Sorry folks. You can thank Fast Eddie and the Philadelphia contingent for this one.
Month: December 2007
How Not to Win
By sticking up for the second amendment rights of violent criminals. There are good poster children for why our current “prohibited person” statutes are overly broad. There are good poster children for the fact that the government has criminalized virtually everything, including making things like importing lobsters in plastic bags instead of cardboard boxes, a felony.
Sean Taylor is not in either of those two categories. Thanks Larry, with friends like this, who needs enemies?
UPDATE: I think it’s a reasonable argument to make that someone so dangerous they can’t be trusted with a firearm ought to be in jail. But the fact is, we let dangerous people out of jail. That they should be in jail rather than roaming the streets is a reasonable thing to argue, but is a separate issue from the second amendment. There are definitely prohibited people out there who don’t deserve to be prohibited, and I think our current laws cast way too broad a net, but someone charged with threatening with a firearm and aggravated assault, that plead down to misdemeanor battery, is not someone I’d go before the public with as an example. To me, for a pro-gun leader to do that doesn’t help the cause, and would do more to turn people off to the second amendment than bring people over to our side.
UPDATE: Here’s the WaPo article from the time:
According to a police report, Taylor and a co-defendant, Charles Elwood Caughman, 19, of Baltimore, drove up to a residence in a blue 2005 GMC Yukon Denali sport-utility vehicle and Taylor pointed a gun at two individuals he believed had stolen two all-terrain vehicles from him and demanded they be returned. No shots were fired and Taylor and Caughman left the scene before returning 10 minutes later.
At this point, police say Taylor, whom the team lists as 6 feet 2, 231 pounds, exited the vehicle and began assaulting one victim, swinging and missing with a closed fist before a fight ensued. Caughman, who was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on the night of the incident, chased the other victim with a baseball bat before he and Taylor fled the scene, according to the police report. The incident took place less than two miles from Taylor’s residence in Miami.
Under these circumstances, the two victims would have been justified legally in shooting Sean Taylor and Charles Elwood Caughman dead where they stood. Do you want these two being used to help promote the second amendment?
The Guns
The deranged psycho responsible for the Church Shootings in Colorado, who’s life was mercifully dispatched with great prejudice by Ms. Assam, apparently had the following firearms:
- Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle, purchased January 9 in Aurora.
- AK-47 assault rifle, purchased November 17, 2006 in Aurora.
- Beretta .40 cal. semi-automatic handgun , purchased January 4 in Colorado Springs.
- Springfield Armory 9mm semi-automatic handgun, purchased September 11 in Denver.
The AK-47 was the assault rifle found in his car.
Purchased over the period of a year. Sometimes tells me he didn’t just come up with this idea.
UPDATE: Uncle asks “Then, how’d he die from a self-inflicted shotgun wound?” Good question.
Fred’s Zinger
“My goal is to get to Mitt Romney’s situation where I don’t have to worry about taxes anymore.”
Mitt responds, by saying he’d like to be in Thompson’s situation.
“Well you’re getting to be a pretty good actor actually,” Thompson quips
How is this guy not doing better?
Janet Huckabee on Concealed Carry
Huckabee: I do. I would hardly say I’m a marksman. I definitely would not go that far. But again, I’ve had my concealed-weapon license for quite a while — I’ve actually had mine longer than my husband. It’s something that, I think, if you’re going to have a weapon, you should go learn how to shoot it.
Douglass: I guess the question was, why a concealed weapon?
Huckabee: Well, because if you have one in your vehicle or something and it’s under your seat, if you don’t have a license you could be in serious trouble. I’ve traveled across the country with two females. I think it’s a dangerous situation that perhaps you could be stranded. There’s, to me, nothing wrong with being able to protect yourself.
Can’t argue with that, but I’m still sticking with Fred.
Quote of the Day
If I was Brady Campaign, and had any hair, I’d be pulling it out just now.
Dave Hardy updates on Obama’s retreat from earlier positions on gun control, in response to Hillary trying to out gun nut him.
This Old Hag
It looks like Bob Vila is shilling for Hillary in Iowa.
Target: C&R FFLs
Ryan thinks ATF could target C&R FFLs once they drive the number of type 01 and type 02 FFLs down to low enough levels. This is not out of the realm of possibility. If there’s one thing a government bureaucracy hates, it’s losing power, funding, and people. If it’s current mission can’t justify an agency that large, they will find new areas to focus on that’s within the scope of their powers.
The whole Curio and Relics licensing system has flown under the radar so far, but there is a very serious risk that could change.
UPDATE: Uncle thinks they will go after home builders first. I don’t disagree with this, but that doesn’t mean C&R FFL holders won’t get some attention too.  There are a lot of C&R FFL holders though, so to some degree we have the sea turtle defense. It’s worth noting that ATF didn’t harass “kitchen table” dealers out of business, they started requiring that the licensed premises be zoned properly for the operation of that type of business, which is a standard that most hobby dealers couldn’t meet. If you weren’t zoned, you weren’t getting your license renewed. Home builders can be gone after easily because they operate in a tricky legal area that prohibits “manufacture for sale” So if my buddy buys an 80% lower and asks me to drill a few holes using my jig and equipment, am I in the business of manufacturing and require a type 07 FFL? The C&R stuff is a lot more straight forward, but ATF can definitely make C&R not worth the hassle. C&R holders, what are the various ways you think ATF could make our lives miserable? It’s a good exercise. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
How Do You Tell Your City is a Sewer?
The fact that no one in your city got shot over the weekend is a major news item.
D.C. police made more than 400 arrests and violent crime dropped sharply during the latest installment of All Hands on Deck, a program that put about 3,500 officers on the streets last weekend, officials said.
Putting cops on the streets lowers crime? The devil you say! Someone better not tell John Street.
“It’s been a while since we had no shootings,” Groomes said, crediting the extra police presence for curtailing the usual weekend gunfire.
Good to see that gun ban working oh so well.
Coverage in the Washington Post
Looks like Sullivan’s confirmation woes are getting some main stream press coverage:
Crapo’s spokesman, Lindsay Nothern, said the senator has heard from a number of gun dealers, gun owners and others in Idaho who “have concerns about ATF policies regarding gun sales and even ownership. Maybe the federal government is getting a little too aggressive with people who haven’t done anything wrong.”
The message is getting out there folks. Ryan has done a great job of raising awareness on this issue.