Radley says:

David Bernstein is looking for a soundbite definition of libertarianism.

He offers some. Well, it’s not something that’s easy to soundbite and I’m not much at marketing, but here’s some suggestions:

And my favorite (I’ve read it somewhere but not sure where – so no credit and it’s probably paraphrased):

Update: Or for smarminess, I’d say:

Offer your own.

On my post about why I’d never run for office, AC touches on something I meant but didn’t explicitly say:

I think one of the answers of getting more folks running for office is to demolish the two party system.

Indeed. I am not a member of either political party and, barring one party either becoming completely insane or completely unfucking itself, I probably never will be.

Background is police tasered a 61 year-old, disabled vet at a protest. Joe Powell has more, including pictures of police decked out in their ninja gear.

The best thing that could happen to NJ is to shut it’s .gov. But it is having one negative side effect:

Everyone’s talking about the casinos shutting down in New Jersey, but how many of you knew that the gun dealers can’t run NICS checks? NICS checks in NJ go through the NJ state police.

Remember kids, when it comes to sound suppressors that the suppressor itself is regulated whether you put it on a BB gun or a paintball gun. If you put one on a BB gun or paintball gun and don’t pay a tax, it’s illegal unless the suppressor is permanently attached to the non-gun or cannot be used on a real gun or removal from the non-gun would render it inoperable.

Update: and, in the eyes of the law, a suppressor is a firearm.

I expect this stuff in Cali, NY or Mass. But not Texas:

[T]he City Council’s Public Safety Committee … next month will consider a community request to crack down on replica and toy guns. The review follows protests from Weed & Seed and other southern Dallas community groups over a South Dallas merchant’s sale of toy weapons. The groups want the city to outlaw selling realistic-looking weapons, which can include paintball guns and those toy guns that federal law currently requires be marked with a bright red or orange tip to identify them as facsimiles.

You really should stop using Google.

In a discussion at arfcom, Vepr writes:

That quote from issues2000.com is misleading. It is referring to the same legislation I mentioned above (HR 2122).

The bill had nothing to do with changing any established law regarding waiting periods.

The original bill submitted by Bill McCollum would have required any non licensed buyer to undergo a background check at gun shows and wait 72 hours before the firearm can be transferred.

An amendment was submitted by John Dingell, which would have lowered the waiting period to 24 hours. This amendment passed. (Bryant voted YES, Hilleary voted YES, Ford voted NO)

Carolyn McCarthy submitted another amendment, which would have changed the waiting period back to 3 days. Of course, this amendment failed. (Bryant voted NO, Hilleary voted NO, Ford voted YES)

Here are some other key amendments that were voted on:

* H.AMDT.217 – Amendment prohibits the importation of large capacity ammunition feeding devices (more than 10rnd). Agreed to by voice vote.

* H.AMDT.222 – Amendment sought to repeal a District of Columbia law that prohibits residents from possessing a firearm. FAILED (Bryant voted YES, Hilleary voted YES, Ford voted NO)

* H.AMDT.223 – Amendment allows law-abiding residents of the District of Columbia to keep a registered handgun in their home. PASSED (Bryant voted YES, Hilleary voted YES, Ford voted NO)

* H.AMDT.219 – Amendment mandates the transfer of a secure gun storage or safety device with the transfer of any handgun and establishes liability criteria for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a handgun by a third party. PASSED (Bryant voted NO, Hilleary voted NO, Ford voted YES)

* H.AMDT.218 – Amendment prohibits juveniles from possessing semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition clips. PASSED (Bryant voted YES, Hilleary voted YES, Ford voted YES)

On the final vote, the bill failed to pass. (Bryant voted YES, Hilleary voted NO, Ford voted NO)

Seems Ford isn’t as pro-gun as I once thought. And Hilleary and Bryant are definitely more pro-gun, though that doesn’t explain why Bryant would vote on the overall bill with the anti-gun amendment attached.

And he’s running for office:

We don’t necessarily need more ethics laws. What we need are lawmakers who will enforce them. In fact, I’d rather we have weak laws and strong lawmakers, than strong laws and cowards on Capitol Hill.

Gun sales are up but gun crime drops:

Gun crimes, suicides and firearms-related accidents declined last year at the same time that firearm and ammunition sales climbed, according to data from the US Treasury Department released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

While this revelation tends to debunk long-standing claims by gun control proponents that more guns in circulation leads to more crime, gun rights organizations contend that this bolsters their contention that armed citizens deter criminals.

NSSF Public Relations Director Steve Wagner told Gun Week that approximately 4.7 million new firearms were sold in America last year, including those manufactured domestically and imported. The greatest increase was in retail handgun sales, which were up 3%. Long gun sales were up 1.8%. Ammunition sales were up 3.5%.

David Hardy summarized second amendment scholarship progress.

GLN summarizes:

We can only conclude that, although civilian firearm confiscation is not the immediate goal of the UN conference, the National Rifle Association is much closer to reality about the conference than the UN is willing to admit.

Looks like Seattle is wanting to ban the booze that doesn’t cost a lot:

The state Liquor Control Board tonight will hold a public hearing on a request by Seattle to designate more than six square miles of the city a mandatory “alcohol-impact area” (AIA).

Within the AIA boundaries — including downtown, Belltown, Capitol Hill, the Chinatown International District, Central Area and University District — grocers would be prohibited from selling 34 brands of beer, malt liquor and fortified wines, from Olde English 800 and Pabst Ice to Night Train Express.

Class warfare hits alcohol.

Looking to SBR my 9mm AR-15 and was dowloading the forms to do that. Check out the form to certify citizenship. Notice anything funny? Well, the only writing on page 2 is notification of compliance with the Paperwork Reduction of Act of 1995. A whole page for that? Funny.

Ayup.

NIT reports Ken Lay has died. No cause released.

Update: Foxnews says heart attack.

A while back, I laid a lot of what I thought about current issues on the table in an effort to clarify some things. And to annoy readers. A few folks thought I should run for office. I could never successfully run for office for a variety of reasons and, honestly, I have no interest in doing so. As for reasons why I can’t run for office:

I’m not insanely rich – fact is that politics is a rich man’s game. Period. Even if I could muster the support, I doubt I could take the pay cut if I won.

I’m not very charismatic in person – I have a monotonous voice. I don’t speak well in front of a group. And I come across as a bit, err, cocky.

And if I did win, I couldn’t take the pay cut and would be above taking that crazy vote-buying money.

My position on gay marriage ensures that there is no office in my state that I could win.

I wouldn’t lie about my positions. And that is key. See, you have to give answers that appease both sides of the debate (unless one side is very clearly the dominate one – see gay marriage above) which means you typically don’t give answers at all.

I have admitted on this blog that I have:

My view on the war on drugs (declare victory and release the prisoners) would be spun as soft on crime.

I have a bit of a potty mouth and a temper. I can see my first debate now:

Opponent: blah blah toe party line blah blah give wishy-washy, non-committal answer blah blah 9-11 blah blah fags blah blah

SayUncle: Anyone in the audience have a shoehorn? My opponent needs it to remove his head from his ass.

Or I’d tell the distinguished gentleman from somewhere to go fuck himself.

So, sorry, it’s not going to happen because I (1) have no interest and (2) couldn’t win if I did.

I’m still getting some flak for my position on not being a member of the NRA. Here’s the deal: they must earn my membership, it’s not guaranteed. I joined for a year after the AWB expired. I’m not averse to joining just want to make sure they’re supporting things I think should be done.

Terry Frank takes issue with the Marijuana Policy Project [I bet they don’t get much done – ed.] and their new ad campaign:

A potentially controversial new ad campaign from the Marijuana Policy Project names prominent public officials, including President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Vice President Al Gore, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as having admitted to using marijuana. The ad then asks, “Is it fair to arrest three quarters of a million people a year for doing what presidents and a Supreme Court justice have done?”

In comments, Terry expands:

I think the point they makers of the ad are trying to make is that all these great leaders used the drug.

If they still used it, there might be a point. But they no longer do, in fact, I think a couple of them just said they only “tried” it.

The ad is using faulty logic in my opinion because they are trying to say great people use pot so pot must be great.

I disagree. I think what they’re saying is that people (even successful and powerful people) have had youthful indiscretions. Who hasn’t? The difference between the folks highlighted in the ad is that they weren’t caught. And, of course, that they didn’t take 10 rounds of 9mm to their chest for possessing less than an ounce of weed.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying weed is all that. Heck, I don’t even smoke it and can count the number of times I’ve experimented with it on my fingers. That doesn’t make me any more or less a person. It just means I’m a person, like most in the country, who has smoked weed. It’s not quite the stigma it once was.

Am I the only one who thinks the upgrade is ugly?

And I dig the sentiment.

Not only does Bloomberg conduct illegal stings on gun dealers, he’s cracking down on sparkler smuggling:

. . . the NYPD is now dispatching undercover cops into Pennsylvania to stake out firework vendors, as New York magazine recently reported. When they see a NY license plate, they snap a photo and prepare for the bust back home.

So far, the NYPD claims more than 60 arrests and a record number of seizures, more than 1,000 cases of fireworks. They’re even seizing cars now, at least 30 so far. What’s really ridiculous (and outrageous) is when you look at what is legal in Pennsylvania, these folks are losing their cars for stuff like fountains and spinners.

Welcome to New York, where there’s nothing the state won’t butt in to.

WATE outs a troll. Not sure how I feel about that one. On one hand, outing folks is kinda lame. On the other, misrepresenting who you are is lame too. DIYDDIYD.

Well, you have to love a recipe that starts with Open an ice cold beer.

Heh:

The funny thing is, if forced to put the people who crow loudest about patriotism today on one side or the other in 1776, wouldn’t you think most of them would have been defending empire, tradition, and the glory of the crown? I can almost read the National Review editorial now, inveighing against the radical, Godless-deist separatists!

Indeed.

Blake interviews Oleg Volk.

Rob Huddleston says Ford isn’t pro-gun, he just plays it on TeeVee:

Ford has begun to support select pro-Second Amendment bills during the lead up to the Senate race in an effort to muddy his anti-Second Amendment past, but the “gun nuts” are supposed to be smart enough to know an election season chameleon when they see one.

Also, in comments on my post at Michael’s place, Rob seems to have taken what I wrote as an endorsement of Ford. It is not. I’m still undecided.

Rob also asks:

While I didn’t respond in the posts, I have to query SayUncle – what has Bob Corker done in his lifetime to demonstrate his commitment to the Second Amendment so that you don’t see him as a threat?

Nothing. Never meant to say he wasn’t a threat or that he was a defender of gun rights. It seems there’s not much anti-gun dirt on Corker due to his definite lack of a record. Easy to run on your record when you don’t have one.

Hello Freedom, we don’t talk much these days. Sure, I spend a lot of time talking about you; or rather talking about how, in your old age, you seem to be a bit under the weather. But we haven’t talked in a while.

Who can blame me? Whenever something bad happens, it seems you’re the first thing that suffers, being whittled away a little bit at a time. Be it in the name of security, in the name of God, to prevent crime, to preserve a wet piece of land that a duck may look it, political agenda, or for the children, you seem to be the first thing our leaders (if you want to call them that) are willing to sacrifice. I’m so wrapped up in talking about you that I never really do any thing to help you out of this slump you’re in. It’s not entirely my fault though. Those same leaders I mentioned earlier make it difficult, or impossible, or just expensive to help you out. I hope this is just a mid-life crisis you’re going through. I don’t think the nation could bear it if you’re just too old of a concept for us. I never take the opportunity to thank you for what you’ve done for generations of Americans. Thanks for being there and I wish you a speedy recovery.

I also have to put some of the blame on you for us not talking so much. You haven’t been around much lately. I know it’s not you’re fault because people are working against you and some are too busy just working to notice, but maybe you could step up a bit. Maybe take some vitamins, work out some, or just show the world a reminder of what you’re capable of. I’ll keep checking in on you from time to time. I also wish you’d check in on me every once in a while. We shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Someone once said your price was eternal vigilance and that is a high price indeed. It’s hard to be watchful when you’re busy planning for retirement, having dinner with old friends, working long hours, following the news, entertaining yourself, raising children, putting food on the table, being good little consumers, and partaking in a couple of extraneous hobbies here and there. I do make an effort to see how you’re doing but I never take the time to really do much about it, other than complain. And there are a lot of people just like me who are not doing all that much either; most of them were elected. It’s not entirely their fault because we the people are not keeping our eye on them or holding them to account for their actions.

Even those who take it upon themselves to be your guard dog are often misguided by ideologies, pettiness, and shortsightedness. At least they’re trying but often only when it is convenient or fits a particular political objective.

Someone else said that those who would choose security over you will have and deserve neither you nor security. It seems, as a nation, we (or at least our leaders) are far more concerned about being safe than being with you. I guess being with you requires a lot more responsibility than most of us are willing to accept. Maybe you and security need to get together and iron this thing out because it doesn’t look like we’re capable of doing it.

Get well soon.

Happy Birthday, Freedom!

Update: I wrote that 3 years ago, when my audience was much smaller. I don’t think anything has changed for the better. In fact, it’s gotten worse.

David Hardy has the skinny on an odd fourth amendment case.

Bitter chides me for not being an NRA member. Well, I don’t place a lot of faith in NRA grades or endorsements since they endorsed both Bushes for the presidency. Bush Sr. effectively banned imports of semi-auto rifles and Jr. would have renewed the AWB if only that mean ol’ congress would get it to him.

But Uncle, you say, Should they have endorsed Kerry? Not at all. They should have endorsed no one. And their campaign should have targeted Kerry for being worse on gun rights than Bush.