"Pro-Gun" LA Times Style

I like guns. I come from a gun family. I am a 2nd Amendment, pro-gun liberal--which makes me a very lonely creature when the subject comes up in casual conversation around the office.

Why do I smell a big "but" nearby?

Their big gun--and the most overtly political weapon in the film--—appears to be a Barrett .50-caliber M107 semiautomatic rifle, a 32-pound, 5-foot-long military sniper rifle that was banned in California starting last year, for the altogether sensible reason that it can bring down airliners.

Oh, that's why.

As I said, I'm pretty pro-gun, but I would never belong to the NRA because, well, those guys are lunatics. One of their more far-fetched paranoid fantasies (here comes the e-mail!) is that the United Nations is conspiring to take away America's guns.

And we know there's never been any credible evidence of that...

Congratulations, Dan Neil. Thanks to transparent sterile queen bees like you, people are getting wise to agenda-driven deception by the dinosaur media. And your--what spin do you guys use?--oh, yeah, "flagging revenues" reflect it.

Like a Good Neighbor

As I started walking up my long driveway to see what was happening, the five police officers were coming towards me, already on my property, approaching my house. From a distance they ordered me to put my hands out where they could see them, and as they got nearer, asked if I was carrying any weapons. I said no. Two of them were carrying AR-15's. They asked me if I had been firing guns. I told them that we had been shooting clays in the backyard. "What kind of guns were you shooting?" "Shotguns". At that point they ordered me to put my hands on my head and submit to a "pat-down". They saw my son, (17 years old) standing by the house, ordered him to walk down the driveway, and proceeded to search him in the same manner...

The Mundelein officer, explained to me that the complainant, a remote rear neighbor, had reported "gunshots fired", ( I would characterize it a case of yuppy-itis, irrational fear of guns).

Notwithstanding that the snitch neighbors could have gotten people killed, assuming they are ignorant of local customs as opposed to malevolant, I'd give 'em one chance to establish cordial relations by inviting them to a backyard shoot. If that didn't work, I'd have a lawyer put them and the police on notice that harassment against lawful activities will not be tolerated, and that restitution for injuries resulting from same will be vigorously pursued.

I'm sure some will have more colorful suggestions, particularly if the yuppies remain militantly unrepentant, but that would only be playing into the hands of those who wish to provoke an emotional outburst rather than a reasoned response...

[Via HZ]

This Day in History: August 29

On this day in 1779, at what is modern-day Elmira, New York, near the state’s southwestern border with Pennsylvania, Continental forces led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton defeat a combined force of Loyalists and Indians commanded by Captain Walter Butler and Chief Joseph Brant.

I didn't post over the weekend and forgot to include this on Monday, so here are the history links for:
August 26: "Washington Urges Hessians to Desert"
August 27: "Howe Brothers Defeat Washington in Battle of Brooklyn Heights"
August 28: "St. Elizabeth Born in New York City"

Anti-Gun Politicians

Unfortunately, the majority of California voters, legal or otherwise, continue to vote people in office whose primary focus is to undermine the Bill of Righs, our liberties and our freedom. The problem does not rest in California however, as many are leaving the state en masse and will be taking their anti-American ideas with them -- probably to your town. Additionally, U.S. Senators and Representatives who work at the national level undermine us all with federal anti-gun legislation, namely Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Nancy Pelosi.

Jennifer Freeman of Liberty Belles gives us her take on microstamping and other acts of subversion originating in "the Golden State".

2nd Amendment Carnival Tomorrow!

Stan just let me know he's going to post another 2A Carnival tomorrow. If you have a submission, get it in ASAP.

Because It's Worked So Well Everywhere Else It's Been Tried

City leaders like Aldermen Yusuf Shah have had enough and are coming up with a few proposals to curb youth violence. One idea is a gun buy-back program.

It's amazing what passes for a "leader" these days. But I'm sure there will be no shortage of lemmings to follow.

Gun Facts Version 4.1

The updated version of Guy Smith's valuable Second Amendment resource book is now online.

The Gun Went Off

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration]

According to law-enforcement officials and other gun experts, you could throw a gun with its safety on from a helicopter and it will not go off.

“I can tell you that we have never had a safety fail,” Atlantic County Sheriff's Officer Phil Tucker said. “If your finger is on the trigger and you pull the trigger the gun will go off. It doesn't just go off on its own.”

Now understand: he just got done explaining the mechanics in detail to "authorized journalist" Madeline Vitaly. He even dispels the common myth about Glocks being prone to accidental discharges. He explains it in terms a child can understand:

"[U]nless you pull the trigger, a Glock won't just go bang.”

So what does our intrepid reporter write in the very next paragraph?

...Detective Adam Brownlee's gun went off and his girlfriend Denise Foley, 22, was shot in the leg.

Do Gun Owners Really Want to Stop Constant Assaults on 2nd Amendment?

This increasingly draconian government is running amok because the feminized men of this country protect it with their fear, laziness or territorial imperatives for fund raising or membership drives.

Devvy Kidd is dead on when she indicts "gun owners who only want someone else to fight for their Second Amendment rights..."

A Walk in the Park

...[Derrick] Redd had been arguing with people in the park before he went to his car, grabbed a gun and fired it into the air. He then headed toward 58-year-old James Woody of Pine Bluff, who was unloading his boat.

Holland said Woody saw Redd approaching, reached into his truck, grabbed a gun and positioned himself behind his truck for protection. Redd chased Woody around the truck and threatened to kill him. But the detective said Woody turned and shot Redd in the head and killed him.

Lurch here ought to tell Mr. Woody why guns in parks are a bad idea...

Lest Ye Be Judged

Judge Haywood Turner is charged with pointing a pistol. Police say it appears to be a case of road rage...Investigators say the driver of the car said an older, white male driving a Mercedes attempted wouldn't let them merge, and then pointed a pistol at them...Police did a tag trace, and found the Mercedes registered to Judge Turner...Investigators say he turned himself in on Friday, and was charged with two misdemeanor counts of pointing a pistol.

Misdemeanors?

In Georgia, "simple assault," which is a misdemeanor, includes when you:

"Commit an act that places another in apprehension of receiving violent injury."

Aggravated assault, which is a felony:

"occurs when you assault someone...2) With a deadly weapon..."

So is Judge Turner being judged the way you or I would be judged?

Judge for yourself.

UPDATE: Reason Engaged appropriately pegs this one as belonging in the "Only Ones" category.

A Fellow Republican

Paul Helmke, the new president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, applauded the California State Senate for "embracing this innovative technology," and he said he hopes Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "will listen to a fellow Republican and sign this bill once it passes."

If Arnold signs this, the California GOP will still be counting on gun owners voting for him out of fear of Phil Angelides.

[More on microstamping]

A Hard Act to Follow

ESSEX, Vt. -- Hours after breaking up with his girlfriend, a man shot four people Thursday, including the girlfriend's mother and her co-worker at an elementary school, then shot himself in the head, police said.

Vermont? Can't everybody carry concealed there without a permit?

Not exactly.

From Act 113:

...The school board shall regulate or prohibit firearms or other dangerous or deadly weapons on school premises...

No person shall knowingly possess a firearm or a dangerous or deadly weapon while within a school building or on a school bus. A person who violates this section shall, for the first offense, be imprisoned not more than one year or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both, and for a second or subsequent offense shall be imprisoned not more than three years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both...

This section shall not apply to:

(1) A law enforcement officer while engaged in law enforcement duties.

(2) Possession and use of firearms or dangerous or deadly weapons if the board of school directors, or the superintendent or principal if delegated authority to do so by the board, authorizes possession or use for specific occasions or for instructional or other specific purposes.

I'd guess maniac shooter Christopher Williams didn't have board permission. Any bets no one else did, either?

And guess who wouldn't have it any other way?

Some of us disagree, but alas, our voices don't carry as far.

Can't Explain

JT McAdams takes exception to Mayor Coleen Seng's description of her "primary responsibilities.":

Dear Mayor,

I was wondering if the following sounds like something you recited some time ago:

"I solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Nebraska, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office of Mayor in and for Lincoln, Nebraska, according to law and to the best of my ability."

Please explain where “safety and well being of” the citizens is indicated as your primary responsibility. Please explain why the above oath has been shoved somewhere down the line of your responsibilities. Please explain, Mayor, why you wish to be “Mother” to all the good citizens of Lincoln instead of what people elected you to be. Please explain why you think you know what’s best for everyone despite what the Constitution says. Please explain why your police chief’s opinion is relevant to upholding the Constitution of the UNITED STATES as well as your own state. Please explain to your electorate why they elected you in the first place, because I think some of them are wondering. Please explain. Please.

You have a lot of explaining to do.

Squirrely Democrats

Alphecca defines the problem.

Blognomicon just may have found the solution.

Do it for the children.

I love it when a plan comes together!

This Day in History: August 25

Influential political philosopher David Hume dies in Edinburgh, Scotland, on this day in 1776.

Although Hume died when the American Revolution was barely underway, his essay “Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth” greatly affected the ideas of the drafters of the federal Constitution in 1787.

I stopped posting these a while back because The History Channel website hadn't completed entries for the summer months. It looks like they're back on track, so I'm pleased to once more offer links.

Killing the Messenger

Football game broadcasts are filled with beer and car advertisements. Not to mention, the parking lots next to the stadium filled with drunk tailgaters driving home after the game.

Perhaps we should ban all advertising for any product that could be used in a reckless or illegal manner to injure, maim, or kill.

mAss Backwards shows us antis don't just want to ban guns--they want to ban the thought of guns.

Oh, and the chief whiner is John Rosenthal, you know, the foundation president for the American Hunters and Shooters Association. That's the group that provides a "middle ground" for gun owners--or so foolish "outdoors writers" like Bill Schneider tell their readers...

[Via Gun Law News, via Bitch Girls]

Menino Proves It's Good to be King

Boston Mayor Tom Menino gets a firsthand look at the gun violence plaguing his city's streets.

Menino was on a walking tour in Dorchester Monday night when a man went running by the mayor with a loaded gun in his hand.

Nineteen-year-old Adelino Monteiro was taken into custody after a brief foot chase by Boston police.

Wow, instant subject-funded police protection! Sweet!

And if your Praetorian Guard hadn't been there, Tom?

Why, then you'd have been in the same boat as your tax cows.

The Wrong Hands

The Kent County Sheriff's Department is announcing a gun buy-back program to keep weapons out of the wrong hands...

"It's basically designed for those guns that are unregistered or unlicensed. If it's a gun that was involved in a shooting or crime, then the amnesty is not going to cover that area," Hess said.

So, then, it's not going to "keep weapons out of the wrong hands," is it?

I love the way these people contradict themselves, and the "authorized journalists" are either too dumb or complicit to make that connection.

The Correct Question is "Do I Feel Lucky?"

The number of gun-related crimes in Toronto this summer is down considerably from a year ago. Do you feel safer?

Well, do ya punk?