A Couple of Posts I'm Working On...

...that will need to wait until after Christmas.

One is about the despicable bastards trying to paint Ron Paul as a racist. I'm coming after you, and you're not going to like it. Too bad. You shouldn't lie.

Also, I've been corresponding with other gun bloggers about a certain member of a certain anti-rights group. We should have some interesting information to share.

I don't mean this to be a tease--it's just that doing things properly involves a lot of work and care, and hey, it's Christmas.

I'll post a greeting tomorrow, but barring anything of profound significance, will be taking it easy for the rest of today and tomorrow.

On Rights Secured

Dr. Kyle Litz shared the following:

I found this snippet from the famous Miranda case and had to share it. The force of its reason and truth rang so loudly I hoped you'd find a use for it against the war on guns.

“When rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation which would abrogate them.” Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 US 436 p. 491.

Not a bad thought to keep in mind...

A Christmas Tragedy

There were not supposed to be any guns in the house. But 3-year-old Gerald Miranda found one and shot himself in the chest. Spider-Man costumes and toys were waiting for him under the Christmas tree.

Police have not determined who owned the pistol, and the family is struggling with the question of who would bring it into the house.

This was sent to me by WarOnGuns Correspondent Tony G, who adds:

I know we that read your blogs are responsible gun owners but please lets warn people of the dangers of leaving your gun out if even for a few seconds.

Here's the thing, Tony. I don't know if we can fix this. A few random thoughts:

I agree, leaving a firearm where a 3-year-old can get to it is unconscionably negligent. How do you fix that?

We could talk training--which for a 3-year-old is problematic. For those older, there is Eddie Eagle, but our enemies turn people off to it using the "Joe Camel with feathers" pejorative. In some neighborhoods--I suspect most urban ones--NRA grassroots volunteers trying to provide such training would be unwelcome.

For families who aren't part of the educated community of gun owners, there isn't much they can turn to. Most mainstream sources of information--from police, to newspapers, to pediatricians, to schools --will tell you not to have a gun in the house in the first place (and we see from this story that was the assumed state of the house involved, although I reserve judgment on whether I believe that), or if you do, to keep it locked away, with ammunition under separate lock and key.

But, of course, we don't want to enable any more pitchfork murders...

There are those of us who have trained our children in responsible use and handling of firearms--starting very young and continuing development of skills at maturity-appropriate stages. I'm at a loss for what more we can do than that--except continue to espouse the truth about guns so that the curious, the motivated and the intellectually honest can learn more if they choose to.

We're the Only Ones Illegal Enough

The U.S. deported a man to Mexico on Sunday who had taken a dead cousin's identity to pose as a citizen in order to become a Milwaukee police officer.

My original questions stand. As do my concerns about making the hiring of Mexican nationals to police Americans a standard practice...

[Via SameNoKami]

[Mas de "Los Uniquos" Archivos...]

This Day in History: December 24

I have this moment dispatched a proper Person over the river to make the following inquires/ & to return tomorrow morning at which time a Home will be provided for him, to wait upon your Excellency, with such information as he may obtain. Viz: what guards are posted upon the different roads leading to Trenton, the number on the Mill Bridge, where the cannon lay, what number; to ascertain the numbers of the Enemy in Trenton, & whether any reinforcements have lately arrived, or any (?);) only a (..?) and such intelligence as he can profitably procure.

Hey Andrew, Could You Tone Down the Whining?

I didn't believe it at first. I've always thought that he who shouts the loudest usually is trying to make up for his lack of a point.

Well, you're the one with the mass media forum allowing your voice to reach the most people, Andrew Heller, so I'd say that makes you the loudest. And yeah, your lack of a coherent point kind's makes your case for you, but probably not as you intended.

Legal Remedies

The parents of a woman killed during a shooting rampage in a Utah mall are asking a federal judge to impose a 99-month sentence on the gun-seller that provided the weapon.

As long as they're going for legal remedies, I hope they don't forget to sue Trolley Square for ensuring a target-rich environment.

We're the Only Ones Getting to the Meat of the Argument Enough

A Vancouver police officer was put on paid leave after he drew his gun while off duty during an argument that started inside a meat market, authorities said.

It sounds like he gets into it with the butcher, steps outside to settle things, realizes he might get his butt whooped, so pulls his "Only One" trump card, doesn't it?

So naturally he's "placed on administrative leave." Any guesses what would have happened had the meat man pulled a weapon on the cop?

The Vise Tightens

Cops clamp down on gun crime

Thank goodness. I was wondering when the UK was finally going to do something...

How About a Waiting Period Before Printing Gun Articles?

Michael Z. Williamson takes a wayward attorney to task.

We're the Only Ones (Allegedly) Lady-Killer Enough

After nearly three months, a city cop was indicted Thursday in the murder of his fiancée - a fellow officer...

This is one of those "Only Ones" "lift a finger" paradoxes.

[Via Mack]

Point/Counterpoint

Professor Alexander Tristan Riley thinks we shouldn't have academic debates that present "extremist" points of view, as opposed to those that conform with mainstream "polling data".

Professor Mike Adams assumes that Prof. Riley is either a "liar...simple-minded...[or]...cowardly."

Yeah, that sounds about right.

[Via Mack]

Makin' a List and Checkin' it Twice...

A newly declassified document shows that J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had a plan to suspend habeas corpus and imprison some 12,000 Americans he suspected of disloyalty.

Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, 12 days after the Korean War began. It envisioned putting suspect Americans in military prisons...

Just in case anyone thinks this is only the stuff of lunatic fringe paranoid conspiracy theories...

[Via Vinnie]

This Day in History: December 23

George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783, in the senate chamber of the Maryland State House in Annapolis, where the Continental Congress was then meeting.

Dennis Kucinich's Vanishing Handgun Act

It seems someone has edited the Answers.com page on Ohio's resident neo-Stalinist bobblehead to delete the fact that the politican who wants to ban handguns once carried...a handgun for his own protection.

Where, oh where have we seen that technique of erasing inconvenient historical records employed before?

David Drake has the details. Click on the title link to find out more.

Aloha?

Is anybody reading this a member of a gun rights group in Hawaii?

I know about the Hawaii Rifle Association. Are there other groups more along the lines of GOA or VCDL?

Lethal Legos

Chris Horton posted a very cool video that he got from Cryptic Subterranean.

Better not tell BATFU, though...

An Unexpected Ally Against Sullivan

I received the following email:

David:

You can find out who I am by Googling me.

I agree with you on this. Sullivan should not be allowed to serve 1 nanosecond at BATFE's confirmed head.

Irwin J. Nowick

My reply:

Mr. Nowick, I have heard of you. Would you be willing to give me a reason or two why, that I can quote? First, because I'd be very interested to find out why you consider him to be the wrong choice, but mostly because we lack compelling arguments to persuade the democrat side--or is it presumptuous of me to assume your reasons are different from mine?

Thanks,

David

His response:

It's based on the warrant comments and his general behavior as US Attorney in Massachusetts.

Unless Crapo and Senator Tap-Tap lift the hold, his nomination will not come up. This is a hold placed on a Bush nominee by 2 US Republican Senators. Harry Reid who is tight with the NRA will not interfere with a GOP internal food fight unless Bush gives him a huge incentive to do so.

Having said that, as an in your face I would not be surprised if Bush does a bill signing ceremony on the NICS Improvement Act in which this issue comes up and Sullivan is there.

Either Crapo and Tap-Tap fold (and Tap Tap being involved raises the media notoriety of this) or Sullivan withdraws as a nominee. How this is portrayed in the media is critical which is why Sullivan opponents have be on their best behavior and factual in the reasons for their opposition.

Mr. Nowick's opinions should be considered extremely qualified. California legislators listen to him. In this case, we should, too.

UPDATE: I just received the following additional observations from Irwin Nowick:

Sullivan's hold is supported by a slew of people for a slew of reasons.

In terms of why the number of FFL's are dropping, it has to do with the 1986 Firearms Owner Protection Act and the 1993 and 1994 licensing bills. Much has been written about this but because FOPA created a standard for who was required to have a license, the converse also became the case. If you did not meet the standard that required that you get the license, you became ineligible to get the license. That is why the number of FFL's have dropped. I would argue that under a fair regulatory scheme you do not want in a business situation so many market entrants in this field that it cannot be regulated. That is not good for any one.

I would also point out a big problem with the GCA - the law not BATFE - and the NRA could have fixed this in 1986 - is that there are no intermediate sanctions for no heavy violations. While HR 4900 fixes some of that it has some overkill provisions that make it DOA. A new BATFE head should have been asked about this at his confirmation and coming in could have committed to working with the stakeholders to fix these issues and stated when he would have legislation ready. It also would help if the President showed some interest in these issues. So that gets into the temperament issue which is a key attribute of being head of BATFE or any other agency. Particularly in a very controversial area if you want to get things done you have temperament.

In CA, for all the complaining starting under Lockyer the head of the Firearms Division (Randy Rossi who is now retired) had stakeholder groups which would bring up issues and we would address them through either legislation or the like by banging heads together. It worked because while Randy was a cop he was also a hunter and competition shooter who owned guns in his individual capacity so he understood guns as a gun owner. He had LEADERSHIP skills.

Incidentally, on the licensing issue, there is an analogy in terms of CA law. In many states, the exemptions from carrying a handgun are very restrictive so when the NRA pushed for shall issue laws, they were in effect pushing to have people licensed to carry handguns under conditions that were really enhanced regulations. In many of these cases, the NRA was so focused on the licensing that they ignored creating additional exemptions besides the license.

In CA, while we have had a substantial amount of licensing reforms (AB 2022 in 1998 being just one - though I could add others), the chiefs and sheriffs - while they recognized that there were legitimate reasons to carry/transport guns so we added all these locked container exemptions or other provisions which solved the problem but with due respect to persons concerns. The effect of the exemptions though were that in CA the number of general carry licensees has climbed somewhat but the number of persons legally carrying guns under some other provision or procedure jumped considerably such that the chiefs and sheriffs when they denied license requests stated the reason you asked for the license is denied is that you don't need one for what you want to do. It just did not show up in the overall statistics.

We're the Only Ones Not Under a Cloud Enough

While in uniform and on duty, three San Antonio police officers on separate occasions engaged in sexual acts with women, including offering payment to an 18-year-old for oral sex, according to affidavits for those officers' arrests...

So far this year, officers have been involved in a number of controversial incidents, including the alleged assault of an 18-year-old woman at a community pool and the alleged strip search of several men and women at a bar, leading to disciplinary measures taken against officers involved.

So naturally:

The chief said he'd talk to the commander about the community's growing perception of corruption and abuse.

"In no way do I feel there is a cloud hanging over the south substation," he said.

Of course not. Even "Only Ones" need a little loving now and then.

"Sexytime!"

[Via Tony G]

Let's Horse Trade!

Joe's Crabby Shack discusses "some rumors coming out of the [Nebraska] Statehouse," essentially tacking some amendments on to a lock up your safety/report gun theft bill that would "include complete pre-emption for CCW, full reciprocity (no details on what states), and the elimination of private businesses ability to post 'no-guns' signs" in exchange for "a ban on assault weapons."

I emphasize, at this point it's a rumor. While some may question passing this along, this is The War on Guns, and field intelligence involving possible enemy movement needs to be at least checked out lest they maneuver us into a position of disadvantage while we're sleeping at our posts.