2010 – Page 7 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Tightening the Tourniquet

They told us California Condors were getting lead poisoning from lead bullets, so, on flimsy evidence, California banned them for hunting. Now California Condors are still showing up with lead poisoning, and they are blaming adjacent states who don’t have the law. To me this is evidence that the poisoning is from other sources, but for the Center for Banning Ammunition, it’s just more evidence that we need a comprehensive ban.

Personally, I don’t give a flying rat’s behind about the California Condor, and I’ve questioned whether we’re just delaying the inevitable. So I guess I’m not much of a conservationist. The worst we can do to life on this planet is destroy ourselves. Life will continue no matter what we do. Given that we’re very good at self-destruction, I’m not about to get very worked up over any particular method we may use to accomplish it. Either way, we’ll survive just fine without California Condors, and so will most everything else. The only reason to keep them around is human vanity and selfishness. Mother Gaia could care less whether they live or die, and the same could be said for us.

UPDATE: I forgot that I had a post that shows the California Condor’s range. Notice anything about the central California population? They might not know borders, but something about them make them like California.

ATF Move Becoming Big News

Naturally, the mainstream media is just in love with this topic. First from the New York Times. Even the Dallas Morning News is jumping on board. Scripps is covering with the unbaised headline of “Gun lobby blocks efforts to stem border violence.”

This would be shaping up to be the ground we will do battle with our opponents. The question is, how do I feel about fighting on this ground? Very good. I can think of very few things that will drive your average NRA member and gun rights enthusiast into a seething rage than having ordinary folks’ gun purchases reported to the government because the Mexican Government can’t get its act together, and our government refuses to do anything about the border. In addition, ATF has no legal authority to do what they are requesting. It’s a blatant power grab, and one that will likely have congressional repercussions.

The media will hew and haw, but we’ll win this one, and we’ll have ammunition to use against the Administration come the 2012 elections.

Chris Christie Does the Right Thing

Brian Aitken’s sentence has been commuted by Governor Christie. He’ll be able to spend Christmas with his family. I believe this means the convictions stand, but those can be challenged on appeal.

UPDATE: From Evan Nappen:

Today is a great day for Brian Aitken, his family and for gun owners across the nation. This is the first time in the history of our country that someone serving a prison sentence for a gun possession offense has been granted clemency by a governor. Thank you Governor Christie for having the courage and wisdom to do so.

For those arguing that Christie wimped out for not giving a full pardon, keep in mind that he wasn’t asked for one. Accepting a pardon requires you to first admit guilt for what was done. For Brian to get his named cleared, he needs to appeal the conviction. Because the conviction stands his appeal survives. A pardon would moot it.

Glad to be Rid of Him

The Pittsburgh Post has a story on the political career of David Levdansky. He’s the kind of hunter gun owners love to hate. You know, the type that doesn’t think gun rights are that important? But even his support of hunting I think was tepid:

During his first term Levdansky worked to get a hunting license fee increase and modernize long-neglected fines and penalties in the state Game and Wildlife Code.

“Since both agencies are practically entirely funded by license fee revenue, I wanted to bring them under the normal state budget process,” he said.

The Game Commission and other critics argued that would permit urban legislators to strip money from wildlife management.

That would be a dream bill for HSUS and the enemies of hunting. There’s very good reasons that Game Commissions tend to be independent bodies from the legislature. The critics were exactly right.

A defining juncture in Levdansky’s career came in 1985 and 1986 when he tried to craft an amendment he said would help the Game Commission to catch hunters who illegally kill a second buck. The law would have banned the possession of rifles in the field after tagging an antlered deer.

“I was approached by the National Rifle Association field rep,” said Levdansky. “He said, ‘You’re trying to do gun control.’ I said, ‘What? I’m a hunter.’ He said, ‘You’re a closet liberal and you’re trying to do gun control.’ I said, ‘Through the Game and Wildlife Code? Come on.’ “

Apparently he doesn’t like a spade being called a spade. I never could figure out myself if Levdansky was just a closet leftist trying to clothe himself in camo in order to fool us, or was just genuinely ignorant. Either way, I hope he enjoys retirement. It’s a good thing for us for him to be out of the legislature.

An Indian NRA?

Looks like there’s a growing Right to Keep and Bear Arms movement in India. The second most populous country on the planet:

A 38-year-old software engineer, Singh founded the web forum,Â Indiansforguns.com, which brought these Sunday afternoon firearm fans together. But in late 2009, his hobby took on a new urgency when the home ministry proposed several amendments to India’s 1959 Arms Act that would make it much more difficult to get a gun license and harder to buy ammunition. Already an old hand in disseminating editorials and raising petitions, Singh soon joined forces with another group â€” the National Association for Gun Rights India (NAGRI) â€” that’s modeled on America’sÂ National Rifle Association and led by Haryana’s Naveen Jindal, a member of parliament who studied in Texas.

This has to have IANSA crapping their pants. I think it’s funny it’s a software engineer behind it. Computer people seem to have a particular disdain for nanny state policies in my experience, though that’s not as true today as I think it was a decade ago.

Waiting for the EPA to Chime In

I love NORAD’s Santa tracking efforts. They put out all kinds of cute stuff and news for kids throughout the holiday season. I just lay this out there to show that I’m not a grinch about Christmas or all bureaucrats. But, I’m not sure how I feel about the FAA getting in on the “fun.”

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspectors at the North Pole certified Santa One, the reindeer-powered sleigh piloted by Santa Claus, for its Christmas Eve round-the-world delivery mission. …

Unlike any other pilot, Santa has special permission from the FAA to fly thousands of domestic and international short-haul and long-range flights in one night. In keeping with the FAA’s science-based proposal to give pilots more rest, Santa will arrange his flight plan based on his circadian rhythm. Mrs. Claus also assured FAA safety inspectors that sheâ€™ll make sure he gets plenty of rest before the flight on Christmas Eve.

The release opens and closes with talk of regulation. Maybe it’s the fact that, even as a child, I never really liked rules when I wasn’t ever the child misbehaving, but I don’t like the idea of passing on the immediate acceptance of a regulatory culture to our children. My answer to kids who ask question about how Santa flies safely? Magic. He’s not flying safely because of bureaucrats. He’s flying safely because he’s magical. Let’s embrace a little bit of magic during the holiday season instead of turning to the federal government for all of our answers – even those about Santa.

However, I do have to thank the FAA for trying to keep EPA off Santa’s back. They did address the green-aspect of Santa’s sleigh:

The sleighâ€™s onboard systems have been upgraded with state-of-the-art, NextGen technology that will allow Santa One to maintain cruising altitude for as long as possible before making a continuous descent into cities and towns around the world. While maneuvering on rooftops, an advanced, onboard runway safety system will help reduce the risk of incursions between the sleigh and chimneys.

Santaâ€™s reindeer-powered sleigh is already energy-efficient, but the NextGen technologies will further reduce Santa Oneâ€™s carbon hoofprint. The shorter, faster routings means that Rudolph and the other reindeer will consume less hay, resulting in fewer greenhouse gases.

At least FAA’s answer to Santa is to just give clearance for his sleigh. EPA’s would be to shut it down, lest we risk reindeer poo contaminating our water supplies and cookie crumbs littering our lawns.

Not Sure How This Will Work

Apparently there’s a program to equip cab drivers with body armor:

The Federation also is asking retired NYPD officers to donate their old vests.

I think their old guns would do more good, if that were legal in New York City. But Bloomberg has done a pretty good job of making sure only criminals and cops have guns in that city. Either way, one would think the obvious place an armed robber is going to stick his gun is at the cab driver’s head. It’s also worth noting that old body armor may not be effective. Kevlar vests degrade with time, and have expiration dates.

Someone also needs to tell the AP that there’s no such thing as a “bulletproof” vest.

Policy or Law?

This article talks about how Oklahoma won’t be affected by the new Amtrak rule on guns, because there’s no Amtrak service that checks luggage that services the state. But the line only goes to Texas. Since Texas and Oklahoma have reciprocity, what’s to stop someone from carrying on Amtrak? In other words, is the ban just Amtrak policy, or is it federal law that you can’t carry on Amtrak? Not something I’ve ever had cause to look up because I a) don’t travel on Amtrak, and b) any Amtrak lines I would consider taking go through Maryland or New Jersey and New York.

Problems Prosecuting Gun Crimes

The Philadelphia Inquirer yesterdayÂ ran a fairly lengthy and detailed piece that illustrates the problems with prosecuting gun crimes in the city. It speaks of the head of Philadelphia’s Gun Court, Judge Paula Patrick. I don’t honestly have enough information on these cases to say whether or not Judge Patrick is insufferably soft on criminals, or is just a stickler for civil liberties and for the police following the law.

It does seem odd though that Pennsylvania would have a rule on “forced abandonment.” Basically, under federal search and seizure law, if a suspect runs from police and tosses a gun, the gun is admissible. Apparently in Pennsylvania, it’s not. It’s one thing if police unlawfully search someone. I can see the civil liberties implications of that. But if you willfully toss something? Is that even a search at this point? It’s hard to see how it could be incident to an unlawful seizure since someone running isn’t exactly seized.

We pay a price for civil liberties. What angers me is that the same people, and I agree with them, that believe in strong Fourth Amendment protections, don’t feel the need to protect the Second Amendment.

Hunting Accident in PA

Normally this wouldn’t be newsworthy, but apparently this one involves the former Montgomery County District Attorney, who was apparently illegally hunting with his prohibited-person nephew when his nephew accidentally shot a man. His nephew now stands charged. Any bets on whether the Montco DA ever prosecuted someone for illegally hunting? Remember, the rules are for the little people.