Sunday, July 23, 2006

Canadian Collectors Don't Want THEIR Ox Gored

“Canadians packed guns until the 1950s, when I was a kid,” he said. “People viewed it as a bit of self-reliance, whereas now there’s a feeling that the state will take care of us.”

Getting guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals is one thing. Taking firearms out of circulation that have significant historical value is quite another, say Kangas and other gun enthusiasts.
Well, you started out just fine and then you blew it.

This business of pitting one set of gun owners against another plays right into the hands of those who will ban them all--as if your current predicament shouldn't prove that beyond all question.

I guess getting criminals off the streets is too difficult a concept to grasp, eh?

Jamaican Ingenuity Threatens US Gun Exports

Three teenaged boys were taken into custody Saturday afternoon after a homemade gun was taken from one of them.
Now hold the phone just a danged second here...

I thought it was our fault...

Overkill

These increasingly frequent raids, 40,000 per year by one estimate, are needlessly subjecting nonviolent drug offenders, bystanders, and wrongly targeted civilians to the terror of having their homes invaded while they’re sleeping, usually by teams of heavily armed paramilitary units dressed not as police officers but as soldiers.
I can only read this about a dozen pages at a time, and then I need to take a break and go cool down.

[Via Jed]

We're the Only Ones Inquisitive Enough

Yes, Chicago Police tortured suspects, but it happened too long ago to charge the officers.
I'm sure an identical statute of limitations would also shield a citizen accused of mistreating one of "The Only Ones," wouldn't it?

[Thanks to HZ]

Baseline Killer to Surrender?

It's just too dangerous to serial kill in Phoenix these days. After all:
[M]any residents have stocked up on pepper spray and flocked to self-defense classes.

Alan Baer...has severe lung disease and is tethered to an oxygen tank. "My wife carries her car keys with her when she takes out the garbage at night, so that if she feels she is in danger she can set off the car alarm and I can get out to help her..."

...Jim Bownds, 65, relies on Buddy, his pit bull, for safety.
As Jason M, who sent me this link, notes:
It amazes me that no one says "I keep my S&W .357 Magnum close." Or they may have...the reporter didn't include any statements on using guns for self-defense.
Please, Jason, not "reporter."

Use "authorized journalist."

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Survival Tip: Carry a Gun

The answer is that my love of fly-fishing and exploring solo hasn't changed, but the way I protect myself has. I just took shooting lessons and recently purchased a .38 caliber Ruger revolver that I plan to carry with me.
Some might quibble over caliber, but the important thing here is she gets it.

And the Eloi Award Goes to...

The woman found a .38-caliber revolver on the ground behind a garbage can, in a spot where anyone could have grabbed it, reports said.

"I was in shock," she said. "I don't like guns, I'm scared of guns."
Who better to vote for politicians intent on disarming those of us who aren't?

We're the Only Ones. Not You. Us.

A knife-wielding grocery store employee attacked eight co-workers Friday, seriously injuring five before a witness pulled a gun and stopped him, police said.
Let's see...knife-wielding maniac, everybody being victimized, no cops around, what will stop this guy...?

Not resisting? Nope.

Giving him what he wants? Uh, I think he's showing us what he wants.

A hoplophobe? Sorry.

An armed citizen? Bingo!

Lesson here for all to see? A moral person with a gun can not only defend themselves, but also those around them.

"Sour grapes" reaction from "The Only Ones"?
Higgins said police were pulling into the parking lot as Cope was confronting the attacker.

"We commend him," Higgins said. "But we don't encourage people to take that kind of risk. He could have been hurt."
What kind of risk does Higgins recommend people take? Waiting around for them to respond doesn't have risks?

And note the armed citizen resolved this without firing a shot--that is, rather than a gun in private hands being used to kill, here's a real world example of a citizen using a handgun to restore the peace and save lives--both of the victim and the attacker.

[Thanks to Fourteen Alpha]


UPDATE:
Jason M. informs me:

This occurred in a Schnucks grocery store in TN.

Schnucks just happens to be anti-gun (or least they were in the past) per...
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=15

They fought against Proposition B in MO:


Friday, July 21, 2006

We're the Only Ones Able to Defend Ourselves

A city cop coming off his shift in the Bronx early yesterday shot and wounded a man who tried to carjack him at gunpoint, police said.
Had this happened to a "law-abiding citizen," of course, they would have been toast. That's because they're not one of "The Only Ones."

[Thanks to Declan]

We're the Only Ones Loving Enough--For a Price

A New Zealand policewoman has been censured for some unauthorized "undercover" work - a stint moonlighting as a prostitute - but is being allowed to keep her day job after giving up the night duties.
Thank goodness. That could have been a real blow to her career.

[Thanks to Bounty Hunter]

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

"Cop Killer"

Three men have been charged with illegally possessing two handguns, one of which is called a cop killer because it can break through most bulletproof vests and plates worn by police officers...
Oh, OK, that's why they call it that.

It's not like it's actually gone out and killed cops or anything.

I didn't realize I owned cop killer rifles, because they'll all do that, too. Go through vests and plates, that is.

Later on today, I think I'll take my cop crushing van down to the store. I need to buy some cop poisoning household cleaning products.

Sterile Queen Bee Follow-Up

Again, for the record, I own lots of guns; I've hunted all my life (which is a long time); and I believe the Second Amendment is one of our basic freedoms we enjoy here in America, but I don't fret about the federal government breaking down my door to confiscate my battle worn 870 or my late grandfather's octagon-barrel 30-30, nor do I think all gun control laws, such as the ban on automatic assault rifles, are bad. Given that, here are a few thoughts on the NRA.
We've talked about this creature and his idiotic opinions before.

He either doesn't want to get it, or else he knows perfectly well what he's doing. I opt for the latter.

The point, Bill, is not to defend NRA. The point is, AHSA is an organization headed up by known gungrabbers. And for you to cite "automatic assault weapons" and "Gun Guys" to make your points puts you solidly in that camp as well.

US Guns Killing Jamaicans Follow-Up

"Doug in Colorado" posted a comment that I thought was very well written and deserved wider exposure as a "standalone" essay.

No Guns, No Money Follow-Up

IMPORTANT: READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW BEFORE CLICKING ON TITLE LINK

I posted yesterday about Kansas businesses being advised to post "No Guns" signs, and presented a "business card" to notify such establishments that gun owners would take their dollars elsewhere.

Jay.Mac informs me of Rapid Share, a hosting service website, and following the title link should get you to the Word file card template I created, albeit for non-paying users, they make you go through a few advertising steps before letting you see the file.

Steps after clicking on title link:
1. Scroll down to bottom of page and click "Free" button.
2. Wait for "download ticket" countdown, which on completion, will present a "Captcha" form.
3. Enter the characters in the little box and click on "Download from Mirror Alpha." (The characters are sometimes tough to distinguish, so if you get it wrong, back out and try again.)
4. A dialog box should pop up. Choose "Open With" (Microsoft Word or whatever you choose) or "Save to Disk."


Others have kindly offered to host the file on their sites. Thank you for that, especially since Rapid Share deletes non-paying files after 30 days. Please feel free to do so--and to modify the cards as you see fit. As I noted, the original idea is not mine, but the goal should be to promote the concept.

If you have a website, let me know if you post your own card and I'll pass your link on to WoG visitors.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

For the "Children"

A newly issued report on the impact of gun violence on children shows that 131 children were killed by firearms in New York state in 2003, bringing the state up to the fourth ranking in gun-related deaths behind California, Texas and Illinois.

In New York City, 62 children under age 20 died by gunfire...
Hey, the Childrens Defense Fund said it, I believe it, that settles it. Why, the very thought that someone would deliberately confuse adolescent male thugs with Sally, Dick and Jane is...is...hey, that's not a bad idea...

Hell of a job "reporting," John Toscano. I've always admired the way you "authorized journalists" manage to keep bias and editorial content out of straight news.

A Sign of the Times

Although Kansas has a new concealed-carry gun law, employers have the right to prohibit employees and customers from bringing guns on their premises, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said Wednesday...

Businesses open to the public should post signs saying that carrying a concealed weapon on the premises is prohibited.

"If you're a retail place, you need to have a sign in a public place," Kline said.
Without meaning to reopen an old debate, gun owners should react to businesses that do this with their wallets. Profit margins are generally pretty slim, and if you let a business owner know you have chosen his competitor and are going to make a personal commitment to warn other gun owners, you'll probably see some behavior modification.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry have a state-specific business card they use for this purpose. I've taken the liberty of developing a universal card based on this principle and have templated a Word file for Avery 5371 card stock labels. It actually looks a lot crisper than the jpeg here:
Anybody know how to make Word files accessible from Blogspot?

If not, you can do one of two things: Develop your own card, or email me and I'll send you the template.

Searching Questions

WTF, are these guys living in Lebanon or the United States of America??? Isn'’t it bad enough the Illinoisans can'’t carry concealed weapons? Isn'’t bad enough that you can'’t own or possess a handgun in the City of Chicago? Isn'’t it bad enough that Chicago is STILL the murder capital of the US??
6pence reacts to Supervisor Joseph Moreno's call for "“...house to house searches to pull every gun out of Cook County."

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

We're the Only Ones Eating Cake Enough

[Use BugMeNot to avoid site registration.]
A Clarke County sheriff's deputy's gun was stolen late Saturday or early Sunday while he was attending a birthday party for another deputy on Smokey Place, Athens-Clarke police said.

The deputy was off duty when he went to his co-worker's house off Smokey Road in northern Clarke County for her party Saturday night, and during the celebration he loaned his truck to the other deputy's teenage son so he could go to the store...On the way to the store, the teen picked up an 18-year-old neighbor...
So the cop sets the whole scenario up and now they want to prosecute the neighbor kid?

I hope he pleads he just found a gun left unsecured and didn't steal it at all--but just gave it to a responsible adult--his mother-- to return to the police. Note no charges have been filed against the officer--as they would be against any one of us--for leaving an unsecured gun out for the taking while he goes off and parties.

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

Sticky Fingaz Shows it Pays to Only Have "Illegal" Gunz

Rapper/actor STICKY FINGAZ is breathing a sign of relief after escaping gun-possession charges in a New York City court...[he] was arrested...after a housekeeper told police the hip-hop star had left a loaded gun in his room at the Flatotel hotel in Manhattan.
However, prosecutors dropped the case against the rapper...because there was no proof the weapon belonged to the star.
I guess checking it for sticky fingaprintz wouldn't be enough...

Boy, if this doesn't throw all gun registry arguments out the window...

Gun Goes Off...

...all by its own self...