Fascinating Police Poll

Numbers I actually believe.
One of the poll questions analysis:

2.) The majority of respondents -- 71 percent -- say a federal ban on the manufacture and sale of some semi-automatics would have no effect on reducing violent crime. However, more than 20 percent say any ban would actually have a negative effect on reducing violent crime. Just over 7 percent took the opposite stance, saying they believe a ban would have a moderate to significant effect.

The author goes on to say:

Contrary to what the mainstream media and certain politicians would have us believe, police overwhelmingly favor an armed citizenry, would like to see more guns in the hands of responsible people, and are skeptical of any greater restrictions placed on gun purchase, ownership, or accessibility. 

No doubt.

Go read the story.

Go see the PoliceOne.com poll takeaways.

Buybacks Gone Wild

Guess what happens when you take a gun to a buyback event in Arizona? It gets sold to add money to Arizona's coffers.

On Monday Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a billthat now requires guns collected during gun buyback programs to be resold rather than melted down and destroyed. While the bill has the support of many, not everyone is pleased with it.

And all is right with the world (at least in this case in Arizona anyway).

Go read it.

Stand On Principle

and mock the occasional squishy Senator.

The Wall Street Journal attacked the group for letting President Obama blame Republicans for blocking gun control instead of moderate Democrats. Cruz said senators made a similar argument: “They said, ‘Listen, before you did this, the politics of it were great. The [Democrats] were the bad guys, the Republicans were the good guys. Now we all look like a bunch of squishes.’”
He replied, Cruz told the crowd, “’Well, there is an alternative. You could just not be a bunch of squishes.’”

Go read it.

Next Up: Knife Control

Time to start training in the ol' choir robes, I guess.

A 24-year-old man rushed the choir at the tail end an Albuquerque, N.M., church service on Sunday, brandishing a knife and ultimately stabbing four.Witnesses said to CNN that he jumped over several pews to get to the choir, screaming, “Fake preacher!” The incident occurred at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, The Associated Press said.

And, yes, concealed carry is allowed in churches in New Mexico.
Go read it.

Inflamed Emotions Aside

Who won?

A Nashville gun-control activist said a Tennessee pro-gun group timed its gun-giveaway to fly in the face of President Barack Obama's gun-control efforts.

Hmmm, wouldn't be the first occasion a group looked at timing and won't be the last. Linda McFadyen-Ketchum needs to untwist her knickers and get over it.

Go read it.

Interactive Texas Gun Legislation Page

The Texas Tribune has a nifty page which will help folks keep up with Texas' Gun-related Politics. 
Go see it.

From Inside the Limousine

In another "Let them eat cake" moment, Michael Bloomberg declares we need to change our interpretation of the Constitution.

“What we (sic) cant do is let the protection get in the way of us enjoying our freedoms,” he said. “You still want to let people practice their religion, no matter what that religion is. And I think one of the great dangers here is going and categorizing anybody from one religion as a terrorist. That’s not true … That would let the terrorists win. That’s what they want us to do.”

Here's another case of someone speaking, but not listening to what they are saying. Practice your Creator-given right to your choice of religion, but don't practice your Creator-given right to keep and bear arms. Moron.

“It really says something bad about us that we have to do it. But our obligation first and foremost is to keep our kids safe in the schools; first and foremost, to keep you safe if you go to a sporting event; first and foremost is to keep you safe if you walk down the streets or go into our parks,” he said. “We cannot let the terrorists put us in a situation where we can’t do those things. And the ways to do that is to provide what we think is an appropriate level of protection.”

Says something bad about you, sir, for sure. The "we" you mention, law enforcement, who are supposed to protect us have no legal responsibility to protect us as individuals, only society as a whole. I could be safe to walk down the street or go to a park if I am armed or if there is a possibility I am armed. Would not a criminal or terrorist think twice about committing a crime against another if the victim may be armed? Let the people decide on their own how they choose to defend themselves when law enforcement won't or can't protect them. How's that for an interpretation?

Go read it.

What If We Dealt With Reality

instead of a bunch of hypothetical hogwash? Seriously, does John Cassidy at The New Yorker have nothing better to do than carry the water of gun haters?

Here’s a little mental experiment. Imagine, for a moment, that the Tsarnaev brothers, instead of packing a couple of pressure cookers loaded with nails and explosives into their backpacks a week ago Monday, had stuffed inside their coats two assault rifles—Bushmaster AR-15s, say, of the type that Adam Lanza used in Newtown. What would have been different?

Let's use our imagination to ty to tip the scales back to the way we want things, i.e. "I take your legally owned property away from you and make you as helpless as a little kitten, like me. That will make us all feel better, won't it?" 

John Cassidy, you can trot along home with all the other pantywaists. I want to be able to protect myself and my family. If the bad guys can still get the guns you so fear guns via illegal means, don't make me a criminal by attempting to legislate my rights away. Go read it.

Gimme, Gimme

Of course 69% of people want a gun during a manhunt. Go read it.

NBC Reports-What Could Go Wrong?

NBC does GM Truck Gas Tanks
NBC goes undercover
NBC Does Hecklers
NBC does George Zimmerman
I'm sure there are more I can't recall right now, but you get my drift. Now CNBC is doing a report on the AR-15. What could go wrong?
Go watch the promo.

Things Are Different Now Chuck, That's How

I hope these things don't pass and we never reach an "I told you so" moment. Despite Alan Gottlieb being involved in their crafting (don't like that man like I used to), it isn't a good idea to give up something really important to get something else you never should have lost in the first place.

"How were we able to pass these bills in 1994? The broad middle rose up and said 'we want rational laws on guns.' Why? Because crime was ripping apart America," Schumer said. "Rightly or wrongly, those two bills were blamed for Democrats losing control of the House and the Senate and for 20 years, not much happened. And these mass shootings have caused the broad middle to rise up again."

Knee-jerk reactions rise again. Go read it.

Ah, Youth - Or, Are You Smarter Than an 8th Grader?

I remember being young and defiant. I certainly hope I'm at least somewhat defiant anyway.
By now I'm sure most folks have seen the story about 8th grader Jared Marcum in West Virginia who was arrested for "almost inciting a riot." That "almost riot" came because Jared decided to debate an NRA shirt with a teacher who decided he didn't like the shirt. Well, Jared went back at school after his arrest and suspension and the brilliant young man came out of his corner swinging and wore the same shirt again. Well-played young sir, well played.
It shouldn't matter which side of the gun control argument a person is on, this one should be easy. There are no rules in the school's dress code to enforce here. Jared's shirt was fully within the code. He chose to stand his ground rather than automatically bend a knee to some pantywaist on a power trip.
I'm scoring this one Right-headed Student 1, Wrong-headed Teacher 0. Or maybe that should be Hope For Our Future 1, Too Little Brainpower to Debate an 8th Grader Zero 0.

Mistakes Were Made

But he looked like a good suspect. That, and well, he did some really great shows from his holding cell. Jailhouse Rock was a favorite on both sides of the bars.

Authorities are investigating whether someone may have tried to falsely implicate the Elvis impersonator from Corinth, Mississippi, a law enforcement source said on condition of anonymity.

Go read it.

(Plus I feel the need to follow-up after calling the arrest, and the guy, weird.)

So You Do Want Registration

Another instance of blathering on about how gun control would have helped, but then the argument really doesn't support the idea. There are already laws on the books that make gun possession by the Boston Marathon Bombers illegal. What they did was illegal. They decided to become criminals and no whining about the NRA is going to change the fact that more gun laws would not have done anything to have stopped them. Mr. Earl Ofari Hutchisonn needs to listen to the facts of his own story.

Boston bomber suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev reportedly horded a small arsenal of guns. They were semi-automatic weapons. They did not have to go through a background check or have a permit. Authorities will now be forced to spend countless hours and personnel trying to track down exactly how, when and where they got their guns. They could have easily have gotten them over the Internet, at a gun show, or just simply bought them from an individual seller on the street or anywhere else.

Authorities will investigate. It's what they do. Registration or not, they would have to chase paper. Hutchinson is calling for an electronic database of gun owners to speed up the process. Not going to happen. Ever. What difference does it make now after the fact? Go read it.

Just Following Orders

That's the excuse the New York State Troopers are going to use anyway. They said in a statement:

"The individual members of this union did not write the terms of the bill nor vote on its passage," the State Police PBA said. "We urge the citizens of New York State to remember that troopers are simply tasked with the lawful mandate to enforce the laws of the state, regardless of their personal opinion of such laws."

We're just following orders. Where ever in history have we heard that before?
Go read it.

That's Going to Leave a Mark

Hit at close range with Rat Shot. Ouch.

The caller reportedly arrived at the scene with a .38 caliber handgun, loaded with rat shot.

Go read it.

(Plus I just like the sound of the newspaper and county name.)

I Hate Guns

and I'm a Wall Street Analyst hack who needs to make nice with my employer, Michael Bloomberg. So, I tried to tie two semi-relatable things together, but couldn't really get it done in the end.

What with the terrorist attack in Boston, the deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas and the inane vote against gun control in the U.S. Senate, you may have missed the news late last week about Stephen Feinberg. The reclusive co-founder of the buyout firm Cerberus Capital Management LP is attempting one of his most daring and ill- conceived deals of all time: trying to buy Freedom Group Inc., one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers, from his own company.

Go read it.

More For the Choir

Liberties lost in the name of safety... Over at The Atlantic, Wendy Kaminer tells the emperor he's naked as a jaybird.

You shouldn't deny the fear that drives the diminution of freedom. You'll only end up looking foolish. "A bomb can't beat us," President Obama assured Bostonians three days after the attack. "We don't hunker down ... we don't cower in fear." Yes we do. Less than 24 hours after Obama left town, hundreds of thousands of us were "sheltering in place."

Go read it.

Defy. Resist. Evade. Smuggle.

My name is Mike Vanderboegh and I'm a smuggler. I am from the great free state of Alabama and I am a Three Percenter. 

If you wish to stay free and to pass down that freedom to your children's children you can do no less than to become the lawbreakers that they have unconstitutionally made of you. Accept that fact. Embrace it. And resolve to be the very best, most successful lawbreakers you can be.

Go read the transcript of Mike Vanderboegh's speech on Lexington Green.

Share This One

This one will make you think. Are you ready?

The first thing to mention is AVOIDANCE. This is the best form of threat mitigation. If you can avoid large public events then you are going a long way to avoiding being caught in a terrorist attack, or even an active shooter event. 

Go read it.

Pulling it Together

I'm working on something a little longer and going all biblical. More later.

So They Lost Because Their Supporters Are Lazy

By way of The Captains Journal.

And oh, there are the excuses. Poor Michael Hirsh has perhaps the best one. ” … it is practically a iron law of politics that the larger the interest group—in this case, the 90 percent of all Americans who want background checks—the less likely it will be able to mobilize against a smaller, more organized and passionate interest group, such as the National Rifle Association.” Nine out of ten people can’t win anything against the one holdout.

I would liken gun control supporters to the single, voice-of-reason holdout on a jury. The one who really understands, and holds dear, the idea of justice, the law, and reasonable doubt. That single person among twelve can ensure that an innocent man goes free. 

It takes guts and determination to stand your ground when being browbeaten by those who want to make an emotional decision and get back to work and families, rather than truly consider what that hasty decision will do to another human being or the rights of future generations. 

Just say "Guilty"and we can all go home, just say "Gun Control" and everything will be better. "Wrong," says the man of strong heart, "protect the innocent, protect the rights of law-abiding citizens." Gun rights advocates did just that and, thankfully, the Senate listened. I'm proud you and I were part of that effort. I personally would rather be part of an "organized and passionate" minority than a lazy majority any day.

Go read Hirsch's full piece.

While They Chase The Boston Bombing Guys

Don't forget about this guy and the ricin letters. Bizarre doesn't begin to describe him. Go read it.

I've added Google+

We'll see where that gets me.

This One is Entertaining

Obama Reacts to Gun Control Loss (with subtitles)

It's super annoying when Senators listen to their constituents.

That pretty much sums it up. It's worth the four minutes.

Good Guy vs. Bad Guy

Follow-up info on concealed handgun license holder who shot robber in Everman, Texas. Turns out it was a Craigslist "deal" to relieve a buyer of his money. Be careful out there on the secondary market. Go read it.

Manchin Meme

This, from over at the Freedom Feens blog, is full of awesome.

No time to Sigh With Relief

Democratic leadership aides said the effort could be revived if a public groundswell demanded it. “The world is watching the United States Senate, and we will be held accountable,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, who helped lead the gun control effort.  

I can tell you, Senator Blumenthal, that the rest of the world doesn't have such a good record for following the will and protecting the rights of their people. Not that we're a shining example, but this is a step in the right direction. Defeat of this bill was just the reasoned response of those who realize what is really at stake. So, take your whining and go home.
More will come, bet on it. Go read it.
In the meantime, call your senators and tell them to vote against cloture on Harry Reid’s bill (S. 649) so it can die in the Senate rather than hold out 'til later. The number to the capitol is 202-224-3121, the switchboard will hook you up with your folks to oppose cloture. 

Not According to Plan

for the robber anyway.

The man with the CHL was shot in the arm and the hand by the robber, but the robber was shot multiple times in the chest.

It's important to remember shot placement.

Go read it.

I Want to Hate Alan Gottlieb

but I'm having a hard time doing it.

First read this at Sipsey Street.

In one fell swoop Gottlieb has provided political cover for all those waffling senators and congressmen who were seeking it desperately.

Then read this at Daylight Disinfectant.

There’s a Million other things in there it’s a Christmas Tree. We just hung a Million Ornaments on it. We’re taking the Background Check and making it a pro-gun bill. 

I'm not sure what to think, but I want to take my own advice and reserve judgement. The mention of concealed carry language I couldn't find the other day was making me think that whole thing had come from someone who was attempting to write something gun control advocates couldn't or wouldn't support. 

The biggest hangup for me is the internet sales background check. That's definitely trouble. How else would one sell a gun today?I'm reserving judgement. For now.

Voters Over Polls and Pols Over Voters

See what I did there?
This Boston Herald opinion piece notes where the real power originates.

Gun control advocates sound puzzled by congressional resistance to relatively modest gun control legislation. Many cite a poll showing 90 percent of Americans support more background checks...

Half the nation views the federal government as a threat to individual liberties rather than a protector of those rights. Sixty-five percent recognize that the purpose of Second Amendment gun control rights is protection against tyranny, and 44 percent believe it’s likely the government will try to confiscate all privately owned guns over the next generation.

Hear, hear.

...the Political Class typically gets what it wants regardless of public opinion. What’s unusual about the gun control debate is that the Political Class appears to be stymied in one of those rare instances when it appears to agree with public opinion.

Go read it.

Sorry to Disappoint

Michigan Live but there was no blood in the streets as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Michigan Open Carry met at the capitol.

Despite the opposing view points and many, many guns present, the rally remained peaceful, with both sides able to get their points across.

Media attitudes and semantics matter in this debate. Go read it.

Yes! Please Do!

"Hey, PTR," (Texas Governor Rick) Perry posted on Twitter on Friday. "Texas is still wide open for business!! Come on down!"

Want. Want. Want. I would swear eternal allegiance to PTR rifles if they do.

Go read it.

This Just Makes Me Sad

Also on Monday, owners of certain AR15 assault rifles and other semi-automatic guns with military-style features – the sale of which is now banned in New York – can begin registering their firearms with the state and have a year to do so.

Go read it.

I Hate to Pick Nits

but I'm going to do it.

Washington: Members of the Sikh community joined other religious leaders in urging the US Congress to pass strict gun control laws to prevent the recent surge in gun violence in the country, including the one at a Wisconsin Gurdwara in 2012. The religious leaders gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Friday amidst a makeshift graveyard -- 3,300 grave markers in all representing the number of people who have died in gun violence since December's massacre in Newtown -- to emphasise the huge toll of gun violence in America.

How many of the 3,300 people to die a firearm related death since December were criminals? How many were suicides? How many people kept themselves or others from harm using a firearm during the same period? It's time for folks to see the bigger picture. Go read it.
Also, I have to point out that "...pass strict gun control laws to prevent the recent surge in gun violence..." doesn't make sense.

They Get a Vote

and they're stil not happy about it. Blame the NRA for everything. I'm pretty sure Climate Change is the NRA's fault.

Indeed, the Manchin-Toomey compromise plays right into the NRA’s hands. It’s an example of what gun-control advocate Dennis Henigan calls the “gun-control Catch-22.” The NRA forces lawmakers to gut a proposed law, leaving it with gaping loopholes. Then, when the law predictably fails to meaningfully reduce gun violence, the NRA cites it as evidence gun control doesn’t work.

Sheesh. Isn't this what politics are all about anyway? If the goal is to defeat the NRA then gun control advocates should build a bigger, better political machine than the NRA. Considering the sheer number of dollars that appear to have been spent since--and even before--December, I highly doubt that will be possible in the near future. Go read it.

Consideration

We'll see.

If the High Court takes up the case (Kachalsky v. Cacace, 12-845), it will have to rule on two central issues: (1) Whether the Second Amendment secures a right to carry handguns for self-defense outside the home; and (2) whether state officials violate the Second Amendment by denying handgun carry licenses to responsible, law-abiding adults for lack of “proper cause” to bear arms for self-defense.

Go read it.

An Epidemic Of

pre-written hogwash. Go read it.

PTR Moving

A PTR91 is on my short list for a .308 rifle. I'm hoping they'll move to Texas near me. Go read it.

Can't Find It Now

I know I saw that there will be an expansion of concealed carry to all states in the new gun control bill, but I can't find that article again. Maybe I can post a link later this afternoon.

Good On Her, Too

She warned the man she was armed, The Spokesman-Review of Spokane reported."He just kept coming," Mize said. "I didn't hesitate to shoot."

Go read it.

Good On Her

A woman in Lumberton, TX shot and stopped a robber Sunday morning before sunrise. This was not just any robber. This robber was part of a group of men who had gone on a crime spree over the past 2 weeks in Beaumont's West End and now in Lumberton.
Go read it.

More of This

Just after dawn one recent Saturday, the Rev. McAbee strapped a Glock .40 to his waist and drove deep into the East Texas pine woods to Dirty Harry's shooting range.
He began teaching gun classes shortly after he earned his nickname, and cites Scripture that he says justifies the classes: Psalm 144:1, "The Lord has trained me for battle"; and Luke 22:36, in which Jesus instructs the disciples to arm themselves.

A feel good story about a pardoned felon/pastor training others in firearms. The story from the LA Times has a few factual errors and, what I would call, security issues, but overall a good piece. Go read it.

Weasel

Headline reads, "JOE SCARBOROUGH: On Gun Control, Republicans Are Putting 'Rapists' Rights Over Parents' Rights'"
There's a prime example of being out-of-touch with the reality of the situation and counting on folks to just read headlines. Why do I even read these stories? Ridiculous.  Go read it.

I Haven't Decided On This One

If my instructors had skipped a few youtube videos the class could have been a couple of hours shorter. Take out time for fingerprints because that is done offsite now and I can see it. Go read it.

And Homeowners "Isn't" Taking It Either

"It's pretty bad when people are breaking into houses during the day. I mean that just shows that people really isn't giving a crap no more in this town."

Go read it.

Poetry Meets Real Life

The lead-in description is so eloquent.

I was in my house... in North Carolina. It was fall...I heard the rhythm of someone walking on the leaves and they came to my door.

And then it turns all Joe Biden-esque.

And somebody actually turned the knob. So I said, "Stand back! Stand four feet back because I'm going to shoot now!" Boom! Boom! The police came by and said, 'Ms. Angelou, the shots came from inside the house.' I said, 'Well, I don't know how that happened.'

Who would have thought Maya Angelou had it in her?
Go read it.

On A Lighter Note

Lizard people and the people who believe in them. Go read it.

Unbelievable

"The crawl space was there. I figured there might be a safe or something there that might obtain jewelry or something. That was the only door I opened, the only door," Slater said. 

Instead of jewelry he found five rounds of .38 from a mother protecting her children. As for the "only door" he opened, I guess he forgot about the front or back door he opened to get into the house where he didn't belong in the first place.
Oh, wait a minute, he didn't forget about that one.

"I knocked on the door. I tried to take every precaution to make sure I was going into a vacant home," he said.

He got 20 years...and banished? Go read it.

It's No Paradox

It's just a lack of actual common sense, or maybe hardcore dedication to denial of reality.

And yet it is still nutty to insist that the answer is more restrictions on more types of weapons. Of course, gun- control advocates are calling for such bans in part to protect civilians from each other -- to stop the next Sandy Hook or Aurora, for instance. There is both nobility and reason in such a rationale. Yet when gun rights advocates point out that the Second Amendment was created to protect against tyranny, and that we should thus be cautious in banning the weapons it guarantees us, we are once again treated to a host of claims as to how the Second Amendment is now irrelevant because the government is inarguably more powerful than the citizenry could ever hope to be. So the argument becomes at once both rational and confusing: we cannot compete against the military, but we can and should strip the populace of many firearms in order to protect ourselves from ourselves. Say what?

Go read it.

Not Sure What to do

Whether to laugh or just scratch my head. I will keep an eye out for the code as it might be useful though. Go read it.

WANT!

Oh, so want.

And they are doing an indiegogo campaign. Jump now.

Turning Left, Literally

Officials announced last month that the NRA will be the title sponsor for the April 13 Sprint Cup race at TMS, igniting a firestorm of controversy among some because gun rights have been a nationwide issue since the Dec. 14 massacre in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children and six educators dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School....
Now Clint Bowyer will drive a car at Texas Motor Speedway with the message "With Rights Comes Responsibility. Secure Your Firearms," in the April 13 race. Bowyer's sponsor, Gander Mountain, also has an online campaign underway encouraging responsible gun ownership.

Go read it.

Hmmmm... Republican Anarchists?

An interesting link at OpenDemocracy. To hear the guys over at Freedom Feens, Republicans are only a couple of steps away from being Anarchists, but most can't let go of their statism. Fortunately I think I managed to skip straight from Democrat over Republican to libertarian/minarchist.

Reject, Reject, Reject!

In particular, AG Abbott states the treaty “fails to recognize the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms or the right to defend one’s family, person, and property” and “empowers a new UN bureaucracy focused on firearms restrictions that will be run by international bureaucrats who are not accountable to the people of the United States”.

Go read it.
ETA-I see this morning that David Codrea beat me to it yesterday at The War on Guns blog.

The Future of our Youth

Looks a lot better after watching this. If only some adults could see things this way.

I Don't Buy It

Admittedly, I still want to like the guy, but maybe he should have picked someone other than Charlton Heston to mock.
What do I not believe? This bit from his follow-up piece at HuffPo:

For those who say I'm a hypocrite because I have an armed bodyguard, lets make one thing clear: No one in my employ is allowed to carry a large magazine

I think I might another employer if he went out and declared to the world that I was under-gunned.
Then there's this:

Every American has the right to bear arms. But it is up to every American to draw the line when it comes to the type of guns that are considered a reasonable means of self-defense.

I do believe the line is being drawn, but it isn't where many people of Jim Carrey's mindset would like. Go read it.

Wow. Just Wow.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO): "I will tell you these are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people who have those now they’re going to shoot them, so if you ban them in the future, the number of these high capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available." 

Found here at Sipsey Street.
Then the follow-up from her mouthpiece:

“The Congresswoman has been working on a high-capacity assault magazine ban for years, and has been deeply involved in the issue; she simply misspoke in referring to ‘magazines’ when she should have referred to ‘clips,’ which cannot be reused because they don’t have a feeding mechanism,”

So, I guess he doesn't undertand that clips are reusable, too? Oh, that's right, they don't know anything about guns, but they want to ban them anyway. Wow.

Dear Senator Feinstein

or should I say Senator Whinestein?

"A fear has set in that if they vote for the bill they won't be re-elected. It's that plain, it's that simple," Feinstein said during an appearance before the Commonwealth Club. "My view is they shouldn't go up to the Senate if they are unwilling to stand up and vote."

If a Senator's constituency supported gun control the Senator would vote for it. If a Senator feels that there are enough single-issue voters that can be reminded at the appropriate time to vote against and unseat them, them maybe said Senators should not be following the herd over the cliff. Go read it.

Fun With Math

I struck pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard at least, and came up with the following figures for what a stack the Department of Homeland Security is layin' in. That recent Forbes article said 1.6 billion, but that figure has creeped up since then to more than 2 billion. So, living in a modest home built in the 1950s where storage space is at a premium, I wondered what the DHS is looking at for warehousing all that brass, copper and lead.
Here's my scratchpad with roughish numbers.

Working from this link at MidwayUSA a 50-round .40 S&W carton is 6.1875 inches X 3.25 inches X 1.5 inches.

A football field, between the goal lines, is 300 feet X 12 inches = 3,600 inches long

and 160 feet X 12 inches = 1,920 inches wide

one layer of cartons would be 3,600 inches divided by 6.1875 inches = 582 cartons long

and 1,920 inches divided by 3.25 inches = 591 cartons wide

582 X 591 = 343,962 50-round cartons per layer

2 billion total rounds divided by 50 rounds per carton= 40,000,000 cartons

40,000,000 / 343,962 = 116.3 layers

116 layers X 1.5 inches = 174 / 12 = 14.5 feet deep

So, the DHS will have a football field's worth of .40 S&W hollowpoints stacked 14 and a half feet deep. Think about it. 

We Cannot Allow This to be Ratified

“The Senate has already gone on record in stating that an Arms Trade Treaty has no hope, especially if it does not specifically protect the individual right to bear arms and American sovereignty,” Sen. Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican who backed Mr. Inhofe’s motion, said in a statement. “It would be pointless for the president to sign such a treaty and expect the Senate to go along. We won’t ratify it.”

Go read it.

But This is a Quiet Neighborhood

The break-in sent shock waves through the community, which one 44-year resident described to Fox News as safe and relatively crime-free.

It turns out okay, though. Go read it.

Something's Missing

What a great bit of history. Too bad it all points to an incorrect conclusion. Mr. Parry dances all around the logical conclusion, but doles out some wrong-headed, hare-brained, ninny drivel instead.

Alaskan Opine

This one just because I like it when somebody says, "asinine."

At the outset, there is this: Universal background checks -- like recent asinine gun and magazine bans -- will not work, despite what the White House, the Democrats' leadership and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are peddling. 

Go read it.

Emotions

Many citizens reacting to the mass murders in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and Tucson, Ariz. — or yearning to curb the daily toll of domestic violence or gang shootings all over the country — have gone to their legislators with excellent intentions. But emotion overwhelms the logic of their ideas.

Go read it.