Guns – Page 344 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Holsters, People, Holsters

Looks like someone in Nevada pulled a Plaxico in a movie theater (except for the whole carrying illegally part):

Witnesses told police the man’s gun had gone off when he adjusted his position in his seat. They said he quickly got up, apologized to other patrons sitting near him and left the theater before police arrived.

Officers later found the man at theÂ Veterans Affairs hospital in RenoÂ with a gunshot wound to his buttocks. He told them his gun – for which he had a valid concealed-carry permit – fell out of his pocket and discharged when it hit the floor.

His story sounds like a load of crap to me, but either way, a properly holstered firearm isn’t going to do this. I also wonder if he violated Uncle’s rule 5. Even for pocket carry, the gun should be in a holster made specifically to fit in a pocket. It’s amazing to me how many of these incidents happen in states that mandate training, where any instructor worth their salt is going to tell you to carry your gun in a damned holster. Nevada’s training requirements are considerably more stringent, even, than most states that require training.

The problem is, if you take a moron, and run him through a training course, at the end of the process all you have is a moron who’s had some training. It doesn’t change fundamental fact that the person is a moron. Just because you take a few piano lessons, doesn’t mean you’re on your way to being the next Vladimir Horowitz. Some folks will never get beyond Mary Had a Little Lamb, no matter how much instruction you give them.

The New Insurrectionism

Elections. Our opponents have truly become a parody of themselves. It would be sad if it was happening to anyone else who did not so richly deserve it.

Why There is No Negotiation on “Florida Loophole”

As long as the information is public, look at some of these reasons for appeal:

I am pastor of a church; I carry large sums of money to bank at least 2-3 times a week. As a businessman, I was robbed once. I could very well be a target for the automobile I drive and my appearance.

Pastor of a church, real danger to society there.

I answered all questions on the gun permit application truthfully. The previous referred to in the denial letter occurred more than thirty years ago.

Previously denied for a permit 30 years ago when the city was may-issue? This is now a ground for denial? This is illegal.

Â I donâ€™t think it was right for them to take my license. I was the victim. They came into my home and I shot a warning shot.

So someone breaks into your home, you fire a warning shot (admittedly not wise) and that’s ground for a permit revocation?

The reason why my gun was left in my car was due to the fact that my brother asked me to watch my nephew for a few minutes and I was on my way out. My nephew likes to grab on me and hang on me and I was afraid he would grab my weapon. I never leave my weapon in my vehicle and would never do it again.

Leaving a gun in a locked vehicle is grounds for revocation of a license?

I was wrongly accused of being a bartender. I was not arrested or charged with any crime.

So we’re denying based on profession?

There’s an old saying we often tell children: if you can’t play with the toy nicely, you can’t have the toy. The end result of this is going to be the character and reputation clause being removed, since the City of Philadelphia is incapable of not abusing it. Most of these folks have arrests, many of them long long ago. Arrests should not be grounds for denying a fundamental constitutional right. The character and reputation clause is therefore unconstitutional, and should be removed from the Uniform Firearms Act.

Whether the City realizes it or not, they have given actual hard evidence that yes, they are abusing the permit process, and with that hard evidence, we are going to redouble our efforts to stop them from doing it. There can be no negotiation on closing the Florida Loophole until this abuse is taken seriously.

A Violation of Pennsylvania Law by Philadelphia

From the Philly Post:

Last weekend, Philadelphiaâ€™s Department of Licenses and Inspections, an agency not usually known for its transparency and user-friendliness, unveiledÂ a new web appÂ that displays licensing, permit and violation information on a (relatively) easy-to-use interactive map.Â One of the more interesting aspects to this new data transparency is an array of gun permit appeals, essentially aÂ list of Philadelphians who have been denied a gun permit or had their permit revoked and who have appealed to have the decision overturned.

This is completely illegal, and there are penalties. Allow me to point you to the Uniform Firearms Act of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Code. From the UFA:

(i) Confidentiality.–All information provided by the potential purchaser, transferee or applicant, including, but not limited to, the potential purchaser, transferee or applicant’s name or identity, furnished by a potential purchaser or transferee under this section or any applicant for a license to carry a firearm as provided by section 6109 shall be confidential and not subject to public disclosure. In addition to any other sanction or penalty imposed by this chapter, any person, licensed dealer, State or local governmental agency or department that violates this subsection shall be liable in civil damages in the amount of $1,000 per occurrence or three times the actual damages incurred as a result of the violation, whichever is greater, as well as reasonable attorney fees.

If I were one of these people listed, I’d be filing the lawsuit right now. This is unconscionable. The criminals that run that city clearly think they are above the law. I say we ought to show them who can get away with what. I count at least $29,000 dollars worth of violations here, and attorneys fees will probably drive that higher by orders of magnitude. They should be made to pay for this.

Holding the Line: SB 249 is Dead for the Year

SB 249 has been pulled from committee. ~~The bill is dead for the year. I can’t remember the last time we stopped a major piece of gun control legislation in its tracks in California, but I guess we made enough noise~~. For those who haven’t kept up on what SB 249 is, see this site created by the CalGuns Foundation.

UPDATE: Not so fast. It still has the rest of the week to live. This could be a feint. Continue making noise.

The Truth About ARs

I’m glad to see outdoor writers clearing the air in regards to AR rifles, and telling the truth about them, including explaining the recent surge in sales. Looks like they interviewed State Rep. Bryan Cutler for this article, speaking of his bill, H.B. 347, which would open the door to legal semi-auto rifle hunting in Pennsylvania:

State Rep. Bryan Cutler, of Peach Bottom, is one hunter and gun enthusiast who joined the AR craze.Â Cutler built his own .223-caliber AR by getting the various parts and creating a custom gun.Â “That’s something I just always wanted to do,” he said.Â Cutler uses his AR for target shooting, and hopes to one day shoot it competitively.Â “I’ve always had an interest in the three-gun competition, so maybe I’ll get into that somewhere down the road when my schedule allows it.”

In a three-gun competition, shooters work through a tactical course, firing a handgun, shotgun and AR rifle at targets.Â Cutler also hopes to someday be allowed to use his AR for hunting varmints and predators in Pennsylvania.Â He’s a co-sponsor of House Bill 347, which would legalize the use of “any semi-automatic rimfire rifle, .22 caliber or less, for the taking of coyotes, foxes or woodchucks,” the bill states.Â The bill is intended to crack the door for using semi-automatic rifles for hunting here.

I’d work hard to keep any politician that was actually interested in three gun and built his own AR. That’s a rare breed in politics. His bill only legalizes semi-auto rimfire in .22 or less, and obviously we’d eventually like to see centerfire semi-automatic rifles hunting legal in Pennsylvania, but baby steps. Read the whole article. It’s pretty refreshing to see something like this in the main stream media.

Visiting a Sikh Temple

Sean took a visit to a temple in North Carolina, and found some fellow gun nuts. I’m not an expert on the Sikh religion, but the way I understood their dedication to peace, among all peoples, was that it was backed up with a healthy, “but don’t f**k with us,” philosophy on the virtue of self-defense. That’s the kind of peace I can believe in.

Wrong Strategies

Blake Zeff laments the fact that the gun control movement has no power, and offers this bit of advice to them:

For ideas on how to improve their effectiveness, gun control advocates could do worse than to study the playbook of the most effective liberal policy initiative in recent years: the movement to legalize same-sex marriage.

I would turn around and argue the movement to legalize same-sex marriage has been an utter disaster for gays who want to marry. They’ve been screwed by the radicalness of their own leadership, who chose to try to force this through the judicial system, and then faced a backlash by a public that was overwhelmingly opposed to it. How many states now need a constitutional amendment passed in order to legalize same-sex marriage? Anyone with strategic sense, looking at the generation gap on this issue, would have decided the prudent course of action would be a legislative strategy in blue states, followed by purple, and then red, as the generation gap played out over time. As it is, it will take serious effort to undo the damage done by a panicked public, caused by the choice to try to enact gay marriage through judicial fiat. So I don’t think that the gay marriage movement is a model. It is a case of a bridge too far, too soon, and if we had that much damage to undo with gun rights, I wouldn’t feel very good about things right now.

Now, the overall gay rights movement, on the other hand, is a fairly effective model, but as Â Joe Huffman also notes that this guy has it backwards, but it looks like Reasoned Discourse is in effect over there.

Want!

It’s totally not rational, but I started drooling when I saw this DRD Tactical Paratus Takedown RifleÂ over at The Firearm Blog. I’d actually prefer one in .223, rather than .308, but I’m most attracted to the take down feature, and its ability to fit in a small case for easy transport. I’m considerably less attracted to $5615 price tag. For that price, you might as well get the SBR version and pay the tax.

Gun Control in Venezuela: Police State

From Miguel, who kindly translated some parts of their law from Spanish:

If you own a restaurant where alcohol is served, you must force your clientele to be searched & probed before going in. So basically you have to go through a TSA screening every time you go wanna eat something or choose a restaurant that does not sell alcohol which in Venezuela, other than fast food places, there are very few.

Sounds like the kind of common sense approach to gun laws that our opponents believe in.