CHUCK McCUTCHEON, on the elusive middle-ground in the gun control debate, asks:

Why can’t a gun-control compromise be found to prevent such incidents?

First, because there is no compromise to prevent these instances. The Red Lake incident occurred because someone broke the law by killing someone to take their gun. Second, there is no compromise as one side just wants to pass any gun law no matter how ineffective or arbitrary. The assault weapons ban did nothing to stop crime, yet they want one. They want 50 caliber bans, despite these not being used in crimes.

We could just ban murder, oh wait.

Anthony Harwood on guns in New York:

Crazy gun laws mean there is every chance that the other person is armed. In America, there are believed to be around 70million owners and 222million guns.

An adult can walk out of a shop in many states with a semi-automatic machine gun and a pistol for £100. There are no checks needed if weapons are sold at gun shows. No Federal laws demanding owners register their weapons.

Crazy gun laws? I seem to recall that your country has a higher violent crime rate than the US. And there is no such thing as a semi-automatic machine gun. Weapons sold at gun shows are subject to the same checks as if you bought the weapon at a gun shop.

In an update to Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs scoring its first booty, I have additional correspondence from someone alleging to be Jerry [redacted]. He tells me that the police first entered the home looking for a runaway girl. They then entered the home the following day by kicking the door down. They had no warrant. Mr. [redacted], a single parent, has since lost his job and, as of yet, there have been no charges filed.

You can read his comment here. He states the police held a news conference and stated he confessed. He was not living in the house that was raided but was renting it to someone else. This doesn’t jive with the Herald-Citizen report:

An unoccupied house on DeBerry Road where the smell of marijuana was coming out of the vents led to a raid by law officers yesterday.

They found a marijuana crop growing inside the place.

The owner, Jerry [redacted], who lives nearby, allegedly admitted that he had set up the elaborate pot growing system inside the house, and he and possibly others will face criminal charges, Putnam Sheriff David Andrews said today.

“This is just another part of our effort to come down hard on illegal drugs in this county, and we intend to keep pursuing every case we can,” Sheriff Andrews said this morning.

It was Deputy Red Golden’s case, the sheriff said.

Deputy Golden had received information alleging that marijuana was growing inside the house, which is located at 1781 DeBerry Road in Bloomington Springs.

More on the dumb idea known as the smart gun:

Yet despite millions of federal dollars poured into developing a personalized handgun that only the owner can fire, there still is no magic bullet – and many law enforcement officials and gun experts are leery of the idea.

In Congress, Rep. William Pascrell, D-N.J., is pushing a bill that would require all new handguns to have “smart” technology within five years if experts deem the technology feasible.

The bill – whose chances are slim in the Republican-led Congress — would exempt law enforcement, which also lobbied against a similar 2002 New Jersey state law.

“They haven’t come up with a [foolproof] gun yet and if they do we’re not sure we’re interested,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the 318,000-member Fraternal Order of Police.

If the police don’t trust them with their lives, why should you? Since it’s being developed, supposedly, with the police in mind, why would the bill exempt police from the requirement? And, finally, what the Hell are my tax dollars doing paying for this fiasco?

Head has part 5 in his series on AK building.

Additionally, I was unaware that one of the premier AK and Title II manufacturers was located right here in East Tennessee. Check out In Range.

During the recent school shooting, the kid wore a bulletproof vest. The nut in Tyler, Texas wore a bulletproof vest too, as did the culprits in the infamous LA bank robbery. Expect a push for a federal ban on bulletproof vests soon.

A must read by Marc Folco.

It’s nothing like School House Rocks. Heh.

No, not the AARP, the other one. You know, it gets bad press for being an evil, right-wing organization that kills children?

Triggerfinger points out that the NRA is letting people in Montana down. It seems some mid-level NRA person is withholding support for a bill that clarifies a right to self-defense.

Codrea has more.

As does Publicola.

Couple things over at Blake’s:

First, Mark Lancaster is set to get out of prison in early April.

He also notes some dishonest local reporting. Really, a guy had ammo that could pierce bullet proof bests? So do I. Any rifle round will. Thousands of rounds? Are they in my closet?

Hey, Buck is back. You should be reading his blog.

Barry, who ordinarily wets himself at the thought of guns because they emit radiation, calls for parent control:

But we see it again and again – children growing up in America by themselves. Parents and guardians who are indifferent (Littleton, CO) or absent or misguided (Red Lake, MN) or just inexperienced.

Read the whole thing.

Ari Berman, in an op-ed, is shocked that common-sense legislation is being shot down by the NRA. What common sense legislation? The right of people to engage in lawful commerce or the private party transfer provision of the Brady Bill or, as you probably hear it in the media, the gun show loophole. And he advocates banning guns that look like military weapons. And bans on 50 calibers. Absolutely none of these laws would have prevented any single crime he listed.

Publicola points out others are doing the same thing. Nicki does too.

Some random Russian news agency:

Perhaps the reason for the killings by a mentally unstable teenager is less important than his ability to be able to get hold of so many firearms to carry out such an attack?

He got the gun from his police officer grandfather, who would not be subject to these hard gun laws you like.

Citizens for a Safer Minnesota dance in the blood of dead children:

“Every time a child uses a gun in a violent act, we must ask, where did the child get the gun? Eighty percent of the time, the answer is from his own home, or the home of another family member or friend,” Dr. Thoman said. “Our national experience, tragically, shows that not only do guns fail to keep us safe, but accessibility to firearms is the single factor that transforms a routine conflict into a tragedy,” Dr. Thoman added.

Actually, in the two high profile shootings (this one and Columbine) they got them illegally. And guns keep us safe between 700,000 and 2.5M times per year, depending on who you ask.

The Brady Bunch thinks it can mention this shooting and the expiration of the ban on guns that look like assault weapons at the same time and that they’re somehow related.

Michael Bane has more on the Brady’s. So does Denise.

Joe Huffman notes the school’s security guard was unarmed.

I blogged here about Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs claiming its first booty. A man claiming to be Jerry [redacted](the person whose house was seized for non-payment of the tax that they won’t even let you pay) left some comments there:

The house is worth about $90,000 and I owe $71,000 on it. They taxed me with $139,000 and interest is $1,370 a month and growing. There was only 28 plants and I was renting the house to friends to grow. It wasn’t even mine and they caused me to lose my job. They took 1/2 vacation pay comming to me and took lawnmowers, tiller, chaisaw, pressure washer, and anything else they could find.

He also notes that, as of now, there have been absolutely no charges filed against him. So, they took his land and property without due process of law. He claims that no charges have been filed because the search was bad. I don’t know what he means by that.

No, not in America, but in Iraq:

Ordinary Iraqis rarely strike back at the insurgents who terrorize their country. But just before noon today, a carpenter named Dhia saw a troop of masked gunmen with grenades coming towards his shop and decided he had had enough.

As the gunmen emerged from their cars, Dhia and his young relatives shouldered their own AK-47’s and opened fire, police and witnesses said. In the fierce gun battle that followed, three of the insurgents were killed, and the rest fled just after the police arrived. Two of Dhia’s young nephews and a bystander were injured, the police said.

And they used real assault weapons, not the ones that look like assault weapons that people are trying to get banned here in the states. This may mark one of the few times the MSM correctly used the term AK-47, as well.

Kudos to them for running the story.

The article rightly states that this indicates that the Iraqis are willing to stand up to attacks from terrorists. First democracy then standing up to tyranny? That combination, of course, is aided by arms in the hands of the people.

I don’t think I’ve ever featured a blogger for Today’s Idiot before, but there’s a first for everything. James F., who I can agree with about hating DC, is today’s idiot:

A public service announcement for mobs of angry parents looking for revenge

Here’s how to get from Red Lake High School to the NRA’s headquarters in Fairfax.

Yes, yes, I know. Sure, their school got shot up by a crazy kid, but it’s a small price to pay so that Philip Van Cleave can double carry while walking around his subdivision at night. Why do I hate freedom, etc.

While dancing in the blood of dead children to score political points, he links to a map to the NRA HQ to advocate revenge on a party in no way responsible for the incident. If you’re going to be an anti-gun bed-wetter afraid those evil guns for all the violence they do, wouldn’t it be hypocritical of you to advocate violence against someone else?

In an update to the post, Mr. F. then (no doubt disappointed that dancing in the blood of dead children was unwarranted) admits the NRA was off the hook since the kid was using a gun from a relative who was a policeman.

Reader Jim emails:

And wanted to let you know that we have started a public forum dedicated to help getting CCW for Nebraska. The site is here.

FYI, Senator Combs, the bill’s sponsor has stated that she has the votes necessary to pass it, and also she believes that she has enough votes to bring cloture to the inevitable filibuster which will be brought on by Senator Chambers. So, things are looking good this year, but every vote counts.

We’re winning.

Via Defense Review, this is one sweet M1A set up. Drool on keyboard.

Bad form to quote yourself, but I thought it was funny:

Would you buy beef in a Libertarian world?

Jeff has the latest on gun coverage in the media.

Tom has zinged me back on this five questions meme. I don’t intend to solicit five more but will answer Tom’s questions. Here they are:

1 – You’ve said in the past that you’re not opposed to all “common sense” gun regulation, just most. What, to you, constitutes acceptable gun regulation? In particular, I’m talking about regulations that do not currently exist but which you either support, or at least do not oppose.

One man’s common sense is another man’s kiss my ass. But as far as laws not on the books, I have never opposed registration nor databases. I oppose them to the extent they could lead to confiscation, but that is all. A registry/database could be an effective police tool and could also alert authorities to straw sales. In other words, it’s not a normal transaction to walk into a gun store and order 50 of the same gun. That could be a valuable lead to police, assuming they actually investigate as someone may actually have a need for 50 of the same gun.

I also wish that our government didn’t classify their gun laws as tax laws. If you possess a machine gun illegally, the crime you committed is a tax violation. Until recently, the ATF was a part of the Department of Treasury. If they want to pass gun laws, call them fucking gun laws. Hiding behind the guise to taxes is disingenuous and we all know what they’re up to anyway. And taxing a right is illegal.

The government should also train and properly equip the militia, that’s what well-regulated means. It should, of course, be voluntary to be trained and equipped. This can be done to an extent by restoring the Office of Civilian Marksmanship Program.

On current laws, I do support the National Instant Check System

However, some gun laws on the books need to be repealed. Most notably, the 1986 Hughes amendment (which bans the transfer of new machine guns to citizens), the $200 tax on NFA weapons established under the 1934 law, and a check needs to be placed on the ATF’s seemingly arbitrary ability to classify a gun as something else to regulate it (like them stating pistol with two grips is an Any Other Weapon, even though, by law, AOW’s are defined as not pistols; or the classification of certain shotguns has destructive devices/smooth bore rifles just so they can regulate them out of existence). Also, the 922 provisions that specify that imported rifles can only contain a certain number of non-US made parts need to go. Does it matter to anyone if a WASR-10 has 9 or 10 foreign made parts?

2 – Getting a dog: From a reputable breeder, or from a rescue group?

Depends. In my experience, rescue dogs can be problematic in their interactions with children and other dogs. If you get the rescue as a pup, it shouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes, though, getting an older dog from a rescue means they come with all the bad habits that likely got them placed in the rescue in the first place. If you’re going to have only one dog, a rescue would be fine in most cases. In addition to temperament, you don’t know what you’re getting in terms of health and longevity out of a rescue dog.

When you go to a reputable breeder, you should get good temperament, health, desired physical appearance, and ability. But it costs you and you’re not saving a rescue dog. Me and the Mrs. have one of each and we’ve had a few troubled times. Politically Incorrect Dog is of the age now where he is asserting his dominance over Politically Correct Dog. There have been a couple of skirmishes and PCD has always been dog-aggressive. He doesn’t play well with others. When our friends bring their dogs over, poor PCD often gets left in the house while PID plays with his company.

3 – Mary-Ann or Ginger?

Assuming I can’t pick both, Mary-Ann. Say, Lovey never makes the list!

4 – You often refer to yourself as a “small-l” libertarian. You believe that government should be severely limited in what it can and can’t do, and that taxation should be minimal. In your view, what specifically should the government (all levels, not just federal) be able to do; how should it pay for it; and do you really expect that a system such as you describe can, you know, work?

Due to the volume involved, I’m limiting this discussion to the federal level. The .gov should be able to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.

Granted, some things are subjective. All I want from the .gov is defense (though it should be cut back some), roads, health standards enforced (would you buy beef in a Libertarian world?), education (and only because it is the only way to do it in a cost effective manner that’s available to everyone), and a few other things on the federal level. The feds should not be telling me how many gallons per flush my toilet can have and they shouldn’t arrest me if I purchase a lobster tail that is less than 5.5 inches.

As for paying for it, use taxes and income tax. And if the government actually did only what it was supposed to do, there would likely be no deficit on current tax dollars.

Can it work? No, it can’t. The cornerstone of political careers is promising people shit that the government shouldn’t be giving them anyway. The way politics works is inherently against what libertarianism is about. Until people realize that politicians’ mouths shouldn’t be writing checks their asses can’t cash, it’s all academic.

5 – Thibodeaux: Real or made up?

Quite real. He was a commenter here for a while and I asked him to blog because he had some good stuff to say and because I needed to fill some space. He’s a bit passionate on occasion.

Some commenters have pointed out that the Schiavo case is not as cut and dry as the press would have me believe. Notably, David Codrea informs me that she’s not in a coma; her husband has allegedly denied her therapy; there have been allegations of abuse; and there’s money involved.

The money, I don’t think, is an issue and Mr. Schiavo has offered to give it to the parents. I was mistaken about her being in a coma. Regarding the denial of therapy and alleged abuse, those should be (and likely have been given the coverage of the case) investigated.

One thing I didn’t change my mind about is that this case does not warrant Federal intervention.

I know, everyone’s all atwitter for my comments about the school shooting in Minn. Ok, it was tragic. That’s really all. The kid took two handguns and a shotgun that belonged to his father or grandfather (not sure which, reports are conflicting), who was a policeman, and went nuts.

Sadly, this quote leapt out at me:

Then, in a nearby classroom, he heard the gunman say something to his friend Ryan: “He asked Ryan if he believed in God,” Graves said. “And then he shot him.”

Didn’t the little Columbine bastards reportedly do something similar?

Until the anti-gunnies start dancing in the blood of the dead (and they will – though I don’t know how because it was a cop’s gun, no assault weapons were involved and it wasn’t a 50 caliber terror attack), I have nothing to add. Xrlq seems to concur.

Spoons wants advice for a shotgun for trap shooting. I’m not a trap shooting sort of guy and don’t own a shotgun. Head on over and help.

The five questions meme continues. Ben and Publicola are next. [Update: And Kirk (yeah, I’m doing an extra one, sue me)]. All slots full, sorry.

It’s Countertop’s turn.

1 – As someone who has endorsed the Republican party, where do you see them headed? Specifically, a lot of people (ahem, me) who used to vote Republican are becoming disenchanted with them and are no longer happy with the fact that they are just not Democrats. Are the Rs going to reach out to people like me or say to Hell with us?

2 – Why exactly do countertop’s need chronicling?

3 – You live in (or maybe near?) DC and you are a firearm enthusiast. How hard is that? And what’s in your firearm collection?

4 – Heard any good jokes lately?

5 – IIRC, you’re some sort of lawyer. What type? I assume you have political aspirations being a lawyer in DC?

TriggerFinger has the trials and tribulations of purchasing a gun in Washington DC. It’s worth the read.

Actually, that’s how the headline should have read but someone chose to title it: Inclusion best option for gun control group. Some good advice:

Although many of you are conservative, remember that the right to bear arms is not a conservative issue. Nor is it a liberal issue. There are as many liberals who oppose gun control as there are conservatives who support it. Most of those liberals don’t join the National Rifle Association or similarly aligned organizations – mostly because the NRA tends to support politicians who really don’t care about the other nine amendments in the Bill of Rights.

Caught 60 Minutes nonsensical scare piece on the 50 caliber rifle last night. The gist is that some dude buys guns in the states and sends them to help some Albanians fight a revolution. They interview him and he outlines what he does. I TiVoed it and may have more later. But here are the lies that leapt out at me immediately.

The guy said (and reporter agreed) that exporting rifles and weapons was perfectly legal. It is legal, if you are a licensed exporter of firearms which this guy was not. This was a lie. Additionally, they even pointed out in the story that they set up a dummy hunting reserve so they could justify exporting to authorities while in Switzerland for a layover. Seems the Swiss became suspicious that this guy had a few 50 calibers in the cargo hold. The guy can leave the country with guns for legitimate sporting purposes (such as going on a hunting trip) but he was exporting without a license. So, would you set up a dummy hunting reserve if what you were doing was perfectly legal? A source said he exported several hundred 50 caliber rifles out of the country by hiding them in humanitarian aid shipments.

The guy also said that in the US every gun in use by the military is available at a gun shop. That is also a lie. I challenge anyone here to obtain legally (and without the use of a Special Occupational Tax) a Colt M4 Carbine. You cannot because they have never been available to the public as they were made after the 1986 Hughes Amendment banning the transfer of new machine guns to civilians.

Per the transcript, here’s the quote:

“Anything you need to run a small guerrilla army, you can buy here in America,” says Krasniqi. “You have all the guns you need here to fight a war. M-16s. That’s what the U.S. soldiers carry in Iraq. All the rifles which U.S. soldiers use in every war, you can buy them in a gun store or a gun show.”

Additionally, the guy said that the 50 was the most popular rifle for these rebels. I tend to doubt that as they weigh 30 pounds and are not real easy to lug around in a firefight. It’s more like a support weapon.

And they repeated the lie that these weapons could shoot down airplanes. Amazingly, Ed Bradley (looking particularly dated with his gold earring) was shocked and amazed that people could actually, you know, buy guns and ammunition in this country.

Now, most of these lies were being told by the guy being interviewed and not 60 Minutes. However, doesn’t journalism require that you check facts or something?

Coincidentally, if you Google the name of the guy featured in the story (Florin Krasniqi), you get interesting results:

TriggerFinger:

There’s a FrontPage Magazine article that talks about Kerry’s position on the war in Kosovo, and how we were misled into military intervention under Clinton by false claims of genocide. Combine that with this account from House of Wheels reporting on a Dutch documentary that has film of KLA terrrorists (sic), allegedly associated with Al-Qaeda, donating to the Kerry campaign. The primary name associated with this is Florin Krasniqi, who is reported as having donated to the Kerry campaign by independent sources.

House of Wheels:

But back to the documentary – 11:08 into the video, we see KLA recruiter and illegal immigrant Florin Krasniqi at a John Kerry fundraiser with a few other KLA members. Then the defining moment – the KLA terrorists are shown, on video, financially contributing to the John Kerry campaign. Shortly afterwards, the video shows Democrats Wesley Clark and Richard Holbrooke having a nice laugh with the terrorists.

A quick check of Fundrace.org found that Florin Krasniqi has donated to the Kerry campaign, and that Florin Krasniqi has raised 30 million for KLA, who we have already established is a terrorist organisation.

Also noted is that he has been given credit for sucking Americans into the Kosovo war.

So far, it’s looking like 60 Minutes interviewed someone who allegedly has ties with known terrorists. Of course, he is a gunrunner so that’s not surprising. He has been in the news before yet 60 Minutes doesn’t disclose that?

Oh, and he’s trying to sell a book.

Here’s the transcript.

Update: And I forgot to mention that an ATF agent was interviewed who advocated gun registration. The logic being that tracking gun sales based on a pattern could lead to identifying and prosecuting potential gunrunners. And some more kitten-stomping.

Update 2: More allegations:

The KLA is currently smuggling weapons into Kosovo as part of a plot to attack American and other UN peacekeepers, should the UN Security Counsel refuse their demand for Kosovo’s secession from Serbia and Montenegro.

Continuing the meme, it’s Jay of NGD’s turn to be asked. CounterTop and Ben have also volunteered. I need one more person to commit to answering five questions. If interested, leave a comment. Here’s five questions for Jay:

1 – At NGD, you often sound angry and curse a lot. Is that how you are in real life or do you just blog that way to blow off steam?

2 – A common theme on my blog is like you and me, only better. You live in Mass., which has may-issue CCW. May-issue is typically abused to give cronies and good ol’ boys permits while denying them to others. My understanding is that Mass. is that way and, yet, you have a permit. So, are you just like other Massies, only better? (note: no way implying you shouldn’t be allowed to carry, just wondering about other folks)

3 – Paper or plastic?

4 – As a general rule, I avoid going to certain areas. You happen to live in one. Why Taxachusetts? And why blog at North Georgia Dogma since you’re not in North Georgia?

5 – What’s it like having a wife who is afraid of guns?

The RTB blogroll is temporarily gone until such time as blogrolling decides to come back.

Update: Oh, and we’re experiencing a trackback spam attack. TB has been disabled again.