The University of Colorado Chancellor is putting the kibosh on a movement of professors to refuse to teach classes if students are carrying. Glenn Reynolds, “I’m glad to see someone standing up to the hate. When will these professors learn that you don’t have to fear people just because they’re different?” Unfortunately, we still have a lot of folks stoking the culture of hate against gun owners who exercise and defend their rights.
Month: August 2012
Civil Rights Victory in Illinois
In fact, since I was appointed State’s Attorney last December, I have been quietly changing our policies to bring them in accordance with the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Now I am announcing publicly that the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office will no longer enforce those parts of the following Illinois statutes relating to firearms: Firearm Owners Identification Card Act (430 ILCS 65), Unlawful Use of Weapons (720 ILCS 5/24-1), Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapons (720 ILCS 5/24-1.6) and provisions of any other statutes that appear to be in contravention of the Heller and McDonalddecisions.
The questions we will seek to answer in determining whether or not to file charges are:
1) What appears to be the reason or purpose for the person’s possession of carrying a firearm?
2) Was the firearm actually displayed, or used, for an improper purpose or in a reckless manner?
3) Was the person under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or have illegal drugs on his or her person or in their vehicle?
4) If the person is not an Illinois citizen, was the weapon possessed or carried in accordance with the laws of the State of his or her residency?
5) Is the person a member of or affiliated with any gang known to engage in illegal activities?
6) Has the person been convicted of a felony offense? If so, how long ago and for what offense(s)?Other questions may arise as we continue to improve our policy.
I wish we had more public officials that took their oaths seriously. It should be noted that our opponents are attempting to bully and intimidate this State Attorney into throwing more honest gun owners in jail where obviously the gun control crowd believes they belong. It would be wise for our side to call and thank the SA for this stance. Here’s the contact info:
Open Source 3D Printed Gun
Joe Huffman points to an interesting tech project, called the WikiWeapon:
Now, a group called Defense Distributed, a grassroots research and development collective whose volunteer engineers and designers span Arkansas and Texas, are utilizing 3D printing for something they say is unprecedented. Defense Distributed is entering phase two of their development of a digital file to print a plastic civilian defense system, the WikiWeapon. “The WikiWeapon will be capable of firing one .22 round. It is both functional and symbolicâ€.
This breakthrough begs the question, has gun control obsolesced? Defense Distributed will not be producing any physical objects or digital files for sale. The group intends to freely share the files they create for online sharing once fully developed and tested. “When we’re done, seed and hack this file—improve it if you can†they added.
It’s a nifty idea, but there some things to consider. You can see their requirements here. You’ll need a good spring and metal firing pin to whack rim. Im skeptical a solenoid has the necessary punch. I think they are underestimating how much impact force it takes to ignite a rimfire round reliably. The barrel also has to be metal. The rest of the gun can certainly can be made from plastic, and metal parts that would accomplish the necessary tasks shouldn’t be hard to find. There are 3D printers, beyond the reach of hobbyists for now, that can lay down metal, but it’s not of the quality that it would contain even a .22 LR round safely. A lot of people make the assumption that the .22 LR is a low pressure round. It’s not. The .22LR will generate 24,000 PSI of pressure. In comparison, the .45ACP only generates 21,000, and a .38 Special 17,000. Granted, the overall pressure the .22 needs to contain is less because of the lower area, but that’s still enough to turn a 100% plastic gun into a 100% plastic grenade, so that’s something these folks need to consider in their design. The barrel has to be metal.
How the Senate Looks
Jim Geraghty takes a look at the Senate Races, now that the stupid party has just handed McCaskill’s seat back to her on a silver platter. There’s two things I’m looking for in the Senate. One is to avoid confirmation fights, so that we can increase the number of votes for the Second Amendment. Two is to have enough margin to repeal Obamacare. The former is easier than the latter, though some Democratic senators might be able to have their arms twisted to vote for cloture in the latter case if they lose big again in 2012.
More on the Fast and Furious Cover-Up
Dave Hardy has some interesting developments, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one:
It says he’s taking annual leave from the agency (apparently planning to retire once that runs out). This is quite unusual. You can always take your annual leave, but taking another job while on it is another question.
Man, I bet most of us wish our jobs had vacations policies this generous.
Watching Too Many Movies
Apparently Brady’s solution to the problem of self-defense is for us all to become Kung-Fu masters. I don’t think HTH training is a bad idea, but what if you’re facing down someone with a weapon? What if you’re facing multiple attackers? No problem, I guess:
Nevada Going to the Anti Column?
The Californication of the West continues. It would seem we have a nascent assault weapons ban to worry about in Nevada. This has me worried about Nevada. It’s carry laws have gotten worse in the past several years with reduced reciprocity, and now this.
Carrying a Gun in the John
I’ve carried a firearm on a regular basis for a decade now, for most of that time a Glock 19. During that time I’ve never had an issue with what to do about the gun in the john. I’ve found it’s possible to use a urinal without dropping the drawers far enough that the gun drops below the covering garment (though I usually prefer a stall when carrying), and the number two situation can be dealt with easily, if you’re using a proper holster, by not dropping your drawers around your ankles. Taking the belt down to just above the knees is enough to drop your friends off at the pool, and to keep your firearm out of sight and under your immediate control. A proper holster will stay on the belt regardless of whether you’re wearing it or not, and will retain the gun even if you hold it upside down. The only thing you have to be conscious of is to make sure the belt doesn’t side out of the loops, but I’ve not found this to be a problem with properly sized belts.
I think advice that suggests unholstering the firearm is bad, and I wouldn’t suggest anyone follow it. If  you do find it necessary to remove your gun in the john, or anywhere in public, remove the holster while the gun secured in the holster. If your holster won’t do this, or if retention is a problem, time to rethink your holster. The best advice is always going to be that which keeps the firearm secured, and minimizes the chance of something, booger hook, piece of clothing, or door coat hook, from yanking on the bang switch. I’m of the opinion that, ideally, the only time your firearm should clear leather (or Kydex, as the case may be) in a public place is if you have to defend yourself.
Electronic Arts Partnering with Gun Makers
If you’re a gamer, and also part of our shooting culture, you might want to meander over to Gameological.com and start scoring points for the team. EA is partnering with gun makers, which I consider to be a good sign, but some people are freaking out about it. In some cases, the right people. But this is one of those cases we should play some defense. There’s nothing wrong with marketing a legal product, and makers of first person shooters can be as much in the political crosshairs as gun companies. It’s not surprising to me that convenient scapegoats for complex social problems may find themselves to be birds of a feather.
A Startling Rise
CBS News New York is reporting on the increasing number of women owning guns and shooting:
In fact, according to a recent Gallup poll 23 percent of woman reported they are gun owners, up from 13 percent in 2005.
That’s quite a jump for just 8 years. I have to wonder how many of them were already gun owners, but didn’t want to admit it, and are now it’s becoming more socially acceptable.
Maria Alampi at the Cherry Ridge Range in New Jersey teaches women how to shoot. While it used to be known as a man’s sport, it may not be such the case much longer.
“A lot of women, a lot of college-age women, take the course,†Alampi said.
Anthony Colandro runs a firearm training school in New Jersey, where right now he said women are a driving force for business.
If this is the case in New Jersey of all places, our opponents are in more trouble than they realize. Especially given that women are more likely to try to do something about public policies that they don’t like, Emily Miller being a key example.