Up to the Challenge

I defy anyone to “read” into the Amendment that a citizen has the right to carry arms, except to show up as a member of a “well regulated militia.”

Done, you fool.

We're the Only Ones Gone Wild Enough

A nude appearance in an "Girls Gone Wild"-style adult video sold on the Internet has cost a veteran police officer her job — again.

I know there's an "Only Twos" joke in here somewhere.

[Via Stan]

New York Times Logic

But many of the officers who help keep New York’s streets safe are in fact volunteers — unarmed, unpaid and, we learned this week, in some cases tragically and unnecessarily vulnerable.

Let's see, unarmed...vulnerable, unarmed...vulnerable.

I'm sure there's a connection here somewhere.

I know: Let's pass more gun control laws!

Me, a Pessimist?

I've seen a few posts around where people think I'm overly pessimistic in my assessment of the cops and guns poll.

Sorry, fellas, but your rosier outlook notwithstanding, I actually think the "2/3 wouldn't confiscate guns" belief is, well...naive. If ordered and threatened with termination and loss of benefits and pensions if they didn't obey confiscation orders, I doubt you'd see much adherence to theoretical principles volunteered to a magazine poll. And if we were talking about a martial law situation, where actual punishment would be administered for refusing to obey, I'm betting compliance would be just about complete.

So you're also overly generous to me in your assessment that I'm a "half empty" type. I think it's much worse than that.

It could be that I'm just cynical and negative. Perhaps.

Then again, perhaps not .

As the fundraising slogan goes, "Remember New Orleans."

Pokey Poke Does Front Sight

You have to endure a stupid commercial first, but here's a video where Pokey Poke says he got sniper training for his new movie Shooter" at Front Sight--he says he hit a target 2,000 yards away and that he's "a good shot."

He'd even be interested in doing a sequel.

So why is it a picture of Wayne Fincher in the paper is enough to spur BATFU into takedown mode?

I've got no beef against Front Sight--I have long admired Dr. Piazza's work and past support of RKBA. I do wonder how Pokey passed the criminal background check it is my understanding training applicants must undergo.

Remember, from my KABA article:

Marky, who had violated the terms of his earlier judgment, pled guilty to two counts of criminal contempt, each count carrying "a maximum penalty of ten years in a house of correction or ten thousand dollars or both." The Commonwealth's Sentencing Memorandum supported "the recommendation that the Defendant be sentenced to two years at the Deer Island House of Corrections, ninety days committed, with the balance suspended for two years."

And remember, at the time, the representative from the Suffolk County Clerk's Office for Criminal Business told me the Pokester was tried as an adult and his record has not been expunged.

[Via Red Dot]

Duncan Hunter on 2A

"The right to keep and bear arms is an absolute right of Americans to protect their families and their communities and their nation with firearms. In this age of post-911, Americans, I believe are comforted by the fact that our ability to resist terrorism is not limited to law enforcement or defense agencies but is also within the ability of all gun-owning Americans."

A Keyboard and a .45 saw a candidate's website lacking in information about his stand on RKBA, so he took it on himself to get things stated on the record.

Great job, JR, great leadership. This really illustrates how one man taking the initiative can get things done. It also demonstrates how blogger activism can bypass the information blackout we encounter when relying on "authorized journalists" to actually do something original and act like government watchdogs.

And in case you're wondering, GOA rates Hunter an "A."

This Day in History: March 21

On March 21, 1778, just three days after British Loyalists and Hessian mercenary forces assault the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, three miles from Salem, New Jersey, the same contingent surprises the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge, five miles from Salem. During the battle, the Loyalists not only kill several members of the Salem militia, but also two known Loyalists.

33⅓

About one-third of the people living in the national's [sic] capital are functionally illiterate...

Along with AP "authorized journalists," it would seem. These are no doubt the same people who support continuing the DC gun ban...

Gee, I wonder what they'd say if you asked them what their political affiliation is?

Aside from "What's that?"

On the bright side, they can always get a job over at the DEA...

We're the Only Ones Groping and Biting Enough

AN UNDERCOVER officer who bragged about being “like 007” grabbed a barmaid’s boobs at a strip club.

Boozed-up agent Dominic Headley, 32, also sank his teeth into an off-duty cop’s chest.

Cryptic Subterranean has the gripping, hard bitten details.

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

We're the Only Ones Dee-de-Deee Enough

During an I.Q. test commissioned by the defense, he scored 77 — a mark that ranks in the bottom sixth percentile. The average score is 100.

A report prepared by Sanford L. Drob, the psychologist who administered the I.Q. test, questioned whether Mr. Medina had the mental capacity to fully understand his work with the D.E.A.

I dunno. He sounds like a perfect match to me.

I have no idea if the allegations of a DEA-ordered robbery are true or false, but the mere fact that this guy is on the team speaks volumes. I'm quoting from memory, so it probably won't be exact, but this reminds me of the "Suport Your Locol Polece (PSA)" track on the old "National Lampoon Radio Dinner" album, where the actor playing ex-Philly mayor Frank Rizzo said:

So help take morons, psychopaths and mental defectives off the street and put them where they belong--on the force.

[Via Declan]

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

Police Magazine Poll on Gun Ownership

This partial page is from the March 2007 issue of Police Magazine (posted under the "Fair Use" doctrine because I could find no online link). Just so we're clear--even though most admit "gun control" won't make them safer or stop violent crime, and even though most admit to owning multiple guns themselves, almost two-thirds of "The Only Ones" surveyed think your right should be licensed by the state, and over a third said they would assist in confiscating them if ordered.

Bear in mind if they admit to this anonymously for a magazine survey, how many more would be likely to resist the awesome pressure of direct orders under the threat that their careers will be over with no pension if they disobey?

The next time someone says that only politically opportunistic police chiefs and administrators support "gun control" while the "rank and file" support the Second Amendment, you might want to point them to these results.

[Via Bounty Hunter]

What Limits on "the Militia" (That Would Be You and Me)?

Self-defense is a self-evident human right. Thankfully, a court finally has reaffirmed that the Constitution and common sense are in alignment on your right to defend yourself, using reasonable force (i.e. a handgun, but not a bazooka) within your own home.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be forced to use a bazooka inside my home--it would not only make one hell of a mess of things, but to need one would indicate a dire situation indeed.

And not meaning to open the door on the right of Al Qaeda to carry live anthrax strains and suitcase nukes on board commercial airliners, but Dennis, it seems you're penning us in a bit tighter than the Framers intended. For instance, there was Tench Coxe, who said:

Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier...

That leads to the question of who has authority to declare such limits, and importantly, where do they derive it?

And then we have the Constitutional authority for Congress to enlist private individuals with Letters of Marque and Reprisal, which would make for very difficult operations if small arms are all we are "authorized" to keep.

It makes for an intriguing discussion--the dividing line between slippery slope and the Constitution not being "a suicide pact," a term I've often found that discourages thinking things through. I'd be interested in hearing your comments.

I have my own ideas and I'll weigh in tonight.

[Via HZ]

When Wayne Isn't There

It's a simple fact that the police can't be everywhere at all times, and in some small towns that may mean they're not even at the station 24 hours a day.

But it's a sobering reminder that ultimately we're responsible for our own safety and protection. The police can't be our 'round-the-clock bodyguards, but they can be the first to find us dead.

How true, Wayne.

But you advocate being defenseless on school campuses.

When are you going to apologize for that and work to repeal such citizen disarmament edicts instead of endorsing them?

[Via John Schaefer]

This Day in History: March 20

Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee present themselves to France’s King Louis XVI as official representatives of the United States on this day in 1778. Louis XVI was skeptical of the fledgling republic, but his dislike of the British eventually overcame these concerns and France officially recognized the United States in February 1778.

Carnival X

Over at Stan's.

I had to find out from SayUncle.

An Obvious Solution

Two weeks ago, residents received a [letter? notice?] from their homeowners' association indicating that guns are not allowed on the property.

So defy this stupid rule, fire the board and elect new officers. These people are supposed to work for you.

Oh, wait...

Here's Looking at YOU, Kids

New research suggests playing action video games that involve firing guns such as "Gears of War," Lost Planet," and "Halo" can improve your eyesight.

I wouldn't be surprised if the same phenomenon occurs from shooting real guns. Tell me as a kid you wouldn't have rather heard "Let's go to the range" than "Eat your carrots--they're good for your eyes."

Plus it'll have the side benefit of sticking it to anti-gun pediatricians.

Sick People

"These are sick people," he said in January when questioned about the giveaway at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns summit in the District. "And if they think that this is funny, I don't think that the parents or the spouses or the children of those that get killed with illegal guns would find that very entertaining."

How about the relatives of those killed with "legal guns," Bloomberg, you loathsome traitor?

BATFU: Puerto Rico Going to the Dogs Because of US Freedom

Authorities complain that airline regulations make it tougher to transport a dog to Puerto Rico than a suitcase full of guns and ammunition.

Yeah, and Teddy Bears are more highly regulated than guns--at least when it comes to flammability of stuffing and plastic eyes that can't be pulled off and swallowed.

Good grief.

It's true here, too. There is no requirement to certify your firearm has had current shots. You don't need to put it in an approved pet handling cage. And you don't have to pay extra for the container it is in as long as you haven't exceeded your luggage allotment.

Heavens!

Oh, and by all means never transport firearms less than 8 weeks old, and you may want to place an old blanket in their container for comfort.

Looks like the creepy BATFUers have found themselves another apples and oranges sound bite to exploit. And "fair and balanced" FOX News is either too dumb or complicit to dig just a tiny bit deeper.

Alistair's Glass House

The black kids got on the bus and the driver shut the door. Riley ran across the front of our car and tried to get onto the bus. You could hear screams. Riley was smiling and tried to pry open the door. He swung the pipe at the door and busted the glass. Then he swung at the nearest window and caved it in. He kept busting windows until the bus pulled away. Up until that point it was the most terrible thing I’d ever witnessed, I think, and I think about it all the time. The look on his face. The kids in the bus.

Meanwhile, Alistair Highet was helpless to do anything against a rampaging adolescent animal threatening lethal violence except be horrified. Tell me that the driver simply revealing a holstered pistol wouldn't have sent young "Riley" scurrying.

And Alistair has the gall to refer to others who do not share his despicable helplessness as "cowards." Sounds like resentment to me.

Is it really a surprise Riley targeted him at the dance, as opposed to boys who could handle themselves?

[Via Dan Gifford]