More on the August 28 Ammo Buy Proposal

In answer to some comments: Yes--you can buy reloading components. You can buy something else if you don't need ammo. Buy some targets.

Thanks to the happy few who have taken the initiative to help spread the word on this. Please inform me if I've missed anyone:

KeepAndBearArms.com
The Liberty Sphere
Rational Review News Digest
A Keyboard and a .45
Kent's Hooligan Libertarian Blog
Ohio CCW Forums
The High Road

I appreciate the mentions. That said, this is pretty pathetic, and this minimal effort is doomed not to happen if that's the extent of it.

I guess I never seem to understand the extent of gun owner non-involvement and apathy--even though I should know it better than most. This site had under 2,000 hits yesterday (and that's pretty pathetic, too, especially considering the kind of mega-traffic anything about LiLo or Paris will generate), and yet how many of you--who come here every day--have even sent an email to anyone about this, let alone asked other blogs, or gun organizations, or gun stores, or whoever, to help promote this concept?

And by the way--where are the gun stores that are signing on to this?

I must confess--when I read posts (generally anonymous ones) saying things like "From my cold dead hands" or "Molon Labe" and I know from experience that most gun owners won't even send an email, it does not fill me with hope that these will show up on the green when muster is called.

Churchill said it best:

If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

Enough bitching. I hope you join me, but I'm fresh out of ideas on how to make that happen. So ultimately, the fault must lie within me. Maybe it's just because it's a trivial idea, but I keep coming back to the worry that if we can't even take small steps together, dreaming of ever taking giant strides is futile.

Press Credentials

Here's a story, and I suspect the bottom line is the reporter didn't understand what they were writing about.

Oh come on, Mr. Hardy--the person is a trained, professional "authorized journalist." Who ever heard of them getting anything wrong when it comes to reporting on guns?

My editor at GUNS Magazine sent me a link to this story yesterday. My hip-shot reply:

Not sure how ATF can legally do that since they're specifically withheld funds for the purpose of establishing a database--NICS records aren't supposed to be kept, and it requires a specific trip to a gun store to check form 4473s--unless the store has gone out of business, in which case the records go to ATF (and that may help explain why they're shutting down so many dealers).

It may be a database only of guns reported stolen--just don't know yet. Lemme check around.

So I admit I don't know what's going on. Anyone who does, please feel free to enter a "comment" below and educate us all.

"Authorized Journalists" Give Thanks for Parasites

Gun dealers over a barrel thanks to strict laws

"Thanks?"

Gee, Michael Doyle and the Bee editors, I wonder which side of the debate you're on?

And why not just assume for your readers that declines in reported gun ownership and "gun-related crimes" are directly attributable to a decline in dealers? I'd love to see the data and methodology you used to derive that conclusion. After all, it's not like demographics, birth rates, economic conditions, and declining public trust of the media, along with dozens of other factors, would have any impact...

One thing is clear, though: BATFU, under a Republican administration that eked out the narrow margin of votes needed to win two terms due to the support of gun owners and their leaders, has been relentlessly gaining ground with very little scrutiny. This is why the ongoing story of Red's Trading Post is so vitally important--to cast a light on them they so obviously hate. It's why I keep harping on it here, and I must admit, I'm disappointed that so few others--with much more influence than I have --even give it a mention.

Note the bit about increasing inspection frequencies. BATFU learned from Waco and Ruby Ridge that spectacular media stunts can backfire--and that slow but steady wins the race, meaning budgets and authorities and personal career ambitions are rewarded--that is, the parasites have learned how to gorge on their host as much as possible without killing it. And the ignorant and/or intentionally subversive "authorized journalists" wouldn't have it any other way--except to get out there occasionally and cheer the destruction of liberty from the sidelines.

[Via Ted Nugent's "Hunting News"]

Ted Spreading Word on Red's

The manager of Red’s Trading Post in Twin Falls has met with a pretty famous ally in his fight against the ATF. Ryan Horsley talked with rock star Ted Nugent Monday night.

Looking good: Nugent's website this morning includes a post on Red's Blog, and a link to a "news" story (more on that later) about the decline of gun dealers.

This Day in History: August 17

Benjamin Durant of Capt. Wadsworth's Company and Col Bailey's Regiment, convicted by a General Court Martial whereof Col Wyllys was President, of "getting drunk on Guard," sentenced to receive Thirty Lashes.

New Trial Order for Kwan

Received from Len Savage.

Follow the title link for a copy of the order discussed here.

[Many thanks to Whose Paranoid for generously hosting my pdf documents, and for instructions so patiently explained even I could follow them.]

A Fork in the Road

[M]any ATF inspectors will tell you that you can try this approach, but what happens is you turn your license in, form a new corporation and then they deny request. Then the ATF contends that they did not revoke your license, you simply turned it in.

Ryan Horsley tells us of another front in BATFU's War on Gun Dealers.

[More about Red's Trading Post from WarOnGuns]

Clearing Hurdles

I guess that's a more politically correct title than "Judge a Subversive."

A Lot Easier than "Where's Waldo?"

How many Citizen Disarmament Talking Points can YOU find in this AP "report" by "authorized journalist" Ioan Grillo?

It's Not Up to BATFU to Deem Journalists Legitimate

One of the things that really stuck out in the BATFU complaint about Red's Trading Post "harassing" them was their claim that the citizen photographing their activities was not--what we here at WarOnGuns have termed--an "authorized journalist."

Ryan Horsley's lawyers need to check this out:
http://beltwayblogroll.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/08/the_bureaucracy.php

The CIA has already ceded "that bloggers are journalists, too, when it recently decided to waive the fees for Freedom of Information Act requests filed by bloggers," and that's been confirmed by an ABC News blog:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/spy-agency-oks-.html

They report:"Earlier this year, the criminal trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was the first time a federal court had issued press credentials to bloggers. A rotating pool of five to 10 bloggers sat alongside dozens of traditional media reporters to hear the government try and convict one-time aide to Vice President Dick Cheney on perjury and obstruction of justice charges stemming from the leak of an undercover CIA operative's identity."

The Beltway Blogroll article then discusses how BATFU departs from this precedent established by both the Executive and Judiciary when they claim "the person at Red's taking photos with a digital camera 'did not have any affiliation with any newspaper or news agency,'" and includes a few links to Red's Blog, along with a link to and a quote from yours truly.

In this case, the photographer was acting as an independent and free citizen with the intent of documenting and disseminating information on public government activities to his fellow citizens, and in fact, this information has been used for that purpose not only on this and Ryan's blog, but also on news sites like WorldNetDaily and now the National Journal.

If BATFU's contention prevails, they will, in essence and effect, be given judicial authority to decide who is qualified to report to us on their activities--and who is not. That's hardly within the scope of their assigned "authority," and hardly within the scope of government's authority to delegate to them.

It seems to me the judge should be given this information.

[More about Red's Trading Post from WarOnGuns]

Bradys Call for National Protest on Aug. 28

On August 28, activists in cities across America will hold a national day of protest to focus attention on the scourge of illegal gun trafficking.

As I said on KABA Newslink Comments:

I'm going to try and start a blog swarm at WarOnGuns to get gun owners to buy a box of ammo on Aug 28--be nice if gun stores would offer some sort of nominal discount or a door prize (no purchase necessary to enter, just to keep things legal) or some such on that day to encourage this--Tuesdays may typically be slow days anyway, so this would get people in their stores and probably work out to their profit.

It'd be nice unintended consequences for the Bradys if we could demonstrate a few percentage points of sales increases on that day because of this.

If gun stores use a door prize incentive, I'd like to see them give away a copy of JPFO's "The Gang," but the point is just to make it happen, not to get caught up in the details of how. We're far enough away to where this won't encroach on National Ammo Day, and it would be a great in-your-face to have our enemies' plans backfire on them.

But here's the thing: It won't happen if it's just me pushing. It will die in obscurity on this blog.

Will YOU take it on yourself to spread the word, to participate, to get this message to your favorite gun store, to post about it if you have a blog, or to ask blogs you frequent to encourage their readers to join in?

As gun owners, we need to buy ammo anyway, and this really will take minimal effort on everyone's part. Or will this just be another "Profile in Apathy," where little is asked and nothing is done?

UPDATE: Looks like the Firearms Coalition thought up a similar idea for the same date. They call it "National Exercise Your Rights Day," and urge us to:

[S]tage active counter-protests, picnics, and marches to clearly demonstrate that a majority of Americans support all civil rights for all citizens, not the watered-down, pick-and-choose version of civil rights advocated by Jackson and his RainbowPush coalition.

Interesting Name for a Blog...

...and, of course, what we all should be working toward.

[Via M.D. Creekmore]

Archdiocese Checking Up on Snuffy

I wonder if Snuffy Pfleger knows his bosses are doing Google searches of his name--hopefully to assess how much damage he's done to the church's reputation with everyone who's not a race-baiting loon. I'd love to see them make good on their order to reassign him .

Cool Video

The link to "The Great Global Warming Swindle" online video has been deactivated, but it can still be viewed here.

The producers of the documentary say a new and expanded DVD version will be available in July, but I don't see order information.

[Via Don Hagen]

This Day in History: August 16

August 16. 1775

In New Jersey, the Provincial Congress resolves to organize a military force consisting of 48 battalions, one ranger company, and 63 companies of minutemen.

In New Jersey...

We're the Only Ones Demonstrating Department "Ammo Retention" Procedures Enough

The San Francisco rookie police officer who accidentally shot himself to death fired his weapon while displaying for a female friend how officers are taught to avoid having their guns used against them...It apparently was part of a demonstration of the department's "weapons retention" procedures. However,there was still a bullet in the chamber...Some of those at the party apparently were drinking...

Yeah, I always found shooting myself in the neck at parties was one way to really impress the ladies. Just use your gun against yourself first, then no one can use it against you--I gotta admit, it works. And San Francisco's ruling elite want us to believe such as these are "the Only Ones" who should be armed.

And yeah, I know, it's a magazine, and what was in the chamber was a cartridge or a round. But consider what we're dealing with here...

[Via Heartless Libertarian]

Arterial Girl

Madonna is reported to have started injecting herself with vitamins to boost her energy levels.

The singer, who turns 49 on Thursday, is said to have surprised passengers on a recent flight from New York to London by injecting herself with a vitamin shot in her arm.

And she got a hypodermic needle past our highly-trained TSA professionals how?

Magic Bullets

"Authorized journalists." Is there anything they don't know?

[Via SayUncle]

Hastert to Retire

Good riddance.

We're the Only Ones That Kind Enough

"I've got to wonder what kind of moron would Tase an adult holding a baby," said George Kirkham, a former police officer and criminologist at Florida State University. "It doesn't take rocket science to realize the baby is going to fall."

What kind? Meet "David Boling, an off-duty Houston police officer working security at the hospital..."

What is it about "Only Ones" and shooting people holding babies?

[Via Bruce W. Krafft]