The Blood Dancers Have a Toll-Free Hotline…

...and they’d like to hear from YOU:

866-SPEAK-UP

Go ahead. Speak up.

Just remember, toll-free numbers generally record the originating number, so don't say anything they can turn you in on.

Red Lake "Security" Guard Unarmed

Why is the Establishment Press Avoiding the Issue?

Say Uncle points us to Joe Huffman, who links to ABC News where this tidbit is buried.

It's not like the lapdogs are straining themselves getting this information out there. A Google search of the terms: "red lake" guard unarmed (leave the quotation marks that way to ensure the most precise results) shows what I'm talking about.

So in other words, the ones highlighting and spreading this information are the blogs--but somehow we've got to validate our journalistic originality and worth to the black robes because we're just not as legitimate as CBS and Al-Jazeera.

Red Lake High School Rampage: Let the Blood Dance Begin!

Plenty of people are going to sound in on the Minnesota reservation school massacre. New shrill demands for more "gun control" will certainly feature prominently on editorial pages and broadcasts across the land, and some might even grudgingly acknowledge that it looks like the weapons were taken from a cop.

I've pretty much written all I have to say on this and any other school shootings here.

Buckeye State Blackmail

Ted E. Daniels, editor of the Ashland Times-Gazette is threatening to publish the names of CHL holders if the Ohio legislature amends the concealed carry law so that the information is no longer disclosed to “journalists.”

Well, I guess if you’re gonna ask permission to exercise a right, this sort of nonsense should be expected. Still, Daniels is behaving like a cheap extortionist thug, and ought to be treated like one.

What has always struck me about this law is how government takes it on itself to decide who they will and will not recognize as a “legitimate” journalist. I’ve raised this concern several times now.

As I understand the law, I probably wouldn’t qualify to get the list of names (not that I would want it), but this group would.

Cop Killer

“Ban bill to target cop-killer handguns and rifles,” declares Michael P. Norton of State House News Service, just like he knows what he’s talking about.

Of course, the first line of the story admits that what’s being talked about is potential capability—no real cops killed with the pariah firearms can actually be produced. But the damage is done, and once more, the establishment propaganda machine manages to score a point with the uninformed under the guise of objective journalism.

But perhaps we’re taking the wrong tack on this. Perhaps we ought to up the ante.

Maybe we should insist they’re not cop-killer weapons, but soldier-killer weapons. After all, what they’re alleged to be capable of defeating is paramilitary equipment, as opposed to traditional police gear. It’s only when the police have become militarized that the special capabilities of these firearms are spotlighted.

Then we can invoke Justice James McReynolds’ rationale in US v Miller, when he observed: “In the absence of any evidence tending to show that possession or use of a ‘shotgun having a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length’ at this time has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument.”

The corollary to this, of course, is, if a firearm can be shown to have such a reasonable relationship, the Second Amendment would guarantee the right to keep and bear such an instrument.

Yeah, I know. Keep dreamin'.

How Many Lies Can You Tell in 60 Minutes?

SayUncle has made a good start at deconstructing last Sunday's anti-gun hit piece on 60 Minutes.

He exposes some of the obvious lies, and provides some good dope on Ed Bradley's narco-terrorist source--a John Kerry fundraiser, naturally.

"I TiVoed it and may have more later," he says. I hope he does, because he's doing a good job with this.

Leave it to the Establishment propagandists to spook the Eloi by claiming overseas insurgents need to come here for guns. NRA printed an excellent article on this by Jim Pate.

NRA's Montana SNAFU

News Release, Montana Shooting Sports Association

It looks like NRA is sabotaging Montana legislation clarifying "the right to self defense with firearms."

MSSA attributes it to a mid-level staffer thwarting the clear will of NRA management.

Call me cynical, but if NRA doesn't fire the guy, I'd say he's doing exactly what his masters want him to do. I can't help but wonder which legislator(s) they're appeasing?

It's not like we haven't seen a disconnect between what Fairfax says and what it does before.

I'd like to be wrong this time. But the term "SNAFU" speaks volumes.
--------------------

Andy Barniskis passes along this on-topic addendum:

Last year in Pennsylvania, NRA employee John Hohenwarter agreed to not to oppose legislation that was very hostile to gun rights (HB 2403) on condition that it be kept in committee until after the 2004 NRA Convention in Pittsburgh. Perhaps he didn't want betrayed NRA members to make a fuss at the convention. Mr. Hohenwarter and his boss Randy Kozuch did this without consulting any grass roots organizations or NRA legal council [sic] and they never responded to inquiries into the matter. Every major sportsmen's group in Pennsylvania united in the largest coalition in our history to oppose the anti-gun rights legislation that the NRA did not oppose.

We have received recent reports that John Hohenwarter replaced a competent NRA state liaison in New Hampshire and NRA members in New Hampshire are now trying to undo the damage.

Now we see that Montana NRA members have good reason to be angry with Randy Kozuch...

Harry Schneider, PSA Chairman
Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Assn.,
NRA Life Member

“Free” Gun Locks

The police department in my wonderful home town, the City of Redondo Beach, is offering “free” gun locks.

“The distribution project to promote firearm safety is supported by a grant from the United States Department of Justice.”

Yep, sounds “free” to me—as long as you consider distribution of plunder a no-cost proposition.

They give us the typical pitchfork murderer-enabling advice: “Unload your guns and lock them away. Lock and store ammunition separately.”

Not that your typical home invader isn’t the patient sort. Many of them actually take the time to bind and rape their victims before killing them.

They also invite you to snoop on your neighbors to see if they have guns, but, hey, isn’t that what America is supposed to be about?

Here’s my favorite part of the deal:

“The Redondo Beach Police Department will provide two free gunlocks to residents who will show valid identification and sign a release of liability form.”

Liability form? You mean there might be some danger to locking up our safety? We might rely on locks instead of knowledge and judgment, and they might not work? We or someone we love could be seriously injured or killed by following their advice and using their locks? Is that why they need us to sign a release?

I guess they realize we can’t sue them for failing to protect us, so they’re just trying to cover all the bases.

What's This World Coming To When You Can't Trust the "Gun Lobby"?

Andy Barniskis warns us that those "gun rights lobbyists" we trust to represent us in the legislatures have their own agenda and priorities.

When Nicki Fisked Matthew

Nicki Fellenzer takes on an ignorant, anti-gun college journalism major.

He's lucky she's just beating him up virtually. My money says if she ever went after him for real, he'd either be crying for a gun, or more likely, for his mommy.

"Thinking of England" Now Online

"Direct contact should be avoided whenever possible ... If unavoidable, the victim should adopt a state of active passivity ... be careful what you say or do and give up valuables without a struggle. This allows the victim to take charge of the situation ... By doing nothing there is no chance of inadvertently initiating violence by saying something such as 'Please don't hurt me.'"

"Thinking of England" appears in the April issue of GUNS Magazine, now online. Click here to read the rest.

DEA Buffoon Update

The world-class idiot who shot himself in front of a room full of kids after telling them he's the only one "professional enough" to carry a gun has been suspended.

I have a few questions:

Why does he still have a job?

Why hasn't he been prosecuted for reckless child endangerment and negligent discharge of a firearm, as would you or I be, save for the fact that we're not dumb, incompetent and irresponsible enough to pull such a bone-headed move?

Who's the jihadi in the ski mask? Dont'cha feel safer knowing guys like him are kicking in doors across the land?

And why is there an investigation to determine who "leaked" what is being described as a "home video"?

Maybe the'yre afraid someone has discovered the location of their secret clubhouse.

Warning: This is NOT Authorized Commentary

Jed at FreedomSight discusses the issue of bloggers protecting confidential sources.

Lauren Gelman is asking for instances where bloggers have broken stories. One that immediately comes to mind is JPFO's exposing how BATFU almost destroyed a man's life through incompetence--in other words, performing a watchdog role in the protection of individuals from abuse by government. If that isn't the role of the press, I don't know what is. Now tell me you would have seen that in the NY Times.

I'm glad to see others raising the flag on this. See "Bloggers: Have You Applied for Your Reporting License?" and "Judge Creates Special Class of Journalist--Just Because He Says So".

I suppose if judges can tell us who a journalist is, it's not a far stretch to imagine they can dictate what qualifies as news.

But I believe our friend Mr. Garrison might have something to say to them about that.

"IIIIII WAAAAAAA!!!"

"An attorney for Terri Schiavo said the severely brain-injured woman cried and yelled out that she wants to live after being told today her life-sustaining feeding tube was about to be removed by court order."

Anyone want to bet Michael orders an immediate cremation?

After all, a body would allow for a later medical examination.

But I’m sure those reports about unexplained bone fractures are just desperate hype from a bunch of religious extremists, right?

I mean, otherwise, the pro-death Establishment media that generates 26,800 Google hits on the term "Terri Schiavo" coma (even though she's not in one) would certainly be investigating Michael as thoroughly as they have OJ, Scott Peterson and Robert Blake. Wouldn’t they?

After all—he’s turned down money to walk away. What possible motive could he have, other than a deep and loving commitment to the woman he abandoned?

The parents have given the "law" every opportunity and it has failed them. There comes a time when sovereign individuals must defy edicts.

If this was my kid being tortured to death, I'd go in and get her.

Smart Guns Don't Always Make the Grade

There’s an understatement. “Smart guns” never make the grade.

The original National Institute of Justice grant to Sandia Labs to develop them was specifically justified by “takeaway” incidents where cops were killed with their own gun. But the cops don’t want to have anything to do with them—no surprise there.

"If a weapon is taken from an officer, I personally believe it is primarily a training issue. Most folks seem to try and solve most tactical problems through some sort of hardware improvement without looking at the core system. The human operator should be the primary system to be improved upon. Many departments are dangerously low in their delivery of ongoing advanced officer training. If an officer cannot be trusted to deploy and keep his or her weapon, please don't give them one in the first place!”

That was told to me by former Navy SEAL Ken Good, at the time, director of the SureFire Institute. He is an expert’s expert, providing weapons and tactics training to elite military fighting personnel, civilian law enforcement tactical specialists, and security professionals.

Training certainly seems to be the core issue in this “news report”—one cop killed with his own gun, the other closes his eyes and prays. And if the gun did “backfire,” the training deficiencies quite possibly extend to proper maintenance of issued firearms.

The creepiest line in this story: “Grants also have gone to private gun makers looking into…a gun that reads a rice grain-sized computer chip injected into the owner's hand.”

Who but a pathological government-worshipping Nazi dreams up stuff like this? And who are the industry whores turning tricks for them?

Two other questions to consider:

Has anyone not had the experience of pointing a remote control unit at a TV or garage door and having nothing happen?

And does anyone really think that once “smart guns” are mandated, an edict giving “authoritah” a shutoff switch will be far behind?

Justice Department: Gun Violence Falls 63%

There are definitely some politically incorrect conclusions that could—and should—be drawn from this. We can’t fix thing unless we’re willing to accept the truth. But before jumping on the “Firearms Violence 200% Higher for Blacks Than For Whites" bandwagon, let's not lose sight of our understanding that unalienable rights are attributes of individuals, not of groups.

The most interesting comment I saw in this was also the most predictable: "The government study received minimal if any mainstream media attention."

No, duh.

Conspicuously absent from the study are two other problematic factoids for the antis:

There is no mention of defensive gun use.

There are more guns in circulation now than at the start of the study period. If guns were truly responsible for violent crime, such a reduction would be impossible.

Any thesis suggesting otherwise deserves to be ridiculed as the barbaric superstition that it is.

“If you love freedom, get this film. You will not regret it.”

“How many really, truly anti-government movies are out there? How many of them are told from the perspective of liberty, rather than a leftist dystopian fantasy? Of those that are left, how many are intended to be taken seriously?

“I'll tell you.

“There is at least one.”

TriggerFinger reviews Charles Robert Carner’s film "Vanishing Point".

Claire Wolfe also comments, calling Carner “one of the good guys. A Hollywood insider who's also pro-gun and pro-freedom.”

The Road to Damascus

I've corresponded a few times with a guy who approached me for more information after reading Microstamping for Macroinfringement. He told me he was "tracking this issue for my class at school (USC) for Policy and Management."

Some basic misconceptions on his part made it apparent he was not that steeped in gun rights issues. I generally answer politely when sincere requests are made, but then send such folks on their way with a few helpful links relevant to what they're looking for. After all, who has the time to go one-on-one with everyone who wants information?

In this case, I spent a little more time. In truth, I was expecting to find my correspondent had used our email exchanges to craft an anti-armed citizen thesis. So I was more than a little surprised to open the following email last night (note I have removed all identifying information out of deference to his privacy):

"I need to mention this to you before we go any further. I was an intern for the City of _______________. I mention this because yesterday I was fired. I was researching SB 352 where they were deciding whether to support this bill or not. My last day I made a recommendation to not support this bill. I really don't know whether they were tracking my conversation with you or not. I just came to realize that gun owners, gun store owners and the people involved in guns are people also. As for the criminal element, well that's another story.

"I lived in area called Lincoln Heights where gun shooting was a given. I grew up where drive-bys were like a trip to Disneyland on a weekend. I never used a gun, and never had an inclination to ever use one because I have always associated it to gangs, violence and yes, especially death. When I was in the sixth grade, my friend was shot point blank by his neighbor who hated Asian-Americans. Since then I was reticent to even get close to a gun. I've gone to shooting ranges where all I've done is sit there and watch others shoot. I HAVE NEVER SHOT A GUN. I know that sounds like a anomaly but I've always associated guns with that incident.

"When I was given this issue pertaining to SB 352, I knew that I was totally for this bill and that I would make sure that I would be able to substantiate whatever information there was in relation to this issue. And I thought that all NRA members are racist, KKK members. You proved that to be NOT TRUE at all. There are people just like me. With lives who are interested in being part of the American dream, regardless of what the government might think of them, or the media for that matter. This was truly an experience. I truly don't know whether the City will or will not support SB 352 but I just hope that my recommendation will remind them that there are victims involved here and its not the criminal element (gun owners and stores).

"I do hope you accept my apology for what I've said, this was not to slam you or to criticize what you have done. I just want to say thank you for everything you have done because if it wasn't because of you I would not be here."

Pretty intriguing. Am I being played here? Did he approach this with enough of an open mind to reverse his conception? Did the city he worked at can him for coming up with a politically incorrect conclusion?

I've offered to introduce him to some folks in the pro-2A community here, and to take him shooting. I'll post updates if I think they're warranted.

The World of Yesterday and Today

08/16/17 UPDATE: Since this post is over 12 years old, many of the internal links no longer work. I have replaced what I could with Internet Archive and other links which may load very slowly.

In today's earlier post, I acknowledged the danger of predicting what tomorrow will bring. Here are some prime examples:

Mayor Declares City Violence A Crisis

"PHILADELPHIA (KYW) Police and prosecutors concerned with a spate of killings in the city begged the public Monday for more help identifying murderers...Within the past eight days there have been 21 homicides in Philadelphia, including three in the late-night and early morning hours after the prosecutor made her appeal Monday."

This wasn't supposed to happen. NRA promised us a different scenario.

NRA PRESS RELEASE: HESTON DARES CRIMINALS TO "MAKE MY DAY"

"NRA joins Mayor Rendell, Senators Specter and Santorum, in launching Project Exile to fully enforce existing federal gun laws and remove armed felons from Philadelphia streets...

"'If you're a felon out on the streets of Philadelphia today, I dare you to carry a gun,' Heston warned...

"'I promise you,' Heston told Mayor Rendell, 'If you and your prosecutors stick to the simple, proven model of Richmond, the murder rate in Philadelphia will decline and your citizens will be safer."

And how has following "the simple, proven model" worked out for Richmond, the template for Philadelphia crime-fighting?

Richmond's murder rate climbs again-- national numbers decline

"In the final hours of 2004, Richmond topped its 2003 murder rate by one, securing its distinction as one of the nation's most dangerous cities.

"The city's final homicide of the year _ called in to police around 8 p.m. New Year's Eve was number 95, surpassing the previous year's 94. In 2002, there were 83 and in 2001, 69.

"Murders in the United States dropped by nearly 6 percent in the first half of 2004 after rising for four straight years, the FBI reported. Numbers from the second half of 2004 have not been compiled.

"Richmond had the country's fourth highest murder rate in 2003 and was ranked the nation's ninth most dangerous city overall in 2004 _ beating out Miami and Compton, Calif. Richmond is the sixth most dangerous when compared to other cities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999."

Note to NRA Management:

We tried to tell you that "Exile" was a bad idea. It's time to follow your own professed beliefs and admit that gun control does not reduce violent crime--even those edicts that you endorse.

I'm still waiting for someone at NRA-HQ to cite the Constitutional authority for the feds to be involved in gun control at all. It's past time for the suits at Fairfax to adopt the motto "Repeal existing gun laws," and stop calling for their enforcement.

After all, wasn't enforcing existing gun laws what precipitated Waco and Ruby Ridge?

The World of Tomorrow

Predicting near-future potentials based on current trends is always a risky business—it’s one of the reasons why “The Wrath of Khan” fails modern audiences—the original Star Trek’s core audience lived to know there was no “Eugenics War” in the 1990s, no race of genetically-engineered “supermen,” no “sleeper ship” technology, and thankfully, no preponderance of chest-baring, aging actors wearing mullets—perhaps Gene Roddenberry should have placed the origin scenario from “Space Seed” a hundred, rather than 30 years into the future.

So this flash presentation, set 9 years from now, is going out on a limb—but it does seem to posit a pretty likely scenario. On the one hand, I am drawn to the potential like a moth to a flame—which means, as attractive and compelling as I find certain generalized “predictions,” it’s dangerous to disregard that invoking the name “Winston Smith” is purposeful.