If you think all these anti-gun groups seem to just spring up over night, you’re actually right.

And kinda frightening, since it’s coming soon to a PD near you. Chris looks at Taser’s XREP (Extended Range Electronic Projectile).

Another mayor has left Bloomberg’s mayors against gun group. This time, in New Jersey of all places:

Oldsmans Township, NJ Mayor Harry Moore has resigned his membership from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun coalition, continuing the trend of mayors jaded by Bloomberg’s focus on gun control rather than crime control.

“I applaud Mayor Harry Moore for having the courage to quit this anti-gun coalition once he recognized Mike Bloomberg true intentions,” said Chris W. Cox, National Rifle Association (NRA)’s chief lobbyist. “Mayors across the country have come to realize the coalition is nothing more than a front group for gun control.”

I think that’s six. Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam could be lucky number seven.

Dear Rep,

It is possible for two people to have the same stupid idea.

-SayUncle

Google maps may have found a secret Chinese sub.

Oh, at 1,000 yards. That is impressive. Via ninth stage.

To Joe and family.

In Texas:

A state lawmaker who opposed a bill giving Texans stronger right to defend themselves with deadly force pulled a gun and shot a man he says was trying to steal copper wiring from a construction site, police said Monday.

And what was the bill he opposed? This one:

Miles, a Democrat, voted against a bill that gives Texans stronger legal right to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, vehicles, and workplaces. The so-called “castle doctrine,” passed by the Legislature this year, states that a person has no duty to retreat from an intruder before using deadly force. The law goes into effect Sept. 1.

You should have retreated, you know, to be consistent.

Al Gore wrote in the New York Times on July 1st, “This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that affects the survival of human civilization. It is not a question of left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every generation that follows ours.”

The former Vice President goes on to give a science lesson on Carbon Dioxide and the Planets of the Solar System. He manages to get almost everything wrong.

Mr. Gore’s “facts” are so egregious that a well thought out response titled “Gore: Ignorant or Dishonest?” was written by George Reisman. It is well worth the read.

Read the rest of this entry »

Seems some folks started a new blog called Music City Bloggers keep the Nashville crew together in light of NIT’s uncertain future:

That’s what this site is. Our new home. We’ve grown up and moved out. I say “we” because this is very much a team effort, and very open to all who desire to be a part of our community’s new experiment. Ivy set the ball in motion. A dozen other people are already signed on as contributers–but I’m writing this at 4:30 in the morning and want to clear it with them before I start dropping their names all over the place. But trust me, it’s a good batch.

What you see here today is the beginning. The placeholder. The kickstart. In the next few weeks a few minor details will change as we slap on new coats of paint, hang curtains, design our logo. All of that, though, is window-dressing.

What will happen here is this. There will be a building and fostering of community. We will have political commentary from both sides of the fence. (Think “Crossfire” without the shouting and bowties.) In fact, we’re looking for some conservative partners. I’m more conservative than others, being that I’m a libertarian, but if you ask some conservatives they’ll tell you that Libertarians are nutcases who can’t be trusted. So if anyone is interested in being a non-nutcase conservative, drop us a line in the comments.

Sure Sight: We got triangles!

A Mac converted to a Lage upper before and after pics: here, here and here.

If you’re a brave foot soldier in the war on gun ownership, there’s no better way to show your bravery than by calling for expanding tough gun restrictions in a place where, uh, those restrictions already exist:

The Rev. Jesse Jackson galvanized the members of the Calvary Hill Community Church in San Francisco’s Bayview district Sunday morning with a call to renew urban communities by wiping out gun violence.

[…]

The civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate said he is specifically focused on reinstating the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.

But, uh, California has had a ban on weapons that look like assault weapons since 1989.

Phil Van Cleave on the evil gun show loophole:

Let’s be clear about gun shows: There is nothing that can be done at a gun show that cannot be done legally outside of a gun show.

The terms “gun show loophole” and “unlicensed gun dealer” are fabricated to mislead the public into thinking that gun shows permit gun sales that would be forbidden anywhere else. The intent of this scheme is to villainize gun shows, making the public more receptive to additional restrictions.

This is just the first step in a “private gun-sale registration” scheme.

Funny how those that tell the truth are the opposing view.

Rich has put another one together:

BlogFest
July 21,Saturday
Barleys in the Old City
Upstairs
Starting at 6PM.

He also notes the local bloggers aren’t all getting along. I’m not sure if that’s intentional or not. I also haven’t been to the last couple due to conflicts with my schedule, not people.

To Dr. Helen: I’ve explained this before.

Sebastian:

This is the media. The details don’t matter. Neither does getting the facts straight.

In a monument to both governmental and anti-gun stupidity, the city of LA gave Hector “Big Weasel” Marroquin $1.5M to fund an anti-gun group. Later, Big Weasel was arrested and charged with the sale of an assault rifle, a machine gun, two pistols and two silencers. The only people shocked that someone named Big Weasel would use his $1.5M to do something illegal seem to be the city of LA.

Well, turns out Mr. Big Weasel has plead not guilty:

The founder of an anti-violence group called No Guns pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges.

Hector “Big Weasel” Marroquin is accused of selling an assault rifle, a machine gun, two pistols and two silencers to undercover federal agents last fall. He could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted. . . . .

In other news, I’ve seen this only on a blog and a blurb in the LA Times. I’m guessing if an NRA supporter of reasonable prominence were to go through the same thing, it’d be all over the news. Like that one time when one of their board members was all over the press for losing his Federal Firearm License for making clerical errors.

Carnaby managed to get the 6.8SPC AR out. The 6.8SPC receiver is made by Ko-tonics.

You have to be kidding me.

You spend $600 for a iPhone and the batteries are soldered in?

Genius.

The iPhone’s battery is apparently soldered on inside the device and cannot be swapped out by the owner like most other cell phones.

Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Hakes said Thursday the company posted the battery replacement details on its Web site last Friday after the product went on sale.

Users would have to submit their iPhone to Apple for battery service. The service will cost users $79, plus $6.95 for shipping, and will take three business days.

And watch your six o’clock. Situational awareness is a good quality in these modern times.

I will be glad when Saturday is over. The affinity Al-Qaeda has for prime numbers and the chatter national defense agencies have spoken about give pause to tomorrow.

I hope there will be top flight security for this event.

A woman from Tennessee with a concealed carry permit was arrested in Chicago for packing:

“It didn’t dawn on her that our state did not have the same gun laws as hers did,” said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Of course not, she’s from a free state.

AP WIRE, DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND

Gun violence took a deadly toll on Democratic Underground last night when yet another of Bongo Marie’s* arguments was brutally shot down by an armed Democrat. Gun control advocates on America’s most popular progressive political discussion board have been in a state of panic for weeks now, afraid to voice their ideas in public for fear of being mercilessly rebutted by the many self-defense supporters who frequent the forum.

Bongo Marie and her associates have urged administrators to ban “assault anecdotes:” pieces of evidence supporting gun rights that can be quickly presented and do massive damage to the anti-gun cause.

“Some of the evidence these gun nuts are packing is just insane,” said one gun-grabber, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I’ve heard them citing FBI statistics, talking about how Eleanor Roosevelt owned a revolver, stuff like that. It’s just crazy. I mean, last night one of them mentioned that the first gun control measures were part of the Jim Crow laws! That’s not fair—no one needs to cite facts that compelling. Guns are evil and that’s all there is to it.”

Bongo Marie herself has felt the sting of gun violence all too often. As one of the most fervent supporters of gun restrictions, her posts have been shot full of holes more times than she cares to remember.

Via GWG.

Castle doctrine and self defense rights expanded in Missouri.

Stickwick writes a Dear John letter to the movie theater. I concur. The last movie I saw at the theater was Bad Santa in December of 2003. Lately, it has been tempting. I did not go see 300 because, as with most movies, I thought I’d be disappointed. I am tempted to see both Transformers and Live Free or Die Hard.

Aunt B:

Let’s just address the question of why punching out a gay guy who makes an advance is far worse than punching out the guy who said something bad about your mother, because it really, frankly, scares the shit out of me that you’re wandering around out in public unclear on the distinction.

I await with bated breath. Because, all this time, I done thunk that unwarranted violence is just plain ol’ bad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate of using violence in self-defense and all that but violence over words is just, well, senseless violence.

See, saying something bad about a person’s mother is by definition bad. It’s meant to be hostile; it’s supposed to insult you and instigate violence. When someone makes an unwanted advance, at the most, it’s annoying. The person isn’t being hostile towards you and there’s no insult to you. It’s not inherently bad.

In fact, you might see it as flattering. Here a person has checked you out and decided you’re kind of attractive and has decided to let you know. If you don’t feel similarly, you can just say, “Hey, no thanks.” or “Thanks, but you’re not my type.” No harm, no foul.

Why in the hell would having AN advance made on you require you to react with violence?

Sorry, that makes no sense. Well, here’s the thing about that: in either case, said person offended the delicate sensibilities of the other. In the latter case, the intent is quite different. So, I can buy that argument. However, I don’t care if you beat up a gay dude or some dude that said your momma’s teeth are so yellow, she spits butter. You have reacted violently and inappropriately. You should suffer the same force of law, no matter the victim.

The focus of the law should be on the person who acted violently. Not on the particular object of said miscreant’s anger.

Fodder has some shirts in preparation for the Gun Blogger Rendezvous.

Seems we have all kinds of lists. Terror lists, sex offender lists, etc. Now (via reader JKB), your dog might be on one:

If you reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia, be advised–Big Brother is extending his watch beyond the usual range of monitored activities. Not satisfied with simply tracking the routine stuff: your driving record, tax compliance, payment of child support, etc., Virginia state government is now expanding its purview, creating one of the nation’s first “Dangerous Dogs Registry.”

According to the Associated Press and WAVY-TV in Norfolk, the registry is in its early stages, so you won’t find many dangerous pooches listed–at least, not yet. However, the database is patterned on those established for sex offenders, allowing residents to search for canine threats by location or zip code.

Already in the registry is a dog that bit a bicyclist and another that killed a Persian cat that wandered into the dog’s back yard. Under Virginia’s Dangerous Dog Law (passed by the General Assembly last year), the designation can be applied to any canine if it bites, attacks or causes any type of injury to a person or an animal, provided the dog is not protecting its owner. Police dogs are exempt from the new statute, according to the state’s Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Richard Wilkes.

And if you’re dog is on the list:

Under the new law, owners of dangerous dogs must enter them into the statewide registry; confine the animal to a fenced run or other, secure shelter; obtain at least $100,000 in liability insurance for their property, and place the dog on a leash or muzzle when taking the dog off their property.

Via WBIR by way of “The Tennessean” comes a shocking headline, “Ten percent of Tennessee children now diagnosed with ADHD.”

Give me a break. The story says, “Causes are unknown.”

Oh please. One in ten? Since when did this happen? Does that seem in any way probable to you? Is it even possible? A lot of young kids are being raked over the coals.

Is crazy.

But this story is too funny.

Oliver Stone wanted to do a “biopic” on Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now Mr. Stone is quite miffed that he has been rebuked by Ahmadinejad’s media advisor who was quoted as saying, “While it is true that Oliver Stone is considered to be among the opposition in the U.S., the opposition is still part of the Great Satan.”

Stone, not one to be upstaged replied, “I wish the Iranian people well and I only hope their experience with an inept, rigid idealogue president goes better than ours.”

Carry on Mr. Stone.