The Lady of the Gun

She looks like she could have been my mother, or perhaps yours, if your parents were of “The Greatest Generation.” In one sepia photo, she drapes a dark coat across her arm. In the other she’s wearing it. She stands by the side of a house, or perhaps a garage, looking off in one picture, toward the camera in another, appearing first, serious, and then — is that a smile?

She was young. She was pretty. Who was she? Somebody’s sweetheart? Somebody’s wife? Is she still alive? Did she end up having children, grandchildren …?

And whose gun were the Plexiglas-covered photos on the grip of the 1911 Army .45 affixed to?

"The Lady of the Gun" is my Rights Watch column for the December 2008 issue of GUNS Magazine.

The original Star-Telegram story on which much of this is based has disappeared from their site. Fortunately, A Keyboard and a .45 posted a picture of the grips back when this story first appeared.

A Snitch in Time

Meet Summit County Crimestoppers, sponsors of the local "Goods for Guns" nonsense, and a self-described " program designed to encourage cooperation between the citizenry and the law enforcement community."

How do they do that? No, not through anything that will teach us how to protect ourselves until the police arrive. Instead, they offer "the citizens of Summit County direct and easy access to their law enforcement community and incentive in the form of anonymity and reward."

Here's today's Gun Rights Examiner column.

Shooting Blanks

A 17-year-old Washington County high school student died Saturday after firing a blank-shooting prop pistol used for a play. [More]

What do they think an explosive discharge through a metal tube is going to do? Ruffle their hair?

The liberal arts aren't really all that strong on basic physics, are they?

This is the same type of ignorance that Jon-Erik Hexum killed himself with.

And naturally, his co-star at the time, Jennifer O'Neill, who gave herself "a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen" is big on "gun control."

Many adult actors really do appear to be less mature than your average high-schooler.

So: who thinks encouraging young people to be ignorant about handling firearms is a good idea? You know, if we only banned guns, we wouldn't need to train them because stuff like this would never happen.

Too Many?

"The common link between all of these homicide cases is guns," Buske said from San Diego, where he had attended a police chiefs association meeting.

"There are too many guns in the hands of people willing to use them to harm others."

If you think real hard, chief, there's a corollary to that.

Hint: There are too few guns in the hands of people willing to use them to _____.

I'll wait. I'm sure it will come to you. Won't it?

[Via ranamacar]

We're the Only Ones Realizing Our Dream Enough

They appeared in court on Thursday to argue that Mr. Hernandez, who served a year on Rikers Island for illegal gun possession, a felony, before joining the Army, had turned his life around so impressively that he deserved the judge’s help to realize his dream: joining the New York police force.

Far be it from me to suggest that mere possession of a firearm should ever disqualify anyone from anything.

But then, I'm not the one suggesting it, am I? It's the "Only Ones" who are once more getting privileges while the rest of us would get nothing but pain.

As long as you serve the Masters, all is forgiven. And no one can lift a finger.

Care for a gun?

[Via Declan]

And the Larry Hincker Award Goes to...

Larry Hincker!

"We're disappointed and frankly not happy, and we expect to get some assurances that this won't happen again," Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said.

What, your stupid, expensive after-the-fact alert system failing, or prohibiting an immediate active response?

And who says utter failure doesn't pay?

Charles W. Steger, president of Virginia Tech, was paid nearly $720,000 during the same period...

I wonder if Larry got to lick the plate?

"You'd think they'd have a backup for this kind of thing," Hincker said.

That is supposed to be the backup, you dolt.

I am honestly starting to think that he is this dense.

Regardless, one small satisfaction--for some time now, and hopefully for a good long time, I'll always be right there looking over his shoulder...

[Via Mack H]

Larry Hincker Award design courtesy of Robb Allen

Vanderboegh: Question 59 & the Myrmidons

Vetting The Ant People for Our New Ruler

Mike catches something that escaped both presidential candidate (and scares the cats in the process).

Assuming it did...escape them, that is.

Fighting for Bloggers' Rights

If you're a blogger, this website is for you.

EFF's goal is to give you a basic roadmap to the legal issues you may confront as a blogger, to let you know you have rights, and to encourage you to blog freely with the knowledge that your legitimate speech is protected.

To that end, we have created the Legal Guide for Bloggers, a collection of blogger-specific FAQs addressing everything from fair use to defamation law to workplace whistle-blowing.

Fight the scourge of "Authorized Journalism."

Interesting--I'll have to give this a closer look.

[Via Mindful Musings]

Holiday Season in SC

Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, South Carolina residents will have a 48-hour period when they can purchase guns, shotguns, and rifles tax-free.

Naturally, "Freedom States Alliance" spokesmodel Scott Vogel has a hissy fit.

Take it easy, Scott--if you like, we'll be happy to support a tax-free weekend on these, assuming you don't already own one.

[Via Jeffersonian]

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

A memorabilia collector has been jailed for five years for possessing a Second World War rifle listed as a prohibited firearm. The rifle was not in a condition to fire live ammunition...

Judge Maxwell said Parliamentary guidance meant strong sentences should be given for illegal firearms possession. “I feel bound to impose the minimum sentence of five years,” he added.

Bang bang, Maxwell's wooden gavel
Came down upon his head...

You should feel bound, all right, you fascist functionary, you coward.

[Via Bruce Mills]

Meanwhile, Across the Pond in Sarah Brady Paradise

UK society 'condemning' children

More than half the population believe UK children behave like animals, a survey has suggested.

They're not wrong in their assessment, but don't seem to grasp who created the monsters.

Why would we expect a system designed to stifle and control the human spirit to produce anything but dysfunction and hostility?

[Via The Bitter Clinger]

No One Forced You

"It's not something you are entitled to keep confidential," Orchard said. "No one forced you to acquire a handgun."

That's fine, Jack--no one forced you to act like a Quisling--for profit. You want to be out there doing things for personal gain that impact the rights of your countrymen like this, it would seem fair if your private information became public--along with the private information of those employing you.

At some point, someone is going to realize that when people say they want to be left alone, they mean it.

One thing that gets me about this though, is no one is apparently trying an obvious reaction to this. We know the Mail Tribune is a prime instigator. We also know times aren't good for the newspaper industry as a whole.

Gun owners should organize and pick one advertiser, so they can keep their resources focused, and make it their problem, too. Convince them that their advertising dollars are financing an attack on their customers' rights, and persuade them to suspend it. Then move on to the next one. It's a peaceful and responsible reaction that allows for acting locally, and I'd bet a couple dozen committed and creative people could pull it off. And it doesn't have to be all stick--it doesn't take too much imagination to conceive of some carrots that could be offered to make it worth a retailer's while.

But I've been chanting that mantra for some time, to no avail. I really don't expect any but a handful to actually do anything, and any but a handful of those to do anything that doesn't rely on political popularity.

And we wonder why we're reaching the point where some of us, a small but serious percentage, are feeling like we're cornered with nowhere to go but through, while others scold us not to growl at the tormentors because it scares people and makes all gun owners, meaning them, look bad by association.

[Via Jeffersonian]

This Day in History: November 17

As the Season is fast approaching, when the Bay between us and Boston, will in all probability, be close shut up, thereby rendering any Movement upon the Ice, as easy as if no Water was there; and, as it is more than possible that General Howe, when he gets the expected Reinforcements, will endeavour to relieve himself from the disgraceful confinement, in which the Ministerial Troops have been all this Summer...