10 years ago today, the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban lapsed, much to the anguish of those who thought it was just a hunky dory law.  It took weeks to wash all the blood off the streets of America in the aftermath of Congress deciding to not touch the third rail again.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have some fun with a rifle that holds more than a few bullets and has a flash hider. I may even carry and use a semi-automatic handgun that holds more than 8 bullets in it and has a magazine manufactured in the past couple of years while I’m at it.

A few weeks ago, I posted about the American Snipers raffle to support the family of Chris Kyle.  I offered a challenge – I would match the first $100 in ticket sales that you all made.  Within 24 hours, that challenge had been surpassed.

So now, I’m doing my part.  I’ve purchased $100 in chances in the drawing.  In the event that one of my tickets wins, I will use a random number generator to choose a number between 1 and 10.  I’ve sent everyone who sent me a copy of their receipt a number, and if that number comes up, they get the prize I won in the drawing.  Of course, all state and local laws and regulations apply, and if I win a firearm, it’ll have to go through an FFL to get to you.

So, good luck.  Hope to see a happy face after SHOT Show.  If you haven’t gotten in on the raffle, it’s still going on, and it goes to a good cause.

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If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve seen the reports that a former Navy guy, who was a professional wrestler with a penchant for feather boas, who then became governor of a northern state, who then became the boogieman of a conspiracy nut and libertarian that the left-wing of American politics can point at, sued Chris Kyle, Navy SEAL, sniper, and all-around good guy, because Kyle may or may not have said in his autobiography that he punched the son of a gun out.

After Kyle was killed by one of the veterans he was trying to help, the lawsuit was shifted to his estate, meaning that it was shifted to Kyle’s wife and kids.  Yes, this fine gentleman, who claimed that Kyle’s book intimated that he got punched in the mouth after running said mouth, decided it was better to try to take food out of the mouthes of the children of a fallen hero than to quietly and respectfully walk away.  Somehow, he won in court, and could be getting a couple million dollars out of the deal.

American Snipers is stepping forward to try to help out.  They are holding a raffle, at $10 a chance, on some good guns and gear, with all proceeds going to Chris Kyle’s family.  There are going to be five winners, with the winners getting their choice from the pool of prizes.

I’m going to issue a matching challenge here:  For the first 10 of you all that buy a ticket and send a copy of your email receipt to daddybear@daddybearsden.com, I will also purchase a ticket.  That will put an extra $100 toward a good cause.

So, hit the raffle, buy a ticket, send me the receipt, and hopefully on the last day of SHOT Show 2015 one of us will be happier. Win or lose, a bit less of Chris Kyle’s estate will be sent to former whatever’s that feel the need to take money from widows and orphans.

By now, you know that I am involved with my local committee of the Friends of the NRA.  It’s a great program, with all proceeds going toward youth shooting and firearms safety programs.  Here’s a quick video from 2012 that sums it up quite nicely:

This is one way we can all make sure that our shooting sports and rights extend into the future.  As someone said to me yesterday, we don’t want to be the  last generation that does this.

The Louisville banquet and auction is going to be on Saturday, August 2.  If you’d like to buy tickets, either individually, a package, or a table, please get back with me by the evening of Monday, July 28.  If you’re local, I will come to you to get you your tickets.  If you’re not local, but would like to attend, or if you’d rather not see my ugly mug, you can go here to buy tickets.

If you can’t make it, but still want to chip in, I have tickets for the 2014 FNRA Gun of the Year, a matched set of Colt pistols.  Tickets are $20, and I can either bring them to you local or mail them to you.

I’ll be working the three gun table this year, and I’d love to award one of my readers three guns for a $20 chance.  If you want to take guns from me, you’ll have to come to the banquet, so let me know or hit the link.

I hope to see all of you there!

Alan Gura is reporting that the case Palmer vs. DC has been decided by the District Court in favor of the plaintiffs.  Basically, Washington D.C.’s ban on carrying a read-to-use handgun for protection outside of the home, and ban on licensing handguns for any purpose for non-residents, has been found unconstitutional.  The court leaned heavily on the Heller and McDonald decisions, but also drew from cases decided by various courts of appeal in other areas of the country that also drew from Heller and McDonald.

Is this particular fight over?  Not by a long shot.  I’m sure that an appeal is already in the works, and we may well see this issue at the Supreme Court in a few years.  We need to thank Mr. Gura and his colleagues for their hard work, but we also need to support them in their future efforts, both here and elsewhere.  If you’re not a member of the SAF, please consider getting in on the game.  The SAF has been playing offense on our behalf for a long time, and most of the court cases that have advanced our cause have been done, at least in a large part, by the SAF.

To my brothers and sisters in Washington, D.C., congratulations.  Welcome to free America.

The Friends of the NRA Gun of the Year for 2014 is a matched set of Colt 1911 and Mustang pistols.  Freiheit clued me to a video of some of these guns being made, and they look sharp.

Our local committee is holding a drawing for our set.  Tickets are $20 apiece, and I can sell them to you until August 2.  If you come to our banquet that night, you can see and handle the pistols before buying a chance at winning them, and if you win, you can go home with them that night!  Please let me know if you want in. Remember, all proceeds go to youth shooting sports and safety programs.

I just received word that Knob Creek Range, host of bi-yearly machine gun shoots, subject of the television show “Guntucky“, and my favorite place to shoot, has underwritten the cost of the guns for the 3-gun table at the upcoming Greater Louisville Friends of the NRA banquet.  This generous donation will help out our goal of raising money for youth shooting sports a lot, and I really appreciate it.  Coincidentally, I have volunteered to work the 3-gun table that night, so come on out and win a pistol, a shotgun, and an AR-15 from me.  Tickets are still available, and I detailed prices and packages here.

Next time you go out to Knob Creek, please thank them for supporting us.  They do a lot for gun rights, and this is just a small example.