I’ve never seen a need but the case for pepper spray.

A settlement:

A federal court jury awarded A.R.M.S. Inc., a designer of accessories and attachments for small arms weapons for 30 years, in excess of $1.8 million in damages in a lawsuit alleging theft of trade secrets and breach of fiduciary duty against Stephen P. Troy, Jr. and his company, Troy Industries, Inc., of Lee, MA.

The I-team discovers that, yes, public officials are above the law but I-team reporters are not.

What do Phil Bredesen and Sarah Palin have in common?

By fact-checking me on health care reform.

Plus what we can learn from the debacle that is TennCare.

Apparently, in yesterday’s reciprocity vote, a number of senators voted yes because they realized the bill would not pass and wanted to better their pro-gun record. Pathetic.

You can own John Browning’s house!

Laurel: My mom knows more about weed than I do.

In Colorado:

This single shooting death in 19 years led Forest Supervisor Bob Leaverton to close the range indefinitely on Tuesday. That will cause some recreational shooters to practice their sport in more dangerous locations.

According to a poll, the most trusted news anchor is Jon Stewart. I’m not surprised. Hell, I agree. At least I know where his biases lie.

Sebastian is blogging the vote on the Thune amendment.

Update: notable democrats voting for the bill.

Update: Final vote 58-39. Majority but it needed 60 to pass.

Update: Votes tallied.

Apparently, threatening telemarketers over the phone is an act of terrorism.

Mentioned before the FBI Agent arrested and charged with dealing firearms without a license. David Codrea has an update: Is FBI agent charged with illegal gun dealing just a collector?

13 year old girl arrested with machine gun. In England.

Apparently, Obama is going to get on the prime time TeeVee and tell us all about how he saved the economy:

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told The New York Times Obama intends to use the news conference as a “six-month report card,” to talk about “how we rescued the economy from the worst recession”

Followed by why we need to pass energy, environment, and health care bills.

Meanwhile, those of us here in the real world who notice that our payroll is running about 50% what it was last year and margins and volume are down will have questions. And be told that You’re going to destroy my presidency.

Update: Michael in comments: Mission Accomplished!

Why NYC’s gun laws are there:

because the Irish and Jewish mobsters running Tammany Hall in the late 19th/early 20th century did not want to compete with new Italian mafiosi immigrants who were moving into NYC at the time. So “Big” Tim Sullivan created the current “may issue” system of discretionary pistol licensing to keep anyone Tammany Hall deemed undesirable (i.e. average citizens) from legally having handguns for self-defense against criminals, including the criminals running Tammany.

Seniors learning to use canes as weapons. In Maryland.

Google labeled as objectionable the ideas of sassy libertarian dykes.

Via another pondering getting off of google too.

In the UK: The number of knife deaths in areas targeted by an anti-knife crime scheme has risen, the Home Office has said.

A DKOS diarist on the American Hunters and Shooters Association:

So when I saw a pro-firearms group that was based on the Democratic side of the fence, I started jumping for joy. Finally, a group that supports the other issues alongside gun rights that I can get behind.

Oh happy day!

And then I started looking into the group. My enthusiasm waned.

Well, the group is a false flag operation designed only to elect Democrats.

Apparently one of Tennessee’s moral crusaders may have been caught with his pants down. ACK rounds it up.

Well, if you’re gonna go out, go out on top. Or bottom. Or whatever. I’m not sure how sea lions do it.

Probably because I’m in Tennessee.

I can’t imagine many hunters whose trips end with encountering a humpback whale.

A discussion by Eugene Volokh on the issue.

Economic turmoil, increasing crime, and tension lead to increased gun sales. In Russia.

I always said, despite his faults, Harry Reid is a friend to gun owners.

The NRA lets us know that today Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA) will offer an amendment this week to provide for interstate recognition of Right-to-Carry permits. They encourage you to contact your senators. And here’s a handy form to show you how to contact them.

An account of a man arrested and acquitted for bogus concealed carry violation.

Another case against nationalized/socialized health care.

Huey’s Gunsight reviews one of my favorites: The Kel-Tec P3aT.

Man douses self with gasoline during confrontation with police. Can you guess what happens when man doused with gasoline meets Taser?

More rebuttals to the Violence Policy Center’s supposed ’study’ here and here. My favorite quote:

But now, after 21 years of diligent hand-wringing by the VPC and their ilk, there are only 2 states remaining which do not allow concealed carry

Casting your own bullets

WECSOG: a handy use for magnets

Scott Bach: Corzine to Millions of Honest Gun Owners: You’re Potential Criminals and a Threat to Public Safety

Remington ACR specs (formerly the Masada).

Masterpiece Arms Carbines

Thompson M1

Shocking: More media time given to anti-gunners.

The latest Brady fundraising request err action alert says: Keep Sarah Palin’s Gun Laws in Alaska

I have a feeling we’ll see more of the Palin bogeyman soon.

Another google based study!

Field and Stream: An Inside Look at the Rock River Arms AR-15 Factory

The Violence Policy Center, which has a history of passing off google searches as ’studies’ because they have no money, has done it again. The paper in Memphis takes dictation from the anti-gun group:

Handgun-carry permit holders nationally killed at least seven police officers and 44 private citizens in 31 different incidents in a 24-month period ending in April, according to a report issued Monday by the anti-gun Violence Policy Center.

The organization based its study on media reports across the U.S. because, it said, most states compile and release little data about crimes committed by permit holders. [and because they're broke - the fired up a Google news search and listed the results - ed].

So, the study found an incredibly small percentage of handgun carry permit holders committed an equally incredibly small percentage of crimes. I like this study method. See, based on my study I have determined that at least ten reporters have been arrested for molesting children recently. And, of course, another search turns up several incidents of anti-gun activists having a proven history of violent behavior. See how stupid that sounds?

Also, this is interesting:

However, the center’s researchers failed to turn up three other shooting deaths in Shelby County through April that police said were committed by men with Tennessee handgun-carry permits: the Feb. 23 slaying of Terrelle Beasley after a minor traffic wreck in Memphis, the March 8 shooting death of part-time model Lisa Davis, and the April 30 shooting death of Micah Pate.

And I’m going to guess it probably didn’t factor in situations in which a permit holder used a weapon in self defense. Well, google won’t catch them all.

In China, crackdown on guns nets 19K weapons and explosives. Odd since guns are banned there.

Oh please. I thought dick jokes were part and parcel to the anti-gunners’ rhetoric. Not ours.

A couple of interesting points brought up. After the recent pro-gun legislative victories here in Tennessee, Aunt B. wonders if the state legislators have squandered their political capital. And Humphrey looks the possibility that we’ll see some of these gun provisions rolled back, as our governor Bredesen said could happen. Anyway, it begs the question about whether or not our recent successes can damage future successes. Will there be a backlash? The supposed year of the gun (which is more accurately the year without Naifeh) could hurt our cause, some say. Personally, I don’t see it. Other than hand wringing from political sorts and pants-shitting hysteria from some editorial boards and lefty blogs, no one I’ve talked to seems particularly concerned about the various pro-gun bills. But we’ll see, I suppose.

At NRA Blog.

A bill to relax the tight controls on pepper spray in MA.

A look at open carry in California. There are quite a few restrictions but, apparently, you can open carry if you follow some very strict rules.

Police say concealed carry would deter criminals. We’re used to that but this is in Illinois.

Massad Ayoob looks at shooting with your other hand.

Ti-RANT Suppressor from AAC

Chicken Killer

The water-sprinkler rainbow conspiracy!

Phelps looks at wet-shaving with a detailed post on his set up. As for me, I don’t quite have the beard Phelps has. I shave in the shower with a waterproof mirror. I use a Gillette Fusion, Williams Mug Soap, and a loofah instead of a brush to work up the lather.

So says the WaPo:

Violent crime has plummeted in the Washington area and in major cities across the country, a trend criminologists describe as baffling and unexpected.

But I thought there was going to be all this blood in the streets in DC after the Heller case? They told me so.

You cannot refute the irrefutable.

NRA talks about it’s social networking apparatus.

NSSF: Making the Case for Sporting Firearms at the United Nations

One of the internet gun boards says a suppressor manufacturer has been told by ATF that they can no longer sell mounts unless they are sold with a suppressor. Not sure if it’s true as I haven’t confirmed it. But, if it is, that would mean you can only have one mount per can so you couldn’t have multiple mounts for convenience.

Ron Paul still affecting politics, even locally.

Tam has the coolest sheriff and would like to keep him:

Sheriff Ken is an adjunct instructor at Gunsite. Sheriff Ken likes for the good guys to be armed and trained and safe. Sheriff Ken brings some of the best-known firearms instructors to the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, and lets good guys like you and me sign up for their classes.

More like this, please.

In NJ, police chief calls a pump action shotgun an assault weapon.

Pic of Crimson Trace’s new VFG laser. And what’s with those shoes?

Obama’s interesting license plate.

A Kossack: Why do you want my gun?

A shooting at an anti-gun Chicago pastor’s church.

M&P 15-22 to come in under $500. Cool. At that price, could be worth it. Most 22 AR designs run you that just for the upper.

Mentioned last week that ATF issued a letter that, unsurprisingly, said the TN Firearms Freedom Act was no good. They’ve issued a similar letter to Montana, the first state to pass such a law.

The Firearm Blog has been cranking out gun porn for two years now.

People used to post pics of guns. Now, they post pics of ammo.

What you do instead of something:

So here we are, with 22,309 failed gun control laws: not a single success to show for them: and politicians want to repeat the failures and reject the successes of the past.

Gun rights 101: How can you build an ‘assault weapon’? Well, I prefer the assault stick:

From Stuff

There’s a bill to propose just that. Sebastian has a look at it. Anti-gunners and editorial boards (but I repeat myself) are already soiling themselves. Sensibly Progressive:

I did not imagine the day when we could get such a bill out for a full vote in either house, particularly with the current make-up of Congress, was already here. Even if it doesn’t pass, we seem to be doing very well at the moment — which could change at any moment, of course.

Schumer is threatening a filibuster.

A ban who carried a gun to a politically rally for Obama has been cleared.

What could possibly go wrong:

Low-priority crimes like breaking and entering might not be prosecuted and the conviction rates will continue to decline if the proposed budget for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is approved, Prosecutor Kym Worthy told commissioners this morning.

In case you didn’t notice. Stuff to do.

Went to get a haircut. The strip mall the place is in has several restaurants around. I went looking for no guns except for criminals signs. Didn’t see one. Decided to stop at the other popular strip mall area in The City (My The City) and still none. Not a one. Not at Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, Aubrey’s, Uno’s, or Buffalo Wild Wings.

Katie on then and now:

Nowadays, however, most parents – including me – would be incredibly freaked out if one of their child’s friends had unlocked guns in the home, not to mention hanging on the wall of a child’s bedroom (!!!). But why?

I’m sure this guy was freaked out too:

A ten-year-old boy left home alone with his sister used his mother’s gun to shoot an intruder in the face, police said.

I mean, there you are, trying to rob a home when one of those children with a gun (who are no doubt compensating for small penises) shoots you. I bet that would freak you out.

Virgin Mary seen in bird poo.

Linoge writes a councilman about the opt out option. Gets a response.

Not only is it discriminatory and permits are handed out to the connected as political favors, but the coppers tend to assume any gun being carried is illegal and wet themselves. Shall-issue states usually have some sort of guidelines for the police.

Chris Wage:

I’m sorry, but I’m not seeing the case for pants-wetting panic.

[...]

I’m not a “gun nut”. I’m not a Republican. I’m not a conservative. I’ve never owned a gun. I don’t own a gun now, and I have no particular interest in owning a gun. I also agree that guns and alcohol don’t mix. None of these positions is required to believe that private citizens are capable of making decisions on their own, or to see that this legislation will have very little real impact

Also, he notes an interesting bit about who can really know whether you can carry your weapon inside many places and asserts that the restaurant owners could do that. Yes, they could. But, then, when an establishment determines that it is a place off limits to handgun carry permit holders by law, that establishment may also be admitting that it’s not in compliance with liquor laws.

BTW, I thought Chris stopped blogging. Glad to see I was wrong.

Rusty breaks down what the new law does and doesn’t do. One quibble:

No drinking allowed, no age restrictions, no 51% rule.

Sorta. Restaurant defined includes: the serving of such meals shall be the principal business conducted. Legal folks I talk to seem to indicate that this may result in a presumed 51% rule as that would constitute the principal business conducted. It would also not be unreasonable to presume that a place that is age restricted may not have the principal business of selling food, other than the meat market.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association endorses national concealed carry.

A bit back, our legislature passed a symbolic bill exempting guns made in Tennessee from federal gun laws. The bill simply will never pass any serious challenge and was basically a snub. Via WizardPC, it looks as though ATF has responded saying federal law supercedes.

Even if you are not attending the Gunblogger Rendezvous, you can still win a ParaUSA 1911. Kevin has the details.

All other prizes require attendance.

The NYT: If you live in public housing, your civil rights should be revoked.

Rich:

If the healthcare system proposed by Democrats in Congress is so good, why are they exempting themselves from it while forcing it on the rest of us?

Because they’re better than us.

Or does this Glock appear to have an external hammer?

Shocker: Court rules amendment means what it says.

A year after handguns are legal, none used in crime. None used in self-defense either. Why, it’s like lawful gun ownership doesn’t hurt anyone or anything.

I don’t advocate breaking the law and I don’t advocate getting on the internet and telling people you’re going to break the law. But Mack says he’s gonna carry like he always does.

Handy tip: In TN, it is an affirmative defense that a gun was used in lawful self defense.

A criminal enterprise already exists to evade the law. As long as it’s profitable to avoid tax payments, that enterprise will continue even if the product is now legal.

Don Gwinn is now writing the Chicago Gun Rights Examiner.

Cool AR pics

Lever guns

A girl and her rifle

Pretty in pink

What you should know about the Marlin 336

Caleb and Dave address some of the issues you may have traveling with firearms.

Facebookers are gun friendly

From email:

We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Therefore, the National Rifle Association of America opposes the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Update: Presser.

And not the fact he’s 83 years old.

Les Jones on simpler times:

In the permissive, litigation-free Seventies we campers used to walk down the country road (with no sidewalks or shoulders to speak of) from camp to Dude Cooper’s store to buy cokes and gum and candy cigarettes, back when there were candy cigarettes, our shorts filled with pocket knives that were part of the required equipment for attending camp. If you forgot to bring a pocket knife you could buy one after dinner in the camp store along with fountain cokes and ice cream and candy bars and comic books.

And his wife go to dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s.