Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Daniel White on NRA News

This link goes to the NRA News site, and the particular show will only be available for a few more hours...

I have no idea why they do it that way, as it seems much valuable information is rendered inaccessible--or perhaps I just don't know how to navigate...?

Anyway, enough bellyaching--the fact is, they gave Dan some time to plug his new Examiner.com gig. When you access the Cam & Co. video from last night, drag the slider toward the end to get to his segment.

Is Any Place Safe?

Though not a consensus, many SCLC members, including such prominent figures as Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, were aware of inconspicuously armed SCLC agents who provided protection for civil rights leaders and other activists. On at least one occasion, a shootout erupted between racist attackers and black defenders from the SCLC. Throughout the South, NAACP members had pistols, shotguns and handguns in their homes and on their person, as did many SNCC members. [More]
This is just one of the stories from today's Gun Rights Examiner column.

Remember--it's going national next Monday.

Tell a friend?

The Bucket List

The Apocalypse is Coming: What You Need to Pack [More]
Interesting. But it looks like the techno-weenies forgot a thing or two...

[Via fimvit]

Another Stupid Republican

Mere illegal possession now means time behind bars for all but a few — the result of a bill signed into law in January...

One of those sponsors, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, R-Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union, said a state attorney general's directive addressing the new law was supposed to provide immediate relief for the unintended targets of the legislation...

...the directive made it far more likely that just about everyone else, including first-time offenders, will spend at least a year in state prison. [More]
Way to go, moron. Thanks a lot.

Where does the GOP find these tools?

I wonder what some people would do to avoid a year behind bars with sociopathic scum and gang-affiliated guards?

At what point will they force people to realize "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"...?

[Via Jeffersonian]

A Reasonable Restriction

Ban all guns...[More]
Wait a minute--I thought the new post-Heller talking point from the antis was no one wants to do that and now we can focus on "common sense measures."

Robert Smith Jr. offers the most intellectually impaired opinion piece I have yet read, and I've read a lot of 'em. But at least he takes the mask off--and you'll notice no "leading" anti-gunners have rushed in to repudiate him.

The short answer, Bob, is "No."

The longer answer is two words, starts with "F" and ends with "you."

Your move.

[Via Joe G]

Are You Feeling Blu?

Did you know that Blu-ray discs can report back to studios when you play a disc? Yep. The BD-Live feature (which was initially touted as a way of delivering extra content to customers - as though Blu-ray didn’t offer enough space in the first place) is being used by studios to keep track of how often you play a disc. [More]
I really don't know enough about this technology to articulate an informed conclusion, but figured I'd throw this out there so those of you who do can educate us.

The author's conclusion?
I don’t know about you, but as a consumer I’m getting tired of being spied on.
That and as a citizen...

[Via Carl S]

Sorting Out the Sheeple

You're a woman--maybe even a lady. Walking to your car in a subterranean parking structure, you round the fender and find a hulking, leering troglodyte crouched beside your car door. He rises. grinning, with a length of clothesline and a roll of duct tape in his hands. At that instant, you have your choice of one of three vehicles to pull up beside you...[More]
Carl S reminds me of a column from several months back by a GUNS Magazine colleague. Good stuff.

Does "Bear" Brady ... in the Woods?

An anti-gun group is suing to stop a last-second Bush administration change that would allow Americans to carry concealed, loaded guns in most national parks and wildlife refuges.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sued the Interior Department in federal court on Tuesday. [More]
Because, you know, those of us who responsibly keep and bear arms everywhere else are going to get a sudden urge to take potshots at a moose with a handgun. Or something.

I wonder, if the suit is successful, if the Brady's will guarantee our safety in their "No Guns" zones--and assume financial responsibility if we're harmed because we weren't "allowed" defend ourselves?*

And they say there are no stupid questions...

David Hardy thinks they may have "standing" issues, but the DC Circuit also gives broad meaning to the term "germane."

*Not that some ever obey this evil foolishness anyway...

[Via Zachary G]

Sole Man

I'm sorry, but I think this is funny. [More]

I was wondering how long it would take someone to do something like this.

[Via Avg Joe]

We're the Only Ones Ironic Enough

Local cop busted on suspicion of drunk driving

Aurora police veteran ironically honored for O-V-I enforcement [More]
If it wasn't for the irony, there would be no "Only Ones" Files.

[Via TZ]

We're the Only Ones Who Fit You to a "T" Enough

A Belleville Police officer arrested a St. Charles man for wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the word "POLICE."

..."Those t-shirts are a sign of solidarity," said Howard A. Shalowitz, an attorney representing Weinstein. "How many people wear NYPD caps? Are they impersonating police?" [More]
See, if you want to show "solidarity," it's important that you wear the right shirt.

I wonder if a t-shirt emblazoned with the words "ONLY ONES" would sell?

[Via Avg Joe and Mack H]

Meet the New Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner

We are pleased to announce that OFCC's Daniel White has been selected as the next Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner! Many of you are familiar with his writings, as he has written articles for OFCC for years. We wish him luck and success, and our website will continue to link to his articles as we have done for David the last couple of months. [More]
Dan is uniquely positioned to grow the Ohio market. He starts this new gig on Monday and I'll be linking to his stuff as a matter of course.

In addition to refocusing my column to a national audience, I'm working with my Examiner.com channel manager to develop Gun Rights Examiners in other cities. While it would be premature to give specifics, I think I'll have another very good announcement to make shortly.

This Day in History: December 31

On December 31, the American forces assaulted Quebec, with 600 men led by Arnold from the North and 300 men led by Montgomery from the South. The British were waiting between successive barriers. The Americans broke through the first line, but were stopped by the second. Arnold was wounded in the leg and carried from the battle field. Montgomery was killed by a bullet to the head, and the American assault failed. Six hundred men were captured and 60 died in the attempt to take Quebec. [More]

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Lucky Lady

I admire her determination and grit, but the fact remains she's lucky to have escaped at all, let alone with her belongings. After all, she found herself alone and in the clutches of a predator--one who does not hesitate to terrorize and assault women for petty property. [More]
Today's Gun Rights Examiner column...

Tell a friend?

Blago Proves Wounded Animals Still Dangerous

In a surprise move by the embattled yet comically maniacal Illinois Governor, Blagojevich has tapped former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace Barack Obama in the Senate. [More]
Dare we ask about guns?
"If I ban them, I'm going to be the first one to burn mine."
"If I ban them."

That's some serious megalomania going on there. Who better to replace The Lightworker?

He just "didn't get around to" turning his gun in after he made political hay urging others to surrender theirs?

I wonder if he's gotten around to re-registering it every year, like another powerful member of the Illinois political machine...?
It's a little, small thing. I just have it there for safety...
Indeed.

Getting Results the "Only Ones"/"Authorized Journalists" Way

Coordinated efforts by the Police Department and Bristol County District Attorney’s Office have resulted in a significant reduction in gun crimes and increase in seizure of illegal firearms in the city. [More]
OK, that seems a straightforward enough claim. How do they figure?
In 2008, that category of calls ["shots fired"] remained nearly the same.
Well that's not a "reduction" then, is it?
There was a more than 50 percent decrease in the number of illegal guns seized by police, from 51 in 2006 to 24 in 2007, and a significant dropoff in 2008, with only 18 by mid-December.
Excuse me? That's a decrease then, not an "increase." Less is the new more? I suppose you could argue that's because they're gathering them all up and there are no more to be found, but might we also wonder if there's another reason...?

I'm not saying violent crime using firearms hasn't decreased. We've seen a nationwide reduction in recent years. It would take someone like John Lott to explain why.

What I'm saying is, I don't see anything in this article to support the thesis we're presented with and expected to accept at face value--that such crime has actually been reduced in Fall River/Bristol County due to the policies being credited.

We're the Only Ones Going Off on Our Wives Enough

Cop's Gun Goes Off...

...it discharged. [More]
"Only One" guns must have some special properties. I can't find any reference in this--or in most similar stories-- saying he shot her. Or any use of the word "negligence."

U.S. “Incremental” Small Arms Fielding: Failures and Solutions

This isn't normally stuff I highlight on WarOnGuns with my focus on rights, but this is interesting. Scroll down to Session VI: Time for a Change, and click on the "Jim Schatz" link. [More]

Due to priorities, I have not had time--and probably won't have--to examine the rest of this site, but I'm sure some will find it very useful.

[Via Avg Joe]

Meanwhile, Across the Pond in Sarah Brady Paradise

The data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows police forces in England and Wales recorded 277 knife murders in the 12 months to April 2008.

If confirmed, the figures, which were obtained by the Conservative party, will be the highest since records began 30 years ago and represent a rise of 38% since 1999. [More]
Thank goodness none of the victims were shot!

[Via Jeffersonian]

We're the Only Ones Like a Good Neighbor Enough

Just as they were about to get the cat, Smith said, "This guy comes barreling out of his house, flashed his gun and his badge, and started screaming and freaking out."

...The Phoenix Police Department said their officer has a right to defend his property. [More]
Right.

I'm sure if Smith brandished to an "Only One" over something like this they'd have the same reaction.

[Via Avg Joe]

A Premature Burial

Bury a gun and ammo for 15 years (and be assured everything still works when you dig it up) [More]
I can see doing this with a couple cheap ones in different locations. I've never recommended dying on one's doorstep, or allowing an enemy to choose the time, place and circumstances of battle, and there's something to be said for acting timid and compliant and being the last person anyone would suspect of leading a personal resistance effort.

Of course, if the time comes to dig them up, their purpose will be to procure more...

[Via 1894C]

73

8,000,000 plus checks
117,000 denials (125,000 denials, offset by 8,000 reversals on appeal)
77,000 of these were referred to Field Offices for investigation (80% not involving felony records)
273 persons charged, and a whopping
73 convictions. [More]
I asked a question the other day in my Gun Rights Examiner column:
Would it not be a more meaningful "success story" for the Brady's to tell us--of those 1.6 million--how many were successfully prosecuted and convicted?
Incidentally, I was almost arrested for asking this question of Sarah Brady and Rep. Jane Harman some years back. The sensitivity to what happened there is what led me to establish the "Authorized Journalist" files.

[Via W-3]

Stopping Holder

Western Rifle Shooters Association discusses this important political action. [More]

I've asked WoG readers to get involved.

I wonder if I'm just wasting my time--if all of us urging action are?

We're the Only Ones Youth-Oriented Enough

A decorated hero for stopping the killing spree at Trolley Square, Ogden Police Officer Ken Hammond now finds himself facing a criminal charge.

Weber County prosecutors charged Hammond late Monday afternoon with a single count of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old, accusing him of engaging in a sexual act with someone at least 10 years younger than he is. [More]
And again, whenever I have an "Only Ones" story like this, I'm compelled to ask the Eternal Question...

A Robbery in Redondo Beach

Police today are looking for an armed robber and an accomplice who held up a man at gunpoint Sunday night on a Redondo Beach street. [More]
And, of course, he had no choice but to comply and pray they didn't want to eliminate the witness.

I'm very familiar with that area. I lived in Redondo for years and have walked there myself. It's one of those places where people think stuff like this never happens, so they probably caught him unawares, too frozen in astonishment to flee.

Which is the only option non-"Only Ones" or unconnected "law-abiding citizens" have in Redondo Beach.

This Day in History: December 30

As I hold it incompatible with the honour of my commission to suffer men, in arms against their Sovereign and the laws, to appear before His Majesty's ships, I desire you will cause your sentinels, in the town of Norfolk, to avoid being seen, that women and children may not feel the effects of their audacity; and it would not be imprudent if both were to leave the town. [More]
Translation: Open carry, except by "Only Ones," upsets people...?

Monday, December 29, 2008

What if You Held a "Buyback" and Nobody Came?

But what of the civic-minded Tre Crips? What happened to the six who told event organizer Alvertis Simmons they "were tired of the violence" and wanted "to turn their guns in"? Or what of members of rival fraternities who keep the Denver Police Gang Bureau busy?

I can't help but wonder how many made it to the weekend E-40 concert...[More]
Today's Gun Rights Examiner column...

Please help with the continued growth and success of this effort by sharing these columns with like-minded friends, posting to forums, etc.

Meddling Prohibitionists

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration]
I’ve got news for the prohibitionists of the world. My father won’t give up his freedom to pass on his legacy without government interference — and neither will I, nor will my family, nor my friends. Nor will millions of other freedom-loving citizens. [More]
Excellent letter from Russ Stewart, who tells me and reminds us all:
People need to know that local newspapers love to foster debate on issues. Letters to the editor are great, but full editorials are much more effective. People with a little writing talent and a somewhat silver tongue can often get an editor agree to publish up to 600-700 words. I think it is very important for us to convey to the general public that we are done backing up, and that we are ready to engage in civil disobedience to protect out liberties.

Another Reason to Invest in a Home Theater

...or to be armed if you don't. [More]

[Via Mama Liberty]

Accidental

ThirdPower has more on this anti-gun creep. [More]

Mom With a Gun

Meleanie Hain interview. [More]

I see some on "our side" are putting her down.

I think that's wrong. It works to the detriment of pioneers championing normalization, and to the continued empowerment of punks like these.

[Via TJP]

We're the Only Ones Who Will Blow Your F'n Head Off Enough

There are six videos in all. Start with the first one, here.

In the second, they ask him if he has hand grenades tell him a Tylenol is a narcotic and accuse him of being a liar.

They bust his chops about not letting them search the truck. They tell him a Tylenol 3 out of a pill case is a felony.

Winning death threat quote from video 4: "I'm goin' home."

Winning quote from video 6: "He's got a smart mouth....He's been bitchin' the whole time."

Per Ed Stone:
David,
Please check out the videos linked in this thread (obtained using the Open Records Act). There is a letter from the Chief apologizing linked later in the thread. Notice he does NOT apologize for the officer's gun pointing at his head.

Please note that Officer Mason, at the passenger window, has been present at several incidents where the Glynn County police harass citizens for carrying a pistol, and he was present weeks later when this driver was arrested in the parking lot of a mall for refusing to show his identification while carrying a pistol openly (I believe the police report from that arrest was posted on your blog).
I note some on "our side" are quick to disparage open carry as a taboo that scares too many people, and thus works against "us." I submit that unless and until freedom is normalized, people who choose to lawfully exercise their rights will continue to be endangered, and that courageous pioneers deserve our gratitude and support, not our criticism.

I also note that Glynn County PD Officers Nolen and Mason remind me of nothing so much as brownshirts . They behaved like the type of bullying thugs who say they demand respect, but unable to either show it to citizens they're hired to serve, or earn it from them, will settle for fear.

Such as these are why I continue with "the Only Ones" files.

That's unacceptable in my country, and I intend to let them know it.

UPDATE: There.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media. [More]
Of course, the Russkis may want to look at their own house first, but still, in The Lightworker's own words:
[W]hat works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.
And that doesn't just apply to guns.

[Via Cigar Rollers]

How Do I Rate?

Internet sites could be given cinema-style age ratings as part of a Government crackdown on offensive and harmful online activity to be launched in the New Year, the Culture Secretary says. [More]
And lest you think it's just for the subjects across the pond in Sarah Brady paradise...
He is planning to negotiate with Barack Obama’s incoming American administration to draw up new international rules for English language websites.
Well that falls right in line with AG nominee Eric Holder's sentiments...

What did our friends the Talosians say?
Wrong thinking is punishable.

Right thinking will be as quickly rewarded.
[Via Illspirit and An Hour of Wolves]

Cause and Effect

The number of police officers killed by gunfire in 2008 dropped to its lowest level in more than 50 years...[More]
Who thinks it's because of "gun control" edicts?

Who thinks making it even harder for you and me to buy a gun, or to further restrict what we're "allowed" to own or where and how we're "permitted" to bear arms will reduce these numbers even more?

What do I have to do to get some anti in here? Put out a welcome mat?

[Via Avg Joe and DaKid]

This Day in History: December 29

The disgraceful circumstance, to the Colony, of seizing the Printer's materials and servants, in Norfolk; the captivating our friends at Kemp's Landing, and the cowardly behaviour of a party of Militia in that neighbourhood, afterwards, proceeded from the defenceless state of that part of the country, and our inability, for sometime, to send them protection, for want of arms and ammunition. [More]

Sunday, December 28, 2008

What Better Way to Dishonor Their Memory?

Relatives of those who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93 want the Bush Administration to seize the land needed for a memorial where the plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa., in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Yeah, what better memorial could someone want to celebrate freedom, courage and sacrifice than one obtained through coercion and theft?

I never will get why some feel their grief entitles them to make claims on others, but we see it with mothers of "gun victims" all the time.

If it was my land, I'd break off negotiations immediately over this.

Way to turn sympathy into absolute opposition.

We're the Only Ones BS-ing You Enough

Sheriff's Deputy Gregory Anderson tags a gun after rendering it safe during the "Gifts for Guns" exchange at Lennox Middle School. [More]
Gosh, is that all it takes to render a gun safe enough to have at a middle school, so that we don't all go stampeding in hysteria...?

A piece of removable plastic and a uniform...?

It must be that powerful "Only Ones" juju at work again. Thank goodness, I can swallow my cud again in contentment and oblivion...

Speaking of which, check out some of the quotes from the herd.

Peter Jacob's wife Carol insists on his castration, and like a good steer he complies. What he'll be prepared to do should he and she encounter a bull is something we dare not contemplate.

And the unidentified retiree is evidently secure enough in his location, prowess and prescience to know he no longer "needs" the means of self defense.

Sounds like more bulls... to me...

Speaking of which, funding for this came from the Sheriff's Department. Remember that next time Lee Baca tells you he doesn't have enough, and needs to raise sales taxes.

Talk about bs...

We're the Only Ones "No Questions Asked" Enough

He said as of Tuesday night, people turning in illegal guns would not be given gift cards or get their guns back.

"If they hand us an illegal handgun and we have no money, we can't give back the gun," he said. [More]
Suck...errrs...

And "no questions asked"--just show us some ID...

Hysterical. And while I don't normally believe in blaming victims, you got just what you had coming, Mark DeAngelis.

Gosh, if you can't trust "Only Ones," who can you trust...?

What if You Held a "Buyback" and Nobody Came...?

The Rev. Reginald Holmes, a minister at the church, said about 40 people with a total of 120 guns showed up but were turned off to the idea of just donating their guns. [More]
But wait a second...Alvertis Simmons led us to believe the Tre Crips were primarily interested in ending the violence...I don't see from this story where any of them followed through...

World's Stupidest Violent Crime Solutions

With Chicago's homicide total for 2008 already past 500, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., is calling for stronger gun laws in order to help to stem urban violence. [More]
Brilliant. Let's make guns even more "illegal" in Chicago. And let's expand Chicago's success story everywhere!

I guess my favorite nonsensical statement has to be:
Regulate the trafficking of illegal guns
Forget it, Jake, it's Chi-Town.

Open Carry Arrest in Vancouver, WA

Interesting thread. It appears he could win, but he needs to fight it with a lawyer, not in forums. [More]

[Via Jeffersonian]

Meanwhile, South of the Border in Sarah Brady Paradise...

A gang of about 20 men armed with assault rifles robbed a train in the western Mexican state of Michoacan and carted off some of its freight, the state prosecutor's office said Saturday...

...the thieves may have been after drums of pseudoephedrine, a chemical used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamines... [More]
Via Ed, who writes:
Gee, I thought that when my purchase of Pseudophed at my local drugstore was restricted that the drug trade in methampetamines would disappear. See any parallels?
Maybe if we just got rid of those damned American gun shows...?

What's "Legit" About This?

Lawyer claims Plaxico Burress's seized guns are legit [More]
Via Mack H, who asks:
What in the world is the Probable Cause for the search warrant?

Why did it take 3 hours??

Why was a NY prosecutor there inside a NJ home???

What the FREAK is going on here?
How an incident like this can trigger an investigation in another state is a mystery to me. All I can think of is, he must have opened his mouth in interrogation, and what he spilled got passed on to his home state.

This Day in History: December 28

The Continental Congress resolves that troops raised in Virginia be enlisted on the same terms and pay as the forces at Cambridge. [More]

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Gun Rights Examiner

This is going to change in the very near future.

Coming in early January, the "Cleveland" is going away.

The column has done well both regionally and in the "Politics" category. So the powers that be have decided they'll be better served if it goes national--meaning it will now show up on the national page as well as be accessible from 59 separate city pages.

That's the reason I've pushed it every day, and asked WarOnGuns regulars to read the columns and share them with your friends.

I outlined my plan from Day One, and it's actually unfolding much more quickly than I'd hoped.
This represents not just a local opportunity, but if it's successful, they'll surely be receptive to expanding the topic to other markets.
I'll be capitalizing on this receptivity on an ongoing basis.

As such, I've already lined up a proven columnist for Cleveland (no, I'm not going to say who--it will be his announcement to make and my place to support that with publicity) and I'm working with my channel manager to help establish a presence in other cities.

I hope it's clear that this is an opportunity for getting our message outside the "gun blogosphere" and into a much wider market. So I also hope you understand why I've been harping and nagging on this every day and asking for your help to promote the column. And why I won't apologize for continuing to do so.

Consider it my requested donation from those who get value from WarOnGuns. I ask you every day to click on (and read) the Gun Rights Examiner column and share the link with your friends.

Because as exciting as this new opportunity is, I--and "we"--could do much better based on the stats I'm seeing.

Please help me continue to grow this opportunity.

And thank you to those who do.

"Valkyrie"

Mike Vanderboegh gives a review of both the movie and the history. [More]

He also expresses a faith in our military that I pray he's right in having. I want to believe with the same confidence he does that the critical mass shares the same values as my family and friends who have served.

What I see from some commentators I respect makes it difficult for me to just dismiss their concerns as mere "posturing" and "imagination."

By all means, befriend servicepeople you encounter. But understand there are always those with power who have risen to top ranks and who are beholden to others.

The Founders rightly distrusted a standing army, even with the example set by Washington.

We're the Only Ones Unsealed Enough

Metropolitan cops are no longer required to seal off their gun muzzles unless directed otherwise by police district chiefs, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leopoldo Bataoil said Friday.

In a press conference at Camp Crame, Bataoil said it is now time for the police to show that they can be trusted in not using their guns in celebration of the New Year. [More]
See?

"Only Ones" are more trustworthy than the rest of us...

Good grief.

We're the Only Ones Retired Enough

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has issued 15 concealed-weapons permits to retired agents, the only former state police officers to receive the privilege. [More]
Oooh...Oooh!! Can we have one too...?

Sorry.

You're not "Only Ones."

And ultra-super-trustworthy Wisconsin Only Ones at that...

Gosh--the Gauleiters won't give their permission to us rabble.

Whatever shall we do...?

Desperately Seeking Attention

“It should be obvious to anyone that a civilian bringing an openly-carried, loaded semiautomatic weapon to a child’s soccer game poses a grave risk to the community,” said Daniel R. Vice, Senior Attorney at the Brady Center’s Legal Action Project. [More]
Because we all know only the "Only Ones" can be trusted.

And don't let the "openly-carried, loaded semi-automatic weapon" rhetoric throw you. They get just as hissy against concealed carry. And revolvers.

They just don't want us to have guns.

Don't they sound ridiculous? Like the loser kids from school who snitched on their classmates to win the teacher's approval...?

[Via Mack H]

When Blood Starts Running

"We no longer have a civilian-led government."

This ominous conclusion comes to us from Thomas A. Schweich, who held the title of deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement affairs in the Bush Regime... [More]
William N. Grigg brings another ominous analysis.

General Patton's riot "laws" are of particular interest, and boil down to this:
"When blood starts running, the law stops."
[Via Ron W]

This Day in History: December 27

I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her. [More]

Friday, December 26, 2008

A Wanted Man and 'A True Success Story'

What's the solution? That's huge. All I can address here is a small piece of it.

It does not involve disarming you and me. [More]
Today's Gun Rights Examiner column...

Tell a friend?

A Free-Market Solution

Private Assassins Target Gangs In Guatemala...

In Guatemala, people have had enough of corrupt police and brutal extortions by gangs. They've turned to vigilantism. Lynch mobs and death squads are now commonplace. [More]
The shape of things to come...? Is there a lesson here about what naturally occurs when otherwise peaceable people are not allowed to live their lives, have no means of peaceable redress, and some undefined line in the sand is finally crossed?

[Via Greg L]

Blood from a Turnip

More taxes are coming our way. You may not recognize them because, transparency and honesty be damned, many of them will come disguised as fees, assessments, and whatever euphemisms can be pulled from a government thesaurus to obscure the truth. [More]
Yeah, kick us while we're down and demand even more to enable your ceaseless tyranny and boundless incompetence.

Y'know, this could actually be a good thing in a "Squeeze, Baby, Squeeze" kind'a way...

[Via Avg Joe]

About That Virginia Tech Gun Ban

Roy offered to arrange for armed security for Giovanni before a meeting she had with Cho, according to an e-mail. [More]
So--when it serves their purposes, they're not completely anti-gun.

And naturally, Larry Hincker didn't want us to find about about this.

[Via Jeffersonian]

Truly Amazing

Carolina Camera: The Sling Shot Man [More]
See, the good thing is, he didn't have one of those deadly "assault slingshots"...

And yes, the control freaks actually are that anal retentive.

[Via Mike H]

A Yuletide Lesson

A man dressed as Santa who had been having marital problems opened fire at a Christmas party, leaving more than three people dead in a home that then caught fire... [More]
Basically, the lesson is this: If someone attacks you, the police can't save you.

They'll even hold other government-employed rescuers back out of predominant concern for their safety. And note I'm not presuming to second-guess a situation I have no first-hand knowledge of and say they made a wrong call on that--I'm simply stating a reported conclusion.

If you're not prepared to protect yourself and those you love, don't expect anyone else to be.

[Via Mama Liberty]

We're the Only Ones Diagnosed Enough

In a survey of a random sample of U.S. emergency physicians, virtually all said they believed that law enforcement officers use excessive force to arrest and detain suspects. [More]
Put another way, just under 10 out of 10 doctors equate "Only Ones" with violent criminals...?

I guess it doesn't occur to some cops that we'd like to go home at the end of their shift, too?

[Via Avg Joe]

We're the Only Ones "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Enough

D.C. police said they have uncovered possible misdeeds by four officers in connection with a program that collects toys for needy children, and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said any officer "found to have taken toys" will be prosecuted. [More]
But Cathy still thinks police are the "Only Ones" who can be trusted to keep and bear arms...

I'd say "Unbelievable" about this story, but in truth, very little surprises me any more.

[Via DaKid]

This Day in History: December 26

Lord Dunmore's letters to General Howe, which very fortunately fell into my hands, and were enclosed by me to Congress, will let you pretty fully into his diabolical schemes. If, my dear Sir, that man is not crushed before spring, he will become the most formidable enemy America has; his strength will increase as a snow ball by rolling; and faster, if some expedient cannot be hit upon to convince the slaves and servants of the impotency of his designs. You will see by his letters, what pains he is taking to invite a reinforcement at all events there, and to transplant the war to the southern colonies. I do not think, that forcing his Lordship on shipboard is sufficient; nothing less than depriving him of life or liberty will secure peace to Virginia, as motives of resentment actuate his conduct, to a degree equal to the total destruction of the colony. [More]

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

What in the world are you doing here?

It's Christmas!

Get off the computer and go be with the ones you love.

If there is no one you love, go fix that. Get off the computer and go do something loving for someone.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Who Will Guard the Guards?

In other words, the trappings of state authority are all it takes to elicit trust? That seems a heck of a way to observe an unalienable individual right that's specifically posted off-limits to government infringement in "the supreme law of the land," don't you think? [More]
Today's Gun Rights Examiner column...

Tell a friend?

And while you're at it, tell them I'm going to have some good news about the column I'll talk about next week.

We're the Only Ones Taking [Hic] You for a Ride Enough

A trooper was fired yesterday by the Maryland State Police after he was arrested on charges of kidnapping a man in his marked cruiser at a fast-food drive-through, then leading Baltimore County police on a drunken high-speed chase. [More]
So what's with the charges?

I mean, you let him just write an apology and do some "community organizing" after his last three drunken adventures...

And everybody caught that "Only Ones Bill of Rights" referral, didn't you?

Good grief.

[Via Rick P]

We're the Only Ones Puppicidal Enough

The dog ran out, and down Peeple's driveway toward the officers, at which point they shot it three times. Even the police concede the dog never attacked. They shot it as it was running toward them. [More]
I don't know what it is about "Only Ones" and dogs, but I'm starting to think that no certification in dog behaviors and handling ought to be submissable evidence as proof of negligence after stuff like this goes down.

[Via Thomas C]

Self Defense...

...it isn't just for NorteAmericanos...[More]

I'm glad the store owner wasn't charged, but am cynical enough to wonder what that cost him...

[Via Joe G]

We're the Only Ones Spared Enough

Judge Robert Neary conceded that former Orange County sheriff's Lt. Lloyd Kurth violated the public's trust by stealing a rifle from the evidence room he once supervised.

But when it came time to sentence Kurth Monday in Orange County Court, Neary decided that Kurth's crime was offset by the loss of his law-enforcement career and the public humiliation endured by the 42-year-old Goshen native. [More]
Lord knows Messrs. Fincher and Olofson endured no comparable suffering, and thus deserved their prison terms...?
After the trial, Neary dismissed more charges revolving around Kurth's alleged theft of two handguns. He convicted Kurth of stealing a hunting rifle.

Sheriff Carl DuBois said Tuesday that the public never got the complete picture of Kurth's misdeeds.

"This wasn't just one, isolated incident," DuBois said.
Still, he's already suffered as only an "Only One" can, right, Judge Neary?

[Via Declan]

10-20-Life?

Florida threatens criminals with up to life in prison if they use a gun, but few suspects in Orange County get such tough mandatory penalties even as the campaign to end gun violence enters its 10th year, the Orlando Sentinel has found. [More]
Now hold the phone--I'm all for throwing the book at any animal using force and weapons to threaten, harm or kill victims. But "use a gun" is a far cry from some loser hiding under his mother's bed during a drug raid...

The police state receives major sustenance from the War on (some) Drugs. As does violent crime from both sides of "the thin blue line." That's a separate issue, but I'll repeat something I've long maintained:

Anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a custodian.

Still, I'm sittin' here wondering how that guy got 23 days and Wayne Fincher got six-and-a-half years...

[Via Bruce Mills]

It All Depends on the Meaning of the Word "Cache"

Authorities seized a small cache of weapons and ammunition from the New Jersey home of New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress...

The Post, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, said a 9-mm handgun, a rifle and ammunition for three other guns — a .380, a .45 and a .40, the same caliber of gun Burress accidentally shot himself with — were seized during the execution of a search warrant at Burress' home in Totowa. [More]
OK, at least we've established an "Authorized Journalist" benchmark of sorts.

A "cache" is larger than a "spate." I haven't figured out yet how either compare with an "arsenal."

[Via W-3]

"All I Want is World Peace"*

A reigning Mexican beauty queen from the drug-plagued state of Sinaloa was arrested with suspected gang members in a truck filled guns and ammunition, police said Tuesday. [More]
This can't be the whole story.

It doesn't say a word about those damned American gun shows...

One of the tough lessons we should learn when young is that physical beauty doesn't necessarily mean the mind isn't corrupted. Fortunately, in my case...

...:)

* From story comment poster sd74

[Via Brian F]

We're the Only Ones Jamming Traffic Enough

A former Utah state trooper suspected in a series of fatal rush-hour shootings near Dallas had an addiction to painkillers and a warrant had been issued for his arrest in connection with a recent robbery, according to Texas and Utah authorities. [More]
I guess if he had his certification revoked, he didn't qualify for nationwide "Only One" concealed carry...?

[Via Chris T, Zachary G, Joe G]

Better Things to Do

"What happens when all these people die out?" asks the president of Darien-based Friends of Animals. "Haven't their children discovered video games and better things to do than mutilate a deer?" [More]
Well, I suppose we could teach them to mutilate Zargonians...

[Via Skip]

We're the Only Ones Snowed In Enough

That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can't: melt it.

The city's patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer. [More]

We all get what that means, right?

That political pustule Greg "Spiderhole" Nickels not only is fighting to illegally disarm people, but his city's policy hampers the "Only Ones" he trusts with guns from responding to violent crime.

How much more absurd and dangerous do things need to get?

This Day in History: December 24

By order of his Excellency General Washington, a Board of General Officers sat yesterday in Cambridge, and unanimously recommended the following Rations to be delivered in the manner hereby directed -- Viz: Corn'd Beef and Pork, four days in a week. Salt Fish one day, and fresh Beef two days. As Milk cannot be procured during the Winter Season, the Men are to have one pound and a half of Beef, or eighteen Ounces of Pork pr. day. Half pint of Rice, or a pint of Indian Meal pr Week -- One Quart of Spruce Beer pr day, or nine Gallons of Molasses to one hundred Men pr week. Six pounds of Candles to one hundred Men pr week, for guards. Six Ounces of Butter, or nine Ounces of Hogs-Lard pr week. Three pints of Pease, or Beans pr man pr week, or Vegetables equivalent, allowing Six Shillings pr Bushel for Beans, or Pease -- two and eight pence pr Bushel for Onions -- One and four pence pr Bushel for Potatoes and Turnips -- One pound of Flour pr man each day -- Hard Bread to be dealt out one day in a week, in lieu of Flour. [More]

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Violence is No Game

But surely I'm not suggesting anyone's life is worth mere merchandise, or the contents of a cash register?

Not at all.

What I am suggesting is anyone depraved enough to threaten the life of another human being over something so trivial is a deranged monster capable of anything. What I'm suggesting is that human beings confronted with such monsters should not have their choice to defend their precious and irreplaceable lives taken away from them by others. [More]
Here's today's Gun Rights Examiner column.

Tell a friend?

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

Some machine-gun shoots in Texas let children attend... [More]
...which "Authorized Journalist" Anna M. Tinsley weaves into a convoluted tapestry of misdirection and non sequiturs to derive this foregone conclusion:
Remove guns from your home.
If we were to stay on topic and relevant, of course, we'd need to take all the shoots in the country that allow supervised children to participate and then factor in the number of child fatalities. Who wants to bet against common youth team sports being significantly more dangerous?

Someone competent with statistics help me out here and refine a credible data set criteria. The way Anna has things skewed, her conclusions depend more on gangbangers-per-morgue than anything else.

[Via Fired Brass from She Draws Him Like a Gun]

Expected to Survive

An armed man attempting to rob a Chandler jewelry store Saturday died of a gunshot wound resulting from a gun battle between the robber and store workers, police said.

The store owner was shot in the face during the gun battle, but he is expected to survive... [More]
Sure beats the alternative, doesn't it?

This reminds me of another man I had the privilege of meeting several years ago at a Westside Los Angeles NRA Members Council meeting. If you haven't heard of Lance Thomas, now's the time to make up for that.

[Via Chris K]

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a Convenience Store

ATF ran pawn shop in KCK to catch drug, gun violators [More]
Convenient for BATFU, that is...

[Via Glocked and Loaded]

Desperately Seeking Susan

Will you shoot me because my skin is black like presidential-elect Obama? And, if you pull the trigger will you look me in my eyes to see Susan as a project team member who is black or a black woman who happens to be a project team member? And, when my blood is pouring out of my body will you watch to see what color it is? [More]
Good grief, lady. Got issues much?

And aren't you glad her vote cancels out yours?

[Via HZ]

Captain Beefhead

Mayor Richard Daley said today that Chicago will host a "gun conference" next month to look for ways to beef up gun laws and get guns off the streets. [More]
Gun control? For Chicago?

What a novel idea! I'm surprised they haven't tried it already, what with their "murder capital" status and all...

Hey wait a minute...wasn't a virtual total ban--with the exception of "Only Ones"-- in effect at the time...?

Forget it Jake, it's Chi-Town...

[Via Mike H]

We're the Only Ones Exporting Enough

A veteran Los Angeles police officer who runs a security firm in Central America is being investigated by federal officials for allegedly smuggling guns and ammunition. [More]
No wonder the "Only Ones" want to close down those damned American gun shows.

Not that they offer any real competition...

[Via W-3]

Put a Hold on Holder

From Mike Vanderboegh:
Of course this comes as no surprise to anyone, but of all the people BHO seeks to surround himself with in DC, Eric Holder as the nominee for Attorney General has to be the most offensive stench in the nostrils of free men and women.
From Jeff Knox:
Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s nominee for Attorney General, is a totally unacceptable choice and needs to be strongly opposed by the Second Amendment community and all lovers of liberty.
Write your senator on this and demand to know where they stand. If they blow you off with boilerplate weasel words, write them again, more strongly.

I don't care if your senator is Dianne Feinstein or Hillary Clinton. Don't use that as an excuse to do nothing. Write them anyway and get your friends to do it and make it a roar that will at least give them pause.

Here's a perfect opportunity to prove the value of the pragmatic position. Denying obama a key nominee right out of the starting gate is important tactically, and important psychologically -- both to encourage our side and cause uncertainty for theirs. What will it tell us if it's blown, as so much has been, due to apathy?

I understand a key guy to work on is George Voinovich. He's been no friend, so it's time to remind this guy what happened to Mike DeWine.

I also see our old friend Richard Lugar is another holdback.

No excuses. Just take a few minutes and do this.

More Guns than You Think

But less common isn't always what you get. Those official gun ownership numbers actually compare apples and oranges. That's because Europeans own an awful lot of guns outside the law. [More]
J.D. Tuccille argues we're not getting the total picture on European gun ownership.

I have concerns about some of the posited conclusions, though.

I'd need to see more proof that the Europeans who "own...guns outside the law" are defiant peaceable citizens who keep protection on the QT.

My instinct and stuff I've read to date indicates we may not be talking so much traditional Nigel and Pierre as much as newer arrivals with less affinity for promoting peace through strength in their host cultures. And again, my instinct is to assume a goodly number of these gun possessors are also members of a predatory underworld class.

Finally, I consider "ownership" both a legal and a moral term. Just because one is in possession of stolen property, which much of the black market in guns is based on, does not make him an "owner."

I'd love to believe there's a growing underground, as opposed to underworld, of gallant allies living in defiance of tyranny. I wish I could find some compelling evidence of that.