Simple and effective...I hope

We've all been there. You come across a new anti on the interweb tubes and debate begins...AT SQUARE ONE.

Individual vs collective?
Who is the militia?
The intent of the Founders.
Constitutional Rights vs State powers.
Common sense this and reasonable that.

Every time we turn around, we have to go back to the beginning and start the slow process of teaching people how to unlearn falsehoods.

Not that I'm pooh-poohing that approach, I understand that it's necessary. I'm just growing tired of it. I imagine this is what it must be like being a multi-grade school teacher for small children. Start them out making simple drawings decorated with elbow maccaronni and some wonderful tasting glue. Teach them how to share toys, even the really cool ones. Tell them that pissing in the sandbox is a major no-no(I only did this because we had made a mock-up hick-town farm and the irrigation ditches were dry). I felt that accuracy was paramount, yet my teacher felt otherwise. In hindsight, it's probably a good thing she caught me in the act because as I was relieving myself, I was staring down at the back-forty and thought they could use a few cow patties. Move on to the alphabet, counting to ten and what happens when you mix primary colors. Then comes addition, subtraction and eventually the dreaded multiplication tables.

Your current class graduates and you get a whole new batch of youngsters and start the whole process over again from scratch.

This is the first installment of a theme I'm going to develope for those who wish to bypass all the soft tissue we've all grown adept at delivering out of sheer repetition, and cut close to the bone from the start.

My main gamble is that it will employ pure logic; something the antis seem to have an issue with. But it will be logic of this magnitude...

All men are mortal
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

What I fear is that the antis are coming from a position exemplified by...

All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, all men are Socrates........with a freakishly small penis.

So here goes; feel free to try this out on your local anti and let me know if it works or if I'm a retard on a level usually only achieved in parallel universes where Janet Reno is considered a hot chick.

My hope is to create arguments that I fully admit may not sway the antis, but I hope that if they fall into the trap of trying to refute them, will expose themselves for the naked idiots that they are. Also consider that there are far more nuetrals out there than antis, and they both vote. Fence sitters are both the true "fish in the barrel" and the most valuable ally we can recruit.

1. LEO resources are finite.
1.5 LEO organizations and the associated "Justice System(DA's, jails, judges, parole boards, etc)" MUST pick and choose which crimes they make arrests for, which ones they prosecute and which people they release early in order to make room for this whole new class of criminals.
2. The laws already on the books are not fully enforced due to item #1. Feel free to customize this one due to experience. My standby anecdote is a guy up the road a ways from me who COULD HAVE received 245 years for his latest crime and ended up doing 5 months.
3. If another new law is passed, the limited resources which ALREADY do a piss-poor job at enforcing the ones we already have will DECREASE due to a brand new half-assed attempt of enforcing it.
4. Net result is that all laws will be enforced less. Arrests for violations of prior laws will decrease. Prosecutions for violating prior laws will decrease.

When's the last time the police stopped you for jaywalking or spitting on the sidewalk?

Compensating

Whenever an anti-gunner is losing an argument, they invariably pull out the tired meme that people who own guns are compensating for a lack of manhood.

Well this photo from the Dec. '09 issue of Shooting Times shows that criminals must be the ones subconsciously compensating by modifying their guns to fire bullets that end up looking like this:

Busy

Enjoy some 'Best Of':

Hoplophobe Hoops Circa 1970

For Hunters who don't believe they're on the 'list'

Our Community

"OathKeeper" = "RightWing Terrorist"

Someone has been reading the SPLC's reports on "Right Wing Extremists" and has decided that swearing to uphold the Constitution is a bad thing.

What this article really shows besides a desire to suppress opinions he doesn't like is a lack of a decent editor as well as quite a bit of ignorance of concepts such as sovereignty in a federal system is NOT the same as declaring independence and that it is not contrary to the UCMJ to disobey an unlawful order.

He also gives a nice shout out to the Sipsey Street Irregulars.

The net effect of this will be to get more people to sign up. They are their own worst enemy.

David Codrea also has an Examiner column on another Oathkeeper hitpiece.

Humane Society of the United States Targets Hunting

Yet not a peep from the "Alternative to the NRA".

Is that how they 'vigorously defend' the hunting and shooting sports?

Unemployment rate over 10%? RAISE TAXES!!

That's the response of the Illinois Legislature to the unemployment rate going over 10%. Including discouraged workers and re-training, the number is over 15%.

Obviously the most logical thing to do is to raise fees to make it even harder for people to make ends meet. All to justify an expanded infrastructure that will then require even higher taxes and fees to maintain.

Guns=Nat'l Health Issue

As has been reported, the NIH is trying to revive the meme that owning a firearm is a health hazard.

This is happening at the same time that Congress and the current administration is trying to ram through legislation that will penalize people for doing things considered 'unhealthy' including drinking soda.

Is it me or does this sound like a bad rendition of "Demolition Man"?

The Internet Makes You Smarter

According to UCLA scientists.

I wonder which internet they're looking at?

Catch-22

Fox News is biased.

CNN is biased.

MSNBC is biased.

You get the picture.

When Bush was president, he couldn't even wipe his nose without most of the networks criticizing him while he could do no wrong on Fox. This carried over to Democrats and Republicans in general.

Now the reverse is true.

What I don't think the anti-Bush networks ever managed to do is get the WhiteHouse in a position where they had to respond DIRECTLY to a network and even if they did, they lost.

The WH has, over the last few days, started taking direct jabs at Fox. The only thing this has had the effect of doing so far is getting even more people to tune it and see what all the hubbub's about.

Maybe Obama should hire Glenn Beck as his media czar.

I mean really, when the best response they can come up w/ to video of their main media rep praising one of the biggest mass murderers in history is "I was just kidding" and the equivalent of "They're just a bunch of poo-poo he...ads" while FOX shows video after video of officials sticking their feet in their mouths, they've lost that fight.

A tribute to MikeB...

For those who are already aware of MikeB's blog, I wanted to share something.

I told Thirdpower about 8 months ago that I would convert MikeB to a pro-2A supporter within 6 months.

In this endeavor, I have failed on a level hard to measure. I won't stop trying because it's in my nature to attempt to stop the sun from rising, the grass from growing and the wind from blowing, just to see if it's possible.

Basically, I'm a total retard. I believe in the impossible, one small insignificant impossibility at a time.

I have since revised my bluster to state that I believe that I can convert MikeB to a nuetral within 20 years.

I disagree with everything that dribbles out of his keyboard, but I honestly like the guy and would be more than happy to sit down and buy him a beer or fourteen.

The reason is simple.

He allows comments and responds to comments.

For all those who wish to exercise their 1st Amendment Rights by calling him names and demonizing him on a personal level, I won't directly throw you under the bus.

I simply ask that you appreciate the fact that we have access to a true anti and Brady Campaign supporter who has the intestinal fortitude to make his case and back it up as best as he sees fit.

That's worth something in my book.

Let's engage MikeB on a cerebral level and defeat him with his own words/logic.

Calling him unjust names doesn't really help.

Update: looks like my linking problem is still not resolved, so MikeB can be found here...

http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/

The Brady Campaign and sheer idiocy, but I repeat myself...

One of my hobbies is shooting and collecting firearms. Another one of my hobbies is scouring the BC website for gold nuggets.

I found one.

"If you are a victim or survivor of gun violence, please see our list of resources so that you can get the appropriate help you need for your circumstances. If you are in immediate danger, please dial 911 or your local emergency number."

If you have the time to pick up a phone, dial 911, give your exact location and situation to the dispatcher and then wait 20 minutes for someone to show up, then you are not in immediate danger.

The hypocrisy is quite delicious.

Don't use a gun to defend yourself. It is better to call some total stranger with a gun and have them defend you.

But even this is a farce since the BC site also quotes Jesus as to what to do if attacked...

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

Sorry, Paul... I prefer to resist evil people.

If Jesus has a problem with that, then I've got a problem with Jesus.

On a more cerebral level, "eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is adressing a REVENGE situation.

Those of us who value our own existence to the point of defending it with lethal force if needed, are talking about that first eye and that first tooth remaining squarely where God put it in the first place.

Checkmate.

A day in the life

Sometimes I feel so sorry for gun-grabbers that I gotsa give 'em a bone by confirming their deepest desires.



I woke up this morning in a drunken stupor and a bad mood. My neighbor's dog was barking at some bird, so I shot him with a .50 cal. The exploding guts was fantastic and actually gave me a full erection, which I amused myself with until it went all splody on me.

I was a bit low on groceries so my breakfast consisted of pan fried oysters on some sour-dough bread with a bit of Thousand-Island sauce. I rounded it all out with the limited remnants of my neighbor's dead dog smothered in BBQ sauce atop some seasoned Jasmine rice.

Then I slaughtered my other neighbor who dresses up like a nun every sunday. She wasn't all that enthusiastic about my ventures but she did warm up a bit after I set her face on fire.

Checking the pantry, I realized that I was even lower on dog and cat food. Already knowing the high cost of feeding these beasts, I mutilated and killed my other neighbor and stole their pet supplies.

I still needed a bit of food for my own tummy so I grabbed my CCW permit and my .357 magnum and went to the local grocery store.

My local grocery store is a "gun-free zone" so I didn't need to waste any time clipping coupons. I loaded up on the basics like shrimp baskets and garlic infused pork products.

Two of the employees had a problem with me simply rolling the full cart out the door withour paying for it. I shot one in the face and the other in the back as she was running awaying screaming something about "I never thought this could happen here."

They didn't have any chew toys for my dog, so I made a seperate murderous spree for those.

By the time I made it back home, the SWAT team was already assembled in an area where my dog poops. My first thought was that these guys are NOT coming inside my house unless they scrape their shoes.

Shootout ensues, blah blah blah; but their service pistols were no match for my freakishly small penis inspired AK-47.

Had a good dinner.

Weekend Wildlife

Some good shots of bucks of various ages this week. The coyote pack seems to have moved on as we haven't heard them nor did I get any shots of/at them.





And one extreme close-up during set-up.



Update for Kaveman:

MD Police to Respond to Registration Check reports

As noted here, there have been numerous reports of the authorities in MD doing checks on registered firearm owners.

Apparently there has been a response by them to inquiries made by local media and will be broadcast Saturday at Noon (Eastern) on AM 930 WFMD and Online.

Rural upbringing

Can't remember if I posted about this before, but MikeB was interested in my experience so I'm posting it here as well.

Keep in mind that what I was doing was technically illegal, even though I didn't realize it at the time.

My favorite shooting spot/stomping grounds was an abandoned WW2 army base just a few miles from where I grew up. Only the building foundations remained but there were miles and miles of paved roads on this old base, which had since been turned into a wildlife preserve. You can google "Camp Adair Oregon" if you're interested in the history of the site.

So I decided to go plinking one afternoon by myself; something I had done dozens and dozens of times before.

Just me, my .22 rifle and a pair of binoculars.

My Father taught me to never shoot anything that I didn't intend to eat, with the exception of non-native species.

The binocs were for scoping out starlings, a non-native bird.

So I'm tooling around and stumble across about 15 cops. I saw them but they didn't see me. As I was hoofing through the brush, I decided to climb a tree to get a better view.

So here I am about 20 feet up in a tree scoping these cops out while holding a rifle.

There were other people there, another 15 or so, as well, just looked like normal civilians to me.

The cops were taking turns chasing down the civilians; their squad cars verses some old beat up muscle cars.

I couldn't really understand what I was seeing.

Cop would chase down suspect and pull him over. Then the cop would handcuff and frisk the "bad guy" and search his car. Then the cop would take the handcuffs off the dude and hand him a cup of coffee and they would both start laughing and high-fiving each other.

Truly bizzare. I watched for a long time.

Finally one of the cops spotted me up in the tree and made a hand gesture for me to approach them, which I promptly did.

Fully loaded rifle still slung over my shoulder, I walked to within 10 feet of the cop who spotted me.

He asked me what I was doing.

I responded that I was trying to figure out what you all were doing.

He chuckled a bit and explained.

This was a training exercise for new recruits enrolled in the police academy. Every one there was a cop. The ones in uniform were green recruits, while the ones dressed as civilians were the veterans conducting the training.

I then chuckled a bit as it all made perfect sense now.

They gave me a donut and advised me that this probably wasn't the safest place to be right now since they were moving on to more advanced exercises involving the cars.

The said that I should go home for my own safety.

So I thanked them for the donut and went home.

Never never never did they ask me for my rifle. Never did they ask me to put it on the ground. Never did they ask my age(I was obviously not 21).

Their main concern was for my safety. They didn't view me as a threat.

With the vision of hindsight on this incident, I recall a certain pleasure in the eyes of the vets.

They were training rookies how to be always alert for the unexpected while using common sense and I provided the exclamation point for the day.

Here I was, at the age of 13, carrying a firearm in a wildlife preserve, surrounded by 30 cops...

and eating one of their donuts.

They did refuse to give me any coffee without my parents' permission.

What is America coming to?

Kalishnakitty X-mas 2009

Via Smallest Minority comes news of Eric's 15th run of the popular Kalishnakitty shirts. Both my wife and daughter have them. Quality is excellent and the price well worth it. This is from Eric, not me so direct any inquires to him. erickelly1@verizon.net

Howdy, everyone! Yes, it is once again time for the semi-annual Kalashnikitty shirt production run. This year, I'll be offering shirts in gray and black, as well as long-sleeve and sweatshirt designs in both colors.

I will be taking orders until Sunday, November 1 and the order with my shirt maker will go in on Monday November 2. I should have the shirts in my hands and shipping out by the third week of November and they will ship out immediately by Priority Mail. Occasionally things get delayed or sped up depending on his inventory, workload, shipping issues, etc. - but I'm giving myself enough time this time to hopefully get around these occasional issues. If a delay does occur, though, it may be around Thanksgiving when the shirts start arriving on your doorstep.

Here's the procedure for getting the shirts (this makes it a LOT easier for me to track and ship these things ASAP)

Email me (erickelly1@verizon.net) with the following:

1 - Number, color, style (short-sleeve, long-sleeve, or sweatshirt) and sizes you want - sizes are Child's Medium, Child's Large, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult XL, Adult 2XL, and Adult 3XL.

2 - Your name and address

3 - How you would like to pay for them (Check, Money Order, Paypal)

Shirts now come in TWO colors - an ash gray (very nice) and black - shirts are high-quality, long lasting, very soft. I've never gotten an email from any of my previous customers saying, "The shirt shrunk, faded, looks horrible after 3 months, etc." - these really are quite nice shirts.

Shirts come in THREE styles - short-sleeve, long-sleeve, and sweatshirt. Necks are normal round, not V. Sizes are a little large, so if ordering for a woman, or a "slight" framed person, or for a tighter fit, go one size smaller.

Pricing - I have, in the past 8 years, never raised the price, even though my cost has gone up. And yet, I finally must do so by $1 per shirt - I've tried for the longest time to not do this, but the time is finally here :(

Any size (short-sleeve) up to XL is $21, 2XL is $22.50 and 3XL is $23.00

Long-sleeve shirts - add $3.00

Sweatshirts - add $6.00

Black shirts are an extra $2.50 per shirt (regardless of style - just add $2.50) - please specify the color you want.

Shipping via 2-3 day Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation is $5.00 for 1 shirt, and an extra $2.50 per shirt after that. (I am holding the line on shipping, though it has gone up as well - I'll eat the extra here for you guys!)

Check, MO, or Paypal is good for payments. If using Paypal, add 4% to the total payment, including the shipping.

** When you email me your order, include your full name and mailing address. I will email you back with the total.

Below are some pictures of the graphic and various people wearing them. Thanks again to everyone and spread the word!





erickelly1@verizon.net

CA Ammo Registration Bill Analysis

Howard Nemerov, author of the Austin Gun Rights Examiner, has put together an analysis of the effects the CA ammo registration/mail order ban will have:

Excerpt:

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), California consumers buy about 1.2 billion rounds of ammunition annually, about 12% of the total U.S. market. While some of this is rifle ammunition, there’s some vagary in the new law which may result in rifle ammunition purchasers being included under the new law:
Where ammunition or reloaded ammunition may be used in both a rifle and a handgun, it may be sold to a person who is at least 18 years of age, but less than 21 years of age, if the vendor reasonably believes that the ammunition is being acquired for use in a rifle and not a handgun.
This reasonability test creates a gray area, and considering California’s anti-rights history, any doubts will likely side towards the seller requiring your personal information. For example, people with .22 rifles may have to register, because of all the .22 target pistols that fire the same rounds.
Bottom line: If rifle owners believe they have somehow escaped unscathed, they are only fooling themselves. Also, there is nothing stopping the legislature from revising this law to include all ammunition in the future.

Firearm Registration Checks in MD?

From the National Hunting Examiner:

According to the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore (AGC) has received several verified reports of the Maryland State Police questioning citizens about the firearms they legally own.

These incidents involve citizens and firearms that have no apparent connection to any crime, or any illegal activity.

That would be the historical use of registration lists.

Can any MD residents verify this?

CA Ammo Registration Bill Update II

For those who claim that the "magazines, etc" clause only relates to possession by prohibited persons, I present you this:

12317. (a) Any person, corporation, or firm who supplies,delivers, sells, or gives possession or control of, any ammunition to any person who he or she knows or using reasonable care should know is prohibited from owning, possessing, or having under his or her custody or control, any ammunition or reloaded ammunition pursuant to paragraph (1) or (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 12316, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.

The same definition of "Ammunition" is used.

Which company is going to be the first to test the ‘reasonable care’ clause in court? Which ones are going to risk discrimination lawsuits by refusing mailing to certain people?

While this may not be a Dejure ban, it certainly will be Defacto.

Which Inherent Right DON'T They Oppose

It's pretty much a given that 'Gun Control' advocates aren't real big fans of the Second Amendment. The Chicago Tribune, which patently ignores thousands of marchers in Springfield in lieu of several anti-gun editorials, openly calls for its repeal.

But what isn't normally noticed are their attacks on the other rights enumerated in the Constitution, especially the 1st, 4th and 5th.

1st Amendment: 45 Superman notes how the administration at the Community College of Allegheny County needed to be forced into litigation to allow a student to hand out pro-2A information while the Second Amendment Sisters were told they were likely to be shot as threats during an EMPTY holster protest.

4th Amendment: Support of gun control groups for "Safe Storage" laws. The only way this is enforceable, as has been shown recently in Australia, is through warrantless searches of homes by the authorities. To them, that is 'reasonable'. We also did not hear a peep out of them during the seizures of firearms by authorities during Katrina yet we regularly hear that they do not support bans or confiscations.

5th Amendment: Support of gun control groups for the removal of rights without due process by being put on error-laden and secret "Watchlists".

In an interesting side point to this, we also regularly hear gun control advocates endorse licensing and/or registration of firearms all in the name to reduce crime. What we DON'T hear are their criticisms/condemnations of US v Haynes which ruled that convicted felons can't be prosecuted for failing to register a firearm under the self-incrimination clause of the 5th Amendment yet they come out of the woodwork to condemn Heller v DC which recognized the 2nd as an individual right for non-prohibited persons. So are they more concerned with criminal or legal possession of firearms?

Obviously this opposition to numerous rights by gun control advocates is only as it regards to firearm owners. If it were to come down to their personal interests, I'm sure they would fight tooth and nail to maintain them.

This might make you cry.

I'm not exactly a metrosexual, but for anyone who has a pet in their family or has adopted a stray, this may break you down.

And since I can't remember how to do a hyper link right now, I'll do it old school...


The Story of Tank

Admin Edit: Fixed it for you.

Classic Trailer

Don't feel the muse today so here's some "Best Of" posts:

Erasing the Second Amendment

Silly Assault Weapon Definitions

Minor Wording Details

Australia has no 4th Amendment

And if gun control advocates have their way, neither will we:

NORTHERN Beaches Police will be turning up on the doorstep of every licensed gun owner in the area over the next four years to check their firearms are stored correctly...

“Licensing police will be attending the home of every licensed firearm owner in the northern beaches over the next four years to inspect every weapon and check the gun safe.

“Officers will be examining all gun safes to ensure they comply with the legislative requirements, particularly in relation to the standard and security of safes.”

Supt Cruickshank reminded all legitimate owners that under the Firearms Act they must take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safe-keeping of their firearms...

And if you don't comply, you go to jail. Note that the only ones effected by this are 'legitimate owners'. Criminals aren't inconvenienced in the slightest.

This is the same thing as "Safe Storage" laws that are endorsed by groups like the Brady Campaign and the various Joyce Foundation funded groups. The only way they are enforceable is by warrantless searches of homes as determined through licensing/registration lists, another thing demanded by the gun control groups.

Many of these US groups are part of IANSA, the international, Soros funded organization that pushed for these laws in Australia, the UK, Brazil and elsewhere. They got it there, they want it here.

CA Ammo Registration Bill Update

According to Cheaper Than Dirt, the ban on mail order goes well beyond ammo:

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, "ammunition" shall include, but not be limited to, any bullet, cartridge, magazine, clip, speed loader, autoloader, or... projectile capable of being fired from a firearm with a deadly consequence. "

So pretty much any "Gun Paraphernalia" associated in any way with ammunition you won't be able to get except through whatever is locally available.

But there's no slippery-slope in the world of gun control. No, none at all. "Reasonable, Common-Sense" gun control at work.

Update: Here's what I'm pretty sure was the passed bill. From what I can figure from the legalese, it 'could' be read to prohibit mail order magazines etc.

Empty Holster = "Threat" to DHS officer

During a protest in DC by the Second Amendment Sisters, they are told that if they don't put the empty holsters away, they may be shot.

Finally he conceded that he could not make me remove my holster but warned me that if I persisted that I *would* be detained and possibly arrested or shot, that not every LEO was “pro-gun” like he was!

God, save me from my 'friends'....

We all know what the next step is...

Schwarzenegger signs one, vetoes two

Just prior to the deadline occurring at midnight Oct. 11, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that will require all firearms dealers to register all buyers of handgun ammo and ban internet and mail-order ammo sales in the state. He vetoed a bill requiring additional paperwork for firearms transfers and one that would have prohibited gun shows at the Cow Palace expo center near San Francisco.

They already have anti-gun activists going through their firearm registration lists to determine who is no longer reliable eligible.

How long will it be until this registration is used to ban or restrict ammo even further?

Unpossible in Australia

"A frightening array of guns have been seized in the past month, including a .357 Magnum handgun and a .22 shortened rifle with silencer.

In one raid on September 9, police officers managed to seize five Colt M16 assault rifles, three Colt AR15 assault rifles, three 9mm assault rifles, a tactical assault rifle and seven 9mm handguns at Rosebery."

Obviously the Telegraph is incorrect on this as all these have been illegal Down Under for years. There is no way these could be present in an island nation w/ strict, IANSA approved, gun laws.

H/T to Clayton Cramer.

Why the Four Rules are Important..

Took the AR out for the first time tonight to run it through its paces. I apparently missed something sticky when I cleaned it as the hammer locked back after charging and wouldn't go forward. I fiddled w/ it for a bit to try and get it do dislodge. After a bit of this and continuously jiggling the trigger, the hammer dislodged and it discharged the round. It stuck a few more times after that, becoming easier to dislodge each time.

At all times, the barrel was kept pointing towards the back berm.

Always follow the four rules.

Nobel Peace Prize to be Renamed

It will now be known as the Nobel "Anyone But Bush" Prize.

I wish I could say I was surprised but knowing the past history of winners, I'm not.

Joyce Foundation on Chicago Teen Beating

"We should ask our elected officials why military-style weapons and ammunition are legally available to civilians."

Ellen S. Alberding is president of The Joyce Foundation

These lowlifes take a tragic murder of a teen who got caught and beaten to death in a gang riot and use it for their crusade of banning anything even remotely associated with firearms.

To top it off, a couple of the comments are from Joyce Foundation employees through the FSA.

There's is nothing people like this won't do. They readily admit to lying to push their agenda. They spend millions of dollars to publish 'studies' that can be shredded by even the most junior Grad student, and start dozens of organizations w/ memberships in the single digits to proclaim 'grassroots support'.

They are scum and nothing else but.

Via IllinoisCarry.

Turns out Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign can't help but dance in the blood of the victim either.

I hope all their members and supporters are proud.

Another Victory in Illinois

Via IllinoisCarry, Armed and Safe, and Chicago GRE:

Ill. court OKs storing guns in car consoles

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The Illinois Supreme Court says gun owners can carry weapons in the ordinary storage boxes built into their cars.

The question was whether a compartment for items like CDs and sunglasses also meets the legal definition of a "case" for carrying guns. Illinois law lets people carry guns in their cars so long as they are stored in a case or other container.

The court ruled Thursday that a car's storage box is good enough.

The ruling was prompted by a Peoria case in which a man had been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for carrying two pistols in his car's storage compartment.

It may be a small victory, but even a 'small' victory is major in Illinois.

The full decision.

Quote of the Day

From CowboyBlob who also stole it:

I've HAD IT with people comparing Obama to Hitler! Hitler got the Olympics, after all.

Best Recruiting Ad Evar..

From the USAF 2000:

Bloomberg Breaking the Law: Round II

So first he hires PI's to go out of state to try and entrap gun stores into breaking the law. The result? A bunch of civil lawsuits forcing shops to close, a letter of reprimand to him by the BATFE, a new law specifically targeting Bloomberg's actions, and not a single criminal charge pressed against any of the shops.

Bloomie apparently considered that a victory as he has now done the same thing at out of state gun shows, hiring PI's to go to various states and try to buy guns from "unlicensed firearm dealers" and exploit the 'Gun Show Loophole', nevermind the fact that these same transactions can occur outside of any show. And all of this right before the upcoming election.

I'm going to guess that again there will be no criminal charges against the alleged sellers.

More at SIH.

You're Just a Big Dumb Poopie Head

That's the response from the only MAIG Mayor in Texas, Ricard Ward of Hurst, to blogger Texas Fred's usual eloquence. :)

This is followed by the usual "I'm a Gun Owner But...." and "They're not an anti-gun group, really" talking points.

Nevermind the fact that they're still parroting the 450 number even though it's now well below 400.

All Your Gun Lobby Belong To Us

In a comment thread regarding how to increase the percentage of firearm owners belonging to various firearm rights organizations, this comment was made:

That is because those organizations idealogy deal more than about guns, when that stops, I know a lof of people, including myself, that would consider.

Note it wasn't just the NRA that was mentioned but the SAF, etc.

I asked for a clarification on just what non-gun 'ideologies' were being dealt with.

Several days later, on a different thread discussing McDonald and Sotomayer, this same individual replied:

you asked about idealogy and the NRA, read the above comments...when talking about gun rights we should stick to gun rights.

Now note how the goalposts got moved to mentioning ONLY the NRA and claiming that the comments from a few individuals, some of whom were members, represented the 'ideology' of the entire organization.

We see this mentality fairly often. Anything even remotely associated with firearms is under the guise and control of the NRA. Laura Washington and her 'wheelbarrows full of cash' meme was a prime example. Back in June we had Snuffy protesting the NRA at an event that the NRA wasn't even present at nor affiliated with.

So are these alleged people just completely unaware of the dozens of other national and state groups that are also available to gun owners or are the arguments against gun ownership so weak that the only thing they can do is lump all of the groups together into one big ad hominem boogeyman? A little of both? Neither? What?

How can we inform the general gun owning public of their choices and encourage them to become members of (at least) the organization that fits their personal firearm ideology whether it be NRA or GOA?

Selective Correlations

According to Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL5), the ban on handguns and semi-auto's in Chicago is not enough. He correlates the expiration of the AWB w/ a rise in youth homicides. Of course he doesn't show that these youth were actually murdered w/ "Assault Weapons", only a spurious correlation. He also throws out plenty of stats on how many CPS students were shot and killed the last two years in the same city that bans most firearms and registers the rest (unless you're an Alderman named Mell that is).

Let's look at some correlations that he ignores and are more directly associated:

Chicago Public HS drop out rate: 50%

% of murders directly gang related: 50%

% murders w/ prior criminal history: 91.4%

% victims w/ prior criminal history: 72.5%

5x the murder rate of the rest of the state where firearms are common.

Murder Capitol of the US numerous times since the Handgun Ban passed.

Chicago homicide only started dropping when the national rate did in 1993.

% Murders by types of weapons used, 2008:

Nationally: 66.9 , Chicago: 80.8

Hmmm. Perhaps it has something to do with other things besides firearm ownership?

My usual statement for Chicago:

"Sure, I'll support more gun laws for you, as soon as you have your constituents write the names of every family member and neighbor that belongs to a gang and has a gun hidden on a sheet of paper. Let me know when you're done and we'll hold a joint press conference to name names and start to really bring the cycle of violence to an end."

Joyce Foundation (Puppet) on Chicago Case

From the Legal Community Against Violence Gun Ownership:

"We believe that state and local governments should be free to address gun violence as they see fit. Even if the Court concludes, however, that the Second Amendment does apply to the states, Heller made clear that the Amendment is consistent with a broad variety of reasonable gun violence prevention regulations"

LCAV will support Chicago and Oak Park in the Supreme Court litigation and will continue to provide assistance to state and local governments facing Second Amendment challenges to firearms laws. ..

Which means they're going to continue to push for every ban, restriction, and regulation that comes across no matter how ridiculous or ineffective. For gun control groups, everything up to and including defacto or dejure bans are 'reasonable'.

No Olympics for Chicago

Perhaps the video of Chicago teenagers being beaten to death during gang riots had more of an impact than the celebrities Daley sent there.

Or perhaps the group Chicago2016 should have spent the $2m they donated to Obama on more bribes to the IOC.

Being Prepared

Univ. of Florida adds plan for zombie attack response.

Will they designate the local SCCC chapter as first responders?

Deer Season in Illinois

Via State Sen. Dan Rutherford:

“Recent changes in Illinois laws are intended to lengthen the deer hunting season for sportsmen,” Rutherford said. “These changes are more hunter-friendly and will provide an opportunity for more deer to be harvested.”

The fall deer season began on October 1, with archery hunters taking the first crack at the herd.

• Archery – October 1 – January 17
• Youth – October 10 – 11
• Firearm season - November 20-22 and December 3-6
• Muzzleloader only – December 11-13
• Late Winter – December 31 – January 3 and January 15-17

Deer permits that remain after the daily drawing period will be available for over-the-counter sales on October 20. Hunters will be able to purchase these licenses through the Department of Natural Resources and approved retailers.

Beautiful Sight.

What we're being told by the media is this:

Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages.

Firearm owners noted this months ago and the shortage is already ending. This is the ammo shelves at the Rural King in Champaign, Il.


Like I said. Beautiful sight.

The Million Dollar Question

Which organizations and/or Gov't officials are going to file briefs opposing the incorporation of an enumerated right?

Brady Campaign in Denial

""The Chicago case is unlikely to have much practical impact on most gun laws regardless of how the Court rules. "

He said the same thing over the Heller ruling even though it laid the foundation for this case and the dissolution of several gun bans across the nation.

No, none of those are 'practical impacts' to someone whose organization has suffered so many defeats in the last few years they can't even be considered 'National' anymore as they only have enough resources/support to focus on small areas in a few select states.

Cert. Granted in 2A Incorporation

Court to rule on gun rights, terrorism law

Taking on a major new constitutional dispute over gun rights, the Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to decide whether to apply the Second Amendment to state, county and city government laws...

The Court had three cases from which to choose on the Second Amendment issue — two cases involving a Chicago gun ban, and one case on a New York ban on a martial-arts weapon. It chose one of the Chicago cases — McDonald v. Chicago (08-1521) — a case brought to it by Alan Gura, the Alexandria, VA. lawyer who won the 2008 decision for the first time recognizing a constitutional right to have a gun for personal use, at least in self-defense in the home (District of Columbia v. Heller). A second appeal on the Chicago dispute had been filed by the National Rifle Association (NRA v. Chicago, 08-1497). Presumably, the Court will hold onto that case until it decides McDonald; the same is likely for the New York case, Maloney v. Rice (08-1592) — a case in which Justice Sonia Sotomayor had participated when she was a judge on the Second Circuit Court.

So the first half of next year should provide some good blog-fodder followed by the reactions to it by both sides and the mid-term elections.

Kellerman 'Research' Striking Again?

From a 'study' on DGU's:

on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The study estimated that people with a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun.

they randomly selected 677 cases of Philadelphia residents who were shot in an assault from 2003 to 2006. Six percent of these cases were in possession of a gun (such as in a holster, pocket, waistband, or vehicle) when they were shot.

So 40 people had guns on them. Nowhere in the article does it say they 'legally' had it on them. Most crimes occur by criminals against prior criminals. What's the percentage of Philly residents who have CCW permits? Are permit holders that much more likely to be involved in a crime?

As reader Carl in Chicago noted, the PA school of Medicine has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Joyce Foundation grants to endorse gun control.

I suspect the fisking of the report when the full version is released will be fairly simple.

Update: Here's the full article. SIH says that the methodology is completely rigged to achieve the standard Joyce line. From what I'm reading, they did include illegal possession by adults involved in criminal activities just like Kellerman did.

"Left-Wing" Terrorists

ELF claims credit for toppling radio towers

SNOHOMISH, Wash. -- A piece of heavy equipment was used to topple two towers for Everett radio station KRKO, and the national Earth Liberation Front says their members are responsible...

But Jerry Anderson added, "I was glad this happened. It made me think of the Boston Tea Party."

Yet no broad brush reports from the ADL, SPLC, or DHS condemning anyone even remotely associated w/ supporting 'Green' causes.

Horse Tradin'*

*or "A New Mouth To Feed"

Well the Thompson has gone to a new home. Traded it for a 'Pre-Ban' Colt AR-15 SP-1.

Now the joy of finding ammo to feed it.

Your Moment of Zen

Weekend Gun Show Roundup

Conventional rifles and shotguns for traditional hunting and sporting purposes (pages 4-20, 4-21) are always available, but that is never where the crowds gather. The buzz surrounds assault weapons and their accessories.

-Gary Wintemute. 2009 Gun Show 'study'

Really? Never? His word. Never.



All the interest and sales at this (admittedly small) show centered around "Conventional rifles and shotguns for traditional hunting and sporting purpose". Only a few people even looked at the "Assault Weapons" (mostly AR's and CETME's) that were available. None to my knowledge were purchased.

I guess the good Dr. was using the Humpty Dumpty definition of 'never'.

Actions Have Consequences.

Drunk guy decides burning a flag belonging to the VFW is a good idea. VFW tracks him down and gives him several options. Man decides being duct-taped to a pole w/ a sign is much better than (what I would guess) getting his @ss beat and/or arrested for destruction of property/vandalism.

Saturday Funny

No, but it's still funny.

Off to the Show

Going to sell off my pallets of Turner Diaries, Nazi Paraphernalia, and John Wayne memorabilia to all the Right Wing Extremists. According to "Professor" Wintemute, that should take about 5 minutes but I'll be there all weekend.

SATURDAY SEP 26th 9-4
SUNDAY SEP 27th 9-3
RT-45 & W. Main St. Arcola IL
Arcola community center
admission $ 3.00
under 12 free with adult
food served
f.o.i.d.s processed with picture

Illinois Terrorists

Lost in the shuffle of the NY arrests comes this:

Michael Finton, also known as Talib Islam, was arrested in Springfield, Illinois, and charged with attempted murder of federal officers or employees and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, charges that carry a life sentence.

Finton was arrested on Wednesday in Springfield as he used a cell phone to try to detonate the bomb he believed was inside a van he had just parked outside the federal building.

So he wasn't just 'planning', he thought he had it all set up.

It's going to be interesting how this turns out in court since it seems the authorities were really pushing the line on entrapment.

In early 2009, "it appeared that Finton was on the verge of taking action, so it was decided to proactively provide him with an opportunity for action that we controlled, rather than merely hoping to be able to find out and stop him," according to a government affidavit.

There was also an arrest in Dallas of a suspect in even another alleged plot.

How Long Would You Survive?

There's lots of silly quizzes on Facebook, MySpace, etc. that determine how long you would survive a nuclear war, zombie apocalypse, invasion by smurfs, what have you but let's be serious:

How long would you be able to survive if something happened?

How prepared are you for the most likely situations in your area?

Would you be able to keep you and your family safe/fed or successfully evacuate them if something were to occur or is your idea of 'preparation' a case of Ramen Noodles and 10,000 rounds for each of your guns?

There are a lot of blogs out there that specialize in survivalism and living off the grid, some of which I have linked on the side, so repeating that information would be redundant and unneccessary. I'm just going to ask some questions for various scenarious that most people don't think about but need to.

Do you have a SHTF/'Bug Out' bag for you and your family? Kim Du Toit published a basic list that he put together for his family some time ago. The DHS has pages upon pages of recomendations. Everyone knows the basics. Food. Water. 1st Aid kit. Toiletries.

What about your pets? Do you have enough food/water for them? Carriers? Enough room in your vehicle for them? If not, do you have a backup plan for their care or do you dump them?

The same goes for livestock. Do you have a plan for their care or a way for them to escape if needed or are they on their own?

Where are you going to go and how are you going to get there? Can everything fit in the vehicle you're planning on using? Are you going to use more than one? If so, how will you remain in communication w/ the other driver? CB, Cellphone, Walkie-Talkie?

What route(s) are you going to use? What if that one's blocked? Then that one? Do you have a backup for your planned safe-spot?

Those are some things to think about for a quick getaway but what about long term staying power if that isn't an option? There's a big difference between what one would need in an urban environment compared to a rural one.

How reliant is your residence on the grid? Is there a way for you to maintain a tolerable environment (whether heating or cooling) without utility provided gas/electricity? For how long?

Do you have a reliable source for potable water? A place to store it for dry times?

Where are you going to get food from after your surplus runs out? Scavenging, farming/gardening, hunting/trapping? Do you have the tools/skills to do it enough to feed you and your family? How are you going to prepare it?

What are you going to do w/ your waste products/trash?

I don't think everyone should relive Y2K, spending their kid's college funds to buy years worth of freeze-dried foods, generators, 2-ply toilet paper and grandfather clocks. I think we're going to pull out of latest fiasco but, as an acquaitance of mine astutely stated, "The day AFTER the power goes out is not the time to start to start making plans".

So what have you done?

Registration /= Confiscation

Really. It doesn't.

They used to be legal firearms, but now they're either unregistered or outright banned, and they're wanted by police before there's a chance burglars put them in Toronto's underground and underworld markets. Since March 1, Project Safe City swept 400 unregistered weapons 150 of them handguns from homes throughout the city. No charges were filed. Police are reviewing thousands of gun ownership files to determine which weapons have lapsed registrations and which are now banned.

Attack of the Talking Points

"Bowling for Columbine" + gaggle of college professors = Excedrin headache.

Seriously. This is something I would expect from a freshmen level speech class.



H/T to GunRightsRadio

VPC now advocating against marriage?

According to Sugarmann:

In cases where the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 91 percent of female victims (1,587 out of 1,743) were murdered by someone they knew. Of these, 62 percent (990 out of 1,587) were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers. More than 10 times as many females were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers.

By his own numbers, marriage correlates more to murder than firearm ownership.

Where weapon use could be determined, firearms were the most common weapon used by males to murder females (847 of 1,657 homicides or 51 percent)

So does Josh hate men? Does he think women would be safer if they didn't marry or get into relationships with them?

Cause that's what his numbers are really saying.

Chicago: That Gun Free Brady Paradise

% Murders by types of weapons used, 2008:

Nationally: 66.9

Illinois: 79.4*

Chicago: 80.8



*As stated earlier, Illinois is still non-compliant w/ FBI UCR requirements. There were a total of 790 murders in Illinois in 2008, 510 of which in Chicago. Info was only obtained for 530 of them.

Another Honor Student Killed....

Ill. homeowner kills armed robbers

Police say an eastern Illinois man shot two people to death after they forced their way into his home and tried to rob him.

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn says the two masked men held the homeowner on the floor at gunpoint Monday night and choked him while demanding money. The sheriff says the alleged robbers were 22 and 17 but didn't identify them or the homeowner.

Hartshorn says the men let the homeowner go when his wife said she had expensive jewelry upstairs. While the men focused on a jewelry box, the homeowner grabbed a handgun and shot them.

He was probably on his way to buy milk for his momma and had never done anything like this before. Obviously we should blame the homeowner for taking the law into his own hands.

VA Tech Panel announcement

The VCDL has put out an announcement that a VA anti-gun group have put together another rigged 'panel discussion' loaded w/ anti-gun advocates following a screening of the nonsense 20/20 CCW video.

You remember the one where a kid was given about 20 min of instruction and cumbersome clothing against a cop who knew where and who he was?

Attendees: Josh Horowitz, Andrew Goddard,
Lori Haas, and Omar Samaha.

Event info:
Thursday, Sept 24th 7-9pm (please arrive 30-60 min early to ensure
good seating)
Haymarket Theatre, in Squires Student Center on Virginia Tech campus

Security Blanket

IL legislators pass a law making it easier to get a restraining order against a stalker and increasing penalties if it's violated.

To bad the Supreme Court says the police have no obligation to enforce it.

Now everyone can 'feel' safe in their blanket.

Weekend Wildlife

Some good shots this week. First one is of a nice sized buck and what I'm pretty sure is a possum.


The local herd is getting used to the camera. They're not bolting from the flashes. This is a good sized group w/ quite a few does and a couple of young bucks.

I would have loved to have had a video after the flash went off on this one.


It wasn't all just deer, though. An hour later:


And he wasn't traveling alone.

Saturday Funny

The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

It’s so bad, I ordered a burger at McDonalds and the kid behind the counter asked, “Can you afford fries with that?”

The economy is so bad that CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.

The economy is so bad if the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

The economy is so bad Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

The economy is so bad McDonalds is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

The economy is so bad parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.

The economy is so bad a truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

The economy is so bad Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting..

The economy is so bad Motel 6 won’t leave the light on anymore.

The economy is so bad the Mafia is laying off judges.

The economy is so bad Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen


Thanks to Texas Fred for the forward.

"Only Ones" Breaking and Entering Enough

CHICAGO — Four former members of a now-disbanded Chicago police unit have admitted they used to barge into people's homes and steal money.

Three of the four pleaded guilty Friday in Cook County court to felony theft and one pleaded guilty to felony official misconduct. All four were sentenced to six months in jail and promised to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Good thing the people of Chicago are under such good protection.

Down the Memory Hole: MAIG edition

SIH reports on alleged MAIG mayors denying membership specifically Portales, NM mayor Ortega. He's no longer listed on the MAIG site but here are two screencaps from Jan 2008 via the wayback machine showing him as a member.



Buckeye Firearms has info on some more mayors who seem to have been added w/o permission.