The anti-gunners have started on the Tennessee standoff. In their press release, they admit that the SKS is not an assault weapon, yet then say it is. They also repeat the lie that one in five policeman killed are killed with assault weapons.
Can somebody tell me why a 30 feet tall, inflatable, purple gorilla is the universal symbol for announcing a big sale at car lots?
And precisely where does one purchase a 30 feet tall, inflatable, purple gorilla?
Update: Alert reader Bill informs me that Boulder Blimps is the company for all your 30 feet tall, inflatable, purple gorilla needs. Apparently, they will make anything large and inflatable.
Update #2: Tom has found more inflatable gorillas
Publicola has more (a lot more) on the lawsuit that the anti-gunners are engaging in against the DOJ.
Buddy Don calls out the Party of Fiscal Responsibility in a way that only he can.
The case of the man who was arrested for refusing to give ID to police is headed for the Supreme Court. As always with our Supreme Court, I am not overly optimistic.
I have a confession to make. I like The Apprentice. I don’t usually care for so-called “reality TV,” but I do watch this one show.
I do have a couple of questions, though. For example, why can’t Donald Trump, who lives in a gold-plated mansion, get a decent hair-do?
Also, what is THIS?
That’s right, if The Donald gets the nod from The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, he’ll be able to exclusively slap the words “You’re Fired” on clothing and “games and playthings,” and use it in connection with “casino services.
I suggest that he use the proceeds from this trademark to do something with his hair.
Rhea County has reversed a vote to ban homosexuals. The said they thought it was a ban on gay marriage not a ban on gays. Yeah, and there’s currently a monkey flying out of my butt.
Either they realized bigotry doesn’t sell (even in small towns) and are lying about it. Or they are all totally incompetent and didn’t read the bill. Or maybe they’re part of the 52% of functionally illiterate Tennesseans. I report, you decide.
Someone explain to me why it is that when I go the Google News Alert page and enter Assault Weapons that JoinTogether, a blatantly agenda driven organization, shows up as news. Yet, the NRA’s (another agenda driven organization) press releases don’t?
Update: Turns out to me that is similar to other news.
Stephen Erwin tackles some issues with the Assault Weapons Ban:
While the pro-gun community has relied on the same tired old arguments for ending the Ban, they have totally ignored the best arguments available. The AWB has actually increased the ownership of assault weapons by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of guns. In nine years not a singe person has been denied access to a high capacity semi-auto rifle because of price or availability. And a large percentage of the banned guns are identical to the high capacity 9mm handguns carried as duty guns by our nation’s police. When these facts are pointed out in a letter to the editor the anti-gunners rarely even try to respond.
This is possible because the law doesn’t ban the sale or ownership of any weapon made before 1995. It only bans the manufacture of semi-auto rifles (one shot per trigger pull) with folding stocks, pistol grips, and bayonet lugs. It also bans the manufacture of semi-auto rifles and pistols that hold more than ten bullets.
The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms was charged with keeping statistics on assault weapons, but their web site is strangely silent on assault weapons sales. It’s almost as if they want to keep sales figures a secret.
The site does list import and manufacturing information for the years 1986 to 2000. In the three years before the law was passed 3,049,320 more rifles and 4,330,383 more handguns were manufactured and imported than in the average of all the covered years before and after. There can be little doubt that dealers where stockpiling the guns in advance of the AWB.
In fact the market was glutted. The prices of many rifles fell by as much as 50 percent. In 1993 AK-47 style semi-autos sold for $400 to $600. I bought mine for $185 in 1995 and they are still easy to find for under $400.
A nice letter to the editor tells the editor to maybe have an educational session about Assault Weapons since they obviously don’t seem to know what Assault Weapons are.
More letters to the WaPo fact checking their gun reporting. They should attend the educational session mentioned above.
Armed with hysteria and lies, JoinTogether is pushing for the AWB in Maryland.
I posted here about exploding Glocks. Pat tells us all about it. Long and short of it is to use jacketed ammo and not just lead ammo.
Thanks Pat!
I’m already sick of campaign season. During the primaries, the Democrats beat up on Bush (and Dean too). Now that Bush is beating back, they cry foul. Says Kerry: Bring it on. They bring it on and he cries like a little girl. The GOP tries to focus on terrorism at first, but those awful 9/11 images were rude say the Democrats.
The Republicans are running fake news ads. And some call Kerry a traitor. The GOP is in attack mode and going for the jugular. The Democrats response to most of it is to whine. The only analogy I can come up with is that it’s like watching Eddie Haskell beat up a smaller Eddie Haskell. Who do you root for? At the end of the day, your only consolation is that Eddie Haskell gets his ass kicked, even though Eddie Haskell also wins.
The fact is, they’re all full of shit. Health care is supposedly one of the top issues. Yeah, and it has been since 19fucking92 and not a thing has been done. And it won’t be because then they have nothing to talk about, other than abortions and whether or not homosexuals have equal rights. It’s amazing to me that these bozos spend so much of my (and your) money and nothing meaningful ever really gets done.
It’s going to be a long eight months.
It seems there’s this kerfuffle about video news releases that really aren’t news but are ads for Mediscare. The media is apparently upset and issuing warnings about the ads.
Seems to me that this problem is rather indicative of the fact the press gives us fake or exaggerated news all the time. I think it speaks more that these ads are, on the surface, believable.
Xrlq pokes some fun at Spoons for his blog advice. SayUncle started it.
Update: It seems Robert Douglas is sucking up to Spoons.
Barry is all over the Rhea County gay law proposal. The latest development is that they are backpedaling. It seems they failed to realize that stupidity does tend to get national attention.
In this post, I mentioned the announcement of an announcement and my prediction what the lawsuit would be. I was wrong, by the way. Turns out the lawsuit is even sillier than I thought. Well, here’s the announcement:
Washington, D.C. – The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March today filed a federal lawsuit charging Attorney General Ashcroft and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with violating the law by allowing gun manufacturers to make thousands of new illegal assault weapons.
The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, is based in part on documents obtained from ATF through the Freedom of Information Act – before Congress moved this year to shield the agency from FOIA requests. The suit charges Ashcroft and ATF with allowing gun makers to violate the 1994 statute banning the manufacture, sale and possession of semiautomatic assault weapons (”Assault Weapon Act”).
The documents obtained through FOIA included private correspondence between ATF and Bushmaster Firearms of Windham, Maine in which ATF repeatedly gave Bushmaster permission to manufacture new “receivers” to replace damaged receivers for semiautomatic assault weapons that were possessed before the Assault Weapon Act went into effect in 1994 and thus were protected by the Act’s “grandfather” clause.
Here’s how it works, a receiver (the piece of metal at the bottom of this picture) is the only part that is legally considered a gun (i.e., it’s the only part that requires a background check and registration). What happens is someone has a grandfathered Assault Weapon and submits the entire gun for repair. However, the repairs involve replacing the receiver. The receiver is replaced. Therefore, the Brady’s argue, Bushmaster has made an illegal Assault Weapon. The ATF said that this is OK.
Again, the anti-gun crowd has proven the Assault Weapons Ban is pretty much junk that is based on technicalities that really result in nothing.
Update: On second thought, it seems this action epitomizes desperation because they are basically trying to engage in any thing that draws attention to the Assault Weapons Ban. Pathetic. Sad.
After a month long hiatus due to denial of service attacks, DogReader is back. Glad to see it.
Ravenwood quotes Phillip Van Cleave:
As Sarah Brady spoke the TV cameras were rolling. As soon as she and the anti’s gave their side, the news cameras packed up and left. The opponents (pro-gun) then spoke to the committee.
The mayor in Adrian, MI suggested a pit bull ban. Local pet owners are out protesting the ban. Good for them.
Yesterday I caught All Things Considered on the ride home. One of the stories was on Cheney and Kerry having a political skirmish. I noted that in most cases, the verb Attacked was frequently used to describe what Cheney would say. The word Criticized was used frequently to describe what Kerry would say. They did, at one point, use the word Belittle to describe what Kerry would say.
Nope, no bias there. Remember, Republicans attack and Democrats criticize.
The bill has been watered down:
Dunn’s bill to outlaw the practice was watered down in the subcommittee. Instead of requiring dog owners to tether or cage their dogs in the truck beds, the bill now simply urges owners not to put their animals and other motorists on the highways at risk.
In other words, it won’t be a law. Strangely, they still want to waste time and money to pass it.
Looks like someone is actually pushing concealed carry in Maryland. It is Maryland, so I in no way expect it to pass but I am glad that some one is pushing the idea.
The Brady Campaign and the Million err Twenty Four Mom March must be getting desperate. They have issued an announcement to announce that they will announce a lawsuit. No that’s not a typo, that’s what they did. Trying to build some suspense, I suppose:
The lawsuit is based on information about enforcement of the assault weapons law uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act.
Hmmm. Gonna guess that they will claim the Justice Department or ATF has not enforced the ban by allowing the sale of post ban models.
How did the kid in the local standoff get the guns? KNS:
It has not yet been determined exactly how the youth gained access to the safe in which the guns were stored, Guider said.
“It had not been not pried open,” Guider said.
He said the safe does not open with either keys or a combination lock, but by some other means at the base of the safe. He said that “the carpet around the base of the safe was ripped back.
I heard Neal Boortz talking about this bill before the House:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Congressional Accountability for Judicial Activism Act of 2004.”
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL REVERSAL OF SUPREME COURT JUDGMENTS.
The Congress may, if two thirds of each House agree, reverse a judgment of the United States Supreme Court–
(1) if that judgment is handed down after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) to the extent that judgment concerns the constitutionality of an Act of Congress.
SEC. 3. PROCEDURE.
The procedure for reversing a judgment under section 2 shall be, as near as may be and consistent with the authority of each House of Congress to adopt its own rules of proceeding, the same as that used for considering whether or not to override a veto of legislation by the President.
SEC. 4. BASIS FOR ENACTMENT.
This Act is enacted pursuant to the power of Congress under article III, section 2, of the Constitution of the United States.
Now, I am not a lawyer, so naturally anything I say about this should be taken for what it’s worth. But it seems to me that, strictly speaking, this might be Constitutional.
Article III, section 2 does indeed give the give the Court appellate jurisdiction “with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.” Furthermore, the Court’s power of judicial review isn’t enumerated in the Constitution.
Now, that said, I am NOT saying that I think this bill is a good idea (nor do I think it’ll get passed). I may not agree with every decision the Court hands out, but unfortunately the Court is about the only remaining effective check on the government. If this bill passes, there’s no check on a Congress that has a 2/3 majority. 2/3 will over-ride a veto, and 2/3 would, under this bill, over-ride the Supreme Court.
I saw this story at Ravenwood’s and at Smallest Minority.
Basically, the English authorities just released a man from prison after decided he’d been wrongfully convicted. And to show just how sorry they are, they’ve presented him with a bill for room and board for all those years he was in prison.
I don’t have much to add to the commentary, but this did remind me of something. Isn’t it true that after the Soviets executed a prisoner, they’d send his family a bill for the ammunition?
UPDATE: Jeff had the story as well. I’m sure lots of other fine bloggers are all over it, too. I’m one of those people who just found out that Paul McCartney used to be in an English Quartet back in the ’60s.
I just got comment spammed by Edmund’s and Kelly’s Blue Book. Unreal. I expected as much from the pill and smut peddlers but not these guys. Is nothing sacred when respectable companies spam your blog?
PARIS, France (CNN) — French police have opened an investigation after a Paris newspaper received a letter from a Muslim group threatening spectacular attacks that would make “blood run to (its) borders.”
The letter, from a previously unknown group calling itself the “Servants of Allah the Mighty and the Wise,” said it planned to take action after Muslim girls were banned from wearing headscarves in schools.
But the part that caught my eye was this:
[The group described] France as a country of “wine, pigs, loose morals and nudity.”
That sounds like a 4-star review to me. I’m calling my travel agent. RIGHT NOW.
Last year, Aaron declared April 15 Buy A Gun For Michael Moore Day. Aaron has started his campaign again this year. Last year, I built an AR15 to honor the occasion. This year, I am torn. I want either to buy a Ruger 10/22 or this cute little fully automatic BB gun. I don’t know if BB guns are sufficient enough to make a gun statement but it looks fun as hell.
Rhea County, Tennessee (home of the Scopes Monkey Trial) county commissioners voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending Tennessee’s criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature:
“We need to keep them out of here,” said Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the motion.
That’s gay.
I just got back from lunch. Seems like every restaurant now has a “Low Carbs” menu.
I wonder how long before we start seeing “Low Carb” bottled water?
UPDATE: Powdered water—just add water! The question still remains: is it low-carb?
Ted Rall can’t draw and isn’t funny. This is surprising because he apparently had this comic strip. I kind of thought being funny and being able to draw were important characteristics of people who did comics. I now know what one of the the problems is. He apparently can’t distinguish humor from facts. Jeffy Weffy has a Dowdified a humorous quote from Glenn Reynolds and Rall has used this quote to slam Glenn.
The fact he can’t identify other people’s humor may explain why he isn’t particularly funny. However, I have no idea why he can’t draw.
Over at the Shooters’ Carnival, Kevin reviews his new Makarov.
Since Kevin posts at his site and the carnival, I hope Spoons doesn’t take issue with the double linky loving. Ok, now I am just being a smartass.
Bubba details Doug McDaniel’s problems with Google Ads, a problem Les has had before.
I share Brian’s sentiment that maybe if news folks covered, you know, news instead of all the other assorted crap, their audience wouldn’t be in decline.
I guess when they’re not mislabeling things as sniper rifles or assault weapons, the VPC then misleads people about 50 calibers:
Fifty caliber sniper rifles are weapons of war that can penetrate armor plating and destroy aircraft, but under federal law are sold with only the same restrictions as standard hunting rifles, and with fewer restrictions than handguns. Reports issued by the VPC citing the threat posed by the weapons include: “Just Like Bird Hunting” — The Threat to Civil Aviation From 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles and Sitting Ducks: The Threat to the Chemical and Refinery Industry From 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles
50 calibers are a threat to airplanes and chemical refineries? Oh goodness. All these claims are based on MK211 exploding ammunition being used in the guns. These rounds are not available to civilians, nor is any exploding type of ammunition.
An anti-gun reporter in Indiana has been found to have a concealed carry permit. This is after said reporter was critical of the concealed carry provisions in Ohio.
Knoxville is rated the worst city for asthma. And half of Tennessee adults are functionally illiterate. Oh boy.
I love Rudyard Kipling’s writing. Some folks may not like him or his work, thinking him racist or imperialistic, and I won’t argue with them (not that I necessarily agree; I just don’t want an argument).
Fortunately for me, a lot of his work is public domain, and thus is available for free on the web. Lately I’ve been skimming over his American Notes, and I was intrigued by his impression of our “defenseless coasts”.
A man in the train said to me:–”We kin feed all the earth, jest as easily as we kin whip all the earth.”
Now the second statement is as false as the first is true. One of these days the respectable Republic will find this out.
Unfortunately we, the English, will never be the people to teach her; because she is a chartered libertine allowed to say and do anything she likes, from demanding the head of the empress in an editorial waste-basket, to chevying Canadian schooners up and down the Alaska Seas. It is perfectly impossible to go to war with these people, whatever they may do.
They are much too nice, in the first place, and in the second, it would throw out all the passenger traffic of the Atlantic, and upset the financial arrangements of the English syndicates who have invested their money in breweries, railways, and the like, and in the third, it’s not to be done. Everybody knows that, and no one better than the American.
He then goes on to discuss how the USA’s lack of a real navy leaves her vulnerable to an unscrupulous power that does have a navy: pay ransom or have the coastal cities shelled into oblivion:
When one hears so much of the nation that can whip the earth, it is, to say the least of it, surprising to find her so temptingly spankable.
The average American citizen seems to have a notion that any Power engaged in strife with the Star Spangled Banner will disembark men from flat-bottomed boats on a convenient beach for the purpose of being shot down by local militia. In his own simple phraseology:–”Not by a darned sight. No, sir.”
Ransom at long range will be about the size of it–cash or crash.
I bet Kipling never expected the day would come when the US Navy eclipsed the Royal Navy.
[This is] the stark choice America faces in November. Do we keep the coach who is playing offense in the War on Terror, taking the battle to where the enemy lives and breeds, smashing their stronghold in Afghanistan, setting a trap for them in Iraq, and confronting Islamist terrorists by planting that which they loathe the most – freedom and democracy for Muslims – in the heart of their territory. Or do we hire a new coach who will switch to defense and focus on preparing the firefighters and police and “first responders’ to douse the flames and dig the bodies from under the rubble of the next attack?
I like it.
Anybody got a good, reliable source for information on what’s happening in Iran? I thought initially there was just some unrest in a small northern town, but now Instapundit says there are reports of unrest in Tehran. There are also reports of riots in Syria.
I’m just wondering what are the known knowns and the known unknowns, so to speak.
I mentioned a State Department report on the right to arms here. Eugene Volokh essentially pointed out some errors in the essay. Now, we find the essay has been pulled and is under review.
Fatal Dog Attacks has a page with statistics that are quite interesting. Most notably:
Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between 2000-2001; 26 were males and 2 were females. Of the 26 males, 21 were found to be intact (the reproductive status of the remaining 5 males dogs could not be determined).
That’s an case for neutering if I ever heard one.
Some friends came over for dinner the other night and brought their five-month-old son. This proved as a test run for the dogs with respect to their interaction with babies. They both have a lot of exposure to small children but minimal exposure to babies. They both play well with children. Since Politically Incorrect Dog was a pup, we’d subject him to all sorts of dry runs for behavior. We’d grab his tail, ears, jowls, whiskers, feet and take various food items/toys from his mouth. He never once was aggressive while we did this, which is the goal. We’d praise him for reacting positively to these pokes and prods. We do these things so that we can get him accustomed to not overreacting and acting aggressively when these things are done to him by kids. That way, when a child grabs something, he will not bite.
Our efforts have been successful. Politically Incorrect Dog was very interested in the baby. He sniffed quite a bit and didn’t want to be too far away from the action. At the same time, we also don’t want him getting too excited or playful and jumping. He’d approach the baby and gently sniff or gently rest his head on the child’s tummy and we’d praise him. Once, the child reached up and grabbed a big handful of whiskers and started tugging. Politically Incorrect Dog was the model of good behavior. He sat patiently while enduring this pretty unpleasant experience and never once snapped or pulled away. In fact, he seemed excited about the experience in general.
As an added bonus, Politically Incorrect Dog can detect poopy diapers in about two seconds.
Politically Correct Dog gently sniffed a few times and was uninterested in the baby after that. They have no idea what’s coming. So, we’re also preparing them for that.
We set up the nursery and displayed some of the toys. The hard part is informing the dogs that those toys aren’t their toys. We let them sniff the toys and give them praise. When they try to pick one up, we gently take it from them and praise them when they let go. We are being very careful not to give unpleasant corrections when they show interest in baby stuff as this could make them uncomfortable around baby stuff.
Also, after little Ms. Uncle is born, I will make a few trips home with blankets and clothing that baby has used. I’ll let the dogs sniff the items and praise them so that they associate the scent with something pleasant. When baby finally comes home, the dogs will be introduced to her in the front yard, which they view as neutral territory. Since in our front yard, there aren’t territory issues for them to deal with they should welcome the new addition into our pack.
We are also acclimating our daughter to the dogs. See, we don’t want our daughter to be awakened by the sound of dogs barking. So, we give the dogs the speak command a few times a day. Little Mrs. Uncle already has ears and can hear certain loud sounds that occur outside the womb. If we get her accustomed to the dogs’ barks and our voices, these hopefully won’t scare her after she’s born.
All you rich folks who have been putting off getting your SUV absolutely free due to an evil loophole in the tax code should act quickly. They’re on to you.
Mays takes issue with this post, more particularly comments to the post, about a cop’s weapon accidentally discharging. The issue is not about cops carrying guns (in fact, I think they should carry bigger guns myself just because of the likelihood have a particularly nasty encounter). But I also think that citizens should carry guns and cops should not be granted special privileges for being cops.
The issue that I had is that the article stated that the gun went off, as if of its own free will. The gun did not go off by itself. Period. Officer friendly likely had it improperly holstered in a manner in which the trigger wasn’t covered.
Also, some commenters made remarks critical of gun-control zealots claims that only cops should have guns and how this incident proves that cops are human too and subject to accidents. Mays interpreted this as being anti-cop, which I am not. My dad is a prominent local law enforcement officer. I have lots of cop friends (who agree with my assessment of gun control and concealed carry, by the way).
I am not anti-police.
Some rag in Indiana wants to publish concealed carry permit holders names. Why not just go to their homes and put Steal Guns sign on the door? Go to Publicola’s to see what you can do.
In other news, a man was detained for having a virtual arsenal. By virtual arsenal, they mean he had a bunch of toy guns.
Update: Not just detained but charged for having toy guns.
Drudge says the reporter who got the story about Kerry’s foreign leaders’ endorsement is now stating that he said more leaders not foreign leaders. If Kerry had 1) denied saying it from the start or 2) not had such hissy-fit about disclosure and telling people it’s none of their business, it might be believable.
Update: Kerry is not denying that he said he has support from world leaders.
I thought the intro quote was funny:
From somebody I assume is a member of the hysterical anybody-but-Bush crowd (to be distinguished from the rational, reasonable, sane anybody-but-Bush crowd, of which I am a member) comes a new criminal accusation: “George W. Bush’s website is in violation of the United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 3.”
If you want to know what that is, click the link. Bush’s worst scandal yet.
The investigation has concluded that there was not the alleged arsenal in the house and the types of guns used in the recent standoff:
Guns found in the home included one SKS, a military-style, semiautomatic rifle, a 9mm handgun and a shotgun. The shotgun appeared to have been fired twice. The SKS rifle was used to kill Scott, and the youth used the 9mm handgun to end his own life, Guider said.
It should be noted that an SKS has a fixed (not detachable) magazine and is not covered by the Assault Weapons Ban.
Cops in Detroit were trying to shoot a dog, the result:
It happened Jan. 13. The four-legged suspect, named Bugsy, was loose, and the cops said it attacked them. They nailed Bugsy after firing more than 20 shots. Their bullets also hit two houses and a plastic tank filled with gas.
The Detroit Police Department’s internal affairs unit and Office of the Chief Investigator, which handles citizen complaints, are investigating the incident, involving three officers from the 5th (Jefferson) Precinct.
Claiborne, who is a Detroit firefighter, is still livid when he talks about the officers running up and down his block on Harvard and firing their guns repeatedly. One of the shots went through his front window as he was holding his daughter in the kitchen, slamming into a wall several feet from them.
“I still don’t really know how the bullet missed us,” Claiborne said. “There must have been an angel in the room.”
His neighbors, Gerald and Candace Wheeler, surveyed the damage to their two-car garage in awe after the police killed Bugsy, a 1-year-old Neapolitan mastiff who died in an alley a block away at Grayton, near Chandler Park Drive.
There are eight bullet holes in the garage. One bullet grazed the plastic handle of a full gas can inside the garage.
“That gas can could have easily blown up,” said Gerald Wheeler.
After the officers killed the dog, Wheeler said one of them approached him and nonchalantly uttered, “Wow, your garage looks like a piece of Swiss cheese.”
“I asked him, ‘Who is going to pay for this?’ ” Wheeler said. “He told me to turn it in to my insurance company.”
Then there’s the dog’s owner, Timothy Johnson, who lives on Grayton. He bought the dog as a family pet on Christmas Eve 2002 to surprise his 3-year-old daughter Jordan. Johnson said Bugsy, who was about 150 pounds, dug his way out of a kennel in the backyard while the family was out.
“This was really unnecessary,” Johnson, 41, said. “I grew up in Detroit and Highland Park and I really don’t want to give the city a bad rap, but Bugsy was not a vicious dog. If the officers would have taken a little time, they could have easily found out who owned the dog.”
Seems one of those gun safety rules is be sure of your target and what’s behind it.
Portland police are recalling the Glock 21 45ACP service pistols because they have had two of them explode. My thought initially was that they loaded ammo not suited to the gun (like 45 +P) and that’s not a good combo. Apparently, the police say that it’s not the ammo. Glock is offering 9MM pistols as a no cost replacement.
I don’t know what to think of this one. Seems we may be missing some info as I don’t know of Glocks exploding for no reason.
AWBanSunset links to a quote by a Republican:
The National Rifle Association and certain members of my party are about to make things much harder for President Bush and his re- election campaign.
Many people, myself included, think the coming election between Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is going to be very close, with the vote and electoral count difference razor thin. Accepting that to be reality, then I’m wondering why certain Republicans are choosing to hand the Kerry campaign a controversial issue on a “nickel-plated” platter. That issue being the ban on assault weapons.
Bush stands to lose gun owner votes by his own actions. Good. Republicans need to learn that lesson.
And more:
Their fear of the National Rifle Association, its ability to lobby and back the opponent of anyone who takes a stand against them, has galvanized them into inaction.
The NRA is the sum of its members. People think of it as this giant uncaring, people-less machine. It is not. It has members and they vote.
Here’s a story that details a trend of people getting pit bulls as pets, then realizing they can’t control them. So, they turn them loose instead of finding homes or shelters for them. People won’t take them to shelters because of Breed Specific Legislation. The dogs are banned. Turn them in and go to jail or be fined. Just another example of the problems of Breed Specific Legislation.
I just saw John Kerry on TV criticizing Bush’s tax cuts for the “wealthiest Americans.” Now, I’m just guess here, but it seems to me that any reasonable definition of “wealthiest Americans” would include Te-RAY-za Heinz Kerry. I wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Heinz Kerry did with their tax cut? I’m sure he gave it back.
In fact, last year there were 18 millionaire Democrats in the Senate. I’d be interested to see what each of them did with THEIR tax cuts. I’m sure they refused the money on principle, what with tax cuts for the wealthy being so wrong and all.
Jim Kessler of UPI has an article on Joseph Krar, a person you have likely never heard of. I addressed Krar here. Some key info:
Krar, who is affiliated with several anti-government, white supremacist militia organizations, was apprehended after mailing a package containing false U.N. credentials, Defense Intelligence Agency IDs, phony birth certificates and a forged federal concealed weapons permit to a co-conspirator in New Jersey.
The package came with a note that read, “We would hate to have this fall into the wrong hands.” It did. It was delivered to the incorrect address.
An alert citizen contacted the FBI, which led to the arrest of Krar and the discovery of a mind-numbing weapons cache: fully automatic machine guns, remote-controlled explosive devices disguised as briefcases, 60 pipe bombs, nearly 500,000 rounds of ammunition and enough pure sodium cyanide “to kill everyone inside a 30,000 square foot building,” according to federal authorities.
John “don’t you know who I am” Kerry was taken to task by some guy and Colin Powell to name foreign leaders who support him. He won’t (or can’t). Not a good sign.
John “did I mention I was in Vietnam” Kerry has challenged Bush to monthly debates. Those should go well.
John “give credit where it’s due” Kerry also claims to have known all about terrorism prior to 9/11. The Post accuses him of ignoring it.
John “liars and crooks” Kerry has also been caught fibbing.
A woman saw a dog in a pen outside without water. She went into the pen and gave the dog water. Now, she’s been charged with trespassing. Hopefully, neglect charges will be filed against the dog’s owners.
Spain’s new leader has vowed to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq:
Spain’s new Socialist leader vowed Monday to bring home the 1,300 Spanish troops now in Iraq, a move that follows the worst terrorist attack to hit the U.S. ally.
“The Iraq war has been disastrous. It was a mistake,” Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters in his first news conference after his party defeated conservatives in Sunday’s elections.
The drastic shift in Spain’s presence in Iraq comes after a series of terrorist bombings Thursday on commuter trains in Madrid that killed 200 people and wounded some 1,500, 243 of whom remain hospitalized.
That’s disheartening merely because of the precedent it sets.
Oh my! KABA does a good job of pointing out the problems with this State Department report on the second amendment:
Among the statements found in the report:
“…advocates of gun control have never argued that they want to deny individuals the ability to protect themselves against criminals.”
That’s odd. Sarah Brady’s bunch, the so-called Violence Policy Center, the misnamed “Million” Mom March and many other gun ban groups are all on record opposing concealed carry for self-defense — even under the strictest of licensing. They are all on record supporting gun bans. VPC wants a total ban on all handguns, when handguns are the most effective, most affordable, easiest to use personal self-defense device ever devised for human beings — and the Brady Klan went to court supporting such handgun bans as the one in Morton Grove, Illinois.
In other words, the Government-funded, Government-published, Government-promoted author of that statement is an obnoxious liar.
Sorry for the light blogging. It’s currently a religious holiday around these parts.
That’s right: it’s March Madness. Maryland just won the ACC tournament, and the NCAA Men’s bracket selection is coming up in just a little bit.
My wife is watching the Women’s bracket. All three Research Triangle schools are in the tourney. And while it’s hard to find a conference with more religious zeal than the ACC, I note for our RTB audience that there are 6 SEC teams, including UT (duh) and Vandy (our alma mater!), in the dance, not to mention a TON of miscellaneous teams from Tennessee: Austin Peay, David Lipscomb, Chattanooga, and MTSU. Nice going!
Gotta love this time of year.
If you use a non-Arab actor to portray a terrorist in a campaign ad, in lefty fantasy land that means Bush Introduces Racism to Campaign 2004. Seems to me that maybe those who assumed he was an Arab have an issue.
It’s racist to use a non-Arab who may or may not resemble an Arab (from the snippets of the ad I saw, I could only make out eyes and hair, not enough to conclude race at all).
This represents the tone of the coming campaign.
So, there’s this standoff going on a few miles from my house. Seems some 16 or 17 year-old has holed up in a house, is heavily armed and has killed one police officer.
The local news reports that the kid has automatic weapons. He shot a policeman who was likely wearing a vest. Other reports say the kid is using an AK47, while some reports (the TV news) said he was using a high powered rifle with a hunting scope.
And the kid is the son of a local district attorney.
So, we may have the following anti-gun buzzwords involved:
The children
Assault weapons
Sniper rifles
Armor piercing ammo
Dead cops
A public official involved is never good.
Sounds like a Violence Policy Center/Brady Campaign wet dream. Get ready for the coming political shit storm.
My sincerest condolences to the family of Jason Scott, the slain officer. And here’s hoping this situation resolves without more killing. And my apologies for politicizing this so soon, but it is coming soon to a hysterical reporter or gun controller near you.
I even hold myself out as a small L libertarian but it seems I am not so much. Via Jeff, I took the libertarian purity test and scored a 32, which makes my only slightly libertarian. This is one of those tests that tries to convince you that you’re a libertarian. Example: It asks odd questions Should we abolish Medicare? Now, I think Medicare is currently crap. I think it’s poorly run and has some major issues. But people need Medicare. I don’t necessarily want it abolished, though I’d want it abolished in its current form. Therefore, I said No, as some folks still need it. This makes me seem not all that much libertarian despite having a minimalist approach to such a program.
Us whacky moderate libertarians. Go figure.
Bonus: Tim is plotting scores so post yours there.
Les discusses G-Rated versions of X-Rated sayings. I, too, have a potty mouth. This does remind me of this manager I had when in public accounting. He went to great lengths to inform people that he didn’t cuss and that he didn’t appreciate cussing around him. The problem with this was the fact that he did the G-Rated cussing. When something happened, he’d say Gosh darn it or refer to someone as a son of a biscuit. And my personal favorites were freak and fudge. I did a lot of freaking and fudging up, apparently
I realized that I was going to be a short timer in public accounting. So, one day after the manager let loose with a full-blown, Yosemite Sam, non-cussing rant regarding a particular client problem, I said Those bastards. He proceeded to give me the lecture about cussing, how he didn’t do it and how he didn’t appreciate me cussing. I responded thusly: Why the holier-than-thou attitude? You mean what I say. I just sound a lot less fucking stupid saying it.
I don’t think he got it. Oh, I don’t advise doing this in your own career. As I said, I knew I was a short timer.
If you’re going to cuss, do it right.
Rocky Top Brigadier Katie Allison Granju is now the online editor of WBIR’s website. Congrats to Katie!
So, we note that US casualties and bombings in Iraq were on the decrease. We also know that Al Qaeda was reportedly operating in Iraq. Then, Spain gets hit with a massive terror attack.
Obviously, correlation does not equal causation but it is something to consider. The flies abandoning the paper?
I removed my AWB clock a while back (kevin has one if you must see it) but note that it will expire six months from tomorrow.
I know people sometimes accuse the blogosphere of being a huge echo chamber, but I just have to give credit to Kevin of the Smallest Minority. He’s been kick butt and taking names lately. But of course, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably been reading him, too.
And let’s not forget our own Say Uncle, who has also been on a tear, too. Awesome work! I’m really proud to be a part of this community.
If for some reason you decide to visit the VPC’s web page, you’ll see that their current whipping boy is Assault Weapons. They are pushing hard to have the existing Assault Weapons Ban “strengthened.”
Now, we gun enthusiasts have known all along that the “assault weapons ban” was a ridiculous concept; except for specifying a few models by name, it essentially banned manufacture of guns that had certain features. So manufacturers said, “OK, we’ll leave off the features.” It was hard for us to see what problem the ban was going to solve. Were there really that many bayonetings going on? Were criminals really using rifle-launched grenades during their crimes?
Even the VPC members themselves admit that letting the ban expire will not “make one whit of difference one way or another.” They know it’s broken. But, in a brilliant example of political jiu-jitsu, they’ve found a way to use this fact to their advantage.
They say, “The law needs to be strengthened.” It’s brilliant.
Here’s an example of one of their documents. Their current strategy is a two-pronged offensive. First, they demonize the Evil Gun Manufacturers for “evading” the law. The law bans certain guns by name; the manufacturers change the name! The law bans guns having more than two features from a list; the manufacturers leave off the features!
Next, they call for a refined definition of “assault weapon.” The a la carte definition proved to be too obvious an attempt to disguise what was essentially a ban on “scary-looking guns,” and was, as they point out, pretty easy to work around. Instead, the VPC has decided that they must focus on something that (they say) makes these firearms especially lethal.
So now the VPC has identified the “key features” of “assault weapons” as:
1. pistol grips or barrel shrouds that allow the weapon to be “spray-fired” from the hip
2. the ability to accept detachable, high-capacity ammunition magazines holding from 10 to 100 rounds of ammunition
Now, this is more like it. Who could be against such “common sense” features? You don’t need a pistol grip, a barrel shroud, or a high-capacity magazine for hunting or target shooting, after all. And that’s really what the Second Amendment is about, right?
Let’s table for now a discussion of whether or not “spray-firing” is really something that happens all that often, or is especially deadly, or whether you need a pistol grip or barrel shroud to do it. Suppose the VPC prevails and Congress bans guns with pistol grips. What, exactly, IS a pistol grip? The current ban says it “protrudes conspicuously beneath the stock.” In some cases it’s obvious; the grip on an AR-15 or an AK-47 is clearly a pistol grip. But what about a thumb-hole stock? Or a Monte Carlo stock? Are these legal or not? If they’re technically legal, how long before the VPC claims they are attempts by the manufacturers to “evade” the law, and calls for a ban on ANY stock that doesn’t look like the one on a Marlin 1894?
Let’s consider also the phrase “ability to accept detachable, high-capacity magazines.” It doesn’t take a genius to realize that most firearms that can accept a detachable magazine can accept one of ANY capacity. The only limitation is the amount of weight that the magazine catch can support*. Are manufacturers going to be required to design their magazine catches to support no more than 10 rounds? Will the magazine wells have to be re-designed so that pre-ban magazines won’t fit anymore? Or will the VPC accuse manufacturers of “evading” the law when it turns out that a magazine is a magazine is a magazine, and call for banning ALL firearms that accept detachable magazines PERIOD?
Of course, I’m sure that there won’t be any restriction on law enforcement or other government agencies. Just civilian ownership, because while These Guns Have No Place In Our Society, they’re perfectly safe in the hands of the government agents.
* I’m mainly talking about rifles here. Of course, some handguns have a magazine catch at the bottom of the well that rules out using a magazine longer than the grip.
I plugged GunBroker.com a while back. I haven’t ordered anything from there. MadOgre posts an email about bad experiences with GunBroker and his own bad experience with them. Long and short is that dealers sell defective products and GunBroker does nothing about it.
You’ll have to follow the link and hit the Page Down button twice because MadOgre apparently refuses to use permalinks or blogging software.
Oh, That Liberal Media, a group blog that addresses the non-existent liberal bias in the Republican controlled media conglomerate.
Because I say so, pro-gun blogger.
Rocket Jones is in trouble at the office for saying something. Yes, and each time I use the phrase You can’t polish a turd in reference to a budget, our CEO is not impressed.
The Geek has a rundown of operating weapons other than AK47s.
WATE:
Joanna Ediger, 35, is charged with lying to state finance officials when she said a company owned by a friend of then Gov. Don Sundquist was the only one qualified to win a state contract.
The contract was for $1.9M.
Both Kerry and Bush, unsurprisingly, support the Assault Weapons Ban, which neither addresses assault weapons nor is it a ban.
Hastert when asked if anticipates renewal of the ban:
The Senate was going to go through the bill first. It kind of fell away over in the Senate. I am not sure what is going to happen.
Another report indicates the GOP plans to let the ban die. Good.
I have, for a variety of reasons, been remiss in listening to NPR for bias lately. However, today I caught about 20 minutes of it. The reporter was talking about one of Bush’s various campaign stops. Bush was referring to his tax cuts when the reporter (Robert Smith, if I recall) chimed in that Bush’s message sounded like an infomercial. Nope no bias there.
The soon-to-expire ban has police chiefs from New York to California worried, fearful that crooks will once again have ready access to a range of foreign and U.S. machine guns – including the Galil Israeli assault rifle and Colt’s civilian version of the M-16.
The ban does not affect machine guns. Period.
After taking credit for the bombings in Spain, Al Qaeda claims that an attack on the US is 90 percent ready.
Yes, now go hide in your little caves.
Susan Lindauer is accused of being a spy. I find it curious that she collected only $10,000 for spying for the years 1999 through 2002. That’s $2,500 per year, which doesn’t seem to actually be spying for profit. Color me skeptical.
Tom Diaz, Violence Policy Center:
If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another” in “reducing death and injury.
John of Argghhh! has a post about a robotic exoskeleton intended to help soldiers and firefighters carry heavy loads. Sci-fi fans will, of course, think of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers and other works featuring soldiers equipped with powered armor. This kind of technology also has lots of civilian applications, most obviously that of helping disabled people walk.
I did my doctoral work in robotics, so I’m professionally interested in this, you might say. What I really want to know is what kind of power source they’re using, and how long it lasts. One of the big problems in mobile robots is energy density. Most use batteries, which as we know are bulky, heavy, and don’t last very long. For outdoor robots, a gasoline engine might be an option, but I don’t think that would be welcome indoors.
The project’s website has a pdf file containing a little sidebar from Jane’s Defense Weekly which says that they are developing a power source that would run “for 24 hours on one tank of fuel…[that] would initially burn propane or gasoline….” I wonder what they have in mind?
I perused the Berkely lab’s website, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find any page where I could download their publications. Maybe I missed it, so if you alert readers find such a page, please let me know. This is something that used to drive me nuts when I was in grad school. Japanese robotics labs tended to be really bad about not posting their publications online. Come on people; the web was INVENTED to publish scientific research.
Kevin notes that the attacks don’t fit the pattern of Basque separatists but do fit the patterns of Al Qaeda.
If true, this does shoot a rather sizable hole the flypaper theory. Additionally, it may be indicative that more attacks on countries that appear to support the US could be forthcoming. Assuming it’s Al Qaeda, I suspect a lot more countries will start cracking down even more on terror.
Mike tells you non-gun types how to operate an AK47 (the preferred weapon of most of the world) in case you need to. I read somewhere that one in six guns on the planet is an AK47.
This does remind me of something. If I am ever in a position where I am required to ride a motorcycle to save my life, I will die. I’ve ridden one once. All I know is one down, three up. I don’t know which handle is the clutch or which is the break. Or how to start one. This is why I’m not in any action movies.
I have found it more common among owners of small dogs that their dogs are rude. What do I mean by rude? Jumping on people, jumping in laps, nipping at people, aggressiveness toward people, aggressiveness toward dogs, and barking at people. People are more willing to tolerate rude behavior from small dogs because of their size. A Jack Russell Terrier who jumps on you or nips at you will not do much or really any damage. Therefore, some folks view the rude behavior as cute and harmless. They even unintentionally encourage it by rewarding the behavior. If you have a Mastiff who displays these rude behaviors, you’re in for trouble. A 150 pound dog who jumps on you can knock you over.
Dogs in general have no concept of their size. My neighbors Pomeranian wrestles with Politically Incorrect Dog all the time. Occasionally, he’ll step on her and she’ll let out a yelp. Otherwise, she thinks she weighs seventy pounds too. And Politically Incorrect Dog struggles with the concept that he’s not lapdog sized. He sees the Pomeranian in a lap and wants to be in a lap too. He is corrected when he tries.
A recent example of bad behavior: last night the Mrs. and I were checking out some of our property. We had our dogs with us and were walking around. Being responsible pet owners, our dogs were on leashes. Another vehicle pulls up about 50 yards down the road and opens the door. Out jumps a Jack Russell Terrier and a Miniature Pinscher. The two dogs, who were not on leashes, immediately start barking with hackles raised and charge at us. We’re not scared because the little guys are, well, little. I give Politically Incorrect Dog a sit and stay command and the Mrs. does the same with Politically Correct Dog. They comply. They sit quietly with ears raised as the two rude dogs circle them and bark frantically. Politically Incorrect Dog wags his tail and does a play bow. The owner runs up to retrieve her dogs, calling them to come, at which point they run down the busy road away from her. If they don’t come on command, you have an accident waiting to happen. She chases her dogs for several hundred yards. All this could have been avoided with proper training and socialization. Even simpler, it could have been avoided by using a leash.
Politically Incorrect Dog is not dog aggressive. Politically Correct Dog is dog aggressive. Had Politically Correct Dog not been well-behaved and restrained, he could have easily done some major damage to these two rude dogs. Of course, I won’t allow him to.
I’m not a person who despises little dogs. I like little dogs fine, as long as they are well-behaved. I do find that little dogs are more likely to bite children. After all, if a child tugs the tail of a small dog, it will hurt and the dog will feel threatened. And the dog will defend itself by biting. A big dog will not feel as threatened and will likely just walk away, if properly socialized. Size is not an excuse to justify bad behavior.
From John’s site:
Asked how he knew the man killed was a gunman, Gurganus said: “He had a gun, and he was shooting at Marines. That’s what I call a gunman.”
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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