Of Questionable Repute

Assistant Village Manager John Berley said the move is part of an ongoing effort to keep businesses of questionable repute off of Lake Street, such as a spa that was annexed recently.

“Those kind of uses are considered undesirable by our residents and don’t project a good image,” he said.

See, government stealing property from private owners under force of arms is reputable in Addison. Having icky guns is not.

But maybe we're making incremental progress here. At least now it's "questionable". Previously, it was flat out "unwholesome and offensive."

Maybe we should Ask Mayor Hartwig if this represents a change in official position...

Dueling Militias

But the federal Bureau of Land Management is considering expanding the gun-restricted area by 41,000 acres to try to limit shootings at Idaho Army National Guard troops who report slugs bouncing off their tanks on a regular basis...

National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Stephanie Dowling said she thinks the proposed expansion would help alleviate the problem.

“What’s happened over time, as the population has grown, we get more and more people out there,” said Dowling. “Not everybody uses good safety precautions.”

Then you deal with the ones who don't Stephanie. The organized militia calling for unorganized militia disarmament zones is unacceptable.

Unusual Allies

Defiant police officers and prosecutors, however, saying they retain law enforcement discretion, have continued arresting and bringing cases against motorists like Mr. Patton found with unlicensed handguns...

In a report issued in February, the Texas affiliate of the National Rifle Association joined the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition “to spotlight unlawful, unnecessary governmental encroachment on average law-abiding citizens.”

And what should be done with "defiant" servants?

This is chilling:

The presumption of innocence does not make the person innocent.

Uh, yeah it does, Mr. Rosenthal, legally, anyway, which is what you're supposed to concern yourself with. The burden of proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt rests with you.

This looks like calculated harassment, dragging gun owners into court, intimidating them with threats and mounting legal costs into a surrender, and ceding to the judiciary the undelegated power to become a de facto government travel authorization agency, as this Tim Curry creature would submit his countrymen to.

It's nice to see the ACLU come around at least in this small way, especially considering the organization's traditional subversion of RKBA. It's also nice to be able to spotlight a positive action from NRA that deserves our support.

[Via Tom M]

NOTE: The "traditional subversion" link isn't working at this time--KABA.com keeps timing out.

Where are All the 2nd Amendment Supporters?

Now, here is the part where I’m starting to get frustrated. Red’s has started an online petition asking for fair treatment of FFL dealers. This has been out there for a few weeks and there are only a little over 2000 signatures on it as I write this. There should be tens of thousands on it by now! Is this information just not getting out to the gun owning public? I know Red’s is doing everything they can to get the word out. But surprisingly, many of the outlets that should be jumping on this are remaining silent. Hello? NRA? Would it hurt to return a call or add this to one of your ILA action alerts? I have written to them and… nothing.

In another development that disturbed me a bit:

But coincidence is just what Mountain Man's owner is calling it.

"There are big differences," said owner Gary Painter. "Red's had been told before they had to make corrections on things they were doing wrong."

Y'know, Mr. Painter, I'll assume you didn't quite mean what this implies, because otherwise, it looks like...Nahh. You were probably just quoted out of context. Right?

In another development, Red's Marketing Director, Ryan Horsley, has agreed to a WarOnGuns interview. It'll be the same format as with Matt Bracken and David Hardy, that is, after the "formal" interview, you'll have a chance to ask him a question of your own via the post's "Comments."

I'll be preparing and conducting the interview over the weekend, and will probably post it next Monday or Tuesday, depending on Ryan's availability. Stay tuned and I'll make sure to announce the date.

In the mean time, if you haven't already signed the petition, please go do so now--and please recruit your gun-owning friends to do so as well.

[Via chareltonhest]

Damsels in Distress

Charles Williams, who works in technology services for Turner, saw a man dragging a woman by the hair one level above where the shooting occurred. The man told him to get out of the way. Williams went to get a guard, and then saw the man apparently take the woman downstairs. He heard gunshots less than a minute later.

Then there's this account:

The witness, who had gone to get help from a guard, then heard the gunfire...

John Helton, a CNN.com producer, had a direct view of the gunman through glass doors. "I saw him coming down the escalator pulling her along, around the corner; he ran into the plant and that's when they started struggling," he said...Helton said the woman appeared to be shot at point-blank range. "He looked like he had the gun right on top of her head and shot her."

After the shots, CNN.com writer Brad Lendon said, the gunman "looked around, his head turning in my direction. I don't know if he saw me, but at that moment the gravity of what I'd witnessed hit me. I turned away and tried to find the safest way I could out."

The gunman was then shot by Capt. Odell Adams, who joined Turner Security in 1996, according to a spokesperson for Turner, the parent company for CNN.

Once members of the citizen militia no longer realize that's what they are, dismiss and disparage the concept of being part of one, and have no intention of being prepared to protect even themselves much less their communities at large, they're in no position to become anything but victims or escapees in a time when a defense-minded citizen is exactly what is needed. The herd bolts and runs while the predator brings down its prey.

"Men" seek other men to save them, that is, to have the others put their lives at risk because they will not.

And what did it take to stop the killer? A man with a gun. As usual.

[Via Andre]

This Day in History: April 5

April 5, 1776 Archibald Bulloch writes letter to Lyman Hall, Button Gwinnett, and George Walton giving them great latitude in voting at the Second Continental Congress

We Commend Senator Hutchison for Her Leadership...

...in endangering Parker.

When Seegars didn't work, we knew we'd need to try something else.

"In the Name of Safety"

A comment poster over at KABA captured a screenshot from NRA-ILA (scroll down linked page) saying firearm training should be required before carrying a weapon. Apparently someone thought better of the wording choice and deleted it.

While you're there, don't forget to read the article prompting the comments.

We're the Only...Aww, I've Already Used this Title

Deputy's gun reportedly discharges at IHOP

And again, I apologize...

We're the Only Ones Who Aren't the Only Ones

Sheriff Barry J. Jozwiak, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, apparently didn't get the memo about law enforcement officers being the Only Ones professional enough to keep and bear arms.

Armed and Safe introduces us to a sheriff who understands "Gun control does not reduce crime."

I see the House Judiciary Committee is going through the same nonsense its Senate counterpart engaged in a while back.

I don't expect the truth will hold much sway with those intent on advancing their political fortunes at the expense of their countrymen's rights.

Good catch, Kurt, and fine presentation.

We're the Only Ones Misfit Enough

The Maywood Police Department -- a 37-man force that patrols a gritty square-mile city south of downtown Los Angeles -- has become a haven for misfit cops who have been pushed out of other law enforcement agencies for crimes or serious misconduct.

Thank goodness they're "The Only Ones" in Maywood authorized to carry firearms!

[Via 45superman]

We're the Only Ones on the Defensive Enough

The case against Anthony Reynolds, 29 -- who is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and armed habitual criminal -- has led to official misconduct charges against a Harvey detective and has put Mayor Eric Kellogg on the defensive in an election year because of an accusation that he helped Reynolds remove his weapon from the police evidence room.

There are "Only Ones" and then there are "Harvey Only Ones".

We're the Only Ones Warranted Enough

The use of hundreds of police officers in a series of raids and searches which uncovered one gun in south Manchester was warranted, senior officers say.

Otherwise, UK "Only Ones" might have gotten hammered...

Thompson Stupid on Guns, Too

It’s one of the few issues that former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and his Democratic successor, Gov. Jim Doyle, ever agreed on: Both opposed efforts to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons.

Alphecca says "Goodbye, Mr. Chips."

Don't Call Them Anti-Gun, Call Them Pro-Defenselessness...Wait a Minute...

Lawmakers who take the law enforcement community’s alarm to heart are better characterized as being pro-safety, rather than anti-gun, and we suspect most Montana sportsmen understand that regardless of how they feel about the bill.

If only The Helena Independent Record knew how much I care about what "sportsmen" feel on this matter...

Bottom line: If you're against people defending themselves, you're anti-human. Gloss that over any way you want, but it's the truth.

This Day in History: April 4

I heartily wish the money had arrived sooner, that the Militia might have been paid as soon as their time of Service expired. the disappointment has given them great uneasiness and they are gone home much disattisfied; nor have I been without severe complaints from the other Troops on the same account. When I get to New York, I hope a sufficient sum will be there ready to pay every claim.

May I Be Frank?

It’s not like Frank is asserting his right to keep and bear arms as a matter of Constitutional principle. He just wants his guns, and the hell with everybody else. You see, Frank is not only a member of Michael Bloomberg’s cabal of anti-gun mayors stumping for more citizen disarmament laws, but he also wrote an executive order to ban gun shows in Jackson, Miss., along with closing down gunshops.

"May I Be Frank?," my Rights Watch column for the April issue of GUNS Magazine, is now online.

GUNS Magazine, April 1957

It is well-known that the female is deadlier than the male, including small-fry. When an intruder broke into a private home in Pittsburgh while her parents were away, a 12 year old girl went to the drawer where dad kept his revolver, loaded the .38 as she had been taught to do safely, and fired two shots at the intruder. The first shot hit the ceiling, hut the second hit the break-in artist's leg as he hopped out the window, resulting in his capture when he reported to a doctor for treatment.

Fifty years ago, this story brought nods of approval. Today, it would bring endangerment charges against the parents and disapproval from the community at large.

The April 1957 issue of GUNS Magazine is now online.

Also in this issue:

• Guns for Mexican Hunting
• Crows are Tricky Targets
• Why American Shooters Lost the Olympics
• Elmer Keith's Favorite Gun(s)
• Rifles of the Confederacy
• and much more, including the classic period ads

Can't These Psychos Read?

[Click on image to enlarge]

A University of Washington researcher was shot to death in her office Monday morning by a former boyfriend who then turned the gun on himself, police said...

The 26-year-old woman was granted a restraining order last month against Jonathan Rowan, according to court documents.

That's strange...I wonder where UW spokesman Norm Arkans is--or was at the time of the shooting:

“This is a learning institution, and there is really no need or cause to possess a weapon on campus,” Arkans said. “Not allowing guns on campus contributes to public safety and greatly reduces the risk of anything happening, accidental or otherwise.”

Right you are, Norm. Imagine what might have happened if Ms. Griego had been armed.

We're the Only Ones Reinstated Enough

The city and its police department must take back an officer fired last fall amid accusations that he had used a stun gun on a handcuffed prisoner, an arbitrator ruled Monday...

Investigators concluded that Santiago, 24, of Lorain had done nothing to deserve being shocked. Santiago was handcuffed in the back seat of a cruiser when he was stunned, the report said.

The Fraternal Order of Police appealed Bozsoki's dismissal to the arbitrator.

Of course they did.

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]