90% Canard Debunked by GAO

"The facts are it's 90 percent of the guns that were traced, that we were able -- that the Mexican government and ATF were able to send back here to be traced by ATF. It does not represent the 75 percent of the guns that we don't know where they came from because they were never submitted for trace. That's clearly stated in our report. So if someone's misreporting that, you know, that's not my problem. But our report is based on the facts."

--Jess Ford GAO

Now we get to watch Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign back-peddle furiously from his statement made back in April:

As the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reports, 90 percent of firearms recovered at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to gun sellers right here in the United States.

So since one big number didn't work, now he's jumping on another one to try and generate any knee jerk reaction to restrict and ban guns. What he doesn't focus on is that the '20,000' guns is over a period of 5 years and that, according to the very GAO report he cites, over 4,000 (20%) came from California, rated A+/#1 by the Brady Campaign.

So even those 'tough, common-sense' laws in place aren't enough to curb their desire for even more restrictions. Never mind the fact that numerous US and Mexican officials have been caught smuggling guns. You know, those ones we're supposed to place our absolute trust in?

Keep throwing out those numbers Paul. Maybe someone will believe you.

Update: Kaveman also notes some previous number fudging that Paul is trying to avoid. Like when the claimed that 2,000 guns per day were crossing the border. Assuming all those 20K went to Mexico and returned within those five years, it would average 11/day. Someone of a discrepancy of 99.45%, Not a very good 'estimate' was it Paul. Nevermind them quoting Mexican officials claiming grenades and rocket launchers are coming from US gun shows.

Armed and Safe has more.

Eat it Helmke

Fairfax, Va. – Two-thirds of the nation’s attorneys general have filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in the case of NRA v. Chicago and hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This bi-partisan group of 33 attorneys general, along with the Attorney General of California in a separate filing, agrees with the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms in the home for self-defense, disagreeing with the decision recently issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

“The historical record clearly shows that the Second Amendment was intended to apply to every American in every state in the country,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “As the Supreme Court said clearly in last year’s landmark Heller decision, the Second Amendment protects an individual right that ‘belongs to all Americans’. Two-thirds of America’s state Attorneys General agree.”

The Seventh Circuit claimed precedent bound it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment. However, it should have followed the lead of the recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Nordyke v. King, which found that those cases don't prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The Seventh Circuit opinion upholds current bans on the possession of handguns in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois.

California attorney general Edmund G. Brown Jr. is filing a separate brief arguing that the Supreme Court should take up NRA’s appeal and hold that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the States.

“It is fundamentally wrong to violate the civil rights of any law-abiding person based on their zip code,” Cox concluded. “The fundamental right of self-defense must be respected by every jurisdiction throughout our country.”

State Attorneys General Amicus Brief
California Attorney General Amicus Brief

I hope Paul, Bryan, and Josh are now crapping themselves hoping they can get a few AG's to support them.

Unsurprisingly, the Illinois AG is not a signatory.

Serial Killers on Parole

The SC serial killer that murdered 5 people in cold blood was, surprise surprise, a lifelong criminal who had just been released on parole.

"Look at this," Lloyd said, waiving a stapled copy of Burris' criminal record. "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street."

But the only thing that made him do it was the gun.

Trust the Gov't. They're here to help.

Fair and Balanced 2A Education in Illinois?

Surprisingly yes. The State Goal Assessment page on the 2A debate actually presents complete neutrality on the issue*.

Is there hope for our future generations?







*Void in Chicago.

O-day+ 165: Rose Colored Glasses

MikeB made a comment on Obama's 4th of July Speech:

Thirdpower, You're right, of course. I'm concerned about all the unkept promises, and even more than them, I'm concerned that the planned buildup in Afghanistan is quickly turning into a shit-awful mess.

Yet, when I hear him speak, I get that rose-colored-glasses kinda feeling. You gotta admit, he can deliver the patriotism, Founding Fathers line with the best of 'em.

Others that fell for his 'Cult of Personality' are having those glasses removed:

Colin Powell, who broke ranks with the Republican Party last year to endorse Barack Obama, now worries that the president's agenda is increasing the size of government and the federal debt to alarming levels.

He continues:

"And I never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the multi-trillions of dollars, and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that, if we don't pay for in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren will have to pay for it."

That EXACT SAME THING WAS SAID DURING THE ELECTION. Perhaps people should have done a little critical thinking back while the campaign was still going on.

But the majority of the public preferred "that rose-colored-glasses kinda feeling". They wanted him to wrap them in a soft, warm blanket and be soothed by his words while the economy and the nation fell to ruin around them.

Yet even after all the lies, broken promises, and kowtowing to some of the worst dictators in the world, his most ardent supports still respond, hands clasped and eyes closed, with a heartfelt:

"I believe him."

While you celebrate the Independence Day, read these words and contemplate what they really mean.

Happy 4th of July folks. Keep your powder dry.

"Common Sense" Gun Control

Letting criminals out on the streets and full gun registration.

This coming from a candidate for district attorney.

He's mad because the NRA didn't like his proposal to 'encourage' people to let the police search their homes for 'illegal' firearms. "No charges would be filed" he says. So a person who wants the job of upholding the law is willing to let criminals roam free? All because he doesn't like guns? And if that gun comes back traced to a murder? Still no charges or will they just drop the 'possession' charge? That makes sense. I'm sure the parents of every 'good boy' out there will open their doors for this.

He's also upset that the NRA opposes his bill on firearm tracing. But let's look at the nuance:

trace a gun used in a crime, even if the gun wasn't left at the scene.

Even if it wasn't 'left at the scene'? How would that work?

His bill would mandate that guns sold in New York include a new microstamping process that imprints a serial number on every bullet fired.

Oh, right. Microstamping. So he's not calling for firearm tracing. He's calling for full registration of firearms in the state. We all know how well that's worked out for firearm owners in the past. Nevermind the facts that the SCOTUS has ruled that criminals don't have to register since that would be self-incriminating, that the technology is easily defeated and that it is nowhere near mature.

But that's just 'common sense'.

My Heller/July 4th gun.

I would like to thank everyone who commented on my Ammunition Anonymous post.

It looks like Rick wins the day.

I went and bought the Taurus Judge Magnum today after work and I'm having a hard time typing this and fondling it at the same time. It is "previously owned" so I need to get it up to my cleanliness specs before I sleep tonight. I swear if I ever lose my current job I'm going to apply to all the gun shops to hire me to clean their swaps and trade-ins for them. If used car lots have the sense to wash-n-wax their trade-ins and vacuum up the resident mouse turds, I think gun dealers could find a bit of use in someone who likes to clean dirty guns. I even built an uber-cleaning kit which wieghs about 10lbs, all in a convienent carry case. It has everything, plus a spare.

I've been buying a new gun for each July 4th for at least 10 years now. I also usually buy myself a new toy for my birthday each year. I don't have the cash flow to buy any real collector items, but that's part of the beauty of gun collecting. Most of my guns have left some stamp on history, which means they were mass produced on some level.

I have the gun which Germany used in WW1 and WW2(Mauser). I also have the Garand which bested the Germans. I gots the gun the Koreans used against us. I gots the gun the Viet Cong used against us. I gots the guns we used to best them all. My fancy of late has been guns of "The Wild West." The way I look at it is that if I posses the equipment used, I also have a short-cut to the spirit needed in those times.

Even If I flushed all that down the crapper with so much diarrhea...

I have my father's .22 rifle
I have my father's 30.06 rifle
I have my Grandfather's .22 pistol
I have my Grandfather's .22 rifle
I have my Grandmother's .410 shotgun

My collection is more than the sum of its parts, It is history.

Enjoy the 4th of July, and stay safe.

Reasoned Discourse on the Examiner

A few days ago I posted a link to a rambling collection of words on the Examiner site.

This idiot, name of Clifford Bryan, thinks that crime in NOLA is a conspiracy by 'whitey' against blacks. Clifford Bryan is also a firm believer in Reasoned Discourse. After denying that he (Clifford Bryan) plagiarized Brady Campaign lawyer Dennis Henigan, he (Clifford Bryan) then deleted the majority of my posts including the one showing the comparison:

Clifford Bryan's post:

In defense over 80% of gun owners support extending Brady Act background checks to private sales at gun shows. Even most self-identified members of the National Rifle Association support handgun registration and mandatory safety training before purchasing a firearm.

Written 4 days after this:

But it is also true that over 80% of gun owners support extending Brady Act background checks to private sales at gun shows. Even most self-identified members of the National Rifle Association support handgun registration and mandatory safety training before purchasing a firearm.

Yet he (Clifford Bryan) states:

@Third Yes I deny it and I am upset you would call me out like that.I leave links to any material I use.

So he's upset he got caught. Wonder how much else of his 'writing' is original? This guy is the epitome of gun control activism. We need more like him.

Update: Seems he's finally recognized (at least partially) the error of his ways. After initially denying he'd done so, he linked to Henigan's blog post.

Minors and Firearms

Kurt over at Armed and Safe/St Louis Examiner looks at the issue of a case dealing w/ minors and firearms:

The question thus becomes one of whether or not the Second Amendment protects a minor's possession of a firearm. Readers might guess that I'll have difficulty finding a way of reconciling shall not be infringed with a lack of protection for such a right. Those readers would be correct.

Here's the comment I left:

As a parent, I'm mixed. Do we go down the slippery-slope and say it's OK for grade school children to walk around w/ handguns unsupervised? Drop the age to 16? 12?

With parents legally responsible for youth under the age of 18, who becomes responsible/accountable should something happen?

It's a legitimate debate that needs to be examined for not only Constitutional issues but safety issues as well.

Initially I think we should look at getting the handgun/long-gun ages at all levels dropped to age 18.

Kurt also notes that the state is ignoring the fact that the 9th Circuit (of which WA is a part of) ruled for incorporation.

No Legitimacy

One measure of the stability of a nation or state is how the citizenry perceives its government. Whether all the rules are followed, elections are held, etc. all come into play.

This legitimacy has been declining in the United States, once considered the most stable of countries.

This is just one more example of why:

As state Democrats convened around noon to hold a one-party session, Republican Sen. Frank Padavan of Queens walked through the chamber on a hunt for the soda machine -- a caffeine quest that would later result with him being tallied as voting with the Democrats.

Padavan reportedly claimed he was taking a short-cut to the members' lounge, but the 31 Democrats seized the opportunity to count him as their 32nd vote and unanimously passed 125 bills in three hours with Republicans absent -- the latest attempt to break the 3-week-old stalemate that has caused a power struggle in Albany.

Yep. These idiots tried to pass over a hundred bills by lying about the numbers of legislators in the 'meeting'. I'm sure their supporters are clapping their hands in glee over pulling a fast one on the 'Rethugs'. The governor, on the other hand, is showing some integrity by stating he will sign NONE of the bills.

This kind of stupid crap needs to stop. Our republic is in enough danger of collapsing from the mountain of debt that our dear leaders have generated, bills designed to destroy the remains of American industry, and the systematic dismantling of our education system raising generations of lazy, ignorant couch potatoes.

Will they be held accountable in the next election? Doubltful. The media will run front page editorials glorifying them every day while the only reporting of their opponents will be damning accounts of them having scratched their crotch once in public.

And the band played on.