Is Pew Research lying too?

Paul Helmke threw a fit when Gallup released a poll showing decreased support for 'gun control' earlier last month. He felt Gallup should 'replicate' results shown by polls designed by anti-gun groups like his similar to the one that claimed that '70% of NRA members support closing the 'gun-show loophole' even though no-one has yet to find a single NRA member who'ld been questioned.

Never mind the fact that that bastion of NRA activity, CNN, had similar results on their public opinion poll, now Pew Research has gotten into the act w/ current information.

Get ready to call your dry-cleaners Paul, you're going to need them. Pew had the SAME RESULTS as Gallup and CNN!

For the first time in a Pew Research survey, nearly as many people believe it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns (45%) than to control gun ownership (49%). As recently as a year ago, 58% said it was more important to control gun ownership while 37% said it was more important to protect the right to own guns.

Are they 'irresponsible' too Paul? Is this not 'reflective'? You wanted 'current' polls done and here they are. I hope you like the taste.

Quote of the Day

Fortunately, I bought most of my EBR's during the AWB, when they were cheaper.

-Kaveman

O-Day + 102: Down the Memory Hole..

Kaveman notes that the "Crime" issue from Whitehouse.gov seems to have disappeared. You know, the section stating support for a renewed AWB. Now the only thing showing is a "Sportsmen" section w/ no mention of firearms.

Can anyone else find it?

Where are they now?

Armed and Safe notes that Paul Helmke continues to use the "Arsenal" canard . So what is an "Arsenal"? All we have to do is look at the Brady II to find out how 'they' define it:

20 firearms w/ 'firearms' being defined as whole guns or component parts or
1000 rounds of Ammunition. Less than two bricks of .22.

So what idiots would support something like and where are they now? I decided to take a look.

Sponsor:

Sen Metzenbaum, Howard M., : Left the Senate in '95. Deceased.

Co-Sponsors:

Sen. Boxer, Barbara [CA]: Still alive and kicking down our rights in the Senate.
Sen. Bradley, Bill [NJ] : Left the Senate in '96.
Sen. Chafee, John H. [RI]: Deceased.
Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [MA]: Barely alive but still kicking down our rights.(unlike his passenger)
Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ]: Still alive and kicking down our rights in the Senate.
Sen. Pell, Claiborne [RI]: Retired in '97. Deceased.

So 3 out of the 7 original supporters are still in the senate. We have seen all of them continue their advocacy of citizen disarmament to this day from trying to ban rifle ammo to shutting down gun shows.

There's a reason I consider them the 'usual suspects'. This is why.

Gun Nut Currency*

Kent McManigal of "Kent for Liberty" has designed a beautiful silver coin he's working on having minted. He's currently taking reservations with the final cost when produced being $20 ea. I've got mine ordered.



*Yeah, yeah, I know it's not 'legal currency'.

Seeing the future 50 yrs ago

Some of the numbers are outdated but the idea holds true.

Fuzzy Math?

Although the stats fluctuate depending on the source, many coalesce around the numbers of 80 million gun owners in the USA holding a total of 280 million firearms. With 4-5 million additional new firearms sold each year in America, by the time Obama completes his first term, we will, given the latest trends, have one firearm in the country for every man, woman and child(300 million total population).

Hmmm…

The 80/280 million figure seems like a decent ratio, and I am counting these as legally held guns by non-prohibited persons.

280/80 = 3.5

That makes sense.

Casual gun owner #1 owns one rim-fire rifle, one center-fire rifle and one shotgun.

Casual gun owner #2 owns one rim-fire rifle, one center-fire rifle, one shotgun AND one handgun.

2 people owning a total of 7 guns works out to 3.5 guns/person average.

So what happens when you consider the collectors? The enthusiasts? The gunnuts? What happens when you consider us?

Never met any of the bloggers I follow, but I’ve managed to gather that they ALL have more firearms than the “casual gun owner.”

Let’s do some math.

Let’s say that 10% of legal gun owners have 10 firearms. Sorry to insult ya’ll but I’m intentionally trying to low-ball this to make a point.

80,000,000 X 0.1 = 8,000,000 This means that 72,000,000 have the remaining 200,000,000 guns or 2.8 guns per person. Still well within the realm of reasonableness.

The problem I have is that my personal experience with people I have met is that 75% of them have 5 or more firearms. Again a low-ball figure. If this is representative of the general population, the math gets kinda interesting.

60,000,000 X 5 = 300,000,000.

If 60,000,000 people hold 300,000,000 firearms then that dictates that the remaining 20,000,000 gun owners posses not only zero guns, but a negative 20,000,000 guns. There’s a stat that would give Helmke full wood.

No doubt that there are many gun owners who own but a single gun, but is this the norm?

Let’s assume that 90% of gun owners only own a single gun.

0.9 X 80,000,000 = 72,000,000.

Means that 8,000,000 people hold 208,000,000 guns or 26 guns per person. Over here on the west coast (minus the People’s Republic of Kalifornia) where we have constant contact with hostile Indians, that sounds about right.

Please don’t move here, they will rape your women and burn your village.

Josh Sugarmann is a Sad Clown

He's upset that the new administration hasn't followed through on their promises to ban guns and instead have recognized the political reality that doing so would hand Congress back to the Republicans on a silver platter. He wants O to use his executive powers and bypass the legislature since there's virtually no chance of getting anything passed there currently.

Two really funny bits though. Apparently the BATFE headquarters is an "NRA beach-head".

Yes. He really said that. I had to read it two or three times to make sure I wasn't just seeing things.

If that doesn't tell you how disjointed Josh is, nothing will.

The second is him quoting Jimmeh Cahtah's rant in the NYT's against the hundreds of thousands of us who, according to Carter, want to go out and shoot police because the mind control chips in our "Assault Weapons" have taken over.

What's funny and ironic is the part of the op-ed that Josh DIDN'T use:

"I have used weapons since I was big enough to carry one, and now own two handguns, four shotguns and three rifles, two with scopes."

Why wouldn't he mention that? Might it be because not only does Josh advocate banning Jimmy's two handguns but also advocates banning those "two (rifles) with scopes" as "intermediate sniper rifles"?

So basically we have a deliberately dishonest anti-gunner citing a clueless Fudd gun owner.

Update: Of course Paul has to get into the act to say how sad he is as well.

Ow. It hurts.

I normally avoid discussion on religion. It's just safer that way. But when I came across this comment, made in all seriousness, I just have to say something:

the words Malakoi and Arsenokoitai don't exist in the verses you gave in any english translation of the Bible. "

We are doomed as a species.

U.S. Regulars

While digging around doing some research, I came upon a site called "U.S. Regulars". It's a collection of US military manuals from the 19th century including Scott and Casey.

The intertubes are a wonderful place.

To Park and Valet in Chicago

Chicago police officers in a special detail unit called "The Wolf Pack" are supposed to serve and protect by patrolling high crime areas. But CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman found them helping people with clout and connections get prime parking spots at special events. For at least part of their day, these officers serve and park.

Guess it's more lucrative than actually doing what they're paid for. Sounds like another 'special unit' that needs to be disbanded.

Well Duh...

ROME — An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off the coast of Somalia when its Israeli private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits and drove them away, the commander said Sunday.

Another lesson that won't be learned.

Called it..

Last summer I brought up the issue of the 'see through the clothes' systems now being used at airports.

Some anecdotal reports I've gotten is that young, pretty women are being singled out being that they obviously fit the typical terrorist profile.

Shock I say, shock.