The Naked Gun

A man wearing only socks was arrested along a busy street after witnesses said he fired a gun at afternoon traffic.

That would certainly make concealed carry problematic...

The Elephant in the Room We Dare Not Speak Of

Blognomicon links us to a Sheboygan Press opinion piece by Gun Week senior editor Dave Workman, who writes:

Aside from the vast disparity in the number of homicides in Milwaukee and Seattle, there is one more big difference. Washington residents can carry concealed handguns, and a lot of them do, more than 230,000 at last count.

It's an attractive thesis for gun owners. It would be easy to jump on the bandwagon and cry "See?"

The problem is, there are problems with it.

If you're going to claim concealed carry impacts the murder rate in Seattle (and I would argue it does, albeit to a much lesser degree than Workman attributes it), you need to factor the number of concealed handgun carriers in the specific population you're studying--in other words, don't use a statewide number. The 230,000 figure sounds impressive, but the state has a population of over 6 million, vs. Seattle's 571,500. If you're going to crunch numbers, you need to factor your carriers from that pool.

There's something else at work--another "big difference"--a HUGE "big difference"-- that impacts the raw murder number disparities between Milwaukee and Seattle, but there's a problem with even hinting at it--lest we be charged with the modern equivalent of being denounced a witch. We can find this "big difference" in every major urban area in the country--the places where guns are invariably controlled and the murder rate cannot be.

At the risk of being branded classist, ageist, sexist, and the dreaded "r" word... uhh, s'cuse me... could someone please look at the demographic differences between Seattle and Milwaukee?

Sorry, Mr. Workman, but the cities do not share "roughly the same...social makeup." Just look at the comparison between "female householders, no husband present" (8.09% vs. 21.07%). And we also can't forget to look at race--not as a cause of violent crime, but as an indicator of populations most directly affected by and responsive to a continuing history of destructive government policies.

If we're afraid to even address this, we're never going to be able to make things right. And those hurt the most by this self-imposed blindness will continue to be the least prosperous and protected among us.

CITGO Replies

I got a form reply to my open letter about CITGO, where the station attendant did not allow a woman customer to call 911 after she had been robbed at knifepoint.

Mr Codrea,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We are currently investigating this incident. Please understand that CITGO does not own or operate any retail outlets. However, we can (and will) take appropriate measures -- up to and including de-branding the station -- if such action is warranted.

CITGO is committed to operating as a good neighbor where we do business. Please be assured that we do not ignore nor take matters like this lightly.

Thank you for your interest in CITGO Petroleum Corp.

Sincerely,

Bruce McCall
Customer Service Representative
Midwest and Northeast Regions
x4886 or 1-800-423-8434, dial tone x6514
918-524-2114 - Fax
bmccall@citgo.com

We can't just let this go away from lack of scrutiny. I wrote him back:

Mr. McCall.

Thank you for your reply.

Will CITGO inform the public of how this has been resolved? It would seem we have a right to know if patronizing your franchises will result in similar treatment. Without evidence that the problem will not recur--including what you have done to assure that, and the outcome with the clerk and manager from the news account--I'm afraid I could not put myself, my family, or anyone I care about at risk.

Do you have an estimate for when we can expect such information?

Sincerely,

David Codrea

I'll report on his response--or the lack of one. If anyone else thinks adding their voice to this will help elicit a satisfactory outcome, feel free to do so.

But It STILL Wasn't Enough

Micayla Ellis' mother took the suggested precautions with a gun in her home - she locked it up, hid the key and put the ammunition in different locations - but it still wasn't enough to stave off her children's curiosity.

Something about this account isn't adding up. If all the "precautions" were taken, how did this happen?

And what would "be enough"?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that the most effective way to prevent gun-related deaths and injuries to children and adolescents is to remove guns from their homes and communities.

Naturally.

But they don't want to ban guns. They just want to enact "common sense" laws where no one but the authorities have them.

Car-Jackers Target Luxury Vehicle Owners at Gun-Point

A GANG of armed "car-jackers" has been targeting the drivers of luxury vehicles in Glasgow it emerged yesterday, after Strathclyde Police confirmed they are investigating two separate car thefts at gun-point in an upmarket area of the city.

Uh, yeah, right...that's what violent criminals do. That's not a surprise to anyone, is it?

And why wouldn't they? Easy pickings, high rewards, no risk of being resisted by their victims...

The UK's well-heeled are getting a taste of what the average subject has to live with--not that we should expect any changes, but who knows? Maybe someone with more clout than the average serf will get mugged and wake up.

Shameless Plug: Beware of Moles

When it comes to picking a gun group to support, it clearly pays to do a little checking first. If you’re going to join AHSA, you might as well just cut to the chase and join the Million Mom March.

"Beware of Moles," my Rights Watch column for the Jan. 2006 issue of GUNS Magazine is now available with minimal digging at newstands throughout the Republic.

WarOnGuns regulars will recall I deferred comment when the American Hunters and Shooters Association story broke because I'd sent this article in to the magazine. It got bumped another month at my request, because I thought the commentary on Hurricane Katrina was more time-sensitive.

BONUS: See pg. 84 of this issue to find out how you can win a free .44 Magnum Henry Big Boy.

Last Stop on the 2005 "Black Arrow" Book Tour!

Vin will be signing books Saturday afternoon, Dec. 3 in the Shotgun News booth, at the Small Arms Review Gun Show
Arizona State Fairgrounds
9th Ave. and McDowell Road
December 3, 2005
Phoenix, Arizona

This will be your last chance to get a personalized,autographed copy of 'The Black Arrow'!

For further details about the show, see:
Small Arms Review

Have you bought your copy yet?

How Could THIS Happen?

The man displayed a handgun and at first robbed the woman. He then assaulted her.

Outrageous. Didn't he know that Wisconsin doesn't yet allow people to carry handguns? Just ask the Green Party.

Thank goodness the victim wasn't armed. She might have offended someone.

Like Alderman Pete Karas.

Woman Charged With Handgun "Offense"

“She always has a gun ... in her purse at all times,” Thompson said. “She was going to the tax office to discuss a tax bill.”

What kind of thugs would be "offended" by a 63-year-old woman possessing the means to defend herself?

Defense is offense, right, Mr. Orwell?

Felons With Firearms

Compelling commentary and news link from Fish Or Man . Go read.

So What's the Problem Here?

A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions...

“They can be born breathing and crying at 19 weeks’ gestation,” he said. “I am not anti-abortion, but as far as I am concerned this is sub-standard medicine.”

Just get one of them Whack-A-Mole mallets and bash 'em.

It's not like they're human or anything, is it?

I Believe in the Second Amendment, BUT...

Congratulations, Charles Laramie! You've just won the WarOnGuns' coveted Judas Goat Award!

Schumer and Feinstein both say they believe in the Second Amendment, too--and we know what big "buts" they have.

We're the Only Ones Dru--I Mean, Professional Enough...

A police officer who was fired after showing up for work under the influence of alcohol shot a gun at police during a five-hour standoff...Greaves suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the knee...

Yeah, if I wanted to kill myself, the knees are what I'd go for.

Greaves...faces two counts of felony reckless endangerment.

That's it?

Columbus Murder Rate Near 100

[BugmeNot log-ons: wally@trashmail.net, wally]

But just wait--the impact of that "assault weapon" ban is going to kick in any day now and drive those numbers into the cellar...

Bill of Rights Day Celebration

Tina Terry invites folks who can make it to celebrate Bill of Rights Day in Payson/Diamond Star/Rim Country, AZ...

People for the American Way

When the parents of 14 year-old Alycia Brown of La Crosse Wisconsin found out their daughter was sexually active, ; they put her on birth control, choosing the popular hormonal patch instead of the Pill. When on May 7, 2004, Alycia died suddenly of blood clots in her lower pelvis Michael and Lorie Brown decided to sue the deadly drug's manufacturer in the hopes of having it taken off the market.

14, and they let their minor child daughter screw around?

I guess blaming and suing someone else beats exerting parental authority, and it's certainly a lot easier than admitting they failed their daughter. "[T]hey did what the modern culture told them was the right thing to do" is about the lamest excuse for being weaklings and cowards I've ever heard.

I cannot imagine a greater pain than losing a child. By the same token, my sympathy for the Brown's is overshadowed by my disrespect for their past and continued abdication of responsibility.

That's the same mentality that blames guns and gun owners for criminal abuses, and quite candidly, I'm sick of it.

Why "Gun Control" Works So Well in Baltimore

Thieves are sawing down aluminum light poles. Some 130 have vanished from Baltimore's streets in the last several weeks, authorities say, presumably sold for scrap metal. But so far the case of the pilfered poles has stumped the police and left many local residents wondering just how someone manages to make off with what would seem to be a conspicuous street fixture...The police have no suspects...

But you don't need a gun in Baltimore. The police will protect you.

Nailing It

What is it with nail guns lately?

In Florida, it seems they are just as possessed, evil and capable of independent acts of malice as the "official journalists" claim firearms to be:

A construction worker is recovering in stable condition after a nail gun fired a shot to his temple.

In New Jersey, one was used in a police standoff:

A 33-year-old Falls Township man, who barricaded himself in his apartment and held off authorities for seven hours after allegedly shooting an officer with a nail gun was arraigned yesterday, police said.

He even had an "arsenal":

Authorities uncovered over a 100 nails inside the door frame...

Meanwhile, in California:

A man accused of killing his estranged wife with a nail gun last month was arrested after spending five weeks in a hospital for nail gun wounds to his own chest and abdomen.

Society's course of action is clear. Nail guns are not defined as "qualified products" in the recently passed gun manufacturer/ distributor immunity bill.

How much longer will we tolerate these weapons of murder and mayhem?

We must sue the nail gun industry.

What? It's already happening?

When Guns Are Outlawed...

A gun battle between rival prison gangs in an overcrowded western Mexico penitentiary injured eight inmates, authorities said Saturday.

Dang, that total gun control sure does work, doesn't it?

We ought to try it here.

If it saves just one prisoner...

SF Struggles to Keep Up With Gang Gun Returns

After San Francisco voters banned guns in the most recent election, city officials say they are struggling to keep up with the massive amount of guns being voluntarily turned over by gang members and other criminals.

More fine satire from Jeremy Robb.

[Thanks, HZ]