AC:

Our system is rigged against independents and third parties. A third party isn’t even allowed to be identified on the ballot. An individual libertarian may not be able to campaign and get his name out but people still know what a libertarian is. If they were listed by party, people would know SOMETHING about that candidate.

He concludes:

Everything — to the two parties. To the people, nothing.

Ayup.

There’s some little political tussle going on in my fair state for Senate. The three Republican candidates are duking it out, while Ford is waiting to see who precisely is going to beat him. Some notes on it:

Corker, with his own cash and support from the Good Ol’ Boy machine, is buying this thing. He gave his campaign about $1.7M yesterday. He can outspend everyone and he will. Corker was the mayor of Chattanooga and made his fortune in development and real estate. It’s amusing to watch his commercials lambasting illegal immigration and telling us that citizens should speak English knowing full well that part of his fortune was amassed on the backs of illegal immigrants because such cheap labor tends to be a mainstay in development, contracting and real estate ventures. I even heard some illegal aliens were arrested on his job sites.

Ed Bryant seems to have a lot of support on Al Gore’s Tubes of Internets. But it kinda seems to end there.

Van seems to be a non-issue other than the fact him being in the race may be the reason Bryant can’t win.

Blogs as political indicators: Quite frankly, they suck at it. If you read the Internets and the blogs, you’d think this race was going to be a close race between Bryant and Ford. But you’d be wrong. It’s going to be Corker with Ford jumping up and down in the background saying pick me, pick me like the slow kid who always gets picked last when choosing dodge ball teams in the fifth grade. I say that based on the backing of the local political machine and who business is backing. I’ll bet a beer on it.

That’s not an endorsement of Corker at all. I don’t care for him. All three Republican candidates spend their time telling the voters exactly why they’re all the same (in case you didn’t know, they’re all against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism). Then, they say things like well I’m more against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism than these other two. Or that the other two are less against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism than I am. Ford’s message is roughly the same, only less believable.

Guys, try telling us how you’re different from each other.

And whenever I see the commercial of Corker on the Arizona border in his flannel shirt and jeans, trying to look all outdoorsy, and yammering about immigrants, I notice that his jeans are pulled up too high on the waist. He walks in an awkward and uncertain manner with his thumbs in his belt loops. And he meanders sans confidence. And I have one thought and it is: Man, this guy’s a pussy. And this pussy will be the next senator from Tennessee.

Update: Oh, yeah. I’m not endorsing anyone but since you guys know that I:

1 – Don’t like Ford because I don’t believe him when it comes to guns; and that he’s too buddy-buddy with Schumer, who is everything I hate in a Senator;

2 – Have explicitly endorsed Not Hilleary

3 – Think Corker is a pussy;

Well, I’ll hold my nose when I do it. Or vote third party.

ETA: Oh, and that’s not to say I’ll hold my nose because I think Bryant is a bad guy or anything like that. He seems to be the most sincere and straight forward candidate. He’s just not someone I can get real excited about.

Over at The Gun Blogs (or as I like to call it, Rustmeister’s blog that I pay for*), Rustmeister asks:

At some time in the (hopefully) near future I plan on getting a new pistol, so I’m looking for suggestions.

It needs to have the following features:

* Full size
* Minimum capacity 12+1
* Minimum caliber 9mm +P
* Stainless
* Under $500 if possible

* Note: I’m not bashing Rustmeister. I’m just disappointed more folks don’t post material there. I set it up to be a blog that any gunnie could post too and it seems only a few do. So, if you want to blog about guns, head over there; register; and start posting.

In Maryland, a federal judge overturned a law that required Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to spend at least 8 percent of its payroll costs on health care for its employees:

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz ruled that the law violates the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), a federal law that sets minimum standards for pensions and health plans. The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down similar state laws that conflict with the federal law, ruling that ERISA pre-empts any state law related to employee benefit plans.

Or he could have struck it down because Wal-Mart should decide how Wal-Mart spends its money. Insert reference to communism here.

Via Publicola, JPFO has an interview with Richard Celata on the recent raid on KT by the ATF and some Canadians:

Richard: On June 6th we were raided by the ATF, the FBI, and the Canadian ATF. The search warrant said that they were looking for firearms and other items pertaining to the manufacturer of sale and receipt of such items. They also claimed that we were manufacturing without a license, which obviously isn’t true because we don’t make anything that requires a license. All our products are nonlicensable.

…

Aaron: … Your lawyer, Quentin Roads, has suggested that he thinks this whole raid was really a fishing expedition. Can you comment on that?

Richard: We believe that at the time because of items that they took and things that they didn’t take, questioning me more about militias and that activity, and just the records that they were after, the types of records, my client list and sales receipts to things I purchased and resold to someone else, so we think it was geared on that.

Aaron: So, they wanted to know who your customer base was?

Richard: Right.

…

Richard: Well that is what it comes down to is their interpretation. We have known from previous determination letters that they really don’t mean much even after they issue one. They have issued several letters claiming that the AR15 in such a configuration is not a firearm along with also the 1911s, yet it is arbitrary. You can send in two 80% frames to the ATF at two different times and get two different answers. One time one person will look at it and say it is a firearm and another time another person will look at it and say, no it is not, so there is not much determination on that of what constitutes that, but the general rule of thumb that they go by is that if it cannot be assembled in any manner and fire a single round, it is not a firearm. It would take a considerable amount of time, depending on your skill level; of course, my skill level is above most average people who buy these, so it would take me less time than someone else who would not have my skill level, but still the AR15 style rifle, you can’t assemble it, you can’t put a hammer trigger, you can’t put the buffer tube in, you need to drill and tap. I think it is pretty much about 18 or 20 holes in it before it will work properly and if you don’t do the hammer and trigger hole properly, it will never work. The sear will not engage. So it is not like you just buy something and assemble it and 10 minutes later, you have a working firearm. Most people take an average of between 20 hours to finish one to bring it to 100% receiver.

There’s a lot more but it looks like they are going after the DIY folks.

Les notes:

I won’t buy any Norinco because of the company’s horrendous ethical violations. Those violations are detailed in Norinco’s Wikipedia entry, and include illegally importing and selling 2000 fully automatic weapons to undercover agents posing as Mafia in 1994 (and offering mortars, anti-aircraft missiles, and other weapons) and selling “missile-related goods” to Iran in 2003, which led the Bush administration to impose a two-year ban on Norinco imports. Besides all that, any money spent on Norinco guns goes directly to China’s military industry.

The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association notes:

The City Council yesterday passed a series of bills aimed at bolstering gun control and cracking down on gun crime. The measures, introduced jointly by Mayor Bloomberg and the council speaker, Christine Quinn, require any person convicted of a gun crime to register with the city and prohibit a person from buying more than one handgun in a three-month period.

So, like sex offenders, gun criminals are now registered. And one handgun every three months? Remember, they said the one gun per month was just to prevent illegal dealers. This law will only prevent the law-abiding from buying them. Bloomy issues a statement:

These four bills – the first of their kind in the nation – will make it harder and riskier to buy and sell illegal guns in our City, and help make the safest big city in America even safer.

No, they won’t. More:

As I have said many times, the City has no objection to law-abiding citizens who own guns …

Then why do you punish the law-abiding when criminals simply will not obey this law. They don’t obey the others after all.

… and gun dealers who play by the rules.

Is that why you conducted an illegal sting operation against gun dealers who were playing by the rules and are now getting sued for it?

I can’t help but notice, if you work at a bank and you’re not a teller, you must be a vice president.

From Cam Edwards:

Attorney and former Congressman Bob Barr announced today that he and the Law Offices of Edwin Marger, of which he is Of Counsel and is located in Jasper, Georgia, will be pursuing legal action against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on behalf of Adventure Outdoors. Bloomberg, in May of this year, named Adventure Outdoors, a family owned hunting supply business in Smyrna, Georgia, in a federal lawsuit against “rogue gun dealers.”

Bloomberg conspired with others named in the lawsuit to deceive Adventure Outdoors in order to falsely and fraudulently purchase a firearm. By doing so, the conspirators falsified an ATF form which is a clear violation of federal and Georgia laws. Furthermore, Bloomberg then released misleading statements to national news media, which damaged the reputation and business of Adventure Outdoors in this scheme to defame and violate the law.

In his statement, Barr expressed his confidence in a successful outcome for Adventure Outdoors and further stated that “Mayor Bloomberg’s and the other players’ actions were careless, willful and clearly illegal.

Is there a fund to contribute to?

Background here.

Update: Press coverage here and here. Think the NYT will run it?

I thought this guy looked familiar. Gun porn too.

Though perhaps slightly off-topic completely on-topic for this blog, I can’t resist mentioning the Observer’s list of 50 great albums. What sets this list apart from all the other Top 50s out there is that it ranges widely through many styles and also lists the acts that descended from these ground breakers.

I’m missing a bunch of these albums. Maybe I’ll work my way through them. The list covers musical styles I normally avoid, but the seminal work of a genre is usually pretty good, no matter what your normal tastes are.

Aunt B. has a lot on the subject. There’s also a debate going on in the comments. She also seems to be disappointed that I haven’t chimed in (well, until now). The reason for that is twofold. One, I’ve said it all before. And two, I realize that this Christian Grantham person is either a disingenious hack or an idiot. Doesn’t matter which he is, he’s not worth my time.

New York did it. So did Boston. Memphis has set up a special gun court:

Anyone caught carrying a gun illegally in Shelby County will get special attention from the criminal justice system starting next month.

Criminal Court Judge Louis Montesi Jr. will hear all illegal gun cases in the general sessions court system on a special “gun docket” beginning Aug. 1.

With this year’s Memphis homicide rate already just a few bodies short of 100, the gun docket is the centerpiece of a cross-jurisdictional initiative to get tougher and more consistent on illegal gun possession violations and curb gun crime.

Hopefully, the guy knows a thing or two about guns and gun laws. The mayor says:

We want to underscore the fact that there is no such thing as the trivial possession of guns in a civilized society

Actually, I think trivial possession of guns is indicative of a free society and a civilized society. I have trivial possession of many of them, personally. More:

Gibbons sent a letter this week to Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington police departments asking them to arrest instead of cite unlawful gun possessors, as can be allowed under state law.

After the arrest, the initiative “will result in people spending some time in jail or more time in jail when they otherwise would not,” Gibbons said.

Maybe I am reading that wrong or it is poorly worded, but it seems the court is set up to violate state law, which requires citation and not incarceration. More:

“It sends the signal that illegally toting a gun in this community is not acceptable. That’s the bottom line.”

The initiative is an extension of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which primarily involves felony illegal gun possession by ex-convicts.

Tennessee law requires only a citation be issued for misdemeanor unlawful possession of a weapon with exceptions that include suspects who have outstanding arrest warrants, are considered a danger or are unlikely to appear in court.

With the new program, after the arrest, anyone found unlawfully possessing a gun could get more than a slap-on-the-wrist fine or citation.

Looks like I wasn’t reading it wrong.

This is not from the Onion.

“We are making an all-out assault on the Constitution of the United States which, thank God, will fail,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Wow.

As noted at GLN, it’s a slow day in the gun blogging neighborhood. I don’t have much to say. So, what do you want to talk about? Consider this an open thread, or something.

Via Eric’s place, comes bikini clad women with guns.

I recently purchases a forearm mounted front sight from brightflashlights.net. Their website is here (it’s under construction) and their AR15.com page is here. Good prices, excellent service, fast delivery, and quick response to my inquiries. By good prices, I mean a YHM free float, light weight forearm for $87 and a YHM forearm mounted front sight for $64.

I ordered it and they changed to my preferred shipping method for a nominal fee. They were out of stock on one item I inquired about and I asked they let me know when they got it in. I expected to not hear from them again, which is usually the case with most online vendors. However, less than two days later, I get an email telling me the item was now in stock and asking if I wanted it. Unfortunately, I had already ordered the item from elsewhere but that is excellent service. I’ll use them again in the future and think you should give them a shot too. So, check out brightflashlights ad board and their website.

I guess whoring is a good skill for both. Anyway, (via PTH) Mimi Miyagi is running for governor of Nevada. As a Republican. Here’s her campaign site.

This time, it’s a movie.

Marc is hosting a EPostal match. So, break out your printer and pistol and get with it.

Today, for the first time, Bush told Congress no. And it was for something stupid.

In comments here, ben recommended fasting to aid in quitting smoking. I’ve now been fasting for a week and a half (with the exception of Friday, when I tried the other smoking). You could say I stopped this weekend and restarted on Monday. My diet has consisted entirely of all the water I can drink, 12 ounces of carrot juice for lunch, and about five spoonfuls of plain brown rice for dinner (except for Friday). I did some research on it and figured that was the best fast for me. Some notes:

First day, you hardly notice. The second day, you get a bit cranky. And the third day, it’s as though you’re mind becomes clearer. That, according to some hippie-tree-hugging theory that I don’t necessarily believe, is because the toxins are being cleansed from my body. I have lost about 11.5 pounds (though this is not the reason for the fast, it’s not uncommon). I plan on breaking the fast tomorrow during a meal that is coincidentally called breakfast.

Somehow, a pro-gunnie (Chris Cox, actually) broke through the WaPo’s filters:

The House Commerce appropriations bill states that firearm trace information can and will be shared with any federal, state, local or international law enforcement agency in the course of a bona fide criminal investigation or prosecution. While this provision may not please New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg or The Post, 325,000 Fraternal Order of Police members and other rank-and-file law enforcement officers support it.

The editorial also said that studies have indicated that child gun safety education programs don’t work. It’s astonishing to hear anyone make the case against education. Gun safety education programs, such as NRA’s Eddie Eagle, have been pivotal in decreasing fatal firearms accidents for children 15 and under from 550 in 1975 to 56 in 2003 — down 90 percent. We take issue with your higher statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that classifies people 18 to 20 years old as children. The National Rifle Association invests millions of dollars to develop and teach gun safety while others merely pay lip service. The NRA will continue to work with and support rank-and-file law enforcement as they successfully combat crime.

Wow. They printed it. I am surprised.

Via Bitter, photoshopping of Giuliani campaign posters.

Via NIT, B-Ho writes:

. . . the proposed amendment simply does not discriminate against anyone. If it passes, gays and lesbians in Tennessee will continue to have the exact same marriage right that all adult Tennesseans’ already have: the right to marry one person of the opposite gender.

That’s the dumbest line of reasoning I have ever heard. In other news, you can’t marry who you want but you can chew gum – just like everyone else. Up next (via MKS) comes another conservative sort on gay cooties:

But what I just don’t understand is why conservative Christians, of which I am one, care about what two homosexuals do? If it doesn’t harm me or anyone else and it doesn’t infringe upon my freedom, then I could care less.

A marriage, as defined by the Bible, is a covenant between man, woman, and God. How many marriages do you think are performed in this state every year that do not fit that definition? I’d say quite a few.

Gay marriage has absolutely nothing to do with you, me or our freedom. So tell me, why are we spending all of this time worrying ourselves over something that has nothing to do with us?

Ayup. I support gay marriage for a variety of reasons. One reason is that certain rights (such as survivorship of an estate and the ability to make medical decisions for a loved one) should not be eliminated because a couple has matching genitalia. If they have committed themselves to one another, more power to them and they should be allowed to do it. But the primary reason I support gay marriage is because the arguments against it are just stupid. They tend to break down like this:

So, come on guys, you have to do better. Seems to me the real reason is fear of gay cooties. And unless I hear a convincing reason otherwise, I think it stands to reason to assume that.

David Hardy:

I’ve posted before on how the antigun Joyce Foundation was using its millions to, essentially, rent law reviews as fora for second amendment attacks. It’d invested in symposium issues of the Chicago-Kent Law Review and Fordham Law Review, getting them to bring in outsiders as symposium editors, inviting only anti-second amendment articles, and then paying for copies to distribute to judges and legislators. Understand, most law reviews run on a shoestring. Authors are unpaid, editors get a pittance ($600 a year when I did it). Some tax-exempt place comes in and offers tens of thousands, it’s unprecedented.

The spring issue of the Stanford Law and Policy Review is coming out with a symposium issue on, you guessed it, gun laws and the second amendment. So I did a bit of research and found this note on Joyce Foundation’s homepage, under its 2004 grants:

Go read.

Or, if I were the Brady Center, that’s what my headline would be:

The numbers are so stark you think they must be a misprint.

You check again, on another page. Same numbers.

Police fired 616 shots last year, an astounding 75 percent more than the 352 in 2004 and the highest number in any year since 1999.

They were also involved in 16 gunfights last year, up from 11 in 2004. No surprise there, as the city had more overall gun violence last year than the year before, with increases both in the number of shooting incidents and shooting victims.

But here’s what is troubling. In those gunfights with suspects, police fired 276 times – they did so just 92 times in 2004’s gunfights – while the bad guys shot back at police just 72 times. The worst cop imaginable has more restraint than the average gunman, so this is clearly a red flag.

Huh? That makes no sense. Seems to just imply that they have more ammo. Seems the cops fired about 17.25 times per gun fight. 17+1, coincidentally, happens to be the magazine capacity of their issue handgun. Not unreasonable to conclude that maybe they empty their guns in gun fights and that is not indicative of restraint.

Here’s the headline:

Mass. High Court: Gun Owners Must Lock Up Firearms

Here’s the story:

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that gun owners may be negligent for shootings with their stolen firearms in specific situations, if they fail to properly lock up the weapons when they know someone with a history of violence has access to them.

The state’s high court, however, rejected broader firearm liability claims, dismissing the argument that gun owners should be held responsible for harm done with their weapons in all theft cases.

That’s not consistent with the headline.

Publicola calls me out on it:

As Say Uncle said:

“Here’s hoping they turn all their ammo in first.”

But as Say Uncle previously said:

“Sure, I made a half-hearted comment about sending guns to Connecticut but its pointless because I can’t send them balls.”

You’re gonna use the first veto of your entire freaking Presidency for THIS?