From Cincinnati.com:

State Rep. Ron Maag, R-Salem Twp., doesn’t think gun permit holders need to warn police officers when they have a gun, whether in a motor vehicle or walking down the street.

Two things. One, cops are, or should be trained to assume that anyone that they pull over for a traffic stop, or confront in a public space, is carrying a weapon.

Having said that, it is just common courtesy for a law abiding citizen to inform a police officer that they are in possession of a firearm.

The other bill that Rep. Maag introduced deals with allowing guns in the parking lots or garages of state buildings, such as the State House.

In Georgia, if you want to CCW you need a permit. To get that permit, you submit to a background check, get fingerprinted, and pay some money.

Democrats are proposing a new law that would add a four-hour gun safety class to the requirements.

Meanwhile, Republicans are going the other way and would like to see Georgia adopt a ‘Constitutional Carry’ system which eliminates the CCW permit. In that case (as in Vermont) any law abiding citizen could conceal carry without the government’s permission.

Details at WRDW TV.

Currently, Virginia has a ‘one-gun-per-month’ purchase rule. That is about to change. This should absolutely send NYC Mayor Michael Blowhard into a tizzy since he has set-up stings in and blamed and railed against Virginia’s gun laws. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The Senate Courts of Justice Committee today approved a measure that would eliminate Virginia’s one-gun-a-month restriction on the purchase of handguns.

[ . . . ]

Approval of the one-gun-a-month repeal (Senate Bill 323), sponsored by Sen. William Carrico, R-Grayson, signaled what is likely to be the most significant change to Virginia’s gun laws this year.

[ . . . ]

The measure has strong support in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates, and Gov. Bob McDonnell has previously indicated he is inclined to sign the repeal bill into law.

Soon, you will be able to buy both the guns in that antique ‘dueling set’ at auction.

Two other bills were not so enthusiastically received. One would have exempted long gun purchases from the state background check. Those buys would still have to have gone through the federal NICS check.

The second bill — withdrawn by its sponsor — would have prohibited colleges and universities from enacting bans on legal CCW on their campuses.

Still, the good news is that within some near future, Virginia will join most other right-thinking states in allowing you to spend as much cash as you’d like at your local gun store. Or, put more accurately, scoop-up as many good deals as you can at the next gun show.

Spartanburg, South Carolina Sheriff Chuck Wright rightly told his constituents to ‘arm themselves.’ I wrote about this interview last November. Well, that didn’t sit-to-good with the lone, only Democrat on the local county council. From GoUpstate.com:

Spartanburg County Council’s lone Democrat wants Sheriff Chuck Wright to stop encouraging residents to obtain concealed weapons permits. Councilman Michael Brown says his constituents believe the statements promote an environment of lawlessness in the community.

“I think it’s irresponsible, irreprehensible and of course incendiary if you keep on making these types of comments,” Brown said during a portion of Monday evening’s council meeting devoted to honoring a local group’s efforts to mentor at-risk youth.

Brown appeared with a few dozen teens from the group, Black Boys of Distinction, which is a bunch of ‘at risk’ thugs, er, I mean kids who Brown says should be receiving ‘mentoring’ from law abiding citizens instead of facing the barrel of a gun when they commit a criminal act. Okay, that’s my snarky translation of what the article writer wrote but read the whole thing at the link and see if, tell me if you disagree with my synopsis.

On New Year’s Eve (well, that morning) my car slid into a curb during an ice storm, getting to work. Hundreds of dollars later my beater is working again. Luckily, my employer allows employees to ‘A/R’ repair bills over several weeks so I’m having $89 dollars subtracted each week from my paychecks for two months.

Unfortunately, the very next week my employer informed us that his employer (the bigger dealership in Burlington that owns us) is complaining about the bottom line. Naturally, the bosses don’t take pay cuts and neither do the techs. The salespeople (commission only) and parts persons and service writers don’t. It’s the ten or so hourly employees — of which I’m one ($11 an hour) — who have to sacrifice. No more overtime. I was used to getting 8-to-15 hours OT a week. Now, I’m not. You do the math.

My boss tells me that hopefully this edict will “go away” as business picks up in the Spring. Until then, I’m screwed. And, of course, my car insurance is due next week and the week after that, my ’sci-fi’ domain renewals. And, the cats are now going on a diet, as I am. Ramon Noodles again for lunch and pasta for dinner.

Anyway, if you have a few bucks to spare — and I’m sure that isn’t many of you as you ‘all are in the same sinking boat — please consider my ‘Tip-Jar’ over on the right sidebar, Yosemite Sam. Thank you very much.

*Don’t worry, the cats won’t starve. Crispy is on a special low-ash diet that comes from the Vet, for his kidney disease. The other two are just going to have to get used to store-brands — something they’ve rejected in the past — instead of Friskies.

It’s titled, Emily Gets Her Gun and follows the adventures (or tribulations) of Emily Miller as she decides which gun she wants and, in the latest post, tries to take possession of it where she lives, in Washington D.C.

And, it ain’t pretty. Too bad Obama’s speech writers weren’t fact checking themselves. Of course, then they’d have nothing good for Obama to speak about last night.

The Republican dominated legislature in Colorado has introduced bills that would:

1. Scrap CCW permits. Law abiding citizens could carry without one.

2. Prohibit the confiscation of firearms during an emergency.

3. Eliminate the background check by Colorado authorities during the purchase of a firearm. The national NICS check would still be performed.

4. “Make My Day Better” legislation would expand Castle Doctrine to include business owners and their employees using deadly force to repel attacks.

More details at the Colorado Statesman.

Did you know that Iowa has a program to give non-resident hunting permits to celebrities? From SF Gate:

The state program gives 75 celebrities, such as rocker Ted Nugent and former professional athlete Bo Jackson, an opportunity to buy a special out-of-state deer hunting permit each year. Other nonresidents might wait years to buy a similar permit.

[ . . . ]

Iowa routinely receives thousands more requests than can be filled each year from out-of-state hunters. So the program isn’t popular with the people who sometimes wait years for one of about 6,000 nonresident permits to harvest deer of any sex.

The program was created to draw attention to the hunting opportunities in Iowa.

Over at Forbes, Why Should You Fear SOPA and PIPA?

The author gets most of his facts right except that SOPA is the House version and PIPA is the Senate version.

I make use of peer-to-peer networks to watch TV. For instance, the playoff games yesterday. Those could easily be shut down under the Hollywood sponsored legislation. I can’t afford cable and there’s only one broadcast (rabbit ear) network in the area (two if you count PBS).

Incidentally, the MPAA and the RIAA have so much clout over congress that just copying a movie could lead to a $250,000 fine and ten-years in jail. Many murderers don’t face such penalties.

Now, I don’t condone pirating music or movies but as the Forbes article points out:

If the government, and those behind government, didn’t like Huffington Post or Breitbart.com it would now be legally plausible and simple to shut them down. After all, Huffington Post editors at some point in time have posted links to content from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other organizations. These networks could now claim that the Huffington Post was infringing upon their copyrights, and that Huffington editors, under SOPA/PIPA, be charged for each offense and go to jail. Yes jail.

True, the sponsors of the bill deny that would ever happen and that the legislation only targets non-U.S. sites, but when have you ever known the federal government to stay within the bounds of the laws it passes?

Related: Seems the feds already have the power to shut down sites so why bother with SOPA/PIPA?

Even more, here.

Looks like South Dakota residents will still have to apply for permission from their government to conceal carry. From the Rapid City Journal:

Rep. Don Kopp’s proposal to let most South Dakotans carry concealed handguns without having to get a permit was defeated Friday in the House Judiciary Committee.

The 7-5 vote to kill Kopp’s bill came after more than an hour of testimony, including from proponents who said it would promote personal safety and defend gun ownership rights, and from opponents who worried it would lead to more criminals and mentally unstable individuals carrying concealed weapons.

More at the link including an insinuation that some of those “No” votes were in response to the fact that the South Dakota Gun Owners Association was a backer of the bill. I’m not sure what’s up with that since I don’t follow much (or any) S.D. politics. It would appear that several representatives decided to put personal vindictiveness ahead of the merits of the actual bill. Hmmm.

At the moment, they can scan you for guns from much less that distance but in the near future . . . From Techland:

The reason that the NYPD is so interested terahertz waves is that they pass through nonconductive materials like clothes, but can’t penetrate metal — like, say, the steel in a semi-automatic pistol. That means if you scan someone, you can look for spots where a person’s natural terahertz radiation is blocked, most likely by a metal object.

The benefits for police officers are obvious. They can essentially sit back in a specially-equipped van and scan anyone they suspect of carrying a gun from a safe distance. Right now it only works from three or four feet away, but department spokesman Paul J. Browne told the New York Times that the NYPD — in coordination with the Department of Defense — hopes to increase its range to 25 meters, or 82 feet.

Needless to say, this raises some privacy concerns.

From the Drudge Report:

Marianne Gingrich has said she could end her ex-husband’s career with a single interview.

Earlier this week, she sat before ABCNEWS cameras, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

She spoke to ABCNEWS reporter Brian Ross for two hours, and her explosive revelations are set to rock the trail.

More at the link including an internal debate (argument) at ABC News over when to run the interview.

I have no idea of the content of the interview but I did hear on one overnight radio show that it certainly isn’t going to help Newt with the social conservative vote.

Here again we have the bias of a broadcast network engaged in the politics of personal destruction rather than an examination of a pol’s proposed policies.

It’s getting rather tiring and serves to reinforce the hypocrisy of the liberal news media since they downplayed any examination of Obama when he was a candidate.

If this interview lives up to Drudge’s hype and it does short-circuit Newt’s run, it will be a shame because Gingrich is certainly the smartest candidate in the pack and as a debater, would give Obama fits in a general election. Again, I’m not endorsing anyone but I’ve always enjoyed TV and radio interviews with Newt because he is filled with — sometimes quite bold — ideas that show more thought behind them and reflect more reality in them than the other candidates have.

It’s also troubling that the liberal media or pundits — rather than directly taking-on his proposals — instead try to find racism or other such mythical straw-men when covering his campaign.

Update 1:06 PM: Perry has dropped out of the race and has endorsed Newt Gingrich.

Not Debbie Reynolds, anyway. Hollywood trying it’s hardest to make gun ownership look bad by having Reynolds ignore every single gun safety rule in the book. From the new movie, One for the Money:

Continue Reading »

The following is not an idle question. Not for me. I’ve about had it with cold, snow, being trapped in the house for half-the-year waiting for a few nice days in the too-short summertime. I’m not moving anywhere tomorrow, but I am speculating about a move somewhere down the road and I have family in Florida (near the Palm Beach area) that I’d like to be closer to. I also figure that air conditioning is cheaper than heating oil.

So, the question is: Do you like living in Florida? Why or why not?

1. ‘Occupy’ Protesters Suspected of Throwing Smoke Bomb Over White House Fence.

2. Pelosi Distances Dems From Occupy; “We Don’t Really Have Much of a Connection.”

In the NYC and New Jersey area there has been a rise in anti-Semitic incidents including firebombings of synagogues, vandalisms, and vicious graffiti. Much of these have taken place in Bergen County, N.J., my old stomping grounds.

For some reason that I cannot fathom, American Jews have always been for strict gun control and against arming themselves for protection from the forces of hate.

One editorialist is re-thinking that:

I do not own a gun; however, I am considering getting one. I believe guns should be licensed and their owners properly trained. I also want to emphasis that there is a difference between ownership and the right to carry. It is difficult to get a permit to carry a concealed gun. However, there is some evidence of a deterrent effect of licensed, concealed weapons. FBI statistics, cited by the National Rifle Association, show that “right-to-carry” states have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates, 30 percent lower murder rates, 46 percent lower robbery rates, and 12 percent lower aggravated assault rates, as compared to the rest of the country. I wonder what would be the effect on hate crimes.

Probably the same. Mutants and other criminals really don’t like the idea that their intended victims might be armed and able to defend themselves. That’s why crime rates always seem to be higher in those areas where gun control laws are the strictest. Washington DC, Chicago, NYC, and yes — New Jersey — come to mind.

I’ve been trying to shake a fever, aches, and sore throat for a couple of days now. I’m mostly trying to stay in bed and am glad for my little Toshiba net book which I can balance on my lap and work from. It’s interesting to me that when I was a kid, I got all sorts of bugs. Then, from my 20’s through my 40’s, good health, never sick. Now, as I knock on the door ‘60, I get illnesses again. *Sigh* It’s tough getting old.

Anyway . . . .

I had considered joining the SOPA/PIPA internet protest today but, frankly, I get few enough visitors (my sincere thanks to those of you who do) on a daily basis and would hate to ‘black-out’ Alphecca for even one day.

My sympathies, though, are with the protest movement against allowing an over-reaching government that can shut down web sites at the whim of some Hollywood or RIAA operative.

An interesting article here.

The question of 2nd Amendment rights actually made an appearance at last night’s debate in South Carolina. Only three of the candidates were involved but it was interesting.

Firstly, Romney said, “I believe that we have a 2nd Amendment right and my view is not to add new legislation.” Or something like that. Also, “We have in place all the laws we need. We should enforce those laws. I do not believe in new laws restricting gun ownership and use.”

This was in response to a question about his support of gun restrictions in Massachusetts.

Actually, he didn’t come off too badly in his full response.

I’ll tell you who did: Ron Paul. Rick Santorum absolutely slayed Paul regarding Paul’s vote against the “Protection of legal commerce” bill (that protected firearms makers from frivolous lawsuits).

Full video of the debate on Fox can be found here at YouTube.

The gun control questions come near the end, at about the 1:26:40 mark.

Update: Here’s the audio of the gun rights discussion:

GOP Debate on gun rights, 1-16-12

My thanks to two great (and free) programs, FLV Crunch and Audacity for Mac for allowing me to produce and give you the above sound clip.