Bubba has three Rocky Top Brigade items up. New members, newer members, and a fancy new sign up form.

Welcome to:

Head has his fourth installment of building your own AK.

Robert has just finished his new Polish under folder.

Jeff has a rifle for sale. If you’re looking for Marlin 9mm Camp Carbine, head over there.

I’m sort of surprised it hasn’t happened yet, but Time is reporting that Zarqawi may be planning attacks on soft targets in the states:

Two weeks after intelligence officials confirmed that Osama bin Laden had sent a message to Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, urging him to plan attacks on U.S. soil, details are emerging from one of al-Zarqawi’s lieutenants about what the man behind many of the terrorist attacks in Iraq could have in mind. Intelligence officials tell TIME that interrogation of a member of al-Zarqawi’s organization, who was taken into U.S. custody last year and has been described as a top aide, indicates that al-Zarqawi has given ample consideration to assaults on the American homeland. According to a restricted bulletin that circulated among U.S. security agencies last week, the interrogated aide said al-Zarqawi has talked about hitting “soft targets” in the U.S., which could include “movie theaters, restaurants and schools.”

Careful out there.

There’s a push for a local Civic Arts Center in Blount County. Supposedly, it exists to bring culture to our fair county.

They way the scam works is that our local college will put up some money, as will the County and a few cities. They’ll build it and the college will assume responsibility for it and, of course, get the most benefit from it. Then, so I hear, they’ll use it for symphonies, arts shows and other stuff that won’t be popular or make money. Several local folks support this boondoggle that is in the works. I don’t.

If the county and city I’m in have the extra dough laying around to build this fiasco, then I’m paying too much in taxes and want my money back. Or they could put street lights in some county areas that need them. Or any other useful, meaningful thing (such as county trash pick up and re-paving some of the older roads). This thing will not bring substantial revenue to the city. If you don’t believe me, look at Knoxville’s mostly unused convention centers or go to a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra show. Unlike Blount County, Knoxville is actually on the map.

A bunch of small gun posts pointing to news items like I usually do each day or one big linky round up, like I did here?

What do you think?

Fûz talks about his votes for the NRA Board of Directors.

Gun nuts show their nuttiness:

Surely, the gun lovers out there have lost sight of the target when they start defending a person’s right to carry rockets and grenades into a school and when they oppose attempts to keep high-powered weapons out of terrorists’ hands.

So, what law being discussed actually permits someone to buy grenades and rockets?

The NRA, you see, has blocked attempts to use the federal watch lists to ban gun sales to terrorists. Osama’s troops have Second Amendment rights, too.

First, he NRA has done no such thing. The NRA advocated the laws that are on the books. For this terror list ban thing to work, I’d think it would actually require a law. No law was even discussed until the GAO report. Also, because someone is on a list, it doesn’t make them a terrorist. Ask Senator Kennedy or Cat Stevens.

In Illinois, the Democrats are not pushing for more gun control:

Two years after Democrats won control of the Legislature and the governor’s office, gun control proposals so closely identified with the party have gone nowhere.

Lately, bills to remove gun restrictions have been making as much progress as legislation to add restrictions.

Gun control advocates have learned, sometimes painfully, that party labels don’t matter much when it comes to guns in Illinois. Downstate lawmakers, whether Democrat or Republican, represent large numbers of hunters and sportsmen, so they tend to oppose gun control.

“The Second Amendment is a right, it’s not a privilege, so we’re just standing firm with what we believe in and what our forefathers gave us,” said Rep. Brandon Phelps, a southern Illinois Democrat who is sponsoring a bill, now headed to the House floor, to let people carry concealed firearms.

Another article ties the gun lobby’s success in Illinois to 9/11:

The gun lobby in Springfield has been hitting its targets this year like never before, advancing a barrage of bills that would allow concealed handguns in Illinois, make it easier for people to buy and trade guns, and make it harder for the state to track gun owners.

However, this piece details a bunch of anti-gun bills in Illinois.

Soldiers get to keep their assault rifles. Not here in the states but in Switzerland.

Today’s hysterical idiot who can’t be bothered to actually, you know, read about the issue is Sherry Long:

Who needs a semi-automatic weapon?

I fully understand the United States Constitution allows people the right to protect themselves and their homes by owning guns.

But semi-automatic weapons?

What in the world would you kill with a semi-automatic, unless you are just purposely going hunting for other human beings?

Are you going to go out and shoot a deer with a semi-automatic?

I admit that I don’t know a lot about hunting, but seems like if you use a semi-automatic there won’t be much left of the very animals you’re trying to take home for dinner.

Clearly, you don’t know much about anything. A semi-automatic fires one shot per pull of the trigger, just like a policeman’s service pistol.

Florida is looking for a ban on the police use of Tasers:

Two senators called for a statewide ban Friday on police use of Tasers – at least until medical studies can verify their effect on people – but law-enforcement officials said the electric shock is much better than using a nightstick or handgun in a violent situation.

I’ve been critical of Taser use but I don’t think they should be banned for use by the police. I just think they need to stop using them as compliance tools.

Michael Bane worked with NPR’s On The Media to do a gun piece. Have a listen (last one on the page).

Today young Boudreaux and I had a few idle minutes, so we cruised into downtown Raleigh to stop by the North Carolina Museum of History. I had been itching to visit for some time, because they have on exhibit the workshop of David “Carbine” Williams.

Williams, a North Carolina native, was a prolific inventor and firearms designer; during his lifetime he would be awarded forty patents for firearms-related inventions. The exhibit highlights two of his inventions that were adopted by the US Military in the years leading up to World War II—inventions that he conceived, designed, and prototyped while in prison for murder.

Williams was born in Godwin, NC. After a year in the Navy (from which he was discharged for being underage), a year at Virginia’s Blackstone Military Academy, and a short stint working for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Williams began making moonshine in 1919: the year the 18th Amendment was ratified, kicking off that noble experiment we call Prohibition. In 1921, a sherrif’s deputy was killed during a raid on Williams’s still, and Williams was charged with murder. His first trial ended in a hung jury, but in November of 1921, he plead guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to thirty years in prison.

Williams had worked in a blacksmith’s shop as a youth, and had an interest in firearms. He was put to work in the prison’s machine shop repairing the guards’ weapons. He also began working on his own firearms designs in secret. Here, between 1923 and 1928, he built four rifles which incorporated his two most famous inventions. His first rifle he built from “scrap iron and a walnut fence post.” Another was made from a tractor axle and the drive shaft from a Model T.

Of course, his activity didn’t stay secret forever. By 1928, his inventions began to be noticed by the press and by Colt Firearms company. In 1929, thanks in part to efforts by the widow of the man he was accused of killing, the governor granted him a pardon, and he returned to his family farm, where he kept working on his inventions.

William’s first prison-built rifle used a floating chamber design that later became the basis for several designs that allow firearms to fire a sub-caliber round. For example, Colt’s .22-.45 conversion kit, which allows a Government Model 1911 to fire .22 Long Rifle ammunition, was based on a floating chamber. The US Military adopted several conversion designs for firing .22 ammunition in several different firearms, including the .30-caliber Browning Machine Gun. Because .22 ammunition is about as cheap as it gets, using it during training seemed like a great economy measure during the Depression. Williams received a patent for the floating chamber in 1936.

However, the invention that earned him his nickname was the short-stroke piston gas system that was used in the M1 Carbine. Williams had invented the short-stroke system while in prison. In 1941 he went to work with Winchester on the carbine project. He received a patent for the short-stroke piston in 1944.

He spent the post-war years back in Godwin, working on several projects, civilian and military alike. In 1951, a police captain who knew Williams from his prison days wrote an article about Williams that was published in Reader’s Digest. This became the inspiration for a Williams bio-pic starring Jimmy Stewart.

The museum exhibit itself is fairly small. Besides Williams’s workshop, there are three displays of note. The first focuses on his two major inventions, with mechanical drawings and physical examples of the short-stroke piston and the floating chamber. I was a little underwhelmed by the technical explanation of these devices; the phrase “amplifies energy” offends my engineering sensibilities. The display also has an M1 Carbine as well as those other two workhorses of WWII, the 1911 pistol and the M1 Garand.

The second display is a time line of Williams’s life, outlining the major events from his birth in 1900 to his death in 1975. Finally, there is a display of his work from prison, including the four rifles and mechanical drawing of the floating chamber that Williams made on a piece of scrap cardboard.

Most impressive is the reproduction of Williams’s workshop from his farm in Godwin. This exhibit contains 3,000 artifacts, including a mill and lathe Williams got from Winchester. Unfortunately, this part of the exhibit is enclosed, and it’s difficult to get a good look at things through the viewing windows.

In summary, if you’re ever in beautiful downtown Raleigh, and you have a few minutes to spend, it’s worth it to drop by. Admission is free (donations are welcome), and the museum has lots of other great exhibits. And give me a holler, too; maybe we can go to the range together, in honor of Carbine Williams!

The Carnival is a round up of gun posts. Number four is up.

A Tennessee regular over at AR15.com needs help:

I’m in the Army and will soon be PCSing to New York. Does anyone have a pre-ban lower they could sell me or trade for an unfired Bushy lower? Looking for a FTF. I live in Greenbrier but work in Nashville.

New York passed it’s own version of the AWB and pre-ban receivers are a hot item as they are exempted from the state Assault Weapons Ban. In fact, there’s a movement over at AR15.com to send pre-ban lowers up to help our oppressed BRD sufferers up north. If you have an old receiver and want a new one, consider contacting him. Besides, wouldn’t you rather have a new one? It’s win-win.

Regarding the DEA agent who is clearly too stupid to own a gun, a Farker writes:

Actually, it went “kerpow” because the dumbass had his booger hook on the bang switch.

The round up of gun bloggers will be held by Chris. If you haven’t submitted anything, get over there now and do so.

A reader emails that Reporting standards fail again:

Police said they recovered a 10-gauge, .22-caliber Ruger rifle with a modified stock and multiple 10-gauge magazines from the car.

I’m sure they could mean a 10 gauge and a Ruger 10/22. I’d says it’s more likely they got a Ruger 10/22.

Head has part three up.

Radley Balko notes that there’s no way Congress people can read the laws they pass. Yet, we’re all expected to abide by them.

About a year ago, I mentioned a DEA agent who shot himself while giving a class on gun safety. There’s a video of it you can find here:

“I’m the only one in this room professional enough, that I know of, to carry this Glock .40. I’m the onl–BOOM!”

Here’s a report that says there’s about a 50-50 chance that Illinois will pass concealed carry laws:

Supporters of concealed-carry laws say Illinois residents have about a 50-50 chance of joining Minnesota, Ohio and Missouri in winning the right to carry hidden handguns.

Two bills that won approval in a House committee Tuesday would bar the City of Chicago from enforcing its ordinance prohibiting carrying a concealed weapon if state legislation is approved.The National Rifle Association and state groups are aggressively carrying the fight to Mayor Richard M.Daley, a staunch gun-control advocate.

Good strategy of taking the fight to the anti-gunners.

I have to say that I am impressed with this article on the California 50BMG ban. No hysteria. No lies. Just factual reporting. Good job. Even more, it’s considered an opinion piece.

Regarding Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs, a commenter over at Michael Silence’s blog writes:

The Department of Revenue claims that to date nobody has attempted to voluntarily pay this tax. I would like to point out that this is untrue.

I attempted to voluntarily pay this tax on January 6, but all of my attempts were rejected by DOR because I am unwilling to travel to Nashville and stand before DOR employees to pay the tax.

This is the only tax in Tennessee that must be paid in person, which serves only to intimidate and unduly burden the taxpayer, discouraging them from paying the tax. Because of this, I believe this is not truly a tax, rather a penalty, which is unconstitutional under the Supreme Court decision Montana Department of Revenue v. Kurth Ranch, et al.

The Department of Revenue should change their tune from “nobody buys them” to “we won’t sell them.”

Actually, I think the tax serves only as an additional charge and fine in the event someone is caught with drugs.

People are starting to notice and get a little mad:

An opinion piece reporting that ED caters to developers:

Mayor Adam Schneider claims Long Branch citizens just don’t understand the need to use eminent domain to take property. Unfortunately, we understand all too well. No property is safe from being stolen if a developer comes up with a plan for high-end condos and better ratables. Most homes in the affected area were well kept and family owned. Only a few rentals could be called blighted.

More residents are taking up the fight:

According to the Bobrows, the new coalition will have two goals, “to stop eminent domain abuse and to obtain equitable compensation for property if taken.”

The coalition is open to all interested parties, including individuals who do not live in the Beachfront South area or any redevelopment zone he added.

“If other people want to join who think eminent domain abuse is wrong, they can come too,” he said.

And what would you expect from a town called Liberty:

Under this nation’s original property law, the Fifth Amendment, “A man’s home is his castle” carried the weight of Scripture, but present laws suggest, “A person’s home is his government’s, which can buy and sell that home to anyone for a profit.”

The situation is an injustice perpetrated upon Northlanders and other people nationwide by the government’s unrestrained, oppressive use of eminent domain.

People who used to live around Kansas City International Airport learned that fact the hard way.

Cat shoots owner:

A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police said.

Sniper Kitty denies involvement. I should say that I don’t believe this story at all. Dropped guns typically do not fire. It’s possible, I suppose, but highly unlikely.

Via Buddy Don.

Look over there ————–>

Or go here for AR-15 Magazines.

When I was a wee lad, I went to the zoo with the family. While there, I took a particular interest in those giant tortoises. You know the ones, they’re virtually indistinguishable from large rocks, unless they’re moving, at which point you’d think That rock is moving. How odd. However, you wouldn’t be concerned because the rock wasn’t moving fast enough to be a threat to anything other than stationary rocks. After many minutes of watching the tortoises, one tortoise mounted another. While the tortoise was astride, his mouth was agape and he was making this bizarre sound. It sounded exactly like:

Mraaaa

Sort of like if Fran Drescher was a sheep and said Baah. The tortoise on the receiving end was making no sounds and had pulled all of its appendages into its shell. Either she was not too amused and open to said mounting, or she was a he. At the time (being a wee lad), I didn’t realize the tortoises were doing it. I got to witness some tortoise poundage but didn’t know it. I asked the parents and they offered no real explanation. I just figured it’s what giant tortoises did. Never thought about it much after.

People associate certain sounds with certain animals. Dogs say woof. Cows say moo. Ducks say quack. I assumed that certain animals were mute because we don’t associate a sound with them or we never hear them, like the tortoise. No kid’s books say that the tortoise says Mraaaa.

When I was a teenager, I took the family German Shepherd out to take care of business (he’s German, so he said Wüf). Suddenly, he took off running through the yard. Then I heard a horrible sound, it sounded like a baby crying only it was higher pitched and ceased almost instantly. The dog had caught and killed a rabbit. I always assumed rabbits were sort of mute, but they are not. I’d say that was the worst sound I’ve ever heard.

And I was once watching this Discovery Channel special on hippos. The first half of the special, the hippos were all videoed while in the water. They were peaceful, serene and had a delicate grace about them. Then the show had footage of them on land and you realize they’re just big, stupid, clumsy cows. They also say Moo.

Junior has all sorts of baby toys. She has various plastic and stuffed animals. In the process of teaching Junior about life, I’ll sit around with her and pick up one of her toy animals (like a toy dog) and inform her of the sound the animal makes. My wife was watching as I did this. I picked up the Duck, noted it went quack for Junior’s benefit. The dog says woof. The cow says moo. Then I realize junior has a toy turtle. And the turtle (being not entirely dissimilar from the tortoise) must obviously say Mraaaa.

I had to explain to the wife that horny turtles do make that sound. She got a kick out of my tale of tortoise sexuality.

Junior also has a toy whale. If there’s one thing Star Trek has taught me, it’s that impersonating a whale can only be done by computer. Junior does not have a toy donkey. Since I can’t do the whale sound, her whale says Eee Aww.

Easter’s coming up and the wife bought Junior a stuffed bunny. Great.

Quite odd:

Federal investigators said a bullet hole found in the side of a U.S. Airways jet could be nothing more than a hunting accident.

U.S. Airways workers at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport discovered the hole early Monday morning or late Sunday night, WCNC-TV in Charlotte reported.

The FBI, which is investigating, said there’s nothing to indicate that terrorism is involved or that there was any malicious intent.

So, Dan Rather signed off last night. I don’t really care because I don’t watch network news. The only time I can recall watching it recently was when I TiVoed the show after Ra^thergate broke. Supposedly, Rather signed off with his signature Courage. I don’t know, I didn’t watch. By Courage, did he mean:

The Courage to run a story without checking the apparently easily verifiable facts for partisan gain?

The Courage to deny it until it was an absolute embarrassment?

The Courage to stick to your story, no matter the facts?

The Courage to run news reports devoid of facts but full of hysteria?

The Courage to resign gracefully and completely.

Don’t get me wrong, Rather had a prestigious career as a newsman but his flat refusal to take responsibility for (and his willingness to defend) a bogus story will forever mar his career. And it should. His non-resignation will only embarrass him further. Get out of the news, Dan. Completely out. Write a book and do tours, but leave 60 Minutes. Leave CBS. And take your dignity with you.

Weekly gun links with a sweet looking Mosin.

In Illinois, of all places:

Two gun-control measures cleared an Illinois House committee Wednesday, but Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and other gun-control proponents are still trailing gun supporters in the spring legislative session.

Major restrictions on guns failed last week in a Senate committee, and on Tuesday, a House committee approved two measures that would expand gun-owners’ rights by allowing them to carry concealed firearms.

“The Second Amendment is a right, it’s not a privilege, so we’re just standing firm with what we believe in and what our forefathers gave us,” said Rep. Brandon Phelps, sponsor of one of the concealed-carry bills.

Phelps, a Democrat from Norris City in southern Illinois, represents the state’s deep divide on gun issues, which typically breaks along regional rather than party lines. Metropolitan residents typically back restrictions to curb gun violence; rural residents fear hindering hunting and sport-shooting.

Looks like there’s a push for a ban on guns that look like assault weapons in Iowa. No details of the bill that I can find.