Violence Policy Center exploits CT shootings to attack guns and gun owners

Can we afford not to close the Sugarmann Shrinking Grant Loophole? [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner column looks at the motivation and character behind the latest blood dance.

Tell a friend?

This Day in History: August 7

[More]

We're the Only Ones "Is This Some Kind of Bust?" Enough

A Lake County mother was arrested at a children’s splash park after her white shirt got wet...She took her 7-year-old son to cool off, but before the day was done she found herself behind bars, facing an arrest record for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence....The police report indicates Lovett didn't give her name fast enough. [More]

Then it sounds like she got just what she deserved, doesn't it?

Besides:

The police chief told WFTV his officers operated within policy that day.

Of course they did.

A Deadly Game

Monopoly. [Read]

At least the way Josh Horwitz plays it.

Forget the top hat, iron, dog, racer, etc.

I'll take one of these:
His turn.

We're the Only Ones Increasing Your Bars Enough

Greenfield said she was arrested—and spent the weekend of July 9 in the Delaware County jail—for videotaping a police encounter with Burke that day...The phone, according to Burke, could have been concealing a dangerous weapon—a cell phone gun, or stun gun. [More]

And we all know what a menace those can be, ever since the Great Cell Phone Gun Pandemic began...

While I was at the KY shoot, I was introduced to a great new product for recording that, if applied to camera-shy "Only Ones," could reduce the chances of being detected, followed with being harassed, assaulted, taken hostage and having your chronicle of abuse under color of authoritah deleted:

Pretty cool, eh?

Being me, I don't grok tech, but I understand there's a capability to hook something like this up to feed into the Internet so that badged evidence tamperers can't erase it. If one of you smart young guys can explain things slowly, I'll break out my Martian/English dictionary and see if I can follow along...

[Via Chris C]

A Leadership Vacuum

Lotta yucky stuff in there.

Vanderboegh empties its filter.

Eeewww!

UPDATE: If you ever wondered what Kabuki would look like if performed with a canister vacuum...

Lawmakers split on Second Amendment

GUNS Magazine makes a practice of posting its issues from half a century ago, giving us a great window into a past some of us are old enough to remember. A free download of the August 1960 issue is now online. [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner column notes that being a foul subversive is hardly a new phenomenon.

Also link up to a dissection of a latter day lie.

Share the link?

This Day in History: August 6

August 6, 1778 M. Gerard, minister from France to America, received in Congress. [More]

GRE Round Up for August 5

Here's the latest from my Gun Rights Examiner colleagues:

Sean McClanahan/Des Moines:

Shelby County considers illegal firearms ban

Following in the footsteps of West Burlington and Hancock County, Shelby County is reported to be considering a ban on firearms in the courthouse and...Keep Reading »

Liston Matthews/Knoxville:

Belle Meade police chief confused about gun laws?

The Knoxville News-Sentinel and the Tennessean reported this week that Leonard Embody has sued the State of...Keep Reading »

Dave Workman/Seattle:

‘Go to the mat against Kagan’

Not that it will matter much in the final analysis, because the Evergreen State’s two liberal Democrat...Keep Reading »

I do hope you realize the importance of sharing these links and show these guys your support by doing so...?

While you're at it, be sure and check out these other Liberty-oriented Examiners:

• Jesse Matthewson/Cochise County Libertarian
  
• Kent McManigal/Albuquerque Libertarian
• Anthony Martin/Conservative

We're the Only Ones Ejected from the Game Enough

A Nebraska judge lost his seat on the bench for using his position to help his daughter's softball team. [More]

Kind'a makes you wonder what we'd find if we looked at his career stats, doesn't it?

[Via Carl S]

Seal of Disapproval

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has threatened Wikipedia with legal action if the online encyclopedia doesn't remove the FBI's seal from its site. [More]

I see.
We'll see if this prompts another WarOnGuns Bite-Me-Gram.

I trust they'll also go after these guys...?

[Via Ed M and Harvey]

An Obvious Solution

Intruders gunned down in 2 Alexandria-area home invasions, police report[More]

Then it's pretty clear we need to do away with "Stand Your Ground" and other barbaric practices, don't you think? I mean, we don't want to be like "the Wild West" and help all those "bad guys," do we?

[Via retrotruckman]

Don't Like Tyranny? Tough

You have no right to rebel against it.

Wheaton College Philosophy professor Stephen Mathis said it, I believe it, that settles it.

Don't you?

No?

Unclear on the Concept

A man attending a block party as part of the National Night Out anti-crime initiative was shot and killed in Paterson, N.J. [More]

I hate it
when
that happens.

Funny, though.

I was perfectly safe both here and here.

You don't suppose maybe..just maybe...it's not the guns?

[Via Plug Nickel Times]

"Like the Wild West"

Bad guys are helped [More]

Maybe once in a while they will be.

What the hell does that have to do with my right to be the one who determines when defending myself is appropriate?

Signing Off

I was just informed that Kevin Wilmeth has. So I guess I need to take his link out of my sidebar and "Round Up" announcements.

Several of the GREs have stopped writing as well.

It's the reason I ask readers to share their links when I do my "GRE Round Ups," and also for my own column announcements. Based on results, that is not a realistic expectation.

I don't know what the answer is. "We" complain about bias in the media, but when presented with viable alternatives to counter it, most will go on about their day.

Forget me. If you don't like my stuff, fine. Most will not, including many in the "gun community," and I'm used to that. But we have some real accomplished pros, like senior Gun Week editor Dave Workman, and authors like John Longenecker and Howard Nemerov (who has since moved on to Pajamas Media)...

I hope we see Kevin emerge in a better-rewarded (and supported) venue.

[Via Mama Liberty]

An Undirected Outburst

Vanderboegh observes some whiny folks who didn't get the memo. [Read]

Lovely Young Women

"Caroline is a lovely young woman," her attorney, Michael Bachner, said in a statement. [More]

She sounds lovely. It figures she's an outspoken Obama supporter. He thinks what belongs to others is his to take and use as he sees fit, too.

Police arrested 24-year-old Melodie Brevard of Southeast. She is charged with assault with intent to kill. [More]

And of course, in Washington DC, the only way to stop such a lovely, knife-wielding young woman is by risking your own life and tackling her. I wonder if her almost certainly "liberal" NPR intern victim learned anything about the price of defenselessness?

Material girl Michelle Obama is a modern-day Marie Antoinette [More]

Hmmm...

Should bankrupted people 'under stress' be disarmed?

To prove how dangerous "allowing" such people to keep guns is, they've accumulated three tragic incidents over the past six years, and offer a seemingly authoritative pronouncement...[More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner column looks at a morally bankrupted editorial.

Also watch my Rand Paul interview.

I trust I can count on my friends to share this link?

This Day in History: August 5

Tarry town August 5 1778
We Marched from thence and Joined the Grand Armey at the White Plains and on the 6th Instant the Brigade Passed muster [More]

GRE Round Up for August 4

Here's the latest from my Gun Rights Examiner colleagues--please note I'm not linking you to everything they posted during my hiatus, only their last offering, so check their main pages for columns they may have written during my absence:

Anthony Bouchard/Cheyenne:

Matt Mead for governor, the next liberal champion to be adored by the media

"The media that loves Obama is now falling all over Matt Mead"... A surprise? NOT SO MUCH. Along with all the Casper Star Tribune praise...Keep Reading »

Dan Bidstrup/Denver:

Facing facts

Last month I gave out a vehicle for engaging business owners who prohibit guns in their establishments. It consisted of a cover letter asking for...Keep Reading »

Sean McClanahan/Des Moines:

Upcoming gun shows in Iowa for 2010

There are several opportunities in the coming months for Iowans to visit a gun show and exploit the non-existent “Gun Show Loophole.” In...Keep Reading »

Rob Reed/Detroit:

The myth of the mandatory 'CPL renewal' class

One of the biggest myths concerning Michigan's Concealed Pistol License law is the belief that Michigan...
Keep Reading »

Steve D. Jones/Fort Smith:

Law enforcement influencing open carry legislation

The Arkansas Municipal Police Association’s annual convention begins today in Texarkana, lasting until Friday, August 6. During this convention,...Keep Reading »

Liston Matthews/Knoxville:

More home invasions, Part 5 - is there an epidemic?

It seems there continues to be reason to comment on home invasions. This time, I will mention two reported in the...Keep Reading »

John Longenecker/Los Angeles:

Safer Streets 2010: Author Sonia Wolff's Gun Essay, Part II.

Where we last left off in praising Sonia's effort in Part I, I was talking about how gun ownership does not change...Keep Reading »

Dave Workman/Seattle:

Lead ammo ban sought from EPA threatens gun owners, game agencies, say critics

On Tuesday, a coalition of environmental groups petitioned with the Environmental Protection Agency asking that...Keep Reading »

I do hope you realize the importance of sharing these links and show these guys your support by doing so...?

While you're at it, be sure and check out these other Liberty-oriented Examiners:

• Jesse Matthewson/Cochise County Libertarian
  
• Kent McManigal/Albuquerque Libertarian
• Kevin Wilmeth/Anchorage Libertarian
• Anthony Martin/Conservative

That Must Be the Reason

See, it's not because someone who would do such a heinous thing is an @$$hole--it's because everybody else is a racist. [Read]

Does this mean we can't blame the rampage on "hatriot" speech?

Environmental Impact

Authorities identified the third victim of a bear attack in a campground near Yellowstone National Park as a 21-year-old man from Colorado. [More]

Does Colleen Kollar-Kotelly know about this?

Doesn't somebody need to do a study first or something...?

[Via Ed M]

Passing the Ohio Bar

Akron police are looking for a man who robbed a Newton Street bar and pistol-whipped several patrons just after midnight Tuesday. [More]

What the...???

Somebody should have told this ignoramus that guns in bars are, as yet, still illegal in Ohio.

Too bad Jackie-boy the manly-man wasn't there to put the perp's face on the pavement.

A Matter of Perspective

Should Gun Safety Be Taught in Schools? Perspectives of Teachers [More]

The only ones who would answer "No" are unqualified to teach it.

Public Service Announcement

An important light is about to go dark.

Help.

Journalists continue spreading VPC's 'machine gun' confusion

Anyone with basic knowledge of the issue would suspect the gun in question was really a semi-auto, as opposed to a submachine gun and that the staff writer simply doesn't know the difference. And that's just what the Violence Policy Center wants them to think... [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner column looks at an old trick that still works on the self-styled "opinion-making class." The bottom line is, they're either ignorant, in which case they're engaging in journalistic malpractice, or they're evil, willfully propagating lies to advance a statist agenda.

Also tune in to today's Trigger Sports Live! and check out how few "free state" political opportunists are willing to take a stand on the Second Amendment.

I trust regular readers will share the link?

This Day in History: August 4

August 4, 1778 - Continental soldiers and 34 men of the Wyoming Independent Company, under the command of Colonel Zebulon Butler, march into Wyoming Valley and establish "Camp Westmoreland" at Wilkes-Barre. [More]

More Thoughts on Straightarrow

Not only was I saddened by the news about our friend, I was frustrated that the timing and logistics of my special assignment precluded a better tribute on my part.

Fortunately, others weighed in. Here are related posts from:

• Sipsey Street Irregulars
• Say Uncle
• Shooting the Messenger
• Curses! Foiled Again!
• Captain of a Crew of One
  

If I missed anyone, please let me know and I'll add a link.

I've since received further correspondence from his wife and daughter. Good people. That's hardly a surprise.

BATFU "Cannot Imagine How the Printed List Was Made"

Received via email [click graphic to enlarge]:Yeah, I can't imagine either.

Smash Jewish Gun Controllers Now!

No, this isn't an anti-Semitic rant from a hate-motivated supremacist. It's an appeal from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership to help finance their new documentary, "No Guns for Jews."

They can't continue to provide innovative groundbreaking educational efforts without our support, nor should we expect them to.

"Someone else" can't be counted on to help. They never can be.

Click here to learn more.

The Big Appleseed

Mattathias Schwartz of The New York Times covers the Appleseed Project. [Read]

I met him with Mike V and some others one evening in my hotel lobby while I was attending the Second Amendment March and Restore the Constitution Rally, and he seemed professional and committed to being objective. I could find points to contend here, but all in all think he was pretty fair and balanced.

[Via WRSA]

Grinding America Down

James Simpson shares a trailer for an important new video about a directed agenda for tyranny. [Read and watch]

We're the Only Ones Ethical Enough

FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress on Wednesday that he does not know how many of his agents cheated on an important exam on the bureau's policies, discussing an embarrassing investigation that raises questions about whether the FBI knows its own rules for conducting surveillance on Americans. [More]

"It's own rules."

Cool. That makes ignoring this pesky thing all the easier.

Besides, I thought unless something became politically too hot to handle, it all fell within "established department protocols."

Imagine being so confident you could break the rules you'd cheat on your own people. I wonder why that was apparently viewed as doable?

Fortunately, we're only talking about "a few bad apples." I'm sure after Director Mueller and the IG complete their count, we'll find most of them are merely "confused" instead of rotten, aren't you?

Funny, though, how we can't use that same excuse when one of we mere mortals aren't clear on the rules...

UPDATE: Yeah, that's about what I figured their "rules" were...

[Via Ed M]

"Pro-Gun Democrats"

U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester both said Monday they support confirming Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court justice. [More]

Aid and comfort.

See, to me, this is a betrayal and nothing less than an enemy action.

I'm sure those who equate the deadly serious business of restoring recognition of our unalienable rights with a chess game will tell us about about all the "good" things these two opportunists have done, and will also make "limited political capital" excuses.

Moral capital is unlimited, but it rarely factors into the dialog.

ISPC Pan American Shotgun Championship draws competitors from around the world

Regular readers will recognize reporting events like this is quite a departure from what I usually cover. [More]

Today's Gun Rights Examiner column explains why I've been away for over a week. I've been covering the 2010 IPSC Pan American Shotgun Championship for American Trigger Sports Network at the Park Mammoth Resort Rockcastle Shooting Center in KY.

All this plus I got to interview Rand Paul.

Take a look and, hopefully, you'll share the link.

This Day in History: August 3

"The whole town in some great confusion, not knowing what they should be at, some moving their goods out to the lines, the officers all bringing their luggage into the town. Constant fatigue for the men, horses and oxen; no rest by day or night... When I look over the list of my friends on both sides of the question, my heart shudders at the thought, what numbers must be slain, both so obstinate, so determined. Well may we say, what havoc does ambition make! Cursed Frenchmen! they [the Americans] would not have come, had it not been for you." [More]

Well, I'm Back

I'll let you know about the special assignment I was on in my GRE column, which I now have to write.

Comments are now back on.

R.I.P. Straightarrow

I am briefly checking in from my hiatus to convey some very sad news.

Straightarrow (Charles H. Sawders) passed away on July 19--I just received a message from his wife.

I wish I had the time right now to compose a proper memorial to a man who shared so much wisdom and insight with us.

This Internet is an amazing phenomenon--I have lost a friend I never met in person.

I have no profound words, and I think he deserves some. I'm just sad.

My prayers are with his family.

UPDATE: As some of you may have noticed, I temporarily reopened comments during my hiatus so some of you could also leave a tribute. I'll be closing them off again later today, as I will not have time to moderate comments over the next week.

I found this obituary notice:

Charles Sawders
65, of Doddridge, Ark., died Monday, July 19, 2010, in Vivian, La.

Mr. Sawders was born March 4, 1945, in Bakersfield, Calif. He was a pipe fitter and a Baptist.

Survivors include his wife, Cathy Williams Sawders of Doddridge; three sons, Hunter Sawders of New Jersey, Christopher Sawders of Brownswood, Texas, and Steven Turner of Doddridge; three daughters, Shelly Bowen of East Dorsett, Vt., Veronica Jenkins of Comanche, Okla., and April Doeppers of Omaha, Neb.; his mother, Fran Boon of Duncan, Okla.; one brother, Jack Boon of Florida; one sister, Cherri Quinn of Portales, N.M.; 12 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a number of other relatives.

Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Olive Branch Methodist Church, Doddridge, with the Rev. Walter Burnett officiating. Burial will be in Olive Branch Cemetery under the direction of Hanner Funeral Service.

Visitation will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Online registration is at hannerfuneralservice.com.

You may leave memories and comments that become part of the obituaries by registering and logging onto this site.

Here is the Hanner Funeral Service visitation page link. Then click here to sign the register book.

UPDATE 2: Hiatus resumed, comments now closed. Please leave additional condolences in the register book.

UPDATE 3: I've returned from my trip. Comments now reopened.

Hiatus

I mentioned this the other day: Posting is going to be problematic for me over the next week (+) due to both out-of-state family coming in later today, followed by a special project I'll be working on from Tuesday through Sunday that could preclude doing anything else.

If I do post anything in the interim, it will be at my Gun Rights Examiner page, so check there first. Also, if you want to hang around there and check out archived articles and pass the links along, I won't mind, especially since I won't be earning much else from there while I'm not posting new stuff.

Ditto for my GRE colleagues and other Liberty-oriented writers, all accessible via the "More Gun Rights" and "More Examiners" link lists in the left sidebar on this page.

Please hold off on emails and news tips until at least Aug. 2, and please understand if I don't get to anything sent during this break.

I'll turn comments back on here when I'm once more up and running.

We're the Only Ones Dazzling Enough

Unlike tasers, the Dazer Laser is not being sold to the public. [More]

Because you and I can't be trusted with light. We're not "Only Ones," so we might abuse/misuse it.

And the neat legal trick about that is, the government can then point to weapons not being "in common use," so that pesky clause about "shall not be infringed" doesn't apply!

If you don't believe me, just ask "conservative" Justice Scalia!

Shut up, Coxe--who asked you?

We're the Only Ones "That's the Ticket!" Enough

A disgraced Florida Highway Patrol trooper will spend 364 days in jail for writing hundreds of phony tickets to motorists who were never pulled over for traffic offenses. [More]

Misdemeanors, y'see. Under a year sentence, so a "prohibited person" provision don't kick in.

Now you try lying to the "Only Ones" in their official police reports and see what happens.

[Via Ernie S]

We're the Only Ones Inappropriate Enough

An East Palo Alto police detective who suggested in a Facebook post that people who openly carry unloaded firearms should be shot engaged in "inappropriate behavior," the police department announced Tuesday. [More]

Gee, ya think...?

Now what's going to be done about it?

[Via Carl S]

Nothing Succeeds Like Success

Project Exile, a program that has been successful elsewhere... [More]

I guess if the media (and the NRA) keeps repeating that, it must be true.

Just don't ask "Where?"...

[Via retrotruckman]

A Yachting We Will Go

Jeff Greene's yacht tore up coral reef, left unpaid fines up to $1.87 million [More]

and

Sen. John Kerry skips town on sails tax [More]

Oh, you right-wing extremists.

The only reason you oppose such men is because you're racist and you hate poor people.

[Via Ed M]