"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The courts today affirmed that the right to bear arms is an individual right.
It is now clear. Sure there will be plenty of spin but you can bet that there will now be cascading lawsuits in jurisdictions that have heavy gun control.
Gun control asshats can all go and cry in their beer and go to Heller...
--Thank you Heller
How do you keep Gun Enthusiasts in Suspense?
How do you keep Gun Enthusiasts in Suspense?
They will tell us tomorrow...
The U.S. Supreme Court today did not release its long-awaited ruling on whether the District's handgun ban violates the Second Amendment. That means the potentially landmark decision will almost certainly come tomorrow morning when the court is planning to issue the last of its rulings for the term. The case, District of Columbia v. Heller, which was argued nearly four months ago, could settle the decades-old debate over whether the Second Amendment grants individuals the right to own firearms.
Mayor Adrain M. Fenty is planning to hold a news conference at the John A. Wilson Building after the decision is announced.
We will celebrate by buying ammo. Fingers crossed!
--Oh The Humanity
Stubby foregrip.
Another grip
green laser sight
Why the Gun is Civilization...
From the Munchkin Wrangler:
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
--This states my feelings exactly.
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
--This states my feelings exactly.
Supreme Court Poised for Historic Gun Ruling
For more than 30 years, the District of Columbia has had the nation's strictest gun-control law, including a ban on having handguns at home for self-defense. Challengers say that violates the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms.
We should find out the results this week.
The case is widely expected to be a victory for supporters of gun rights. Top officials of a national gun control organization said this week that they expect the handgun ban to be struck down.
--So do I.
KRISS .45 ACP Civilian Carbine
This is the Kriss .45 ACP Carbine.
I first saw this on the cable show Future Weapons. It has all the features I want in a Carbine! It comes in .45 ACP is the main requirement. It has lots of options and configurations. Many accessories can be used with it.
I can't wait to see one at a gun show or store some time soon.
--Glock needs to make a Carbine.
Four Rules Violations in the News
Would-be robber accidentally shoots himself, dies
DALLAS — A 19-year-old would-be robber from Fort Worth died after accidentally shooting himself during an early-morning break-in, police said.
The body of Cameron Sands was found early Tuesday morning in the driveway of a home in the suburban Dallas town of Grand Prairie.
Sands kicked in the door of the house and then shot himself in the stomach while trying to pull the gun out of his pants, Grand Prairie police said. Sands then dropped the gun and ran from the home, making it as far as the driveway before he collapsed.
The homeowner was not injured, police said.
"This is the first that I've heard of a robbery suspect killing himself as he is drawing a gun out of his waist band," Grand Prairie police spokesman Lt. John Brimmer said in a story on The Dallas Morning News Web site Wednesday. "It certainly isn't common."
-- Stupid people breaking the four rules.
I Love Virginia
I Live in Northern Virginia. VA is a great state for shooting enthusiasts.
It is a "Shall Issue" state for concealed carry permits. All you have to do is take an approved class, fill out the forms and you are ready to go (armed). Click on the map and see some animation to show you how the sates have progressed. This is one reason the crime rate is so low. Right across the river in DC there are 400-500 murders a year. Only 19 soldiers died in all of Iraq in May. Sheesh.
It is a great state if you are a hunter also. A single hunter is allowed to take 180 deer per year. Yes. That's correct, 2 per day for 90 days total. The deer population is out of control. There are not enough hunters any more. I might even try hunting with my crossbow next season!
In VA you can buy any gun you like. Full Auto, Silencers, .50 cal, anything. I have seen water cooled, full auto, belt fed, .50 cal machine guns with jeep mount tripods for sale. There are lots of indoor and outdoor ranges and clubs where you can shoot. Great gun shows.
--And you can still buy guns at Wal-Mart.
Neo Hoplophobia
I was talking guns today with some of the guys at work and heard the term that describes a friend of mine perfectly: "Neo Hoplophobia"
"Shooters that don't like any gun designed in the last 50 years." They were talking about Chuck Heston but it might as well have been him. They described fear of owning, "Scary black guns" and clinging to old designs even when stats are clearly in favor of modern rigs (rifle, handgun and shotguns). (even K-Bars were mentioned!)
I wish he had been there!!
Hoplophobia (fear of firearms) is one of Jeff Cooper's favorite terms.
-- Do you have "Neo Hoplophobia"?
Fathers Day
It was a great Fathers Day. I thought I would have to stretch to find a related topic but it turns out I have a couple things.
First: My Son took me to the range! Well I took him, actually. He is only 11 years old and still doesn't drive so well. Anyway, we had a great day. We took four different guns. Three were .22LR's and my Glock 21 as always.
I took some time and sighted in my Ruger Mark III. It now has a dot scope and an integral silencer. It is now dialed in and quiet as a fart. Well... Honestly... the sound of my farts are way louder than that gun. It always cracks me up how it turns heads at the range. With the new dot scope, more than ever.
My Glock 21 .45ACP was reliable as ever.
Second: My daughter bought me the TV series Jericho on DVD! There will be lots of gun related goodness there! I've seen the show already. The first season was better than the second partial season. But I take my survivalist action adventure where I can get it, even if there are no Zombies.
Call your Dad and wish him a Happy Fathers Day.
--I miss my Father. Probably always will.
Smith and Wesson 539
The first gun I ever bought for myself was a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun. I think it was 1984 and it was the dawn of the modern age of 9mm. I'm not talking about German Lugar's or NATO or the Government stupidly moving from the .45 ACP to 9mm.I'm talking about Miami Vice.
Suddenly 9mm's and short shotguns were cool in a big way. Bigger and cooler than any guns in TV or movie history. Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. never wrapped his 1911 .45 in cool like Tubbs and Crocket did for their guns. Others tried: Starsky and Hutch, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, Charles Bronson in Death Wish and Elizabeth Kaitan in Assault of the Killer Bimbos. They never made the gun into another character on screen like Miami Vice did.
The S&W 539 I bought as my first was a limited edition. It still holds up, after all these years. It still shoots like a dream even after thousands of rounds.
--My pastel green suit, not so much.
Kids and the Four Rules...
I have two kids. My son is 11 and my daughter is 14. They are the best kids in the known universe. They are smart and healthy and happy. They are excellent students. They can also repeat the FOUR RULES on demand:
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded
- Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.
- Always know your target and what's behind it.
My son loves to shoot. We in fact are going to the range this weekend! My daughter couldn't care less. She's gone to shoot with me a couple times because she (we) thought it was important to learn how to safely handle firearms.
--I am a very lucky man.
My First Time
The first time I fired a gun was when I was about nine years old. I'll never forget that day.
We always had guns in the house where I grew up. They were not locked up and they were stored with ammo. In fact, the one that I shot that day was typically stored, in the kitchen, on hooks, over the doorway to the "kids play room"! Every house in the county kept their guns that way.That still cracks me up. How the world has changed...
I have three older brothers and on that auspicious day I was out playing in the back yard when two of them were coming back from rabbit hunting. We had 250 acres in farm country of Western New York where my parents owned a shade tree farm. A Nursery. Rabbits wreaked havoc on the plants my father grew, so we had a permit to hunt them year round.
It was a beautiful day.Sunny and breezy and perfect.
My brothers were in an excellent mood because the day was so sweet. I remember the younger of the brothers was drinking an orange soda from a pop-top can. The kind with the pop-tops you hated to step on bare foot. It was empty. I remember that he was shaking it because he had slipped the pop-top into the can after he had pulled it off.
He tossed the can about ten yards away and said, "JB, come here and see if you can shoot that can!" Without ceremony, he handed my the double barrel, 20 gauge shotgun and all he said as instructions was, "Just aim and make sure you pull both triggers at the same time..."
That asshat.
I gave that can both barrels and landed flat on my back.
My brothers laughed so hard they nearly pissed themselves . Even though it felt like I had been smashed on the shoulder with a baseball bat I couldn't help laughing too.
We never told my parents and I had a hell of a time hiding that bruise, that badge of courage.
--I became a man that day.
Topics
What kind of things will I be using as topics?
Here are a few:
Here are a few:
- Stories from my youth
- Range reports
- Reviews of the guns I shoot
- Experiences in teaching my kids to shoot
- Want lists
- Rants about politics
- Silencers and other Class III fun
- Movies that include gun porn!
- Concealed carry issues
- Hunting tales
- Shooting gear
- The Zombie Apocalypse!
And so it begins...
I have enjoyed shooting my whole life. I am an avid shooter that has recently been enjoying the blogs of other shootists.
I am going to attempt to document my experiences, past and present here that relate to my life as a shooter.
It could be fun. It could be a pain in the ass.
--Either way... We're off!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)