Saturday, June 04, 2005

A Whole Slew of New Firearms-Related Bills Passed by Texas Legislature

From NRA-ILA. Governor Perry has until June 19 to sign these bills, or not.

Of note (to me):
HB 225 by Representative Joe Driver (R-Garland) & Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) Extends Term of Renewed Concealed Handgun Licenses (CHLs) from 4 to 5 Years.
Hmmm...does this mean they'll have to send out new licenses to all current holders? Or does it just get phased in slowly? Not really important to me, either way, just thought I'd mention it.

Of real importance:
HB 823 by Representative Terry Keel (R-Austin) & Senator Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) Legalizes the Carrying of Concealed Handguns in Private Vehicles Without a CHL.
Now that would be something.

tnx to John Lott's Website

Carnival of Cordite #16 at Resistance is Futile!

In my opinion, mASS BACKWARDS is looking at the right gun. If I were looking to buy my first centerfire pistol, this one would be a definite contender.

I gotta agree with Kim Du Toit on this one. It should also be a good companion for a S&W Model 28, yes?

Friday, June 03, 2005

Interesting thoughts...

...from the UK at Gun Culture:
We are required to pay top dollar for third rate services that we haven't asked for and in some cases that we do not receive - NHS dental treatment does not exist in my area, but I don't get a rebate on NI "contributions".

It is accepted that it is state business what drugs I use, how many portions of fruit'n'veg I eat, when I can buy alcohol (indeed how much I should pay for it), when an independent retailer should open for business and a whole myriad of ever increasing regulations on individual freedoms.

It is illegal in Blighty to pay for a vote, yet this is precisely what happens every election time. Under the Conservatives we saw headline grabbing "tax-cuts" at the pre-budget elections, under the Labour Party we have new handouts and social engineering tax systems. The people vote themselves bread and circuses and the wealth generators are expected to divvy up for them.

Essentially what we experience is institutional socialism. Or as I prefer to call it Communism Lite.

Maybe you already knew about this site...

...but I just discovered it. NEWSMEAT, among other things, has information on how much and to whom various prominent figures have donated their money. Celebrities, billionaires, sports stars, media folks, business execs, and political people. I find it all very interesting.

Just noticed this today on the Ruger website...

Sturm, Ruger Introduces New Ruger P95 Pistols with Picatinny Rails

Minuteman Movement Beginning in Odessa, Texas

Odessa:
"About 40 people gathered Thursday night to consider whether to create a West Texas chapter of the Arizona Minuteman Project.

'It's basically like a neighborhood watch,' organizer Shane Marler, of Odessa, said. 'The primary goal is to go to the border, take note of illegal activity and call the Border Patrol.'

Marler said the organization would be strictly non-confrontational and never make contact with illegal immigrants unless someone needs help."
The biggest problem, as noted in this and other articles, is that Texas has very little public land along the border (unlike Arizona), and such activity would require landowners' permission.

"Should I wait for him to shoot me?"

Manila:
"Pablo Hernandez held a 9mm handgun with his right hand, steadied it with his left, sighted on a target 30 feet away and fired. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Spent shells dropped away, and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air.

The target was cardboard, but one day it could be a real person. Hernandez, a columnist for a Philippines tabloid, evaded an assassin's bullets last month. He is among a group of reporters, columnists and broadcasters who are campaigning to arm journalists in response to violence against them."
Of course, the Philippines have their anti-self-defense goofballs, too:
"Other journalists and advocates for press freedom expressed alarm, saying that carrying guns would not offer protection but instead create more violence and bloodshed. They fear a culture of vigilantism in a society where the rule of law is tenuous.

'Guns and journalists are a pretty deadly mix,' said Inday Espina-Varona, chairwoman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. 'We live in a pressure-cooker world, always tense, always on the run, terribly overworked and terribly underpaid, especially in the Philippines. When you're hot, in a temper, a weapon of self-defense can inadvertently be turned into a weapon against innocent people.'"
Why is it that some people think responsible citizens automatically become bloodthirsty killers when they touch a gun? I'll never understand it. Protecting oneself against murderers is not vigilantism. If anyone there is a vigilante, it is the corrupt officials who are hunting down and killing these journalists for reporting on their corruption. They are only defending themselves and yes, protecting their right to free speech.
"'We're not waiting for the policemen. We ourselves can now shoot back,' said Joel Syegco, a police reporter for the Manila Standard Today newspaper and the group's founder. He wore a black T-shirt with the message: 'Stop Killing Journalists.'

'If somebody should come at me, point a gun at me, should I wait for him to shoot me?' he asked.
Check out the captioned photo, too.

From the Department of Righteous Self-Defense

Dayton, Ohio:
"The victim told police that he pulled out his .40-caliber handgun and fired off close to 10 rounds, striking one of the men. Officers said the men ran off, but were later found at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Authorities said one of the suspects is a 17-year-old who suffered multiple gunshots and remains hospitalized. Officers said they also arrested two 16-year-olds who they said was driving a stolen car.

Police said that all three men face charges of armed robbery. Investigators do not plan to charge the victim for shooting the gun, because police believe the man was acting in self-defense. They said the victim also had a permit to carry a concealed weapon."

Thursday, June 02, 2005

It's okay, we only use grape juice...

From Metro Times Detroit:
"Tom Hendrickson, director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, says the idea of mixing guns with religion and liquor doesn't make his day. 'Law enforcement is of the opinion that these are places where people shouldn't be armed.'"
As pointed out by Zendo Deb at TFS Magnum, someone who is being stalked could be easily found at a worship service, because such services are set to a specific schedule. Even if someone changed to a different congregation (not always possible in some smaller towns), they probably wouldn't change actual churches. Eventually, the stalker could find them.

Forgive me if I sound paranoid, but to me, churches make prime terrorism targets. Where else can some anti-Christian lunatics find large gatherings of Christians in one place at one time? A coordinated effort of several terrorists hitting several large congregations all on a Sunday morning could end up with lots of dead Christians all on one day. And let's face it, non-Christians as well have regular worship services with publicly available schedules. It could apply to anyone. I mention Christians only because it seems to me that they (we) would be the most likely target.

No, it wouldn't make much tactical sense. But when has that meant anything to terrorists? I think such an attack would create a lot of terror.

In Texas, it is legal to carry inside a place of worship unless specifically prohibited (which includes both oral and/or written notice). Written notice means posting the 30.06 Sign so that it is "displayed in a conspicuous manner clearly visible to the public." I get around a lot on the mean streets of San Antonio, and I can tell you that I have never seen a single place of worship that has this sign posted.

I also know specifically of a couple of places where an armed and violent intruder would probably meet God very quickly.

Okay, so the title of this post may be an obscure joke. Most Protestant places that I know of don't use wine for communion. They (we) just non-alcoholic grape juice. So there's no worry about church-goers getting smashed and shooting up the building. Well, I didn't say it was a good joke.

UPDATE (7:45 PM): Iranian Nabbed Smuggling People Across the Border at the Immigration Blog. Maybe I'm not just paranoid, after all.

Gun Blogs Webring at WTF

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has started a Gun Blogs Webring. Check it out, and join if you feel so inclined.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

It's pretty much my favorite animal...

...bred for its magical skills.

(That sucker's huge).

New H.P. Lovecraft Movie upcoming

About.com reports:
"Maelstrom Productions, a Seattle production company, has completed the principal photography for its adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Thing on the Doorstep. The final cut of the horror movie, titled Strange Aeons: The Thing on the Doorstep and shot on location in Washington state (the home of Ted Bundy, and the Green River Killer), is expected in the fall."
Just thought I'd mention it. I don't usually have much hope for movies made from any of my favorite books/stories. I don't know why it was pertinent for them to mention serial killers. Well, the villian of the story could be considered a sort of serial killer, I guess.

5% Guilty Verdict Thrown Out

The 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, Florida threw out a previous verdict which found gun distributor Valor Corp. 5% guilty:
"After the jury verdict in favor of Pam Grunow, several jurors said it was a compromise. They found the family friend and the Palm Beach County School Board responsible for 95 percent of the damages because the gun was not locked up and there wasn't better security at the school. Valor was found responsible for 5 percent of the total damages of $24 million, or $1.2 million. The family friend and School Board were not defendants in the case because Pam Grunow reached settlements with them."
But...
"Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga threw out the November 2002 verdict, ruling that Valor could not be negligent under state law because jurors did not find the gun was a defective product. The appeals court ruled that there was no liability on the part of Valor for distributing a gun that worked as it should."

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Range Time!

I was pretty sure today would be a light day at work, and it was, so I was able to get to the range for a while afterward. I think next time I'll go to a different range that has much cheaper rates.

I have come to the conclusion that if I ever want to do any serious pistol shooting I'm going to have to build myself a personal pistol range. There doesn't seem to be a single range in San Antonio that allows so-called "rapid fire." Which means, no double-tap practice. Also, of course, no "shooting while moving" practice.

I did put 140 rounds through the XD40, which puts me right at 200 rounds total. Today there were two failure-to-feeds, but I'm pretty sure it was an ammo problem, not a gun problem. This is because I was shooting gun show reloads that I had a previous problem with. I had already sorted through all of these rounds by dropping each into the (disassembled) barrel to ensure proper seating, but they seemed to be extremely dirty. About 5 shots into a magazine, I was shooting through a haze of smoke. That's never happened to me before with any of my semi-autos. The two f-t-f's today were toward the end, and were probably due to the gun just being dirty after more than 100 rounds pretty much non-stop. Both rounds cycled normally when "recycled."

The "previous problem" caused a jam so bad that it required a gunsmith to fix, and he showed me how the ammo was at fault. This was why I had checked every single round remaining, of which about 10% were bad.

This range has a pistol range which has a hook on a cable to hang your target. You then run the target out to any distance up to 15 yards. I did most of my shooting with my left (strong) hand in the 10-15 yard range. I tried a couple of magazines worth right-handed, but didn't feel completely comfortable with it so I went back to left only. I have done lots of right-handed shooting before but I guess it's been so long I'm just out of practice.

The ammo was purchased from two different vendors. One batch was 180 FMJ and the other 180 grain JHP. The JHP's were noticeably hotter than the others. I've since discovered a gun store that has some pretty cheap factory ammo and I will probably just go there next time.

Now to get a holster.

Regarding the Minuteman Project...

Movement beginning in South Carolina:
"Local residents who have voiced public concern over illegal immigrants on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton say they have been in contact with the Minuteman Project about joining forces.

The national group mobilized hundreds of citizen volunteers to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border in April, a move that met with strong approval from some advocates of stricter immigration controls but with harsh criticism from many quarters. National members of the Minuteman Project could not be reached for comment.

A local effort would not necessarily involve such patrols. The idea would be to focus on businesses thought to be hiring illegal workers, according to Ebba Gamer, president of the anti-illegal immigration group Citizens for a Better Community. Gamer said the group is helping to start a statewide chapter of the Minuteman Project."
And in some related news, here's something really astounding from Eagle Pass, Texas:
The number of illegal immigrants from Central America and Brazil caught crossing into this Texas border city jumped threefold in the past year as they rush to exploit a legal loophole, U.S. authorities said.

The U.S. Border Patrol has nabbed 15,195 non-Mexican migrants crossing over the Rio Bravo around Eagle Pass in the past eight months, a rise of almost 240 percent on the same period last year, officials said on Monday.

Agents say what they call "OTMs" -- "other than Mexican migrants" -- now account for 90 percent of all migrant detentions in the sweltering trade and ranching hub of 40,000 people. That is up from the 5 percent to 10 percent nationwide normally recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Here is (apparently) why:
"'Word is out that we are unable to detain the other than Mexican crossers, and they are exploiting a bottleneck in the system,' Dennis Smith, the Border Patrol's spokesman for the local Del Rio Sector, told Reuters.

Whereas Mexican citizens are processed and swiftly deported, non-Mexicans are either detained or let out on bail pending an appearance before an immigration court.

Following a security and criminal background check, those not deemed a security threat or found to have a criminal record, are released with a notice to appear before an immigration judge within 30 days.

The immigration summons, dubbed 'the diploma' by local residents in the remote border community, allows them to travel on into the United States legally, crossing Border Patrol road blocks set up to collar illegal migrants in south Texas.

Agents say the rush to reach Eagle Pass has been boosted by good communications links from cities in the Mexican interior, and they say they can time immigrant arrivals from the city of Piedras Negras to the south by using the Mexican bus schedule.
Pardon the language, but holy crap!

Monday, May 30, 2005

I can sympathize with this guy...

Gillette, Ill.:
"A 46-year-old man allegedly set his own home on fire in order to get two visitors to leave, police said."

Sunday, May 29, 2005

This looks like a good car safe...

I just ordered one these car safes from Center of Mass. It looks like a good product at a good price. Thanks to GeekWithA.45 for the pointer.

The Sarcastic Brain

I thought this was very interesting, considering that the use of sarcasm is one of my primary methods of operation:
"Shamay-Tsoory believes that, apart from brain injury, perhaps even subtle differences in the 'wiring' of this region can leave people unable to empathize with others, and it is this lack of ascertaining another's emotional state that may be responsible for the inability to understand sarcasm."
I think I might even have extra wiring, or something.

tnx to Tigerhawk

Something for you Lovecraft fans...

deleted

Saturday, May 28, 2005

I bought a flag today...

I have never flown the flag at my home before. But, for the past few years, I have been thinking I should get one to fly on patriotic days such as Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, Independence Day, etc. So today the kids and I went out and bought one, the kind that just sticks into a mount that you put where you want. I put the mount on a post at the end of the driveway, and explained to the kids that we are going to fly it on certain holidays, but not all the time (I think it makes a better point, that way). What was it that finally made me do it? I think it was superfreakazoids like this.