Borepatch has a good post up about the controversy over something that TJIC put up on his blog. TJIC made a joke in poor taste, the local police read it, over-reacted, and took away his license to own a gun. Glossing over the fact that he needed such a license in the first place, let’s examine the free speech angle here:
A citizen of the United States, exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to say things that other people find objectionable, is penalized by his local government for saying them, and is deprived of his right to keep and bear arms. Yes, the joke was disrespectful, but the Bill of Rights was put in place to protect our rights, especially when we exercise them in a way that is objected to.
If you make a joke about speeding on I-64 in Louisville, LMPD doesn’t come along and impound your car. If you joke about voting for Mickey Mouse because the slate of candidates you are presented with sucks, they don’t take away your right to vote.
But because TJIC said something the locals didn’t cotton to, he got his guns taken away.
I’m passing this on because the more hell we raise, the more sunshine we shine on these cockroaches, the better off we all are.
If one of us is attacked, we are all attacked. If one of us loses our rights, we all lose our rights.
I am TJIC.
DaddyBear’s Den 
TJIC
/ January 20, 2011Thanks for your support!
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Borepatch
/ January 20, 2011Outstanding post, Daddy Bear.
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Julie
/ January 20, 2011was wondering why his blog was down – hope it all gets sorted out quickly!
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Joshkie
/ January 20, 2011Sorry, Daddy Bear can't get to excited about this; as, until people living in MA band together, and the NRA gets of it's lazy ass and starts a legal defense fund that I can donate to I can't do anything her in TX.
I kind of getting tired of poeple whining in MA about their crapy gun laws and I haven't seen any cases going to the Supreme Court.
If you want thing to change your going to need to fight for it.
Josh
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Joshkie
/ January 20, 2011TJIC-
If you start a defense fund let me know and I will help, but I'm not just going to whine about it on my blog.
Josh
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DaddyBear
/ January 20, 2011Josh,
You're right, we need to do more than just discuss this amongst ourselves on our blogs. The SAF is currently embroiled in a separate lawsuit in MA (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2649477/posts) over gun rights. Until TJIC gets his legal machine run up, I'm going to be sending a check their way. If they support TJIC, then they'll be getting another check.
I look at the editorializing on the gunblogs as moral support for those who live in less free states such as Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. But you are absolutely right in saying that material support for individuals and organizations who are fighting for their rights needs to happen too. There is the NRA, the SAF, and JayG, Borepatch, or TJIC may be able to point us to a good MA gun rights organization.
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motoroz
/ January 20, 2011If everyone who made a joke in poor taste was visited by the authorities they would be too busy to fight real crime.
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Joshkie
/ January 20, 2011Thanks for the info and I'll do what I can. I'm not much on talking I like doing.
🙂
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DaddyBear
/ January 20, 2011If the police visited me every time I made a bad joke, then I'd probably be asking them to go shooting with me. Amazingly enough, a couple of guys I know here who are cops were appalled when they heard about this. Once you get to a red state, the police tend to be on our side.
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Jay G
/ January 20, 2011GOAL – Gun Owners Action League and Comm2A are two MA groups fighting the good fight. Comm2A is actually part of the SAF action on the discretionary licensing FWIW.
What I find interesting was that I found at least two other MA gunbloggers from this – TJIC and MAgunowner. Guys. Blogshoots. SRSLY…
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TJIC
/ January 21, 2011@Jay G said.
> GOAL – Gun Owners Action League
Good pointer.
I'm a lifetime member of GOAL, NRA, JPFO, and FCSA.
If this gets messy, I'll give GOAL a call.
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