Albeit a small one. From Reuters:
The U.S. House of Representatives dealt a blow to Washington, D.C.'s strict gun control law on Thursday when it passed an amendment that would effectively allow fully assembled rifles and pre-1976 handguns to be kept in city homes.The amendment to an appropriations bill for federal subsidies for the District of Columbia prohibits the funds from being used to enforce certain sections of the city's 29-year-old gun control law.
Passed by a vote of 259-161, the measure submitted by Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder (news, bio, voting record) does not go as far as his recently introduced legislation to revoke Washington's 1976 ban on handguns and semiautomatic weapons, but it indicates continuing strong House support for such a measure.
[...]
Currently, rifles and shotguns and handguns registered before the 1976 ban may be kept in District homes only if they are unloaded, disassembled and stored in a locked cabinet.
Souder argued that this makes them useless for self-defense and his amendment prohibits the city from enforcing this law with federal funds.
His bill would roll back the handgun ban and registration requirements for ammunition and would decriminalize possession of unregistered weapons. Similar legislation has been proposed by Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas.
"I believe the constitutional right to bear arms supersedes local authority," Souder said in favor of his amendment.
If -- hypothetically -- DC had rules prohibiting Blacks or Women from voting, the outcry all over the country would (and should) be that it violates the 15th and 19th Amendments and Congress should intervene.
Well, Washington DC's gun ban and other laws violate the 2nd Amendment rights of residents who wish to exercise that right and so I'm all for the proposed bills in Congress.
Update 7/1: Crosswalk.com has more on the Souder amendment:
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey expressed their lack of support for the amendment, saying it will lead to more bloodshed. The amendment is "a slap in the face to me and the people who live in this city," Williams reportedly told a House committee.
Meanwhile, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said Mayor Williams considers D.C. residents to be mere "subjects" who can't exercise their Second Amendment right to self-defense."A far greater indignity is suffered by victims of violent crime every day in the capital of the free world. How dare Mayor Williams suggest that saving his political face is more important than restoring the right of self-defense to the citizens of the city?" said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb in a statement.
"This is just one more example," Gottlieb said, "of an anti-gun politician worrying more about his political skin than about the lives of the citizens he serves; citizens who, every day, must worry about being robbed, raped, assaulted or murdered by thugs emboldened by a 30-year-old gun ban that has only led to higher crime rates."
Metropolitan Police officers took more than a minute longer to respond to emergency calls last year than they did in 2002, according to recent police department statistics.The statistics, contained in the department's fiscal 2005 budget performance report, show that the average response time for the highest-priority calls — Priority 1 — was 8 minutes, 25 seconds in fiscal 2003, up from 7 minutes, 19 seconds in fiscal 2002 and 7 minutes, 47 seconds in fiscal 2001.
There is simply no good argument that the people of DC (or any city) should have to rely on the cops to protect them, that those people can't exercise their 2nd Amendment rights if they choose to do so.
Leon Archer is a columnist with the Valley News, an upstate New York weekly. His fine column is titled, "The Sportsman's World" and he had a smart rebuttle to the anti-.50 caliber legislators in last week's issue:
Every year, our New York State Legislature goes to work on one of its favorite wrong headed ideas—gun control. They ignore the fact that guns are already controlled in the state by numerous laws and regulations, and seek to add even more onerous and unreasonable statutes to control all us dangerous gun owners.Honest, upstanding gun owners bear the brunt of every new piece of legislation that arises out of wrong headed thinking that had the intention of reigning in criminals.
One law that was passed by the Assembly outlaws 50-caliber rifles. The good intent was to keep terrorists from blowing up airplanes with the 50-caliber weapons. Unless I’m mistaken, it is already a felony to even shoot at an air plane with any kind firearm, but even so, these guys must have been watching too many of Hollywood’s terrorist movies.
Airplanes are not as easy to bring down with a rifle as those movies would make it appear. Even if the shooter could hit some critical part of the aircraft, which would be unlikely, it would be even more unlikely to crash. Not many shooters own a fifty caliber rifle other than black powder rifles, but those who do mostly use them in distance shooting competitions.
To illustrate how uneducated or ignorant some of our legislators are, let me quote State Senator Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat from Manhattan: "Unless you have a recipe for splattered deer soup, you’re not going to be hunting with this weapon."
In trying to be graphic and denigrating at the same time, he simply comes off the fool to anyone who knows anything about weapons.
A 50-caliber rifle bullet will not splatter a deer as much as a 12 guage slug, but because the senator is from the heart of New York City I guess he can be forgiven. He probably knows as much about guns as my three-year-old granddaughter. I’d like to see the senator out in a marsh trying to bring down ducks with a 50-caliber rifle; that would be the equivalent of trying to hit a vital spot in a jumbo jet except ducks fly a lot slower.
Oops, he couldn’t do that, because it’s illegal to shoot wildfowl with a rifle. OK, I’d like to see him try to "splatter" a deer with a 50-caliber high powered rifle. Well, what I’d really like is to see him butt out.
And remember, folks, we need to let local newspapers such as The Valley News know that we appreciate writers and columnists such as Leon Archer.
I guess the City of Columbus, Ohio wants to enact its own "assault weapons" ban. They've tried before and failed. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is firing back. From Crosswalk.com:
"This proposed ban is based on a model drafted by the anti-gun Legal Community Against Violence, an organization whose dubious efforts haven't prevented a single violent crime anywhere," added Waldron."All they want to do is deprive law-abiding citizens of legally-owned firearms, and that's hardly the solution to violent crimes committed by criminals who habitually disobey every law on the books. Evidently, that's something that seems to have escaped the limited grasp of the LCAV, and the authors of the proposed Columbus measure," he said.
[...]
"The proponents of this ordinance," said Waldron, "will argue that it is written to distinguish 'bad guns' from 'legitimate sporting weapons.' The Ohio Constitution does not contain language protecting a right to bear sporting firearms, and there is nothing in that document about hunting or sport shooting, anyway.
"The state constitution clearly says that the people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security," said Waldron.
Okay, that was a snarky lead. I'm GLAD that because of a Project Safe Neighborhoods grant, Nashville police are going after the gang-bangers. From the Tennessean:
In a joint news conference, Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas and Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville office of federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said agents from the two agencies will now meet weekly to target the most egregious gun cases and shooting suspects."I think that as we've watched this year develop, we're seeing young kids in the narcotics business shooting each other in less than fatal ways," Serpas said. "I think that represents that they are confident they can get away with it. They are doing it in a way to intimidate each other, and that causes the other side to retaliate."
[...]
Also, starting this Friday, Metro police will place a detective in each of the six police precincts who will focus strictly on gun-related crimes, Serpas said.
The federal prosecutions will be funded largely through a Project Safe Neighborhood grant, an effort by the U.S. Justice Department that allocated $220 million to combat gun-related violence in local jurisdictions. Since 2002, there have been 120 local cases prosecuted under the program, officials said.
I have long maintained that most police departments are reactive; all they can do is respond after the crime has been committed. That doesn't mean they should be short-changed the funds they need to operate, persue, and prosecute the mutants of this world.
Naturally, there is only so much a city can tax it's residents but when you consider some of the nonsense that money is spent on, it's up to the tax payers to demand that city budgets focus on what is important and to my mind, the police departments are VERY important.
Another brief has been released, this one by Robert A. Levy, Ph.D., J.D of the CATO Institute who supports the Second Amendment rights of DC residents, although he would prefer it first be decided by the courts. Here's a quote:
To vindicate the Second Amendment rights of D.C. residents, and guarantee that those rights will be permanently secured, a constitutional challenge to the District's gun laws should be brought in a federal court where there is no adverse judicial precedent. Preferably, the challenge should be civil, not criminal; filed by sympathetic, law-abiding plaintiffs who simply want a gun in their home for self-defense.In fact, such a case is now pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In February 2003, three local attorneys and I filed a civil lawsuit in Washington, D.C.'s federal court on behalf of six D.C. residents who want to be able to defend themselves in their own homes. The litigation, Parker v. District of Columbia, is not about machine guns and assault weapons. It's about the right to own ordinary, garden-variety handguns. Nor do the plaintiffs argue for the right to carry a gun outside the home. That's another question for another day. This case is about a pistol in the home for self-defense.
Off and on over the years, Washington, D.C. has reclaimed its title as the nation's murder capital. Yet, the D.C. government has been feckless in disarming violent criminals. At the same time, however, it has done a superb job of disarming decent, peaceable residents.
Here's a newspaper correction that certainly makes all the difference in a report by the Montana Standard:
An item in Tuesday's police report on Page A3 concerning a camp trailer being shot with a high-powered rifle contained misleading information. The trailer was parked at the Butte Gun Club behind the silhouette firing line, not at the Dunks trailer court, as listed in the police report. The trailer was not hit by fire originating from the black-powder cartridge rifle competitors at the weekend match, said gun club spokesman Mike Johnson. Johnson said it's unknown from where the bullet originated that hit the trailer, but he emphasized that strict firing line discipline and safe firearm handling are enforced by the range officers at all Butte Gun Club matches.
A reader emailed me:
can you give me your opinion on the 7x57 as a deer cartridge? just bought a Ruger No. 1 RSI in this caliber and can't wait to hunt with it this fall. The only thing that bothers me is it only has a 20" barrel??? Will this effect my accuracy, more noise and or kick harder?
Confederate Yankee has moved his excellent blog to new digs. Set your sights accordingly.
I've already let known my thoughts on last week's US Supreme Court ruling that it is perfectly fine for towns to grab your life-long home if they can turn it over to a developer who will build something that generates more tax revenues. As one of the jerks who supported such a position, Supreme Court "Justice" David Souter should smile and say, "Thank you":
On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home.Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.
The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."
Clements indicated that the hotel must be built on this particular piece of land because it is a unique site being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans.
"This is not a prank" said Clements, "The Towne of Weare has five people on the Board of Selectmen. If three of them vote to use the power of eminent domain to take this land from Mr. Souter we can begin our hotel development."
Clements' plan is to raise investment capital from wealthy pro-liberty investors and draw up architectural plans. These plans would then be used to raise investment capital for the project. Clements hopes that regular customers of the hotel might include supporters of the Institute For Justice and participants in the Free State Project among others.
Why is it that I'm incapable of writing about this issue without getting vulgar? Probably because this was such an anti-Constitutional decision that basically gave all currupt politicians and zoning officials the power to line their pockets with big-business money.
Just in case you were thinking of trying to duck from serving on jury duty, you could get assigned to a case like this:
A California man facing life in prison for crashing his car into a UPS truck will not dispute that his actions resulted in the death of the driver when his trial opens Monday in Nevada County Superior Court.Instead, Scott Krause's defense will argue that the defendant believed he was trying to escape man-eating subterranean beings when he ran into Drew Reynolds' truck on Jan. 6, 2004.
Krause has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to five felony counts, including first-degree murder, carjacking, and burglary, stemming from a string of alleged criminal activities leading up to the fatal highway crash.
In three court-ordered evaluations, the defendant stated he was fleeing subterranean beings he called "hemadrones" when he carjacked a commercial vehicle near a Nevada City, Calif., gas station and then crashed into Reynolds' service vehicle.
Welcome to the June 28th edition of the Weekly Check on media issues regarding guns and the 2nd Amendment.
While the "New Media" (meaning bloggers) might not fully drive MSM (Mainstream Media) yet, certainly many TV and newspaper headlines are effected by the big guys such as Matt Drudge. Yesterday he had a pair of headlines that showed the futility of modern crime-fighting when the public isn't involved. First we had this ABC TV Chicago report:
The police are watching. And in Chicago, they're listening, too.City officials are using new technology that recognizes the sound of a gunshot within a two-block radius, pinpoints the source, turns a surveillance camera toward the shooter and places a 911 call. Officials can then track the shooter and dispatch officers to the scene.
Welcome to crime-fighting in the 21st century.
Nearly 24 people shot in less than 12 hoursShots rang out across the city Saturday night and Sunday morning -- from the Far North Side to the Far South Side -- with preliminary reports of nearly two dozen people shot.
The overnight tally -- which is unofficial -- included two shootings on the same corner, a fatal shooting near the Taste of Chicago and several on the West Side, where detectives were swamped.
"We're just spinning up here,'' one detective said.
Perhaps spurred by Drudge, there were other stories today about the technology such as this one from Myrtle Beach Online:
CHARLESTON - For two years, the ShotSpotter system has provided police in two Lowcountry cities key evidence in shooting cases and has resulted in less gunfire in some areas where the system is used.Also during the period, the number of gun assaults has remained relatively stable in Charleston and North Charleston.
The system uses acoustic sensors linked by phone lines to a computer to tell dispatchers where guns are fired. It lets officers to get to the scene quickly, allowing them to preserve evidence and helping get guns off the streets.
[...]
About a dozen cities nationwide use ShotSpotter.
Since 2002, neither Charleston nor North Charleston has seen a substantial decrease in gun violence, but the numbers have not increased either and have remained relatively steady.
In Chicago (24 shot in 12 hours) the law-abiding citizen isn't allowed to defend himself; handgun ownership is forbidden by law. You can't have one in your home and you can't carry one for personal protection. Some thug can accost you because he knows you aren't armed. He can shoot you and while a ShotSpotter box atop a lightpole rotates around to try to film you and then "dial 911", you're already a statistic.
In most areas, the cops are not there to prevent crime, they're there to investigate the crime scene. If the chalk outline is of you, too bad. ShotSpotter didn't prevent the crime; it merrily reported it. Since Chicago and Washington DC both forbid gun ownership and both lead the nation in gun crime, the equation doesn't work. It doesn't work in Britain or Australia either. San Francisco take note!
Why is it important that folks be able to defend themselves? From Click 2 Houston:
One man died and another was hospitalized after a family caught several men invading their northeast Houston home Monday morning, police told Local 2.Police said four men tried to break into the home on Lakewood and Jensen drives when the homeowner and his family arrived at about 1:30 a.m.
Investigators said a gun battle broke out between the family and the group of intruders.
Authorities said the intruders fled to a home on Willie and Terrell, where one of the men died from a gunshot wound. Another man was transported to Ben Taub Hospital. His condition was not released.
Last week I reported on a now widely syndicated story debating the end of the AWB. It starts off:
It's been 10 months since the federal assault weapons ban expired, and for an idea of what's happened since then, pick up a copy of a gun magazine.There you will find advertisements for semiautomatic rifles and pistols looking like something out of a war zone, with ammunition clips holding 30 or 40 bullets -- many features that 11 months ago, U.S. manufacturers could not make and gun stores could not sell.
"Since the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire, it has been open season for criminals who want the most dangerous types of military-style assault weapons," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who in March introduced legislation to revive the old ban.
Feinstein said that the expiration of the ban she fought hard to get in 1994 "will have deadly consequences on the streets of America."
Eric Howard, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said that just because there are no statistics to prove it does not mean the expiration of the ban has been a big so-what."Now manufacturers are kicking it up, and we're seeing things like fingerprint proof-resistant grips," he said.
"That's clearly to attract a niche that's not your regular duck hunter."
The silliest quote by Brady Bunch spokesman Howard was that "just because there are no statistics" to prove that the end of the AWB has led to an increase in crime doesn't mean it hasn't been "a big so-what." Somehow, that reminded me of an editorial by the brilliant Jonah Goldberg of NRO regarding accusations that President Bush had forwarning of 9/11. Specifically, about Rep. Cynthia McKinney:
When confronted, McKinney backpedaled a few millimeters. In a statement she explained: "I am not aware of any evidence showing that President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11. A complete investigation might reveal that to be the case."I see. Well, just let me just say that I am not aware of any evidence that Ms. McKinney has murdered several children or that she personally profited from sleeping with the entire defensive squad of the Atlanta Falcons. However, a complete investigation might reveal that to be the case.
This wasn't supposed to happen. When the federal assault weapons ban ended on Sept. 13, 2004, gun crimes and police killings were predicted to surge. Instead, they have declined.For a decade, the ban was a cornerstone of the gun control movement. Sarah Brady, one of the nation's leading gun control advocates, warned that "our streets are going to be filled with AK-47s and Uzis." Life without the ban would mean rampant murder and bloodshed.
Well, more than nine months have passed and the first crime numbers are in. Last week, the FBI announced that the number of murders nationwide fell by 3.6% last year, the first drop since 1999. The trend was consistent; murders kept on declining after the assault weapons ban ended.
Even more interesting, the seven states that have their own assault weapons bans saw a smaller drop in murders than the 43 states without such laws, suggesting that doing away with the ban actually reduced crime. (States with bans averaged a 2.4% decline in murders; in three states with bans, the number of murders rose. States without bans saw murders fall by more than 4%.)
And the drop was not just limited to murder. Overall, violent crime also declined last year, according to the FBI, and the complete statistics carry another surprise for gun control advocates. Guns are used in murder and robbery more frequently then in rapes and aggravated assaults, but after the assault weapons ban ended, the number of murders and robberies fell more than the number of rapes and aggravated assaults.
Update: Last month I mentioned that the San Diego Fair wouldn't allow off-duty police to carry their guns within the fair grounds because:
Linda Zweig, fairgrounds spokeswoman, said Thursday that the 2004 fair "came off as a model of a safe and secure public event," because of stepped-up security measures such as video cameras and metal detectors, as well as a "substantial and highly visible security force.""Our incident rate at the fairgrounds is low," Zweig said, explaining the ban on off-duty officers carrying guns. "We want to provide a safe venue."
Off-duty law officers will be able to bring their guns to the San Diego County Fair, a federal judge ruled Monday.Fair officials had prohibited firearms at the fair, but the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego went to court to contest the ban.
Judge Irma Gonzalez ruled that the officers have a legal right to carry their weapons to public events on public property while they are off-duty. Gonzalez granted the officers a temporary restraining order blocking fair officials from enforcing the ban.
Update 2:
The Brady Bunch has just put out a press release attempting to discredit John Lott. I'll ignore the personal attacks and focus on one statement:
Let's review Mr. Lott's credentials.He's Been Discredited By Scholars
"A good scientist needs to use reliable data and appropriate models and to present findings fairly and accurately. All scientists make mistakes, but one widely cited gun proponent, John Lott Jr., all too often presents inaccurate information, uses inappropriate data and models, and obtains questionable results. He then publicizes them extensively." (Private Guns, Public Health, David Hemenway, Professor of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health. University of Michigan Press, 2004)
"In at least eight published articles, more than a dozen academics have found enough serious flaws in Lott's model to discount his findings.... The general consensus among those who have seriously analyzed the results is that any "inference that is based on the Lott and Mustard models is inappropriate, and their results cannot be used responsibly to formulate public policy"..." (Private Guns, Public Health)
It is obvious to us that David Hemenway (H) had no intention of producing a balanced, intellectually serious assessment of our estimates of defensive gun use (DGU). Instead, his critique serves the narrow political purpose of "getting the estimate down," for the sake of advancing the gun control cause. An honest, scientifically based critique would have given balanced consideration to flaws that tend to make the estimate too low (e.g., people concealing DGUs because they involved unlawful behavior, and our failure to count any DGUs by adolescents), as well as those that contribute to making them too high. Equally important, it would have given greatest weight to relevant empirical evidence, and little or no weight to idle speculation about possible flaws. H's approach is precisely the opposite--one-sided and almost entirely speculative. Readers who have any doubts about the degree to which H's paper is imbalanced might carry out a simple exercise to assess our claim¾ count the number of lines H devotes to flaws tending to make the estimate too high and the number devoted to flaws making the estimate too low. We submit that the ratio is over 100-to-1, i.e., almost entirely devoted to speculations about why the estimate is too high.
So the Brady Bunch have found a few "experts" who dispute John Lott's figures. Here's a news flash: There are quite a few "experts" who dispute the Theory of Evolution and still more who claim the earth is only four thousand years old. I guess we'll all have to just keep shouting at each other. Alphecca is MY megaphone.
For those of you who don't stop by that often, remember that I cover media stories like this all week long. You might want to browse the site. And as long as I'm tooting my own horn, my Taurus Fund has $61 bucks in it. Cool. If you'd like to contribute towards my acquisition of this pistol, head to my home page and hit the gun graphic on the right...
Here's what's happening at some other pro-2A bloggers' sites:
Kim du Toit has more citizen disarmament in Africa. So does Say Uncle.
Irons in the Fire writes about the well-dressed cowboy.
Les Jones as a range report on the Armalite AR-7.
mASS Backwards shows what happens when folks don't follow gun safety rules.
Countertop Chronicles has just the thing to perk up your, er, week.
Carnaby Fudge had a multi-cultural range trip. With pictures. And in case you're wondering why I don't have one this week, it's because there ARE no pictures of the ShotSpotter.
Cowboy Blog has a range report, too. Home, home on the range...
In a rambling post, The Ten Ring mentions a new pro-2A Democrat site. We'll see...
Also, NZ Bear and Say Uncle have a Gun blogger's community page where you can catch the latest stuff from blatherers like me... It's nifty, swift & bitchen'!
Time to get this posted. I'll be on Cam's Corner later this afternoon and until then, thanks for stopping by!
LONDONDERRY — Make room in the tree stand, guys.For some of the 75 women who attended Doe Camp this summer, new skills with a rifle were proven with a good eye for clay pigeons.
And they might like to bring home some venison.
Shotgun Safety and Marksmanship was one of 42 outdoor skills classes that women had a chance to try hands-on as part of the fourth annual Vermont Outdoors Women summer session developed by the Vermont Outdoor Guides Association.
Classes at the women-only hunting camp ranged from fly-fishing and nature photography, to skinning wild game, critter calling and kayaking.
A new class proved to be very popular this year.
"The chainsaw class filled up first," said VOGA Director Graydon Stevens of Ferrisburgh. "I hope that doesn't mean we're starting something."
GREENWOOD — Retiring Police Chief Ronnie White found a bargain: City Council sold him his gun for the low price of $1, and he didn't even have to pay for it.The 65-year-old White is stepping down at the end of June, and he wanted to keep his Smith and Wesson 4053 .40 caliber service pistol to complete his set of four duty-issued weapons from his 41-year career in law enforcement.
City Council recently approved selling the weapon to White for $1, and Mayor Harry Smith paid for the firearm.
[...]
When he retired from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, he was allowed to keep his two guns. He became police chief in Greenwood in 1992 and bought back his Smith and Wesson Chief's Special from the gun dealer to whom the city first sold the firearm.
"I've got four weapons, and I've got four grandsons. One of these days, I hope to be able to give them these guns and explain to them what role they played in my life," he said.
About a month ago I had mused that -- having gotten the Ruger 10/22 -- I'd also like to get their 10/17. One thing has totally put the brakes on that. The manual is the same for both guns and in one spot it conspicuously states, ...10/17 chambers must be scrupulously cleaned at least every 50 shots."
Yipes! That sounds too much like work to me. If I'm lucky enough to have the range to myself (actually quite common) I easily run hundreds of rounds through my guns. Heck, I'll staple 10 targets to the boards at a time. With my .22s I can shoot the better part of a brick before going home.
If I have to spend half of my precious time there "scrupulously cleaning" (I'm assuming that simply running a cord through the barrel won't suffice) I'm no longer interested. I prefer to bring my guns home, sit on the couch with the TV on, and huff Hoppe's #9 everything down, then.
I'm reminded of a quip from Steven Wright, "24-hour banking? I don't have time for that!"
Do .17 caliber rifles REALLY require that kind of maintenance schedule?
There's a nice (alas short) feature in today's Green Bay Press-Gazette by Ed Culhane on M-1 enthusiasts:
He asked Ploeckelmann to leave the gun with him for a couple of weeks. Seeing the M-1 Garand sparked a flood of memories, some of them hard. He needed time.They restored it together and went to the range. For the first time in a half century, Bruce had fun shooting, remembering the skills that made him a gifted marksman.
That day changed Ploeckelmann’s life. He fell in love with the art of shooting. He learned about breath control, about calming the mind, about the dynamics of body position, about adjusting for the wind, about placing the finger on the trigger so that the pull is straight and comfortable.
Now, he owns three M-1 Garands and loves meeting others who share an affection for this piece of American history. After the matches, if someone expresses an interest, as I did, he’ll point to his open gun cases and say, “Grab a Garand.”
I'm having a Rodney Dangerfield kind of day:
"I put my shirt on this morning and a button fell off. I picked up my briefcase and the handle fell off. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom!"
Individ looks at the origins of the word "gun". It's a woman thing...
I think you'll find Zendo Deb's Right to real and personal property amendment quite interesting.
Well, that's the gist of the title of this story:
It's been 10 months since the federal assault weapons ban expired, and for an idea of what's happened since then, pick up a copy of a gun magazine.There you will find advertisements for semiautomatic rifles and pistols looking like something out of a war zone, with ammunition clips holding 30 or 40 bullets -- many features that 11 months ago, U.S. manufacturers could not make and gun stores could not sell.
"Since the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire, it has been open season for criminals who want the most dangerous types of military-style assault weapons," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who in March introduced legislation to revive the old ban.
Feinstein said that the expiration of the ban she fought hard to get in 1994 "will have deadly consequences on the streets of America."
But has it really made much of a difference? Are the streets less safe?
There is no hard evidence one way or another.
Eric Howard, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said that just because there are no statistics to prove it does not mean the expiration of the ban has been a big so-what."Now manufacturers are kicking it up, and we're seeing things like fingerprint proof-resistant grips," he said.
"That's clearly to attract a niche that's not your regular duck hunter."
Then they quote the VPC as saying there never was a real AWB. Well in that case I guess there's no reason to bring it back, right?
It seems to me that stories like this, with no real information in them other than saying, "Just look what's for sale in gun magazines!!!" serve no purpose other than to try to drum-up public support for another AWB by trying to frighten them. Reads like bias to me.
Last night at the local watering-hole we were talking about the KELO decision. One waitress (who I now realize is an American Indian) overheard, huffed, and said, "What a concept: White man taking white man's land."
It gave me pause...
Possession of a machine gun is illegal in Michigan, but authorities say that did not stop a local teen from ordering one over the Internet.A 15-year-old Lodi Township boy is being charged for his purchase of the gun. He is a student at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School.
Washtenaw County authorities say the teen emailed video in which he was using the gun to a friend in New Mexico. That friend’s father saw it and contacted police.
The machine gun is a British-made Sten 9mm. It is a World War II era weapon. Commander Dave Egeler of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that it does still operate.
If you read the whole thing, his school is unconcerned about it but local cops are... Here in Vermont, you can own anything; there are no laws against owning automatics other than whatever the federal regulations are.
Hey, other bloggers chat about the guns they wish they had, they have "buy me guns or other stuff" jars; why not me? As any casual reader here knows, I've always been a fan of the Taurus PT series of 9mm pistols. In the past, I've owned two of them (long since sold when cash was low). Last weekend I was at a gun shop in Northern Vermont and they had one of these. It's the new series PT909. 17-round magazines, compact, and it has the same good feel to it that my old PTs had. So as long as I'm dreaming...
Update 6/25: Just a reminder that you don't need an account at PayPal to contribute via it.
Current "Jeff's Taurus PT Fund" tally: $11.00 dollars. Hey, it's a start and I thank you!
Update 6/25 PM: The "Fund" is up to $41.00 dollars plus what folks have promised to mail in. This is great! At this rate, by next weekend I could buy this beauty. Thanks so much!
By the way, I've been sending thank you notes to everyone via email and one, to "Warren" bounced from the receiving ISP. Please accept my thanks, here.
Update 6/30: The "Gun Fund" now stands at $76 dollars. Too cool! You folks are the best!
Update late 6/30 PM: I'm flustered at your generosity. My "Taurus Pistol Fund" is now up to $104 dollars. Thank you! This post is about to scroll off the blog shortly but you can keep tabs on the total with my graphic on the right side-bar of the main page. I need about $500 bucks for the gun and an extra magazine. I should be able to come up with a hundred of my own so there's not much farther to go. I'm ready, the range is ready, my camera is ready for all sorts of range reports. You folks are swell! This is the best affirmation of my constant blatherings in defense of the Second Amendment that you could possibly give me. Thank you so much.
I forgot to blog about this the other day but better late than never. From the LaGrande Observer (OR):
Saying they're tired of the gun control issue costing them defections to the GOP, Baker County Democrats voted last week to approve a platform resolution in support of gun ownership that they hope the state party will add to its platform.[...]
The local resolution states, in part, "The Democratic Party of Oregon resolves as follows: To recognize and support the right to keep and bear arms in Section 207 of the Oregon State Constitution and the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as an individual right not granted by the government but rather guaranteed by the government.
"In recognition of the tremendous personal responsibility engendered by the right to keep and bear arms, the Democratic Party of Oregon further advocates severe penalties and their enforcement for criminal use or misuse of this right."
It was good to get that mini-rant off my chest yesterday, responding to the Supreme Court decision that you are not entitled to your own home if it stands in the way of currupt politicians and their big business friends wanting to put up a strip-mall or some other property-tax-rich construction. This country is going down the tubes as the federal government usurps powers that rightfully should belong to the states, and more than that, to the citizens. Jim at Smoke On The Water agrees, as do others.
Since we can no longer count on Republicans, Democrats, and the courts to protect our rights, I more firmly than ever feel that I am -- not just independent -- but almost alone in this country. I feel as if I've been transplanted in some THX-1138 universe (or is it The Matrix) where the politicos know best and why don't we just lay in our cacoons while Big-Brother tells us what is best for us. We don't need Rights anymore because the government is in control of our VR screens. Suddenly, the opening of the original Outer Limits TV show seems oddly prescient.
Both the Left and the Right are destroying this country and the Moderate Middle doesn't seem to give a fuck. The Kerrys, Kennedys, Delays, Santorums, Bushs, Schumers; they all suck the life out of our Constitution. Can you imagine what the Founding Fathers would think of our federal government today?
To that end, I need to begin exploring other political venues -- organizations -- that limit their scope to preserving our rights as they were originally written AND INTENDED instead of attempting to re-engineer those rights as well as our liberties and.
I've been invited to hear one-time NH Libertarian gubernatorial candidate John Babiarz speak at the Orford Common about American history. I think I'll go. I also think I'll start spending more time at websites such as the American Sons of Liberty. Your recommendations are welcome. So are your thoughts.
We already know that most of the fucking politicians in this country are currupt. Now, apparently, the Supreme Court has shown that it is, too. Big business and greedy local political shits rule the day! From CNN:
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses -- even against their will -- for private economic development.It was a decision fraught with huge implications for a country with many areas, particularly the rapidly growing urban and suburban areas, facing countervailing pressures of development and property ownership rights.
The 5-4 ruling represented a defeat for some Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex. They argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.
As a result, cities have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes to generate tax revenue.
Update: InstaPundit has a fine roundup of opinions on the KELO decision. Many liberals (but not so many leftists) are upset, too.
I should have added "again". From the Evening Standard (UK):
Teenage gunmen are responsible for a huge surge in shootings across London.Police say they are arresting teenagers with loaded guns as young as 16, while one community leader told the Standard there were now 14-year-olds carrying guns.
The teenage gunmen are suspected of being behind a rise of as much as 146 per cent in gun crime in some London boroughs in the months since April, during which Met Police figures show a 10 per cent rise capital-wide.
One senior detective on Operation Trident, combating armed black drug gangs, said: "The gunmen are getting younger and younger. These kids are less disciplined than older gunmen and more volatile. The terrifying thing is they are getting hold of these guns and they are more willing to use them than older criminals."
No word yet from the law-abiding victims. See, folks, when the mutants KNOW that their victims are unarmed, even with a kitchen-knife, that just gives them the green light to run rampant. Maybe, just maybe -- and I'm not saying it would -- if these punks KNEW they could be killed by their intended victims, they might think twice. And if the courts in England would put the fear of life in prison or the death penalty in them, that couldn't hurt either.
Instead, we have the peculiar situation where the public can't defend itself and if they try, then THEY face worse penalties than the thug.
And for those simplistic anti-gun types who think that simple bans on all guns will solve the problem here in the US -- that if we outlaw all guns the criminals will mysteriously not have them anymore, I would first point to England, and secondly, I would point to drug laws. Heroin and cocaine are illegal here in the US; a total ban on them. So how's THAT going?... Bans don't eliminate anything where criminals are concerned. In the case of guns, though, at least the average citizen should have the right to fight back with their own.
Short on details but long on spin, WLWT TV (OH) reports:
Gun violence in the city escalated to even an more frightening level when a group with assault rifles sprayed a neighborhood with armor-piercing bullets Wednesday night, News 5's Jonathan Hawgood reported.[...]
Even police veterans were shocked at the firepower, Hawgood reported.
The firefight broke out about 9:30 p.m. at Linn and York streets in the West End.
One group was riding in an SUV. Another group apparently was waiting on the street to ambush them.
When the SUV approached, the other group opened fire. No one was apprehended.
From the description at the end of the piece, it's obvious that this was a gang war, yet there's no mention of that. IN FACT, they're simply called "groups". You know, just a bunch of folks loitering around the streets of Cincinnati who suddenly opened-fire on each other.
Guns were used, to be sure, but wouldn't the journalist have been more accurate putting the focus of his story on the street-gangs perpetrating this violence? This ugly incident was a gang-control problem.
Ithaca Gun Company has been struggling for years and apparently they are throwing in the towel. From the Ithaca Journal:
AUBURN -- Mired in debt and struggling to compete, the Ithaca Gun Co. has ended production after more than a century in business."We're just tapped out, we can't do it any longer," Andrew Sciarabba, one of seven investors who own Ithaca Gun Co., told The Post-Standard of Syracuse.
Closure of the company, which had 26 employees, comes less than a year after it received $150,000 from Cayuga County for operating expenses. Ithaca Gun had missed its May and June payments on the loan, for which it had put up its equipment as collateral.
The company reportedly had recently completed a move from King Ferry to Auburn.
Sciarabba, whose group acquired the company out of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s, said Ithaca Gun was several hundred thousand dollars in debt.
Sciarabba said the company also owed several years worth of back excise taxes to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The gun company, which had operated on a 2-acre site on Ithaca's Lake Street continuously since 1880 manufacturing shotguns, went bankrupt in the 1980s and was bought by new owners in 1989 and relocated to King Ferry.
Sorry, there just isn't enough meat out there to put together any sort of bias report. I covered the worst examples late last week and nothing new really catches my eye except as re-treads of previous stories. This means I won't have a segment on Cam's either, today. This seems to happen a lot during the Summer months as the media focuses on other subjects. Or maybe I just have writer's block...
I like this story from Out-Law.Com:
British insurer elephant.co.uk has lost an attempt to capture elephant.com from a Canadian who uses it for his web site about elephants and who had indicated that he would sell the name if the offer price was over $1 million.Elephant.co.uk is a brand of Admiral Insurance Services, fronted at the web site by a cartoon character called Trunkie. The brand makes millions from selling cheap car insurance over the web. But the owner of elephant.com, Adam Dicker from Ontario, told an arbitration panel that he had never heard of the British business.
[...]
He said that until he received the complaint he had not been aware of any company using the word elephant as a brand of insurance. His previous communications with Oberwager and Admiral had made no mention of the term. He said that as soon as he knew of the possible infringement he had removed the insurance ads and replaced his original content.
The site, he argued, was therefore being operated in good faith.
Admiral disagreed, producing evidence showing that the site was still generating insurance adverts. On the elephant.com homepage at the time of writing, Google AdSense displays one advert for insurexyz.com, headed "WWF Save the Big Cat" and linking to a page on insurexyz.com's site that promotes pet insurance. Dicker pointed out that he has no control over the ads that Google AdSense displays on his site.
He also argued that Adsense sometimes generates different adverts for the same web page, depending on the internet protocol (IP) address of the person viewing the page, so that UK viewers see different adverts to those from Canada. Dicker had had no idea insurance adverts were being shown in the UK, he said.
Dicker reasoned that if AdSense is linking to competitors of Admiral, that is a matter for Admiral to raise with Google, not him.
The three-man WIPO panel agreed, finding that Admiral had not proved bad faith on the part of Adam Dicker. The panel refused to transfer the domain.
Now, if these guys want to buy Alpheccca.com, I'd entertain a six-figure offer; I'm not greedy...
While I'm against individual cities and municipalities adopting stricter gun laws than a state requires, naturally I'm all for they're having more lenient ones, as Roswell Georgia does. From the Macon Telegraph (GA):
The city of Roswell is abandoning plans to rewrite part of its gun law after receiving a flood of calls and e-mails from supporters of the National Rifle Association.The city decided to change the law earlier this year to conform with state law, which says citizens can only use force to defend a person. Roswell's law includes people and property.
The change in wording caught the attention of the NRA and its supporters, who complained in large numbers to City Hall.
A new version of the city's ordinance will be drafted, but without the change opposed by the NRA, said City Councilman Kent Igleheart. The state law takes precedence in criminal matters.
Apparently, anyone can say anything, politicians can blithly repeat falsehoods perpetrated by anti-gun groups, and with little or no fact checking, the Associated Press will print them:
The National Rifle Association and its allies in the House beat back an effort Thursday to restrict gun manufacturers' exports of high-powered, .50-caliber rifles that can bring down jet airliners from a mile away.By a 278-149 vote, the House killed an amendment by Rep. James Moran (news, bio, voting record) to block .50-caliber exports to civilians. He said the guns are dream weapons for terrorists.
Secondly, if these are the dream weapons of choice for terrorists, how come none of them are using them? Couldn't be the $5000 dollar price tag or the size or the weight? And -- here in this country -- no .50 caliber rifle has ever been used in a terroristic act, no one has been killed by one. No plane has been brought down (here, or anywhere else in the world, actually).
So the first two paragraphs of AP writer Andrew Taylor's report are just plain bullshit. Now, while it's true that the proposed measure would supposedly have only effected US manufactured rifles being exported to "civilians" in other countries, let's face it, there's a roundabout agenda at work here.
The VPC, Brady Bunch, and other gun-banners would instantly sieze on such a bill if it passed and say, "We wouldn't allow people in other countries to own such rifles, why would we allow the sale of them, closer-to-home, to civilians here in the US where anyone could be a potential terrorist?" Because, of course, these gun-banners consider all of us law-abiding citizens to be terrorists. Heck, in Maryland, the VPC thinks that cops shouldn't be allowed guns!
By the way, the AP story also quotes the discredited CBS 60 Minutes story about about the .50 caliber rifle, as if that's supposed to be the final say on the matter. And, as usual, the NRA is painted to be the demon which caused the export-ban legislation to fail. No, Taylor, it was common sense that brought about its demise.
PappaBear, beloved husband and friend to MommaBear has passed away. I met both of them at the NE Blog Bash last year. They've been one of those marriages that lasted for about half-a-century. You just knew they were perfect together. My sincere condolences go out to MommaBear. MommaBear is a part of the team at On the Third Hand and has been a good friend to me since I started blogging way back when.
A coalition of District political, labor, business and religious leaders took aim yesterday at U.S. senators seeking to repeal the city's gun restrictions, with some accusing the senators of using D.C. residents as pawns to further their own political ambitions.At a news conference at the District's Shaw Junior High School, some of the local leaders threatened to work for the defeat of Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) and George Allen (R-Va.), who are spearheading a Senate bill to abolish various D.C. gun laws, including the city's 29-year-old ban on private ownership of handguns
Hutchison is weighing a 2006 bid for governor. Allen faces reelection in 2006 and is contemplating a 2008 presidential bid.
"To those who seek to use the District of Columbia as a platform to run for governor of their state . . . you might find residents of the District of Columbia knocking on doors in Texas and educating folks about your work," said Joslyn N. Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO.
The Rev. Lionel Edmonds, head of the Washington Interfaith Network, said leaders of the 60 denominations represented in his group would reach out to organize like-minded clergy in Virginia and Texas.
People who live in Wisconsin would be barred from suing gun makers over shooting deaths or injuries under a bill advancing through the Legislature.The bill passed by the Assembly this week, also exempts gun
dealers and firing-range owners. It would only allow a lawsuit against manufacturers when the guns are found to be defective.The sponsor is Republican Representative Mark Pettis of Hertel.
The issue is also being debated at the federal level.
Governor Doyle promises to veto the bill if it passes the
Senate.
After today, I have several days off and family is coming to visit. Expect lighter than normal posting... Sorry about that. Um, let me rephrase that! I'm sorry for light posting, not that family is arriving!
From the Bangor Daily News (ME):
A man in his 70s managed to fire his .22-caliber rifle at a person who broke into his home last week in what may have been a home invasion by people looking for drugs.[...]
The victims told police that the intruders asked them repeatedly "where the stuff was," Tripp said Tuesday.
At least two people entered the home. Exactly what "stuff" they were looking for was not clear to the couple, he said, but police speculate they may have been looking for drugs.
During the attack, Tripp said, the intruders blindfolded the woman and ordered her to remain in the living room. The man's feet were bound to the footboard of his bed and a pillowcase was placed over his face.
The man managed to get free while the intruders were elsewhere in the house. Tripp said the man fetched a .22-caliber rifle he keeps by the side of his bed and when an intruder returned to the bedroom, the man fired a shot at him.
"A shot was fired into the wall," Tripp said. "They fled the residence."
Joel Rosenberg examines the bias in a report critical of Minnesota's concealed-carry law.
Okay, maybe not for you but for me, and since this is MY blog, that's all I really want to talk about... For over a week we've been in the 80s and 90s with horrible humidity. Even taking a shower every morning and evening, I still felt covered with sweat and slime all day and night. Today, about Noon time, it all went away. Cool temps moved in with some pleasing rain. Right now it's 67 degrees outside, my windows are open, life is good, and it's supposed to stay this way for several days. Lord, it feels good. There IS a God!
A LOT of folks use my RSS feeds. I have no idea how they work but I've added the SiteMeter code to the templates for them to find out. If you find my RSS Feeds suddenly screwed-up, let me know and I'll delete that code and restore them to what they were (not that I understand any of this...). I just find it weird that SiteMeter says I have about 600 folks stopping by each day and Hosting Matters says I have over a thousand.
On another note: While browsing through my (reciprocol) blogroll, alas, I discovered that some bloggers have become inactive. I'll be "culling" them out in the next few days, not a pleasant task. This is a good time for those of you who ARE active and blogrolling me to let me know so I can add you to mine. I'm not a "linky" blogger but I do appreciate you -- I just tend to focus on gun issues and those writing about them. I generally only pay attention to folks who are on my blogroll as I use that as my "bookmarks" or "Favorites".
Welcome to the Flag Day edition of my Weekly Check on the Bias by the media of gun rights and the Second Amendment.
It brings up the thought that while many countries claim to offer freedom, only here in the United States do we have it written as an imperative in the founding documents of our nation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Alas, both are under seige from special interest groups on both the political "left" and "right".
In this Weekly Report, I confine myself to just one of those, the right to keep and bear arms, as reflected in the media. I try to find new examples each week of pro-or-con reporting to blab about here, plus (since many of you only stop by on Tuesdays) recap what I've been reporting on during the past week.
If there is a theme to this week's report, it is that while any right could be abused or misused, that doesn't mean we should start abridging it or eliminating it. That would be caving-in to the criminals or terrorists or critics of freedom. "Freedom is not free" should be the watch phrase. Most folks who enjoy cooking would never give up their chef knives, yet as you all know by now, that is what some in Great Britain would force you to do in the interests of "safety".
Likewise, here in America, some would make it almost impossible to obtain a handgun for personal defense or for pleasure or for whatever reason you might want it for, all in the name of preventing the misuse of them. The Buffalo News is leading the charge:
Bostic, now 34, carried out the biggest illegal gun trafficking scheme ever uncovered in Western New York, The News found, by taking advantage of loopholes in the nation's gun laws and limitations on federal law enforcement. And he was helped by powerful gun rights lobbies that undermined the enforcers.Bostic also benefited, The News found, from hatching his scheme in the gun-friendly state of Ohio - where he and three girlfriends roamed through gun shows, seeking weapons dealers willing to turn a blind eye to make a buck.
If you want to believe the Buffalo News, this is all the result of lax gun laws in the US, in Ohio, in lax enforcement by the BATF, and by support from gun-rights lobbying organizations. Obviously this is nonsense! We have a rare case of a thug working the system, or circumstances, abetted by two corrupt FFL dealers, to propagate a gun-running scheme. You can pass all the laws you want but someone(s) bent on committing a crime will ignore those laws.
Let me use an example: A couple thieves go on a burglary spree, robbing ten homes before getting caught. There are already laws against breaking-and-entering, stealing, selling stolen goods, and so on. The thieves don't care. They also know that the town they're in has only so many cops on patrol who can only be in so many places at once. Further, they recognize that there are shady folks who are willing to buy such stolen goods.
Is there something more that we, as a nation, could have done? Would more laws have helped? Of course not! Criminals ignore laws -- hence their moniker. Could we have greater policing? How high are you willing to see your taxes go? Should we require more vigilance by homeowners? How much government control of your life and home are you willing to tolerate?
You see, there has to be a balance between the rule of law and the right to be left alone. There will always be violators, but how much, how many rights are you willing to sacrifice to eliminate them? Would you be willing to sacrifice as much to limit freedom of the press? Of speech? Of -- yes, really! -- of the rights of alledged criminals during their trial? Suddenly, trying to ban all guns isn't that simple! You lose one right, the others fall like dominos.
The Buffalo News wasn't satisfied to only pound on our nation's gun laws (they didn't seem to care much that there was an actual perpetrator who broke laws) but continued yesterday with a scolding of Hi-Point:
Hi-Point's owner, Deeb
Hi-Point has manufactured over 700,000 guns since 1992, making it the fourth biggest handgun maker in the country. The guns sell for $79 to $199 each, and are a favorite among criminals. Critics say the guns are high-powered Saturday night specials. Deeb says he is simply making affordable guns for working people.
In another story in this series, the Buffalo News laments that not all states are as enthusiastically trampling the Second Amendment:
"This is getting to the root of the problem, stopping the supply of guns from other states," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Rocco J. Diina."It's extremely difficult to get a gun in New York State," added Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard P. Maigret. "It would be a lot more difficult if every state had strict gun laws. I would like to see the same restriction on handguns that New York State has federally."
Ohio officials said they are satisfied with their gun laws, so putting more controls on the sale or purchase of firearms is not a priority for them.
Turning to Maryland... Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has been -- no, not great but -- better than recent Maryland politicians on the gun-rights issue. He recently decided to go along with a new federal law that allows retired police officers to continue to carry firearms. From the Washington Times:
"This is good public policy that will make a safer state, which is why I am very proud Maryland has led," said Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican.Surrounded by officers from various local and state law-enforcement agencies, Mr. Ehrlich made the announcement at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 in Baltimore.
The setting underscored Baltimore's high murder rate despite crime-fighting pledges by Mayor Martin O'Malley, a likely Democratic rival to Mr. Ehrlich in next year's governor's race.
Last week, the FBI reported that violent crime in Baltimore increased 4.2 percent to 11,667 incidents in 2004, while the numbers declined in most other cities.
Mr. O'Malley, who took office five years ago promising to lower the homicide rate, but instead watched the city become one of America's deadliest, was not invited to yesterday's announcement.
The mayor yesterday said he was not bothered that the governor held the event in his city. But he said Mr. Ehrlich could do more to reduce crime in the city by reforming state public safety offices such as the departments of juvenile services, parole and probation, and corrections.
Leah Barrett, executive director of the gun-control group CeaseFire Maryland Inc., said allowing officers to carry a gun anywhere at any time is "essentially dangerous.""We have too many guns in this country and too many people carrying them," she said. "Accidents happen."
Well yes, accidents do happen and as I reported last week, in Arizona, pools are more dangerous than guns:
Standard summer companions in our desert climate, swimming pools can be deadlier for children than guns. A child is 100 times more likely to die in a swimming accident than in gunplay, writes Steven D. Levitt, University of Chicago economics professor and best-selling author.Levitt analyzed child deaths from residential swimming pools and guns and found one child under 10 drowns annually for every 11,000 pools. By comparison, one child under 10 each year is killed by a gun for every 1 million guns, according to his research, outlined in a new book "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side to Everything," which he co-wrote with journalist Stephen J. Dubner.
Then we have a "scare story" from Iowa where KTVO TV (IA) shouts a headline that says, "Handgun permits in Iowa on the rise". I suppose that's meant to be a warning but in an article that reads as if it was written -- not yesterday but -- three years ago:
The Department of Public Safety says the September 11th terrorist attacks may be the main reason why the number of people applying for gun permits is growing in the state of Iowa."I think people are just trying to be cautious nowadays," said Tom Lacey of Accucast, Inc.
Back in 2001, more than 25,000 gun permits were issued in the state of Iowa.
The Department of Public Safety says the 10% jump is due to the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2003, the number spiked to a record 27,000 permits. Last year, the number showed a decrease including in Wapello County.
"We haven't noticed a real increase in personal permit requests. The number here in Wapello County has stayed quite steady, but you have to understand that these people may have a permit that they don't bother to renew for next year," said Sheriff Don Kirkendall.
Speaking of hysteria, blogger Countertop Chronicles relates the story of an editor of a skiing magazine attempting to get rid of some guns:
I went straight to the Hollywood branch of the L.A.P. D. Leaving the weapons in the trunk of my Volkswagen, I went in and explained the situation.''We can't take the box if it's still locked,'' the officer in the lobby explained. ''Who knows what could be in it?''
''So you'll let me leave with a trunk full of guns that I'm not licensed to carry?'' I asked. She said yes, as long as the box was locked, and expressed little further interest.
[...]
Since the L.A.P.D. hadn't been that helpful, I decided to drive to Glendale, which has its own police force. This time, I hauled the guns in a cardboard box. As I entered the police station, the cop there put a hand on his side arm and told me to drop the box. I did. After I explained my situation, he ran a background check on the firearms: clean. He checked my record: squeaky clean. Then he lightened up -- and tried to talk me into selling him the Glock and the Smith & Wesson, which he told me were worth a bundle.
''But they're not even registered in my name,'' I said, ''and the owner is dead.''
This was no problem, he assured me, because California gun laws were such that if my friend gave me his guns, registered in his name, before 1991 (wink wink), it would be perfectly legal for me to have them. And to sell them. [He didn't--JS]
[...]
...So one slow spring day I went to the garage, took out the handguns -- and smashed them with a 15-pound ax. I shattered the butt of the .38. I disfigured the barrel of the .25. I chased the Glock and the Smith & Wesson around the garage as they bounced from each blow. My hands began to burn from the repeated swinging. My lower back ached. But I eventually rendered the guns useless.
I put the guns in an industrial-strength trash bag. But then I imagined some kids rummaging around a suburban landfill and finding them, which made me picture the violent opening scene of a made-for-TV movie. So I added garden dirt and poured in some old paint. Then I added more, and I shook the sack and rolled it around. I picked up the bag and threw it in the trash. Then I called Elizabeth and reported that the job was done.
Mike Kessler, the author and asshole of this story, decided to grandstand rather than just sell the guns or return to the L.A.P.D. with the now unlocked-box and turn them in. Or he could have just waited (since he did so (wait) to smash them up anyway) for the (seemingly endless) local gun-buy-backs that cities are always sponsoring. Oh no, he had to make himself the martyr of the poor beleaguered soul in possession of a deceased's firearms and make some money off the story by selling it to the anti-gun New York Times.
Bias is a funny thing... Another story I mentioned last week (See! Stop by here more often!) came from Colorado, specifically from the Colorado Springs Independent:
Terry Bernstein
They come from all over Colorado -- men and women with AK-47 assault rifles tucked into dusty truck cabs, their children holding cardboard boxes filled with multicolored paint balls.They come almost every Saturday and Sunday to the place where they can play war games to their hearts' content. Their destination: a 220-acre compound consisting of a gun store and firing range, paintball field, motorcycle repair shop and several massive war museums, eight miles east of Colorado Springs.
"This is the most freedom you can have in America," said Mel Bernstein, aka Dragon Man.
"Right now I could go outside and shoot machine guns. I could blow something up. I could ride my motorcycle around. I could fire up the tank and run it into the wall." He paused to laugh. "As long as you don't hurt anyone."
Bernstein is one of three gun dealers in Colorado with a Class III license, which allows the sale of some of the most lethal weapons in the United States. This September 11, he plans to mark the anniversary of the al Qaeda terrorist attacks by turning his rifle range into an apocalyptic war zone. He will unleash 150 full-automatic machine guns, spitting 90,000 to 100,000 rounds into a series of gassed-up cars that will explode in balls of flame. World War II- and Vietnam War-era cannons and mortars also will be fired.
"We've got a mannequin of [Osama] Bin Laden that we're going to blow up," he said. As a finale, all 150 machine guns will be fired in unison for three minutes.
There's also this clinker near the end:
Not everyone appreciates the passions of people like the Bernsteins."The thousands and families who treasure their sons and daughters far outweigh those who want to clutch their AK-47s," said Eric Howard, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C.
Howard's group wants to halt the sale of semi-automatic guns, such as the AK-47 and machine guns like the Mac-10 -- "weapons favored by terrorists and criminals," he said.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited the sale of 19 types of high-powered guns, including the AK-47, the Uzi and the Street Sweeper.
The ban expired last fall when President Bush chose not to re-sign it.
Still, imagine how much worse it (the rhetoric) would have been if such a story was written by Fox Butterfield or some hack at the Boston Globe Magazine!
I really enjoyed this bit about Terry Bernstein:
When Terry Bernstein moved to Colorado in 1981, she was, as she describes herself, a naïve 22-year-old. She quickly realized that if the business was to thrive, she needed to step in and help her "totally unorganized" partner.She taught herself business accounting and took over the paperwork. She also mastered the rapidly changing subject of land use permitting after their land finally was zoned in the mid 1980s.
It was her inspiration to start the gun dealership, because, as she puts it, "I'm cheap." Bernstein had been spending thousands of dollars buying high-powered rifles and machine guns. She decided to cut out the middleman and become a dealer herself.
In 1993, she acquired a permit to sell Class III, or fully automatic, machine guns.
"We complement each other," she said. While Bernstein is the flashy salesman and tough guy who steps in if customers get out of line, she is the quiet realist.
Here's what some other pro-2A bloggers are up to:
Matt at Stop the Bleating reports the gun bias at WaPo.
Denise at the Ten Ring on animals and guns.
TechnoGypsy will be hosting this Friday's Carnival of Cordite. Get your entries in!
I missed it last week but you shouldn't: Cowboy Blob had some fun at the range! With pictures, of course; I like pictures...
Interesting post and discussion over at Jame's Hell in a Handbasket about how -- if you were fighting in WWII -- what gun would you want?
Say Uncle is showing off his AR15s. Sorry, let me just wipe the drool off my keyboard...
Ben at ReasonableNut goes to the range with his .270.
Kim du Toit loses a gun but for a righteous reason (and I'm glad his friend is doing better) and now has his sights set on...
Interesting report by Blogonomicon on gun training. When I took the Vermont State Police "Civilian training course" about ten years ago, one of the COOL things we did was to get time in the computerized giant video armed-response training machine where you are interactive with potentially deadly situations. I forget the acronym now but it was very intense. I scored well.
I better get this posted. I'll be on Cam's later today. Keep the faith and thanks for stopping by!
Geek With A .45 had some fun last weekend!
Another story of a gun being used to protect life from the Gazette-Enterprise (TX):
GERONIMO — Jennifer Cooper had never fired a gun until Friday.That was the night a person still unknown to her unexpectedly walked into her home while her two children were asleep in the next room.
[...]
She called her husband’s name, and when no one answered, she panicked, ran to the master bedroom, where she had left her sons, and locked the door behind her.
Seconds later, she heard the sound of someone on the other side twisting the doorknob trying to get inside the bedroom.
Jennifer and her children would spend almost the next two hours in fear, hoping whoever was on the other side would take what they wanted and leave. She told the intruder there was an alarm and the police were on their way, but the intruder reportedly stayed in the house turning on all the lights, the television and periodically twisting the knob.
Jennifer did not have a phone in the master bedroom with her and was unable to call the police herself.
[...]
To calm her children, Jennifer took a .357 Magnum from the closet and told her children she would protect them.
“I told them this gun would either hurt this man or he will run away,” she said. “I told them we were going to try and wait for daddy because I didn’t want to shoot this gun. I told them I was between them and the door and I would protect them.”
Then, she heard what sounded like the door lock being picked.
Jennifer pointed the gun at the door and fired once.
“I really couldn’t believe I did it,” she said.
The bullet hit the top of the door and entered the ceiling.
The intruder stopped picking the lock, and Jennifer heard the sound of footsteps and the door chime as the intruder left the home.
She and her boys were safe.
Yesterday, the Buffalo News ran a series of stories about a man, James Nigel Bostic, who bought over 250 guns at Ohio gun shows and sold them off to thugs, gang-bangers, etc. in New York. Here are quotes from one of the stories:
About Bostic:
...If only Bostic had lived his dream, perhaps Williams would have gotten a shot at his.But it wasn't to be.
Instead, Bostic became a local symbol of everything wrong with the nation's handgun laws.
Williams became a symbol of gun violence. A bullet from one of Bostic's guns ripped through Bud's stomach while the teenager was shooting baskets near his home one night.
[...]
Bostic didn't pull the trigger that night in August 2003 when the 9mm bullet tore a hole through Bud's insides and his dreams.
Bostic never pulls the trigger. That's not how he kills or maims people, or destroys their lives.
But Bud still was one of Bostic's victims.
So was Armod Law. And Christopher Leftwich. And Larry Sommerville, even though Sommerville killed himself.
They were all Bostic's victims. And there are more. Many more.
Bostic put enough weapons on Buffalo's streets during 2000 to arm a company of military police: Roughly 250 handguns. Forty-five caliber pistols designed to knock down the strongest men. Nine-millimeter Hi-Points, light and easily concealed.
But he didn't give these weapons to military police. Bostic put his arsenal in the hands of doped up teenagers, petty thieves and hard core drug dealers. Anyone who wanted a cheap handgun for whatever reason - protection, status, to settle a grudge.
Bostic, now 34, carried out the biggest illegal gun trafficking scheme ever uncovered in Western New York, The News found, by taking advantage of loopholes in the nation's gun laws and limitations on federal law enforcement. And he was helped by powerful gun rights lobbies that undermined the enforcers.
Bostic also benefited, The News found, from hatching his scheme in the gun-friendly state of Ohio - where he and three girlfriends roamed through gun shows, seeking weapons dealers willing to turn a blind eye to make a buck.
[...]
If Bostic had been in New York, with its tough handgun laws, his scheme would have failed, authorities say. New York requires an extensive background check and waiting period for a required pistol permit.
In fact, given his criminal record - he had 17 aliases, two Social Security numbers and 23 prior arrests with 11 convictions - it's unlikely Bostic could legally own even one handgun in New York State.
But he was in Ohio, where buying box loads of handguns was easier than getting a credit card.
In that gun-friendly state, there are no licenses or waiting periods required to buy handguns.
There are no limits on the number of guns that can be bought at one time and no background investigation beyond a routine criminal check to weed out convicted felons. Despite his many troubles with the law, Bostic had not been convicted of a felony at the time.
So Bostic and his three girlfriends in 2000 traipsed into the welcoming world of Ohio gun shows. They easily bought about 250 handguns.
Bostic bought some of the guns, but most were in his girlfriends' names. The majority were 9mm Hi-Points selling for $89. Some were .40 and .45 caliber guns, costing a little more. All were purchased from two gun dealers on the pretext that Bostic would one day open a gun shop.
The dealers went along with Bostic's story.
[...]
By the time Bud was shot, Bostic's gun scheme was three years old and he was already charged with gun running.
Authorities became suspicious shortly after the Hi-Points first appeared up on the streets.
"The police were finding them on people who used them in homicides," Scherie Smith said. "He (Bostic) told me something might happen."
In addition, red flags went up at the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when the agency was notified of the guns Bostic and the women bought in Ohio. Under federal law, dealers must inform the ATF when anyone purchases more than two guns in a five-day period.
"We knew something was amiss," ATF agent Robert Wilson said.
Bostic thought he could insulate himself by reporting the weapons stolen.
His strategy boomeranged.
He had used his girlfriends as straw buyers to distance himself from many of the purchases, but now, with his name on a burglary report, Bostic was linked to most of the guns.
In August 2002, Bostic was arrested. In 2004, he was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
You can read some of the other stories here and here and here.
You're thoughts on all this, please. A report like this can be very damaging to "our side" in resisting gun control, such as "one gun per-month" or the so-called "gun-show loophole". I wonder, though, what was left out of these stories...
TFS Magnum's Zendo Deb reports that your rights don't end at work anymore, thanks to a new bill in Oklahoma.
Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish on claiming God:
There are millions of Christians who lean Republican, but have found that the Christianity of the Republican Party is a strand of Christianity that promotes a narrow Gospel, while ignoring much of what Christianity has always taught about caring for the poor, the virtues of sacrificing self for the welfare of others, and the need for humility, compassion and peace.Too many Republican Party leaders have aligned themselves with a fundamentalist brand of Protestant Christianity characterized by black-and-white, us-versus-them perspectives: we're saved, you're not; we're right, you're wrong; we conservatives are right and virtuous, you liberals are wrong and sinful.
This kind of thinking bleeds into their political rhetoric as they assert a kind of divine mandate for proposed programs and platforms. The Republican Party has been guided in this way of politicking by fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, Rick Scarborough of the Patriot Pastors Network and James Dobson of Focus on the Family, among others, who have an agenda to make the United States a so-called "Christian" nation, with little room for Christians like me with different perspectives. Many of them call themselves evangelicals, despite the fact that the evangelical viewpoint actually is much broader and allows for much more diversity of opinion and belief.
...Yet, as is often the way, the Muslim world's whiny spokespersons have been effortlessly topped by the old hands of the anti-American left. Thus, according to Amnesty International, Gitmo is the "gulag of our time."Well then, these are diminished times for gulags. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, some 15 million to 30 million prisoners died in the Soviet gulags. By comparison, Guantanamo at its peak held 750 prisoners; currently, there are 520; none have died in captivity, and, as I wrote 3-1/2 years ago, it has the distinction of being "a camp where the medical staff outnumber the prisoners." You'll get swifter, cleaner and more efficient treatment than most Canadians do under socialized health care. It's the only gulag in history where the detainees leave in better health and weighing more than when they arrive. This means they're in much better shape when they get back to their hectic schedule of killing infidels: Of the more than 200 who've been released, around 5 percent -- that's to say, 12 -- have since been recaptured on the battlefield.
Why would an organization in the human rights business want to trivialize the murder of millions in totalitarian death camps by comparing them with a non-death camp that flatters every aspect of the inmates' culture? If Gitmo's a gulag, what words are left for the systemic rape being practiced by the butchers of Darfur? Or is it because they've so exhausted the extremes of their vocabulary on Guantanamo that the world's progressives have so little to say about real horrors like Sudan?
Wow! The Arizona Daily Star has a news story stating that kids are more at risk from pools than guns:
Standard summer companions in our desert climate, swimming pools can be deadlier for children than guns. A child is 100 times more likely to die in a swimming accident than in gunplay, writes Steven D. Levitt, University of Chicago economics professor and best-selling author.Levitt analyzed child deaths from residential swimming pools and guns and found one child under 10 drowns annually for every 11,000 pools. By comparison, one child under 10 each year is killed by a gun for every 1 million guns, according to his research, outlined in a new book "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side to Everything," which he co-wrote with journalist Stephen J. Dubner.
In part because they are so familiar, swimming pools are less frightening than guns, Levitt writes.
But the danger is clear - drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children younger than 5 in Arizona and the second-leading cause of injury-related death nationally among children younger than 15.
Water kills an average of three children each year in Tucson and, even with proper fences, swimming lessons and caution, danger lurks.
In Arizona— Accidental deaths in Arizona for children, 2000-2003
— Drowning: 140
— Gunshot wound: 15
Source: Arizona Child Fatality Review Program
Swimming pools (and lakes, the ocean, etc.) give us great pleasure and we accept the risks. Firearms can also give us great pleasure (target shooting, hunting) and as an important benefit they give us protection, also with risks. We need to exercise reasonable caution and care with both instead of trying to ban either of them. Both pools and guns need to be supervised when children are present.
Lasly, I'm sure someone will say that those statistics are only for accidents; what about intentional injury and murder by people using guns? I'm sure no one wants me to bring up the recently publicized cases of mothers drowning their children in pools or in the bathtub.
Statistics can, of course, be twisted to support any argument and overall -- certainly -- more folks meet an untimely death from firearms than from swimming pools, but most gun deaths are from intentional, criminal misuse (or suicide), not from accidents.
ANYTHING can be used for evil, even the Bible and Koran. That isn't an excuse to ban them.
No, not from me; what the hell would a Vermonter know about Hurricanes? I'll give a big "HEH" to Confederate Yankee for his Hurricane To-Do List.
Someone once said that media bias isn't just what you include in a report but what you exclude. Well, something like that. Bill Quick demonstrates how that works at the Washington Post.
Both very different. One's at Say Uncle. That would be fun to win.
The other is at mASS Backwards. Somewhat of a gruesome nature.
The West Virginia Supreme Court has upheld the self-defense rights of a 7-Eleven employee. Dave Kopel has the story.
So I went to Harry's Gun Shop last night after work and picked-up a couple of Butler Creek Hot Lips 25 round magazines for my 10/22. Yeah, they're smoked plastic but WTF, if I can run 5000 rounds through each one I figure I've gotten my money's worth.
Now I just need for the weather to co-operate. We've been stuck in the hot-humid pattern where by six o'clock when I leave work, there are thunderstorms all over the place. That's expected to continue this weekend (and I have to work both Sat and Sun).
Anyway, it'll be nice to be able to shoot five targets without changing magazines. Of course, I feel the pain of my friends in:
If California banned cars, this wouldn't happen:
A man drove his Mercedes through the front plate-glass window and into Pacifica's only gun shop this morning, grabbed a shotgun and began firing it.No one was injured, and David Henderson, 48, soon surrendered to police. Pacifica police Sgt. Daniel Steidle said police responded to a report of a burglar alarm going off at City Arms in Eureka Square Shopping Center at 5:05 a.m.
When officers arrived, they heard shots being fired from inside the store. Police said Henderson came out of the business and was later arrested for burglary, shooting into an inhabited dwelling and felon in possession of a firearm. Police said he acted alone.
City Arms opened about four months ago amid much controversy, said Pacifica resident Nancy Hall, who led the charge to keep the gun shop out of her town."We had said, this is the vulnerable thing about this shop, its all-glass front," she said. "That's exactly what happened. He rammed his car in there."
The store is located in a shopping center near a high school, a video store, an arcade and two banks, she said.
By the way, MY favorite gun shop is located across the street from the new elementary school. Of course, the shop was there FIRST. But let's ban schools anyway, just in case.
Here it is, 6:30 in the morning, and already it's 75 degrees out and according to my little hydrometer, 70% humidity. I hate this weather. Bring back Winter!
From the department of "Why did you move next to it?" we get this KGBT TV (TX) story:
A Donna woman told Action 4 News Friday that she needed some help getting answers about a nearby shooting range near her home.Rhonda Conner e-mailed the Listens Line, writing that she can't seem to get any straight answers about the gun range.
El Indio gun range is used by officers with the Donna Police Department.
Conner said that she doesn't like shots being fired out there without being given fair warning.
"Why can't (we) as citizens be notified when they're going to be throwing bullets so that we can leave that day or whatever?" she asked.
Action 4 News asked Donna Police Chief Ruben "Ram" De Leon to respond to Conner’s questions.
He just happened to be at the gun range Friday when Connor was being interviewed by Action 4 News.
"She's been told that we're out here the first (week) usually during January and in June we're out here," he said.
De Leon said that he doesn't understand why Conner has such a problem with officers training there.
[...]
During the interview, Connor and De Leon began asking and answering their own questions.
"Why can't they take the time to put up a piece of paper at the post office to let us know that they're going to be doing this?" Conner asked.
"I'm telling her that we're going to be out here in January," De Leon replied.
"Yes sir, I know that you do qualify twice a year," Conner told De Leon.
"I'm telling you here verbally that we'll be out here again in January and in June," De Leon said.
"I have police officers in my family," Conner said.
"What more of a notice can you want?" De Leon said, "I'm giving you six months notice that we'll be back here."
"You're giving it to me personally," Conner replied, "I'm talking about other citizens."
"You're the only one complaining," De Leon said...
Granted, the Second Amendment Foundation is biased (in a manner that I approve of) but since the media always reports on Brady Bunch press releases, why not ones from the SAF? Well, Yahoo has:
Recently released data from the FBI clearly show that the dire predictions by anti- gunners last fall over the end of the so-called "assault weapons ban" have proven to be groundless, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) noted today.The FBI reported that for the first time since 1999, homicides declined last year 5.4 percent in cities with more than 1 million people, and overall, murders fell 3.6 percent nationwide.
"Anti-gun hysterics have once again been proven wrong in their fear mongering," said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. "Their forecasts of blood running in the streets were baseless, and they knew it. However, when you're in a war to crush a Constitutional right, one class of firearms at a time, truth is typically the first casualty."
City, state and federal officials today pointed with pride to Chicago's declining murder rate and said some credit should go to their close collaboration on Project Safe Neighborhoods. It started three years ago in two extremely-violent police districts on the west side, and now covers five police districts. The United States attorney agreed to review every gun arrest in those districts for possible federal prosecution. The number of murders has gone down faster in those districts that it has citywide.The decrease in murder has come despite what Chicago police say is an increase in the number of military-style assault weapons found on the street. They say they've seized 280 assault weapons since a federal ban on them expired last September. They say that's more than before the ban was killed by Congress.
“These are guns that can shoot up to 30 rounds with a couple pulls of the trigger,” Cline said. “And it puts our police in grave danger out there. So, we'd like still to see some kind of ban, either by the state or federally.”
The Chicago police say seizures of assault weapons are up, slightly, since the federal ban on them expired last September. After double-checking statistics, police said that since September officers have recovered 290 assault weapons on the streets of Chicago, up about 10 percent from the prior period, when 262 were seized.
Here's a nifty way to spend your weekend. From the Colorado Springs Independent:
They come from all over Colorado -- men and women with AK-47 assault rifles tucked into dusty truck cabs, their children holding cardboard boxes filled with multicolored paint balls.They come almost every Saturday and Sunday to the place where they can play war games to their hearts' content. Their destination: a 220-acre compound consisting of a gun store and firing range, paintball field, motorcycle repair shop and several massive war museums, eight miles east of Colorado Springs.
"This is the most freedom you can have in America," said Mel Bernstein, aka Dragon Man.
"Right now I could go outside and shoot machine guns. I could blow something up. I could ride my motorcycle around. I could fire up the tank and run it into the wall." He paused to laugh. "As long as you don't hurt anyone."
Bernstein is one of three gun dealers in Colorado with a Class III license, which allows the sale of some of the most lethal weapons in the United States. This September 11, he plans to mark the anniversary of the al Qaeda terrorist attacks by turning his rifle range into an apocalyptic war zone. He will unleash 150 full-automatic machine guns, spitting 90,000 to 100,000 rounds into a series of gassed-up cars that will explode in balls of flame. World War II- and Vietnam War-era cannons and mortars also will be fired.
"We've got a mannequin of [Osama] Bin Laden that we're going to blow up," he said. As a finale, all 150 machine guns will be fired in unison for three minutes.
I've certainly found the lead to next week's "Weekly Check...".
Here's one from the "events calendar" at the Mercury News (CA):
Benefit concert featuring Carol McComb, Chuck McCabe, Bev Barnett and Greg Newlon performing contemporary acoustic folk music. 7 p.m. Saturday. The Espresso Garden and Cafe, 814 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose. $12. All ticket proceeds go to purchase guitars for the Guitars Not Guns program...
Chip Taylor has moved his blog here. Just thought you should know.
I'm starting to feel as if I'm trapped in some weird alternate universe where humans have brains the size of walnuts. Now, the Tulsa (OK) Zoo will be required to display an exhibit showing how God created all the animals... From Yahoo/AP:
The Tulsa Zoo will add a display featuring the biblical account of creation following complaints to a city board about other displays with religious significance, including a Hindu elephant statue.The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board voted 3-1 on Tuesday in favor of a display depicting God's creation of the world in six days and his rest on the seventh, as told in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
The vote came after more than two hours of public comment from a standing-room-only crowd.
Zoo employees, religious leaders and others spoke in opposition, saying religion shouldn't be part of the taxpayer-funded scientific institution.
But those who favored the creationist exhibit, including Mayor Bill LaFortune, argued that the zoo already displayed religious items, including the statue of the Hindu god, Ganesh, outside the elephant exhibit and a marble globe inscribed with an American Indian saying: "The earth is our mother. The sky is our father."
Seriously, I would hardly equate pointing out that Hindus revere elephants or that Indians respect the Earth and heavens as "indoctrinating" anyone to their religions. People should be free to believe what they want to believe but I have trouble imagining a public zoo as the place to air those beliefs. The religious-right is becoming as silly as the secular-left.
*Sigh* I suppose the next step is for the local planetarium to be required to show that the solar system revolves around the Earth, which really is at the center of the universe.
Jed at FreedomSight has more on the move to ban gun classifieds.
From the La Crosse Tribune (WI):
Having his truck broken into three times in the past month was too much for Brian Sidie.So when Sidie saw someone in the cab of his pickup about 11 p.m. Monday, he took action.
While getting a drink in his kitchen that night, Sidie glanced outside to see a young man walking down the street.
He turned away, thinking it was a neighbor, but took one more look before going back to bed. This time, the young man was in his pickup.
Sidie grabbed his rifle and headed outside. "I came around the front of my truck and slapped my hand on the hood. He just shot up and looked at me," Sidie said. "I told him, ‘You aren't going anywhere.'"
Careful never to point the gun at the young man, Sidie pushed the pickup door closed and refused to let the man go.
Sidie's wife called La Crosse police, who said they arrived to find Daryl A. Sumlar, 17, inside the truck.
From the Middletown Press (CT):
MIDDLETOWN -- A city man accused of shooting toward officers over the weekend and growing numerous marijuana plants was released on bond Wednesday.[...]
Wolowicz was charged with 10 counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, attempted first-degree assault, breach of peace, possession of marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, failure to have a license for cultivation, and two counts of illegal possession of explosives.
Middletown Police received a call from a neighbor of Wolowicz at approximately 7:10 p.m. Saturday, who reported he wasshooting a high-powered rifle in his backyard, according to court documents. The neighbor heard eight gunshots, police said.
[...]
Additional officers and SWAT team members were called in as backup, and a perimeter was set up around his house in the city’s Westfield section. At one point a SWAT officer, who was using a tree as cover, saw Wolowicz looking at him, and Wolowicz fired a handgun in the officer’s direction, police said. The officer changed positions, and Wolowicz again looked at him and fired in his direction.
Sgt. Stephen Augeri, the supervisor on the scene, was able to reach Wolowicz by telephone and talked him out of the house, police said. Wolowicz was taken into custody without further incident.
Read the whole thing and let me know if I'm wrong? Maybe he's a really nice guy...
Eclipse Ramblings has the good news that the old Doc Savage series is being reissued, with the original covers.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Republican Jerry Kilgore on Tuesday began airing a 60-second ad titled "2nd Amendment" on radio stations in rural Virginia markets. It's target is Tim Kaine, the Democrat he will likely face in the fall election for governor.The ad contends that, as Richmond's mayor, Kaine wanted the city to sue gun manufacturers. It also says Kaine "used our tax dollars to send buses filled with protesters to an antigun rally in Washington, D.C."
Kaine's campaign claims the ad is a gross distortion of the record.
Who's right?The claim that Kaine wanted to sue gun makers is pinned to one paragraph in a March 14, 1999, story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Kaine told the newspaper that City Council had "asked the city attorney's office for a report on the feasibility of such a suit." Kaine added that he and other city officials believed it would be difficult to sue gun makers in Virginia because of legal issues in Virginia.
The paragraph--part of a national story about lawsuits against gun companies--is silent on whether Kaine supported such litigation.
Kaine campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said he did not know whether Kaine liked the idea of suing gun makers. The Associated Press requested a brief telephone interview Tuesday evening with Kaine, but there was no immediate reply.There is more documentation, however, for the claim about city-paid bus charters to the huge gun-control rally. Several news accounts say Kaine used nearly $7,000 from discretionary accounts then available to City Council members to underwrite the cost of eight buses. The ad does not mention that after a brief public outcry, Kaine raised private money to repay the city. He later said his intent was to show solidarity with families that had lost loved ones in shootings.
My cousins and I rented and watched Anchorman last night, starring Will Ferrell. It was hilarious! Just thought I'd share that fascinating slice-of-life with you since things are rather quiet around here...
SHANGHAI, China - Authorities have ordered all China-based Web sites and blogs to register or be closed down, in the latest effort by the communist government to police the world of cyberspace.Commercial publishers and advertisers can face fines of up to 1 million yuan ($120,000) for failing to register, according to documents posted on the Web site of the Ministry of Information Industry.
Private, noncommercial bloggers or Web sites must register the complete identity of the person responsible for the site, it said. The ministry, which has set a June 30 deadline for compliance, said 74 percent of all sites had already registered.
Has a week gone by already? Greetings and welcome to the June 7th edition of my Weekly Check on the Bias, where I take a peek at some of the coverage of gun-rights issues covered by Mainstream Media (MSM in blogoTalk. BlogoTalk is an old expression I just made up.). Since I cover so many stories throughout the week, I thought that since we're all enjoying the advent of Summer, I would focus primarily on positive news articles today.
For instance, who's this guy?
Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman
It figures that Gilbert's straight-shooting Mayor Steve Berman would have a basement gun range.Known for his tell-it-like-it-is attitude and for being generally blasé toward political correctness, Berman's 10,000-square-foot-house in Circle G Ranches has a basement where the mayor can fire away.
Berman's gun enthusiasm stems from his years in the Army and competing in marksmanship events as a student at Arizona State University
[...]
Not long after he won a national marksmanship contest in 1968, he tells of a trip to his grandfather's house only to be humbled by his family members.
"I had just won the national contest, so I was feeling pretty spunky," he said.
His granddad, also a good shot, challenged him to shoot at a price tag that was hanging from a clothes line.
Berman just missed it. His father the corner. His granddad hit a little closer. His mother hit the tag, dead on.
"I might have just won that national shooting championship, but I was fourth place in my family," Berman said.
Speaking of which, I first mentioned the Howell Gun Club almost a year ago as sponsoring "women only" shooting events to get them involved in the sport. Last month I pointed out a story from the Detroit News about the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources trying to encourage more women and children to participate in hunting and shooting programs. Now, also from the Detroit News:
Donna Van Buskirk
Donna Van Buskirk decided to try her hand at blasting away at clay targets with a shotgun last year after she saw an ad in a woman's magazine.Now, she's hooked. The 45-year-old mother of two visits the Howell Gun Club in Marion Township twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, to blow apart airborne targets with her 12-gauge Remington 1100.
"I enjoy coming out here and all the people I've met," Van Buskirk said. "It's a good way to work out your aggressions."
She's not alone. Target shooting -- nonhunting shooting with a rifle, shotgun or handgun -- is a fast-growing sport for women, both in Michigan and nationwide. Nationally, the number has grown from about 2.33 million women in 1999 to 4.3 million last year, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Women now make up about 22.5 percent of all target shooters, up from 17.9 in 1999...
Sarah Howard
Howell resident Sarah Howard agrees. She often goes to the Howell Gun Club with Jim Delaney and the couple's daughters, Maddie Delaney, 1, and Samantha Delaney, 10."It's not male-dominated anymore," Sarah Howard, 27, said Wednesday after shooting at the Howell Gun Club. "A lot of husbands want their wives out there with them. Until we start outshooting them," she added.
I would like to encourage you all to support news sources that print favorable articles about gun ownership and sporting events. If and when your local paper writes something along the lines of the above stories, shoot off a letter or email to them to let them know you appreciate it and that you would like to see more such pieces. Trust me when I tell you that the anti-gun types are busy firing off criticism!
The Tyler Morning Telegraph ran a favorable story covering recent good news for Texas gun owners:
The recently ended legislative session in Austin was a good one for gun owners, the Texas State Rifle Association said. Lawmakers cleaned up concealed handgun license laws, and made a number of other changes that will have an effect on both sporting and self-defense, according to the National Rifle Association affiliate."The one that has historic significance is House Bill 823," said Alice Tripp, legislative liaison for the TSRA.
Texas law says people can be in possession of a handgun while traveling, but the law doesn't define traveling.
[...]
"For example, there's a gentlemen from Dallas who works in rural real estate," Ms. Tripp said. "He had crossed five counties in his pickup, and he was almost home. He got stopped for a minor traffic violation. He was arrested because he couldn't put his handgun in his trunk because he was in a pickup. And the judge wouldn't let him use traveling as a defense."
The bill, now on Gov. Rick Perry's desk awaiting his signature, shifts the burden of proof onto the state. Now, a person in a private motor vehicle is presumed to be traveling, as long as he or she is not committing a crime nor is a member of a gang.
The article also mentions that if the state or town "annexes" property that was in common use for hunting or plinking, as long as safety is maintained, that property must continue to be open to such activities.
Regulars here know that when the legislature of Florida recently passed a bill strongly supporting the "Castle Doctrine" -- that is -- that a law-abiding citizen could meet force with force in defending himself, a lot of Florida newspapers were shocked and various Democratic lawmakers there predicted blood in the streets. Tampa Bay Online just had a news article that I consider mostly favorable to the bill:
At 73, Haymond considers himself a gun enthusiast and collector. He was among the first people to arrive Sunday morning at the Suncoast Gun Show, billed as one of the largest in the state.Haymond came to the two- day show at the Florida State Fairgrounds to peruse new and antique firearms, hunting rifles and gun accessories.
"All of the guns are available,'' Haymond said.
Haymond said his interest in guns is no different than that of people who collect coins or go to car shows.
Haymond knows his hobby can be used for deadly force, which he isn't afraid to use. "If some young punk who's 20 years old wants to take my money, I can't fight him,'' Haymond said. "But I can shoot him.''
Now, under Florida state law, Haymond may legally have that right.
The state Legislature passed a bill in April that allows people who feel threatened in public places to "meet force with force'' to protect and defend themselves without fear of prosecution.
"I'm sorry, people, but if I'm attacked, I shouldn't have a duty to retreat,'' the bill's sponsor, Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said in April. "That's a good way to get shot in the back.''
Baxley's bill said that a person has "the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so, to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another.''
When Gov. Jeb Bush signed the bill into law, he called it "common sense.''
Paul Berry, a handgun and rifle owner from Bradenton, said the deadly force bill levels the playing field.
"It's taking away power from the criminals and giving people an equal amount of force,'' Berry said as he entered Sunday's gun show.
Here's what the opposition had to say:
But the bill's opponents believe that giving more people the power to fire shots encourages more violence instead of promoting safety."You have the state telling them it's OK to shoot people and ask questions later,'' said Eric Howard, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a national organization that promotes gun-control regulations.
The deadly force law just creates more ways to put guns on the street, Howard said. It also takes the focus off efforts to better regulate the sale of guns through waiting periods and background checks.
One sour note:
While Florida statutes do not require mandatory waiting periods or background checks for gun ownership, each county is given the option to adopt a waiting period of no more than three days. Hillsborough County ordinances require both a criminal record check and a three-day waiting period.However, in what opponents call the 'gun show loophole,'' Florida laws also say that the waiting period does not apply to gun shows or to collectors exhibits.
A Tampa Tribune reporter was asked to leave both the Suncoast Gun Show and the Florida State Fairgrounds on Sunday and could not confirm whether any background checks or waiting periods were being used.
Charles Jay, who attended Sunday's show with his wife, Maureen, said preventing journalists from entering the show gives sportsmen and gun owners a bad reputation.
Secondly, if the gun show promoters DID ask the reporter to leave, that was a mistake. I can tell you that the local media here in Vermont have always had good coverage and access to local gun shows. WPTZ often brings cameras into shows with positive coverage of the events. Granted, Vermont and the far-Northern parts of NY State are -- how shall I put it? -- gun friendly, but I think it's important to allow them to attend. Banning them only helps the anti-gun side. I'd love if any of you down there know more details about this incident.
The Boston Globe has a column called "Dear Beth". She doesn't like guns. She makes that clear in the following exchanges:
June 7, 2005Dear Beth:
I've never seen a gun get up and shoot someone. It takes a human to aim and pull the trigger. My kids grew up with firearms in the house and never ''played" with them. They were taught how to handle a weapon safely, that it does kill, and people don't come back to life like on TV. Our weapons were always locked in one place and the ammo in another.
Guns don't kill. People kill.
--ANONYMOUS[Beth replies:]
I respect your opinion. But if someone is upset, angry, disturbed, and wants to take it out on someone, he or she will use what's available to do that. If he has access to lethal weapons, he can commit lethal acts.If he doesn't, the chances are greater that he'll not be able to inflict as much harm and might even have more time to think about what he's doing.
Our culture now provides a primer for young people on how to kill. They've seen it done thousands of times. Gun control doesn't prevent disturbed or criminal people from wanting to inflict harm. But easy access to lethal weapons makes it more likely they'll do far more serious damage.
Dear Beth:
I, too, wish to keep guns away from kids and stop the senseless killings that occur, but I advocate a loaded gun for protection from home invasion or other life-threatening circumstances. I speak from experience.
One fateful night there was a crash in front of our house. I thought they had hit my car and went out to assess the damage. The driver was attempting to drive away, and I stopped him. His girlfriend suggested he hit me, and when he got out of his car, I ran into my house.
Then I heard others say, ''No, don't do it!" and realized he had a weapon.
I managed to keep him from entering, but he broke a window and shot me in the leg.
If I'd had access to a gun, I could've let him enter and then had a legal right to shoot him. I vowed to never allow this to happen again, so now my guns are loaded and locked in my bedroom.
Once the bad guys realize their lives are threatened, crime will decrease.
--NORMAN POYNETTE, WIS.[Beth's reply:]
What a traumatic experience. I understand that people living in areas of high incidence of criminal activity are fearful. But I believe violence escalates when there's a threat of violence.Once escalation starts, it's difficult to turn back, and you've increased the likelihood of more dangerous encounters.
Her response to the second letter was totally asinine. How would the letter writer from Wisconsin owning a firearm for personal defense have "increased the likelihood" of more danger than what already happened when the mutant shot him in the leg?
When criminals know that the victim might be armed, crime goes down. When they know (as in England, Australia, Chicago, Washington DC) that the victim won't be armed, crime goes up. It's that fucking simple.
Here are a few links to what other pro-2A bloggers are up to:
Backroad Blog writes about expanding your CCW options.
Regarding the SCOTUS decision of medical marijuana use in their Raich decision, several bloggers are drawing comparisons to the soon-to-be-released ruling about Stewart. [re: Machine guns] See Heartless Libertarian here and Matt Rustler here. By the way, Matt also has up his RKBA round-up here.
Acidman makes the argument in favor of so-called "Saturday Night Specials" that I have also done in the past; he just does it better. To put it bluntly, if a cheap gun is all someone can afford, and it will protect themselves and their family, then legislatures have no business trying to outlaw them. Of course, Rob doesn't actually own any guns... [Stop that knowing snickering RIGHT NOW!]
Liberal-Gunner is new to my [reciprocal] blogroll. He's liberal (well, so am I on some issues) but loves guns. Nothing wrong with that. I don't agree with him on some of the clauses he's willing to accept on gun control but I can't fault him for his "wish lists" and he is itching for a Ruger 10/22 similar to what I recently bought.
Joe Huffman is one of the finest and most ardent Pro-2A supporters we have. Because of his blogging activities, he's been dismissed from his job. I don't see a "tip-jar" on his site but head-on-over and lend him your moral support.
Time to get this posted. I'll (naturally) be blathering it live, later today, on NRA NEWS and -- by the way -- Thanks for stopping by!
At the range, I've usually done my pistol shooting by aiming with the sights. More and more though, I've been practicing by pointing, instead. It just seems more logical that if I suddenly need to defend myself I might not have time to acquire the sights. I suppose I could attach a laser but that just complicates things in other ways.
Any thoughts on this?
It's the one year blogiversary at Entropy Manor. Stop by and offer your congratulations!
Matthew at Speculative Fiction has tagged-me as he propagates a meme about the books we read. (For those who don't know, he is also the proprietor of TriggerFinger.)
The questions asked are:
1. Total number of books owned
2. Last book bought
3. Last book read
4. Five books that mean a lot
5. Tag five people to continue the meme
All righty then... And the answers are:
1. Currently I probably have about a thousand books strewn around. Over my lifetime I've owned perhaps five times that amount but I give or donate a lot of books to free-up er, living space.
2. The last book I bought new (mostly I buy used books) was Michael Crichton's State of Fear. The most recent used one was a Perry Mason story, Erle Stanley Gardner's The Case of the Grinning Gorilla.
3. Most recent book read is an oldie, Jonathan Latimer's Murder in the Madhouse. Good, humerous, and for the time it was written, rather bawdy.
4. This is a tough one because there are so many that either were hugely entertaining or else quite thought-provoking. Robert A. Heinlein's Farnham's Freehold certainly forced one to consider "end of the world" scenarios. Robert Zubrin's The Case For Mars demonstrated that we could easily reach and colonize Mars. Roger A. Caras' Dangerous to Man scared the crap out of me with how many deadly animals there are in the world. Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was feindishly clever and far advanced for it's time. Lastly, one of the plays (scripts) that still makes me laugh out-loud today, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde absolutely savaged British society.
5. Hmmm, who to pass this meme onto... I won't list anyone here, specifically, since they might not be interested or are busy or some such thing. Instead, I'll throw the gauntlet out to the other bloggers who visit me and challenge them to continue it with their own posts.
You readers here are encouraged to post your own answers in the comments.
Recently I received an email from someone who obviously doesn't share my enthusiasm for firearms. It was in response to this post about a PA gun commission rejecting, among other things, a law limiting people from purchasing more than one gun per month. I had agreed with that decision and in essence his argument was, "Isn't one gun enough?"
Having bought two guns in the past two weeks, I would (surprise!) say, "No!"
Let me elaborate. I'm sure that most people surfing into Alphecca from wherever quickly realize that I LIKE guns A LOT and I certainly blather about gun rights and the valued role of firearms in personal defense. That's not why I, or (I suspect) most gun enthusiasts purchase numerous firearms. I'm not worried about crime here in Vermont. I just like to explore and feel and touch and admire all the different varieties of guns.
Let me put it another way; why do guitar players own so many guitars? Easy answer, there: Every guitar is different. Different maker, some are acoustic, some are electric, some are 6-string, others 12-string. Different makers, different finishes, different sounds.
That's how it is with firearms. I have two .22 rifles and they are different as night-and-day. One (my Marlin 25N) is a bolt-action .22 which is the type of gun I first enjoyed as a child. The other (my Sturm Ruger 10/22) is a semi-automatic with a scope. They operate and feel completely different and I can enjoy plinking and target shooting with them in much seperate ways.
It is possible to appreciate the workmanship of various firearms as well. The crafting, etching, barrel length, grip, trigger-pull, and all the other characteristics that collectors of other things come to enjoy.
I have a revolver (an S&W Airweight .38) that, while making an excellant carry weapon, is also a throw-back to some of the earliest multi-shot guns in American history. Okay, sorta.
I have a Para Ordnance P-45 which is a full-sized .45. I have a Baretta Tom-Cat, a tiny (.32) semi. And two days ago I bought an EAA Witness-P (compact .45) handgun which is rather in the middle in size. Each is a different size, different feel. They are all interesting and unique. Three handguns, 3 sizes, 3 ways of shooting.
See, guns ARE like guitars. You want to own and shoot different makers' guns, different size bullets, different sounds.
I think that all of us "gun-nuts" like having a variety of choices at the range (or for personal defense for that matter) and I refuse to be limited just because some Brady Bunch types don't view gun collecting in the same terms they would for car collectors.
The Second Amendment doesn't say that we can only bear "one arms".
Let's make a deal: I have never endorsed trying to limit the First Amendment. Don't you try to limit the Second one. Both of them (as well as the others) are the only reason we are all still enjoying our freedoms and liberties and our pursuits of happiness here in America.
No; one gun isn't enough. Deal with it.
Where else, right? From the LA Times:
California lawmakers Thursday voted to require weapons manufacturers to ensure that all bullets and cartridges are branded with distinctive serial numbers.Contained in two measures that are intended to help law enforcement solve cases, the proposal would be unique among states if approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The gun industry said the proposals were impractical and would force weapons makers to either write off the huge California market or adopt practices that would greatly increase the cost of their wares.
[...]
One of the proposals, from state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer and approved in the Senate, 21-14, would require manufacturers, starting in 2007, to stamp bullets sold in California with a identification number that police could trace to the store where the ammunition was sold.
"We can put individualized serial numbers on cartons of yogurt, on almost everything in society, with very little additional cost," said Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana), who sponsored the measure, SB 357.
The second measure, which was approved by the Assembly, 41-37, would mandate that all new semiautomatic handguns, starting in 2007, include technology that would stamp a distinguishing serial number onto a cartridge when it is fired. Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), the sponsor of AB 352, said the markings "won't always lead to the criminal, but it will create leads" for police.
Though Koretz said no law enforcement groups opposed his bill, Republican lawmakers criticized it strongly. Assemblyman Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) argued that criminals could plant spent shell casings to mislead investigators.
"I'm incredibly concerned about the ability to frame innocent people through the use of this technique," Spitzer said.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote to Schwarzenegger last month that he was "strongly opposed to this proposal because of the harmful impact it will have on the manufacturers of ammunition used by our nation's armed services and law enforcement agencies."
Weapons weren't the only subject of clashes on the issue of special markings Thursday. The Senate approved, 22 to 16, the latest incarnation of legislation to allow some illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
Secondly, this would increase the cost of ammunition for everyone, from weekend plinkers to Olympic hopefulls.
Thirdly, isn't this really just another ploy leading towards registration?
Fourth, remember last year when California lawmakers wanted to require gun stores to register all ammo purchases? Here's a quote from the details about that bill:
The bill requires that "all vendors of ammunition maintain specified information" on ammunition buyers, including: (1) the date of the transaction; (2) the name, address, and date of birth of the buyer; (3) the buyer's driver's license or other identification number and the state in which it was issued; (4) the brand, type, and amount of ammunition bought or transferred; (5) the buyer's signature; (6) the name of the salesperson who processed the transaction; and (7) "the vendor shall also at the time of purchase or transfer obtain the right thumbprint of the purchaser or transferee."The information would have to be recorded on a special form provided by the State Department of Justice.
And what if a gun and its ammo is stolen? That's how the mutants in our society usually get their guns. And what if some ammo makers do decide to engrave bullets, but only for California? Sort of like the cars some automakers build only for there to meet stricter emission controls? Would the criminals (and the law-abiding -- I wouldn't blame them!) simply drive to a neighboring state to pick-up non-etched bullets?
Let's examine a mechanical aspect of this, too. I suppose bullet manufacturers could stamp something on the shell, as they do their trademark on the back, but to have an individual serial number requires a lot of digits -- considering how much ammo is sold. Not much space for it unless it was etched with a laser, probably on the side of the cartridge. But that could interfere with the normal feeding from the magazine of a firearm and possibly cause jams. Are California police willing to tolerate a greater incidence of gun jams when chasing armed suspects?
Further, in a premeditated murder, the thug could collect his shells, or use a revolver which doesn't spit them out the ejector port.
I suspect that the misguided lawmakers really want the bullets themselves etched as well, which would lead to a much greater likelihood of malfunction in a firearm as the cartridge is fed into the breech. Again, it is the cops that should be protesting this since they are the ones whose lives would be jeapardized the most. Or would California police agencies be allowed ("government by the people") to purchase un-marked ammo?
I suppose that i.d. numbers could be filed or sanded-off as well.
But this brings up another "slippery slope" problem since there are millions of firearms currently in the hands of California residents. Will all those guns NOT able to "imprint" a unique serial number on the bullets they fire, would they have to be confiscated to make such a draconian scheme work? Remember, this is the state that passed it's own "assault weapons" ban and then required gun owners to turn in these legally purchased and now -- suddenly illegal -- rifles. And don't tell me they would never do that because THEY DID. And we also saw such actions in England, Australia, Germany, and now it's happening in Canada. History DOES repeat itself and I put nothing past the gun-grabbing left in California.
All of this is really just one more attempt to burden and register the law-abiding gun owner. The criminals ignore all of this. The gang-bangers could care less about who they kill, with what they kill, and frankly, with getting caught; the revolving door justice-system puts little fear in them.
Now, with all this concern over fighting crime, did you notice the last paragraph of my quote from the LA Times? It wasn't a mistake. It was irony. Let me repeat it and include the next paragraph:
Weapons weren't the only subject of clashes on the issue of special markings Thursday. The Senate approved, 22 to 16, the latest incarnation of legislation to allow some illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.The proposed licenses would be specially designated so they could not be used as a broader form of identification. Democrats last year rejected the idea of a second tier of licenses, but the governor vetoed the proposal they passed, which would have allowed undocumented residents to have regular driver's licenses.
So they want to wink-and-nod at illegal immigrants -- folks who are breaking the law -- but they want to make it as expensive and difficult as possible for legal citizens to practice their Second Amendment rights. Pardon my french but is California fucked-up or what?
Over at Weekend Pundit, Dale Chan and Deb are making excuses for not putting up posts this weekend. Come-on folks, you're only getting married!
Seriously, I've met them and they're swell people. I wish them only the best in life. Mosel Tov!
Considering how they're turning out to be rather hazardous, Illinois will now require the same background check as for regular (*ahem*, real) guns. From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Buying a stun gun in Illinois will soon require the same background checks and 24-hour waiting period as buying a handgun or rifle.Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation Friday approving the restrictions, which go into effect Jan 1. In addition to submitting to a criminal background check and waiting period, stun gun owners in Illinois will be required to have a state firearm owners identification card.
As for me, I'll take the real thing. Oh, I just did... Again!
Did you know there were a lot of different kinds of anti-gun folks? Denise does.
John Lott has an op-ed in the New York Post today about the AWB and the proposed NY bill to ban the .50 caliber weapon and the mistatements by the NY Daily News.
See also my reporting here.
Update for Jim and others: I just found that John has a link to the article that doesn't require registration HERE.
I'm telling you, DNC Chairman Howard Dean is the best thing that's ever happened -- to Republicans! From USA Today:
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean advised party activists Thursday to reach out to evangelicals and voters in all 50 states, but then risked alienating potential GOP converts by suggesting many Republicans don't work for "an honest living."Dean's comment came as he recalled conditions at crowded Ohio polling stations last fall. He wondered who could expect voters to work all day and then stand in line for eight hours to vote. "Well, Republicans, I guess, can do that because a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives," he said, drawing some surprised "oohs" from his audience.
[...]
Axelrod and other Democrats counted Thursday's incident as a missile. "That kind of language doesn't exactly improve our chances of making the case" to Republicans that they should vote Democratic, he said. Mike McCurry, a strategist for John Kerry's 2004 campaign and the Clinton White House, said Dean was making a point about "the pressures on working people." But he added, "Class warfare usually doesn't get us very far."
Matt Bennett, spokesman for the Democratic centrist group Third Way, called the comment "a poor choice of words." Still, he said, "I can't think of a single instance in which an utterance by a party chair has really had a huge impact on an election."
The spectacle amused some Republicans. "Watching a Howard Dean speech is a little like people who go to a NASCAR race to see a crash," said Ed Gillespie, a former Republican Party chairman. He watched Thursday's speech live on C-SPAN and "I just thought, there he goes again."
Two teens, captured by a gun-toting Broad Street resident early Saturday morning, probably played a role in the rash of burglaries plaguing the city during recent weeks, said Police Chief Jon Arcaro.“No doubt, they were behind some of the thefts, but there are others involved, too,” he said. “There’s another group (of thieves) out there, working independently (of the arrested teens).”
A 69-year-old man, alerted by a barking dog and a neighbor’s frantic telephone call, got the drop on the young thieves around 5:22 a.m., police said. Armed with a pistol, the resident caught the suspects — ages 16 and 17 — in his garage, officers said.
The youths immediately surrendered, and police found them sprawled on the garage floor, guarded by the homeowner, officers said. The teens were taken to the youth detention center in Ashtabula Township, police said.
Yesterday at work I learned just how little self-control I have. Since Thursdays are "range night", we were all in gun mode anyway. Worse, it's pay-day. And while I'm in no position to be spending money... And then a co-worker shows up with a trunk filled with his recently deceased father's collection. My buddy Jim scoffed-up a nice .223 scoped carbine and (you know how peer-pressure is) there, in the original box, was a Tanfoglio EAA .45 Witness-P compact. Fine condition, probably only a hundred or so rounds run through it, I'd say about 90%. And I liked the camo-green color.
I went back to the parking lot, looked at it again. Damn, it fit my small hand nicely. Came with just one 8-round magazine but that's no biggie. Even had a couple cleaning brushes with it. I also liked the way the boot of the magazine held my pinky-finger in place. The small size makes it a good carry gun, too.
What can I say? The flesh is weak, my wallet even weaker. In fact, my wallet literally jumped out of my back pocket. So for a couple hundred and change I have a new addition to my modest collection...
We all headed to the range after work and I gave it a quick cleaning and ran about 50 rounds through it. Sorry, none of us had a camera with us so no range pictures. No misfires or jams at all. Reasonably accurate. Maybe it's the poly body but recoil (even with full 230 gr) was very mild, less even than my full-sized Para P45.
There was no manual with it but fortunately European American Armory has them all online and down-loadable as PDFs. The gun disassembles VERY easily for real cleaning; always a plus for me, and goes back together just as smoothly.
I'm rather (okay, very) pleased. But I've got to stop walking around with cash in my wallet. A trunk full of guns for sale is for me the way a glass full of wine is for Ted "the lifeguard" Kennedy...
By the way, I did get the scope all set on my 10/22 (that I bought 2 weeks ago). It's good to go at 50 and 100 yards (just 4 clicks on elevation between them). Not being used to scopes, I made the mistake of starting at 25, then 50, then 100 and wildly spinning the dials each time, so to speak.
I wish everyday was like yesterday. Wish I had the money to make everyday...
He should have gotten his permission in writing... From Yahoo/AP:
Michael Crossland didn't have much time to celebrate when he shot what is expected to be the largest whitetail deer ever killed in Oklahoma — a monster buck with a 31-point set of antlers worth thousands of dollars.Instead, the antlers were seized by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and a charge of hunting without permission was filed against him. If convicted, he could be fined, face jail time, or both.
"It's been a heck of a mess," said Crossland, a 25-year-old farmer and rancher.
On Nov. 23, Crossland said he was with a landowner's hired hand, who went to retrieve a four-wheeler and gave Crossland his rifle in case he spotted any big deer.
[...]
"I didn't know he was that big until he fell," Crossland said. "He fell and he rolled his head, and that's when I said, 'Oh my gosh.'"
But as word quickly spread about the huge deer, problems started to mount for Crossland.
Landowner Ryan Hunt, 26, requested the hunting charge, and if convicted Crossland faces a fine of up to $200 and 30 days in the county jail. It would then be up to the court to decide who gets to keep the antlers.
Crossland said he considered Hunt a friend, but they haven't spoken since the deer was shot. Crossland also said he's previously worked for the Hunt family and was told he could hunt on their property as long as he was with a family member or Greg Platner, the farmhand who was with Crossland on the day he shot the deer.
Hunt wouldn't specifically say whether he and Crossland were friends or whether he gave Crossland permission to hunt on his property.
[...]
Although the antlers have not officially been scored under a standardized system, Yukon taxidermist Gerald Hillman measured the horns and said he's confident it will be a new state record for non-typical antlers, which refers to a lack of symmetry on each side of the rack.
Hillman estimated the antlers will score about 246 or 247 points. The current non-typical state record in Oklahoma is 240 3/8 from a whitetail in 2003.
WABC radio in NYC is planning to offer activist Al Sharpton his own radio show which will start in August. I know that Sharpton often comes off as a blow-hard. Another blow-hard, Rush Limbaugh is offering to mentor him:
...I'm thinking -- I haven't made up my mind about this -- but I'm thinking of having Reverend Sharpton into this studio and let him guest host the program for like 30 minutes at a time while I am sitting here critiquing him. In other words, mentoring Al Sharpton, and let's be done with this. Let's go ahead and create a Limbaugh of the left, and get it done with so the media can be done with their breathless anticipation of the next Limbaugh of the left. Because if somebody's going to do this and succeed, don't you think it's about time they actually learned from people who know how to do it?...
I met him once, years ago, in Englewood, NJ, where he was living at the time. He's smart, extremely witty, and when the cameras aren't on him, doesn't take himself nearly so seriously as some might think.
Hosting a radio show is also not an unknown skill to him. Way back when, he actually guest-hosted arch-conservative Bob Grant's show one night on WMCA. He neatly deflected all the criticism directed at him by Grant's rabid listeners and callers. He was funny, effusive, and almost convincing at times.
I suspect he'll do very well, especially since so many listeners will underestimate him. It will also bring some diversity to WABC.
On a side note, thinking back to those days, and days earlier, reminded me of some of the radio greats I used to listen to when I was growing up.
I remember the great Jean Shepard on WOR, spinning his yarns, retelling stories from his life, sneaking in a lot of risque innuendos, and being a good friend in the late night of a boy.
This might surprise you, but Larry King ruled the radio airwaves on the overnight with a terrific show where he was --also-- clever, witty, not full-of-himself, and entertaining. When he moved to afternoons, it ruined him, in my opinion. His TV show these days is nearly worthless.
My friend at Solomonia details yet another attempt by the left to slander Israel. It just never ends. This time it's over ridiculous Palistinian Authority claims that Israel is dumping nuclear waste all over their territory.
An appeals court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit that the widow of a teacher gunned down by a 13-year-old student had filed against a gun distributor.Pam Grunow's lawsuit argued that Valor Corp. was negligent in selling the cheap handgun used in the shooting and should be held liable for the May 2000 death of her husband, Barry Grunow. He was shot in the doorway of his middle school classroom by Nathaniel Brazill, who stole the gun from the man he considered to be a grandfather.
"We certainly sympathize with Grunow and recognize the tragedy of the events that transpired. However, it was Brazill, his grandfather, and perhaps the school that were liable, not Valor," the opinion said.
A jury that heard the case in November 2002 had ordered the company to pay $1.2 million, but the trial judge threw out the verdict and Grunow appealed.
Grunow is considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court, attorney Rebecca Larson said Wednesday. "We're still of the opinion that Florida law should impose a duty on a distributor like Valor to keep these guns out of the hands of children and out of the hands of criminals on the streets," she said.
