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Posts Tagged ‘guns’

Safer schools

Posted by Richard on September 28, 2006

Yesterday’s school shooting in Bailey, an idyllic mountain community 40 miles southwest of Denver, has people talking about school safety again. CBS4Denver did a news segment entitled "Why Aren’t Our Schools Safer?" The only concrete suggestions were: (1) put in lots of security cameras; (2) have only one entrance, with "watchful eyes" on it.

In the Bailey incident, a stranger walked in off the street, gun drawn, and fired warning shots. How would it have helped to have an extra video camera or an unarmed, defenseless person watching the gunman as he entered?

Years ago, the Israelis had a problem with Paleostinian gunmen attacking schoolchildren. They armed the teachers and staff, and the attacks on schools stopped. In fact, the Paleostinians largely gave up attacking civilians with small arms when it became standard practice for the intended victims to shoot back.

The Paleostinians developed the tactic of suicide bombing as an alternative. It’s unlikely to become popular with people other than the crazed Jihadists who "love death."

One big safety problem with our schools is their designation as "gun-free zones." This ensures any criminal or madman bent on violence that all the law-abiding people inside are unarmed and helpless. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, somehow the liberals — and even many conservatives — have managed to convince themselves that a "No Guns Allowed" sign has some sort of magical power to deter a sociopath who’s prepared to commit mayhem, rape, and murder.

If you’re a non-gun-owner, listen to me carefully: You are not safer in a "gun-free zone" — you are less safe. Always. Even if you don’t choose to arm yourself ever. The "gun-free" designation cannot and will not protect you from violent predators or reckless and irresponsible people. But it can prevent honest, responsible, concerned people from coming to your defense.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not claiming that more guns are a panacea. There are no panaceas, and utopia is not an option. I’m simply saying that it’s foolish and irresponsible to pretend you can remove all guns when you can only remove those that are least likely to do harm and most likely to do good.
 

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Cordite and cranky libertarians

Posted by Richard on September 20, 2006

For some great gun rights and self-defense reading, along with the usual unusual weaponry stuff, range reports, etc., check out Carnival of Cordite #72 at Spank That Donkey. It’s got titles like "Bad, Bad Assault Thingy," "Guns and Democrats," and "Commie Junk My A$$!" that are bound to suck you in.

Meanwhile, over at the Unrepentant Individual, Brad Warbiany wants you to "see the world through a bunch of cranky libertarians’ eyes" in Carnival of Liberty #53. It’s chock full of submissions, and they’re presented with meaty excerpts so you can get a good sense of them. Go read — you know you want to!
 

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Carnivals!

Posted by Richard on September 12, 2006

Rick Sincere is hosting Carnival of Liberty #62 this week, and as you might guess, there are some 9/11-related entries. Lots of other topics, too — check it out.

Also, check out Carnival of Cordite #71 at Spank That Donkey. If you use IE to visit, you can listen to a delightful little sermon. But with any browser, you’ll find a wealth of great links and pictures. Including the link to buy some of these fine bumperstickers:

Give Peace a Chance - Kill Terrorists

Meanwhile, Joshua Sharf promised to have the special 9/11 edition of Carnival of the Capitalists ready any time now, so just check the main page of View From a Height.

UPDATE: It’s up, so here’s the direct link to the Carnival of the Capitalists. Wow, it’s huge! From 9/11 to personal finance, there’s bound to be something to pique your interest.

UPDATE 2: Another huge collection of links, well-presented: the Carnival of Homeschooling at Principled Discovery. Check it out.
 

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Carnival of Cordite #68

Posted by Richard on August 7, 2006

I almost forgot — go check out Carnival of Cordite #68 at Resistance Is Futile! Lots of pictures this time. Some of them are of (ahem) women who are easy on the eyes holding guns. If you’re of the male persuasion, you might find them interesting. πŸ™‚

If you’re of the female persuasion, you might be interested in Gullyborg’s exclusive news about a soon-to-be-announced .50 BMG class for women only. There will be a contest in which you can win a spot in the class, plus a Barrett .50 BMG rifle of your very own. Ladies, go for it — believe me, shooting a .50 BMG is huge fun!

Sorry, gentlemen, no contest for you — but did I mention there are chicks with guns?
 

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Cordite goodness galore

Posted by Richard on July 31, 2006

Carnival of Cordite #67 is back at its traditional home, Resistance is futile!, and Gullyborg did a great job. Of course, it helps that he got some terrific entries, including a whole slew of gun rights posts, some great pictures, reports on some new products and some odd and interesting weapons, and a couple of must-see videos. Really must-see videos.

I won’t link them directly because you really ought to check out the carnival. But, believe me, when Gully tells you that every shooter has to have one, you need to click that link and see what he’s talking about. And do I even have to urge you to follow a link involving the words "multiple machine guns"? πŸ™‚

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Carnival of Cordite #64

Posted by Richard on July 10, 2006

Carnival of Cordite #64 is up at Spank That Donkey, and once again, Chris put a lot of work into it and did a terrific job. Well, except for one embarrassing little mix-up. Say Uncle posted something about Hilleary being pro-gun, and Chris did a cyber spit-take: "Hillary pro-gun?"

Umm, that’s Van Hilleary, Chris — a Senate candidate in Tennessee. Go ahead and correct yourself, OK? πŸ˜‰

So drop on by, have a chuckle at Chris’ expense, and peruse the plethora of posts. If you visit using IE (hey, it’s not that bad), you can listen to the audio clips and, if you’re fast enough, maybe win a T-shirt. It’s a pretty damn easy song contest, unless you’re an ignorant 20-something kid brought up on hip-hop. πŸ™‚
 

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Gun stuff

Posted by Richard on July 4, 2006

If you’re interested in guns, shooting, and gun-rights-related matters, there are two carnivals for you to check out this week. First, Mr. Completely is hosting Carnival of Cordite #63. It is, as he acknowledged, a modest-sized carnival, but there are some interesting — and fun — posts, along with a pretty neat church sign. Check it out.

Second, Free Constitution is hosting an Independence Weekend Second Amendment Carnival. The emphasis here is more on legal and political stuff (I didn’t notice any range reports or pictures of weird old Ukrainian military sidearms). If you’re interested in arms and the law, check this one out, too.
 

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Carnival time!

Posted by Richard on June 20, 2006

Wow, there sure are a ton of interesting-sounding posts in Carnival of Liberty #50! And Dave at TuCents did a great job of organizing and presenting them, too.

You say you want more? You want gun stuff? Well, head on over to Carnival of Cordite #62, hosted by Spank That Donkey this week. If you browse over there using Internet Explorer, you can take part in a "name the songs" contest and maybe win a T-shirt. Whatever browser you use, you’ll find some great reading.

I just wish I had the afternoon free! πŸ™‚
 

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Doctoral disarmament

Posted by Richard on June 12, 2006

Via Jed at FreedomSight came news of Wadcutter’s big announcement:

Today I successfully defended my thesis.

I’m Dr. Cutter now! And it only took me seven years!

Holy crap the last couple of months were stressful. I think I’ll go on a two-day bender to calm down.

Some of us Denver-area bloggers with an interest in academic achievement, firearms, and beer (not necessarily in that order) — including Jed, David A, David J, and Nick — were discussing an appropriate celebratory event, such as going shooting or gathering at a local watering hole. Steve "Dr. Cutter" Whipple endorsed the general idea with the immortal words:

We could go shooting, or drinking, or shooting then drinking, or whatever. 

Well, the plan’s been finalized: it’s a Mini Blogger Bash (but no cool graphic so far) at the Baker Street Pub in Lakewood on Saturday, the 17th. Jed has all the details, including directions, and he’d like you to shoot him an email if you plan to attend — just so he can alert the bar if it looks like we’ll be a sizable mob.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering who’s going to break the news to Whipple that he has to give up his guns.

Yeah, I know it sucks, but that bill snuck through the legislature with little attention and almost no vocal opposition. Buncha damned Democrats voted for it ’cause they hate and fear guns. Buncha damned Republicans voted for it ’cause they hate and fear "pointy-headed intellectuals."

In the wake of all the Ward Churchill stories, I can appreciate how a Republican legislator would feel compelled to vote for this bill. It was politically expedient. Especially with Churchill making speeches urging "direct action" — with the implication that he meant killing the "fascist pigs" — and scores of CU academics eagerly supporting him. Who wants a bunch of scraggly, tofu-breath, wanna-be revolutionaries from Boulder running around armed?

The irony is that Churchill doesn’t even have a doctorate, just some bogus "Master of Enlightenment" from an "alternative" college for creating a series of finger-paintings of indigenous peoples.

Nevertheless, the law — which goes into effect July 1 — states that "no Ph.D., full professor, assistant professor, or associate professor may possess a firearm in the state of Colorado, except in the performance of military service or when called upon by civil authority."

Sorry, Dr. Cutter. I really think they should have exempted Ph.D.s in physics, chemistry, engineering, and a few other carefully chosen fields. But they didn’t. Can I have your GP100? Or maybe the Police Service Six? I like Rugers. πŸ™‚
 

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Gates and Glock, 5 letters each — coincidence?

Posted by Richard on April 18, 2006

So, I was checking out Gullyborg’s latest Carnival of Cordite (and a fine collection of gun-related posts it is!), and that led me to the excellent Anarchangel post, Glocks and Safety. Chris Byrne clearly explained the difference between an accidental discharge and a negligent discharge, and argued that the former is virtually impossible from a Glock pistol. The latter, unfortunately, is quite possible, and happens more frequently with Glocks than with other pistols. Byrne explained why:

Glocks are the best selling pistol brand in America (the 1911 is the most popular type but is sold under many brands). They are often purchased by people who know little to nothing about guns. They are often issued to police officers who know little to nothing about guns. Also, they are a favorite of criminals, and criminal wannabe’s because of their prevalence in Hip-Hop culture (though this is declining somewhat).

All gun types and brands are sometimes misused; but because of these factors, Glocks are more often misused than any other gun.

Let’s say that again: Glocks have a higher negligent discharge rate because there are more of them; and because their users are on average less experienced with guns.

That got me to thinking, and when Byrne later noted that "Gaston Glock is an arrogant ass," I really thought I’d had a brilliant insight: the Glock pistol is the Microsoft Windows of the firearms world!

But then I remembered that Glocks are utterly reliable.

Never mind. πŸ˜‰

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Rapid fire

Posted by Richard on April 17, 2006

I went to the Ft. Morgan Machine Gun Shoot this past Saturday and spent more than I should have "throwing money downrange quickly." Despite rather unpleasant weather (mostly overcast, off and on drizzle, and way too much wind), I had a great time. I was accompanied by fellow bloggers Jed Baer and Nick Horianopoulos. Both know much more about military weapons than I do, so I learned a lot (and retained a little) by listening to them as best I could with ear protection on.

This was the first time I’d ever fired fully automatic weapons, and let me tell you — it is big-time fun. Nothing puts a grin on your face as quickly as firing a tripod-mounted, belt-fed machine gun at an automobile carcass. It’s not a cheap thrill, unfortunately — $40 for 100 rounds of 7.62mm x 54R, which is maybe 3 or 4 3- to 5-second bursts.

I also tried several hand-held automatic weapons, including an M16, a Thompson submachine gun, and a Glock 18 9mm machine pistol. The latter was actually the most difficult for me to control. Because it’s such a small and light weapon, I had trouble preventing the muzzle from climbing (here’s a slo-mo video of someone doing a much better job than I did). The new 18C with compensator would help, as would a few hundred rounds of practice.

Of course, I had to put some rounds through one of those evil .50 BMG caliber "sniper rifles" that’s become the latest target of the gun banners. The shell is as long as your hand. The AR50 I fired is a single-shot bolt-action rifle about 5 feet long and 35 pounds. At under 3 grand (not including scope), it’s one of the more "affordable" .50 caliber rifles. The guy charged me $2 a round, which was way cheaper than others ($3 to $5). Very accurate. Very loud. The recoil wasn’t as bad as I expected. I shot it from a bench, and the whole rifle moved back several inches when fired, but it was a firm push rather than a sharp smack. I guess that’s the advantage of such a massive weapon.

I also put 10 rounds through a semi-auto version of a .50 BMG tripod-mounted machine gun. This is, of course, the weapon for which the round was created — "BMG" stands for "Browning Machine Gun."

I didn’t fire the most amazing weapon there — too rich for my blood. But if you could afford it, you could fire a minigun — an electrically-powered, modern version of the Gatling gun that fires up to 6000 rounds per minute. If you have a broadband connection, take a look at this video of  a helicopter-mounted minigun in action. The charge for shooting this bad boy ranged from $75 for 100 rounds (about 1.5 seconds) to $550 for 1000 (15 seconds).

Whenever the minigun was about to be fired, they notified the PA guy so he could announce it to the crowd, and people gathered around to watch. Most of the purchases were 100 or 200 rounds, but one guy sprang for a thousand, and I managed to have a pretty good view. That 15 seconds seemed like an eternity. With other automatic weapons — even the Glock, which at 1300 rpm has a higher rate of fire than most — you can hear the individual shots: rat-tat-tat-tat-tat… fast, but each one is distinguishable. With the minigun, the sound is just a continuous roar. And a sheet of flame extends 3 feet from the barrels. Awesome.

There was some other fun-to-watch stuff, too — I saw a couple of 40mm howitzers and a bowling ball mortar being fired. The latter was a home-made black powder device, and it was a hoot.

We didn’t stay for the highlight of the day — they call it the "Mad Minute," when everyone cuts loose with all their weapons for 60 seconds. They’d originally announced that it would happen shortly before the 6 PM dinner break, and we’d planned to stay for it and leave right after. But then they changed the schedule, and moved it to after 7PM. We suspected it might be even later — the sky had cleared, so we figured they might wait until closer to dusk. At 6, we all agreed we were ready to call it a day and make the 50-mile trek back to Denver.

Needless to say, I want to do that again! The next opportunity is only four weeks away, but unfortunately, it’s 185 miles from Denver — a bit much for a day trip, and I’m not sure I want to camp out. I suppose I can wait until September in Ft. Morgan — if I start saving now, maybe I can try the minigun then. πŸ™‚

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DEA agent shoots self, sues gov’t. for embarrassing him

Posted by Richard on April 12, 2006

A couple of years ago, DEA agent Lee Paige was doing a "drug education" presentation to a group of Florida students and their parents. During the gun safety part of the presentation, he shot himself in the foot with his "unloaded" pistol. The entire episode was videotaped by a parent, who allegedly turned the tape over to the DEA. Paige is now suing the DEA for letting the tape be disseminated, causing him great humiliation and embarrassment.

The video and Paige’s complaint are both available at (ironically) The Smoking Gun. The video is just unbelievable. Paige shoots himself right after arrogantly asserting that he’s the only person in the room who’s qualified to possess a firearm. It gets truly weird after the gunshot, because Paige tries to carry on as if nothing happened. You really have to see it to believe it.

HT: LaShawn Barber, who correctly characterizes the video as "one of the most surreal sights you’ll see this year."

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Good reading

Posted by Richard on April 11, 2006

Michael Hampton at Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidity is hosting Carnival of Liberty #40 (or "Extra Large," if you don’t like Arabic numerals). He’s organized the submissions into subject-matter categories, the two main ones being "Economy" and "Political Thought." Check it out. I was drawn to Thomas Anger’s post, The Causes of Economic Growth, at the new home of Liberty Corner. But then I noticed that cause #1 was "Hard worK," so I quit reading. πŸ™‚

Also, check out Carnival of Cordite #54 at Resistance Is Futile. Gullyborg leads off with the world’s largest shotgun (way cool!) and has lots of his own good commentary this week, especially regarding the gradual gains in gun rights and the absolutists’ dismissals of them. There are also some really interesting submissions. For instance, Denise at The Ten Ring described a conversation with her "moonbat co-workers" about the upcoming film United 93, which included this (emphasis added):

I think she stopped talking when she saw my face turning red. I told her that the people on Flight 93 are my personal heroes and I named Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, and Todd Beamer. Someone else gave an opinion that floored me and that gives a whole new definition to moonbattery. She felt it was sad that those passengers died while fighting. She thought they should have sat quietly and reflected on their lives and that struggling cheated them of their final moments of peace.

Unbelievable. I’m simply amazed that such people exist.

Finally, check out the latest winning Watcher’s Council entries, (or maybe the complete list of nominees). Rhymes With Right’s winning council entry was interesting (teacher Greg talks to students about immigration), but I really liked Gates of Vienna’s runner-up, Aztlan and al-Andalus: Return to a Mythical Golden Age. On the non-council side, I strongly recommend winner Gerard Van der Leun’s On the Return of History, a terrific essay that begins:

IN THE DAYS AFTER THE TOWERS FELL, in the ash that covered the Brooklyn street where I lived at that time, in the smoke that rose for months from that spot across the river, when rising up in the skyscraper I worked in, or riding deep beneath the river in the subway, or passing the thousand small shrines of puddled candle wax below the walls with the hundreds of photographs of "The Missing," it was not too much to say that you could feel the doors of history open all about you.

Fine writing. Fine thinking. Go read the whole thing.

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Making Hollywood more anti-gun

Posted by Richard on April 6, 2006

A few weeks ago, Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Newsletter mentioned a press release entitled Firearm Statistics Report Available to Movie, TV Creators. I finally got around to checking it out recently, and here’s what it’s about:

The Entertainment Industries Council Inc. (EIC) has created an extensive compilation of information on gun violence, firearm safety, gun legislation and more as a resource to the creative community for potential storylines. Published under the title Putting a Face on Firearm Statistics: Volume II, this information is available to the entertainment industry through EIC’s First Draft resource program via its website (http://www.eiconline.org/) and through the mail. The publication was made possible through the support of the Joyce Foundation.

"We’re launching an aggressive program to encourage the use of this material to provide awareness about the inherent dangers that guns can pose," said Brian Dyak, President and CEO of EIC.

Well, the support of the Joyce Foundation suggested that I wouldn’t much like the information about guns that the EIC was presenting. A look at their web site confirmed my suspicions. The EIC’s page of "Facts & Statistics" on gun violence and firearms safety relies heavily on discredited "data" from the usual anti-gun "researchers" and sources — Kellerman, Saltzman, the Violence Policy Center, Johns Hopkins’ Center for Gun Policy, and the CDC.

This is really too bad, because the overall purpose of the EIC seems worthwhile. They’re an information and education resource for the entertainment industry regarding such complex issues as drugs, HIV/AIDS, and mental health, so that portrayals of and information about these topics are more accurate. I’ve given some of their other issues information a quick once-over, and it appears to be pretty solid and balanced, unlike the gun violence information. (Of course, I could be wrong about that, fooled by my ignorance of the Kellermans and Saltzmans in those fields.)

More information and education about guns would be a good thing for the entertainment industry. For instance, a few years ago, the EIC sponsored a firearms safety class taught by a retired police officer. This was an excellent idea. People have been killed and injured on movie sets using prop guns. And on-screen portrayals of gun use are typically pretty awful both in terms of technical accuracy and in terms of safe gun handling. This class ought to be an annual event.

Unfortunately, the EIC’s "Facts & Statistics" on guns aren’t educating the entertainment industry. They’re just feeding it more anti-gun propaganda, such as Kellerman’s 20-year-old bogus claims about defensive gun use, which were thoroughly discredited ages ago.

Do we really need an organized, well-funded effort to make Hollywood more anti-gun?

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Sad story

Posted by Richard on April 1, 2006

James R. Rummel, who blogs at Hell In A Handbasket, teaches firearms and self-defense skills. (No, I don’t know if he’s any relation to R.J. Rummel. I don’t see any biographical info at his blog.) I’m not sure why his post about an aborted lesson moved me so much, but it did. I think it’s one of the saddest, most touching stories I’ve read in a long time, and Rummel tells it beautifully. Here’s the beginning:

It started off well enough. I put the easel together and stacked on the visual aids. Show her the poster, read the labels out loud. These are the parts of a handgun, these are the parts of a cartridge. Now the safety lecture, the rules of safe firearm handling that are never to be broken. When I was satisfied she knew the material it was time to uncase the guns and let her handle them.

What was her mood? Think “resolute”. She had survived the worst moment of her life, something that had been more horrible and terrifying than she had ever imagined, and she wanted to make sure that it never happened again. A grim look stole into her eyes as she dry fired the Magnum, and I knew that it would be the last thing the next rapist saw. Right then, for that brief and fragile moment, it was a good day to be alive.

Go read the rest. You may want to have a Kleenex handy.

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