Saturday, December 26, 2009

QOTD

I regard the federal government of the United States of America as a severely degraded version of the Republican principles of the Constitution of the United States, particularly the Bill of Rights. But at least those documents give us a lofty standard by which to judge its lack of fidelity to its founding principles.




Unorganized Militia Gear

Joyce Propaganda Continued

Continuing the series on anti-gun and associated messages being presented by the media comes an episode of "Criminal Minds" from 2006 called "The Tribe".

While it aired several years before the release of the numerous 'Right Wing Militia' reports , it refers to the Minuteman movement and a local (fictional) group called the "American Defense Unit". Quote: "They're kind of like the Minutemen on the boarder but instead of Mexicans, they hate Indians"

They pull the leader in as a suspect in the latest killings and laugh at him as he talks about his 'rights'. Quote: "You have 200 people in your group and over 450 guns. That's not self-defense, that's overkill. "

200 people and 450 guns is 'overkill'? That is less than a shotgun, rifle and handgun per person and they consider this a 'militant group'?

Nevermind the contradiction that one of the main characters was specifically mentioned as carrying two firearms.

Nevermind the fact that there's no way that they would know how many guns this group owned (unless it was advertised ) because NM doesn't have licensing or registration.

There was also a nice spiel about "21 Feet". Basically they said a gun is useless against anyone within 21 feet of you because they can get to you before you can react. Outside of 21 ft you have other options like running away.

The 'militia' turned out to have nothing to do w/ the crime of the week. It was just convenient to throw all that in.



Unorganized Militia Gear

Friday, December 25, 2009

Brady Bunch logic

This is a little nugget I found over at the Brady Center. I won't add to their google-fu by linking to them but I'm sure most readers can find their home page without too much trouble. NOTE: this is the "Brady Center" not the Brady Campaign page.

"The Legal Action Project, along with the Center for Constitutional Litigation, filed a petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court on August 24, 2009, asking the Court to strike down a federal gun industry immunity law as unconstitutional.

The case, Adames v. Beretta, arises out of the accidental shooting death of 13 year old Josh Adames, who was killed by another boy as a result of a defective Beretta handgun.

On May 5, 2001, thirteen-year old Billy Swan found his father’s Beretta 92FS handgun and removed the magazine that contained its ammunition, believing that this action had unloaded the gun. But the gun did not contain one of several commonplace safety features that warned users when a round remained in the chamber or prevented the gun from firing when “unloaded” in this fashion. Believing the gun was unloaded, Billy pulled the trigger, and the bullet hidden in the chamber killed his friend Josh."


This truly shows their desparation and just how low they'll stoop.

1. The immunity law still allows lawsuits for defective firearms, as it should.
2. The Brady Center is now forced into taking the ridiculous position that a loaded gun that fires when the safety is off and the trigger is pulled is defective.
3. This implies that a loaded gun which does not fire with the safety off and the trigger pulled is functioning properly.

So much for common sense.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Building bridges

A repetitive theme on the various gun blogs has been to “come out of the closet” and let your friends, family and co-workers know that you are indeed a “gun nut.”

Having worked at the same company for the last 15 years, I have been there and done that. MY friends and family have been well informed for some time now. It truly is the work place where bridges can be built between those who are ignorant or openly hostile to the 2A. Access to a broad cross section of society I would not normally be exposed to, has allowed me….uh….well….access to them.

I certainly didn’t start out that way, 15 years ago. At that time, gun ownership was as uncontroversial to me as car ownership. I thought everyone was armed.

Spelled out in our “New Employee Orientation” notebook was the fact that carrying a knife at work was immediate grounds for termination. Knives were lumped in with guns and explosives as firing offenses.

Wow.

I have been carrying a knife every day since the age of 6, and I wasn’t prepared to stop now. I had a choice to make. At first, I switched to carrying a concealed knife, rather than the openly displayed pocket folder I was used to. It didn’t take to long after witnessing some of my peers openly carrying some serious Bowie blades on their hip for me to relax my standards a bit. While not exactly “Crocodile Dundee”, seeing those around me openly carrying bladed weapons and receiving ZERO attention, I decided to go back to openly carrying my trusty folder.

After 10+ years of openly carrying a tactical blade at work. I have never received a single comment about it other than a co-worker asking to borrow it for some required activity. More times than not, the request was made only because the knife they were carrying wasn’t sharp enough to get the job done. I also make it a point to “whip it out” every year at our annual Christmas party to open my White Elephant gift.

Management. Says. NOTHING.

Perhaps it’s because they already trust me handling Bunsen burners, liquid nitrogen and concentrated nitric acid.

Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that my manager also carries a knife at work.

Back to my point. Everyone in my immediate work group now knows that I am indeed a gun-nut. I’m the guy they ask when they…

1. Want to know a fair price for firearm “X”.
2. The best home defense weapon.
3. The best weapon for the wife who “has small hands.”
4. An appropriate weapon for a 13 year old daughter.
5. Good deals on bulk ammo.

And then there are the neutrals who ask me what types of guns I own and why. This is where the prize lies.

One of my neutral peers seems genuinely curious about my “hobby.” I call it that because that’s how he views it and I have not gone out of my way to alter that perception, mainly because it is accurate.

I have spent hours with him, at his request, explaining that regardless of ones personal views of gun ownership, firearms are a piece of history and their collection is no different than those who covet old stamps or coins. Noone can deny that firearms have played a pivotal role in human history and he does appreciate that. At first, his perception was that my collection was little more than “wall hangers.” Again, I did not immediately try to alter that perception. He seemed to like the idea that I deliberately stored/displayed my 98 Muaser next to the Garand, my AK-47(s) next to my AR-15(s) after I explained the relationship.


OK, I’ve rambled for a bit simply because I gave my word to Thirdpower that I would post something everyday in his absence and this is currently what’s spilling out of my head.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that the neutrals in the 2A debate are comparable to “independents” in the political arena.

Engage them without scaring them. Yes, by all means “come out of the closet” as a gun nut.

I only ask that you consider the packaging you’re presenting on the store shelf. We’re never going to convert the true antis to a pro-2A position. That’s a lost cause. The true expansion of our freedoms lies in people who are neutral enough to listen to the arguments made and form a position based on what they know of you as an individual.

Come out of the closet, and continue working side by side with others as a human being.

Some will see contradiction of epic proportions, most will see you as no more dangerous than coin collectors.

This is how we will win.

Unorganized Militia Gear

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Back door of trailer still open

I got to thinkin’.

Why does the Brady Bunch oppose CCW laws? This is a serious question. Our side has knee jerk reactions as well and I really want to dig deep into this query.

*disclaimer…When referring to the Brady Campaign specifically, I will use that title. “Brady Bunch” encompasses all anti 2A groups.

We’ve all seen the big push in light of Heller from the antis concerning CCW. They lost some major ground with the 2A being recognized as an individual Right, scrubbed their sites of all references to the collective rights nonsense, launched a new site titled “Concealed Carry Killers” and latched onto the one little butt nugget like a starving dog being tossed a piece of unseasoned tofu shaped like a meat bone.

Heller was about the Right to carry inside one’s home.

Working within that framework, CCW is a prime target, albeit a very challenging one since 48 states are either “shall issue,” or “may issue.” Yes, Vermont and Alaska are no issue carry states and Only 2 of the 50 states are “no issue.” Yeah yeah, some of the “may issue” states are in practice “no issue” by practice but my focus is on “shall issue.” The main point to take away is that the number of states which absolutely refuse to issue any type of carry permit is equal to the number of states which don’t require any sort of permit to carry a firearm concealed.

Back to the original question…Why does the Brady Bunch oppose CCW laws?

The ultimate goal of the antis is to have fewer and fewer people able to exercise their 2A Rights, period.

The fact that I carry a firearm(actually I carry two since Oregon is 1 of only 2 states which does not limit the number of guns carried) I am open to engaging in the very behavior the Brady Bunch assumes.

If I screw up and misuse my concealed carry, I lose my 2A Rights forever. Isn’t that what they assume I will do and ultimately want.

From a totally objective standpoint, the Brady Bunch should support CCW laws in the hopes that we will abuse the Right and therefore lose it forever.

The fact that CCW permit holders are more law-abiding then the LEO’s that issue the permits seems to be a bit of irony for me, and a major thorn in the side of the antis.

UPDATE: I just sent an email to Oregon Firearms Federation for some clarification on which states restrict CCW permit holders to carrying a single gun or have laws which could be intrepreted that way due to the wording. They're pretty quick about responding to emails and I'll update again when I hear back from them. Until then, I would suggest reading your own state laws through the eyes of a lawyer, like Dennis Henigan.

Unorganized Militia Gear

Closed for the Holidays

The Trailer is locked although Kaveman may still scribble something on the walls. Back in a few days.

Boo Hoo...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – An attorney for the man charged in the deadly shootings at Fort Hood says the Army has prohibited his client from praying in Arabic with his family.

Attorney John P. Galligan said police stopped a phone conversation between Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and his brother on Friday because it was not in English. Galligan told the San Antonio Express-News that police at Brooke Army Medical Center refused to let Hasan pray in Arabic.

Galligan says he thinks that's illegal and violation of Hasan's religious rights.
Think anyone has any sympathy for him?





Unorganized Militia Gear

New Shooters v. Anti-shooters

A while back I did a post on how gun owners, unlike gun banners, have a community of positive mutual interest and support, including clubs, businesses, and family/friends outings. Just like w/ other hobbies and enthusiasts, we enjoy teaching people about it and getting them to experience the same joys that we get.

Both Breda and Robb took people to the range over the weekend that had never shot before. Everyone had a good time.

An old High School friend of mine, after reading some of my posts, decided last weekend to start the process for him and his wife to get a firearm in Illinois. He is, in his own words, a 'total virgin', so I'm treating him gently and will respect him in the morning. We're currently discussing going about picking out the best firearm for them, training and safety issues.

How many gun control advocates do you think convinced firearm owners to sell their guns and never shoot again?



Unorganized Militia Gear

Monday, December 21, 2009

Ammo source

Was contacted by a rep of Alamo Ammo today asking if I would put up a link to them.

Sure. No problem.

They claim 98% in stock. Haven't done a price comparison but they seem reasonable.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

50 Police

At $30K/year, that's how many more police officers NYC Mayor Bloomie could have hired instead of hiring PI's to blame other states for NY's crime.

Destroying History

The sign above the Auschwitz death camp, stolen a few days ago has been found.

Cut into three pieces. I hope the Polish authorities follow suit with the thieves.

I've made a donation to help w/ the restoration.