April 2013 – Page 3 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Understatement of the Year

I linked to this article earlier, but I wanted to highlight a quote:

But the problem might be less with Obama and more with democracy itself. To be a citizen in a mass democracy is to live in a permanent state of politicalÂ frustration.Â There are so many people in the country with so many different views,Â and the institutions of a mass democracy are inevitably so clunky,Â that the political process isnâ€™t going to give you what you want very much of the time.

Like the people who founded this country, I’ve never been convinced that more democracy in government is always a good thing. The old saying that democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner is cliche, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Our system was supposed to be a Constitutional Republic, with some democratic features, but with enough restraints placed on government that we could govern a large, diverse country without constantly being at each other’s throats. Unfortunately, the more democracy you add to the mix, the more it seems like those restrains don’t matter.

Thursday Mini Dump

Hopefully this doesn’t run me out of stories for the day, but gun news is still running pretty hot out there, so I’ll risk it.

Gun control thoughts after the Boston Marathon.

During the manhunt in Boston, 69% of voters wanted a gun. Also interesting is thatÂ less than half of Americans are upset about the Senate gun vote. So much for the 80-90% number.

The upcoming gun control jihad. Some people just don’t know when they are beaten. Not that we’ve beaten gun control, mind you, but Bloomberg is gun control’s future. Groups like CSGV and Brady have become largely irrelevant in the debate.

Another analysis of why NRA won and gun control lost, by Mother Jones.

Hey, even true blue Western states don’t like gun control much.

Some lies on guns are even too much for the New York Times.

USA today misleads on gun dealer inspections. It’s worth noting that as the gun control crowd is attempting to make FFLs the only entities that can legally transfer guns in this country, they are simultaneously trying to reduce the number of FFLs out there.

Blame Democracy, not Obama.

We must ban …

Who Need an AR-15 For Home Defense?

Around these parts, they seem to work just fine. Elkins Park is just outside of Philadelphia. I also note that this was an apartment, and it doesn’t appear that the shot over-penetrated. Interesting to note that the homeowner’s Congressman is a staunch advocate for banning his rifle, and is the likely candidate to go up against Governor Corbett in 2014.

Bloomberg Targeting Mark Pryor?

Seems they are considering it, according to Salon. What purpose would this serve? Do they think they can get a better deal on guns from an Arkansas Republican? The fact is Toomey was about the only Senator they could conceivably ~~hoodwink~~ scare into accepting a deal. Helping Toomey ruin his relationship with an important GOP voting block could pave the way for an anti-gun Democrat. That was a huge victory for Bloomberg.

Bloomberg is not going to be able to do a thing to Pryor on guns, short of replacing him with a pro-gun Republican. Same goes for other red state Democrats. They voted the way they did because the consensus on guns in Arkansas is vastly different than it is in New York City. Bloomberg will be running campaign ads for Pryor if he buys up Arkansas airtime telling everyone Mark Pryor hates gun control.

A Great Way to Explain How Gun Control Lost

Megan McArdle explains it succinctly here:

If you want to actually understand why gun control failed, let’s try a simple exercise. Â Raise your hand if you had a strong opinion about the background check bill that was in front of Congress.

Keep your hand raised if you know how your own Senator voted on it. Â Otherwise put your hand down.

Keep your hand raised if you actually live in a state that might plausibly elect a Republican to congress.

Okay, now keep your hand raised if that bill was in the top one or two issues that you’ll be voting on in 2014 or 2016. Â By which I mean, if your Senator votes the wrong way on that bill, you will vote for anyone who opposes them. Â Anyone–even someone with the wrong opinions on gay marriage, social security reform, transportation subsidies, the Keystone XL pipeline, carbon taxes, marginal tax rates on people who make more than $250k per annum, the deficit, and student loan repayment programs.

Now look around. Â Aside from those three guys in the back from Handgun Control Inc., do you know who still has their hand raised? Â NRA members.

Support for new gun control laws was high in the immediate post-Newtown period. Â But that support was evanescent; it’s already back below 50%, and probably still falling. Â Gun owners care year in and year out. Â And they vote on the issue.

RTWT, because it’s certainly true. We even write blogs that focus exclusively on the topic. In truth I’m not a completely single issue voter, but it’s certainly one of my top issues, given that it’s such a handy proxy for what a candidate thinks about the citizen’s place in our country. Megan has also made some very good points about negotiation. It was a horrible mistake for the other side to come at us with everything and the kitchen sink, because it helped us mobilize our people in a way I haven’t seen since I’ve been involved in this issue in a meaningful way (about 10 years now). It’s now becoming apparent that gun bans are no longer politically viable, and some minor regulatory changes are the best the gun control supporters can hope for.

Copper Shortages Coming?

Apparently a huge landslide has happened in an open pit mine that supplies 17 percent of US copper. Gun folks are already pretty good recyclers, but I think we can do better, and we’re going to have to do better. There’s only so much copper and lead in the world, and as we use up all the easy supplies, it’s not going to get anything but more expensive. A lot of clubs and ranges these days do lead reclamation, but many don’t. As the price of raw materials goes up, it’s going to become more and more important that we recover most of the lead and copper we shoot. It’s not only better for the environment, it’s just going to make economic sense once the raw materials hit a certain price point.

h/t Tam.

Senate Rules and the Gun Control Vote

Chris from Alaska has an analysis. I really question whether they actually wanted something to pass. There was certainly a path forward for some kind of bill, even if the pot had to be sweetened over what Manchin-Toomey tried to do. It’s been quite telling that each time this issue has gotten hot, they’ve had a pure background check bill they’ve been capable of advancing, but it’s always rejected because the bill lacks sufficient provision to assure that all guns are “papered.”

We’re in Trouble Now

Bloomberg is recruiting the best cartoonists in the world for the cause of gun control. Oh, if only to be so rich as to be able to impose my preferences on the rest of the world. It must be nice for billionaires. Of course, if I had that kind of money, I’d be spending it on a law degree, and then helping the underprivileged sue the government pro-bono. I think that would be more meaningful.

Harry Reid Proposes New Background Check Bill

Requiring folks to pass a background check before buying powders. I’d note that Massachusetts already requires a license to buy reloading components, and that didn’t stop the bombers. And would we really prefer jihadists start mixing up ANFOÂ and other improvised high explosives? If high explosives were used instead of gunpowder, the death toll would have been higher. These were crude devices.

Explosives regulations are even dumber and more easily thwarted than gun regulations. I made black powder in my basement as a kid, and managed to get a hold of the ingredients before we had this Internet thing. Today it’s even easier. What then? Background checks for potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal?Â Are we going to require Home Depot to run background checks on fertilizer? Check the terror watch list before delivering home heating oil? It’s ridiculous.

House to House Searching, Not Just Boston Anymore

Police in Nashville have noticed the tactics of the Boston PD and emulated them. Apparently much more quickly than anyone would have anticipated. I thought it was amusing people accusing SayUncle of being anti-cop, given that I don’t think he hates his dad.

I don’t think being wary of civil liberties violating tactics makes one anti-cop. I’m willing to give the police pretty wide berth to apprehend (or kill) violent subjects, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask to at least pretend to respect the civil liberties of the people you’re sworn to protect, and to actually be able to hit what you’re aiming at.

We are supposed to be a nation of laws, and it seems more and more apparent we’re a nation of bureaucrats and enforcers, who believe the law to be optional, or at least pliable. Perhaps what’s even more disturbing is a population who seems to have no issue with this state of affairs, as long as it’s not their goose being cooked, and there’s some vague and comforting idea of being made safe.

UPDATE: On the opposite side of the coin, a lot of College Professors don’t live in the real world (not any real surprise, I suppose). If the cops in and around Boston had turned the bombers into swiss cheese in the shootout, I would want to give them a high five. It’s what was done to everyone else who wasn’t the bombers I have a hard time with.