Guns – Page 567 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Head Turning Headlines

I couldn’t have imagined Dan Boren was suddenly turning on us, which is why this headline appearing in my alerts made me do a double take:

Oklahoma Representative Boren: Microstamping Bill is Pro-Gun

They are talking about an NRA backed bill to fund a study on microstamping, not the act of mandating microstamping itself. I actually questioned someone at NRA about this wisdom of this when the issue came out a few weeks ago, but they noted that when they’ve done these kinds of studies (real scientific studies, as opposed to the crap our opponents peddle) they’ve been more useful for our side than they are for the other. The only serious study of microstamping done to date wasn’t favorable to the technology, so I think the hope is this study confirms those findings and helps put this issue to bed.

Gaming Scenarios

Caleb asks some questions, knowing many of us carry. I’ll do my best to answer.

Youâ€™re eating at a restaurant with your family and a group of shooters burst in to the restaurant and light it up, Mumbai-style.

No choice. You have to return fire even if you think you’ll die. At worst you’ll delay the shooters long enough for your family and others to get away to safety. At best you save yourself.

You see a 3rd party being violently attacked and in clear threat of death or grievous bodily harm.

I believe you have a civic obligation to intervene. If you really believe in a universal citizen militia, I don’t see how you can believe otherwise. The entire idea of such a thing is that every citizen has an obligation to others, and towards the common peace.

You see a young mother having her child forcibly ripped away from her by an obvious bad man.

Same as above.Â But, the problem is:

Assume for the sake of argument that in all the above situations the bad guys are clear, the good guys are obvious, youâ€™re carrying your regular carry gun, and lethal force is clearly justified.

Almost nothing in the real world is ever that simple. When it comes to assisting third parties, you need to be supremely cautious. There are plenty of instances when it wouldn’t be so cut and dry. I’m going to get away from that situation, or just be a good witness for police. The real world is seldom so forgiving as the situations Caleb is gaming here.

What it Takes to Get a Permit in Maryland

You’re going to be grilled by your “betters.” And this guy was a House Delegate! I’d hate to see what would happen to your average American. The process for carry rights is just beginning, but it’s happening. I’m glad Delegate Smigiel is getting the process started in Maryland.

Afraid to Get Into Competition?

Miguel takes a quote from Massad Ayoob. Â Any time I’ve ever shot competitively, I’m generally in the middle of the pack. There’s probably better shooters out there than you, but there’s also probably worse shooters. If you are at the bottom of the pile, it probably means you’re shooting with top notch people, and can learn something.

What Shot Sestak up?

Local pundits are suggesting that it’s this commercial:

Folks, if all a left-wing Democrat has to do to win is put his foo foo dog in a commercial blaming Bush for the country’s problems, we’re totally screwed. I’d like to encourage everyone to get out there and do something for Pat Toomey. We need to win this. If Dems get another state wide win with an openly anti-Second Amendment candidate, it’s not going to stop with Joe Sestak.

Remington Strikes Back

CNBC is busily promoting a show which will purportedly show the 700 is a dangerous firearm. Remington isn’t taking it lying down.Â Also see this interview with Cam Edwards on NRA News.

[Video Removed due to autoplay. Here’s a link. Remington, guys, use YouTube. This looks like the same abomination of an app that NRA uses. Bad move.]

It’s well understood when it comes to journalistic integrity, NBC has none. I believe nothing of what the media says anymore without some independent facts to back it up. They’ve been lying to the American public for years, it’s just now they are getting caught.
Hat tip to Firearms Blog.

[Full disclosure, Neither Remington nor its parent company advertises on this site. I just really hate CNBC.]

Polling

We’re very concerned about some recent polling that shows Joe Sestak either closing the lead on Toomey or ahead of him. Polling is obviously not the end all be all, but suffice it to say it has us concerned. Especially considering it was a last minute surge that put Sestak over the top.

If Joe Sestak is elected Senator, he will be the most anti-gun Senator this state has ever had. If we can’t beat Joe Sestak this year, Pennsylvania will not stay pro-gun for long. Every gun owner needs to get out and vote for Toomey. Sestak doesn’t even believe you have a right to have a gun in the home for self-defense. If that’s not too radical for Pennsylvania gun owners, we’re doomed.

More About Gun Shows

Chris shares with us some of the Reasoned Discourse^TM, and notes:

As a side note, I’m not a huge fan of hand grenades, personally. I just don’t see an epidemic of hand grenade crime, they are already highly regulated, and I really doubt that you can just go to a gun show and buy one over the counter.

Not something I’m chomping at the bit to get my hands on either (unlike, say, something belt fed), but I think it’s interesting Ms. Japete believes we can just pick them up at any local gun show. Nothing could convince me more her entire field of knowledge about gun shows comes from scary crap she’s read from the Brady folks, and their like.

I’ve never been to a gun show that didn’t have law some law enforcement presence, with the exception of some smaller ones. Who would have guessed a place where people are buying and trading valuable items that criminals want to steal, the promoters might want a cop or two around.

So how, exactly, does Ms. Japete think that a highly contraband object is being sold at gun shows where there is likely to be law enforcement presence?

Quote of the Day: The Gun Did It Edition

As long as I’m already picking on her, here’s another gem:

And finally, at least for now: This man was just plain lucky that his loaded gun being shown at a gun show didn’t shoot another person.

Let me fix that for you:

And finally, at least for now: This man was just plain lucky that someone didn’t pick up his loaded gun being shown at the gun show and carelessly shoot another person.

Be careful what your words convey about your attitude, lest we start wondering whether you can really grasp who the responsible parties would be in that scenario. This might be nitpicking on anyone else, but I really do believe our favorite Brady Board member believes that guns kill people.

I’m rather amused at the irony of a Brady Board member speaking about the problem of handling loaded guns in public when their side promotes it every time they advocate creating another “gun free” exception to the rule that LTC holders can carry loaded firearms in public. It may not be the intent, but the practical effect is people removing loaded firearms from themselves in public places, and leaving them in vehicles where they are more susceptible to theft. That a gun is best left in a holster in control of the person carrying it is my definition of “common sense.”

The shows I’ve been to vary on whether they let you carry loaded. Some do. Others suggest any gun coming through the door get flagged (usually with a tie through the action or barrel). It only takes one incident, like this idiot, for a show to get kicked out of a venue, and most promoters don’t want to take the risk. But again, I think there’s a greater risk of a round going off having dozens of people loading and unloading firearms than someone carrying doing something stupid with it. Few shows I’ve seen have adequate clearing barrels or backstops for people unloading carry pieces. You want to promote gun safety? How about taking that issue up with promoters?

Sorry, It’s Like a Bad Accident on the Turnpike

I just can’t not look, even though I know I’d be better off just getting to my destination faster. Despite my best efforts to not pay any more attention, Cemetery’s title was pretty much my exact quote this morning when I saw this over at our favorite Brady Board member’s blog. I will reproduce the portion of the comment here in case it disappears into the pool of Reasoned Discourse:

So here are some examples of hand grenades, which are being smuggled into Mexico as we speak, according to Brady Campaign Board members:

They are even offering, the horror, a chance to win a pistol with it too I guess, and in the colors Bloomberg hates. Surely that will also end up fueling violence in Mexico. And we all know what every Mexican drug dealer wants under his tree at Christmas time…. just to make sure your kids know who’s boss, and stuff. I had no idea that Amazon was such a big time supplier! Wait, wait, how about this one, “Jose was such a great guy when we had parties down at the drug cartel office, until he bought one of these. It took the janitor three hours to clean up the mess!”

Surely Joan Peterson has at least enough ability to tell truth from falsity to know the difference between a real grenade and a lamp shaped like one? Or a cigarette lighter? Paperweight? Or an air device that just sprays plastic beads everywhere? I have to believe the answer is yes, because if the answer is no, this is more an issue in distinguishing reality from fantasy rather than truth from falsity. In this realm, I’m a real Airline Captain, because I’m going to go home tonight and hop on the the X-plane flight server and go somewhere in my very own Boeing 737. So just call me Captain Sebastian from now on. Do I get a barrel of rum? Who wants to go to Bermuda? Wait, Airline Captains can’t drink. Someone call the FAA and report me immediately.

Sorry folks, this just has me in stitches. I usually try to keep it classy, but sometimes you just have to laugh at your opponents. Before I believed there was value in maintaining a dialog with the other side. Now I am absolutely sure there is value in it!

UPDATE: Seems now she’s suggesting they ought to be illegal because you could take a deactivated grenade and make it live again. Does she also believe in prohibiting bottles because I could fill one with gasoline, stick a rag in it, and make a molotov cocktail? Does she favor banning iron pipes?

As soon as you’re dealing with explosives, you’re probably already breaking existing law. Definitely if you put it in something meant to fragment. Inert grenades are hunks of metal lady! That’s all they are. There’s no explosive, fuse or detonator in them.

And this is who we’re told should be making public policy? Please. I’m really curious to know what magical properties inert hunks of metal have in Joan Peterson’s mind.