And Now A Word From The Opposition

Having gone from trying to beat Starbucks into submission, and failing, Paul Helmke of the Brady Bunch For The Prevention of Gun Ownership is getting his bleat on about the NRA.

What does he have to say? Well, you can read for yourself, here.

Keeping up with the whole 'NRA's all about letting terrorists have guns' thing, he tries to guilt the membership into supporting his point of view.

Supposedly taking a piece from the NRA's pledge in 1954, we get this little gem:

'I certify that I am a citizen of the United States; that I am not a member of any organization that has any part of its program the attempt to overthrow the government of the United States by force or violence; that I have never been convicted of a crime of violence and that if admitted to membership I will fulfill the obligations of good sportsmanship and good citizenship.'

Now, when I got my life membership last year (I upgraded to Endowment this year on the legacy plan) I got a copy of the Bylaws of the National Rifle Association.

Reading said bylaws, Article 3, section 1, paragraph b states:

'No individual who is a member of, and no organization composed in whole or in part of individuals who are members of, any organization or group having as its purpose or one of its purposes the overthrow by force and violence of the Government of the United States or any of its political subdivisions shall be eligible for membership.'

I don't see where the NRA has ever been about giving guns to terrorists. Either by selling them or giving them away. Nobody wants terrorists, or criminals for that matter, to have access to firearms. That said, what the NRA, and a lot of others don't much care for is putting somebody's name on a secret list and then denying them civil rights with no way or hope of ever getting off the super secret squirrel list. There's something about 'lists' that conjures up all kinds of bad history and memories; from the NKVD to the Gestapo to the Stasi to the KGB and the FSB, nobody wants their name on a list for no other reason than somebody, somewhere didn't like the way they looked or acted. Those kinds of things can get ugly in real hurry.

His other complaint, about the so-called 'gunshow loophole' or as he puts it 'loopholes that allow criminals to buy guns' is a tired old argument he's been at for some time.

His latest, though, is trying to equate NRA membership with militia membership. Now, knowing what the bylaws from 2009 and the pledge from 1954 say, I think he's trying to urinate up the long hemp object hanging from the ceiling. Reason I say that is, everyone I know of who hates the government also can't stand the NRA. Most, if not all, of them think the NRA is too squishy on gun rights for their tastes.

You know, the Prez may have been right. You've got to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourself. My wagon just happens to be the proverbial 800 lb gorilla in gun rights.

Much Ado About Parks Lately

Seems that with the passage of concealed carry in national parks where legal, there have been some, shall we say, issues.

First up, we have one Jerry Ruth. Mr. Ruth was on his own in Yellowstone NP and was attacked by a grizzly last month. Nearly losing his jaw in the fight, he shot and killed the bear with a .41 magnum revolver of undetermined manufacture. (My guess is it was a Ruger Blackhawk, but it may well have been a S&W Md 57, too.)

And now we have an incident in Denali NP in Alaska. Via the Fairbanks News Miner, we learn of a pair of hikers who had a run-in with a grizzly in a foul mood. What we know from the linked article is they used a .45 caliber pistol to defend themselves.

And in true hysterical fashion, we have an editorial from Anchorage high on emotion and rather short on logic or facts. Same with the commentors there. High on referenceto anatomical shortcomings, short on anything else.

Now, from what I have gleaned from discussions around the intertubz and with folks familiar with these types of situations is that neither cartridge is particularly suitable for large, pissed off bruin. While a .41 mag beats a .45 ACP, both beat a sharp stick hands down in fending off 1000 lbs of mad grizzly.

So now I have to ask, how would these situations ended had the ban on concealed carry not passed?

What An Evening!

One thing I like about my adoptive home town is they seem to attract semi-pro sports teams. We've run the gambit from a CBA team (the Thrillers), to Arena Football (the Red Dogs), and now we have a CHL team, the Rapid City Rush.

With the past history of semi-pro teams in the city, it's no wonder I haven't shown much interest in them: They don't seem to last very long.

That is until April 10th. That was the date I got to see my first professional hockey game. It was the first game of a 7-game series between our second year franchise, and a team from Bosier-Shreaveport, LA for the CHL Northern Conference Finals. A friend had an extra ticket for the game and asked if I'd like to go.

I used to like watching hockey, but that was back before the NHL lockout. (For the record, Av's all the way! There'll never be another Patrick Roy.) Hockey just fell off my radar. Oh, I'd check the box scores in the paper when I thought about it, but it wasn't a priority.

Then I actually went to a game. Man, what a rush (no pun intended). To say I've come back to the game of hockey is an understatement.

I missed the last two games of that series with Bosier City (which went to seven games, BTW) with an injury (not sports related), and I missed the first game of the Ray Miron Presidents Cup Finals. But I didn't miss last nights game 6. Funny thing, though. Of the 4 games I attended, 3 went to overtime, and the home club won all three, including last night.

My words can't describe what it was like last night, so I'll let the local press do that for me. What I can say, is that last night was probably the most non-firearm related fun I've ever had. Seeing your home team overcome a 3 goal deficit to force overtime (with 2 of those goals coming in the last 8 minutes of regulation to tie it up). Then almost two complete overtime periods. Over 110 combined shots on goal. All I can say is - DAYUM!

For those who have seen a hockey game live on any level, be it NHL, AHL, CHL, or collegiate, you know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't experienced a live hockey game, you don't know what you're missing!

Racists Prick With a Badge

I'm a normally easy going person. I don't get easily riled up about things, and it generally takes a lot to do so, but something I came across last night sent me from calm to really pissed me off in about 3.2 seconds, or as it is termed a 'RCOB' moment. For the uninitiated, that would be a 'red curtain of blood' moment.

First off, let me provide a warning. While I can (and often do) swear like a muleskinner in real life, I refrain from doing so here. This is an exception to that rule, and hopefully the only time I will have to do so.

Seems there's a retired federal agent who has issues with the minority classes in this country keeping and bearing arms. What lies ahead is going to be expletive filled, so be warned, it will be ugly.

I came across the site in question from two sources. David Codrea's War on Guns, as well as Mike Vanderboegh at Sipsey Street Irregulars. I won't link to the site, as Mike and David have already done so.

(I will admit, I could only make it through the first paragragh of the bile spewed at the site linked to by Mike and David. If you can stand it, head on over to either site and take a read from the link they provided, then come on back over and read on.)

Since this asshole is obviously such a man among men that he won't allow comments contrary to his pustulent bile to appear, I'll make mine here.

First off, where does this motherfucker get the idea that the right to keep and bear arms is a "caucasian" right? In the 220-plus year history of this country, we have fought around the world and on our own soil to provide freedom for those who didn't have or were threatened with losing it.

Here's my advice to you, fuckstick. Go have advanced aeronautical intercourse with a laterally motivated pastry. In other words, dickwad, go take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.

My wife is of Latin descent. To insinuate that because of her ancestry she is no more entitled to the same rights and privileges I enjoy as a head of lettuce shows that you have the intelligence and cognitive abilities of a pustulent boyle on the ass end of gangrenous, red-assed baboon.

The fact that this douchebag held a federal badge and was allowed to retire with what I'm assuming is a clean record pisses me off. As a taxpaying American, I helped pay this cocksuckers salary while he was on duty and now that he's 'retired' he's still leeching off the very tax money I pay. If he held these views for his entire career, then he should have been weeded out of whatever federal academy he went to and sent to work at a location more suitable to his views, like inspecting septic tanks in Death Valley.

I've spent the last 18 and a half years defending this country and the freedoms she provides. What galls me to no end is that dipshits like this are riding the coattails of the very freedom I help protect so they can tell everyone who'll listen that those freedoms aren't for everyone.

I've got one more piece of advice for you. Fuck You and the shetland pony you rode in on.

My BAG Day Gun

Not really a gun, but it's a Bulgarian AK 74 parts kit. So, while not a real BAG Day gun, it soon will be!

You Picked a Fine Time to Lead Us...

Also on the email front from family, this was also sent sent by a family member. With today being a T.E.A. Party tax protest day, I thought it would be appropriate, given the current politcal climate of the day.

Only Ones, Video Style

This was sent to me via email from a family member. It apparently shows the end of a bank robbery in progress in Detroit.

Can't verify if this real or not, the email says it does, but given the way things are in Detroit, it wouldn't surprise me.

What's In the Water In Omaha?

Soooo, they've had some shootings in Omaha. The Davis County and Omaha city governments response?

Why, lets have a 'Violence Prevention Week'. It'll be better than having a 'die-in' or candlelight vigil.

We can all hold hands, sing Koombayah, and practice tolerance. All at the same time. Yay!!!

Lets not go after the cretins who perpetrate this kind of violence or anything. That would be like, hard, and stuff.

As Say Uncle noted (with a twist): Call for a Violence Prevention Week; it's what you do instead of something.

More Like Him, Please

Picked this up today perusing the Algorians intertubez.

Seems the great state of Arizona got a little ahead of themselves recently. Used some shady deals to try to get a conviction and got slapped down for it.

Well, the target of prosecution isn't taking it lightly. He's filed a lawsuit seeking damages to his reputation and run through the ringer by a system looking to pin the gun problem in Mexico on someone.

I say go for it. Maybe when it starts hitting these people in the place it hurts most, the pocketbook, they will think twice about ruining someones life before they go off and demean them to the pubic at large.

Straight Out of the 'Only Ones' Files

Comes this little tid-bit from NY about a couple of firefighters who thought they had the magical powers of true 'Only Ones'.

(H/T to David Codrea of War on Guns for his Only Ones files.)

What A Day!!!

Today has been an interesting day, not so much for me, but for my wife.

First the good news. I took my wife down last week to apply for her CCP. Here in SD, it's $10 and a little bit of a wait. They tell you 3-4 weeks, but.....brace yourself for it......hers took exactly one week from application to permit arrival. Can you say 'Damn, that was quick!'?

Now for the great news. Right after I handed her the envelope with her new permit in it, she gave me something better. We are now expecting Little Hazmat. Due date is mid-November. Can you say 'Day-Um!'?

Can You Say 'Crappy Week'?

What a week. Outside of my wife's birthday and subsequent present, it was 'One Of Those Weeks'.

Started off a week ago yesterday by throwing my back out at 9 a.m. Kind of fun needing help to get out of chairs for two days.

Monday started at 5 in the morning with a 3 day exercise. One day of briefings and two days of play. Of that 60 hour period, I got about 15 hours of sleep. I didn't know what day it was until late Wednesday afternoon. Which, coincidentally, was the wife's birthday.

The rest of the week was going so-so until Friday when we discovered that the sofa-recliner I bought a couple of weeks ago was infested with bugs. So I sit here typing this on camp furniture.

Consulted the wife and we decided that we would get a brand new couch this time. We didn't think twice about the last one, as we've bought used furniture before and never had an issue. Before anyone asks, I didn't go down to the store and get up in their faces about it. I bought the couch knowing full well that it hadn't been professionally cleaned, hell it was discounted because of that fact. I did however, go down and let them know about it, just as a warning to be on the look out. They didn't offer, and I didn't ask for, my money back. I wouldn't have taken it anyway, as I bought the couch knowing full well that it hadn't been cleaned. I have lost a lot of things over the years, eyeglasses, ammo, even my wallet a few times, but not my integrity. In my opinion, something that important has somehow been lost over these last twenty years. (I will say that our carpets are so clean right now, you could probably eat off them.)

So. We go down to a reputable store to look for a new couch. We find it, it's great. It's got cup holders, a magazine rack built in, and it reclines to a nice comfy 'swallow you up and not let you go' angle. Plus, it's got what my wife refers to as 'butt magnet', whatever that means. To me, it's either comfy or not. She's got a whole formula worked out.

Anyway, we go to the salesman and go about buying said couch. He goes through and finds out that 'We don't have that model in stock'. Which elicits a double take from me. What do you mean, 'Not in stock'? It's sitting right over there on your floor and you don't have it in the back, all boxed up and ready to go? I can see having something in a sales circular not being in stock, national chains do that all the time. But not having something that's sitting on your own showroom floor? That's too much of a stretch for me. But, I'm trying to be a nice guy here, so OK, fine, how long are looking at here? It's in Denver, a couple of days, a week maybe? Nope. Better than that. One to three weeks, depending on when they get their next delivery from the head warehouse. Great. We get to sit and watch TV for the next one to three weeks on camping furniture, flippin' lovely.

Two upsides here, I guess. They're going to deliver the sofa to the house and put it wherever we want it (for an extra $40), and we get a 5 year warranty that covers any stain we can't get out (meaning they'll come to the house and clean it) for another $40.

Now that it's all said and done, between taxes and 'extras', I paid $800 for a new couch that was on sale for $678, $83 off what retail was.

Maybe this week will be better. I'm expecting my next Form 1 any day now. That would definitely makes things a little better.

The Big Surprise-High Standard Edition

As promised, I had a surprise to offer.

What was that surprise? Well, back at a funshow in January, I picked up a High Standard Crusader Compact. It was slightly(?) used and was in reasonably good condition.

After test firing it to ensure it everything was in somewhat good working order, I had some modifications in mind. Some were necessary, like replacing the recoil spring and rounding the bottom corner of the extractor to help in this department, as when I test fired the pistol, it had issues with getting the last round in battery.

Unlike the Delta, this one didn't need many mods. I had to replace the recoil spring, as I said above, but I also wanted to replace the grips and trigger. My thoughts of putting a different mainspring housing on it were dashed when I found out that the two I bought were each different in size than the factory original.

Some folks may like a parkerized finish, but not me. So, using the last little bit of DuraCoat I had left, I set about refinishing her. I will tell this, the pebble texture on the frame was pure-D-accident. I mixed the DuraCoat too think and it came out in globs. After I found the reducer, the consistency was much better and the slide was a snap to paint.

The only thing I had to send out was the barrel. There's a Wilson Combat pistol down at the funstore that has probably the coolest muzzle crown I've ever seen. So I had my smith put a 30* crown on the barrel. I mean, why pay $3000 for a Wilson Combat pistol with a really cool crown, when I can have the same thing for the cost of shop labor? (Which was $40, by the way.)

So, you may ask, what's the big surprise? Well, this little shooter is not for me. No, this little beauty is a birthday gift. For the most supporting, loving, and caring person I know. My wife.

(In the interest of full disclosure, since she puts up with me, this makes her the most caring and loving person I know.)

P.S. In case anybody's wondering, she absolutely loves her new little heater.

Sorry for the light posting

It's been murder at work the last couple of weeks, plus some minor health issues equal light posting over the last few weeks.


Although I do believe a little update is in order.


I am now an Endowment member of the NRA. Did the whole Legacy upgrade thing. Along with the Legacy upgrade, I also got my wife an annual membership, just to see how she'd like it. If I get another Legacy upgrade, I may upgrade her to Life member status.


I've also been busy with a special project for my wife. Can't give too many details away right now, but I'll guarantee she'll be blown away by it.


On the news front, mass murder and mayhem erupted Monday as gunslingers were allowed to carry concealed weapons in National Parks. At least that's what the Brady Bunch et al are saying. Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell has all the details.



Also on the legislative front, the editorial board of the Casper Star-Tribune gets it's paranoia on, by, well, I'll let them explain it themselves (hat tip to David Codrea for the link and the update). As a reminder (or a history lesson) this paper has consistently been against loosening gun laws in the state for the better part of 20 yrs. They were against may issue CC, then against shall issue CC, they fought tooth and nail to take the teeth out of the 'castle doctrine' bill that, while eventually passed, was a shadow of the original bill that was filed. Oh, and that National Parks thing? They were against that, too. And you wouldn't believe there postition on the two Firearms Freedom Acts introduced in the state legislature. But hey, at least they support the right to keep and bear arms, right?

Dan Wesson Commander Bob-Tail

Last week, I picked up a Dan Wesson Commander Bob-Tail 1911 in 10mm. Fit and finish on this little shooter is beyond head and shoulders above anything else I've ever owned or fondled.


The one issue I had with her was the lack of an ambidextrous manual safety. After a couple of days of snooping around, I found a Kimber stainless steel set up that looked like it would work perfectly. The downside was there were some small modifications that I would have to make to both the pistol and the parts.

First, I had to polish up the Kimber parts as they came with a matte finish. About 30 minutes with various grits of sandpaper from 240 grit all the way down to 400 got me about where I needed to be. To finish up, I used the Dremel with a polishing wheel with some jewelers rouge to put a final polish on things.


After that was completed, I had to disassemble the rear end of the pistol to remove the smallest pin. Part of the Kimber setup was a replacement pin that had a cut out on one side to accept the left side of the manual safety without the spur commonly found on standard ambidextrous safeties (see the bottom pic of my custom Delta).


(On a related note, I've disassembled every one of the six 1911's I own and have never had to go chasing the plunger pin and spring across the room. Note to self: If I ever do this again, keep a better eye on that little piece. They fly pretty good!)


When assembling a Kimber ambi-safety, put the left side in first, as you won't be able to get the left side safety onto the pin if you don't. Once that's in, everything else slips right into place ala the usual reassembly procedures. Fortunately, none of the mods I did today are irreversible. All of the parts I took off can be put back on the pistol, returning it to its factory original condition.


So, here's the before picture:

Here's the after pic:

Which should go well with my custom Delta Elite:

Not a bad little collection of 10's, is it?

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!

For my birthday 2 days ago, I went out an picked up my layaway from the local funstore.

It's a Dan Wesson Commander Bob-Tail in 10mm. Now, I'm not real big fan of stainless steel pistols, but this one grabbed my attention by the gnads and wouldn't let go. The action is tighter than any other semi auto I've ever handled or owned. Paid just over 9 bills to get her, plus the guys threw in two extra mags ( a SS colt and MecGar 8 rd mag). It's got the Trijicon night sights, and I was a little disappointed I couldn't find any biblical refernces in the SNs, bummer. Anyway, this brings the 1911 count to 6, and probably growing.

Something's Missing Here

From a report from Iowa, we get this headline:

'Women primary targets, as guns are most often used in Iowa domestic violence cases'.

Reading the article, I could find no mention of the use of firearms in these cases. It does indicate that men were the perpetrators in 94% of the cases, yet nowhere in the report does it mention the type of weapon used to commit these crimes. They also mention alcohol usage as a contributing factor, but again, nothing about guns.

Which leads to me believe someones trying to do something on someones back while the whole time telling them it's raining

South Dakota Firearm Freedom Act

In the interest of jumping on the 10th Amendment bandwagon, there is a bill in SD to follow in the footsteps of TN and MT.

SB 89 is the South Dakota version of these laws and would exempt any firearm, accessory, or ammunition made here in SD from federal oversight. While it doesn't go as far as the NH bill (which makes it a state felony for the feds to enforce federal firearms laws against weapons and accessories marked items marked 'Made in NH'), it's got it's own nifty little quirk (See below.).

I talked at length with one of the sponsors of this piece, one Gordon Howie (who is coincidentally running for Gov) at the last funshow two weeks ago.

I asked candidate Howie his position on Vermont-style concealed carry and he was all for it.

When I asked him whether the legislation he helped introduce was limited strictly to regular-type firearms and would restrict NFA-type guns, his reply was it would apply to ALL firearms manufactured in SD, not just your regular run-o-the-mill stuff.

Will this bill survive committee? We'll see. Given that the last legislative session saw an end to the idiotic 48 hr waiting period to purchase a handgun without a SD concealed carry permit, we'll see.

Will Mr Howie actually go anywhere against Gov Rounds? That too is a wait and see thing. It's still too early to tell, but I'm guessing Rounds will have very little opposition in either the primary or the general come election day.

UPDATE: Upon further reading of the proposed law, it would seem that Title 2 FA would not be included in the 'firearms made in SD' provision. Which really sucks.

UPDATE II: I just sent Senator Howie an email on this subject, and will await his reply.

Sir-

I talked with you at length at the Rapid City Rifle and Pistol Club gunshow on the 16th of Jan. I asked you specific questions regarding SB 89 and whether the law as proposed would affect NFA weapons. I guess I should have been more specific in my questioning.

I read the act in question and it does not exempt full auto weapons from the protections of this act. I would like to know if by 'all weapons' you meant all weapons except full auto weapons.

I await your clarification on this matter.

Respectfully,

Hazmat

I Must Be Important

Got a visit from the Brady Bunch the other day.

They didn't stay around very long and do any snooping around, but they did come directly here. Should be interesting.

Wow!!!!

That's all I can come up with for this.

The Kennedy reign in Mass. is now officially OVER!

Also on the breaking news front, a strange whirring noise was heard from Arlington National Cemetery as three Kennedy brothers collectively began spinning at 2000 rpm.

That is all.

Brady Gets Their Knickers In A Twist

It would seem the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has its panties in a twist over the supposed lack of reporting of "unstable mental patients" to "a national database".

What's the Brady position? Why, they think the state of Alabama, according to one Doug Pennington, "should not be finding ways to keep people out of the (database) system, the state should be finding ways to put them in".

Great, not that they don't have enough ways to potentially disqualify folks from being able to get a firearm, now the want the state to figure out new and creative ways to add more people to the 'mentally incompetent' roles. Evidently, the watch list thing isn't working out the way they planned, so they're jumping on any and all available means to justify their ends. No surprise, really, when you stop to consider the increasing irrelevance of their movement (tip o the old hat to Jeff Soyer at Alphecca for the link!).

A New Twist

On an old game. This may very well end up being one of things that comes on line and we wonder where the hell it's been the whole the whole time.

Not that I need much more reason to watch the Sportsman Channel.

I'm Back!

Sorry for the lapse in posting, I took a couple of weeks off for the holidays and forgot to come back. But I'm back now!

How's That Working Out For You?

An editorial in Lynchburg, VA bemoans the fact that the legislature there is taking up doing away with their one-gun-a-month law.

He has the audacity to complain the law in question has been so good at stemming gun trafficking, especially into NY, that it needs to stay in place.

Was he out to lunch a year or so ago when Mayor Mike Blowhard decided to 'sting' northern Virginia gun dealers in an effort to extort them into either shutting down or agreeing to abide by a 'code' that put up more hoops for the dealers than the NCAA has basketball teams, because the crime guns found in NYFC were from VA. This was such a big deal the legislature passed, and the Governor signed, a law that made it illegal to conduct these kind of 'stings' in VA in the future.

So, I ask the staff at the Lynchburg News Advance, how's that one-gun-a-month law working out for you?

Lady Liberty, R.I.P.

Seems the Senate Majority Leader, with 59 other accomplices, marched Lady Liberty out of the Senate chamber in the middle of the night, put a gun behind her ear, and pulled the trigger.

As it stands now, the ruination of our great land is at hand. This Congress and President have presided over the unprecedented take over of close to 70% of our economy. Between the takeover of two automobile manufacturers, countless banks and financial institutions, student loans, not to mention the looming cap and tax bill, our children will inherit a country so steeped in debt their great-grandchildren will still be paying the bills.

Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Saddam Hussein all are dancing a jig right now. What took them almost a century to fail to accomplish, this administration has accomplished in less than a year.

You know, my grandfather, rest his soul, once told me that this country was headed for another civil war. I fear his prediction may come true. For its entire history, armed revolution has always been a possibility in this country, but I fear it may now be certainty. There have always been three boxes we as Americans have been able to rely on. The soapbox, the ballot box, and the cartridge box. It's getting to the point where the first two are non-responsive, and the only option left is the latter.

I fear that day will come sooner rather than later, and I weep for what our once great country has become. So many people whose voices are as loud as any heavy metal concert are ignored by those who need to hear them most. Whose opposition to the direction this country has taken are not only ignored, but are routinely discounted as 'nut jobs, wackos, and extremists'. The pot is boiling, and if things don't change and soon, that pot will boil over.

Important Update on The Crappy Day

Bail has been set at $25k for our getaway driver who had a crappy day.

I couldn't imagine, that's gotta be one hell of an expensive pair of drawers.

Talk About a Crappy Day...

Saw this on my hometown rag's website this morning and couldn't pass it up.

There are soooo many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to begin. I guess, when you're caught in the middle of ripping someone off, first you say it, then you do it. But then again, it was a crappy day for all involved.

I wonder, when she was first pulled over, if he didn't ask "I smell something," to which she replied, "You ought to, you've done scared the crap outta me."

Getting off the phone with my folks, I guess her picture was all over the front page of the paper tonight. No escaping this now....

Fun With Idiots

Over at the Observer-Reporter of Washington, PA, their crack editorial staff is all worked up over the "availability" of 'assault weapons'. Putting aside the horrendous murder of the cops int he piece, tragedies all in their own right, I want to focus on the crux of the argument.

The piece bemoans the lapse of the Violent Crime Act of 1994 in 2004. What this piece doesn't tell you is that this law did nothing to stem the flow of alleged 'assault weapons'. They were, and are, still available for sale in most areas of the country. What changed in 2004 was that what was banned in '94 was now allowed; namely bayonet lugs, threaded muzzles, and folding/telescoping stocks.

When the Department of Justice and National Institutes of Justice studied the effects of the ban, they found that while these weapons uses in crime were a virtual statistical anomaly before the ban, the resultant decrease in crimes committed with them during the ban wasn't even calculable.

Another part of the ban that went away was the ban on standard capacity magazines, capping them at 10 rds for pistols and rifles, and 5 rounds for shotguns. Now, depending on where you're at, magazine capacities are limited to 5 rds in rifles, like here in South Dakota for instance. While across the state line in Wyoming, there is no such restriction. One can hunt with a 30 rd mag or a 75 rd drum if they're so inclined. (I must add that I have hunted in WY with a 30 rd mag, unfortunately, I wasn't able to bag anything, much to the delight of the anti-gun/hunting forces out there.) In those states that have magazine restrictions, they do make 5 rd hunting mags specifically for that purpose, so you can go out and hunt with your SKS, Saiga, AK, FAL, or heavy caliber AR without getting into trouble.

Sometimes, you can't make this stuff up.

Update: Authorized Journalist Who Gets It

A few days ago, I linked to an editorial from Bill McKewen, a reporter for the Fresno Bee who had an awakening.

We have an update to the story. Seems our intrepid reporter plans to follow through with his plans to not only buy a gun, but get his concealed carry permit from the good sheriff to boot.

His neighbors are all in a tizzy about it, telling him to move back to his old neighborhood so he can be safer. Of course, as part of his awakening, he's discovered that ancient American trademark individualism and is stying put. Good on him for not being cowed by the hand wringing of his 'neighbors'.

It will be interesting for follow ups, as he has also been invited to shoot "assault rifles". Maybe by the time his awakening is complete, he'll know about the lies surrounding semi-automatic rifles that look scary.

Weird News Day Yesterday

First up is an article from the Rapid City Urinal about an accused kiddie pornographer convicted and sentenced for, get this, buying pot from some under aged kids and getting the book thrown at him for providing mary ju auna to minors. Can't make this stuff up.



Next is an article from the national desk about some gang bangers who made a critical mistake in their victim selection process. Not catastrophic, as nobody was ventilated, but you've got to wonder about a criminal who targets someone to car jack and then finds out it's an off duty Pittsburgh cop.

OMG! Gun Laws Loosened! OMG

That's the gist of this reprint from Fox News. The piece does a fairly good job of highlighting some of the gains around the country at the state level, as well as some at the national level.

But when we get to Kristen Rand of the VPC, we see someone coming down with a case of the vapors.

"They shoot each other over parking spaces, at football games, and at family events", Rand said.

The AP goes even further, explaining that their recent 'studies' on CCP holders committing crimes is growing concern.

A Violence Policy Center project has mined news reports to find that more than 100 people have been killed by holders of handgun carry permits since 2007, including nine law enforcement officers. The project originally intended to list all crimes committed by permit holders, but there were too many to keep track of, Rand said.

I love that part about using only 100 incidents because there were "too many to keep track of". I'd like to see all of these 'incidents' she's referring to. Bear in mind that many of the incidents they probably discarded were law-biding permit holders defending themselves against attack. Much like Mrs. Donna Jackson of Oklahoma. (Special tip o the hat to Kevin Baker for the link!) Or that permit holders commit crimes ate a much lower rate than the general public. But that never stopped the VPC from getting themselves worked up into a lather before.

My favorites of the piece are about Tennessee's new laws on guns in parks and in restaurants that serve alcohol. (See Uncle's round up of the circus, here.) I mean, really? They've got all these people in TN to interview on these topics and they come up with two seniors, aged 69 and 71 respectively, to comment on these two laws? Not knocking the senior citizen crowd here, but couldn't the AP have gotten someone a little younger to puff and crow about these two laws? I'm sure there's no shortage of lefties in Memphis or Knoxville, or Murfreesboro, or somewhere who have something to say about it.

The Times Just Can't Get Over Itself

In keeping with the predominant theme for today, we continue on with our 'deny due process' theme by bringing you an op-ed from the New York Times.

They too can't believe that because your name may appear on a super secret list that you have no way of knowing you're on and have no way of getting it off, you should be denied a basic civil right.

While they are correct that you can be barred from boarding a plane if your name appears on this 'list', you have no constitutional right to fly on a privately owned aircraft. Your right to move freely hasn't been abridged, although it may have been cramped a little. No, they use this argument to push the idea that because the government thinks you can't be trusted to walk down a jetway you can't be trusted to own a firearm.

43,533,000 NICS checks were run during the time frame mentioned (2004-2008) in the linked piece. Of those 43.5 million checks, 676,000 (or 1.5%) were denied for a myriad of reasons. The Times claims 963 people who appeared on the watch list attempted to purchase a firearm (98 of whom were declined, or 10%) and were not blocked. Now, if I crunch the numbers here, those 963 people represent a statistically insignificant amount of overall background checks conducted between 2004 and 2008.

So according to the NYT, a statistical anomaly is reason enough to screw the law-biding out of a civil right without due process. But suggest that they should have to register their keyboard, and LOOK OUT!

An 'Authorized Journalist' To Be Commended

You know, there are quite a few 'authorized journalists' out there who don't get it, and quite frankly never will. They will editorialize all day long about the evils of guns and the people who own them.

But Bill McKewen seems to have seen the light. In Kalifornia of all places. It sounds like he lives in an area of the state that still respects the rights of the law biding to do what's right. The County Sheriff seems to understand what's at stake, when they say "a society is safer when responsible people bear arms." She not only understands, but actively supports it. Carrying permit applications in her car? Wow! Is this really Kalifornia?

It's nice to know that there's some sane people in Kalifornia, and maybe there's hope yet for that state. We can talk about the 'assault weapons' thing later, but knowing that someone who used to carry the water for the Brady Bunch et al has come around is too good to pass up.

I Loves Me Some Gun Control...NOT!

So the Washington Post is all atwitter about Mayor Bloomberg's latest 'poll' that says that it's the NRA's leadership that is holding up sensible gun laws. You know, the kind of laws that always seem to put out the law-biding but never seem to have any kind of effect on those that break the law. As Say Uncle would say, gun control is something you do instead of something.

Funny, I never got a call.

To answer the question, no. I do not support giving guns to terrorists. However, I also don't believe that because a name appears on a mythical watch list that everybody knows about but nobody's seen should disqualify anyone either. We have a tradition in this country of a thing called 'Due Process'. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure there has to be something done in a court of law before your rights can be revoked. What this evokes is the lists from 1930's Germany where you were placed on a list and you didn't know it until you got a knock on the door from the neighborhood Gestapo agent with his good buddies in black uniforms with neat little skull and crossbones on the cap and twin lightning bolts on the collar.

Never mind the 'gunshow loophole'. That's been covered ad infinitum across the gun blogosphere. But the ability to deny a civil right simply because your name appears on a secret list, that's downright scary. I don't care how many 'gun owners' they find to trick into answered the question their way.

Somebody Fogot to Tell Him His Side Lost

Seems the Bangor Daily News employs an intellectual power house by the name of Ken Horn. Mr. Horn's big complaint with the second amendment is that it doesn't apply to the little people, but only those who fall into that golden category of "Only One" (h/t to David Codrea for his ever expanding 'database').

His piece is a vertibable cornucopia of anti-gun memes. National Guard is the militia? Check. Less guns equals less crime? Check. Restricted access to certain scary looking rifles? Check. Law-biding gun owners responsible for arming criminals? Check.

I won't go through the piece, the fine Mainers who frequent the BDN already beat me to it. Pay particular attention to commenter 'PECRockland'. He does a pretty decent job of hamstringing the "intellectual" Ken Horn all by himself.

Sometimes Their Pet Laws Bite Them In The A...

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has its knickers all in a knot over access to Brady/NICS information. They postulate that had there been something in place, the terrorist at Ft Hood wouldn't have been able to do what it was he did.

So what do they do? They reprint an op-ed from the Washington Post that was published almost a week ago (28 Nov, WP, vs 3 Dec, AJC). Oh, they were cute about it and changed the title and all, but hey, why write your own when you can dust off somebody else stuff and pass it off as brand-spanking new.

Sebastian over at SIH did a pretty thorough job of destroying that argument here when it first appeared on the Wa-Po.

The one thing I would add is that none of what they want (or currently have) would have stopped this, short of locking the nut case up when he first hit radar screens. (Any guesses as to how that would have gone over with the ACLU crowd?) Having a purchase flagged and denied because of somebodies suspicion smacks of jealously. I think the AJC wants a quasi-intelligentsia apparatus reminiscent of the Stasi or the KGB and are pissed because they can't have it...yet.

Trip Report

Well, ye olde Savage is now certified. Went out hunting white tail with my father in law Thanksgiving Day. Bagged a flat-top buck at about 40 yds using 150 gr Remington Core-Lockt ammunition.

We first got eyes on him on a hill side about 75 yds away. Couldn't quite make him out as my tag was for any anterless deer (relax, it wasn't until we started cleaning him out that we discovered our 'doe' was a slick top buck; and besides, the regs said any male or female deer without antlers) and I wanted to verify what I had. I started moving towards him and he turned and walked down into a creek bed.

Thinking he might get away, I started moving towards the creek. Next thing I know, he's 40 yds away looking right at me. At this point I could clearly make out there weren't any signs of horns on his head. I slowly knelt down and assumed my shooting position: kneeling, supported off of one knee and waited for him to turn either left or right so I could get a clean kill shot. He turned to my left and it was all over with but the crying.

Shot went in through the front part of his left shoulder and exited behind his right shoulder and down he went and didn't take another step.

When it was all said and done, I got about 30 lbs of meat out of it, not including heart and liver, which are all bagged up, intact, in my freezer as we speak.

A New Yorkers View On Us Little People

There are soooooo many things wrong with this article I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start out at the beginning and go from there.
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Our New Yawker starts off with what seems like a tribute to veterans and then devolves into the War on Terror (clue to Mrs Rubin, there's no more War on Terror, it's an overseas contingency operation, didn't you get the memo?) and telling everyone the NRA is in the midst of it's own 'War of Terror'. I'm sorry, did you just assert that a specifically enumerated Constitutional right is the source of 'terror' in the United States? Did I read that right?
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"This Veterans Day, above all, has demonstrated that the US War on Terror and the NRA's War of Terror have consequences."

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Yup, I guess I did. She then goes on to equate being a veteran with being a mass murderer. So I guess, myself and the MILLIONS of men and women who have served this country for periods from 2 yrs to 40 yrs are now murderers in the making. I mean Timothy McVeigh was a vet right? So was the DC Sniper. I guess that seals it, doesn't it.

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Then we find out that on any given night, 130,000 veterans are homeless. After going from the Iraq/Afghanistan war to all veterans is a bit of a stretch. I'm pretty sure that most of the personnel who have deployed in support of OIF/OEF are not homeless by any stretch of the imagination. But hey, if it helps get your point across, who am I to get in the way, right?

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"At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been charged with a killing after returning from the war.

On any given night says New Jersey Senator Menendez, 131,000 veterans are homeless, of which 10,000 are in New York City and northern New Jersey. Indeed, one-fourth of all homeless in America are veterans "home" from the war."

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But now we get to the meat of this hit piece. See, we can't blame the Muslim terrorist who shot the hell out of Ft Hood, no we have to blame everything and everyone else except the turd who did the shooting. See, it can't be his fault because he had 'secondary post traumatic stress disorder' From Charles Krauthammer:

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"After all, secondary PTSD, for those who believe in it (you won't find it in the DSMR-IV-TR, psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistics manual), is known as 'compassion fatigue'."

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It seems Mrs Rubin thinks this shooting was the result of a failure of policies, namely 'gun control'.

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So the shooter walked into a gun store, after the investigation of him by the federal powers-that-be decided not to investigate him further, and bought a Fabrique-Nationale Herstal 5.7x28mm pistol. Which is still a perfectly legal action in every state in the union (although it's becoming a major PITA in some, namely New Joisey). A pistol, our intrepid editorialist assures us is a 'cop killer'. Never mind that not one single cop has been killed with it, that the ammuntion that made it a 'cop killer' is not legal for any civilian to own, and the 5.7x28 is ballistically comparable to a .22 mag, but the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership says so, so it must be true. Don't believe me? Just ask them, they'll tell you.

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She also goes on to draw the line that this bloodbath would have been averted if that stupid George Bush and that dastardly Republican congress hadn't allowed the 1994 assault weapons ban to expire. Because as we all know, the pistol used by the shooter would have been illegal, right? Well, maybe the 20 round magazine would have, but not the pistol itself. According to her, all these mass shootings since 2005 can be laid directly at the feet of the expiration of said ban.

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The rest is typical screed from tired old talking points. At this point, I've given more attention than I probably should have to begin with. If you want, go on over and check out the rest. But I'm warning you, don't have anything light and easily throwable or had anything to eat. You're liable to throw something or lose your lunch after you read it.

Another Educated Idiot

From the stately confines of the University of Indiana comes Josh Kraus, critical thinker extraordinaire and future something-or-other.

Young Josh's editorial in the student paper seems to indicate he's in total lockstep agreement with all the other anti-gun zealots in that he doesn't think his fellow students are trustworthy enough to protect themselves with the effective tools available because, as he states so eloquently "college campi are special places where hormones rage, academic demands loom, and substances beckon."

What our intrepid editorialist has conveniently forgotten is that these same hormone infested, stressed out, and drunk classmates of his can do what he advocates against after they cross some magical boundary that divides the real world from his 'special place'.

Fact is, with forced disarmament on college campuses around the country, it's not hard to find examples of crimes committed against students on campus either by fellow students or total strangers not affiliated with the college. Virginia Tech is but one example.

Now, nobody is advocating that ALL students be armed, but get real. There are hundreds of students at any given campus who are CCW permit holders who, given the chance, would carry to and from class on a daily basis and no one would be the wiser. I don't know how many times I've had to get in someones behind because they were just sure that when a gun law was loosened, there would be blood in the streets or people getting shot for asinine things like parking spots.

Reality is, those things that have always been predicted when gun laws are loosened have turned out to be wildly overstated fantasies of those who did the predicting.

Perhaps young Josh should concern himself with getting a good education and stop worrying about lawful people carrying lawful concealed weapons. He'll sleep much better at night.

Oh Boy, Here We Go...

From across the pond comes an interesting item. Seems the folks at FN Herstal over in Belgium have developed a tattle tale for your gun. The version they talk about appears to fit in the grip of a standard AR platform, but can be adapted to any gun.

Now, your local constabulary can stop you and plug your gun into their little "reader" and be able to tell exactly where you've been, what you shot, where you shot at, and what you had for breakfast for the last 3 days (ok, I made that last one up).

This ought to give you pause. As is hinted at in the article, the limits to this technology are scary. This is what they've been waiting for. Smart gun technology. The only thing missing is the remote off switch so if you don't have 'permission' to use your weapon, you won't. You can bet it won't be far away.

Custom Delta Elite Part II

Took the Delta out yesterday (Sunday) to make sure everything functioned. Had some issues with the manual safety and the trigger was giving me fits at the range.

Got her home, completely shucked her down to the frame and made sure everything fit correctly. In doing this, I fixed the issue with the manual safety and the trigger.

The last thing to do was to ensure the tang blended correctly with the grip safety and make sure the right side of the manual safety wouldn't dig into the web of my shooting hand. Man, it didn't break the skin, but it sure hurt like hell.

The last thing mechanically I've got to do is knock the tops off the hammer and sear pins to ensure the right side of the safety sits flush to the frame and do a little more custom fitting so that manual safety doesn't get me any more.

Then for the aesthetics, I've got a set of Night Hawk grips coming for her to finish her off.

A Little Custom Work

Last spring, I restored a 1944 Remington Rand 1911A1 to its former glory as a warrior's pistol.

This got me to thinking about maybe tackling something a little more complex. Well, last month I got a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm. One thing I don't like about standard Colt 1911s is the grip safety. The way it's configured doesn't lend itself to my shooting style, which is to get as high as a grip as I can and then some. I tried this grip style on my RR 1911 only once, and I've got the scar on the web of my left hand for the effort.

Obligatory before pic

This is what led me to make my first attempt at customizing a 1911. I got the parts from Ed Brown (no paid advertising or anything here FCC) last week and set out today to make my project come to life.

What I got from Ed Brown was:

Beavertail grip safety w/memory pad
Commander-style hammer
Sear and disconnector
Flat checkered main spring housing w/mag well
Ambidextrous safety
Main spring

The trigger is from STI and is polymer. It required a little bit of custom fitting to make sure it cleared everything. This was the very first thing I did when I started. I figured I'd start easy and work my way up from there.

The one part I was most worried about was the beavertail grip safety, as this required firing up the old Craftsman bench grinder. I took me a couple of minutes to make up my mind if this was what I really wanted to do. It was, and I did.

Roughing in the grip safety

Following the instructions included with the jig I bought, I got the grip safety roughed in, then spent the next hour working with various jewelers flat files to get everything to fit right. The one thing that guided me in this part was the fact I didn't want to take too much material off and ruin my project before it ever got off the ground. In fact, I was downright paranoid about it.

Then I spent the next couple of hours (ok, more like 4 or 5) getting everything to fit right. The only thing I really had any problems with was getting the new ambidextrous manual safety to fit. I think I disassembled and reassembled the guts of the Delta Elite about 35 or 40 times checking fit and cussing when things wouldn't go back together the way they were supposed to.

The finished product

After all that, I finally got everything finished, put back together and function checked. Man, I'm good. This turned out way better than I had any right to expect. I look at her and I almost don't want to shoot her. But shoot her I will, probably tomorrow. I can't wait to check out that STI trigger. Just dry firing a couple of times for function, it's wayyyyy better than the stock job. I can't wait.

A New Addition

Gots me a new member of the family today, a Colt Mark IV, Series 80 Delta Elite 10mm. Picked it up for a song via Gunbroker last week, if you call $800 for an early model 4 digit serial number Delta Elite a song, and she arrived at the funstore this morning.

Took her, and my wife, out this afternoon to test fire the new pistol and expose my wife to shooting large bore semi auto handguns.

First, the Delta Elite. Shot to point of aim at about 60 ft, no issues with feeding or ejecting. Matter of fact, ejection was pretty, shall we say energetic. Unlike my Ultra Raptor which seems to hit me 3 times out of seven somewhere on my head with dead brass, this one was up and over my head and out about 10-15 ft behind me to the right. I didn't put out any paper, as this was a shakedown cruise, just to feel her out. In the coming days, I'll be upgrading some things on her like grip safety, mainspring housing w/mag well, trigger, hammer and sear, ambidextrous safety, main spring, and disconnector. I'll post how things go as I go.

Now Mrs Hazmat. This being her first time shooting large bore semi autos, I was worried, but not too terribly, as she's done excellent with her Mosquito, my CZ 50, and the two .25 ACPs she's shot. I don't know why I was even worried in the first place, as everything she's shot that had a little kick to it rifle-wise she ate right up. But she ponied up to the bar so to speak, and shot my XD .40 sub compact, the Ultra Raptor, and the new Delta. Of the three she shot tonite, she didn't much care for the XD as it had too much muzzle flip for her tastes. I think maybe a 9mm or a standard sized .40 might be a better fit for her in that department. She didn't much care for the Delta, as it had a little too much snort for her. She did, however, take a substantial liking to the Ultra Raptor. I'm thinking that there may be a compact .45 in her future, that way she won't be running off with the Raptor when I'm not looking.

The next thing we're going to work on is getting her CCP. Fortunately, here in South Dakota, it's not too much of a hassle. $10 and a trip to the county sheriffs department and she'll be all set.

A Little Soul Searching

With all the hoopla over what happened yesterday at Ft Hood, I've held off commenting on the incident out of respect for the families of those who were casualties of the shooting.

But the more I read about it, the more I can't help but wonder why this doesn't happen more often. I mean every US military installation in the world is a "gun free zone". The only people who are allowed to 'carry' weapons on base (besides the base cops [civilian and contractor] and resident OSI/CID/NCIS special agents) are those who live in base housing, and only then they are allowed to 'carry' it from their house on base to the range or wherever they're taking the weapon and back. There is no concealed carry on base. Did I mention that everyone who lives on base must resgister their weapons with the base?

I found this out the hard way as one time I was going on base and had forgotten to remove my regular concealed carry piece from under the drivers seat of my truck. As luck would have it, I got stopped at the gate for a random vehicle search, and they found it for me. When I handed them my CCP, I was politely, but tersely told that my permit was not valid on base.

Now, I can bring a firearm on base, but it must be unloaded, cased, and the ammunition cannot be stored close to the weapon in question. Which kind of negates the whole defensive firearm aspect of concealed carry, don't you think?.

My initial reaction to what I was told was not for my defense while on base, but for the time I spend commuting to and from the base. I make a couple of stops coming and going from base and it's at these locations that I get nervous about not having my carry piece on me. I never dreamed (although I should have) that I may need it on base. This whole mess has me rethinking my threat-based decision-making paradigm.

That's not to say I haven't done it in the past. I teach foreign weapons familiarization and when transporting $25k worth of firearms, I'm not going to do it unarmed. It's the same mindset that goes with transporting military arms. When you have so many, the courier must be armed. I'm the same way. There's no way I'm going to give up $25k worth of firearms without a fight, I don't care who you are.

So this has me thinking, just how far do I want to push the issue?

Lock N Load

Saw a couple of the episodes of the new Showtime series Lock N Load. Eye opening, at least to the antis, but not really any surprise to folks who go into gun stores on any kind of basis.

What strikes me about the series is these are just regular people walking into a gun store. Some have never been around firearms before, some have mediocre experience and some are life long gun owners. This includes men and women, boys and girls. I would venture a guess that you could probably duplicate this series in just about any gun store in the country.

And it's not just life in the store. On last nights episode, the owner/proprietor goes out shooting with a couple of kids, shooting both .22 rifles and pistols. Good on him. In the other episode I saw, he got his butt kicked shooting clays with what he thought was some broad who walked into the store, but who turned out to be the Grand Poo-Bah of ladies shotgunning.

After watching these two episodes, I think if Showtime puts this out on DVD, I might have to pick it up, since I personally don't have Showtime at home. And I would encourage those who think gun stores are the den of evil incarnate on Earth to watch a couple of episodes, you might learn something.

A New Term

Whilst out trying, in vain I might add, to do my part to decrease the elk population of Wyoming, I stumbled onto an epiphany of sorts.



One night while sitting around the tent imbibing some of Adolph Coors' master works and discussing the problems of the world in general, and the state of American politics in particular, with my father and brother, I came to a sudden realization.



I am not a Conservative.



I am not a Libertarian.



I am not a Republican.



What I am is a Fundamentalist American.



What does it mean to be a Fundamentalist American? Well, first off, I have a deep appreciation and love for America, what it means to be an American, and a belief that we are in fact a decent and moral nation.



I believe what the Founders put down on paper, both in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution, is how it's supposed to be. That the "Living Document" argument is a stupid one. The writers and framers of the Constitution put in place a mechanism to change it and using the courts to do the dirty work to change portions that they either don't like or have to clout to change on their own is as they say, chickensh*t.

That rugged individualism isn't just some nifty little catch phrase, it's what made America what it is today. People like my grandfather who survived the Great Depression doing jobs that most modern Americans squish and squirm at doing as "beneath them", and who went on to do great things. Not great things in the sense he invented something and became rich and famous, but great things like helping to build a small northeast Wyoming cow/jerk water town into something besides a cow/jerk water town.

Or the man who was larger than life when I was growing up. A Mountain Man. Real life, no kidding mountain man named Timber Jack Joe. I met the man growing up, he was an icon in Wyoming lore, harking back to the days of Jim Bridger and Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith. He was not a"re-enactor", but a man who believed in all his heart in rugged individualism.

I believe in what I was taught from a young age: that you are responsible for you, and not anyone else. Seeing as now we get a constant barrage of being our brother's keeper and that somehow, propping up failure is a noble thing. Failure is just that, failure. That is how life is lived. If you don't fail, you don't learn. Doing the same tired things over and over and expecting different results each time is, to put it mildly, stupid.

So there it is, my epiphany. Fundamentalist Americanism. I'll add more on the subject in the days and weeks to come, but for now, I thought I'd share this with everyone, just to get it off my chest.

I'm Baaack!

Well, another hunting trip has come and gone and the elk population of south-central Wyoming is still intact. Skunked again. But at least this time I got to SEE elk (two cows and a calf, although their siting was a complete accident), as opposed to most every other time when it's just a vicious rumor they're there.

On the plus side though, I got to spend some quality time with my father and my younger brother. And, even though we didn't get any elk, we did manage to kill a rather sizable quantity of beer.

I'll try to post some pics of our home away from home for the past two weeks so everybody can see what we were up against.

I'm Off...

No, really. I'm off to attempt to thin the elk population of south-central Wyoming for the next two weeks.

I'm taking my Savage 10GLXP3, my M1A, and my brand spanking new 4" S&W Model 57. And just to make sure the anti's have enough to slobber over, I'm also taking my new Draco pistol with me. What I love most about Wyoming laws is they have no magazine restrictions. So I'll also have two 30 rd Polish polymer mags filled with 154-gr soft points. Why? Because I can.

Anyway, I'll post the outcome when I get back.

TTFN!!!

What A Day

It's been a good last 24 hours. I've received my Utah carry permit in the mail and the Galco holster for my 4" Model 57 Smith arrived yesterday.

On a related note, what the hell is up with the availability of .41 mag ammunition and components? I mean, if you listen to all the gun writers, nobody likes the .41. It doesn't have the snort of the .44 and it's not as sexy as the .357. If you listened to the writers, nobody should have them.

Evidently, someone forgot to tell everyone ELSE. 'Cause loaded ammunition is almost as easy to find as hens teeth, and components, well jacketed bullets anyway, are almost as easy to locate as the loaded ammunition.

Sheesh.

Gura on Beck

Noted attorney and 2A hero Alan Gura is presently on Glenn Beck's TV show talking about the Chicago gun ban case that was just granted cert. by the USSC.

They just finished talking about the particulars of the case, and are getting ready to start talking states rights on the issue when they return from break.

My take on this is that while the 2A was originally binding only on the fedgov, with passage of the 14th amendment, right or wrong, it should be binding on the states.

Anyway, they're back on now....

Gura's take: Same as mine. 14th amendment provides for application to the states.

This should be an interesting case. If the SC finds for Gura et al, then that opens up a whole can of worms all around the country. From NYFC and the Sullivan Law to Denver and their idiotic AWB, to Massachussets stupid gun laws and all points in between. The coming months should fun.

Lack of Posting

Sorry for the lack of posting around here, I've been a little under the weather the last few days.

After the September gun show here in lovely Rapid City, I was stricken with a blood clot in my left leg. Hats off to all the people involved who helped get me back on my feet (literally). The imaging people in radiology, the interventional radiologist, the ICU staff and all the folks who put up with my grumpy behind the 6 days I was bedridden.

And a special thank you to Mrs Hazmat who was there through the whole thing, from my initial appointment until I was released, sleeping in a sorry excuse for a recliner in my room while I recuperated. All the while trying to keep me from throwing things around the room and being a general PITA.

With the current debate over health care in this country, I can't help but wonder how long I would have had to suffer before I was "allowed" to receive treatment for this malady if the Chosen Ones health care plan was in place...

He's Baaaaack!!!!

Via Bruce at mASS Backwards, comes news that one of my favorite bloggers is returning to the intertubes. Kim DuToit and his wife Connie are starting an internet radio show, details here.

Man, that's great news. I can't wait!

More Yale In The News

Seems a student at the Yale School of Medicine is in hot water because he had a couple of drinks and got lippy.

Seems that in CT, a person can have their home searched without probable cause because of something that was said.

Now, knowing how the media loves to accurately portray gun owners, their mention of "assault rifles" and "sniper rifles" seems a little over the top.

And the commentors on the story are typical of the Northeastern liberal mindset; freedom for me, but not for thee.

Illegal Guns, What????

Seems Mrs. Joanne Hafter has a problem with illegal guns. I've been around guns my whole life, been an active gun owner and self proclaimed gun nut for the last 6 yrs, and I have yet to see an illegal gun at a gun show. Now I've seen a few real illegal guns, some rifles that were illegally modified contrary to the National Firearms Act. Read: illegal post-May 1986 sample machine guns. And those were seen in stores where I pointed out to the staff what they had and what they needed to do with them. I know they were taken off the shelf, but what happened to them after that I have no idea. Then there's the illegal short barreled rifle, and the gun with a filed off serial number. These I've never seen, but the SN issue has come up in recent news.

Another thing I have an issue with are the so-called "kits that enable legal weapons to become illegal". See, I've bought several "kits" over the last couple of years to build up my collection of politically incorrect semi-automatic rifles; rifles that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to acquire (or afford) through any other means. I've built Yugoslavian, Russian, Hungarian, Polish, and Bulgarian rifles in configurations that would have cost me over 100% more than what I paid for these "kits" had I attempted to purchase them from a dealer. I've now got 2 NFA tax stamps (and getting ready for a third here shortly) for two SBRs built from these "illegal kits that enable legal weapons to become illegal". Did I mention the receivers for these rifles were transferred through a legitimate dealer, with a FFL, complete with mandatory background check? Illegal again, how, exactly?

Does Mrs Hatcher know that a person may build their own rifle, without any licensing from the BATFE? Yup, you sure can, as long as you don't sell it on the open market, you're good to go. I know several folks who have done so, on 80% receivers they bought on line and bent and welded up themselves.

Now, knowing what exactly an illegal gun is, I challenge Mrs Hatcher (or anyone else, for that matter) to explain to me just what an illegal gun is in her definition.

A Day To Never Forget

There are some occasions that are so seared into the national consciousness that everyone remembers exactly where they were when the event took place. Talking to my folks, they can remember exactly where they were when Kennedy was killed. Myself, there are two days that I will never forget.

The first was when Challenger exploded. I was home sick from school that day and watched in horror the events of that terrible day, right before my 14th birthday.

The other, was September 11, 2001.

I was stationed in Korea at the time, a little burg down the west coast from Seoul called Kunsan.

I'd managed to talk my way into a day off that day, mainly so I could watch the live broadcast on AFTV of the first regular season game in the new Mile High Stadium. (Yeah, I'm a Broncos fan, get over it.) And what a game that was. At least right up until Eddie McAffrey broke his leg, but I digress.

Anyway, I went to the hooch that night to watch the re-broadcast in prime time. As the game was getting over, and several libations, I decided it was time to go home.

My room was quite literally across the street from the hooch and it didn't take me 5 minutes to get there. And in those 5 minutes, the world came apart at the seams.

When I left to go to the hooch, I happened to leave my TV on, so when I got home, I was met with video of the first plane hitting the South Tower. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I remember thinking that maybe it was all an accident.

Then the second one hit the North Tower. Talk about instant sobriety.

And reports started coming in about other hijacked jets. By this time I was on the phone to my flight commander asking if we needed to get our stuff up and running.

Then the Pentagon was hit, and that sealed it. Work was only a block away and I was dressed and out the door.

We stood up our operation, got everything ready in the event things got sideways on the Pen. Fortunately, nothing happened. I ended up working the rest of the night, getting off work at 0900 the next morning. When I got home that morning, I was so amped up, it took another 3 hours to finally get to sleep, and even that was fitful. Those 12 hour shifts lasted another couple of days, and we weren't allowed to go downtown for another 3 months. The remaining 9 months of my tour over there went without incident and I returned Stateside in June of '02 and right into Iraqi Freedom 7 months later.

I remember the month before the attack, we'd been briefed that there was a threat of terrorist attack, nothing specific, just a general warning to all installations to be on guard. After Khobar Towers, we didn't know what to expect. After watching wall-to-wall coverage of the events of that fateful day, I don't think anyone could have even dreamed that the targets were the epicenters of power in the US.

Commissions have been chartered, investigation made, rumors and conspiracies have come and gone since that fateful sunny morning those not-so-long 8 years ago. But one thing has remained crystal clear through all the BS:

I WILL NEVER FORGET!

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Something's Not Right About This

When I read this artice, something didn't quite sit right. So I read it again. Any guesses on what it might be?

LA Times Gets It's (Anti) Gun Thing On...Again

As has been reported around the interwebz the last couple of days, a rabid anti-gun zealot, Professor Garen Wintemute tells everyone how evil gun shows are in a 300+ page "report". Of course, the LA Times, being that bastion of fair and balanced reporting, can't help but pimp the Brady Line.

Dave Workman, the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner, gets into Wintemute's twisting logic and flights of fancy, here.

Seems the good professor witnessed what we here in the free world call free exchanges of goods and services between consenting, like-minded adults. In other words, he saw face-to-face transfers of legal firearms. Now, in just about every free state in the western US, outside California, these transfers are perfectly legal. And that, evidently, is enough to get his knickers all kinds of in a twist.

And in typical progressive form, he (and the LA Times for that matter) can't help but paint gun shows and the gun owners who attend them as racist swine by letting you, the objective reader know that at a good portion of the shows he attended (and video taped), racist materials like the Turner Diaries and Mein Kompf were being peddled almost as fast as it could be put out on tables.

I do gun shows where I'm at, and you know, I've never seen a copy of either at any gun show I've gone to in over 5 yrs. Funny how that works, ain't it?