This Could Get Interesting

I'll be off on a rifle purchase tomorrow. The exchange is supposed to take place outside a small gun store that has been around as far back as I can remember. At least, when I was essentially a kid new to the area in the mid-80s. It's near a restaurant and a bunch of other businesses. The seller said the transaction will take place outside the gun store. Paraphrasing, he said it was so neighboring businesses and people will get used to seeing guns in the parking lot. He finished with, "There is a story behind this. I will tell you later. :-)"

Sounds like a purchase opportunity with side benefits. I'm liking it already. 

More details tomorrow.

I Gave Up on Being Liked

A long time ago. Get 'em Mr. Colin

Many NY Sheriffs Won't Enforce SAFE Act

“When we perceive a law is not well designed and will not promote the public good, then I strongly believe we have a duty to do what we can within the legal processes to oppose and change the law and to help craft a better one,” Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith said.

Go read it.

We Should All Be Hopping Mad

Ammoland tells of Texan Dustin Reininger serving time in New Jersey. Go read it.

Rifle Shopping

Back later  :)

Pass it on: Gun Homicides and Injuries Down Since the 90s

This one is a couple of weeks old, but here's a Pew Research Poll where the headline really says it all.
Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware

The Law of Averages is True

There really are pro-gun celebrities. I guess they just don't get as much airtime for those views.
Go read it.

The Dog Ate My Homework, er, Plastic Pistol

Philip Bump over at The Atlantic Wire tries, and fails, to print a pistol.
Go read it.

Put The Horse Back in The Barn

New Yorkers who support the Second Amendment are going to give it their best shot to repeal Cuomo's silly new law. Go read it.

Well, That Wasn't Very Smart

Butt dial 9-1-1 as you discuss your crime spree. Not smart at all.
Go read it.

Come On Down

Texas wants you, Beretta.
Go read it.

Posse Comitatus Is Dead, Again

And you thought it was the NDAA that killed it.

The lines blurred even further Monday as a new dynamic was introduced to the militarization of domestic law enforcement. By making a few subtle changes to a regulation in the U.S. Code titled“Defense Support of Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies” the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries. <br>
“This is a complete erosion of the rule of law,” says (journalist and activist) O’Brien. Knowing these sweeping powers were granted under a rule change and not by Congress is even more harrowing to activists. “That anything can be made legal,” says O’Brien, “is fundamentally antithetical to good governance.”
As far as what might qualify as a civil disturbance, Afran notes, “In the Sixties all of the Vietnam protests would meet this description. We saw Kent State. This would legalize Kent State.”

And in the vein of "We aren't responsible, we only trained 'em." 

The DoD official even referred to the Boston bombing suspects manhunt saying, “Like most major police departments, if you didn’t know they were a police department you would think they were the military.” According to this official there has purposely been a “large transfer of technology so that the military doesn’t have to get involved.” Moreover, he says the military has learned from past events, such as the siege at Waco, where ATF officials mishandled military equipment. “We have transferred the technology so we don’t have to loan it,” he states.

Go read it.

There's More to This Story

Gun Control advocate gets shot by random guys, who were fighting each other just moments before jumping into a Corvette and "driving right for him!" And then, " I got a call from the President." How could it be any better?
Hmmmm... Were it anyone else I might say it's just an example of not avoiding the four S's rule. But, considering his background, I'm not sure.
Go read it.

I Never Thought It Would Come To This

But, I'm throwing in with Britney Spears. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has lost their minds.
Go read it.

Bad Weather Here

Keeping my head down. Say a prayer for the folks in and around Cleburne.

It's How The Frog Gets Boiled

For one thing it's not clear to me how the Manchin-Toomey legislation would require law-abiding citizens give up an essential liberty; it would not prevent law-abiding citizens from buying guns and it wouldn't prohibit any classes of guns from being built or owned. It would close a loophole in an existing background check regime.

And there is the rub. Closing the so called "loophole" is another incremental step toward the ultimate goal of registration. There is no way for the government to know where all the guns are without some sort of registration scheme. That registration has to come through the form of "common sense" laws like Manchin-Toomey being passed and then expanded. Those who believe that this is "common sense" have not bothered to research the history of gun registration. If they had, they might be singing a different tune. 

Go read it.

Where to Start?

The rebuttal examines the very spirit of the Constitution. Our Second Amendment rights guarantee us the right to keep and bear arms without infringement. What's missing from the average gun owner's argument is the critical first portion of the amendment right: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state." This short phrase not only brings up the question of the government's right to control guns at all, but the rights of the people to form militias for the protection of their states. 

What? I'm not even sure what is being said here.

Adding all the assets of demographic areas and resources, it's doubtful the federal government would favor very well the formation of separate state militias. Nor has it dealt kindly with self-appointed militias that have sprung up randomly throughout the U.S. There is a high level of distrust on both sides, a suspicion that either the population will turn on the government or the government will turn on the citizens. 

Sheesh. Try the phrases "unorganized militia United States" and "standing army" in your favorite search engine. 

Then think about it this way. Who cares what "the government" wants? The government is of, by and for the people. If the people prefer a milita system to a regular army then so be it.
Go read it.

So Ridiculous

So very ridiculous. Two too many. Ugh, let the stoopid begin.
Go read it.

Well Doc, It's None of Your Business

To pediatricians, gun control is a public health issue, not a political one. But they're treading a fine line, and they know it.

If it's a public health issue, why is the American Academy of Pediatrics not pushing their members to educate and instead asking for: 

"an assault weapon ban, mandatory background checks and waiting periods before all firearm purchases, a ban on high-capacity magazines, handgun regulations and requirements for safe firearm storage under federal law."

A safe storage act I could understand them pushing to pass, but all the rest smacks of plain ol' garden variety politics.
Go read it.

There's Apoplectic And Then There's Apoplectic

I don't know why the hubbub over weapons coming to 3D printing is really bothering me, but it is. I think it's just because people who should know better are jumping up and down and shouting that crazy people will be making weapons in their basement.

Because it isn't. Kokesh's march is just the latest product of the great American panic machine, the mechanism by which the extreme right works itself into spasms of apoplectic terror over threats that don't exist.
"We're going to be under Shariah law!"
Except we're not.
"We've become a socialist country!"
Except we haven't.
"There's a war on Christmas!"
Except there isn't.
"They're trying to take our guns away!"
Except that it is now theoretically possible for a mental patient to manufacture his own gun in the comfort of his aluminum foil-lined basement. That's a sobering development with far-reaching implications barely considered, much less addressed, by lawmakers, though this technology has existed for over a decade. Since Wilson's test, there's been a flurry of calls for legislation. On Friday, the federal government ordered Wilson to remove the blueprints from his website. All of which is the very epitome of locking the garage after the Hyundai has been hot-wired.

Speaking of working oneself into spasms of apoplectic terror...people have been making weapons in their suitably decorated basements since the first hole was dug. So the Hyundai analogy is a bit late, the cow go out of the barn a long time ago.

So, I'm here to tell the ninnies in pressland, 3D printers aren't going to be much aid anyone in making a gun right now. The printers are too few and far between to be a serious source of concern. The real concern from my vantage point is that some of these people who should know better are finally coming to grips with the fact that the determined person cannot be stopped.
Yes, Virginia, there are boogeymen. And, my dearest V, the boogeymen have always had the ability to make improvised weapons. Humans are smart animals and have a long history of giving themselves bigger and better claws and teeth. Just because the process has been streamlined by a fancy piece of tech that could potentially be housed in someone's living room doesn't mean they weren't already making items that scare you. It's just that before someone had to make a trip to the local home improvement store to get some pipe and lumber. Realization sometimes makes a thunderous crack when it dawns, huh?

Go read it.

I Like This One

I like it a lot.
Missouri has passed a bill that says:

All federal acts, laws, orders, rules, and regulations, whether past, present, or future, which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution shall be invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state.

This includes the Gun Control Acts of 1934 and 1968. I'm sure Eric Holder has had a conniption. This appeals to my stubborn side.

The more times the people say "No!" The more likely the powers that be are likely to get it. Stop messing with our rights...give us back the pieces of pie that you took before.
Go read it.

Just Plain Ol' Dumb

There's no other explanation for this except stupidity.

As part of a continued effort to enrich the movie-going experience of its patrons, Capital 8 Theaters in Jefferson City, Missouri, sent a fake gunman into a screening of the film ‘Iron Man 3′ last weekend because, you know, what’s more thrilling to a captivated audience situated in a dark environment than a man decked out in full tactical gear, toting what appears to be a modified M4?

Yikes. There's a whole lot of "could've gone wrong" right there. Go read it.

Zero Tolerance -- Seriously, I Mean, Seriously?

I really just don't know what to say about this one. I think the headline says it all.

Two Boys Suspended For Pointing Pencils Like Guns

7 years old, 7. Most 7 year olds can't remember where they took their shoes off an hour ago. 

A two-day suspension. Seriously? 

I have zero tolerance for Zero tolerance.
Go read it.

Time For a Reverse Tongue Lashing

GOP Lawmakers May Revive Gun Debate After Receiving Tongue Lashing From Constituents

If your GOP Legislator is waffling, give them a call and get them back on the right side of the fence.

Eeek, a Gun!

And it's made of plastic. Whatever shall we do? Criminals could make one in their own home. Sheesh. Settle down there Max/Carter before you wet yourselves.

Critics already perceived the recent gun bill to be inadequate to the challenge of gun violence; criminals and psychopaths need only wait for the printers to get cheaper before they can make all sorts of evil in their basements. And Congress will still be chasing the gun shows. . .

People can already make their own gun and more laws won't stop anyone from doing just that. Just ask prison guards who find homemade firearms in prisons. Can't stop it there, can't stop it in the outside world. And, it's not illegal to make your own, unreported gun, BTW.

What makes the 3D-printed gun so dangerous is that it muddies the waters of the gun control debate in a way that makes it harder for proponents of gun control and technologists to agree on exactly what they mean.

Ummm, what?
Anyway.
Interesting this.

Fewer than 1 percent of state prison inmates who possessed a gun when they committed their offense obtained the firearm at a gun show, the report said. Gun shows were central to the measure recently rejected in the Senate: ...

So maybe gun-controllers have it wrong, hmmm? I mean if the Justice Department said it, it must be true.
Go read it.

Pay No Attention

to the man behind the curtain, says President Obama at Ohio State. Here are a few of the juicy tidbits

And that’s precisely what the Founders left us — the power, each of us, to adapt to changing times. ...
To conquer fascism and disease; to visit the Moon and Mars; to gradually secure our God-given rights for all of our citizens, regardless of who they are, or what they look like, or who they love.

why does he get to say, "secure our God-given rights" when he's the one trying to take them away? Oh, that's right, he has the bully pulpit and we're just the peons who dare to challenge him.

The founders trusted us with this awesome authority. We should trust ourselves with it, too. Because when we don’t, when we turn away and get discouraged and cynical, and abdicate that authority, we grant our silent consent to someone who will gladly claim it.
So you can’t give up your passion if things don’t work right away. You can’t lose heart, or grow cynical if there are twists and turns on your journey. The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least. It’s those folks who stay at it, those who do the long, hard, committed work of change that gradually push this country in the right direction, and make the most lasting difference.

Amen to that. Wait, he meant the opposite of what I mean. Go back and reread that paragraph. It's quite telling. Silent consent and claimers of power have gotten us to this point. Rugged individualism will only serve to sink us deeper into the rights-stripping quicksand. Standing united we can regain the rights we have lost.

I think about how we might perpetuate this notion of citizenship in a way that another politician from my home state of Illinois, Adlai Stevenson, once described patriotism not as “short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” That’s what patriotism is. That’s what citizenship is. 

Defenders of the Second Amendment need to remember all these words. Go read the full transcript.

When to Begin

the prosecutions? If CBS is on it how long until the others follow?

...CBS reported, “Throughout the night, sources say Americans on the ground in Libya at times felt helpless and abandoned… But they were told immediate help wasn’t available.” But, counterterrorism sources and internal emails reviewed by CBS News express frustration that key responders were ready to deploy, but were not called upon to help.

Go read it.

Break Out The Popcorn

This is about to get good.
AG Holder: Feds Will Ignore State Laws and Enforce Gun Grab

Ummm, You Might Want to Compare Notes

before speaking with the press. That way, you know, your story is straight when you lay it out there.

When questioned about reports that the DHS had placed orders to buy more than a billion additional rounds of ammunition, Nayak replied that those reports were “simply not true,” adding that the agency needs reasonable quantities for training purposes and that it usually buys in bulk to save money.
This assertion contradicts a statement Alex Newman of The New American received from another DHS spokesman, Marsha Catron, who said that there were two separate contracts to purchase ammunition: one for up to 750 million rounds for FLETC, and another one for 450 million rounds...

How do the citizens of the U.S. get to the bottom of this? Someone had to make the decision to place these orders. We need to find out who that person is and what their intentions are for all those rounds of ammunition.

Go read it.

Meet The New Liberator

Same as the old Liberator. Only this time it may do more simply by being possible than by being in the hands of resistance. 
The folks at Forbes got a few nice photos of it in addition to their story.

(credit: Michael Thad Carter for Forbes)

It's impossible to take away ideas and Cody Wilson is doing his level best to get the idea of what is possible into the minds of the people. Let's hope this file gets circulated before it is already made illegal by power hungry tyrants who want everyone robbed of their natural-born rights.

President blames 2nd Amendment for Mexico Violence

This is a exercise in choose your poison. Remember President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are responsible for the Fast and Furious gun walking scandal, but have managed to play the system so they will not suffer any consequences.
If you want to get mad go read this version: "Obama Blames U.S." Just the two really key quotes from the President.
If you'd rather be slightly madder read this one: "Obama: Most of the guns..." A little more of the President's other remarks, making himself look good to the foreign audience.
If you'd prefer to get really ticked off go read this load of talking points worked into a story: "Obama Mexico Visit Highlights Ties..." Ugh. please don't torture yourself with this one.
I read all three so my blood pressure is up and I feel nauseous.

Shoot And Move

Over at guns.com they detail a new app from the wonderful world of DARPA.

The app is still in development, but it’s based on a system the military already uses. Starting in 2007, Vanderbilt developed a similar system under Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Science Akos Ledeczi using soldier’s helmet cams to locate incoming sniper fire. By connecting the helmet cams through a wireless network, the shot locator was able to pinpoint the snipers with “a surprising degree of accuracy.”

Go read it.

Making Ted Cruz Look Like a Fool, Really?

Here's another reason why I hate surveys and polls.

In a recently released survey, two-thirds of Americans said the Senate should have passed the bi-partisan compromise background checks bill that was defeated by a minority in the Senate.

Maybe those people should have called their Senators.
Go read it.

Stuntman

Everyone allows this one to slide, except maybe the guy's wife.

Seeking to make a point about firearms, a Michigan man decided to open carry his .45-cal. handgun at his daughter’s school and later uploaded the footage to YouTube.

Go read it.

Need 1903 Help

I'm looking for someone who can give me the ins and outs on a Springfield 1903 in the DFW area. I have one I want to bring back to shooting condition and it needs the rear irons. Shoot me info via the comments. No, I won't publish your contact info for the whole world to see.  :)

Texas, My Texas

"Okay, everybody in town should get a gun and ammo."
Go read it.

It's Not Always About Guns

Let your kids know that they can do this. They are capable of making decisions on their own and taking appropriate action when a parent is out of action. Empower them now.

However, there was a secret weapon in the house, and it came in the form of a nine-year-old boy.

Go read it.