Gun Ban Politicians Look for Creative Ways to Pass Restrictions

Last week, it was reported that the city of Missoula, Montana was trying to pass an ordinance that would require so-called "universal" background checks within the city.  Bloomberg's faux news outlet, The Trace, had a story today about how the city council may have found a way around the state's preemption law:

“I would be surprised if it didn’t draw a challenge in the courts,” says Missoula City Council member Bryan Von Lossberg, who sponsored the background check ordinance along with Marilyn Marter and Emily Bentley. Nonetheless, he’s confident his universal background check proposal will stand a fighting chance against the almost-inevitable lawsuit. Specifically, he sees justification for the proposal in a close reading of some key language in the state preemption law.

The first sentence of the relevant section of State Code says cities may not “prohibit, register, tax, license, or regulate the purchase, sale or other transfer” of weapons — except as provided in subsection 2 of the code. That subsection carves out a few small exceptions: Cities can regulate shooting guns, and carrying at public assemblies and public properties. There’s also one more provision, and it’s the one that gives Von Lossberg and his colleagues hope their proposal could survive in court. The preemption law states that for public safety purposes, cities can prevent and suppress the possession of guns by felons, those adjudicated mentally unfit, undocumented immigrants, and minors — populations that background checks screen for.

Expanded background checks are the gun ban lobby's answer to most any high profile shooting, even if the shooter passed a background check to get the gun used in the crime.

The NRA-ILA legislative liaison Brian Judy told NRANews last week that Bloomberg is behind this move in Montana and that there were three lobbyists for Bloomberg in Helena during the legislative session this year.

With Virginia's governor being so open not only to passing restrictions on our rights, but believing that Constitutional concern's are just unimportant "small ball,"  one has to wonder how long before we start seeing serious attacks on our preemption statute.

Meet the Real Michael Bloomberg

The Washington Post Politics Blog reports that the NRA has launched a new ad campaign targeting Michael Bloomberg.  The first ad takes derogatory comments Bloomberg made about one of the largest counties in Colorado to show the elitist attitude the former mayor has about areas outside of New York City.

Also part of the campaign is a new web site - MeetBloomberg.com.

The Post notes that USA Today was the first to report the campaign.  From USA Today:

"Michael Bloomberg has declared war on the NRA and our 5 million members," Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, said in an e-mail. "We will not sit back and let him use his billions of dollars to impose his radical anti-freedom agenda on the American people."

The NRA plans to spend $500,000 on the first round of ads which will run in several states including Colorado.

Bloomberg's Money Can't Buy Milwaukee County Sheriff's Race

Like in Colorado last year, Bloomberg's money could not defeat a pro-rights candidate in Tuesday's Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff Democratic Primary.  According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sheriff David Clarke was able to overcome $600,000 in outside money to win what amounts to re-election.  Much of that outside money came from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

And last week Bloomberg's political action committee, Independence USA, bought more than $150,000 in television ads and took aim at Clarke and his pro-gun stance that encourages residents to arm themselves for their own protection.

Last year in Colorado, Bloomberg spent upwards of $350,000 in an attempt to defeat the recall of two anti-gun Democrat state senators.  Tuesday, the big money from Bloomberg and others ended up working to Clarke's favor.

"In the end, we turned this and used it against them," Clarke said. "They were my get-out-the vote. They raised my base. They energized my base."

While Bloomberg was pouring in the big bucks, it appears that gun owners from out of state were chipping in small donations to Sheriff Clarke.  So, Bloomberg has another high profile defeat.  Wonder if he is reconsidering spending that $50 million leading up to November?

Update: The Wall Street Journal had this piece on its Washington Wire Blog talking about Tuesday's result underscoring the limits of Bloomberg's clout.

In the last year, Mr. Bloomberg has also struggled to persuade state lawmakers in Oregon, Washington State and Nevada to pass laws expanding background checks on gun purchases.

Of course the Journal blog had to bring Virginia's 2013 Governor's race up to show that not all of Bloomberg's efforts have fallen flat:

He threw more than $1.5 million behind Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s successful campaign for governor.

None of the media mention the fact that Bloomberg did not become active in the Virginia race until polls showed McAuliffe with a sizable lead, nor that the final margin ended up being less than 2%.  And, Bloomberg lost a House of Delegates race in Northern Virginia and 65 of 67 pro-rights candidates won House Races in the 2013 election.

And, the Journal blog claimed Bloomberg has had success in advancing is cause in some large corporations:

But the ex-mayor has made more headway in the corporate world, where he’s pushed companies like Target, Chipotle and Starbucks to take stands against customers bringing guns into their stores.

Yet the Journal did not mention none of the three instituted an outright ban in their stores or restaurants. 

Bloomberg has $50 Million but We Are Millions with $25

That banner greeted attendees when they entered the Indiana Convention Center this morning.

Wayne LaPierre introduced this video as part of his remarks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum.

The message, an active grassroots will beat big money everytime.