Let’s mix a gun control debate with a semantic debate, and see what happens. At issue here: Whether a pro-gun ruling in Heller would recognize a “new” Constitutional right. I’m still slogging through the comments, but so far this one is among the best (after the fold):
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By stating we make arguments that we never make and saying we believe things we don’t believe:

Dellinger is undoubtedly aware of these dangers. His two grandchildren likely spend more time in his home than armed criminals. It is mystifying that Chief Justice Roberts, who has two young children, is not equally aware of why kids and guns are a bad mix.

Really? Via Sebastian.

Fingerprint Technology speeds up gun permits:

A digital machine that quickly zips fingerprint images to the state crime lab is being added to Whitfield County Probate Court to expedite issuing gun permits.

“It speeds up the process by light years,” said Probate Judge Ray Broadrick. “I’m like a kid with a new toy.”

Fingerprints are part of the criminal background check required to get a gun permit.

The process of getting a gun permit in Whitfield County used to take up to six months when the ink-on-paper method was used. State law requires gun permits be issued within 60 days.

Catoosa and Walker counties also use digital fingerprint machines at the sheriff’s departments.

Catoosa Probate Judge Gene Lowery said the lag time when sending ink/paper prints to the state crime lab was up to eight months, which angered many gun permit applicants.

Actually, no on that last part. State was required to get them to you in 90 days whether they were done doing a check or not. Oops, turns out the article is about Georgia and not TN. And it’s kinda funny that, here in America, gun permit = to carry. In other areas, gun permit = to own.

Taylor Lee Olson, the accused killer of Johnia Berry, committed suicide early Monday morning.

The man charged in the murder of Johnia Berry has died, his attorney confirms.

Twenty-two-year-old Taylor Lee Olson was being held in the Knox County Detention Center. His attorney, Greg Isaacs says Olson committed suicide early Monday morning.

Isaacs says he will release a full statement later Monday.

In a bit of irony, it seems that a big government law and order liberal got busted by some big government law and ordering. So reports News Week:

The Patriot Act gave the FBI new powers to snoop on suspected terrorists. In the fine print were provisions that gave the Treasury Department authority to demand more information from banks about their customers’ financial transactions. Congress wanted to help the Feds identify terrorist money launderers. But Treasury went further. It issued stringent new regulations that required banks themselves to look for unusual transactions (such as odd patterns of cash withdrawals or wire transfers) and submit SARs—Suspicious Activity Reports—to the government. Facing potentially stiff penalties if they didn’t comply, banks and other financial institutions installed sophisticated software to detect anomalies among millions of daily transactions. They began ranking the risk levels of their customers—on a scale of zero to 100—based on complex formulas that included the credit rating, assets and profession of the account holder.

And it wasn’t just evidence that continued to mount.

So, Spitzer puns still funny?

Terry Frank has a round up of Eminent Domain issues in Tennessee.

Good thing they have those or someone might have gotten hurt.

against gun owners?

The pants shitting hysteria continues over painted guns.

Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership: Police officers need to be able to defend themselves and the rest of us, and they need the weapons to do so.

Come on, Petey, you keep telling us these weapons serve no purpose other than killing as many people as quickly as possible.

Thirdpower notes the amazing powers that police have over these weapons.

USCitizen has more.

He might like the idea:

New Zealand Bans Forms of Political Satire

Apparently, Kiwi politicians were upset at the media for broadcasting images of government ministers appearing to sleep at their desks or making rude gestures. But it wasn’t just members of the governing party who were saying “no humor allowed” — only six members of the 121-seat parliament voted against the measure.

This seems like one of those things that politicians do because they can but often come to regret mightily later.

Not only is the move unpopular with the people of New Zealand (in a recent poll, 71 percent said they opposed the ban), but it probably won’t help the country’s image in the larger world. I can just imagine what the Australians (who make fun of Kiwis endlessly anyway) will do with it — or someone like Jon Stewart or those great British comedy shows.

Reasons you should attend the Second Amendment Blog Bash.

FNAR.

Saiga Conversions.

S&W.

The American Dream is Not Dead; It Just Speaks Spanish Now.

Why we win: You can watch some idiot engage Clayton Cramer in a debate on gun rights. She says there are cases that support her view and Cramer says name one. She can’t. Seems she doesn’t get too involved in what those pesky courts say.

Paul Helmke on is historic ass-kicking.

Bitter says it’s the first step and not the last.

Confederate Yankee notes that the press is still harping about the war leading to an ammo shortage for police even though that story is false.

This guy sent me a link to his page. Apparently, he says the DOJ is lying and engaged in misconduct. But I can’t find a quick synopsis of events. Anyone have a clue?