I don’t have dollar amount but I’m certain me and the Mrs. have spent well into the thousands of dollars on toys for Junior. But Saturday night, she and I were piddling in the garage (making a stand alone target stand, if you must know) when we started playing a game. We’d take two small pieces of PVC pipe and set them at the top of the driveway and release them. They’d roll down the driveway. We were racing PVC pipe. When then go to the bottom of the driveway to retrieve the pipe and do it again. We did this for about two hours. $1.50 worth of PVC pipe was more entertaining than all of our toys.

The desktop computer had died. Was cruising the web, when the case got quiet. Seems the processor fan stopped working. Shortly after, it just shut off without warning. I decided it was the fan and was going to let it cool down then start it again to see if the fan kicked on. I did that and it started right up and the fan worked. Then, it died again and now it will not power back on. Any diagnosis out there? I thought it was the fan but am now wondering if the motherboard died. It’s an AMD 3100.

Jim Purtilo, a computer scientist at the University of Maryland, has a page up detailing how often he and others have been accused of being John Lott. Tim Lambert has led the charge and posted quite extensively accusing John Lott of using sock puppets and editing his own Wikipedia entries. For some background of some of the accusations, see here.

Purtilo’s page details how quickly his edits to Wikipedia were changed; how often he and others were accused of being Lott or one of Lott’s sock puppets; and a list of the folks who were actually editing the Wikipedia page.

It should serve as a caution to relying on the info on Wikipedia.

David Hardy tells us about Dr. Emerson, an apparent victim of the Lautenberg Amendment.

Mike, who should blog more, says OK, this has gone far enough.

Aunt B. takes her fellow liberals to task over their position gun control:

We’re wrong about this. And it infringes on the Constitutional rights of our fellow citizens under the guise of “making us safer.” We get annoyed when the Right does that and we need to get annoyed when we do that.

Ayup.

A person named Stacey has announced their write-in candidacy over at Knoxviews:

Hi, my name is Stacey Diamond and I’m running as a write-in for county commission Distrist 1 Seat A.

I am the ward chair for the Democratic Party in Fort Sanders (10) N. I’ve been active in the local party for 6 years. I’ve grown up in Knoxville and have a degree in journalism from UT. I decided this was an unprecedented opportunity where people without special interest connections were jumping in and I took it.

I know nothing about this person and this is not an endorsement. I just think it’s neat that Al Gore’s Internets are being used like this locally,

Hedi Yewman, pondering the Columbine tragedy, lists things that have not happened that she finds shocking in light of Columbine:

Colorado and Oregon immediately passed initiatives requiring background checks at gun shows. Today 32 states still do not require background checks on gun purchases at gun shows including Washington.

The weapons used by the Columbine shooters were obtained through straw purchases. Such a measre would have made no difference.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 1994 and was not renewed, putting guns like Tech-9s back on the streets.

Actually, it expired in 2004. The company that makes Tec-9s has gone out of business and a Tec-9 functions identically to, say, a Glock. And the Columbine incident happened in 1999, while the ban was in effect.

In 2005 Congress passed and the president signed into law a measure that, astonishingly, provides immunity from prosecution for gun manufacturers and sellers.

And this would have prevented Columbine?

The National Rifle Association is pushing hard to pass “take-your-guns-to-work” laws in all 50 states that would turn companies into criminals if they barred guns on their private property. So far the legislation has been introduced in 11 states.

And this would have prevented Columbine?

Seven states have passed legislation that eliminates a citizen’s duty to avoid a threat, and allow the use of deadly force before other options when a gun user simply feels threatened.

That is a gross misrepresentation of the bill. And would not have prevented Columbine.

Seems the super stores may not be that super for some.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) has decided to stop selling guns in about a third of its U.S. stores in what it calls a marketing decision based on lack of demand in some places, a company spokeswoman said Friday

Not sure if ammo sales will stop also but it seems likely. Is WalMart the only place to get Winchester White box?

SayUncle Adds: Since I was going to write about it and saw gunner beat me to it, I’ll add it here. At Facing South, they cover the issue:

The Violence Policy Center, a gun control group, said Wal-Mart’s decision reflected what it called a decline in gun ownership. “The marketplace has spoken and the losers are America’s gun industry and the gun lobby,” VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann said in a statement.

Once again, they’re lying. Post 9/11 and post Katrina and for other reasons, gun sales are up.

Additionally, Chris notes:

It’s all part of the Wal-Mart’s efforts to go upscale, trading in the plastic crap and blue collar goods image for wine bars, boutique styling, and cardigan sweaters.

Surely, those blogging for a Progressive South aren’t intimating that gun owners (of which there are an estimated 100,000,000 in this country) are all low-brow, blue collar types? Doesn’t sound very progressive.

Gunner adds

I just finished talking to a manager at WalMart and he said that they were told it would be the bottom 20% performing stores that would stop selling firearms. He also mentioned that the southern district(?) were the big sellers so we did not have to worry.

Since one of the main reasons I do not shop at Target is the fact that they do not sell firearms I think this will mean a loss of one customer.

You’ve likely heard this saying

“Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency”

Seems it might be true.

If you’re not following it, Michael has a round up and R. Neal has the Cliff notes version.

It sucks. It was a hit piece and it may have resulted in Hobbs losing his job. If so, it’s another case of a fish-wrap, dog-training supply company with an ax to grind making someone’s life difficult for expressing themselves because, well, I don’t know why. Crushing of dissent.

I was going to address the free speech concern but Chris beat me to it:

… this has nothing to do with free speech, specifically, and everything to do with being beholden to our employers in general, in places where Polite, Professional Employees just don’t have opinions.

It’s another good test case for why I prefer anonymity and pseudonymity. I concur with R. Neal:

It’s just blogging, folks. Pixels arranged on a screen. People take this shit way too seriously.

Check out this video. Long story short:

Cop buys food

Says cashier short-changed him

Goes to arrest her

Sprays her with mace

Video shows she gave him the right change

News Channel 9:

A black bear attacked a family of three in Polk County, Tennessee, killing a 6-year-old girl, and seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy and the children’s mother. They have been airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center and are listed in critical condition.

This is why I’ve never understood why parks and campgrounds and such ban firearms. Going toe to toe with a bear is not good for you. Waving arms didn’t help in this case. But a few rounds of 230 grain jacketed hollow points may have convinced the bear to leave.

Somebody needs to call Al Gore. His Internets seem slow lately. Is it just me?

The IRS has a present for you:

The Internal Revenue Service is quietly moving to loosen the once-inviolable privacy of federal income-tax returns.

If it succeeds, accountants and other tax-return preparers for the first time would be able to sell information from individual returns — or even entire returns — to marketers and data brokers.

Via PTH.

Why CCW works.

Over at the Volokh’s, they report that:

South Park Executive Producer Reveals That Comedy Central Censored the Showing of Mohammed out of Fear, not “Religious Tolerance.”

Xrlq says the terrorists won. Actually, the terrorists won the first time some grandma hopping a flight to Cleveland had her toenail clippers taken.

CounterTop says: if recreation of Muhammad’s image isn’t allowed then how the hell would the islamists even know what images to be offended by, since presumably they have no idea what he looks like?

R. Neal tells us the Knoxville News Sentinel no longer requires registration. Good.

A while back, BB&T said it wouldn’t loan money for projectes taken via eminent domain. Now, a government agency is reacting:

The city’s urban renewal agency is looking to pull its $2.37 million out of BB&T because of the regional bank’s policy against loaning money for private projects that depend on eminent domain to obtain property.

Charleston Urban Renewal Authority members voted Wednesday to seek bids from other banks because they haven’t received answers from BB&T officials on the bank’s policy, said agency Director Pat Brown.

The authority has used its power to condemn property to help revitalize Charleston’s downtown. Once the property is condemned, it is sold to private developers.

The Boston Channel:

A Foxborough man was arrested and charged Wednesday after shooting his neighbor’s Siberian husky dog, Kato.

[feel good info about the dog and its owners snipped]

Wednesday, Kato wandered to East Street where Frederick Grossmith, 48, lives. He said Kato and his own dog started fighting and, he told police, when he tried to break them up, Kato bit him. He then got his gun and shot Kato in the head.

[feel good info about the dog and its owners snipped]

Grossmith called 911 and EMT’s treated him for minor dog bites. He is not known as animal hater. He owns the most recognizable herd of animals in Foxborough. Now, however, he’s been charged with animal cruelty and weapons violations. He was arraigned in Wrentham District Court Wednesday and the judge ordered him to stay away from Kato’s family. Police confiscated all his weapons.

If the facts are as presented (and I think they are since he was treated for dog bites), why was he arrested, charged and why were his guns taken? And what are these weapons violations? I’m as dog-friendly as they get but an unrestrained, wondering animal is potentially dangerous. If that animal is not on its own property and is fighting other dogs, I think said action is justified.

The Ninja in yesterdays story tells why he was taken down by the ATF

“One of the guys yelled I had a gun, tackled me and asked where my gun was,” Ransom said.

After telling agents he only had his keys, wallet and cell phone on him, Ransom said the agent pinning him to the ground responded that, being trained officers, they would not mistake any of those items for a gun.

Trained officers?!?! Like Mr “I’m the only one professional enough”?

They were right that he had a gun

This is my rifle
this is my gun,
this is for fighting
and this is for fun!

Just maybe the agent had “gun envy”.

In an update to this, looks like Comedy Central did censor Mohammed.

Presented without comment, the AP:

A Marine reservist returning home after eight months in Iraq was told he couldn’t board a plane to Minneapolis because his name appeared on a watch list as a possible terrorist.

But I loves the similes too

Bruce called me out in comments:

I’m afraid I have to issue you a HARP citation (Humorous Analogy Repetition Penalty). Only 16 days separate this post from your most recent use of the the “cock-flavored lollipop” analogy. As good as it may be – the analogy, that it is, not the confection – Blogging Etiquette guideline #241.5/e calls for a full 30-day cool-down period between such posts.

Well, when you get up to over 8,000 posts, you’re bound to repeat yourself. Plus, there are plenty of similes, analogies and other lame sayings that I like to use. Such as (and, no, they’re not all similes):

Like a monkey fucking a football – something odd looking or a task performed with great ineptitude

Dumber than a soup sandwich – self explanatory

You can’t polish a turd – to describe putting positive spin on bad news

Bonus: From the Bloodhound Gang and hard to use in conversation: Like a Kenny Loggins’ record no one’s ever gonna to hear you and Like the Jim Jones Cult, I’ll take you out with a punch.

So, what are your favorites?

Chris has a long post about Glocks and Safety. Money quote:

A Glock with a properly set up trigger WILL NOT FIRE ACCIDENTALLY; only negligently.

Indeed.

Ah, Massachusetts:

Attorney General Tom Reilly has learned that gun dealers recently began selling Glock handguns to Massachusetts consumers, after the company represented that the handguns were in compliance with the Attorney General’s Handgun Sales Regulations.

AG Reilly’s Office has notified Glock, Inc. that the “extractor indicator” device which the company recently added to its handguns is not an effective load indicator and, therefore, does not comply with the handgun regulations. The AG’s Office reached this determination after consulting with firearms experts. In response, Glock has recalled all handguns shipped to dealers and distributors in the Commonwealth and ceased in-state sales.

Or you could just encourage people to treat all guns like they’re loaded.

As always, the handgun regulations do not pertain to firearms used by law enforcement or military personnel as part of their official duties.

But I thought it was for safety and we don’t want cops and military folks to have unsafe weapons. Like you and me, only better.

The Attorney General’s Handgun Sales Regulations fall under the state’s consumer protection law and protect consumers and their families from unsafe handguns. The regulations require all handguns sold in Massachusetts to include certain safety and child-proofing measures and safety warnings.

Err, no. It’s about gun control not gun safety. Why would you exclude police from such safety measures were it for, you know, safety? If it were about safety, you’d educate folks on firearms safety.

The Attorney General’s handgun regulations are intended to protect responsible gun owners and their families from firearms that are unsafe by design or manufacture. AG Reilly recognizes that there are many people in the Commonwealth who legitimately own firearms for hunting and sporting, and that those individuals use them in a responsible manner.

Glocks are not unsafe by design or manufacture and to intimate otherwise is a lie.

I caught tonight’s South Park episode. A note in the show said Comedy Central refused to air the image of Muhammad. However, they (Comedy Central) had no problem showing Jesus taking a dump on people and wallowing in feces, which I’m sure South Park’s creators knew they would. Now, we’ll see if CC caves to Christian groups who are certain to complain. And, for reference, in the episode Super Best Friends, an image of Muhammad was shown. See:

Now, it could have been a joke and Comedy Central didn’t actually refuse but I doubt it. Barring that, they’re pussies.

Update: And I like how they made fun about the lack of jokes and being all preachy.

A bit back, some readers gave me some grief over the fact I said I didn’t advocate the ATF being completely disbanded. Scaled back and scrutinized definitely but not disbanded. If we’re going to have gun laws (and we are), someone needs to enforce them. One such reason why they’re useful is I’m certain they had a hand in this:

Authorities have taken four men into custody in Honolulu because federal agents said the men were trying to smuggle a shipment of weapons through Honolulu International Airport to Indonesia.

Honolulu was the center of an international arms deal worth more than $3 million, according to agents with the Homeland Security Department and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

The deal was stopped with the help of the American company that was supposed to supply the equipment.

The company I assume was H&K since the list of goodies is their stuff:

882 Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine guns (pictured)
800 Heckler and Koch 9mm handguns
16 Heckler and Koch sniper rifles

The guys claim they were buying them on behalf of the Indonesian government. Maybe they were. We’ll see.

Update: But they still do stuff like this:

ATF agents are always on alert for anything suspicious — including ninjas.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents, on campus Tuesday for Project Safe Neighborhoods training, detained a “suspicious individual” near the Georgia Center, University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
…….
After being held in investigative detention, he was found to have violated no criminal laws and was not arrested.

“It was surreal,” Ransom said. “I was jogging from Wesley to Snelling when I heard someone yell ‘freeze.’”

Ransom said he thought a friend was playing a joke before he realized officers had guns drawn and pointed at him.

ATF agents had noticed Ransom’s suspicious behavior and clothing and gave chase, apprehending him, Williamson said.

The kid was heading to a pirate vs. ninja event on campus. And, no, I don’t know what that is.

Seen at Carnaby’s:

Section 5845(f), Title 26, United States Code, regulates certain weapons as “destructive devices” which are subject to the registration and tax provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA). Section 5845(f)(2) includes within the definition of “destructive device” any type of weapon which will or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel of which has a bore of more than one-half inch in diameter. However, section 5845(f)(3) excludes from the definition of “destructive device” any device which is neither designed or redesigned for use as a weapon and any device, although originally designed for use as a weapon, which is redesigned for use as a signaling, pyrotechnic, line throwing, safety, or similar device. The definition of “destructive device” in the Gun Control Act (GCA), 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, is identical to that in the NFA.

ATF has previously examined “potato guns” or “spud guns” as described above and has generally determined that such devices using potatoes as projectiles and used solely for recreational purposes are not weapons and do not meet the definition of “firearm” or “destructive device” in either the NFA or GCA. However, ATF has classified such devices as “firearms” and “destructive devices” if their design, construction, ammunition, actual use, or intended use indicate that they are weapons. For example, ATF has classified such devices as “firearms” and “destructive devices” if they are designed and used to expel flaming tennis balls.

So, it’s classified based on which particular projectile it’s intended to be loaded with. Seems sort of, err, random since the actual gun is the same in either case, rather like a squirt gun can also be a flame thrower. By the way, check out Spud Tech for all your potato gun needs.

I have finalized plans for the Blogger Shoot, which, contrary to what some think, does not involve shooting at bloggers. Everyone is invited and here are the details:

Who: Invitation is open to all. Bloggers, readers, lurkers, reporters, gun nuts, hoplophobes, or anybody else.

What: Spring Time Blogger Shoot. We will have the entire indoor range to ourselves.

When: Sunday, April 23, 2006. Arrive at about 4:45p.m(ish) and we will begin shooting at 5:00 and last at least until 6:00

Where: Coal Creek Armory, you can find a map and directions here

What you need to know: The four rules of firearms safety:

1. All guns are always loaded

2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire

4. Be sure of your target and what’s behind it

What you need to bring: $10 for range time is all that is required. However, some additional recommendations are:

Glasses, if you wear them

A hat with a bill (such as a baseball cap). This will prevent any warm brass from bouncing off your forehead

Comfortable shoes and clothing

Additional money, in case you need more targets, ammunition, or have the urge to buy something

If you wish to bring your own weapon, that’s great. But it is not required. There will be plenty there for you to shoot. If you do bring your own, pistol calibers only

An open mind: Listen to what the Coal Creek staff have to say and follow their instructions. It’s for safety’s sake.

Future event: There is planning underway for a second outdoor shoot later in the spring to give folks a try at various non-pistol calibers.

Thanks to the folks at Coal Creek for giving us the space.

If you plan on attending, leave a comment or shoot me an email so we can get a decent count.

I’ll post this announcement again in the future.

Via Brittney who apparently bought this bullshit, S-townMike writes:

I’ve been waiting to see if the conserva-tive bloggers would start promoting shooting local looters on the heels of last week’s tornadoes as they did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina last year, but the silence on the right with regard to “shoot first and let God sort ‘em out” has been deafening in this case. Last year we could not get them to shut up their calls for mowing kids down over a pair of Nikes. But now the logic does not seem to be applicable when looters are stealing chunks of houses. But wouldn’t shooting looters rather than arresting them send a much more powerful message to other potential looters (many of whom were no doubt snarling the traffic southward down Gallatin Road all the way to Briley Parkway this past weekend)? So, what’s with the silence? I won’t say that the difference in conservative outcry has anything to do with the difference in the race of the looters we are seeing on television from those we saw in New Orleans, but the rightwing seems a lot less frenzied at these white-boy looters.

It’s a veritable cornucopia of logical leaps and fallacies. See, we gun-toting right-wingers were out there advocating shooting children over sneakers. And, of course, it’s all because those kids were black. Mind you, Mikey here doesn’t link to any blogger advocating shooting little black boys over shoes and that’s likely because he couldn’t find any respectable blogger who did that. No one I know of advocated for that but rather advocated that the residents of NO defend their own lives and livelihood since civil order completely broke down, not random shooting of looters. Also, he can’t even link a news source about the local looting but posts some screen cap that references one person arrested for burglary instead. I have never heard of any post-tornado looting and the only incident I know of is the one from the screen capture Mikey-poo posted. I conclude that there was probably an isolated event or two and not widespread taking of property and that there weren’t roving bands of armed gangs that warranted defending yourself from. And, of course, in Tennessee it doesn’t exactly look like the law enforcement community broke down the way it did in New Orleans.

And, of course, there is the utter ridiculousness that silence on the issue is an endorsement of a particular position. Had such looting been as widespread, had civil order broken down, and had the incidents been reported widely in the press, you would have seen folks comment on this issue. And they, like me, would have said that folks need to defend themselves from looters. But the fact is, there is no issue here and he made it up to score cheap political points. His non-analysis of a non-event is about as useful as a cock-flavored lollipop.

So, Mikey-poo, let’s see some respectable bloggers advocating killing them all and letting God sort them out. Or a respectable blogger advocating killing kids over Nikes. Otherwise, you’re a liar. And all this from a guy who claims to have a Ph.D. in ethics. Obviously, it’s the study of and not the application.

Zendo Deb looks at an unflattering press piece about the Pink Pistols, complete with lame references to shooting straight.

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

Pete has a long post on the drug war.

WATE:

Tennessee revenue collections in March were $33 million more than the budgeted estimate.
Franchise and excise tax collections, along with sales tax collections, accounted for most of the increase.

Franchise and excise tax collections were almost $21 million more than estimated, while sales tax collections were $11 million higher than estimates.

Overall, the state collected $746.6 million through March.

Finance officials are projecting the fiscal year will end up with a surplus exceeding $177 million.

Remember this when the income tax starts rearing its head again. It’s not a revenue problem.

The folks at Subguns.com are posting pics from the Knob Creek Shoot. Just keep scrolling.

Glenn and Helen interview Harold Ford, Jr.

Via GunLawNews, comes a bit by The Outdoor Wire (scroll down a bit) on an act to modernize and reform ATF. Some highlights:

H.R. 5092 revises the current enforcement system , including expanding the currently limited options for administrative penalties applied to licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Todatm for most violations, BATFE has only two options: issue FFL holders a warning, or revoke the license. 5092’s “modernization” would allow a series of clearly-stated fines and/or license suspensions for less serious violations; limiting license revocation to serious criminal violations that could potentially block criminal investigations or put guns in the hands of criminals.

Equally significant is 5092’s apparent intention to clarify the standard for violations. The proposed legislation allowing penalties for “intentional, purposeful violations of the law” but not for simple paperwork mistakes. The bill also improves the due process under which BATFE imposes these penalties; allowing for appeal of BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge – rather than to an employee of BATFE itself. A frequent criticism from observers is that BATFE is incapable – or unwilling – to hear appeals in an unbiased manner.

In 1986, Congress passed the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, believing these problems were corrected with that passage. Instead, the government has ignored the FOPA, even arguing in court the changes were “without practical significance.”

…

H.R. 5092 also speaks to one of the continual criticisms of the BATFE by gunsmiths: the Bureau spends too-much time and effort investigating gunsmiths instead of investigating “real” criminals.

H.R. 5092 would focus BATFE’s enforcement efforts on violations of firearms, explosives, arson, alcohol and tobacco laws, rather than non-jurisdictional areas.

Simply put it would clarify BATFE’s purpose by directing efforts toward criminals, removing the firearms industry from what they now characterize as their status “low-hanging fruit” for ATF enforcement efforts.

Another baby step.

As Nate said in comments, with the exception of a few target pistols, I don’t know of any modern pistol designed, made or intended to be fired with one hand. Most folks use a two-handed shooting stance. Are all handguns now AOWs? Seems they could be with the looseness of this ruling.

Remember the DEA Agent who claimed he was the only one professional enough to handle a weapon right before he shot himself in the leg while talking to a class of kids? Well, here’s the detail. Well, the Smoking Gun notes that:

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent who stars in a popular online video that shows him shooting himself in the foot during a weapons demonstration for Florida children is suing over the tape’s release, claiming that his career has been crippled and he’s become a laughingstock due to the embarrassing clip’s distribution. Lee Paige, 45, blames the video’s release on DEA officials in an April 7 federal lawsuit filed against the U.S. government.

Pesky berry ninjas

R. Neal brings to our attention the police reaction to Floridians poaching berries:

For berry patrol, each deputy dons green fatigues or camouflage, army boots, a black motorcycle helmet or military “Bonnie Hat,” heavy duty gloves, and a belt with bush necessities: automatic pistol, taser, pepper spray, baton, night-vision goggles, infrared binoculars, high-powered flashlight, cell phone, bullet pack and infrared strobe light, “so that violators don’t notice when we signal a helicopter,” says John Gibson, a member of the unit.

To roam the badlands, the deputies use six all-terrain vehicles and six 4-by-4 off-roaders. Most impressive are two Ford F250s, with their 38-inch tires, heavy duty winches and satellite antennas. They hit speeds of 90 mph, though speeding in dense brush is generally avoided, Gibson adds, “because it’s hard to stop them once you get them going.”

Each off-roader comes with a laptop, printer, and GPS mapping capability. (”It’s easy to get lost in the bush,” Robinson says. “There are no road signs – well, no roads either.”) Twelve-gauge shotguns are stowed in a floor case; collapsible, AR-15 “Bushmasters,” as the semiautomatic rifles are known, are fixed to the ceiling for easy access.

And then there’s the Encore – a jeep, normally built for the military, that can drive for miles through swamps, submerged.

I’ve addressed how the militarization of our police force concerns me before. This is just another example. You don’t use shotguns as flyswatters.

A district court in South Carolina once ruled, basically, that a pistol with a vertical fore grip is not an Any Other Weapon because it’s still a pistol:

25. Title 26, United States Code Section 5845(e) defines “any other weapon” as:

… any weapon or device capable of being concealed from which
a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosion
… Such term shall not include a pistol or revolver having a
rifled bore, or rifled bores, or weapons designed, made or
intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of
firing fixed ammunition.

26. A “pistol” is defined in Section 5845 as

A weapon originally designed, made and intended to fire a
projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one
hand, and having (a) a chamber(s) as an integral part(s) of or
permanently aligned with, the bore(s); and (b) a short stock
designed to be gripped by one hand and at an angle to and
extending below the line of the bore(s). 27 CFR 178.11
(emphasis added).

27. Even after being modified with grips, the pistols are still “pistols” as defined above and not “any other weapon” as defined by 26 U.S.C. section 5845(e).

Despite this, the ATF says that such a pistol is an Any Other Weapon:

ATF has long held that by installing a vertical fore grip on a handgun, the handgun is no longer designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand. Therefore, if individuals install a vertical fore grip on a handgun, they are “making” a firearm requiring registration with ATF’s NFA Branch. Making an unregistered “AOW” is punishable by a fine and 10 years’ imprisonment. Additionally, possession of an unregistered “AOW” is also punishable by fine and 10 years’ imprisonment.

The ATF seems to be asserting that, basically, if it’s not something else, it must be an any other weapon. In other words, such pistols do not meet the definition of an AOW but they don’t meet the legal criteria for pistol either. Hence, the ATF just picked one.

To make this clear, if you own, say, a Glock 17, which has a rail for accessories, and you own one of these, which happens to fit that accessory rail, and you attach it, it’s equivalent to possession of an illegal machine gun.

Publicola has more.

In New York, since they can’t sue gun dealers, they want to fine them $100K per occurrence in which they sell illegal guns. That’s what they say but what they mean is they want to fine a dealer who lawfully sells a weapon then later that weapon is discovered to be illegal because it wound up in the hands of a criminal. After all, if dealers were selling illegal guns, that’s already illegal.

Publicola has more on whether or not felons should be allowed to own guns.

Let me know if you get any 412 Precondition Failed errors. Everything seems to be working now just want to make sure it is for you guys too.

The NRA writes:

After denying the illegal confiscation for months, on March 15, 2006, Mayor Nagin and the NOPD conceded in federal court that they do have seized guns stored in locked steel containers. The city then agreed in court to a process by which law-abiding citizens may file a claim to receive their confiscated firearms.

However, a New Orleans official handling the gun confiscations stated that no guns have been returned because the NOPD requires background checks, and the city has not set up a process. The official acknowledged, “We’ve been told it was going to happen weeks ago…and still hasn’t been done.”

Kinda funny for a commercial.

Heck, I’ll take half that. Or a quarter.

No rising temperature since 1998? And 60ish climate experts reiterated the near impossibility to seperate the various causes that are contributing to climate change.

Remember, close your eyes, put your fingers in your ears and repeat I can’t hear you because this stuff, you know, isn’t debatable you holocaust-denying, flat-earthers.

Apparently, using the word porn in a post title (as in gun porn – like this one) has affected the security mods. Let me know if you still get the 412 error. This may increase spamminess on the site but we’ll see.

Yesterday morning, I was taking the trash to the curb. After our evening rain, there were a lot of earthworms squirming around on the driveway. On my way back, one such earthworm was in the garage. I decided to help the little fella (err, actually, I seem to recall from high school biology that earthworms aren’t exactly fellas but are sort of gender neutral) out and picked him up and tossed him into the grass. I figured it’d help the earthworm out and keep me from later having a dried earthworm carcass in my garage. About 2 seconds after the worm hit the ground, a bird landed, snatched it up and took off. Kinda sucks for the earthworm but I guess getting eaten is better than shriveling up in my garage.

Almost time for the big girl pants. On Saturday, Junior did number 1 in her potty. On Sunday, she did number 2 in her potty. Woohoo.

In a bit of irony, it appears that actual public use isn’t the best use. In New Jersey, the Asbury Park Board of Education is getting kicked out of its offices (where they no doubt reside tax free) to make way for townhouses and condominiums. Heartless Libertarian notes:

When even government agencies aren’t safe from other government agencies rapacious appetites, it should scare everyone. This particular case should especially scare non-profit entities such as churches, who don’t pay any property taxes.

The Geek reports that Angel Shamaya has reached a deal:

The judge overseeing the case ordered the police to give Angel’s guns back, but he must register the handguns in compliance with Michigan law (euphemistically called a “safety inspection”, but it is clearly registration, a law adopted in the 20s to keep guns out of the hands of Blacks). The only charges on the table were four misdemeanor counts of failure to present a handgun for a safety inspection. The theoried charge discussed in the media and on the Net about “menacing” and threats was not advanced by prosecutors, because there was no substance to the theoried charge. Police and prosecutors figured this out after looking at the facts and evidence.

Legal fees were about $10K.

Looks like Bob Krumm has officially announced his entrance into the local State Senate race.

The guys at Subguns.com report that someone at the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot stole a transferable M-60. The thief was later caught. Price of a pre-86, transferable M-60 machine gun: About $30,000.

Yes, like every other thing legislators fail to take into consideration, the California Assault Weapons Ban has a loophole:

Assault weapons were banned across the country in 1994 and continue to be illegal in California, even though the federal ban expired in 2004. State legislation passed in 2000 expanded the definition of banned assault weapons to include any semiautomatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine if it has a pistol grip, flash suppressor or grenade launcher; and any semiautomatic pistol that can accept a detachable magazine if it also can accept a flash suppressor, forward hand grip or silencer. But nothing banned assault-weapon receivers – essentially the frame of a gun.

That created a gray area that many gun owners say is confusing. Gun owners who purchase off-list receivers – so called because they are not on the list of guns banned by the state – are not in violation of the law as long as they don’t add the illegal components to the guns, said Randy Rossi, director of the Firearms Division of the attorney general’s office. But they could be prosecuted by local courts that consider the weapons to be in violation of the ban, Rossi said.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the Stockton Police Department both have said owners of off-list receivers are not breaking the law as long as they don’t add illegal features as specified in the assault-weapon ban.

Receivers that technically could be built into assault weapons are legal in the state. Anti-gun groups fear that such receivers easily could be used to build weapons like the ones legislators banned. True assault weapons, such as fully automatic Uzis and AK47s, can fire up to 30 bullets in five seconds.

And, of course, if someone is inclined to break the law and make assault weapons, they may also be inclined make the fully automatic weapons.

My understanding of the California ban is that specific manufacturers’ weapons were banned by name. As such, lesser known manufacturers receivers, for example, are not on the list. I think the law also allows for the Cali DOJ to add weapons to the list. Here’s a list of restricted weapons in California.

Jeff has more and notes:

Arguments like Merrilees’ show exactly why these “assault weapons” bans are so ridiculous. They are roundabout ways of trying to eventually ban all legal gun ownership. It’s not the receiver or the flash suppressor or the pistol grip, it’s the bad guy misusing the gun; it’s the criminal. Control them and you stop the problem and law abiding citizens can go about their business with whatever firearms they want for hunting, sporting, or personal defense.

Victor at ar15.com has a lengthy post (including pics) about the FN-SCAR.

Folks are getting the 412 Precondition Failed error when leaving comments. I’m aware of it but at a loss for how to fix it. I’m looking into it. We had the issue before and it just magically went away. Now, it has returned.

Anyone know what happened to Aaron’s?

Update: In comments, Aaron says:

I’ve been hacked. So far, Hosting Matters has tracked it to Saudi Arabia. I was offline for the Sabbath. It happened a couple of hours before sundown Friday, I notified HM and they’re still working on it.

The Carnival of Cordite is up, for all your gun blogging needs.

Pro-Gun Progressive has more details on applying for a CCW permit in his not shall-issue state. Most striking to me:

They also wanted a letter from my manager explaining my duties as an outside sales rep; the letter also had to state that he didn’t have a problem with my carrying and transporting a handgun.

Yes, that’s correct. Another private citizen may have sway in determining whether you can get a concealed carry permit.

Gun Law news has the skinny on what H.R.5005 is about:

Make no mistake; H.R.5005 does not correct the injustice of the Hughes Amendment.

What it does do is allow for the correction of two situations.

Read the rest.

No, not here but here. I like the looks of the Ace stock. Anyone ever use one? If so, what’s the cheek weld like?

The 16 inch barreled version has arrived at CCA. They have pics but I see no price.

Pretty funny:

So, here’s the story… I said to my girlfriend that any stupid website could get tons of hits, simply because people are bored all the time. She said that I was an idiot and couldn’t make a website that could get tons of hits if I wanted to. After a long argument (mostly centered around the fact that she called me an idiot) we made a bet:

If I could not make a website to get 2,000,000 hits, I would agree that I was an idiot; however, if I could make a website to get 2,000,000 hits, she would have a menage a trois (that’s a threesome to you non french-speakers) with me and another girl.

So, click.

Via South Park Pundit.

Word at subguns.com, is that a commercial for Mythbusters shows the shoestring machine gun. The posters questioned the legality of it but it is my understanding that many states (and more likely California) have exceptions for dramatic license, movie production and valid scientific experimentation. Even Tennessee law provides a possible defense of possession as:

Activity reasonably related to lawful dramatic performance or scientific research

But, kids, don’t try it at home. Just because you’re videotaping yourself, it doesn’t mean you can have a machine gun.

Update: Looks like they’re using a shoestring just to pull the trigger from a distance.

I have finalized plans for the Blogger Shoot, which, contrary to what some think, does not involve shooting at bloggers. Everyone is invited and here are the details:

Who: Invitation is open to all. Bloggers, readers, lurkers, reporters, gun nuts, hoplophobes, or anybody else.

What: Spring Time Blogger Shoot. We will have the entire indoor range to ourselves.

When: Sunday, April 23, 2006. Arrive at about 4:45p.m(ish) and we will begin shooting at 5:00 and last at least until 6:00

Where: Coal Creek Armory, you can find a map and directions here

What you need to know: The four rules of firearms safety:

1. All guns are always loaded

2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire

4. Be sure of your target and what’s behind it

What you need to bring: $10 for range time is all that is required. However, some additional recommendations are:

Glasses, if you wear them

A hat with a bill (such as a baseball cap). This will prevent any warm brass from bouncing off your forehead

Comfortable shoes and clothing

Additional money, in case you need more targets, ammunition, or have the urge to buy something

If you wish to bring your own weapon, that’s great. But it is not required. There will be plenty there for you to shoot. If you do bring your own, pistol calibers only

An open mind: Listen to what the Coal Creek staff have to say and follow their instructions. It’s for safety’s sake.

Future event: There is planning underway for a second outdoor shoot later in the spring to give folks a try at various non-pistol calibers.

Thanks to the folks at Coal Creek for giving us the space.

If you plan on attending, leave a comment or shoot me an email so we can get a decent count.

I’ll post this announcement again in the future.

Over at SayAunt (a parody of SayUncle), comes this quote by homebru on squirt gun modifications:

But if you cut and glue, aren’t those the same things that a “manufacturer” does? How much modification can you do before you become a de-facto manufacturer and subject to the wetcize tax?

heh.

Via Brittney, Claire Suddath looks at the Pit Bull ban.

To get Ted Nugent to speak at an event, you have to shell out $25K.

I’ve covered the drug raid at Goose Creek in the past. Police drew guns and used dogs on high school students and no drugs were found. Pete reports on a possible settlement in the case:

A federal judge gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a $1.2 million plan to settle lawsuits filed over a high school drug sweep where police drew their guns.

Surveillance videotapes captured the 2003 raid, in which officers ordered students to lie on the floor and used a dog to search them. Police found no drugs and no arrests were made, but the raid provoked marches and the resignation of the school’s principal.

Fifty-nine students and their families sued the Goose Creek police and the Berkeley County School District, claiming their constitutional rights were violated.

Blake has a very detail post about the Tennessee legislature’s bill to curb eminent domain abuse. He says it won’t do much.

Radley Balko looks at SWAT Teams and no knock warrants.

Bitter writes:

Why can’t we ever find that perfect plantiff for good gun rights related cases? I know, just because someone’s life isn’t perfectly in order doesn’t mean that they don’t have valid cases on whatever gun related matter is bothering them at the time. But when it comes to winning the public opinion on a case and turning the tide of public support in your favor, you do need a nearly flawless plantiff.

I concur. However, it is generally the case that someone arrested on gun crimes was likely doing something else in addition to said crime. Not everyone’s a Boy Scout. That’s not the case in Bitter’s example as this guy did it later. But, generally speaking, law abiding folks don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves.

This looks like some bad ju-ju:

Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff told prosecutors in the CIA leak case that President Bush authorized disclosure of intelligence information on Iraq, according to a new court filing.

Jay takes on the issue of gun rights absolutists and those who take an incremental approach:

Over at Kevin’s place, there’s a storm brewing between the 2A absolutists and the pro-2A incrementalists. The 2A absolutists want nothing more than VT-style gun laws, and nothing short of that is good enough for them. The incrementalists see our progress as a good thing, with more to come; they point to the passing of the dreaded Asssault Weapons Ban, the “Stand Your Ground”/”Castle Doctrine”/etc. laws in various states, Protection of Lawful Commerce Act, and concealed carry passing in KS & NE.

I am somewhat of an absolutist but, as a matter of policy, it’s not the best means to an ends. So, I guess I’m an incremental absolutist, meaning I’ll take the smaller victories with a goal toward said absolutism.

Remember, gun owners can be their own worst enemies.

Michael Silence reports that red light cameras are at the intersection of Alcoa Highway and Kingston Pike.

Via Standard Mischief, comes Wikocracy:

Wikocracy is a experiment in free-for-all law revisions. Everything is up for grabs here, laws, regulations, judgments, legislation from the bench, from the executive branch, or from congress. Even the very mother documents that birthed this great county are up for revisions. Nothing is sacred.

Neat little thought experiment.

I’m used to seeing hysteria and stupidity regarding breed bans but there usually in some far off land like California or Canada. That all changed today when it landed in my state. Brittney tells us that Pit Bulls have been banned in Nashville dog parks:

Citing safety concerns, the Metro Parks Board on Tuesday banned pit bulls from the city’s three off-the-leash dog parks. The new rule will be effective April 15.

The board passed the ban after hearing testimony from two Nashvillians who have had violent run-ins with the dogs in Metro Parks, including Lt. George Mitchell, who heads the Park Police and was bitten on the arm by a leashed pit bull in Centennial Park last September.

West Nashville resident Ellen Cox also urged approval of the ban, citing $211 in veterinarian expenses she faced after a pit bull attacked her dog at the Shelby Park facility.

The board voted unanimously to ban pit bulls and also “dogs having the characteristic of the pit bull breed,” though the ambiguity in the rule caused concern among board members James Lawson and Lamont Carter that breed owners could have grounds for a legal appeal if cited.

Yes, on the testimony of two people, the city banned dogs based on loosely defined criteria. Criteria so loose, expect trouble and a successful court challenge a la the Alabama Supreme Court decision on the issue. All dogs share well over 99% of their DNA with other dogs (wolves too) and there is, generally, no scientific way to tell breeds apart. So, if you happen to have a particularly bullish looking Boxer, you might get in trouble.

Facts are that all dogs are capable of violence. All dogs are natural killers, including little Fluffy-Wuffy in some 60 year-old cat-rancher’s purse. All dogs have a desire to have their place in the social order spelled out definitively and this leads to dog on dog violence. People seem to forget that they are animals or are just unwilling to accept the fact that little Fifi would dominate you in a minute if given the chance. This is evidenced by Brittney’s update:

One of our videojounalists (sic) went to a Nashville dog park to get some footage and interviews for his piece on this for tonight. While there he witnessed a dog fight. A male Chow attacked a mixed breed. There were no pit bulls at that park.

I don’t really have a lot more to say about it that I’ve not already said before. This week, it’s pit bulls and next week it will be German Shepherds. Remember, the single most telling factor in dog aggression (particularly fatal dog attacks) is the reproductive status of male dogs.

In fact, I’ve had my share of doggie violence lately but it was the result of the one that is politically correct and not the one that looks that certain way.

Additional thoughts: I have never been a fan of off leash parks or taking dogs anywhere off leash. It’s not that I don’t trust my dog, it’s that I don’t trust you or your dog. At these parks, they shouldn’t screen the dogs, they should screen the owners.

The day is shaping up to be pretty nice. Me, Junior, and her Radio Flyer Wagon are heading to the zoo. Later, you crazy kids.

Publicola asks for help:

Which to buy; an SKS or an AK-47. & of the victor, which make & model with which features would be the best bang for the buck?

My response is that the SKS is more accurate but the AK is more everything else. That’s just my opinion, though. However, I would snatch up an SKS-D in a heartbeat.

Reader beerslurpy comments:

Oh my god I cant beleive how this crap has spread everywhere. THIS BILL DOES NOT DO WHAT YOU SAY IT DOES. You have all been deceived.

If you analyze the text of the bill (which I did on thehighroad.org legal and politics section) you will see that this is basically a bill exempting federal security contractors (blackwater etc) from most of the NFA regulations including the 86 ban. Everything else is just recodification of things that are already law. This will CHANGE NOTHING AT ALL FOR US. Every single one of the “reforms” was already implemented earlier in appropriations bills. The huge change which no one mentions is the fact that the government can now equip and use mercenaries inside the US without obeying federal or state gun control laws. This is huge.

HR5005 IS A VERY BAD BILL. Please stop promoting it. Ask for real reform or nothing.

I concur on real reform being needed but don’t really see why this bill is bad, per se. Anyone?

It’s true. You see, according to Kevin, when it comes to things that are all sciency ‘n’ shit, the scientists hold a vote and whoever gets the most votes wins the game at determining what things are scientific fact vs. what is scientific theory. As Stormy said in comments:

Contrary to common belief, science is not the process of gathering a hundred experts in a room and having them vote on what they think the truth is.

See, after they have that vote, a point is no longer debatable. And if you, being the guy who vaguely remembers something about the scientific method from the eighth grade, point out that consensus does not equal fact, then you are no better than a person who believes that the Earth is flat nor are you better than a person who denies the holocaust happened. Hell, while I’m at it, I also believe that my truck is powered by two hamsters and a rubber band; that gnomes are stealing my odd socks; and that Chimpy McHitlerburton’s daddy planted an Uncle Tom Supreme Court Justice in 1991 as part of an elaborate plot to steal the election in 2000 that they knew was coming nine years in advance!

You see, yours truly touched upon the sacred cow of Bushitler hating: Global warming. While I acknowledged that global warming is real (the Earth’s temperature has gone up between 0.4 and 0.8 degrees Celsius in the last 100 or so years), I take issue with the extent to which human activity has attributed to that. And I point out that there is no scientific fact established that human influence has affected global warming significantly. And, in a bit of dramatic irony so hot that it will surely raise the temperature of the earth another 0.01 degree centigrade or two, we’re debating it which makes it debatable.

Yes, I know, those coal-fired steam plants at TVA do more damage to the Earth than every SUV in the state; that mother nature can just decide that there will be an ice age on, say, Thursday; and that the Earth’s temperature has only really stabilized in the last few tens of thousands of years, which is insignificant when compared to the age of the planet; but I’m clearly a Flat Earther. And despite that last comment, I also think that Scientologists have been watching our planet since it’s creation, which was 6,000 years ago, by God.

But it’s not that I think humans have no effect on the Earth’s temperature. Rather, it’s the fact that there are so many other factors that play a part in the equation. The Earth is complex, as is weather. Whether or not humans are some sort of primary cause is entirely debatable as there are many natural things that affect the Earth. We do have ice ages, you know, but (thankfully) the industrial revolution happened shortly after our last one and warmed the earth up.

And, yes, I’m fully aware of the general asininity of this post of equating various ridiculous things with other things but that’s what my AmeriKKKan Rethuglican overlords tell me to do. That was rather the point, actually. And, yes, there is validity to scientific theory but it is not the same sense of absoluteness associated with verifiable scientific fact. When you proclaim that something is not debatable, you’ve basically admitted that there’s no convincing you otherwise. Then, if you’re Kevin, you point out that same shortcoming (whether it exists or not) in others because you’re not capable of admitting that something may be debatable after all.

Update: And Jesus and Santa Claus teamed up once to do battle with Dinosaurs and, subsequently, saved humanity.

The myspace kid who posed with guns (mentioned here) has been convicted even though he has committed no crime:

An Evergreen high school student who posted Internet photos of himself posing with guns was convicted Tuesday on a charge of possession of a handgun by a juvenile.

The conviction came despite his parents’ testimony that they gave him permission to handle guns in their home without their supervision.

Colorado law prohibits possession of a handgun by a juvenile, but permits parents to give them permission to possess guns in their homes, even without supervision.

You got that? No crime but scary images means you’re guilty in Colorado. All it took was calling forth images of Columbine:

“This is a very difficult case,” defense attorney Barrett Weisz said in his closing argument after a trial that began Friday.

“We have pictures that raise images of the Columbine massacre. But if we set the specter of Columbine aside,” he argued, the boy should be acquitted and sent home.

This case is not difficult. The kid broke no law and this case is black and fucking white. I don’t know how the juvenile system works in Colorado but here in TN, it’s pretty much the judge’s call when it comes to convictions. It seems it’s similar in Colorado:

But Jefferson County District Judge Brian Boatright said that permission had limits.

“That doesn’t mean juveniles could run around the house and do whatever he wanted with the gun,” Boatright said, noting that the father testified that the boys were not allowed to load or fire the weapons unless he was present.

Sorry, Boatright, but you need get treated for rectal-cranial inversion.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen the pics and the kid is pretty screwed up. So, send him to counseling instead of convicting him of a non-crime.

Careful what you pick up:

Part of a teacher’s hand was blown off when a 40 mm round the instructor used as a paperweight on his desk exploded in his classroom.

Robert Colla struck the round with an object Monday afternoon while teaching 20 to 25 students at the Ventura Adult Education Center on Valentine Road.

[snip]

Colla found the 40 mm round while hunting years ago, Huston said. He used it as a paperweight and “obviously he didn’t think the round was live,” Huston said.

Generally, it’s a good idea to leave munitions where you find them.

Update: Head says he should be arrested for illegal possession of a destructive device at a school.

Looks like some good came from the ATF hearings:

Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) and ranking member Bobby Scott (D-VA) agreed on the need to focus BATFE’s efforts on enforcing current laws against serious criminals, while not pursuing petty violations or undermining civil liberties. To that end, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Modernization and Reform Act of 2006” will soon be introduced. This bipartisan bill will update the legal standards for disciplining violations by FFLs. It also calls for a review of BATFE’s enforcement practices, and clarifies BATFE’s responsibilities to keep the Bureau focused on its core mission.

Good!

Gun activism by the numbers:

Contributions to Political Campaigns from Anti-Gunners, 1990-2006 (source):
$1,692,246

Contributions to Political Campaigns from Pro-Gunners, 1990-2006 (source)
$18,036,026

This is a post to gauge (heh!) interest in a local blogger/reader/whoever else shoot. I’ve been trying to coordinate the event with Tam (and by coordinate, I mean I mentioned it to her once and she said she’d check on prices) where a group of us get access to Coal Creek Armory’s indoor range after hours for some blasting. If you’re local or within driving distance, leave a comment if you’re interested. I’d like to get a decent count of potential participants before booking a space. It will probably be a Sunday evening.

Newbies, old-pros, gun-fearing-wussies, ATF agents, reporters, hoplophobes, gun nuts, and people of all stripes are welcome too. You might learn something.

We’ve had these in the past (a few times) and they are great fun.

I’m also trying to coordinate one at an outdoor range to give folks a chance to shoot some evil black rifles, though there will be an evil black rifle in 9mm at the indoor range. If anyone has a suggestion on a place that is unsupervised (sorry, nothing turns a newbie off like a range Nazi), let me know.

I mentioned a deal on them from Harbor Freight on Electronic Hearing Protection. Mine arrived yesterday. No opportunity to take them to the range yet but I wore them around the house a bit yesterday. They amplify soft sounds. For example, I can hear mouse clicks and keyboard strokes on my quiet keyboard and if there are no other sounds, I can hear Junior sawing toothpicks in the background. And they block out loud sounds, the only one I tried was loud hand-clapping. And it blocked that out completely. The Mrs. liked them too.

Only problem was my set didn’t come with instructions so I had to Google up a set to figure out how to put batteries in them. You need to insert a nickel into the slots on the bottom and twist.

My initial impression is they are well worth the $20. I’ll have another report after I get them to the range.

I mentioned our inter-dog aggression problems in the past (here and here). What I haven’t told you is we got rid of Politically Correct Dog (PCD). We still have Politically Incorrect Dog (PID). It’s not as bad as it sounds. A while back, the in-laws’ lost their dog due to health problems. They asked if they could borrow PCD for a week or so to help scare off squirrels in their bird feeder and because they’ve always liked PCD. Also, they’d been looking for another dog and hadn’t had much luck. Basically, he went there and never really came back. No big deal, really. He was just 3 miles up the street and we knew he was taken care of.

Last week, the in-laws went out of town and asked that we watch PCD while they were gone. So, Junior is swinging on the play set and I’m pushing her. The dogs are behind me and playing a bit of tug and chase. I wasn’t watching them like I should have been but was focused on swinging my little girl. Then, I hear the sound of them fighting. I go and break it up by grabbing each dog’s collar and pulling them apart. When I get it broken up, PID looks like he’s been beaten half to death. He’s got blood all over him and is limping. I check him out and he otherwise looks fine. Then, I find the problem. I look at PCD and his lip is swollen. I take a closer look and realize his front left canine tooth is sticking directly to the side. He had bled all over PID. Well, crap. Call up the vet and head that way.

Get to the vet, she tells me they’ll have to put him under and extract the tooth. She seems mostly unconcerned about it. I tell her to go ahead and ask if, while he’s under, they could trim his nails while they’re at it. A couple hours’ later, they call. They tell me his other canine tooth is gone as well. I, finding it odd that he’d lose two teeth, ask if he’s having gum or tooth troubles that would have lead to that. She says both were done today and the dogs probably bit each other’s mouths at the same time.

Now, of course, the in-laws are upset with PID because, well, he looks a certain way. Our dog aggression troubles pre-date PID’s existence. PCD has a long history of dog aggression with random dogs he’s been in contact with. Unfortunately for him, PID don’t play like that. PID fights back and, frankly, at eight years old, PCD isn’t exactly a spring chicken in his doggie dominance prime. It’s a hard lesson and maybe he learned it this time while he’s eating his soft canned dog food until his mouth heals.

If you’re not reading Kleinheider’s new blog, Volunteer Voters, you should be. Kleinheider on DeLay stepping down:

Republicans are getting closer and closer to the flipside of that national wave that brought them to power in 1994.

A disasterous (sic) war, deficits, and the rank corruption of dirtycons like Delay could spark a backlash bringing Democrats more seats than they could’ve dreamed in ‘06.

Kleinheider on modern Republican conservatism:

The President is indeed the face of Modern Republicanism and Conservatism. The Republican Party will be paying the price for this for many years to come. A failed, elective, preemptive war, unchecked immigration and exploding deficits. This is now the face of conservatism. Almost nothing Bush stands for has been historically called conservatism. It is now though. That is the perception.

Via David Hardy, here’s a comprehensive summary of supreme court gun cases.

Anyone in the gun community knows that Bloomberg has an anti-gun bug up his ass lately. But watch this bit of spin from the NYT:

In His War on Illegal Guns, Bloomberg Is Facing Uphill

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s war against the gun industry went into overdrive last week, with an appearance on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and a speech two days later, at a fund-raising dinner for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in which he assailed illegal guns as “scourges to our society.” And his campaign will only intensify in the next few months, as Mr. Bloomberg intends to announce the city’s first lawsuits against rogue gun dealers and to press Albany to toughen the penalties for criminal gun possession.

Wait a moment. We start off with a war on illegal guns and that becomes a war against the gun industry. See, because in the NYT and Bloomberg’s little fantasy world, those are the same things even tough every where else, they are not.

The latest is up at Right Thoughts.

I was unaware that the folks at ar15.com tracked ammo prices so you don’t have to. Check it out. Arfcom, is there anything it can’t do?

It looks as though one of the functions of science is to keep people from enjoying themselves. The latest:

A compound formed when meat is charred at high temperatures — as in barbecue — encourages the growth of prostate cancer in rats, researchers reported on Sunday.

Their study, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, may help explain the link between eating meat and a higher risk of prostate cancer.

It also fits in with other studies suggesting that cooking meat until it chars might cause cancer.

Seen at Pete’s, seems the Arizona meth law that required pharmacies to get ID and log purchasers got a hit. The police noticed one name that kept showing up and they went to bust this meth operation. But:

Instead, they found a big family that had been racked by the flu.

The members of this family weren’t stocking up on pseudoephedrine. They were buying cold medicine.

“The way the log reads, the amount purchased can be deceiving,” Sherrard says. “All we see is that the mother’s name appeared four or five times — what it doesn’t tell you is that she’s buying Children’s Tylenol.”

(And if mom had wanted to make meth, five boxes of Children’s Tylenol was hardly going to do the trick.)

Needless to say, Sherrard says dryly, “we closed that case.”

The case should have never been opened.

Michael Bane has more from the NRA on the ATF’s treatment of gunsmiths. Seems the ATF is not consistently applying the term manufacturing.

Due to the daylight savings change, Tam got a late start. I one time had an employee who called and said they were running late because of daylight savings time. I guess they thought I was dumb or they were just dumb. See, this particular incident happened just after Fall Back. I told them that if that was the case, they’d actually have come in early.