Ayup.

No one, apparently:

Public access to records used in police disciplinary proceedings will be cut off after a recent decision by the California Supreme Court.

The high court’s Aug. 31st ruling means that the County of San Diego Civil Service Commission does not have to give newspaper reporters tape recordings and documents related to the administrative hearing of a local police officer who had appealed a termination notice.

In the long term, the ruling will likely thwart the public’s ability to access administrative appeals by law enforcement officers who have been disciplined, including such basic information as the name of the officer involved.

In a 6-1 decision, the Supreme Court held that the records are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act. The court, in an opinion written by Justice Ming Chen, seized on a statute that exempts from disclosure law enforcement personnel records held by the officer’s “employment agency.”

I can see keeping some info (address, ss#, etc.) confidential but disciplinary action of those entrusted with public safety should not be secret.

Heartless Libertarian discusses them:

The thing that really got my attention in the article is something that I’ve been looking for for a while: hard comparison data for the various currently existing potential replacement, and for both 20″ and 14.5″ barrels. I have yet to see an article in a gun magazine comparing the 6.8 SPC to the 6.5 Grendel, for example. And I had never heard of the 6×45mm and 6.5×42mm rounds. The only round I’d be interested in knowing more about that isn’t on the table is the new 5.8×42mm Chinese round, which Mr. Crist states “by any objective standards, must be considered the best assault rifle cartridge currently in service.” He urges the Army to take “similarly bold action” to what China has done and “adopt a new, more capable rifle cartridge” to better equip our troops for the challenges of the COE.

Garm Howling tells about the $10 Glock over at The Gun Blogs.

Update: The post title was in jest, I don’t really plan on buying 50 tickets.

Odd case in New Mexico:

Police warned Las Cruces residents that they’ve received two letters threatening random shootings if city leaders fail to hand over a “substantial” ransom.

Corker, who was endorsed by the NRA, doesn’t have a hunting license. I’m more concerned about whether he has a concealed carry permit or a wall full of AR-15s. I don’t have a hunting license and I’m as pro-gun as they get.

Sean Braisted says:

Here is my question; if a candidate in Tennessee really wants to get the support of Gun nuts (and I use that term with heartfelt affection), shouldn’t they forget about the hunting crap, and instead go for a carry permit? I’ve been in Tennessee for over 5 years now, and all the gun people I have run into care more about Tactical Shotguns, Glocks (or other handguns), and Assault Rifles…not some WalMart shotgun used to shoot birds. To them, the test of true gun nuttiness is not their ability to shoot clay pidgeons (sic), but their ability to hit a target at center mass while on the run.

Not bad for a liberal. He also has some advice:

Now, Corker being a Republican by default has the gun group endorsements in the bag, but if Ford wants to peel some of the gun voters off, here is my advice to him. Take a day out of your schedule and take a class for a carry permit. Brush up on your gun lingo, for instance make sure you know the difference between a Glock and a Kimber, and the positives and negatives of each.

Or Mr. Ford, you can go bust some caps with yours truly if you feel the need. One note though: The NRA endorsement does not, by default, go to Republicans in Tennessee. Ask this guy.

Of course, Ford has that whole introducing an anti-gun bill thing hanging over his head.

Just got back from Japan, the archetypical country of low crime and no weapons.

Japan has the anti-2nd Amendment, a law that starts “No-one shall possess a fire-arm or fire-arms or a sword or swords”. The ban excludes only shotguns kept for sporting purposes. Shotguns require a whole bunch of hoops, including a mental screening.They must be kept locked separately from ammo, which must also be locked. Shotgun licenses are easily and arbitrarily lost. Handguns and rifles are completely banned.

On top of that, the police there are super nosy. Citizens have relatively few of the freedoms and protections from government intrusions we Americans enjoy. Search and seizure protections, for example, are scant and routinely ignored without penalty.

I normally carry a knife or two for utility purposes. I left them all at home because I couldn’t find any good information on what blades are legal in the various cities I visited in Japan. I walked around for a couple weeks, a disarmed man in a disarmed society.

The complete lack of crime there made it thoroughly enjoyable. I carried large amounts of cash late at night in industrial neighborhoods. I had no worries about my gf being of on her own in a strange country where she doesn’t speak the language. I never felt threatened. It’s easy to see how trading one’s rights and freedoms for that kind of daily comfort can be seductive.

In America, we are taught to love our freedom and individuality. It is a core value that is sometimes at odds with day-to-day safety and stability. Politicians are paid to keep things safe and stable, which is why they are forever trying to take our freedom and fight individual expression. It’s good to be home.

Existing wants advice on which gun to buy.

Here’s a flash presentation on the many, many, many ways the .gov tracks info about you.

Via Ben.

Last night, the Mrs. was researching some products online. She said she couldn’t find any satisfactory reviews or info. She said something to the effect of:

It’s hard to find reviews of products online because when you Google a product, the results are always somebody’s blog. Blogs make it hard to find real information. Err, no offense.

What do you think? Are blogs causing traffic jams on the information superhighway?

Update: BTW, I went and looked at her search results and what was popping up were a few spam blogs. I explained to her what splogs were.

I’ve been trying, in vain, to summarize my thoughts about Tennessee’s senate race. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and put it into words. But #9 did just that in the comments here:

I see this as more than a race between two candidates. As much as I like what Harold Ford says I see the faint image of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid standing directly behind him. I don’t see anything when I look at Corker, not even Corker himself. His image is gossamer thin.

I listen to every ad from Harold Ford. I mute every ad from Bob Corker. I thought this was a Hobson’s choice but after seeing Pelosi and Reid during the 9/11 ceremonies it is clear to me that you just hold your nose and do what you have to do.

He finishes with:

I may throw up a little but I will vote for Corker.

I think so. See, here’s the deal: I don’t fear or dread Harold Ford as a Senator. I fear the majority of Congress having Ds after their names. In the same comment thread, Rich says:

One the one hand we have Bob Corker, a candidate without a platform, and on the other we have Harold Ford, who evidently will say anything in order to get elected.

I think so. Bob Corker’s platform seems to be Harold Ford Sucks. But Ford’s ads, mannerisms, balls out media appearances, lack of fear, and conservative/populist message appeals to folks.

Rich took my bet. He also says:

I’ll go on record right now and say that Dems will win control of the House, Senate, and White House in 2008.

Could be.

D&C:

Federal and local law enforcement authorities will unveil a new anti-gun-violence billboard and telephone hotline at a news conference in Rochester today.

The billboard and number will encourage people to report illegal gun activity, said District Attorney Michael C. Green. The campaign is part of Project Exile, a state and local program to curb gun violence in Rochester.

I imagine it won’t have much success. And people could call the police.

A new ad over there on the right says:

Congress is debating altering mortgage interest deductions, putting your homeownership at risk. Under U.S. tax code, mortgage interest on your home is currently deductible. If Congress changes or removes mortgage interest deductions you could be paying many thousands of dollars more each year.

Update: In comments, sailorcourt is unimpressed.

The murderer in Canada apparently used a Beretta CX Storm (said rifle wasn’t banned under the now expired Assault Weapons Ban). The weapon is a pistol caliber (40S&W, 9MM or 45ACP) semi-automatic carbine that accepts the appropriate handgun magazines from Beretta handguns. Bruce notes that the Storm has, overnight, become:

a “huge”, “automatic”, “rapid-fire”, “sniper’s”, “assault weapon”.

The Canadian government’s Canada Firearms Center issued an alert about them two months ago:

* Some Beretta CX4 Storm rifles are being manufactured with prohibited magazines.

* The classification of a firearm magazine depends on the type of firearm the magazine was designed to be used in, not the type of firearm it is actually used in.

* The new 10-cartridge magazine designed for the Beretta CX4 Storm rifle is prohibited unless it has been permanently altered so that it cannot hold more than five cartridges .

* The 10-cartridge pistol magazine used on many Beretta CX4 Storm rifles is still legal, regardless of the type of firearm it is attached to.

Even though the magazines are the same. Guess it depended on which gun you put it in. Actually, it doesn’t. It depends on which gun the magazine was made for. If a magazine was made for a handgun, it’s OK. If it was made for a rifle, it is not. Of course, the magazines are the same. And I thought US gun laws were arbitrary.

The Beretta is also the gun used on the new Battlestar Galactica.

R. Neal (can you I call you Randy or SKB because R. Neal is a pain in the ass to type?) takes a look at third party candidates in the Governor and Senate races here in Tennessee. I like Bo because, err, well, just because. But his picture scares me.

When did 56 years-old mean granny?

John Lott on the wheelchair-bound lady who shot a would be robber in New York City:

But this attack ended differently than most crimes in New York City. As her attacker grabbed her “violently” and “choked” her, Johnson pulled out a handgun and shot once, hitting the criminal in the elbow. Johnson was fortunate that she was able to defend herself.

The city obviously wasn’t there to protect Johnson. A police officer could have handled it, but cops can’t be everywhere, and they virtually always arrive after a crime has occurred.

Nor does it appear that the city was doing a particularly good job of keeping the criminal off the street to begin with. Johnson’s attacker had been previously arrested nine times, primarily for the violent crime of robbery, and he had served time in prison for selling illegal substances. One can only wonder how many times he was never caught.

Even worse, if Mayor Bloomberg would have enforced New York City’s gun-control laws, it’s Johnson who would be in jail. Her license only allows her to carry a handgun that is unloaded and in a locked container to and from a firearms range. With an attacker choking her, there is no way she could have unlocked and loaded her gun.

Denise says:

. . . her permit doesn’t allow her to carry a loaded gun. Instead, the gun must be empty, locked up, and the ammo must be separate. Obviously she didn’t have time to unlock a case, load her gun, and take a bead on her attacker. Besides she had her little dog with her and who takes a dog to a gun range (well, it is New York after all, so who knows).

New York PD obviously knows the value of public relations. Prosecuting this woman would make no sense. I applaud them for their rare show of common sense.

See, I don’t applaud them for it. The law applies to everyone. And prosecuting this lady would show just how dumb some of these laws are. That is not to say that I hope they do prosecute her (I don’t think that at all) but that I don’t applaud them for it. And the only reason they’ll not prosecute her is due to bad publicity.

Showing just how silly some gun laws are is necessary.

Yeah, I ain’t goin’ out like that either:

Whether it’s some Columbine wannabe who’s heard the backward-masked messages on his Marilyn Manson discs, distressed daytrader off his Prozac, homegrown Hadji sympathetic with his oppressed brothers in Baghdad, or a bugnuts whackjob picking up Robert Frost quotes transmitted from Langley on the fillings in his molars, I am going to do my level best to smoke that goblin before my carcass goes on the pile. I am not going to go out curled into a fetal ball and praying for help that won’t arrive in time.

I said before:

If you read the Internets and the blogs, you’d think this race was going to be a close race between Bryant and Ford. But you’d be wrong. It’s going to be Corker with Ford jumping up and down in the background saying pick me, pick me like the slow kid who always gets picked last when choosing dodge ball teams in the fifth grade. I say that based on the backing of the local political machine and who business is backing. I’ll bet a beer on it.

I have a history of betting beers on political contests. And I’ve never lost on political outcome bets (though I did lose once on a beer bet over American Idol, but that doesn’t count). But Rich says Corker Will Lose. I don’t think Rich drinks beer but I’ll buy him a Coke or something.

David Kopel:

Advanced Topics in Human Rights Law. Exam, Spring 2010. Question 4: One day, a woman goes to a gun store in Florida. She provides picture identification to the store owner, who then, pursuant to the National Instant Check System, uses his telephone to contact law enforcement, and ensure that the woman has no criminal record. The woman then purchases an expensive double-barreled shotgun, manufactured in the United Kingdom. She plans to use the gun for all lawful purposes, but primarily for sporting clays. In accordance with Florida law, she did not need to obtain a government license to possess the gun.

Two years later, a man breaks into her home at night. The woman reasonably (and correctly) believes that the man intends to rape and torture her. She also, correctly, believes that there is absolutely no possibility that the man will kill her. She shoots the man and kills him.

Summarize the human rights violations

The answer is frightening.

Colt CCO reports:

Colonel Cooper – Major Heart Attack

I had been worried before, and according to Pat Rogers, The Colonel has had a massive heart attack and has signed a DNR order. He is apparently not long for this world.

Best wishes and prayers to the Colonel.

We should repeal the second amendment because, gosh darnit, it’s too hard to debate. And who cares what a bunch of old dudes wrote 200 years ago, anyway?

Update: Regarding the author’s (Chris Kellerman) threat to punch people in the face when they quote these old dudes, Tam says:

Let me clue you in on something, Chris; the threat of being punched in the face by strange young men with violent urges is what causes some folks to carry guns.

The Commercial Appeal:

A Piperton police officer with a previous felony conviction has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of illegally possessing a firearm.

Patrolman Robert Schmidt of Memphis had worked one day in Piperton before he was indicted, said Piperton Police Chief Carl Hendricks.

U.S. Atty. David Kustoff announced the charge on Wednesday.

It is illegal under federal law to possess a firearm after a felony conviction.

Looks like there is no exception in the law for law enforcement officers.

Fûz at Weck Up To Thees (who I thought had stopped blogging) expands on some pro-gun strategery:

It will readily become clear to the gun rights activist that he or she ought to be fighting for other rights anyway, because the infringement of those other rights makes gun control that much easier—standing the old bromide “the Second Amendment is the right that guarantees the rest” on its head.

There’s a lot there, go read it. Now, I know some readers here are absolutists and talk like it’s their way or the highway. Well, that’s not gonna convert anyone. Sorry, that’s the truth. As I said before:

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.

So, don’t go giving your pro-gun buddies an unnecessary amount of shit. They may agree with you. Their ends could be the same but their means are different. And those means are more effective.

I delete mine. Always have. But Knoxviewer metulj doesn’t. He recounts 15 years of email:

# First spam — July 11, 1993
# First Nigerian scam — May 10, 1995

ABC13:

His name is Jim Pruett and he formed half of one of the most outrageous duos in Houston radio history — Stevens and Pruett — back in the 1990’s. He’s raising controversy on the airwaves again — this time as a gun shop owner. He says Houstonians must arm themselves, because of the rise in crime. But, as you would imagine, some Katrina evacuees say they are being publicly called out.

“The sale of handguns are up 50 percent in this store,” Pruett told Eyewitness News.

Gun shop owner Jim Pruett says Houston’s growing crime problem has brought a boom in business. It’s a trend Pruett ties in part to the arrival of Katrina evacuees. This is his latest radio advertisement:

“When the Katricans themselves as saying the crime rate will go up if they don’t have more free rent, then it’s time to get your concealed weapons license.”

I have some friends in Houston. They’ve said crime has gone up quite a bit, including two murders nearby and that had never happened that they remember.

Funny stuff from Field and Stream’s The Gun Nut:

How to Write an Anti-Gun Editorial

…

Rule Number One is: Identify yourself as a gun owner and user; it gives you credibility

…

Rule Number Three: Any pro-gun law cannot be the will of the people, but must be due to the infernal machinations of…THE NRA.

There’s more. Pretty spot on if you ask me. Though, as I said, I would add:

Get substantially all facts wrong regarding legislation

And blatantly misrepresent firearms (i.e., draw minimal distinction between semi-automatic and automatic; referring to weapons that look like assault weapons as military-style firearms; etc.)

WBIR:

A fundraising letter signed by state Senator David Fowler states individuals and groups opposed to a ban on gay marriage will spend up to $6 million to influence the issue in Tennessee.

Voters will choose whether to approve or reject an amendment to the state constitution on November 7.

Randy Takington manages the group Vote No On One — a group working to defeat the proposal. He calls Fowler’s claim ridiculous and says it’s an effort to scare up money.

Fowler wrote the letter as executive director of Family Action of Tennessee. The group registered on August 2 as a campaign committee to raise money promoting passage of the anti-gay marriage amendment.

I don’t think anyone whose webpage is on My Space is gonna be raising $6,000,000.

I will be voting No on in November.

Anti-gun Britain is getting it’s illegal gun supply from anti-gun New Jersey. How’d that happen?

In the 1990s, Canada toughened it’s gun laws as a result of a school shooting that occured in 1989. They had one shooting in 1992 and one yesterday. Gun laws rarely stop crazy people.

Ben says:

State Election Commission overturns a unanimous decision of the Davidson County Election Commission

The Tennessee State Election Commission has overturned a unanimous decision of the Davidson County Election Commission and years of precedent by ruling that a short, easily readable, one sentence summary of a charter amendment may NOT appear on the November Davidson County ballot.

This summary was to be for the Charter Amendment requiring a vote of the people of Davdison County on property tax rate increases. Only the full text of the amendment will appear.

From the department of things not smart to say outloud:

Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday.

The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne.

“If we’re not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation,” said Wynne. “(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press.”

Alrighty.

At Subguns on HR 5005:

Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act

- Amends firearms provisions of the federal criminal code to:

(1) lift restrictions on the possession, transfer, and importation of machineguns, and certain other shotguns and rifles, for contractors providing national security services for the United States and training related to such services, and for:*** manufacturers for testing, research, design, or development purposes;***[in other words: LE demo letters no longer needed for 07/SOT's]

(2) prohibit the Attorney General from charging any tax or fee for any background check by the national instant criminal background check system;

(3) permit juveniles to possess and use a handgun or ammunition for certain activities without written parental consent if the parent is present when the juvenile is using the handgun;

(4) eliminate certain reporting requirements for multiple handgun sales (more than one sale within five days) by dealers to state police and law enforcement agencies;

(5) prohibit the Attorney General from electronically retrieving records of gun dealers who have gone out of business by name or any personal identification code;

(6) limit disclosure of trace records; and

(7) ***allow importation of barrels, frames, and receivers for firearms other*** than handguns for repair or replacement purposes.[In other words: The ATF barrel ban goes back to previous status quo].

Via Les (in comments) here’s the text of HR 1086, which Harold Ford introduced. It says that:

To reform the manner in which firearms are manufactured and distributed by providing an incentive to State and local governments to bring claims for the rising costs of gun violence in their communities.

Les says:

since Ford introduced that anti-gun bill then it’s perfectly fair to say he’s anti-gun.

I would concur. Perhaps he learned his lesson since voted for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (which the media mischaracterizes as the gun immunity bill). Talk about a flip-flop, literally one extreme to the next. But it’s more likely political opportunism.

So last night on the TeeVee, there were wall to wall Ford and Corker commercials. Each candidate bad-mouthed the other. Yawn. Then, a commercial blasting Ford as the most liberal congressman in Tennessee came on. The commercial was put out by some Republican organization (I can’t recall which). I thought McCain-Feingold prohibited that. Or is there an exception for political parties?

HR 5092 (see prior coverage here) is drawing the ire of some pro-gun groups:

“- Unlike HR 1603 … HR 5092 does not require the videotaping of BATFE firearm tests, which would ensure these tests are conducted fairly and competently.”

“- HR 5092 does not require the BATFE to establish standardized, written procedures on how firearms are tested”

“- HR 5092 does not address the BATFE’s policy of arbitrarily reclassifying firearms or firearm accessories as illegal … nor require the BATFE to give notice of such reclassification”

“- HR 5092 does not address the situation of gun owners who may have been unfairly convicted through faulty firearms testing or arbitrary firearms reclassification” …

All valid points but I think it is an incremental step to modernizing firearms laws. Here’s the bill. Here’s NRA’s take on it. The Brady Campaign says:

H.R. 5092 Protects Corrupt Gun Dealers And Gun Traffickers And Weakens Federal Gun Laws

Well, it can’t be all bad if it gets their knickers in a bunch.

Times Free Press:

The National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund has endorsed Republican Bob Corker for U.S. Senate.

“I am pleased that NRA members and gun owners in Tennessee really have a high-caliber candidate on Nov. 7,” Chris W. Cox, chairman of the NRA’s victory fund, said today during a conference call.

Mr. Corker, who faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., in the election, praised the group’s backing during the conference call.

“I’ll be a consistent voice for the Second Amendment and against any attempt to weaken our rights,” he said.

We’ll see.

Update: The Tennessean has more:

The National Rifle Association endorsed former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, while opponent Harold Ford Jr. claimed he had a better record on guns.

Corker, a Republican, said Ford has received two NRA “F” ratings and asserted that as a U.S. House member Ford once proposed a bill to encourage trial lawyers to sue gun manufacturers for damages on behalf of criminals.

Ford, D-Memphis, said he has a “B” rating from the NRA for votes last year. “I support the Second Amendment, and the NRA knows that.”

Ford said he supported the two most important votes to gun owners in recent years: lifting a ban on gun purchases by District of Columbia residents and granting immunity to gun makers from lawsuits.

As to why Corker got the nod:

Chris W. Cox, chairman of NRA’s political-action committee, said Corker’s record of halving Chattanooga’s crime rate over three years, aggressive prosecution of criminals and hunting background earned him the endorsement.

Alrighty, then.

A pit bull, no less. A homeless man’s dog was shot by the police after charging the officer. Witnesses do not back up the officer’s story. I think it’s safe to say dogs (particularly politically incorrect dogs) should not be running loose.

Received via email, this came from TN GOP:

THE TRUTH ABOUT CONGRESSMAN HAROLD FORD JR AND GUNS

(Nashville) – On the campaign trail, Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D-Memphis) appears to be a supporter of Second Amendment rights, but the truth is he is quite the opposite and his record proves it.

“Congressman Ford says he supports our 2nd Amendment rights, but how in the world does Mr. Slick explain to the people of Tennessee his lifetime rating of an ‘F’ with the NRA, not once but twice. The question is, can we trust Ford on protecting gun owners’ rights? Without a doubt, the answer is no,” said Bob Davis, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.

THE TRUTH ABOUT CONGRESSMAN FORD’S RECORD ON GUNS

The NRA has twice given Congressman Ford an “F rating.” (Project Vote Smart, accessed 9/11/06)

Congressman Ford Introduced H.R. 1086 in 1999, The “Gun Industry Responsibility Act,” Which Allowed Firearms Manufacturers To Be Sued For Damages. (H.R. 1086, Introduced March 11, 1999)

* H.R. 1086 Had 25 Co-Sponsors, All Democrat. (National Journal 2004 Vote Ratings, February 12, 2005; H.R. 1086, Introduced March 11, 1999)

* According To National Journal, The 14 Original Co-Sponsors Of H.R. 1086 Had A Composite Liberal Score Of 83.3 In 2004. (National Journal 2004 Vote Ratings, February 12, 2005; H.R. 1086, Introduced March 11, 1999)

Congressman Ford’s Legislation Was Supported By Handgun Control, Inc. And Was Intended To Counter An NRA Supported Bill. “Last week, Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., backed by the National Rifle Association, introduced a bill to block the lawsuits. Thursday, Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., backed by the National League of Cities and Handgun Control Inc., countered with a bill to increase the potential damage awards if cities file the lawsuits. ‘They started this,’ said Ford. ‘What we want to do is ensure that this cause of actions is protected for local governments.’” (James W. Brosnan, “Congress Ponders Pro And Con Gun Lawsuit Bills,” Chattanooga Times Free Press, March 12, 1999)

The Bill Sought To Allow Cities To Sue Manufacturers For Damages And “Hold Gun Manufacturers To A Standard.” “Ford’s bill would raise the amounts cities could collect in damages by allowing them to recover gun-related medical costs from gun manufacturers. The bill would direct one-third of the recovered Medicaid damages to the federal government for crime prevention programs. The remainder would go to the city, divided one-third to local police, one-third to the families of policemen killed in the line of duty and one-third to compensate victims of crime. Barr said Ford’s bill would ‘vastly expand the potential fees for the trial lawyers involved in these suits, as well as increasing the amount cities could squeeze from the companies they are suing.’ Ford said the purpose is not to raise money or outlaw guns ‘but we should hold gun manufacturers to a standard.’” (James W. Brosnan, “Congress Ponders Pro And Con Gun Lawsuit Bills,” Chattanooga Times Free Press, March 12, 1999)

It is, obviously, biased.

Just wow:

A nurse returning from work discovered an intruder armed with a hammer in her home and strangled him with her bare hands, police said.

Terry Frank:

I just don’t think Corker was ready for the prime time.

Ayup.

AC emails a link to a new blog (another WKRN joint) called The Road Less Graveled:

I grew up with my dad hunting and fishing and am now passing it on to my son and daughter. People say there are other ways to spend time with them and they are right. I chose to spend time this way and they like it.

Jeff at Alphecca looks at the recent report that says violent crime is down but gun crime is up:

So as federal funds dry-up for municipalities’ crime fighting efforts, less police mean more crime. But that’s only half the story. Remember, I said there were two causes of the problem and the second one is — again only hinted at — in that second quotation. Here’s a hint: “…mostly young people and mostly killed by guns…”. Street gangs. I’ve been harping on it here at Alphecca for almost four years now.

John Lott looks at it too:

Does one year make a trend? Could be, but it is really hard to see any pattern in robbery rates over the last five years. The same is true for gun crimes. Because of the comparisons drawn in the piece regarding the Clinton administration, I have put down some numbers for violent crime. Just so that you can see that since the last full year of Clinton’s administration, the violent crime rate has fallen by 23 percent (15 percent since 2001). Since so much weight is put on robbery, it has fallen by 19 percent since the end of Clinton (7 percent since 2001, though again I think that it is hard to see any pattern since 2001).

Not sure why Clinton administration is the starting point but it looks like overall crime has been down and likely due for an upswing. Or, you know, it’s all that blood in the streets from the expiration of the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons that we were warned about.

Stray cats are something that should not be encouraged to hang around. But one man’s article has drawn an investigation:

Police in Red Bank are investigating after a man wrote about launching a “feline jihad” to rid his Chattanooga suburb of stray cats. Max Gerskin wrote a two-part series in the Chattanooga Pulse weekly publication.

In his commentary, Gerskin said the strays fed by someone in the neighborhood have brought filth and disease to his home, and local Humane Society officials haven’t been able to stop it.

As a result, he wrote, in these words, “I’ve officially become a trapper and it’s time to take a walk to the river.”

The people of the Thorn Grove community in East Knox County have filed a lawsuit to protect their community autonomy. This is the way business must be conducted in Knox County when the local government refuses to represent the people. One of the developers that owns parcels which will be used for the Midway Industrial Park is Harry Sherrod. The same Harry Sherrod who threatened Gary Seller’s during the Wheel Tax petition and who was a key figure in Mayor Ragsdale’s efforts to stop the Wheel Tax petition.

One of the key requirements for the Development Corporation was that the land have no more than 6 degrees of slope. This site in Thorn Grove is some of the most rolling land in Knox County. But only four Knox County Commissioners actually visited the site. The vote was pure politics. Commissioners voted for the Industrial Park because County Mayor Ragsdale told them to.

The 11 million dollars needed to purchase the 370 acres meant no money was left to keep the County Mayor’s promise of fully funding the Hardin Valley High School. Mayor Ragsdale is doing everything in his power to build this High School for only 1,300 students. The result being that there will be no relief for school overcrowding for Karns, Bearden, and Farragut until 2011, well into the administration of the next Knox County Mayor.

Which is more important, to help a friend with a business deal, or to keep a promise to solve school overcrowding? Mayor Ragsdale has given his answer and only a court case can stop him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Volunteer Voters reports:

Chattanooga, Tenn. – The National Rifle Association, America’s leading Second Amendment rights grassroots organization, today formally endorsed Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bob Corker in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race.

I don’t know that Corker has a record on gun rights, really. I’ve covered Harold Ford and guns before. I wonder what the NRA saw that they liked? Well, other than that he’s not Ford and there’s an R after his name. Perhaps they should have listened to Insty’s podcast, which Countertop summarized in comments as:

Helen asked him about nationwide concealed carry – specifically, would he support legislation that allowed an individual with a permit in one state to carry their gun in another state. Very clear, straight up [question].

He paused. Said, he thought so, but didn’t know. Said, he wasn’t prepared for such in depth questions. Then said he would have to look at the issue and get back to them.

She followed it up with a question on legislation preventing the confiscation of firearms in situations such as Katrina. He again gave a weasly answer.

Now, I guess if the NRA had to pick someone, it’d be Corker. But I just don’t see much there.

It seems like once a week, I hear Harold Ford on the local talk radio. This morning, he had an entire hour. He’s really talking the talk. Based on addressing the issues and speaking to the public, he’s beating Bob Corker like like he owes him money.

A few notes in the time I listened:

Harold is all about his Christianity. He said he supported the 10 commandments displays and started some sort of religious caucus in the congress.

He also says the separation of church and state is important.

He chided Corker for his ties to big oil, which is kind of a silly claim. Even the host said that comparing a retailer like Pilot Oil to Exxon/Mobil is not a fair comparison.

He made a claim (and I can’t recall how he worded it exactly) that Corker supported a measure in the senate. I don’t recall Corker ever being a senator.

Blasted Corker for raising taxes as mayor.

Blasted Corker’s ad in the Republican primary stating Hilleary and Bryant voted themselves a pay raise.

Again, called Corker out for not engaging the public or Ford more.

Harold is trying to out-conservative the Republican.

Even though I’ve stated that I’ll likely vote for Corker merely due to Harold Ford’s ties and loyalty to the big government, nanny statists like Schumer, Clinton and Kennedy, Ford is running a better campaign. Corker is losing ground and it’s Corker’s fault.

Update: Dr. Helen and Glenn have a podcast interview with Corker. I’ve not listened to it but they apparently ask him about gun rights. If you’ve listened to it, what does he say about them?

Seattle PI:

A former neo-Nazi told a jury Monday that he sold machine guns to a federal informant because he knew he’d be arrested and that his trial would provide a forum for challenging gun control laws – a claim that drew quiet chuckles from prosecutors.

“It was something I could do for my country, something my children could remember me by,” Keith D. Gilbert testified as his weeklong trial concluded in U.S. District Court.

Gilbert, 66, once an aide to Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler, is charged with 12 counts of gun violations, including possession of machine guns and dealing in firearms without a license. He allegedly sold two automatic and two semi-automatic weapons owned or built by friends to a government informant, and he had dozens of guns in his home – some registered, some not – when agents raided it in February 2005.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Friedman told jurors that Gilbert was a small-time gun trafficker whose motive was making at least a few hundred dollars from each sale. The claim that he was trying to make himself a “Second Amendment martyr” was a surprise, Friedman told Judge Marsha Pechman.

Not the best case to try to make a second amendment claim with. In fact, the claim sounds like something he made up after he was caught.

The SKS, being an affordable rifle, is often under fire from anti-gun groups because of its popularity. But it is not an assault weapon by any definition, including the made up definition under the expired assault weapons ban. But there’s still a lot of misinformation about them in the press:

A man looking for aluminum cans in school trash cans found a backpack bulging with guns on Monday, a discovery that triggered a campus lockdown while authorities searched for more weapons.

According to Merced County Sheriff’s Deputy Ed Katen, a man found a backpack containing one SKS automatic weapon and three hand guns just after 9 a.m. Monday.

The unidentified man found the bag on the edge of the Delhi Educational Facility, a combined high school and middle school with about 1,000 students.

The SKS is a semi-automatic weapon.

Check out the Ultimate Lego Chaingun:

Sweet

Update: More here.

As I’ve said before, I love to read conspiracy theories. Not because I believe them but because they’re entertaining.

With the 9-11 anniversary, I see various conspiracy theories are the flavor again. I now offer my own conspiracy theory: See, a complex cabal of people in power invent these conspiracy theories to keep conspiracy theorists busy. Otherwise, the conspiracy theory sorts would find out the true conspiracies, which are much less complex.

Well, unless they resign. The Tennessean:

Officials work to calm fears after police force quits

Officials here are working to rebuild a police department and a degree of public confidence in the wake of the recent resignation of the town’s entire police force.

Police Chief Jim Baker and both of Alexandria’s full-time officers left the city at the ends of their shifts on the night of Aug. 23.

Town officials said the force quit over a controversial proposal to save taxpayer money by limiting police activity in Alexandria to the nighttime hours. That idea has since been scrapped, Mayor David Cripps said.

But the possibility of days without police officers, as well as the media attention the police resignations received locally, rattled several residents and business owners in the tiny DeKalb County town.

Via NJCSD.

Gunner notes:

The city has given itself the right to seize its residents’ personal property for public use in an emergency.And although commissioners say it would use its new law only in “an exceptional disaster,” some residents are furious

It may well be that odd opportunity to assert a third amendment claim.

Michael Silence has a piece in the local news about blog demographics.

I’ve said before that I thought Wisconsin would go CCW soon, as it is one of two states with no provision. Looks like one gubernatorial candidate is pushing the idea:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, said that without concealed carry legislation law-abiding hunters are having their rights infringed upon.

“The fact is, that we have a tremendous amount of sportsmen in this state, including myself, who are law-abiding and feel safer with guns,” said Green. “As long as we have a conceal carry law in effect, we will be able to help educate people more about guns and we will be able to provide more training.”

Green also said that a law allowing citizens to carry firearms would benefit people living in urban areas such as Milwaukee, because in case someone is attacked, the worst case scenario is the victim can defend themselves.

Green shared his befuddlement with the crowd of about 40 people on how Wisconsin is only one of two states in the country that does not have the conceal carry law.

IIRC, Governor Doyle has vetoed CCW twice. And once an override was almost successfully done. I thought this was odd and out of place:

Green recounted an exchange with a reporter during a press conference he and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani held in Milwaukee last month.

“A reporter asked about why New York doesn’t have a conceal carry law and tried to drive a wedge between us,” Green said.

“I answered the question for Rudy, when I informed them that New York has had a very successful concealed law for years that has dropped crime drastically.”

Successful concealed law? What are you talking about?

Five years has passed. I don’t have much to say, really. Sorry. I tried to write this post many times but I got nothing. Not sure what that means. So, I’ll look to posts of 9-11 past:

2002:

It has been a year. To sit around and mope is to concede to the enemy. Please, America, continue doing what you do. Go to work, tell your family you love them, go shopping, but never forget.

2003:

The firefighters above hired a lawyer (who appeared on the O’Reilly Factor) to claim intellectual property rights to this image.

Also, families of victims are holding out for a bigger chunk of money in a potential lawsuit than they would get from the government’s settlement.

The airline industry began taking advantage of their customers after 9/11 after the taxpayer funded bailout by offering more expensive service that was worse.

…

And the office jerk still takes the last of the coffee without making more.

It seems like we’re back to normal again. Don’t forget 9/11 but more importantly don’t forget America.

2004:

I have nothing particularly prophetic or poetic to say about the third anniversary other than don’t forget it. If you are a words person, go here. If you are a picture person, go here.

2005:

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

Looks like we learned very little.

Wow, am I really that cynical?

Over at publicola’s joint. He’s building an AK.

The Carnival of Cordite is up for your gun blogging pleasure.

Colt CCO is blogging again and has some gun and range porn.

State Senator Raymond Finney, who is my rep, is blogging. The format is hard to follow but I’ll give it a read later. Via The Rep.

The NRA is backing Wyoming in its suite against the ATF:

Two national gun rights groups are supporting Wyoming’s lawsuit over a federal agency’s rejection of a state law that allows people with misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence to petition in state court to regain their right to carry guns.

The National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners Foundation have both filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting Wyoming’s challenge against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Wyoming filed suit in May against the ATF claiming it exceeded its authority by rejecting the state law, which was passed in 2004.

Federal law prohibits people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning guns.*

Although Wyoming’s law allows people to petition to expunge such convictions for purposes of restoring their gun rights, it would still allow the original conviction to count against a person as a previous conviction if he ever got in trouble with the law again. ATF says that means the state law doesn’t allow full expunging of a person’s record, and that person would still have a conviction with regard to the federal prohibition.

Here’s hoping states’ rights prevail.

Interesting:

Americans were robbed and victimized by gun violence at greater rates last year than the year before, even though overall violent and property crime reached a 32-year low, the Justice Department said Sunday.

Experts said these increases buttress reports from the FBI and many mayors and police chiefs that violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline. Bush administration officials expressed concern but stressed that it was too soon to tell if a new upward trend in violence had begun.

Last year, there were two violent gun crimes for every 1,000 individuals, compared with 1.4 in 2004, according to the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. There were 2.6 robberies for every 1,000 persons, compared with 2.1 the year before.

“This report tells us more the serious events — robbery and gun crimes — increased and the FBI already told us homicides increased,” said criminal justice professor James Alan Fox of Northeastern University.

I’m sure it won’t be long before the expiration of the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons is blamed.

Heh.

In an update to a defensive gun use being in NYC reported in the NYT, reader d writes:

The bad thing about this though: under NYC law, this is an illegal shooting. (Unless a woman in a wheelchair managed to unlock her guncase, take the triggerlock off, take the ammo out of the separate bag, all while fighting off an adult male).
The NYPD are just too embarrassed to charge her.

At the UT v. Air Force game last night, I saw 3 fighter plans and a B52 bomber fly the stadium as part of the ceremonies. I thought it was an impressive sight. Then I thought I wonder how much this cost the taxpayers? Probably quite a bit. But I should just get over it.

Smarminess aside, Xrlq makes a good point about taxes you should be reminded of.

The NYT actually reported a defensive gun use. I share Kevin’s shock. Perhaps something like this getting press is enough to get New Yorkers to not be so oppositional to shall-issue carry.

What? It could happen.

Update: Feh, nevemind

Nice. Via the Benz.

Heh.

David has the testimony of Preston K. Covey, Ph.D. to The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Urban Violence.

Physics Geek:

My blog will change in response to FEC rules. No more quizzes, no more book or movie memes. All political advocacy all the time.

Traction Control:

This site pledges to uphold the Constitutional right to free speech by providing ad and message space to restricted organizations.

Dr. Helen has a post about women learning to shoot. Interesting reading.

Anyway, anyone who wants to go shooting (women or men) in the Knoxville area can shoot me an email at:

I’ll be happy to take you. I’ve taken a few people shooting for the first time and they’ll attest that it was mostly painless.

Speaking of, I think it may be time for another blogger shoot?

No, they don’t.

Some gun bills were marked up in committee:

9/7/2006 Full Committee Markup of H.R. 2679, H.R. 5092, H.R. 5005, H.R. 1384, H.R. 1415, Motion to authorize the issuance of a subpoena to Secretary Elaine L. Chao, Department of Labor, and H.R. 5830. H.R. 2679, the “Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005”; H.R. 5092, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006”; H.R. 5005, the “Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act”; H.R. 1384, the “Firearm Commerce Modernization Act”; H.R. 1415, the “NICS Improvement Act of 2005”; Motion to authorize the issuance of a subpoena to Secretary Elaine L. Chao, Department of Labor; and H.R. 5830, the “Wright Amendment Reform Act.”

The Brady Bunch doesn’t like it. So it can’t be all bad:

A House panel today cleared for full action by the House of Representatives a bill that would make it virtually impossible for Federal authorities to shut down gun dealers who violate the law. The bill would make it virtually impossible for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) to revoke the licenses of even the most egregious rogue gun dealers in the country.

The bill now faces likely House action as early as next week. Opponents of the bill, H.R. 5092, criticized the measure Thursday as a wholly inappropriate step in a time when the nation is otherwise cracking down on security to fight the war on terror.

Wow, more terror references.

The ATF has issued an alert regarding the world’s least powerful handgun:

Federal ATF Agents issued an officer safety advisory on what is called the world’s smallest gun after a CBS 2 inquiry. The Alert has been issued both in the New York and nationally to all Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives criminal investigators and will be passed on to other federal agencies.

ATF has confiscated thousands of disguised or miniature guns — from flashlights that shoot a .25 caliber bullet to pen guns.

Err, neither are mini-guns. Those are Any Other Weapons, and are regulated in the same way that machine guns and sound suppressors are, though the tax on them is only $5 as opposed to $200. The story goes on to say:

According to William McMahon, special agent in charge of the New York ATF office, that makes it the perfect stealth weapon for a variety of criminals.

“A terrorist, a criminal trying to sneak into bank, all kinds of criminals. I can see no legitimate reason to own this gun. It seems to be just made to be hidden,” McMahon said.

Not exactly an alert, now is it. And no story is complete without terror:

As its name indicates, the SwissMiniGun is manufactured in Switzerland. CBS 2 News reached the company’s CEO, Paul Erard, by phone.

He said the gun is a miniature, detailed copy of the Colt Python revolver. He sells it for roughly $5,000 to gun collectors (though he added that most of his guns are encrusted with diamonds and gold, so they can cost $30,000).

He said he has sold 50 miniguns, all to only one area of the world. “Contacts in the Middle East asked me to make a miniature of Colt Python,” said Erard.

Erard refused to say which Middle-Eastern countries. His reaction when asked if terrorists might use it? At first he laughed and said, “ Absolutely ridiculous.”

Yeah, street thugs are going to buy them for $5,000. And they’re not really powerful enough to be much of a threat. I’m pretty sure importing these items may be illegal as they don’t meet the point system for handgun importation. That’s assuming these are classified as firearms.

The ATF Marc has the skinny on the world’s least powerful handgun.

Quote of the day:

Unfortunately, too many members of the clergy believe the First Amendment is absolute, thus, all religions should be legal to practice.

Yeah, go see what she’s talking about.

Insty:

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparancy (sic) Act, S. 2590 has unanimously passed the Senate.

Cool.

Yeah, people have said the gun porn has been lacking. Well, here is a pick of a newly painted VZ58.

Here’s some carbines.

Here’s some pics (scroll down) of the AR45, a 45ACP AR-15 that uses grease gun mags.

And while we’re at it, here’s some links to knife porn.

And some Rimfire porn.

I like Betty Bean. Met her once with a bunch of the other hippies who hang out an Knoxviews.com. Invited her shooting. She said she’d go but I haven’t heard from her. Anyway, I like Betty because she’s the one columnist in Knoxville that isn’t afraid to poke the powers that be with a pointy stick. Apparently, she may be under fire for poking them with a particularly pointy stick known as Tyler Harber:

From what we have learned, when Betty found out that she had been ambushed, so to speak, she called Hallerin and got put through to his voicemail. Apparently she gave him an ear full, and in the heat of the moment may have said something about him being a “chickenshit.”

Rumor has it that a recording of her voicemail is being circulated among the GOB “powers that be” and that “Scripps brass” [as in E.W. Scripps Co. who recently purchased the Halls Shopper and also owns the Knoxville News Sentinel] have been notified.

Well, here’s hoping Scripps doesn’t do the wrong thing.

Prior coverage here of the military looking into a 45ACP pistol. Now, Defense Review notes:

The “Description” section of the latest modification (Modification 04) of Solicitation number: H92222-05-R-0017 for a .45 ACP Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) System–now called the Combat Pistol (CP)–states:

“This notification is to inform Industry the Combat Pistol requirement is postponed indefinately. USSOCOM will no longer issue a Request for Proposal.”

But that would excuse this nonsense.

If you had told your tale a bit differently, you’d have had my sympathy. But the crazy crept in and you said:

Men Are Scum Until Proven Otherwise

You are almost as vile and despicable as this Mathew Allen White you speak of. And the only reason I say almost is because your hateful words at least have the benefit of not causing physical harm. Misandry is as deplorable as misogyny.

Via AC, who says:

On a different occasion, I might quarrel with this assertion — but not today.

Sorry, but suffering a tragedy does not bestow infallibility on the victim. I hate that it happened to her daughter and I have no tolerance for abusive people. But it’s no excuse for crazy. And it’s no excuse for generalization. What if it was a black man? Do we then assert that Blacks Are Scum Until Proven Otherwise? No, because that’s racist and unacceptable.

And Sarcastro notes in comments:

Judging from the pics, it looks like left-handers could also be called utter scum until proven otherwise.

Update: Crazy lady responds:

Never mind that my choice of words was lifted verbatim from the mouth of my daughter’s father — a man who has been issuing the warning: men are scum until proven otherwise — since the day the first boy came near one of his daughters.

Perhaps you should have disclosed that in the original post? Or, more likely, you’re making shit up. And:

The problem is not my choice of words. The problem is that a woman said them.

I don’t care who said it. It’s a vile and despicable thing to say, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from egalia.

I’m not a defender of manhood. Just critical of hysterical, raving lunatics. My sympathies to your daughter for both the abuse she’s suffered and the perverted, disgusting life lessons you subject her to.

Update 2: Aunt B weighs in. A couple of points I disagree with but otherwise, right on.

I’ve covered how TeeVee shows acclimimate people to civil liberties violations and gun misrepresentations before. here’s one:

Saw the best “Law and Order” episode last night, with about every liberal antigun cliche you could hope to see. White Male college student, upset over his medical school rejection(due to affirmative action quotas), goes postal on a group of female pre-med students in central park with a converted full auto pistol(supposed to be a Mac, but they used some other name in the show)The cops can’t use his confession so they go after both the FFL dealer(a kitchen dealer in PA naturally) and the guy who sold the “conversion kit”. Assistant DA sighs that anyone with “20 seconds and a screwdriver” could do the job. There was also some mumbo jumbo about how the shooter used a file on the barrell rifling immediately after the shooting so that ballistics wouldn’t be able to make a match. For some reason, the DA decides to go after the manufacturer of the pistol, located in Connecticut, and gets humiliated in court when the Judge tells him he has no standing to bring such a case. What a load of crap.

I’ve watched reporters throw out investigative pieces that seem to be lacking evidence. That get all confrontational with some poor schmuck. And I always think to myself Self, why doesn’t that dude knock the shit out of that reporter? What, like you never thought that? Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, some dude assaulted a reporter:

A television reporter investigating a suspected real estate scam was attacked by a woman and her husband, who punched and tackled him as a cameraman videotaped the incident.

Reporter John Mattes of Fox 6 News said he was treated for cracked ribs, bite wounds and cuts to his face after the confrontation Tuesday. The couple, identified by authorities as Assad “Sam” Suleiman, 36, and his wife, Rosa Amelia Barraza, 33, were arrested.

The article concludes with:

No charges have been filed against either in connection with the real estate allegations Mattes was investigating.

Sure, they could be guilty of the scam but I wouldn’t convict anyone based on an investigative journalist’s work.

Brittney has the video.

So, I get a lot of spam comments and Spam Karma does a good job of keeping them away. But every once in a while, one sneaks through the cracks. And last night was such a day. I get a spam comment that says (foul language follows – click more if you can handle pornographic language) Read the rest of this entry »

But a court in Ohio pokes the system with a stick:

Ohio’s rules for primary elections make it too hard for minor parties to get on the ballot, a federal appeals court ruled.

Parties automatically qualify for the primary ballot if their candidate for governor or president received at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous Ohio election. Any other party must file a petition four months before the primary election with signatures equal to 1 percent of the number of total votes cast in the last state election.

That requirement meant minor parties had to file petitions with 32,290 voter signatures by Nov. 3, 2003, to get candidates on the March 2004 primary ballot.

In a 2-1 opinion, a U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel Wednesday that the rules were unnecessarily strict and tougher for small parties to meet. The court ruled Ohio’s rules violate the First Amendment and have “a negative impact … on minor parties and on political activity as a whole in Ohio.”

I’ve noticed here in Tennessee also that minor parties aren’t even identified on the ballot.

David Hardy notes this interview at Buzzflash with Saul Cornell which, as far as I can tell, says the second amendment secures a right to arms; but it doesn’t; but it does; but it doesn’t. Or something. I’m not quite sure. You tell me.

I should point out that Buzzflash is allegedly run by the guy who runs The Gun Guys and the Freedom State Alliance and Ask John Lott and Who is Mary Rosh.

Details here and here.

Prior coverage here and see Pro-Gun Progressive’s excellent coverage here. Here’s the study. First, guns traced aren’t always crime gun, despite what they tell you. Here’s the rifles they found:

21 Colt AR-15s
46 USA Military Surplus M1 Carbines*
55 Ruger Mini14s*
92 HiPoint 9mm carbines*
294 North China Industries SKS variants*

First, none of those are assault rifles because they are not machine guns. Those with asterisks beside them weren’t even classified as assault weapons under the ban. The AR-15s could have been pre or post ban models. And the Rugers and M1s could have been altered to a banned configuration.

Any way, they’re full of it as usual. Could be worse, they could do like the VPC did and classify a jeep as an assault weapon.

Update: From Jay’s comment:

From the Ceasefire press release:

According to the tracing data, the most common assault rifles traced to crime by make and model include: 21 Colt AR-15s; 46 USA Military Surplus M1 Carbines; 55 Ruger Mini14s; 92 HiPoint 9mm carbines; and 294 North China Industries SKS variants.

Note the inclusion of “Ruger Mini14s” as “assault rifles.”

Yet these rifles were specicifically exempted from the 1994 assault weapon ban as “Hunting and Sporting Firearms.”

link

Senator Feinstein, the author of the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban, says on her web site:

Hunting Guns and Other Recreational Weapons Exempted in the Legislation:

Ruger Mini-14 Autoloading Rifle (w/o folding stock)

link

The Brady Campaign says on their web site:

The amendment specifically lists 650 sporting rifles that would not be affected by the ban.

link

Then-President Clinton said in “An Open Letter to Hunters and Sportsmen” on April 29, 1994:

“High-paid lobbyists argue that the assault weapons ban will infringe on our right, as hunters and sportsmen, to own guns. But what they don’t tell you is that the proposal I support specifically safeguards hunter’s rights. It explicitly protects more than 650 hunting and recreational rifles from the ban.”

link

Why is Ceasefire describing as “assault rifles” guns that were described as “hunting,” “sporting,” and “recreational” rifles by Senator Feinstein, the Brady Campaign, and President Clinton?

I put a notice for free ads in defiance of the McCain-Feingold Incumbent Protection Act over on the sidebar. No hits yet, which I find odd.

Anyone wanting and ad can email me at:

You can email me your ad text and a small image or I’ll give a free offer code at blogads to run your ad.

Ayup:

“Oh yeah, that’s [shall-issue concealed carry in New York - ed.] going to happen when hell freezes over,” a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Peter Hamm, said.

I think it’s pretty safe to write off California, Illinois, and Massachusetts as well.

It’s no secret that I am no fan of Bob Corker. I’m also not a fan of Harold Ford.

This morning on local talk radio, HHH interviewed ol’ Bob. This was the first time I’ve heard Bob speaking off the cuff. Bob’s message was simple:

My personal opinion is that, while Ford talks the talk, he doesn’t walk the walk. His voting record is inconsistent and opportunistic. I’d like, for example, to think that Ford really is as conservative and pro-gun as he says he is. But his ties with the big government, nanny statists mentioned above means I don’t believe him.

Corker, I’m not a fan of either. He doesn’t have a voting record. His record as Chattanooga mayor is mixed. He’s been caught lying. And I think he’s a pussy.

Ordinarily, backing by Schumer (spit), Kennedy, Clinton, Kerry, etc. would be enough for me to support the opposition. And that’s the case now, but I ain’t happy about it. And, while I’m not happy with Republicans, I damn sure don’t want the Democrats in charge.

Update: And, as Xrlq points out in comments, future supreme court nominees are potentially at risk here. Definitely something I don’t want happening when folks with Ds after their names are in power. And this ain’t the time to farting around with that.

Blast from the past at Simon World on Everything you wanted to know about blogging but were afraid to ask.

WATE:

Drug enforcers have proposed that doctors should be allowed to write prescriptions for 90-day supplies of some powerful painkillers.

The Drug Enforcement Agency says physicians should be able to treat chronic pain under “accepted medical community standards” just as they do other ailments. So the agency plans to eliminate the restrictions on drugs like Oxycontin and codeine that were imposed to prevent abuse by addicts.

Doctors have complained that strict regulations kept them from writing prescriptions for more than a month at a time, and kept their patients coming back every month for otherwise needless office visits.

Kim du Doit reiterates his pledge and notes:

Here’s my additional thought: if a conservative political organization doesn’t place a free ad on this site (or on the many others who have also adopted my pledge) to criticize a politician, then they deserve to lose their freedom of speech for being a bunch of spineless rodents.

Ayup. R. Neal asks:

It’s curious that this doesn’t get much play in the lefty blogosphere. Are we not supposed to be concerned about this? Seems like it could help Republicans more than Democrats this time around.

Rich says:

I Don’t Accept Ads

Never have. Probably never will.

However.

I do accept editorial contributions, and those I find newsworthy will be given prominent display here at Shots Across The Bow. And since we are in an election cycle, coming up on November, it is obvious that contributions written by and about candidates for said elections are newsworthy. As such, anyone that wants to send in an editorial by or about any candidate in the upcoming elections is welcome to submit them to my regular email address, and I will see that they get the exposure they deserve.

Joe Public:

On the subject of campaign ads that name candidates, and not being able to run those ads within 60 days of an election, I think I’d like to solicit a couple. You know, to sow my wild revolutionary pamphleteer oats, or something like that.

I admire his gumption:

A retired police officer has admitted twice flouting the new hunting law by allowing his terrier dog to chase and kill a mouse and a mole.
………
He turned himself in to the police on both occasions to demonstrate that the 2004 Hunting Act was a “ridiculous law”.

Under the legislation, moles and mice are classed as mammals that cannot be killed by dogs, although they can be shot by a competent huntsman.

Mr Morrison said he was not taken seriously when he reported himself, but was eventually cautioned. He was later told no further action would be taken

My guns, that is. See, they haven’t caused any crime and they don’t go off at any time

Gun trace data is generally not indicative of violent crime, as the ATF has said. But Ceasefire MD says:

One semiautomatic assault rifle was traced to a Maryland crime every 48 hours, according to a study by CeaseFire Maryland Inc. released today.

The data, from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) show that 789 assault rifles were traced to crime in Maryland from Jan. 2, 1998 to Dec. 31, 2001, but the actual number of assault weapons traced to crime in the state is likely to be higher.

Insert rant about how there is no such thing as a semiautomatic assault rifle. Assault rifles are, by definition, machine guns and are fully automatic. I think they mean traces in general. David Hardy says 90% are unrelated to crimes. Seems a big to do about nothing. More:

“With assault weapons being traced to crime in Maryland an average of every 48 hours, more needs to be done to get these guns off Maryland streets and to help law enforcement keep our communities safe,” said Lisa Delity, president of CeaseFire Maryland Inc. Lisa’s brother, FBI Special Agent Mike Miller, was gunned down with an assault weapon at Washington, D.C., police headquarters in November 1994.

Are they assault weapons or assault rifles? And aren’t assault weapons (and all guns) banned in DC?

Update: And the press gets it way wrong, which is Ceasefire MD’s intent:

Study: Long Guns Used in Md. Crime Once Every Two Days

Semiautomatic rifles and shotguns are used in a crime in Maryland on average once every two days, according to a study released Wednesday by gun control advocates.

Err, no. The guns are traced every two days. And said crime includes tracing stolen guns, etc.

Update: PGP has much more.

So, when you click on Michael Silence’s story on McCain-Feingold and bloggers, do you get the John McCain ad at the top too?

At Gene Patterson’s blog there is a new call for the Grand Jury from a former Knox County Commissioner who also ran for the office of Mayor of Knoxville.

Former County Commissioner Madeline Rogero echoes the sentiments of political columnist Frank Cagle in calling for a grand jury investigation of the allegations being made by former Knox County employee Tyler Harber.

Terry Frank has also called for the Grand Jury as has Frank Cagle.

What are your thoughts? You can vote in a poll here.

I’m not hungry. Good. My butt is dry. Better. I’m warm. Life is good. Cool, nothing to do but hang out and try to figure out why this starfish isn’t lighting up. Come on, light up . . . light up . . . light up or I’ll cry . . . li . . . oh, there you are. Woohoo. Happy day. Seems to light up whenever I kick those things on my . . . ooh, there’s dad. If I smile, he’ll be happy. See, he smiled back. Chump. What’s he doing? Hmm, at the fridge . . . getting a beer. Wait for it. He’s making his way to the couch. Wait for it. He has the remote . . . patience, it’s too soon. He turned on High Stakes Poker on the TeeVee . . . wait for it. He’s got his feet propped up. This is gonna be good. He’s touching the beer to his lips. Ok, now:

WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Sucker.

Apparently, the ninth circuit would rather a felon leave a gun he found at a school than pick it up to turn it in to the police. Mind you, the guy’s story has enough holes in it to drive a truck through but if taken at face-value, the ninth is being stupid.

I’ll have to get some of these:

I bought 15 (or 18?) bulbs for $75. Each bulb saves about 40 watts. I estimate 3 hours per day of usage. Over a year, that means I save 657 kilowatt hours (356*15*3*40/1000). At fifteen cents per KWH, that’s a dollar savings of $98.55. Cool. I will recoup my $75 in less than a year. (Except for the NY state cost of electricity, most of these numbers are my own estimates, reflecting a mix of bulb sizes, replacements, and daily usage. A key point – each swirl CFL bulb uses only about one-quarter as much electricity as the bulb it replaces; a 15 watt swirl casts as much light as an ordinary 60 watt bulb.)

And, apparently, they’re environmentally friendly.