No, not here. But here. Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms? Out of 13K votes, the good guys are winning with 98%

Sebastian says Paul doesn’t know guns. I dunno. It looks like a Saiga to me which would make it a Kalashnikov type rifle. Regardless, it’s not a weapon covered by the various assault weapons bans. The shooter is also from California, which as the assault weapons poor ol’ Paul wants so desperately.

And, to round if off, thirdpower hits Paul where it hurts:

How many candidates, leading, trailing, or otherwise, are begging the Brady Campaign, or any anti-gun group for that matter, for their endorsement?

They don’t need support when they can just invent it on the internet.

* No double entendre intended.

Update: Turns out, the rifle is a Kel-Tec SU16, which is not an AK variant. That info came from Jay Fox himself who emailed Sebastian.

A video of a guy bumpfiring a GLOCK

I’m thinking, and gun folks help me out here, but wouldn’t adding the board, which is imitating a stock, make the weapon a short barreled rifle?

Meanwhile, here’s another video showing bumpfiring a GLOCK with a stick.

Jewelry, money clips, and cuff links made out of shell casings.

Gunstar1, noticing a post on anti-gun astroturf, emails:

I saw your post from the 27th about Joyce’s Wounded in America website and it reminded me to go do another antigun website search. In addition to “Wounded” I found 2 new Joyce related websites..

Hoosiers Concerned about Gun Violence Indiana based group which is a part of the FSA

Come Together Auction fundraising website for the FSA

I also found a new astro-turf from the Brady Bunch

God not Guns which seems to be to recruit churches to the anti-gun mission.

As usual the full list of turf groups is at Georgia Packing.

Ahab notices that is the issue the antis are pushing this week. And the media play along happily repeating misinformation:

Background checks, however, aren’t necessary for firearms purchases made at gun shows or from a private seller, which, according to estimates, account for about half of the guns sold in the United States each year.

Outright lie in bold. Sales at gun shows are subject to the same laws that sales not at gun shows are.

Layers of editorial oversight!

Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has a nonsensical screed on the youtube debate videos:

In last night’s Republican YouTube debate, a questioner submitted this video of himself shooting what looks like an AK-type semi-automatic assault rifle at a target in the desert. In less than two seconds, self-identified NRA Life Member Jay Fox fires off six rounds. (Check the timing of the video yourself.)

Looks to me like Jay Fox was shooting a Saiga. Said Saiga was, of course, not covered by the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons. And Mr. Fox, you’ll note, was not spray-firing his bullet hose from the hip. Paul gets us warmed up and continues:

Then, after he slings his rifle over his shoulder, he asks a question to the candidates for President: “What is your opinion of gun control?” After this, someone off-camera tosses him what looks like a 12-gauge pump shotgun. Then he quips, “And don’t worry” – as he pumps the slide, cha-chick – “you can answer how ever you like.”

The crowd roared with laughter. The candidates laughed too.

Of course, they’re not pants-shitting ninnies. Then he goes on about VA Tech, number of murders per day, and plays the emotional card about how you should talk to survivors of gun violence. Notice once again that the anti-gunners conflate a guy engaging in a lawful activity with gun violence.

But, Mr. Helmke, here’s the real question: How many people did Mr. Jay Fox kill yesterday or in his whole life? I’m guessing none.

Meanwhile, our favorite astroturf blog has it’s knickers in a twist too.

Greatest name for a local blog ever: The sunsphere is not a wigshop

Awesome. For those who may not get it.

Via MKS.

You’ll recall the hubbub in the news about how the Miami-Dade police were getting semi-auto rifles due to a shooting of a police officer involving a suspect with a semi-auto rifle? Well, seems that’s not the case:

Umm, guys, if you really expect us to believe the police weren’t carrying those rifles yet then, it would probably help if you, oh, I don’t know, didn’t show footage of the police carrying them..

He has the pic to prove it.

And why it’s a bad idea. Seems that, in Canada, the powers that be may start home safety inspections of gun owners. And they know where to look because weapons are registered.

David wants people to contact their state Attorney General’s office and find out where they stand on Heller. And he wants to track it. His map is pessimistic as there are already a few state AGs supporting Heller.

You can contact Tennessee’s Attorney General here.

Les Jones has a proposal for avoiding the Ronulans.

You’ll recall that no pro-gun people in Seattle were invited to attend a gun violence summit. After all, even though we pro-gun folks oppose gun violence, we still don’t oppose gun ownership and that’s what this shindig is about. Well, turns out some folks in the area are calling out the kangaroo court.

Based on a true story.

Hello muddah, hello faddah,
Here I am at Camp Bogata.
Camp is very entertaining,
All my faith in communism has been waning

Smelly hippies, in the commune
Hate the fact that dad’s a tycoon
Now, I should have picked a winner
The proletariat now have me cooking dinner

Tam on CNN’s coverage of Thompson:

Hey, did you know that the reporter was carefully selected beforehand and provided with a script?

Seems, for some reason, I’ve done a poll every day this week. Not sure why. What say you?

I bet if I tried to take a gun on an airplane, they’d presume I did it intentionally.

You notice how the Joyce Foundation Funded astroturf blogs never have comments nor do they want any input? That same lesson The Brady Camp learned? Turns out, they don’t want feedback in real life either:

Preventing gun crimes will be the focus of a summit Monday that is expected to draw dozens of police officers and civic leaders from around the state to Seattle.

Mayor Greg Nickels, along with Harborview Medical Center’s Injury and Research Prevention Center, is hosting the conference in an effort to draw up better strategies to reduce violent crime and stop criminals from obtaining firearms.

It’s expected to draw about 150 people, including police, prosecutors, church leaders and school officials. During the one-day conference at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, they’ll hear from experts who will share how efforts elsewhere have worked.

Great. Let’s have that chat. Oh, wait:

Gun rights advocates were deliberately not invited to this event, which is “Invitation Only.”

The attendees list is a veritable cornucopia of astroturf:

The Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based non-profit that advocates for more restrictive gun-control laws, provided grant money to pay for the conference.

Other speakers include: Garen Wintemute, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California-Davis; Police Chief Scott Knight of Chaska, Minn., who is chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police firearms committee; and Nina Vinik, legal director for the Legal Community Against Violence.

I think that’s the first time so much astroturf was seen outside a stadium.

Craig reports on a potential tax hike in the city, my the city.

Larry talks about the CCW class he gives:

Basically, I send one student out of the room, wearing a rubber gun. Then I set up a scenario inside the room, brief the student in the hall, and then when they walk in, they have to act like it is real life. They talk like they really would. Draw the gun when they really would. Shoot when they really would. Sometimes they should just walk away. Then we discuss, as a class, the legality and the tactical soundness of their decisions.

There’s more. Give it a read.

What about the people?

Michael Silence is calling him out.

R o n P a u l (forgive the spaces but I don’t want the usual suspects hijacking the post with how I’m not a real man because I say he can’t win) seems to have lost his cool. He came across badly this time. He was nervous and fidgety.

I was a bit annoyed with the way the candidates treated the gay general. They had that whole Thanks for your service but you have gay cooties. Ick. thing going on. Turns out, the gay general is a member of Hillary Clinton’s Gay Steering Committee. An effective plant too. He made the candidates look bad.

No matter what he does, Mitt Romney comes across as either 1) a guy saying anything to get elected; or 2) a total douchebag. Nice job on the Bible question there, Sparky. As far as I can tell, the only folks who support you are the religious folks and you blew that. And, for the love of God, don’t answer every question while staring at the camera. You’re freaking people out. Look at your moderator.

Thompson, P a u l and Giuliani seemed to be the only candidates who knew what they were talking about while the others seem to repeat talking points.

I think the question about why Republicans couldn’t get votes from blacks despite blacks often having conservative views was a good one. Of course, the counter to that is why can’t Democrats get the South?

Update: CNN really screwed up.

Also, it looked like Anderson Cooper was as annoyed with Romney as me. Boy, he rode him hard.

Here’s the gun portion of the YouTube debate:

Giuliani did his homework and his answer conveyed that. Got booed for saying ‘reasonable restrictions’ were allowable. I was impressed that Giuliani really did his homework on Parker/Heller. He still seems to think there’s some urban exception to the Second Amendment. He didn’t convince me but he knew his stuff. Credit where it’s due and all that.

Fred blasted him hard though and obviously knew much more than Rudy. Seems Fred, unlike Rudy, knew Rudy’s record.

Hunter got all gun safety and told the questioner not to throw the firearms. Good.

When asked if they own weapons and if any of them required tax stamps, no one jumped up except the hunting story guy. McCain, Giuliani and Romney don’t own guns? Who knew? Line of the debate from Fred Thompson: I own a couple but I’m not gonna tell you what they are or where they are. That’s an indication Fred knows gun people.

Update: Seriously, no Ron Paul on guns?

Update: More at bitter’s. And here I thought I was first.

Update: Thompson is sticking with the old school conservative stuff. I’m digging it. You know, if he leaves out all the God said so and hating gay cooties stuff.

I recall the first time I saw the word blogger in my local newspaper. Now, it’s a second. At some circle jerk (oh crap, there goes that language again) for an embattled local judge, our mayor takes issue with us bloggers:

“Judge Young’s not only been attacked by the unfair reporting, he’s been attacked by some of these bloggers,” he [Cunningham] said. “And the bloggers that do the attacking — if you ever have time to look at that trash — are always anonymous.

“If you’re going to do that, at least have … the testicular fortitude to say it to my face,” he said.

I’m not sure who he’s talking about. Despite being an anonymous blogger in Blount County and the only anonymous blogger in Blount County I know of, I haven’t mentioned judge Young. So, who’s he talking about? It’s a mystery not just to me:

I suppose there have been some anonymous comments re. Judge Young here, but the most outspoken critics, including an attorney involved in one of the cases, have signed their names. Perhaps there are some other blogs he’s referring to.

But seriously. Mayor Cunningham is seriously worried that people are getting involved and actually talking about local government in a forum outside the corporate and government controlled media? What is he so worried about? Was this some kind of preemptive diversionary tactic to head off some other trouble brewing?

By the way, who sent all the letters to Mayor Cunningham demanding an investigation into alleged conflicts of interests involving the few Democrats on County Commission? As far as we know, those people are all still “anonymous”.

I was at Coal Creek Armory the other day and noticed they had a Ma Deuce for sale up front. They posted pics of it on their blog. It’s quite pricey at $24K but it comes with about $10K in ammo and lots of accessories.

It’s a fine trait in house paint but in anti-gun talking points, not so much. Thirdpower addresses Helmke’s latest on Miller.

In this post, I used some, err, crass language. In comments, I wondered if it was a detriment to the blog and, you know, if maybe it could haunt me one day should I try to legitimize myself. A reader emailed that he likes to forward news/blog items to people and if the items are laced with profanity, he opts to not forward them. Any way, I don’t use that language all the time and use it when I want something that is either 1) shocking or 2) funny. What say you?

Update: more language issues. I don’t mind and John Timoney can go fuck himself.

The Armed Canuck looks at 308 v. 7.62 Nato and 5.56 Nato v. 223.

After the conclusion of Heller, I’m sure there will be some language regarding reasonable regulations and such. So, what are those? Well, I think it should be illegal to shoot people. Some, however, think a total ban is reasonable.

Testimony of Richard Gardiner on ATF enforcement actions. Read it all.

Up next, here’s a Petition to US Congress and the ATF for Fair Treatment of FFL Dealers by the ATF. 5,000 signatures so far.

Since warrants are just so darn inconvenient to obtain, despite the rubber stamp most judges have for them, the powers that be have to come up with alternative ways of snooping. One way of doing that is to have you submit to a warrantless search when you apply for government assistance. If you refuse to comply, no government cheese for you:

The San Diego district attorney adopted a policy in 1997 under which applicants for welfare benefits must agree to a “walk through” of their residence while they are present. The inspectors check on whether the applicant has an eligible dependent child and has the amount of assets claimed. They also check on whether a supposedly “absent” parent lives at the residence. If residents refuse to permit a home visit, they can lose their benefits.

When that fails, have the local firefighters and emergency personnel search houses since, you know, they’re already there:

Firefighters in major cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as American icons and infringing on people’s privacy.

Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don’t need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.

[...]

When going to private residences, for example, they are told to be alert for a person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States; unusual chemicals or other materials that seem out of place; ammunition, firearms or weapons boxes; surveillance equipment; still and video cameras; night-vision goggles; maps, photos, blueprints; police manuals, training manuals, flight manuals; and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.

It’s getting harder and harder to trust the good guys.

Rustmeister on media coverage:

it’s a shame they had to say it at all.

Colt 380 Hammerless.

Remember Cowboy Blob’s AR-15 Kaboom? Well, the cause was diagnosed. POF will send him a new one and invoice the ammo maker for it. Here’s to service!

Looks like they’re scheduling a meet up on 12/15 at the range in Oak Ridge.

Tonight, I expect full blown hysteria on ABC news. Why? Well, the name of the segment is the same name as a Violence Policy Center report. And, of course, they get the gun laws and facts wrong:

This surge of deaths stemming from semiautomatic assault weapons seems unnecessary. In 1994, President Clinton signed a law banning the sale of these weapons. But in 2004, President Bush and Congress allowed that ban to expire. Since then, Congress has made it illegal to keep nationwide statistics data on crimes committed with assault weapons.

More here. Via insty.

Past chicks and guns posts here.

Henceforth and probably forever, pingbacks and trackbacks are disabled. Stupid spammers.

testing

Note: to do this on your WP blog, delete/rename the wp-comments.php file

And more info here and here.

Another test.

Gonzo, Karlin and crew stay busy setting up sham groups.

Yes, this poll. It was a trick question. What I did was start out with option three and then, due to the PSH that followed, resorted to option one. And, to maintain my moral superiority, I pointed out that, despite her antics, I (the guy who was armed) managed to maintain his cool and that the same could not be said for her. No wonder she doesn’t want people armed, she can’t be trusted to act reasonably in public.

And option 2 was solely to poke fun at, well, you know who I mean.

Seems Thomas C. Vanden Berk realized what sensible people knew all along. Candlelight vigils are about as useless as a cock-flavored lollipop. And such vigils are what you do when you have no money. I personally love this bit:

But community vigils are not going to change the illegal manufacturing, marketing and distribution of guns that are intended to kill people. This will be accomplished only through a comprehensive political strategy, one that can outmaneuver, outspend and outwork the gun lobby.

Notice we start out using the term illegal then switch to discussing the gun lobby so as to conflate that somehow the gun lobby is behind illegal manufacturing of guns. BTW, wouldn’t marketing things that are illegal be a good way to draw attention to your illegal activity?

Second verse same as the first:

We need to understand everything about illegal guns and gun sales. Why do we allow guns designed to rapidly fire?

Again, preface with illegal then discuss something else that may or may not be so as to conflate the two.

And here it comes, send money:

Unfortunately this means we have to raise enough money to offset the millions that our elected officials now get from the gun lobby. But politicians listen to their constituents and won’t vote the gun interests if they see that people are fed up with the carnage wrought by weak regulation. A strategy that combines advocacy with money can force politicians to stop straddling the fence on gun issues.

Err, politicos are not straddling the fence on gun issues. They’re just, largely, on the right team.

Thirdpower notes:

The Anti’s have rich sponsors but not the numbers and that hurts them.

Basically he admits that they need us. We don’t need them.

So, as a mostly single issue type of guy, I’m perusing my options for president. Only three candidates seem to be solidly pro-gun. Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Bill Richardson (Bill even has a CCW permit).

On Thompson: Unless he gets his shit together soon, he’s not gonna do much.

On Paul: Can’t win but probably the most pro-gun candidate.

On Richardson: He’s kinda like that hot psychotic girl you had a fling with in college. You know, fun to have around sometimes but mostly comes with a lot of baggage.

Guns are for liberals too. Well, yeah. I’ve been trying to woo this crowd for a bit. They seem to be coming around on their own.

The phrase individual rights is rather redundant. Only individuals have rights. No group, be they a corporation or activist group, has any more or less rights than any individual in that group.

As you were.

Gettin’ their bigotry on. The sponsor of the PA gun bills that failed Rep. Jewell Williams, D-Philly, said,

The yahoos win again.

Barack Hussein Obama:

“And by the way, Michelle, my wife, she was traveling up, I think, in eastern Iowa, she was driving through this nice, beautiful area, going through all this farmland and hills and rivers and she said ‘Boy, it’s really pretty up here,’ but she said, ‘But you know, I can see why if I was living out here, I’d want a gun. Because, you know, 911 is going to take some time before somebody responds. You know what I mean? You know, it’s like five miles between every house.’

“So the point is, though, we should be able to do that, and we should be able to enforce laws that keep guns off the streets in inner cities because some unscrupulous gun dealer is, you know, letting somebody load up a van with a bunch of cheap handguns or sawed-off shotguns and dumping them and selling them for a profit in the streets.”

So, it’s OK to arm us crackers!

Update: Jewell Williams lies to cover up his stereotyping ways.

Reminder from David:

IMPORTANT REMINDER…

So, this morning’s local talk radio was about the DC Gun Case. People called in to discuss the second amendment and other stuff. Due to the lag in traffic, I caught 45 minutes of it. Not a single anti-gun caller. I like East Tennessee.

Seems Kucinich and his wife are fans of Ron Paul. I find it odd in the same way that I find it odd that my liberal leaning friends also like Paul. We had this conversation at GBR2 and Kevin noted it was because they cared about only one issue and it was the war. I find it odd since the Paul’s political ideology tends to run counter to that.

That is the greatest product name ever.

Tam on skanky guns: Like seeing a hammer with a rhinestone-studded handle, or a fur-trimmed power drill, it just throws me a bit off kilter.

A guy in Knoxville had enough of the red light cameras and put a few rounds in one. You’re probably better off trying to vote the bums out.

Oh, the pumpkininity.

Sebastian and David note that if all gun owners got off their collective asses, we’d be in better shape. Sadly, gun owners seem to be more reactive than proactive.

Les asks: Why No Tax Break for Privately-purchased Insurance?

So, while I was away, Fred went to a gun show and blasted Rudy for Rudy’s very recent love affair with the right to arms. He called the gun show paradise. Of Rudy, Thompson said:

He relates everything to New York City. Well, New York City is not emblematic of the rest of the country, I don’t think. I think the sentiments of those people in the rest of the country are in support of the Second Amendment — which is where I’ve always been and I don’t think he’s ever been

Meanwhile, gun blogger Michael Bane has joined the leadership and steering committee for Sportsmen for Thompson.

R. Neal notes that Fred violates the gun safety rules by putting his booger hook on the bang switch. Ayup, he broke the rules. However, people often dry fire weapons when contemplating purchasing them. I have and I check the chamber and aim in in a safe direction before doing so. What say you?

1 – Here’s a potential timeline for the Heller case.

2 – Barrack ‘I’ve never seen gun control I didn’t support’ Obama says the the DC gun ban is constitutional.

Heh, this tickles me silly. I dunno but maybe if you covered the story when it first came out instead of a month later, then your blog would make the list too.

Libertarian-leaning, pro-gun blogs making the list is a sign of the apocalypse, apparently. Well, if you’re a lefty.

Update: In jest, I said:

Nah. It’s clearly because we’re just a paid mouthpiece in the lap of the vast right wing conspiracy and the Triangle of Death.

Right on cue:

This is actually nothing more than a list of blogs to feed talking points and misinformation to, though that isn’t the title.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have wheelbarrows full of cash from the vast right wing conspiracy’s blood for oil fund to deposit.

The Uncle clan survived round one.

What to do with a turkey carcass? Make stock. I do that too. It’s awesome. And Turkeyocaust? Why not a carrotcaust?

These are the cries of the carrots.

I’m outta here. Blogging light to nonexistent until, say, Mondayish. And I shall recycle an old post with a new link:

I’ve pondered what my platform would be if I ever ran for president. And I can say that one of the things on my platform, which would buck presidential tradition, is to not pardon the Thanksgiving turkey. President Bush has pardoned two turkeys. After that, the turkeys are going to Disneyland:

The turkey at the White House really draws a crowd. When President Bush stepped into the Rose Garden on Tuesday, he found visitors in every coveted seat, reporters standing three rows deep and staff members craning for just one good glimpse. They came for one of those signature White House moments: Bush saving the life of a huge, white, gobbling bird.

Bush granted his yearly pardon to the national Thanksgiving turkey, named “May,” and a backup turkey who went unseen, who goes by “Flower.”

[...]

President Bush is set to make the traditional pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey today. But this bird isn’t heading to some petting zoo. It’s going to Disneyland.

So, here we have our big federal government wasting money on buying a turkey. Then wasting money on security and knickknacks for the ceremony. Then wasting money on a police escort to the airport. Then wasting money to fly the bird to Disneyland. But that’s not my complaint here. My complaint is the message that this sends to the world. And that message is that our president is a pussy.

Yes, a pussy.

The White House will still have a Thanksgiving dinner and that dinner will feature meat which came from slaughtered animals. And the only difference between those slaughtered animals and the turkey is that the President hasn’t met them. He hasn’t looked them in the eye. Pardoning the turkey sends the wrong message to our enemies and, most importantly, our children. Do you think radical terrorist factions are scared of a country whose leader is unwilling to kill dinner? If the president can’t order the execution of a domesticated turkey after looking it in the eye, that definitely indicates our lack of resolve and makes us appear weak.

And instilling in our children this sense that all is fair and works out in the end for turkeys is a bit much. Face it kids, that nice dinner, the tryptophan-induced nap after, all the presents, and the month long consumer orgy known as The Holidays are tied to the death of an animal. An animal that is so stupid it will drown in the rain because it will stare up into the sky. The domesticated turkey is about as smart as a stapler. Actually, staplers may be smarter. I’ve never known of one to drown.

Not only should the president order the execution of the turkeys, he should kill both gobblers himself. With his bare hands, while wearing a loin cloth. He should then rise, his body glistening with sweat and blood, and take a bite out of its head and display it proudly to the American people.

That’s what I’d do. Because I’m not a pussy.

1 – Today, I listened to my first podcast. It was Glenn and Helen’s chat with Bob Levy on the DC gun case.

2 – I went to the bus station. Seems you need to be careful at any place you order stuff online that offers free shipping. They used Greyhound Express and I had to go pick up the items. That’s a pretty shady part of town.

Nylarthotep is nervous.

SCOTUS Blog on government and gun rights.

Heller for dummies err journalists.

The paper of record editorializes against gun rights. This article came pre-fisked.

I’ve heard some folks ponder whether DC’s status as, well, not a state will impact the DC Gun Case. The court will address:

Whether the following provisions — D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a), and 7-2507.02 — violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?

I tend to think it won’t impact the decision much. There is the bit about state-regulated in their order but they’re not directly addressing in the order that state-iness question. What say you?

Melting a barrel on your belt-fed is bad.

A while back, I asked: How do I join the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership? I asked because their site had no join button. Apparently, you’re considered a member if you sign up for their email alerts.

Also, there the go blaming the Evil Gun Lobby’s Triangle Of Death. Seems a co-sponsor of a gun control bill withdrew support after her constituents said we don’t like this bill. And that’s, of course, the gun lobby.

Via R. Neal comes loads of crap all in one hysterical story. Long and short is some trigger-happy dude in Texas shot and killed two guys who broke into his neighbor’s house. He called 911 prior to that and the conversation (caught on tape) went like this:

“I’ve got a shotgun, do you want me to stop them?”

“Nope, don’t do that,” replied the dispatcher. “Ain’t no property worth shooting somebody over, ok? … I’ve got officers coming out there. I don’t want you to go outside that house.”

“I understand that,” the caller replied, “but I have a right to protect myself too, sir, and you understand that. And the laws have been changed in this country since September the 1st, and you know it and I know it.”

After five minutes, the dispatcher was no longer able to restrain the caller, who stepped outside and shot both men, reporting, “Here it goes, buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking and I’m going. … Boom, you’re dead. … I had no choice.”

Now, that’s the first load of crap. Blowing someone away over property is sketchy at best and criminal at worse. The next load of crap is from David Edwards and Muriel Kane, the authors of the piece who note:

A so-called “castle doctrine” law recently passed in Texas allows people to use deadly force to protect their homes and property.

Texas’ castle doctrine law (seen here) does not allow for use of deadly force to protect homes and property. Rather, the law expands the areas in which there is no duty to retreat to homes, vehicles, and any place a person lawfully can be. There is no reference in the text of Texas’ castle doctrine law allowing deadly force in defense of property. Texas Penal Code Title 2, Chapter 9, Sec 42, which is not part of the castle doctrine bill, does. However, the circumstances in which deadly force is justified in defense of property are severely limited to:

(1) if he would be justified in using force against the other under Section 9.41; and
(2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the deadly force is immediately necessary:
(A) to prevent the other’s imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or
(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property; and
(3) he reasonably believes that:
(A) the land or property cannot be protected or recovered by any other means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly force to protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.

Texas has some of the more lenient defense of property laws but they’re still pretty limiting. And have nothing to do with the castle doctrine bill.

Now here’s a serious issue I have with this whole ordeal. Sure, the authors of this piece get it wrong (as most journalists do when it comes to gun laws) but the shooter said:

I understand that,” the caller replied, “but I have a right to protect myself too, sir, and you understand that. And the laws have been changed in this country since September the 1st, and you know it and I know it.

Why would he think that a law that eliminates the duty to retreat instead justifies killing two burglars that were not an imminent threat to him and were not on his property? Probably because he heard that line repeated over and over by the anti-gunners in press coverage of the bill.

Update: Sebastian:

Maybe now it’s time to start being factual and doing research? Nah! Sensationalizing stories is easier and sells more papers.

Update 2: Via emdfl in comments, seems there’s also other versions of this story. Here’s another account with a much longer transcript.

Rustmeister looks at CMP Garands.

In redneck.

Bob Krumm thinks maybe the supreme court will decide another election.

Glenn Reynolds has a piece in the NY Post on the case.

Fred Thompson discusses Parker/Heller.

Rudy, still sporting his recently found pro-gunnyness, on Heller.

Joe looks at the reaction from the anti-gunners. They may soon regret the appeal.

Seen at David Hardy’s, you can help fund an amicus brief.

Another pink gun . . . feminized?

AR-15 before and after. My experience with the NCStar sight is that, well, it’s good on a 22. Don’t expect it to hold zero on much else.

FERFRANS Ultra-Concealable Gas Piston-Driven 6-inch PDW-Type AR SBR/Subcarbine

Via Google Snooze alerts comes this:

Basically, I don’t want to take away the right of people to own guns, but I also think that it is not unreasonable to expect rigid and strictly upheld standards and controls in their ownership and use. We do this for any number of items, most notably automobiles, and yet none of these things, like a gun, are specifically designed to kill.

And none of these things, like a owning a gun, are specifically enumerated as a right in the Constitution. But I digress. Rigid and strict are simply criteria that cannot be followed. Rigid and strict only impacts the law-abiding. I would prefer the terms reasonable and, possibly, effective. And by effective, I mean effective at preventing gun crimes, which most proposed gun controls are not.

The point is, I’m all for gun control. I’m on the gun control bandwagon. The NRA, in my opinion, are (sic) so vehement in their defense of a vaguely worded amendment that they impede the right of more level headed folks to enact reasonable gun control that will make us all significantly safer. But I’m not for an outright ban of guns. I realize a lot of people love guns, and I also know that when treated responsibly and with respect (like most NRA members actually do), guns are safe and enrich the lives of many Americans (I just don’t understand how or why).

[...]

First, I do think the DC ban went too far and was thusly unrealistic. The idea that you’re going to have all guns recalled and reregistered and then tell the owners they must be placed under lock and key, well, you’re just about asking for people to sidestep that little law right there.

The wording is not vague at all, assuming you can pass sixth grade English. But that’s not the point. The point is that a gun-controller thinks DC’s laws cross the line. Good.

And then we have the ambiguity of the data available in assessing the effectiveness of the restrictions put in place.

There is no ambiguity.. Gun control is what politicians do instead of something.

Give us money.

That was also their reaction to the VA Tech shooting.

David Hardy notes the various iterations of the question that the Supreme Court will answer in Parker. My thoughts are that the question the SCOTUS is answering seems to indicate an assumption there is an individual right.

Update: Joe thinks it’s the right question.

Tomorrow’s Glenn and Helen Show will have an interview with Bob Levy, the guy behind Parker/Heller.

To paraphrase insty, a civil rights victory in PA.

Go time:

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Tuesday it would decide whether handguns can be banned in the nation’s capital, a case that could produce its first ruling in nearly 70 years on the right of Americans to bear arms.

The nation’s highest court agreed to hear an appeal by officials from the District of Columbia government arguing that the city’s 31-year-old law banning private possession of handguns should be upheld as constitutional.

The justices said they would review a precedent-setting ruling by a U.S. appeals court that broadly interpreted an individual’s constitutional right under the Second Amendment to bear arms and struck down the city’s law for violating those rights. (Reporting by James Vicini, Editing by David Alexander)

I told you.

Update: from the order at Scotusblog:

Whether the following provisions — D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a), and 7-2507.02 — violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?

A little history was made last night as the Knox County Commission passed on first reading the Recall Amendment. What makes this unusual is that Charter Amendments are done either by County Commission or by a Charter Review Committee.

But this amendment to the County Charter was actually started by a group of Knox County citizens. The idea began in the comment section of the Knoxville News Sentinel. The comments section had only been in the Internet version of the News Sentinel for a few months. While not exactly a blog, people began to use it as a blog having long discussions about matters concerning local government.

Commenter Brian Paone wrote one day he would start a website for the Recall Amendment. He did, and soon an entire group of people including the founders of the Wheel Tax petition were on board. Starting in early October Paone’s group was seen everywhere on local television, the News Sentinel, blogs, and on radio. Commissioners Lumpy Lambert and Mark Harmon co-sponsored a resolution to hear the Recall Amendment in County Commission. County Mayor Mike Ragsdale signed the petition as did Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett and Representative Bill Dunn.

When approved on second reading the Recall Amendment to the Knox County Charter will be placed on the August 2008 ballot and the people will have a vote. Score one for the citizens. Maybe the Internet will be a valuable tool in keeping local government in check?

Go Army!

You going? Tentative attendees are:

Update: And they keep coming. Michael Bane is in.

You’re too fat and, frankly, our socialized healthcare just can’t bear the weight of it.

Abysmal.

Update: Err, no, the pun was not intentional.

The NFRTR (National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record) is the registry that maintains NFA weapons. So, a guy wants to lawfully buy a machine gun. He finds the gun, plunks down his roughly $15K for an AR and fills out the paperwork. The ATF verifies that the weapon is in the NFRTR and approves. Then, ATF realized that it wasn’t transferable after you dropped your money, did the transfer, and arranged a dealer and all the other hoops you have to go through to get an NFA weapon. Oops. You’re shit out of luck.

Of course, if the NFRTR was accurate and not full of errors, things like this could be avoided. In the past, agents have testified that the NFRTR is inadequate.

When it comes to gun laws, the enthusiast acts at his peril.

On the docket for a conference today. Could be tomorrow.

Over at Red’s Trading Post, there’s a letter from the acting ATF director responding to complaints to the National Ombudsman regarding the ATF shutting down firearms dealers.

His letter addresses that there is no correlation between the dramatic decrease of nearly 150,000 licensees and ATF revocation actions. I don’t think he knows what correlation means as there most definitely is one. He also addresses the Akins.

PA Governor Ed Rendell:

Don’t tell me it’s because our justice system is weak. It’s because there are too many guns out there in the hands of the wrong people, And putting those people in jail is one of the answers, but it is not the only answer.

Dude, it’s because your system is weak. Deal with it. Gun control is what politicians do instead of something.

Another pink AR-15. And a couple of cute pics here and here.

Full-auto, recoilless shotgun firing 300 rounds per minute. Via USC.

We all yammered on a bit back about what if we lose? Well, what if we win?

17 Year-old is one of the country’s best trap shooters.

Aunt B.: And I felt like, with enough practice, I could have gotten good at that and enjoyed it.

And that, folks, is what the anti-gunners fear most: people enjoying the shooting sports.

Good:

A Judge in South Carolina yesterday rejected arguments by NYC lawyers and said that a civil suit against Mayor Michael Blowhard can move forward.

And I love this:

Defendants cite no statutes or case law giving a mayor from the state of New York the power or authority to administer, regulate, or enforce federal law with respect to federal firearms licensees located in South Carolina or to investigate compliance with those laws outside of his own borders

And, of course, Bloomberg’s antics jeopardized other investigations and his investigators broke the law.

Oh, Canada. Looks like Mugwug needs a wheelbarrow just to carry the government forms he’s required to have on him just to transport his firearms to the range.

Greg:

Tell me that legislation can stop this kind of crime, and you’ll be lying. Well placed 00 buckshot, however, will stop this kind of crime.

We must close the restaurant loophole.

Legal issues with the Akins can be seen at past posts here. Now, one of the directors of the company has resigned and cited that the case cannot be won as a reason why.

I suppose all the folks who bought one now have a really overpriced stock on their 10/22.

In Boston:

Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children’s bedrooms.

The program, which is already raising questions about civil liberties, is based on the premise that parents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households.

In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager’s parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.

If officers find a gun, police said, they will not charge the teenager with unlawful gun possession, unless the firearm is linked to a shooting or homicide.

Discretion would be used if they found other items or illegal activity.

It made the news. No credit to Kim, though.

Update: Oh, and I scored for ammo day:

1 brick of Federal 22lr

200 rounds of Remington 223

Couple of boxes of WWB 45ACP

Andrew Pridgen of the Nevada Appeal:

With more guns sold and registered per capita than anywhere in the U.S., Nevada is a gun state – always has been.

It also is the gun-death state. According to the Center for Disease Control, since 2000, Nevada has led the nation with an average of 26 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.

However, no one can seem to get data from the CDC that agrees to those numbers.

Boortz read Marko’s Why The Gun Is Civilization on the air. Unfortunately, he gave credit to someone else.