I tend to share R. Neal’s views on the new bill allowing handgun permit holders to carry in parks and other places:

… it was amended to eliminate prohibitions on carrying handguns on “the grounds of any public park, playground, civic center or other property owned, used or operated by any municipal, county or state government, or instrumentality thereof, for recreational purposes,” and a second amendment requires posting a sign to that effect at parks, playgrounds, civic centers, etc. What a bunch of yahoos.

So now, visitors to the beautiful State of Tennessee and our parks and our civic centers would be greeted with a sign informing that anyone and everyone there could be armed.

What is the point of posting such a sign? Seems kinda silly to me. He goes on to say:

But wait. The commissioner of the State Department of Environment and Conservation says that out of 50 million visits to state parks in 2005 and 2006, there were only 12 reported crimes against state park visitors.

Well, when I go to the parks, I’m not particularly worried about the two-legged variety of varmint. I’m more concerned about the four-legged kind and, to some extent, the no-legged kind.

Update: AC says:

I’ll tell you what the point of the sign is and it is not about protecting anyone. If there is a provision for a sign there has to be an outlay of money to pay for the sign giving the powers that be one more chance to kill the bill in the Finance Committee. That’s all that was — nothing more.

Ok, then.

Or is it just HuffPo bias? The photo is attributed to the AP.

Insty asks:

ER, I COULD BE WRONG, but aren’t the scary automatic weapons in this photo actually just AirSoft guns?

They must be. That or the H&K XM-8 shown is an illegal weapon, because they’ve never been available to the public in the US. Or they could just be at a gun expo, but I doubt Beretta and H&K would share floor space.

Update: And pegboard and little hooks probably wouldn’t hold three 10 pound rifles.

Update: Via Quack in comments, here’s where the original photo appeared. The pic was taken at the NRA convention in Pittsburgh. In other news, I thought the top left gun was a Beretta storm.

So, not Airsoft. But still unrelated the AP story linked by the HuffPo.

And our dicks are small too!

Sadly, not a recipe. A presser:

The Tennessee Pork Report exposes many areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and taxpayers.

From $1.2 million to subsidize vacationing golfers to $89,200 for a black fly suppression study, the Pork Report offers enough examples to make any Tennessee taxpayer cringe.

Hard copies will be distributed at the press conference.

Now, we see what they spend that money they have to burn on.

Crest Lemon Ice toothpaste: like brushing with Pine-Sol. Not recommended, there’s a reason it’s on sale.

However, Crest Pro-Health is quite tasty and leaves my mouth minty, kissably fresh.

Har har:

Congrats, Dems. You’ve accomplished in four months what it took Bush six years to do.

Ooh, SKS and M44.

Not really gun pornie per se, but here’s a link to the patent for an open bolt firing mechanism for AR-15s.

No, it never sounds cool. And it’s one of the few things I don’t like about that show. Actually, the only thing. BSG rules.

So, last night just before the sun set, I was sitting on the back porch watching Junior and The Second have a squirt gun fight. And by squirt gun fight, I mean watching Junior squirt The Second while he sucked the water out of his squirt gun oblivious to the fact he was receiving enemy fire. In the field behind my house, there is a substantial wooded area that ends at a creek, of which I have about 15 yards of creek frontage. I heard a rustling sound. No big deal, since there are all kinds of critters back there from squirrel and chipmunks and small birds to the occasional cat hunting the aforementioned beasties. And, in the past, I heard the distinct yip of coyotes. I heard the rustling again and this time in more than one location. It sounded big. Well, bigger than birds and squirrels. And bigger than the cats. There was no barking or sporadic movement, so it was not a dog.

My first thought was that it was a coyote. I hit the gun safe and grab the Ruger 10/22. I got a 3X9 scope on it and can get half inch groups at 50 yards with it. The 22 is quiet (so as not to spook the neighbors) and a head shot will eventually kill a coyote after it has had time to wonder back home and show some decency by not dying on my land. Ergo, no need to practice the three S’s. And the scoped rifle gives me a better view at the distance (which I’d guess is about 40 yards). So, with finger off the trigger and glancing through the scope, I see the hideous beasties. Two wild turkeys. Wow, I’ve heard they were around but had never seen them up close before. Unlike their domesticated retarded cousins, they’re rather graceful creatures for birds. I watched them for a bit as they made their way to the creek. No shots fired. I’m not a hunter. And, if I were, I don’t know how to clean a turkey.

I thought it was because they were progressive and liked the smell of cordite. I was wrong.

The blogs are running amok and angry at the notion that the state of Alabama thinks libertarians are akin to terrorists. I take it as a compliment. Not the notion that I may be dangerous but the notion that my ideas are a threat to the state. That state needs to be challenged to keep it in line. Otherwise, it will run amok. And those ideas should come from the inside. AC has a good round up of it and notes:

So, it seems Libertarians are akin to terrorists now. The State of Alabama apparently believes that libertarian’s point of view threatens the state.

Indeed, they do. But, the fact remains, they are just ideas.

But, and here’s the scary part, it’s not just the state of Alabama. The Phoenix FBI training manual tells would-be federales what to look for. Like:

Defenders of the U.S. Constitution against federal government and the UN
Groups of individuals engaging in para-military training
Those who make numerous references to the U.S. Constitution
Those who attempt to police the police
Lone individuals
Rebels

Now, I’m no expert but one of those things is not like the others and might raise valid concerns. The rest are personality quirks and things responsible citizens should do.

More on who thinks you’re a terrorist here, here and here.

Today, The Second turned one year old. It’s amazing watching those little buckets of crying, who do nothing but turn perfectly good food into poop, become toddlers. In one year, they learn to crawl, stand, walk, communicate, feed themselves (though we’re not real good at that one yet), and a host of other things. Good times and it still amazes me.

Wow, where did that year ago?

Looks DiFi wants to regulate 50 calibers (and equivalents) as NFA weapons (you know, $200 tax and a second background check that duplicates the first). Of course, it’s hard to measure equivalents depending on the criteria. If you use, say, caliber then a lot of old black powder guns are NFA items. If you use foot pounds, a few other rounds get close or exceed 50 calibers. Armed Canuck says:

Such weapons already exist, folks. Hell, you can achieve some of the .50BMG’s anti-material capabilities with .308 armor piercing rounds. You just need to be a little closer than the .50 to do it.

This is a very dangerous clause and I’ll need to see if the bill if they clarifies it further. But for now, you can consider ownership of not only the .50BMG but the .338 Lapua, .408 CheyTac and .416 Barrett as falling under this. After all, the stated purpose of the .416 was specifically to achieve the .50BMG’s hitting power and ballistics but in a smaller package (partially to get under the .50 caliber ban in California.).

He has more.

The NY Post:

A half-dozen cities might follow New York’s lead and conduct their own undercover sting operations to disrupt illegal gun sales, a senior mayoral aide disclosed yesterday.

“There are a number of cities that want to emulate what we’ve done,” John Feinblatt, Mayor Bloomberg’s criminal justice coordinator, said at a breakfast sponsored by Ladies Home Journal.

Well, stick to your own cities please. And avoid Virginia because they’ll arrest you for conducting unauthorized. undercover stings.

Another ruling that the government has no duty to protect you.

S&W revolver.

Just a note: If you switch blogging software packages, let your readers know by making a post in your old software package. That way, those of us who subscribe to RSS feeds will get your new content. Just saying.

Prior post here. Now, there’s more:

Our individual right to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, may finally be confirmed by the high Court; but this means that we’re going to see increasing pressure on the Supreme Court from anti-gun rights activists who want the Constitution reinterpreted to fit their prejudices. The New York Times has already fired the first broadside.

[…]From the enactment of the Bill of Rights in 1791 until the 20th century, no one seriously argued that the Second Amendment dealt with anything but an individual right — along with all other nine original amendments. Kates writes that not one court or commentator denied it was a right of individual gun owners until the last century. Judges and commentators in the 18th and 19th century routinely described the Second Amendment as a right of individuals. And they expressly compared it to the other rights such as speech, religion, and jury trial.

In today’s Knoxville News Sentinel there is an article titled “Discussions or Deliberations?”. It is somewhat humorous that at this late time that the powers that be at the News Sentinel have just figured out that the Sunshine Law lawsuit they have filed against Knox County Commission will ultimately hinge on how to define words like “deliberation” and “discussion”.

Gee, do you think?

The News Sentinel has for some time been trying to make their case in the newspaper. Which while not very ethical is not illegal. Yet today by posting a Timeline the News Sentinel shoots their case in the foot a few times. It appears that no one knows what “deliberation” and “discussion” is including the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Timeline also calls into question the actions of former Knox County Commissioner and current Knoxville One Question steering committee member John Schmid. Is much of this a case of sour grapes? Perhaps.

It is at times like this people might feel like the theme song for Knox County is “Heroes are hard to find”.

Seen at Les Jones, News Sentinel Editor Jack Lail weighs in:

It is an illustration that just because you legally and easily can publish databases of public information, the public might not think you should. And if you can’t defend your position in answering their concerns, maybe they have a point.

In would be no surprise to find people often don’t like having their names in publicly searchable databases. CEOs of publicly traded companies don’t like their total compensation listed. Public officials don’t like government salary databases. People want to keep divorces and bankruptcies out of the paper. Some people don’t want what they sold their house for known. Politicians don’t particularly like campaign disclosure laws or campaign finance databases — unless it detrimental to the efforts of their opponents. Public information can be downright embarrassing when it, well, becomes public.

How information is handled (or what we choose to publish/broadcast) in an age of Internet and electronic databases can be vexing. The media should make as much information available as possible. Government, itself, at all levels should be more open; not less so. I’m all for Sunshine. But as the gun database shows, the rational can’t just be “because we can.”

Update & Correction: Jack Lail is head of online. The editor is Jack McElroy.

A move to ban it in Tennessee. I thought it was illegal. It’s also odd, to me, that you can be drunk and carry a weapon if you have a handgun permit. But you can’t carry where alcohol is served. Seems we should be more worried about those who are drunk and not those who are near drinks.

I know you are but what am I?

Says Roger:

Uncle, for instance, pointed out that the list basically gave crooks a list of potential targets for gun theft. Odd, because I saw it exactly the opposite way: here’s a list of people I wouldn’t mess with if I were a crook.

Well, you can’t be home all the time and that’s where I keep most of my guns.

Over at Carolyn McCarthy’s:

If enacted, HR 297 will:

* Enforce the provisions of the 1968 Gun Control Act, which has been law for nearly 40 years.
* Improve the accuracy and speed of the NICS system.
* Fund states and their courts up to $375 million each year for three years to import the records of those barred from purchasing a firearm under the 1968 Gun Control Act into the federal NICS system.
* Protect the privacy of all records, including mental health, by prohibiting their use for any purpose outside of NICS.

The legislation WILL NOT:

* Expand the background check system.
* Prohibit individuals receiving treatment for, but not limited to, PTSD, depression or anxiety from purchasing firearms.
* Infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

I probably won’t be taking her word for it since she doesn’t know what a handguard err barrel shroud is.

Seen at AC’s:

The House Judiciary Committee has just voted 6-4 to let Tennesseans carry six-shooters in playgrounds, parks, civic centers and zoos, among other publicly owned places.

The legislation by Rep. Frank Niceley, a Republican from Strawberry Plains, originally would have allowed the carrying of handguns by state permit holders in state parks. But it was amended to repeal the section of the law that forbids handguns on any property owned by the state or city and county governments.

Well, I don’t carry a six-shooter. I carry a 7 shooter and an 11 shooter (sometimes a 12).

In an update to troopers stopping all trucks in Knoxville, here’s a count:

A truck safety inspection crackdown has resulted in 596 violations found and 66 rigs taken off the road.

[…]

Among the rigs checked were 395 trucks hauling hazardous materials. There were 329 trucks checked by bomb or drug dogs and 760 were checked for radiological contaminants.

Terrorists found: None.

Shocking, since they announced it before hand.

Via MKS.

Apparently, watching them and recording them will land you in jail.

Update: Ninth Stage:

The television show COPS is ok though, the police know they’re being taped. A trooper recording a stop, audio and video, with his in car camera is OK though, the trooper knows he’s being taped.

You’re not implying the act differently then?

To the Gun Blogger Rendezvous? Mr. C. would like a list. So far, I plan on it.

Tennessee Tax Revolt:

Dont BURN it, RETURN it. The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that WE, the TAXPAYERS overpaid our taxes by $1.3 billion in this budget year. In their words, the “State will have money to burn.” This is OUR Money and we should get part of this overpayment back!! We have heard rumors that they are talking about giving less than $100 million back to the taxpayers in the form of a temporary reduction in food taxes. This is UNACCEPTABLE. We have overpaid by $1.3 billion. The refund should be AT LEAST $400 million.

Please act TODAY and Click HERE to EMAIL Speaker Naifeh, Speaker Ramsey, and Governor Bredesen. The General Assembly will be making the final decision on the State Budget in the next few weeks. Make sure the taxpayer’s voice is heard. Tell them Don’t Burn it, Return it.

Les Jones:

What “The Tennesseean” did was perfectly legal, but what exactly was their motivation to go to all that trouble? Publishing lists of CCW holders tends to suggest that they need to be tracked, like sex offenders. It implies that they’re nefarious characters who can’t be trusted.

That seems to be the question of the day: Why publish this information in a story that is only marginally related to such data?