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 | MICHIGAN COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERS
"Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through
education, litigation, and legislation"
Since 1996 |
| MCRGO Weekly E'News - Answers to FAQ's |  | | |
Monday, Jun 29, 2009
New Brother from a Different Mother
by Skip Coryell
A few days ago I did a radio interview with a man named Kenn Blanchard from Washington DC. He owns and operates a website called www.blackmanwithagun.com. To tell you the unvarnished truth, I was a little bit apprehensive at first because I just didn't know what to expect from him. I think when I'm painfully honest about it, then I have to admit I have a negative stereotype of black people with guns who live in big cities.
Kenn emailed me and wanted to discuss the Second Amendment March, and we did talk about that for quite a bit while on the air. But I think it's the things that didn't get aired that made the biggest impact on me. Truth is, I don't have a lot of contact with black people in my life. No real reason for that other than they just don't tend to live out here in the boondocks. Sometimes I wonder why that is. Kenn and I talked about a lot of things we had in common: guns, concealed carry, the Marine Corps, family and our faith. Then the topic turned to black people and political correctness. I'll paraphrase the conversation for you as best I can.
Skip: I know I'm not supposed to call you a black person, Kenn, but saying African-American just takes too long and the truth is you're not African-American, you're a regular American just like I am. You and I are the same for the most part.
Kenn: (Laughter) Yeah, it's a load of crap isn't it. I liked it in the Marine Corps when everyone was the same color – “green”!
Skip: Yeah, tell me about it. I mean I don't know what to call you, Kenn. Can't I just call you a fellow Marine, or an American Patriot, or my Christian brother?”
Kenn: (More laughter) Skip, I'll just call you my brother from a different mother.
That's when I started laughing, all the while knowing that I'd made a potential lifelong friend. Sure, I understand that there are some cultural differences between blacks and whites as well as a long and bitter history of racial tension, but they all seem to fade away when we meet on the range or when we start talking about guns and the Second Amendment. I've never believed that a person's skin color really means all that much. I just think it's a statement about God: He loves wondrous variety!
Just yesterday I spoke at a Second Amendment Town Hall meeting in Traverse City hosted by Michigan Open Carry, and one of the topics in my speech was the danger of political correctness. I said:
“One of the travesties about political correctness is that it makes gun owners afraid to speak out. Someone hidden in the shadows has made up a list of approved terminology and if we use the wrong term we are labeled as racists, homophobes or gun-toting lunatics! One of the problems with ordinary gun-owning citizens is that they are good people. And good people care what others think about them. They want to be viewed as good people because their reputations are important to them. But political correctness has cowed us into silence, rendering us impotent in the fight to defend the right to keep and bear arms. Folks, it's time to stop caring what other people think about you. It's time to stand up and tell people what you believe in. It's time to be bold, loud and proud! Stop fearing what other people think, because fear is the weakest part of a person's character, and shouldn't keep you from speaking out for the Second Amendment. Everywhere you go, proudly and politely say Yes, I own a gun. I protect my family and I'm proud for the honor.”
Conversely, the strongest part of a person's character is courage, and Kenn Blanchard is a very brave man. He put his reputation on the line by standing up in a hostile environment and proudly proclaiming, “I am a black man with a gun.” He is the original “pariah patriot of color”.
We need more black people with guns. We need more women with guns. We need more good “people” with guns. The details of a person's skin or gender or religion have no bearing on a person's right to keep and bear arms. We are all equal under heaven.
Since the radio interview, I went onto Kenn's website to learn more about him. He's quite an accomplished person: Marine Corps veteran, former federal law enforcement, published author, ordained minister and devout family man. Kenn Blanchard is “good people”. I plan on keeping in touch with Kenn, not because he's a black man with a gun, but because he's honest and genuine and because I like him.
Just yesterday I received a copy of Kenn's book in the mail. Appropriately enough it's titled Black Man with a Gun. I opened the cover and read the following inscription:
“To Skip, from his brother from a different mother.
From Kenneth V.F. Blanchard, 2009”
Yes, I have a new friend in Washington DC, and I can't wait to shoot with him on the range. Better yet, I can't wait to march with this “Black Man with a Gun” on April 19th beneath the shadow of the Washington Monument at the Second Amendment March. Because, after all, it doesn't matter what color he is; it only matters that he's my new brother from a different mother!
You can listen to the podcast of Kenn's interview with Skip Coryell by going to www.blackmanwithagun.com and clicking on episode #120, or listen to the 13 minute interview-only segment here. Kenn Blanchard hosts his weekly radio show “The Urban Shooter” from his website.
Skip Coryell lives with his wife and children in Michigan. He is the founder of the Second Amendment March and the author of six books including his newest “RKBA: Defending the Right to Keep and Bear Arms”, the Ted Nugent-acclaimed book “Blood in the Streets: Concealed Carry and the OK Corral, the hunting novel “Bond of Unseen Blood”, and the Second Amendment novel “We Hold These Truths”. He is an NRA Instructor and co-owner of Midwest Tactical Training, teaching CPL classes in Michigan.. He also owns and manages White Feather Press. To find out more about Skip, his classes and his writing, go to www.skipcoryell.com and www.mwtac.com.
Minors and Pistols
by Daniel Bambery
Federal law prohibits a person under the age of 21 from purchasing a pistol from a federally licensed dealer (FFL). However there is no federal prohibition on a person under 21 owning a pistol. Michigan law states that no one under the age of 18 may own a pistol.
Therefore, in Michigan, an otherwise qualified 18 year old may own a pistol, registered in their own name, but cannot buy a pistol from a federally licensed dealer. Further the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is going through a period of strict enforcement concerning "straw-man purchases". There have been reports of some criminals going into gun shops with an accomplice who can legally own a pistol. The convicted criminal then picks out a pistol, gives the purchase price to his accomplice and the accomplice makes the actual purchase. ATF has threatened to revoke the license of any FFL who participates in such a sale.
The easiest way for an 18 year old to legally purchase a pistol is from a private seller who is not a federally licensed dealer. That is, the 18 year old obtains a license to purchase a pistol from local law enforcement, and goes to a gun show, friend, neighbor or parent and buys the gun. However, such sellers are getting harder to find.
Sometimes a person has their heart set on one and only one gun that is available only through a FFL.
Straw-man purchases are legal; it is perfectly legal to buy a gun as a gift or even resale. Such a purchase is only illegal if its intent is for an ineligible person to obtain a gun. But because of FFL pressure and threats, a FFL licensee will probably refuse to sell the gun if s/he thinks the customer is buying the gun for someone else.
If buying a pistol for your son, daughter, or neighbor:
* If you do not have a CPL, get a license to purchase from local law enforcement.
* Have your son, daughter, or neighbor get a license to purchase from local law enforcement.
* Have s/he pick out the pistol and leave the store.
* Buy it the next day using your own license.
* Transfer it to the minor using their license to purchase.
* Immediately return the completed forms to law enforcement, keeping a copy.
It's a crying shame that we have come to a place in our society where we have to use subterfuge to engage in a perfectly legal activity concerning guns. In fact our Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that as long as a seller complies with the literal language of the statute, s/he or she does not have to investigate whether the buyer will further transfer the gun to an illegal possessor. (People v. Laney, 470 Mich. 267, 680 N.W.2d 888 (2004))
I have spoken with an ATF agent who tells me that the ATF continues to tell dealers that they risk their licenses if they sell a firearm to anyone who intends to further transfer the gun, even as a gift.
 | Common Sense Guide to Michigan Gun Laws
by M. Carol and Daniel Bambery
NOW AVAILABLE. Every book is current through the date of the order. Modern digital printing techniques allow constant updates so the reader can be confidant that the book they receive contains all recent revisions in the law. It discusses federal case law including the Heller v District of Columbia decision from the United States Supreme Court. This is an easy to read, informational handbook that answers questions about lawful gun ownership in Michigan. The book is aimed at reaching shooting enthusiasts, sportsmen, firearm owners, hunters, and anyone with a desire to learn more about Michigan's firearm laws and heritage. It is written in a style that provides you with additional reference for more information on gun ownership issues. | This book satisfies the firearms and the law education requirement for renewal of a concealed pistol license. Price $24.20 includes shipping. Send check or money order to:
Bambery Law Press, 1124 South Geneva Drive, DeWitt, MI 48820. |
In the News: Feds blame US Gunowners for Mexico's Violence. "My fear is that the Obama Administration will create a phony 'crisis' in order to justify violating the rights of citizens to own and bear arms, a constitutional right that sticks in the craw of the liberal-left power structure in this country" -- www.examiner.com, June 28.
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government" -- The Declaration of Independence, the Want, Will and Hopes of the People, 1776.
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