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Quote of the Day – LawDog (1/31/2013)

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And when it comes down to brass tacks, the individual is the only person ultimately responsible for his — or her — own safety. Part of that responsibility involves being able to defend your own self, with appropriate tools.

Gun control is denying you those tools in exchange for the nebulous assurance that the police will “do their best”.

“Doing their best” oft involves putting a toe-tag on your corpse and finding the guy that killed you so that he can plea bargain his way out of an extended sentence, but that’s gun control for you.

LawDog – Gun-Free does not equal Violence-Free
January 30th, 2013

[First, go read his whole post and watch the linked video.  That is by far the best example I have ever seen to show the complete and utter failure that gun-free-zones are.

Lastly, those paragraphs are the central point of this debate and you either admit this harsh reality, or you pretend that unicorn farts do exist and you want the force of state to coerce others into giving up their tools for non-existent unicorn farts.

This is the world our opponents want.  This is the world many of our elected representatives want to force upon us.  Make no mistake, they want the strong to prey upon the weak and they want the state to have a total monopoly on force.  -B]

Quote of the Day – Joe Huffman (1/30/2013)

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Any attempt at gun registration in the U.S. will result in massive non-compliance on a scale that will make alcohol prohibition look like first graders failing to stay in a straight line while waiting to go on recess.

Joe Huffman – Background Checks

January 29th, 2013

[That is the most accurate example I’ve seen because with what’s going on in New York it’s obvious he’s correct.

Now I hadn’t thought about a license endorsement and that would work on the condition that it was automatic.  Everyone who satisfied the requirements was automatically endorsed.

I’m not a fan of the background check BS, however if we’re going to get stuck with it, we need to find a way to make it work and remove the loopholes they’re trying to create.  Though the idea of a public number to conduct background checks could be interesting.

Daughter has a new boyfriend?  Time to check him out.  Going on a date?  Verify they’re not a felon.  The number of ways this could be misused gives a solution to the idea of them recording every last call to make a registry would be impossible.  For those of us in the security world, it’s yet another example of the bane or benefit of false positives, positive or negative depends on which direction you’re looking.

The drivers license solution would serve an additional benefit of replacing NICS and decreasing additional costs.  Your background check is renewed every time you renew your license.  There is the problem though of the Feds could say that a national ID card would be required for the endorsement and give them another foot in the door for “Real ID.”  No matter how hard you try, it’s a cut towards the freedom of the law abiding, criminals don’t care. -B]

Quote of the Day–Paul Barrett (1/27/2013)

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But only a small minority of cops practice diligently. “There’s this myth out there that all police officers are gun enthusiasts, and train like crazy and shoot all the time,” said Rutherford.  A dirty little secret of law enforcement is that many cops don’t take range time seriously.  And even in high-crime cities, the vast majority of officers go years, or even an entire career, without getting into a gunfight.  The average officer is a mediocre shot, or worse.

Paul M. Barrett – Glock The Rise of America’s Gun

Page 55

call5300

Image by Oleg Volk.

[First up, yes I’ve been slacking.  I’ve had this book for almost a year and have been distracted by reading other books.  I do need to come up with an efficient way to store and save quotes from books.  I started reading it just after Paul gave me a copy.  But it ended up being set off to the side and I picked it up and starting reading it again.  I’m glad I delayed it to the current political climate.  I’m going to have a small stack of quotes by the time I’m done.

It is worthy of note that Paul doesn’t sit really on either side of this debate.  He is educated on the subject due to the research for this book.  A book he wrote merely because he thought the growth and economic success story of Glock was interesting.  He’s right, it is an interesting story but one that is intertwined in politics.

Yesterday there was a “debate” on twitter and someone was throwing around the highly trained police argument again.  My video was dismissed as being biased and was implied to be unscientific.  Which is interesting because I provided all the information necessary for anyone to be able to recreate it.  Including the stage descriptions, the alterations made, why, and how the stages compared the LAPD stages.

There are some myths that just wont die.  I’m sure that this quote would be dismissed as being “biased” by this same individual.  Except this is the Rutherford providing the quote and commentary in Barrett’s passage.  is it really biased when police officers admit the “dirty little secret” as well?

People argue this point and refuse to admit they’re wrong for a couple of different reasons.

  1. It is the foundation for calling 911 and waiting for the police.  More training means they are better equipped to deal than yourself.
  2. They want to believe that the police are a superiorly trained force which allows them to feel safer.
  3. Their knowledge of firearms is 0 so police automatically gain a superior place in the knowledge department.  Everyone else is just like them right?

I’m sure there are other reasons, but we all know that you cannot rely on the police to come and save you.  That was ultimately decided by SCOTUS in Warren v. District of Columbia.  Not to mention your average police response is measured in minutes, not seconds.

You elected your officials because you trusted them to faithfully perform their duty and adhere to their oath.  I trust the people I love, one more than most, and that’s why I went out of my way to give her a gift for our wedding.

DSC00005

Image by Oleg Volk.

Our elected representatives however don’t trust you and want you disarmed.   They want to deprive you of a basic human right.  They want to make sure you are defenseless and reliant on the state for assistance from criminals.  They want you dependent and unable to revoke your consent in case of the event you deem that action as necessary.

Don’t fall for the lie.  Don’t believe myths with no evidence to support them.  Believe history and the lessons it teaches about civilian disarmament by governments.  –B   ]

Quote of the Day – Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson(1/26/2013)

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Had this protest been launched somewhere other than in the security-screening area, we would have a much different case. But Tobey’s antics diverted defendants from their passenger-screening duties for a period, a diversion that nefarious actors could have exploited to dangerous effect. Defendants responded as any passenger would hope they would, summoning local law enforcement to remove Tobey—and the distraction he was creating — from the scene.

Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson – Aaron Tobey v Terri Jones

January 25, 2013

[First here’s the background on the story.

A Virginia man who wrote an abbreviated version of the Fourth Amendment on his body and stripped to his shorts at an airport security screening area won a trial Friday in his lawsuit seeking $250,000 in damages for being detained on a disorderly conduct charge.

Now let me translate Judge Wilkinson’s quote for everyone.

Because our TSA agents and federal government so dislike those who disagree with the government infringing on personal liberties and freedom.  People should no longer have 1st Amendment protections to their ability peacefully protest the behavior of the agents infringing on their 4th Amendment rights.

The fact that our paid government agents would pursue and harass a man for an extra 90 minutes because he was willing to protest is evidence he should not be allowed to voice dissent.  The reason he shouldn’t be allowed is because it compounds the ignorance and inability for the TSA to do its job thus making it more likely that an agency who has a track record of catching absolutely no-one to catch even fewer.

Instead the people should just silently undergo their mistreatment and act like good cattle and just get on the cattle car to the slaughter.  That way the TSA can continue stealing peoples private valuables to sell to others while under the protecting folds of working for the US Government.

Still think this whole thing is still really about making us safer?  The government does nothing but destroy and trample the rights and liberties of some to make others somehow feel they are safer.  When in fact the TSA guy just waves terrorists right on through because it’s merely an illusion and nothing more.

Just remember, Judge Wilkinson obviously despises the 1st Amendment as much as he despises the 4th Amendment.  Thankfully his opinion was the dissenting one.  -B]

Quote of the Day – Jennifer (1/25/2013)

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There is one thing and one thing only that has proven time and time again to stop someone bent on violence. A gun. And I promise you that no amount of gun control legislation will ever eliminate them, it will just change who has access to them.  The thing you need in that moment where the law has already failed you, will only be accessible to criminals and representatives of the government (some overlap). Or do you really believe the criminals will just turn them in? Even if they did, that doesn’t really offer me a whole lot of comfort if I am staring down a 266lb criminal (the observant among you have already noticed that is twice my weight; a big guy, but not freakishly so). My husband is nowhere near that size, but he could easily overpower me physically.

Jennifer – In Is Not Gun Control; It Is Citizen Disarmament
January 24, 2013

[And that folks is the meat and potatoes of this debate. Criminals don’t obey the laws, and in a just world we wouldn’t even need laws. But we live in reality. The reality is that the laws work to constrain those who are good, while benefiting criminals who don’t care about the law as it is.

Anyone who cannot seem to understand this basic fact is disregarding how the law works.  They wish to do nothing more than criminalize those with opinions they disagree with.  They wish to criminalize those who would willingly defend themselves as others would wish to criminalize gay marriage or criminalize interracial couples.

Criminalizing those who have no ill intent towards society serves no purpose other than to quell dissent and remove those from society that you would disagree with.

And that my friends is their end game, even if it means sending us to camps in box cars, those who would take our arms have no problem doing that if that’s what it takes. -B]

Quote of the Day – Reed Exhibitions(1/24/2013)

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“It has become very clear to us after speaking with our customers that the event could not be held because the atmosphere of this year’s show would not be conducive to an event that is designed to provide family enjoyment. It is unfortunate that in the current emotionally charged atmosphere this celebratory event has become overshadowed by a decision that directly affected a small percentage of more than 1,000 exhibits showcasing products and services for those interested in hunting and fishing.”

“ESS has long been proud to participate in the preservation and promotion of hunting and fishing traditions, and we hope that as the national debate clarifies, we will have an opportunity to consider rescheduling the event when the time is right to focus on the themes it celebrates.”

President of Reed Exhibitions – Announcement Postponing ESOS

January 24th, 2013

[Let me translate for you.

It has become very clear to us after our customers have responded with such unity and clarity that our actions have destroyed this event.  Our taking a political stance obviously destroyed the family atmosphere and our goal to drive a wedge in between different parts of the sporting community has failed spectacularly.

We failed to understand or realize that gun owners and sportsman alike understand that they must hang together or must most assuredly hang separate.  In our attempt to double down on stupid after early negotiations it has become obvious that it has destroyed any reputation our show had remaining.  We were merely trying to discriminate against a few vendors and did not expect the majority of other vendors to stand up for them.

“ESS has long been proud to manipulate the preservation and promotion of hunting and fishing traditions to try politicize and destroy things Reed finds unacceptable.  We will have an opportunity to consider rescheduling the event because we know there are some still willing to do business with a bunch of political hacks.”

Bitter has more on the shutdown of the show.  Honestly I am glad to see the show shutdown but the political front is starting to heat up.  Time to write back in, though I must say we need to watch and watch closely.  I’m not sure what the best approach is, but if we’re going to get stuck with something, we need to get something out of the deal.  They have cake they can give up and by all means if they want compromise, lets make it a real one. -B]

The Internet is Forever

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So this goes along with my stupidity lasts post from yesterday along with how despicable and nasty the other side is.  You see, a particular jerk tweeted some nasty things at some friends of mine.  It was quite obvious he was attempting to stereotype gun owners in the classic sense.  Insulting my friend Erin in the process.

It devolved into him bitching about America and general nastiness, but then it became epic.  He left a tweet and I said, well I’ll screen shot it when I get home… Well he memory holed the bastard by the time I got there.  Bad news for him, it was still sitting in my browser this morning.

Here’s what was in his feed this morning:

Notice what tweet he sent down the memory hole.  Such a nice comment that, because you know wishing illness and death, a miserable one at that, on another human being is the mark of tolerance and willingness to coexist.  This is why they dislike firearms, they have no self-control and wish violence and hate upon others.  They project their behavior and attitudes onto everyone else and assume that everyone is like that.

I have no doubt that he would be more than happy to have his government eradicate those he deems undesirables with differing opinions.

As we say time and again, gun-control is bigotry, even gun controls roots very roots are racist, and this man is a shining example of it.  Don’t like “X” prevent them from having a gun so you can safely beat them up.  It’s kind of difficult to beat up and harass a minority when they can shoot you for trying.

Guess those on this side of the gun debate are horrible people for wanting to ensure that everyone has equal access to firearm and not discriminate on who has a right to armed self-defense and who does not.

When all you have is stereotypes and bigotry, you have no argument.

It Appears Big Companies Do Learn From Past Mistakes

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So via Sebastian I discovered today that both Ruger and Smith & Wesson have pulled out of the ESOS show.

There’s three parts to an apology and honestly I think both Ruger and Smith & Wesson just nailed the third part so hard its’ going into orbit.

It appears that the exhibiter is doubling down on stupid and going for broke.  Sadly it looks like they played the cards so they won’t feel the pinch this year.  Next year however no one is going to want to go to this pile of crap.  The controversy surrounding it is going to kill it.  Which honestly, if the company is anti-gun, may very well be their goal.

There are numerous other vendors pulling out, many of whom stand to take a financial hit for standing behind  gun owners.  Folks, that isn’t right, we should support them for what they have done and make the positive press they get from doing so actually count.

So, like Sebastian, I’m going to place an order from GUTNTAG, and honestly I think we need a list of all the companies who are pulling out to support us.  We need to spread the word far and wide and increase visibility.

So to any vendor for the ESOS show.

Please contact me if you are a vendor and are dropping out of the ESOS show and would like 6 months of free advertising on the website.  It isn’t much but every little bit helps.

Now as for the list, I would be more than happy to organize the list and post it, however I’m on the exact opposite coast and am a bit far from this loop.  If anyone wants to take point on this great, if someone wants to gather the info and bump it to me, I would be just as happy with that.

I am quite glad to see the outcome of this happening in a way that is amenable to gun owners and is a solid indication that, “No, we’re not going to negotiate, we’re not going to back down, and we’re not going to be bullied.”

And this just in, how stupid are they going? They’re going for full retard!

Due to Reed Exhibitions’ refusal to reconsider their decision to ban Modern Sporting Rifles from the February 2-10 Eastern Sports Show in Harrisburg, PA, the National Rifle Association has decided to withdraw from the show. We had called on Reed Exhibitions to reconsider their decision; unfortunately they have steadfastly refused to do so. As a result, the NRA will not be participating in the upcoming show in Harrisburg or in any other shows hosted by Reed Exhibitions that maintain this policy. We are disappointed that Reed Exhibitions has ignored the concerns expressed by attendees, the outdoor industry and the NRA in not reconsidering their position to ban the display of Modern Sporting Rifles.

Emphasis mine.  Yup, they just gave another example like Zumbo and others how not to approach the firearms community.

h/t Uncle on the NRA.