Mayor Bloomberg and the city council have decided to extend term limits.

David Codrea has a column in the Examiner.

Defense Tech looks at Blackhawk’s SERPA holster. With video.

Paul Helmke on Fox News lies through his teeth. NRA’s Wayne LaPierre responds.

Gun owner = trained jihadist.

A bunch of gun bloggers attended a conference call with Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. I was busy on the beach but others wrote about it:

Chris.

JR.

Sebastian.

Bane interviews Stephen Hunter. And you can win his book.

Police around the country are beefing up on election day in anticipation of possible civil unrest.

That’s enough quick hits. I’m off to the beach again. Kids are having a blast.

Heh:

In fact, if Obama wins on November 4th—and serves one full term in the Oval Office—the Presidency of the United States would be the longest consecutively held full-time job he has ever held without seeking another.

John Harris at the Tennessee Firearms Association thinks so.

Ultimax 100 Mk5 / General dynamics IAR

Colt Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR)

Instructional videos at Brownells.

A comment by Tom Gresham of Gun Talk:

Nope, I’m not retiring. Maybe in 20 years.

Actually, this award was one of more than a dozen presented at the same time. Alan Gura was there, and we presented him with an award and his own “copy” of the Smith & Wesson revolver with the “D.C. vs. Heller” inscription (an idea I brought to S&W).

Part of the sales of that revolver go to funding more lawsuits.

There is no doubt that Alan Gura is the super star of gun rights. He’s the real deal, and he will be in the center of this battle for at least the next decade.

Alan is also a very nice guy.

Here’s to 20 more years!

I’ve chatted with Ted a few times and read his comments. He passed away. Godspeed, Ted.

Factchecking the Brady’s “Translation” of the NRA’s questionaire

Beretta NRX Carbine.

A blog mentioned earlier now has a domain name: NRA’s Ed Friedman is blogging at Tell Me Why.

That air rifle.

But if there was a correlation, I’m sure you’d see it in the press.

I can tell you that for me, right now, politics ain’t it.

Why do you think Barack Obama joined the Joyce Foundation? To protect hunters, of course!

The anti-gun DLC-funded American Hunters and Shooters Association is actually sounding like a pro-gun group:

We’re opposed to reinstating the semi-auto assault weapons ban. There’s a lot of confusion about this legislation. Most people believe an assault weapon is a full-auto. Those fully automatic guns are already regulated. The best way to deal with this issue is to make sure that criminals don’t get guns in the first place.

It’s a flip-flop and I’m a bit uncertain what their strategy is here.

NRA And Brady Campaign AGREE: Barack Obama Is Anti-Gun

Change you can believe in.

In comments, two commenters have noted that the guy was already tied to the scene. Seems the PD just ran the database to specifically to to get a hit.

At the beach. May blog some. may not.

Pink shotty.

I know the Ayers issue is so three days ago, but for anyone still interested, NPR details the full extent of Obama’s relationship with Ayers over the years.

Of course, there are some who will always insist that this ought to be an issue, when there’s clearly no “there” there, but for anybody else, it’s worth checking out.

UPDATE: Vinny has more…

Allegations of software piracy leveled against ATF by GOA.

A good read.

It’s odd. But I tend to follow the local goings on in The City (My The City). But I had no idea there was a proposed 1/2% sales tax increase on the ballot. It is, of course, for the children^tm. I got spam in the mail from Blount Countians for Educational Excellence telling me I should support this tax increase for a variety of reasons, including that a lot of taxes are paid by out of towners anyway. And they’d get all the kids ponies. Ok, I made that last part up. They want to raise money for schools. Like they always do. For the children^tm. The city and county governments should live within their means. Instead of blowing millions for a Civic Arts Center that no one will use and should be considered a free gift from the taxpayers to Maryville College, they could have funded schools. Anyway, the answer is no.

Their membership list is veritable who’s who of local yokel good o’ boys and girls.

Reading the local paper daily, I had no idea this was on the ballet. I even searched and found a single letter to the editor.

Remember, the Brady Campaign wants you to think that college students are too stupid or chemically dependent to be trusted with guns.

He believes in ballistic fingerprinting plans that have failed in New York and Maryland.

Update: BTW, I was unaware that Maryland has actually gotten one conviction from its database. Did not know that.

Comparing Obama talking points to an NYT blog bit.

Mmmmm, wealth spread.

Chris discusses a rifle for Boomershoot.

And the authorities will try to destroy your livelihood.

I am amazed at the Democrats’ and the press’ (but I repeat myself) reaction to Joe the plumber. They’re basically trying to destroy your average middle American.

Update: Yup: [the press has] done more investigations into Joe the Plumber in 24 hours than they’ve done on Barack Obama in two years

Lots of them at Walls of the City.

Interesting:

Deputy Director Edgar Domenech just got a government “golden parachute” out. It’s impossible to sort out the internal politics involved, but he’d been demoted and said it was a result of exposing wasteful spending by the prior director.

And:

The ATF director has just been given a report from the Inspector General that is pretty devastating.

Another? They get like two per year and nothing changes.

This may be the most disturbing thing I have seen. How can someone live like that?

Still, it did provide a bit of humor. I mean, it’s an utter shit hole yet this woman, who has no desire to maintain her home, has the sense to iron her clothes. And particularly ironic is that right next to the ironing board is a bottle of Febreze.

Via Guav.

Tom Gresham.

I think I may have gone with Robert Levy or Alan Gura. I’m not discounting Gresham’s work at all but Heller was a pretty big deal.

Interesting:

When Barack Obama began his Presidential campaign, his rhetoric emphasized abstract notions of hope, change, and judgment. In contrast, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and other candidates frequently presented detailed, concrete proposals on a host of topics ranging from foreign policy issues such as the Iraq War to domestic issues such as the economy and health care reform. Political commentators and opinion page writers criticized Obama for his lack of specifics, yet voters continued to respond to his message. Obama’s reliance on lofty rhetoric has succeeded thus far, and in a study forthcoming in the Journal of Consumer Research, Hakkyun Kim (Concordia University), Akshay Rao (University of Minnesota), and Angela Lee (Northwestern University) provide research evidence for why this strategy works.

The researchers used the following analogy to make their point. Imagine taking a vacation to Cancun sometime in the future. If the vacation is six months away, the traveler is probably thinking about beaches, sunsets, and other abstract information. On the other hand, if the vacation begins the following week, the traveler is thinking about taxi cabs, boarding passes, and specific, concrete concerns.

KdT reports that Baghdad has banned possession of arms. Worse, the US army is aiding in rounding up the weapons:

Iraqis have a long history of owning guns, and few homes in the country are without one. But the government is trying to change that. It recently decided to prohibit guns in the capital.
…
Iraqi soldiers began collecting private guns around the capital in September after the Iraqi government instituted the gun ban. More recently, American soldiers have been searching homes to round up firearms around the city as well. Only citizens with the proper permit can keep their weapons. Unlike in the United States, they usually must have a job that requires a gun to obtain a permit.

The law previously allowed all homes to have one gun — invariably an AK — and one ammunition magazine. Most Iraqis deemed their guns to be an essential item for living in an environment where safety can’t be taken for granted.

Unacceptable. Iraq needs a second amendment.

Here is the suggested change.

No gun hats in school?

Soldiers seem to like it.

I say no. What say you?

The Firearms Coalition has started a message board to get information on how local candidates stand on guns. It’s called Gun Voter.

Bad form to quote yourself but me on Joe the plumber:

Seems Joe articulates capitalist ideas better than the Republican ticket.

The only debate summary you need comes from The American Conservative’s Daniel Larison. A taste:

Obama repeats his claim that he supports net spending cut. Eliminate programs that don’t work–bold move! These programs are always nameless, which is probably one of the reasons they don’t work. Ethic of responsibility? What? That’s dangerously close to calling on people to accept austerity. McCain is stuttering, and reverts to his litany about energy independence. In the mythical world where we have energy independence, life will be beautiful. Perhaps Aeolus will power the entire grid. Spending freeze! (Obama says that’s a hatchet.) Ethanol is bad; eliminate tariff on Brazilian sugar-based ethanol. Fight the earmarks! What does McCain have against planetariums? McCain wants to use hatchets and scalpels.

Hatchets and scalpels and katanas, oh my!

…snip…

Weird question about the VP candidates from Schieffer. He’s basically asking each candidate to explain why it would be better if he died. Obama: Biden is awesome. Blather, blather, talking points. McCain: Palin is even more awesome. Rehashing the myth of Palin. “A reformer through and through.” McCain wants to get rid of the old boy network in Washington–I have a suggestion how he might help reach that goal. He hasn’t answered the question.

Obama: You can’t help Sarah Palin’s baby with your spending freeze! McCain: Biden was wrong on many foreign policy issues. (That’s true–he has agreed with McCain most of the time.) “Why do we have to spend more?” spake the mortgage bailout king. McCain: Middle Eastern and Venezuelan oil will not be imported when I’m President, because I don’t understand how the oil market works. Apparently Russian oil is okay! Nuclear waste storage is a piece of cake. The litany on energy again. Obama: I agree with John’s crazy 10-year plan. China and Saudi Arabia make their usual guest appearances as foreign villains of the evening.

Read the whole thing for giggles.

People say Hey Uncle! Why not comment on the debate.

And I say Well, the only real observation I had was that these guys had like all these various proposals to save the world. And, like, none of them seemed to be things that fell under the President’s jurisdiction since he doesn’t, you know, make laws. I mean, if these guys were senators they could propose these laws and . . . what? . . . oh.

John Murtha: There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area.

Joe Biden tells NBC I don’t “have any Joe the Plumbers in my neighborhood”.

Wow:

Well, I don’t know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy but I’m sick of paying for health insurance at work and that’s why I’m supporting Barack.

Amazing. First, Barack was not in a terrorist group. And saying so is just stupid. Next, that doesn’t matter because she can be bought and paid for even if she thinks he was a terrorist. Wow.

As Kat noted:

Let me tell you that the people I get to talk to every day want that government spending and government health care more than we do not.

So spread the wealth around.

It doesn’t treat agents that go after real gun crime very well. Sebastian notes, as I have said before, that this is why ATF spends so much time going after gun dealers who make clerical errors. Going up against real bad guys is dangerous.

Barack Obama is actually complaining about media bias:

If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn’t vote for me, right? Because the way I’m portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?

So, are you denying being non-gun owning?

Update: Heh: If there was no New York Times, how much would he be losing by?

Let’s have the Glock v. 1911 debate again

Kim asks: if the Glock really is so good, then why does no other army want them?

Actually, a few armies have them. There are a number of reasons why some don’t. In the 1980s when armies started switching to Wonder Nines, the Glock wasn’t particularly popular. And most countries like to use firearms made in their own country. Rumor is also that Glock performed well in some .gov tests. But Glock refused to turn over some patented info to the government and didn’t get a contract. Probably for the best since the US Army damn near ruined the AR-15.

Also, military folks tend to rely more on their rifles than handguns. Handgun is not viewed as the primary firearm. Contrast that to police who tend to use their sidearm as their primary weapons and the Glock is the most commonly used sidearm out there. Part of the reason for that is that a Glock, essentially, functions identically to a revolver. No manual safeties or decockers.

ETA: Also, the Glock did not meet the specs for the Joint Combat Pistol. As such, Glock developed the Glock 21SF.

Flame bait: I know of no police force that issues the 1911. If they’re so good, why does no police force (whose sidearms are their primary weapon) carry 1911s?

Note: I like and own both Glocks and a 1911. It really is preference and each works well. There are trade offs with each. And I’ll summarize my SWOT analysis of each:

Glock pros: Less expensive; higher capacity; highly reliable; accessories galore; accessories are less expensive; cleaning is generally optional (seriously, I think I clean mine once per year); I don’t really mind if I scratch and it’s not uncommon for me to just throw it in the truck; simplest semi-auto to operate; come in lots of caliber and sizes.

Glock cons: ergonomics are not the greatest; trigger pull frankly is bad (it’s not H&K bad but it’s not real pleasant); they’re not friendly to unjacketed ammo; comes with a legion of fan boys; lighter frame means more felt recoil.

1911 pros: ergonomics are fantastic; trigger pull is great; lots of accessories; several caliber options; heavier weight makes shooting 45ACP out of it much more pleasant; no limp wrist ejection issues like a glock has; generally easier to work on yourself than a Glock.

1911 cons: Spendy; lower capacity; can be finicky and require adjustments; they’re so pretty you don’t want to scratch them; more complex to operate; comes in limited sizes.

That said, if you want a rugged gun to shoot and not spend a lot of time maintaining it and for carry, the Glock works.

If you’re an enthusiast who wants a gun to tinker with, customize, and play around with and can also be carried, the 1911 works.

Update: see comments. There are some police forces that use 1911s. And Missouri uses the Para LDA, as does Kansas and a PD in MA.

Here’s a long list of what some departments carry. Interesting.

From someone who has gone toe-to-toe with him in Illinois:

I lobbied Barack Obama extensively while he was an Illinois State Senator. As a result of that experience, I know Obama’s attitudes toward guns and gun owners better than anyone. The truth be told, in all my years in the Capitol I have never met a legislator who harbors more contempt for the law-abiding firearm owner than does Barack Obama.

That’s the headline. Seems steady should be steadily increasing.

Mr. C. has it.

Brady Camp jumps on the disposable AK scare tactic. I personally buy the 24 pack at Wal Mart.

AG says Seattle handgun ban is illegal.

The High Road has moved to a new server and new location here.

Or something:

The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say law enforcement analysts.

Yes. Next they’ll blame castle doctrine. More:

Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Alan Fox describes an emerging “shoot-first” mentality by police and private citizens. For several years, police departments have armed their officers with higher-powered weapons to keep pace with criminal gangs.

More powerful weapons for the police? Perhaps. Quite a few officers are now issues rifles. And some folks don’t like the idea of you defending yourself.

“Clearly there is a message out there that citizens may be able to defend themselves” as well, he says.

And some folks hate that.

Alfred Blumstein, a Carnegie Mellon University criminologist, says the gun “legalization movement” also may have helped create a “greater willingness” among citizens to act in self-defense.

Forty-eight states provide various rights to carry firearms.

Via David who notes the increase also correlates to overall violent crime.

Earlier today, Uncle wrote:

I can’t find where taxes are lower for anyone under Obama’s plan.

If that’s true, then he’s not looking or not paying attention. See the non-partisan Tax Policy Center’s report (PDF) on the two candidates tax plans. In particular, note Figure 1 on page 41 — for the bottom four quintiles, both candidates cut taxes, but the average increase in after-tax income as compared to current law is much larger under Obama’s plan than it is under McCain’s:

Read the rest of this entry »

Conversation from a couple of weekends ago:

Me: You want to call Poppa and Honey and tell them Happy Anniversary?

Junior: No.

Me: Why not?

Junior: ‘Cause that’s hard to say.

Unless you’re a conservative.

John Lott:

Barack Obama claims he is a friend of gun owners. He certainly has convinced the media.

That’s how much Gura and his team want from Washington DC in legal fees for the Heller case. Gura explains. Gura notes that the DC team mounted a defense that ran well into the millions. I hope he gets every penny. Plus interest. And a medal.

14 Illinois Counties looking at passing CCW referendums? Yeah, that Illinois. The one with Chicago in it.

I’m sure the Brady Bunch will be on the scene holding people accountable.

My Fox Philly:

A Pennsylvania soccer mom who packs a pistol is getting her concealed weapon permit back.

Meleanie Hain on Tuesday persuaded a Lebanon County judge to rescind the sheriff’s revocation of her permit.

She had lost the permit after other parents complained last month that she was carrying her loaded handgun in a holster at her daughter’s soccer game.

Judge Robert Eby said even though the law required him to give her the permit back, he questioned whether Hain showed good judgment by ignoring other parents’ safety concerns.

Their safety concerns were unfounded. Unless they believe in totemism and think inanimate objects are capable of acting of their on volition.

Over at The Gun Shots, Derek A. Reeves asks Are Gun Owners the Second Amendment’s Worst Enemy? To wit

Working within the gun industry I am dismayed by the divisional attitudes among people who own firearms for whatever purpose that suits them. I have repeatedly heard gun owners disparage other aspects of gun possession. Some hunters feel that people should not own military style weapons, some target shooters feel that civilians should not have .50 BMG rifles, some who own guns for self defense feel that people should not hunt. So when one element comes under fire the solidarity needed to defeat it is not there. Whether you agree or disagree with my observation we, as gun owners, need to start realizing the stark, naked truth. We are all in the same boat and that boat is taking on water.

One issue I have is that some folks who engage in this division are given prominent columns in sporting magazines.

From NRA’s Ed Friedman called Tell Me Why. He has advice: Don’t be that guy.

Greg is looking to upgrade.

Sean Braisted is all butt-hurt because Obama’s handlers didn’t have a tight hold on the lead and he said From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. No, that’s not cool. Cool is I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody. Sean then spins it as a tax policy that benefits the middle class. That, of course, is bullshit. I can’t find where taxes are lower for anyone under Obama’s plan.

Of course, some just steal it.

Looks like a lot of political capital is being spent trying to pull the wool over the eyes of gun owners about Barack Obama and guns:

Jim Webb, who I actually like, says you can trust Obama on guns. That is patently false.

Instead of making sure Democrats nominate pro-gun guys, the AFL-CIO opts to lie and tell everyone that Obama will protect gun rights. With bonus unicorns.

Looks like the Brady Campaign is fighting to maintain and not advance:

They are targeting races in the Chicago suburbs. This is where the Brady’s are probably the strongest. If we have them only really fighting on their home turf, that’s a good development. Watch these races closely. If they can’t turn over any races even in the Chicago Suburbs, it’s probably over for them.

Wasting their limited dollars.

I feel safe:

How the hell can a TSA agent walk off the job with a $47,000 camera under his arm, and nobody even raises an eyebrow?

NRA presser report with pics.

Range day or bust.

Mr. C. has a report.

1911

GSG 5PK

NRA has hit Obama for his stance on the second amendment. Now, they’re hitting him on his stance for the first amendment.

Another .50 cal vid, this one from GBR3

Constitution Free Chicago.

A look at the rise of guns in China, where there is a complete prohibition.

The ACORN story is getting a lot of press, suddenly. Les has a round up.

To all the commenters and readers who sent me emails regarding reloading. I have a ton of info to go through. So much, that it seems a bit daunting of a task. I’m still studying a lot of it.

A little scattergun help, please

The wide-stanced one continues to block Michael Sullivan’s confirmation:

For more than two years, U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan has been consumed by the latest entry on his resume: acting chief of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Republican has been balancing both jobs while dealing with opposition to his ATF confirmation from members of his own party in the Senate. Now, with the presidential election a month away and Congress adjourned, Sullivan, 54, could soon end up unemployed.

Well, here’s hoping.

Channeling Braisted, some quarterwit spouts off:

NRA now stands for National Republican Association

They’re all butt-hurt because the NRA did not endorse Barr. What about these endorsements:

The National Rifle Association endorsed Rep. Steve Kagen for Wisconsin’s eighth congressional district. Kagen, a freshman Democrat, is in a tight race against GOP challenger John Gard.

And:

Both of the top-of-the-ticket Democrats on South Dakota’s general election ballot have received endorsements from the National Rifle Association.

The criteria seem to be 1) pro-gun and 2) can actually win.

‘Disposable AK-47s’

Palin brings them up.

TriggerFinger on ABA bias:

they are emphasizing the Chicago cases, since those are likely to lead the way on incorporation. The article has a mild bias, beginning with quotes from the lawyer who expects to defend Chicago’s gun ban, and including a few paragraphs down the claim that guns kill children and prevent the Olympics and probably blend puppies too

Remington wanted to get 308 type performance out of an AR Platform. So, they came up with the .30 Rem. AR. A round up:

Pics and specs at GunPundit.

Over at The Gun Shots:

30 Remington AR, the Newest AR Cartridge For Big Game

Some tech specs.

Ballistics.

And more technical info.

With pics.

I’d say Maryville.

Watch the metal parts flex:

Tracy shooting a buzzgun at Knob Creek.

Funny ha-ha: Attempting to avert financial disaster, George Bush adds PayPal button to WhiteHouse.gov Web site

Funny but not ha-ha: Economic Stabilization = 1,000 new bureaucrats

Funny ha-ha and also funny but not ha-ah: It’d be nice if at least one of the major party candidates for president–or the current president–thought at least as much of capitalism as the president of France.

From Bill Aikins, court documents related to the Akins case are available here.

This past weekend, The City (My The City) hosted the Foothills Fall Festival. We took the kids on Saturday and watched some live music featuring a bunch of country singers I’d never heard of and Billy Ray Cyrus, who I have heard of but only ever heard one song – and you know which one it is. It’s not that these weren’t big names it’s just that I don’t listen to country. It was a good time. Our kids’ first concert.

Then on Sunday, we left the kids with the in-laws and me and the Mrs. went at watched a bunch of country singers I’d never heard of and Kenny Rogers. At 70, that man is one Hell of an entertainer. And it helped that I’d actually heard some of his songs before.

And the food was awesome. Funnel cakes and big greasy burgers. Oh, and one place had ribbon fries that were to die for.

It was a good time.

The Brady Campaign says Jim and Sarah have endorsed Barack Obama. I’m sure you are shocked.

Update: Robb says: If Obama supports gun rights Then why is the worst gun control group offering their endorsement to him?