I didn’t make it but Rich did. And he blogged it.

Kim has more. Initially, the UN apologists were stating this had nothing to do with Americans owning guns and this was about illegal trafficking of small arms (which they implied meant rockets and such). As report after report has indicated, those apologists were absolutely wrong.

If the assault weapons ban did not have a sunset provision, this is what would be happening federally:

Earlier this year the New York State Assembly passed Assemblyman Lavelle’s bill (A.2466) to expand the State’s current ban on assault weapons (modeled after the federal ban which expired in 2004) to prohibit more of these deadly guns including guns that have been modified to bypass the ban while still functioning like military-style assault weapons. On June 7, 2006, Cuomo announced his support for strengthening the assault weapons ban as part of a five-point proposal to fight gun violence.

Essentially, it will be a ban on all semi-automatic rifles. More:

“Andrew Cuomo truly understands that in this post-9/11 world, law enforcement need effective measures, protections and tools to help us keep New Yorkers safe,” stated Michael J. Palladino, President Detectives’ Endowment Association. “We recently lost two of our undercover detectives – James Nemorin and Rodney Jay Andrews – while they were doing their jobs taking illegal weapons off the streets. They were both gunned down in cold blood. In their memory, the Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) vows to continue our fight against the needless proliferation of non-sporting firearms and the easy access to deadly assault weapons. We are here to say that we need more assistance from Albany in tackling this critical issue and we believe Andrew will be there to help us.”

Were they gunned down with modified, copycat weapons that look like assault weapons?

“We owe it to the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect us to prevent that military-style, cop-killing weapons are simply unavailable for civilian use,” stated Andrew Cuomo, New York State Attorney General candidate. “When New York was attacked by terrorists, President Bush came to this city and vowed to stand solidly behind our police. Since then he has allowed the most basic, life-saving, common-sense protection for cops to just lapse. It is up to us to stand up for police, where the federal government is “standing down.” I will stop at nothing to work with ensure that these lethal weapons never return to the streets of New York.”

Evoking 9/11 again? Oy.

The Nuge:

Never has there been such an upsurge in crime since they confiscated all your weapons. Why don’t you arm yourselves? You Limeys have a zipper that’s locked in the closed position, because you don’t have a constitution. You’re rewarded for shutting the fuck up.

Seems with all the yammering about flag burning, gay marriage, and other pointless issues making the floor of congress, that we are hot and heavy in the election season. Now, some are trying to energize the gun base:

The National Rifle Association is pleased by Tuesday’s announcement by House Congressional leaders to include gun ownership rights as part of their 2006 “American Values Agenda”.

“On behalf of our four million NRA members nationwide, we deeply appreciate the House Republican leadership for recognizing the fundamental importance of protecting law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist. “We strongly encourage and endorse these pro-gun bills as part of the their “American Values Agenda.’”

“Family, faith, patriotism and hard work bind us together as Americans. Our laws should reflect those priorities, and House Republicans are committed to the American Values Agenda, policies that stress the core values on which our nation was built,” said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt.

House Republican leaders have put together a package of “pro-freedom” bills slated for votes this summer and fall. Two of those measures are H.R. 5092 and H.R. 5013, bills that are also among NRA’s top legislative priorities.

These bills are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006 and the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act. Hate to break it to you guys, but we gunnies don’t want more gun laws. We want less. In fact, here’s an informal poll of what we want. Most items in that poll involve repealing something. So, get on that NRA, if you want me to get behind you. Start with the sporting purposes language, as it would probably be the easiest.

Then try the Hughes Amendment. This one could be easy as the majority of folks incorrectly think that, since the assault weapons ban expired, machine guns are legal any way. The media and anti-gun groups shot their was on that so it should be easy to market.

Kevin reports that blogger Gunscribe made the news:

Tim Tyrrell Sr. went to the City Council meeting on Monday with a loaded 40-caliber Glock handgun on his hip.

And that’s perfectly legal.

Until now, council members haven’t been concerned enough about their safety to ban anything other than cell phones from the council chambers.

Even though plenty of angry citizens march down to city hall on a regular basis, there are no metal detectors at the door; no signs asking people to leave their guns at home.

Tyrrell was trying to make a point about the concealed weapons ban on the council agenda: Even if Mayor Coleen Seng’s proposed ban were to pass, nothing would prevent people from carrying around unconcealed weapons. (He did not testify at the meeting; the council won’t have a public hearing on Seng’s proposal until July 31.)

Tyrrell is a disabled veteran and firearms instructor who writes a blog called “From the Heartland.” He has debated the gun rights issue with Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady, and even called Casady before Monday’s meeting to let him know he’d be packing heat.

Seriously:

A city man is charged with violating state wiretap laws by recording a detective on his home security camera, while the detective was investigating the man’s sons.

Michael Gannon, 49, of 26 Morgan St., was arrested Tuesday night, after he brought a video to the police station to try to file a complaint against Detective Andrew Karlis, according to Gannon’s wife, Janet Gannon, and police reports filed in Nashua District Court.

Make sure if you do that, you send a copy to the press first. More:

“They were waiting for a warrant to seize the cameras and the tapes in my house . . . because they said having these cameras was against the law. They’re security cameras,” she said, adding, “They said they could do that. They could seize my apartment.”

The police are saying security cameras are illegal?

And just a stupid idea:

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don’t pay.

The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning approved a bill sponsored by committee chairman Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, authorizing at least $2 million toward the establishment of an office in the IRS criminal investigation unit to prosecute unlawful sex workers for violations of tax laws.

Err, why not just go after them for tax evasion like everyone else? A special office for such is just fucking stupid.

Tam says to stock up now. Folks are telling her the prices are about to go up again. Is ammo made from oil?

One of the compromise bills to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms act was mandating that locks be sold with all handguns. The house has voted to get rid of that:

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to overturn a recently enacted law requiring safety trigger locks on all hand guns sold in the United States.

The Republican-controlled House handed a victory to opponents of gun control by a vote of 230-191.

Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a Colorado Republican, argued that the added cost of the trigger locks is passed on to gun owners and that they “do not stop accidental shootings.

She’s correct. Smart parenting and the four rules stop them though.

Sure, it’s in poor taste and crude, but damn is it funny.

Les warns that war has broken out. He notes:

It turns out governments are easier to punish than terrorist groups.

New hunting rules for TN will go into effect next season. One of those rules is that:

All centerfire rifles for hunting of deer, bear and boar. The current rules only allow .24 caliber and larger.

So, you’ll be able to hunt with 5.56Nato and your AR-15.

From Can’t Make This Stuff Up:

I admit that I would be a tad cross if I came home from work and discovered that the police had staged a D-Day style assault on my home under the mistaken impression that somebody I never heard of lives there. So I have a lot of sympathy for Steven Blackman, a Fort Worth, Texas, resident who wants to know how to get the stink of teargas out of wall-to-wall carpeting.

In an update to the muzzleloader ruling in Wyoming, reader gattsuru writes:

Found it on FindLaw [PDF].

Not quite sure what to think of it. I’m of the opinion that people we can’t trust with a muzzleloader shouldn’t get out of jail – I’ve been slashed by kitchen knives more often than I’ve been shot by a muzzleloader, that’s for damned sure, and I know knives are a bit easier to get a hold of. I just can’t see a single-shot gun being dangerous enough to justify the costs of applying the law, nevermind when you start comparing what an archery kit or even a bb gun could do. And having different definitions of ‘firearm’ as you cross state borders doesn’t make me happy, either.

The case looks interesting. Harris was not a poster child for the pro-gun side : he was convicted for robbery and aggravated robbery (can’t find out the exacts of those incidents), so I’d wager he wasn’t the ‘normal guy’ who got hit by a restraining order or standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also pretty clearly violated the big four rules of safety (and a couple of common sense) when he brought the gun to his shoulder and aimed through the scope at traffic (do not aim at anything you do not want to destroy, people!).

He was, however, clearly told by a sheriff that a muzzleloading, black powder weapon was not a firearm. And the court’s main holding, which keeps their whole case together, was that anyone of normal intelligence would assume a muzzleloader to be covered by the “firearm” law (while I think it’s safe to assume most sheriffs aren’t of normal intelligence, it’s not good when the courts admit it).

I’d have rathered they throw out the previous ruling, and instructed the state to instead have him tried for public disturbance or anything about bearing a weapon in public, but I dunno if that’s possible or what the relevant statutes are.

I’m not a lawyer.

I have issued a clarification and recension in this post on WATE’s sensationalistic reporting. I’m doing this post separately so that as many readers see the update as saw the original.

Blogs: We take our corrections seriously, unlike others.

I seem to get in a hurry when I type and commit all sorts of typos. Sometimes I forget to spellcheck. The way I usually find this out is when another blog links to me. Of course, some folks correct my mispellings when quoting me.

You may recall my SUV Bleg from a bit back. Well, it looks as though we’re tentatively going to go with the Volvo XC90. Anyone have experience with them?

Now that Chancellor John Weaver has ruled to grant a 180 day stay on his previous ruling on the Knox County Charter new questions arise. Are term limits back in place? Were they ever gone?

For the first time in this entire process I now agree the election for Knox County Commission seats is so flawed it should be voided and moved to November in a special General election. The Primary election for County Commission could be held in September or October in another special election.

There are several other reasons. The most important is that there are too many levels of voter disenfranchisement. Since the Charter is valid and never reached the point of being invalid the Tennessee Supreme Court ruling that decreed term limits are in place for the offices of Knox County Mayor and Knox County Commissioners stands. The Supreme Court ruling must be obeyed.

What other choice is there than to void the election for the Knox County Commission seats?

There are nine ineligible candidates for Knox County Commission who are term limited and cannot serve. This is 50 percent of the Commission seats. The election cannot go forward under these conditions.

This persistent lack of leadership from all levels of local government has tarnished this election. People will stay home and this will affect the Primary Election for US House and Senate seats further disenfranchising voters. The apathy and disgust created in the Knox County Commission election cannot be allowed to spread to other elections.

The SCOTUS gets one right, I think. Actually, it’s a bit confusing:

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The ruling, a strong rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions.

Said Justice Kennedy:

“Trial by military commission raises separation-of-powers concerns of the highest order,” Kennedy wrote in his separate opinion. “Concentration of power (in the executive branch) puts personal liberty in peril of arbitrary action by officials, an incursion the Constitution’s three-part system is designed to avoid.”

Allah says:

So if they try him, they have to take him to federal court — but they don’t have to try him? What?

SCOTUSBlog says:

More importantly, the Court held that Common Article 3 of Geneva aplies as a matter of treaty obligation to the conflict against Al Qaeda.

Cam Edwards has more from the event.

Per the law, muzzleloaders have historically not been classified as firearms. The significance of this classification is that muzzleloaders are not subject to background checks, can be bought without going through a firearms dealer (i.e., you can mail order them), and felons can own them. In Wyoming, that just changed:

Supreme Court Says Muzzleloaders are Legally Firearms

The ruling comes in an appeal by a convicted felon who says he thought he was allowed to own a black powder rifle. Such rifles are excluded from the federal definition of firearms.

A spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the ruling will come as a blow to some Wyoming residents who have felony convictions in the past but who are now dedicated black powder hunters.

No details on the case. Anyone know?

Jeff at Alphecca got a mention in the British press. I’d consider it an honor to be labeled the lunatic fringe by the British press. If they think you’re crazy, you’re doing something right. These people have amnesty for illegal kitchen knives, for Christ’s sake.

David Codrea:

Kalashnikov Backs Weapons Control

Of course he does.

He’s a communist.

Voolfie tells us how to talk to gun control advocates.

Chris talks about buying a used gun and how to check them out.

Jersey thinks one gun a month is a good law.

Rustmeister smacks down a Memphis TeeVee station.

The US at the UN on guns:

The United States said on Tuesday it was willing to endorse a set of principles aimed at keeping small arms out of the hands of groups intent on human rights abuse, genocide or breaking UN arms embargoes.

But Washington would not back a formal agreement such as an international treaty imposing controls on weapons transfers across national boundaries, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control Robert Joseph said.

The folks at Common Dreams are crying about the NRA’s level of influence.

It’s a gun buyback program but for knives, only in the UK where they apparently are afraid of their shadows.

So, do you like links to gun news in one big post like this or in a bunch of small posts like I usually do?

Heh.

R. Neal has a handy voting guide up. In other news, he endorses two Republicans, John J. Duncan, Jr. and Phil Bredesen.

I love mangos. Here’s a handy guide on how to cut them.

Check out this lame, sensationalist report about the Knoxville .gov buying pricey SUVs. I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up.

Update: Jim took issue in comments noting that:

I’m sorry. Perhaps I misunderstood.

When you say “I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up,” that appears to me that you’re accusing us of making up the news. That would be reporting what is not true.

There is nothing in the report that is not true.

As for sensational, that’s in the eye of the beholder. There are some people who are glad to know how their tax dollars are spent.

I see his point and hereby rescind the comment I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up. The point I was trying to make (and absolutely should have been more clear about) is that:

When something they investigate doesn’t really seem that newsworthy, they report it anyway. I stand by that. I don’t think said SUVs are that overpriced, to be honest. Have you priced them lately? And they are, despite people’s complaints, convenient and utilitarian. The tone of the article was, in my opinion, sensationalistic and blown out of proportion.

Apologies to Jim for being unclear.

Looks like The American Shooters & Hunters Association has removed any doubt that they are not a complete sham of an organization.