I want my Empty Vee!

I covered MTV’s I’m a gun owner several times. A new development is that Jane, a woman who claims to be the mother of the girl featured on MTV’s I’m a gun owner, left a long comment here. She says MTV lied to her daughter and misrepresented many events, notably that she hung up her gun. She did not. Good. Jane wants to get the message out, so I’ll reprint it here:

I understand that my response to this post(s) is a few weeks past the initial discussion. However, I was sent this link(s) only recently as a matter of interest, and I have found the varied assumptions made by so many people to be very disturbing. Please forgive me if I mention topics not covered in this particular message as I am responding to several message boards in one.

First of all, I am the mother of the young girl featured on MTV True Life “I’m a Gun Owner.” I would like to think that many of you are intelligent enough to understand that as with any film making endeavor, there is a great deal of creative license put to use – the result being that in many cases, the reality is far different from the impression one is left with from the film. However, since so many people have jumped on board to make accusations regarding the show, let me clarify a few things right up front.

1) My daughter is 23 years old. The filming for the MTV show was done in July through October of 2004 – at the time she was 22 years old. I do not have any idea why the episode took over a year to get on the air. We were initially given an air date of October 2004, yet despite that, it didn’t make its way to the show until December 2005. None-the-less, she was certainly of legal age even a year and a half ago to obtain a CHP (which she has, legally, despite the fact that although they filmed her receiving it – this was not shown on the air)

2) As for the segment which showed her putting the gun into her purse and then immediately showed her in the bar, there was a great deal of footage left out between the two segments – the most significant being that which showed her putting the gun into her glove compartment and explaining to the film crew that you could not legally carry a gun into a bar. As for her drinking – at no time was my daughter armed while consuming alcoholic beverages. Once again, what couldn’t of course be shown, as it was not in keeping with the message of the film, was the fact that she was not alone the night the gun was put into the glove compartment, nor was she in possession of the firearm at any time after the point she walked into the bar. Additionally, at no time since that particular footage was shot, has she taken the gun – even in her car – to any nightclub, bar or party. The segment was essentially “staged ” to show her going out alone at night – and having the gun for protection, and again – much footage was left out which truly shouldn’t have been.

3) She and I both also have issues with the message at the end of her segment that left viewers with the impression that she would no longer need her gun for protection or would not be carrying it. In defense of the filmmakers, they had a job to do – they had to present an evolving story that showed her dedication to firearms and the “reason” why – and her moving forward beyond that. What the show could not delve into for time factors alone is that my daughter has been shooting since she was eight years old, is an active gun rights advocate, and would never choose self defense over her right to own and/or carry a gun. In the past, many years before the show, she has been interviewed by the NRA and has spoken at the State Capitol. Her belief and steadfast support of the Second Amendment will not go away simply because she has taken self defense classes. Yes, it is something she was interested in, in particular for those times where she is unable to be armed – such as mentioned above when she is at or leaving a bar or nightclub, or on campus where firearms are forbidden. However, showing this part of her story did not strengthen their “plot” for lack of a better term, so therefore, it was not included

4) Yes, I agree that there were points in the film that Lennie came across appearing fearful, and as her Mother, but more importantly, as someone who has watched her heal and evolve beyond what happened; this made me more unhappy than anything else I saw in the show. If you were to meet Lennie on the street, you would never by any stretch of the imagination have any idea of what she has gone through. Yes – there are aftereffects from the event that will live with her forever – but they are not visible to the public. On the inside, she will hurt forever because of what this man robbed her of – she didn’t get to graduate with her class, she had to go out on homebound instruction while she healed from the attack, and consequently, was mailed her diploma – forever missing that opportunity that should be every child’s right to walk down the aisle and be handed her diploma by the administration and to celebrate with her friends. She also missed her senior prom – being on homebound instruction prohibited her from attending school functions. These are things that no one will ever be able to give back to her – memories forever denied to her. That is the scar that is left. Beyond that, Lennie chose to become proactive rather than being a silent victim. She used her experience to speak out to other young people about what had happened to her with the hope that she would able to maybe help some other young girl from going through what she did. Her most often repeated phrase was “If I can help just one other young girl from having to go through this, then what I went through wasn’t in vain.” This was her way of healing and dealing with the experience, and through her activism, she has healed wonderfully. She is a bright, active, responsible, outgoing, beautiful young girl, who holds her head high and is not easily intimidated or frightened. Yes – the show repeatedly focused on her comments “I need the gun to feel safe”, ‘I need the gun to be able to live alone” and several other phrases mentioned during the footage – and I felt that was very misleading, as although she obviously made these comments, the hours of additional footage surrounding them as well as the conversations that both proceeded and followed those comments were not included to show the amazing strength that she has and how she has moved beyond the fear that enveloped her (our) lives immediately following the attack.

5) One of the message boards I was sent mentioned that someone with more experience and knowledge could have presented a better case for gun rights. I will be the first to admit that my daughter is not an expert; she is not employed by any gun rights groups. However, she speaks from her heart, and her knowledge has not come without years of research and study. I feel redundant in once again having to remind you that there were many, many hours of footage shot that were not included in the final film. Yes – statistics were cited; yes – there was much discussion about the fact that her assailant not knowing if I was armed was the ultimate factor that prevented her from actually being raped that night. In a debate or discussion, Lennie will bowl you over with facts and figures to not merely back up her beliefs, but convince even the most hardened skeptic to at least consider her point of view.

I have to admit, I feel as if this post is almost useless. I know that as her mother, much of what I have said will be taken in the stance of “a mother defending her young” and yes, there is much truth to that, for there is nothing I would not do to protect my children. However, I urge each of you who read this to think for just a moment of the truth behind the facts I have stated here, and to once again please remember that there is always more to the story that what is presented by one side. Yes, I am her mother, but I am also her friend, and I, more than anyone beyond Lennie herself – know the story behind the film.

As for the show itself, MTV and the filmmakers, I will add this for thought. A gun rights group that my daughter and I are members of initially contacted her about being on the show and put her in touch with the film company. Her first reaction was no – we both knew that MTV has always been heinously liberal and were concerned that her views and opinions would be greatly distorted. It was only after numerous and repeated phone calls from the film company, assuring her that her side would be told truthfully and without prejudice that she finally succumbed and agreed to do the show. MTV has been surprisingly supportive throughout this – at one point when being interviewed by a local newspaper here during the actual filming, they completely supported Lennie in her choice to own a firearm. As for the filmmakers themselves, they have been wonderful. During the three to four months that they became a daily part of our lives, Lennie and I both gained a great deal of respect for them. They were genuinely interested in her opinions and listened fairly and avidly as she explained why the Second Amendment is so important in our society, both on a personal as well as a national level. We went out filming twice, once at the range with the NRA instructor, and once at her Dad’s farm – and on that occasion, she even taught one of the film makers to shoot and celebrated with him as he learned he was an amazingly good shot. Yes, the film was very focused and left out so very much detail that was critical to her story – at the same time, you have to remember that they filmed her for over three months – the amount of footage they had to pour through and weed out was staggering. They were given a theme to follow – and so the footage that was eventually chosen had to be in keeping with the story MTV wanted to present – and I think Shadowbox Films did a wonderful job in making sure that there were many good points brought out in Lennie’s segment. The bottom line is that it was an hour long show that included commercials, so that only leaves what – fifty minutes tops – for the actual show itself. Divide that by the four people showcased and you have less than fifteen minutes per storyline – there was simply no way to bring out everything that was important without making the show appear disconnected. Given that fact and the fact that with any show – you have to have a certain amount of “shock value” or “community issue” focus – I again think they did a wonderful job. Yes, I wish she had come across as stronger, yes, I wish they had cited a few statistics, yes, I wish they had made some points more clear – but in all honestly, they did far better than I had feared, and my hats off to them for ensuring that Lennie came across as believable and sincere as well as showing the world a very, very important reason for the Second Amendment – that self defense IS a basic human right. The amount of email we have received complimenting her on her stance, in many instances even stating that they now understand more clearly just how important the Second Amendment truly is – speaks for itself. As for the other segments that focused on gangs, etc – the reaction we have received personally is that if anything, it strengthened Lennie’s own portion of the show, giving her more credence and believability.

Number 2 and 3 are of particular concern to me. But that’s about what I’d expect from MTV. She was nice enough to give me the link to her daughter’s pages. They are here and here. Judging from the pages, it doesn’t look like she’s stopped packing or advocating for gun rights. I’ve exchanged a few pleasant emails with Jane and have no reason to doubt her account.

The Carnival of Cordite is up!

Battlestar Galactica is truly the best show on TeeVee. It’s even better than Deadwood, which I really like too. Last year’s season finale was amazing and the premiere did not disappoint.

Not sure what it means though but apparently TN is getting one of those.

My wife says I have ugly toenails. Not anymore. One of the gifts I got for Christmas from her was a gift certificate for a spa pedicure. Sure, it may ruin my gun blogging street cred to confess that I had soaked my tootsies in some sort of oatmeal bath, my cuticles removed, nails trimmed, nails buffed and nails treated with a variety of chemicals. I also had my feet scrubbed with a combination of coco butter, sugar and some sort of rejuvenating oil. Then, there was the excellent lower leg massage. All the while, I was sitting in a nice, comfy massaging chair.

Guys, do yourselves a favor and get a spa pedicure, it’ll be worth it. You don’t have to tell anyone. And, girls, if you’re looking for a gift idea for that beau in your life, get him one. You (and he) won’t regret it.

I would like to say that this is a hypothetical question but it isn’t. What does a blogger do when he gets a lead on a story that the main stream press has passed over or does not know about?

I really have a three fold problem.

One. The lead isn’t big news and likely anyone outside of a one county radius would care less. The thing is some parents in one community may want to know about it.

Two. The lead is on a story that has nothing to do with the main subject matter of my blog. I have never posted on anything close to what my lead is. Should I throw an out of place story into a libertarian gun nut blog like No quarters?

Three. I do not have the ability to properly research the details. What legal rights do I have to get arrest records or business ownership papers? Throwing out “un-named person” or “unknown business” isn’t a story and likely will make me look foolish in the end.

What responsibility do I have to report this story?

[cross posted on No Quarters]

Bushmaster’s new Carbon 15 series of lightweight AR-15 rifles are pretty popular. They even have a pretty cool looking 9mm pistol version. One of the SOTs over at arfcom turned one into a short barreled rifle and has some pics and a range report. Here’s a pic:

Pretty sharp looking. I don’t really like the rail system as it doesn’t look like it would support cowitnessing of a red dot sight to iron sights. Still, these look sharp. The guy sells them here and they will offer some competition for the H&Ks.

When Chuckles and Hilly get together, it can’t be good. Here, they tell us that dealing with illegal guns is congress’ job. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that New York has some fairly tyrannical gun laws. And in other states with better laws, guns aren’t illegal. To purchase a handgun legally there, it takes about six months and costs about $600. But the people who would go through the trouble aren’t criminals. What they’re pushing for is to alter access to the trace data info:

From 1988 to 2003, 92 percent of the illegal handguns recovered in New York City came from out of state. Stopping the flow of illegal guns into the Empire State is essential to ending the gun violence on our streets. We are therefore pressing our colleagues in both the Senate and the House to repeal the senseless law that handcuffs law enforcement and the public from having full access to the ATF gun-tracing database.

Likewise, we ask that our colleagues join us in demanding the mandatory reporting of stolen guns and guns used in crime to the ATF database for tracing.

Sitting idly by while more New Yorkers are gunned down with illegal and stolen guns is unacceptable. Passing laws that actually hinder the efforts of police officers who are putting their lives on the line is a disgrace.

Looks to me like they want to lay the foundation for a registry. Gun control will soon be a major topic in this country. The NRA needs to get its preemptive strike started now.

Between these two boobs and Bloomberg’s recent comments about exporting NY’s gun laws, I say bring it. I welcome the debate and my reason is simple: time and time, there has been no evidence that gun control laws affect gun crime. This conclusion was reached by the CDC and the National Institute of Justice. Access to trace data will not prevent any crimes and will not really affect tracing crime guns. They can already do that since they know the gun they’re referring to came from Florida. I don’t see how they possibly think that knowing the gun was stolen sooner would have stopped anything. It’s another band aid solution for appearance sake that will accomplish little, if anything.

I welcome the coming gun control debate because we will win. Look at the recent pro-gun gains: 46 states have CCW provisions, of which 35 are shall issue and 2 states don’t require a permit. The AWB expired. The gun maker immunity bill passed. The DOJ’s official position (bucking 40 years of precedent) is that the second amendment guarantees and individual right. Both major political party platforms say that as well. And I predict two more states to pass shall-issue laws by the end of this year. We’re winning and we will continue to do so.

In California, where it’s pretty hard to get a concealed weapons permit unless you’re Sean Penn, some city politicos say they need permits:

Riverside’s city manager and two City Council members said they need the discretion to carry concealed weapons because their political offices or other jobs put them in jeopardy.

City Manager Brad Hudson said in his application, recently released by the city, that he needs the concealed-weapon permit because of “city council meetings — threats directly and indirectly. Subjects make their way up to the 7th floor who are irate.” Hudson and other top city officials have their offices on the seventh floor of City Hall.

One part of his application also mirrored wording found in the application submitted by Assistant City Manager Tom DeSantis, who said he needed a permit for “self protection associated with professional duties which require presence in high crime areas of the city as well as attendance at hostile and potentially hostile community meetings in high crime areas.”

The applications submitted by Hudson and City Council members Frank Schiavone and Ed Atkison were released in response to public-records requests from The Press-Enterprise. DeSantis’ application was released earlier by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

DeSantis initially obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon from the Riverside Police Department, but it was later revoked because he does not live in the city.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department then issued DeSantis a permit.

Hudson said in an interview that public officials can be targets of violence, especially because their presence at meetings and elsewhere is known.

They did go about it legally. Of course, I have to wonder, since it’s California, if regular citizens would have been approved (other than Sean Penn). And how does one become an assistant city manager without living in the city?

Via Kevin, comes this:

When President Bush last week signed the bill outlawing the torture of detainees, he quietly reserved the right to bypass the law under his powers as commander in chief.

After approving the bill last Friday, Bush issued a ”signing statement” — an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law — declaring that he will view the interrogation limits in the context of his broader powers to protect national security. This means Bush believes he can waive the restrictions, the White House and legal specialists said.

”The executive branch shall construe [the law] in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President . . . as Commander in Chief,” Bush wrote, adding that this approach ”will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President . . . of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks.”

Some legal specialists said yesterday that the president’s signing statement, which was posted on the White House website but had gone unnoticed over the New Year’s weekend, raises serious questions about whether he intends to follow the law.

This, combined with the recent FISA silliness, seems to indicate that the president thinks he’s a above the laws passed by congress. Sure, there may be a case that congress overstepped its authority in both instances but the fact is that the administration can address that through the courts. Instead, it has chosen not to and this could potentially be a dangerous precedent regarding checks on power. It’s quite troubling, actually. You cannot just disobey laws you think don’t pass constitutional muster. There is a method for appropriately dealing with that and we should expect the president, of all people, to realize that and follow that.

Note to the Bush administration: you’re only one branch of government.

I’ve said many times before that drugs are winning the war on drugs. Actually, they’re really kicking ass. Rich is another convert and notes:

Think about it; it’s easier for a kid to score a bag of pot than it is for me to buy cold medicine.

Ayup. I recently had to buy Sudafed for the pregnant wife (it’s the only cold medicine pregnant women can take). Had to sign, show ID and a whole host of other shit that is totally unnecessary.

One out of three is pretty bad:

“Most high school seniors regard abortion as morally wrong and would severely limit a woman’s right to choose, according to a just-completed national poll carried out by researchers at Hamilton College. Also, members of the high school class of 2006 are twice as likely as adults to support legal recognition of gay marriages. The poll on ‘hot button’ political issues also found that support for strong handgun control measures is almost universal among high school seniors. Though liberal on gay and gun issues, this year’s high school graduates are conservative on the issues surrounding abortion.”

That’s a bit depressing to me. Note to the NRA: quit sending me junk mail and get to educating.

Heh!

Lots of folks around here like to go the Indian casino in Cherokee, NC. I never have. My theory is casinos should have scantily clad waitresses and the booze should be free. At least, all the casinos I go to do. I tip the waitresses, of course. But not in Cherokee since they don’t serve booze. But that may change:

This afternoon the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise board will ask the Tribal Council for a referendum vote, which would permit the sale of alcohol only at the casino. This is the third time in 16 years this issue has been up for debate.

Supporters say alcohol sales would boost gambling revenue [No shit – Ed.] while opponents say alcohol would be detrimental to the community prompting violence and alcoholism.

The scantily clad (and endowed) waitresses seem to be covered though, check out the pic in the article. I mean, she’s no Laurie Berkner but . . .

Update: Word is, it didn’t pass. Bummer. Four more years of me not going.

Worth the upgrade or not?

So, what is it about Fruity Pebbles that turns them into the world’s most powerful adhesive after they’ve been sitting in a bowl of milk for a few minutes? Seriously, had to scrape them off the sink.

32 round, 9mm magazines for the Colt style AR-15 for $10.99. These are the Promags that Bushmaster uses. Snatch some up.

Update: Apparently, Natchez will not ship to Tennessee, Georgia or Alabama due to sales tax regs (they’re in Chattanooga). Sadly, I’m in Tennessee. Guess I’ll be paying full price. Stupid tax laws.

Update 2: If any of you out of state folks want to get with some of us in state folks for a group buy that will be shipped to you, let me know. Must be willing to ship them to me. I’ll reimburse shipping, of course. That’s all provided that the math works out. In state folks can get them here for $18.40 but if you’re local CCA had them for about $20.

Update 3: Ok, I have one other person in on the deal. If you’re in, let me know.

Adrian reports that Tennessee is looking to tax software as property. That’s a good way to encourage growth in technical fields. As Adrian points out, most licenses allow usage and not ownership. After you drop some big bucks on a new enterprise resource system, you’ll be comforted to know you’ll be paying taxes on it for years. I’ve known a few companies that have pulled up operations in California and moved to Nevada because the taxes on inventory were too high.

Congrats to Heartless Libertarian and wife for having a little libertarian. Who am I kidding? At that age, we’re all Democrats.

TriggerFinger looks at the issue:

The only difference is that it’s all couched in terminology designed to sound gun friendly.

I am comforted by the fact that Bloomberg is only a Republican because it’s convenient. There may be hope for the Rs but I doubt it in NY.

Or what they were for. But Mr. Completely looks at 22 caliber race guns.

Heh.

For a while, I thought I was the only right-leaning blogger who thought Bush stepped in it with this NSA spying stuff. Turns out, it’s not just me:

Again, my problem is not with the program (because I don’t know the details), but with the Administration’s justification of the program. It is simply too broad a reading of Article II. Article II does not vest all war powers (besides declaration of war) in the Executive. FISA should be viewed in light of Article I. Article I, Section 8 lists the powers of Congress. These include “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” (McCain Amendment) and also “To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces.”

Seen at gunner’s:

. . . the Second Amendment provides a good test of whether their allegiance is really to the Constitution of the United States, or only to their preferences in public policies and audiences.

Joe Huffman is kicking off his ad campaign for Boomershoot. Targets at long range blow up when you shoot them. Looks like a good time. Too bad I can’t make it.

Finally downloaded Firefox. Couple things:

Some blog entries run really close to the sidebar. Not sure how to fix this.

Is there a way to make Firefox open clicked links in a new tab without holding down the control key? I’d like the default to be a new tab.

I also can’t seem to resize the address/search bars.

Update: And I used IESpell in IE to spell check forms. Is there one for FF?

Update: Ok, found Aspellfox for spelling. But when I try to use it, it says it does not exist or is not executable. Ideas? Never mind, all better.

David Codrea on Marion Barry’s robbery:

This whole story doesn’t smell right.

Are we to believe Barry doesn’t know street hoods when he sees them? That he gave them a few dollars to carry groceries?

They came back and he invited them in?

Why do I cynically suspect he wanted a drug deal, and they saw an opportunity.

Looks like it will come in behind Wisconsin:

The fight to allow Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons is now a decade old, but Sen. Jeanne Combs believes it will be passed in the upcoming legislative session.

[snip]

In an Associated Press pre-session survey, 26 of 49 senators said they would favor allowing Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons, while five said they were leaning that way. Eight were opposed to the idea and two were leaning that way. Four were undecided and three did not answer the question. One senator did not participate in the survey.

Thirty-eight states have some form of concealed weapons laws, according to the NRA.

I would say it will be 40 by the end of 2007. I assume they mean shall issue laws because only four states have no law allowing CCW and they are Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and Wisconsin. Here’s a good map.

Wow, you ask for gun porn in a blog entry and people send it. Here’s some!

David Kopel notes 2005 was a good year for gun rights. Further, he writes:

Significant Second Amendment protection issues for Congress in 2005 (I assume he means 2006 – Ed.) will likely include repeal of the D.C. ban on handgun possession and on possession of long guns in a condition usable for home defense; prohibiting state or local governments from confiscating firearms from law-abiding citizens (as New Orleans and St. Tammany Parish did after Katrina), addressing BATFE abuses, and taking action against United Nations efforts to destroy American gun rights.

Here’s hoping. Not exactly my wishlist but a good place to start, particularly BATF abuses. I still favor repeal of sporting purpose and the Hughes amendment.