Category: Guns

More on NRA Voting Patterns

Some interesting statistics on how NRA members vote.  I hope blog readers who are eligible to vote in NRA elections do so.  It’s really the only way to make sure your views are represented in Fairfax.  Bitter thinks participation is low because of the lack of star power.  I actually don’t tend to vote for the celebrities because they don’t usually need any help getting votes.  I tend to pick about 6 or so candidates, and leave it at that.  Here’s a poll to answer some questions I’m curious about:

[poll 6]

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On High Ammo Prices in Alaska

An article from an Ancorage newspaper on high ammo prices:

Just ask members of the Alaska Machine Gun Association, who practically breathe bullets.

“That same ammo that we bought for, say, 6 cents a round three years ago is now 35 cents a round,” said Dave Arieno, president of the club.

Arieno says a United Nations effort to limit the sale of surplus military ammunition, combined with war in Iraq, have boosted some prices. High fuel and freight costs don’t help — especially in rural Alaska.

I can’t imagine the Philly media covering how hard high ammo prices are on machine gun shooters.  Alaska is a different place.

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Blacklash Against Toronto Mayor Miller

When you see pro-gun peices in the Canadian media, and editorials talking about the mayor being wrongheaded, it’s probably a good indication he’s stepped out of the mainstream, and into the fringe.  Note the indignation on the part of the olympic shooters?  Big city mayors are a gun rights activist best friend.  They pretty much prove for us that it ain’t going to stop with assault weapons, saturday night specials, or whatever the hell the anti-gun movement is talking about banning these days.  We have more shooters in America than they do in Canada, but that hasn’t stopped the same thing from happening in our cities.

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Ask Mayor Squidward

Our local news radio station, KYW 1060AM is hosting a Q&A session tomorrow with Mayor Nutter, and they were nice enough to put a form online so we can submit questions.   Here’s mine:

Mr. Mayor, when you took office, you swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of this Commonwealth.  By restricting the rights of Philadelphians to own firearms for sport and protection, aren’t you violating that oath?

Go ask a question.  Can’t hurt.  Keep it short and polite, but tough.  I don’t expect they’ll ask the Mayor any pro-gun oriented questions, but let the media know that gun owners are out there.  Another one to think about asking him would be what an assault weapon is.  If you’re from the Philadelphia area, definitely make sure to get a question in.

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Monday Night Trap

Today was absolutely beautiful.  Not too hot, not a cloud in the sky; the kind of day you hate to be in the office.  But after work today I decided to head to the club to shoot some trap.  Scored 22, 17 and 21.  One thing I find about trap is that I tend to hit more birds when I’m in a squad that has a good rhythm.  When every person chambers the round, mounts, shouts for the bird, shoots, and it repeats at a regular pace.

I’ve noticed that nearly every person has a trademark method of calling for the bird.  Some guys shout a pretty conventional “pull”, others shout “hayup”, and I even think I’ve heard a “ooowop”.  Tonight the guy next to me tonight sounded off a “pull” like a drill sergeant.  Then you have the guys that barely mumble something that often fail to set off the sound activated clay bird thrower.  Those guys break the rhythm.

The difficulty for today is, every time I mounted my gun, I kept thinking about our friend the mall ninja.  I kept thinking about his mounting lesson “out back — out back”, and “Folks, don’t be within 10 feet of me with this, just don’t do it.”  Then I notice the guy next to me has a Remington, “this is a Remington, love it.”  Needless to say, I had to try very hard not to fall down giggling in on the trap range.  I definitely couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and I hope people thought I was just having a good time.  I couldn’t get mall ninja out of my head, especially when the guy next to me has a Remington.  “Ready? Boom! Boom!’

God Bless.

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DC Bloggers Looking for Firepower?

Megan McArdle is questioning whether she wants to get a gun if they become legal in DC.  I would caution that when Heller is ruled on, the fight will just be beginning.  It’ll be a while before DC residents can legally buy firearms, and there aren’t any gun shops in the district yet anyway, unless you want to talk to Josh Sugarmann about running you through the whole 4473 and background check process as soon as the Supremes give the green light.

Despite what a certain anti-gun group, that rhymes with Shady Insane, is advising Megan over on their blog, using statistics that have already been thoroughly debunked.  Of course, with owning a gun comes responsibility, and we know a lot more about that than the Brady Campaign ever will.  Since we’ve seen Megan at the range before with other bloggers, we assume she has people that have the safety education bit taken care of, but there are an entire bevy of gun bloggers who are ready to help, if need be.  Some of us are even certified instructors.

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My Kind of Politician

Jerry Patterson is the Texas Land Commissioner.  In this article, he’s responding to criticism that he regularly carries in Big Bend National Park.

I’ve been criticized for acknowledging I carried a concealed handgun, as is my right, on recent visits to Big Bend National Park. A National Park Service rule prohibits carrying a loaded, concealed handgun.

“Evidently, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson was absent from school the day the Constitution was covered,” wrote the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board.

While that’s an awfully cute jab, the reality is I’ve learned the Constitution over the course of a lifetime – not just one day. I’ve taken oaths to uphold and protect our Constitution – as a U.S. Marine and as a state elected official.

A politician who takes his oath to uphold the constitution seriously, AND flagrantly disregards a unconstitutional laws?  It’s almost enough to make me move to Texas just so I can vote for him.  He ends with this:

As an elected official, I take an oath that I will “to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.”

I do not regard such affirmations as anachronistic formalities. I guess you can call me an old-fashioned believer in the wisdom of those who penned the Bill of Rights and not much of a believer in the wisdom of editorial boards.

Excellent quote.

Hat tip to Cam at NRANews for this one.

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