Gumbel
“There are a few things I hate more than the NRA. I mean truly. I think they’re pigs. I think they don’t care about human life. I think they are a curse upon the American landscape. So we got that on the record.” — “sportscaster” Bryant Gumbel
Petzal
Bushnell established the Bushnell Bill McRae Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 to honor the legendary writer and photojournalist for the vast contributions he made to the optics and outdoor industry throughout his 50-year career. The annual award was established to both honor McRae and recognize journalists who have made a profound impact in the industry.
This year, Bushnell has recognized David Petzal (Field & Stream Magazine editor) with the 2015 Bill McRae Lifetime Achievement Award.
But Dave Petzal has unapologetically called for gun bans. I suggest the quality of his writing is irrelevant, because a gun banner should be ineligible for such awards. One could argue that Sarah Brady has made a “profound impact in the industry” as well.
NY’s Sheldon Silver
New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the state’s most powerful Democrats for more than two decades, was arrested by the FBI on federal corruption charges this week.
Silver, 70, a lawyer, has been under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI related to payments he received from a small law firm specializing in seeking reductions of New York City real estate taxes. The NY [un]SAFE Act was sponsored by Silver and Senate Majority Co-Leader Jeffrey Klein and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Silver stated his post-Newtown goal flatly, to impose “a complete ban on ‘assault’ weapons.” Well, maybe they will have a gun ban where you’re going….
PA AG Kane
We reported last week about anti-gun Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane being the subject of a corruption investigation.
We now learn that the grand jury has concluded there are reasonable grounds to charge her with perjury, false swearing, official oppression and obstruction after an investigation into leaks of secret investigative materials.
The Montgomery County District Attorney, Risa Vetri Ferman, is responsible for deciding whether to file charges, but the PA Supreme Court has temporarily DA Ferman from filing charges against AG Kane.
AL Reps.
Two Democratic members of the Alabama House of Representatives are sponsoring a bill to make it illegal to carry a gun in a church without permission, even if you have a permit to carry a concealed gun.
Reps. Thomas Jackson of Thomasville is the sponsor and Rep. Darrio Melton of Selma is the co-sponsor of House Bill 3.
Seems like a pretty clear-cut violation of the First Amendment to me.
Friends?
When speaking at the SHOT Show this week, comedian Bill Engvall talked about his agreeing with gun control proposals during a television appearance with virulent anti-gunner Bill Maher in 2011. In a very different serious tone, Engvall said he was wrong and that he realizes he should have stood up for more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens, not more gun control:
“I want you to know something about me. … There’s a lot of things I believe in this world. I believe in God, I believe in the United States of America, and I support and believe in the Second Amendment. I made a mistake a couple of years back. I got asked to be on this stupid TV show … [that is] very political, very controversial. And they had me on … [during a discussion] to repeal the Second Amendment. And he had a woman on there who was all for it, and he invited me on because he knows that I’m against it. And I made the mistake of trying to please everybody, and you can’t do that; you have to stick by what you believe in. And I honestly … believe that every law-abiding citizen of this country has the right to own whatever legal firearm they choose to own, and you cannot take that right away from them.”
