The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
I’ve love to be on this jury:
The builders of the world’s biggest particle collider are being sued in federal court over fears that the experiment might create globe-gobbling black holes or never-before-seen strains of matter that would destroy the planet.
If I ran the LHC program, I’d amost be tempted to send my expert over to testify wearing a monocle, and carrying a white cat to stroke while he answers questions as to whether his nefarious plot is meant to destroy the planet.
Dave Hardy has been in this fight since I was crapping in diapers. It’s always good to have the longer term perspective.
Bitter and I paid a visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. this weekend. Not a bad walk around the tidal basin, except for all the other people. This weekend was also the Kite Festival which gathers around the Washington Monument.
Everyone who goes to Washington really ought to go to the FDR memorial. It’s what you would imagine government bureaucrats, many of whom owe their jobs and livelihoods to the policies of FDR, would come up with. It’s basically a giant fountain dedicated to big nanny government. It makes me sick.
Reader ErnieD further e-mails:
Did you check out this wording in the bills:
“The statutory limitations of municipalities to regulate the possession, sale and transfer of firearms, as upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, has been duly considered and incorporated within the body of this legislation. And, we take into account the paramount interests of the public safety of the citizens of our City and Commonwealth.”
Just for reference, this is the statute they’ve duly considered:
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6120 (a) General rule.–No county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammunition components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth.
Perhaps the City Council and Mayor Nutter need to arrange a press conference where they take turns pissing on 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6120 (a), and Article I, Section 21 of the PA Constitution, for that matter, since that seems to be about the level of respect they seem to have for it.
Thanks to intrepid reader ErnieD, I have links to all nine of the Philadelphia gun control bills that were passed out of committee at city council. Keep in mind that all of these laws are in violation of the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
Some of these are extraordinarily bad, and will ban many common target guns, and guns such as the Glock 19C. Nutter has sworn to enforce these laws. The question is, what are we, as gun owners, going to do about it? Write your state reps, write the state attorney general, and politely ask if there’s anything they can do about this. Philadelphia is part of Pennsylvania, and subject to its laws and constitution, and we shouldn’t stand for this kind of treatment from corrupt big city politicians.
UPDATE: Rereading the assault weapons ban, it’s amazing how poorly worded it is. It bans a LOT of firearm no one would consider assault weapons, and also pretty much any ammo that’s not standard FMJ. A creative prosecutor could argue the law bans such firearms as the M1 Garand. Even a 1903 Springfield. The law pretty clearly bans firearms such as the Ruger Charger.
UPDATE: Rightwing prof comments:
I hate to state the obvious, but if those people are so worried about crime, they might try locking criminals up and throwing away the keys instead of patting them on the top of the head and making them community heroes. Remember that guy this spring who held up all of those pizza places and convenience stores here? He was convicted and sentenced to 223 years, and the prosecutor is appealing the sentence because he says it should be 455 years.
Maybe our prosecutor could go to Philly and give a seminar on crime prevention.
No kidding.
AK-47 on the streets! Everywhere! Killing babies, cops and anyone who dares defy them!  Found via Thirdpower, this one is in a more local setting:
And in recent years, law officers across the country have run into people armed with paramilitary rifles. Associated Press recently quoted Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms statistics showing the number of AK-47 rifles linked to criminal incidents of confiscations increased from 1,140 in 1993 to 8,547 nationwide in 2007. The use of these weapons by determined criminals can leave officers outgunned when all they have is a shotgun and handgun.
“The potential is there for us to face it here, too. Criminals do have access to them and do use them,†Griffith said. “We might be called for backup for a state trooper on the interstate and if we’re not prepared as best we can then we’re doing a disservice to the public.â€
It’s this is a coordinated media campaign or something.
Today we’re supposed to have Earth Hour.
On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour.
I like Squeaky’s reaction to this hippy crap. I’m trying to think of what the most outrageous and gratuitous waste of energy one could do for Earth Hour. For one, I think Bitter and I need to go out to dinner during earth hour for some steak. Nothing gives a big giant middle finger to the earth crowd like raising cattle. Steak is perhaps the most earth unfriendly food product money can buy. Steak also makes PETA members cry.
How will you celebrate Earth Hour?
UPDATE: Bitter and I went to Wildfire at Tyson’s II over in McLean, VA. It’s a chain, but the only other location they have on the East Coast is in Atlanta. Very good steak, I have to say. The shrimp and crab bisque was also excellent, as was the dessert. Their wine sampler specials are also a pretty good bargain for upscale casual dining.
Now we’re watching one of those home makeover shows on Home and Garden Television where gay guys use power tools.
Clayton asks an important evolutionary question:
I mentioned a couple of years ago the fossil evidence that life existed at least 3.4 billion years ago–and the presence of an oxygen atmosphere suggests photosynthesis was already at work (thus implying life) 3.8 billion years ago. I also mentioned that this creates an interesting problem for evolutionists–how in the heck did this happen so quickly?
The answer to this is quite easy. We all know that Ronnie Barrett is a well known time traveler. In order to secure a future market for his terror rifles, he merely traveled back in time and sneezed into the primordial ooze.
Life on earth is the most dasterdly and insidius gun blobber plot yet!
Be sure to read his letter to the Police Chief of Honolulu, who is attempting to get .50 BMGs banned in Hawaii
Via Kim du Toit
City Council is preparing to pass gun control in Philadelphia:
Mayor Nutter has indicated that he will likely sign the bills and begin enforcing the gun laws even if, as some believe, the lack of Harrisburg approval makes them illegal.
And Clarke expects the state to fight the city’s efforts:
“We anticipate that the state, along with the National Rifle Association, will very quickly challenge our ability to implement those bills.”
My letter to Attorney General Corbett, asking him to investigate the possibility of prosecuting anyone attempting to enforce these provisions, which are illegal and unconstitutional under Pennsylvania law, will be in the mail before the ink is dry on Nutter’s signature.