Via Brittney, the Nashville local, err, alt weekly (I guess?) has a bit on folks who are bonkers buying guns:

The dangerously mentally ill can buy guns in Tennessee in violation of federal law—no questions asked—because the state doesn’t send their names to the FBI national instant background check system. That’s according to state officials in various departments who blame each other for the failure and don’t seem especially interested in doing anything about it.

As long as they have no criminal record, even mentally ill people who have been involuntarily committed to mental institutions as a danger to themselves or others can go to a gun store on the day of their release, pass the FBI’s background check and walk out with a firearm in Tennessee, officials say.

Tennessee has its own system, the Tennessee Instant Check System and does not utilize the NICS. I’m pretty sure each database can reference the other one but I’m not so sure as to bet more than a beer on it. Tennessee is one of many (30, IIRC) states that have no standard for reporting a case of the crazies to the instant check system. So, reporting to the system is, frankly, mostly optional and probably not done.

And here’s the deal: when people who are dee dee dee buy guns through a dealer, they are breaking the law by lying on ATF Form 4473. Criminals lie, shocking, I know. I’m not sure another law will affect people predisposed to breaking them. So, the question then is: how do we get a list of people the state has decided ain’t right in the head? Beats me. But I’m certain that various mental health professionals will object on the grounds of abortion err privacy rights.

baby gets his first tooth, and his first FOID card.

Didn’t watch because, frankly, the party hasn’t said anything I’ve wanted to hear in about six years.

Update: In comments: It was really more of a Vice Presidential debate

Hah!

Since the assault weapons ban expired a couple years ago, there was supposed to be blood in the streets. None. Also, since these weapons (according to the anti-gun crowd) were the weapon of choice for cop killing (even though they were used in significantly less than 1% of crimes), I find this shocking:

Forty-eight law-enforcement officers were killed last year as a result of felonious line-of-duty attacks — nearly half in the South — the FBI said in a report yesterday. The total was seven less than in 2005.

Less? How can that be?

only better:

Lawmakers defend a policy that lets them carry guns into the state senate.

The sign out front says “no weapons allowed,” but at least two state senators, both women, bring concealed guns with them to work every day.

And related:

Well, today was the National Peace Officers Memorial Day march on the Capitol. With it, DC was over run with cops from across the nation. That’s a good thing, and we were all proud to welcome them to our city.

The problem is that 4 of them (well a whole lot more than that) were carrying their guns. Again, I support that, except that in DC its illegal. They aren’t Federal Police Officers and DC “officially” doesn’t recognize the right of cops (or anyone) from other jurisdictions to carry here.

Hmmm, what a bout the recent bill passed by congress to let active and retired police carry?

without a gun. Maybe fodder was wrong. Stupid can hurt.

Related is a Homer Simpson quote from Sunday (paraphrased from memory): Why do things that only happen to stupid people keep happening to me?

AC notes that Niceley’s bill has made it out of the judiciary committee.

I come not to praise the 1911 but to bury it.

Shorter version: I support the second amendment except when it comes to gun control.

$2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn sites in 2006. And other stats on the porn industry presented in this video that is safe for work . . . barely.

Read the rest of this entry »

A while back, I proposed a bill:

No Senator nor Representative in The State can vote for or against a bill unless said legislator can pass, with at least 85% proficiency, a multiple choice exam about the bill in question.

See, if we had my bill in place, then bills wouldn’t sneak past our senators:

State Sen. Raymond Finney is asking for a legislative do-over on the bill that would allow wine to be sold as some restaurants in Townsend.

The Maryville Republican has asked that Senate Bill 1219, approved on May 7, be brought back for further amendments.

“We are recalling a bill that sneaked by me,” Finney said. “I’m having it recalled from the speaker of the House’s desk to have that defeated. There is no way I want to bypass the votes of people in the referendum.”

Finney is referring to a November 2006 referendum to allow liquor by the drink that Townsend voters defeated by a 96-87 vote.

“The way the bill was worded, I didn’t catch it,” he said. “I went back and read the bill … it was a conglomeration of several different locations. We had 50- something bills (to consider) that day.”

Yes, that mean ol’ bill just snuck up on him and done passed itself. Try reading the bills you guys are voting on. It would help.

The Tennessee Policy Center has released its report on vote buying err pork. $125,000,000.

This day’s news of lasting significance: The City (my The City) is getting a Krispy Kreme and an indoor shooting range. Hell yeah.

I told some folks that someone should do that.

Kevin is rejoicing at the nanny state. It saved one life!!! Oh, wait? What’s that? No requirement in Wisconsin to actually wear a helmet? Oh crap! You got your personal responsibility all over me. People can make the right decisions without being threatened to under force of law? Who knew?

In other news, why the Hell are we always talking about cyclists these days?

Note: the smarmy tone is due to Tom’s free market hooey.

I never cared much for Ross Perot. I saw him as the reason America got stuck with Bill Clinton twice. President Clinton was not a good steward of this nations national security.

Today we learn that the Anti-Self-Defense Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City is seriously considering running for President as an Independent and is committed to spending a Billion dollars of his own money.

Fuck you Mayor Bloomberg. I hope you don’t get more than two votes. But sadly he will get votes. A lot of urban bicycle riding anti-self-defense types will see Mayor Bloomberg as a welcome alternative to Rudy Giuliani or John McCain. Will an Independent Bloomberg candidacy pull votes away from Hillary Clinton or Barry Obama? Possible but not probable.

“Bloomberg is H. Ross Perot on steroids,” said former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner. “He could turn the political landscape of this election upside down, spend as much money as he wanted and proceed directly to the general election. He would have resources to hire an army of petition-gatherers in those states where thousands of petitions are required to qualify a third-party presidential candidate to be on the ballot.”

We sure could use Fred Thompson about now.

Anyone know where Joe’s blog went? His main site is still there.

Update: Software issues.

John has some info on yesterday’s House Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy look at gun control. He notes: there are 150+ weapons *not* on the street.

Tommy linked up 100 of George Carlin’s best lines. My fave:

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

Blah, blah, I know. Median, yada, yada. Still funny.

Update: Make it two quotes today:

In a just universe stupid would hurt.

So, I keep noticing in my Google Ads a listing for Ebay that says:

Guns
Browse a huge selection now. Find exactly what you want today.

The link goes to a search page for guns on Ebay. Of course, there aren’t any because that would violate Ebay/PayPal policy. Found it odd.

Me, that is. See, apparently if you think that maybe guns can save lives and counseling is by and large a waste of time and money designed to make people look like they’re doing something, you obviously need, err, counseling and evaluation:

In the aftermath, officials at Hamline University sought to comfort their 4,000 students. David Stern, the vice president for academic and student affairs, sent a campus-wide email offering extra counseling sessions for those who needed help coping.

Scheffler had a different opinion of how the university should react. Using the email handle “Tough Guy Scheffler,” Troy fired off his response: Counseling wouldn’t make students feel safer, he argued. They needed protection. And the best way to provide it would be for the university to lift its recently implemented prohibition against concealed weapons.

[…]

So Hamline officials took swift action. On April 23, Scheffler received a letter informing him he’d been placed on interim suspension. To be considered for readmittance, he’d have to pay for a psychological evaluation and undergo any treatment deemed necessary, then meet with the dean of students, who would ultimately decide whether Scheffler was fit to return to the university.

All this for expressing an opinion.

Deb, that is. She’ll be missed.

It is here.

Well, he’s shown only disregard for it so I guess it’s something:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is under federal investigation regarding “rogue sting” operations against gun dealers in five states outside his jurisdiction, has agreed to abide by Virginia law when undertaking any future operations in that state.

I could be wrong, and wouldn’t put it past the state of Illinois to be so stupid, but a Firearm Owners Identification Card is not a firearm, right?

David Hardy takes a look:

I’ve glanced at HR 297, the “NICS Improvement Act.” I must say it’s mostly evidence of how lazy Congress has grown.

A new map of concealed carry laws by state. Well, new to me.

I’m guessing they won’t. Wayne LaPierre on the NRA’s position regarding background checks and Lautenberg’s bill that denies due process of law:

The NRA has always supported including the records of individuals adjudicated mentally defective in the National Instant Background Check System. But we don’t support adding people who have not been adjudicated mentally defective to the system.

First, Les Baer and now Springfield:

Inside the Springfield Armory on Monday, there’s a look at the hands-on craftsmanship sparking this Geneseo business since 1974. The kind of work that created 165 jobs there and some 500 around the Quad City area at other gun-related companies.

But gun manufacturers and local legislators are warning that the $20 million payroll will disappear if legislation passes to limit the number of bullets in a gun magazine. Already passed in the Illinois Senate, it could come up in the Illinois House next week.

ArmaLite is looking to bail too. Good. We’ll take you in Tennessee.

A look it lies in The Other Biased Washington Paper’s article on guns. Speaking of, Chuck Klein says:

My field of expertise is firearms and I am constantly amazed at the lack of knowledge and/or research (laziness?) that some writers exhibit when writing about guns or the use thereof.

Well, I’m pretty sure they just call up one pro-gun guy and one anti-gun guy to get their facts. Anyway, he has a list of info for reporters so that they can appear to have some idea what they’re talking about.

In Pennsylvania this time. Background here.