Sebastian – Page 740 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Who’s Driving the Shooting Business

Michael Bane notes that it looks like shooters and self-defense oriented gun owners are in the drivers seat when it comes to the industry. He notes:

Note that hunting came in 4th on that list. It wasn’t that long ago that our trade organization said that the future of gun rights in America was “irrevocably” linked to hunting, and their massive survey of a couple of years back (which I had theÂ temerity to question) delivered the same warmed-over crap and, unfortunately, sent the industry haring down the same dead-end paths.

We’ll be talking about this more on the podcast next week…

I think I remember the report Michael is talking about, and he was right in questioning it. Our reaction to the report was here, and Bitter’s was here, over at her now cooking blog, but then gun blog.

Swiss Pistol Gun P0rn

Over at The Swiss Gun Blog, some great pictures of the standard sidearm of the Swiss Army, the SIG 210,Â referredÂ to by it’s military designation, Pistole 49.

Parallels

Dave Kopel notes some similarities between how the media is treating the argument over Obamacase’s constitutionality, and how they treated pro-individual-rights Second Amendment scholarship.

Dave has another interesting post on Obamacase here, which are follow ups to discussion here and here.

Comparisons to Kristallnacht are Greatly Overblown

Jonah Goldberg doesn’t much like the righty violence, but thinks the comparisons to Kristallnacht are greatly overstated, and that the left is just as guilty of the right when it comes to fear mongering.

Coolest Job in the World

This looks a hell of a lot more interesting than the biotech business. I just need to learn how to fly a 737.

Military Destroying Brass Again?

Apparently, despite the fact that Congress prohibited them from doing so.

Talking About Militias

The New York Times is running a series, which isn’t too bad. They at least talk to Robert Churchill, who understands the differences between the various groups. One other thing I’m happy to see is academics acknowledging that the government missteps, crimes and cover-ups at Ruby Ridge and Waco contributed to the rise of militia groups. The left shouldn’t just outright dismiss the concerns about criminal actions by law enforcement as just a bunch of right-wing nuttery. That’s something every American should be concerned about. When the people see their government commit crimes, and then not only fail to see theÂ perpetratorsÂ held accountable, but so see them promoted while misdeeds are covered up, it undermines people’s faith in the system to the point where they believe drastic action is necessary. Given that pool of anger and resentment, you’re always going to find charlatans and opportunists willing and able to pour gasoline over the fire.

Some Iowa Sheriffs “Just Know”

This here is exactly why we’re against wide discretion:

Based on their experience and contacts, sheriffs sometimes “just know” without written documentation that a person can’t be trusted with a carry permit, Gardner said.

No, you don’t just know. When someone comes in the door to hand you an application, you don’t know him from Adam. Talking to someone for a brief period isn’t like to be more revealing. If you can’t articulate the reasons a permit should be denied, you should issue. That’s how it works for most Iowa counties, and how it works in most states in this country.

Not NRA’s Issue

Freedom States Alliance needs to be told what a lot of Â Republicans need to often be reminded — NRA is a single issue organization.

Instead of looking at militias, such as the Hutaree, as some kind of an outlier, maybe it’s takes to confront the gun lobby about it’s rhetoric that they do in fact support and enable domestic terrorism.

It’s only when a militia is raided by the FBI that suddenly the NRA goes very, very quiet. Suddenly, their extreme ideology and rhetoric doesn’t look so appealing.

Did it occur to FSA that maybe NRA is silent about it because it’s not even remotely related to their issue? Did it even possibly enter into the minds of FSA that maybe some of us value the right to keep and bear arms to defend against domestic terrorists, and think folks like the Hutaree are just as nuts and dangerous as they do?

NRA is a single issue group — preserving the Second Amendment protecting an promoting the Shooting Sports is their core mission. Their issue is not, last I checked, making war on the State of Michigan or the United States in order to bring about a final apocalyptic battle with the Antichrist. At least I didn’t notice any literature about that last time I was at headquarters. Ack-Mac would charge a lot of something like that anyway.

Maybe ridiculous rhetoric like this is why FSA was folded into an umbrella group. Generally speaking, smearing four million Americans with this kind of crap isn’t a good way to make friends.

Anti-Terrorism in the Former Soviet Union

Tam’s quote on this is pretty spot on:

If I had to guess which country was most likely to take the path of systematic genocide as a terrorism fix, Russia would be my candidate. They’ve killed their own people in boxcar lots within living memory and, unlike Germany, haven’t had to deal with fifty years of international tongue-clucking and scolding because of it. (Not that caring what others think has ever been a defining characteristic of Russian leadership anyway.) The Chechen separatist strategy doesn’t strike me as very bright, poking this particular bear with this particular stick.

If there’s any lesson in post-Soviet Russia, it’s that Moscow doesn’t need much of an excuse to start shooting Chechens.