Why firearms training is important.

Nice shirt too.

The shoot was held at Coal Creek Armory (gratuitous plug due to their holding a time slot for us – so, go buy something)

One of the highlights of the range time was shooting Tam’s 44. Cool little revolver. Even if you miss the target, the fireball from it will set the target on fire.

Everyone likes the 9mm AR-15.

Tam has a write up here. And I’d like to thank Tam for pointing out that my pending procedure can be referred to as installing a blank-firing adapter.

Glenn Reynolds is a fine shot.

I tried to teach Dr. Helen not to flinch by using the old no round in the camber see what happened trick. I find this method effective because it shows the shooter at exactly what point they flinch and they tend to compensate for that. It seemed to work for the next couple of magazines but we soon had to leave the range so the handgun carry class people could qualify.

Speaking of, the handgun carry class was packed. And there were a lot of women in the class.

Over at Atomic Nerds, a former vet tech talks about breed tendencies.

Looks like the city government of Knoxville is looking to start a blog.

More pink guns:

A Hello Kitty AR that is California legal.

Pink lady.

Regular reader Blackfork has some videos up on youtube. Here’s on on using a hasty sling to improve your shooting:

Spot the domestic terrorist!

Had a good time last night shooting away with some local bloggers and our out of town guests. Dr. Helen has a pic in which she’s shooting my 9MM AR. And Glenn, I prefer the term regular capacity magazine.

WATE gets in on the PSH:

Knoxville police are coming across more high-capacity weapons.

Lt. Greg Hoskins says he finds one last week particularly disturbing.

“On December 23rd we stopped a car with four teens inside, one just 15 years old. They had a semi automatic assault rifle, they had several handguns and magazines for those handguns,” said Hoskins.

He says there have been several similar situations.

“We have traffic stops and find rounds or magazines or weapons in cars where there is a group of people in the car.”

In the past, he says police would find someone with a handgun that might hold 8 to 10 rounds, now they are facing assault weapons capable of holding 100 rounds in a single magazine.

“The guys that shoot these high capacity weapons just spray them in all directions and that is obviously an extreme danger wherever this happens,” said Hoskins.

We do? I disagree:

Hoskins says people who carry such weapons are a major threat to police and the public.

I am? I carried a full size 9mm for years. Now, I carry a compact 45. Does it make me less dangerous?

I realize, of course, the cops are talking about potential criminals and not average CCW holders. But they should at least say that.

Via SIH.

Says AC:

It would seem that Say Uncle’s concerns about a new gun law taking effect in January may be well founded.

He notes that attorney Nathan Moore has done an analysis of the law. Nathan concludes:

One aspect of the proposed change in the gun laws puzzles me, however, In amending TCA 39-17-1307, possessing a deadly weapon that is not a firearm in the commission of a “dangerous felony” as listed in the Crooks with Guns law is a standard Class E felony. That part makes sense, and would apply to knives, pool cues, baseball bats, etc. However, possessing a firearm in the commission, attempt to commit or escape from a non-dangerous “offense” (note, not felony) is a Class E felony. A Class E felony entails a one (1) to two (2) year sentence for a Range I offender. So, in essence, if you possess a firearm while committing the least serious misdemeanor, you could suffer a felony conviction (think Driving on a Suspended License because of unpaid tickets, or Criminal Trespass, both Class C Misdemeanors – and the way it is written, possessing a valid concealed carry permit wouldn’t matter a lick).

Another anti-gun blog goes down the memory hole. Of course, I’d be embarrassed by those racist antics anyway as would any organizations I belonged to. Seems to be a trend (not the racism part but the sock puppet part).

Update: More here.

Speaking of felonies, Adam Groves says:

A new law effective Jan 1 will make criminals who use guns in the commission of a crime serve mandatory jail time without parole. According to the legislation, on Jan. 1 anyone employing a firearm during the commission of a felony will face a charge punishable by “the service of 10 years in the penitentiary at 100 percent,” meaning the defendant shall be required to serve the entire sentence and the sentence shall not be reduced for any reason.

Any felony or violent ones? You see, I’d hate to see someone get ten years for selling orchids. In celebration, I’ll make sure that the last time I go tear off mattress labels while armed will be on 12/31/2007.

As you were.

Update: AC: Are all gun owners really in favor of taking desecration (sic) away from the judges and parole boards or do they just recognize that as a PR move “getting tough” on crimes committed with guns helps insure (sic) citizens get to keep their guns.

Well, really getting tough on crime involves money, people and resources. It’s hard to do. Symbolically getting tough on crime requires but a few idiots to vote and a signature.

Abstinence only gun safety

So, we’ve gone a round or two here on that issue. My basic position is that if you can’t be trusted with a gun, you also can’t be trusted with pointy things and cars; and should likely still be in prison. That said, a felon in NY is addressing that issue:

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to decide whether the Second Amendment gives law-abiding citizens the right to keep a handgun at home, a convicted felon in New York decided to test his luck.

The inmate, Damon Lucky, isn’t law-abiding. Nor did the gun he was convicted of possessing stay in his home. Still, Lucky decided to “see how far we can ride this pony,” his lawyer, Harry Batchelder Jr., said, referring to the federal judiciary’s apparent willingness to examine gun control laws critically.

Codrea says:

Those who avoided a Second Amendment challenge all these years because they were waiting for the “just right” Goldilocks case, or wanted to avoid it altogether because of the risk of losing, practically ensured that the wrong case, with a repulsive central character, would come to the fore.

Maybe I’m misreading that but I know David has heard of Heller.

Jeff disagrees with me: My own feelings are that if you are convicted of a violent crime, you should lose the right to own a firearm.

The issue with that is that felony convictions no longer represent truly heinous crimes. It’s a felony, for instance, to import lobsters in plastic bags instead of cardboard boxes. But turning small crimes into felonies is what politicos do to appear tough on crime.

Sebastian notes: we’re going to see a lot of cases of criminals challenging their conviction on gun charges by asserting their second amendment rights, and Jeff is absolutely correct to point out the Brady’s will be happy to point to all of this as an example of what will happen if second amendment rights are taken seriously.

The police state that, in NO, they took only guns that had been stolen or found in abandoned homes. Really? Patricia Konie disagrees.

What could possibly go wrong?

70,000 guns destroyed. But only 50,000 rounds of ammo? Hmmm.

It’s dehumanizing to not rape our women.

To reduce law enforcement deaths, put two officers in each car. Where will these extra officers come from? Well, from the SWAT teams that are busy raiding the wrong house or the local home poker game.

So, is it the policy of ATF to repeat anti-gun misinformation in the press in an effort to expand gun control? I think so. Seems it would add to job security.

Semi-autos are not what soldiers carry.

Seems the form was having technical issues. And the NRA has given the most direct means of contacting them. Go blogs.

Rustmeister of The Gun Blogs fame now has his own blog: Rustmeister’s Alehouse. Gun stuff and Cthulhu.

Red’s Trading Post is the subject of a news article:

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has long been the target of whimsical heckles and opinionated challenges on a local gun shop dealer’s Web site.

Now the agency can go there to find heightened criticism from a different posse: politicians, including some Republican presidential candidates.

Ryan Horsley, manager of Red’s Trading Post, checks who visits his Web site daily. He also knows ATF agents do the same.

Horsley, who is fighting the ATF over his store’s gun-selling license in federal court, has taken his battle over Second Amendment rights to another arena – the U.S. Senate.

“I don’t want people thinking they’re just doing it to Red’s Trading Post,” Horsley said about the ATF’s practices against small shop owners. “It’s what they’re doing to gun dealers in general.”

Horsley enlisted many Idahoans to protest the ATF to their senators, both of whom now say the bureau may be too aggressively pursuing gun dealers. As a result, Sens. Mike Crapo and Larry Craig put a hold on the president’s nominee for ATF director. A third senator, David Vitter, R-La., has added a third hold on federal prosecutor Michael Sullivan, giving more fodder to Horsley’s Web site.

As Les said: Sure, he believes that global warming may ravage the planet, but if it kills just 1 million red staters won’t it all be worth it?

Now, I’m no expert on climate and global warming. But doesn’t this religion* believe that the seas will rise? And, if so, don’t you think that coastal areas would be hardest hit? Which could likely mean that those of us in fly-over country won’t be in that bad of shape?

In other news, beach party at my house.

* note: by using the term religion, I’m referencing the rather hysterical brand of global warming alarmists and not the more sane folks. Yes, there is evidence indicating the Earth is warming. But not all of it says ZOMFG we’re all gonna die.

Yesterday, in Pakistan, a person your average American had probably never heard of was assassinated. Now, the talking heads and pundits are convincing Americans that the murder of this person they’d likely never heard of could be a catalyst to an even bigger war. What kind of war? No one really says. Civil war in Pakistan? Maybe. All out war in the region? Dunno. I’m not trying to minimize the impact of the event at all. The world just got more scary and your average American probably doesn’t really understand why.

Sig 556. I handled one at Coal Creek Armory the other day. I said to the manager So, Sig made a polymer AR?

Some serious Risk. Via Jon.

A case of racial injustice:

I can’t believe this. A bunch of drunken hoodlums show up at a man’s house, hollering “nigger,” obviously looking for a fight, the man defends himself and his son, and a jury convicts him? Of what?

Update: As is always the case in these things, there’s another side to the story that makes it unclear (in comments from original link):

I read the account in Newsday. White and his son walked out in the driveway carrying a pistol and shotgun, apparently going right up to the teenagers (according to the account, the dead boy was ‘inches away’. The son was shouting racial insults and slurs of his own.

The prosecutor said he should have stayed inside, locked the doors, and called police.

Escalating the situation is never good. But no one should be forced to rely on waiting for the police who, when seconds count, are only minutes away.

Conversely, I wonder what the result would have been were races reversed.

Other than Junior getting a double ear infection and rupturing an ear drum, Christmas was a blast. She’s OK and is on antibiotics.

Les got his kids some bean bag chairs and reports the kids like them. We got some for our kids too and they seem to enjoy them.

Our kids had so many presents that they got bored of opening presents before even getting through 1/3rd of the gifts they had. I told The Mrs. that next year we may want to get them fewer gifts.

And, for all you folks looking for Wiis, Target in Maryville has them (or rather had about 20 of them yesterday). Of course, they didn’t get them until the day after Christmas. And the Mrs. picked me one up yesterday. It’s a lot of fun. All I have is the sports game. Any recommendations?

So, Christmas is over and the new holiday season starts, like, next week?

It was reported over and over that Jeanne Assam, the lady who stopped Matthew Murray at the Colorado church shooting, was a security guard. This despite evidence to the contrary.

Turns out, we were right, she was not:

In Colorado Springs, where a troubled young man brought an assault rifle, two semiautomatic handguns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition to a church, security guards aren’t allowed to carry anything more powerful than a revolver.

That could change early next year, when the city will consider a proposal to permit licensed security officers to carry semiautomatic weapons.

First, revolvers are generally more powerful than semi-automatics. Second, Assam (IIRC) carried a Beretta 92, which would be illegal, apparently, if she was a security guard.

The NRA is looking for you:

A powerful gun lobby organization has hired private investigators to track down hundreds of gun owners whose firearms were seized by New Orleans police after Hurricane Katrina, according to court papers filed this week.

The National Rifle Association is trying to locate gun owners for a federal lawsuit that the lobbying group filed against Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley over the city’s seizure of firearms after the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane.

Good. Though, it’s funny how the NRA is always the powerful gun lobby.

I love when a newbie starts building AR-15s.

GOA has said that they have influence on Senator Coburn. GOA has also opposed the NICS Improvement Bill with the made up assertion that it is the veteran’s disarmament act. Coburn, however, supported the bill:

We have 140,000 veterans with no history of mental deficiency, no history of being dangerous to themselves or others, who have lost, without notice, their right to go hunting, to skeet shoot, to have that kind of outing in this wonderful country of ours in a legal, protected sense. What this bill does is it attempts to address that by giving them an opportunity for relief. It mandates that, first of all, they are notified if that happens to them so that they know they are losing their rights. What a tragedy it would be if a veteran who lost his rights but doesn’t know it becomes incarcerated under a felony for hunting with his grandson because it is illegal for him to own, handle, or transmit a weapon? That is not what we intended to do in this Congress some 10 years ago. Yet that is the real effect of what is happening.

[...]

Again, my hat is off to Senator Schumer and those who have worked tirelessly to get this done. It is with great appreciation for the manner in which it was handled, and it is my hope that we will pass this on and see the great accomplishments of protecting people from those who are a danger to themselves and others.

Doesn’t quite jibe with GOA, does it?

In Florida, carry permit requests are up. Notably, they’re up since 9/11.

James talks about some of the basics when you have a weapon in a public restroom.

Remember how /20~ p@\/1 was supposedly a neo-nazi? Well, not so much.

Tam:

When evil comes, it won’t be easily identifiable, with a hunched back and a crazed glint in its eye; it will be nicely dressed, sound reasonable, and have a great team of policy wonks and spin doctors to explain exactly why you need to climb into the cattle car, please.

What media bias against guns?

Short barreled shotgun porn.

Looks like acting ATF Director Michael Sullivan is under fire again:

This is one of the Judge’s that has criticized Sullivan in the past and at one point threatened to send a US Marshall to pull Sullivan out of a Dentist chair and bring him to court. Then earlier this year filed a complaint against Sullivan’s office citing “extraordinary misconduct by the Department of Justice”.

Sullivan has time and time again been criticized for refusing to plea bargain, tying up the courts and always seeking the maximum penalty-no matter how small the crime. Sullivan’s critics say he’s rigid and uncompromising, and hasn’t shown an ability to temper punishment with compassion.

The Uncle Clan survived. Things should get back to normal later today or tomorrow.

Sebastian notes they’re preparing a mailing for Richardson. I said before I’d like to see an endorsement in the primary. It’s not an endorsement but it may carry some weight. Past discussion here.

I’m outta here for a bit.

Seen at Robb’s:

In response to another “The Founding Fathers couldn’t have foreseen advances in firearm technology” letter

In counter, I’d like to suggest a five-day waiting period on publication, while the government background checks facts for accuracy, after which time Hammerle can spout off in a paper he prints with lead type and distributed on horseback, just as our Founders intended.

Seems Bryan Miller is deleting comments that point out the crazy of their newest board member.

No more direct flights to Vegas.

Paul Helmke from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership:

A Victory For The Families Of Virginia Tech, And For Common-Sense Gun Control

How is that? This bill would not have stopped Cho.

Wednesday night, the U.S. Congress approved by “unanimous consent” a bill that CBS News called “the first major new gun control bill in more than a decade,” and the Washington Post called “the most significant gun-control legislation since the early 1990s.”

This is not a gun control bill. Paul’s efforts at painting it as such are a weak attempt to make it look like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has actually accomplished something. It has not.

Happy Holidays.

In an update to a local Assistant District Attorney being unable to find his ass with both hands and an ass map, OEF_VET provides an update:

I spoke with the State Representative for Franklin, Mr. Glen Casada, today in regards to this issue. He is going to request an opinion vis a vis TCA 39-17-1361 for me from the State Attorney General. He is also going to request an opinion regarding carrying smooth-bore handguns, aka AOW’s, with a TN Handgun Carry Permits.

I have to e-mail him the particulars, and he asked me to write the questions as I feel they should be worded, since I’m the one who fully understands what is being requested.

Mr. Casada struck me as a genuine friend to gun owners. He assured me that he is a member of the NRA, is a gun owner, and that one of his priorities is making sure our rights to keep and bear arms is not infringed. It’s nice to know that some legislators are friends of ours. Based on his enthusiasm to handle this request, it was obvious he wasn’t just paying lip service to the 2nd Amendment.

With any luck, this will be resolved favorably ASAP!

OEF_VET runs Elite Tactical.

The GOA (why do real activism when harshly worded press releases will do?*) is getting the NICS bill wrong and falsely stating that a bill that allows restoration of firearms rights to disabled veterans will actually disarm veterans. Sebastian whacks their pee pee.

* Say, sound familiar? That’s a tactic of some other groups we discuss.

Good read.

Ahab’s blog is a year old.

Trade your AR-15 for CCW?

No thanks, Nebraska has CCW.

You’ll recall Alexander Tristan Riley (AKA The Culturologist who blogged here and also was a PhD in some made up field at Bucknell). You’ll recall he was bigoted against gays, Catholics and Muslims. That he advocated violence against people on sex offender registries. And that he is generally a disgusting human being. Then, one day, his blog disappeared. Totally gone. Not even a good bye. He’s even gone so far as to scrub it from The Wayback Machine and Google Cache. Why would he do that? Well, here’s your answer:

Talking recently with a conservative group of students, Bucknell University Professor Alexander Riley said their views on gun control don’t differ much from those fighting for stronger state regulations.

“These kids, all conservatives, were all in support of better legislation to control firearms,” said Riley, a sociologist and new member of CeaseFire PA’s board of directors.

Well, we can’t have known bigots on the board of an anti-gun group, now can we?

Thirdpower has more, including some of Mr. Riley’s better moments. I mean, really, it’s a long list.

Update: Robb: We’re not going to let you slither away from your hateful screeds. Every time you open your filthy soup cooler, we’re going to be there to remind everyone what a nasty, hateful creature you are.

Michael Bane sums it up:

The modern antigun movement has been amazingly consistent since Pete Shield outlined the goals of confiscation back in the 1960s — get what it can get and ask for more. Every so-called “compromise” has resulted in us giving ground while the antigun movement asked for more more more. To the best of my knowledge, there has NEVER been a “compromise” as described by Professor Kingsfield…instead, we give ground and the antigunners ask for, or take, more.

That is because the antigun forces in this country — and there are not and never were enough of them to make up a “movement” despite the complicity of the MSM — have never changed their ultimate goal…the complete disarming of the American people.

Think about it. The reason they don’t compromise is that they believe in the end they will triumph.

Yes. He (like me) thinks the NRA should be willing to compromise less but still supports them. Read the whole thing.

Josh Sugarmann:

Much has been made of the bill’s bi-partisan, triangulating support: Democrats! Republicans! The National Rifle Association! The Brady Campaign! Beyond this cheery bon temps, little public attention has been paid to what the bill actually does beyond its title. And that’s because if you start looking at the details of the bill–especially after NRA-backed changes made by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn–it becomes clear that the measure is nothing less than a pro-gun Trojan Horse. That’s why my organization, the Violence Policy Center, and other national gun control groups, have voiced their strong concerns about the version of the bill that was passed by Congress.

Actually, you guys have opposed it from the beginning.

Bryan Miller brings the usual appeals to emotion, ad hominem, and jokes about testosterone. And, of course, he makes stuff up. Bryan makes a lot of hysterical assertions, such as:

For pro-gunners it’s about arming everyone to the teeth.

Err, no. See, the tactic of the antis is generally to assign a position to pro-gunners that they do not hold so as to address the non-held position. Pro-gunners want those who are law-abiding and otherwise not prohibited to have at their disposal the best means to defend themselves. They don’t want to arm everyone. Also, Bryan likes to take normal words precede them with assault to make them sound scary. We have assault guns, assault weapons and assault pistol. Bryan is hitting us with his assault stupidity. He references testosterone but the jokes are mildly amusing since one of his links is to Zendo Deb, who happens to be a woman.

Despite calling pro-gunners crazy, his arguments are easily and calmly refuted in his own comments section due to the ridiculousness of his assertions. Like the Brady Campaign Blog when it allowed comments, his site is providing a lot of good pro-gun information.

I’m glad Bryan exists because he really does more for our cause with his lame arguments, constant insults, and general hysteria.

Sebastian calls Bryan out.

Rustmeister: You call names, get all over-the-top and I’ll do the same, liar. I’m not afraid to sink to your level rhetorically. The one thing I won’t do is lie, because I don’t have to.

Robb: Brian Miller is a liar.

Thirdpower: Bryan Miller makes stuff up..

Notice the trend?

Anyway, thanks Bryan. You do more for my cause than you realize.

Update: Reasoned Discourse^tm: Now Bryan is deleting comments.

Heh.

Colt Junior.

Christian has added a video news channel.

In England, there’s a lot of PSH because a shotgun license was granted to a nine-year-old. This is of note:

But in the wake of rising gun violence among youngsters the move has been branded “totally absurd”.

Unpossible! With all that gun control, gun violence cannot possibly be on the rise! And do these idiots really think that a kid who obtained a license from the police is likely to go on a shooting spree?

After the mass shooting, Westroads Mall removed their signs that prohibited carrying weapons. Now, the signs are back.

Over at PJM. His anti-gun stance is merely part of his nature as a liberal politician from Massachusetts. Nanny knows best, and all.

I think I smacked my muse too hard last time.

Not sure why, but I just ain’t feeling the grieve this year.

The NRA-ILA notes:

Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zach Space (D-Ohio), have introduced H.R. 4900 the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007.” The bill would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. This bipartisan bill is a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.

Of highest importance, H.R. 4900 totally rewrites the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Today, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning, or totally revoke his license.

H.R. 4900 would allow fines or license suspensions for less serious violations, while still allowing license revocation for the kind of serious violations that would block an investigation or put guns in the hands of criminals. This prevents the all-too-common situations where BATFE has punished licensees for insignificant technical violation—such as improper use of abbreviations, or filing records in the wrong order.

Among its other provisions, H.R. 4900:

* Clarifies the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
* Improves the process for imposing penalties, notably by allowing FFLs to appeal BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge, rather than to an employee of BATFE itself.
* Allows a licensee a period of time to liquidate inventory when he goes out of business.
* Allows a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business to correct problems in the business’s records—so if a person inherits a family gun store (for example), the new owner couldn’t be punished for the previous owner’s recordkeeping violations.
* Reforms the procedures for consideration of federal firearms license applications. Under H.R. 4900, denial of an application will require notification to the applicant, complete with reasons for the denial. Additionally, an applicant will be allowed to provide supplemental information and to have a hearing on the application.
* Codifies limits on disclosure of firearms trace data—which Congress has already limited through a series of appropriations riders over the past three years, out of concern for gun owners’ privacy and the confidentiality of law enforcement records. The provision would still allow law enforcement agencies full access to trace data for bona fide criminal investigations.
* Requires BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
* Clarifies the licensing requirement for gunsmiths distinguishing between repair and other gunsmith work and manufacture of a firearm.
* Prevents disclosure of information in FFL records outside of law enforcement agencies.
* Focuses BATFE’s efforts on violations of firearms, explosives, arson, alcohol and tobacco laws, rather than on broader areas such as gang or drug investigations.
* Eliminates a provision of the Youth Handgun Safety Act that requires those under 18 to have written permission to use a handgun for lawful purposes (such as competitive shooting or safety training)—even when the parent or guardian is present.
* Permanently bans taxes or “user fees” on background checks by the federal instant check system—fees that Congress has prohibited in annual appropriations riders since 1998.
* Permanently bans creation of a centralized electronic index of dealers’ records—a threat to gun owners’ privacy that Congress has barred through appropriations riders for a decade.
* Allows importation and transfer of machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably.
* Allows transfer and possession of machineguns for use by federal security contractors. Additionally, H.R. 4900 provides for the transfer and possession of machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.
* Repeals the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998.
* Gives BATFE sole responsibility for receiving reports of multiple handgun sales. (Currently, dealers also have to report multiple sales to state or local agencies, a requirement that has shown little or no law enforcement value.)
* Restores a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers from non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.

Good. I particularly like the importation of machinegun bit because:

the lack of a market creates is there will be no new rifle for the military developed in the US. US gun makers (except for Colt) rely heavily on the civilian market. No one is going to develop the next assault rifle unless they can immediately make money off of it and US military contracts are way off in the future. Sure, there’s the occasional smaller company that caters to them but they seem to do so more from a hobbyist standpoint than a business standpoint.

And I like lifting the import restrictions. Actually, not much I don’t like.

Via ridefast, comes The Wandering Minstrel. Despite his left-leaning bias, he asks:

Did you know that since 1991, the number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. has increased by 65-70 million, the number of right-to-carry states has increased from 15 to 40, and violent crime has decreased 38%?

A repeat of last year at Christmas time:

To Nintendo: Seriously, guys, make more Wiis. I want one but I’m not standing in a line or calling Wal-Mart every day to get one. I got money. Get me a Wii.

Seriously, it’s been a year and I have yet to see one in a store. Nintendo, stop spending money advertising the Wii and spend that money making more Wiis.

Bitter has info on Romney’s support from a NRA board member.

I was out of pocket when the news broke. So, I’ll round up what everyone else said.

The NRA:

After months of careful negotiation, pro-gun legislation was passed through Congress today. The National Rifle Association (NRA) worked closely with Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to address his concerns regarding H.R. 2640, the National Instant Check System (NICS) Improvement Act. These changes make a good bill even better. The end product is a win for American gun owners.

Late yesterday, anti-gun Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), failed to delay progress of this pro-gun measure. The Violence Policy Center, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and other gun control and gun ban groups are opposed to the passage of this legislation because of the many pro-gun improvements contained within.

Some highlights from the bill:

* Permanently prohibits the FBI from charging a “user fee” for NICS checks.

* Requires all federal agencies that impose mental health adjudications or commitments to provide a process for “relief from disabilities.” Extreme anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy Center and Coalition to Stop Gun Violence have expressed “strong concerns” over this aspect of the bill—surely a sign that it represents progress for gun ownership rights.

* Prevents reporting of mental adjudications or commitments by federal agencies when those adjudications or commitments have been removed.

* Requires removal of expired, incorrect or otherwise irrelevant records. Today, totally innocent people (e.g., individuals with arrest records, who were never convicted of the crime charged) are sometimes subject to delayed or denied firearm purchases because of incomplete records in the system.

* Provides a process of error correction if a person is inappropriately committed or declared incompetent by a federal agency. The individual would have an opportunity to correct the error-either through the agency or in court.

* Prevents use of federal “adjudications” that consist only of medical diagnoses without findings that the people involved are dangerous or mentally incompetent. This would ensure that purely medical records are never used in NICS. Gun ownership rights would only be lost as a result of a finding that the person is a danger to themselves or others, or lacks the capacity to manage his own affairs.

* Improves the accuracy and completeness of NICS by requiring federal agencies and participating states to provide relevant records to the FBI. For instance, it would give states an incentive to report those who were adjudicated by a court to be “mentally defective,” a danger to themselves, a danger to others or suicidal.

* Requires a Government Accountability Office audit of past NICS improvement spending.

Nothing in there about disarming veterans, which is what GOA will tell us if they haven’t already.

Sebastian noted that the ATF reform bill may be combined with the NICS improvement. Not sure that happened but I hope it did.

He notes that the NICS bill passed in the senate and discusses details of the bill. Quite a few provisions addressing restoration of rights, such as funding programs.

As the GOA is to the NRA, the VPC is to the Brady Bunch. Seems they think the Brady Bunch is now the gun lobby. They take issue with the bill because of quite a few issues:

This bill was intended to be Congress’ response to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people murdered. But rather than focusing on improving the current laws prohibiting people with certain mental health disabilities from buying guns, the bill is now nothing more than a gun lobby wish list. It will waste millions of taxpayer dollars restoring the gun privileges of persons previously determined to present a danger to themselves or others. Once a solution, the bill is now part of the problem.”

But no one noticed except us pro-gunnies who kinda like the though of Kristen Rand crapping herself.

Ahab has more and notes:

Here’s what Carolyn McCarthy said: “Together, we have crafted a bill that will prevent gun violence, but maintain the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens” to bear arms.”

I’m not opposed to the bill. It is a giant band aid with quite a few pro-gun improvements. I concur with John Lott who says:

The irony is if this legislation had been in effect it would have had absolutely no impact on the Virginia Tech shooting.

Update: BTW, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership supported the bill too. Seems rather odd that the best Brady can accomplish these days at the federal level is a bill supported by the NRA.

Update 2: Being spun as a gun control bill, which it is not.

And the National Shooting Sports Foundation likes the bill too.

I like it when unclisms appear at other places, particularly offline.

Always seems to happen after a shooting, doesn’t it? In other news, you need a permit to buy a handgun in Nebraska?

What happened to the press? Did anyone not sit back and say wait a minute, this is overreaching? I guess it happens when the press is as much a part of the establishment as, well, the establishment.

What do I think we should do? Here’s a hint:

Kinda funny. But Bloomberg has his panties in a bunch over frivolous lawsuits.

Kevin’s written a long one entitled that. Go read and take a lunch. Or, do what I’ll do, and actually read it while eating lunch.

Interesting reading is the testimony of the president of the NRA to congress prior to the 1934 National Firearms Act. The original NFA would have classified all handguns and all semi-automatics that held more than 12 rounds as NFA weapons subject to taxes etc. Seems the original NFA prior to NRA’s suggestions is very similar to the classification that Washington DC uses to define machine guns.

Joe reports that Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo have to shell out megabucks to settle a suit that they promoted gambling. And by promote, they mean sold ads too companies that offer online gambling. Ya know, I watched the World Series of Poker on ESPN and every commercial break had an ad for an online gaming site.

Reader Tommy emails his senators’ letters on the confirmation. More of the same. They are below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got in the car to run an errand and the radio was still on the local talk radio. Some guy I’ve never heard of was pinch-hitting for Boortz or Limbaugh or some such. He was going on about the presidential race so I listened. He stated the various candidates position on the economy and how too many people want the .gov to intervene on this or that. Then he said this:

Folks, there is no Department of Happy.

Heh.

Bad Bad Ivy emails some nifty crafts. A gun shaped purse, which I confess doesn’t seem to be a good idea. And how to make a paper AK-47.

Don’t tase me, Bro is #1, but I personally like #6.

Fred Thompson:

I consider good gun control as a real steady aim.

This time, in VA:

Virginia is the third state to sign on to the friend-of-the-court brief

Anyone heard from Tennessee’s AG? You can pester him here.

Instead of pulling over people to reward their good behavior, pull over people that are actually, you know, breaking the law. Pure idiocy.

Go to the foreign press to learn that:

A recent poll conducted by Zogby International for Associated Television News shows that voters value the endorsements of the National Rifle Association, by former President Clinton and President George W. Bush over influential organizations like the AFL-CIO and the National Council of LaRaza or celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand.

As to the numbers:

Nat”l Rifle Assoc. 27 %

Bill Clinton 25%

George W. Bush 23 %

AFL-CIO 16 %

Oprah Winfrey 9 %

Nat”l Council of LaRaza 5 %

Barbra Streisand 4 %

Per Google News, nothing in the American press.

Rules 1, 2 and 4, goddammit.

The rules.

I’ve covered the issue many times. Now, the press is covering how Bill Akins has been bankrupted by inconsistencies from the ATF:

More than five years later, Akins is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.

His business partner has severed ties with his company. His investors have bailed. He has a warehouse in Oregon filled with more than $750,000 worth of useless stock. His reputation has been sullied by trade publications that once praised his invention.

He can’t afford to hire a lawyer to challenge the ATF’s ruling.

“They’ve destroyed my dream,” Akins said. “Eleven years of my life, gone like that.”

ATF officials stand behind their decision to outlaw the Akins Accelerator.

Drew Wade, an agency spokesman in Washington, said the ATF initially approved the device after test firing a prototype that Akins sent them in 2003.

Records indicate the prototype malfunctioned when it was tested and analyzed by a senior technician from the ATF’s Firearms Technology Branch, according to Wade. But the agency approved the Accelerator anyway, saying in a letter that it did not meet the criteria for a machine gun and, as a concept, was allowable under federal law.

“FTB has concluded that your submitted device is not designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun,” Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officials wrote in a letter dated Aug. 23, 2005.

Wade said the agency reversed its position after someone who bought a fully functioning Accelerator requested another test firing.

And this time, he said, the mechanism worked.

Shortly after, federal regulators issued a new ruling: The Akins Accelerator is prohibited under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968.

The article also notes the NRA’s lack of involvement in the case: Officials from the NRA and the National Sports Shooting Association, chief advocates for gun ownership in the country, weren’t willing to comment on Akins’ dilemma.

Read the whole thing.

Via Greg.

Tam: The Internet, much like Soylent Green, is people.

You do develop friendships in this blogging thing. And they seem to last a while. I’ve lost count of how many bloggers I’ve met and how many bloggers’ phone numbers on my cell phone. Blogging is a great way for like-minded people to meet, communicate, and share ideas. Plus, you know, we can be active in groups such as The Triangle of Death.

Rustmeister wrote a letter. He got a response, which isn’t much of a response.

I don’t know what you are but I like it.

From the AP’s candidates on the issues:

GUN CONTROL:

DEMOCRATS:

_Clinton: Voted for ban on assault-type weapons and to require background checks at gun shows. Favored leaving gun-makers and dealers open to civil suits. Also, in 2000 supported proposals for a federal requirement for state-issued photo gun licenses, as well as a national registry for handgun sales.

_Edwards: Voted as North Carolina senator for ban on assault-type weapons and to require background checks at gun shows.

_Obama: Voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to suit. Also, as Illinois state lawmaker, supported ban on all forms of semiautomatic weapons and tighter state restrictions generally on firearms.

_Richardson: Signed into law a bill allowing residents to carry concealed handguns.

___

REPUBLICANS:

_Giuliani: Now says states should decide appropriate gun controls. As New York mayor and Senate prospect in 2000, favored variety of federal controls, including ban on assault-style weapons and waiting period for purchases. Also favored a federal mandate to register handgun owners and require handgun buyers to “demonstrate good moral character and a reason to have the gun.”

_Huckabee: Supports state laws allowing people to carry concealed weapons and a national “right to carry” law that would require states to recognize concealed weapons permits issued by other states.

_McCain: Voted against ban on assault-type weapons, but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows. Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits.

_Romney: As governor, supported state’s strict gun-control laws and signed into law one of the nation’s toughest laws against assault-type weapons. Also supported regulatory changes favored by gun owners and sellers, including setting up appeals process for people denied gun licenses. Previously supported federal ban on assault-type weapons and federal waiting period for purchases.

_Thompson: Hostile to many gun control proposals, including mandatory background checks at gun shows. Supported campaign finance changes that gun groups and other activists saw as an infringement of their speech rights.

Heh. Even the AP notes Giuliani’s flip.

New shooter report!

Unfortunate name given that it’s also based on the bogus research of Michael Bellisiles.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership’s lawyer seems to know the impact Heller will have.

So, why haven’t they passed a law saying cancer must be cured by next year? I mean, since they have no issue legislating pipe dreams.

David Hardy has a review of the book. On it being anti-gun:

It isn’t. He plainly thought the world of Harlon Carter (as do I), feels that gun laws do harm rather than good, and that NRA’s objectives are correct. He plainly dislikes Wayne and former ILA head Jim Baker, and their financial decisions, and dislikes Neal Knox. There’s some bias there, since Jim Baker got him essentially fired. But the dislikes take up maybe ten pages of the book — it’s just that the reviewers, who hate the progun cause, focus on quotes from those pages.

I think the book will actually help the firearms rights cause. Given the reviews, there will probably be a lot of people buying it who are antigun. But to find the ten pages of criticism, they will have to read about 280 pages on why gun laws (including assault weapons bans) are nonsense

Heh.

Speaking of Rivrdog, he says I shouldn’t use proper terminology when addressing gun issues because, frankly, your average non-gun person is too ignorant to grasp what I’m getting at. I dunno about your average person but your average reporter definitely is.

Local boys make good.

Ben won Sam Adams Alliance Sammy.

The News Sentinel is up for three Edgies.

Glenn is a top 25 web celeb.

And, in the not quite awards but good going department, both Rivrdog and Sean Braisted have returned to blogging.

Fred Thompson ad:

No, not that crappy TeeVee show. That’s how many rounds were fired by the SWAT team that raided the wrong house. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that no one got hurt. But, in terms of training, doesn’t that indicate the SWAT guys need to spend more time at the range and less time raiding the wrong house?

And this:

when the MPD SWAT cops kicked in the door of the house, owned by Vang Khang, lived in by Vang Khang, his equally Hmong wife, and their six little kids, they thought that they were raiding a black street gang.

Which means that a quick property records search combined with, say, three minutes of observation and a few not terribly difficult questions

(”Say, Jesse, in your keen professional law enforcement opinion, don’t those little Hmong kids in the house look rather unlike black gangbangers? And ditto for that Hmong guy and Hmong woman?”)

Joel Rosenberg has a lot more. Via Insty.

Heh.

Seems the US would rather pay an undisclosed amount than allow people to waste their own money.

Sen. David Vitter has placed another hold on the confirmation of Michael Sullivan as ATF Director. This in addition to two Idaho senators doing the same. Hmm, maybe I’ll lose my bet.

This a symbolic victory and a good thing.

Zero tolerance is working its magic again.

A ten year-old girl was suspended for using a knife to cut her food.

And, in Tennessee, you can’t defend yourself at school:

In a video, a 17-year-old student is seen grabbing Rachel Davis from behind. The video shows Davis turn and walk away.

The video shows the other student follow and confront her a second time.

Again, Rachel Davis turned and walked away.

The girl then followed her out of camera range. That is when the incident reportedly escalates.

Davis said, “My daughter was struck in the face with either a back pack or a purse. She got a laceration on her jaw required a trip to the ER and stitches.”

So, the girl walked away. Twice. And fought back after being hit. For that, she was suspended.