2011 – Page 113 – Shall Not Be Questioned

An Update on Antler (Non-)Thieves

I blogged about the seemingly very bold thieves who tried to swipe some very large antlers from the NRA annual meeting while the vendors were cleaning up. It turns out that charges have been dropped.

The men’s attorney said the two are union carpenters who were working to dismantle dozens of booths at the convention. Freddy Rabner said at the end of the convention they saw the antlers lying on the floor as they were about to get crushed by a fork lift. …
Rabner said the men brought the antlers to the registration table in an effort to find the rightful owners. According to the carpenters, the antlers never left convention center property. …
The judge dismissed the case because of lack of evidence.

If all they have is security footage of them walking inside the convention center in plain view with the antlers, I think this is a good call. You can’t prove one way or the other what their intent was in that case. If they were getting them out of the way of potential damage, then they should be thanked.

Campus Carry Movement in The Atlantic

The author is not sympathetic to our cause, but doesn’t deny the momentum. I’m particularly amused by this:

If the bill in Texas becomes law, some professors there have said they plan to include a clause in syllabi stipulating that students are not be permitted to carry guns into their classroom — and then simply refuse to teach classes where students don’t assent.

There is also a bill to permit open-carry pending in the legislature, but if that doesn’t pass, how are you going to know? I seriously don’t think these folks consider they run into people carrying every day and never realize it. Back to the writer:

When you think of it like that: giving guns to young students largely interested in sex and booze, I’d wager it seems less of a genius idea.

Who’s talking about giving guns to young students? No one is giving away guns here. We’re talking about people who have licenses to carry everywhere else in public. It’s amazing to me how well our opponents frame their rhetoric. They speak of us as being fear mongers, but the truth is they are the greatest fear mongers of all, buy planting thoughts in the public mind that evoke images of Wayne LaPierre handing out Glocks as kids go into the lecture hall. This is ludicrous. It’s almost amazing this is even an issue given the very small number of people who are ever going to be toting guns to class.

2A Rally in Harrisburg

Capitol Ideas is reporting on the rally, along with some video. Looks like a much smaller crowd this year, which I expected. Having the rally in May one week after NRA Annual Meeting probably wasn’t the best timing.

Bob Mensch Guilty in Summary Charge

State Senator Mensch was found guilty in a Berks County court on a citation for disorderly conduct for allegedly flashing a gun at another motorist on I-78. Mensch denies that he ever displayed the firearm.

From what it sounds like, Mensch took his firearm out when the other motorist followed him off the exit and to a gas station. It seems reasonable to me that the other motorist could have seen it. But I do not believe, unless you point or threaten with a firearm (which can also be a more serious charge), that this amounts to disorderly conduct. Given what Mensch described in the trial, his actions do not seem to me to be unreasonable, presuming he is speaking the truth when he says he did not flash the gun in a threatening manner.

Mensch says he will appeal. I think he should. Having a gun where someone can see it obviously is not a crime. It should need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mensch displayed the gun in a threatening manner.

One lesson in all this is that it’s never a wise idea to stop in a road rage scenario. Your vehicle is the best defense you have. If you’re followed off an exit, keep going. If you’re certain the road raging person is following you, call the police. The gun is a last resort in these scenarios.

UPDATE: More here. Seems the other driver claimed Mensch had the gun in his lap. Mensch claims it was a cell phone. The other driver called 911 to report another motorist with a gun. I still say if a gun isn’t displayed in a threatening manner, you don’t have a case of disorderly conduct.

Stevens Media Amends Righthaven Deal

Vegas Inc has the details of the amended copyright assignment. This would seem to be an admission that the previous assignment was flawed, which to me should mean they need to return all the settlement money. Also interesting is that the new deal calls for Stevens Media to pay one dollar per year in royalties, with 10 dollars as the repurchase price.

This, of course, begs the question as to exactly how Righthaven can claim damages into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over an interest which is at most a dollar a year, and is valued at ten dollars.

Global Gun Control

Interesting article about exactly what the UN is planning with regards to small arms and light weapons. It’s scary stuff. They basically want global tracking of guns, parts and accessories. Global tracking, of course, means a global UN database.

First PJTV Interview

I speak for a bit with Professor Glenn Reynolds about 3D printed magazines, among other things. For those who are interested in the project, you can explore the category here.

The one thing I hate about interviews is the sound of my own voice. I normally don’t think I have much of a Philly accent, but I can hear it stronger when I’m listening to myself.

Campus Carry Passes Texas Senate

Just in from Students for Concealed Carry on Campus:

On Monday, May 9, following months of parliamentary challenges, backroom negotiations, and public accusations, the Texas Senate finally passed legislation that would legalize licensed concealed carry (of handguns) at Texas public colleges.Â By a vote of 21 to 10, the Texas Senate agreed to add Senator Jeff Wentorthâ€™s (R- San Antonio) â€œcampus carryâ€ amendment to SB 1581, a higher education finance bill authored by Senator Steve Ogden (R-Bryan).Â The bill itself passed by a vote of 19-12 and will now go to the Texas House.Â Texas Governor Rick Perry has repeatedly voiced his support for campus carry and promised to sign the legislation if itâ€™s passed by the legislature.

Now watch as our opponents go stark raving mad. Once again, we win, they lose. I didn’t think this would get through the end-of-session log jam, but I’m happy to be wrong.

Flashbang Bra Holster: A Chick’s Perspective

Steve from the Firearm Blog wants to know, as a non-bra wearer, what women might think about a bra holster. I watched the video with an open mind, but watching it through a lens of “is this something that a woman could really wear every day (or even semi-regularly) and be somewhat comfortable” isn’t quite the same as trying to show how fast some chick on a range can flash the camera and pull out a gun.

I immediately noticed that something was off about her bra under that shirt. Â Sure, she’s wearing a somewhat form-fitting top, but it’s not that tight. Â While it’s not printing as obviously as some belt carry options, it may still attract unwanted attention in the form of men, women, and possibly children staring to figure out what, exactly, is wrong with a woman’s breasts. Â So they won’t likely figure out it’s a gun, but it’s still people staring at your chest and knowing something is off, that’s not attention most women I know would enjoy.
The holster is restricted to women with boobs. Â That’s not the end of a world for products, as a number of carry options for the waist are often restricted to women with hips or women without hips. Â Everyone is built differently, and that’s fine. Â But, it’s a reasonable question on how well it will fit a woman with the average bra size. Â (Last time I checked, it was like a 36C or somewhere in there.) Their ebay listing says they have them for sizes as small as 32B, but I have my doubts about what a B-cup can realistically conceal.
It doesn’t look like it will fit every bra. Â This may mean that a woman has to go out and buy all new bras. Â That isn’t cheap. Â Not to mention, some women find a bra that’s comfortable and stick with it. Â Granted, carrying on a belt may have many of the same challenges, but rarely are people as picky about their belt fit as women are about good bra fit.
The gun is going to poke some seriously uncomfortable places if you have to move around a lot or even bend down. Â Yes, this can be an issue with other on-body carry options, but I think it’s worth pointing out that this holster isn’t anything special. Â It’s the same problems, just in a very different area where tolerance for discomfort or adjustment may not be as high.
They illustrate this on a mannequin that doesn’t have squishy breasts and on a bra with no underwire. Â Considering the photo shows the barrel of the gun tucked into the left cup, this is a potential problem. Â One, if it sticks under there too far, ouch. Â Two, more than 2/3 of women wear underwire bras. Â Even if it is comfortable, a woman will probably have to shape the wires of her bra around it. Â It is also likely to push the ends of the underwire into unnatural and highly “pokey” positions. Ouch.
The underwire issue takes us back to the problem in point 1, visibility. Â If the gun is pushing an entire cup out from your body, it’s more likely to be visible that you have something under there. Â I didn’t study the video closely enough to see if their trial chick had on an underwire or not. Â I’ll leave that to you men.
Lord help you if you have an accidental discharge. Â Given the direction that the gun faces, if the holster isn’t incredibly tough, that would be mighty unpleasant.

It’s the Megan McCain Conspiracy

Some days it’s just too easy to mock our opponents:

The funny thing is, given that it’s the Violence Policy Center, it’s hard to tell whether they just tweeted poorly, or think this whole gun rights thing is just a huge conspiracy between NRA, the gun industry, and Megan McCain.