Oregon lawmakers consider stricter gun laws

Oregon lawmakers consider stricter gun laws:
(April 16, 2017)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three new bills that would strengthen gun background checks and make it possible for law enforcement to take guns away from people with mental health issues will be introduced in the Oregon Senate on Monday. There’s already high interest in the bills — SB 764, SB 797 and SB 868 — and there’s expected to be a big turnout for public testimony on both sides.

Without even looking at the bills ... I'm against them.

But let's look at the bills anyway, just to see why I'm against them.

SB 764: Written test required to prove gun-handling skills - 
This is just silly.  You can't prove that you are competent to handle a gun by passing a written test.

I teach a class in gun-handling safety.   I've seen too many 'students' who could pass a written test, but don't even know where the safety-switch is located on their pistol ... or even that there IS a safety-switch!

SB 797: Close the Charleston Loophole -
The term Charleston Loophole refers to a murder which occurred because someone (name not cited) in Charleston was able to purchase a firearm because the NICS system was unable to verify his ineligibility to purchase a firearm.   Yes, (name not cited) was a drug user who had been arrested and charged ... but he had not been convicted of a crime; he was not legally a criminal.

It is not legal to deny one's constitutional rights without trial.  Therefore, there were no legal grounds to deny his purchase.

That's not a "loophole"; that's a "feature".   It's in the Constitution; look it up.

SB 868: Confiscate private firearms without proof of criminal action -  

SB 868 would let law enforcement take guns away from people convicted of stalking. It would also let concerned family members go to court to try and take guns away from a loved one, if they can prove that loved one is a risk to themselves or others.

This may be the most egregious of all laws, if it violates the constitutional rights of a private firearm owner without proof of "wrong doing".

Here is the bill:

The bill purports to allow the 'accused' (by a family member or member of the household) to be deprived of firearms as a consequence of any of several events.  One of the events which may be used to justify this order is:

(g) Evidence of an acquisition or attempted acquisition within the previous 180 days by the respondent of a firearm, ammunition of another deadly weapon

In other words, if you purchased, or "tried" to purchase, a firearm (or ammunition) within the past six months, you may be considered a threat by the court.  Other situations are applicable, but this is considered prima facie evidence that the confiscation of your firearms might be justifiable.


 There has never been a law passed which performs such an indefensible breach of property rights, and that includes those laws which, for example, allow a governmental agency to condemn your private property ... real estate ... to build a mall.

The worst part of this law is that it is so easily subject to abuse.

A jilted lover, a divorced spouse, a relative who learns he/she has been left out of your will ... any person with whom you have a relationship might potentially use such a law to gratuitously undermine your civil rights.  When you grant them the power to take away your rights, and the law does not noticeably allow you to defend yourself.

In practice in other states, this kind of law has been used to deprive lawful gun owners of their property.   It may sound paranoid, but at this point the burden of proof is on you; better find a good lawyer.

And if you haven't inventoried your firearms (including make/model/caliber/serial number and a photograph), this might be a good time to do so.  Otherwise, you may not get them all back after they have been confiscated.

Also ... you need photographs to verify the condition they're in before they were confiscated.

Photograph both sides of firearm, and the serial number.  The people who come to "turn them all in" may not be as careful of the fit and finish of your custom rifle as you are.

Watch: Dangerous 1936 LA Police Trick Shooting - AllOutdoor.com

Watch: Dangerous 1936 LA Police Trick Shooting - AllOutdoor.com:

What these guys are doing here is extremely stupid.

It's fun to watch, though.

(all outdoor.com)

On the value of legal "Concealed Carry"

Op-ed: Federal concealed carry reciprocity is wrong for Pennsylvania and the country — NewsWorks:

 An explosion in the number of people interested in carrying concealed weapons has occurred in recent years, due to the belief that a "good guy" with a gun can deter crime or violence. The facts simply do not support this notion. A recent study that analyzed data on number of concealed handgun licenses issued from 1998 to 2010 and arrests in every county in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas found no significant effect of concealed carry laws and increases or changes in crime rates ...

Cherry-picked data is no data at all; the above quote is a non sequitor, because to doesn't really have anything to say about the value of  "allowing" law abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm.

It doesn't' matter whether anyone can find verifiable data that a CHL ("Concealed Handgun License", in my state) has had a "significant effect of concealed carry laws and increases or changes in crime rates";  what matters is that the 'good guys' may legitimately carry a gun to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property.

In a way, I have some issues with the CHL system.   I think that the 2nd Amendment already justifies carry of a defensive weapon, and the CHL system is redundant.

But it does have some value, in that a LEO meeting an armed citizen can easily separate the felon-with-a-gun from the honest citizen (one whose right to be armed has not been abrogated by a felony conviction, etc.)

On the other hand, when a LEO meets an armed person, it's a matter of moments before a background check can identify a convicted felon who is forbidden by law to carry.

While I resent having to "prove" my status as a non-felon, it does have value because when (for example) I am pulled over by a LEO for a minor traffic infringement, the officer knows before he gets out of his car that (a) I am probably armed, (b) I'm not likely to be a threat to him.  As I'm forthcoming with my drivers license, insurance card and CHL license when he arrives at the window of my automobile,

This avoids the possible tragedy demonstrated by the Philandro Castille episode, where a CHL driver was shot by a cop when he reached for his CHL .. inside his jacket ... and the LEO thought he was reaching for a gun.

Cops aren't perfect; so you have to be.

Thus endeth the lesson/

Yes, I've already said all these things before; they bear repeating.

Welcome to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love

I would think that a guy who was going to a job interview wouldn't be the most likely source of a lot of money for three men.

Watch the video.   This vicious beating was personal, not a robbery.

Caught on Cam: 3 Men Beat, Rob Victim Leaving Job Interview | NBC 10 Philadelphia:

 A man who had just left a job interview was brutally beaten, knocked unconscious and robbed by three men in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. The attack was captured on surveillance video. The 25-year-old victim, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10 he had just finished a job interview inside a restaurant at B and Tioga Streets back on April 15 at 12:30 p.m. As he walked out of the restaurant he was suddenly attacked by three men. A surveillance camera captured the suspects punching and kicking the man until he lost consciousness. The men then stole his cellphone, wallet and money before fleeing the scene.

They Kill Their Own Kind?

I'm amazed that "Hillary Clinton Supporters" might be so threatening to a "Liberal actress"!

I'm sure that must mean ... something; but I cannot understand the Thought Process of Liberals.
 I didn't even know they had 'thought processes'!

Susan Sarandon: Angry Hillary Clinton supporters forced me to change my phone number - Washington Times: By Jessica Chasmar - The Washington Times - Thursday, April 13, 2017

Liberal actress Susan Sarandon revealed Tuesday that she had to change her phone number after President Trump won the election because Hillary Clinton’s supporters wouldn’t stop harassing her. 

(emphasis added)

Note:   I like Susan Sarandon as an actress.
I never thought that she had a political opinion which we might share.

Warm and Fuzzy Feelings?  Probably not.

Cogito Ergo Geek

"Cogito Ergo Geek" means (in my personal lexicon) that I tend to "overthink" almost everything, and sometimes it gets me in trouble.  Literally, it means: "I Think, Therefore I'm A Geek".   (It should probably be "I'm A Geek, Therefore ..." you know)

But I chose that title for my personal blog because ... this blogposting thingie is a way for me to 'think out loud'.  And I write because I have to; not because I want to.

Sometimes (too often) I don't like where I end up at the end of a article, and I just don't publish it.

[Shrug]

Other people take the "undifferentiated meat" that runs through their mind, work with it, and publish to the benefit of their readers

Sebastian is one of those rare individuals who can change blogger-angst into pure gold.

Beliefs Change Over Time | Shall Not Be Questioned:

I’m short on things to write about, probably because I haven’t been paying as close attention to the news. It’s occurred to me that there’s a lot of things I believe now that I didn’t ten years ago. Ten years is an awful lot of time to be immersed in writing about a single issue, and there’s not much I haven’t thought through, thought through again, then thought through a third time just to be thorough. Thinking about a list:

That's what they call a "lead", in Journalism.   I'm envious of the intellectual prowess demonstrated in the article.

You should go read it.  Twice.

My only comment would probably be:
"Yeah; what he said"

Either that, or "I wish *_I_* had said that!

The comments are sometimes more interesting than the article! (Another KABOOM! Article)

Here's the original article:

POTD: Watch Your Hands When You Unload And Show Clear - The Firearm BlogThe Firearm Blog:

Here's a typical comment:

 A shooter was unloading his handgun when this happened. From what Scott relayed to me, was that the shooter cups the ejection port to catch the round to save time from picking it up off the floor. Now to clarify, this was not a malfunction. It was not a FTF and the primer was never struck. What happened was that during the unloading process the shooter’s hand covers the ejection port. The round most likely ejected into the hand but since the hand was so close to the ejection port it got caught between the slide and barrel.

(The author of the comment obviously intended to say "... the primer was never struck by the firing pin".)

Here's a much more ... atypical ... comment:

I saw that happen at a match I was ROing, the guy covered the ejection port as he was unloading and either the ejector or the edge of the slide creased the primer enough to cause it to go off. The case blew out the bullet got a crease in the nose from the barrel hood and he got one piece of shrapnel that went all the way thru his pointer finger and a piece stuck in his thumb. I was the one that took him to urgent care but despite the flesh wound, he received no lasting injuries. It was an STI 2011 the only damage it got was the extractor spring broke.

In the 30+ years since I started shooting IPSC, I've never seen anyone break the extractor spring on an STI, model 2011.      In fact, I've never seen a STI 2011 with an "extractor spring", although I've had occasion during an IPSC match to take my STI to the safety are and 'retune' the extractor using three rocks as a vice and a hammer.   But that's another story, and one I've told too many times.

---

Here's another one:

Looks as though the extractor hit the primer from the marks on the case, not the slide port itself. I too have done this technique at the range clearing a malfunction but always push the slide stop up to lock the slide open at the same time while turning the pistol to the side.

Again, I fail to understand how the extractor can work itself out of the extractor well in the slide and allow the pistol to continue firing/

I suspect that the authors of these comments were not referencing an STI 2011.  In the second example, it's possible that the author cited the 'extractor' when he meant to say the "ejector'.

UNDER THE FOLD: 
As much as I hate to have to explain a joke: for those who are not familiar with the construction and nomenclature of the 1911-style semi-automatic pistol ... an explanation of why I find these comments amusing can find the technical details.

Fly The Friendly Skies of United!

All this because UAL needed one more seat for a non-paying employee  passenger (Stewardess) to get to 'somewhere else' so she could work another scheduled flight?  Apparently there's a law that there needs to be FOUR (not "three") Steward on every United flight.

But what are the odds that the secondary flight couldn't have drafted a 'local' employee to fill in?
This entire scenario is just ... silly!

UAL couldn't find another stew at the destination to work the subsequent flight?   Preposterous!


Being dragged off United flight 'more terrifying' than escaping Vietnam: Passenger's lawyer - Yahoo:

The lawyer for a United Airlines passenger who was dragged off an oversold flight on Sunday said today that a lawsuit would "probably" be filed.

Duh!

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.