« The ultimate in live blogging | Main | MO governor takes on the Obama Truth Squad »

Gun Rights Policy Conference

Just got back from it, tired as can be. Some notes in wrap up:

Alan Gura was appropriately commended, gave a speech, and received a standing ovation. Two, actually, if my foggy memory is correct.

I rec'd Citizens' Committee's Bill of Rights Award. (I thought the awards were over when the last speaker got it, so I stepped outside for a bit -- when Peggy Tartaro found me, I had to rush back in and improvise a speech on the fly).

Sandy Froman gave a good speech endorsing John McCain. At the evening reception, Bob Barr spoke, noting (quite correctly) that he is the most pro-gun candidate in the presidential race. Tim Bee, running for the US House here, also spoke of his pro-gun stands.

One fellow (not an official speaker) told of having lived in Scotland, and seeing a friend prosecuted for weapons possession. He kept a baseball bat in his car, lest the neighborhood thugs, who had threatened him, beat him up. He admitted that when pulled over for a random breathalyzer (no 4th Amendment there, so they can do it at random). And wound up convicted and fined for having possessed a defensive weapon. The judge said something about we have to stop this country from becoming a "Wild West." No concern about the thugs already making it along those lines.

Don Kilmer mentioned that he and Don Kates would be filing a 14th Amendment brief in the 9th Circuit, in Nordyke, on Tuesday. In his presentation, he had to take a while to explain just how Nordyke is still pending, six or seven years after filing.

John Lott spoke, with an interesting point. He'd held a fellowship at Univ. of Chicago School of Law, when Obama was a prof. or sorta-prof. there, and they talked a few times. The first time Obama said "oh, you're the gun guy." When he said that he was, Obama said "I don't believe people should be allowed to own guns." Lott said maybe they should talk about it. Obama just smirked and left without a word. Lott noted that he is happy to debate the topic fairly; he's often had Cass Sunstein, who is very anti-2A, to his house for dinner and they debate gun control amicably. But not Obama.

UPDATE: as John Lott points out in comments below, he didn't say that Cass Sunstein was very anti-2A: that was my note, not part of his speech.

UPDATE: I didn't hear Barr talk about the Lautenberg Amendment, and don't know about his vote on it. By then I was exhausted, and largely talking to other gunnie attorneys outside. Personally, I'll vote for Palin and the old guy, too, because my State is "in play,: if it were not I'd vote for Barr, just to elevate the vote count of a guy who is far better than the other contenders on the key issue to me.