On travel. So, some random stuff that was actually typed last night. Blogging from the past, spooky, eh?

Took long enough:

Five months after the Second Amendment Foundation called on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for obstruction of justice relating to Bloomberg’s rogue “sting” operation against gun retailers in five states, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has confirmed in a letter that an investigation is underway.

SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb said today that a letter he received from W. Larry Ford, Assistant ATF Director for Public and Governmental Affairs, confirms that the agency “is investigating the matter in order to determine if violations of federal firearms laws occurred.” Ford could not offer details in his letter, explaining to Gottlieb that the agency cannot comment on “an open investigation.”

“We’re delighted that ATF is taking this matter seriously,” Gottlieb said. “Mayor Bloomberg dispatched private investigators to several states, where they apparently made straw gun purchases in an effort to file civil lawsuits against gun dealers. The mayor refused to turn over alleged evidence obtained during this vigilante operation to ATF or other proper authorities, and instead exploited the affair to advance his own political agenda.

or now that Bob Krumm isn’t running for office, he’s a bit more loose with the, err, dirty words?

Via Georgia Packing, An Alaska mayor has quite Bloomberg’s Mayors against guns group (second letter):

Guarding Second Amendment rights was not a part of mayors’ coalition

This is in response to some recent questions about my involvement in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. I recently withdrew my name from the coalition after initially agreeing to sign on.

I do support the efforts to strengthen laws and prosecute individuals who dispense or use illegal guns, and getting them out of the hands of criminals. However, upon further review of the coalition, it appears they may have a different agenda than I anticipated.

I am concerned the coalition is working on issues that conflict with the beliefs we share in Alaska about legal gun ownership, and I’m also concerned gun ownership advocates are not part of the full discussion within the coalition. We cannot afford to risk protecting our Bill of Rights and the rights of legal gun owners.

Because of these conflicts, I have written to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, chair of the coalition, and have asked him to remove me as a supporter of the coalition.

We do have a problem in Anchorage with youth violence, gangs and their use of illegal guns. We are working with our gang task force, the Police Department and other means to eliminate the violence.

We’ll continue to fight that problem without infringing on the rights of legal gun owners.

—- Mayor Mark Begich

Anchorage

Good!

Alphecca has some discussion. I’ve been a fan of Richardson as well.

Sweet.

The NRA has a page up listing the mayors who joined Bloomberg’s anti-gun group. They also have contact info and how to be heard. Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is a member of the group. So, if you local yokels haven’t called the mayor in a while, do so at:

Phone: 865-215-2040
Fax: 865-215-2085
mayor@cityofknoxville.org

David Codrea interviews David Hardy.

The local newspaper is suing the Knox County Commission for:

. . . allegedly breaking the law by holding secret meetings and making backroom deals while appointing replacements for term-limited officeholders last week.

As to why:

The News Sentinel is seeking to void all the appointments made by commissioners, have a permanent injunction laid down by the court requiring that all future deliberations be made in public, and that the case be expedited.

Good. There is, as far as I can tell, nearly universal outrage at the way the term-limited office holders have been replaced. And that method is the Good Ol’ Boy Method, with relatives replacing the current seats. I don’t even live in Knox County and it annoys me.

More at Knoxviews.

There’s a real battle brewing over the better caliber: The 6.5 Grendel v. the 6.8 SPC. I could do a death match but Tam and Colt CCO done did it. Says Tam:

In other words, 6.5 is already shaping up to play Mac to the SPC’s IBM.

Says the Coltster:

“Betamaxed” describes in one word just about how I see the future of the 6.5 catridge, with the parallel that the Betamax itself was actually ‘better’ then VHS, as the 6.5 is the more accurate, at least potentially. Likewise, 6.5 has the “Holy Damn, that’s expensive” sticker shock to go along with it. Your average consumer sees a $900 6.5 Grendel upper, and buys a 6.8×43 SPC.

Well, that and ammo availability are major factors. Sure, your 6.5 Grendel will shoot the tits off a gnat. But the 6.8 is compatible with mil-spec uppers and I can find ammo for it. And it comes in at about half the price.

Sebastian thinks they’re on the side of good. Well, at least not the side of evil.

A bit back, I thought Giuliani may have seen the light on guns. Or rather, he may have realized that to win in the red states with some adultery under his belt, he’d have to get some pro-gun street cred. Looks like that wasn’t the case. He apparently thinks that there is a right to arms but some sort of “densely populated area” exception that squares his support for New York City’s excessively restrictive gun laws. Well, restrictive if you’re not a politician or famous actor.

Seems Rudy has taken the Howard Dean let the states decide position.

David Hardy has a transcript:

GIULIANI: It’s part of the constitution. People have the right to bear arms. Then restrictions have to be reasonable and sensible. You can’t just remove that right. You got to regulate consistent with the second amendment.”

I suppose that $439 in licensing fees, stipulations that all but prohibit the transport of arms, begging the powers that be for permission to own, and waiting up to a year are consistent with the second amendment? I’m not impressed.

Update: Sebastian has some quotes. My fave:

“This is an industry that is profiting from the suffering of innocent people. What’s worse, its profits rest on a number of illegal and immoral practices. This lawsuit is meant to end the free pass that the gun industry has so long enjoyed.”

I was looking for this post yesterday but forgot where I saw it. Any way, Joe Huffman on why the second amendment protects and individual right to arms and not this collective rights mythology.

Countertop has moved off of blogspot. He’s now here, though the content is, err, sparse. Good.

Jeremy Burnside, whose article I criticized here, has been engaging me in comments. It was civil, until he took his ball and went home. Or, you know, said Uncle. If you leave a comment, be nice.

Update: Weird. One of his examples is Peter O. and guns, apparently, made Peter O. evil. Peter O. is Peter Odighizuwa who was the mutant who went on a shooting rampage at the Appalachian Law School. Peter O. was likely stopped by an armed citizen.

The other example he mentioned died in a triple murder suicide.

Thanks to Cam for the tip.

I often say to myself: Self, there’s simply no way you’d ever score a cushy job as a blogger for a political campaign or interest group or any other sort of respectable paying blog-gig because you’re a crazy-ass gun nut. That, and you’re an accountant.

But there’s hope. Seems some lefty with a history of saying some crazy things is now blogging for The Breck Girl.

Because they email you stuff like this.

Me and some friends have a weekly [redacted] game. A bunch of guys sitting around drinking and [redacted]. We had one a bit back and one of my friends calls me up and says he’s got another player. I said Great, bring him on. My friend says He’s black. Is that OK?

There was a bit of silence. I was stumped. Is that something you have to ask these days? I really was uncertain how to respond. I, of course, have no problem with it but, obviously, at some point that was an issue for the guy. I, after recovering a bit from the awkwardness of that question, said that I had no problem with any new player. I surely have no problem with them based on skin color. Bring him on. I could use the [redacted]. I guess it may be an issue for some folks as racism is not a thing of the past.

Whenever we have our [redacted] game, we have a Hispanic dude that plays with us every week. No one ever asked if it was OK if he could come. And I hate Mexicans*.

* that’s a joke, for people that need to be told that sort of thing.

Michael Bane has started DownRange.tv. It’s a video channel for gun stuff on the internet. Check out his review of the Sig 556.

Les has the skinny on SigSauer nomenclature. I thought everybody knew that?

Fodder’s blog is one year old.

The 6th circuit:

It cannot be seriously contended that any reasonable peace officer, or citizen, for that matter, would believe that mild profanity while peacefully advocating a political position could constitute a criminal act

Now, I cuss. A lot. And I don’t do it mildly. I wonder how they define mildly? It looks like I may need to find out since Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham is an asshat. If you have a problem with the mayor, he wants you to shut up:

Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham is dealing some harsh words these days against what he sees as the county’s version of an insurgency – vocal citizen action groups that he says spout persistent criticism without offering any help or solutions.

Cunningham decries “harbingers of gloom and doom” who harp about taxes and county spending practices but decline invitations to “come in and look at the budget and give constructive ideas.”

I don’t have to have a solution to know that something sucks. And, here’s a proposal, I’ll come in with big fat red Sharpie and take it to the budget for you. Says Linda King of Citizens for Blount County’s Future:

“We look for waste and abuse of money,” she said, “and if he thinks people shouldn’t do that, I have a problem with that.”

Good thing she is since the powers that be are only looking for ways to spend our money.

I’ve noticed this before too:

If a story says “some people” or “some parents” feel one way, but only quote one parent, the reporter’s only found one or two parents who are complaining.

Well, some people think that’s stupid.

That I watched. I caught the Superbowl last night. I noticed what I thought was booing too for a player named Muhammed. Glad to hear they were yelling his nickname Moose.

Also, the commercials sucked just like last year. Well, except that one Bud-light commercial where the couple driving pick up the hitchhiker. That was funny.

The announcers made it a point to note that special legal action or some such was needed to let Tank Johnson play. See, Tank has a habit of getting arrested. He’s been arrested twice: once for assaulting a police officer and once for illegal possession of guns. The announcer pointed out that Tank had 6 unlicensed firearms and 500 rounds of ammo. That’s not a crime in most places but he lives in the city of Chicago. The announcer pointed out the gun crime but not the fact that Tank tried to assault some police officers. Since he’s an important football star, they make special arrangements for him so he can go play football. Isn’t that nice. I wonder if your average Chicagoan could do that? Like you and me, only better.

Anyway, glad the Colts won. Actually, that’s not true. I’m glad Chicago lost. No Superbowl Shuffle this year, eh?

In England, stuff you can’t make up:

Jump up and down and shout to beat street crime

Witnesses to violent street crime should try to ‘distract’ attackers by honking their car horns or even ‘jumping up and down’. That’s according to Labour’s Police Minister.

Active resistance (preferably while armed) is usually the best method. But that’s basically illegal in England.

Tam has what she claims is a poem. I don’t think so since it doesn’t rhyme.

There’s one here by Jeremy M. Burnside:

Guns kill people: Abolition is the only way to stop the madness

Well, if guns are abolished, there will be a lot more people getting killed. Trust me.

On New Year’s Eve, my friend and rowing teammate was killed by a gun in Dunbar. Regardless of who pulled the trigger, I blame the gun.

And I blame cars whenever someone is killed in an accident.

Guns were invented with the specific purpose to kill. People were not.

Actually, humans are designed to kill. Our primary sense is sight, our eyes face forward, and we have teeth designed to eat meat. We (like say lions) are designed to kill, no matter what you may think. But, that’s not relevant here. What is relevant is that what happened to your friend, while tragic and not something I wish on anyone, simply isn’t a good enough excuse to infringe on the rights of people.

Suffering a tragedy doesn’t make one an expert. Policy should not be made my people who have suffered emotionally.

Update: Weird. One of his examples is Peter O. and guns, apparently, made Peter O. evil. Peter O. is Peter Odighizuwa who was the mutant who went on a shooting rampage at the Appalachian Law School. Peter O. was likely stopped by an armed citizen.

The other example he mentioned died in a triple murder suicide.

Thanks to Cam for the tip.

Greg “Lumpy” Lambert, John Griess, and R. Larry Smith gave surprising answers this morning on the “Inside Tennessee” Television program concerning the debacle that occurred Wednesday as 12 term limited government office holders were replaced in a process that has yielded one lawsuit and almost universal citizen outrage.

WBIR’s John Becker asked, “Was the process fair?” Lumpy Lambert, “Yes”. John Griess, “Yes”. R. Larry Smith, “Yes”.

Becker then asked “Did we get the best people possible. The best nominees possible for each District seat? Lumpy Lambert, “I believe so”. John Griess, “It wasn’t a requirement of the Supreme Court that we get the best but that we make appointments and we fulfilled that requirement and obligation”. R. Larry Smith, “I think we could have done better”.

You can see the interview here.

I linked to this post a bit back. Via PGP, the comments have really kicked up. Looks to me like the good guys are representin’, yo.

More shockingly, aired on CNN.

update: I don’t think the law generally supports you going after the bad guys once they retreat.

Hola, Amigos. Been a while since I rapped at ya.

When life gets complicated, it’s always the small, habitual pleasures that slip– things like reading blogs and keeping up with friends I don’t see on a daily basis. And once slipped, it’s these things that don’t get picked up so easily again.

But I need some advice, and I thought the gunnies around here could help. Because I am a lawyer and because I am into guns and because I train in various knife arts, people often ask me what they can carry where. I never have answers because weapons laws are a thicket of overlapping state, local and federal stupidity. My goal in the next couple weeks is to correct that and to answer some simple questions for a friend who has applied for a handgun permit.

To start, I’m looking for a weapons law primer, preferably one centered on NYC and/or the surrounding states. I have the general lay of the land, but I want to have definitive answers when people ask how to get their gun from home to the range and back into storage without committing multiple felonies.

So, what’s the best book in this area?