I used to do a series on happy fun tax facts during tax time. But I stopped, it got too depressing. And those numbers are old now. But a few items on taxes:

Is the tax code void on vagueness? Good question, really. When I last checked, the code was bloated:

The Internal Revenue Code consists of approximately 1,395,000 words.

There are 693 sections of the Internal Revenue Code that are applicable to individual taxpayers, 1,501 sections applicable to businesses, and 445 sections applicable to tax-exempt organizations, employee plans, and governments.

As of June 2000, the Treasury Department had issued almost 20,000 pages of regulations containing over 8 million words.

I’m sure there is plenty of vagueness in that. Meanwhile, the IRS is a bully and will threaten to withhold your pass port.

People ask me how I would fix the tax code. Simple, really. A two step plan:

No more payroll deductions for taxes. You take home what you earn and every month, you write a check to the government. This will have the added benefit of exposing most folks to the complexity of the stupid laws and, you know, will provide to them the real amount of money taxes cost them. Most folks think in terms of their net pay, not gross.

It will be a crime punishable by death for a senator or congressmonkey to pay a third party to do their taxes. They will be required by law to do their own tax returns.

We must ban:

knitting needles

a heated object*

remote controls

minivans

dogs

* soldering iron, maybe?

Awesome. Not made for firing in space.

Emails from firearms dealer showing concerns about ATF allowing guns into Mexico are damning.

Irony:

The 56-year-old man from Shalimar was trying to exchange or get rid of his Ruger 380 automatic pistol because it did not have a safety, said Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.

The man was attempting to demonstrate his concerns about the gun about 12:30 p.m. when it discharged. The man was hit in his left hand.

Here’s a good safety tip: watch where you point and keep your finger off the trigger.

A special guest is coming.

How most firearm kaboom stories start.

Pink ammo

To deny someone rights:

Rep. Peter King (R-NY-3) introduced HR 1506 yesterday. It is titled a bill to “To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of firearms or explosives licenses to a known or suspected dangerous terrorist.”

What the insides of a suppressor look like.

Kevin’s getting a 38 super

Buy A Gun Day round up

CrimsonTrace black flame grips

The most interesting part of the trip was when I almost stabbed somebody. We were on the subway (I hate being underground, btw. It sorta weirds me out.) and a disheveled looking guy, who looks nervous and unclean, boards at the last minute. Once the door shuts, he starts screaming to the top of his lungs to the people in the car about about something, some sort of pre-robbery speech. Then says it’s a robbery and pulls out his hand and it’s in a brown paper bag. I was a bit surprised that I stayed calm but I did. I discretely pulled my Cold Steel AK47 out of my pocket and stood between the guy and my wife evaluating what I was going to do and when. It was a pretty intense few seconds. Then the robber decides to inform us that he’s not a robber and it’s actually some sort of scare-tactic fundraising pitch for a homeless shelter. In hindsight, I was glad (and he was lucky) that he got the point quickly. I didn’t give him any money. But did look at him like he was stupid for the rest of the ride.

In NYC, the white and yellow lines on the roads are just kind of general guides not to be taken seriously.

The place was much cleaner than I remember. Some parts were filthy with trash stacked up in alleyways. But mostly clean.

Had some of the best Chinese food ever at a hole in the wall called Wing Wong’s in Chinatown.

For breakfast, I had smoked sable at a Jewish deli, served by an Iraqi. Don’t see that every day.

On the way back, the TSA failed to notice I had the knife in my bag. Or my TacPen. Or my wife’s large can of FoxOC. I forgot the knife was in my carry on and the Mrs. forgot to take her spray out before we got to the airport. Don’t you feel safer?

I saw Wyatt Cenac and Mitt Romney.

Near 10 years later and the site of the World Trade Center is a hole in the ground. So sad.

For the children:

From Stuff

Via reader Terry.

It was kinda nice to say to hell with it and not blog. And I came in, looked at my inbox and google reader subscriptions. Was overwhelmed at the number. So, I marked all as read. If I managed to miss anything important, let me know.

Reviewed at Shooting Illustrated.

What do the following pics have in common?

Shoulder thing that goes up.

Fitting the rifle to the user

A good read

Dragon Leatherworks.

Climber

Ok, then:

From Stuff

A review of an anti-gun movie.

Looks like they’re kicking the old guy out and replacing him over this allowing guns to Mexico thing. Good.

AAC’s annual event is coming up.

The Violence Policy Center’s Josh Sugarmann keeps lying and saying the gun industry is dying. But turns around and complains about the money the industry gives to NRA.

More here.

Where Great Britain used to be: Arrested and charged for practicing free speech.

In Washington, the governor signed it and it has passed. It’s a good step for gun safety, actually making guns safer.

Predator Tactical Night Strike

Suppressed AR

Sig 556 in 7.62

And apparently the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership has a rough week. They were talking to the White House gun advisor and then:

One area in which Croley has shown less interest, according to several people who have spoken with him about the issue, is restricting the large-volume ammunition magazines that allowed the Tucson shooter to keep firing. When Paul Helmke, director of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, broached the subject during the March 15 gathering with Croley, officials promptly adjourned the meeting.

Good. That’s how you should treat folks who oppose your rights. Then, they release this hideous ad on assault clips.

They are desperate. And I apparently should not blog more often.

Hey, that’s my gimmick.
And haiku sucks anyway
Yugoslavian

Content to resume tomorrow. 

On travel. Maybe later.

A list of cars the feds say you can’t have, in the land of the free.

A carry permit from out of state is equivalent to their FOID card. Handy for getting out of felony convictions for transporting firearms in the sate. Illinois tends to disregard the safe travel provisions of the FOPA.

More whistle-blowers come forward.