tgirsch’s proposed gun law.

And like that, he was gone. One of my poker buddies dead at age 25. Played Tuesday. Dead Wednesday. Tragic. Just a kid. Makes you think, though.

News at Ryan’s:

US District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge has denied the BATFE’s request for summary judgment in our case and has moved it on to trial.

Ryan is excited.

My thoughts are with Bill Hobbs who lost his mother last night to breast cancer.

In Mass, they’re looking to make it illegal to own more than 15 firearms without a license. Another gun law that targets the law-abiding.

Cook County Commissioner and anti-gunner Larry Suffredin is a paid lobbyist for an anti-gun group.

SailorCurt has more:

Ryan Frederick said Thursday he’s not the “drug lord” some people might make him out to be, but a scared, 100-pound man who thought someone was breaking into his home.

Frederick said he was sleeping in a back bedroom because his job as a soft drink merchandiser required him to get up early. His dogs, Dora and Bud, were in the house. He woke up because his dogs “were barking like crazy. They’re going like really crazy, so I grab my gun. As I’m walking through the hall, someone comes busting through my door.”

In tears at times, Frederick said he doesn’t grow or sell marijuana. He had a smoking bong and a small bag of marijuana, he said.

Frederick said if police found drugs, it was a small amount of marijuana he had for personal use.

“They made a mistake,’’ he said. “It’s a damn shame, too, because someone had to lose their life over it and I’m in jail about to lose my life over it.”

Another case of criminals busting in and claiming to be police in Memphis.

Vanderbilt University has a SWAT team? What could possibly go wrong? Via Aunt B.

Tennessee’s tax on people who can’t do math is a disaster?

An Afghan fell down the stairs and blew himself up with the bomb strapped to his chest.

No word on whether it was Aunt B.’s Afghan or not. See, we care about your Afghan when used for humorous intent.

Brittney Glibert’s new blog gig is live.

Stallone endorsement.

To Rich!

The raid that resulted in the death of a police officer was not a no knock raid.

Check out Knoxtube for Knoxville based video content.

Remember when Lyle said: You smash in my door, announce that you’re a cop. And I’m supposed to believe you?

Case in point:

A frightening home invasion in Brooklyn and the suspects are said to have dressed as police officers.

They allegedly knocked on the door saying they were police officers and were apparently wearing outfits that looked like those of the NYPD. They were allegedly wearing a windbreaker with the NYPD logo and dark sunglasses at the time of the attack.

Well, at least the robbers knocked.

ColtCCO notes that TRA (Tennessee Restaurant Association) is opposed to the guns in bars bill.

We’ve found that the Tennessee Restaurant Association is fighting us on the so-called “Carry in Bars bill”, HB702. Gene Kennedy, of Legally Armed spoke to them earlier this week, and they said they’d fight the bill “tooth and nail”. It’s on their legislative agenda, along with opposing lowering the BAC and other stuff

I guess that the TRA doesn’t realize that restaurants can still prohibit guns on their premises if they choose to. He has contact info so you can voice your concerns.

In Philly.

It is kinda ironic. I guess Rep. Briley thinks your average handgun carry permit holder has as little self control as Rep. Briley does when around alcohol.

So, the powers that be spending your money have decided that the economy needs to be stimulated. Remember when you got the $300 check? You might get one again. Is it an election year? They’re gonna refund you some of your own walking around money. Don’t get me wrong, I want my money back. IIRC, last time you didn’t actually get it back. You got it, claimed it on your returns, and were taxed on it. Dunno if this is the same thing or not. If it is, this is just stupid.

Additionally, there will be tax breaks for businessess. Hey, they’re onto something now.

And the .gov backed lenders will have their cap on lending raised.

And they’re gonna extend the amount of time people can draw unemployment.

Whoopie! We are saved.

So, here’s the question: If the government can stimulate the economy and that is allegedly good for the economy, why don’t they do it every day?

Need a hint?

The government can’t control the economy. They’re a player in it, of course, but it’s beyond their control. Period. If they could control it, we’d never have depressions, recessions, inflation, stagnation and all those other -essions and -ations. The .gov also cannot control unemployment, other than to the extent that they hire people. Period.

The only controls over the economy they truly have are tax rates. And the impacts of those are debatable.

Spate = three.

Seems people are calling the utility company in opposition.

So, there was that protest in Virginia I mentioned yesterday. The pro-gun side outnumbered the anti-gun side substantially. And at least one person on the anti-gun side became violent. How does the press report it? Like this:

Va. Tech families urge gun control

Instead of gun rights activists oppose gun bill.

People on both sides of the gun control debate clashed yesterday as families and friends of Virginia Tech shooting victims and survivors of the tragedy flooded the Capitol in support of legislation designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms at gun shows.

Reports I read indicate that the flooding was done by the pro-gun side. And, of course, the bill in question is not designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms at gun shows. It’s designed to mandate that private sales go through NICS. Mind you, the bill would not have prevented Cho from obtaining his weapons.

Tensions escalated as about 100 supporters of a bill that would close the so-called gun-show loophole lay on the Capitol lawn to honor victims of gun violence. About 200 opponents surrounded the group holding signs that read, “Here Lie Disarmed Victims,” both sides jostled for turf and one gun rights advocate posed questions to a survivor of the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings.

Hey, we finally mentioned numbers! Note those numbers don’t fit the narrative. And that’s the supposedly conservative Washington paper. What about the other biased Washington paper? Glad you asked:

A bill that would have restricted certain gun sales in Virginia and that had received passionate support from survivors of the Virginia Tech massacre was defeated by a Senate committee Wednesday, ending the major gun control effort of this year’s General Assembly session.

The legislation had failed repeatedly over the years but had taken on a greater urgency this year because of the April 16 shootings. Supporters had said this year was their best chance of winning approval because of the Virginia Tech tragedy, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) had made it a priority.

Urgency? For what?

But Republicans and rural Democrats on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee teamed up to reject the bill, which would have required background checks for buyers at gun shows.

Incorrect. Sales at gun shows are subject to the same federal laws as sales not at gun shows. It would require background checks for private party transfers at gun shows.

Between 22 percent and 35 percent of gun show vendors do not have licenses, Virginia State Police say.

Probably because they’re selling beef jerky, holsters, and /20~ p@\/1 T-shirts.

And an outright lie from Kaine’s office:

“He has said many times that either you believe a felon should be able to buy a gun or you don’t,” spokesman Gordon Hickey said. “This vote indicates that some believe a felon should be able to buy a gun at a gun show.”

And, finally, eight paragraphs in:

Gun rights groups had opposed the bill, saying that Seung Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student who shot and killed 32 people and then himself, did not buy the two semiautomatic weapons he used in the shootings at a gun show. Gun control advocates, however, said it would close a loophole in state law that could allow convicted felons and other dangerous individuals to buy guns and commit similar crimes.

Finally, the truth about the bill! They said it could. Nice reporting there.

It may pass this time thanks to Rep. Briley getting drunk and acting the fool:

State Rep. Rob Briley is no longer a member of a key House subcommittee that under his guidance in the past has been a roadblock to passage of so-called “guns in bars” legislation and similar bills.

[…]

The bill died in the Criminal Practice Subcommittee after passing the Senate. The panel has also posed problems for similar measures, such as a bill by Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, that would have allowed people with carry permits to take guns into state parks and other recreational areas.

Yes and no. Last time, the bill actually died because Naifeh cheated to win. More details on that here.

Nice to see Tom Humphrey still isn’t talking about that.

Seems Paul Helmke of The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership is happy with the DOJ brief in Heller. Sebastian notes:

Bush has offered Brady two things with his brief. The first is a way out of their nightmare. An individual rights ruling that means nothing is something Brady can work with.

In TN, there’s a proposed law to add a bittering agent to anti-freeze so it doesn’t taste good to dogs and kids:

With the help of State Sen. Raymond Finney, Sevier County resident Haley Ham’s dream of keeping animals and young children safe from antifreeze poisoning may soon get a boost.

Or, you know, you could put the anti-freeze out of reach of children.

After the vasectomy, Junior was confused. See, she knew I went to the doctor. Yet I came home sick. Which to her, makes no sense because you go to the doctor to get better.

Chris mourns the loss of darkness. In these parts, I have plenty. I recall moving from Knoxville to The City (my The City – which is not really so much a city) and thinking about how nice it was to see the stars.

You’ll recall there was a police officer killed in a no-knock raid. The homeowner is charged with first-degree murder (first degree because he, of course, planned on the raid I suppose). So far, there are reports that weed was found. And the original report mentioned nothing of drugs being found. Yet, the complex growing operation the guy was alleged to have had was not found. And the police are tight-lipped.

But this is troubling. On a police message board regarding the incident, a commenter responds:

OK, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I am getting SICK AND TIRED of hearing about Officers getting shot and our fellow Warriors not returning fire! Hello, F-ing cover fire Gents, get the job done! This is really something that pisses me off, we are breeding a bunch of victimsnot warriors! If your fellow Warrior is going to be on point and he/she takes a round or gun fire???? Lay down SUPPRESSIVE FIRE A.S.A.P. so you can get your fellow Officer out of the kill zone!

Warrior? You’re an officer of the peace. Protect and serve ring a bell? Suppressive fire? Good lord, the ninjafication is out of control.