July 2009 – Page 13 – Shall Not Be Questioned

A Revealing Quote

Bryan Miller is decrying Vince Fumo, who, despite being a corrupt Philadelphia machine politician, was supportive of gun rights.Â But that’s hardly news.Â What interests me is this quote from the letter:

Fumo can brag about the dollars he brought to Philly, and his political pals may praise his prowess. But they ignore the untold millions spent on law enforcement, emergency care, long-term rehabilitation, incarceration, and more – on both sides of the Delaware – to combat Philly’s overactive illegal handgun trade.

So money spent on law enforcement and incarceration won’t have to be spent if we just pass more gun control?Â The criminals are just going to go “Oh well, they made guns illegal.Â I guess I’m going to need to put in the application to work in that Day Care Center.”Â No, sorry.Â Criminals will ply their trade with or without guns, and given that the most violent among them already deal in drugs, which are completely contraband, I find it difficult to believe they won’t acquire guns anyway.

Plus, I don’t know what Miller’s complaining about.Â We’ve already well established on this blog that Philadelphia is spending virtually no money on incarceration when it comes to people who violate the gun laws this Commonwealth already has.Â Does Miller want to advocate that creating more gun laws doesn’t mean we have to spend money for police to administer those laws, and spend money to arrest and incarcerate people who violate them?Â If that’s what he thinks, what’s the point?Â I think we all know the answer to that question.

Fast Eddie on Your Mantel

Well, at least if you’re a state worker, it seems the Guv thinks you have so much to thank him for, you should put a statute of him on your mantle.Â Â We’ll see how state workers feel when they are trying to live off promises when they have to work with no pay because Rendell won’t bend on the budget.

One Way Not to Deal with Ammo Issues

It would seem that a Washington woman is taking the ammunition supply problems a little too hard.

Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said Teresa Nadine Dumdie of Port Angeles threatened four other customers with a .22 caliber handgun at 4:54 p.m. Friday outside the store at 3500 E. U.S. Highway 101.

No one was injured.

Peregrin said Dumdie had argued with customers in the store after they had asked her to stop cursing and yelling at an employee.

He said she was upset with the employee, saying she had sold her the wrong kind of ammunition.

After she received her refund, she walked out to the parking lot, removed a gun from her car and confronted the customers she had argued with earlier inside the store, Peregrin said.

Threatening staff and customers is generally not the best way to resolve customer service woes. It’s also likely to be a fast track to losing that gun so you’ll never have to worry about buying ammunition again.

Gun Women in New Jersey

Scott Bach and the rest of the crew at ANJRPC appear to have put on quite an event this weekend. They taught about 300 women how to shoot everything from handguns to ARs.

Women’s Day at the Range has been a tradition at the Cherry Ridge Range off Canistear Road in Vernon for about 10 years, said Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs.

The event is one of several outreach programs the association hosts to promote shooting sports and the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Organizers said they initiated the free program to give women a fun day without male interference, especially since women are taking up shooting sports at a record pace.

Everyone has a different reason for attending the program, Bach said.

“Shooting is fun,” he said, adding, “It’s a skill that can save your life.”

Ireland Effectively Bans Handguns

Story here.Â The reason for the ban?Â There’s been an uncomfortable increase in the number of people seeking pistol licenses:

Since 2004 there has been a dramatic increase in the number of handguns licensed in this country. The cumulative number of licensed handguns increased from zero in 2003-04 to 305 in 200405, 946 in 2005-06, 1,367 in 2006-07 and to 1,701 in 2007-08.

Deputy Deasy, who has been the guiding force in having the laws relating to handguns changed, paid tribute to senior GardaÃ in Waterford for their help in bringing the Bill to the ultimate stage.

â€œThey were under no illusions about the dangers involved in allowing this situation to go unchecked and filled me in about the loopholes in the old system.

Of course we have to keep the numbers down.Â If you let increase the number of people participating in the shooting sports, and keeping guns to defend their home, pretty soon there might be voters who care about preserving their rights!Â There might be politically powerful organizations to promote it, right here in Ireland.Â What’s worse, they might start taking part in this blood sport known as practical shooting.

So from now on Olympic pistol shooting sports will be the only shooting sports allowed in Ireland.Â And Olympic shooters will still have to jump through more hoops to be able to keep their guns.Â It’s a better situation than pistol shooters in the UK face, but it’s still wrong.

The Bear Facts

Outdoor Writer J.B. Kasper, who also happens to be one of the guys I shoot with on Thursday nights, has an article in the Trenton Times talking about the bear problem in New Jersey:

This is typical of how bear incidents are handled by the DEP. Of course this one was a little too big to be covered up. According to a statement by Harry Herrighty, deputy director of the DF&W: “At this point, it just doesn’t seem we will be able to label this as an attack on a person. He had no bruises, claw marks or scratches or even a ripped shirt that indicates it was a purposeful attack by the bear.” So I guess what Mr. Herrighty is saying is that the black eye, the cut across the temple and the separated shoulder were the bear’s way of saying get out of my way I want your sandwich? I wonder if Mr. Herrighty found himself in Mr. Rowendal place, how would he describe the event?

Read the whole thing.Â Bears are powerful critters, and we can see in this example what “out of my way” can mean to a bear.Â I’ve heard stories of bears just ripping the doors clean off a car to get to food inside.Â Once inside, you car can look like this.Â Back to Joe:

It’s about time someone in the Corzine Administration, in specific the DEP, wakes up. Bears are not the cuddly little creatures we see in cartoons and Hollywood movies. From the period of January 1 through May 20, the DEP has received 693 calls about bears, which is over 100 more than the same period last year. Seventy-one of those calls pertained to livestock deaths, home break-ins and aggressive behavior. A total of 42 of the calls were classified as Category 1 incidents, which is up from 33 for the same period last year. Seven aggressive bears have had to be killed so far this year.

Joe’s conclusion is that the only way to reduce bear numbers to a manageable level in New Jersey is through hunting.Â I just hope it doesn’t have to come to a child being killed or mauled by a bear before the policymakers and voters in the Garden State come to realize that.

Glock Foregrip Dangers

Brillianter links to a video of a guy who ends up shooting himself in the hand with a Glock 18 when the foregrip he’s using comes off. Another good reason not to use them on Glocks is the fact that it makes it an AOW by ATF rules, because it’s no longer “designed to be fired by a single hand.”Â On a Glock 18, which is already a machinegun, it’s fine, until you shoot yourself in the hand.

Feasibility of Armed Revolt

Clayton Cramer has an article that examines the question, in relation to some snark from the Politico about Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio’s remark that the Iranians could stand to be armed:

If Rubio had said â€œthe Iranians would benefit from having a right to own pianos right now,â€ that would be odd or illogical. But whatâ€™s so odd or â€œquestionableâ€ in suggesting that a population confronting a corrupt, dishonest, thuggish government would benefit from being armed?

Read the whole thing.Â While I don’t think armed revolt is a feasible or desirable means to redress grievances against a legitimate, elected government, against a government like Iran, it would have utility.Â The Second Amendment is an insurance policy against petty despots, and motivated minorities who might gain enough support to take over a government.Â But along with that has to come people’s willingness to resist, in large enough numbers to make a difference.

Things I Hate: Lawnmowers

Mowing grass is one of my least favorite activities.Â The neighbors are all religious about it, and have well manicured lawns.Â I can’t be bothered.Â I won’t let it develop into a rats den, but if it’s a few inches high, with the odd weed sticking up, it’s no bother to me.Â It’s still green.

Since it’s been a wet June, I’ve had to mow more than last year.Â Several of the neighbors have people that come out and do it, but I think there’s too much cheap Irishman in me to consider something like that.Â My lawn isn’t really that big anyway.

I’ve been thinking it’s time to get a new mower though. I have a long and hateful relationship with my current mower, since I’ve been using it since Dad made me start mowing the grass as a teenager.Â Date of Manufacture on it is 1979.Â Sadly, corn farmers in Iowa are destroying it by having Democrats mandate ethanol in fuel, and it’s starting to rust out the exhaust and rot the fuel lines away.Â Considering I’ve never bought a lawnmower, I know little about them.Â No need for riders, or fancy self-propelled models, but I’d like something that will last as long as this old Murray mower has.Â Simple and well made.Â Not sure about bagging models vs. side chute models, vs. mulching mowers.Â Are mulching mowers anything to write home about?Â I think I’m too lazy for anything with a bag.Â Anyone have suggestions?

Lines in the Sand

There’s been a lot of talk in the past about lines in the sand, and various challenges by various people for me to speak to where mine is.Â Les Jones has an article about Obama’s Science Czar that would make the Russian variety appear to be a model of republican virtue.Â Apparently, the man wrote a book on population control, where women could, according to Zombietime:

Women could be forced to abort their pregnancies, whether they wanted to or not;

The population at large could be sterilized by infertility drugs intentionally put into the nation’s drinking water or in food;

Single mothers and teen mothers should have their babies seized from them against their will and given away to other couples to raise;

People who “contribute to social deterioration” (i.e. undesirables) “can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility” — in other words, be compelled to have abortions or be sterilized.

A transnational “Planetary Regime” should assume control of the global economy and also dictate the most intimate details of Americans’ lives — using an armed international police force.

You can see the book on Amazon here, althought it’s out of print.Â If John Holdren got the society he wanted, it would be over my line.Â What he’s describing is not a free society, it is a fascist state, and any American would be morally justified in resisting it, violently if need be.

I am not suggesting that this dystopic future is fast upon us — the guy is only a science czar — and I have enough faith in the system our founders created that I doubt a few fascist assholes buzzing around the White Houe is going turn FEMA camps into a reality.Â But it does speak to Obama’s character and judgement, that he would admit a man like this into his Administration.Â Even if he’s only a science czar, at least he should be called before Congress to explain himself for what he has written here.Â Sadly, I hardly give that has any chance of happening.Â The Democrats won’t want to risk making the White House look bad, and the Republicans aren’t going to want to admit they all voted to confirm this guy because they didn’t bother to have anyone check up on his CV.Â The best we can do is spread this around, and hope it will have an impact on the 2010 and 2012 elections.