Most of the main stream media has ignored the scandal. Maybe this will catch their attention:

The family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry has filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claiming Terry was killed with AK-47s that were knowingly sold under the Fast and Furious gunrunning probe to a straw purchaser for drug cartels.

In a 65-page complaint, served on the government on Wednesday, attorneys for the family claim ATF “wrongdoing” in Operation Fast and Furious.

More at the link at Fox News. Note that the gun store involved in the ’straw-purchases’ is also being sued.

From an NSSF press release:

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry – has learned that FOX Sports Media Group has banned advertisements featuring firearms and ammunition from its coverage of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events.

While the UFC has yet to make an official announcement, NSSF has confirmed that “absolutely no firearms, ammo, hunting or knife companies will be permitted as sponsors in any Zuffa-promoted events.”

NSSF is encouraging all gun owners, sportsmen and firearms enthusiasts to contact FOX today and urge them to rescind this anti-gun corporate policy. FOX’s decision to ban advertisements for lawful products owned by more than 80 million Americans is nothing more than corporate gun-control. We expect better from FOX. So should you.

Details on how to contact Fox Sports is at the link.

We, around here, know that strict gun control causes fearless criminals. But, is the Huff-Post or Chicago pols finally coming ’round to that realization? Not likely. Call it a case of bad writing or speaking or what-have-you. Go ahead, tell me how you’d interpret this quote from a Huff-Po piece:

Chicago recorded 40 homicides as of mid-day Monday, up 53.8 percent from the 26 murders logged in January 2011, according to the Fox Chicago. Shootings remained constant between the two month-long periods, at exactly 140 incidents both years.

Comparing this homicide data with the decrease across all other crime categories, many are blaming gang activity for the imbalance. Both police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel targeted gun control and gang-related violence as explanations for the spike in murders this year.

Since Chicago has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation — despite a SCOTUS ruling against them — and almost NO law abiding citizens in that city own firearms and Illinois is the only state that positively forbids concealed carry for those few who do . . . You’d have to think (judging from the quote) that McCarthy and Emanuel are finally admitting that same gun control is part of the ‘explanation’ for the spike in homicides this past month. Again, not likely.

As with most Huff-Po ‘journalism,’ you could read the whole thing and not find any clarification. A given: Not many of you (nor I) spend any significant amount of time reading Huff-Po. In this case, I only did so because of a Google search.

NYC Mayor Michael Blowhard and Boston Mayor Mumbles Menino have made a 30-second spot to appear regionally during Sunday’s Super Bowl. The ad will show them watching the game and then calling for more gun control. From the NY Times:

In a telephone interview, Mr. Menino said the ad was partly aimed at politicians in Washington.

“It’s a fun way to get a very serious message across to the decision makers,” he said, adding, “If you want to hunt or you need a gun for protection of your business, O.K., but there’s too many loopholes.”

Somehow I don’t think this ad will be one of those ‘classics’ that will be talked about the next day.

Now that the Kansas legislature has solved all of the state’s other problems, it’s time to turn to the important issues of the day. From Fox News:

A Kansas legislator is trying to give the dog breed that played Toto in “The Wizard of Oz” a leg up by making it a state symbol.

Rep. Ed Trimmer’s bill would designate the Cairn Terrier the official dog of the state — which also has an official tree and grass.

Hmmm, what IS the official grass of Kansas and was Rep. Trimmer smoking it when he authored this bill?

At the moment, it is neither legal nor illegal to openly carry a holstered handgun. Stuck in limbo like that, some citizens in Utah have been harassed by cops who accuse them of disorderly conduct. One member of the legislature has introduced a bill to clarify things. From Standard.net:

Under [Rep. Paul Ray’s] bill, HB 49, police would not be able to stop an individual carrying a weapon, open or concealed, unless there was “additional threatening behavior.”

The bill got a favorable recommendation Monday in a meeting of the House Enforcement and Criminal Justice Standing Committee and will now go to the House for further consideration.

Well, good, so far.

A bill has been introduced in New Jersey that ostensibly targets the FN 5.7 caliber SS109AP Armor Piercing cartridge by making it illegal for any civilian to possess it. Of course, since both state and federal law already restrict sales of the round to law enforcement and military personnel it would seem that New Jersey lawmakers just want to make sure that it’s really illegal instead of just against the law. So, what’s the real point of the bill? From AmmoLand:

Assembly Bill A588 concerns a new ammunition ban, cleverly disguised and marketed for the protection of Law Enforcement, but granting unprecedented powers to an unelected official, in the form of the State Attorney General; to unilaterally ban any ammunition, of any type or construction, including incredibly enough, benign plastic “BB’s “of the type used by Airsoft Toys, if the Attorney General deems them a “threat to the safety or welfare of Law Enforcement “.

A second bill (A1013) also makes breaking federal law illegal in the Garden State. It prohibits ‘defaced firearms’ possession. Supposedly designed to make it illegal (or more illegal) to render a gun’s serial number illegible, the bill is so poorly written that it could be applied to — for instance — a firearm with worn-off bluing.

More of the sorry-ass details at the link.

AP Headline: Researchers find cancer in ancient Egyptian mummy.

From the Daily Caller:

A document the Department of Justice sent to Congress Friday shows that Eric Holder’s deputy chief of staff was made aware on the day of U.S. border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder that a weapon traced back to Operation Fast and Furious killed him. But when asked Sunday, a Justice spokesperson would not would not answer The Daily Caller’s question about whether Attorney General Eric Holder himself was informed of the connection on that day.

Eric Holder still has his job. Alas, so does his boss.

Two bills about to hit the Kansas Assembly would be of aid to hunters and boat owners. One would lower the high taxes levied on boats, the other would make it easier for hunters to carry a handgun for personal protection. Details at Kansas.com.

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.