Jonathan Tasini is mounting a primary challenge against Hillary Clinton, building his campaign primarily against her vote for the war on Iraq. His goal is to turn the primary into a referendum on that one vote and her consistent support for the war.

Obviously, this is something of a quixotic run for office, and it would be easy to dismiss Tasini as a kook who rides a bicycle to campaign rallies. Tasini, though, has won David and Goliath battles in the past and more to the point, he is generating some early party support.

Despite the strange obsession Conservatives have for her, Clinton is not much loved on the left. She’s a right-leaning centrist, much like her husband, willing to make almost any compromise to get a deal done. That probably makes her an effective legislator, but it doesn’t make her a candidate that leftists get excited about. Clinton has been moving to the center since taking office. She’s angered a lot of people who thought they were electing an activist progressive senator.

It will be interesting to see how far Tasini can ride the anti-Clinton left. Likewise, I’ll be watching as Ned Lamont challenges Joe Lieberman on much the same basis.

A while back, I told you about the legally registered shoestring that was a machine gun. In case you wanted to know, the ATF has demilled registered shoe strings:

“It is unlawful for anyone to make, possess, or transfer a machinegun which is not registered in accordance with the provisions of the NFA. Since we are unable to establish that the submitted sample was manufactured and transferred in accordance with the provisions of the NFA and 922(o), we are unable to return it to you, as submitted. However, we can return your shoe string without the loops.

The shoe string which you submitted (less the loops) is being returned under separate cover.”

heh.

The AP:

NYC gun court gets tough on offenders

The court case listed as the People vs. Godfrey Hayle looked like an unremarkable one: Police claimed the 44-year-old suspect tried to ditch a 9 mm handgun last year during a drug bust.

But when Hayle walked into a downtown Brooklyn courtroom last week, state Supreme Court Justice Robert Holdman was unusually attentive — and blunt. For starters, he shot down a defense attorney’s bid for a plea deal with no jail time.

“That’s not going to happen in this case,” Holdman said. “The offer from the district attorney’s office is one year. I’m comfortable with that.”

It was a message that Holdman — a 42-year-old former prosecutor with a crewcut — sent several times that morning: Don’t expect much leniency in one of the nation’s busiest gun courts.

Cracking down on gun crime instead of guns is a novel approach. More:

More:

While the strategy of making certain cases a priority by funneling them to the same judge in a specialized court isn’t unique, gun courts have become a cornerstone of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s highly publicized crusade to discourage criminals from selling, buying and using illegal firearms in the five boroughs.

Bloomberg and judicial officials announced the opening of gun courts in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens about three years ago. Since then, the percentage of gun-possession defendants receiving one-year jail terms or longer has roughly doubled, city officials said.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office alone has handled roughly 1,100 cases in gun court since 2003, with about a 90 percent conviction rate. More than half the defendants are between the ages of 16 to 21 years old. Most were caught carrying semiautomatic handguns.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn demand a minimum one-year sentence, even for first-time offenders who technically could receive probation. If defendants don’t agree to do the time, they’re forced to go to trial, often within six months — lightning speed for the courts. If convicted, they could go away for two years or longer.

Bob Krumm again talks about political favoritism and its impact on hunting land:

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission recently closed the Lock Five wildlife management area to public hunting. Apparently, at least one neighboring landowner had complained about trespassers on his land. That landowner, who bought his property knowing there was public hunting next door, is a powerful lobbyist. He in turn contacted another very powerful lobbyist who happens to also be the Chairman of the TWRC.

Apparently, of the issues facing this country (such as, say, a war not going as planned, the fact congress thinks it’s above the law, etc., etc.), the President and Congress have decided to make the issue of the day about gay marriage. So, everything happening out there, and you pick gay cooties?

This is shameless political pandering. It’s an election year and this will get them support, they think. And, sadly, it will. It will get them support from folks with Ds and Rs after their names. So, watch the smoke and the mirrors and don’t worry about unimportant things while we set the stage to address dudes kissing.

Thankfully, there aren’t enough votes to pass the amendment.

A home invasion by a black bear, that is:

A black bear with a rowdy record was shot dead early Friday after he broke into an Anchorage home, smashed some dishes, ate some chocolates and scared the dickens out of the sleeping homeowners.

The male bear apparently entered the two-story Stuckagain Heights home through a back door that had a broken latch, said state wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott.

I don’t think his handgun was an effective bear load, though:

Brian Knowlton grabbed a .40-caliber Glock automatic from another room and ventured out into the main part of the house.

…

Just then, the bear came running up the stairs. Brian Knowlton fired, emptying his gun. Sinnott said Knowlton thought he fired nine or 10 shots. Wounded, the bear retreated downstairs.

The bear was found dead. So, what would be a good load against a 275lb black bear?

Seems he’s enlisted other mayors in the fight on illegal guns:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Sunday that 37 more mayors have signed on to fight illegal guns, joining the 15 who convened in New York in April for the first Mayors Summit on Illegal Guns.

At the April 25 summit, the mayors signed a six-point resolution to combat gun violence and said they hoped to put pressure on the federal government and state legislatures to strengthen anti-gun laws.

New additions to the coalition include Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, Mayor Martin O’Malley of Baltimore, Mayor Bill White of Houston and Mayor Manuel Diaz of Miami.

I don’t think a few of those mayors realize that guns that are illegal in NY (that he wants to fight) are not illegal in their cities. Seriously, the mayor of Houston?

WWLTV:

In an interview with WWL Radio, Riley said his officers would seize guns from people on the streets if another storm was to hit New Orleans.

Via Bitter, we learn National Ask Day (in which busy bodies are encouraged to ask you if you have guns in an effort to shame you into admitting you’re bad parent) is set for June 21. In the event you’re asked by some bed-wetter about the contents of your gun safe, I’ve prepared this handy list of responses to being asked if you have guns in your home:

Do you have a warrant?

Yes. Don’t you have the best tool to defend your family as well?

No, but the kid has, like, fifteen.

None of your damn business

Yes, a couple of super soakers, which I hear are good for getting the sand out of your vagina.

No but I do have a nice big cup of mind your own fucking business.

What did five fingers say to the face?

Why, what do you need?

HL has pictures of the supposed assault weapons that some psychopath used to kill 7 people. I concur with his assessment that two of them look like a shotgun and a hunting rifle. He says the third looks like an air rifle. I think it looks like a Saiga, which is a post-ban, sporterized version of a Kalashnikov.

Update: In comments, Dr. Strangegun says air rifle gets his vote too. And he says it is not a Saiga:

I don’t think it’s a saiga, the front sight isn’t tall enough and the barrel is too long.

So, what is it?

Anarchangel’s post is entitled Replacing the G36. At first, I thought he meant one of these and was wondering where he got one. Then I realized it was the compact 45 Glock.

At incarcerating folks anyway.

Countertop:

I’m for the death penalty, preferably rendered prior to the crime being committed.