Gun Show Weekend, Sullivan, IL

VFW Hall on State Hwy 32 Sullivan IL

Sat: 8AM-5PM
Sun: 9AM-4:30PM

Rigged Study Gets Rigged Results

Two Universities in nations that adamantly support gun control ask if white US gun owners are racist.

You can guess the result even before looking at the headline. 

Racism, Gun Ownership and Gun Control: Biased Attitudes in US Whites May Influence Policy Decisions

Color me shocked. What do you expect from a study that takes this as one of the authors' premises:

The statistics on firearm-related suicides and homicides in the US might reasonably be expected to convince US citizens that action on reducing gun ownership and use would be beneficial to their health.

Of course they're going to promote more gun control.  Anything else would be 'unreasonable' and more like those stupid, cousin' humping rednecks in the US. It gets even better:

Gun-related deaths in the US are a significant public health concern, representing a leading cause of death, and are particularly prevalent from ages 15–54. Attitudes towards guns in many US whites appear to be influenced, like other policy preferences, by illogical racial biases.

Yep, we only like our guns because we hate blacks.

Evidence on the psychological and sociocultural drivers of gun ownership and resistance to strong controls will in turn help inform educational campaigns (e.g., social marketing) that may aid public acceptance of appropriate policies in the interest of the US public’s health, and/or allow policy makers to implement good public health policy. The reinstatement of funding for research on gun control in the US should assist in these research endeavours.

No bias there, eh?  Gun ownership is 'inappropriate' and 'bad'. 

This is the worst kind of junk science out there.

Now take a look at the comments from the NYDN.  The ones supporting 'gun control' are the ones filled w/ hatred, bigotry and biases. 

Help A Gamer; Buy A Game

According to Kickstarter, flash flooding in Austin, TX destroyed Steve Jackson (of Steve Jackson Games) 's house last night. 

Steve is an old school gamer and his company is one of the most hardworking and down-to-earth that I know of.  When I was in the Navy, in response to a request for a catalog, they sent me a box of stuff to entertain me and my shipmates.  The OGRE DE was designed as a loss just to put out a fantastic and loved game.

Go and buy something to help them out.

More E. German Goodies

Just a few little additions to the collection:

AK Mag pouch in Blumentarn and a dosimeter in rain camo (anyone know how to use this?)

Camo is fun.

Done W/ Sears Pt II

When it rains it pours.  Now it's the Kenmore fridge bought 1 yr and 2 weeks ago. Of course they won't cover it under warranty, the next available tech is in a week, and a half and if I 'reject' their estimate they'll charge me a $75 fee.

I'll be calling someone else in the morning.

Gun Ownership = 'Murder/Rape'

According to the so-called (get this) 'Gun Responsibility' side of the Oak Park, IL 'Gun Right & Responsibility Group (GRRP).

I suppose, using Ray Simpson's logic, one could make the argument that laws against murder and rape have a disproportionate impact on law-abiding citizens because they will obey the law while the murderers and rapists will ignore the law and continue to rape and murder. Can anyone seriously consider such a specious and absurd argument as a reason not to enact laws against murder and rape? I think not. It's also not a good reason to not enact universal background checks that prohibit the purchase of weapons by criminals, the mentally ill and minors.

Everyone who rapes or murders is intent on hurting someone. Not everyone who purchases a firearm (in fact rarely by percentage) is intent on hurting someone. So Mr. Heise has put firearm owners into the same category as rapists and murderers because he cannot fathom anything else to do w/ them. No one would 'seriously consider such a specious and absurd argument' because it is stupid. Noone is talking about 'murder' or 'rape'. We're talking about the ownership/sale of a product he doesn't like.  If he tries to use that argument for his proposals, he's nothing but an idiot.

The two things the anti-gun (let's just be realistic, eh?) side wants is 'Universal background checks' (which we already have) and "a prohibition against the future manufacture, sale and ownership of ammunition clips capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition." (which is unenforcable). So the ONLY people that their proposals are going to effect are those who are not breaking the laws which are on the books already.

These are the kinds of ditsh!ts we're dealing w/.  They've got no clue what they're talking about nor anything about guns but they have a moral conviction to 'do something'.

Rambo and Quinn, Sittin' in a Tree

F..A..L..L..I..N..G

There's chatter that a 'deal' on that mandatory 3yr for illegal gun possession in IL is in the works between the 'NRA' and Chicago Mayor Rambo. 

Emanuel’s Statehouse lobbyists are engaged in serious talks with the NRA and the more strident Illinois State Rifle Association (something Daley would never do and vice versa) to try to work out a compromise on legislation to force convicted gun violators to remain in prison a lot longer than they do now. Emanuel is said to be actively involved by phone.

Why is this general bill opposed? Because all the IL Dem leadership have long been in the tank for 'gun control' and would jump at the chance to use a poorly worded law to throw as many firearm owners in jail for as long as they could.  What would you expect from a DA who has openly stated "“I don’t believe that people should own guns,” and “I would favor a law that no one could ever buy a gun”?

Our dumb@ss governor is sure to piss everyone off by pushing for another standard capacity mag ban.

Why should we trust any of them?  (except the NRA lobbyist.  Him I trust.)

Simple Ideas For Simple Minds

Former Brady lawyer Dennis Hennigan put out a book lambasting 'bumper sticker arguments' by progun activists, most of which he made up on his own. 

Here's one from the gun banner side:


Yep. The NRA organized the gangs, shipped in the drugs and paid off the friends/family members to straw purchase guns to the city that had the strictest laws in the nation. 

Much easier to believe that than reality.  Hate is all they have.

Done w/ Sears and Other Musings

Work has been hectic lately. Long, stressful days so posting has been sporadic.

After a 10 hr day on Thursday, I come home to get the car loaded up so I can run back out to get set up for the weekend flea market. I walk into children acting up and a broken microwave, one we've had just over a year which itself was a warranty replacement for another that broke.  When I get home (again) two hours later, I discover that the microwave has those stupid torque screws w/ the pin in the middle so I'ld have to buy bits for it to see if I can fix it.

Friday. Another stressful day at work followed by going straight to the flea market. I get the bits but have absolutely zero sales.  When I get home, I disassemble the microwave to find it's not the fuse and I can't find which part is broken.

Saturday.  13 hrs plus at the flea market w/ dismally slow sales. I talk to the appliance guy at Sears.  The service center there is gone so my only option is to try and call the national hotline. Last time I did that, I fought w/ them for near two months to get the warrantied one replaced. 

No. No more Sears. Every appliance I've bought from them the last few years have been junk including a fridge and a washer (the dreaded F1 fault needing a $200 part). Their service and quality have gone down the tubes and I won't spend my money there anymore. The C-in-C picked up an equivalent microwave for less than it would have cost me to have Sears even look at my other one. 

People are worried. From what I've seen and heard at the last few gun shows, people aren't buying.  I originally put it down to just overspending during the scare earlier in the year but now I've seen the same thing at the flea markets.  People are holding onto their cash or just don't have it to spend on much extra stuff. 

On a more positive note, I did manage to squirrel a way a little for 'extra' and picked up some goodies off of Ebay.
An original East German Shelter Quarter in 'Blumentarn', one of my favorite patterns.  I've been trying to get ahold of one of these for my impression for some time.

Also from the Ukraine came a set of some of my favorite Soviet armor in 1/72 scale.

T-72, ZSU-23-4, BTR-70, BMP  These will look nice on my shelf w/ my WWII German collection (in a bigger scale though).

I have a few other cold war goodies on the way which will be for a later post.