Nobody ever stopped a murder by carrying a Concealed Rope in his pocket

It's impossible to be a caring human and not wish that the continuing plague of The Slaughter of Innocents would ... just ... STOP!!!

I don't know what the answer is.  

The easy, and most obvious solution is just GET RID OF ALL THE GUNS!

If just getting rid of all the guns would solve the problem of The Slaughter of Innocents, that might something that we should consider as a nation of conscientious people.

After San Bernardino shooting, we need more empathy, fewer guns (opinion) - CNN.com:

The murder of teacher Karen Smith and 8-year-old Jonathan Martinez, one of her students, shines a spotlight on at least four of the major correlating factors that increase the risk that a person will suffer violence: disability, domestic abuse, race, and guns. As we think about each one, we need to keep our empathy. We can't ever let ourselves get comfortable with this kind of slaughter. Then empathy must drive us to act by raising awareness about domestic violence and violence against people with disabilities. But most of all, as Karen Smith and Jonathan Martinez are laid to rest, we must first imagine, then act to create, an America in which there are fewer and fewer guns.

But it wouldn't stop The Slaughter of Innocents,

What it would stop is the ability of people to protect their own against the mad men.

There is no easy solution here.

"The only thing that can stop a Bad Man with a gun is a Good Man with a gun!"

Trite, and easily disdained by men of narrow vision, but there is an element of truth in it.

I have grandchildren in schools across this nation and in other nations, and I hope that they never find themselves in the horrifying situation where a monster intrudes upon their scholastic day with mayhem on his mind.     I don't know whether I could deal with the grief, sorrow and anger if any harm should come to these innocent boys and girls.

What I would like to do is to offer a simple, logical and easily implemented solution that would (with the stroke of a pen) completely eliminate the possibility that sad, lonely, angry, disenfranchised men would impose the consequences of their empty lives on my children, your children .. any child, anywhere.

I don't have that answer.  And the answers that have been presented are obviously inadequate; I have a nightmarish image in my mind of  Karen Smith and Jonathan Martinez .. he hiding behind his trusted teacher, only to join her victimhood as bullets rip through her body into his.

Even the most noble efforts to protect our children, however well intentioned, are too often in vain.

We cannot stop the bullets.  We cannot stop the guns.

What we need to do is to stop the gunmen.

In Minority Report, Tom Cruise played a character who had access to some kind of Weird Science which could predict when someone was about to "lose his nut".   That would be great, to be able to KNOW when some mild-mannered man is due to yield to his insane fantasies and commit mayhem.

But that was only fiction, it's a dream.  It will never happen.

Better to be Convicted than Buried ...

A father used a handgun in Trinidad to defend his son from assault; faces charges:

Trinidad Express Newspapers: News | Father fined for gun after rescuing son from attackers:

On his return to the station, Maraj told Hyacinth of the offences committed and cautioned him. Hyacinth said: “Men who I don’t know came out of a white B15…and they started beating up my son. They were pelting bottles at him and I was frightened that they kill him. “I take out my gun from my waist and I shoot in the air to get them off my son. I cannot recall if I shot at any car. I cannot recall where I throw the gun but it was somewhere near the road.” Following the facts of the case, which Hyacinth agreed with, Magistrate Margaret Alert entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf for discharging the firearm in a public place.

This is the problem with punitive firearms regulations: even when you're right, you're still wrong.

The father faces fines of several thousand of dollars for possession and use of a firearm to save his son from serious injury, or dearth; even though the court was sympathetic.

She fined Hyacinth $3,500 for possession of the gun and gave him 60 days to pay or serve nine months in prison. Hyacinth was also fined $1,500 for possession of the ammunition. He has to pay the money in 30 days or serve three months in jail.The father was placed on $15,000 bail for discharging the gun. He will return to court on May 9.

It may not be "Justice", but it's "The Law".

I wonder how long it takes for a Trinidad resident to accumulate $20,000?

But I'm sure the father thinks his son was worth it.

This is NOT going to look good on your resume!

Do as I say ...

https://gunsafetyrules.nra.org/

not as I do:

Man Accidentally Shoots Himself at NRA Headquarters: Police | NBC4 Washington:\

 A National Rifle Association employee accidentally shot himself while doing firearms training at the organization's headquarters, according to police. The 46-year-old man's pistol accidentally discharged Thursday afternoon as he holstered the gun in Fairfax County, Virginia, police said.

H/T: Say Uncle

9/11 MORONIC JET FUEL ARGUMENT

I missed this when it was first posted on YOUTUBE.

About that "Them Twin Towers Wuz Deliberately Downed By The Gobmint, cause Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams!" set of theories.

Someone should have posted this little demonstration before, right?

Well, someone did. Some of us (me) just never heard about this one before.  But we're hearing about it now:




For the undying 9/11 MORONIC JET FUEL ARGUMENT - YouTube:

Published on Dec 15, 2015 Why don't these dumb things die? "For any licensing requests please contact licensing@break.com” Subscribe For More Blacksmithing Goodness and follow us on Facebook at "Purgatory Ironworks"!

Any questions?

No?

Good!

Who are you calling a "Gun Nut"?

You might be a Gun Nut. (Huge list):

If your gun collection is worth more than your automobile, 

you just might be a gun nut.

Oh-oh.   I'm busted!

Blackhawk's "SERPA" holster found to be unsafe

The SERPA Sucks, And That's Just All There Is To Say About It:

  ,,, the BlackHawk! SERPA holster is one of the worst holster designs currently manufactured.
 The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Field Training Directorate (FTD) launched an investigation of the design after “four incidents.” The resulting research discovered that the user’s trigger finger ended up proximal to the trigger on 25-percent of the draw strokes, and that 13-percent of attempted draw strokes began out of sequence. They concluded (PDF) that the basic design of the holster was likely to greatly increase the likelihood of an “inadvertent discharge,” and concluded that it should not be used in any of their training. Here’s Guns & Ammo TV trying to argue that Serpa’s are “perfectly safe.” Watch what happens with the expert’s finger.

(Click link at top of the post to see videos in the original Bearing Arms article)

Lemonade and Cookie and Guns Stand; what could go wrong?

Tennessee lawmaker tries to sell gun at downtown lemonade stand | WKRN News 2:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – House Democratic Caucus Leader Mike Stewart set up a lemonade stand on a corner of Tennessee’s Capitol Hill early Wednesday that featured a newly purchased assault rifle to show how easy it is to buy a gun. But a few hours later, his bill to try and change that did not sway Republican colleagues. The lawmaker said he brought the knock-off AK-47 assault rifle in a parking lot after finding a seller on the Internet. There were no takers for the gun, the lemonade, or some cookies that were also for sale at the stand.

He should have offered Famous Amos cookies.

I swear, I am NOT making this up!
When it comes to bizarre political showmanship, you can't beat the Democrats.

I tried to set up a lemonade stand in front of my home when I was 10 years old.  No takers.
There were no AK-47 rifles available then, but I suspect I still wouldn't have any buyers.

If you're a Democrat, you have to be over 50 years old before you learn the same lesson.

Submarine Killer Bullets ...Oh, The Humanity!

"You can fire from a helicopter and take out a sub if you have a big enough caliber."

If nobody has yet notified "Mothers Against Nearly Everything" .... let me be the first!

These 'Swimming Bullets' Can Obliterate a Target Underwater - Kit Up!
{actual weblink!}

{April 05, 2017)

 NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — A Norwegian company hopes the U.S. Navy will see the value in its revolutionary product: bullets that “swim” and remain effective on target for significant distances underwater. The secret to DSG Technology’s CAV-X supercavitating bullets is a specially turned tip and carefully calibrated balance and mass, creating an air bubble that allows the munition to shoot through the water, said Kristian Aksnes, director of Special Operations Forces for DSG. The bullets are tungsten with a brass shell and designed to be fired from conventional weapons, he said.

Forget the U.S. Navy ... where can I buy one of these?

Earplugs, Suppressors ... eh? Speak up, Sonny!

I've been shooting guns for sixty years .. indoor gun ranges, outdoor gun ranges, hunting, Vietnam, and IPSC competition.

When I was a kid, I got a kick out of it when people would ask my father (who trained me) a question and he would say "what?  Speak up, boy!"   I thought he was putting me on, but he shot rifles ... not pistols, and he was half deaf from the experience.

It made him look like an idiot.

Unfortunately, he never used any kind of ear protection, so he didn't teach me that!  Part of the reason was that he only shot rifles, and at that time there were few "inside the ear channel" options; it's hard to get a good cheek press with a rifle while wearing earmuffs.

But there were a few options;  I found them, and used them, and ignored his "A Real Man Doesn't" remarks.
I took to stuffing cotton in my ears before bench-rest testing his rifles ... like the .30-338, the 338 Winchester magnum and the 7mm Remington magnum ... which he built over the years.

(He loved building rifles in experimental calibers.  I was glad when he decided Jack O'Conner was his hero ... smaller, faster calibers, such as the 6.5-285, were easier on the ears!

Still, my hearing acuity has diminished over the years.   And this is not a 'minor issue'.  I'm now the grandfather who says "What?  Speak up!" and my grandkids get a kick out of their idiot grandfather.

Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership: Firearm Suppressors Fight Hearing Loss - Breitbart:

After showing that “significant, permanent hearing loss” can result from “a single exposure of 140 decibels or more,” DRGO points out that that “muzzle blast sound levels for most firearms (handguns, rifles and shotguns) range from 140 to over 170 decibels, more than sufficient to cause instant, permanent hearing damage.”

Bows and Arrow Not Mentioned

Registration .... the next step is Confiscation

Navajo Nation considers implementing gun registration - ABC15 Arizona:

 PHOENIX - Navajo Nation Tribal Council officials are reviewing a proposal that would require tribal land residents to register their firearms. The Daily Times reports the proposed bill would require residents to register firearms such as automatic guns, rifles and shotguns to the Navajo Nation Police Department.
 The bill would allow the police department to maintain a registry which would include the firearm's serial number, registration date and the owner's name and address.

"... automatic guns"?)

This is wrong in so many ways.

Delegate Davis Filfred says the measure would create accountability for gun owners and make identifying gun owners easier for police.

(Photo: Iron Eyes Cody ... NOT an Indian)

So ... Indians not only are depicted by Italians in the movies, but they now have anti-gun infringements imposed on them which are not shared by non-indians.

"First they came for the  Jews... Navajos, but I was not a Jew Navaho, and so I did not speak out", 

I Always Wanted To Be "That Guy"

BLUE ANGELS - Insane Footage Takes You Inside the Cockpit - YouTube




H/T "The G-Man"

Best viewed in FULL SCREEN with SOUND ON (go to the link)

Nobody Does It Better

When it comes to ignoring YOUR Constitutional Rights, nobody does it better than well-entrenched Democrats.

Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes 'no fly, no buy' gun legislation:

A Pennsylvania lawmaker has proposed legislation that would prohibit people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list, including the no-fly list, from possessing or purchasing guns in the state. House Bill 528, sponsored and introduced by Democrat Rep. Perry S. Warren, would call on Pennsylvania State Police to check the FBI’s terrorist watch list when someone attempts to purchase a firearm. Anyone denied the purchase of firearms would have the right to appeal.

(H/T: Guns.com)

Pennsylvania State Representative  Perry S. Warren  (Democrat, natch) knows what he wants, and he's just the guy to make it happen!

His philosophy is: "if you're not allowed to fly, you're not allowed to buy!"

Guns, that is.

Note: Nobody knows who is on the "Terrorist No-Fly List, or Why, or Whether They have been accused ... let along convicted ... of a crime.

Here'e the thing about Elected Democrats:

They're not idiots.
Correction: they're not ALL idiots.

Unfortunately, this particular Democrat is, demonstrably, an idiot.

But I think we can usually agree that this guy is a total 'tard.

Money for Nothin', and Checks for Free

The Gun Grabbers (democrats and the CDC) are at it again.

Democrats request $60 million for CDC to study gun violence as health crisis:

A group of 30 Senate and House Dems debuted a proposal on Tuesday to fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.
 Backed by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, along with a host of other Democrat and Independent lawmakers, the bill, S.834, would provide $10 million per year to CDC for a term of at least six years beginning in 2018.

You will note the list of radical leftest senators who are sponsoring this bill to use my federal tax dollars to politicize the "gun violence" issue ... again.

 The measure introduced this week would set aside $10 million in funding each year for FY2018-2023 to be added to the CDC’s budget, earmarked for research into guns. The money, if approved, would be the largest funding for federal gun use research since a 1996 amendment by then-Rep. Jay Dickey, R-Ark., precluded CDC’s funds from being spent on actions intended to restrict or control the purchase or use of firearms.

(And there are NGOs involved in this effort, too ... which will come as no surprise.)

The bill is supported by a number of health care lobby groups and gun control organizations including the Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown, Moms Demand Action, the Brady Campaign, Americans for Responsible Solutions and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

This bill is an attempt to go back to the Good Old Days, when the CDC could pursue its own political agenda ... at our cost!   Before the Dickey amendment, the CDC could publish biased reports on "gun violence".   Their reports were long on the harm that guns can do, but absolutely lacking on any "positive effects" of private firearms ownership ... such as self defense, and the original purpose of the 2nd amendment (which was to prevent a runaway government from controlling an unarmed citizenry).

After years of whining because the mean old Republicans wouldn't let them undermine our Constitutional Rights at our cost, the Dems have taken the "Moral High Ground" by asserting that the CDC is hampered by the Dickey amendment.

Write your congressman.

I just wrote to mine:

Arizona Weighs In On Smart Guns ... kinda/sorta/maybe (We're Not Sure)

Some Arizona lawmakers voted to block a measure that would stop people from buying smart guns.   (WTF?)

Have I read this wrong?

The original article is unclear, but it sounds as if a "YES" vote would make it "unlawful" to buy a "Smart Gun".

Some states (notably New Jersey) have laws which REQUIRE people to buy Smart Guns if available;   is it possible that Arizona has taken The Road Less Travelled and is considering making them illegal?

Some Arizona Lawmakers Concerned About Smart Gun Technology | KJZZ:

Some Arizona lawmakers voted to block a measure that would stop people from buying smart guns. The House bill would prohibit any mandatory tracking technology on guns, but most of Thursday’s debate centered on the idea of who is and who isn't supposed to be able to fire the gun. Proponents said smart gun technology could prevent shooting tragedies like what happened last week when a little boy was killed by his two year old brother. But opponents like Senator John Kavanagh said the technology isn’t there yet.

It may not matter, since the technology is still untested, but it sounds as if they're only concerned about the option to track the guns. Which seems a valid reason to oppose them, based on privacy issues.  

We're going to assume that the short article was poorly written, and that the legislature is not really going to make Smart Guns Illegal ... just make it illegal to track them.

(By the way, the parent station KJZZ has a nice jazz station online, where you can listen to some good vibes while the reporter goes back to journalism school!)

John Farnam Says ... About 9mm Revolvers

QUIPS | Defense Training International, Inc.:
Bullet Migration in 9mm Revolvers by John Farnam
| 4 Apr 2017

 “Bullet-jump” with light-weight revolvers, particularly those chambered for 9mm: 
Last weekend, during a Defensive Handgun Course, a student brought a Ruger five-shot revolver, chambered in 9mm.
During an exercise, shooting factory 115gr hardball from a well-known and reputable manufacturer, a bullet jumped forward far enough to protrude from the face of the cylinder and thus prevent the cylinder from rotating normally. In fact, the bullet jumped forward far enough to physically separate from the case. This not only precluded the revolver from continuing to fire, but it also made it impossible to swing-out the cylinder, so the revolver could now not be reloaded!

I don't have contact information for Mr. Farnam (a well-respected trainer in these parts), but if you have a 9mm revolver, you may want to be aware of his warning.

Revolvers are often held to be "the most reliable handgun in the world" by some people, but I have had personal experience of "loose gripped bullets" in revolvers causing this cylinder lock-up.

In fact, while officiating at IPSC matches (over the past 30 years), I've actually seen at least one example.
This was, in fact a .38 Special revolver (I do not recall the manufacturer of the pistol or the ammunition), but it stopped cold the budding career of a wanna-be Revolver Ace.

This young man was a member of a group of revolver afficianados who came to a Major IPSC match in Oregon to prove that Revolver Shooters ... uh .... I'm not sure what he wanted to prove.   But he had a cartridge which was not sufficiently crimped (as I recall, he was using handloads with cannelured lead bullets) and he had failed to sufficiently crimp one round.

He fired over 500 rounds in a 600 round Crocodile Dundee High Round-Count Match, and he had his wife and his two (3?) Children reloading his speed-loaders for him.

I'm not sure, but I think he even brought his cat with him!

I had squaded with him, and I was at least  almost as disappointed as was he in his ill fortune.
(His family was close to weeping for "Daddy's Misfortune".)

They came from the Shasta, California are, and my friend if you are reading this I hope you are encouraged in knowing that you are not the only revolver shooter who has ever experienced this kind of 'failure' in a high-profile situation.

I suspect that having your revolver lock up during a John Farnam Class is at least as embarrassing as during a Crocodile Dundee Crazy Croc High Round Count / Weekend In Hell match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr7rrjmcZ9s

Silence Of The Lambs

I use to compete in a sport called "Practical Shooting", which is where scenario-based stage designs are used to help people simulate 'defensive' pistol shooting scenarios.

One of the things we did in Practical Shooting Matches was to shoot at targets behind a partition ... variously called a 'baffle', or  'vision barrier..   What is was, was a wall that we had to shoot around.
You had to stand behind the baffle, and crane your neck (and upper shoulders) to get the handgun past the vision barrier far enough so you could engage the target.

You could't always manage to get the muzzle of your gun past the Vision Barrier far enough that you could see the target, keep your balance, and still keep the Vision Barrier between yourself and the handgun.

With the usual kind of handgun, that imposed a penalty of a LOT of the noise of the handgun firing bouncing back, so you heard more of the noise of the gun than was comfortable.

But some of us were shooting what were called "Open Guns".
They were guns which were fitted with Compensators.

Compensators were heavy metal additions to the 'front ends' (muzzles) of the barrel which (because of inertia) minimized the amount of "muzzle flip" between shots;  so that we could shoot two shots quickly with about the same sight-picture, but needed less time between shots, because the weight prevented the front part of the gun from 'bouncing' (recoiling) as much as it would without the Compensator.

Another factor of the compensator was that it had holes drilled in the top, and at the sides, so that the "muzzle blast" was directed both vertically and laterally so the "muzzle bounce" was not so extreme.  Thus, the word "Compensator" ... compensated for the nature tendency of the muzzle to rise dramatically between shots.

This allowed us to re-engage the targets faster ... we didn't have to wait the extra half-second for the sight picture to re-show us the target, so we could shoot two (or more) shots in quick succession.   Instead of waiting a second (or more) between shots, we could take our "double-tap" in "Split times" of 0.17 to 0.30 seconds.

In a stage with, say .... ten shots, that could save us as much as 2.5 - 3 seconds, depending on the number of targets we had to engage (it usually took us from 0.30 to 0.50 seconds to transit between targets, if they were placed close together).

And in competition, a full second is like an eternity. It can be the difference between first place and forget-it-ville.

JUST TO DEMONSTRATE the difference in seconds, here are two examples of shooting a 'stand and shoot' stage with a compensated and a non-compensated pistol.

(The videos may load slowly ... they are high-resolution files.)

(Later: Well, I can't get the videos to show.  I guess the 1MB+ videos aren't acceptable to Blogger.
Sorry)

The first competitor is using a non-compensated (limited-class) pistol:

The second competitor is using a compensated (open-class) pistol.

You can see how the compensator allows the competitor to get that 'second shot' at a target faster (and more accurately).

Well ... you can see it if my video load works correctly.



Underreported: How Gun Silencers Became a Health Issue:

Most people only know about silencers from what they see in the movies—a stealthy gun accessory that helps criminals more easily kill by suppressing the sound of the gunshot. But silencers, some say, is a misleading way to describe these firearm accessories. Why? Because they don’t actually silence the sound of a gunshot.

x

Varying interpretation of the Second Amendment Over Recent Years

Firearms technology and the original meaning of the Second Amendment - The Washington Post:

Gun-control advocates often argue that gun-control laws must be more restrictive than the original meaning of the Second Amendment would allow, because modern firearms are so different from the firearms of the late 18th century. This argument is based on ignorance of the history of firearms. It is true that in 1791 the most common firearms were handguns or long guns that had to be reloaded after every shot. But it is not true that repeating arms, which can fire multiple times without reloading, were unimagined in 1791. To the contrary, repeating arms long predate the 1606 founding of the first English colony in America. As of 1791, repeating arms were available but expensive.

(David Kopel, H/T Bearing Arms)

Actually ... while quite interesting, I'm not certain that the entire explanation is absolutely necessary.

However, it's also interesting to see the timeline of draconian regulation of firearms ownership, manufacture and transfer during recent years:

Gun Control has been entirely political since 1968

The Second Amendment has been accepted as (relatively) sacrosanct until the at least the Post-Eisenhower years, when creeping socialism became "popular" in America, and social activists began revising the image of America.

[see some sources at the bottom of this page]

In 1968, during the Johnson Administration, the Gun Control Act of 1968 imposed stringent controls on firearms. (Became the National Firearms Act)

Passage of the Gun Control Act was initially prompted by the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963.^[1] The President was shot and killed with a rifle purchased by mail-order from an ad in National Rifle Association (NRA) magazine American Rifleman.^[2] Congressional hearings followed and a ban on mail-order gun sales was discussed, but no law was passed until 1968. At the hearings NRA Executive Vice-President Franklin Orth supported a ban on mail-order sales, stating, "We do not think that any sane American, who calls himself an American, can object to placing into this bill the instrument which killed the president of the United States.

While Johnson was a Democratic President, you will note that the NRA supported the new bans.
(This was only the first reason why I have since been reluctant to support the NRA, although I am currently a member; but the year is not over yet.)

The passing of the bill was encouraged by the assassinations of Presidential Candidate Bobby Kennedy and Afro-American Activist Martin Luther King, Jr.,in the same year.

In 1972, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was created.   This expanded the role of the Treasury Department, which was often referred to as the "Revenoors" during Prohibition.   Their new duty was enforcement of the National Firearms Act.

In 1986, we saw the laws against "Cop Killer Bullets" and, conversely, the Firearms Owners Protection Act (this last also imposed additional penalties on certain crimes committed with guns. and some restrictions on illegal importation of guns).

In 1990, the Crime Control Act (under president GW Bush) imposed penalties on felonies in school zones, and also unregulated construction of automatic firearms.

In 1994: The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act ...  Background Checks/Waiting Period, and NICS.

In 2013, President Obama proposed "sweeping" gun control measures ... most of which were already in effect ... and the rest ineffectual. Also Colorado voters recalled several pro-Gun-Control state senators who were just pissing them off!

[source]

The Zombification of America

One Gun A Month: Not Just A Bad Idea

Liberals often wonder aloud why Gun Nuts can't accept a "Reasonable Compromise" on the subject of Gun Rights.

The answer (as they know very well) is that there is no "Reasonable Compromise" on the table.  .
Once you start down that road, there is no turning back.

Ever.
(Note: this is an expansion of my April 01, 2017 article)

Editorial: How many guns do you need? - Daily Press:

Those who oppose the one-per-month rule and similar legislation frequently speak in defense of "responsible gun owners." But isn't that precisely who should be supporting these measures? Shouldn't legal gun owners want laws that target those who circumvent and abuse our state's lax gun laws? If you keep a licensed handgun to protect your home, wouldn't you rather make it harder for that intruder to have an unlicensed one?

Gun Control Zombies want to undermine, and ultimately eliminate, our Second Amendment Rights.

They have no respect for it, and cannot understand those of us who consider it as anathema.

It would be different (but only in the degree of outrage generated) should the Gun Control Zombies propose something of a quid pro quo agreement, if only as a beginning discussion point.

But I'm not sure what would be their valid initial proposal:

"Tell you what: we'll give up all the Anti-Gun Pro-Reasonable Gun Control Editorials in the New York Times for the next year   three months  week if you'll just give up your opposition to ... say .... "One Gun A Month".  How's that?   You could be just like us!"

Hmm ... no,  I don't see that happening.

However, I DO see that as being assumed a "reasonable starting point" for discussion .., from their point of view.

The author of the editorial which began this thesis seems to be thoroughly encamped in the community which would  accept the (farcical) proposal as "reasonable".

(I'm not calling him a "Gun Control Zombie", I'm only saying that his comments feed the political viewpoint which might eventually lead to even more infringements on our 2nd Amendment rights.)

Campus Carry: Thoughts

Inside the Fight Over Guns on Campus - Rolling Stone: How a group of students teamed up with the gun lobby to get firearms in the classroom at over 200 colleges – and counting.

Living (as I do) in a "college town", it seems both appropriate and significant that college students are becoming more aware of certain significant facts:

• If you are disarmed in a kill zone, you are a statistic
• If you are armed in a kill zone, you are less likely to be (a statistic).
• Yielding to the demand of a "mass killer" is not a "friendly gesture"; it is volunteerism in a venue where a willing killer seeks victims

Significant quote:

Shortly after the Virginia Tech shooting, in 2007, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson suggested the massacre might have been averted had other students been armed. The comment was met with national ridicule; even the NRA's Wayne LaPierre disavowed the idea. But for a small group of conservative college students, mostly in the South and West, it was a rallying cry. One of them, an undergrad at the University of North Texas, launched a Facebook group: Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, or SCCC (later shortened to SCC). 

"... the massacre might have been averted had other students been armed. "

What a concept.  
Someone besides me should have voted for Fred.   
Sure, he is an oddball ... but what have we now?

Nope! No AR15's in Pennsylvania Deer Season!

Pennsylvania has decided that semi-automatic rifles (aka: AR15) are NOT legal for big game hunting.

Deer Hunters Relieved Over Semi-Automatic Weapons Law Change | WNEP.com:

On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Game Commission made a last-minute change and decided not to legalize semi-automatic rifles for hunting big game like deer, black bear, elk, and turkey.

I agree with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The .556/223 is an underpowered caliber, deliberately designed for "war", where a wounded foe is better for the aggressor than a dead enemy ...  a wounded warrior hopes he has two buddies to get  him to medical help.

I've never been a fan of the .223 and its kin, because it is a wimpy  cartridge and over-touted; it is best suited for small game like woodchucks and prairie dogs

(ASIDE:  I own a .22-250 which is MUCH more effective even on small game, but much more powerful than the .223 cartridge.) 

MEAT:
I've hunted deer and antelope, and I'm a firm believer that a cartridge of at least .25 caliber is most likely to bring a quick and humane end to their life as fauna, and immediate transformation of their body into a locker.  Yummy!  (No .. Antelope does NOT "taste like goat"!)

I've served in Viet Nam, where wounded prisoners were brought in, and those were almost invariably 'wounded', not killed, by the 5.56mm/AR16 .. unless it was a "Head Shot".

Conclusion:
I agree with the Pennsylvania Game Commission that the 5.56mm/.223 caliber is not an appropriate (or at least a "controversial"  cartridge) for medium-size game such as deer.

Certainly, the .22* cartridge is not optimal for Elk, which are closer in size and vitality to a horse, than to a deer.

POSTSCRIPT:
Now, if the AR15 frame is presented with a more powerful cartridge than the .223/5,56 cartridge, I think that an overly broad definition of the term "AR15" is premature; that frame is capable of accepting more powerful cartridges (if only barely' the AR15 is not a "robust" frame, after all) and for the folks in charge in Pennsylvania to (apparently) have made such a broad statement is to accept that .
That's all I have to say about that.

On the other hand, I'm dumb as a stump and if you read down this far ... you already knew that.

How Many Guns Will YOU Let ME Have?

Editorial: How many guns do you need? - Daily Press:
In 1993 ..., quote:
Gov. Douglas Wilder signed into law a limit of one handgun purchase per month. That restriction lasted 19 years, until it was repealed by then-Gov. Robert McDonnell in 2012. Mr. McDonnell had voted in favor of the legislation as a delegate in 1993 but campaigned on a promise to repeal it, citing his "duty to protect the Second Amendment."

The problem with that logic is, there is no reason sensible gun laws cannot co-exist with the Second Amendment, which cites the need for a "well-regulated militia" and ensures "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." 

The problem is, some people focus on the right to bear arms and ignore the phrase "well-regulated." The most oft-cited rationale for the right to bear arms is self-defense, and it is hard to imagine that people here feel unsafe if they can only buy a dozen guns in a calendar year.

[endquote]



The "problem"  with the quotes (above) is that the author assumes that the 2nd amendment was written for purposes of self-defense.

It wasn't.

It was written so that The People might be armed in defiance against a government which attempts to ignore the Espoused Rights .. Dictators.

Tyrants.

The Other Side Of the Coin Is:


In truth, it has nothing to do with "Self Defense", although today it seems reasonable that this is t he most frequent usage of personal weapons.


When we accept the 'common' interpretation of History, we lose track of the protections which our fore-fathers had wisely (but perhaps too confident of our character) chosen to provide as our Legacy.

Gov. McAuliffe is attempting to reinstate that limit (of how many guns we may be "allowed" to purchase in a designated time frame) it by attaching it as an amendment to a bill that has already passed in the General Assembly, but which has not yet been signed into law, pertaining to concealed carry permits. There is little chance the GA, the majority of which is Republican, will accept the amendment — even if it takes the original bill down with it.

(No, I'm not confident that I understand that paragraph. Do you?)

The purpose of the 2nd Amendment is only tangentially related to "Self Defense".

The primary purpose of the Second Amendment is to provide "The People" a means to resist an Government which has grown too big for its britches and attempts to impose unilateral laws and regulations which undermine the rights of The People.

Translation: They expected us to fight for our rights .. in much the same way as did they.

Concealed Carry Permits are also tangential to the 2nd Amendment, which neither expresses nor implies any restriction on how one is "allowed" to 'Keep And Bear Arms'.

The thing about the Constitution is that it was deliberately designed to limit the powers of The Government; the Amendments were intended only to specifically affirm the rights of The People.

Politicians imposed their bias on a law, and now the confusion allows  them to impose their bias on the civil rights of their constituents.

Legacy:

My father told me how my family survived The Great Depression.   He took the family lever-action .30-30 hunting, when there was no hunting season, and killed a deer which fed his family for the winter.

He was an "outlaw' in the face of the law-abiding, but perhaps I may owe my own life to the deer he poached "four score and seven years ago".   It fed his family; it fed my mother during a dreadful winter.

(Well, perhaps not quite that long ago, but close.  The Great Depression can't be far enough behind us to allow us any comfort ... Americans Starved during those year.  My mother could have starved, had not my father decided that "The Law" wasn't the most important thing.  And I might never have been borne, which would have been a great tragedy!  Yes, people experienced hardships from the Depression; and many children were "still-borne" because Depression Women starved.  My fathet told me stories of dressjng  deer in a closed garage in Elgin, Oregon for fear of Game Wardens who would have confiscated the carcass ... because my mother needed meat.)

But the Tyranny of Need is greater than the Tyranmy of Law.


TODAY... nobody starves.  We have social services which provide food even to those who have not the gumption to get off their haunches and do whatever-it-takes to feed their family.  
Or they desert their "partners", because they have no appreciation for the concept of a "family".
The state feeds their family ... which is, I believe improvement on The Great Depression.

What do we give in return?

How many of our rights, how much of our Proud Independence, do we concede when we admit that we cannot take care of ourselves?  When we cannot feed our family?

The Government gives to us those bounties which we need to survive.

What do they take from us in return?

For people who don't have time to sharpen their own knives

This is what we call "Progress"

Knife Robot - First Knife Sharpener with Serious Edge over Competition:

Finally, a company has taken the guess work out of knife sharpening and eliminated dull and misaligned blades with the patented automatic Knife Robot, the world’s first no-hands, no-holding, no wasting time knife sharpener. Pre-orders for both versions of the Knife Robot are available at Indiegogo until April 5 for all 2017 orders.

Small problem.  It costs a bundle, it's "on spec" (meaning they're not even building the machine until they get enough orders to justify setting up a manufacturing process, and you can't expect delivery in less than a year.   At least.

Yeah, but it's going to look GOOD, gathering dust on your countertop waiting for you to use it every year or so.

I think they ought to throw in a free plastic dust cover, so you don't even have to dust it.  That would be a REAL labor saving feature!

What if you were offered the chance to use your computer shoot people ... really?

To promote gun control, the creatives at Publicis Russia wanted to see what would happen if they put firearms in the hands of everyone. So, they made an online simulation that let anyone aim and shoot what they were told was a real gun at a courtyard full of people.

Publicis’ Disturbing Gun-Control Stunt Let People Shoot at Strangers, and Think They’d Killed Them:

Publicity Stunt or Real-Time Experiment in Terror?

Or just really, really sick.

This is not an effort at promoting "Gun Control".   It's just a method of using the most bizarre human behavior to make the rest of us doubt our own moral fiber.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
William J. H. Boetcker

In Your Dreams, Joe!

Vice President Joe Biden said recently that he "could have been elected President" except that his attention at the time was on the death of his son.

Joe Biden: ‘Do I regret not being president? Yes.’:

Former vice president Joe Biden told an audience at Colgate University that he could have won the 2016 presidential election, but he chose not to run because he felt he couldn't give "one hundred percent attention and dedication" to the job after the death of his son. (Colgate University) A year and a half after giving up a 45-year-old dream to become president, Joe Biden told an audience on Friday that he could have beaten Donald Trump, had the death of his child not intervened.

With all respect to Mr. Biden, his family, and appreciating the tragedy they have experienced, Joe Biden could never have been elected President.

"Leading Democrats" who had a LESSER chance of a successful bid for POTUS would include Feinstein, Franken and Schumer.

Frankly, we've elected clowns to the white house too often.

But the American Electorate are like smokers .... we're trying to cut back.  
At least this term ... "he's OUR clown!"

California Firearms Legislation: Still Crazy After All These Years!

California legislatures are at it again, bringing up tired old laws which are impossible to obey.

California Supreme Court to rule on gun law - SFGate:
March 22, 2017

The state Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether gun manufacturers have the right to challenge a California law requiring identifying microstamps on bullets fired from semiautomatic pistols, a requirement the manufacturers claim can’t be met with current technology.
A state appeals court had ruled in December that gun groups could present evidence to support their suit seeking to overturn the law, an exception to the usual requirement that statutes can be struck down only if they are unconstitutional.
But the state Supreme Court voted Wednesday to grant a hearing to defenders of the law, which remains in effect while the case is pending. Six of the seven justices, all but Ming Chin, voted to review the appeal by the state’s lawyers.

I've been writing about this bizarre twist of "logic" (ala California) since 1985.

In fact, I've written about 30 articles on the subject, although not all of them referenced California's efforts to impose draconian laws on firearms manufacturers.  Other states (eg: New York) have attempted to strangle the second amendment by fiat.

(Example from 1993: at one time a New York Senator proposed to "tax ammunition out of existence".)

Why 1911's Don't Suck

Excellent video discussion on the advantages of The Almighty 1911 ... featuring Travis Tomasie, who shoots two six round mags, with reload, in just over 3 seconds (which is the time it takes me to get a good 'first round hit' on the draw!

Note:  0.15 second split times!

No, I won't steal the video; go to the link.

Why 1911's Don't Suck: 

There have been many people talking about the good stuff about owning a 1911. In this segment we want to narrow down certain attributes among all brands that manufactures 1911’s that correlates as to why 1911’s are good to have, its more than saying 1911’s are cool and that they are for EDC, personal protection, etc.

Personal note: I paid $130 for a one-day class from Travis Tomasie before he turned 21.
I still can't shoot in his class.

Think I should ask for my money back?
Naw .... it's already embarrassing to admit that my idol is less than half my age.

High Capacity Magazines Are Deadly

Man tries to rob pizza place with gun magazine, employee slaps i - FOX Carolina 21:

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A man tried to rob a pizza place on Ocean Boulevard Tuesday night by pointing a gun’s magazine at the employee, but the employee slapped it out of the suspect’s hands, according to a Myrtle Beach Police report ...

(The Deadly Weapon)

File under "Dumb Crooks"
(Hat Tip: TheGunFeed.com)

I still don't like Trump; but he's still the President

Why no-one should be surprised Donald Trump won the election | The Independent

We're into months of the Trump PResidency, we're and still trying to figure out how he got there!

Do you even KNOW why nobody *including me*  likes Donald Trump?

It's because (TA DAAA!) you have been TOLD that you don't like Donald Trump.
Because it's not .. y'know ... accepted to like Donald Trump.

Why is it no one admitted to like Donald Trump?  Even thought they voted for him?

I like Trump for a very good reason: Because he's not HILLARY!!!

I think there are probably twenty-seven people who are willing to accept that Donald Trump was the BEST candidate for the office ... ignoring the alternative.

And yet he won the election because he WASN'T HILLARY!   

Which explains why more people voted for him than for Hillary.

Oh, how hard does anyone need to campaign on the political plank of being NOT HILLARY!\
Personally, I think that Donald Trump is the Second-Most Unacceptable Candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America,

And like 99% of America, I voted for him because he was NOT HILLARY!
Not like Al Gore, who lost the 2000 election because of his misplaced political position on Gun Control.  (The New York Times admits that Gore lost the race because of Gun Control!):

While Tennessee has moved to the right in national politics, Mr. Gore has moved to the left since his days as a congressman, particularly on issues like abortion and gun control that have put him at odds with many Southern voters. If he had not, Professor Geer said, ''He could still have carried Tennessee, but he would never have gotten the Democratic nomination.''

Cutting To The Chase ... Guns save Lives. And money!

Annual Defensive Gun Use Savings Dwarf Study's "Gun Violence" Costs - The Truth About Guns:

• Dan Zimmerman

• March 22, 2017
 

When compared to the (inflation adjusted from 2002) $127.5 billion ‘cost’ of gun violence calculated by by our Ludwig-Cook buddies, guns save a little more than eight times what they “cost.”

So guns aren't the EEVIL Guns they're made out to be!

Good news: we're not The Bad Guys.

Fortunate it is that I can surf the internet so you don't have to.

Speaking of which: Jan and Dean  show us how life is suppose to be, in "Surf City":

Surf City: Jan & Dean, 1963  (Activate the Way-Back Machine!)

Guns And The Law: Alameda County Judicial Hearing

THIS IS QUITE LONG ... the arguments exceed an hour ... but I have found it fascinating to observe the process by which a lone lawyer (yech!) argued for the establishment of a "gun store" in Alameda County, California.

(Hat Tip: Arms And The Law)

Considering how the State of California has been so entirely anti-gun in recent years, it's refreshing to watch a young lawyer argue his client's case against a panel of judges who are obviously 'dubious' of the merits of his case.

The question is whether a 'new' gun store in Alameda County, California (eg: OAKLAND)  may remain open even though it has been established within X-number of feet of an existing commercial establishment which is also licensed to sell firearms.    Alameda county law prohibits establishment of a store which sells firearms, within X-number of feet of another such establishment.   The 'new' store is within a handful-of yards of the 'old' store; the question is whether that stand-off distance serves any useful purpose, and whether two stores which provide similar product cannot provide different services and be a benefit to the citizens of the county.

More important .. is that 'stand-off' distance' meaningful, or is it arbitrary?   If it is arbitrary, why can that distance be 400 feet instead of 500 feet, and why does the law not take into account the cultural differences between the two retail businesses?

The point made by the defense is that (a) the 'distance' is arbitrary and provides no benefit to the county other than limiting the number of resources for citizens who wish to purchase a firearm in Alameda county; and (b) the 'new' store provides many valuable benefits which had not previously been available to local citizens, not the least being training and instruction on safety, firearms laws, etc.
\
It's a rare treat to watch two teams of bright, dedicated proponents present their point of view.  And it's fun to watch the various judges doze off during the presenting of the opposing arguments.

I won't tell you how the story ends.

The following link has been tested, and it works for me:

Watch recording for John Teixeira v. County of Alameda, No. 13-17132

Chelsea who?

Chelsea Clinton selected as 'Lifetime Impact Honoree' by Variety for humanitarian work - Washington Times:

Chelsea Clinton and a select group of women will be honored next month in New York as Variety’s Lifetime Impact Honorees for humanitarian work. Variety magazine and the Lifetime television network will pay tribute on April 21 to Mrs. Clinton and five other women for their philanthropic endeavors.
.” Ms. Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, “will be honored for her work with Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which empowers kids to develop lifelong healthy habits,” Variety added. The magazine expects 400 “entertainment and media insiders” to attend the event.

A note on "The Clinton Foundation:

It's "Drying Up"

No word yet on how on whether or how many millions of dollars the Clinton Family has sucked out of their 'non-profit' organization for their own personal profit.

At this point, it's all rumor and innuendo.

Terrorists Don't Need guns

London terror attack: Four dead and 20 injured | Daily Mail Online:

He was stabbing the police officer with the knives. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black of grey top and what looked like work boots. The police officer was stumbling and fell on the floor'.

Folks think that "Gun Control" is the solution to terrorism.  

Actually, it's part of the problem.

When terrorists use cars and bombs and knives and ... oh, they're more imaginative than we are ... it doesn't matter if their Killing Field is in London or Long Island, they will find a way.

Guns are a less effective weapon for terrorists.   They can only kill one at a time with a gun; with bombs, flames or vehicles they get more bang for their buck
 
Guns are the sole solution for innocent civilians to defend themselves against attack.

Of course, in London, that is not an option.   The Brits won't let you pack a gun.

They do this for your own good.

How's that working out for you, England?

x
x
x

Oregon Bill is nonsense

The Legislature of the Great State of Oregon once again manages to introduce a gun-control bill which is fraught ("Fraught!") with contradiction and Weasel Words.

Which comes as no surprise to Conservatives in this community.

Here is a summary which purportedly attempts to explain the bill to we unlettered hoi poloi:

If you trust your child, and your child accesses your firearm for 'bad reasons', your ass is grass and the Great State of Oregon will prosecute you to the full extent of the law.  

  But there is one sentence which, if it doesn't cause you to raise eyebrows, it should:

 (2) Subsection (1) of this section [NB: penalties] does not apply if: (a) The minor obtains the firearm as the result of an unlawful entry into the premises by any person;

Blink!

Apparently, if your firearm is accessed by your child for a 'good reason' (eg: home defense against an intruder), then ... okay, no problem, never mind and we didn't really mean it.

Couldn't they have waffled MORE?

Obviously, this is an attempt by clueless politicians to cover their ass in the event of an emergency.

There's more, below:

Big Brother is Your Doctor

Over 85,000 Secret Reports Made by Doctors to NYS Police Without Patients Notice:

Webster, NY –-(Ammoland.com)- Civil rights attorney Paloma A. Capanna today released the statistics on the NYS Mental Hygiene Law  [section] 9.46 secret reporting from 2013-2016, showing more than 85,000 reports made from medical providers to the NYS Office of Mental Health and the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services.

This is why you don't want to discuss firearms ownership with your doctor.

(For a while, it was against the law in some states for doctors to lecture you about The Evil Gun.  New judicial finds have invalidated that law because your doctor's First Amendment Rights include his/her right to tell you how to live your life based on philosophical differences.)

Yeah, we're getting cranky about "Doctors and Lawyers" again.   Can you believe we PAY them for their interference in our private lives?

Thank G*D for ObamaCare ... he'll look out for you!

[Snark Alert!]

House Passes Bill to Allow Gun Sales to Mentally Ill Vets

Guns in America: House Passes Bill to Allow Gun Sales to Mentally Ill Vets:

That's the title of a NEWSWEEK article by Michele Gorman, which clearly distorts the reason, the background, and the truth of a congressional action which unreasonably denied Constitutional Rights to a group of veterans who asked for assistance in completing federal forms related to their Veterans' Benefits packages.

 Updated | Twelve House Democrats joined their Republican colleagues Thursday in voting in favor of a bill that would require a judge to first rule if veterans are a danger to themselves or others before the Department of Veterans Affairs takes action to prevent them from purchasing firearms. The House approved the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, backed by the National Rifle Association, by a 240-175 vote. The legislation will now go to the Senate.

The distortions from Liberal politicians and pundits are so blatant and vicious that it's difficult to believe that elected officials could be so cruel to the brave men and women who offered their lives in defense of their country.

Until the introduction of this bill, Federal administrators considered veterans to be "Fair Game" in their continued quest to undermine veterans benefits based on a purely political agenda.

Essentially, officials ruled that if a veteran declined to manage his/her benefits package personally, and instead asked for what is essentially a "Power of Attorney" administrator for help in navigating the confusing set of Federal rules and regulations ... that was ipso facto evidence that the veteran admits to being "mentally deficient" ... and therefore incompetent to be trusted with firearms ownership.

That bureaucrats should make this HUGE 'philosophical' leap is bizarre,


Many seniors best deal with Federal benefits administration by appointing a legal representative or trusted family member, rather than to personally deal with the "Rocks and Shoals" of bureaucratic minutiae. The "Power of Attorney" option allows individuals to provide general guidelines, while leaving the details to people of trust.

Unfortunately, this latest Democratic move puts citizens who have served their country at risk of losing their Constitutional Rights because they are not confident that they have the legal training needed to best represent themselves, personally.

Veterans should not be required to prove themselves legally sane, just because they hire an attorney.

Feeling overwhelmed by government regulations is not a definition of insanity; to the contrary, it's a sign that their government is situationally neither logical, nor sane.

There's something wrong with a country which drafts men to go to war, and then treats these same men as pariahs.

Personally, I wonder if people who seek political office can be defined as "legally sane".

And I wonder how many of these politicians, who feel free to fuck with veterans benefits, have actually served their country in time of war.

I'll give every reader of this blog $5 if  51% of these political idiots ever saw combat.

Home invasion in Athens

Two killed in Athens-area home invasion | News | athensreview.com:
March 13, 2017

Two men were shot and killed Sunday near Athens after they invaded a home and attempted to rob two residents, according to Henderson County Sheriff's Office reports. Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said the deceased are Steven Kelley, 49, of Winona and Cecil Spain, 31, of Grand Saline. The residents of the house were slightly injured in the confrontation that occurred shortly after 4 p.m. in the 2800 block of Hopson Drive “It was a home invasion and attempted robbery that went very bad,” Hillhouse said. “The assailants entered the residence under the pretext that they were customers. The two men posed as customers looking to purchase a dog from a man and woman at their Athens-area residence.”

Don't let anyone try to tell you that Home Invasions are "rare", or "Just Don't Happen".

They may not be reported in the National News, but to the victims, they happen once too often ... every time.

Loser ... loses

How long does it take YOU to find a loaded gun, when a bizarre stranger knocks on your door?

Police: Moncks Corner homeowner's fatal shooting of burglar 'necessary' to protect family | News | postandcourier.com:

A Moncks Corner resident defended his family Tuesday by fatally shooting a masked man who broke into his home carrying rope and a pistol with a laser sight, authorities said the next day. The homicide of 30-year-old Elijah Akeem White Jr. of North Charleston was deemed justifiable, and the homeowner is not expected to face charges. Investigators said a woman who acted as an accomplice in the home invasion by White was arrested. Juanita Marie English, 28, of Logwood Drive in Ladson, faces charges of first-degree burglary and criminal conspiracy.

This Guy ...

... tried a home invasion and was justifiably (and fatally) ass-kicked by the resident, who was armed.

Channelling my Irish Heritage: Bing Crosby

Colorado considering sponsorship of Gun Ranges

I'm not from Colorado, but if my 'home state' decided to use the state taxes on firearms and ammunition sales they had collected from me to build gun ranges ... I'd think:  HOORAY!

Colorado senator taking another shot at government-funded gun ranges | Colorado Springs Gazette, News:

Is it the nanny state if the government is building gun ranges? Does it matter if bureaucrats are doling out tax dollars from purchases of guns and ammo? Does it change the equation if liberals are behind the government push to get gun owners to practice? Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Clintonite from Denver, is among a bipartisan quartet of senators behind legislation to use federal tax dollars to pay 90 percent of the cost for five years for states to build and run shooting ranges.

Anything that encourages firearms owners to practice is A Good Thing.  

This is the kind of program which could be expanded:
. Perhaps more firearms and ammunition sales would provide funding to teach Firearms Safety classes state-wide?
. Encourage (or fund, or subsidize) "Eddie Eagle" type programs?

Reviewing ATF's Failures in the Death of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata

Reviewing ATF's Failures in the Death of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata - United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: REVIEWING ATF’S FAILURES IN THE DEATH OF ICE AGENT JAIME ZAPATA Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform FULL HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HEARING DATE: MARCH 9, 2017 10:00 AM 2154 RAYBURN HOB

Rep. Chaffetz Subpoenas ATF Agents Involved in Obama's Fast and Furious Op

Rep. Chaffetz Subpoenas ATF Agents Involved in Obama's Fast and Furious Op:

Chaffetz wants to hear directly from ATF Agent William Temple, special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Division, and Associate Director Ronald Turk. The hearing marks the first effort by Congress to re-open the investigation into President Obama’s Fast and Furious gun trafficking scheme since he left office in January. ICE Agent Zapata was killed by one of the guns involved in this program, and Special Agent Victor Avila was injured during the attack in Mexico.

Chaffetz also noted that ATF agents who were subpoenaed to testify did not appear:

"When Congress invites you to testify, it's not an option!"

They were asking for it!

UPDATE: Open carry activists who walked into police dept.with AR-15 due in court - WXYZ.com: DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) - 

Two open carry activists who walked into the Dearborn Police Department armed with guns, body armor and video cameras last month were due in court Friday morning for a probable cause hearing.
 Surveillance video captured the men walking into the building last month, while police are seen and heard telling them to put down their weapons. "Dude, put that on the ground. Put it on the ground... Or you are dead," an officer, with guns drawn is heard screaming.

Dude, they were lucky!

 I would have shot them on sight.
They apparently showed up "ready for action".

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!"

(The Dearborn Police deserve two thumbs down a medal  for their willingness to allow these IDIOTS to pollute the Gene Pool.)

click the link to see the video

Federal Judge Opines ... open & concealed carry not justifiable

GUN WATCH: Judge Claims to Support Second Amendment, Just not the "Bear" part: open and concealed carry laws were a danger to any community.

"I think open carry (and concealed-carry) laws, with all due deference to the Second Amendment, which I support...are dangerous to any community because of the epidemic of mental health issues throughout this country," he said. "Putting guns in the hands of mentally incompetent people is a recipe for disaster."

Well ... yes.   The insanity clause seems reasonable.  But who decides who is insane?
What criteria is codified to determine insanity?

To most Liberals, anyone who thinks he/she needs a gun is ipso facto insane,

That's Crazy Talk!

Deep Thoughts

I saw a sign on somebody's lawn:

 "Lady XWanda ... Psychic Readings.   Call for Appointment".

Why do psychics need a phone?   Don't they already know?

Oregon "Idjut" was not the boy with an air rifle

It's all in the eye of the beholder.


Oregon Idjut Arrested Carrying Air Rifle Near High School:
(March 08, 2017)

 The North Bend High School was put under lock down briefly after a man with a rifle was seen walking toward the building Tuesday morning. Police Chief Robert Kappelman said the man was carrying the uncased weapon in the ready position about 11 a.m. while walking past the city swimming pool, causing generalized panic in the neighborhood and numerous calls to 911.

Um, let me see, which laws were he breaking?

 Police stopped and took into custody George L. Watson, 19, of North Bend. “The ready position is one hand on the forearm stock and the other on the rear stock,” said North Bend Police Chief Robert Kappelman. “You don’t carry a gun like that unless you’re going to use it. To those who saw him, it looked like all he had to do was take aim and fire.” 

Either that, or he was carrying an uncased "rifle-style" bb-gun in a public place .. which, last time I looked, was not illegal.   And unless he was actively pointing his bb-gun at people, he was no threat at all.

 Watson told police that he was headed to a friend’s house to show him the Ruger Blackhawk Elite Air Rifle. Though police took steps to determine if this was true, Watson is still being charged with disorderly conduct II, a class B misdemeanor and is being referred to the District Attorney’s Office.

I don't see any disorderly conduct here.

What I see is an irrational over-reaction to perfectly normal activity by a young man who didn't expect people to perceive a threat by a bb-gun.

And I see a police chief who is punishing a young man because the disorder was caused by over-reaction on the part of the people who freaked out at the sight of a non-lethal "weapon".

We've seen this before! In the case of Tamile Rice ... (2014)

The family of a 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a Cleveland police officer over a toy gun have filed a federal lawsuit claiming the officers "recklessly" shot the boy and then failed to give him immediate medical care.
The civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit was filed by an administrator for the estate of the boy, Tamir Rice.
Officer Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shots, Loehmann's partner Officer Frank Garmback and the City of Cleveland are all named as defendants in the suit.
The suit accuses Loehmann and Garmback of acting "unreasonably, negligently, recklessly, wantonly, willfully, knowingly, intentionally, and with deliberate indifference to the safety and rights of Tamir Rice."

So, what's it going to be?

Is the officer who shot Tamil Rice because he was holding a toy gun to be exonerated because it was an 'honest mistake', and Tamil Rice was not at all liable?

Or is the Oregon Teenager liable to prosecution because witnesses jumped to the conclusion that he was holding a lethal weapon?

We can't have it both ways.

Me?  I blame the witnesses to the un-named Oregon boy with a toy gun.
Maybe we're getting a little too jumpy here.

Or should we outlaw toy guns and air pistols because the MainStream Media is over-publicizing all of these threats?

I don't have an answer,   All I know is, when I was a kid nobody was calling the cops on me because I was wandering around the neighborhood with a Roy Ryder BB Gun.

Liars Always Lie ... about "Assault Weapons"

John Lott's screed on "Assault Weapons Bans":

Court Upholds "Assault Weapon" Ban With Incorrect Facts | The Daily Caller:
(FEBRUARY 23, 2017)

Should “military-style rifles” be banned? On Tuesday, the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia – in a virtual party line vote – upheld Maryland’s assault weapons ban.  In the 10 to 4 En Banc decision, Democrats supported the ban while Republicans opposed it.

Black Beauty Is Dead: Part II

BREAKING: Colt Lays Off Custom Shop Director, Other Employees, Company Rumored Gutted - The Firearm BlogThe Firearm Blog:

What is happening at Colt? That’s the question on many people’s minds as news of layoffs in the company began to trickle out starting on Tuesday. Rumors of massive layoffs at Colt began with a post at Pistol-Forum by member “misanthropist”, who wrote: Sounds like a big mess down there and a whole lot of pink slips, including my favourite division, the custom shop.

I predicted this in September, 2006;  in the original "Black Beauty Is Dead" article I wrote:

Colt!
The very name evokes imagery. A new-born stallion racing with the wind, Ferrari's rampant horse icon, and that of the Colt Firearms Company of Hartford, Connecticut!
Well, nobody has read "Black Beauty" for 20 years. Enzo Ferarri is dead, and so is Colt Firearms Company of Hartford, Connecticut.

As it turns out, Colt managed to find new financing (see the article for details) and new management and new .... almost everything.   They held out for over ten years.

Now it appears that (for reasons which are not yet clear) Colt finds itself once again between a rock and a hard place.

In the words of Dear Leader:   "sad".

We'll probably be reading about the details of the problems which lead to this; fiscal, market share, technology, societal changes ... or some combination of all the above.    Will Colt manage to dodge the bullet once again?

For comparison, I reference "Remington Has Been Sold" from 2007.

But as I review my own "arsenal", I realize that I don't have a single firearm with that Prancing Stallion logo, and I haven't for years.

Okay, so it's my fault.

I'm sorry!

Deregulation of the Regulations. (Oh, I LIKE this!)

New Army policy OKs soldiers to wear hijabs, turbans and religious beards:
(January 05, 2017)

Observant Sikhs and conservative Muslim women are now able to wear religious head coverings, thanks to a directive issued Tuesday that updates the Army's grooming and appearance regulation. Sikh soldiers also are allowed to maintain their beards, according to the update. Soldiers will still have to submit their requests for brigade-level approval, but the move opens up service to people who otherwise would have had to abandon cherished religious practices to serve. Since 2009, religious accommodation requests received by the Army have largely been from soldiers wanting to wear a hijab or a Sikh turban or patka with uncut beard and hair, according to the directive.

When I was in the service, we were told we could not have beard or moustache because "it doesn't match your official ID card".   Which meant, of course, it was because some 'suit' had a stick up his butt.

When I got back from Viet Nam two years later, with three stripes and a rocker and a CIB, nobody even mentioned my handlebar moustache.   I didn't look like my Military ID Card (which I had lost in a swamp somewhere) and I still wasn't strack;  but I was "colorful".

Check the picture .   Do all these people look "Strack"?  
I think they do.