From a thread at arfcom, a reader who is filling out his NFA tax form to legally make a short barreled rifle asks about Form 1:

3. 4i, “State Why You Intend To Make Firearm”….I don’t think “Because I want to” would go over too well. What have you other guys who applied (and got approved) put?

Response:

Because the voices keep telling me to….

Should be noted that an appropriate response would be to enhance collection or other lawful purposes.

That’s what Michael Daly claims New York is. It’s an emotional piece playing on the sympathies by the actress who was recently killed during a robbery. It’s a tragic event. Daly concludes with:

Until we do something about handguns there will be no real safety even in the safest big city in the safer America.

NY has some of the most restrictive handgun laws in the nation, if not the strictest. Not a single one saved this woman. Any place can be dangerous at any time whenever some hoodlum is running around.

Mrs. Xrlq is making a difference.

The gun immunity bill likely won’t get far this year. Last time, it was killed because the anti-gunners kept adding anti-gun bills to kill it. They added a renewal of the assault weapons ban and a ludicrous armor piercing bullet ban (which would have effectively made every rifle round illegal). Looks like that will continue to be the case:

Gun-rights advocates are hoping freshman senators will make the road smoother this year for gun makers and dealers pushing a bill that would relieve them of lawsuits brought by families of gun-violence victims.

But one of those pro-Second Amendment senators said that is unlikely. “As an outsider, and at this point, I am still new enough to call myself that, it appears to me that part of the Senate’s difficulty with passing anything is that all the bills become Christmas trees to be decorated,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson, Georgia Republican. “I would suspect those same amendments would cause the same problems as before.”

Michael Silence notes that the traffic camera issue is heating up. Local officials want them to increase revenue. An issue I have is the method of payment to the maker of the cameras. I recall reading where one city gave a percentage of fines to the manufacturer so they could defer the cost of these things (which is apparently pretty steep). The manufacturer was then accused of having rigged the cameras to nab people who didn’t violate traffic laws to generate more fines and thus more revenue.

And these cameras have been shown to increase the accident rate.

Not only has Eminent Domain been used to take land from one private party to give to another private party for development, now an attempt to abuse it for natural resources is in the midst:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this week asked a Senate committee for the power of eminent domain in the siting of liquefied natural gas facilities, a move which could potentially impact the city, Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr. said Thursday.

Lambert said an LNG expert retained by the city believes the recommended vapor exclusion zone for Hess LNG’s proposed project is not large enough because a vapor cloud could extend beyond the property where the company hopes to build its LNG facility, meaning that the power of eminent domain might be needed to go forward.

More taking of property to make someone else money.

Also, here’s a case of a water district that is concerned about a bill that makes it harder for them to take land:

Beaver Water District officials are concerned about the implications of a bill making it harder for public water suppliers to use eminent domain to condemn private property to protect water quality.

The bill provides a voluntary alternative to condemnation and allows water utilities to use the power of eminent domain only as a last resort. Senate Bill 230 was filed Thursday and is assigned to the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

In every case, ED should be used absolutely as the last resort.

Publicola just turned two.

In SC, an officer used a taser on a 75 year-old nursing home patient. I’m all for tasers provided they’re used when appropriate. However, tasering an elderly lady who could have very likely been controlled in another manner is atrocious.

Kids today are pussies:

Older adults seem better able to cope with chronic pain than younger adults, say researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida.

Their study of 5,823 black and white adults found those under the age of 50 appear less able to cope with chronic pain and to be more prone to depression associated with chronic pain than adults over age 50.

The researchers blame it on expectations and stress level in younger folks (always looking for the depression angle so you can get on Prozac or some such). I’m no scientist or anything but maybe a factor is that, as one gets older, their little nerve endings become a bit less responsive. As such, pain is a bit more intense if your nerve endings are newer. Just a guess though as I clearly don’t know what I’m talking about.

Today, an estimated 8 million Iraqis voted, about 60% of eligible voters. They did this despite threats. They did this despite nine bombings. They did this despite 44 people being killed.

Brent:

I’d like to ask a favor: Regardless of one’s political inclination, irrespective of your confidence in the electoral process employed, or the decision to invade and occupy Iraq, no matter what the outcome, let us all stand united in our admiration for those courageous Iraqi’s who will brave gunfire, RPGs, bombs, and reprisal, to determine their own fate? For they choose to do so in bold defiance of promised violence and certain intimidation.

Hats off to them!

I’ve often tracked packages online via FedEx and UPS and was amazed at the accuracy. Once, at the office, I checked and it said it wasn’t there. I hit refresh a minute or two later and it said it was delivered. Sure enough, I walked out to receiving and there was the UPS guy pulling away.

The US Postal Service has online tracking too. It’s just like UPS and FedEx, only it sucks. I ordered some gun parts that were shipped via USPS last week. They came from Colorado. All the USPS site ever said was the package was received in Colorado (where the package originated from). Yesterday, they arrived at my home but the site still says that they’ve only been checked in Colorado. I wonder if the USPS system thinks it’s not delivered?

Jed has the latest update on the non-controversy surrounding the 5-7. The gun is available publicly but the armor piercing ammunition is not as it is illegal. It should be noted that the 5.7X28 round is a rifle round and almost all rifle rounds penetrate vests, which are only designed to stop handgun ammunition.

Patterico notes that bloggers may be ill-prepared to deal with lawsuits.

Looks like Phil Bredesen isn’t just a Republican in disguise after all:

Gov. Phil Bredesen said he is adamantly against putting a proposed “taxpayer bill of rights” into the state constitution, but he will not actively oppose an amendment to forbid gay marriage.

Questioned during an interview about proposed state constitutional amendments, the governor said he thinks popular election of the state comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state is a bad idea but is less strongly opposed to permanently banning a state income tax.

The “taxpayer bill of rights,” also known by the acronym TABOR, is modeled after a provision in the Colorado Constitution. Bredesen said it is “a disaster” in that state today after “some short-term success” in prior years.

“I think the taxpayer bill of rights is a bad thing that goes to the heart of my ability to operate government day-to-day as opposed to some of the other things that are out there,” he said.

I support anything that limits the government’s ability to tax. Bredesen has brought some long needed fiscal conservatism to Tennessee government. His opposition could indicate the first step in raising taxes or implementing new taxes.

Rick Smith:

Since 1983, 23 people have died across this country as a result of dog attacks, 23 people over 21 years. 55 dogs were involved in those attacks.

Only one – only one of those 55 dogs would be banned under Ontario Attorney-General Michael Bryant’s proposed so-called “pit bull” legislation – one dog in the last 23 years.

I’m convinced that breed-specific legislation, specific breed band (sic) do not work and this proposal according to prominent Canadian defence lawyer Clayton Ruby could well be challenged in a court of law because it doesn’t clearly define a pit bull. Says Rudy, “The legislation has got to have enough certainty so that you as a citizen have a right to understand its meaning”. He said “It’s limited to one breed, two breeds, and other dogs that are similar – whatever the hell that means.”

Speaking of taking things apart, anyone know how to put a Crosman 1077 air rifle back together?

And, again, in California:

Jo Stringfield knows her home is neglected. She hasn’t been able to muster the energy to finish projects since learning that the city wants the land and if she won’t sell, it will be taken by eminent domain.

“I was going to do a little repair work, a little upkeep,” Stringfield said. “But why do it, when I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay?”

Grand Terrace officials want the 1.9 acres Stringfield’s house sits on in the 2200O (sic) block of Barton to build Town Center, a shopping complex with a grocery store, restaurants and a new city library.

Another case of transferring property to businesses.

Dave at DefenseReview has a piece on Remington’s new modular 870, which goes from combat shotgun to breeching system. No goose gun attachment, though.

Head has info on the SKS, with pics.

The Geek ponders a new blade. I carry a Henckels or an Old Timer.

Not content with taxing damn near everything, some lawmakers are looking into vanity taxes:

Lawmakers trying to plump up the bottom line are considering a “vanity tax” on cosmetic surgery and Botox injections in Washington, Illinois and other states.

Alanis Morissette is kinda hot. A couple of ads on that site are NSFW.

Australian Justice Virginia Bell:

Justice Virginia Bell, of the NSW Supreme Court, has called for the internet to be purged of any material likely to prejudice a trial in order to prevent jurors conducting their own investigations into cases on which they are sitting, according to The Australian.

The judge made the proposal at a conference of Supreme and Federal court judges from across Australia, but there were apparently few takers.

Independent research by jurors is already illegal in Australia.

Well, let’s just type del *.* on the whole Internet. Why is it a bad thing for jurors to do their own, you know, thinking anyway?

Putting the kiddie gloves on:

An Oklahoma senator hopes to revive cockfighting in the state by putting tiny boxing gloves on the roosters instead of razors.

Also, I think we should just make it illegal to be a dumb ass:

Those flashy new hubcaps that look like they’re moving even when the car is stopped are a little too eye-catching for some in the Iowa State- house.

State Rep. Doug Struyk, a Council Bluffs Republican, has proposed legislation that would prohibit wheel covers that continue to rotate – or appear to rotate – when a car is not in motion.

Why?

Struyk blames a set of spinners for a near-accident he had before Christmas. He said he was driving along a rural road when he saw another car stopped at a four-way-stop with spinners.

“I couldn’t tell if the car was going to stop or not because he had spinning hubcaps,” Struyk said. “So I jammed on the brakes and had my trailer (nearly) jackknife on me.”

Here’s an idea, look at the vehicle relative to the ground.

Inspired by James’s post about Climbing the Pyramid , I bring you a link to Paul Graham’s Essay Page.

Dr. Graham has a pretty impressive resume, so I respect what he has to say, even if he does love Lisp. He doesn’t publish new essays to the site very often, but if you’re a Computer Geek of any sort, they’re worth the wait. Enjoy.

Via Instapundit we have this article criticizing Michael Crichton’s latest book. The authors of the article, Profs Gregory Benford and Martin Hoffert, are physicists who study climate change, and they say that in his attempt to argue “against the reality of climate change,” Crichton misrepresented their work, and the work of others.

I’m not intending to weigh in on this matter; Profs Benford and Hoffert and Dr. Crichton are all smarter and better edumacated than I is. I won’t even roll my eyes here at B&H’s rationale for “climate skepticism”–”the reality of climate change triggered by continued fossil fuel burning – and increasingly coal – threatens entrenched energy interests”–that follows their pooh-poohing of “a vast conspiracy – involving the editors of Science, Nature, Scientific American and some dozen other peer-reviewed journals – to exclude and reject climate skeptics papers.”

No, the thing that made me do a double take was this:

The reality of climate change triggered by continued fossil fuel burning – and increasingly coal – threatens entrenched energy interests. Some of these lobby against it with the ferocity of the National Rifle Association.

Let’s even skip the question of what the antecedent of “it” is (Big Oil is lobbying against reality?). Why is it that these guys think the NRA is the epitome of ferocious lobbying? I bet if you polled the bloggers list under Say Uncle’s “Guns” blogroll, you’d find a hefty percentage think the NRA is all too willing to sell out the interests of gun owners.

The AP:

The Palestinian leadership banned civilians on Thursday from carrying weapons, its latest step aimed at reining in militant violence, as the Palestinian leader said he was awaiting Israel’s response on a proposal for a mutual cease-fire declaration.

If enforced, the ban on weapons would be a strong move against militant groups, whose gunmen often openly brandish their automatic weapons in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank — reflecting the lack of control by the Palestinian security forces.

Sound like someone you know?

That which I fail to understand or agree with must be hatred. After all, I’m a reasonable, sane and normal person. At least that’s a rationale, I suppose. KTK, in describing someone who disagrees with him, uses the words: hated, bigotry, wingnuts, hatred, and homophobia. Not words one should use if trying to reach hearts and minds. He referenced both gay marriage and our national Ponzi Scheme err social security.

As someone who supports gay marriage (or rather one who questions why contract management is a government issue other than in a court of law), I know a lot of folks here in East Tennessee who oppose gay marriage. They don’t hate gays. Most of my friends have the Seinfeld variety of gay tolerance (not that there’s anything wrong with that). They don’t oppose gay marriage because they hate gays. They oppose it due to their religious beliefs (though one guy I know opposes it for biological reasons). It’s not hatred really but it is asserting religiosity into government, which is a no-no. After all, the bible says man-on-man love is an abomination (chick stuff is apparently cool, though) but it also says the same thing about shellfish.

Do people hate social security? Probably. I do. I’d rather have my money, thanks. But it’s not a profound, irrational hatred of a safety social net or the elderly. It’s a profound love of free markets and the choice to do what I want with money I earn.

Referring to those that disagree with you as hateful does not win hearts and minds. Period. You’re doing your cause a great disservice with such rhetoric. It’s hateful.

While I’m picking on Leanleft, there have been two recent instances in which Kevin has referred to someone as un-Christian or questioned someone’s Christianity. I find this troubling and a bit odd from someone who gets upset whenever another person refers to anyone with a D after their name as unpatriotic.

Radley Balko (who also has a FoxNews piece on how the Drug War is killing the Bill of Rights):

Rep. David Dreier’s new bill will not create a new national identification card.

Oh sure, it will add a magnetic identification strip and identifying photo to your existing Social Security card, and you’ll be required to present the new card for identification any time you want to apply for a new job. At that point, your prospective employer would then check the identification listed on your card against a national database which identifies eligible employees.

Via Insty.

Rice was confirmed as the first black, female Secretary of State. Perusing the lefty blogs, you’d think that the official party line for anyone with a D after their name was that Rice should not be confirmed. However, Rice got 13 nays. 12 were from Democrats. The remaining 32 Democrats voted yes. It seems there’s quite the disconnect between the blog party line and what their Senators actually do, no?

Passengers on a flight subdue an unruly man:

Passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight helped wrestle a fellow passenger to the floor Tuesday night after he tried to force his way into the cockpit, law enforcement officials said.

No word on whether tweezers or nail clippers were involved. I mean, if the guy had those, he’d have been unstoppable.

In an update to the FN Pistol non-controversy, the Brady Campaign has issued a press release urging congress to ban the gun. Nevermind that the gun isn’t available to the public, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms notes that the round is not armor piercing.

The anti-gunners always need a bogeyman, even if they must invent it.

Update: Apparently, someone from the Brady Campaign reports that they purchased one which I find odd. The FN page (which is now gone but here’s a google cache) says the pistol is for military and law enforcement only.

Update 2: Apparently, these are available for sale to the public. Where do I get one?

In Washington, gun owners packed a senate hearing to oppose gun control laws. One headline:

Dozens turn out in opposition to gun control bills

Another:

Hundreds turn out in opposition to gun control bills

Update: HL has a frontline report.

The Good:

Town councilors unanimously voted Tuesday night to reject a request that they support the New London Development Corp.’s use of eminent domain.

The Bad:

An editorial notes the transition from public use to public good.

The Ugly:

As if to prove it’s nothing but a land grab, Houston will take your land either by foreclosing on delinquent taxes or eminent domain. Doesn’t matter, we want your land. It’s for a good cause.

I noted before that Consumer Reports ranked Planned Parenthood’s free condoms lowest in their recent condom test. Meanwhile, J Bowen notes:

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s most frequent provider of abortions, is performing more of the procedures than ever — albeit in fewer clinics — and relying increasingly on the revenue generated from abortions, according to its Fiscal Year 2004 annual report.

Dave Halliday links to the online CR rankings and the PP annual report. He smells a lawsuit.

Weekly gun links are up.

Except that socially awkward bit. 20 Questions to a Better Personality:

You are a WRDF–Wacky Rational Destructive Follower. This makes you a Hacker.

Your thirst for knowledge can be damaging to your possessions–you like to take things apart, even if you then forget to put them back together. You demand respect and, no matter how much you are respected, seldom feel it is adequate. You are tenacious, and will stick to a task long after weaker minds have given it up.

Socially, you are awkward, and get into arguments and make people uncomfortable. One recommends counting to ten, holding back comments unless warranted, and listening more than speaking. Still, your no-holds-barred approach to socialization can be strangely endearing, as long as you are funny and self-deprecating.

You feel misunderstood, and you probably are.

Of the 81657 people who have taken this quiz since tracking began (8/17/2004), 2.6 % are this type.

I am no hacker, though I do take a lot of crap apart. Some of it even gets put back together. Via Jed.

AR or AK? Discuss. My thoughts are forthcoming.

Update: Or other? Some folks like M1s, SKS, and Fals.

Michelle Malkin reports that the Department of Homeland Security issued a green card approval notice on January 15, 2005 to a man who was killed at the WTC on 9/11.

These are the people charged with your security, folks.

When I was a kid, I liked to draw. I liked drawing spaceships, actually. I often would draw images of a massive armada of spaceships invading some planet. If a kid did that today, he’d no doubt be charged with war crimes:

Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs.

The 9- and 10-year-old boys were arrested Monday and charged with making a written threat to kill or harm another person. They were also suspended from school.

This should be an issue that is dealt with by either the kids’ parents or by the school system. The fact the police are involved in this makes it absolutely ridiculous. And charging them with a felony?

Jackpot continues:

White House: Deficit Will Hit Record $427B

Now, how can we spin it? Oh, yeah:

The highest deficit ever was last year’s $412 billion. The administration official said the White House’s 2005 projection of $427 billion showed progress because it was less than last year’s gap when compared with the size of the growing U.S. economy — a key measure of the deficit’s potency.

Of course, by Democrat math that’s actually a cut, I suppose.

Pete links to Don’t Fear the Reefer.

Michael Bane will be doing it. Cool. Man, I should have delayed my Vegas trip a couple of weeks.

Lobbygow on the OwnerSHIFT Society:

Make way for the OwnerSHIFT Society™, a kleptocrat’s paradise, where local municipalities and well connected developers are eager to help homeowners and small business entrepreneurs achieve that special warm glow that accompanies sacrificing your hard-won dreams for the greater good – developer’s fees and sales tax revenues!

Sadly, this cronyist utopia is threatened by an upcoming SCOTUS case, Kelo vs. New London. Apparently some selfish, petty homeowners with quaint notions of “property rights” and neighborhood integrity are questioning the Old Boy Network’s god-given right to do whatever they damned well please.

He also links to No Land Grab, which notes that a number of cities and municipalities are filing briefs in Kelo v. New London to defend the practice of abusing eminent domain to take from one private party to give to another.

Also, reader John emails this article about Eminent Domain in California. When city planners attack:

Sacramento officials want property owners of rundown buildings, struggling businesses or empty lots along portions of K Street to create thriving shops there – or else.

In a proposal to be presented to the City Council today, property owners in the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street would have 90 days to come up with viable redevelopment plans. If they don’t, city officials will begin negotiating to buy the property, and as a last resort take the sites through eminent domain, said Wendy Saunders, the city’s director of economic development.

“We haven’t tried anything like this before,” Saunders said. “We’d like people who own the properties who would like to be developers to be given the first shot.”

Nice of them to give owners the option of developing or else. However, taking the land to give to other developers fails the public use test.

Or rather not at work:

Pat Freund has a job most people would envy. She spends her days at work reading the newspaper and finishing crossword puzzles, and earns about $100,000 a year for her troubles, including benefits.

But Freund isn’t content to put up her feet and watch the paychecks roll in. Rather, she is suing her employer, the state of New York, for not giving her any real work to do.

“It could have been a lot easier for Pat had she continued to sit in her office and do nothing, and continue to basically be the most avid reader that the state has employed,” says Sue Adler, the attorney representing Freund in her federal civil rights lawsuit. “But she decided that was not how she wanted to live out her years working for the state.”

Freund, who has been a New York State Liquor Authority employee for 25 years, says it all started in 2000. She believes her superiors were angered after she questioned the practice of colleagues attending Gov. George Pataki’s annual prayer breakfast. But instead of firing her, Freund says, her responsibilities were taken away.

Regarding the bigotry at AR15.com, Stormy comments:

I happen to be a Pink Pistols member, and I just wanted to point out that we tend to get a lot more harrassment from other GLBT-types for being gun owners then we do from gun owners for being homosexual. While there are certainly exceptions, it’s been my general experience that the gun community is far more tolerant than the stereotypes give it credit for.

In honor of this week being No Name Calling Week, we at SayUncle present the following:

Thin-skinned, no-humored pansy

Mantra-chanting, incense-burning, herb-sucking yahoo

Cheese-eating, cocoa guzzling yodeler.

Long-haired, fat-bellied, goofy-tattooed, 60s throwback, village people wannabe, biker freak

As you were.

Call up my gun store of choice to do a transfer on a WASR-10 and tell him I need a copy of his Federal Firearm License to do the transfer. His response:

It’s not coming from California, is it?

Heh.

Robert Douglas is back sporting a new AKM with info on how to build your own. A detailed must read for any AK junkies out there.

Head has the lowdown on cartridge sizes.

In a follow up to Maryland’s ballistic fingerprinting kerfuffle, the legislature has proposed repealing the law.

In Louisiana, the police can’t account for money and weapons confiscated in the war on drugs:

The audit’s findings show upwards of $200,000 have been misused by Chief Larry Caillier and former Major Ronnie Trahan.

Money Misused

$156,050 in private accounts
$18,801 holiday candy
$28,443 Christmas parties
1,870 old tickets

TV 10 reveals more about the investigation and why auditors say the department can’t account for missing drug money and weapons.

Nemerov explains the Brady Campaign’s scorecards.

And despite conventional wisdom, the US does not have the worst crime rate among leading world economies. That honor belongs to England.

Building AR15s is a disease. Once you start, you can’t stop. With that in mind, I found this signature file from an AR15.com post amusing:

Five years ago I started with a 20″ Gov’t Profile A2. After thousands of dollars and hundreds of configurations, I now own a 20″ Gov’t Profile A2.

The View From North Central Idaho, which is run by the same guy who does Boomer Shoot.

The guys from The Rant have moved to Unspecified Chatter.

HL has a run down of gun laws that have been proposed in Washington.

Jeff has the latest.

It’s OK to violate privacy rights, as long as it’s just a little bit:

The Supreme Court gave police broader search powers Monday during traffic stops, ruling that drug-sniffing dogs can be used to check out motorists even if officers have no reason to suspect they may be carrying narcotics.

In a 6-2 decision, the court sided with Illinois police who stopped Roy Caballes in 1998 along Interstate 80 for driving 6 miles over the speed limit. Although Caballes lawfully produced his driver’s license, troopers brought over a drug dog after Caballes seemed nervous.

I imagine most people pulled over are a bit nervous. I usually am since I’m typically pondering whether or not I’m going to get a ticket.

Caballes argued the Fourth Amendment protects motorists from searches such as dog sniffing, but Justice John Paul Stevens disagreed, reasoning that the privacy intrusion was minimal.

Of course, the courts have also ruled that the fourth amendment is invalid due to indoor plumbing and it’s invalid as long as everybody is stopped at a roadblock. So, why do we have the fourth amendment again? I mean, I’m just asking since it seems like we don’t really use it.

Fûz is pondering the upcoming NRA board of directors vote.

The correct way to say it would be nine out of ten Richmond area residents don’t know anything about gun laws. However, what they really say is:

Nine out of 10 Richmond-area residents support a proposed law that would close the so-called “gun-show loophole,” a newly released crime-and-safety survey shows.

The loophole allows unlicensed gun dealers to sell firearms at Virginia gun shows without making background checks of purchasers.

There is no such thing as an unlicensed dealer who can operate legally. A person who deals in firearms must have a license. These unlicensed dealers are regular people lawfully selling their private collections.

Kirk, given MD’s history of using lists to effectively ban guns, notes that the Assault Weapons Criminal Penalty Enhancement Act of 2005 is basically more of that nonsense.

JOHN TIERNEY writes about Republicans rolling back the mild socialism founded under FDR:

To some Republicans, the start of this presidential term is their moment, their chance to become the permanent majority party with a new vision that goes by various names: the ownership society, the Conservative New Deal, the New New Deal.

But can they really significantly trim seven decades of ever-growing programs? Can the New Deal government be rolled back?

A good read. I’d like to see many government programs scaled back. The beast is almost too big to feed.

The prominent gun site AR15.com has been host to great info regarding guns in general. I’m a member, have used their info, and have bought stuff there.

This thread really reinforces this notion that gun owners are racists and homophobes. Note the references to being anti-gay is OK because gays are typically anti-gun. They imply the same thing regarding American Jews. Pretty abysmal stuff.

They don’t realize or don’t care that the number of gun owners in this country seems to decrease (though there was a post 9/11 spike in gun sales) and we are the minority. By a alienating any particular group, they do a disservice to gun rights. There are a few gay gun nuts who are better to have as allies than enemies.

There’s a lot more on this subject here, here and here. And a lot more here. Also, some folks chided the AR15ers in the thread.

As Deb said in an email: I guess they haven’t noticed that gays are perhaps the best organized
minority in America today. You’re not doing gun owners any favors with this stuff, guys.

Cube has a round up of some gun videos. Make sure you watch the one entitled Negligence. Hopefully, that person is now unemployed.

Reader Jay sends this story detailing a death involving a pit bull. The dangerous breed in this case may surprise you.

Chad of Ohio CCW:

For the gun grabber, crime isn’t a problem—it’s an excuse. And gun control isn’t a debate—it’s a state of mind.

Independence Bowl turns down strip club sponsorship.

Deja Vu, the notorious chain of strip clubs, grabbed some headlines this week when it made a very public offer of $1 million to become the Independence Bowl’s title sponsor next season.

I-Bowl officials are very reluctant, mainly because the $1 million would be paid in $1 bills.

Heh. Those of you who have driven through Nashville, TN, are probably familiar with the Deja Vu chain of strip clubs (you know, they have that big billboard with the legs right there on I-40).

Spoons refutes The Geek. I think the compromise is to just aim between the nipples.

Got the latest Consumer Reports. In this issue, they test condoms. The two lowest ranked condoms for reliability were the freebies given by Planned Parenthood. Egad.

I consider myself fairly fluent in the language spoken by gun geeks but the occasional term throws even me off. I did find it odd that my Google to find the definition of a particular TLA resulted in a site for a video game.

Update: Man, that TLA thing is annoying, ain’t it?

This year, Microsoft Windows turns 20 years old.

Proof the MSM doesn’t get blogging: Read this article featuring Jerome Armstrong and Markos “Screw ‘em” Zuniga. Now, think for a minute about what is missing.

No links to their sites appear in the article.

Of course, it is also the rather tiring code of ethics bit. The media seem to be trying (for good or bad, mostly bad) to equate blogging with media, which apparently does have some sort of code and maybe a handshake. It’s not an apt comparison to hold a blogger to the same standard as, say, the AP now is it? After all, I have my own biases and so do others. It’s just that in the case of bloggers, the particular bias is known instead of subtle bias hidden behind what appears to be objectivity.

We’re not journalists, guys. And I find it disingenuous to try to hold us to those same standards, particularly when you can’t even hold your own to them. Get over it.

Update: Michael Silence notes the lack of links too. Great minds, and all that.

Update 2: My proposed rule for this blogger code would be link to stuff.

The Geek has a post about shooting with the one stop drop in mind. A must read with pictures.

Clayton Cramer on Lott v. the NAS non-report.

Michael has the first one of these we’ve done in a while. Click to see what Tennessee is thinking.

Find the pit bull. I did first time but I know more about them than most people.

A reporter gets a concealed carry license and writes about it. Ought to get the gun too.

Gunner has a couple of interesting reads for you:

It’s hard to obey the rules if you don’t know them.

And are we all criminals? We can’t help it.

Half-Bakered is back, blogging up a storm.

Bubba is interviewed in our local not so alt weekly.

Like you and me, only better:

Filmmaker Michael Moore’s bodyguard was arrested for carrying an unlicensed weapon in New York’s JFK airport Wednesday night.

Police took Patrick Burke, who says Moore employs him, into custody after he declared he was carrying a firearm at a ticket counter. Burke is licensed to carry a firearm in Florida and California, but not in New York. Burke was taken to Queens central booking and could potentially be charged with a felony for the incident.

Wasn’t Bowling for Columbine about America’s gun culture leading to the death of, well, everybody?

Update: The Geek details that NY laws are a bit silly.

And Confederate Yankee lists other gun hypocrites.

Update 2: Joe Gandelman says this does not make Moore a hypocrite noting that: his bodyguard’s arrest has nothing to do with what he has advocated. I disagree. Mr. Moore has advocated banning handguns for private citizens. Mr. Moore’s bodyguard is likely a private citizen engaged in the protection business. He has a carry permit valid in certain states (just like I do). He is likely not a duly sworn peace officer. A ban on handguns would disarm this guy.

Update 2: Apparently, the guy is not Moore’s bodyguard. More ammo for Moore against Fox, eh?

Update 3: The guy has in fact been Moore’s bodyguard in the past so it doesn’t excuse the hypocrisy.

Weekly gun links. Looks like the AK edition. Bummer on the Saiga, though.

Almost related is John links to the developmental history of assault rifle ammunition:

There are basically two approaches to designing a suitable intermediate cartridge with the appropriate compromise between long range and light recoil. One is to retain the same 7.6-7.9mm calibre as the full-power round, but with a shorter cartridge case firing a lighter bullet at a lower muzzle velocity (let’s call these “full calibre assault rifle,” or FCAR, rounds). The other is to reduce the calibre while retaining the same, or a higher, velocity (reduced calibre, or RCAR rounds). Please click here for a photo gallery of all the rounds discussed in this article.

Or as I like to call them big and slow vs. light and fast.

First, Lobbygow reminds us that the Bush administration is considering filing a friend of the court briefing in Kelo v. New London.

Next up, my old friend Tearsa Smith has an article on how property is acquired through eminent domain. She left out the phrase usually unconstitutionally.

I am a bit annoyed that Wally, the owner of the property the county is looking to take, has apparently taken down most of the information on both his pages. He goes through the trouble of alerting local blogs, gets my panties in a bunch, then takes it down. What gives, Wally?

Update: Michael Silence notes: Board of Education chairman said Wednesday that he is going to return to the school system’s traditional method of negotiating for land.

Returning to the traditional method of actually negotiating in the first place?

Update 2: Info removed for now.

Update 3: For reader Steve K., Wally emails:

It’ll be back. It had nothing to do with anyone being upset about it. There were some inaccuracies that we were trying to get corrected.

Please let everyone know. I am not upset with the people on the School Board or in the School System. I believe that this is the “Wrong price, therefore, the wrong location” for a school.

Only this time, it seems like they got real machine guns thanks to a DOD program:

The 1033 program is designed to transfer excess DoD property to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with special emphasis given to counter-drug and counter-terrorism activities.

A Maryland Senator, who thankfully failed to pass a state ban on rifles that look like assault rifles, has now proposed a law increasing the prison time of a person convicted of using rifles that look like assault rifles in a crime:

Surrounded by officials from throughout the state, Garagiola announced the “Assault Weapons Criminal Penalty Enhancement Act” at a news conference.

The bill would add up to 20 years to a sentence for the crime in which the weapon was used. It has wide support, with more than 18 senators set to back it and numerous law enforcement officials writing supportive letters, Garagiola said.

I think if you murder someone it shouldn’t matter if you use a rifle that looks like assault rifle or a spoon. The point is that you killed someone and you should go to jail. CCRKBA calls it frivolous pandering.

Note to CCRKBA: Not that I’m not guilty of it myself, but you may want to spell check your press releases.

It’s a matter of gibbon take.

No, I’m a frayed knot.

The lesser of two weevils.

And, though I can’t find a related news story, I’m rather fond of breakfast epiphanies.

Reader Airboss sends this cool page with animation of how the 1911 works. Pretty slick.

The NRA (not exactly an unbiased source) notes Guns, Gun Ownership, & RTC at All-Time Highs, Less “Gun Control,” and Violent Crime at 27-Year Low.

You should read this.

WBIR:

Authorities across East Tennessee are on the lookout for two men who assaulted a woman while pretending to be police officers.

The men reportedly used a blue flashing light on their dashboard to pull over the woman on
Highway 411 in Loudon County.

They were driving a white Crown Victoria that could be mistaken for an undercover police car.

I advised the Mrs. that if she’s unsure when being pulled over to be sure to pull over in a very public place. If that’s not an option, keep driving and call the police to verify that it’s actually an officer behind her. However, she’s not had to do it yet.

Congrats to RTB’s Andrew who is now a quoted expert.

You just can’t make this stuff up:

But police have found another [use for WD40] — keeping the public from snorting cocaine off toilet lids in bars.

Police in Bristol said on Wednesday they have been advising pub and nightclub owners to spray the colourless lubricant on toilet seats and other flat surfaces in the lavatory that customers often use to snort drugs.

Apparently, cocaine and spray lube don’t mix.

“A chemical reaction takes place with the cocaine that causes it to congeal and become a mess so it’s unusable,” a police spokesman said. “It’s one very small, very cheap way in which you can very seriously restrict the amount of drug use in your premises.”

So, when someone dies or becomes violently ill because they decide they’re going to somehow ingest the drugs anyway, who will be responsible?

The county wants to build a school and needs land. Via Bubba, comes the KNS round up:

The Knox County Board of Education will discuss Tuesday condemning three pieces of undeveloped land to use as the site for a much anticipated new high school out west, said board Chairman Dan Murphy.

“It’s my intent to discuss it, to debate it, to consider the process of condemnation and then in roughly 30 days call for a vote – unless, of course, we can negotiate a sale before then,” Murphy said.

After an “exhaustive search” for about 40 acres of flat land, Murphy said, school officials have found the three neighboring sites they want. Negotiations with the three owners – two individuals and one estate – have failed, he said.

However, one of the owners reports that no negotiations have occurred. The county seems to be jumping the gun on this. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s because they want to rig exactly how much just compensation they have to pay. I have no issue with legally pursuing the land as it is for a school (which constitutes public use in my book). However, they should tender an offer for the property before getting all government on somebody.

Update: Here is more info.

I have long contended that you don’t teach a new shooter to shoot with a 22 or other small caliber. The reason for that is that if you shoot a small caliber, the recoil is almost non-existent and the subsequent upping of calibers can scare newbies. Conversely, after starting with a 45ACP, a 22 is quite pleasant to fire. Ask Rich, it seemed to work for him.

Benjamin points to another damn good reason not to start someone off with a plinker. I heartily concur.

Via Phelps, who doesn’t care about Armstrong Williams, comes some history of drug war payola:

Few Americans, however, know of a hidden government effort to shoehorn anti-drug messages into the most pervasive and powerful billboard of all — network television programming.

Two years ago, Congress inadvertently created an enormous financial incentive for TV programmers to push anti-drug messages in their plots — as much as $25 million in the past year and a half, with the promise of even more to come in the future. Under the sway of the office of President Clinton’s drug czar, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, some of America’s most popular shows — including “ER,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Chicago Hope,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “7th Heaven” — have filled their episodes with anti-drug pitches to cash in on a complex government advertising subsidy.

This 20 questions game linked by SKB has an anti-gun bias. My object was AR15 (I was willing to concede to rifle). I won but here was its list of inconsistencies:

You were thinking of a rifle.
Is it pleasurable? You said Yes, I say No.
Is it comforting? You said Yes, I say No.
Can you switch it on and off? You said Yes, I say No.
Can you play with it? You said Yes, I say No.
Does it move air? You said Yes, I say No.

Heh.

Ravenwood on New York’s war on cigarettes:

Crime is skyrocketing in Bloomberg’s New York. While he’s out threatening to break people’s thumbs and citing people for owning ashtrays, black marketers are killing each other over territory. And all of this mess was created by a single man on a neo-temperance crusade to force everyone to quit smoking.

Bill tells us here will be a blog conference in Nashville from May 5-7, 2005. More information here.

The Geek highlights Dear Abby setting someone straight regarding gun safety:

Among the rules of responsible gun ownership are never to point the barrel at anyone and never to presume that the gun is empty. Ted is lucky his stupidity didn’t cost him his life.

Heh:

Another would-be juror said he’d had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer.

“I should have known something was up,” he said. “She had all her teeth.”

The jury pool in Memphis.

A group is seeking repeal of the Dodge City pit bull ban:

The Dodge City Canine Corporation is planning to ask the commission today to think about repealing the ban, which is scheduled to take effect Feb. 1.

“We’re trying to get them to reconsider and do something that we feel is better for our community, like a vicious dog law act,” the organization’s vice president, Brenda Rose, said Monday. “We would be hitting up the irresponsible dog owners, the ones who are letting their dogs run. The first time would be a heavy fine, the second time would be a severe fine, and then the third time – depending on what everyone agreed on – it would be either doing something with the dog, either finding a different home for it, or possibly jail time or something like that.”

Punish the deed, not the breed. Also, today’s dog idiot is Annapolis Alderwoman Cynthia Carter:

“I’m against having them as pets. They aren’t pets! They were bred to kill and destroy,” said Mrs. Carter, whose former mother-in-law was injured by one of the animals. “They are dangerous animals. I’ve only known them to be destructive. If someone has a pit bull, it’s for no good.”

Yes, here’s my dog savaging a small child. Here’s another mauling by a pit bull. And here’s Politically Incorrect Dog taking on his natural enemy. Oh, the caninity.