Off to the Show

I'm running a table at a Gun Show in Arcola, Il this weekend. Mostly I'm attempting to fill niche of a lack of regular surplus in this area. I'm also putting up for sale one of my collection:

Thompson 1927-A1 .45ACP SOLD!

Includes 2 30 rnd stick mags, 1 50 rnd drum, fitted case, and '3rd hand' adaptor for drum.

For more information or to purchase, contact me at:

Thirdpower at Hotmail dot Com

All Federal, State and Local laws will apply.

Gun Debate Update.: Levy v Henigan

Levy's opponent on WGN tonight will be Dennis "I forgot 'of the people" Henigan of the Brady Bunch.

Via the Charlotte GRE.

The Debate:

Opening w/ Levy giving a brief of Heller.

Henigan tries for an emotional appeal w/ Brady's history and claims of 'sensible' gun laws.

"Brady Campaign does not support handgun bans".

"Localities need to make 'tough' decisions". Which is why they keep supporting national gun bans and legislation.

Levy gives history of modern gun control (ie. Miller) "Focused on weapon, not the people". Discussion of Heller and Scalia's views of militia and clauses.

Rosenburg quotes Madison and Adams.

Henigan claims Madison is talking about militia use only. "Out of Context".
Scalia separates clauses. Coming from one who can't even quote it properly, that's laughable.

Rosenburg asks about CCW data. Lott study mentioned.

Henigan dismisses Lott. Cites Donahue. "CCW causes uniform increase in crime".

Levy defends Lott. Cites CDC and NAS studies. DC banned handguns and crime skyrocketed.

Henigan states NAS study shows no correlation vis a vie Lott study. "1.6 million prohibited purchasers stopped by Brady Law". Claims causality to crime decrease.

Rosenburg asks Levy view on Brady Law (NICS etc).

Levy: DC doesn't follow Brady Law.

Henigan: Universal Background Checks next step. Urban areas can pass 'stricter laws'.

Levy: NICS good. Only 2% crime guns from gun shows. Rejections don't stop criminals. 1/4 False positives. Only 294 convictions. DC creates to many hoops for ownership.

Henigan: Brady Law 'modest'. Need stricter laws. DC regulations nearly exactly same as cars. Fingerprinting good idea.

Rosenburg: Access to driver info? Should Gun Ownership info be available?

Henigan: No one is arguing for lists. Registration good.

Levy: NICS retains failed check data. Potential for abuse if data retained.

Henigan: Destroy tax returns?

Rosenburg: Officials abused law.

Henigan: Doesn't mean lists shouldn't be kept.

Rosenburg: What do you want?

Levy: Away from felons, unsupervised kids, no WMD's. "Jurisditionally sensitive laws".

Rosenburg: NRA?

Levy: They're closer to me than Henigan.

Rosenburg: Campaign against this program.
ISRA sent out e-mail. All over blogosphere. Lots of calls/e-mail. ISRA misinformed. *Reads ISRA e-mail*. "I'm a serious conservative including gun laws"
"Is debate a violation?" *Reads E-mail* "I support Levy's view".

Henigan: "Welcome to my world" "Tactics of intimidation". "Callers don't represent gun owners" Cites usual Joyce foundation survey numbers. "Extremists"

Levy: ISRA not extremists. "Director a little bit hasty".

Henigan: Extremism on both sides. Quotes " blood running in the streets"

Rosenburg: Level of gun control?

Henigan: Weak. Guns travel easily across state lines.

Levy: BOR only applies to Fed's until 14th Amendment. 2A unincorporated. Chicago about incorporation. Thinks it will eventually apply. But by which method?

Henigan: Heller allows 'host of restrictions'. Brady campaign agenda constitutional. Claims 'complete prohibition" allowable.

Levy: DC about 3 issues. Will overturn Chicago.

Rosenburg: Gun ban overturned cause crime to decrease?

Levy: Difficult to say but most likely yes.

Rosenburg: Europe?

Henigan: Stronger laws. Little gun crime. Less lethal. "Guns trafficked into Mexico".

Rosenburg: "Gun ownership criminalized, Only criminals will have guns"

Levy: Cites Russia, Mexico, etc.

Henigan: Rambles about # of guns and gun control. Claims you need to limit data to make comparisons work. Of course you do Dennis.

Rosenburg: *Phone calls*.

Caller 1: Balance debate. Saw UK crime increase after gun confiscation. Got CCW when came back to states.

Caller 2: Where does Federalist state militias only? Police not there to protect individual, what to do?

Henigan: Read full passage. Militia purpose.

Levy: Standing armies v Militias. No dispute about hunting or self-defense.

Caller 3: NJ restrictive. Miller misrepresented. Brady website shows explosives/RPG's while blaming US gun shows.

Henigan: "Nothing in the report suggests that". Cites trace data as statistics. Weak gun laws. All the NRA's fault.

Caller 3: *Reads passages around picture* "Inflammatory and misleading"

Caller 4: Very Balanced. Bans on colored guns 'reasonable'?

Henigan: Problem w/ toy looking guns.

Caller 4: California laws 'common sense'?

Henigan: Safety standards.

Levy: DC making mockery of Heller decision.

Rosenburg: *Reads E-mail from Australia 'police officer'* The regular one passed around

Levy: We'ld see the same thing.

Henigan: Noone's talking about disarmament. AU etc. rates lower than US. Strict laws lower crime.

Levy: Due to failed War on Drugs.

Henigan: "Innocents caught in crossfire"

Levy: Guns already banned

Henigan: Trafficking.

Levy: Narcotics Illegal nationwide. Doesn't work.

Henigan: No bans. "reasonable regulations"

Levy: Brady Heller brief claimed ban reasonable.

Caller 5 (1st female): to Levy "If Reagan had been killed, would your views have been changed?"

Levy: His death would not have modified COTUS.

Henigan: Reagan supported Brady Bill. Pass more laws.

Caller 6: "What is Brady Campaign doing to restrict criminals instead of legal gun owners?"

Henigan: Guns make crime more lethal. Pass more laws.

Levy: NY, Chicago, DC not 'sensible' laws. Brady Campaign supported those.

Rosenburg: Brady view on Chicago?

Henigan: We don't support handgun bans. Heller decision endorses 'sensible gun control'.

Levy: Heller found 3 laws unconstitutional. Brady Campaign avoiding incorporation issue because they know they'll lose.

Henigan: DC gun regulations reasonable. Same as cars.

Rosenburg: Original intent?

Henigan: We'ld disagree to original meaning.

Levy: Madison supported militia only.

*End of Debate*

Were you called? Take the poll.

CHICAGO, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (ICPGV), a project of Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV), released the results from a new statewide, bipartisan poll on gun violence prevention.

Voters statewide expressed overwhelming support for closing the "private sale loophole" by requiring background checks for all gun sales, with 90 percent in support and 76 percent strongly supporting such a measure. Support for universal background checks was strong among Republicans (85%), gun owners (79%), and NRA members (70%). Women, voters residing in the suburbs of Chicago, and Hispanic voters had the highest levels of support for the measure, each at 96 percent.

Is this why there where over 5,000 progressive firearm rights supporters present in Springfield on March 11th 2009 in comparison to a few hundred anti-gunners the next week? Is that the kind of support they're talking about?

Who are these people they're calling? Certainly no 'NRA members' I'm in contact w/. Or even anyone they know for that matter.

Perhaps this 'poll' is similar to the one endorsed by Ceasefire PA/NJ showing overwhelming support for 'gun control' yet opposition to the various bills was 100:1?

Private Sales Ban Fails in Illinois

HB 48, the bill banning all private sales of firearm in Illinois went down today 60-55-1. This was THE big push by the Brady Campaign, ICPGV, and ICHV in the state.

From the ICHV:

Meanwhile, HB 0048, which would require background checks on all handgun sales, is closer to being passed than it was last year. This bill appears as if it is going to pass or fail by one or two votes in either direction. etc.

Not even close. In fact, IIRC, it did WORSE than it did last year.

Edit: I remembered correctly. Last year was 58-58 so they lost 4 votes and we gained 2.

Grassroots efforts at its finest.

More from the ISRA.

Teaching Firearm Safety = Selling Drugs

So says our favorite violent religious figure Father "Snuffy" Pfleger on a suggestion to teach firearm safety in schools:

"That's like saying we might as well sell drugs legally..we don't want access to guns. We have children dying in this city. We're talking about teaching gets kids in grammar school how to shoot guns? That's crazy."

Yep, that's right. Now he's gone from threatening politicians and business owners to stating that teaching safety is morally equivalent to selling illegal drugs.

Ignorance is bliss.

GUILTY!! Because We Say He Is

That's the mentality of the Brady Campaign in their quest to end legal firearm ownership. They, with their infinite levels of 'common sense', consider even a 'Not Guilty' due to lack of any evidence not enough to stop demonizing firearm dealers:

“Existing laws are so weak that even one of the most notorious dealer supplying the cartels, the owner of X-Caliber gun shop in Phoenix that allegedly supplied 700 guns to Mexican drug gangs, had all criminal charges brought against him dismissed recently. As the X-Caliber case shows, ‘enforcing the laws on the books’ will never be enough: we need stronger laws, and strong enforcement of those laws.”

Get that? He's 'notorious' because of those 'over 700 guns' he 'allegedly' sold, the prosecutors could not find a single one that was sold illegally in any way.

Since the shop retains all those records, one would think that the BATFE would be able to find some sort of pattern in the people he sold them to and would bring them to trial and in some instances they have. But pursuing that line of thinking wouldn't promote more restrictions on firearm owners so the Brady's want nothing to do w/ it. Much better to enact more laws that have been proven to have no effect on actual criminals.

More at Armed and Safe.

New Illinois State Police Director

Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday appointed a 29-year-old war veteran who finished in the top 1 percent of his West Point class to direct the Illinois State Police.

"I will work tirelessly," Jonathon Monken said. "My ultimate goal is to serve with distinction."

During a news conference Sunday afternoon at the Thompson Center, Quinn praised the former U.S. Army captain's leadership on the battlefield. Monken led more than 100 tank combat missions in Iraq without losing soldiers or equipment, Quinn said. He also has served in Kosovo and as a recruiter for the Illinois National Guard.

The increasing role of the state police as the local liaison to the federal Department of Homeland Security makes Monken's military experience even more important, Quinn said.

Monken said not having a law-enforcement background should not affect his credibility within the state police ranks. He has not yet decided whether to wear a state police uniform.

29 years old? No police experience? Wanting to make the ISP closer to Homeland Security? Anecdotal evidence shows he could go either way on gun control.

I definitely have my misgivings on this one.

Anti-gun media debate

Via ISRA:
ANTI-GUN RADIO DEBATE – MARCH 26TH

Anti-gun Chicago talk show host Milt Rosenberg will be hosting a radio debate on the repeal of the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution on WGN Radio, AM 720, on Thursday March 26th.

Defending our Constitution will be Bob Levy, Chairman of the Cato Institute.

The debater who will be attacking our Constitution has not been named as of yet.
1. Mark your calendar to listen to WGN Radio, AM 720, on Thursday, March 26, 2009 beginning at 9 PM. If you cannot receive WGN in your area, you can listen to the program live on the Internet at www.wgnradio.com

2. No matter where you live, please be sure to call the radio station's call in line at (312) 591-7200 and ask to speak your opinion on what has been said. It would be best if you voice support for the 2nd Amendment and Mr. Levy's statements rather than personally attacking whoever the antigunner is.

Wrong Way "Only Ones"

Three EIU students were killed over the weekend.

State troopers said the car that hit them was driven by an off-duty police officer going the wrong way. The officer was speeding and possibly drunk, investigators said.

Miller was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Dougherty Ferry Road
when her Mitsubishi Eclipse struck the passenger side of Adusumilli's Honda,
which was turning right onto the road, police said.

Sgt. Al Nothum of the Missouri Highway Patrol said Miller's car was "obviously
traveling at a high rate of speed," based on the damage to the two vehicles. He
said police had reason to suspect alcohol involvement but had not made that determination.

Lasers, Railguns, and Robots! Oh My!

We've all seen the prototype Cylon that was unveiled in Japan last week. Prototype Railguns are already being delivered to the US Navy. Now heavy lasers are reaching a level that can be of practical use on the battlefield.

Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time -- paving the way for energy weapons to go to war.

In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at Northrop Grumman managed to get its 105 kilowatts of power out of their laser -- past the "100kW threshold [that] has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for 'weapons grade' power levels for high-energy lasers," Northrop's vice president of directed energy systems, Dan Wildt, said in a statement.

Boom Baby.

Another Shooting by a "Parolee"

OAKLAND, Calif. – A police officer was battling for his life and three more were dead after a parolee with an "extensive criminal history" opened fire at a routine traffic stop and hours later gunned down members of a SWAT team searching for him.

So another violent career criminal with a gun already prohibited by law murders police officers. Now we just wait for the calls to make guns more illegaler while nothing is said about keeping violent criminals in jail.

And another interesting note:

People lingered at the scene of the first shooting. About 20 bystanders taunted police.

Hmm. How many of those individuals know where 'community guns' are stored or have told the police "I know nothing" when it comes to criminal activity in their neighborhood?