It's Miers

What's the recurring line from Star Wars?

I don't have a good feeling about this.

It's not exactly like previous judicial nominees have filled me with confidence.

What do you think the odds are she recognizes military firearms as vital tools of liberty that belong in the hands of the people?

UPDATE: She's been "pre-approved by Senate Democratic leadership"?

We're screwed.

UPDATE: Via Drudge (no story link yet, just a headline under a flashing alarm): "BUSH COURT PICK GAVE MONEY TO CLINTON, GORE"

NRA-now is NOT the time to be silent on this.

Giuliani to Mull 2008 Decision Next Year

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sunday he will contemplate next year whether to run for president in 2008.

Giuliani on Gun Control:

All gun owners should pass written test.

I do not think the government should cut off the right to bear arms. My position for many years has been that just as a motorist must have a license, a gun owner should be required to have one as well. Anyone wanting to own a gun should have to pass a written exam that shows that they know how to use a gun, that they’re intelligent enough and responsible enough to handle a gun. Should both handgun and rifle owners be licensed...we’re talking about all dangerous weapons.

Mayor's Message:

To purchase a gun in the State of New York you have to give your full name, your date of birth, your residence, your occupation. You have to prove that you're a United States citizen, you have to show you are of good character, competency and integrity. And you have to demonstrate a real need for the weapon.

And thanks in part to our stricter gun control laws, crime is down dramatically in New York City. Shootings are down over 50 percent. Murder is down over 50 percent. But the fact is that 90 percent of the guns we take out of the hands of criminals in New York City come from out of the State of New York.

We need a federal law that bans all assault weapons, and if in fact you do need a handgun you should be subjected to at least the same restrictions -- and really stronger ones -- that exist for driving an automobile.

The United States Congress needs to pass uniform licensing for everyone carrying a gun.

If this guy gets the nomination, GOP betrayal of gun owners will be complete.

And yes, I anticipate no shortage of desperate cowards stammering indignant disagreement and telling us if we don't vote for Rudy we'll get Hillary and then really lose our gun rights.

Just remember this: Regardless of what edicts are passed and who is in charge, we won't lose them unless we surrender them.

We're dealing with nothing less than the enemies of human dignity and freedom. Did anyone really think it would always remain easy and civil?

Well, Lady, You DID ASK For It...

Publicola makes mincemeat out of Meghan Blalock.

Local Developer Takes Dead Aim at the NRA

Here's the inside poop on the co-founder of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, Jon Rosenthal. You will not find a more committed enemy of gun rights.

Incidentally, my GUNS article on AHSA got backed up a month--I felt it more important to bump it for one about about the happenings in New Orleans.

Ooops!

The FBI says it sometimes gets the wrong number when it intercepts conversations in terrorism investigations, an admission critics say underscores a need to revise wiretap provisions in the Patriot Act.

The FBI would not say how often these mistakes happen. And, though any incriminating evidence mistakenly collected is not legally admissible in a criminal case, there is no way of knowing whether it is used to begin an investigation [emphasis added].

Nordyke Cleared For Challenge

Gun enthusiasts were handed a legal victory last week, when a federal judge ruled they can argue that their free speech rights are violated by an Alameda County ordinance that bans guns on county property.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Martin J. Jenkins cleared the way for a new First Amendment challenge to the 1999 ordinance.

What a twisted world. The courts don't recognize Second Amendment standing for individuals in California, so we need to contrive First Amendment arguments to get anywhere--the irony of this sad state of things notwithstanding, that's some pretty clever lawyering by Don Kilmer.

"Order and Authority"

New York Times columnist David Brooks on "Meet the Press," speaking about what people want in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

I'd say what they want is order and authority, and if I were thinking of a candidate, in a way those would be the words I'd want my candidate to project.

The scary thing is--when speaking in raw numbers--he's probably right.

T-Rex Redux

Jed at FreedomSight has resurrected the discussion.

And, yeah, I did intend it to be a one-man weapon--the scenario has to be one-on-one-- where you live or die based on your decision.

WarOnGuns Voicemail: Two Seconds

I decided to give the Audioblogger feature a test run.

Fortunately it's the weekend, when site traffic slows down--so if this is a flop, not as many people will be there to point and laugh. I can find one mistake, but hey, at least I did the thing in one take and didn't say "uh." Plus, thanks to the miracle of duct tape, you can't hear the kids fighting in the background.

This commentary originally appeared in written form on GunTruths.com, and included an "Afterword:"

"Dennis Henigan of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence drops the ball in front of a roomful of reporters, while trying to prove the efficacy of Saf-T-Lok, a purportedly easy-to-use combination lock in the gun's grip. Henigan fumbles and fails to unlock the gun in a well-lit room with no intruder at the door... Finally disengaging the safety, he apologizes, 'Most people aren't as klutzy as I am.'"
-From "Lawyers, Guns and Money" by Matt Labash, The Weekly Standard, Feb. 1, 1999

"Again, I learned from Massad Ayoob what has become known throughout the self-defense industry as the Tueller Drill. To our amazement, everyone in our class demonstrated that any person, no matter his age or physical condition, can cover twenty-one feet from a standing start and plunge a knife into a target in an average of 1.5 seconds..."
-From "Armed & Female" by Paxton Quigley

Baxley's Latest Gun Law

In a nutshell, Baxley's bill precludes property owners, employers and businesses from enacting rules prohibiting people who lawfully carry guns -- for example, holders of concealed-weapons permits -- from keeping their gun in their car on company property, specifically the parking lot.

Anybody who violates that faces a third-degree felony.

We've had this discussion before here at WarOnGuns.

Citizen Disarmament Dominican Republic-Style

"Here you need to have your gun out so the criminals see it and retreat," said Jose Dia, a 33-year-old businessman who recently bought a 9 mm pistol in the capital of Santo Domingo.

So naturally, the government's answer to criminal abuse and violence is to disallow the law-abiding from carrying guns without "special authorization."

And surprise, surprise:

Earlier this year, a team of 300 police officers and soldiers began searching vehicles at checkpoints and stopping people carrying guns on the streets to ask for permits.

The team confiscates about 1,000 illegally possessed guns a month, Almeyda said. But efforts are hindered by rampant police corruption, he conceded.

"When a police officer tells me his gun has been stolen, I order an immediate investigation because he probably sold it," Almeyda told The Associated Press.

Goodness. You'd think you were living in a Third World hellhole like New Orleans.

A Pig For Mahbubur

NOVELTY pig calendars and toys have been banned from a council office — in case they offend Muslim staff...Councillor Mahbubur Rahman, a practising Muslim, backed the ban. He said: “It’s a tolerance of people’s beliefs.”

Yeah, you're real tolerant, Mahbubur. I'm about this close to posting your address and starting a Toy Pig Drive.

If the UK continues to "tolerate" this subversive nonsense, there'll be only one thing left to say about their culture:

D-d-dA-d-d-dA-d-d-Dat's all, folks!

[Thanks to Jim Peel]

Fake Gun Registry Ran With Ottawa's Knowledge, Eh?

Here's the latest in the Canadian gun registration fiasco. Seems the government got its knickers in a wad over this:

A website that generated fake Canadian gun registrations continued to operate for more than a year after federal officials tried to shut it down.

A file from the website, registered in the United States, allowed visitors to fill in and print reproductions of Canadian firearms registration certificates.
[snip]
Under gun type, the drop-down menu included “nail gun,” “hair dryer,” and “pointy stick.”

The hosers got upset over that? Sure hope I don't get in trouble with this, eh?

Compass Changes Direction

I'm glad I'm not the only one who comes up with crappy headlines.

How Very...Uhh... Orwellian

George Orwell, author and lifelong socialist, entered into a tax avoidance scheme on his deathbed as money began to flood in from the success of his final two books, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Aspiring New Orleans Cop Supports RKBA!

I have just finished reading the article entitled "What's Wrong With Gun Laws'' in the August issue of GUNS. Congratulations to Policeman "X" for one of the finest articles I have ever read. I am a member of National Rifle Association and seriously considering becoming a police officer of this city and this subject concerns me closely. I have and always will be a firm adversary of any legislation that takes any right from the average and honest citizen to keep and bear arms. I have always believed that if many of the restrictions on the purchase of handguns were lifted, there would be far less crime in this city than there is today.
Henry McKinell
New Orleans, Louisiana

Just one thing--this letter appeared in the Oct. 1955 issue of GUNS Magazine.

Download an issue for yourself. It's fun, it's informative and it's free.

About Those Bush Judicial Appointments

A federal District Court Judge has ruled that the privacy rights of illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes in this country are more important than the public’s right to know if the government is properly enforcing a key immigration law.

Amazing as the ruling itself may be, what is even more stunning is the fact that U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Richard J. Leon was affirming the Bush administration’s position in the case. President Bush nominated Leon in 2001 and the Senate confirmed him in February 2002.

It's not stunning to me at all. It's part of a pattern I have come to expect. Just like with another one of Bush's nominees, Reggie Walton, who ruled the Second Amendment a collective, rather than an individual right.

Which brings to mind a favorite quote by a pal of mine:

We've been conned. Bare-ass naked in the town square conned.--Steiger

Pergunta Stupid*

"The [drug] dealers watch out for everyone in the neighborhood 24 hours a day, doing what the police don't," said do Espirito Santo, 43. "People here fear the police and their guns more than they do the dealers."

The inverted realities of Brazil's poorest neighborhoods have added complexity to the debate about gun control, but later this month every citizen from 18 to 70 will confront a clear, yes-no question: Should the sale of all types of guns and ammunition be banned nationwide for everyone except the police and military?

* "Stupid Question" in Portugese

Man Bites Hurricane

The failure in New Orleans was a failure of character.

[Thanks to Lee McGee]

On the Schumer/Feinstein CCWs

Jim Kouri of the National Association of Chiefs of Police writes:

At the same time, there are outspoken opponents of gun ownership, such as Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA), who are carrying concealed weapons, according to WABC Radio's Mark Levin.

Naturally, I'm trying to track down as much information as I can about these claims, including who the permit-issuing authorities are.

I called Landmark Legal Foundation, which Mr. Levin heads, and spoke with Eric Christensen. Mr. Christensen called Mr. Levin and then called me back, telling me the information for Sen. Feinstein came from Wikipedia/Answers.com, and the Schumer information "was from a cop from New Jersey who called in to Mark's show."

I let Mr. Christensen know that any further information that becomes known on this will be appreciated, and will keep my eyes and ears open. I'll try to track down that Wikipedia link later today. If somebody gets to it sooner, please let me know.

UPDATE:

The Feinstein Wikipedia link, which doesn't appear to address this, is here, and the Answers.com link, which does, is here. The Feinstein information has been around for some time--I don't know if it is still current--I've also read claims that she now has a US Marshal's badge allowing her to carry anywhere, but only bring it up because it's on topic, not because I can prove it.

Bottom line--if these claims are true, there's not much specificity to them, and the tracks have been covered well, at least beyond my limited ability to investigate.