So, raccoons are killing cats in Washington somewhere:
the town meeting becoming a place to mourn and cry, the tearful cat owners who’ve seen their pets die, the frustrated wildlife officer whose life traps prove useless, the wildlife coordinator who promises to evaluate the situation and perhaps bring in trappers from the dept of agriculture, the group racoon attack on a small dog, and on and on and on.
Seriously? A 22LR would solve the problem.
Bill Hobbs says Harold Ford Jr. Is a Liar. Yes, he is. But so is Bob Corker. B-Ho knows that. If cannot tell a lie was a requirement for office, we’d have no one in office.
Well, I did pay for it. Terry takes on a tour of what your money paid for. $21,279 for carpet? Does it come with a dead hooker or something?
Over at The Gun Blogs:
It was reported that the Commander of US Army Alaska has issued an order precluding his soldiers from taking advantage of Alaska’s liberal self-defense policies by forbidding the carrying of self-defensive firearms…both on and off duty.
He wants your help.
Twenty-one soldiers in the Louisiana Army National Guard have been court martialed for looting some of the very stores they were assigned to protect during the aftermath of the hurricane Katrina.
Not sure if it’s ATF shenanigans or if there is a legitimate charge but:
A Northampton County man faces a federal firearms charge after he was identified as the original buyer of the gun used in the fatal shooting of a Reading police officer earlier this month.
Jared Tomline has been in federal custody since his arrest last week by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He is scheduled for a detention hearing today at U.S. District Court in Allentown.
John Hageman, a bureau spokesman in Philadelphia, declined to specify the charge against Tomline or comment on how the .40-caliber handgun went from Tomline into the hands of Cletus Rivera, 24, the Reading man charged with killing officer Scott Wertz on Aug. 6.
Hageman said agents traced the original purchase to Tomline, and that Tomline was not involved in Wertz’s murder.
So, no charges publicly revealed. At first glance, it seems Tomline sold the gun or gave it away. It was later used in a murder. Selling the gun, of course, is not a crime. I am curious what the charges will be. This article says Tomline supplied the gun to the killer, which implies intent.
There should be something to this as the judge has stated Tomline should remain behind bars. Further:
But, prosecutors say he also has six weapons, bought within seven months, and all unaccounted for, except for the one they say Cletus Rivera used to kill Officer Scott Wertz on August 6th.
My guess is they’re going for dealer without a license. If the above statement is true, it’s a charge that will likely stick. More:
He’s charged with giving a false address last month when he bought the 40-caliber semiautomatic pistol believed to have been the one used in Officer Wertz’s murder.
That also happens to be a felony, like when Bloomberg’s investigators did it. But:
Tomline’s lawyer argues the form isn’t specific, and that Tomline did nothing wrong by giving his mailing address.
This should be an interesting one.
I’m the world’s worst about giving credit to folks when they email me stories. Sorry about that. A few reasons are:
It’s easier for me to give credit if there’s a blog link too. So, if you send me stuff, tell me if you do or do not want credit.
Sorry about that, Nimrod.
Heh:
My position is that anybody who’s in favor gun control is a fucking moron.
You’ll never guess who said it.
A piece in the ChicTrib says breed bans don’t work:
There’s an adage that says, “When a dog bites a man, it’s not news, but when a man bites a dog, it is news.” These days, dog bites don’t just lead to news, they lead to fights between neighbors, lawsuits and controversial legislation. Unfortunately, laws that ban certain breeds of dog from a community provide nothing more than the illusion of safety.
Many communities struggle with issues related to dangerous dogs. Some have responded with breed bans, yet time and again such laws have failed to solve dangerous-dog problems. Lawmakers who educate themselves and understand this issue quickly recognize that a truly effective law must address all dangerous dogs, regardless of breed.
There are many factors that contribute to a dog’s temperament, but breed bans only address one of those factors. If elected officials are comfortable with regulation of such a limited scope, then the one factor to be targeted should be the most common.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of dogs involved in biting incidents are intact (not neutered) males. No other single factor is so highly represented in dog attacks. Mandatory pet sterilization is certainly a viable option, but this can also be easily addressed without legislation, through government-subsidized spay/neuter programs and community education about proper pet care.
Yeah, we know. Meanwhile(via Tom), this week’s evil dog is the pit bull. Next week’s will be the Presa Canario:
Authorities said she was giving Xeno a bath Friday in the back yard of the upscale Coral Springs home she shared with Rivero, when the 120-pound dog attacked the 120-pound woman.
It ripped open Willey’s jugular, punctured her trachea and tore into her arms, back and side. One law enforcement official called it a “surreal scene.”
Sadly, this woman had not been a model dog owner:
In 2000, she was charged with having a dog-at-large, court records show. In 2002, she was charged with having a vicious animal without current rabies vaccination and an animal registration, records show. The next year, she was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
And I called this a while back. Expect more.
Jeff:
John McCain’s views on the 2nd Amendment are poison to me. I will not vote for him. Same goes for Rudy Giuliani. Same goes for Hillary Clinton. I hold no allegience (sic) to any political party. I will vote for whomever has worked the hardest — proven by their history of voting — to preserve the 2nd Amendment, as well as all the others.
I don’t know that we gunnies will even have a good choice in 2008. Of those that are serious contenders, only Feingold seems sufficiently pro-gun (though he has favored some restrictions). It’s a shame he has his name on the Incumbent Protection Act.
What is a gun nut to do?
Meanwhile, it looks like bitter is telling us that McCain may have some pro-gun strategery up his sleeve:
I can’t say too much right now, but I thought you guys might be interested in this story about McCain hiring the former head of NRA-ILA for his presidential run.
McCain’s record on guns is a bit, err, mixed and by mixed I mean politcally expedient:
* Ban cheap guns; require safety locks; for gun show checks. (Aug 1999)
* Supports ban on certain assault weapons. (Aug 1999)
* Voted against Brady Bill & assault weapon ban. (Aug 1999)
* Guns are a problem, but so are violent web sites & videos. (Aug 1999)
* Punish criminals who abuse 2nd Amendment rights. (May 1999)
* Youth Violence Prevention Act restricts guns for kids. (May 1999)
* Repeal existing gun restrictions; penalize criminal use. (Jul 1998)
* Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
* Voted YES on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence. (Mar 2004)
* Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on more penalties for gun & drug violations. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
* Voted YES on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks. (Jul 1998)
He banked on the non-existent gun show loophole once and lost. Sales at gun shows are subject to the same regulations as shop sales. Short of requiring checks on all private party transfers, I don’t see how it can be done. Maybe he learned his lesson.
It’s the plague.
Two weekends ago, Junior got sick. She had a stomach bug. And the Mrs. caught whatever she had. The Second remained happy and mostly unfazed as was I.
Last weekend, Junior got sick, the Mrs. got sick, and The Second was sick. They all had, to use the Doctor’s highly technical medical term, the sniffles. I, again, was untouched.
Yesterday, the Mrs. calls to say she’s picked up Junior from school because she has a fever and green boogies (which is parent code for contagious, if you didn’t know). While on the phone, the Mrs. sounded a bit, err, snotty. I don’t mean like snotty as in mean, I mean snotty as in she’s probably got a fever and green boogies too. And, given how things work, this probably means The Second will get it too. And Politically Incorrect Dog has an ear infection.
In all of this, I haven’t come down with anything. I think the germs realize they can’t get to me so they’re going after my family.
Nothing is more sad than a physically ill toddler. Or baby. Or dog. And The Mrs. seems more troubled by the fact she’s tired all the time from helping deal with sick kids while being sick herself. Ah, parenting. You can’t just take a break from it.
Kinda funny that a cop who had a negligent discharge may lose his job as a private security guard but may keep his job as a cop:
It “may” cost him his off duty job, but he “expects” to keep his police position. That somehow seems backwards. Shouldn’t the police have higher standards then a mall-cop?
You’d think.
This site is dedicated to the law-breaking, jack-booted thugs who work for parking enforcement in Arlington, VA. It is dedicated to the taxpayer-funded hypocrites who regularly break the traffic laws they are supposed to enforce.
Well, JBT reference aside, I like the concept.
BB Guns are illegal in Chicago:
Making good on warnings that BB-guns are illegal in Chicago, police have busted a Northwest Side store owner for selling one of the plastic weapons to a 13-year-old boy, authorities said Monday.
Plastic? Are they AirSoft? Banning BB guns is stupid and banning AirSoft is likely more so.
Japan is re-thinking it’s passivity:
Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to become Japan’s next prime minister, has called for revisions to the pacifist constitution imposed after World War II, saying the country must adapt to a new era.
It’s a new world but I’m fairly certain Japan has agreed to stay that way in exchange for us not nuking them.
Via Xrlq and, err, me. While the press is busy giving us wall-to-wall coverage of the Jon Benet Ramsey case, important shit is happening that we should be paying attention to:
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that police may keep the $124,700 they seized from Emiliano Gonzolez, an immigrant who by all appearances was attempting to use the money to start a legitimate business.
This is an outrageous ruling. Consider:
Gonzolez was never charged with any crime in relation to the money, much less convicted. Gonzalez had an explanation for the money that a lower court found both “plausible” and “consistent.” He brought several witnesses forward to corroborate his story (in the preposterous land of asset forfeiture, property can be guilty of a crime, and the burden is often person the police seized the property from to prove he obtained it legally). The government offered no evidence to counter Gonzolez’s explanation. Instead, the court ruled that the mere fact that Gonzolez was carrying a large sum of money, that he had difficulty understanding the officer’s questions, that he incorrectly answered some of those questions (due, Gonzolez says, to fears that if police knew he was carrying that much money, they might confiscate it — imagine that!), and that a drug dog alerted to the car Gonzolez was driving (which, as dissenting judge Donald Lay noted, was a rental, likely driven by dozens of people before Gonzolez), was enough to “convict” the money of having drug ties, even if there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Gonzolez.
Not convicted of a crime. No due process. Just a case of the you might be up to somethings. Walter Olson calls it Driving While Loaded:
A Nebraska state trooper stopped Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez for speeding on Interstate 80 in 2003 in his rental car, then proceeded to seize $124,000 from a cooler in the back seat. According to the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (opinion, PDF), Nebraska was within its rights to seize the $124,000 as presumed drug money (it then became the subject of a federal forfeiture action) even though 1) Gonzolez had no substantial or drug-related criminal record; 2) witnesses backed up his claim that the money had been pooled by several immigrants for purposes of buying a refrigerated truck for his produce business.
Note to the press: this is the kind of gestapo shit that should be on the front page.
I love the EOTech holographic weapon sight, particularly the reticle. Tam has dubbed the reticle the donut of death. Here’s a picture of the reticle:
It is a 1 MOA dot inside a 65 MOA circle (for those not in the know, MOA is roughly one inch at a hundred yards). The dot is good for longer shots when accuracy is needed. The circle is good for rapid acquisition when MOA accuracy isn’t necessary. Also, it’s roughly the size of a man (a shorter man) at 100 yards and can be used to SWAG* a range estimate. The reticle also has posts at 12, 3, 6 and 9 which can be useful for a variety of things.
This brings us to fun with my 9mm AR-15. Since I only shoot it at the indoor range and have decided it would make a good house gun, it’s set up for short range work. I have it zeroed in at seven yards (gunnies will know what that number means). On the EOTech, at 7 yards, I put the dot on the target and that’s where the bullet goes. At 7 yards, firing as fast as I want to, it gets groups like this:
Sighting it in at such a short range has disadvantages as most sights are designed for at least 25 yards but mostly 50 to 100. This means that at further ranges, the dot isn’t that useful. So, here’s where the EOTech’s coolness comes in. At 15 yards, I simply place the target I am shooting at between the 12 0’clock hash-mark and the dot like so (X is my target):
And it works. I didn’t take pictures when at the range last but it gets groups of comparable size but slightly larger. A little bounce has more effect the further away the target is. At 25 yards, I place the target at the bottom of the top hash-mark, like so:
It works too. Your mileage may vary.
* Scientific Wild Ass Guess
Remember Jenny Price? The chick who made some ridiculous argument on banning handguns and was then surprised people were mean to her after that? Well, Joe wonders why the Department of Justice wants to know what bloggers are saying about her.
A woman wounded in last month’s deadly shooting rampage at Seattle’s Jewish Federation offices says she hopes the attack helps the public and lawmakers see a need for tighter gun control laws.
“How and why the murderer who invaded my workplace a couple of weeks ago was able to legally acquire two semiautomatic weapons in our state is still a very disturbing mystery to me,” Dayna Klein, 37, said Thursday, seated next to her husband at a news conference in a downtown hotel.
Klein said she met with former President Bill Clinton last week while in New York, discussed both gun control and workplace safety with him and was encouraged by the conversation.
“His foundation is committed to doing similar things domestically, so this will be a project that we potentially will have an opportunity to collaborate on in the future,” Klein said.
Seems to me, one CCW holder would have made a huge difference.
I’ve mentioned that in the last couple of weeks that there is a two-pronged front going on for the gun control movement. One is the assault weapons ban canard and the other is the assault on castle doctrine. Kevin spotted another case of the latter:
Intruder fatally shot
Fatality third in Escambia since ‘Stand Your Ground’ law passed
Law enforcement and attorneys say the local nurse who fatally shot an intruder at her Navy Point home Saturday would have been protected by state law before the “Stand Your Ground” law passed.
Then Kevin asks: Then why mention the “Stand Your Ground” law at all?
The answer, like the assault weapons ban canard, is association. Say “Stand your ground” in stories where people get shot enough times and people will correlate the two. The assault weapons ban canard keeps picking up some force too:
Dade cops seeing more assault rifles
More homicides in Miami-Dade have been committed this year using assault-style rifles, but whether that means more of the weapons are on the streets is unclear.
Which is it? Are they assault rifles (medium power, select fire weapons) or assault style weapons (made up)? More:
Although most killers still use handguns, police report the use of assault-style rifles — the AK-47 and its cheaper cousin, the SKS — is on the rise.
AK-47s have been banned since 1986 and heavily regulated since 1934. The SKS is neither an assault rifle, nor an assault weapon. And it’s no so much the cousin of the AK as it is the AK’s jilted ex-lover. More:
• During the first six months of the year, at least nine homicides handled by Miami-Dade detectives were believed to have been committed with assault-style rifles. That’s up from only one last year during the same time period, the department said.
• This year, the Miami Police Department’s homicide unit has handled 10 deaths attributed to assault-style rifles — including the June triple murder. That’s up from six during the same time period last year.
Uhm, is nine or 10? And is it six or one? I don’t understand what they’re saying here. Either way, those numbers hardly seem staggering.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office hasn’t detected a sharp increase, but it has noticed a ”bit of an upswing” in crimes involving shotguns and long guns over the past few months, according to BSO spokesman Elliot Cohen. He said it’s too early to draw any conclusions.
”The last couple months there has been a higher than normal level of incidence with shotguns and long guns,” Cohen said. “Anecdotally, it’s something our detectives have noticed.”
That’s what I figured.
The spate of murders comes nearly two years after legislators allowed a federal ban on certain assault-style weapons to expire — but whether that means more are on the streets is difficult to gauge, law enforcement officials say.
And there’s the blame.
I’ve noticed this trend quite a bit in the last two weeks, enough so to make me think that it is not entirely accidental.
Via Nimrod.
Here at the office, we prepare this thing every week. For sake of argument, we’ll call this thing the WENIS. People send me info and I compile the info then send the WENIS to a very important person, who we’ll call The Big Cheese. One particular person (who we’ll call Regularly Incompetent Person) always gets their WENIS wrong. Actual conversation about the WENIS:
Regularly Incompetent Person: I need you to reject the info I sent for the WENIS.
Me: I already did.
Regularly Incompetent Person: [baffled] You did?
Me: Yes.
Regularly Incompetent Person: Why?
Me: Because it’s always wrong and you always call to tell me you need to resubmit it. Rejecting it the first time saves me the time I would ordinarily spend 1) deleting your mistake and 2) re-submitting the correction.
Regularly Incompetent Person: Oh, uhm, well … err… it’s wrong and I need to resubmit it.
Me: I told you.
Regularly Incompetent Person: Smart ass.
So, I plan my day around others’ incompetence. It’s a good skill, saves you time.
In an update to this post on about neo-Nazi stuff at the Knob Creek shoot, the machinegunners respond over at subguns.com:
Alot of the black and camo BDU and certainly Nazi paraphernalia would be better left at home, or better yet in the trash.
Indeed. I do hate going to the gun show and seeing the obligatory Nazi section. I steer clear and shake my head as I walk by. I’d advise other gunnies to do the same.
The guys at subguns also get their factchecking on:
Two things I really disputed in the article:
“Sonny Landham, the 1980s action movie star ….white supremacist?” Somebody better check their facts, he`s a American Indian. He`s the American Indian in Predator.
The “so called neo-nazi crap” was U-Boat memorabilia dealer. By the same logic any dealer selling Russian/USSR relics must be a “communist”
Heh:
Aren’t you afraid an underprivileged urban-outdoorsman might break in and steal the rifle?
No, we have the rifle and camera setup in a secured office building with an alarm system. Besides, if criminals actually stole the weapons they later used in crimes, gun control laws wouldn’t make much sense.
Check it out here.
WBIR:
Dennis Smith and his wife, Kristie Dawn Smith, had just put their five-year-old son to bed in July 2002 when three men burst into their mobile home near Tazewell, demanding to know where the drugs were.
The demand was specific — 116 pounds of marijuana, methamphetamine and the Smith’s meth cookers.
They didn’t have any of it, as a search of their trailer showed.
The lawmen were at the wrong home, having taken the word of an informant and not verifying even who owned the cars in the driveway, according to court documents.
The proposed settlement will cost Claiborne County taxpayers $10,000.
You should have had a few more zeros added to the settlement.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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