De Facto Carry Ban in Santa Barbara County

By Larry R. Rankin, Santa Barbara, California

Life member NRA, Life member GOA, Life member JPFO, Life member California Rifle and Pistol Association, Life member Law Enforcement Alliance of America, Past President of the Grassroots, NRA members’ council, Chairman of the First Friends of NRA dinner in Santa Barbara, Current Chairman of the California American Pistol and Rifle Association for the County of Santa Barbara.

I am to this day licensed to carry a loaded weapon in all of the states below:

1) Alabama, 2) Alaska, 3) Arizona, 4) Arkansas, 5) Colorado, 6) Delaware, 7) Florida, 8) Georgia, 9) Idaho, 10) Indiana, 11) Kentucky, 12) Louisiana, 13) Michigan, 14) Minnesota, 15) Mississippi, 16) Missouri, 17) Montana, 18) Nevada, 19) New Hampshire, 20) New Mexico, 21) North Carolina, 22) North Dakota, 23) Ohio, 24) Oklahoma, 25) Pennsylvania, 26) South Dakota, 27) Tennessee, 28) Texas, 29) Utah, 30) Vermont, 31) Virginia, 32) Washington and 33) Wyoming

You might not like what Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County has to say, but he is honest and direct about it. Which makes you wonder why the NRA gave a “A” rating to a man who makes it clear he's proud that he has given out only three concealed carry permits in his many years of service. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Sheriff Brown claims to be a life member of the NRA. Perhaps it is because Sheriff Brown is bright, well spoken and endowed with a certain measure of conceit that so often seems to be the inevitable attribute of a successful politician. It seems that there is something about a successful politician that the NRA finds hard to resist.

When I met with Sheriff Brown this March the 9th, to appeal my denial of my application of my active gun permit that I have had for over ten years (unsuccessfully) he was diplomatic enough to hear me out. He then very clearly and unambiguously laid out a policy of a de facto concealed carry ban in Santa Barbara County. A policy that does not recognize the right of self defense. A policy based on the model of a sovereign who knows what is best for his subjects, not a public servant elected to protect the rights of the citizens who elected him. A policy reminiscent of King George's government that was rejected by our founding fathers, not the constitutional model of government they bequeathed to us. A policy that supports the continued efforts to redefine the Second Amendment in sporting terms rather than in terms of a right of defense of self and property. And finally, if the NRA lawyers are listening, a policy that violates California law on concealed carry, which at least acknowledges that there might be someone qualified to receive a concealed carry permit other than persons associated with law enforcement. While California was careful enough not to craft an outright de jure ban on concealed carry, Sheriff Brown's policy is a ban as a matter of fact, if not of law.

Twenty years ago I might have understood how Sheriff Brown can state "I am a Life member of the NRA, a hunter, a gun collector and we have enough laws, without creating new ones" and yet prohibit concealed carry. But many years of data are available today from states that have allowed widespread concealed carry. Data that show a reduction of crime. Data that show that concealed carry holders are overwhelmingly safe and law abiding. These are facts especially important to the discharge of his duties as Sheriff. Facts that he should have made an effort to investigate before adopting a concealed carry policy. Facts that any NRA member knows. To continue a policy that he has followed for many years with no consideration of contemporary evidence is to demonstrate an arbitrary and capricious exercise of his power as Sheriff.

If enough sheriffs abuse California's concealed carry law in an arbitrary and capricious manner, the argument can be made that California's concealed carry law violates either the California of Federal constitutions. Is the NRA counting?

There is, additionally, another legal reform that the NRA should champion. One concern Sheriff Brown identified, and I have heard this from other sheriffs, is fear of personal legal liability if someone with a concealed carry permit commits a crime with the permitted weapon. Law enforcement is second only to the teachers' unions in political influence in the California legislature. Would not California law enforcement almost unanimously support the NRA were it to lobby for a law protecting sheriffs and police chiefs from liability for issuing concealed carry permits? Would you issue CCWs if it meant you might lose your job, your house, your kids' college money, and a lifetime of savings? If it meant declaring bankruptcy to avoid having a multi million dollar verdict haunting you for the rest of your life?

Sheriff Brown is no Patrick Henry ("Give me liberty or give me death"). But then how many of us are? We have to work with the men and women we have as law enforcement leaders. If the NRA were to lobby for the legal protection California police and sheriffs' needs, perhaps they might not be afraid to take an honest look at success other states have had with concealed carry.

Apportioning the Blame

Suljo Talovic doesn't know where his son got the guns or how he learned how to use them.

Suljo Talovic, Father of Shooter: "Somebody got (the guns)…and maybe (they were) training him and tell(ing) him (to), ‘go shoot somebody.'"

I don't suppose there's any way to console a man who has suffered such a loss. I think the agony and guilt a father would feel over a son doing this could drive the strongest among us over the edge.

But pointing to US gun laws and now at unknown manipulators goes to the crux of the "gun control" argument: freedom doesn't just mean doing what you want. It means being personally accountable for your actions.

It sounds hard, unsympathetic and cruel, but your son did this murderous act. If others influenced him, he chose to heed that influence.

This business of apportioning blame to guns, to the law, to others, has been bought into by a significant number of voters who hold a misguided faith that human evil will end by mandating social change. That they're enablers for further and more monstrous evil does not occur to them because the ones not in on the scam actually believe they're doing good.

[Via Larry Rankin]

This Day in History: March 13

On this day in 1733, Joseph Priestley, supporter of the American Revolution and leader of the Unitarian Church in Britain and America, is born in Birstall, Yorkshire, England.

Joseph Priestley shared the liberal religious and political philosophy of many of America’s revolutionary leaders, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, all of whom became his friends and correspondents.

So does that mean modern UNitarian leaders have hijacked the organization, bastardized its principles and deliberately led their flock away from that philosophy?

A Consuming Darkness

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration]

Late one afternoon in January, Peter Hartzel stood in the basement firing range of the PSMG Gun Shop with a 9-millimeter Beretta in hand and a consuming darkness welling within.

Hartzel, a 29-year-old newspaper reporter with a history of mental illness, had nearly completed a three-day firearm safety course, required for a state license to carry or possess a gun. In his final hour of training, he was consistently hitting his target. Then he lifted the gun to his right temple and pulled the trigger, killing himself...

More fundamentally, the suicides highlight what some say is a flawed sequence in the process of obtaining a firearm license in Massachusetts.

Right. Create more hoops for We the People to jump through because an "authorized journalist" misused a gun. Yet somehow, in the entire Boston Globe article, they couldn't even give fleeting mention to one segment of the populace much more likely to commit suicide...

We're the Only Ones Medical Enough

A diabetic woman and her family called for better training for police after a Portland officer used a stun gun to subdue her during a medical emergency.

She should thank her lucky stars she's not an epileptic.

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

The Iron River

“There’s an iron river of guns flowing to Mexico,” said special agent Thomas Mangan, spokesman for the Phoenix Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"Iron river." How pseudo-Churchillian.

Leave it to BATFU to give the "authorized journalists" a new propaganda term. Somebody thought that one up and decided it would be useful. Useful for what? should be the very next question.

Maybe if the fedgov would do its damn job, one of its branches wouldn't be able to complain about the consequences of a porous border.

This, of course, is simply a bureaucracy trying to justify its appropriations and expand its influence by throwing We the People under the bus, and the media is more than eager to help. It is also individuals within an agency promoting their advancement at the expense of their countrymen. The fact that the actions being described are already illegal seems not to be an issue here--we need to make them more illegal!

We're seeing more and more stories about U.S. guns smuggled into Mexico. We ignore at our peril this increasingly important front in the war on guns.

We're the Only Ones Berserk Enough

A Sikkim Police constable guarding the Dena Bank treasury at Daryaganj in central Delhi went berserk early Sunday morning, killing five of his mates after they allegedly tried to sodomise him while on night duty.

OK then.

[Via Cryptic Subterranean]

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

This Day in History: March 12

On this day in 1776, in Baltimore, Maryland, a public notice appears in local papers recognizing the sacrifice of women to the cause of the revolution. The notice urged others to recognize women’s contributions and announced, "The necessity of taking all imaginable care of those who may happen to be wounded in the country's cause, urges us to address our humane ladies, to lend us their kind assistance in furnishing us with linen rags and old sheeting, for bandages…." On and off the battlefield, women were known to support the revolutionary cause by providing nursing assistance. But donating bandages and sometimes applying them was only one form of aid provided by the women of the new United States. From the earliest protests against British taxation, women’s assent and labor was critical to the success of the cause. The boycotts that united the colonies against British taxation required female participation far more than male—in fact, the men designing the non-importation agreements generally chose to boycott products used mostly by women.

Wayne Fincher Fires Lawyer

A Black Oak man can fire his lawyer, but will have to take whatever defense attorney the court appoints, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Hollis Wayne Fincher, 60, was convicted in January of possessing illegal, unregistered weapons, including machine guns and a sawed-off shotgun. A sentencing date has not been set.

Fincher asked U.S. District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren to appoint David Dunagin of Fort Smith as his attorney. Fincher fired Oscar Stilley of Fort Smith, who defended Fincher during his trial, citing irreconcilable differences between the two.

At this point, the only information I have is from the paper. If I can get some inside information that I'm free to share, I'll pass it on.

[More about Wayne Fincher via WarOnGuns]

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Yeah, I know it's not gun rights-related, but this is really all about truth and freedom anyway. The parallels between the collectivists and the lies they use to embed themselves into the culture to promote an anti-human agenda are things we expose every day on the RKBA front, so this is useful if for no other reason than to show us the methods employed by our enemies--and there's really no other word for them--on another issue with significant impact on individual and economic freedom.

This video takes an hour and a quarter--if you can't watch it today, bookmark the link and get back to it when you can. It really is well done, and will help focus our understanding on how control agendas are started, politicized and infused into the public consciousness.

And make sure you show it to your kids.

[Via Stieger]

UPDATE: It didn't take the Marxist thugs long to start threatening people rather than tolerating dissent.

Battle of the Gun Ban

Here's the untold story behind the Hatch bill: It was concocted by the NRA to head off a pending lawsuit, Parker vs. District of Columbia, which challenges the D.C. gun ban on Second Amendment grounds.

Yep, between that and the Seegars lawsuit, there's no denying the record.

[Via Blogonomicon]

New WarOnGuns Poll: What Will Happen if the DC Gun Ban Case Goes to the Supreme Court?

See the left margin and pick the outcome you think most likely.

Here are the results of last week's poll (click on image to enlarge):

The Filipino "Only Ones" Loophole

And it's one you could drive a truck through:

The breakdown of approved applications is as follows:

PNP -- 9,953; Armed Forces of the Philippines ­- 4,539; government employees/Bureau of Jail Management and Penology ­- 4,773; high-risk persons -­ 2,172; security agency -­ 727; transport -­ 383; cashier/disbursing officers -­ 722; security escort/bodyguards -­ 2,031.

A few government officials are automatically exempted from the ban and without applying for an exemption certificate. Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos and Commissioners Resurreccion Borra, Florentino Tuason Jr., Romeo Brawner, Rene Sarmiento and Ferrer are in this category.

Naturally. If there's one thing we "Only Ones" take care of, it's our own.

Oh, and as for the rest of you...citizens:

Violators of the gun ban may be arrested by the chief of police if prosecutors are not around to conduct preliminary investigations and make apprehensions.

No Debate

Brian Williams: "Good evening. As long as there have been firearms and for as long as there's been a Constitution of the United States, there's been a debate in this country over the definition of the right to bear arms. [More]

That's simply not true, Brian.

From my March 2007 GUNS Magazine review of "In Search of the Second Amendment":

The historical evidence is conclusive. The Second Amendment was intended to express an individual right, and any alternate “collective rights” theories are modern fictions developed by those with an agenda to control guns. In the words of Sanford Levinson from the University of Texas, this “view was virtually unknown before the 1960s.”

Look, it's nice that NBC apparently gave this story more coverage than rivals ABC and CBS (which according to the title-linked article pulled an LA Times evasion), but it's important that that coverage be accurate.

[Via 45superman]

This Day in History: March 11

On this day in 1779, Congress establishes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help plan, design and prepare environmental and structural facilities for the U.S. Army. Made up of civilian workers, members of the Continental Army and French officers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played an essential role in the critical Revolutionary War battles at Bunker Hill, Saratoga and Yorktown.

For Love or Money

A drug rehabilitation center has sued Courtney Love, claiming the singer has repeatedly refused to pay her $181,000 bill for her stay there 1 1/2 years ago.

This lack of character and personal accountability is hardly surprising. Love was another anti-defense media icon I profiled in "A Judgment Call," my March 2005 Rights Watch column for GUNS Magazine:

Where do we begin with grunge diva Courtney Love? Multiple arrests for drug abuse, reportedly shooting heroin while pregnant? Assault with a deadly weapon, attacking a woman at her ex-boyfriend's home? Hitting a man at a nightclub in the head with a microphone stand? Getting arrested for disrupting a transatlantic flight? Being assigned a guardian, losing custody of her daughter and being institutionalized?

How about if we just focus on her statement to the Million Moms that US gun laws are "nihilistic and barbaric"?

Who Bravely Breaks the Most

Yon roaring boys, who rave and fight
On t'other side the Atlantic,
I always held them in the right,
But most so when most frantic.

When lawless mobs insult the court,
That man shall be my toast,
If breaking windows be the sport,
Who bravely breaks the most.

But oh! for him my fancy culls
The choicest flowers she bears,
Who constitutionally pulls
Your house about your ears.

William Cowper's words reflected a sentiment at the time of the Rebellion that, while brutal, was inevitable, and even cruelly utilitarian. So much so that:

In 1776 General Putnam, meeting a procession of the Sons of Liberty who were parading a number of Tories on rails up and down the street's of New York, attempted to put a stop to the barbarous proceeding. Washington, on hearing of this, administered a reprimand to Putnam, declaring 'that to discourage such proceedings was to injure the cause of liberty in which they were engaged, and that nobody would attempt it but an enemy to his country.'

I really don't want to see this happen again. Like the man said, can't we all get along? Can't you collectivists, busybodies, do-gooders, Marxists, statists, fascists, democrats, RINOs and idiot celebrities just leave Americans who believe unyieldingly in their rights the hell alone? Won't you let us live unmolested, and in peace?

We're the Only Ones Expert Enough

Reaction was mixed in the legal community over allegations that Joseph Kopera, the state police firearms expert who committed suicide last week, may have falsified his academic qualifications.

For those who would use suicide prevention as a rationale for disarming you, show 'em the statistics for "The Only Ones."

Workers Protest "Job Control"...

...or would that be "citizen disemployment"?

Workers from some area gun manufacturers are taking a bus to Springfield next week to plead their case for jobs they may lose if Illinois Senate Bill 16 passes and is signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

I wonder how many of these workers voted for Blagojevich?

As for the manufacturers, they're going to need to strap 'em on and adopt the Ronnie Barrett approach. The heavy lifting can't all be done by activists, fellas...

"Leave My Family Out of It"

Selected quotes:

...Democrats and Republicans clashed again Friday over a mailer attacking several Democratic lawmakers for their vote last month against a gun-rights bill...

“This is the first time that these politics of hate are going to go out while we sit in this body,” he said...

The mailer, sent to households in five lawmakers' districts, blasted each individual lawmaker for voting against House Bill 340, which broadens the definition of self-defense when using a firearm.

The two-page mailer pictured each respective lawmaker, described them as “anti-gun,” said they believe “using deadly force to defend yourself against a criminal makes you the criminal,” and listed a phone number where constituents could call and tell them their “anti-gun stance is dead wrong.”

It also had a picture of a corpse in a body bag, with the words “Is this your neighbor?” superimposed across the top of the picture...

“It was blatantly callous; it was unnecessary,” he said. “It was unprincipled. Take me on; I can deal with it. I've got thick skin. But leave my family out of it.”

Why? Your presuming authority to vote against our unalienable right to defend ourselves doesn't leave our families out of it--talk about "politics of hate."

Your betrayals are personal to us. You're the ones oppressing--and when people protest, you paint yourselves the victims.

Here is what these creatures voted against. And now they're all upset because someone unequivocally explained what their vote meant to the people who will be affected by it.

This Day in History: March 10

On this day in 1792, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Bute and advisor to the British king, George III, dies in London.

Better Late Than Never

Although it's buried "under the fold" in the fine print:



"6:00 PM PST":



What took you guys so long, Mr. Savage and "Staff"? The rest of the world was spreading the news over eight hours ago...

Your absence was kinda conspicuous...

Statement of Brady President Paul Helmke on DC Circuit's Ruling

Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

"The 2-1 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Parker v. District of Columbia striking down the District of Columbia's handgun law is judicial activism at its worst...

Pathetic.

All the News that's Fit to Suppress

Google news search for "DC gun ban" at 3:36 pm PST:



Front page posted on The Los Angeles Times' website at 3:32 pm PST:



At the time of this posting, which is about two hours after I captured these screenshots, the Google news hits have gone up considerably, but there is still no mention of the DC Second Amendment ruling on either The Times' website or on their "National News" page as of 5:33 pm PST:



This is lying by omission, leaving one of the world's major metropolitan area in the dark about a significant legal development that conflicts with The Times' political agenda.

The editor deserves to be fired for this, and I'm sending the publisher and editor a link to this post, not because I think it will do any good, but just to register my utter contempt for these transparent propagandists masquerading as a news provider.

This is why one of my recurring themes here at WarOnGuns has always been to decry the concept of "authorized journalists." I consider the rankest blogger as credible and reliable a source for information as the shallow manipulators at The Times. Here's hoping their circulation continues to plummet, and they're relegated to the oblivion they have earned.

DRUDGE: DC Gun Ban Struck Down by Federal Appeals Court

SILBERMAN, Senior Circuit Judge: Appellants contest the district court’s dismissal of their complaint alleging that the District of Columbia’s gun control laws violate their Second Amendment rights. The court held that the Second Amendment (“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”) does not bestow any rights on individuals except, perhaps, when an individual serves in an organized militia such as today’s National Guard. We reverse.

Particularly gratifying to see because of some of the attacks some of us have been subjected to:

We note that the Ninth Circuit has recently dealt with a Second Amendment claim by first extensively analyzing that provision, determining that it does not provide an individual right, and then, and only then, concluding that the plaintiff lacked standing to challenge a California statute restricting the possession, use, and transfer of assault weapons. See Silveira v. Lockyer, 312 F.3d 1052, 1066-67 & n.18 (9th Cir. 2003). We think such an approach is doctrinally quite unsound.

MORE:

• Washington, D.C. Circuit Court Strikes Down 30-Year Old D.C. Gun Ban
• Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban (Update1)

We're the Only Ones with a Ticket to Ride Enough

A federal civil rights lawsuit says that a Saugerties cop gave traffic tickets to a teenage girl, then threatened to "make her life miserable" unless she had sex with him.

Wouldn't that be considered a moving violation?

[Via Declan]

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

A Temporary Shelter

Information supplied by a firearms licensee as mandated by the National Firearms Act may not be used to obtain a warrant to search the dealer’s home and business premises, the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled yesterday...

Briseno ruled that the evidence was illegally seized because 26 U.S.C. Sec. 5848 provides that information provided to the federal government in compliance with the NFA “may not be used, directly or indirectly, as evidence against [the person providing the information] in a criminal proceeding.”

But that's OK--treasonous fanatics who hate free human beings are working hard to change that--maybe they'll even use the word "loophole". Meanwhile, our supposed leaders tell us we need to "improve" the monster, instead of mustering with pitchforks, chasing it into a windmill and burning the damned thing down.

[Via 45superman]

Driving Down the Road to Tyranny

Gary May introduced himself as a special agent. The other man, John Egan, was introduced as his colleague. May gave the Wetzels his card, stating that he is the senior agent in the bureau of criminal investigations...

Wetzel uses recycled vegetable oil, which he picks up weekly from an organization that uses it for frying food at its dining facility.

"They told me I am required to have a license and am obligated to pay a motor fuel tax," David Wetzel recalled. "Mr. May also told me the tax would be retroactive."

Just great, isn't it? Nice old people try to do "the right thing" and do their part for their local environment, as well as innovatively find a way to live within their means, bothering no one and simply taking care of themselves. So naturally the state sends two badge-heavy goons to their door to threaten them, and continues to extort them under the threat of strong arm tactics that will ultimately result in their kidnapping (under felony charges!) if they don't obey, and worse if they actively defy and resist.

And the thing is, as long as enforcers May and Egan are using "the law" to justify their sick bullying, here's what it says about being a "special fuel supplier":

Any person other than a licensed distributor who transports special fuel into this state or receives special fuel transported to him from outside the state, and a person engaged in Illinois in the distribution of special fuel primarily by tank car or tank truck, or both, and who operates an Illinois bulk plant where he has active bulk storage capacity of not less than 30,000 gallons for special fuel.

Yeah, that sure sounds like the Wetzels and their '86 Volkswagen Golf, doesn't it?

This is a level of control over people's lives that Caesar could not have imagined in his wildest dreams. History rightfully remembers him as a dictator and tyrant.

What is wrong with us as a people, that we accept this subjugation in all things great and small as our lot in life? How can we accept this as the natural state of things, and deserve to survive?

[Via The Claire Files]

We're the Only Ones Defining Who's a Journalist Enough

But U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan says in a court filing that Wolf's resistance "is apparently fueled by his anointment as a journalistic martyr" and that he needs "to come to grips with the fact that he was simply a person with a video camera who happened to record some public events."

See, U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan thinks he and other government enforcers like him are "The Only Ones" with the authoritah to decide who gets to be an "authorized journalist," and he also thinks it's appropriate to publicly ridicule and menace those foolish souls who might challenge that assumption.

What's Ryan even doing there in the first place?

[F]ederal prosecutors took over the arson case from state authorities on grounds that San Francisco's police department receives funding from Washington.

Oh. Well OK then. Just so we know how the yoke got there.

Government sanctioned journalists--and the federal government at that. Yep, that pretty much dovetails with my understanding of what the Founding Fathers meant by a "free press." And let's not even get into what they must have meant by "federalism"...

They'll Figure Out a Way to Make it Our Fault

Violence along the U.S.-Mexico border is undergoing what U.S. law-enforcement authorities call "an unprecedented surge," some of it fueled by weapons and ammunition purchased or stolen in the United States.

They probably get them at the same gun shows all those terrorists get theirs at.

This Day in History: March 9

After successfully capturing British positions in Louisiana and Mississippi, Spanish General Bernardo de Galvez, commander of the Spanish forces in North America, turns his attention to the British-occupied city of Pensacola, Florida, on this day in 1781. General Galvez and a Spanish naval force of more than 40 ships and 3,500 men landed at Santa Rosa Island and begin a two-month siege of British occupying forces that becomes known as the Battle of Pensacola.

More Proof that Celebrities are Special

Gwen Stefani carries a gun to keep other women away from her husband...

Good Grief.

Manic Depressives for Gun Control

Rosie O'Donnell says she began being treated for depression after the Columbine school shootings and hangs upside down for up to a half-hour a day to improve her mental state. [More]

And this head case thinks the rest of us are too unstable to be trusted with guns. Hers was another profile in "A Judgment Call," my Rights Watch column in the March 2005 issue of GUNS Magazine:

Who can forget Rosie O'Donnell ambushing actor Tom Selleck on her talk show, because he lent his likeness and support to the NRA? A Million Mom emcee, her most notorious proclamation came after the Columbine shootings, where she raged "Outlaw all guns, and put all gun owners in jail!" "I am one of the haunted," Rosie admits. "I think I have been depressed for years. It runs in my family, along with alcoholism and an absurd ability to deny the obvious."

Obviously.

We're the Only Ones Who Have Absolutely No Idea What We're Doing Enough

At least 30 states let some newly hired local law enforcement officers hit the streets with a gun, a badge and little or no training...

No one seems to know how many untrained recruits are on the streets. But the practice appears to be most common among small-town police forces and sheriff's departments.

So if they're untrained and unqualified, what does that say about those who advocate that police are "The Only Ones" who should be armed...?

[Via Paul G]

Hanging Separately

Regular WarOnGuns correspondent HZ sent me an email regarding the proposed Illinois gun ban:

I don't even live in the stupid state and I get so incredibly mad.

Sent this out immediately to 6 gun owners / shooters and this was the response ....

1 Hunter/Skeet shooter said it's not going to affect him.

1 SWAT-medic said he would be exempted

1 Air Force reservist mocked me to my face by saying, "Oh no! The G is coming to take my guns way! Oh no! Not my machine gun! ha ha" ..... etc. We then settled down to a lengthy discussion in which I was unable to convince him of anything. He said I am not educated enough to decide/comment on legal issues. Lawyers, judges and legislators do that for me ..... blah, blah, blah .....

1 Co-Worker is too busy getting a house built to call anyone

1 Co-Worker .... no response

1 Co-Worker called and emailed his state senator

These were all people that I thought were friendly enough towards gun rights. I've either shot with them or know that they own firearms. Living in the state of Illinois must be poisonous to the mind and to reason.

I fear we will be unable to keep this republic.

We are constantly admonished that criticizing those in the gun community can be divisive, that we must hang together...

Aside from the one guy who did the right thing, why would we want to have anything to do with the rest of these intentionally ignorant parasites?

This Day in History: March 8

On this day in 1782, 160 Pennsylvania militiamen murder 96 Christian Indians--39 children, 29 women and 28 men--by hammering their skulls with mallets from behind as they kneel unarmed, praying and singing, in their Moravian Mission at Gnadenhuetten in the Ohio Country. The Patriots then piled their victims’ bodies in mission buildings before burning the entire community to the ground. Two boys managed to survive, although one had lost his scalp to his attackers. Although the militiamen claimed they were seeking revenge for Indian raids on their frontier settlements, the Indians they murdered had played no role in any attack.

A-Rated Sheriff Bill Brown Denying CCW Renewals

Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown's new policy has been issued and is now being implemented. He is now denying concealed carry permit renewals for permits that had been approved by the previous--and presumably less "gun friendly" sheriff. Larry Rankin, who first clued me in to Sheriff Brown, just received this (click on images to enlarge) :


Additionally, Mr. Rankin advises he was forced to sign the following "under duress," meaning that he was informed his application would not be forwarded to Sheriff Brown for consideration unless and until he had done so:


And here's the thing--Larry says the Sheriff's Department now refuses to give him a copy of the form he signed, providing him instead with a blank. Why would they do that?

This is typical "Only Ones" arrogance, of course. They have their guns, they deny a citizen the right to bear his, and they'll arrest or kill him if he tries and they find out about it. Of course they will do nothing to guarantee the safety of Mr. Rankin and his family, nor assume liability should he or they be harmed or worse in a situation where his having a gun could have prevented an attack.

And what about this?


You'll notice there has been nothing but silence from the people who gave Sheriff Brown an "A" rating during the election--despite several attempts to contact them and an invitation to post their unedited response. I think it's past time NRA's California Grassroots explained why they solicited their membership with a pro-Bill Brown mailer and who knows what other kind of election support, and it's high time they publicly admitted they were wrong and revoked their rating and support. But it's probably easier to just have their apologists dismiss this as more NRA bashing.

I may have time this weekend to scan and post the entire new policy.

Your Last Chance?

4. In a tactic as bad as the Soviet Union, Committee Chairman Susan Garrett denied gun owners the opportunity to testify against SB16 in senate hearings on the bill today. In effect, YOUR VOICE WAS SILENCED by Sen. Garrett. Of course, Daley’s Gun Grabbers were allowed to testify. So, it is important that you call Sen. Garrett’s office at (217) 782-3650, and remind the person who answers the phone that this is still the United States of America and that you are angry that Sen. Garrett denied your fellow citizens the right to be heard. Also, call Garrett’s district office at (847) 433-2002 and tell the person there the same thing...

THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE YOUR GUNS

Assuming ISRA means it and is not just employing hyperbole, this seems a pretty tepid response.

I happen to agree with their analysis--these are definitely the tactics of Stalinists, evil wretches who would stifle opposition, disarm their countrymen, and kill or exile to the gulag those who defy their edicts.

So if ISRA is correct in this, the last and only tactic left to the citizenry is to call "POLITELY"? And if that doesn't work?

It's not your last chance until you decide it's your last chance. They might as well tell you this is your last chance to save your sovereignty, your freedom, your manhood. But I guess this polite phoning really is the only tactic left that they can get any kind of traction with and I shouldn't be too hard on ISRA. I'll bet despite their appeal, the majority of their members won't even make this minimal effort.

[Via 45superman]

This Day in History: March 7

On this day in 1777, Continental Congressman John Adams writes three letters to and receives two letters from his wife, Abigail. He is with Congress in Philadelphia, while she maintains their farm in Braintree, Massachusetts.

As You Can See, I'm Back

I see the place is still standing. Aside from a pirate-coddling troll, everything appears in order. To an anonymous commenter: I do agree that the wording on the poll should have had the words "the law" in quotation marks, because you're right--no one carrying concealed without a permit would be violating the "supreme law of the land' or the "laws of Nature's God."

Now I'm knockin' off for the night. I'm awful tired and want to snuggle with some loved ones. I hate being away, even for a couple days.

Journalistes Autorisé

The French Constitutional Council has approved a law that criminalizes the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists. The law could lead to the imprisonment of eyewitnesses who film acts of police violence, or operators of Web sites publishing the images, one French civil liberties group warned on Tuesday.

"Authorized journalists" are the same the world over, it would seem...

I can't wait to see them try and enforce this one.

NJ to Consider Unalienable Rights Ban

New Jersey is looking to become the second state to outlaw a powerful gun that critics say can be used by terrorists to shoot down an airliner.

Anybody think we can win this one "democratically"?

[Via 45superman]

We're the Former Only Ones Who Didn't Know We Were Doing Anything Wrong Enough

Five hundred one guns, tied to one man - 36-year-old Mark Nelson, a former Columbus cop who masterminded a conspiracy that flooded the streets with weapons.

Nelson insists he didn't knowingly do anything wrong. But prosecutors say he enlisted his family and others (including a drug dealer) to illegally acquire 501 guns, then directly - or indirectly - sold many of them.

Lest you think I've gone soft, I think any free adult ought to be able to sell guns to any other free adult. But I do think this former "Only One" pleading that he's a misunderstood man who just had no idea is a crock, and wouldn't be the least surprised to find he put others away during his career for firearms "offenses." If people have demonstrated they can't be trusted with one, they need to be in custodial care--or exiled.

[Via HZ]

This Day in History: March 6

A committee of the New York Provincial Congress instructs Major William Malcolm to dismantle the Sandy Hook lighthouse in the then-disputed territory of Sandy Hook, now in New Jersey, on this day in 1776, telling him to "use your best discretion to render the light-house entirely useless."

On the Road Again

I'm posting from a hotel in Fresno, CA. The connection sucks and it's right in the main hall, so there's no privacy. Gotta go in to an all-day meeting in a minute.

I really need to upgrade to a laptop that I can connect to anywhere.

Light posting ahead. I'm back tomorrow night.

This Day in History: March 5

On the cold, snowy night of March 5, 1770, a mob of angry colonists gathers at the Customs House in Boston and begins tossing snowballs and rocks at the lone British soldier guarding the building. The protesters opposed the occupation of their city by British troops, who were sent to Boston in 1768 to enforce unpopular taxation measures passed by a British parliament without direct American representation.

No Excuses, BUT...

Suljo Talovic said he would not make excuses for his son, but did not understand how a teenager could buy a gun in the United States.

"The authorities are guilty for not alerting us that he bought a gun. In the U.S., you cannot buy cigarettes if you are underaged, but you can buy a gun," he said.

I feel for you, Mr. Talovic. I really do. I can only imagine the hell you and your wife are going through, and I pray I will never experience the loss of a child.

But you're not going in a direction with this that will do anyone any good.

[Via HZ]

New WarOnGuns Poll: Would You Carry Concealed Without a Permit?

See the new poll in the left margin.

Here are the results of last week's poll (click on image to enlarge):

A Pirate's Life Redux

Pirates hijacked a cargo ship delivering UN food aid to north-eastern Somalia yesterday, according to officials...

The pirates use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia.

As I wrote in "A Pirate's Life for Me!" (GUNS & AMMO, April 2002):

Aye, pirates there still be. But the blackest tale o' treachery on the Seven Seas comes not from cutthroats. It comes from anti-defense globalists, that is, the people reporting the increase and chartered to do something about it-- the scurvy knaves at the IMO and the privateers who follow in their wake.

Crossed anchors over a UN logo on the IMO ensign evoke nothing so much as a Jolly Roger, and despite their objective of "improving maritime safety," the world agency could be considered a buccaneer's best friend. Not only are they powerless to help victims of piracy in progress, but they actively oppose the only proven deterrent, armed defense.

Is this where I say "Harrr"?

We're the Only Ones Harassing Enough

Lately, the talk around the bar, on street corners and at the strip club on Route 12 has turned to Plainfield’s embattled police chief, Gary L. Sousa, a 26-year veteran of the force who was recently suspended because of accusations that he sexually harassed three women: two current town hall employees and one former town employee.

Hey, baby, wanna touch my baton?

Am I going to have to hold another Leoerotica Convention?

[Via Declan]

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

We're the Only Ones Exposed Enough

The Federal Security Director for the Transportation Security Administration in Boise resigned today, after charges surfaced that he exposed himself to a number of people at an Idaho Falls hotel early last week...

Police reports indicate Melvin entered the swimming area, removed his clothing and walked around naked – exposing himself to staff and hotel guests.

The police report indicates Melvin was masturbating in front of a window at the hotel, in view of an elevator.

He was probably fantasizing about patting down bodies and making people take their shoes off...

[Via joefm]

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

We're the Only Ones Permissive Enough

Quincy Police Chief Robert Crowley, for instance, said shortly after taking the job in 2004 that his style in issuing permits would be more restrictive than his predecessors.

Crowley’s policy requires that people applying for a handgun license have some reason more than self-defense. The policy has triggered intense criticism from gun-rights activists from across the state, as well as legal challenges, but he has never backed away from it.

‘‘I have not budged. I still believe what I said originally. I want a good reason, and a need, then I will give you a license to carry a firearm,’’ Crowley said this week.

If someone, for instance, says he needs to carry a firearm because he walks at night, and would feel more protected if he was licensed to carry a firearm, ‘‘well, my mother used to walk at night, and she never carried a firearm,’’ Crowley said.

‘‘If someone says ‘I carry large sums of money,’ well nobody ever said what a large sum of money is,’’ Crowley said in explaining why that person might be denied.

On the other hand, if a person owns a restaurant or other business that necessitates making nightly cash deposits, ‘‘to me, that is reasonable,’’ Crowley said.

‘‘I do not deny a person a permit because I do not like them. I deny them for a specific reason,’’ he said.

My rights, Chief Crowley, are not subject to your inane opinions, and are certainly not going to be held hostage waiting for your permission.

The thing is, if someone did get caught "illegally" carrying concealed, there would be no shortage of self-styled forum warrior "gun rights activists" complaining how "that makes us all look bad."

[Via Declan]

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

This Day in History: March 4

Under the cover of constant bombing from American artillery, Brigadier General John Thomas slips 2,000 troops, cannons and artillery into position at Dorchester Heights, just south of Boston, on this day in 1776. Under orders from General George Washington, Thomas and his troops worked through the night digging trenches, positioning cannons and completing their occupation of Dorchester Heights.

Where Your Opinion Counts

I'm not sure if it really does, but these will only take a minute and you really have nothing to lose:

First, via Say Uncle, we have the No to HR 1022, "Assault Weapons Ban" Petition. Hey, look: That's me!



Next, via 1894C, we can go over to the Brady's house and play. (Yeah, they get your email--I gave 'em my Hotmail account--you can then either relegate it to your "Junk" folder or accept them to keep up with the latest lies from the enemy camp.)

And last but not least, you have weighed in on this week's WarOnGuns poll over in the left margin, right?

Defending the Indefensible

In Boyne's version of Utopia, there would be two kinds of people--police and military on the one hand, and helpless, cowering sheep on the other. The good news for him is that such places can be found in the world. The bad news is that there are quite a few people who, like me, will fight to the death before we see the United States become such a place.

Kurt Hofmann takes on a treasonous fool.

Underkill

The New York Times weighs in on the Zumbo affair with their typical sleight of mind:

“Assault rifle” is a much touchier term. It is generally understood to be the kind of gun that soldiers use in wars and terrorists use on the evening news. But the gun lobby despises “assault rifle,” considering it a false, scary label tacked onto perfectly legitimate weapons by people who want to take away others’ rights.

That is a debate for another day.

There's no debate about it. Straight from ther head of the Violence Policy Center:

The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.

The Times goes on to perform a sin of omission:

“Excuse me, maybe I’m a traditionalist,” he wrote, “but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity.” He added: “To most of the public, an assault rifle is a terrifying thing. Let’s divorce ourselves from them. I say game departments should ban them from the prairies and woods.”

Until he wrote that, Mr. Zumbo was one of the most admired hunters in America...

It seems our integrity-saturated Times editorialist failed to mention the most inflammatory declaration Mr. Zumbo made:

I'll go so far as to call them "terrorist" rifles.

So after dismissing the designed confusion over firearm functionality created and exploited by their allies, and intentionally withholding Zumbo's most offensive statement from their readers, The Times goes on with this accusation:

The paranoia and gloating that Mr. Zumbo’s name has evoked on gun discussion boards like ar15.com and freerepublic.com speak for themselves.

For The New York Times, which has consistently fear-mongered over private gun ownership to call anyone else paranoid takes a lot of damn gall. But just for the record, yes, a gun ban here, a gun ban there, and a pattern for an agenda does emerge, and it's not all that hard to find the master plan--straight from "The Newspaper of Record's" co-conpirators.

[Via Tom M]

An Answer of Sorts

The reporter who wrote about the SWAT machine gun stolen from a car while the "Only One" it was assigned to "relaxed" at a sports bar has responded to my inquiry:

That’s a good question and one we discussed before the story aired.

I certainly see your point.

In the end, we decided that since this deputy did not violate any department policy, has not been placed on leave or reprimanded or charged with anything, the most relevant point was, hey, there’s this really dangerous gun and other serious SWAT gear out on the street. Watch for it.

But I’m glad you sent the e-mail.

I forwarded it onto a contact at the sheriff’s department.

It’s always worth re-examining things like this.

Thanks for watching.

And remember we need story ideas literally every day.

Tyler Lopez

That kind of begs the question as to why the "Only Ones" are the only ones who have the judgment and temperance to have machine guns available to respond to emergencies after they've been "relaxing" in bars, doesn't it? Or why the inequity of treatment: if it had been a non-"Only One," charges would have been filed, and we damn sure would know their name.

"Authorized journalists" are a lot like horses. You can lead them to water...

Kennedy Consorts with Child Molester

That's the slobbering murderer schmoozing at a Million Maoists Subversive Soirée with democrat darling Peter Yarrow on the right.

From "A Judgment Call," my Rights Watch column in the March 2005 issue of GUNS Magazine:

Folksinger Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul & Mary believes we need more gun laws. Performing at the 2004 Million Morn March rally urging Congress to renew the federal "assault weapon" ban, Yarrow's main emphasis in the gun control movement has been to protect children.

It's too bad he wasn't thinking about protecting them when he was convicted of a sex offense for molesting a 14-year-old girl--but perhaps it explains why he wouldn't want to make it easy for parents to own a gun.

These are the predatory misfits who think we should be disarmed?

We're known by the company we keep, right Bradyites?

Vol* is Angry

I am displeased with all the citizen disarmement proponents and enforcement thugs, and the fools who demand their existence.

To demonstrate my wrath, I will make the moon disappear tonight.

Beware--and repent.

And make sure you watch the skies tonight.

*

This Day in History: March 3

Silas Deane, Connecticut delegate to the Continental Congress, leaves for France on a secret mission on this day in 1776. The Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson, John Hay and Robert Morris, instructed Deane to meet with French Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, to stress America's need for military stores and assure the French that the colonies were moving toward "total separation.”

Rights Watch: In Search of the Second Amendment

The historical evidence is conclusive. The Second Amendment was intended to express an individual right, and any alternate “collective rights” theories are modern fictions developed by those with an agenda to control guns. In the words of Sanford Levinson from the University of Texas, this “view was virtually unknown before the 1960s.”

"In Search of the Second Amendment," my Rights Watch column for the March 2007 issue of GUNS Magazine, is now online.

Also see: "In Search of the Second Amendment"--An Interview With David T. Hardy

and then make sure you buy a copy to share with others.

GUNS Magazine, March 1957

FOR EIGHT YEARS, California hunters have been unnerved by the sudden appearance of George Sullivan in the field. There is nothing peculiar about Sullivan himself when he's out hunting. It is just his weapons that prompt a fast double-take. Most guns just don't have light, silvery barrels, bright red breech actions, and Kelly-green stocks. But Sullivan's guns are a little unusual in more ways than color. They are the advance guard of a major airplane company's entry into the gun-making field.

Hmm...seems I read something somewhere about hunters 50 years later still being unnerved by these types of rifles...

The March 1957 issue of GUNS Magazine is now online. Enjoy.

Where Quawlity is Job One

I just received the following two replies from the Thames Valley Police in response to their 24-hour delay in responding to an emergency call:

Thank you for your email. It has been passed to our Quality of Sewrvice Unit who will contact you in due course.

So what kind of "sewrvice" could I expect? "In due course," of course?

Dear Mr Codrea

Your email has been forwarded to the Quality of Service Unit.

Unfortunately we are unable to give you any specifics of the incident as you were not directly involved. Your request for the Thames Valley Police response policy has been forwarded to our Freedom of Information who should respond to you in due course.

Yours sincerely

Quality of Service Unit

At least their "service" has improved, but there's that "due course" again. Oh well, at least nobody's trying to smash into my place with a hammer.

Not that I'd dial 911 anyway--at least until after the smoke cleared.

They shined Cryptic Subterranean on, too.

How would you like to have your life depending on these boobs?

We're the Only Ones Available Enough

A relaxing night out for SWAT team members last Wednesday ended with a vehicle break-in, and the disappearance of an HK MP5.

The thief or thieves also got away with ammunition, bulletproof vests and other tactical gear used by the SWAT team...

The MP5 hasn't been sold in gun stores since the late 1980s, and is now only available to law enforcement. [Emphasis added]

The SWAT team member who had his car broken into is a 14-year veteran of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and a four-and-a-half year veteran of the Special Weapons and Tactics squad.

He is not on leave and is using a replacement weapon.

Only available for "The Only Ones." That's to ensure they don't end up in the wrong hands, you know.

I just sent the following off to the "authorized journalist" who wrote this story:

Why is it in stories like these, the name of the officer is always protected? You can bet if it were a citizen involved, we’d know his name and the town he lives in.

I thought one of the main purposes of a free press was to be a watchdog over government.

What gives?

Stay tuned. We'll see if he responds...

[Via 45superman]

We're the Only Ones All Fired Up Enough

A police officer in Sullivan County faces felony arson and insurance fraud charges.

Edward Kowalik, 32, a New York City Department of Environmental Protection officer stationed in the Town of Neversink, is accused of paying someone to destroy his truck, then attempting to collect on the insurance money...

Kowalik's 2005 Dodge Ram was burned Oct. 14 on Lt. Brender Highway in Ferndale. He then filed a claim with State Farm Insurance.

Well, well, well, lookee here. He wasn't the "Only One":

Sullivan County sheriff's Cpl. Amanda Cox, 25, was charged with felony insurance fraud. She is accused of paying a friend to wreck her Jeep Grand Cherokee so she could collect on the insurance.

Former Fallsburg police Officer Mike Foster is under investigation for alleged involvement in a similar scam, sources say. He resigned from the force this week.

Probably just a coincidence. Probably.

[Both stories via Declan]

Girl Power

Georgia cops are searching for a pair of young female robbers who yesterday stuck up a Bank of America branch wearing only fashionable bug-eyed sunglasses to disguise themselves...According to police, the smiling women--who are estimated to be between 16 and 24--handed a teller a note demanding money and walked off with an undisclosed amount of cash. It does not appear that they were armed.

So what kind of total wimp would hand over money under those circumstances? What kind of craven corporate policy would require that?

UPDATE: Got 'em. Sure enough, no gun.

I'd be interested in seeing the "demand note"--I wonder if there would be legal defense implications if it didn't demand--only requested, with no stated threat, and began with the word "please."

This Day in History: March 2

In advance of the Continental Army’s occupation of Dorchester Heights, Massachusetts, General George Washington orders American artillery forces to begin bombarding Boston from their positions at Lechmere Point, northwest of the city center, on this day in 1776.

And since I missed posting yesterday, here's a link for March 1.

Well, So Much for Today's Blogging

Couldn't get on to Blogger or get to my mail this morning, and have just returned from a rich, full 14-hour day at work.

World keeps on spinnin', doesn't it?

We'll try again tomorrow--that is, unless one of the hundred or so awaiting emails contains something earthshaking...

Telephone Tag

I just learned about PrivatePhone from End the War on Freedom, who credits The Claire Files--I haven't thought through how I want to use their phone services, but the potential to add a quick 'n dirty audio commentary feature to WarOnGuns strikes me as at least something worth exploring.

This is a brief reading from "Intolerable Acts," an article of mine published in GUNS AND AMMO a few years back.

Free number with voicemail

I dunno. I'm kinda leaning towards if someone wants to do podcasting, they need to invest in the equipment, software and training needed to do it right.

Oh well, that's how we learn.

And fortunately, with internal links being temporarily down, I should escape a few critical comments being posted...

Blogger Problems

Yes, I'm aware that you get an error code when clicking on internal links, and from checking the Blogger problem boards, others are experiencing this as well. Perhaps clearing temporary files/cache will help, perhaps not--this has happened before, and all one can really do is ride it out and hope the technoweenies get the damned thing fixed before too long--I do know it really has a depressing effect on site traffic when people can't access article links. That's a real downer, knowing that exposure for hard work is not being maximized.

Maybe I should ask them for my money back...

An Act of Terrorism

Fits has a picture of one in progress...

"We are Hopeful"

With the support of a new Democratic governor, advocates for a state assault weapons ban said yesterday that they have the legislative backing and momentum to pass a bill this session.

"We are hopeful that the new political landscape will make a difference this year," said Sen. Michael G. Lenett, the Montgomery County Democrat sponsoring the proposal.

So, Michael, how many people who defy your hopefulness are you willing to have state enforcers imprison or kill? That'll sure "make a difference."

We're the Only Ones Prioritizing Enough

A TERRIFIED 80-year-old had to wait 24 HOURS for cops after a hammer fiend smashed her windows and threatened to kill her...It was not until the next day that a policeman finally turned up.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “We have to prioritise our calls in order of seriousness.”

As Cryptic Subterranean notes:

Yeah, like one of their own complaining about a kid kicking a ball against a fence.

It doesn't matter where in the world you go, you'll always find "The Only Ones."

UPDATE: I just sent the following email to the reporter and the Thames Valley Police. I'll post any responses I get:

In re:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007080092,00.html

Mr. Pyatt, assuming the facts of your story are correct, you are in a unique position to complete a needed investigation. The police say they had to prioritize their calls, but a scan of news stories from that area doesn’t really show enough urgent response activity to warrant a 24-hour tie-up of all emergency resources, does it?

I mean, we see:

Ex-landlady buys police drugs dog

Police set Shining example with in-car computers

Sara Thornton appointed top cop

Workshop Offer To Driving Mobile Phone Offenders –

Police get cash

Etc. But we don’t really see anything you or I would consider more of a priority if it were our mother being attacked, do we? Do you think emergencies warranting a 24-hour delay for a 999 call could have happened without being picked up by the news?

It seems fair to ask if the spokesman was merely covering up for failure.

Please press the Thames Valley police for their log to show what they considered more important than a defenseless old woman being terrorized with a lethal weapon—and please press them to give you their written policy on how such prioritization is determined. Please publish that you are doing this, and please keep your readers posted on whether or not satisfactory answers are forthcoming.

Sincerely,

David Codrea

I mean, somebody's got to tell the "authorized journalists" how to do their job...

Gun Control on Rise Again

All of the efforts put forth by gun owners over the past several years may well be undone in the next few years.

True, and based on results, those efforts must not have been very effective.

We can apportion blame to give our political "leaders" their due, but the fact is everything they do to the people is because the people have (and continue to) let them.

Bust This Union

Why be concerned? Because neither Mexico nor Canada recognizes inherent, natural rights. All of their "rights" are actually privileges, granted by the government, and subject to removal at the government's whim. A North American Union would effectively eliminate the Bill of Rights. Since neither Mexico nor Canada recognizes the right to keep and bear arms, it's a virtual certainty that the Second Amendment would be the first right to be eliminated.

JPFO alerts us to the dangers of the nascent North American Union.

[Via John Schaefer]

We're the Only Ones Not Facing Charges Enough

"They've decided that it doesn't rise to a criminal offense and they're not going to press criminal charges against the two police officers that have admitted to breaking into the fire station and doing damage"...

No, absolutely not. I'm sure any one of us could get away with doing the same as these ON DUTY "Only Ones."

What's with the preponderance of "Only Ones" stories today? It's not like I announced another Carnival...

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones Fearing Repercussions Enough

In his handwritten confession to investigators last year, a disgraced Harvey detective said he handed over a handgun to a suspect's family at Mayor Eric Kellogg's suggestion.

"I feared losing my job or other internal repercussions," Hollis Dorrough, a formerly decorated officer, wrote in the six-page confession obtained by the Daily Southtown. "I have seen others fired or messed with for not following Mayor Kellogg's direction."

We've visited Harvey before. Twice now.

Lovely place. A real Mayberry when it comes to "The Only Ones."

[Via HZ]

We're the Only Ones Discharging in the Men's Locker Room Enough

A bullet discharged from a sheriff deputy’s gun Monday at Miramont Sports Center, narrowly missed a 14-year-old girl working out in an adjacent room...it does not appear that any charges will be filed because the discharge was accidental.

"Accidental."

See, if it's not due to "negligence," they can avoid those messy charges, one of the perks of being an "Only One."

[Via Nathan F]

This Day in History: February 28

On this day in 1784, John Wesley charters the first Methodist Church in the United States. Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution.

So out of that noble motive came this?