I’m happy to see there’s been another in the series:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJu0DgpiK8c[/youtube]
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
I’m happy to see there’s been another in the series:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJu0DgpiK8c[/youtube]
Pro-Gun Progressive and dcist are reporting that the D.C. Voting Rights bill appears to be dead, and along with it, the D.C. Second Amendment restoration amendment. One unconstitutional law is sacrificed, so another may live. What a great sense of perspective our government has.
UPDATE: Lots of sad pandas. Time to bring the icon out, in honor of Delegate Norton.
Pennsylvania lost a state trooper recently, who took a bullet trying to recover a kid who was kidnapped at gunpoint. He distracted the kidnapper long enough that they got the kid back unharmed. The kidnapper, fortunately, is dead.
Robb takes a look at how we overcame a societal perception that tomatoes are poisonous, and compares it to guns in restaurants. Some people just aren’t drinking the tomato juice, no matter how many times they see someone do it, and not die.
I think the problem, and what this whole gun rights issue really boils down to, is whether you trust ordinary citizens to generally do the right thing, or whether you view them as poor in judgment, and thus in need of structure in order to protect themselves and society from it. If you believe the latter, you believe it’s only a matter of time before someone chokes on a tomato, so maybe people are just better off not eating them. And surely when this inevitably happens, you will be quick to point out “See! Tomatoes kill people.”
What I’ve never been able to understand is why the gun control crowd believes having a badge immunizes a person from the poor judgement they attribute to other ordinary people. Why put so much stock in the badge, but so much less in another token from the state which sends many of the same signals? It must be something deep seeded: ordinary people just can’t be trusted. They know that sure as 18th century Americans knew tomatoes killed people. It’s something I understand, but then again, I’ve always liked tomatoes.
Looks like Joe Huffman got to ask the Mayor of Seattle a question about guns when he visited Microsoft.  No, not that question, but still a good one. Apparently the Mayor is still planning to ban carry in city parks, in violation of state preemption.
Oh, how I can’t wait for the Philadelphia Inquirer to shut down its presses. That will be a glorious day, fit for celebration. But then what will I use to get my blood pressure up, and have something to write about?  Wayne Pacelle has an op-ed in the Inquirer:
Five years ago last week, I took the helm of the Humane Society of the United States, an organization founded in 1954 with the goal of confronting cruelty to animals on a national scale.
If by cruelty, you mean hunting and eating animals, he’d be accurate. They aren’t your local animal shelter, even though they are perfectly aware they capitalize on the confusion.
Similarly out of step with prevailing public sentiment is the National Rifle Association’s opposition to an anti-poaching bill before the state legislature. Introduced by State Rep. Edward Staback (D., Lackawanna, Wayne), the legislation would make it a felony to assault an officer enforcing the wildlife code; increase the state’s penalties for poaching, which are among the weakest in the nation; add jail time for chronic or serial poachers; and require the forfeiture of hunting licenses for poaching violations.
Pacelle is misrepresenting the NRA’s objections. The NRA’s objection is that the proposed law would make a felony out of some minor game code violations. It’s one thing to argue that assaulting a game officer ought to be a felony, but it’s an entirely different matter to argue that taking a deer over your bag limit ought to be treated like robbing a bank. What Wayne won’t tell you is that he believes shooting a deer at all ought to be treated like murder. Pennsylvania’s game laws are not notoriously weak, and are entirely comparable with other states.
One NRA representative reportedly told a group of lawmakers that there should be “an acceptable level of illegal activity.”
Reportedly told, yet you have a direct quote eh?
For instance, it remains legal to shoot dogs in the state – even after the owners of a puppy mill in Ronks shot their 80 breeding dogs last year, rather than comply with an order to give them basic veterinary care.
I guess we’ll have to have a Wayne Pacelle approved remake of Old Yeller. Either way, HSUS make the Brady Campaign look like pikers. Pacelle is slick, very smart, and very good at what he does. Hunters in this state need to be very concerned that he’s targeting Pennsylvania. Shooters need to be concerned, too, because HSUS has called for a comprehensive lead ammunition ban. This is a huge threat to an important American cultural tradition, all wrapped up in the happy-feel good of your local helping the animals shelter.  PETA is a joke. HSUS, which shares the same goals as PETA, is not.
Far from the claims that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act would offer blanket immunity to the gun industry from suit, it once again is shown not to be the case.
Once appeared here a quote from the SLC Tribune, but I removed it because they work with the scum of the earth Righthaven. The dealer being sued was fined because the sale of the shotgun was illegal, so the suit was allowed to proceed.
It’s not the kind of suit that PLCAA was meant to stop, so it can go forward. It was only meant to prevent cities from suing gun manufacturers on completely bogus premises, like they are responsible for all the crime in the city, and are creating a public nuisance.
From Exurban League, a reason not to go see the new Transformers movie:
When asked how she would stop the ruthless Megatron from demolishing the world, Fox first said that she would “barter with him.†She then, however, went on to say, “… and instead of the entire planet, can you just take out all of the white trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super bible-beating people in Middle America?”
Classy. I guess she figured it would go over well with a foreign audience. For those of us who don’t revel in feeling superior to others, and believing our inferiors ought to die, we’ll just stay home and not go see your crappy movie.
In Florida, the media seems to have found several female business owners who have decided it’s time to step up and defend themselves.
Lake Worth business owner Mayra Ramirez has been practicing at the Palm Beach Shooting Range in Lake Worth for months.
“I was always against guns but from watching the news and seeing so many things happen, I figured it was time to get one,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez is arming herself because she’s fed up with the crime around her business. A week ago a man was shot just steps away from her storefront.
“At the beginning, firing a gun was terrifying,” she said. “When I first started I couldn’t stop shaking. “But after your first few times, you look forward to coming in.”
A few doors down from Ramierz’s store, coffee house owner Marilin Garcia is also arming herself for the first time.
“You can protect yourself just being alert and in case you see danger, it’s there for you to use,” Garcia said.
It’s always a reason to celebrate when a couple of empowered women decide to learn how to use firearms safely.
Don’t forget to vote, if you live in the Old Dominion. Looks like Jim Moran isn’t cuddling up to us even now.