Downrange TV has a review of the Ruger LCP up here complete with video. Looks like they are also aggregating gun blogs through a custom RSS reader. Cool.
Category: Guns
Barrett REC7
Gun Pundit has a nice picture up of the Barrett REC7, which is a piston driven 6.8 SPC AR. That reminds me that I really need to think about a dedicated lower for my 6.8 upper. Right now I use my Bushmaster lower if I feel like shooting 6.8. Another note is that my 6.8 is direct impingement, and the upper seems to get dirtier more quickly than the 5.56. The load difference between the two is about 4 grains of power, but I would imagine the amount of gas directed back toward the bolt carrier should be similar to 5.56, so I might just be crazy. If I’m not, I think it’s worthwhile to have a gas piston setup over DI if you can afford it.
Fattah on Heller
You all might remember Chaka Fattah. He’s a Congressman that represents Philadelphia, and is the lead member of the Congressional brief filed in favor of DC’s position. You know, the one that he got a whopping 18 other fellow congress critters to sign on to. Well, he hasn’t given up pooping on your second amendment rights.
At issue is Washington D.C.’s law that bans handguns. An appeals court has ruled it unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. This is the first time that the Supreme Court has revisited the Second Amendment since 1939, when it upheld Congress’s right to legislate about guns. Since then the Congress has passed, and Presidents have signed, numerous laws that regulate sales, shipment, use and concealment of all kinds of firearms and ammunition. Cities and states have approved and enforced additional regulations.
I have been joined by other members of Congress in an amicus brief that urges the Supreme Court to uphold the District’s law and reverse the Appeals court. Such a ruling by the high court would be in line with settled precedent, and it would permit the District as well as the Congress and municipalities nationwide to continue reasonable regulation and control of such weapons.
Yes, reasonable regulations such as a compete and outright ban on any firearm that is useful for self-defense. Why do they still use this language? Are we the only people who can see just how disingenuous it is? Fattah has eighteen other Congressmen on his brief. Fifty five members of the senate and 250 members of the House signed on to a brief in favor of Mr. Heller. As much as Fattah would like to give the impression that his is a growing and influential movement, it is not. Here’s to hoping he’s disappointed when the ruling is handed down.
You know you’re a gun nut …
… when you go to clean the lint out of your dryer screen and notice an empty .22LR casing. Bonus gun nutty points if you notice how clean it came out, and think maybe you should tumble some more of your brass through the laundry.
Rally in Harrisburg: Be There or Be Square
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmens Clubs, Allegheny County Sportsmens League, and Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association, along with several other groups, will be rallying in Harrisburg on Monday April 7th, 2008.
I have made arrangements to be able to attend this rally, and I hope you will all join me in going. We are under constant assault by anti-gun forces here in Pennsylvania, and we need to push our own legislative agenda. We can’t let the anti-gunners gain an inch of ground. We must let the folks in Harrisburg know that we’re here, and we’re active. Our continued gun rights in Pennsylvania depend on it.
The Oldest Profession
Apparently New York Governor Elliot Spitzer knows it well.
More on OWAA
Bitter has more on OWAA. Seems they canceled their planned event with anti-hunting and anti-gun forces. Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts need to understand who pays for most of the wildlife management and upkeep of public lands, and it’s not them. Both hunters and shooters pay for wildlife management through the federal “Pittman Robertson” excise taxes on guns and ammunition. Next time you hear a hiker bitch about sunday hunting, remind them who pays for the trails they like to hike on.
Teaching Marksmanship
I would note that this kind of thing would be impossible if we didn’t have a vibrant civilian shooting culture. Fighting the gun banners is not just a matter of preserving our sporting heritage, and right of self-defense, it’s a matter of national security as well.
Booze With Bane
Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? The Outdoor Channel’s Michael Bane will be providing bloggers attending the Second Amendment Blogger Bash with a happy hour. I have Comcast Cable, so sadly, I don’t get to watch Michael’s show, but for those of you who have cable providers who do not suck, you can catch his show on the Outdoor Channel.
Winning Battles, But Losing the War?
Tam talks about the Newbery Medal, which is presented for outstanding children’s books. Particularly of interest is the 1942 winner:
Thanks to a good friend, I have just finished reading the 1942 Newbery winner, a book entitled The Matchlock Gun. I can only shake my head and agree with my friend that this wonderful little tale would never survive in a modern children’s library. You see, from cover to cover the whole book would be deemed thoughtcrime in today’s America.
I can’t imagine it today either. First off, few people know what a matchlock gun is. Secondly, it’s entirely unPC. We don’t think favorably of militia service today, because it’s become associated with exploding federal buildings, thanks to the hysterical media, but back then, the idea was properly understood.
I do believe on gun rights, that we’re winning most of the political battles these days, but culturally, things aren’t what they used to be. We have a lot of challenges on that front, and it’s rough to make any progress with today’s media culture. What we can accomplish politically is dictated by the limits of the population at large, and the further we drift from stories like The Matchlock Gun, the harder it’s going to be to make real progress in restoring the second amendment back to its original meaning.