BTW, these are also known by their more common name: Handguards. Here’s some.

Here are some responses to my little thought experiment that I proposed here. Quite a few folks said Sorry, unc, I ain’t playing because I’m one of those shall not be infringed guys. And that’s fine. I respect that. I’m just linking to responses. Most of these posts are well-reasoned and detailed (meaning longer than your average blog post) so I don’t think excerpting conveys the whole message.

Ahab

Rob Allen

Sebastian

Dixit Insipiens

I’ll add more as I get them. As for me personally, I’d be willing to sacrifice two non-starters:

1) Gun show loophole – No loophole there, really. So, let them have it.

2) Ballistic fingerprinting – another non-starter. Sure, it’s a colossal waste of money and resources but it’s not inherently an infringement on the right to arms.

In return, I’d want:

1) repeal of the Hughes amendment.

2) repeal of the sporting purposes language.

On the supreme court’s partial birth abortion decision, Xrlq writes:

It would be fun to see a second constitutional challenge prevail based on something actually contained in the … um … Constitution?

Novel idea!

Paul Helmke on the VT massacre: What are we going to do about this?

Gun control is what you do instead of something.

NK once asked why this site has no trolls. Well, I’m happy to report we do. See comments here and here. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. His blog is here (update: oops, link added), if you want to have a laugh. Anyhoo, inside the mind of an anti-gunner, in which I put on my amateur psychologist hat. Says the misnamed Freedonian:

I don’t like guns. I don’t want them. My only firsthand experience with guns was some coward trying to take me out from 100 feet away. His three shots missed— All going into the apartment behind me. Thank god no one was hurt. And when I caught him without his gun, I beat his ass within an inch of his life. The transgression for which this legitimate gun owner thought I deserved to lose my life was dating his ex-girlfriend.

He was a perfectly legitimate gun owner with a CCW permit. He broke no laws until he committed an act of craven cowardice and tried to take my life from a long distance.

So, he admits in a public forum to assaulting someone. See I, as a responsible person and one not prone to violence and one who carries a handgun, don’t beat people up. Nor do I get into fights. Nor do I start them. I generally avoid physical confrontation regardless of how steamed I am. No matter if the guy shot at you earlier, when you caught him out and beat his ass, you assaulted him. You probably broke the law. No wonder you don’t trust people with guns. You can’t be trusted with them.

His story changes throughout the comment thread to being a bouncer blah blah blah. Read it for yourself. Hell, that part might even be made up.

He also notes it happened fourteen years ago, which is odd since TN has only had shall-issue since 1994. And, prior to that, I don’t think that area of the state was keen on issuing permits.

From Bitter (who is in a cult): But watch out in the states

Seen at David’s:

McCarthy has introduced a proposal for federal legislation banning firearms with certain features, one of them being a “barrel shroud.” Carlson asked McCarthy what a barrel shroud was and she changed the subject. He asked again and she changed the subject again. On the third try, McCarthy finally responded that she did not know what a barrel shroud was. I’m not sure what surprised me more, that McCarthy didn’t know what something she wanted banned was or that Tucker Carlson, of all talking TV heads, actually kept after her and forced the admission.

Commenter at Volokh’s:

A practical, commonsense way of reducing gun violence — especially in the schools — would be a federal law prohibiting, or at least seriously limiting, the interstate reporting of sensational gun crimes like Virginia Tech for five working days.

Such a law would not affect local coverage, where there is a need for the immediate dissemination of information, but would make the event ‘old news’ when it was finally reported nationally and therefore unlikely to get the massive publicity that invites further, copycat violence. Even a small reduction in today’s intense coverage of such events might, by not stimulating some potential gunman to action, save lives.

Hah! Via insty.

While we’re at it, reporters don’t need computers. They can just do it on a printing press and put it in tomorrow’s edition. Those rapid-fire, word-hoses were never envisioned by the founders of this nation!!!

What Gun Control Law Would Have Prevented This?

None, really. The fact is that gun control proposals only affect the law-abiding.

What exactly is enough control.

Depends who you ask. For the anti-gun groups, total control is what is needed. For me, just some.

So, here’s a fun game for you pro-gun folks: Due to some bizarre set of circumstances, congress decides that all federal gun laws need to be re-written and revised. You are elected/selected/appointed as the negotiator for pro-gun folks. And there will be one negotiator for the anti-gun folks. All federal laws will be wiped clean and you two will negotiate what the new gun laws will be. There will have to be compromise on both sides. So, what will you concede? And what is nonnegotiable?

Whoever says that their position will merely consist of shall not be infringed, step to the front of the bus and exit please. Because that won’t work. We will have gun laws. As much as I admire your consistency, it’s not feasible. Deal with it.

While we’re at it, let’s hear from the anti-gunners too.

Yeah, I know, not a likely scenario but this national conversation is coming. Post your answers in comments or at your website.

The Mayor of Nagasaki was shot twice in the back and died.

Like it or not, yesterday we woke up in a different America. This incident will have far-reaching effects for a while. Sadly, these effects will be of the band-aid variety and likely won’t have much impact. I fully expect our college and university police to slowly become more like regular police. It will start out small, with some colleges hiring additional security and getting better hardware. But I doubt it will be long before their security forces could go toe-to-toe with the local PDs in terms of gear.

Some folks are blaming the college for banning CCW holders from carrying there. Could have a point but the facts are that most college kids are just that: kids. Eighteen, nineteen and twenty year-olds can’t lawfully carry anyway. And, honestly, who wants a bunch of kids who are away from their home for the first time and who (like I did in college) are probably consuming a bit too much of, well, anything strapped? Armed staff is a better sell and, honestly, is probably a bit more responsible. Not to say that all college kids are irresponsible but that your average 18-20 something probably isn’t the best candidate for packing heat. And, of course, not all college kids are 18-20.

On the radio this morning, this was the topic of the day (like it is everywhere, I’m sure) and will be the topic for weeks. One caller said something I found disturbing but I will not be surprised to see it made an issue in the near future. He said he didn’t think foreigners should be allowed to own guns. Particularly, he said some store owners who were Iraqi, Iranian or some kinda A-rab made him uncomfortable. Currently, lawful resident aliens can purchase guns. I’d like to think restrictions on guns wouldn’t be based on where someone was born. As deplorable as such a push would be, I’d love to see how the Brady Campaign would react to gun control returning to its racist roots.

Guns aren’t to blame. Neither is porn, video games, movies, whatever-today’s-random-kid-corrupting-bogeyman is. And neither is the young woman who had the misfortune of being the shooter’s object of obsession. Seriously, some sick fuckers said: This is the face of the teenage student who may have sparked the biggest gun massacre in US history. Wow. Just wow.

Speaking of sick fuckers, the foreign press is amusing in their misrepresenting US gun laws and their apparent gloating over the incident. Der Speigel (IIRC) basically said that you could go buy machine guns over the counter here. So did The Daily Mail.

The most chilling thing I read was this at Radley’s:

Just saw an interview with rescue workers on TV. They said the thing that keeps sticking with them is the sound of cell phones ringing on the bodies of the dead students they were carrying out–calls from desperate parents and friends frantically trying to reach them.

That sends chills down my spine.

The Democrats say gun control isn’t a priority:

After the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cautioned Tuesday against a “rush to judgment” on stricter gun control.

[...]

Democrats traditionally have been in the forefront of efforts to pass gun control legislation, but there is a widespread perception among political strategists that the issue has been a loser in recent campaigns. It was notably absent from the agenda Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled earlier this year when the party took control of the House and Senate for the first time in more than a decade.

Good. Gun control is what politicos do instead of something. VA Governor is not a fan of the politicization of this incident.

What’s the solution? I dunno. And you don’t either. People just go nuts. They do it with guns, knives, swords, planes, and Ryder Trucks loaded with fertilizer.

I was doing a bit of perusing VA gun laws and found this in Virginia’s Code:

It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a citizen of the United States or who is not a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport any assault firearm or to knowingly and intentionally carry about his person, hidden from common observation, an assault firearm. It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a citizen of the United States and who is not lawfully present in the United States to knowingly and intentionally possess or transport any firearm or to knowingly and intentionally carry about his person, hidden from common observation, any firearm. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 6 felony.

For purposes of this section, “assault firearm” means any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock.

The VA shooter had a Glock 9mm (Glock’s site is down) and a Walther P22. The Walther (a 22LR plinker) comes from the factory with a threaded barrel. As such, it comes from the manufacturer designed to accommodate a silencer. In VA, the Walther is an assault firearm, whatever that is. Recall also that the California DOJ a couple of years ago reclassified the Walther as an assault weapon (whatever that is) for that reason (only after saying initially it was not).

Update: Disregard. In comments, Dr. Strangegun sets me straight:

P22s aren’t centerfire. The law doesn’t apply.

I missed that whole centerfire bit.

I’ve seen this said today, most recently by Kevin who notes:

having more people armed in a situation like that is a recipe for more innocent deaths, not less.

There is a definite lack of data regarding mass murderers v. armed citizens. I can only think of two instances where such a confrontation occurred:

1 Tyler, Texas: Shooter on the loose. Mark Wilson hears the noise and grabs a gun. He intervenes and saves the life of one man (who turns out to be the shooters’ son). He also drew fire from the murderer and likely saved more lives. Sadly, Mr. Wilson was murdered on the scene.

2 Tacoma, WA: Brendan “Dan” McKown was delivering a bank deposit for Excalibur Cutlery, a mall gift store, when gunshots scattered shoppers at noon in Tacoma. Dan McKown was an armed CCW holder. Witnesses state that McKown stood about 20 feet from the gunman when he faced him and drew his own pistol before being shot. Whether he spoke to the gunman is unknown. “Our understanding is that Dan drew his weapon and confronted the gunman,” his stepmother, Beverly McKown, said during a news conference Tuesday at Tacoma General Hospital. “Dan is always one who believed in protecting people and he put his life on the line for other people,” McKown’s father said. “His actions and the actions of others like him may have prevented additional casualties by confronting the aggression and possibly changing the gunman’s action early in the conflict.”

Those are the only two cases I know of where a would-be mass murderer was confronted by an armed citizen. And, in both cases, the death toll was likely minimized. Given a choice, I like those odds better than lined up and shot.

3 Update: Make that three. I forgot (courtesy of Mr. Burnside), about Pete Odighizuwa. He’s the man who killed three innocent people at the Appalachian School of Law. But was likely stopped by two armed students who had to run to their cars to get their guns. There’s some dispute as to what caused Pete O. to surrender because he was also out of ammo.

4 Update 2: Another, via comments, was the Utah mall shooting:

An off-duty police officer having an early Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife was credited Tuesday with helping stop a rampage in a crowded shopping mall by an 18-year-old gunman who killed five people before he was cut down.

He was off duty. Good thing he disregarded the mall’s no gun policy that day. And another one:

5 In Pearl, Mississippi:

Vice Principal Joel Myrick held his Colt .45 point blank to the high school boy’s head. Last week, he told me what it was like. “I said ‘why are you shooting my kids?’ He said it was because nobody liked him and everything seemed hopeless,” Myrick said. “Then I asked him his name. He said ‘you know me, Mr. Myrick. Remember? I gave you a discount on your pizza delivery last week.”

I still like these odds. Anyone got more?

And, since I’m laying odds, think any of these will be pointed out in the press in their coming discussion of gun control?

6 another: A knife-wielding grocery store employee attacked eight co-workers Friday, seriously injuring five before a witness pulled a gun and stopped him, police said.

7 Allen Crum, an armed citizen, was deputized when Charles Whitman climbed a tower and started shooting people. Read Mr. Crum’s account here. He used a borrowed rifle.

8 Kenneth Gage.

R. Neal has a summary of the event.

FoxNews:

An Israeli lecturer who died in the massacre at a U.S. university saved the lives of several students by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman before he was fatally shot, his son said Tuesday.

Students of Liviu Librescu, 76, a holocaust survivor who was an engineering science and mathematics lecturer at Virginia Tech for 20 years, sent e-mails to his wife, Marlena, telling of how he blocked the gunman’s way and saved their lives, said the son, Joe.

“My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee,” Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. “Students started opening windows and jumping out.”

Roger offers some handy tips for blogging about yesterday’s massacre.

The Second is now mulletless. This weekend, he had his first haircut. I told the wife that I didn’t mind if he had long hair but no son of mine would have a mullet. And, unfortunately for little boys, that’s just kinda how their hair grows.

Also, we took our first steps this weekend. He took two full steps (though there are differing accounts with one reporter on the scene stating it was three).

Rusty agrees with me. Fight or flight.

CNN:

The gunman who killed 30 people at Virginia Tech’s Norris Hall before turning the gun on himself was student Cho Seung-Hui, university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said Tuesday.

[...]

Cho, a 23-year-old South Korean and resident alien, lived at the university’s Harper Hall, Flinchum said. He was an English major, the chief said.

Cho was a loner and authorities are having a hard time finding information about him, said Harry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations.

Read elsewhere they found receipts for his guns (purchased in March) in his bags.

Can resident aliens lawfully buy guns? I’m asking. I really don’t know.

Update: I guess they can.

The ATF has started sending out letters in response to letters it received expressing concerns that the Akins is a machine gun. Here’s a sample letter. Short version: tough dookie.

When considering a bill that involved carry permits, Senator Harper indicated she had a carry permit, Sen. Kilby expressed surprise. Sen Harper then left no doubt about the matter.

Ben has video.

Is packing on the state capitol legal?

Brady Presser: Shockingly, they blame guns. Well, and try to score some $$$.

The NRA offers sympathies and refrains from commenting until facts are known.

Headline of the day: Advocates Of Gun Control Become Relevant Again. Sadly, he’s probably right. We gun nuts often say we’re one whackjob away from more gun control.

Yes, I know. VT prohibits students from packing heat. And a lot of pro-gun folks are pointing that out (see here). Yesterday, I said stand down. I figure today it’s OK to respectfully disagree. Be nice, people lost their children.

One CCW holder at VT is upset about being disarmed.

Jeremy Burnside (background here) is still hysterical. I mean, really? Coming here to my site to gloat about mass murder?

Update: Good for McCain. Must have been hard to beat down his inner nanny populist for a moment.

The press seems hard on the VT police over what is seemingly a delay in securing the school. I think, based on the info at the time, they made the right call. They had witnesses say it was a domestic shooting and assumed it was over.

The media doesn’t get guns:

Williams: With numbers like this, it must have been an automatic weapon

Other guy on the phone: No Brian, it could be a semi auto handgun, we know they can hold up to 16 rounds and he could have multiple magazines. He could also have some shoulder fired arms

ABC lies:

Lapse of Federal Law Allows Sale of Large Ammo Clips

High capacity ammo clips became widely available for sale when Congress failed to renew a law that banned assault weapons.

Why not just take dictation from the Brady Bunch? There was never a prohibition on the sale. There was only a restriction on manufacturing new ones. But there were plenty on the market. And ABC puts up a poll and the good guys are winning.

There are no stupid questions. Just stupid people:

Columbine, Amish school shooting, now this, and a whole host of other gun issues brought into schools — that’s not including guns on the streets and in many urban areas and rural areas. Does there need to be some more restrictions? Does there need to be gun control in this country?

The LA Times:

Monday’s deadly rampage at Virginia Tech sparked a largely one-sided response in the long-running debate over guns.

Gun control advocates said the shootings pointed to the need for tougher laws, while supporters of gun rights generally kept their heads down.

Out of respect for the dead, maybe? You know, not using the tragedy for political points before the blood is cold?

Update: Malkin has a round up.

33 dead.

So, it’s been a day and we don’t know who the shooter is. I find that odd. We know he was a student, male and Asian.

I wouldn’t be too hard on VT’s police for not locking down sooner. The original shooting fit the profile of a domestic dispute and that was backed up by witnesses. Seems there is a slight possibility that shooting may not even be related to the mass shooting.

As I’ve said before, in a mass shooting, the urge to barricade yourself in may be overpowering but you really should try to get out.

Reports on the radio this morning were that the guy chained doors shut. And that he shot people execution style. Another reason why compliance is not the best option.

Tragic. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims.

Dr. Helen, who is an expert on violence of this sort, has more.

Take a little trip. It may help.

Imus and Zumbo?

the AP:

Virginia Tech campus police chief says at least 22 are dead after a shooting the university.

WTF is going on there?

Update: Timeline here.

Now: 21 killed and 21 wounded.

Update: Some news outlets are reporting this as two incidents (i.e., two shooters).

Update: Conflicting reports. Some say one shooter. Some say shooter is dead. Some say shooter is in custody. One report says both. Still no certainty as to the number of shooters.

Latest report are two shooters, no evidence they’re related. One shooter described as Asian wearing a vest ‘covered in clips.’

Latest: One shooter. Dead.

Update: Latest reports are the shooter used a handgun.

Update: Everyone says to me: see what happens in gun free school zones. I say: don’t dance in the blood of the dead. That’s what the other side does and we shouldn’t (update: See).

Latest: Apparently, it started in a dorm and spread to classrooms. Shooter reportedly stood in door ways blasting away.

Map of where the shootings occurred. Can’t tell distance from the graphic but it looks like the shooter covered a lot of ground.

Eyewitness accounts.

Update: Reports of a two hour time lapse between the shootings.

Update: R. Neal:

ATF says shooter killed himself, two 9mm handguns recovered. White male, connection to university unknown at this time.

Update: On the shooter, seen at Ace’s:

Apparently based on a picture of an Asian student being handcuffed on the ground. But this doesn’t seem to be the shooter, who we’re told was killed outright. The picture of the Asian student shows him clearly alive and bearing no obvious wounds.

Also, still some reports confused as to the number of shooters with one source still saying one shooter dead and one arrested.

Update: number of dead count keeps changing. Latest is 29 22, including shooter. I kinda wish this body count stuff would stop. Just wait until the counting is done then release the number.

Oh brother. A $400 haircut? How is that even possible?

Now I understand.

You can’t pack at the NRA convention. Seems the convention center and their insurance company have rules against that.

Terry Frank asks I wonder if Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam will continue to maintain his membership in Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-gun group after this publication. You’ll recall that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is a member of the Joyce Foundation funded Alliance of Mayors Against Guns. Past entries here. Seems the NRA did a story on Bloomberg’s law-breaking.

Sebastian on the gun nut demographic:

As I look out at the crowd at this meeting, I’m struck by the fact that most of them appear to be over 50, and I see maybe only a handful of us that are under 40. If this is a true reflection of the NRA demographic, we’re in a lot of trouble over the long term.

He says we’re in trouble, like Democrats. Now, as evidenced by the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, I’m one of the younger gun bloggers (at 35). I don’t think we’re in trouble. Because ever since I’ve been a gun nut, I’ve noticed the older crowd hangs out at the gun shows and shooting ranges. I’ve been a gun nut for a while and it’s not the same people. I think it’s just that they have a bit more time and money to devote to their hobby than some young, 20-year-old college kid can.

Still, take a kid shooting.

Update: More here.

Oleg links to this piece on Canon requiring employees to notify them if they have or intend to get a concealed handgun permit.

This time, he and his coalition are targeting the Tiahrt Amendment which proposes that NICS data is destroyed within 24 hours. Currently, there is essentially a backdoor gun registry. A full-fledged registry is illegal, under federal law, except for weapons regulated under the National Firearms Act (machine guns, short-barreled rifles, suppressors, etc.).

The Tiahrt amendment also prohibits the release of documents that can be kept on gun owners (such as if you buy 3 or more handguns in five days, your info goes to the ATF). And the bill also prohibits release of trace data to entities who are not police. This latter fact is apparently ignored by the anti-gunners who push the notion that this bill is anti-police. PGP has more.

HK makes an AR called the HK416. The Norwegians have ordered some. Civilians in the US still can’t get them. And that’s why I don’t buy anything from HK. Not even a hat.

Some Buy A Gun Day Purchases and other stuff:

S&W 29

Mini-MG replicas

FN FS2000

The big Buy a Gun Day round up is over at Cowboy Blob’s.

Sammie.

As for me, I ain’t bought a thing yet. Not had the time.

More fun with the Ford family. I have never read Thaddeus Augustus Matthews before but he has a very lively blog. This is an interesting read.

Hat tip to A.C.

Heh.

In comments here, DrawingDead writes:

There appears to be some dispute as to whether poker generally, and a home poker game specifically, is illegal in Tennessee. It’s certainly a valid question, especially for those of us who love to play, and have no ready access to a legal live game (absent driving or flying several hours for one). Given what I do for a living, I thought I’d put some of my training to use, and post this note here. While I don’t like the law, here’s what the statute on this says:

Certain portions not applicable to analysis have been omitted.

Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-501

“As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Gambling is contrary to the public policy of this state and means risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like.

. . .

(2) “Gambling bet” means anything of value risked in gambling;

(3) “Gambling device or record” means anything designed for use in gambling, intended for use in gambling, or used for gambling;

. . .

(6) “Profit” means anything of value in addition to the gambling bet.”

The statute goes on to note, in the specific comments of the Tennessee Sentencing Commission, more detail to the meaning of the statute’s language. Their interpretation seems pretty clear.

“This section contains the definitions for gambling offenses. The definitions are intentionally broader than those found in prior law. The commission intends to include any scheme by which value is risked upon a chance for greater value as a “gambling” offense. The definition of “gambling” includes lotteries, chain or pyramid clubs, numbers, pinball, poker or any as yet unnamed scheme where value is risked for profit.”

The Tennessee Courts have not often addressed the issue of poker as gambling within the meaning of the statutes on this point. Since 1899, there have only been four reported cases in which gambling on poker (not video poker machines, but actual live games) is considered. The statutes on permissible gambling have changed several times during the last hundred years or so.

The statute is more geared at preventing casinos and card rooms seeking to operate the games for a business. The primary punitive aspects of the law are geared toward operating a gambling enterprise. The law is truly designed to restrict these businesses from operating. The punishment for the players are only somewhat secondary, in my opinion.

In other words, the law really wants to prevent shady backroom casinos operating for a profit which, as you would all suspect, is due to the fact that none of these proceeds would be TAXED. Punishment for the players is just a deterrent trying to keep these folks away from the untaxed card games for fear of a fine and/or jail time.

Saying all of that, I’m not sure that local law enforcement is going to get that worked up about enforcing the law against a group of friends playing a weekly low stakes game. However, under a strict interpretation of the statute, the weekly home game for pennies and nickels would probably be illegal gambling.

So you all know, according to T.C.A. § 39-17-502, “ The offense of gambling is a Class C misdemeanor.

In other words, the “skill” versus “chance” distinction doesn’t mean much in Tennessee. As for my opinion, I believe that poker is largely a skill-based game. Certainly, there is a degree of chance, or pure gambling, involved.

However, I draw the distinction on this simple point. In a game like craps or roulette, the outcome of your bet (and whether you win or lose) is based SOLELY on the roll of the dice or the drop of the ball. In poker, you can win a hand based on your bets, with the worst hand if you are a skillful player. It’s hard to win a Pass Line bet on a bluff.

Thought I’d share it.

Yeah. Slow to load today. I think it’s a blogads script issue. Anyone else notice anything else out of whack?

Update: should be working now.

Sebastian:

The American Hunters and Shooters Association has paid people to stand outside the NRA convention with signs. I’ll try to get pictures later. This following up on the announcement that they will support Bloomberg’s coalition of anti-gun mayors. You might notice AHSA has bought ad space on that article as well, though it doesn’t come up every time. Keep reloading.

Apparently AHSA is also running an invitation only press conference. One wonders what it takes to get an invitation, but I’m guessing only sympathetic media are allowed in.

WATE:

The state Senate approved a proposal Wednesday make dog versus hog fights a felony Thursday.

Bill sponsor Sen. Douglas Henry contrasted the hog dog matchups with what he considers to be more fair fights. The 80 year old Henry told 51 year old Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey that a fight between the two lawmakers would be a fair fight.

Henry said the hog dog fights, meanwhile, are stacked against the swine and it was a form of torture.

People convicted of using swine in fights could be sentenced to up to two years in prison under the proposal.

The companion bill is scheduled for a vote in the House Agriculture Committee next week.

As someone familiar with hog hunting (though I don’t actually do it myself – me and politically incorrect dog are lovers and not fighters – get your mind out of the gutter), I wonder if there are actual fights or if this is a ban on training dogs to hunt? Hunters who hunt wild hogs with dogs usually have a captive hog or two that they use to train the dog to hunt with. The dog will be trained to run up to the hog, grab it by its snout or ears and hold it down. I’ve never known of actual hog v. dog fights, per se (which seems to imply gambling like cock and dog fights). Anyone know?

I’ve heard and used the phrase: I don’t gamble, I play poker. And there’s truth to it. But is the skill involved in poker enough to warrant a classification from game of chance to game of skill?

Apparently, there is some debate on that in the legal system in the UK.

Update: Some question on what is meant by poker. I mean card games (like Texas Hold-Em) and not video poker (which is 1 – obviously gambling and 2 – typically stacked against the player).

In Ohio, a sheriff is suing the state over a law requiring him to turn over lists of people who apply for concealed carry permits to journalists.

I find it odd that, all of a sudden, journalists have taken an interest in those that have concealed carry permits (i.e., the Roanoke Times and all). Really, what is the point? Because, honestly, it seems like they’re trying to out people in some sort of witch-hunt.

Phelps:

There is one place that I see this mentality over and over, and it is in the conspiracy theorist. This is where the Truthers fall completely flat. If you know one thing about the military man, know this: your average soldier is not amoral. In fact, he is more moral than your average man on the street. Soldiers have a right and a duty to disobey illegal orders. Any order to commit a warcrime is an illegal order.

Who is to blame?

Massachusetts the most violent North East state. The culprit: guns. Which is odd, since MA has some of the most strict gun control laws in the nation.

Vepr in 308. How’d you get that in MA?

It’s here. Check it out.

Nail gun injuries up 200%. You don’t need a nail gun. You can just use a hammer. These assault hammers are a threat to our children, the public safety, and, apparently, your fingers.

Ban them now. For the children.

No, not here. But here, here and here.

Mayors keep dropping out of Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Guns. But yesterday, they picked up the mayor of Cincinnati.

For the fact that Junior said nappy headed hos last night. Remind me to turn off the TeeVee. Conversely, now that I’ve seen it written a lot, I think the consensus is that it is spelled hos and not hoes.

Imus Fired

The World is safe now. Or is it?

Will Al Sharpton now turn his attention to the gangster rap music world?

Needless to say, yesterday’s blog controversy started a bit of a storm. Some notes:

Sean notes that JL has a long rap sheet at the BBB.

Bob Krumm reminds us that Google is forever.

R. Neal says:

What I found interesting is that they charge the job seeker (in this case a lot of money), and if I understand it correctly they don’t guarantee a placement.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to not have to look for a job in quite some time, so this was a surprise to me. From experience on the hiring end, I thought the employer always pays the placement fee. The Mrs. said that charging the applicant a fee is a common practice that has been around for a long time. That was news to me.

That’s news to me too. I’ve personally used headhunters a lot, both as prospective employee and as an employer looking to take someone on. In an employer capacity, I have paid anywhere from 15% – 30% of the hire’s salary to the headhunter. I have never, as a prospective employee, paid someone to find me a job. I think only entertainers do that.

From a potential employee standpoint, I’ve found that networking is usually the best route. Because, trust me, that 15% – 30% they pay a headhunter can be applied to salary.

I’ve had issues with some headhunters before.

Jonathan asks:

What is the must-have baby gear? What should I not bother with? Any advice?

We’ve seriously considered getting a second dishwasher. But we don’t know where she’d sleep*.

Start buying diapers now. Seriously, pick up one box whenever you’re at the store.

* Kidding, the dishes are my job.

Update: Not relevant now, but don’t bother with child proof locks on your cabinets. By the time you need them, they can figure them out. And they’re a pain.

I’ve made fun of me over the lack of content here lately. And so have others. I’ve written longer posts that are more thinky than linky. Lately, it’s more linky than thinky. But I’ve been doing this a while. Frankly, I’m out of shit to say. Want to talk about issues? I have. Pick one. Abortion, death penalty, jury nullification, and host of others. I’ve said what I thought. Some, I’ve even almost completely stopped talking about, like eminent domain (too depressing) and dog bans (because they seem to have stopped becoming popular). So, that’s why we have these mostly shorter posts, one-liners, links and dick jokes. Conversely, since this started (probably about late last year), traffic has gone up. Go figure. I guess blog readers have short attention spans too.

I also like to promote other blogs that I think are good and that have less traffic than I do. If I write some long post about their post, you’re not gonna go visit. You’ll read my post. But if I link to it and say gun porn or heh, you’ll go visit. I’d like to think I’m at least partially responsible for the increased readership of one of my favorite blogs. I remember when I first started out at this thing and some established blog would throw me a link. They’d send 200 people my way and I thought that was cool, since I was getting 35 hits per day and 25 of those were me. And the smaller blogs are appreciative of that.

And, one other thing, people take this blogging business way too seriously. And that includes me. This whole Knoxviews thing has me kinda bummed (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, see here and here. Or here for the Cliff Notes version). It’s like losing an old friend. Or, you know, having a falling out with an old friend. You know, the kind where they tell you you’re not welcome in their house anymore because you got all hammered, made an ass of yourself and maybe pissed on their grass after commenting on their wife’s tits? Oh, never happened to you? Oops.

As part of that, there’s been some criticism of yours truly and I shall address it, and some other general notes on the blog, now.

I make shit up. It’s true. Just above, I did. The casual reader thinks Wow, uncle, did you really get all hammered, make an ass of yourself and piss on your friends grass after commenting on their wife’s tits? No. It’s creative license. And, honestly, I’ve found that made up stories are more effective when they’re crude. I guess people relate. I dunno. So, not everything you read here is real or really happened.

Comments: Your comments stand. Period. If you leave a comment here, it will stay unless it is 1) spam or 2) discloses someone’s personal information. I have, in the past, also modified comments that attempt to play google bomb games. But I don’t even do that anymore since comments now use the nofollow feature. (ETA: And I think I’ve deleted/edited comments from two commenters because they were just insult-laden crap). Update: See.

I don’t really care for blog-dick-size-measuring. I don’t care if you get more or less hits than I do and I don’t think any more or less if you do or don’t. Traffic could get cut down to nothing tomorrow and the only impact it would have on me is that the inconsequential amount of money I make from ads would drop.

Anyone can post at The Gun Blogs provided their posts are 1) not spam and 2) gun related. Anti-gunners are welcome to post there but anti-gunners simply don’t come out in droves on the internet. See The Brady Campaign’s Blog for evidence, where 90+% of their comments come from pro-gun people.

I still love little baby ducks.

Some say: But uncle doesn’t write much original content. They’re right, I don’t these days. This post and many others acknowledge that. I just ain’t feeling it. I think there are stages of blogging:

Stage 1: You start the blog because you got shit to say.

Stage 2: You say your shit, no one cares.

Stage 3: Having said your shit, you start criticizing or praising other people’s shit.

Stage 4: People notice you criticizing or praising their shit. People start to care.

Stage 5: You realize you get more input and affirmation when criticizing or praising other people’s shit. And it’s easier. (I think SayUncle is about here)

Stage 6: You just link shit and occasionally talk about shit you got to say.

Stage 7: You’re weary of talking shit. Same shit, different day.

Stage 8: You no longer have shit to say.

And that’s that.

So, the bottom line is: Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you. If it no longer entertains me, I’ll stop.

Clear as mud?

Update: Anon in comments recommends Stage 9: you give up blogging, then occasionally post something insightful on other peoples blogs.

And and the SSDD reference in Stage 7.

Never heard of that.

Henry lever 22.

Rich is organizing another local blogger get together.

Dave Kopel has an article on presidential hopefuls and their position on the second amendment.

Blogger Kat Coble was served papers by attorneys representing JL Kirk & Associates for a post she did about some rather, err, curious behavior that would have sent my scam detector off too. Here’s the original post and here’s a follow up. They have demanded she remove all posts and comments or she’ll be sued.

Here’s the letter transcribed.

* I mean, I don’t intend to injure the character or diminish the reputation of a business. I just think they’re a bunch of asshats.

Update: Brittney is running the play-by-play.

In other news, someone should post this at Knoxviews.com. *giggle*

Update 2: Kinda funny. But this story just took off on the blogs and scored an instalanche. Now, anyone researching JL Kirk on the web will find out about it. They’ve probably done more damage with this than her original post did. In other news, don’t send bloggers stuff that makes you look like an asshat. They tend to blog about it.

Behold the awesome power of Al Gore’s Internets.

Seems that Global Warming is responsible for violence in Philly. Last week, it was guns.

A summary of 122,031,244 poker hands ranked by expected value of the hand.

And Ed Miller has 6 Must-Have and Mostly Free Poker Tools You May Not Know About.

Who cares? And Jay adds one more to the list.

Short version: I never heard of it until I wanted to run for president. And for QOTD:

But the right to keep and bear arms has no meaning if politicians are free to impose any kind of gun control they think “works.” In the D.C. gun ban decision that Giuliani says he supports, a federal court overruled the judgment of local officials because it was inconsistent with the Second Amendment.

Update: Ironic that his ad keeps popping up here.

Stacey Campfield on some legislation in the TN house:

Well. Something passed.

They passed a tobacco bill but I don’t think anyone knows for sure what passed.

Really? I’m glad such care, attention to detail, and understanding is put into the bills considered by the legislature that affect the lives of Tennesseans.

In other news, I’d like to propose the following bill:

No Senator nor Representative in The State can vote for or against a bill unless said legislator can pass, with at least 85% proficiency, a multiple choice exam about the bill in question.

So many laws get passed and so few seem to know a thing about them. Yet, they vote for them anyway.

Here’s a presser on why gun nuts aren’t important because there are so few of us. It says:

Contrary to public claims by the gun industry and the gun lobby, firearms ownership has declined dramatically over the past 35 years according to new survey data from the General Social Survey (GSS) released today by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

Well, the problem with their statement is that, err, no one in the gun lobby is saying that. At least that I know of. What we (and by we, remember that to the VPC I am the gun lobby too) have been saying is that there was a decline for decades in gun ownership but recently (specifically after 9/11, Katrina and liberal CCW laws) gun ownership has increased quite a bit. Specifically, handgun sales have increased. And this increase was the first increase in probably decades. And there’s also the fact that gun makers are still making guns. Where do those go? See past posts on gun sales here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Bitter has more and notes:

More than a third of American homes have guns. I bet that’s more than have the hottest selling gaming device.

Well, I’ve never seen a Swedish Mauser that looks like that.

Via AC, comes this post on the online gambling ban:

Look, this has nothing to do with protecting the morality and sanctity of America. This is about greed and corporate power. Call it what it is. And, any conservative Congressman who supported this should examine his or her own ideology.

I think that I am most bothered by this issue because of its implications. For years now, the U.S. Government has been trying to get its greedy little paws all over Internet commerce. And, moves like this just evidence the government’s intent, even further.

Yes, it could be the opening salvo in the .gov getting its mitts on internet commerce. But, more importantly, it is a merely a protectionist racket likely paid for by brick and mortar casinos to protect their interests. Except horse-race betting, which is still legal because it’s gambling for the wealthy.

That and more from the Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes. Via Tom.

Oh Nos! You can exercise a constitutional right. In less than ten minutes.

Today a sad change has been made on KnoxViews.

A decision has been made by Randy Neal and the KnoxViews team to change the site rules so only “Trusted Users” can post to the KnoxViews site. The short hand for “Trusted Users” means liberal democrats.

This occurred after complaints from fellow KnoxViews bloggers that their posts had been removed from the front page. Mr. Neal patiently explained it was his blog and he and his team decide what is worthy of being on the front page. Mr. Neal made it clear he is the decider. On several separate occasions Mr. Neal changed the User Agreement to answer the questions from dissatisfied KnoxViews bloggers.

Each time the User Agreement was changed it became more doctrinaire, restrictive, and left leaning. The term “Progressive” was changed to mean “liberal democrat” because people questioned what progressive meant. Today it has been changed again to read, “KnoxViews is a progressive (i.e. “liberal”, although responsible opposing conservative viewpoints are welcome) community space for citizens of Knoxville and the surrounding community to meet, organize, and discuss news, politics, events, and issues affecting the community.”

The question now becomes who are the “responsible opposing conservative viewpoints”? Are there any?

The question of what the word “open” meant was also challenged. Tempers flared yesterday when Mr. Neal described fellow KnoxViews blogger, the former GOP Chairman of Knox County Chad Tindell, as one of the “token Republicans” of KnoxViews. Slowly but surely an open neutral blog drifted left until today it took a hard “left turn“.

Is KnoxViews representative of Knoxville? Or is it only representative of a small portion of Knoxville?

KnoxViews owner Randy Neal explained, “It was an interesting experiment while it lasted. Sadly it has come to an end, mainly because of the time involved in dealing with the complaints and policing the site.”

Did KnoxViews lose its openness today? Only the readers can make that decision. Without a level playing ground will KnoxViews become an echo chamber of only far left thinking? If so, will it have any relevance in East Tennessee?

Update: SayUncle Adds:

I do appreciate everyone’s lesson on capitalism and Mr. Neal’s property rights. No one is disputing that.

My issue is that when he first started it, he asked me to participate. So, I did. Now, my kind ain’t wanted there no more.

Update: Randy Neal Counter Point

Background here. David has an interview with the owner.

Quiz: The men in charge of other men who patrol the streets with guns should be promoted based on . . .

1) performance and testing.

2) because they’re a certain color.

If you picked 2), The Tennessean agrees.

Policing is serious and dangerous business that can result in people getting killed or put away for a long time. I’m sorry, but I want the most qualified person based on their performance being in charge. And I don’t care what color they are.

April 15 is Buy Again to Annoy [pick arbitrary anti-gun person here] Day. Traction Control, an FFL and blogger, is offering deals to bloggers. He has his inventory posted too: Handguns and Long guns.

J Floyds Golf and Guns. Via MKS.

I mentioned my first text message here. Last night at the local poker tourney, I got my second (and third through eighth). It was from someone named [redacted]. She wanted to know if we could meet later. She said we met at the ambp (I dunno if that’s text messaging shorthand for something). I tried to be nice and tell her that we’d never met and she had the wrong number. She kept telling me I was wrong and asked what my problem was. I finally just had to stop replying. I may have just ruined some young couple’s relationship.

The funny part is that I’m keeping everyone at the poker table abreast of the situation for laughs. And, finally, one player (a charming older lady) says: I’d stop responding. It’s probably Stone Phillips from To Catch A Predator.

I covered them here. They’re Idaho’s oldest gun shop and the ATF is bringing them a world of hurt over an immaterial amount of clerical errors. Today, they are in the press:

A gun shop here is going national with its fight against the federal government.

Ryan Horsley’s family-run gun store, Red’s Trading Post, is possibly the oldest gun shop in Idaho. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stripped Red’s of its license March 5. A federal judge upheld ATF’s decision last week.

Horsley has gone onto the airwaves, protesting a perceived “attack” against the Second Amendment, which he says underlies the ATF’s motivation for revoking licenses.

Horsley’s media debut came April 8 with a local TV commercial. Last Tuesday, he interviewed on Jack Blood’s Deadline Live, a Texas-based nationally syndicated radio talk show.

The facts Horsley refers to are a nonprofit group’s report that shows an 80 percent decline in gun shops since 1994 and a Shooting Sports Retailer Magazine report that found ATF license revocations increased 600 percent in five years.

Since 1993, the number of federally licensed gun shops in Idaho has dropped 54 percent, from 2,627 to 1,189. Some dealers attribute the decline to tougher licensing rules and increased competition from large retailers like Wal-Mart and the Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Here’s their website and here’s some info on the case, and here’s a link to a petition.

I really don’t have much to say lately. Hence all the linky and the absence of thinky.

Colt LE 1020 with pics and narrative and stuff.

Matt G. on, err, me:

If your attention span is short, you’ll love this guy. Prolific numbers of 6-line posts in a day are the norm. 9 April 2007 had, IIRC, nine postings.

His favorite reference book as a kid appears to have been The Comprehensive Guide to North American… Hey! Let’s Go Ride Our Bikes!

Heh. Ayup. That is, in fact, how I introduced myself at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous. I said I was a short attention span blogger. And that the reason I do this is to . . . look a monkey.

On the ridiculous advice on how to survive a sexual assault provided by the Illinois state police, Exador says in comments at Aunt B.’s:

If you are in need of any of the recomended items:

* nail file
* rat tail comb
* teasing brush
* pens and pencils
* keys
* anything rigid

You may get one from an Illinois State trooper; they carry them in their holsters.

Heh.

For getting the VA AG to cut off access to concealed carry permit holders records.

I was putting up the Easter decorations. I looked at Junior and asked her: Would you hand me that bag?

Without hesitation, she proceeds to take every thing in the bag out of it and hands me the empty bag.

I don’t use Flickr but a friend does. He posted some wedding photos that my wife wants to send off to winkflash to have some hard copies. Anyhoo, right click/save as saves the file as garbage. How do save local copies on flickr?

I didn’t know the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency auctioned off confiscated stuff. Here’s the local list of goodies.

Anyone else tired of this “Two Americas” scam? What kind of people label their neighbors as “rabid”?

Elizabeth Edwards afraid of neighbor

She has never met `rabid Republican,’ but wouldn’t be nice

MIKE BAKER
Associated Press

RALEIGH –Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the “rabid, rabid Republican” who owns property across the street from her Orange County home — and she doesn’t want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor.

Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, particularly recalls the time neighbor Monty Johnson brought out a gun while chasing workers investigating a right of way near his property. The Edwards family has yet to meet Johnson in person.

“I wouldn’t be nice to him, anyway,” Edwards said in an interview. “I don’t want my kids anywhere near some guy who, when he doesn’t like somebody, the first thing he does is pull a gun out. It scares the business out of me.”

But Johnson defended the occasion he brandished a gun, saying those on his land didn’t have the proper approval.

“I use the gun for protection, and I considered that an appropriate time,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you have to take drastic measures.”

Edwards views Johnson as a “rabid, rabid Republican” who refuses to clean up his “slummy” property just to spite her family, whose lavish 28,000-square-foot estate is nearby on 102 wooded acres.

Johnson, 55, acknowledges his Republican roots. But he takes offense to the suggestion he has purposefully left his property, including an old garage he leases for use as a car shop, in dilapidated condition.

Johnson said he has lived his entire life on the property, which he said his family purchased before the Great Depression. He said he’s spent a lot of money to try and fix up the 42-acre tract.

“I have to budget. I have to live within my means,” Johnson said. “I don’t have millions of dollars to fix the place.”

$21,000,000,000 in vote buying err pork, no problemo. Body armor for 21 year-old Lance Cpl. Alex LaRosa, paid for by parents.

Update: for reference, $21,000,000,000 will buy 5,675,675 Dragon Skin vests at $3,700 each.

In a surprise to no one, DC is appealing Parker:

Attorneys for the D-C government are expected to file an appeal tomorrow against a federal appeals court ruling that overturned the district’s strict ban on guns.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has said the city will appeal the decision. Attorneys plan to petition for the case to be reheard by the full U-S Court of Appeals for the D-C Circuit.

Putting aside the question of whether or not this gizmo is 1) necessary and 2) dumb, is it legal? I think it potentially creates a Short Barreled Rifle that could be subject to NFA Tax and background checks. It fits the definition.

Thoughts?

In other news, see what kinda dumb shit gunnies have to wonder about?

Light blogging, stuff to do.

Only outlaws will have Zoloft:

Supporters are rallying around a teenager who killed his grandparents and blamed the antidepressant drug Zoloft. Every week, Janet Sisk rises as early as 5 a.m. and drives nearly 100 miles to spend her Sundays with the boy who was just 12 when he murdered his grandparents in their sleep.

Via David, comes this advice from the Illinois State Police on dealing with sexual assault. They say don’t use guns because:

# Guns stolen from residences are a primary way of getting guns into the hands of criminals.
# Half of all the women that fire a gun trying to protect themselves shoot someone they do not want to

But police approved weapons include:

* nail file
* rat tail comb
* teasing brush
* pens and pencils
* keys
* anything rigid

Wow.

This passes for gun reporting.

The police put on their ninja gear, armor up, and get their guns to go on a drug raid. They find tomatoes. Oops.

Pat Wray:

This might be a good time to clear the air as well about the term “military assault rifle,” a term you use carelessly at best. The important civilian distinction lies not in such esoteric terminology, but in how fast and how much the weapon shoots, which brings us to the only important determination. Is the weapon semi-automatic? That is, does it shoot once each time the trigger is pulled? Or is it fully automatic, meaning that it continues to fire on one trigger pull until the trigger is released or the ammunition is expended?

Essentially all modern military assault rifles are fully automatic.

David Hardy offers his take:

Vote count: I’d be sure of Scalia and Thomas, fairly sure of Roberts and Alito. That leaves us with four probable votes and five unknowns. The litigator in me says those are pretty good odds… you have to lose all five unknowns to lose. Against that, you have to figure Breyer is probably a lost cause (the second amendment just isn’t Euro enough for his taste) and a friend who is a court watcher said that Souter displays negative body language when firearms come up. Perhaps, I dunno. Still, unless you lose five out of five, you win. With most appeals, you go in without the vaguest idea of the vote count.

HL talks about more Parker targets.

The WaPo leaves its hysteria at the door and does a non-doom and non-gloom bit on Parker.

To all

The latest victims of global warming.

And, yeah, I know weather does not equal climate. I just like saying that to annoy people.

Update: See what I mean?

Update 2: Now that’s funny.

The Second now has forward-facing car seats!

ABC wants to know.