Month: November 2009
How to Make Something More Popular
Ban it! From an article about how animal rights whack jobs are infiltrating hunting groups over in England:
Hunting was banned in 2005 but since then the number of people taking part in the sport has continued to increase, with 50,000 mounted followers expected this year compared to 40,000 in 2004.
This year there are expected to be a further 50,000 supporters following the hunt on foot or in cars in order to put pressure on any new Government to overturn the law.
The Tories have said that if they win the election, they will allow a free vote on repealing the ban.
The same thing happened with assault weapons in this country. Not many people owned them in 1994, but once the government said you couldn’t have one, it got people interested. Much like hunters in the UK, gun owners in the US managed to work around the ban.
If it hadn’t been for the Assault Weapons Ban, I may never have become a gun owner myself. My first gun was a Romanian Kalashnikov, that I got specifically as f— you to people who said I shouldn’t have one. Then I remembered I really used to enjoy shooting as a kid, and it was downhill from there. I think a lot of other people my age have similar stories.
Pronunciation
Steve has Matt Groom as a guest poster over at the Firearms Blog, and they look at common mispronunciations of various gun company and gun names. I didn’t know about Krag being properly pronounced “Krog” as in “Frog.” I always pronounced it “Krag” as in “Brag.”
Good News From Canada
OTTAWA–Gun-control advocates say they are horrified and fearful that Canada’s long-gun firearms registry is on the verge this week of being scrapped because the Conservatives may have enough support from the opposition to kill it.
Ah, yes, we’re rolling back the anti-gun people even in Canada, to the horror of gun control advocates. What really makes them crap their pants?
“It not only eliminates the need to register rifles and shotguns but requires that the information contained on seven million registered guns be destroyed.”
The horror!
Militia Bogeyman Once Again
This article in the Louisville Courier-Journal talks about the resurgent militia movement. It’s actually fair treatment, I think, but pretty clearly SPLC has been driving interest in this story. Looking at these pictures, looks to me just like a group of people enjoying a day at the range. But I see the blue helmeted conspiracy folks are still alive and well.
NPR Highlights MAIG
NPR is willing to cover MAIG’s declining numbers, but I haven’t seen anything in the main stream press about it. Bloomberg’s group is claiming that even though 60 mayors have left since NRA started its campaign, that 110 more have joined. Funny, I don’t they are listing them. Is MAIG going to turn into a secret society of mayors, where he claims to have 450 members, but nobody knows who they are? NPR also notes that Pennsylvania has about 100 members, the most mayors of any state.
It’s my opinion that the anti-gun folks think Pennsylvania is the weakest of the states generally regarded as pro-gun. I don’t think it’s as weak as they think it is, but nor do I think it is as pro-gun as many think.
Aliquippa Considering Lost and Stolen
The Mayor of Aliquippa, PA, Anthony Battalini, wants to pass an illegal Lost and Stolen ordinance in his town. Mayor Battalini is also a member of MAIG.
Mr. Completely on Rimfire Ammo
This reflects my experience. Shooting Silhouette, recovering from a misfire is not all that costly, but if speed is your game, it can be really costly. I’ve found that CCI .22LR ammo, or .22LR ammo that is Eley primed, even if it’s the cheap Mexican ammo, is very reliable in terms of going bang when you pull the trigger. But as Mr. C. points out:
What ammo do I recommend, you ask? Since what I am writing here may be read some time in the future, and since manufacturer’s specifications, tolerances, and quality control, or lack thereof, may change, I hesitate to either recommend or condemn any particular brand. Ammo that really sucks right now may be the best out there in a couple of years. I will go so far as to say that one state famous for their spuds also produces some very fine rimfire ammunition! If you see me at a match I’ll be glad to tell you what I’m using, but for now, I can only suggest trying different brands and see what works for you.
I’ve had very good luck with CCI overall, but I’ve been using a lot of Mexican Aguila .22LR because it’s more available, shoots decently enough, and costs less (depending on when and where you look). I’ve also used Eley Sport, which is made by Aguila, but which I don’t find offers any advantage over the Aguila branded ammo. If you can afford Eley Tenex, it’s hard to beat for accuracy, but most people can’t afford to shoot it unless they are a top competitor in a sport where accuracy is prime.
If you’re shooting any volume, I have to agree with Mr. C that it’s hard to find too much wrong with CCI’s products these days. I’ve bought .22LR ammo from Remington and Federal that haven’t worked nearly as well, and still have a bunch I haven’t shot just because it’s not reliable in my .22 semi-autos. Usually one of my first bits of advice, if someone is having problems in a .22LR semi auto is “Have you tried another brand of ammunition, and does it have the same problems?” Anything chambered in .22LR is going to be a lot more sensitive to ammo brand than other firearms.
Illinois Crime Numbers
Thirdpower looks at the crime numbers for Illinois, and it doesn’t look good for handgun prohibition being effective.
Hope and Change
British nuclear experts are apparently being killed by the Iranians. It’s like they know they don’t have anything to fear.