Seen at ar15.com:

If it sounds to good to be true, it’s the ATF.

Heh.

Gun Law News has the skinny on an interesting (and full of shit) court opinion. In part:

Along came MKS Specialties who got a hold of some cut up M-14 receivers (perfectly legal). They take that scrap metal (of a certain, politically incorrect history and shape), weld together functional receivers, add a few parts and produce a semiautomatic firearm.

The BATFE jumped in and said the MKS M-14 is an NFA weapon by virtue of how they interpret the law. Under civil asset forfeiture law, they grabbed an MKS M-14 owned by William K. Alverson.

The BATFE claimed that, because the M-14 was originally designed to shoot automatically, the MKS M-14 was an NFA weapon.

Alverson responded with an expert who testified that it would take six hours to convert the weapon to full-auto operation. Unfortunately, the Eighth Circuit had already held that if you could convert a semiautomatic rifle in 8 hours in a fully equiped (sic) machine shop, the gun would qualify as an NFA weapon.

It’s not necessary to put it in a machine shop for a random number of hours when a key ring and a shoestring will convert an M1A to automatic fire. Seems rather arbitrary to me and the shoestring method would work on a number of other weapons too. I can also convert my AR-15s to full-auto fire with a few hours in a machine shop by drilling a hole and changing out the blot and fire control group. Looks to me like the ATF and the court is wrong on this one. But, more importantly, this creates case law that could classify a whole host of rifles as potentially being NFA weapons or machine guns.

Update: Over at subguns.com, Brian S. says:

IIRC, the BATF’s primary beef was that the M14 receivers were not demilled to their standards, and thus never lost their MG status. I know, the whole “once an MG, always an MG” is not defined in the USC, either… However, everything isn’t going to hell in a handbasket as the article suggests. There have been plenty of rewelds that the ATF is OK with, provided that the receivers were demilled to their standards in the first place and the mods preventing any of the auto parts from being installed done before rewelding.

The NRA announced an agreement with New Orleans regarding the gun confiscations:

NRA has negotiated an agreement with New Orleans regarding the firearms seized from lawful firearm owners during and after Hurricane Katrina. The issue is pending before the federal court in the case NRA v. Mayor Ray Nagin. On March 15, 2006, lawyers for both sides informed the court that positive settlement negotiations were occurring.

I want the details. And those details better include no less than some folks going to jail over it. If it’s merely that the city agrees to return the weapons, it’s not good enough. The NRA has them over a barrel and they should act like it.

They also tell folks who had their guns taken how to go about getting them back.

The ChicTrib:

Mayor Richard Daley and Gov. Rod Blagojevich led an anti-violence march Saturday in Englewood, calling on legislators to ban assault-style weapons in Illinois.

One of two children killed this month in the South Side neighborhood was struck in the head by bullet from an AK-47-style rifle converted to fully automatic use.

“It is a very sad comment that we bury another child today,” Daley said, about two hours before 10-year-old Siretha White was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Blagojevich said he would again speak to lawmakers who voted against a bill that would ban ownership of assault-style weapons in Illinois.

“These are the weapons of mass destruction and all you have to do is come to Englewood to understand that,” Blagojevich said.

Uhm, converted AK-47s are already banned in Illinois and the United States. Wow, WMD references? Getting a bit desperate with the rhetoric.

Xavier has a sombering tale of why parents should educate their kids about guns, even paintball guns. Basically, the kid either wasn’t too bright or was ignorant and it cost him. And, of course, the press coverage blames the paintball gun.

David Hardy:

Charity Navigator gives the NRA Foundation four stars. Among other things, the amount of their income devoted to fundraising is 5% and to administration 5%, with the result that nearly 90% is disbursed to programs.

By way of comparison, the NAACP legal fund gets one star — fundraising and admin. costs are 16% and 7%. Brady Center (their legal arm) gets one star–fundraising and admin. are 15% and 6%.

I mentioned before a bill to end TBI checks (and save me $10 each time I buy a gun). Well, that fine news organization Volunteer TV is trying to scare folks over the bill:

Lawmakers in the State House are considering a bill that would get rid of the $10 fee you now pay for a background check when you buy a gun.

But could that move make you less safe?

Volunteer TV’s Stephen McLamb takes looks at both sides of the argument.

The legislation would hand over duties for background checks from the TBI to the FBI. Some say the federal check would leave out many state records and give approval for guns to people who wouldn’t get them currently.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation currently does all gun background checks in the state, in most instances with little wait for customers wanting to buy a gun.

Why would it make you less safe? Because:

Crisp says one of the biggest problems is the fbi’s ability to check state records.

“The databases that the TBI has in regard to orders of protections and restraining orders and things like that it’s my understanding they check a few more databases than what the FBI would be checking,” says Chief Crisp.

Did it occur to anyone that maybe the FBI databases had more info than the state? It’s possible. And remember where the article said:

Volunteer TV’s Stephen McLamb takes looks at both sides of the argument.

Well, I’ve read the article twice and only see one side of the issue.

The latest is up.

Meet S.620. An effort to reauthorize the assault weapons ban. It’s the same as the old one, including AG study provision and the 10 year expiration. Introduced March 14.

Update: Nevermind. Stupid me, didn’t pay attention to the date. Looks like one died in judiciary committee though.

I was going to sit down and do a post on what you need to build a 9mm AR-15 or convert a 5.56 Nato to a 9MM. But Marc beat me to it a while back and I somehow missed it. So, go read how to Build Your Own 9mm AR-15 Lower. He has pictures and everything.

Speaking of 9mms, Marc also notes little difference in FPS between a 9mm AR and a Glock handgun.

I noticed Brutal Hugs feed hadn’t updated in a while. Click on the page and see this:

Well, kids, we’re taking things down a notch. Long story short, a customer complained to my boss about some of the stuff here. We’re still not sure what the specific complaint was, but until everybody calms down, we’re going to chill.

Lesson learned: Don’t use your Brutal Hugs email for work stuff.

We’ll be adding some stuff back over the next few weeks.

Keep smiling,
IS

Bummer.

Via Bitter, comes Parker and Stone’s official statement regarding the pulling of their Scientology episode:

So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!

-Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu.

Heh.

ABCNews has some summaries of various documents from Hussein’s archives that indicate there was a connection with Al Qaeda and OBL. And that Hussein was misleading the UN by hiding parts of the WMD program that he didn’t have.

I’m thinking about turning El Nino into a short barreled rifle (pay the $200 tax, get law enforcement sign off, yada yada). Now, through the magic of photoshop and my first real effort photoshopping an image and not just inserting text, I present what El Nino would look like with a 10.5 inch barrel:

And before I butchered it:

The bill is here. What it does:

To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to update certain procedures applicable to commerce in firearms and remove certain Federal restrictions on interstate firearms transactions.

Specifically:

1 SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT INTERSTATE FIREARMS

2 TRANSACTIONS.

3 (a) FIREARMS DISPOSITIONS.–Section 922(b)(3) of
4 title 18, United States Code, is amended–
5 (1) by striking “rifle or shotgun” and inserting
6 “firearm”; and
7 (2) in subparagraph (A)–
8 (A) by striking “located,” and inserting
9 “located or temporarily located,”; and
10 (B) by striking “both such States” and in-
11 serting “the State in which the transfer is con-
12 ducted and the State of residence of the trans-
13 feree”.
14 (b) DEALER LOCATION.–Section 923(j) of such title
15 is amended–
16 (1) in the first sentence by striking “, and such
17 location is in the State which is specified on the li-
18 cense”;
19 (2) by striking “ `curios or relics’ ”; and
20 (3) by adding at the end the following: “A li-
21 censee may conduct firearms transfers and business
22 in compliance with applicable State and local law
23 with any person not a licensee at any location at
24 which the licensee may conduct business under this
25 chapter.”.

In other words, it replaces shotguns and rifles with firearms, which would mean you could purchase handguns out of state. And firearms dealers, it seems, would be able to ship firearms to individuals instead of just to other FFL holders.

With no buyer, Winchester will shut down this month. Bummer.

Blake says Republican Conservatism is officially dead. Time of death March 16, 2006 at 11:17 a.m.

Update: Offical cause of death: Cranial, rectal inversion.

Been a bad year for the ATF. So far:

A circuit court smacks them down for their ruling on model rockets;

An agent testified under oath that the NFRTR (the NFA weapons database) was corrupt;

Having budget issues due to mismanagement;

Being investigated for breaking he law at Virginia gun shows.

Now, it looks like Congress is trying to reign them in some more. From AR15.com, comes the appropriations bill for the ATF. A few interesting things:

Provided further, That no funds authorized or made available under this or any other Act may be used to deny any application for a license under section 923 of title 18, United States Code, or renewal of such a license due to a lack of business activity, provided that the applicant is otherwise eligible to receive such a license , and is eligible to report business income or to claim an income tax deduction for business expenses under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986

So, no funding for investigating FFL holders who suffer from a lack of business. And more:

Provided further, That no funds made available by this or any other Act shall be expended to promulgate or implement any rule requiring a physical inventory of any business licensed under section 923 of title 18, United States Code: Provided further, That no funds under this Act may be used to electronically retrieve information gathered pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 923(g)(4) by name or any personal identification code

Seems congress is really reigning them in.

Now, I don’t live in Bob’s district but I would vote for a candidate who says:

when civil order breaks down, guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens aren’t the problem, but they can be part of the solution to restoring order.

The KPD got $2M from a drug dealer through confiscation of assets.

None of those bans in California prevented a tragedy. Good thing they got an A from the Brady Campaign.

Via R. Neal, comes Bob Stepno on Web Writing in Journalism Classes. OK, it’s not about blogging but bloggers could benefit from it. Check it out. A taste:

Writing clearly and concisely may be even more important online than it is in print.

David Hardy reports:

Major General Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the Commanding General of US Army Alaska, has forbidden troops under his command to carry concealed, even off duty and off base, in addition to otherwise restricting their right to arms.

Not sure what that’s about.

The National Journal interviewed Bill Hobbs.

I reported here that my EOTech was busted. It seems all better now. I just needed to reset the circuits by:

Removing the batteries

Pressing the buttons for a few seconds

Letting it sit for several minutes

Now, it works just fine.

After Katrina, New Orleans denied it confiscated guns from people. Oops:

In a stunning reversal, the City of New Orleans revealed today to attorneys representing the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association that they do have a stockpile of firearms seized from private citizens in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The disclosure came as attorneys for both sides were preparing for a hearing in federal court on a motion filed earlier by SAF and NRA to hold the city in contempt. Plaintiffs’ attorneys traveled to a location within the New Orleans city limits where they viewed more than 1,000 firearms that were being stored.

“This is a very significant event,” said attorney Dan Holliday, who represents NRA and SAF in an on-going lawsuit seeking to enjoin the city from seizing privately-owned firearms.

“We’re almost in disbelief,” admitted SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. “For months, the city has maintained it did not have any guns in its possession that had been taken from people following the hurricane. Now our attorneys have seen the proof that New Orleans was less than honest with the court.”

Under an agreement with the court, the hearing on the contempt motion has been continued for two weeks, the attorneys said. During that time, according to Holliday and fellow attorney Stephen Halbrook, the city will establish a process by which the lawful owners of those firearms can recover their guns.

“While we are stunned at this complete reversal on the city’s part,” Gottlieb said, “the important immediate issue is making sure gun owners get their property back. We’re glad that the city is going to move swiftly to make that possible, and naturally we will do whatever is necessary to make this happen.

“What happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was an outrage,” Gottlieb observed. “Equally disturbing is the fact that it apparently took a motion for contempt to force the city to admit what it had been denying for the past five months.

And the second immediate issue should be putting someone’s ass in jail.

The UPS man arrived yesterday bearing presents. Enough presents to finish up the 9mm AR build. I received the Rock River Arms upper receiver from Steve at ADCO Firearms. And I must say hats off to Steve. I ordered this on Sunday night and it arrived on Wednesday. I figure he wasn’t working Sunday, processed it Monday and turned it around in two days. Impressive. I was also impressed with their two day service for the magazine block. I’ve decided to name him El Nino. Here he is all dolled up:

And here he is next to Mr. Blasty for gratuitous gun porn err comparison purposes:

Got to Coal Creek this morning intent on putting him through his paces and he performed quite well. I fired 160 rounds of Winchester White Box ammo without any gun malfunction whatsoever. I was using 9mm AR magazines made by ProMag. This rifle is a real pleasure to shoot. It’s rather quiet compared to a 5.56Nato AR and has no recoil nor muzzle flip to speak of. Highly recommended.

Now, on to the actual range report. I get there and borrow a rest since I plan on sighting it in. Since it would be an indoor range gun, my plan was to sight it in at 10 yards with the EOTech and sight the irons in at 25. I switched on the EOTech and it didn’t work. Odd, since it worked yesterday though I recall the reticle flashing to indicate low battery. I changed the battery and it still didn’t work. That and the fact a job I thought I’d landed falling through convinced me that fate was conspiring against me to ruin my day. And the irony of my Aimpoint v. EOTech deathmatch weighed on me. I had one of the guys from Coal Creek look at it and his conclusion was That’s a busted EOTech. I groaned. He recommended I contact EOTech who has good customer service. He left the range. Then, it started working. Odd, I thought but I was there to shoot. So, I fired a few rounds that were low, which was expected since it came factory zeroed. Once I got it sighted in, two 10-round groups looked like this:

I was perfectly satisfied with that.

Then, I wanted to play and shoot standing. And the EOTech stopped working again. Groan. I removed the battery cover, checked contacts and was content it wouldn’t work again. So, with open sights I was getting the same groups but they were about five inches lower than the point of aim, about what I expected. At 25 yards, it was about two to three inches low, again what I expected.

I decided to hit the EOTech button again, and it worked. I shot some more and, in the middle of squeezing a round, watched the reticle fade away very slowly. It stopped working again. That particular EOTech is less than two-years old and they come with a warranty. It’s an older model without the protective shield, which I figured was perfectly fine on a range gun. I have a call into customer service regarding how to proceed with fixing it. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Update: The EOTech is all better now. See here for how to fix.

Some numbers on the % of folks with CCW info by state:

7.45% South Dakota
6.79% Indiana
6.76% Pennsylvania
5.23% Connecticut
5.12% Washington
4.34% Idaho
4.10% Utah
3.86% Oregon
3.45% Tennessee
3.15% Alabama
2.72% Florida
2.71% Kentucky
2.67% Wyoming
2.41% Maine
2.18% Arkansas
2.11% Virginia
1.94% West Virginia
1.76% Arizona
1.75% Oklahoma
1.70% Montana
1.70% Michigan
1.62% Texas
1.39% South Carolina
1.34% North Dakota
1.00% North Carolina
0.86% Mississippi
0.62% Louisiana
0.58% Nevada
0.45% Minnesota
0.36% Missouri
0.33% Ohio
0.20% Colorado
0.17% New Mexico

There’s more there.

Looks like the US and others are saying not to the UN’s arms control nonsense:

As the United Nations prepares to host a review conference on curbing trade in small arms and light weapons, disputes over the extent of such measures and whether they should be legally binding are hampering progress. The disputes have helped block participants from even agreeing on an agenda, raising the possibility of a repeat of a 2001 conference that ended without an agreement on binding measures.

More than 50 countries met at a Jan. 9-21 New York preparatory meeting for the June 26-July 7 UN review conference. At the conclusion of the preparatory meeting, Chairman Sylvester Rowe of Sierra Leone compiled a document of possible policy options for the conference, including consideration of legally binding measures. But the lack of consensus on the document brought the meeting to a close without an agreed agenda.

A number of countries, including the United States, resisted any attempt to discuss legally binding measures and also rebuffed efforts to address limits on civilian ownership, legal trade and manufacture, and transfers to nonstate entities.

These views track those the United States put forward in July 2001 when UN members gathered in New York for the first global conference on the illicit international trade of small arms and light weapons. The 2001 conference was unable to agree on le gally binding measures, instead producing the voluntary Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. This document outlined a series of voluntary measures to stem the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons, which range from grenades, pistols, and rifles to machine guns and man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS.

Good. Seems Bolton ain’t so bad after all.

Fox 19:

An 80-year-old woman has been ordered to move out of her Clifton house after a battle with the city of Cincinnati over eminent domain.

It’s for a Good Samaritan Hospital.

But that doesn’t keep the ChicTrib from obfuscating the two:

Six months before he allegedly killed 14-year-old Starkesia Reed in a spray of automatic gunfire, gang member Carail Weeks went to Indiana to buy an AK-47.

Weeks already had been under investigation by federal agents for almost two months last September because a gun he had previously bought in Indiana had been seized in an armed robbery arrest, according to law enforcement sources.

But that didn’t stop Weeks from going to a suburban Indianapolis gun shop, showing a fake Indiana state identification card, and walking out with two handguns and an AK-47—the type of gun used to kill Starkesia on March 3, the sources said.

The Tennessean notes a bill to allow the FBI to conduct NICS in Tennessee instead of having the state bureau of investigation do it:

Background checks on firearm purchases in Tennessee would be performed by the FBI instead of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation under legislation headed for a vote in the state Senate.

Currently, the TBI charges gun dealers a $10 fee to do a background check on customers, while the FBI does it for free through the National Instant Background Check System, or NICS.

That $10, of course, has always been passed on to the buyer. I’d like to see it pass.

There’s a push for shall-issue in Delaware:

Legislation to make it easier for law-abiding Delawareans to obtain permits to carry concealed handguns was introduced Tuesday in the state House — with enough sponsors to guarantee its passage in both chambers.

Under current law, applicants must demonstrate a compelling need for a permit and convince a Superior Court judge to issue it.

Wow, lots of states pushing shall-issue these days. It’s like the early 1990s again. Good.

With the TeeVee season in its second run series (evidenced by the fact Joey is on), me and the Mrs. have been TiVoing some game shows since there’s not much else to watch. A few random observations:

With TiVo’s fast forward, we can watch Wheel of Fortune in about 12 minutes. When you get rid of learning about the contestants (who cares about some office manager from San Bernardino?), commercials and the product pimping, there’s only about 12 minutes of actual puzzle solving. Also, I realized that with TiVo, you get the same view of the board as the contestants because you can pause the screen. I hate when a contestant calls a letter and they don’t show the board.

We also TiVoed some older shows, like Card Sharks. These shows were obviously filmed in the 70s/80s. We often ponder which of the contestants on that show are still alive and which ones are probably dead. Same with The Newlywed Game, only we add likelihood of being divorced/murdered by spouse into the guessing process.

And quite odd is Family Feud. The reason is that so many of the answers that would have been given in the 70s/80s aren’t valid anymore. For example, a question was:

100 people surveyed, top 7 answers on the board, here’s the question: Name something you do before taking a trip.

The Mrs. said Get cash, which wasn’t there. I’d say back then, more folks carried cash than do today. When we take a trip (being the non-cash carrying folks we are), we always get cash. Not an issue then, I’m guessing. Also, one of the top answers was get film, which never occurred to us because we have a fancy digital camera that holds like 500 pics. Of course, some answers were still the same, such as getting tickets and making reservations.

And, one more odd thing, a new episode of The Price Is Right actually gave away a set of encyclopedias. Me and the Mrs. wondered why since a computer was cheaper and had access to all kinds of info on Al Gore’s Internets.

Looks like it’s set to go, even with the promised veto of soon to be former governor Kathleen Sebelius:

A bill allowing Kansans to carry concealed guns is one step closer to becoming law.

The House passes the Conceal and Carry Bill returning it to the Senate where it passed by a large margin.

It looks like Kansans will soon be able to carry concealed guns.

The bill could become law.

Because it’s passed with more then a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate, a veto by the governor could be overridden.

If you’re in Kansas, you may wish to make some noise and contact your congressmonkeys.

You see these for sale and they run between $20 and $50. I decided to build my own, from stuff I had around the house. You’ll need one long board (mine is 40 inches by 12 inches), one small board, two wood screws and some sort of sealant. I cut the small board (1′ by 3′) six inches long and 2.5 inches wide (2.5 inches is roughly the magazine well’s measurements). However, the fit was too tight. So, I sanded it down with the electric sander until it fit smoothly. Next, I placed the small board 16 inches from one end and used the two wood screws in the bottom of the big board to attach it to the long board like so:

In hindsight, I probably would have made the small board 8 inches tall in the event I get an AR with a longer barrel. You should use some sort of sealant (polyurethane or other water proofing sealant) because gun cleaning products are rough on bare wood. I used some cheap polyurethane I had in the garage. So far, this gizmo has proven very useful in assembling AR-15 lower receivers. No need to wrap the lower in a towel and stick it in a vice. Also, the 6 inch rise allows me to remove the rear pin to drop the upper receiver down. This is particularly handy when cleaning the bore. Basically, I’ve made myself a third hand. Here it is in action:

Update: BTW, doesn’t work for lowers with 9mm mag blocks installed for folks who may need to know that.

R. Neal notes that Republican State Senator Raymond Finney’s website indicates he gets the importance of Al Gore’s Internets:

These sites don’t have a slick, flashy design and don’t employ a trendy “blog” format, but they are highly functional, well organized, loaded with information, and provide numerous opportunities for voter interaction and feedback. Whoever put this together did an excellent job, and Finney appears to invest tremendous time and effort in maintaining it.

I concur. It’s good to see a politico put it all out there for the world to see. I do think, however, a blog format would be easier to follow.

Marc says:

Law and Order SVU tonight is a farce. Schoolyard shootup leads to a gun store, “Gun Ho” (stupid gun owners) run by racists (stupid racist gun owners) in New York friggin’ City. It continues with this gem: “The long gun loophole, no background check!” Apparently NICS doesn’t apply in New York City. This is the first 30 minutes.

And the guys at arfcom note that it portrays gun owners as irresponsible, mention of sniper rifles, an incorrectly filled out Form 4473, a 16 year old works at a gun shop, and assault weapons with regular capacity magazines line the walls.

Don’t have Showtime so I’m late watching it. But check out Penn and Teller’s episode of Bullshit on gun control. Long, but worth it, I think. Particularly the bit on the words in the second amendment. Also good was the gang banger telling us how much he loves gun control laws.

But my favorite was when the congresswoman from Texas says why have all the mass shootings in the US occured at schools and post offices? Because they’re gun free zones. No one ever goes nuts at an NRA convention or the local gun show.

That’s supposedly the number of people whose names are on a government list of terrorists or people with suspected ties to terrorists:

Police and other government workers in the U.S. have come in contact with terrorists or people suspected of foreign terror ties more than 6,000 times in the past 28 months, the director of the federal Terrorist Screening Center said Tuesday.

The encounters in traffic stops, applications for permits and other situations have resulted in fewer than 60 arrests, said Donna Bucella, whose agency maintains a list of 200,000 people known or suspected to be terrorists. The list contains an additional 150,000 records that have only partial names, Bucella said.

But how many are actually terrorists? And how many just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time? Of some comfort:

The vast majority of people on the list are not in this country, and many have only tenuous or inconclusive ties to terrorism . . .

How many? Seems that would be important to know.

Not sure who this person is, but she’s getting plugged by everyone else. So, I figured I’d throw some traffic her way. She can’t be all bad with stuff like this:

I will gladly answer questions about just who I am and I will start by saying I am a conservative and a Republican. I am not a GOP-Davidian, meaning that Democrats will get credit when credit is due and Republicans will get hit when a thrashing is necessary.

Not only in Iraq, but here in the states too:

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks and especially since Hurricane Katrina, Americans are taking pro-gun positions. Both events underscored the ease with which civil order can collapse, and have renewed people’s interest in home security.

Democrats have been getting the message that gun control is becoming a loser with voters. Since 2000, some Democrats — though not all — have begun courting the gun lobby to get endorsements

Here’s hoping the Democrats figure it out too.

Bitter notes:

Bob Ricker, the main employee of American Hunters and Shooters Association, was at a conference recently arguing that every young female who purchases guns legally should raise a red flag as being a criminal subject to federal prosecution and 10 years in prison.

That exact reason (and racism, apparently) is why the ATF is under investigation for its behavior at Richmond area gun shows:

John White, a former law enforcement officer who is now an FFL operating under the business name “The Gunsmith,” said female customers who approached his sales area at the Richmond shows were immediately targeted by the “undercover” officers.

“If a woman showed up at my table, she was surrounded by law enforcement,” White recalled. “If the lady walked off and suddenly stopped, they would have bumped into each other. Their surveillance methods were pitiful.

“Every woman that makes a purchase, every woman who comes to my table to buy a gun was automatically [treated as] a straw purchaser,” White said. (A “straw purchaser” is a person who can otherwise legally purchase a firearm, but who does so with the intent to illegally provide it to an ineligible buyer such as a convicted felon or an illegal alien. “Straw purchases” are illegal.)

I’ve noted the blatant anti-gun bias in The Christian Science Monitor before. Now, they’ve reached a new low in just running a story based entirely on a Violence Policy Center press release.

Aunt B., in a post entitled Slowly, Slowly, These Gun Nuts Work Their Way With Me, says it’s not the nanny state we have to worry about but the busy-body state:

Holy shit. This isn’t just a “nanny state;” this is a “busy-body state.”

So, I’ve been thinking all morning about what it might mean to think about the busy-body state. I hate to use the word “reframing,” but I think it fits. What if I reframe the way I think about judging appropriate government intervention as the difference between encouraging a busy-body state and not?

Which brings us back to the gun nuts, in the first place. I’m interested in hearing their take on this, because I think this has been their big complaint and I just didn’t get it. See, I’ve been thinking about the whole gun issue as a broad, panicked public safety issue–guns are dangerous, therefore we must get guns off the streets–and haven’t been too concerned with the implications of that.

Uncle concurs, generally. However, I don’t see how the abortion thing is only busy-body type stuff. As I’ve said many times: abortion is a heinous, disgusting and deplorable practice but it can only be made worse by criminalizing it. I don’t buy that opposition to abortion is a matter of being a busy body because it ends a human life (and arguing about whether that life has really started or not is just details). Criminalizing it will not stop abortion. You just open up an unregulated black market where, instead of a sterilized and safe doctor’s office, women will go to some shack where there’s a guy named Snake holding a pointy stick. And that would endanger two lives. And one thing a ton of pro-choice folks do that annoys me is assert woman this or woman that when there’s also the issue of the man involved and what say he has in the whole thing. Takes two to tango but only one to make a life altering decision that will lead to a life time of regret? Feh, no thanks. Aunt B. buys into that line of thinking as well, when she says:

Here you have a moral issue that has been turned into a legislative issue by people who believe that women cannot control themselves and that sweeping legislation must be enacted to make all women’s lives difficult, even though women have many legitimate reasons for needing abortions and what those women do almost never adversely affects the anti-abortion people.

Now, I know a lot of anti-abortion people (who I also disagree with). Not a single one has ever said that women can’t control themselves nor have they ever expressed desire to control women. They just take issue with the whole ending a human life thing. So, I don’t buy the whole guns and abortion are equal in terms of the impact of busy bodies because, while my gun ownership affects no one else really, abortion does affect others.

But guns, tobacco, drug, and a whole host of other laws are entirely busy body in nature.

In Iraq.

And get the nomination too. Seriously. Looks like Daschle’s going for the trifecta at destroying the Democrat party.

R. Neal links to a couple of bills aimed at curbing abuse of speed traps:

HB3614 would declare that any municipality deriving 20% or more of its revenues from speeding tickets is abusing its police powers and would authorize the district attorney general and the TBI to investigate them. It would also apply to municipalities who issue more than 50% of their speeding tickets for exceeding the speed limit by 10 MPH or less.

Sounds like a start. Somebody tell Mayor Danny Crosby.

He even looks like a reformed liberal.

Bob is now bloggin here. And has what appears to be a campaign site here. You should announce those things at your old blog, unless it’s a secret.

Nice:

It almost seemed like a miracle to Haldis Gundersen when she turned on her kitchen faucet this weekend and found the water had turned into beer.

Two flights down, employees and customers at the Big Tower Bar were horrified when water poured out of the beer taps.

By an improbable feat of clumsy plumbing, someone at the bar in Kristiandsund, western Norway, had accidentally hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes for Gundersen’s apartment.

Probably would have sucked if she were trying to shower.

If you’re in Maryland and want shall-issue CCW, PGP says This IS the Week to Get on the Phone!!

Or technology branch play things? Supposedly, these are pics from the ATF’s vault.

I need to get another TiVo box. First time it happened was last night, when we realized three shows we TiVo came on at once. I TiVo The Family Guy and The Sopranos and the Mrs. gets Desperate Housewives. One of us had to watch (gasp!) live TeeVee last night.

Next, The Sopranos premiered yesterday. I love that show. This is supposedly the last season. I figure it can end one of three ways: Tony dies, Tony goes to jail, or Tony goes into witness protection. I hear talk of a movie too, which would kill my three options, so make that four ways. If you’ve read spoilers, don’t tell me.

And the season finale of Battlestar Galactica absolutely rocked. And I didn’t expect any of that. Now, my BSG fix can’t be satisfied until October.

Update: OK, one more TeeVee note. Colbert has lost his mojo. His show isn’t so funny anymore. It’s probably easier to stay in character when you do it twice a week for five minutes on The Daily Show vs. four times a week for thirty minutes on your own show.

The latest is up at Search Light Crusade.

Captain Holly has pics of the Ruger 10/22 he made look evil after the assault weapons ban expired.

Feingold wants congress to censure Bush over the wiretapping thing. Seems to me there’s a good case that said wiretaps are illegal but I’m unsure of any legal challenges as of now. Via Chris, who notes:

I wonder if it wouldn’t be too much to ask to get either of them to actually respond to, oh, I don’t know, the allegations of law-breaking on behalf of the President?

Also, I read in the paper this weekend (when I was busy not blogging) that a lot of Republicans are distancing themselves from Bush while gearing up for the 2006 elections. Seems a lot of folks who consider themselves Republican aren’t too happy with wiretapping, the ports deal, spending, the biggest federal government ever, raising the debt ceiling, and other things. Some of us have been saying that since before 2006 but no one seemed to notice.

Update: Meanwhile, Malkin is toeing the line. Hate to break it to you guys but the problem with disenchanted conservatives isn’t going to just go away. In elections that are often won by only a few points, you’ll need them.

Update 2: Even Boortz is finger wagging and lists some grievances. Oddly for a supposed Libertarian, the wiretap issue isn’t one of them.

Now they want the pink ones. Via Deb (who has some pics), it seems the latest scare tactic from the Brady Bunch is colored guns. They say these guns are designed to look like toys to confuse police. What a load of crap. Someone who is going to spend between $200 and $500 on a custom paint job to make their weapon look cool is probably not the sort of person who would use one in a crime.

BTW, I’d like to be a fly on the wall whenever the Bradies get together and invent their next gun issue. Seriously, I wonder how those meetings go when they’re trying to come up with a way to scare people?

Kim addresses scout rifles. He comes to the same conclusion I’ve had about them ever since I read about them in the first place. For a good, all-around rifle, there are plenty of better options that do everything better. I don’t see how a scout rifle can be a bolt action when a semi-auto or lever action is simply much better. The scout rifle tries do all things fairly well but the fact is that plenty of other rifles can accomplish those same tasks better and for less cash.

Mike wants to be a columnist for the Commercial Appeal. He has a banner and everythng.

The Journal Star reports it’s one step away from passing:

Nebraska lawmakers are one step away from approving a measure to allow Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons.

Sen. Jeanne Combs of Milligan, the sponsor of the bill (LB454) and a member of the National Rifle Association, moved to vote on ending second-round debate on the measure Friday, knowing she needed 33 votes to stop a filibuster of the measure.

She squeaked by. The vote was 33-9.

Lawmakers then voted 31-9 to advance the bill to the last of three rounds of consideration.

Looks to me like two steps, since the governor must sign it. Still, it’s a good thing.

The 51st Carnival of Cordite is up at Countertop’s, for your gun blogging fix.

Douglas M. Duncan, Democrat candidate for Governor of Maryland, on the proposed assault weapons ban:

“I lived through what one of these weapons can do during the sniper shootings,” Mr. Duncan said, referring to the shooting spree in October 2002 that killed 10 persons and terrorized the Washington area for three weeks. “We don’t need these guns on the streets.”

Then, Mr. Duncan, you may want to know that the weapon used by the DC snipers was not affected by the assault weapons ban.

Johnny has redesigned the Rocky Top Brigade’s home page. Check it out for what Tennessee bloggers have to say.

Anti-gun activist arrested on (gasp!) gun charges.

VolPac:

From the earliest days of our republic, freedom of speech and freedom of the press – be they anonymous pamphlets, celebrated essays, or local newspapers – were understood to be fundamental to the practice and defense of liberty.

Without the ability to convey ideas, debate, dispute, and persuade, we may never have fought for and achieved our independence.

Ordinary citizens – farmers, ministers, local shop owners – published and circulated their views, often anonymously, to challenge the conventional order, and call their fellow citizens to action.

Indeed, as Boston University journalism professor Chris Daly points out, “What we think of as reporting – the pursuit, on a full time basis of verifiable facts and verbatim quotations – was not a significant part of journalism in the time of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine… In historical terms, today’s bloggers are much closer in spirit to the Revolutionary-era pamphleteers.”

And, today, it’s bloggers whom we now have to protect.

There are some who, out of fear or shortsightedness, wish to restrict the ability of our modern day-Thomas Paines to express political views on the World Wide Web.

They seek to monitor and regulate political speech under the guise of “campaign finance reform.” They argue that unfettered political expression on the Internet is dangerous, especially during the highly charged, election season.

Needless to say, I stand firmly against these efforts to hamstring the Internet and squarely with the champions of free speech – whether that expression takes place in the actual, or virtual, town square.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Frist. Sure, he was right on guns during the AWB hearings but he’s done some pretty embarassing things. But, since he gets blogging, I like him a bit more.

Inside blogging baseball, skip if this crap bores you.

Bill Hobbs notes that Business Tennessee did a bit on bloggers. I’ve not read it because I’m not giving them any of my info and bugmenot doesn’t have log in. If someone has a copy, post it comments. It does show that they don’t get blogging if they don’t make their stuff available to all. Bill says:

You’re probably a tad confused as you just read that this is the most-read political blog in Tennessee, except for Glenn Reynolds’ Instapundit, and yet you find it hasn’t been updated since Jan. 10. The truth is, Business Tennessee started working on that cover story back when this blog was active, and when I shut it down I didn’t know how long the hiatus would be. I still don’t.

Here’s wishing Bill returns to blogging. However, Bill’s blog has never been the most-read political blog in Tennessee, except for Glenn Reynolds’ Instapundit. Last I recall checking when Bill was blogging and he’d received a big ol’ spike from announcing he quit blogging, it was Donald Sensing, then Les Jones, then (ahem) me, then Lean Left and then Bill Hobbs. And that was with a big ol’ spike for quitting. Prior to that, it was probably South Knox Bubba neck in neck with Sensing. This isn’t to get in a dick-measuring contest but we bloggers loves us some fact-checking. And you’d have thought Bill would have fact checked their asses.

Of course, stuff has changed since then. Sensing has quit. Bubba’s gone and is now R. Neal. Google decided to scrub my site, which is not an issue for me in terms of actual readership but an issue in terms of ad revenue and sitemeter hits. Strangely, my Google rank stayed at 6 and I am in their database. Just not showing up for any searches. That cost me about 800 visits per day and roughly halved sitemeter counts. It only really annoys me due to lost ad revenues.

Update: In comments, Bill says:

What the magazine actually said was, “Hobbs has the biggest blog readership in the state political sphere.”

Now that, I believe to be true. He also links to the story.

Holy crap:

North Carolina health officials are investigating the death of a woman who died last week of a flesh-eating bacteria three days after accidentally jamming her hand in a wheelchair while working at a nursing home.

Nursing assistant Sharron Bishop, 44, died Feb. 27. A doctor said a rare flesh-eating bacteria may have entered her body through a thumb injury and she turned from healthy to fatally ill.

The culprit was a rare invasive form of group A streptococcal bacteria, said Debbie Crane, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. The noninvasive form is widespread and is commonly known for causing strep throat, she said.

Ok, nature, you’re weirding me out.

Via thegirl.

Check it out. They forgot to erase number 2, though.

Heh. Make sure you mousover the cow. Via kit.

The AP:

The state Senate on Thursday passed a proposal to amend the Tennessee Constitution so that it doesn’t guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion.

The 24-9 vote was the first step of many toward officially amending the state constitution. The measure would go before voters if the General Assembly approves it twice over the next two years.

Why would they use this backward way of doing it? In anticipation of passing a law banning abortion because

The state Supreme Court has ruled that the Tennessee Constitution grants women a greater right to abortion than the U.S. Constitution.

This is a bad idea. I think abortion is terrible but would only be made worse by criminalizing it. And amending the constitution specifically to say it doesn’t guarantee something seems odd.

CBS Dallas:

Texans voting in the republican primary this week sent a clear message to state lawmakers. 94% supported a constitutional amendment preventing the government from taking private property through eminent domain for economic purposes.

Several projects in North Texas have infuriated private property owners who feel that the government wants their land and doesn’t have to be nice about it.

The upcoming Dallas Cowboys’ stadium is one of those projects. It has claimed many houses that stood in its way.

94%. I never thought you’d get 94% of people (even Republicans) to agree on anything. But the message is clear.

Finally got the lower half of the 9mm complete:

Superior Arms lower receiver
DPMS parts kit
Uncle Brand^TM single point tac sling
Pro Mag 9MM magazines
Vltor collapsible modular stock
Rock River Arms 9mm magazine block
RRA 9mm hammer
RRA 9mm buffer
ETA: and a GG&G single point sling mount.

Update: BTW, is it possible to be in love with a rifle stock? I really like cheek weld on that thing, it’s so comfy. Seriously, I could sleep on it.

SilencerTests is having their 2006 suppressor only shoot in Georgia. As a bonus:

There will be one or more silencers raffled off

Sweet.

Apparently, the new threat to everyone is machetes:

That was the case as well in the Boston area, where a rise in gang violence involving machetes occurred in the past several years. The surrounding towns of Revere, Everett, Lynn and Chelsea have banned machetes, and there is now a bill before the Massachusetts Senate that would prohibit the carrying, sale and manufacture of the tool-turned-weapon.

Via Israpundit, the Presbyterian Church USA is yammering on and on about gun control again:

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a thirty year history of support for gun control legislation. Beginning in the late 1960’s, in response to the assassinations of public leaders, the General Assembly called for “. . . control [of] the sale and possession of fire arms of all kinds.”1 In 1976, this statement was re-affirmed, but also specifically worded to “. . .not cover shotguns and rifles used legitimately by sportsmen. . .”.2 In 1988, these and other statements supporting gun control were again reaffirmed.

Specifically:

Support[ing] gun control at federal, state, and local levels as the most effective response to the present crisis of gun violence. . .

Call[ing] upon the United States government to establish meaningful and effective federal legislation to regulate the importation, manufacture, sale, and possession of guns and ammunition by the general public. Such legislation should include provisions for the registration and licensing of gun purchasers and owners, appropriate background investigations and waiting periods prior to gun purchase, and regulation of subsequent sale.

Urg[ing] the enactment of similar state and local laws, should such federal legislation be delayed.

Call[ing] upon government agencies at all levels to provide significant assistance to victims of gun violence and their families.

intentionally work toward removing handguns and assault weapons from our homes and our communities

I have mentioned this before but then realized it was just the Washington DC PCUSA. That doesn’t appear to be the case now as this piece is from the Presbyterian Church USA’s main site. Some Presbyterians are jumping ship. Me and the Mrs. are members. Well, actually, she’s a member and I just get dragged there once a month to feign interest and listen to crappy gospel music done by white people. Guess I’ll be asking them about their involvement with PCUSA.

I generally think it’s ill-advised for any church group to be involved in political issues. I want the .gov out of my church and my church out of the .gov.

A shall issue bill there has cleared a house committee. The senate has already approved the bill.

Apparently, folks in Maryland are considering adding an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to arms. Guess the federal one isn’t enough. There are also other gun bill in the works there. Iron would be, of course, if both the amendment and the assault weapons ban were attached to the same bill. And Pro Gun Progressive, who attended some hearings, has a detailed post on some gun bills there.

Mr. Completely has number five.

Jay reminds us that Buy a Gun Day is approaching and mulls his choices.

Mike writes In Praise Of The Single Six Revolver.

Heh:

After Nashville motorist T. Allen Morgan got a speeding ticket in Coopertown — a town known for its heavy-handed traffic enforcement — he tried to pay his ticket like a good citizen.

But he added a little note on his check which angered Mayor Danny Crosby. The mayor refused to accept the check, sparking the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to launch an investigation Monday.

Crosby told Morgan that he had to either write another check that didn’t have the words “for speed trap” written in bold letters or face the charges in traffic court.

At the request of District Attorney General John Carney, the TBI is investigating if Crosby acted illegally by denying Morgan’s payment, TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said.

“As mayor of this city, if I accept that check from that gentleman, I’m admitting we run a speed trap, and that’s a bald-faced lie,” Crosby said Tuesday.

Aunt B. thinks she has mutant foxes over in Nashville way. Or coyotes. West and North Knoxville have been experiencing problems with coyotes recently. In fact, one night a friend’s two dogs (one very small and one medium sized) got out of the fence and went wandering. The little dog didn’t come back and the medium dog returned and for a few weeks kinda twitched funny. Another friend heard a few yipping on his property and both barrels of his 12 gauge scared them off.

They seem to be coming around more often and have lost their fear of people. That’s probably because people aren’t inclined to shoot them on sight any more. To keep them away, any large dog would work. ‘Yotes are opportunists and not suicidal. Any dog that weighs considerably more than them (such as an 80lb Labrador) will probably dissuade them from hanging out too much. And, of course, a good varmint gun would take care of them too.

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

It’s that time of year where the Brady Bunch releases their state rankings on state by state gun laws. Good news:

From 2004 to 2005, only four states changed their “grade” – and three of those grade changes were demotions. And most state legislatures are currently considering firearm related legislation – but the majority of legislation are bills pushed by the gun lobby that threaten to increase firearm violence rather than decrease it.

Heh. And details on why:

The states that saw a grading change include Florida, which went from a “D” to an “F+” as the first state in America to pass a “Shoot First” law, sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense; Alaska, which went from “D-“ to “F+” for passing a law mandating that private businesses allow guns on workplace property; Kansas, which stripped local governments of the right to regulate firearms and droped from a “C+” to “C-“; and Illinois, which took positive steps to strengthen background checks at gun shows and required child safety locks be sold with new handguns and moved from a “B+” to an “A-.”

The Herald and Review:

Let’s be clear about our position. If there was evidence that an assault weapons ban would decrease crime, lower the murder rate or make any other positive contribution, it would be difficult to oppose.

But that evidence doesn’t exist. In the 18 months since the federal ban expired, national crime rates have not increased. When the ban was in existence, it did nothing to deter criminals from acquiring the most fearsome weapons.

Actually, it’d be very easy to oppose if it lowered the muder rate. You know, that pesky second amendment and all. Still, good for the paper for noting there was no impact on crime.

Continuing the theme of all talk, no action comes news that New Mexico’s Governor vetoed an anti-eminent domain bill:

Governor Richardson has vetoed eminent domain legislation.

The measure was intended to prevent state and local governments from using their powers to take property for private development projects.

Richardson said yesterday a number of community officials opposed the measure.

He says the legislation would bring New Mexicans more harm than good.

Well, unless they own property.

HL is building a 9mm AR too. We need pics.

I concur with his assessment. ADCO Firearms are awesome to deal with. I ordered a magazine block from them and got it three days later with no problems or follow up calls as I usually have to do with gun related vendors.

The first lawsuit to be dismissed due to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act occured in LA:

PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT FORCES DISMISSAL OF JUNK LAWSUIT AGAINST GLOCK, RSR . . . Today, in a 58-page decision, Los Angeles-based federal district court Judge Audrey B. Collins became the first judge in the nation to dismiss a junk lawsuit based on the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, signed into law by President Bush in October. The judge dismissed a public-nuisance lawsuit filed against Glock and the distributor RSR brought by victims and family members of the now infamous “Jewish Daycare Center” shooting in Los Angeles in 1999 by Buford Furrow, a crazed homicidal maniac. Furrow illegally obtained and criminally misused a Glock pistol originally sold by Glock to a Washington state police department. RSR never owned, sold or possessed the firearm. “It is fitting that this case was the first ever dismissed based on the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act because the facts made this case the poster child for passage of common sense legal reform,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.

I’ve never really supported the law but this looks like a decent result from it.

A child was tragically killed by a stray bullet. And the anti-gunners are dancing in the blood of the poor girl:

A visitation was held Tuesday for a Chicago teenager killed by a stray bullet. Starkesia Reed, who was an honor role student, was hit by gunfire while standing near the window of her family’s home in the city’s Englewood neighborhood last Friday morning. The 14-year-old’s killers have not been caught.
Related Links

This shooting not only devastated Reed’s family, but it terrorized the entire block. Seven other homes were hit by stray bullets in the 6700-block of South Honore. The shots were fired from an assault weapon. Community activists are calling for a renewed ban on assault weapons.

How do we know that? If the shooters haven’t been caught, there’s really know way to know what kind of gun it was. It could have been an illegal machine gun. More:

Members of the group Cease Fire marched down Reed’s block Tuesday calling on neighbors to become more involved and the city to provide more funding for a program they say is working.

“That was a 45-percent reduction in shootings. We know the program works, and it needs to be funded by the state, the city and the counties so we can get the right resources in these communities,” said Rev. Robin Hood, Cease Fire.

Which program was working? It is implied that the program is the assault weapons ban, which we know has been shown to have had zero effect on crime and homicide.

An anti-eminent domain bill was overwhelmingly defeated in Missouri:

The House overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have banned the use of eminent domain for taxpayer-funded developments by private developers.

By a vote of 129-26, the House rejected the amendment, which had been offered to a broader bill imposing restrictions on a program that provides tax breaks for private developers, called tax increment financing.

Such a bill may be useful in defeating land grabs like this one:

Lawsuits were filed Tuesday aimed at stopping an affluent suburban village from using the legal concept of eminent domain to take over a privately owned golf course.

“This proposed condemnation may be the most extreme abuse of eminent domain in the country,” said John Wilson, a Deepdale Golf Club member named as a plaintiff.

The village’s mayor said the federal and state lawsuit were a “pre-emptive strike” and no decision has been made on whether to proceed with a takeover of Deepdale, considered one of the finest golf courses in the country.

[snip]

But in North Hills _ a 2.8 square mile community of 1,800 residents on Long Island’s “gold coast,” where housing prices begin in the millions _ members of the Deepdale Club are rallying to save their 175-acre facility from being taken by village officials.

The federal suit questions the village’s right to seize the property through eminent domain; the state case challenges the village’s alleged abuse of zoning law to cut secret deals with private developers.

I tend to doubt a golf course where houses sell in the millions could be considered blighted under any reasonable measure.

If you want a 10 round AK magazine for bench shooting, no need to go buy one. Just turn one of your inexpensive 30 rounders into one.

Billll in the comments section here:

When dildos are legislated into oblivion, only legislators will be called dildos.

Laurie Kellman:

Suffer from springtime allergies? You could be among the first affected by the USA Patriot Act poised for final congressional passage this week.

Besides terrorism, the bill takes aim at the production of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug that cannot be manufactured without a key ingredient of everyday cold and allergy medicines. The bill would impose new limits next month for how much relief a person can buy over the counter.

And beginning Sept. 30, it’ll take a flash of ID to buy that medication.

But I thought the Patriot Act was for terrorism? I was assured it wasn’t just a law enforcement wish list. More:

Beginning 30 days after President Bush signs the law, expected sometime this week, purchase limits go into effect. One person would be limited to buying 300, 30-mg pills in a month or 120 such pills in a day. The measure would make an exception for “single-use” sales – individually packaged pseudoephedrine products.

Yup, they’re going to ban high-capacity pill bottles.

Go find out. Me, 49/50. Stupid rulers of Egypt.

Apologies for the rambling nature. No real point here other than to kick out some random thoughts.

I’ve been pondering the possibility of the end of life or civilization as we know it. Not from a conspiracy theory or religious perspective but from events I find likely or at least possible. Such as:

Natural disaster – Ice age, major seismic shifts, global warming, etc.

Interstellar event – Meteor hits us, black hole opens up next door, the universe decides to unbang itself.

Unnatural (i.e., man-made) disaster – Nuclear war and subsequent winter, splitting some subatomic particle we shouldn’t be splitting, some group of scientists decide to splice tyrannosaurus rex DNA with a koala which creates the koalasaurus rex who breeds fast, swarms the land, and likes to dine on tasty humans.

Socioeconomic – Some sort of food shortage, running out of oil (say, are we after the peak oil curve now?), some political wing in power decides to engage in brutal suppression of the earth’s population, massive and coordinated civil uprising.

The first three, I’m not worried about so much because there isn’t a heck of a lot I could do about them. They’d just happen and we’d have to deal with it (or not because we won’t be around). And they could pretty much happen at any time with or without warning. Kinda random like that. Well, except maybe some of the man-made incidents which I would hope we’d have some restraint in.

The Socioeconomic possibilities are where I struggle with a general lack of faith in people. These are items that the human race could likely anticipate and work to prevent or deal with after it happens (work on fuel alternatives, kick up food production, etc.). But would people, on a large scale, do that? I tend to doubt it. Look at the looting and general mayhem where people just went and got theirs in the aftermath of Katrina or the LA riots. Also, the socioeconomic possibilities seem the most likely to me in the short term.

Seen at Liberty1st:

This bill would require an operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish, maintain and enforce a policy requiring an information content provider who posts messages on a public forum website either to be identified by legal name and address or to register a legal name and address with the operator or provider prior to posting messages on a public forum website.

The bill requires an operator of an interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name and address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person on a public forum website.

Yeah, right.

Via David, we learn of a new twist in civil suits:

A mechanic wounded by a gunshot should pay the man who shot him at least $250,000.

That was the verdict Thursday of a Sedgwick County jury, following legal battles that have paraded through both the criminal and civil district courts.

The lawsuit ended nearly 18 months after a jury in a criminal trial found that Dan Herpolsheimer of Mulvane shot Keith McGinley in self-defense.

McGinley sued Herpolsheimer, who responded with a counterclaim for battery and trespassing.

Now, McGinley stands to lose another $500,000, because Thursday’s verdict allows Herpolsheimer to seek punitive damages, which can equal up to three times a jury award.

See, one man shot another in self-defense. The guy who was shot sued. He lost. The guy acting in self-defense counter-sued and won. Good.

Bombs going into Iraq may be coming from Iran. Now looky here, Iran. We’re already close and you may way want to knock that crap off. It’s clear our relationship with you is strained and you don’t much care for us. You may want to reconsider this course of action because, sure we’re busy in other parts of the region, but you’re right next door. Just sayin’.

Update: Or maybe not:

Here’s what seems to have really happened: having tried this half-assed story in the UK and had it fall flat, the Pentagon waited a few months then gave it to Ross as a briefing from the usual “anonymous sources” and Ross duly regurgitated it whole without doing a single fact-check or further research.

I can buy that there’s no hard evidence that the Iranian government was involved but I don’t think I’d rule that possibility out.

Ben asks:

What constitutes the offense where you would not rely on the authorities?

As a general rule, I don’t think I’d rely on the police for much. That doesn’t mean I would not call them either prior to or after handling something on my own but rather responsibility for dealing with such things are something I am prepared to do. For example, in the event of a home invasion, I’d have the Mrs. call while I investigated or I’d call after it was over merely so they could provide backup and recommend a good cleaning service.

I’m certain that what Ben means to ask is something to the effect of At what point do you take the law into your own hands. I’d like to think that I would always act lawfully in the event someone caused intentional harm to my loved ones. And I likely would. However, if that was exhausted and the result was not satisfactory, I’m not sure I’d let it slide.