A German company develops a .50 BMG pistol. I can’t imagine what it’s like to shoot this thing. Granted, it’s 15 lbs, so it’s unbelievably heavy for a pistol. Still, it’s good to know the Germans have a bit of  “making it just because we can” left in their firearms industry. I doubt we will see it here because of the importation restrictions in the Gun Control Act of  1968, let alone the fact that it’s an AOW under the National Firearms Act.
Author: Sebastian
Leaving No Doubt What MAIG Is
Look at this article from the Jewish Exponent:
Much of CeaseFirePA’s efforts are focused on curbing “straw sales” to felons and enacting more stringent requirements for reporting lost or stolen handguns. The campaign seeks to gather enough leaders to force the legislature to move on this issue.
As part of its push, CeaseFirePA has also partnered with mayors from upwards of 150 towns, and police chiefs and law enforcement officers from more than 100 communities across the state.
Emphasis mine. I wonder who those mayors are? Mayors like Mayor Mitchell Mogilski of Wind Gap, PA, who are standing behind MAIG’s talking points. Hopefully we’ll soon see more grass roots attention on these mayors, because they really do break the back of our legislative strategy. It’s pretty clear they are working with the gun control groups here in Pennsylvania, as we’ve extensively documented. There’s no doubt what Mayors Against Illegal Guns is at this point, we just have to make sure the mayors know who they stand with, and more importantly, who they stand against.
Late Start This Morning
Spent 12 hours in bed today. Went to the doctor yesterday because my cold symptoms worsened after a week, including fever, and worst of all my eyelids welding shut from crap oozing out at of my eyes at night.. Turns out I have a secondary bacterial infection after the cold. Started an antibiotic Z-Pack yesterday and already feel a lot better. Not real keen on starting my vacation sick, but I’m only taking the days because I’ll lose them if I don’t, so not much recourse there.
Some Idea of the MAIG Legislation
They are looking to boost funding for BATF, it looks like, and have them inspect FFLs at least once a year. There’s no way we’re going to agree to increase ATFs funding without passing ATF reform first. Let me say, these guys are very good. They know what issues to push.
New Legislation Being Introduced Tomorrow?
Fresh off landing an endorsement from an erstwhile liberal holdout and foe, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is scheduled to appear tomorrow with another former House colleague and onetime political opponent, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy.
Gillibrand is to join the Long Island congresswoman, Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, the Brady Campaign and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence at John Jay College for a so-called “major announcement” (according to a press release) of a “new federal measure to combat gun violence.”
Based on this ad campaign that Bloomberg will be doing with MAIG, I would say it’s legislation designed to deny constitutional rights to Americans based on their presence on a secret government list, otherwise known as denying gun sales to people on the terrorist watch list. I would encourage everyone to make sure their MAIG mayors understand this, and definitely make sure they know it’s unacceptable.
Virginia Homeowner Shoots Fleeing Burglar
UPDATE: Ooops. Wrong Arlington. This is Arlington, WA, not Arlington, VA. My bad. Washington Revised Code self-defense statute justifies homicide here:
Homicide is also justifiable when committed either: (1) In the lawful defense of the slayer, or his or her husband, wife, parent, child, brother, or sister, or of any other person in his presence or company, when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design on the part of the person slain to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury to the slayer or to any such person, and there is imminent danger of such design being accomplished; or (2) In the actual resistance of an attempt to commit a felony upon the slayer, in his presence, or upon or in a dwelling, or other place of abode, in which he is.
So it would appear Washington State is pretty similar to Virginia in this respect.
This Arlington man is probably going to trial:
In a police affidavit, Earhart reported that he received an alert on his cell phone Monday that was triggered by his house alarm. He rushed home, saw a man running out and chased him. Earhart told Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies that his wife’s jewelry was missing and that he had been burglarized before and was frustrated by the crimes.
A few hours later, Earhart again called 911 and told deputies he was looking for the burglar in an area near his home. Neighbors reported hearing shots fired.
On Wednesday, a neighbor called 911 to report finding Rzechula’s body in a nearby creek bed. Rzechula has a criminal history. The jewelry found in his pockets matched what was taken from Earhart’s home.
Earhart has no criminal history. He has a concealed-weapons permit and is a registered gun owner. Records show he was the victim of previous burglaries and thefts.
Virginia, if I recall, is one of the few states that still has self-defense as part of common law rather than as part of statute, meaning it’s an affirmative defense raised in court. Virginia’s court cases show that deadly force may not be used or threatened in defense of property. It may be used, under Virginia law, “to save life or limb, or prevent a great crime, or to accomplish a necessary public duty.”
Hopefully Mr. Earhart has sufficient reason to fear for his life, and has retained a good attorney, but I suspect proving his innocence is going to be very costly for him. It is never a wise idea to employ deadly force in the protection of property. It’s almost guaranteed that you will be forced to explain your actions to a jury, which is a position one never wants to find themselves in.
State Legislator Brief
There is a brief for state legislators too, and the number is actually quite large. If your state legislator is on here, be sure to thank them. If they aren’t, be sure to let them know you wish they had signed on to the brief.
My understanding is the timing on this was tight, but they should hear from people regardless so they know what’s important to us. Just understand there are some good legislators that didn’t get their names on here because of the tight timeline. It doesn’t mean they are turning Gillibrand on us.
Attorneys General Brief
Thirty Eight state Attorneys General have signed on to a brief as well. Pennsylvania is included, so kudos to Tom Corbett for signing on. The states that are missing out on the fun are:
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
Not bad at all. But I’m disappointed in Oregon, Vermont, Iowa and Delaware. For states that don’t have bad gun laws, they aren’t performing as well as I think we should expect them to.
NRA Announced Bipartisan Congressional Amicus
Very good news for the McDonald case:
An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have signed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief supporting the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The amicus brief, bearing the signatures of 251 Members of Congress and 58 Senators, was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago.
Enough members of the Pennsylvania delegation signed on, including both our Senators, that it’s easier just to list who didn’t sign on. Those are:
- Bob Brady (D, PA-01)
- Chaka Fattah (D, PA-02)
- Kathleen Dahlkemper (D, PA-03)
- Joe Sestak (D, PA-07)
- Allyson Schwartz (D, PA-13)
- Mike Doyle (D, PA-14)
That’s not bad out of 19 districts (well, not counting the recovery.gov districts). Even my Congressman, Patrick Murphy signed on. Maybe he’s reconsidering his position on Second Amendment rights? I hope so.
UPDATE: Anyone else notice the brief was written by Paul Clement? The Paul Clement who was Bush’s solicitor General who argued against us in the Heller case.
.22 Magnum vs. 5.7x28mm
The Firearms Blog says they aren’t really equivalent. Certainly that’s the case with the full-house round only available to the military, but the civilian rounds are considerably neutered. The SS196SR reports a muzzle velocity of 1650fps fired from a Five-Seven. This round is discontinued though, and has been replaced by the SS197SR round, which 1750fps.
Still, the point they aren’t really equivalent is a good one. That’s still 272 ft/lbs as opposed to 139 ft/lbs for the .22 Magnum. But I have seen other 5.7mm loadings that have even lower muzzle velocity than the SS197SR round, but there are also loadings of 5.7mm that are hotter too. In terms of overall capability, I think Steve is correct to point out the 5.7x28mm outperforms the .22 Magnum. It’s only in considerably neutered loadings does the 5.7x28mm come down close to the .22 WMR.