I'm Not Sure What Would Have Worked Better Here...

...rules prohibiting guns on premises, or laws allowing employees to keep guns locked up in their cars.

Since nobody is discussing doing what you think is right regardless of any rules and keeping your mouth shut about it, I guess that's not an option.

Besides, I'm sure you couldn't get a permit for that.

Not Today

At the close of Wednesday’s public session, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., announced that the Court will issue all remaining decisions for the Term at 10 a.m. Thursday. The test case on whether the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a gun is among those remaining (District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290).

All I can guess at is they're wrangling over scrutiny level...

Freedom's Just Another Word

An American pastor walked free Tuesday after spending almost five months in a Russian jail for bringing hunting-rifle ammunition into the country.

No, not quite free.

If everything works out according to plan, he should now be a "prohibited person," ineligible to ever touch a firearm again.

At least that's what the "Vote Freedom First President's" lawyers have argued in the past.

Too bad for the pastor that he wasn't a rich and famous anti-gun actor instead of just an ordinary citizen like you and me.

We're the Only Ones Straw Purchasing Enough

The private military company Blackwater has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock.

Hey, at least they fully wrote out "Yes" and "No" on the transfer documents, so there was nothing "willful" about this.

[Via Cigar Rollers]

No Hope for Steffey

A Stark county grand jury has found no probable cause that county deputies committed any criminal wrongdoing while arresting Hope Steffey.

As many as 7 male and female deputies forcibly removed Steffey's clothes inside a Stark County jail cell and left her completely naked for 6 hours.

Yeah, really.

How can we expect "The Only Ones" to do their jobs and protect us if we bind their hands and subject them to such intrusive scrutiny?

Besides, why should a grand jury have to see videos to make their decision? We've already established who owns our bodies.

[Via AndreD from Rad Geek]

We're the Only Ones Discriminating Enough

A federal jury in Boston today awarded $150,000 to an assistant US marshal after concluding that Anthony Dichio, the former marshal for Massachusetts, retaliated against her at work because she filed a sex discrimination complaint against him.

I know what it's like to have a US marshal retaliate against you, sweetie, but I never thought of the sex angle, even though it felt like an attempted rape.

And oh, gee whiz:

US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan recused his office, praised the jurors as "conscientious" but declined to comment further.

Aw, c'mon, Mikeus Maximus. Won't you at least tell us if it was a "willful violation"?

There is No Such Thing as Gun Control

Jennifer Freeman of Liberty Belles explains why.

I also see from their email that Version 5.0 of Gun Facts is now online.

"Castle Doctrine" in Israel

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Wednesday approved in second and third readings a broad version of the "Shai Dromi Bill," which absolves from criminal responsibility anyone who kills or injures an intruder in his home, business or farm.

Cycjec writes:

[A]nd we'll fight them with slingshots...because we don't have anything else, as Winston Churchill didn't remark after the beach speech. Israel does not have a real 2nd Amendment, one needs a permit even for privately owned weapons (Haven't located a recent English language cite for this online.)

Earlier reports in e.g. the Jerusalem Post noted "police opposition. Israel has *never* had police departments as once understood(delegation without surrender of one's right of self defense,maintained and supported at the local level. Think back to the ancient "Support Your Local Police" campaigns, if you can remember that. I did see one such placard in NYC as late as the 1980s)

It has a unitary force commanded by IIRC the national government,and as such is susceptible to that government's politics and policies. It needs only to be said that recent "actions" at e.g. Amona by the "Yassamniks" as they are now popularly called was just like current "LEO" actions at NOLA (if not somewhat worse)

Microbalrog gives us further analysis of what this does and doesn't mean.

We're the Only Ones Pre-Employment Screened Enough

"He had credentials. He had a badge. He had a phone number to call for verification," said Gerald Mayor Otis Schulte. "I don't know what else we could have done."

Oh, gee, I don't know, Otis. Not being a highly qualified "Only One," I can only hazard a guess.

Say, you're not the same one from "The Andy Griffith Show," are you?

[Via c.tone]

A Lesson in Lehigh

Three Lehigh teens accused of breaking into a Lehigh garage were taken down, but was not by who you might think. We found out what one homeowner did in this that situation may have you asking some tough questions.

I guess the main question I have is did "Authorized Journalist" Patrick Flanary also write the script for Zero Wing?

Although it is nice to see we have a right to know who the troublemakers are, regardless of age.

It's also nice to see a story about a gun used to deter crime without being fired, and to see the stepfather's and the police reaction.

Not having been there, and relying only on what this story presents, I do have a concern, namely, that you never pull a gun unless you're prepared to use it. It doesn't sound like the homeowner was, and thankfully he was able to defuse the situation and "persuade" the budding young burglars to wait for the police.

So much for guns making people bloodthirsty.

[Via John G]

Upcoming Appleseeds

Toccoa, GA—June 28 & 29
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Athol, MA—July 5 - 6
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Payson, AZ —July 5 - 6
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Ramseur, North Carolina—July 4 - 6 (3-day event)
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Ottawa, IL—July 4 - 6 (3-day event)
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Piru, CA —July 4 - 6 (3-day event)
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Proctor, VT—July 4 - 6 (3-day event)
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Canon City, CO—July 4 - 6 (3-day event)
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I assume everybody's seen this?

All the Fine Young Cannibals

A teenager pointed a loaded and cocked 9 mm handgun at another boy's chest and said, "Well, now I'm going to kill you," during a street robbery Monday night, police said...

Police did not disclose the boy's name because he's a minor.

Do they think it will make things safer if we don't know who the monsters among us are?

Oh, but it's for the protection of the children...

What really works best to protect innocent children? Allowing the government to whisk them away without public scrutiny?

[Via Dave Licht]

All Your Body Are Belong to Us*

Police in Ohio soon will have more authority to force suspected drunken drivers with multiple DUI convictions to take blood and urine tests.

Key word "force."

Just what Ohio needs--expanded police authority.

Because drunk drivers are an easy sell to the public. And because requiring due process sufficient to obtain a warrant is so...inconvenient.

Brought to us by our good friends, the smaller government republicans.

And not that we want to send mixed messages or anything, but when warning teenagers, they sure make it look fun. From today's front page:



Wheee!

*

This Day in History: June 25

But God in Mercy to us fought our battle, and tho' we were but few in number, and suffer'd to be defeated by our enemy, yet we were presrev[ed] in a most wonderful manner, far beyond our expectation and to our admiration for out of our Regiment there were but 37 kill'd 4 or 5 taken captive, about forty seven Wounded & Oh may I never forget Gods distinguishing Mercy to me, in sparing my Life, when they fell on my right hand, and on my left, and close by me, they were to the eye of reason no more expos'd than myself.