There were no terrorists operating in Iraq; errr that there is no relationship between terrorists and Iraq; Err, I mean, uhm no, there is no relationship between Saddam and Al Qaeda; err that no significant operational relationship existed between Al Qaeda and Saddam:

Actually, there were many connections, as Stephen Hayes, writing in the current issue of the Weekly Standard, spells out under the headline “The Mother of All Connections.” Since the fall of Saddam, the U.S. has had extraordinary access to documents of the former Baathist regime, and is still sifting through millions of them. Mr. Hayes takes some of what is already available, combined with other reports, documentation and details, some from before the overthrow of Saddam, some after. For page after page, he lists connections–with names, dates and details such as the longstanding relationship between Osama bin Laden’s top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Saddam’s regime.

Mr. Hayes raises, with good reason, the question of why Saddam gave haven to Abdul Rahman Yasin, one of the men who in 1993 helped make the bomb that ripped through the parking garage of the World Trade Center. He details a contact between Iraqi intelligence and several of the Sept. 11 hijackers in Malaysia, the year before al Qaeda destroyed the twin towers. He recounts the intersection of Iraqi and al Qaeda business interests in Sudan, via, among other things, an Oil for Food contract negotiated by Saddam’s regime with the al-Shifa facility that President Clinton targeted for a missile attack following the African embassy bombings because of its apparent connection to al Qaeda. And there is plenty more.

Check out The Daily Dog Watcher.

The AP:

Seventy police officers died in the line of duty in the first half of 2005, down more than 11 percent from last year, law enforcement groups reported Wednesday.

The decline was attributed in part to increased use of bullet-resistant vests, which have helped bring fatal police shootings down 36 percent over the past three decades, said the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors.

The expiration of the assault weapons ban did not lead to an increase in cops being killed. More:

Over that same period, however, the number of federal, state and local officers killed in auto accidents jumped 40 percent, prompting calls for improved driver training and safer cars and restraint systems.

Or, you know, you could ban cars.

Tax revenue is up even though taxes have been cut.

Robert notes that the ATF will not be approving any more barrels for non-sporting arms to be imported into the U.S. Here’s the ATF letter.

We are no longer a nation of laws but a nation of random bureaucratic bungling to make laws mean what they think the should mean.

This also impacts frames and receivers. Building your own firearms just became more expensive and we should see an increase in American made parts for such weapons. The relevant section of the letter is:

Accordingly, ATF will no longer approve ATF Form 6 applications for importation of any frames, receivers, or barrels for firearms that would be prohibited from importation if assembled.

Said importation would require the approval of the Attorney General and we know how pro-gun he is not. Seems like the ATF is making up the law as it goes along.

Update: From Ravenwood, Global Trades, an importer, addresses the issue:

For now, let me go over the immediate implications of what this means if I understand it correctly.

It means that no new permits will be issued for any barrels for firearms that are not importable under current regulations. These barrels and also receivers for non-importable firearms have been imported since 2000 under an “exemption” for replacement or repair purposes. This exemption has been ended, and I am sure the logic will be that it has been abused.

One issue that is not clear is whether existing permits will be honored. They may well be suspended or otherwise altered. In any event, permits are for one year, and define the number of items that can be imported. So in a year or less, all permits will have expired. And even before then, the number permitted on all of the permits may well be reached. There has been a further tale that on existing permits, barrels will have to be marked “repair or replacement” and even serialized. I don’t know if this is true. I have been told it is by someone who may well know.

What this all means if it is correct is that AK parts kits as we know them will disappear in the immediate future. The barrels will have to be removed from future kits, either by taking all of the parts off, or by cutting or otherwise destroying them. In Europe, they drill 5 holes through the chamber and the barrel areas. This does make them pretty useless.

So the number of kits in the US now may be all we will see in their current form. Future kits will require more processing, and will have to add a US-made barrel, which is not a cheap item. And authentic reproductions of military AKs will become less authentic.

Also the imported Imbel FN/FAL receivers will disappear. I don’t know of any imported AK receivers now, though there were rumors of some Hungarian 10 round ones.

Here is what it doesn’t mean:
1. What you can do with a parts set already in the US is not changed.
2. Manufacturing receivers or barrels here is not affected.
3. It does not change any of the regulations involving your building of your own firearms.

It does mean that parts sets will go up in price. The supply is going to be limited, and the demand won’t be. I won’t be able to replace what I have, so my incentive to sell them cheap is pretty low. We have our Tantal kits priced pretty high now, so I don’t anticipate raising the price. I of course reserve the right to do so if the market changes drastically. There may be others who will continue to sell cheaply as if they could replace the kits at the price they paid before. My advice is to buy as many as you need at current prices. I do think they will go up.

Update 2: Readers are already reporting to me that Tapco is out of kits and flats. They had flats this morning. Egad.

Hit more for the text of the letter.
Read the rest of this entry »

In a follow up to this post (good stuff in the comments, by the way), I heard on the news this morning speculation that the bombers in London weren’t real familiar with the city. The reason was that experts said the bombers weren’t really located in areas to maximize the damage they could do. That could indicate that the terrorists still don’t quite understand their targets. Or they messed up.

Update: Mike says the bombers were tricked:

1) At least three of the four bombers died with their ID cards with them, leading police directly back to their homes.

2) The bombs went off simultaneously, strongly suggesting they were set off by either timers or remote control.

3) The bombs were unusually small and light, reportedly only ten pounds. They were carried in backpacks, not vests.

4) There were no boasting videos left behind, no suicide notes

There’s more.

Jeff links to a PDF of IANSA’s (George Soros’s global gun control group) internal talking points memo. It’s good to know what we’re up against.

An anti-gun group is having its fundraiser at the French embassy in DC?

The other biased Washington paper:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday introduced an extension of the USA Patriot Act that denies President Bush the expanded powers, such as “administrative subpoenas,” he has been seeking.

In his bill, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican, also proposed restrictions on the government’s ability to look at library patrons’ records and other business records through special court warrants.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sensenbrenner’s bill would make permanent all 16 provisions from the original Patriot Act that otherwise would expire at the end of this year.

The White House called the bill a start, but said the administration is working for full authorization of all 16 provisions.

Wow. All the talking and clamoring in the house regarding the PATRIOT Act and they snip one provision? And will likely concede that one provision.

Jeff has the latest edition, which focuses on guns as a human right and defense against genocide. Make no mistake, the international community wants guns out of the hands of the people.

Missouri has, for the third time I think, passed concealed carry laws. Good.

South Knox Bubba, your one stop shop for cockfighting in the news (scroll away).

Via Blake, we learn that the state of Connecticut is stepping in to stop eminent domain seizures:

“We need to let the public know we will address the Supreme Court ruling in a way that will produce legislation that ensures fairness and balance,” state Senate president pro tem Donald E. Williams Jr. said in a statement. “In the meantime, municipalities should know that this effort is underway so there is no confusion as we go forward.” House Speaker James Amann said in a separate statement: “One thing is certain — Connecticut’s eminent domain laws will be changing and our municipalities should put any property takeover plans on hold immediately.”

Excellent.

A semi-hysterical piece on the now defunct assault weapons ban starts:

It’s been nine months since President Bush lifted the national ban on the sale of assault weapons.

The president doesn’t make law nor lift laws. The ban had a sunset provision and expired after ten years. Bush did not lift the ban. More stupidity:

Police say in so-called “straw purchases,” drug addicts with clean records are legally buying these types of guns, then selling them to criminals for drugs and money.

If it’s a straw purchase, it is not legally bought. Even more stupidity:

With the lifting of the assault ban, magazines and banana clips that can carry as many as 30 rounds of ammunition are now legal; as is an SKS rifle with a bayonet, pistol grip and a detachable magazine.

Magazines and banana clips where never illegal. New ones couldn’t be made nor imported but there were plenty on the market any way. And the SKS was never covered under the ban anyway. One guy interviewed gets it right:

No type of gun law that you come up with is going to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms.

Actual headline:

Pit bull chases puppy into house

It’s officially beyond sensationalist.

Via Bill, comes this FoxNews piece interviewing counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv:

I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.

[snip]

What they’re going to do is hit six, seven or eight cities simultaneously to show sophistication and really hit the public. This time, which is the message of the day, it will not only be big cities. They’re going to try to hit rural America. They want to send a message to rural America: “You’re not protected. If you figured out that if you just move out of New York and move to Montana or to Pittsburgh, you’re not immune. We’re going [to] get you wherever we can and it’s easier there than in New York.”

Almost two years ago, I wrote:

Al Qaeda has a history of increasing the amount of damage with each attack. This could be good or bad for the US. The likelihood of something bigger than 9/11 is probably small with new security measures and such. But if they do one-up 9/11, it will be absolutely devastating.

But Al Qaeda has not engaged in small attacks on US soil. It would not be difficult for a terrorist nut job to waltz into a Wal-Mart with an AK47 and a bomb strapped to his chest. Kill a few people and detonate the bomb when the cops arrive. If that occurred, people wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart for months. It’d hurt us. I tend to think Al Qaeda will not engage in this type of thing since their MO seems to be doing something bigger than the last one.

I think that maybe in the future Al Qaeda will either realize that the likelihood of successfully launching a massive act of terrorism is small and may resort to smaller, localized attacks to put people on edge. Remember, the sniper in DC was small scale but had people terrified. Or they may successfully pull off another big one.

Has Al Q figured out that they’re not going to score a big hit on a big city? I don’t know. I also tend to doubt it will be within 90 days and I doubt it will be rural America. It may be mid-sized cities in rural America but you can’t kill many people blowing up farms.

Time to put the carbine back in the truck.

People often say that the Republicans are the party of the rich. And I’ve said the Democrats are the party of the really rich. Looks like the Republicans aren’t even the party of the sort of rich:

Recently the Bureau of Economic Analysis released two reports which shed a lot of light on what’s really going on in American politics. The reports show beyond question that the states that went for George W. Bush in the last election are considerably poorer than the ones that went for Kerry. The notion that the GOP is the party of the rich simply doesn’t match the economic reality.

There’s some issues with the data, of course, because not everyone in every state voted for the same candidate. I do think the overall trend is noteworthy.

Via Les, comes this really cool site: Silencer Tests. They also test flash suppressors. Way cool but the data is not in a real friendly format.

Real crime here in Tennessee: desecrating a venerated object, a law that expressly includes state and national flags.

The story is that some 18 year-old had some drinks and burned a flag. It was someone else’s flag. So, he was drinking while too young, stole someone’s property, burned that property and littered. Yet, they want to charge him with the stupid crime of desecrating a venerated object, which would likely result in him getting off on other charges because the law is Constitutionally questionable at best.

And I guess, since I said this, I have to burn a flag now.

Marc has his own backyard airgun range. I do too, it’s a piece 3/4 inch of plywood.

David Codrea takes on Cari Hammerstrom who apparently can’t do her own journalism. At least not objectively.

Number two is up. Man, I have to remember to submit stuff to these things.

It’s up.

The assault weapons ban passed in Columbus unanimously.

Update: Publicola isn’t happy.

Bubba has interviewed two people recently regarding the issues. One regarding CAFTA. And one regarding the Knox County School Budget.

Went to the range with Les, Michael, Bob and his wife (both of the Knoxville News Sentinel). While there, we ran into Glenn Reynolds who was trying out a G26. Bob photoblogged it here. The result of all this was here’s a picture of Michael Silence shooting with a silencer.

Update: One more thing, Lara enjoyed shooting a lot. I’d predict she’ll own a handgun in less than a month.

Ford flip-flops on Kelo. Good. In other news, I heard on the radio that a local rep is looking to pass a law that states when a government takes land in an eminent domain case, that the local government should pay three times the market value of that land. Excellent!

Ravenwood notes that there are only moderate liberals, according to Time. And he fisks someone too. And I just said I hadn’t noticed much of that stuff. I should have excepted guns, I suppose.

Publicola has the scoop on Columbus’ proposed assault weapons ban. It ain’t pretty.

A good looking Remington 1187. But is the EOTech necessary? It is a shotgun, after all.