CSGV are trying to convince folks they never ever supported a handgun bans, and that there can’t possibly be documentation for such a position. Unfortunately for them, the Internet is forever. I continue to be amazed what utter amateurs some of these folks are, which is sad, because we’re all amateurs, and they are actually professionals.
Author: Sebastian
More Bad Ideas for CCW
Now a company is selling CCW sashes instead of badges. This reminds me of when I was part of the Safety program in 6th grade, and you got a sash that says you were a safety. I don’t exactly remember what safeties did, other than queue the kids up outside the door in the morning. But I digress. I didn’t think anyone could come up with a worse idea than CCW badges, and I have unfortunately been proved wrong.
Limit Your Issues on Appeal
Orin Kerr speaks of the importance of not taking kitchen sink cases before the Courts. Unfortunately there are a number of kitchen sink cases out there moving their way through the court system. Many of them funded by folks who should know better.
Not Reading the Same Constitution
Obama is essentially saying he won’t be bound by the bill that prevents him from doing anti-gun studies on the taxpayer dime. This is the same guy who our opponents and the media touts as not, in fact, leading a stealth gun control campaign. You’re apparently paranoid for even thinking so, from what I’ve read from these charlatans.
Obama’s claim is essentially this:
“I have advised the Congress that I will not construe these provisions as preventing me from fulfilling my constitutional responsibility to recommend to the Congress’s consideration such measures as I shall judge necessary and expedient,” Obama said in a statement as he signed the bill into law.
No. This is not how it works. Congress controls the purse strings. This is how the system works. Dave Hardy, who thankfully reads the same Constitution the rest of us do, notes:
I can’t find that clause in my own copy. I just find “No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.” Maybe I’ve got an outdated version. But I’m sure my copy of the anti deficiency act is up to date. So is the provision making violation a felony.
The President isn’t just skating on thin Constitutional ice here, he’s staking on water, and he’s going to sink of he follows his words with deeds.
On Magazine Springs
SayUncle notes that someone is going to try an experiment, in regards to whether keeping magazine spring loaded causes them to wear faster. I should note that from engineering principles, there is no doubt that a loaded magazine will wear faster than an empty one, but the question of whether we’re speaking short time scales, such as 13 years, is another matter. I’d be willing to be your time scales here are on the scale of decades.
My feeling, just based on some things I know about springs, is that magazines which get used regularly are going to wear the fastest. Cyclic compression is the most fatiguing to the metal in a spring. Extended periods, even at full, static compression are going to be less fatiguing than if you were unloading the magazine every day.
If I had to bet, the magazine that’s been loaded for 13 years works just fine. At least not much worse than a magazine that’s been empty for 13 years. Time wears on springs too, whether you compress them or not. My feeling is that it’s probably best to leave magazines seldom used unloaded, but it’s far better to leave a magazine loaded, rather than loading it and unloading it regularly.
CNC Milled AR-15, The Test Firing
Jason and I made it out to the range Christmas Day to try out the AR-15 pistol that Jason turned out on his CNC mill, documented here and here. After fussing around a bit dealing with FTEs, it was determined that the pistol just likes hotter ammo. Using either the reloaded ammo Jason was using, or my reloads, which I don’t load very hot, it had FTEs all too often. But it worked rather flawlessly with NATO spec 5.56×45, which the upper is rated for. Here’s the video I took:
I think the best way to shoot an AR-15 pistol is to get a good cheek weld on the buffer tube. The tube is too short to use as a stock, and is not designed to be used as one, so it avoids being an SBR, but the recoil is so low that a good cheek weld helps in aiming. It is entirely comfortable to shoot the pistol as a pistol, one handed, or with both hands, but you can get better accuracy resting your cheek on the buffer tube.
Mechanically, for some reason, the buffer retaining pin got sheared off, but I think Jason has decided not to bother replacing it. With this modified lower, it requires tools to remove the upper, so it’s not a huge deal to just hold the buffer in while the upper is put back into place.
This goes to show the fallacy of gun control. All it took to manufacture this was a CAD drawing downloaded from the Internet, a Linux machine to control the mill, a block of aluminum, some time, and a willingness to spend a few days cleaning aluminum bits off the floor of your shop.
No doubt our opponents will call this a “loophole” in the law, which allowed Jason to manufacture a high-powered pistol out of a block of aluminum, with no serial number, no background check, and no government official overseeing the endeavor. But make no mistake, it’s not unregulated. This was made for personal curiosity. It would be unlawful to make firearms for resale, without a manufacturer’s license, and would also be unlawful to make this firearm with a stock, which would make it a short barreled rifle. All those legal issues were avoided in this endeavor. But I can promise you, there are individuals out there for whom this is appalling, and who would likely try to restrict this technology.
But the genie has thoroughly gotten out of this bottle. None of the equipment used in this project is so horrendously expensive that it’s out of the reach of hobbyists in terms of price. Jason is not a trained machinist, and neither am I. My message to our opponents is to give up. Gun control as as fantastical now as unicorns. Technology will just no longer allow it to work.
Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas
We started the day with the opening of presents. I got a lot more clothes that I needed, and Bitter got a ceramic knife set, a knife block, and a few videos. Then it was time to celebrate Christmas with gunfire. Jason and I headed to the club (my the club), along with his dad, to test fire his CNC milled AR pistol. It was found to be rather sensitive to ammunition, in that it fed well with hot 5.56, but not so wonderfully with .223 reloads. But it definitely worked pretty well once we got the ammo figured out. I’ll have video later.
Rumors of My Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated
I haven’t done much posting for a few days, I know. I have a few very important things in the works, currently. But if all this plays out, a lot of positive life changes are in the works. At least I hope. This has left very little energy for blogging, but I am sincerely hoping my energy will come back in short order if they do.
In the mean time, I’ll do what I can, and Bitter will keep filling in. Shouldn’t be too much longer. I appreciate everyone’s patience through what has certain been upheaval in my personal life since my company shut down a few months ago.
Sorry for the Lack of Posts
I had to be at work today long before the sun came up. That meant getting by today on only a few hours sleep. Needless to say, tonight, I’m beat. Going to try to get up early tomorrow to get some posts queued for the day.
Politicians are the Same Everywhere
In the wake of random tragedy, is to suggest there’s probably some new law that wouldn’t have prevented a damned thing, but will nonetheless sound good to those weak souls who demand that the government do something. We have plenty of these worms here in America, but I think the only difference is we’re a bit, and sadly only a bit, more willing to say publicly, for all to see, they are worms, and should be ignored. But maybe only a bit is enough to at least slow the advance of the lowest common denominator.