Via Ninth Stage, comes new Boxes of Truth:

Loading shotguns with dimes.

Guns v. frozen stuff.

In Tennessee, more women are packing.

The AP:

A helicopter is not necessarily a match for an angry moose. Instead of lying down after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, a moose charged a hovering helicopter used by a wildlife biologist, damaging the aircraft’s tail rotor and forcing it to the ground.

Uncle mentioned that Britain is moving to ban crappy swords, which reminded me that Britain’s war on pointy objects doesn’t end with cheap knockoff gear for wannabe ninjas. After they take your tin katana, they’ll be coming for your kitchen knives. That’s right, a bunch of British doctors want to ban pointy kitchen knives. It won’t be long before they start arresting people for possession of safety scissors.

The one cool thing in that article is the bit of history:

French laws in the 17th century decreed that the tips of table and street knives be ground smooth.

A century later, forks and blunt-ended table knives were introduced in the UK in an effort to reduce injuries during arguments in public eating houses.

Via subguns (no direct link as theirs seem to have a short shelf life), comes a handy way to get get the lead out. Or rather, get the lead out of your sound suppressor.

Step 1: Fill with Kroil.

Step 2: Rubberband a vibrator to it

Step 3: Turn on vibrator and run until battery dies.

Alrighty, then.

So, when you go to the adult novelty store to buy three-dimensional devices designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs, you have an excuse: Honestly, it’s to clean my guns.

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (who is a member of the anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns that is funded by the Joyce Foundation – summary here and all posts here) has announced his plans for a second term:

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam today announced his candidacy for a second term.

Haslam who was elected in 2003 cited among his accomplishments a revitalized downtown and the recent focus on redeveloping the South Waterfront.

He also emphasized the cooperative spirit he advocates in government.

To date, the press still hasn’t covered the issue. I wonder what a full page ad in the News Sentinel runs for?

My alma mater is number 4! At stealing music.

Via Alphie, comes yearly info on gun purchases:

In 1993 – 94, there was the Brady Bill and the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons. The latter had the regular capacity magazine ban so gun makers cranked out anything that took those mags like mad. I also notice a small spike after 9-11.

Update: Anyone seen 2005 data? I’m guessing another spike following the sunset of the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons.

Mr. and Mrs. Chicago, turn them in:

Chicago gun owners had until Feb.12, 2007 to remove newly banned firearms from Cook Co. or turn them over to police.

There is no grandfather clause to exempt firearms owned before the board expanded its ban to include semi-auto shotguns that have the capacity to hold more than five rounds; how many 2″ shorties will your semi-auto hold?

Turn in the ammo first. In New Jersey:

Democratic lawmakers and Ceasefire NJ, an antigun group, unveiled a plan on Monday to make it illegal to sell .50 caliber weapons in New Jersey.

And in England, where soon everything will be made of Nerf lest our limey homies hurt their little selves:

The sale of imitation samurai swords could be banned by the end of the year, the Home Office announced today.

Importing or hiring the weapons could also be made illegal following a string of samurai sword attacks in recent years.

Well, if the people had guns, swords wouldn’t be so threatening, would they?

His first letter was mentioned here. Now, At the High Road:

I was wrong when I recently suggested that wildlife agencies should ban semiautomatic firearms I erroneously called “assault rifles” for hunting. I insulted legions of my fellow gun owners in the process by calling them “terrorist rifles.” I can never apologize enough for having worn blinders when I should have been wearing bifocals.

But unlike those who would destroy the Second Amendment right to own a firearm – any firearm – I have learned from my embarrassing mistake. My error should not be used, as it has been in recent days by our common enemies, in an effort to dangerously erode our right to keep and bear arms.

[…]

I’ve studied up on legislation now in Congress that would renew and dangerously expand a ban on many types of firearms. The bill, HR 1022 sponsored by New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, is written so broadly that it would outlaw numerous firearms and accessories, including a folding stock for a Ruger rifle. I understand that some of the language could ultimately take away my timeworn and cherished hunting rifles and shotguns as well as those of all American hunters.

The extremist supporters of HR 1022 don’t want to stop criminals. They want to invent new ones out of people like you and me with the simple stroke of a pen. They will do anything they can to make it impossible for more and more American citizens to legally own any firearm.

Good on him. Yes, he still looks at it as a hunter but that’s what the man is.

By the way, I think everyone who was so quick to crucify him needs to be as quick to call Outdoor Life and tell them he should get his job back. Seriously.

Update: Sebastian agrees. So does fodder.

Update 2: Commenters are not convinced. As I said:

Guys, he concludes with:

I’m going to devote every ounce of my energy to this battle. I will remind my fellow hunters that we are first, gun owners. Whether we like it or not, our former apathy and prejudices may place that which we love, hunting, in jeopardy. I will educate fellow outdoorsmen who mistakenly think like I talked, even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done. I was wrong, and I’m going to make it right.

I’ll take him at his word until I see evidence otherwise.

Update 3: Good timing too since Paul Helmke of The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Ownership is exploiting Zumbo today.

So, if Zumbo is forgiven and gets his job back, you think it will make the front page of The Washington Post? Just askin’.

Update 4: Sebastian has more on Zumbo’s sincerity.

And the added benefit of the PR we get from forgiving him.

Update5: Paul Helmke and the Brady Bunch cherry pick quotes from others in an attempt to paint the grassroots movement that responded to Zumbo as a bunch of gun owning zombies, totally at the NRA’s bidding. Wow, just like the Washington Post did!

The city of New Orleans’ attorney coughed up a check payable to the NRA.

Not only does the second amendment not mean what it says, neither does the first.

To Gunner on his new gig.

Unidentified man to a criminal who had repeatedly stabbed a woman and was in the process of setting her on fire:

Stop, or I’m going to shoot. And if you run, I’m going to kill you

Update: This story troubles me. Not that some shit-weasel is a murderous fuck but that the other witnesses stood by or honked horns. Seriously?

The General Assembly has two bills under consideration that send a strong message to all Tennessee voters. Voters cannot be trusted to elected the correct representatives.

You might ask who are the correct representatives? In fee offices it would be anyone. Voters aren’t smart enough to elect the best people to run fee offices so they must be appointed by more intelligent people like the County Mayor. That’s just great, let’s give the County Mayor’s incredible power since they are clearly the smartest among us.

For all other offices voters aren’t smart enough to elect people that are not related to school teachers or other county employees. Another intelligence problem with voters?

The message from Nashville is that voters just aren’t very smart.

I have an idea, let’s send Nashville a message. Pick up the phone and call your Tennessee legislators and tell them something about intelligence. Vote for either of these bills and it is an insult to the voters of Tennessee and their will be a price to pay come next election.

With all of the really stupid things that happen in Nashville is takes some unmitigated gall to tell voters how they should vote. This bill is the brain child of Senator Bill Ketron and Rep. Tom DuBois. Senators Tim Burchett and Jamie Woodson and Randy McNally have all signed on but “don’t remember” signing the bill. Perhaps voters need to be thinking about the intelligence of Senators that sign a bill like this and then don’t member doing so in the next election.

Update: I missed something in today’s Knoxville News Sentinel Editorial. The proposed bill from Shelby County by Rep. Ulysses Jones and Sen. Jim Kyle, both Memphis Democrats, also would require the County Sheriff to be appointed. This could be a prelude to Metro Government in Knox County.

The Commercial Appeal has a blog set up to deal with the issue of bad dog owners. No, that’s a lie. They have a blog set up to deal with the issue of pit bulls. Despite the blog’s title (Menace Unleashed) and the scary graphics, the content isn’t completely hysterical.

The major factor in dog attacks (well, other than owners failing to restrain their pets which is really the only factor but you can’t count on people to be smart) is the reproductive status of the dog.

Self,

In the middle of the night when you’re not quite conscious and attempting to soothe a fussy baby with a bottle, a bottle of Similac looks an awful lot like a bottle of International Delight Chocolate Caramel Coffee Creamer.

Invariably, you have driven down the street and seen a billboard for some female real estate agent. On the billboard is a giant shot of her mug all dolled up, resembling a session taken at Glamour Shots. I guess people look for attractiveness when buying property.

A good summary of the Zumbo affair in the press.

The NYT acknowledges that supposed assault weapons are not machine guns. For serious.

Things CCW has taught me.

Dan K. Thomasson, in a piece long on stupid, says:

The nation’s police chiefs have a serious problem. Their troops are being outgunned, and to correct the situation taxpayers must increase law-enforcement budgets substantially or find some way to ban the circulation of weapons and ammunition meant for the battlefield – mainly, semiautomatic assault rifles and armor-piercing bullets.

What’s wrong with the opening paragraph:

If you’re going to lead out with three whoppers, I can’t even get passed it to read your anti-NRA screed.

Aunt B. has moved here. All the cool kids are on wordpress.

Update: Seriously, I make typos all the time. And this one got a comment.

Doing them today. It sucks.

The “missing” some might say censored 92 page thesis written by Hillary Clinton in 1969 for her Senior thesis at Wellesley College is now the subject of much review. This thesis makes John Dean look moderate. Even WBIR has the story.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, the only person that can stop Hillary Clinton from becoming President is Hillary Clinton.

You can’t easily read the thesis. “The thesis can be read at your local library — one library at a time, that is. A single copy, on microfilm, can be ordered from Wellesley on a 30-day interlibrary loan. The document has copyright protection, though not because the front of the library’s copy is marked “c 1969 Hillary D. Rodham.” That note, in a different typeface than the manuscript itself, was added by the university’s archivist, Wilma Slaight.

“I added that in 1992,” Slaight acknowledged. “That was my attempt to indicate that she might have copyright protection.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Not a fan. Don’t read her stuff. Think she’s generally a twit. Her comment was out of line and inappropriate for the venue. But it was pretty fucking funny. If we saw it on South Park or The Daily Show, we’d have a good chuckle. But since she’s a political hack, most people don’t.

Update: And, to be clear, I don’t think her calling Edwards a faggot was funny. I think her bit about going to therapy was. To my knowledge, the 1983 seventh grade class at Jefferson County Middle School isn’t in therapy. And we said faggot a lot. Well, some of them are but not for calling people names. Her calling him a faggot was hateful and vile. And it also makes conservatives look like a bunch of homophobic twits.

Update 2: And, seriously, Edwards gay? No self-respecting gay person I know has had feathered hair since 1981.

He bought an ad so clickity.

Mr. C. has pics and a range report with a 50 cal.

What he said. Giuliani, in terms of being a nanny stater, is probably worse though.