What I Just Sent to Groupon

On January 23, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn Gun Culture 2.0, Gun Rights, Politics, RKBA3 Comments

Over the last couple of years I have used Groupon for discounts at restaurants and attractions. However, Groupon recently decided to cancel all its deals for gun ranges and shooting activities, based on “performance and customer feedback.”

So, in what seems to be a recurring theme, I just sent this message to Groupon’s customer service feedback center:

Because of Groupon’s recent decision to stop selling Groupons for shooting activities, once I use my outstanding deals, I will never buy another deal, and I am unsubscribing from your notices.

People who shoot guns are engaging in a legal activity. The fact that they do so at companies who use your service, such as gun ranges, means they are also doing so in a supervised and safe manner. Your discrimination against an activity is unacceptable.

Goodbye.

Seconds later I received this email:

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your submission! Although we typically respond to most emails in less than 24 hours, we’re running a little behind right now. You should hear from us in about 48 hours. Sorry in advance for the delay!

Regards,
Groupon Support
support@groupon.com

I doubt if I will get a response.

Then There is Gingrey

On January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, Politics, RKBA, Self Defense2 Comments

Rep. Phil Gingrey
Courtesy of The Marietta Daily Journal

No sooner had I gotten a letter from Senator Saxby Chambliss, than I read in The Marietta Daily Journal about a speech that my Congressman, Dr. Phil Gingrey (R, GA 11) gave on Thursday. In part, here is what the paper said.

Gingrey said he was open to considering certain gun control measures in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school massacre.

“There are some problems, and maybe these huge magazines even for someone who says, ‘look, I just use an AR-15 for target practice,’ but do you really need to be standing there shooting at a silhouette a shot a second or even quicker with that kind of weapon? For what purpose?” Gingrey asked. “I would be willing to listen to the possibility of the capacity of a magazine.”

Mr. Gingrey, I will say this.

We will not be made scapegoats. We will not be treated like criminals or lunatics because of the actions of criminals and lunatics.

No new gun laws.

No magazine limits.

Work with us, Mr. Gingrey, or we will work to retire you.

Response from Senator Chambliss

On January 11, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, RKBA, Self Defense2 Comments

Last month, I wrote emails to all my elected officials following the shootings in Connecticut. I just received this response from Senator Saxby Chambliss:

Dear Mr. L…..:

Thank you for writing me regarding the right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Your taking the time to contact me is appreciated.

I have always been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, and I will continue to ensure the rights of gun owners will not be further infringed upon. We must make certain that the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens are not unfairly impeded. I believe that the ability of sportsmen, hunters, gun enthusiasts and citizens concerned with their personal safety to own a gun, whether for sport or protection, is clearly defined in the Constitution and must not be compromised.

In response to recent tragic and high-profile acts of violence, there is a renewed focus on government regulation of guns. It is likely that Congress will soon have an extensive and detailed conversation about all of the potential causes of these crimes, including mental health issues, depictions of violence in television, movies, and video games, and firearms.

I know that dialogue regarding acts of violence will likely result in a wide range of legislative proposals seeking to address the underlying causes. As these pieces of legislation come before me in the Senate, I will keep your thoughts in mind.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance to you in the future. In the meantime, if you would like to receive timely e-mail alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my web site at: www.chambliss.senate.gov.

I have to admit, reading the second to last paragraph gave me doubts as to how Senator Chambliss would face the coming assaults on our freedoms. But, then again, it may just me a generic sentence inserted by a staffer. In fact, it would work as a response even if I called for door-to-door confiscation.

Then I re-read, and one sentence stood out.

I have always been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, and I will continue to ensure the rights of gun owners will not be further infringed upon.

Senator Chambliss: that is what I wanted to hear. And that is what you will be held to in the next election. You can count on it.

A Metaphor for Mendacity

On January 3, 2013January 3, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn Gun Rights, NRA, RKBA, Safety

Since the Newtown school shootings last month, the anti-gun factions in this country have tried to change the vocabulary they use. No longer are there calls for “more gun control,” or even “common sense gun control.” The call now is for “gun safety.”

Yet, when I asked these two for clarification of what safety measures they would like to see in new laws, they came back with the same tired gun control mantras like “no automatic weapons in society.”

Be not fooled. The left will talk about safety, but the only safety that would satisfy them would be total confiscation. Nothing has changed.