2007 – Page 42 – Shall Not Be Questioned

The Aging Shooting Sports

By all indications, the shooting sports are growing, with the exception of hunting, which has been in decline.Â But every time I go attend an event at my shooting club, I can’t help but wonder something: “Where the hell are all the young people?”Â Where are the guys in their 20s and 30s?Â If I go to a public range, I typically see a good mix of the young and the old.Â Same if I go to my local indoor range.

But all the club events I’ve gone to, it’s been like a geriatric festival.Â Are young people not into shotgun sports, silhouette or high power?Â What can we do to get young people more involved at the shooting sports and into shooting clubs?

I’m not sure I have the answer, but I suspect the reason is that the barrier to entry for a lot of these clubs is high.Â You typically have to know someone, and go through a process of being inducted into the club.Â I think if we’re to be evangelical in our enthusiasm for the shooting sports, we have to work on ways to lower barriers to entry.

I think our club actually does a pretty good job in this regard, and we’re not hurting for membership, but it’s discouraging to think that a lot of the shooting sports are aging, and young people don’t seem to be stepping up.Â I know the young shooters are out there, but I think a way must be found to bring them into the traditional shooting sports.

Apprehended

Looks like they caught Officer Chuck Cassidy’s killer:

Two days after the shooting, John Lewis had the audacity to appear in court for an unrelated drug possession case. Knowing full well that he just murdered a police officer, Lewis still appeared in court, surrounded by fellow officers. We did not know at the time that he was Chuck’s killer.

Chuck’s service weapon was recovered yesterday in his Lewis’ cousin’s residence on Fairhill Street. During his questioning, the cousin admitted he helped get Lewis flee the city by driving him to a bus station, and Lewis escaped to Miami, Florida.

I’m hoping the cousin is facing charges as well.Â I can’t believe he was stupid/arrogant enough to appear in court after the shooting.

More on Feldman

Both Ryan and Uncle have posts going today about this guy. Yesterday I pointed out the reason he was forced out was that he was willing to make too many deals, in order to reach a middle ground. I also feel I should point out that Feldman was big on being a media darling too. I managed to dig up an incident from 1998 that points this out:

Even before the summits began, Sarah Brady, Handgun Control Inc. (HCI), sent a note to Feldman, acknowledging his presence in town and challenging him to meet her in the emergency room of the District of Columbia General Hospital to see, in her words, the suffering caused by Feldman’s efforts on behalf of the gun industry.

Feldman accepted the challenge and arrived at the hospital at the appointed hour, but Brady did not show. There were, however, members of the news media present, waiting to record the showdown. Rather than touring the hospital, Feldman sent Brady a note stating he found it “inappropriate to subject the hospital’s patients to a media event which might cost lives. You, more than most, can appreciate the personal trauma of an injured or ill loved one, and how wrong it would be to be used as a media prop at this vulnerable time. An emergency room is not an appropriate place to debate solutions to our nation’s crime problem.”

The Brady’s played him like a harp, and delivered the gun manufacturers an embarrassing media faux pas. I’m not even a media person, and even I know that the proper response to something like that is to ignore it. I doubt Sarah Brady thought he’d actually be dumb enough to show, but he didn’t disappoint.

Election Day

It’s election day in Pennsylvania, which means I need to go vote, something I seldom enjoy doing.Â On the ballot are county and township offices, as well as Supreme Court, and Superior Court seats.Â I’ve decided to go Democrat at the township level, and you’ll see why later.Â Guns are off the table because of preemption, no need to worry about that.

County wide, I’m going Republican, mostly to fight this “regionalism” concept I keep hearing out of Democrats.Â Regionalism goes like this: The suburbs have been traditionally Republican and don’t often vote with the City of Philadelphia.Â The suburbs are increasing trending Democrats, and will soon start to vote more in line with the City of Philadelphia. Â Well, suburban Democrats, if that’s what you’re selling, I’m not buying it.Â I mean, the city politicians are doing such a bang up job!Â I want a my politicians to tell me “City politicians have turned Philadelphia into a sewer.Â Why do we want to bring that to the suburbs?” Â Of course, no one will say that, but screw it, I’m voting Republican to keep the county in Republican hands, so suburban Democrats don’t get any ideas. Â Silly, I know, but I don’t know the county candidates from a hole in the ground otherwise.

For the court stuff, I’m just going with the NRA endorsements.Â I don’t know anything else about these guys other than they have great families, and love kittens.Â That’s all court candidates ever talk about anyway.Â Plus, I’m still really mad about the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling the state police could keep a registry of firearms, even though there’s a state law that specifically forbids that.Â If you’re willing to do that, what does it say about your respect for the law?

Either way, off I go to push buttons on our newfangled electronic voting fraud machines. Â Fun fun!

Fun Toys I Can’t Have

Traction Control has a cross between an American 180 and an AR-15, called the AM-15, that looks like a fun toy.Â Check out how long it can sustain fire on the video.

No Billed

Dave Hardy informs us that a 21 year old man in Richmond, who shot a fleeing armed robber, won’t be facing charges.Â The grand jury refused to hand down an indictment in the case.Â Said the prosecutor:

“When the adrenaline is pumping and you’re scared, you weigh fear differently than when you’re behind your desk,” he added.

Still, the prosecutor said he had no regrets about presenting the case.

“This is an indication that the system works,” he said.

Pennsylvania doesn’t use grand juries, except in cases where the crime spans more than one county.Â It bothers me our state is lacking this key check on governmental power.Â I agree with the prosecution that this is an indication that the system works; the grand jury did the right thing.

I think it’s worth it for me to put up another post tomorrow discussing the defense of property issue, as it generated some good comments, and I want to clarify a few things.Â I do believe crime victims should be given a wide benefit of doubt when it comes to defending themselves from criminal attacks.Â I’m glad the jury was understanding.

Monday Night Trap

I decided to head over to the club tonight for the weekly trap tournament. My first time shooing trap formally. I did 21 the first round, and then gutter balled the second round with a 14. I’m not sure what I did on the second round. Clay shooting is one of those things where if I get out of my zone, I just start sucking. Second round started off bad when I was in front of a mic that wouldn’t throw the clay unless I practically screamed into it. Two, even three shouts of “pull!”, and I was off. When I start thinking too much about the shot, I start getting behind the bird and missing. When I relax, and just do it, without worrying “you gotta hit this one,” I do much better.

Hopefully next time I can score in the 20s both times.

The Madman Raves Again

Looks like Ace is back blogging again, and is now hitched.

Good News and Bad News

I congratulate Ryan on his new computerized A&D system:

On top of that we have modified our system to fit the specifications of the ATF Seattle Field Division. ATF Director of Industry Operations Richard Van Loan had earlier stated that if we would have gotten a computerized system that he would have never revoked our license.

And the bad news:

The ATF is still moving forward on revoking our license.

Can you hear the cah-ching of your tax dollars being flushed down the toilet?

Killing Over Property

Jeff Soyer responds to a statement by Peter Hamm of The Brady Campaign on the Castle Doctrine law in Mississippi: “Do we want to kill every 16-year-old kid we find stealing a car stereo?”Â Jeff’s response:

Actually, yes we do. Hereâ€™s why: Because after a few of these teen thugs are removed from the scene, their peers will get the message that stealing is wrong. Theyâ€™re not getting that instruction from their parents or prosecutors or judges so itâ€™s left to us â€” the law abiding members of society and the victims of these criminals â€” to educate them ourselves.

Further, if they (the miscreants) donâ€™t get that message, they continue to steal and emboldened by toothless laws tend to move-up to more serious crimes such as assault, muggings, and home invasions â€” often resulting in the death of their victims (us!).

This isn’t something I can get behind.Â Even under castle doctrine laws, it’s illegal an immoral to execute someone (and that is what you are doing, make no bones about it) for stealing your property.Â I am entirely in favor of people being able to use, and using deadly force to protect themselves and others.Â If you confront a car stereo thief, and he threatens you with a weapon, you are within your rights to use deadly force on your attacker.Â If he runs away with your car stereo, that’s a job for the police.

In order to enjoy the benefits of living under government in a peaceful society, we largely agree to surrender our right of retribution to the state, and to rely on it to punish people who take our property.Â We retain the right and means of self-defense as a people.Â Seeking retribution for petty crimes is the proper role of the police and the court system, not of individual citizens.Â I admire Jeff’s clear thinking on a great many issues, but if we are to convince our fellow citizens that castle doctrine is not “vigilantism”, then we must not feed that fire by actually advocating that.