Today we learn that “Producing 2.2lb of beef generates as much greenhouse gas as driving a car non-stop for three hours.”

“Su Taylor, the press officer for the Vegetarian Society, told New Scientist: “Everybody is trying to come up with different ways to reduce carbon footprints, but one of the easiest things you can do is to stop eating meat.”

Hmmm….the Vegetarian Society cares about Global Warming? Who knew?

In other news, we see at the Huffington Puffington Post, Generation Chickenhawk: the Unauthorized College Republican Convention Tour. Max Blumenthal has a video piece on “a vivid portrait of the hypocritical mentality of the next generation of Republican leaders.” The Chickenhawk paradox is one of the great philosophical debates of all time. Perhaps the great philosopher Toby Keith will write a song about the bravery of our protesters. They are the real patriots aren’t they?

Blumenthal makes an interesting point, why should we be fighting them “over there”? Which makes you wonder if Blumenthal would prefer that we fight them “over here”? Whether or not you agree with Max Blumenthal no one can doubt his courage.

Insty is talking Tasers and self defense. And Tasers are for sale on Amazon. I noticed the seller says:

Before activation customer must pass a felony background check with a separate cost of $9.99.

Found it odd.

Update: From the NYT article:

As for people using Tasers while committing crimes, executives have designed an elaborate system to activate the gun, including a required background check over the phone.

Over the phone? Doesn’t seem very effective.

Based on the poll, with 284 votes, seems just over half of you think that the court will take the case, rule there is an individual right subject to reasonable restrictions, and note that DC’s laws are stupid.

In second place, legal wrangling and more of the same.

And a respectable third is they won’t take the case.

Remember the lady cop in Marble Falls who had her AR-15 magazine in backward? Then we argued about whether that was the case or not due to the pic? Well, looks like it was, in fact, backwards. The picture is fairly clear and the video shows how easy it is to do.

Via Joe.

In England, there is almost no distinction between pepper spray and a rocket launcher.

Heh:

That’s what Canada’s gun registry cost. Since its inception:

Canada’s homicide rate and number of gang-related murders has increased since the federal government’s firearms registry and licensing program was implemented, an indication that the program has failed to improve public safety, according to Hubris in the North, The Canadian Firearms Registry, a new report from independent research organization The Fraser Institute.

Shocking. Like Tam Marko said:

When someone asks you about licensing and registration, pick up a pen and a sheet of paper. Tear the paper in half and hand half to your questioner. Say “Okay, this pen is a gun. The paper I’m holding is my license and the paper you’re holding is the registration. Using only these two pieces of paper, explain to me just how you are going to keep me from shooting someone?”

She’s back. And this time, quite helpful.

Diane Sawyer:

You know, I wanted to sit on a jury once and I was taken off the jury. And the judge said to me, ‘Can, you know, can you tell the truth and be fair?’ And I said, ‘That’s what journalists do.’ And everybody in the courtroom laughed. It was the most hurtful moment I think I’ve ever had.

TN Gun Owners reports:

Fobus USA is currently offering a FREE paddle, double mag holder, with the purchase of one of their three, new style paddle holsters. The double mag holders have a list price of $24.00. Buying a $29.95 holster and getting a $24.00 mag holder free sounds like a good deal to me. Check it out at www.fobusholster.com. They say “FOR A LIMITED TIME”.

The WaPo thinks that banning handguns completely and requiring that long guns to be disassembled and otherwise in an unusable state is a reasonable restriction.

SCOTUSBlog:

Washington, D.C., residents who oppose the city’s strict handgun control law urged the Supreme Court on Wednesday to move along, without delay, the city government’s appeal of a federal appeals court striking down that law under the Second Amendment. Invoking the half-century old admonitions of the late Justice Felix Frankfurter, the local citizens told the Court that it should not be difficult for city lawyers to promptly prepare their petition for review.

The challengers to the local law told the Court that they”look forward” to supporting Supreme Court review of the case, but argued that the city’s appeal papers should be filed, as now scheduled, “no later than Aug. 6.”

The city on Monday asked Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., for a 30-day extension of the time to file the city’s petition in the case of District of Columbia, et al., v. Heller, et al. (extension application 07A51). The city argued that it had taken on additional attorneys who needed to become familiar with the issues, and that city officials had only recently decide actually to appeal the case.

Stalling already?

David Hardy notes Parker is off and rolling:

DC’s motion is quite weak. Basically (1) they took two months to decide whether to file, which now leaves them about a month to go, and it’s complex, so give us another month and (2) we’ve taken on some outside attorneys and they need to get up to speed.

Plaintiffs’ response hits hard. A petition for cert. hardly takes the research of a brief on the merits (here it almost writes itself: conflict between 5th and DC Circuits and the other CIrcuits, on a major constitutional issue. Respectfully submitted, (insert your name)).

1920 with a suppressor. Odd.

Ya know, me and metulj have agreed on one issue and that was that Bulleit is good bourbon. Now we agree that Giuliani is an authoritarian prick:

Giuliani is all about cracking down. It doesn’t matter what, who, or how. His MO is the wholesale application of every instrument of the law and he is willing to marshal the minions to make it happen.

It seems that if you repeat anti-gun lies, someone will fall for them. Particularly, teenagers trying to purchases illegal submachine guns on the internet. Why not try? Politicos and anti-gunnies have told them they could do that.

What media bias?

Philly does.

In other news, I thought I was the only one who named their son after the inventor of the first portable machine gun and the mousetrap.

heh.

Xrlqy Wrlqy:

Yes, a Supreme Court ruling that DC’s total handgun ban and extreme “safe” storage law violate the Second Amendment would indeed apply to the entire country, either immediately after Parker or as soon as a substantially identical case from a state made its way through the courts. But think about it: how many states (or cities within states) can you name that take their gun control to anywhere near the level that DC does? I can only think of one major city, Chicago, along with a few of its suburbs. New York City has a rather Byzantine licensing scheme that arguably operates as a de facto ban, so let’s count them too. That’s two whole cities, plus a few suburbs, that DeBonis describes as “the rest of the country.” That could really suck for Fenty later in his career if he moves to New York or Chicago to run for mayor there. Otherwise, not so much.

Countertop:

But its possible, just possible, that he’s going to appeal this only to give DC more time to develop a new gun control measure and then drop the case later on.

Tennessee kids are good at it.

There’s a new (to me) message board/community site called Tennessee Gun Owners. Check it out.

The Amendment II Democrats say no thanks:

Take a look at the Senate, for example. No less than eight of Obama’s fellow Democrats in the Senate are now opposed to any nationwide ban on semi-automatics, thanks to the 2006 elections. And public support for such a ban has been slipping over the years, even among rank-and-file Democratic activists.

If Obama wants to tackle violence against our children, that is a worthwhile project. But restricting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans in order to do so is a deal-breaker.

Australia is calling for citizens to make go-bags.

Chris has a good read on how to deal with potentially violent situations, including seven “danger signs” for homicidal escalation in the commission of a crime.

That really frosted their nads. It’s like they already lost, or something. Some responses from the antis:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership:

“The Appeals Court decision striking down the District of Columbia handgun law was a highly questionable example of judicial activism. It ignored longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, discounted the express language of the Second Amendment, and substituted the policy preferences of two federal judges for those of local elected officials and the citizens they represent.

“If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear this case, it could produce the most significant Second Amendment ruling in our history. If the U.S. Supreme Court follows the words of the U.S. Constitution and the Court’s own precedents, it should reverse the Appeals Court ruling and allow the District’s law to stand.”

So many lies in two paragraphs. Amazing.

Mike DeBonis:

Have you been reading the papers, your honor? You don’t have to be Linda Greenhouse to realize this court will care for the sovereignty of the District about as much as it does for the sovereignty of high-school students to spout vaguely drug-related nonsense.

Not sure who the constitutional-law genius was who had the mayor’s ear on this one. The macho we-gotta-stand-up-for-our-rights talk is admirable, but even Clarence Darrow wouldn’t take this case to a court where it not only probably won’t win, but threatens to impose bad law on the rest of the country, too.

The Violence Policy Center:

“The earlier split decision by the Court of Appeals to overturn the District of Columbia’s handgun ban was not only contrary to the overwhelming weight of legal authority, but would certainly increase gun death and injury among District residents while also increasing the risks faced by the law enforcement personnel who protect all residents and workers in Washington, DC.

“Washington, DC’s ban on handguns in the home has long protected DC’s residents as measured by the District of Columbia’s firearm suicide and overall suicide rate. The District’s handgun ban provides compelling evidence of how strict gun laws save lives by keeping handguns out of homes. The District of Columbia ranks 51st (last) in the country for firearms suicide for 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available. The District also ranks last for overall suicide. Maintaining the ban will ensure the health and safety of DC residents.

Protected their residents? Err, you read the paper right?

The AP kinda gets it right.

The NRA notes that OSHA is backing down from the ridiculous regulations it was proposing on ammo makers and suppliers. Good.

R. Neal read the same article I did and notes Blount County is getting a Cuban joint. Here’s their website. Excellent.

The people in Philly that are getting shot and doing the shooting are comprised of a good number of folks with court cases pending against them. You mean, criminals are doing the shooting and getting shot? Gasp.

James Rummel:

Murdoc Online asked me to share a few thoughts for a magazine article he is writing, the subject being firearm retailers who moght be asked for advice by a new shooter. I said I’d give him a few hundred words, just one or two things that came up. Unfortunately, I’m a blogger. That means I have a serious case of Runat Themouthitis. 200 words ballooned up to 1,110 by the time I was done. So, instead of wasting all that work, I’m just going to inflict it on you while I cut-n-paste a few sentences and send them off for the article.

Bitter has more on Anheuser-Busch and NRA. Consider my personal boycott revoked.