One more chip at the 4th Amendment

This week, the Supreme Court handed down their decision in Arizona v. Johnson [pdf]. This case expands on the powers of police to detain and search citizens given only the vague qualifier of "reasonable suspicion."

Granted, the courts have upheld the idea that our rights to privacy are significantly reduced when in an automobile, but this case expands the rights of arbitrary search and seizure of uninvolved passengers somewhat.

At this point, an officer can order me out of my car and search me on nothing more than a hunch.

Democrats: they're not all out to get us.

New York Governor David Paterson has selected Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to take Hillary Clinton's place as New York Senator. The bad news? She's a Democrat.

The good news? She's a Democrat.

Gillibrand has earned an "A" rating from the NRA based on a voting record which shows unwavering support for the 2nd Amendment.

That's right: a pro-gun Senator representing New York. It may very well be that the North American Reagan Democrat isn't as extinct as we thought.

Flu Season

Crap. I dodged the bullet last year, and it's catching up with me now. Of course, everyone I know who got that silly flu shot has it, too. So I guess I showed them. Erik: 1, Modern Medical Science: zip.

Excuse me while my sinuses drain.

There. I figured I'd share a tea recipe that really helps with some of the symptoms, along with a brief pseudoscientific explanation as to how.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon whole-leaf black tea


• 2-3 whole cloves


• 4 cardamom pods (1/2 teaspoon if ground)


• 5-6 black pepper kernels


• 1/2 teaspoon ginger


• whole milk

Put the spices in a pot and bring to a quick boil. Let it simmer for at least five minutes. Longer is fine. Add the tea and allow to simmer for two more minutes. Add 1/2 a shot glass of milk and bring to a boil. Strain and drink.

Don't worry if the whole concoction smells like wet dog, it tastes better. It'll start clearing up the head congestion fairly quickly, and it'll suppress the cough reflex.

Obama's Gun Policies: Spin vs. Fact

So, the new President has transplanted his proposed policies from his own site directly to the official White House site. Under the "Urban Policies" header, we have a blueprint for his ideas on gun control.

Spin: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade.

Fact: This is a defacto gun registry. The Federal government will have access to all information a buyer includes on Form 4473, without having to obtain a warrant or prove cause. Remember, Obama voted for the Patriot Act, which included the ability of the government to engage in wiretaps on citizens without warrants.

Spin: Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals.

Fact: For Obama, “common sense” measures have included total registration, blanket bans on handguns and “assault” rifles, and a nationwide ban on concealed carry.

Spin: They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof.

Fact: Only 2% of guns used in crimes come from gun shows.

“Childproofing” was part of Washington DC’s onerous regulations, which were ruled unconstitutional in last year’s Supreme Court decision, DC vs. Heller.

Spin: They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.

Fact: Of course they do; Biden authored the original AWB, which did nothing to reduce firearms-related crime. Violent crime in the United States had been steadily declining since 1992, and continued to decline after the sunset of the original ban.

None of this is anything new. This stuff is all taken directly from the Brady Campaign's playbook. The real question is, can they achieve any of it?

It seems highly unlikely that they'll try.

SB 12 DOA, everything else on hold

My Senator responded quickly to my concerns on SB 12. It's deader than John Wilkes Booth.

That's the good news. The bad news is that Lt. Governor Cagle has no interest in hearing any gun-related legislation in the 2009 session. In his words,

Let me be very, very clear. I have no appetite for that (...) we dealt with this issue last year and I think people should be content with where we are.

I worried this might happen. There was a great deal of shouting, acrimony and hand-wringing over HB 89 in last year's session, and this is the unfortunate result.

Take heed: this is where confrontational "in your face" tactics will get us. Calling our potential allies in the legislature tyrants and dolts doesn't help in the least. If you feel the need to contact your congressman, please practice a little civility.

As gun people, it's our place to be tactful, courteous and calm in the face of cheap emotional appeals. We should not resort to hysterics ourselves, or we look as bad as the other side would like us to. We have the rhetorical and ethical high road. Let's try to keep it, please.

Ballistic fingerprinting rears its head in Georgia

Senator Ramsey has sponsored SB 12, a bill that calls for all ammunition sold in the state to "contain a unique code." This is identical to failed initiatives in New York, Maryland, and most recently, California.

This isn't a crime-solving tool, it's an attempt to strangle the shooting culture by raising the price and choking the supply of ammunition to civilians.

The Left claims that their intentions are to create a database whereby spent casings (if any) found at a crime scene can be tracked back to the owner of the firearm. I can tell you that's a loopy idea right off the bat.

More Shot Show rumors

So, the 2009 Shot Show hasn't even happened yet, and folks are already making predictions. Some are true, some are probable, and some are real head-scratchers.

First off, Smith & Wesson appears to be bringing the .41 Magnum back with a vengeance, reintroducing several "Classic" iterations of the Model 57. They're also chambering one of the Night Guard revolvers (1) for the cartridge, as well as introducing one in 10mm. They've decided to jump on the .327 Magnum bandwagon with a really odd hodgepodge of features.

The Classic series will also include the Model 14, 17 and 18. As much as I want a Model 18, I don't like the newer lockwork, so I'll be holding out for a good used specimen.

Of course, all that's verified by their web site. Still in uncertain but viable territory is the suggestion that they plan on producing the 19 and 66 again (2). It'd be nice to see them keeping my favorite platform alive.

In the "not so sure" category, there's a rumor that they'll be introducing a revolver in H&K's all-but-ignored 4.6x30mm cartridge (3).

As far as Sig, they quietly bought the patent for the Colt Mustang last year, and I expect to hear something about this next week (4). Apparently, Taurus is planning a bunch of stuff, but after the problems I've seen with their products, I find it hard to get excited.

So, that's the (mostly) verifiable scuttlebutt. Now let's get on to the fun stuff. That means the unsubstantiated, taboidesque crap I keep hearing from people who aren't part of the industry at all but claim to know folks who know folks who are.

1. Glock is producing a carbine, which will revolutionize the market.


2. Glock is producing a carbine in .45GAP, which will revolutionize the market.


3. Glock, HK, Springfield, Taurus, Bersa, Kimber, Wilson, S&W and all other manufacturers will be introducing a clone of Ruger's doomed LCP. The Glock version will be in .45GAP.


4. HK will be making civilian versions of their military rifles, just like they have every previous year I've heard this (which also happens to be every year I can remember).


5. Kel Tec will be making a revolver. So will HK. No, really, I hear this stuff!


6. Sig will actually bring their products to market on time, right after HK and Taurus.


7. Smith & Wesson will be reintroducting the 1940 Light Rifle.


8. The FN SCAR will actually appear in the wild.