The newer, angrier Rich continues to pull no punches:
The media lied and people died.
Now, in defense of the media (crap, never thought I’d say that), I’d wager they would get a report (i.e., a rumor) and it would be verified by some politico who also heard the same rumor. I’m not excusing it but the rush to get out any information was greater than the rush to get out correct information.
So, ATF Director Carl Truscott spoke at a college and the ATF is taking credit for the decline in gun crime. No, really:
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau Director Carl Truscott said his department is a major reason behind the all-time lows in the nation’s crime rate, a factor he attributes in part to successful relationship-building.
Truscott, who spoke Wednesday to Penn’s Criminology students, joined the ATF Bureau last year after earning numerous awards in 22 years of employment with the U.S. Secret Service.
“The mission of the ATF is to prevent terrorism, reduce violent crime and protect the public,” he said.
And to only occasionally engage in those acts itself, apparently. Like that time dozens burned to death for not paying a tax. Or that time they lied and said that a gun was a machine gun when it was really just a semi-auto with an old worn out disconnector and the gun could have fired out of battery and unnecessarily killed someone. Oh, and someone videotaped that.
Truscott firmly believes that the organization has played a crucial role in firearm regulation, which he said has put gun violence and homicide rates at a 30-year low.
Insert your own comment after that one.
The ATF has been working in New Orleans to recover guns that were looted from gun stores in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Have they looked in Eddie Compass’ basement?
This just in from Jay, Eddie Compass of the NO police department has resigned. No mention in the article of the gun confiscation thing. Xrlq in comments:
Damn, I was hoping he would stay on just long enough to have to explain why he just gave back the guns he never confiscated in the first place.
I wonder if Compass, like Brown, will serve as a consultant for NO?
Publicola has some analysis of the restraining order:
if it can be claimed that the firearms were not legally possessed then the restraining order has no effect. As in if they claim to have the authority to declare all guns contraband then they won’t be confiscating any legally owned firearms.
When Egalia isn’t busy lying about the state of North Carolina giving women who apply for restraining orders guns or trying to associate nutjobs like Fred Phelps (a registered Democrat) with Republicans, she resorts to misleading quotes about one of Knoxville’s state reps. Egalia says that Rep. Stacey Campfield’s decidedly small and selective blogroll includes a link to Staghounds, a white supremacist blog which features these repulsively racist statements. As supposed proof that Staghounds is a white supremacist blog, she quotes them as saying:
“Desperation? Yeah, right. I am beginning to believe that black people, no matter where in the world they are, are cursed with a genetic predisposition to steal, murder, and create mayhem.”
The problem is that the above quote was actually from this article. You see, the alleged white supremacist was actually quoting someone else, who happens to be black. If you just read Egalia’s entry, you would think that this quote came from the site she linked to. Apparently, Brittney at NIT fell for it and notes:
If they are smart, they’ll dump him.
Now, I don’t have a dog in the Campfield fight since I don’t live in his district. But I will call a turd a turd. Egalia is always good for a laugh. In this case (as with the NC gun incident and the Phelps incident linked above), she either willfully misrepresented the facts with the intent to mislead her readers. Or she’s just fucking stupid.
And Mike notes that Egalia has links to people who have links to anti-Semitic organizations. Heh.
Update: Bob Krumm says:
Bloggers, especially, should be willing to extend some latitude to Rep. Stacey Campfield
I don’t necessarily think bloggers should excuse anything by other bloggers. But hurling unfounded accusations is uncalled for.
I watched part of the Tennessee v. LSU game last night. I watched the first half and TN was getting slaughtered. I had do some stuff around the house during the half and didn’t get back into the game until the third had started to find UT had scored. 21 to 7. Then, UT sucked some more and LSU scored a field goal. I got mad, turned it off, and went to bed. Found out this morning UT came back to win. Apparently, they will do well as long as I am not watching. They’re screwed next week since I’ll be at the game.
David Hardy has the run down on the NRA’s lawsuit, including a plaintiff’s name:
Teel was proceeding in his boat to carry out rescue missions when he was approached by a La. sheriff’s boat occupied by NYPD officers. They levelled M-16s at him, asked if he had guns. He replied yes (I think a couple of deer rifles). They boarded and confiscted them. He asked for a receipt and they refused, saying it was impossible to give them to everyone who was having guns seized. He continued on and had another boat, with local deputies, stop him the same way (guns levelled) with the same demand.
Even though confiscations were broadcast on TeeVee and tape exists of police stating there were confiscations, all parties deny such confiscations occurred. Going to get interesting.
Seen at Joe’s:
Remember what the no-fly list is. It’s a list of people who are so dangerous that they can’t be allowed to board an airplane under any circumstances, yet so innocent that they can’t be arrested . . .
No, I kid:
One gun control group is asking visitors to Florida to enter at their own risk, and that is creating a lot of controversy in the state’s destination areas like Daytona Beach.
It is part of an ad campaign designed to warn tourists about Florida’s new law that allows victims to shoot first in self-defense without fear of prosecution, WESH 2 News reported.
The new law goes into effect Oct. 1, the same day the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence will start an ad campaign in several major cities, including Miami.
A spokesman for the Brady Group said the new law may lead to the reckless use of guns on the streets. They are actually handing out fliers that say people face a greater risk of bodily harm in Florida.
Seems to me that the only people who would be affected would be those inclined to commit a crime.
On the History Channel, I once heard that a statistical measure used by the armed forces during conflict is the amount of rounds spent per kill. In WW2, that was about 20,000 rounds per confirmed kill. In Korea, it was about 50,000. In Vietnam, that number apparently went way up to 200,000. (ed note: these numbers are all from memory and I am TLTG). Now, in Iraq, it’s apparently worse:
US forces have fired so many bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan – an estimated 250,000 for every insurgent killed – that American ammunition-makers cannot keep up with demand. As a result the US is having to import supplies from Israel.
Zoiks! That is consistent with what the Wal-Mart sporting goods guys tell me.
Yeah, we gunnies already knew that but just to make sure we don’t forget:
Also, a check of Pistol License records shows that Senator Schumer possesses an “unrestricted” pistol permit, a rarity in New York City. Licenses are distributed in different categories in the Big Apple: Target Permits allow only use of a firearm at a licensed firing range; Premises Permits allow weapons to be kept in a home or apartment; Restricted Permits allow the gunowner to carry their firearms concealed but only within the purview of their job (security, jewelers, armored car guards, etc.). So it’s evident that Senator Schumer has two sets of rules — one for Americans and one for himself.
And then we have Senator Diane Feinstein on the Left Coast who possesses something more rare than a conservative Republican in San Francisco — an unrestricted concealed weapons permit. Apparently without shame, she participated in a citywide gun turn-in program that was intended to create some kind of statue from the donated guns that were to be melted down. One of her police body guards let it slip that she contributed a cheap model for the meltdown, while retaining her .357 magnum revolver for her own personal self-defense.
The NRA was successful in its bid to get the NO authorities to stop confiscating firearms. Now, it’s getting a bit more interesting.
Clayton Cramer has a copy of the NO injunction:
Okay, I’m confused. News coverage said that the police were seizing all firearms. Now the appropriate officials deny that they will do it, can do it, or did do it.
The authorities deny issuing the order and deny taking arms but the NRA claims to have the names of 30 – 40 people who reported their arms were taken. Plus, I’ve seen video of one person having their gun taken. I think someone is lying or someone acted on their own without orders. TriggerFinger says:
We still don’t know exactly what happened in that New Orleans courtroom. But thanks to this interview with Alan Gottlieb of the 2nd Amendment Foundation, recorded just before the injunction was issued, we can start to guess. In it, Alan says that the judge is waiting for one thing: he wanted to see the video clip himself. So we can presume that the judge saw the denials from the Nagin and Compass and wanted to see evidence that they were lying to him. Reasonable, and since he later issued the injunction, it appears he was satisfied.
He has much more, including further analysis of the court order. So, who’s lying? Nagin? Compass? Or The New York Times?
Triggerfinger notes that he’s fighting to win and that, while the cold dead hands bit is nice, the living can be heard.
Khalan weaponry has 80% AR-15 lower receivers for $58.
Update: Thanks to a tip from a commentator, the page is now blank. May have ran out. The day before I posted that, someone told me there was a month wait.
Looks like Upper Marlboro, MD is looking to repeal its ban on politically incorrect dogs:
“Public policy should make sense,” said Councilman Thomas R. Hendershot. “It shouldn’t be overly expensive, and it ought to be fair. The pit bull ban is none of the above.”
The county captures and boards about 1,000 pit bulls annually, euthanizing about 800. That has cost about $600,000 over the past two years, according to a recent audit.
Hendershot’s bill defines a “potentially dangerous dog” as one that injures, aggressively provokes or chases a person or domestic animal or is impounded by the county at least twice in a year. He plans to introduce the bill as soon as this week.
A task force commissioned to review the ban recommended the repeal, suggesting the law be replaced with one that does not specify a breed.
That’s pricey for ineffective feel good, legislation.
The Rocky Top Brigade now classifies blogs by location. If you’re a member, head on over and check it out.
These guys are new to me but Williams Mfg makes sound suppressors at a moderate price right here in East Tennessee. They have a 9mm suppressor for $230! And a 22LR suppressor for $185.
And they have the best price I’ve seen on Walther P-22 thread adapters ($30). Anyone familiar with them?
And don’t forget In Range, another local class II manufacturer specializing in AKs.
Michael Silence announces The Valley of the Blogs, which is a list of East Tennessee blogs. If you want to be added, head on over and email Michael.
Well, why not. He’s crazy enough. In March of 2003, I predicted:
The winner of the 2008 Presidential election will be from Tennessee.
I stand by it.
Thomas Wease was told by his doctor that he could grow medical marijuana reports the AP. But after he grew about a ton of the controlled substance, he decided to call the cops and find out if it was legal. Apparently, it wasn’t.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District in Louisiana today sided with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and issued a restraining order to bar further gun confiscations from peaceable and law-abiding victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Note to Jeff and Ace: Please stop linking to and discussing Oliver Willis. Yeah, the jokes are funny (like unlike his pudding dish, his analysis is shallow and completely devoid of substance) but is it worth it? I mean, it’s Oliver Willis. Ollie isn’t too bright and he’s a hack. It’s not even sporting.
It’s like being in sixth grade and making fun of the kid who still eats paste. Yeah, good for a laugh but no matter how hard you try, you’re not going to convince the paste-eater to not eat the paste. Eventually, you stop making fun of the paste-eater because you realize the paste-eater may have some other problems. I think we’ve reached that point.
Update: And that goes for you too.
Via JR, comes the fully-automated sentry gun, capable of picking out a human target and accurately tracking and shooting him or her in the heart. Heh. Uses an airsoft gun to stop the guy’s little brother.
Jesse Fox Mayshark, formerly of Metropulse fame, has launched The Red State Reader. It features some former writers of the Metropulse and the artist formerly known as South Knox Bubba. It’s left leaning and focuses on The South and the misconceptions about The South. Jesse is now a New Yorker but lived for a decade in Knoxville. Here’s a taste:
Some days after Election Day in November 2004, I was walking to the deli on the corner a few blocks from my apartment on the lower Upper East Side of Manhattan, and I passed two men standing outside a bar, smoking cigarettes and talking. “They hate us down there”, one man said. “They hate us!” “Well,” the other man said, “I don’t know. I go to South Carolina every year, and…” The first man cut him off: “No. They hate us. They were glad when September 11 happened.”
So, go on. You know you want to see how that ends.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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