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.

Signs of the Times

Two suspected gang members have landed on the naughty list – and in jail – after police say they posed for a picture with Santa Claus while flashing their gang signs. [More]
Then they must not be allowed to do it on the Internet either.

I wonder if "Homegrown Terrorists" are included, and if a ban on this can be far behind:

I suppose I could remove two fingers...

Incidentally, I read where one of the "threeper" detractors made the "gang sign" connection and considered it an indictment. Of course, those who actually know what they're talking about have known that from the beginning.
Think of it as a freedom "gang sign".

Russ Howard: An Open Letter to Remington's Tommy Millner

I was a long-time customer of Remington, but I won't be again until you dump H-S Precision. [More]
Mindful Musings reminds us of some unfinished business.

After speaking with Tommy Millner, I offered the opinion:
As a personal note, I was impressed by his accessibility and candor. We've got a guy caught up in a situation not of his making trying to do the right thing, and my recommendation is to trust that he will.

At this point, we need to see what HS-Precision does next.
We saw what HS-Precision did next. They posted a tepid non-apology for a few days and then removed it from their site.

Now Russ Howard thinks it's time for Remington and other gun companies that do business with them to do more, and to let us know about it.

This Day in History: December 23

King George III issues a royal proclamation closing the American colonies to all commerce and trade, to take effect in March of 1776. Also in December, Congress is informed that France may offer support in the war against Britain.