Michael Silence is trying to put together a list of Knoxville bloggers. So, if you are one or know of one, head on over and leave a comment. I’d add Tam, Alston, and Marko.

Can’t swing a dead cat and not hit a blogger in Knoxville. There’s also this guy, who I’d never heard of before.

There’s some good discussion in my AR vs. AK death match post. Read them. I am disappointed that it didn’t become the flame-war that I thought it would.

Also, the original thread from a while back has excellent comments too.

I may have to do a Glock v. 1911 Death Match soon!

Over at Grits For Breakfast, who testified at the hearings, is discussion on what the new Texas law that lets you carry a gun in your car without a permit means.

Some local blogs are abuzz about the recent 9th circuit case ruling the pledge of allegiance is unconstitutional because it contains the phrase under god. Michael Silence notes the Ninth Circuit Strikes Again and points out they are the most overturned of the circuit courts. Some insane commentator there says:

They better start praying for the almighty to save that state look at what happen to with Katrina.

Yes, God is going to kill people over this. You see, famine, terror, genocide and all sorts of nasty stuff in the world and God is going to stop what he’s doing and smite California for saying that an empty gesture that kids are pressured to recite may respect the establishment of religion. Feh.

B4B tells us this is why we should vote for Bryant.

The original pledge didn’t contain the words and they were added in the 1950s by Congress. I’m still looking in the Constitution for the authority of Congress to make a pledge. I wonder if people would object if we added ‘under Cthulhu or Satan or Allah’?

Non-local blog Xrlq:

Q: What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 50?
A: Your Honor.

And Pattycakes:

Judge Karlton is just plain wrong.

They both have a lot more.

Google has launched their Blog Search function. You can search your blog’s URL and it seems to pick up more than Technorati or The Ecosystem. Problem is that a lot of what it picks up are spam blogs, a few of which link to me apparently.

Someone needs to stop these spam blogs. Spammers have already made my referral logs useless. And, until I got Spam Karma 2, had made trackbacks useless. I hope they don’t make the various blog tracking tools useless as well. Heck, we’ve got political hacks who are doing a fine job of that.

I mentioned Feingold asking Roberts about the second amendment, TriggerFinger notes that Feinstein asked about the commerce clause and guns (does the prefix Fein mean concerned with guns?). TriggerFinger has some concerns.

Another Knoxvillian who blogs about guns over at Food Court Six. He’s teaching his girlfriend how to shoot and he’s keeping people from making straw purchases. Welcome to blogging, Alston.

And Feingold too. Just quoting for now, check it:

FEINGOLD: Let’s go to something else then. I’d like to hear your views about the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. This is an amendment where there’s a real shortage of jurisprudence.

You mentioned the Third Amendment where there’s even less jurisprudence, but the Second Amendment’s close. So I think you can maybe help us understand your approach to interpreting the Constitution by saying a bit about it.

The Second Amendment raises interesting questions about a constitutional interpretation. I read the Second Amendment as providing an individual right to keep and bear arms as opposed to only a collective right. Individual Americans have a constitutional right to own and use guns. And there are a number of actions that legislatures should not take in my view to restrict gun ownership.

FEINGOLD: The modern Supreme Court has only heard one case interpreting the Second Amendment. That case is U.S. v. Miller. It was heard back in 1939. And the court indicated that it saw the right to bear arms as a collective right.

In a second case, in U.S. v. Emerson, the court denied cert and let stand the lower court opinion that upheld the statute banning gun possession by individuals subject to a restraining order against a second amendment challenge.

The appeals court viewed the right to bear arms as an individual right. The Supreme Court declined to review the Appeals Court decision.

So what is your view of the Second Amendment? Do you support one of the other views of the views of what was intended by that amendment?
Read the rest of this entry »

WBIR:

A 12-year-old Knoxville middle school student saw the remains of her father in a gruesome photograph of a drunk-driving crash during a presentation by police.

The presentation was meant to educate teenagers about the dangers of driving under the influence.

Uhm, can’t you guys use some non-local footage or something?

A while back, Publicola and Xrlq had a little debate where Publicola suggested that Xrlq probably broke the law all the time. How could Xrlq not, Publicola argued, since there are so many laws? I decided to look back over the last few months to identify laws I’ve broken while not intending to or through just being a normal guy. I’m excluding simple traffic violations. Here they are:

That’s just the ones I’m aware of.

Update: Apparently, I’ve committed one more felony while completely unaware.

Bob Krumm notes the sales tax increase in Davidson County was not approved by voters. I loved this quote from Metro Councilman Michael Craddock:

We don’t spend what we’ve got now wisely, so the people have chosen not to give us anymore

Local talk radio guy Hallerin Hilton Hill on John Roberts’ Senate confirmation hearings (paraphrased):

It was pretty clear he was the smartest guy in the room.

Update: The original thread I brought this up on is here. Make sure you read the comments for a good discussion.

Les’ post on asking gun questions of Sean Penn reminded me that I planned on doing an AK vs. AR analysis. Here it is:

By a score of 5-2-2, I call it for the AR-15. Let the flaming begin!

John Longenecker at MND writes:

My fear us that the gun confiscation in New Orleans was merely a trial balloon to see how the public would handle a major move in gun control. Gun control isn’t moving fast enough, so with the very next emergency it’ll be tried in order to see the reaction. That emergency came in Katrina. A lot of people believed that an emergency would be cover to confiscate guns. Then it happened. It was a cover to confiscate guns.

On the grounds that were enunciated, there was no emergency. At least not one that would make confiscating guns the answer connected in any way to safety when personal weapons were the same mainstay they have always been in time of local thugs / no cops combination.

I’m not sure if it was a test run but, by most indicators, it ended quicker than it began. No doubt that’s partially because gun rights folks threw a fit.

The latest is up at Target Center Mass.

Jeff has the latest. It’s the New Orleans edition.

Well, if there’s anything I get tired of in baseball, it’s the baseball.

Apparently, there’s a UN Summit tomorrow to tackle major global issues. Here’s some news coverage.

And, no, I’m not sure why they’re advertising here.

The Geek reports that the gun confiscations have ceased, according to someone in the know:

More on confiscations. Looks like it is over.

Some new information. Once again, can’t really say where from. Take me at my word, or don’t. Your call.

The confiscations are over about as soon as they started.

Contrary to much of the ranting posted on THR over the last 24 hours, not all cops and NG are out to kick in your door. The confiscation order from the NOPD didn’t go over real well with many of the people who would be the confiscators.

As soon as word got out, the politcal (sic) freak out was quick. Yes, the order was given. In order to disarm the independant (sic), to make them defenseless, to force them to leave. But as soon as word started to leak out, that plan was killed.

So, it’s been one year since the assault weapons ban expired. What’s changed? Not much, really. There’s no blood in the streets. I’ve not heard of any dramatic increase in crime. Pretty much the same. Good.

In terms of my collection, for the first time in a while I have new regular capacity magazines. I even have magazines that are labeled For Law Enforcement Only, for novelty purposes. My AR has a telescopic stock, a flash hider and a bayonet lug. My AK has a folding stock. And I added Pearce Grip +2 extensions to my Glock 30 magazines (it helps those of us with wide hands).

Kevin asks:

Why don’t we have genetically engineered grass that grows to one and then stops? This is the 21stcentury, after all. It’s the future, but it looks suspiciously like yesterday. I am okay without the flying cars and personal jetpacks.

Or, in the case of my back yard where the sun beat down mercilessly for four weeks straight without rain, why not weeds engineered to look like grass? My front and side yards look great. My backyard is completely covered in weeds. Is it too much to ask.

Also, different colors would be cool. I’d like purple grass. Wouldn’t that be cool? Or patterns. I’d like plaid or paisley grass.

I guess I could get plastic grass.

Les has 10 Gun Questions for Sean Penn. Well, my questions would be:

1 – You live in California and have a concealed carry weapon permit. How’d you swing that? It’s notoriously hard to do. Oh, because you’re rich and famous. What about the average Joe who hasn’t bounced Madonna’s ass? SOL?

2 – So, you’re like a convicted, violent criminal, right? You know you’re not even supposed to, like, own a gun; but you do? And you carry one. Oh, you’re rich and above the law. I got ya.

3 – Why haven’t the New Orleans police confiscated your weapon? Oh, that rich thing again.

The Geek has a time-line of events regarding the gun confiscation in New Orleans.

Publicola writes:

For those folks who say the NRA is just hanging back & at the appropriate time will start flinging legal papers left & right, let me remind you that CNN filed a lawsuit within hours of being told their reporters would have limited access to the searches for dead bodies in New Orleans. The lawsuit resulted in a temporary injunction allowing them to send their reporters along with the searchers & ultimately a withdrawal of the order that attempted to bar them from accompanying the search teams.

The NRA needs to do something other than firing off harshly worded press releases. That’s what they’re paid for.

Via Brutal Hugs, comes this:

Doctors working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leaving them to die in agony as they evacuated hospitals, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

With gangs of rapists and looters rampaging through wards in the flooded city, senior doctors took the harrowing decision to give massive overdoses of morphine to those they believed could not make it out alive.

In an extraordinary interview with The Mail on Sunday, one New Orleans doctor told how she ‘prayed for God to have mercy on her soul’ after she ignored every tenet of medical ethics and ended the lives of patients she had earlier fought to save.

That would be a tough call and I’d hate to be the one to make it. Damned if you do . . .

So, Bill Dunn is now the GOP House leader.

Rep. Stacey Campfield says of Hilleary:

I support Van 100%.

I still stand by my endorsement of Not Hilleary.

In an update to the NRA’s announcement that they were monitoring the gun confiscation situation in New Orleans: Give me liberty or I shall fire off a harshly worded press release.

I dig it:

One of St. Louis’ most colorful political careers could come to an end later this month.

St. Louis Alderman Thomas E. Bauer is facing a recall effort. Voters will decide whether to keep Bauer on September 20th.

Bauer’s critics have attacked him for his support of a plan to force several property owners in the Dogtown neighborhood to make way for a gas station and convenience store. Residents say they feel betrayed by Bauer and that the booming growth of the area is changing its inner-city charm.

Good. Where do I contribute?

CNS News is reporting that the owner of the gun show that was the target of illegal residency checks may file a civil suit:

The owner of a gun show targeted by federal law enforcement for a half dozen undercover enforcement operations may join with some of his customers in filing a federal class action civil rights lawsuit against the agencies that participated in the operations.

Virginia State Police (VSP) records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Cybercast News Service confirm that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted “Task Force” undercover surveillance and enforcement operations in connection with six gun shows in Richmond, Va., between July of 2004 and June of 2005. Richmond City and Henrico County, Va., police also assisted in at least some of the events. Steven Elliot, owner of C&E Gun Shows, noted that all of the shows listed on the VSP records were hosted by his company.

“More people have had their rights violated at my shows than at Annette’s show,” Elliot said, referring to colleague Annette Gelles, who owns the Showmasters Gun Show, which was the target of another ATF Task Force operation last month.

“They’ve been pulled over when they left the building and had their guns taken away from them,” Elliot continued. “In one case, we had a guy with a valid concealed-carry permit who had his gun confiscated. He had to go to ATF headquarters the next day to pick that gun back up.”

They’ve also established a means for victims to report incidents:

The email address, gunshowsfightback@yahoo.com, has been activated to receive messages from those who believe ATF or other law enforcement officials improperly violated their privacy or tried to discourage them from making lawful firearms purchases at the C&E shows.

If anyone has any information regarding how to donate to the legal fight, leave it in comments.

Others are blogging so I don’t have to:

Required Reading: Kopel on the New Orleans gun confiscation.

Michael notes that the Tennessee handgun laws aren’t being enforced:

For years, courts across the state have failed to seize handgun carry permits from accused felons and the Department of Safety, which oversees the permits, apparently didn’t notice the laws weren’t enforced.

Culture Shock by Publicola:

“Ron Hernandez, a New York officer who usually works in Manhattan, said he had been taken aback when he arrived in Harahan to see so many civilians with guns casually strapped to their hips.”

The Geek tells us that the Trenton chapter of the Million err Not Even Five Mom March has disbanded due to lack of interest.

Gunner tells you how you can win some guns and accessories.

I’ve said before that now that this is the best the country has looked in decades in terms to the right to arms, it’s time for pro-gunnies to go on the offensive. Ravenwood agrees. He even advocates repealing the NFA. I personally would like to start small by getting rid of the 1986 Hughes Amendment and repealing the $200 transfer tax. No point in squandering our gains.

This reminds me of a discussion I had at the local message board where someone called us pro-gun types wackjobs (I corrected some numbers because I forgot about Minnesota):

In the last 18 years, there have been tremendous gains in the right to arms. Sure they passed the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons but it sunset and good riddance. 46 states now allow concealed carry permits (which I support and I don’t support what some gun rights folks do the notion that there shouldn’t be a permit and that everyone should be allowed to pack). Only four states are no-issue. And Nebraska, Wisconsin and Kansas will pass it, mark my words. In fact, the Kansas governor will likely lose her office for vetoing it. Of those 46, 35 are shall issue meaning that, by law, if you’re not a criminal you must be given a permit. Two require no permit at all. Nine are may issue, which can be the most abused form as permits are doled out as political favors (word on the street is that is only an issue in a handful of states). Also, the justice department for the first time in 4 decades views the second amendment as an individual right, as does the Congress and both major party platforms.

My side isn’t wackjob. It’s fucking policy.

I say keep the pressure on.

Update: Corrected because SayUncle is geographically impaired.

Chris has the NRA’s statement about the forced disarmament in New Orleans:

Of course, the entire situation in New Orleans is constantly in flux. But rest assured NRA is monitoring this situation very closely and will address any activity by the government that unduly infringes upon the rights of lawful gun owners at the appropriate time. As we learn more, we will report to our members accordingly. In the interim, however, we join with all Americans in offering our thoughts, prayers, and assistance to the victims and survivors of this terrible natural disaster.

A new website has been launched to present East Tennessee on the web. DiscoverET.org, formerly KORRnet.org, is up and running with links to a community calendar, news, opinion, and the Rocky Top Brigade. Worth checking out for you East Tennesseans.

The latest is up, rounding up secular conservatives.

It was four years ago today. What’s changed? Well, we’re actually worse at dealing with a national tragedy, evidenced by Katrina. And quicker to trample liberties.

Looks like we learned very little.

Via Robert, Sportsman’s Guide has a 10 pack of steel AK 30 round magazines for $24.97.

The latest Carnival of Cordite is up. Go read.

Michael Brown was sent home.

It occurs to me, this could be the one. A lot of pro-gun types keep saying that the SCOTUS hasn’t taken a gun case since 1934 because there haven’t been good any ones. In other words, people convicted of gun crimes are typically not model citizens and the SCOTUS is loathe to take on such a case and rule in favor of the Second Amendment as it would be bad publicity. Or that there are other factors that affect the issue that aren’t related to the second amendment. And these folks believe that the court wants to rule favorably for it.

So, here we have a case where otherwise law-abiding folks are being disarmed. Someone will sue. It occurred in the only federal court jurisdiction that has not bought into that collective right interpretation of the second amendment crap. Will the court take it?

Personally, I think they’re probably wrong to think that the SCOTUS is going to rule favorably for the second since in the last two years it’s ruled against the first, fourth, and fifth amendments in ways that to me are unimaginable. I think it’s wishful thinking on their part.

In the one month since I installed Spam Karma 2, it has stopped just under 10,500 spam comments. Egad!

of us gun types: at what point do you start shooting the bastards? The line typically drawn by us gun types is when they come to take our guns. Hence, from my cold dead hands. So, via everyone in the blogosphere it seems, comes this:

Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms [They register firearms in New Orleans? - Ed.], from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.

No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police. “Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons,” he said.

I would not disarm. As a reader said in an email:

I can imagine a very dangerous game of chicken being played out here. “I am a loyal American citizen. I have committed no crime. If you intend to kill me so that you may disarm me, go right ahead”.

The authorities would have to take them from my cold dead hands. Period. I have a line in the sand and this is it. Actually, I have several. If there was ever a time when some folks needed their arms, this was it. This is easily illustrated by the countless stories in the press of those using their arms to defend themselves.

It’s troubling to me that in a disaster/crisis, this is the response by the powers that be. Disarming good and otherwise law-abiding people in a time of need is unacceptable. So, is every future disaster going to result in disarming citizens?

Now, comes the best part. Like you and me, only better:

But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16’s [I'm not sure they're M-16s as those are heavily regulated. Anyone know if security firms are exempted from the NFA and FOPA? - Ed] and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.

So, the rich, famous, and probably NBC are exempted merely because they are the elite.

As Cam Edwards says:

Talk about class warfare. If you’re rich enough to hire someone to defend your property, you’re okay. If you’re not… you’re SOL.

Also, the feds have joined in on the gun grabbing:

But on Wednesday night, Guidos said, armed federal agents identifying themselves as U.S. marshals confiscated her weapons and ordered her and six friends to leave by noon Thursday.

“When you get 15 M-16s pointed at you and they line you up against the wall, it’s kind of scary,” said Guidos, 55.

That is scary. What’s scarier is I figure I’d have only been able to take three down with me.

The Geek links to a video.

Update: Meanwhile, armed Mexican troops are coming. I appreciate the help they are offering, of course, but there’s something eerily creepy about armed foreign troops on our soil while the powers that be disarm regular Joes.

Heh!

Let’s get one thing straight, no one is to blame for Katrina. However, there is plenty of criticism to the response to Katrina.

Ok, let’s get two things straight: The failure to get the residents of the Gulf Coast States adequate aid was systemic and existed at all levels. The local governments failed to adequately provide for residents with no transportation. The state government failed to act quickly. The federal government failed to act quickly as well.

But, Uncle, you say, What about the levees? Chimpy McHitlerburton is surely responsible for not funding it. And if he’s not, these moonbatty, pork-barrel loving Democrats who wanted to fund other stuff and not the levee are.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Our .gov is set up for one primary purpose, really. To take money from all of us and dole it out to some of us. Yeah, that some of us may be the needy, the sick, the roads, the military, and other noble causes. Or it may be to give it to business and industry. And that’s what it was doing while not preparing for disasters.

Here’s the deal, folks, that sort of inadequacy exists in all forms of our government from the top down or the bottom up. If we, as a country, learn something from this it should be that the .gov needs to be more efficient. Eliminate the unnecessary layers, bureaucracy, and red tape. It’s a problem that exists at all levels and blaming the feds, or Bush, or the local government, or the state government, or some congressmonkey won’t fix the problem. Period. If there’s a case for reform, this is it.

I’ve heard they can’t rebuild New Orleans, since it’s wetlands now. I also heard that they were dumping that toxic sludge into the Gulf, which the EPA plans to fine them for. See, that’s two smarmy comments but they do illustrate how much bureaucracy comes to mind when dealing with the .gov.

I predicted an uptick in gun sales six days ago. Guess what:

Gun sales across the South boomed after the first reports surfaced of armed looters roaming the streets of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And images of shots being fired at relief workers only elevated fears in some communities.

Now, as hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes are being resettled, gun store owners say they’re being flooded by a demand for guns–particularly in Southern states and others where many of the hurricane victims are being relocated.

Mostly, they say, the demand is being fueled by “good people” wanting to protect their families and property. That includes some who might not otherwise purchase such weapons, they add.

Wow. More:

Frank Pirie says his Baton Rouge store, Bowie Outfitters, is being inundated by people seeking handguns and shotguns in the storm’s aftermath. “It’s probably as many as we’d sell in almost a year,” he said.

On Wednesday morning he sold handguns to three nurses who were working in downtown New Orleans. Pirie also gave them shooting lessons, he said.

The nurses told Pirie they were “going back into a war zone,” he said. “They weren’t going back without protection.”

And quote of the day:

The FBI, which conducts criminal background checks on those wanting to buy guns, says it’s too early to tell whether a surge in gun sales is taking place in Louisiana or anyplace else. In any case, there is no shortage of homeowners putting up signs that read “Looters will be shot on sight.”

On shop in Alabama says sales are up 30%.

A while back, I set up a blogads mini-network for gun bloggers. Here’s a link to it.

What this does is allows advertisers to view all blogads who sign up under the Gun Blog banner. They can go there and buy ads on individual gun blogs or buy ads on all gun blogs listed. Or pick and choose.

If you are interested, here’s what you do:

If you have blogads on your site, just send me an email (or leave a comment) saying that you’d like to be enrolled. And I will enroll you. That’s it. When advertisers click the gun blog tab at blogads, your rates and info will show up with other gun bloggers.

If you do not have blogads, you need to sign up. Recently, blogads went to the Amway business model so you would need a sponsor to sign up. I have 18 sponsorships that I can give away. Full disclosure: if I sponsor you, I will get 5% of your ad revenue. I’m not too happy about that but that’s the way it works now. They’ve abandoned open enrollment. As I said, they’ve gotten a little Amway on us. Anyone else who sponsors you would get the same 5%. To be sponsored, shoot me an email and I will tell you how to proceed. Once you sign up, you can join the network by shooting me an email.

This should have the effect of increasing ad revenue for all gun bloggers, if just a little bit. And hopefully give advertisers who wish to target gun blogs an easy means of doing so.

Another gun blog service brought to you by your friendly, neighborhood SayUncle.

I’ve yammered in the past about how some insurance companies won’t insure politically correct dogs or at least jack the rates up. Reader Corey emails these links:

Bank rate has a list of 11 dogs that could raise your insurance.

Paw-rescue discusses the issue and lists insurance companies that are dog friendly:

Here are some companies that pet owners report are dog-friendly and tend not to discriminate by breed: State Farm, Farmers Insurance Group, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, United Services Automobile Association, Erie, Fireman-s Fund, Kemper, Chubb Group, Allstate and Safeco Corp.

And the American Veterinary Medical Association has a tale of an insurance company dropping a customer over their dog.

NBC, who has advocated gun control in the past to the point of misleading its viewers, hired armed guards to protect their reporters:

NBC News has sent private security personnel to the increasingly dicey Gulf Coast region to help keep its employees safe while covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The private security officers, usually former soldiers or police, are licensed to carry firearms and are trained to keep the situation under control so that journalists can do their jobs safely. That’s becoming increasingly difficult in New Orleans and in Gulfport, Miss., where there aren’t enough police or National Guardsmen to keep the streets safe.

Lame. I wonder if those dudes are carrying assault weapons?

Be back later. Meanwhile, read these articles on guns and disaster preparedness:

Les on emergency supplies

Les on post-Katrina gun sales

Zendo Deb on a disaster gun

The Geek on just in case guns

Insty on lessons learned

And the local liberal message board has folks mulling their gun choices. I respond on page 2.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may veto the gay marriage bill. Guess he has to do something to appear all conservative and stuff.

Gratuitous horn tooting: One day short of a year ago, I wrote:

The NRA is confident the ban will expire. And, since no gun control has passed in this country without their approval since 1934, I’d say the fix is in.

I was Googling some stuff up when I found the The NRA Fact Sheet on The Top 10 Reasons The Clinton Gun Ban Was Allowed To Expire.

If you look at the bottom of the page, it says:

Posted: 9/10/2004

That was three days before the ban expired. They did know the fix was in.

Update: Stupid Uncle, they went in to recess on 9/6.

Wal-Mart should run FEMA!

Pete’s back and notes that in New Orleans:

It was interesting to discover that, with all the stranded and starving people, they found time to make a jail and fill it, in part, with “addicts possessing small amounts of drugs… One man had mooned a state police car on patrol. “

The Geek notes that the Trenton chapter of the Million Mom March may disband if they don’t get more people to show up.

Don’t let the door . . . well, you know.

A while back, I mentioned my AK upgrades. I installed the UltiMAK Scout Mount on my WASR-10. My only issue was that it, with a standard scope ring, did not cowitness with the iron sights. Cowitnessing is having your iron sights lined up with the red dot sight so that you have back up sights in the event your electronic sight fails (battery dies or you break it) without having to remove the sight. Well, the folks at UltiMAK thought of that. I was talking to Joe Huffman and he said they make a mount just for that. Lyle from UltiMAK sent me an email and said this sight mount would allow co-witnessing as it sits lower on the scout mount. I was sold. I received mine last week and installed it. It aligns with the iron sights. The iron sights are clearly visible in the lower half of the TacPoint. Also, it’s a durable and well made mount. I gave it the SayUncle test, which consists of installing it then grabbing the weapon by the red dot sight and shaking the living Hell out of it. It didn’t budge. I highly recommend it.

And now a good deal from TAPCO: for $29.99, you get two 30 round AR-15 magazines and four magazine clamps. Four mag clamps usually go for $10 so it’s like getting the magazines for $10 each. I have some on the way.

Smarmy commenter and generally oppositional hellbent looks at rebuilding New Orleans and the entire delta.

Bob Krumm notes that governor Bredesen is extending reciprocity to medical professionals licensed in Louisiana or Mississippi. He also adds:

That’s a great first step. Let’s push the governor to also grant reciprocity to licensed teachers who will be needed to educate the influx of students, as well as lawyers, hair stylists, architects, engineers . . .

Don’t forget accountants.

Stacey Campfield asks the governor to repeal the state tax on gas. If you’re in Tennessee and paying over $3 per gallon of gas, you should be aware that you are paying about $0.40 in state and federal taxes on it.

And via Rich, the Jefferson Parish president:

“Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area,” he said on CBS’ “Early Show.” “Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don’t give me the same idiot.”

Murder is a bit harsh but it’s a valid point. Meanwhile, Rick asks:

It’s not so much the notion, that many conservatives agree with, that government doesn’t work; we all feel like that is the case from time to time. The issue I have is why the conservatives in government now seem to be trying their level best to prove the point.

Why on earth would they not? Sure, some of it may be to score political points but unless we deal with why it failed, it will again. And, particularly with the current administration, the solution to bloated government failures is, well, more bloated government.

Jeff has the latest on anti-gun bias in the media.

He also has a range report for the Serbu 50 BFG.

The latest Carnival of Liberty is up.

Bob Denver has died.

Mike:

Bitch, grab a shovel!

The Tennessean:

All lawmakers can do is watch and wait as a federal probe into bribery and corruption at the state Capitol continues to sink colleagues.

Legislators said they have heard rumors that more arrests are on the way, but don’t know if they will include local officials like the one in Shelby County charged last week or more state lawmakers.

As in May, when four sitting lawmakers were arrested on their way to work, they expect to be the last to know.

I’ll pay good money to any legislator tells me who they think is next (giggle).

The AP:

About 1.7 million U.S. children live in homes that have loaded and unlocked guns, according to what is described as the first comprehensive survey of gun storage in homes across the country.

I wonder how they define child in this case? If you have kids, you should make certain your firearms are inaccessible to them. More stats:

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics, found that 2.5 percent of children live in homes with loaded and unsecured firearms. Estimates from the early 1990s had put the percentage at 10 percent. The new results suggest a decline, but that doesn’t mean there’s cause for celebration, said Catherine Okoro, a study author.

[snip quote by gun-fearing hysterical person]

The study is based on a 2002 telephone survey of about 241,000 adults and is the first to provide data on gun storage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, its authors said.

Nationally, 33 percent of adults said they kept firearms in or around their home. The highest percentage was in Wyoming, where 63 percent said they had firearms. The lowest percentage was reported in the District of Columbia, where 5 percent reported having guns at home. The district has long-standing bans on handguns and semiautomatic weapons.

A little more than 4 percent of the respondents nationally said they keep guns loaded and unlocked, and 2.5 percent reported having loaded, unlocked firearms in homes where children lived.

Alabama had the highest proportion — 7.3 percent — of homes in which children lived and guns were kept loaded and unlocked. The next highest states were Alaska (6.6 percent), Arkansas (6.6 percent), Montana (6.4 percent) and Idaho (5.2 percent). At bottom was Massachusetts, with 0.3 percent.

Bring on the politics:

Okoro said she hoped the survey results will be used by state public health officials as they work on intervention programs to prevent firearm deaths.

About 1,400 children are killed by firearms each year, according to CDC estimates. It’s not known how many of those are killed by guns left around the house, the researchers said.

Well, when I go to the CDC site and download the data, accidental firearm deaths for children (age 10-14, none occur at a younger age according to their data), there were 34. In ages 15-24, there were 210. So, using the anti-gun Monica Lewinsky test*, there were 244 unintentional firearm deaths of children. Seems the unintentional firearm deaths would be a good place to start to determine how many of those are killed by guns left around the house. That is, if you were actually interested in that instead of scoring political points. It’s a far cry from intimating 1,400 might be comparable. And locking up the guns would only prevent those unintentional acts.

*Bonus points if you get the reference.

I’ve always thought the FN-P90 was the ugliest submachine gun ever made. Now it has some competition. Behold TDI’s KRISS Super V Sub-machine gun. It is a subgun in 45 ACP. It’s odd design supposedly mitigates the excessive recoil typical of 45ACP subguns from the past.

That is one ugly gun.

So, what is it about tragedy that brings out such stupidity in celebrities?

David Hardy mentions that there’s talk of Janice Rogers Brown being nominated for the SCOTUS. Personally, I think it’s highly unlikely since she’s not Republican enough but it might be good for gun owners. I don’t know that her position on guns would be good for gun owners since she ruled with the majority on California’s assault weapons ban. But she did fault the court for picking and choosing which rights it liked. And she’s black and a woman, one of which is apparently an important factor for picking a judge.

You see, since state governments in the South are loosening their gun control laws, the north is struggling against a flood of handguns. A few things:

Academic studies have shown that limits on monthly gun purchases help limit smuggling, but lobbyists for gun manufacturers call such laws ”gun rationing” and say they infringe on Second Amendment gun ownership rights.

Really? Which study?

Pinpointing the precise source of guns smuggled into the Northeast is difficult, analysts say, because last year Congress inserted a provision into a spending bill that prevented the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from releasing federal data about where guns used in violent crimes originated.

Then how do you know they come from the South?

A while back, Kim du Toit asked:

Question for the libertarians: how would “the market” take care of the post-Hurricane Katrina destruction?

Seems to me several charitable groups (including evil corporations) were the first ones in and operated more efficiently than the .gov.

In this post, I rather ineloquently expressed my anger regarding how the .gov reacted to Katrina. I leveled plenty of blame, specifically at the feds for spending our money and not dealing with this mess efficiently or even competently. I rescind that, at least in part. The reason is that this weekend I had a chance to talk to a terrorism and disaster recovery expert. He explained that the function of FEMA and DHS was to provide long term aftercare in the event of such an incident. The early response to such events rests squarely at the state and local level. A lot of our federal DHS dollars go to cities and states to fund what are essentially first responders. The state/local response teams’ responsibility is to be in first and ready to deal with massive loss of life and provide for folks in need for the first twenty-four to seventy-two hours. In New Orleans, this system broke down and, perhaps, the money was squandered. The mayor did not run buses out and was invisible for the first three days. The governor waited to long to take control.

Even though the locals failed in New Orleans, it still took the feds four plus days to get there so there is also plenty of valid criticism at the federal level. That is equally unacceptable. The problem is systemic and exists at all levels of government. However, blaming this administration for the levee breaking is ridiculous. Period. Partisan sniping in this case is rather lame. There’s plenty both parties could have done in the aftermath of this incident and tying it to party lines is not particularly helpful nor is it constructive.

I still want my money back.

CNS has done a follow up to their piece on the ATF doing illegal residency checks after a gun show:

According to a four page undated memo written by Virginia State Police (VSP) Capt. Robert G. Kemmler and obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA), the law enforcement activities at the Showmasters gun show on Aug. 13-14 involved “the same method of operation as previous gun shows.

“The Department (VSP) has participated in numerous Gun Show Operations at the Showplace over the past year,” the memo states. “This is the first operation at the fairgrounds and the first operation that included the Henrico (County) Police Department.”

C&E Gun Shows holds several shows each year at The Showplace Exhibition Center, located inside the city limits of Richmond, Va. According to the VSP memo, gun show sting operations were conducted there on July 10-11, Oct. 16-17 and Dec. 4-5, 2004 and Jan. 15-16, March 5-6 and May 21-22, 2005. Nearly 1,000 man hours were dedicated to the activities.

According to the VSP memo, the gun show stings are part of “an active gang related firearm program to reduce the number of firearms being purchased (by) and transferred to prohibited persons who may be involved in criminal and gang related activities.

Here’s some background on the incident. Heads should roll. In fact, contact the Virginia Office of the Attorney General to voice your concerns:

Office of the Attorney General
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219

(804)786-2071
(804) 786-1991 FAX

consumer@oag.state.va.us

And if you could, pass that contact info around. So far, the MSM has ignored the incident.

Demand prosecution and ask why nothing is being done.

Last night, I built Junior her first AR-15. Here it is:

That Lego gas system leaves a lot to be desired but the rifle is totally modular.

Light blogging today as I’m at home with Junior. Lots of napping in the forecast. Meanwhile, the latest RINO Sightings is up at One Fine Jay’s place.

From August 29th Through Sunday September 4th Michael Barnett has kept the world informed of The Battle of New Orleans.

This is the first hand account of an event unlike anything that has ever happened in our nation.

From Michael Barnett:

This journal has become the Survival of New Orleans blog. In less perilous times it was simply a blog for me to talk smack and chat with friends. Now this journal exists to share firsthand experience of the disaster and its aftermath with anyone interested.

For those of you who haven’t been reading this, I’m on the 10th/11th floors of a 27 floor high rise at 650 Poydras in downtown New Orleans. If you go to Google Earth or some other map program, we’re the big brown building between Poydras ave and Lafayette Square and between Camp Street and St. Charles Ave. We’re about 6 blocks from the river. We have a view (in the daytime) of the river, the twin spans over the river, the interstate, the Entergy building, the landmark building, the federal court of appeals building, a bunch of hotels, etc.

more…

Off to the game. Go Vols.

Paper says there’s a 23 point spread. Means the Vols will win by three.

We saw it after 9/11 and I think we’ll see it after Katrina: there will be an uptick in gun sales.

Field and Stream lists the 1-15 of the 50 best guns ever made. There are no evil black rifles. They explain:

You’ll notice that there are no military or target arms here (with a few exceptions, for reasons explained). We decided to limit the list to hunting firearms, which is what F&S is about.

Via Les (who is apparently famous), we learn of some more local gun bloggers. Tamara of Coal Creek Armory has a blog. I see her in there all the time but never knew her name. Tamara on tactical posers:

It’s an absolute truism in the CCW community that if you wear a covering vest of some kind, especially one festooned with pockets, then every member of The Great Unwashed will divine the fact that you are carrying a pistola. This view is so entrenched that the garments are frequently referred to as “Shoot Me Vests”.

Heh. This is why Uncle usually wears a pull over shirt.

There’s also Markos Kloos, another local gun blogger. So, all you local gun nuts have two more gun blogs to keep up with.

I concur. I’ve run across the blog Nashville is Talking a few times but for some reason never added it to the feed. Not sure why. Consider that remedied. Seriously, Brittney’s blog is good and I recommend you make it a regular stop.

David Codrea, noting that President Bush has been invited to the 20th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference, writes:

President Bush, I have never in my life begged anything from a public official.

Please attend this conference. PLEASE!

I’d pay good money to see all the nationally recognized “gun rights leaders” line up to get cavity searched for weapons–just so they can pay tribute to you for supporting their right to keep and bear arms.

Via Joe, this is amazing. Check out the pictures of the pool computer system notifying the lifeguard that a little girl had fallen to the bottom of the pool.

Go read Mike now. His advice could save your life.

A while back, I learned that state law in California prohibited laws regarding dogs based on breed specific legislation. I opined that California is not a wholly evil place. Now, I’m not so sure:

Prompted by a series of vicious dog attacks, lawmakers on Wednesday sent the governor a bill that would allow local governments to require spaying and neutering of specific breeds.

The Senate voted 22-15 to approve Assembly amendments to the bill by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, sending it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Speier called the proposal a modest bill that would restore powers held by cities and counties 16 years ago. Spaying or neutering would reduce the aggressiveness of the animals and help limit unwanted populations that end up in animal shelters, she said.

Not sure if he’ll sign it, of course, but I’d guess he will. I wonder if this law will also allow other breed specific laws? In other news, arm the pit bulls.

From Michael Silence, we learn that FEMA is useless and has no control in New Orleans; anarchy reigns; people are dying; people are being lied to about help being on the way; they can’t find provisions the federal government sent; looting; death; and all manner of bedlam.

So, what’s the .gov doing? Well, two former presidents are asking people to give money (got that one covered, guys, people are doing it on their own without your involvement) and congress is weighing an emergency session on hurricane aid. Just fucking weighing? Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogo stick. Weighing is what you idiots should have been doing four fucking days ago. Don’t we have money set aside for large scale emergencies, like say a fucking terrorist attack.

And didn’t this government create the largest federal bureaucracy ever in the history of the country to combat terror? Wouldn’t part of the plan for coordinating these agencies to combat terror (and using my tax dollars to do so) involve the capability to deal with, say, a large scale tragedy in which many people are hurt? And wouldn’t this coordination involve getting FEMA access to those resources? I mean, I figure since they were planning on what to do in the event a nuke went off, they might have some sort of reasonably organized plan to get to people who are hard to get to and help them. And wouldn’t that plan have adequate funding already assigned to it.

Even if what the .gov does is a pointless, symbolic gesture (which they’re famous for), it says something. People, who are currently concerned and saddened, are soon going to be enraged by the colossal incompetence in the face of this widespread disaster. Think about it. They knew days in advance this was coming and the response has been inadequate. So, how do you think they’d react to a sudden, no-warning, unexpected massive act of terror?

Are you fucking kidding me?

I want my money back.

Update: Hey, congress has gone from weighing to rushing.

Update 2: Back on my meds. Apologies for the profanity.

The arfcom folks are talking about gun fights breaking out in Baton Rouge. Reportedly, the police and SWAT have the situation contained.

While the blogosphere is abuzz with means of aiding the victims of the hurricane, remember to check locally for other opportunities. My office, for example, will match all employee donations (it’s like giving twice!). Ask your employer if they will do the same. The local news this morning reported that four tractor trailers full of donated bottled water were on their way to New Orleans from Knoxville.

If there’s nothing in your area, go here or here and give to a charity of your choice.

Update: What he said. Where is the .gov and the aid? It’s not arriving according to some. Call your congressperson.

Geez:

The evacuation of the Superdome was suspended Thursday after shots were fired at a military helicopter, an ambulance official overseeing the operation said. No immediate injuries were reported.

“We have suspended operations until they gain control of the Superdome,” said Richard Zeuschlag, head of Acadian Ambulance, which was handling the evacuation of sick and injured people from the Superdome.

He said that military would not fly out of the Superdome either because of the gunfire and that the National Guard told him that it was sending 100 military police officers to gain control.

Meanwhile, The New York Times notes:

Many people with property brought out their own shotguns and sidearms. Many without brought out shopping carts. The two groups have moved warily in and out of each other’s paths for the last three days, and the rising danger has kept even some rescue efforts from proceeding.

Because the New Orleans police were preoccupied with search and rescue missions, sheriff’s deputies and state police from around Louisiana began to patrol the city, some holding rifles as they rolled through the streets in an armored vehicle.

But on Wednesday night, the mayor ordered about 1,500 city police officers, nearly the entire force, back to their traditional roles.

The looters “are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas,” Mayor C. Ray Nagin told The Associated Press, “hotels, hospitals, and we’re going to stop it right now.”

The hurricane was a disaster, must the aftermath be too?

Actual headline:

Metal pistol lands boys in hot water

They make them out of non-metal? What the headline should have read:

Toy pistol lands boys in hot water

We’ve all had it. Just admit it. You’re driving down the road and frustrated because someone who is either an idiot or an inconsiderate prick cuts you off, pulls out in front of you, or just unnecessarily endangers your life for no good reason. Then, you have the fantasy where you can call this person up on the phone and really tell them what an idiot or inconsiderate prick they are. Am I alone?

Well, it happened. The other day, some inconsiderate prick in the left lane realized at the last minute that they needed to make a right turn. They cut over in front of the car in front of me and made a right turn at a place where they shouldn’t be turning right anyway. Much brake slamming and cussing ensued.

Only problem was, it was my wife. So, I called her and gave her an earful. Two earsful, actually. Now, my wife has fulfilled one of my fantasies, only not the one involving the latex-clad midget err little person.

Pete tells us that we have an absolute epidemic coming. If we trust the government’s meth statistics, 2,284,070 high school students will die in the next five years.

If you’re old enough to die for your country, you should be able to buy a damn beer.

SKB, over at Facing South, interviews Tennessee Senatorial candidate Rosalind Kurita.

Challenges to Canada’s politically incorrect dog ban are expected because defining what is and isn’t a pit bull is, well, impossible.

The other night, the Mrs. wanted to watch some hurricane coverage on the tube. Personally, I avoid cable news like the plague. Can’t stand it in any variety. The few minutes of FoxNews we watched reinforced why I don’t watch it. First up was a scene in which the announcer said something about a woman who learned her lesson. The woman said (paraphrased from memory):

I should have got out like they told me to.

They, of course, being the authorities. The next segment was about how the TeeVee show Wheel of Fortune and a few movie projects being filmed there were canceled. Seriously, that’s worthy of coverage? I never did hear if Vanna White was OK.

Comment over at Ravenwood’s:

I’ve heard of blue balls, but how do you get gun nuts?

Michael reports:

The public and reporters will be barred from a Senate ethics panel’s discussions on whether a state senator may be an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a federal fraud case, the group’s chairman said Tuesday.

Seriously? The biggest political scam in Tennessee’s history will be discussed by those likely involved in it in an effort to deal with a problem that only they created and no outsiders are allowed? This ethics committee is a sham. Nothing of substance will get done. Shame on all of them.

Egalia notes some good news in that Fred Phelps and his merry band of zealots were essentially chased out of town. Good. However, she posts an annoying little graphic in the top right of the post that says:

Ban Republican Marriage! Hatred is Unnatural

The problem I have with this image is that it is irrelevant. Fred Phelps, after all, is a Democrat who campaigned for Al Gore. Now, I am not suggesting that his views represent the whole of the Democrat party (or even a small part of it). In fact, any sane person would oppose Phelps’ views on gays. Still, Egalia singles out Republicans. Why? I commented on it at her site and she replied:

I’ve heard that. Obviously he’s in the wrong party.

He’s such a nutcase that you have to wonder if someone isn’t paying him for his performances.

Seriously? I think being a nutcase transcends party lines. If they hate gays, they must be Republican. Must score cheap political points, even if we are wrong and must mislead.

Shameful.

The other day, I looked into the pantry and there it was. I’d seen it before and never paid much attention. It was a jar of Jif peanut butter (creamy, if you must know) with the word Dogs written on it with a Sharpie. We have peanut butter just for our dogs (you know, for giving them pills or as a treat). Starvation, devastation , genocide, and everything else going on in the world; and my dogs have their own peanut butter. Maybe we Americans do live in excess.