Quite the local discussion on RINOs (Republicans in name only) going on around the local blogs. JB kicks it off evoking images of Reagan. Joe weighs in. Adam rounds it up and offers some criticism. And JB responds.

The bill introduced to deny people on terror lists the right to purchase a gun didn’t make it out of committee:

It’s common sense that a person barred from flying on a commercial plane because of suspected terror links should not be able to buy a gun, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy said, and Tuesday she offered an amendment to a Homeland Security funding bill that would stop such purchases.

But that measure and five others offered by McCarthy, including one that would prevent people convicted of felonies in foreign courts from owning firearms, failed to get the nod yesterday from the powerful Rules Committee, which decides what does and does not get debated on the House floor.

Via John Lott.

From one of the nurses on that TV show Scrubs:

She Googled yo’ ass

On reports that:

It is also possible that Newsweek reporters relied too much on an uncertain source, or that the magazine confused the story with (confirmed) reports that prisoners themselves used Korans to block toilets as a form of protest.

Kevin writes: Holy Shit! Heh.

Phelps, stealing my meme, takes on the special protections that a judge wants.

Stacey Campfield reports that is ethics legislation was killed.

Ed Sutor concludes that healthcare costs associated with guns is misleading:

1. The article claims that millions are spent treating gunshot wounds … but the sums mentioned are only 0.064% of America’s total medical costs.

2. This is a 60% decline since the last such study (1993) despite millions of new firearms entering the market annually.

3. No one would attempt a cost-benefit analysis without considering benefits (here, lives saved by defensive uses). Estimates are that medical negligence kills about 180,000 Americans annually, after all, but this hardly proves that medicine is useless or doctors should be avoided, since presumably many times that number are saved.

Looks like the renewal of the Patriot Act is kicking up. This time, it will contain more civil liberty crushing power:

But the measure being written by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., would give the FBI new power to issue administrative subpoenas, which are not reviewed by a judge or grand jury, for quickly obtaining records, electronic data or other evidence in terrorism investigations, according to aides for the GOP majority on the committee who briefed reporters Wednesday.

Alphecca notes:

Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cronyn of Texas and George Allen of Virginia are signing on as sponsors of the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act of 2005.

The measure would repeal the District’s prohibition against most private handgun ownership. It’s similar to a measure with 123 co-sponsors in the House.

Supporters of the measure say the legislation will restore the Second Amendment rights of District residents guaranteed by the Constitution.

Good.

Get your jackboots, you may need them. Or as Bubba calls it, getting drafted in The War on Drugs. Here’s the text of the bill. The section I’m referring to states:

`SEC. 425. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person who witnesses or learns of a violation of sections 416(b)(2), 417, 418, 419, 420, 424, or 426 to fail to report the offense to law enforcement officials within 24 hours of witnessing or learning of the violation and thereafter provide full assistance in the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of the person violating paragraph (a).

`(b) Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be sentenced to not less than two years or more than 10 years. If the person who witnesses or learns of the violation is the parent or guardian, or otherwise responsible for the care or supervision of the person under the age of 18 or the incompetent person, such person shall be sentenced to not less than three years or more than 20 years.’.

So, tell on your neighbors if they commit a certain drug crime or go to jail. Unbelievable. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). More at The Huffington Post.

You have to read this (dated May 17) to believe it:

Just under four months from today, Americans will be able to walk out of a gun store with an AK-47 rifle, an Uzi or other weapon of mass murder under their arm.

Unless Congress acts — and Republican leaders show no inclination to do so — the 10-year-old federal assault gun ban will expire Sept. 13. A word from President Bush would get a renewal before lawmakers, a majority of whom would probably approve it. But the president is silent.

Guys, the ban expired last September. And there’s been no increase in violent crime committed with these weapons to my knowledge. Of course, it is a reprint of an article that I covered a while back. Careless error or stupidity? I dunno.

Protestors will converge on a newspaper’s office because the paper’s Pet of the Week feature (which highlights dogs available for adoption) decided to exclude pit bulls.

The NRA reports that the NC house will hear a bill requiring sheriffs to issue temporary concealed handgun permits to those who get protective court orders. Also, it would require judges to tell those applying for such orders that the permits are available.

The Wall Street Journal has a back and forth on the eminent domain.

Michael Silence posts the Knoxville News Sentinel’s policy on anonymous sources. I found this interesting:

Anonymous sources should be used only for substantive, factual information, not for opinion, criticism or incidental information. Sources should have direct knowledge of the subject involved.

I guess I can’t opine at the News Sentinel (foreshadowing).

The Geek reports that common sense prevailed as a result of the commission to address gun violence in the state. More importantly, gun grabbers lost.

He also notes that Philadelphia is breaking the law.

The Record Online:

But state police say the event – the Middletown Great Gun and Knife Show – has become an open market for unscrupulous sellers who hawk weapons in the parking lot without conducting background checks on the buyers, a violation of federal law.

Actually, if it wasn’t a dealer (or was a dealer selling privately owned arms) there is no federal law against it. If you read further:

The men weren’t registered vendors in the gun show, state police said.

[snip]

“These were private gun owners who were making what would normally be a legitimate transaction, the sale of a legal firearm between two people,” said Sgt. David Scott, of the state police barracks in the Town of Wallkill. “But when you enter into a gun show and make the deal there, unfortunately you’re bound by a different law.”

Must be a California law as there is no Federal law preventing such a transaction.

As if you needed another reason:

Several weeks ago, Ohioans For Concealed Carry began receiving reports of new “no-guns” signs appearing at Best Buy locations in Ohio. Initially, it appeared this may have been a result of store managers having been mislead by out-of-state companies who are peddling “compliance kits” that contain “no-guns” signs, and falsely claiming that state law requires them to be posted. In fact, in at least one Best Buy store, the sign that is posted was obtained from one of these companies, G-Neil.

As additional reports of these postings came I, we educated those making the reports about how these out-of-state companies have been falsely claiming signs are required, and encouraged them to contact Best Buy’s corporate headquarters in Minnesota about the issue.

Unfortunately, it now appears that Best Buy has joined the list of business ban hypocrites – corporations whose policy seems to suggest that they believe Ohioans are less likely to be responsible with concealed firearms than their customers in other states

I’m running out of places to shop.

A judge has again refused to send a 69 year-old man with congestive heart failure to jail for selling guns to undercover ATF agents.

I’m not defending the pedophile, but I find this strange:

Former Knoxville resident Gregory Alec Phillips pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court at Knoxville to “engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.”

That’s really a crime on the books?

And, Tennessee’s AG shut down one of those work from home scams:

Tennessee Attorney General Paul Summers has shut down a work-at-home scheme after his office received complaints from more than 300 people.

Three Nashville residents agreed Tuesday to permanently shut down two businesses that promised participants thousands of dollars per week for stuffing envelopes at home.

And, finally, a kid gets attacked by a raccoon.

Periodically, I check the lame Department of Homeland Security site at Ready.gov to see if they’ve added anything gun related to the site. They haven’t.

Governor Bredesen has updated his blog:

My first blog entry, ever (the one on 5/9 was not from me).

When we put up the new web site containing a Phil blog last week, I didn’t expect that it would create the buzz that it has. Since Monday, I’ve heard from TV, newspapers, people on the street, emails, and lots of traffic in the blogosphere (reported to me, I’m not a user) about various things especially including whether I would be doing the postings vs a staff member.

Not sure what that I’m not a user bit is about, must be related to the Internets. He has vowed that all future postings will be from him (unless otherwise noted) and I hope that’s why the first entry disappeared (and not down the memory hole). He also says:

I don’t know if this will work. The relative informality and immediacy that makes blogs interesting are at odds with the circumspection and care that a responsible office requires and without which you get your feet tangled up real quick. I’m going to try it for a while, but if it is dull or if the political cost is too great I may need to close up shop at some point in the future. It is really worth giving it a try though.

Yeah, unscripted, politicians get in trouble. Why do you think presidential debates aren’t really debates?

Welcome to blogging, Governor. Good to see you mean it this time.

Rumor has it that the venerable M24 sniper system used by the US military is on its way out. The military think tanks have decided that the military should use a Semi Automatic Sniper System (SASS) instead of a bolt action operating system and have begun accepting bids. The military has specified that the semi-automatic contenders fire the equally venerable 7.62 Nato (308 Winchester) but some speculate that the military is not opposed to the 300 Winmag (though most semi-autos on the market can’t chamber the large shell because the actions would need to be elongated significantly) or the 300 Remington Short Action Ultra Mag (which, though shorter, is comparable to the 300 WinMag because the case is wider and holds more powder than other rounds with cases of comparable length). These two rounds would increase the effective range of a military sniper from 1,000 yards to 1,500 yards. Armalite has started making their AR10 in 300 RSUAM.

The advantages of a semi-automatic are numerous, but here are few: quick follow up shots, quicker multi-target capabilities, and (perhaps most important) follow up shots can be taken without operating the bolt. The latter is particularly useful as a marksman can give his position away by manually operating a bolt as this requires the marksman to move his arm. Such movement could prove fatal for the sniper if it gives away his position.

Contenders for the project would likely be as follows:

DPMS long range series of rifles

The obvious advantage of this rifle is that it is based on the AR15 operating system and troops would be familiar with it.

The Armalite AR-10:

Same advantage as the DPMS. Additionally, this is a 300 RSUAM version, though 308 Win is available.

The M1A Tactical:

An excellent reliable weapon and the military has thousands of M1s stored in mothballs somewhere. Cost could potentially be less.

Update: Edited to correct poor wording on my part. Details in comments thanks to Pawpaw.

Heh.

No, not me. Jeff is. He’s looking for a gun at $500 or less. Go help him out. I already told him he could build an AR for that much.

Heh:

SAF CALLS FOR ‘WAITING PERIODS’ ON PRESS FOLLOWING FATAL NEWSWEEK DEBACLE

More than 115 dead or injured, and now a lame “apology” from Newsweek; maybe it is time for the press to accept waiting periods before exercising its First Amendment rights in the same way the press has backed waiting periods on law-abiding Americans before exercising their Second Amendment rights.

That’s the observation from the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) now that Newsweek has acknowledged its report about the desecration of the Koran by soldiers at Guantanamo Bay was bogus.

“I wonder if Newsweek, or its owner, the Washington Post, would submit all of their stories for FBI clearance before they publish,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. “This irresponsible exercise of the First Amendment freedom of the press has killed and injured more people than Charles Whitman or the Beltway Snipers.

“How many times,” Gottlieb wondered, “have Newsweek and The Washington Post advocated waiting periods for law-abiding citizens, who have hurt nobody, before they can buy a firearm? A waiting period amounts to prior restraint by the government. How loud would reporters scream if they faced prior restraint before printing their version of the news? Their double standard is hypocritical.

Ouch.

Looks like there’s a proposal in Sumner County to implement breed specific legislation:

One option would require owners to register, confine and insure their dogs.

Heckler and Koch is making an AR15? Cool. It looks like they’ve also developed their own gas system to take care of the AR15’s Eat Where It Shits problem that I’ve mentioned before.

Seems like everyone is coming up with their own gas system for the AR.

If you have an Uncle Mike’s (no relation) holster, it may have been recalled:

About 8,000 Kydex Holsters with Thumb Break for Glock model handguns by Michaels of Oregon Co., because the retention strap can slip out of position and cause the firearm to unexpectedly discharge while being reholstered. The firm has received three reports of unexpected discharges, including one involving a law enforcement officer shot in the leg while reholstering his gun. Uncle Mike’s and Uncle Mike’s Law Enforcement catalogs and sporting goods and gun supply stores nationwide sold the holsters from January to October 2002. For more information, call Michaels of Oregon at 800-471-4999 or visit

In addition to Toyota, Prudential is pushing anti-gun stuff.

And Pepsico, though not for gun stuff.

Update: Turns out the Pepsi bit wasn’t true. See link above for the update. Wonder how quickly that will spread through the blogs?

Jeff has the latest on bias against guns in the media.