James talks about some of the basics when you have a weapon in a public restroom.

Remember how /20~ p@\/1 was supposedly a neo-nazi? Well, not so much.

Tam:

When evil comes, it won’t be easily identifiable, with a hunched back and a crazed glint in its eye; it will be nicely dressed, sound reasonable, and have a great team of policy wonks and spin doctors to explain exactly why you need to climb into the cattle car, please.

What media bias against guns?

Short barreled shotgun porn.

Looks like acting ATF Director Michael Sullivan is under fire again:

This is one of the Judge’s that has criticized Sullivan in the past and at one point threatened to send a US Marshall to pull Sullivan out of a Dentist chair and bring him to court. Then earlier this year filed a complaint against Sullivan’s office citing “extraordinary misconduct by the Department of Justice”.

Sullivan has time and time again been criticized for refusing to plea bargain, tying up the courts and always seeking the maximum penalty-no matter how small the crime. Sullivan’s critics say he’s rigid and uncompromising, and hasn’t shown an ability to temper punishment with compassion.

The Uncle Clan survived. Things should get back to normal later today or tomorrow.

Sebastian notes they’re preparing a mailing for Richardson. I said before I’d like to see an endorsement in the primary. It’s not an endorsement but it may carry some weight. Past discussion here.

I’m outta here for a bit.

Seen at Robb’s:

In response to another “The Founding Fathers couldn’t have foreseen advances in firearm technology” letter

In counter, I’d like to suggest a five-day waiting period on publication, while the government background checks facts for accuracy, after which time Hammerle can spout off in a paper he prints with lead type and distributed on horseback, just as our Founders intended.

Seems Bryan Miller is deleting comments that point out the crazy of their newest board member.

No more direct flights to Vegas.

Paul Helmke from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership:

A Victory For The Families Of Virginia Tech, And For Common-Sense Gun Control

How is that? This bill would not have stopped Cho.

Wednesday night, the U.S. Congress approved by “unanimous consent” a bill that CBS News called “the first major new gun control bill in more than a decade,” and the Washington Post called “the most significant gun-control legislation since the early 1990s.”

This is not a gun control bill. Paul’s efforts at painting it as such are a weak attempt to make it look like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has actually accomplished something. It has not.

Happy Holidays.

In an update to a local Assistant District Attorney being unable to find his ass with both hands and an ass map, OEF_VET provides an update:

I spoke with the State Representative for Franklin, Mr. Glen Casada, today in regards to this issue. He is going to request an opinion vis a vis TCA 39-17-1361 for me from the State Attorney General. He is also going to request an opinion regarding carrying smooth-bore handguns, aka AOW’s, with a TN Handgun Carry Permits.

I have to e-mail him the particulars, and he asked me to write the questions as I feel they should be worded, since I’m the one who fully understands what is being requested.

Mr. Casada struck me as a genuine friend to gun owners. He assured me that he is a member of the NRA, is a gun owner, and that one of his priorities is making sure our rights to keep and bear arms is not infringed. It’s nice to know that some legislators are friends of ours. Based on his enthusiasm to handle this request, it was obvious he wasn’t just paying lip service to the 2nd Amendment.

With any luck, this will be resolved favorably ASAP!

OEF_VET runs Elite Tactical.

The GOA (why do real activism when harshly worded press releases will do?*) is getting the NICS bill wrong and falsely stating that a bill that allows restoration of firearms rights to disabled veterans will actually disarm veterans. Sebastian whacks their pee pee.

* Say, sound familiar? That’s a tactic of some other groups we discuss.

Good read.

Ahab’s blog is a year old.

Trade your AR-15 for CCW?

No thanks, Nebraska has CCW.

You’ll recall Alexander Tristan Riley (AKA The Culturologist who blogged here and also was a PhD in some made up field at Bucknell). You’ll recall he was bigoted against gays, Catholics and Muslims. That he advocated violence against people on sex offender registries. And that he is generally a disgusting human being. Then, one day, his blog disappeared. Totally gone. Not even a good bye. He’s even gone so far as to scrub it from The Wayback Machine and Google Cache. Why would he do that? Well, here’s your answer:

Talking recently with a conservative group of students, Bucknell University Professor Alexander Riley said their views on gun control don’t differ much from those fighting for stronger state regulations.

“These kids, all conservatives, were all in support of better legislation to control firearms,” said Riley, a sociologist and new member of CeaseFire PA’s board of directors.

Well, we can’t have known bigots on the board of an anti-gun group, now can we?

Thirdpower has more, including some of Mr. Riley’s better moments. I mean, really, it’s a long list.

Update: Robb: We’re not going to let you slither away from your hateful screeds. Every time you open your filthy soup cooler, we’re going to be there to remind everyone what a nasty, hateful creature you are.

Michael Bane sums it up:

The modern antigun movement has been amazingly consistent since Pete Shield outlined the goals of confiscation back in the 1960s — get what it can get and ask for more. Every so-called “compromise” has resulted in us giving ground while the antigun movement asked for more more more. To the best of my knowledge, there has NEVER been a “compromise” as described by Professor Kingsfield…instead, we give ground and the antigunners ask for, or take, more.

That is because the antigun forces in this country — and there are not and never were enough of them to make up a “movement” despite the complicity of the MSM — have never changed their ultimate goal…the complete disarming of the American people.

Think about it. The reason they don’t compromise is that they believe in the end they will triumph.

Yes. He (like me) thinks the NRA should be willing to compromise less but still supports them. Read the whole thing.

Josh Sugarmann:

Much has been made of the bill’s bi-partisan, triangulating support: Democrats! Republicans! The National Rifle Association! The Brady Campaign! Beyond this cheery bon temps, little public attention has been paid to what the bill actually does beyond its title. And that’s because if you start looking at the details of the bill–especially after NRA-backed changes made by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn–it becomes clear that the measure is nothing less than a pro-gun Trojan Horse. That’s why my organization, the Violence Policy Center, and other national gun control groups, have voiced their strong concerns about the version of the bill that was passed by Congress.

Actually, you guys have opposed it from the beginning.

Bryan Miller brings the usual appeals to emotion, ad hominem, and jokes about testosterone. And, of course, he makes stuff up. Bryan makes a lot of hysterical assertions, such as:

For pro-gunners it’s about arming everyone to the teeth.

Err, no. See, the tactic of the antis is generally to assign a position to pro-gunners that they do not hold so as to address the non-held position. Pro-gunners want those who are law-abiding and otherwise not prohibited to have at their disposal the best means to defend themselves. They don’t want to arm everyone. Also, Bryan likes to take normal words precede them with assault to make them sound scary. We have assault guns, assault weapons and assault pistol. Bryan is hitting us with his assault stupidity. He references testosterone but the jokes are mildly amusing since one of his links is to Zendo Deb, who happens to be a woman.

Despite calling pro-gunners crazy, his arguments are easily and calmly refuted in his own comments section due to the ridiculousness of his assertions. Like the Brady Campaign Blog when it allowed comments, his site is providing a lot of good pro-gun information.

I’m glad Bryan exists because he really does more for our cause with his lame arguments, constant insults, and general hysteria.

Sebastian calls Bryan out.

Rustmeister: You call names, get all over-the-top and I’ll do the same, liar. I’m not afraid to sink to your level rhetorically. The one thing I won’t do is lie, because I don’t have to.

Robb: Brian Miller is a liar.

Thirdpower: Bryan Miller makes stuff up..

Notice the trend?

Anyway, thanks Bryan. You do more for my cause than you realize.

Update: Reasoned Discourse^tm: Now Bryan is deleting comments.

Heh.

Colt Junior.

Christian has added a video news channel.

In England, there’s a lot of PSH because a shotgun license was granted to a nine-year-old. This is of note:

But in the wake of rising gun violence among youngsters the move has been branded “totally absurd”.

Unpossible! With all that gun control, gun violence cannot possibly be on the rise! And do these idiots really think that a kid who obtained a license from the police is likely to go on a shooting spree?

After the mass shooting, Westroads Mall removed their signs that prohibited carrying weapons. Now, the signs are back.

Over at PJM. His anti-gun stance is merely part of his nature as a liberal politician from Massachusetts. Nanny knows best, and all.

I think I smacked my muse too hard last time.

Not sure why, but I just ain’t feeling the grieve this year.

The NRA-ILA notes:

Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zach Space (D-Ohio), have introduced H.R. 4900 the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007.” The bill would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. This bipartisan bill is a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.

Of highest importance, H.R. 4900 totally rewrites the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Today, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning, or totally revoke his license.

H.R. 4900 would allow fines or license suspensions for less serious violations, while still allowing license revocation for the kind of serious violations that would block an investigation or put guns in the hands of criminals. This prevents the all-too-common situations where BATFE has punished licensees for insignificant technical violation—such as improper use of abbreviations, or filing records in the wrong order.

Among its other provisions, H.R. 4900:

* Clarifies the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
* Improves the process for imposing penalties, notably by allowing FFLs to appeal BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge, rather than to an employee of BATFE itself.
* Allows a licensee a period of time to liquidate inventory when he goes out of business.
* Allows a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business to correct problems in the business’s records—so if a person inherits a family gun store (for example), the new owner couldn’t be punished for the previous owner’s recordkeeping violations.
* Reforms the procedures for consideration of federal firearms license applications. Under H.R. 4900, denial of an application will require notification to the applicant, complete with reasons for the denial. Additionally, an applicant will be allowed to provide supplemental information and to have a hearing on the application.
* Codifies limits on disclosure of firearms trace data—which Congress has already limited through a series of appropriations riders over the past three years, out of concern for gun owners’ privacy and the confidentiality of law enforcement records. The provision would still allow law enforcement agencies full access to trace data for bona fide criminal investigations.
* Requires BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
* Clarifies the licensing requirement for gunsmiths distinguishing between repair and other gunsmith work and manufacture of a firearm.
* Prevents disclosure of information in FFL records outside of law enforcement agencies.
* Focuses BATFE’s efforts on violations of firearms, explosives, arson, alcohol and tobacco laws, rather than on broader areas such as gang or drug investigations.
* Eliminates a provision of the Youth Handgun Safety Act that requires those under 18 to have written permission to use a handgun for lawful purposes (such as competitive shooting or safety training)—even when the parent or guardian is present.
* Permanently bans taxes or “user fees” on background checks by the federal instant check system—fees that Congress has prohibited in annual appropriations riders since 1998.
* Permanently bans creation of a centralized electronic index of dealers’ records—a threat to gun owners’ privacy that Congress has barred through appropriations riders for a decade.
* Allows importation and transfer of machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably.
* Allows transfer and possession of machineguns for use by federal security contractors. Additionally, H.R. 4900 provides for the transfer and possession of machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.
* Repeals the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998.
* Gives BATFE sole responsibility for receiving reports of multiple handgun sales. (Currently, dealers also have to report multiple sales to state or local agencies, a requirement that has shown little or no law enforcement value.)
* Restores a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers from non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.

Good. I particularly like the importation of machinegun bit because:

the lack of a market creates is there will be no new rifle for the military developed in the US. US gun makers (except for Colt) rely heavily on the civilian market. No one is going to develop the next assault rifle unless they can immediately make money off of it and US military contracts are way off in the future. Sure, there’s the occasional smaller company that caters to them but they seem to do so more from a hobbyist standpoint than a business standpoint.

And I like lifting the import restrictions. Actually, not much I don’t like.

Via ridefast, comes The Wandering Minstrel. Despite his left-leaning bias, he asks:

Did you know that since 1991, the number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. has increased by 65-70 million, the number of right-to-carry states has increased from 15 to 40, and violent crime has decreased 38%?