well, the partisan lines fracture here in Alaska, where guns remain tools. Yes, former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin is pro gun - herself a former big-taxing, big government Lefty turned anti-tax, anti-government Mama Grizzly Righty - and a "rabid" supporter of the Second Amendment. But so is former state Democratic Rep. Eric Croft, who ran for governor at the same time Palin did, and who has always been an unabashed "liberal."

Croft authored the legislation that got rid of an Alaska law requiring concealed-carry permits. The Anchorage attorney thought the law went too far. "I object to the government putting a precondition on that Constitutional right," Croft said. "I'm presumed to be a responsible citizen until proven otherwise."

Go RTWT.

1911 vs. the world: It's My Turn

to weigh in on the "M1911A1 vs. whatever-else-ya-got" debate.

Say Uncle links to an article claiming that 1911s are good business for gunsmiths. It's probably true. But ...

It's a proven & well-tested platform. It has a 100-year record as an effective sidearm. Many have complained about the reliability (?), the problems ... oh, they have problems galore, to hear them tell it. Failure to feed, failure to eject, poorly-designed magazines (I don't get that one at all), and the litany goes on and on.

But here's the deal ... for me, at least. My daily carry is a 1911A1 clone. It has jammed once - a stovepipe - when I was breaking it in, at the range, and not since. Not a single time.

I have magazines from multiple manufacturers, and the only problem I've ever experienced is that the S&W mag doesn't feed hollow-points in my pistol. They catch on the bottom of the polished feeding ramp, so I'm guessing it's a quirk of the angle of the follower rather than some horrible design flaw inherent in the platform.

But I've had no other issues. NONE. It does what I ask it to do, without any fuss or bother. I recently added Crimson Trace grips, because I wanted to. It had nothing to do with sights, or grip problems, nor anything else other than that I wanted the laser added for low-light targets.

By the way, mine is a Taurus PT1911. You know, the one the so-called knowledgeable opinionators love to hate. Granted, YMMV.  But I've had no problems, and see no reason not to continue carrying it.

Carry on.

On-Campus Carry: "Force The Issue"

From the Anchorage 2nd Amendment Task Force:

UA Carry Situation

Saturday April 24, 6:30 PM Mei Garden 800 Northway Dr.
(The Old Royal Fork near Sams Club)

Attention Alaska Patriots

Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force has with other organizations attempted to bring University of Alaska in compliance with state statutes and the state Constitution regarding firearms on UA properties. UA Board of Regents have refused to comply with the laws of our state and continue to violate our rights to keep and bear arms. We will be accessing all UA properties in Alaska next week with the intention of forcing a conclusion. Either the Board of Regents will arrest law-abiding citizens for trespassing while doing what is constitutionally protected, or they will refuse to engage us. We will win legally, or by rendering the rule limp. We do have Pro Bono representation for any who require it due to this action. I anticipate national media coverage for this event, so represent with the dignity we all exemplify daily. For all interested in participating with bringing our overreaching government officials into compliance with the constitution please contact me at alaskasccc@gmail.com. This will occur next week so prepare now to force compliance of our government.

Thank you

George Hines

State Representative

Alaska Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC)