Via Bjorn, this event probably marks the end of the world.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go smurf myself.

Update: Spell checker actually recognizes the term smurf, not the proper noun. Smurf it.

Jeff has the latest check on gun bias in the media.

Via Robert, ArmaLite is having a sale on M1A mags. If only I had an M1A.

Mike Hollihan has a thoughtful post on South Knox Bubba. Thomas has a round up of reaction.

Some folks have contacted me about taking the lead in matters related to the Rocky Top Brigade. My response has been to wait a while as I think (hope) South Knox Bubba will return. Even if he doesn’t return, I’ll wait a week or two out of respect for the dead blog. And Bubba, if you’re reading, hope that’s OK.

This is dumb:

Writing for a unanimous court, Judge Roberts rejected Fourth Amendment and Equal Protection Clause challenges to the arrest and detention of a twelve-year old girl for eating french fries on a Metro train.

Xrlq has a handy little chart on exactly what could change with Roberts on the court.

A Las Vegas judge ordered a company whose system allows the company to open a cellular connection to a vehicle and listen to conversations within the vehicle, a feature designed to help officials recover stolen cars to help the FBI eavesdrop on someone. The Ninth Circuit has ruled that the judge’s orders went too far in interfering with the service provided by the company.

The VPC, on 50 calibers, says . . . *yawn* do we really care what they say anymore? I love the anti-gunners plan of attack:

Plan 1: Ban all guns – problem is the sudden realization that won’t fly in America

Plan 2: Ban all hand guns – same problem as Plan 1

Plan 3: Ban cheap guns – problem is there’s always going to be a cheap gun.

Plan 4: Invent new kind of gun, give it a scary name (assault weapons) and lie about it. Try to ban it. – problem is the ban was symbolic, didn’t do anything and had a sunset provision. Also, these are expensive guns and you just tried to ban cheap ones. Everyone is on to you. Get new found motivation because you almost pulled it off. Mope about loss.

Plan 5: Every time a new gun comes out (FN FiveseveN, for example), get hysterical and try to ban it – problem is, no one cares.

Plan 5: Ban extremely powerful 50 caliber rifles by lying about their range and effectiveness; make every effort to tie them to terrorists – problem is no one can identify a crime that has been committed with one.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

In response to my question, TriggerFinger reported that Roberts voted in favor of the petition to rehear Seegars. That’s good, I think.

What’s this John G. Roberts guy’s position on guns? Just asking. It could be important.

Apparently, the big issue centering around the nomination of a Supreme Court justice is whether or not they have a vagina. Knowledge of constitutional law, work ethic, the issues be damned. Put us a chick on the court because they have vaginas. No more penises on the court!

Update: Tonight, Bush will announce the nominee. And they better not have a schlong.

Update 2: Dammit! Another tally-whacker on the court!

Update 3: Mangina it is.

Update 4: Sandra Day O’Connor thinks he’s cool but isn’t happy about his apparent lack of a vagina.

After 58 days since his last post, Governor Phil Bredesen has made another blog entry about the National Governor’s Association. No mention of shredding, TennCare or other stuff that Tennesseans might, you know, care about.

Via email (I asked since his site was down), South Knox Bubba states that he’s stopped blogging. I do hope he’s kidding or, at least, that it’s only temporary.

Update: What he said.

Update 2: Steve K. has set up the X-Blab for Bubba blab posters to regroup.

Udate 3: Another message board has been set up for Bubba Blabbers.

The Harold Ford Junior 2006 Blog seems to be making the case for Bryant by listing his voting record. This is Tennessee guys, you may want to rethink that strategery.

Update: JB notes:

Yesterday evening we received an anonymous comment with a link to the new Harold Ford Jr. for U.S. Senate 2006 blog and a post entitled “Ford Right On The Issues; Bryant No So Much.” I took a look at it last night and noticed several comments had been left calling into question the accuracy of some of what the author had written. This morning I checked back and the original post had been removed and re-posted at 7:36 a.m. with the comments option disabled. Nice.

That’s pretty lame.

Via Argghhh!, comes this interview with a former ACLU lawyer who points out:

… that being said, what they have done in the past is completely eviscerated by what they do in the present. The ACLU has become a fanatical anti-faith Taliban of American religious secularism.

Party foul on the T’Ban reference but point taken.

The Hill:

White House officials have assured select conservative leaders that they will not nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, according to a conservative familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions.

Let’s hope.

Readers may remember my WASR-10. Here’s what it looked like when I first got it:

Well, I couldn’t go having a gun in post-ban configuration since there’s no longer a ban so I added an evil, black folding stock. More importantly, I added a fine rail mount from UltiMAK (thanks to Kim for the pointer). I got this model. It’s awesome. It fixes the two problems most AK mounts have because it mounts to the barrel and locks tightly. Most AK mounts mount to the receiver cover, which sucks because that thing is too loose. Or they mount to side of the receiver, which sucks because it puts the sight at an awkward location; the sight loses zero when removed; and it doesn’t maintain alignment with the barrel.

I also put a TacPoint scope on it (a detailed review of the TacPoint can be found here). I went with the TacPoint because it gets good reviews, is moderately priced (about $140 compared to an Aimpoint or EOTech which run about three bills) and is quite accurate. It holds a zero and is reportedly as accurate as other red dot optics, though not as durable nor is it as water resistant. And its battery life is significantly shorter.

Here it is after (all viced up since I’d just finished it – and, yes, I had to use the big hammer):

After I got it mounted, I grabbed the gun by the sight and shook the living hell out of it to test durability. It didn’t move or budge a bit (thank you, LocTite). I was damn impressed with the UltiMAK and heartily recommend them. I particularly like the forward position with the TacPoint because the long eye-relief allows you to keep both eyes open when taking aim. I currently have an EOTech mounted on the AR-15 (see image here) and it’s a bit further back. That’s good for the EOTech but a tubular sight that far back doesn’t feel right to me.

I need to get it to the range, sight it in and function test it. Once that’s done, it’s the new truck gun.

Gunner, in a must read post, figures he spends more time uncovering piles of dog shit than actually cleaning up the dog shit.

Does blogging lead to less activism?

TriggerFinger links to a study done by the Canadian government that concludes there is no evidence that rates of gun ownership have an influence on crime rates.

Because I get to shop here. I hear they sell gun parts too.

Update: Via Robert, more here.

The NRA has pulled its 2007 convention from Columbus, Ohio due to the city council’s unanimous ban on so-called assault weapons. They figure it will result in $20M of business that Columbus will not get (note that is not a cost for you gov-math types). There is now a bill in the Ohio legislature that prohibit cities from banning guns. The NRA says it will be back once that passes.

In this post, I mentioned a press account about two protesters who were arrested at a gun buyback program. Neil Evangelista left a comment to that post noting that he in fact was not arrested but merely threatened with arrest. The press gets it wrong again.

The Carnival of Liberty is a round up of Life, Liberty and Property rights. Number three is up at Eric’s.

This is just another in a long line of reports that shows the gun grabbing lobby is full of lies

July 16, 2005 — Recently the Florida State University department of Criminology released a study indicating that people who employed self protection strategies reduced their likelihood of injury when compared to nonresistance.

Old research seemed to indicate that resistance to confrontational crime contributed to victim injury. New information reveals the old assumptions were found to be largely attributable to confusion concerning the sequence of self protective actions and injury. In crimes where both occurred, injury followed self protection in only 10 percent of the incidents. Combined with the fact that injuries following resistance are almost always relatively minor, victim resistance appears to be generally a wise course of action.

It seems more and more reports come out showing the positive nature of firearms and self protection. Yet everyday the gun grabbers dig their heels in even more. Would I be stupid to say that maybe this will change their minds?

I have contacted the school to see if I can lay my hands on a copy of this report. Would like to see what else they say. If I get a copy I will post about it here and send copies to anyone who wants one.

A while back, I mentioned 60 Minutes piece on 50 Caliber rifles, wherein they interviewed terrorist weapons supplier and book pimp Florin Krasniqi. I said:

The guy [Florin Krasniqi - ed] said (and reporter agreed) that exporting rifles and weapons was perfectly legal. It is legal, if you are a licensed exporter of firearms which this guy was not. This was a lie. Additionally, they even pointed out in the story that they set up a dummy hunting reserve so they could justify exporting to authorities while in Switzerland for a layover. Seems the Swiss became suspicious that this guy had a few 50 calibers in the cargo hold. The guy can leave the country with guns for legitimate sporting purposes (such as going on a hunting trip) but he was exporting without a license. So, would you set up a dummy hunting reserve if what you were doing was perfectly legal? A source said he exported several hundred 50 caliber rifles out of the country by hiding them in humanitarian aid shipments.

Now, the lies have gotten more daring:

Fifteen years ago, Osama bin Laden sent one of his operatives to the United States to buy and bring back two-dozen .50-caliber rifles, a gun that can kill someone from over a mile away and even bring down an airplane.

In spite of all the recent efforts to curb terrorism, bin Laden could do the same thing today, because buying and shipping the world’s most powerful sniper rifle is not as difficult as you might think.

Name one plane that has been downed by such a rifle. And it is possible to kill someone with one a mile away but, to my knowledge, it has happened only one time by one highly and specially trained Canadian sniper who took two shots to hit his target. And I’d like a cite on OBL purchasing 50 Calibers. As I recall, the US supplied Afghanistan with weapons for a while.

The rest of the article is basically the same as the first. The only difference seems to be the scarier intro. They continue to push the lie that this is all perfectly legal. I suppose by legal, they mean easy to do. Because this was done in violation of the Arms Control Export Act and, if the guy lied on his form 4473, these are illegal straw purchases.

And as a KABA commenter says:

Conveniently timed to support the UN’s campaign against gun ownership everywhere by highlighting the international impact of this band of unprosecuted criminals.

It’s also timed with the 50 caliber ban being potentially offered up as the sacrificial lamb to appease gun-banners to get the gun immunity bill through.

RINO Sightings is up at the World Wide Rant. Get over there to hear what secular conservative types have to say.

Jed alerts me to the latest Cop Killer Legislation. The bill states is purpose is to ban the already banned SS190 ammo for the FN FiveseveN. But the wording leaves it open to ban all ammunition that might pierce armor if there’s a possibility that it can be chambered in a handgun. That’s rather silly since there are entire lines of pistols (like the Thompson Center) that are made to shoot rifle rounds for handgun hunting season.

Via Stacey Campfield, who needs to learn how to use hyper links, another local politico is blogging. Linda Noe upset an incumbent to become a Hamblen County Commissioner.

I highly recommend Moral-Flexibility for some good DIY gun projects. Check out the Franken Garand and the Zombie Rifle. They let you have those in Canada?

It’s sort of neat how you can figure out news and trends through wild-ass speculation just by shopping. I told you guys about how I learned from the sporting goods guy at Wal-Mart that ammo sales were up. Yesterday, I learned more from the friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart sporting goods guy. Since ammo is at a such a good price at Wal-Mart, every time me and the family go, I pick up a box of something (usually 9mm or 45ACP).

Yesterday while there, I asked if they had any 5.56X45MM. He said huh? I said you know, 223? He responded by stating they had a good sale on it (100 rounds for $11!) but couldn’t keep it in stock and can’t get it in the door fast enough. I asked why that was. The sporting goods guy then says that he’s heard from the supplier that the US military has ordered 300,000,000 rounds and most manufacturers have stopped making civilian ammo to help the military out. He then said that the last time he remembered Wal-Mart having a 223 shortage was about one month before the invasion. So, he speculated that someone was next. I don’t know if there’s any truth to it.

However, the one thing I did deduce is that, if the military is ordering 300M rounds of 5.56 Nato, I tend to doubt they’ll be switching to the 6.8SPC any time soon.

A while back, Chris and some friends decided to shoot up a few Korans. He says he lost his job for it. And now he states that he has been contacted by the Feds because some radical European based Palestinian group has issued a Fatwah against him.

Though shooting up Korans was kind of a dickish thing to do, it doesn’t justify threatening the man and his family. Reasonable people may get offended by Chris’ insult but they don’t call for his life. Just proves how unreasonable terror groups are, I suppose.

The Castle Coalition will keep you up to date on the eminent domain fight with their Hands Off My Home Campaign.

The VPC is now trying to use teen suicide to promote gun control. Jeff tells us why they’re full of crap.

The 22^nd Carnival of Cordite is up your gunbloggin’ fix,

Solarvoid has started the Right to Keep and Bear Arms wiki. Neato. I’ve already fiddled with it.

If you don’t know what a Wiki is, it’s a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.

Memo to our supposed pro-gun senators: We are not willing to compromise gun rights to pass an immunity bill. Period. That went for the assault weapons ban and the same goes for .50 calibers:

This thread on THR seems to indicate that there’s a deal in the works between Senator Craig and Senator Fienstien to get the lawsuit immunity bill through, at the cost of classifying .50 bmg as NFA weaponry.

The thread quotes a Reuters article, the current iteration of which softpedals the .50 bmg compromise, making it seem they’d only be transferable through an FFL.

The bill proposed by Fienstien and her merry band of traitors to the Republic, however, goes much farther than requiring FFL transfers, by defining the .50 bmg and variants as NFA regulated weapons.

Letter sent to editor:

Mr. Thomasson needs to do research. He writes:

“The amendment states that a “well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

Now a strict interpretation of that amendment would seem to take into consideration the operative clause about the “well regulated militia,” a condition that no longer exists. When was the last time the freedom of Virginia or Maryland or the District of Columbia or New York City or South Dakota, for that matter, depended on forming its citizens into a military unit and making sure they all could grab their long rifles at a moment’s notice to repel invaders?”

The militia does exist: USC Title 10, Sec 311: The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States …

He misquotes the second amendment, which reads: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary for the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Additionally, The words ‘A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,’ contrary to the interpretation cited in your letter of July 26, 1991, constitutes a present participle, rather than a clause. It is used as an adjective, modifying ‘militia,’ which is followed by the main clause of the sentence (subject ‘the right’, verb ’shall’). The to keep and bear arms is asserted as an essential for maintaining a militia. (source)

Via David, comes this:

Arguing that gun buy-backs “do not work, two Libertarian Party of Palm Beach County (LPPBC) officials were arrested this week during the city of West Palm Beach’s gun buy-back program, “Operation Cease Fire”.

Two West Palm Beach officers told LPPBC Chairman Karl Dickey he would be arrested for trespass if he did not leave the property immediately, according to Dickey.

The buyback was taking place on city-owned property and was open to the public. Don’t see how that’s trespassing. The piece concludes with:

“It’s a program that, while well-intentioned, does nothing. Look at who is turning them in – grandparents. There aren’t any gang-bangers turning in their MAC 10s,” Evangelista said.

Ayup.

Kirk has a couple. CounterTop does too.

Orin Kerr presents his history of fourth amendment law. Here’s an even shorter version: We had a fourth amendment and now we don’t.

Michael notes that the Birmingham mayor has ordered the police to halt the use of Tasers until more research is done on the impact of the weapons.

Ravenwood notes that the press isn’t too keen on pointing out that a dog is a pit bull when it’s the dog that’s the victim.

In one sentence:

Gun law doesn’t help victims, hurts second amendment

Looks like the senate is poised to move on it:

The gun industry is likely to win sweeping protection against civil liability lawsuits in the U.S. Senate this month, reflecting a more firearm-friendly Senate after the 2004 elections, lawmakers said on Thursday.

Last year the Republicans killed their own bill, meant to shield gunmakers, gun distributors and gun sellers against many liability suits, after gun opponents attached amendments to it, including an extension of the 1994 ban on assault rifles.

But the November elections left a bigger Republican majority and the Senate is now a more conservative and more pro-gun rights body. Several Democrats, particularly from rural states, also back the immunity measure.

The most important debate of our time: I caught that tune Devil Went Down To Georgia (been a while since I heard it) and I can say matter-of-factly that the Devil kicked Johnny’s ass. Seriously, the Devil’s bass player rocked.

In an update to this post regarding the ATF randomly deciding that some gun parts can no longer be reported, the word is (via email and some message boards) that the only thing really affected by this decision is barrels. Head is upset about it and I am too. Jed isn’t happy either. This will probably only affect the prices to the extent that cheap barrels can’t be imported. The only potential good thing about this is that higher quality barrels that are made in America will probably be produced. And everyone knows the AK needs a better barrel.

The receivers and frames have been banned from import for a while if they were functioning. Per law, the frame/receiver is the part that is technically the gun. Those are typically cut for import. The only real impact will be barrel prices but that impact could be significant.

Update: There’s probably an opportunity here from some enterprising upstart to start making barrels in America.

Update 2: Over at KDT’s, reader TheFaz123 writes:

I am as upset about this as anyone, but before we get too excited, keep in mind that the biggest impact this will have is on parts kits and those who build from them (which unfortunately includes me).

The SKS falls on no ban lists, so it will continue to come in. As for the WASR, that will remain unchanged. The WASR starts out as a single-stack, AWB compliant gun made in Romania – all made there, including the receiver. Century Arms imports them, modifies the receiver to take hi-caps, adds US parts and voila, a post-ban US made rifle results.

As the rifle is importable under current law, this barrel ban will have no impact. The big loophole for us AK builders is that the barrels for the legally importable lo-cap rifles are obviously the same as the standard AK barrels. So if you import barrels for the WASR-10 on your Form 6 you should be fine.

Unfortunately this doesn’t work for the FAL or CETME since there are no lo-cap equivalents, but US-made barrels for both those rifles are more plentiful.

In the end, the biggest issue will be faced by home builders, who will likely end up with a more difficult and expensive building process.

Welcome to Knoxville. Via Michael.

Alphie has up part three in his series on the rise in violent crime and gun crime in England since it essentially banned gun ownership.

David Codrea called a reporter out on some sloppy reporting. Part of her response is beautiful:

You simply chose to read my article a certain way.

Seriously? Like right to left instead of left to right?

Words mean things and people can usually figure out that meaning. I tend to doubt Mr. Codrea chose words that meant something other than what you were saying.

The AP:

The mayor and police chief pleaded with residents Wednesday to help them fight the escalating murder rate after three people were shot to death the previous night in the state’s largest city.

“There’s so much anger in our society and we need to get out there and control our anger, all of us,” Chief Nannette Hegerty said. “What we are seeing now is so hard for the department to have a meaningful effect on without the help of the community.”

There were no terrorists operating in Iraq; errr that there is no relationship between terrorists and Iraq; Err, I mean, uhm no, there is no relationship between Saddam and Al Qaeda; err that no significant operational relationship existed between Al Qaeda and Saddam:

Actually, there were many connections, as Stephen Hayes, writing in the current issue of the Weekly Standard, spells out under the headline “The Mother of All Connections.” Since the fall of Saddam, the U.S. has had extraordinary access to documents of the former Baathist regime, and is still sifting through millions of them. Mr. Hayes takes some of what is already available, combined with other reports, documentation and details, some from before the overthrow of Saddam, some after. For page after page, he lists connections–with names, dates and details such as the longstanding relationship between Osama bin Laden’s top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Saddam’s regime.

Mr. Hayes raises, with good reason, the question of why Saddam gave haven to Abdul Rahman Yasin, one of the men who in 1993 helped make the bomb that ripped through the parking garage of the World Trade Center. He details a contact between Iraqi intelligence and several of the Sept. 11 hijackers in Malaysia, the year before al Qaeda destroyed the twin towers. He recounts the intersection of Iraqi and al Qaeda business interests in Sudan, via, among other things, an Oil for Food contract negotiated by Saddam’s regime with the al-Shifa facility that President Clinton targeted for a missile attack following the African embassy bombings because of its apparent connection to al Qaeda. And there is plenty more.

Check out The Daily Dog Watcher.

The AP:

Seventy police officers died in the line of duty in the first half of 2005, down more than 11 percent from last year, law enforcement groups reported Wednesday.

The decline was attributed in part to increased use of bullet-resistant vests, which have helped bring fatal police shootings down 36 percent over the past three decades, said the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors.

The expiration of the assault weapons ban did not lead to an increase in cops being killed. More:

Over that same period, however, the number of federal, state and local officers killed in auto accidents jumped 40 percent, prompting calls for improved driver training and safer cars and restraint systems.

Or, you know, you could ban cars.

Tax revenue is up even though taxes have been cut.

Robert notes that the ATF will not be approving any more barrels for non-sporting arms to be imported into the U.S. Here’s the ATF letter.

We are no longer a nation of laws but a nation of random bureaucratic bungling to make laws mean what they think the should mean.

This also impacts frames and receivers. Building your own firearms just became more expensive and we should see an increase in American made parts for such weapons. The relevant section of the letter is:

Accordingly, ATF will no longer approve ATF Form 6 applications for importation of any frames, receivers, or barrels for firearms that would be prohibited from importation if assembled.

Said importation would require the approval of the Attorney General and we know how pro-gun he is not. Seems like the ATF is making up the law as it goes along.

Update: From Ravenwood, Global Trades, an importer, addresses the issue:

For now, let me go over the immediate implications of what this means if I understand it correctly.

It means that no new permits will be issued for any barrels for firearms that are not importable under current regulations. These barrels and also receivers for non-importable firearms have been imported since 2000 under an “exemption” for replacement or repair purposes. This exemption has been ended, and I am sure the logic will be that it has been abused.

One issue that is not clear is whether existing permits will be honored. They may well be suspended or otherwise altered. In any event, permits are for one year, and define the number of items that can be imported. So in a year or less, all permits will have expired. And even before then, the number permitted on all of the permits may well be reached. There has been a further tale that on existing permits, barrels will have to be marked “repair or replacement” and even serialized. I don’t know if this is true. I have been told it is by someone who may well know.

What this all means if it is correct is that AK parts kits as we know them will disappear in the immediate future. The barrels will have to be removed from future kits, either by taking all of the parts off, or by cutting or otherwise destroying them. In Europe, they drill 5 holes through the chamber and the barrel areas. This does make them pretty useless.

So the number of kits in the US now may be all we will see in their current form. Future kits will require more processing, and will have to add a US-made barrel, which is not a cheap item. And authentic reproductions of military AKs will become less authentic.

Also the imported Imbel FN/FAL receivers will disappear. I don’t know of any imported AK receivers now, though there were rumors of some Hungarian 10 round ones.

Here is what it doesn’t mean:
1. What you can do with a parts set already in the US is not changed.
2. Manufacturing receivers or barrels here is not affected.
3. It does not change any of the regulations involving your building of your own firearms.

It does mean that parts sets will go up in price. The supply is going to be limited, and the demand won’t be. I won’t be able to replace what I have, so my incentive to sell them cheap is pretty low. We have our Tantal kits priced pretty high now, so I don’t anticipate raising the price. I of course reserve the right to do so if the market changes drastically. There may be others who will continue to sell cheaply as if they could replace the kits at the price they paid before. My advice is to buy as many as you need at current prices. I do think they will go up.

Update 2: Readers are already reporting to me that Tapco is out of kits and flats. They had flats this morning. Egad.

Hit more for the text of the letter.
Read the rest of this entry »

In a follow up to this post (good stuff in the comments, by the way), I heard on the news this morning speculation that the bombers in London weren’t real familiar with the city. The reason was that experts said the bombers weren’t really located in areas to maximize the damage they could do. That could indicate that the terrorists still don’t quite understand their targets. Or they messed up.

Update: Mike says the bombers were tricked:

1) At least three of the four bombers died with their ID cards with them, leading police directly back to their homes.

2) The bombs went off simultaneously, strongly suggesting they were set off by either timers or remote control.

3) The bombs were unusually small and light, reportedly only ten pounds. They were carried in backpacks, not vests.

4) There were no boasting videos left behind, no suicide notes

There’s more.

Jeff links to a PDF of IANSA’s (George Soros’s global gun control group) internal talking points memo. It’s good to know what we’re up against.

An anti-gun group is having its fundraiser at the French embassy in DC?

The other biased Washington paper:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday introduced an extension of the USA Patriot Act that denies President Bush the expanded powers, such as “administrative subpoenas,” he has been seeking.

In his bill, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican, also proposed restrictions on the government’s ability to look at library patrons’ records and other business records through special court warrants.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sensenbrenner’s bill would make permanent all 16 provisions from the original Patriot Act that otherwise would expire at the end of this year.

The White House called the bill a start, but said the administration is working for full authorization of all 16 provisions.

Wow. All the talking and clamoring in the house regarding the PATRIOT Act and they snip one provision? And will likely concede that one provision.

Jeff has the latest edition, which focuses on guns as a human right and defense against genocide. Make no mistake, the international community wants guns out of the hands of the people.

Missouri has, for the third time I think, passed concealed carry laws. Good.

South Knox Bubba, your one stop shop for cockfighting in the news (scroll away).

Via Blake, we learn that the state of Connecticut is stepping in to stop eminent domain seizures:

“We need to let the public know we will address the Supreme Court ruling in a way that will produce legislation that ensures fairness and balance,” state Senate president pro tem Donald E. Williams Jr. said in a statement. “In the meantime, municipalities should know that this effort is underway so there is no confusion as we go forward.” House Speaker James Amann said in a separate statement: “One thing is certain — Connecticut’s eminent domain laws will be changing and our municipalities should put any property takeover plans on hold immediately.”

Excellent.

A semi-hysterical piece on the now defunct assault weapons ban starts:

It’s been nine months since President Bush lifted the national ban on the sale of assault weapons.

The president doesn’t make law nor lift laws. The ban had a sunset provision and expired after ten years. Bush did not lift the ban. More stupidity:

Police say in so-called “straw purchases,” drug addicts with clean records are legally buying these types of guns, then selling them to criminals for drugs and money.

If it’s a straw purchase, it is not legally bought. Even more stupidity:

With the lifting of the assault ban, magazines and banana clips that can carry as many as 30 rounds of ammunition are now legal; as is an SKS rifle with a bayonet, pistol grip and a detachable magazine.

Magazines and banana clips where never illegal. New ones couldn’t be made nor imported but there were plenty on the market any way. And the SKS was never covered under the ban anyway. One guy interviewed gets it right:

No type of gun law that you come up with is going to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms.

Actual headline:

Pit bull chases puppy into house

It’s officially beyond sensationalist.

Via Bill, comes this FoxNews piece interviewing counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv:

I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.

[snip]

What they’re going to do is hit six, seven or eight cities simultaneously to show sophistication and really hit the public. This time, which is the message of the day, it will not only be big cities. They’re going to try to hit rural America. They want to send a message to rural America: “You’re not protected. If you figured out that if you just move out of New York and move to Montana or to Pittsburgh, you’re not immune. We’re going [to] get you wherever we can and it’s easier there than in New York.”

Almost two years ago, I wrote:

Al Qaeda has a history of increasing the amount of damage with each attack. This could be good or bad for the US. The likelihood of something bigger than 9/11 is probably small with new security measures and such. But if they do one-up 9/11, it will be absolutely devastating.

But Al Qaeda has not engaged in small attacks on US soil. It would not be difficult for a terrorist nut job to waltz into a Wal-Mart with an AK47 and a bomb strapped to his chest. Kill a few people and detonate the bomb when the cops arrive. If that occurred, people wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart for months. It’d hurt us. I tend to think Al Qaeda will not engage in this type of thing since their MO seems to be doing something bigger than the last one.

I think that maybe in the future Al Qaeda will either realize that the likelihood of successfully launching a massive act of terrorism is small and may resort to smaller, localized attacks to put people on edge. Remember, the sniper in DC was small scale but had people terrified. Or they may successfully pull off another big one.

Has Al Q figured out that they’re not going to score a big hit on a big city? I don’t know. I also tend to doubt it will be within 90 days and I doubt it will be rural America. It may be mid-sized cities in rural America but you can’t kill many people blowing up farms.

Time to put the carbine back in the truck.

People often say that the Republicans are the party of the rich. And I’ve said the Democrats are the party of the really rich. Looks like the Republicans aren’t even the party of the sort of rich:

Recently the Bureau of Economic Analysis released two reports which shed a lot of light on what’s really going on in American politics. The reports show beyond question that the states that went for George W. Bush in the last election are considerably poorer than the ones that went for Kerry. The notion that the GOP is the party of the rich simply doesn’t match the economic reality.

There’s some issues with the data, of course, because not everyone in every state voted for the same candidate. I do think the overall trend is noteworthy.

Via Les, comes this really cool site: Silencer Tests. They also test flash suppressors. Way cool but the data is not in a real friendly format.

Real crime here in Tennessee: desecrating a venerated object, a law that expressly includes state and national flags.

The story is that some 18 year-old had some drinks and burned a flag. It was someone else’s flag. So, he was drinking while too young, stole someone’s property, burned that property and littered. Yet, they want to charge him with the stupid crime of desecrating a venerated object, which would likely result in him getting off on other charges because the law is Constitutionally questionable at best.

And I guess, since I said this, I have to burn a flag now.

Marc has his own backyard airgun range. I do too, it’s a piece 3/4 inch of plywood.

David Codrea takes on Cari Hammerstrom who apparently can’t do her own journalism. At least not objectively.

Number two is up. Man, I have to remember to submit stuff to these things.

It’s up.

The assault weapons ban passed in Columbus unanimously.

Update: Publicola isn’t happy.

Bubba has interviewed two people recently regarding the issues. One regarding CAFTA. And one regarding the Knox County School Budget.

Went to the range with Les, Michael, Bob and his wife (both of the Knoxville News Sentinel). While there, we ran into Glenn Reynolds who was trying out a G26. Bob photoblogged it here. The result of all this was here’s a picture of Michael Silence shooting with a silencer.

Update: One more thing, Lara enjoyed shooting a lot. I’d predict she’ll own a handgun in less than a month.

Ford flip-flops on Kelo. Good. In other news, I heard on the radio that a local rep is looking to pass a law that states when a government takes land in an eminent domain case, that the local government should pay three times the market value of that land. Excellent!

Ravenwood notes that there are only moderate liberals, according to Time. And he fisks someone too. And I just said I hadn’t noticed much of that stuff. I should have excepted guns, I suppose.

Publicola has the scoop on Columbus’ proposed assault weapons ban. It ain’t pretty.

A good looking Remington 1187. But is the EOTech necessary? It is a shotgun, after all.

The latest RINO Sightings, a group of secular conservative sorts, is up. Go read.

It’s also lucrative for the state. The Tennessean reports:

Tennessee modeled its program to collect taxes on illegal drugs after North Carolina’s, but early returns indicate that the Volunteer State’s 6-month-old effort has been more successful.

A report released yesterday showed that Tennessee had collected about six times more taxes on controlled substances as did its neighbor to the east in its first six months. Substances taxed include cocaine, crack, methamphetamine and marijuana.

The 10-person unit of the Tennessee Department of Revenue reported that it had collected $606,687 and assessed more than $15 million. The department has spent $376,400 since the program began in January.

You regular readers knew that already. But it looks like the tax is finally getting some form of scrutiny in the press (even if it is toward the end of the article):

Despite Tennessee’s success with the new tax, some defense attorneys think that some people being taxed are not guilty of drug possession.

“I don’t have a problem with money being taken from people who are proven to be involved in some sort of illegal conduct,” said Erik Herbert, a Nashville defense attorney. “The issue that I have are these liens and monies being taken before it’s proven people have done anything wrong.”

Herbert represented Michael Garcia, who was ordered to pay $17,592 in taxes in April after being stopped as he followed a vehicle going through Springfield. Authorities said the other vehicle was carrying 10 pounds of marijuana, and police said they suspected that Garcia was running interference for a drug dealer.

Garcia was never arrested or charged.

Last week a state revenue department lawyer waived the assessment, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Garcia possessed the drugs.

Herbert said Garcia probably isn’t the only innocent person who was assessed the tax.

Innocent or not, such a practice does not involve due process of law and is the abuse of a tax structure.

A message board dedicated to the Uzi. So, is there a form for every gun out there?

Looks like the police chief in Madison wants to ban Rottweilers and Pit Bulls.

Here’s a decent piece on pit bulls, which notes:

Would you have a pit bull in your home?

For many dog lovers, this question is becoming increasingly difficult to answer. Reports of dogs attacking humans often involve the American pit bull terrier, a strong breed originally bred for human companionship and later for fighting with other dogs. As the pit, which is also called an American Staffordshire terrier, has become more trendy as a guard or protection dog, it has been increasingly misbred for aggressive tendencies, rather than good temperament.

As a society, we’ve seen this happen before. Rottweilers, Dobermans and German shepherds have been labeled the “most dangerous breed” in past decades, mostly due to poor breeding and owners that value having a tough, aggressive dog over having a pet that can fit into the family and the community.

Let’s look at the good news: Pit bulls can be bred and raised to be wonderful dogs. Even dogs that are not well-bred can be good pets in the right household. Do you remember the case last year of former Trail Blazer Qyntel Woods owning and abusing fighting dogs? According to a KGW News report, the two dogs were placed with experienced dog owners — one in the Bend area and one in the Portland area — and have become good family members. The dog in Bend even lives with two cats and does very well.

Most professionals in the animal care field don’t see pit bulls as being more aggressive toward humans than other breeds. In fact, a pit bull that has gone through strict temperament evaluations may be one of the best breeds for a family with small children, because they are sturdy dogs that tolerate a lot of handling, grabbing, and attention without reacting negatively.

It seems that the pattern for local media is:

1 – Wait for national incident

2 – Find local connection to that incident

Just seems odd to me that what is newsworthy is a degree of Kevin Bacon to some other event.

Lame:

For motorists wondering whether police are working on a quota system, an answer can be found in Montana.

A new policy requires state troopers to stop at least one vehicle an hour, whether the driver has done anything wrong or not. But the driver doesn’t have to be ticketed, so police officials say it’s not a quota system.

Lately, I haven’t noticed a lot of media criticism or, specifically, fisking going on in blogland. What’s up with that? I thought maybe the media were being more careful with the facts. Then, I realized that’s not the case. Are we bored of fisking? No longer the in thing?

The 21^st Carnival of Cordite is up, a round up of gun blogs.

Maddox on blogs. Truly hysterical.

Via Adam.

A while back, I changed my style sheet because I thought the blockquotes were odd looking. Anyway, today the CSS reverted back to what it was before I made changes, which was like a month ago. Any clues?

Switched addresses. I can now be reached at:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

“I’ve been asked since 2001 whether or not I’d consider going on the court, and I’ve consistently said, ‘I’m not a candidate for the Supreme Court‘ – and that remains true today,” Gonzales said. “I love being attorney general. My job, currently, is to help the president make this decision.”

I hope it’s true.

Kiddies and Carbines:

Samantha Tibbetts, 5, wears a pink T shirt with a lady on it carrying a sparkly purse. She squirms in her chair. Tibbetts, with big blue eyes and long blonde hair, is sitting in a classroom. But it’s a classroom whose walls are cinder block, and her teacher, Paul, has a rifle cradled in his lap. Paul asks the nine kids, ages 5 to 16, to name the parts of the gun. “Can you say ‘trigger?’”

More:

Front Sight teaches kids to “trust their feelings” around “tricky” people. It also preaches firearms safety. Children memorize what they must do when and if they encounter a gun:”Stop. Don’t touch. Leave the area and tell an adult.”

On the firing range, under an unforgiving sun, Samantha presses up against her cheek the stock of a Chipmunk 22 by Rogue Rifle Co. She shoots at a square paper target. Older kids fire submachine guns, shotguns or handguns. James Minner, 14, was visiting Front Sight with his sister Sheila, 17, and parents, Gary and Sherry Minner of Delavan, Ill. We asked James if he had any previous shooting experience. “Yes,” he said.

Via KABA.

Radley notes there are more and more ways for the .gov to take your car. My favorite: frequenting a bawdy place.

Some guns, propane tanks, oxygen, and gas soaked fabric. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing went wrong and that’s a mighty impressive fireball.

Bill Hobbs notes that The Tennessean swallowed a press release hook, line and sinker. Bill notes the drug tax is costing more than it’s making (something I’ve already pointed out here many times). However . . .

Bill also says:

The Tennessean editorialized in favor of the tax on illegal drugs on April 14, 2004, and again on Jan. 1, 2005.

Back in December, before the law went into effect, Bill supported the idea and editorialized in favor of it:

This actually works – and is a pretty good idea, though it sounds a bit odd at first. The law will require sellers of illegal drugs to pay excise taxes, just legal businesses. Most drug-pushers won’t comply, of course, but the law can be used to assess back taxes on dealers who are caught by law enforcement, adding an additional financial penalty to their crimes while also bringing in a few extra dollars for the state budget.

In his comments, I told him it wouldn’t work. I was right.

Went to Wal-Mart yesterday to get some stuff. The Mrs. was trying to return something so Junior and I went to grab some diapers and dog food. I passed sporting goods and noticed they had 100 rounds of Winchester 230 grain .45ACP ammo for $19. And they had 100 rounds Winchester 115 grain 9MM for $11. I told the guy to give me two of each. He looks at Junior and asked if she was going shooting. I said she would in about five or six years. He said make it four. Then, out of the blue, he said something to effect of You don’t think the terrorists are coming here do you? Obviously referencing the tragedy in London.

I said No, just think it’s a good deal.

Then he said that he had sold a ton of ammo that day. I’m as pro-gun as they get but, unless you actually catch someone planting a bomb, I’m not sure your handgun is an effective bomb stopper.

U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett on the Supreme Court Nom:

The rumor mill says it’s Gonzalez (sic)

Rob puts it best:

Of course, the only filibuster that Gonzales would face would be from conservatives.

At this point, I wonder if talking up Gonzales is a distraction from who will be the real nominee. At least, I fucking hope so.

Abysmal:

In a ruling issued Friday, Wickham said the comments and activities by KVI-AM (570) hosts Kirby Wilbur and John Carlson on behalf of the Initiative 912 campaign are in-kind contributions that must be reported to the Public Disclosure Commission.

Initiative 912 is an effort to repeal the legislatively enacted increase in the state gasoline tax. The deadline for submitting at least 225,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot is tomorrow.

Support for a measure is a political contribution? I think someone is unclear on the concept. So, should I fill out some form to report this post?

Figured I’d post a pic of the AR lowers that my friend sent:

To be engraved with: For civilian use only.