By a Hair's Breadth

Below is a 95gr .380 FMJ. Due to a negligent discharge, it ended up plowing through two plastic rifle cases, a wooden 2x4 bench, two layers of drywall and a chunk of carpeting. Though it was robbed of most of its energy, it still bounced hard enough to cross ~35 feet of a retail sales floor and lightly impact a wall.



Notice that it's still largely intact and quite capable of rending flesh and bone.

Marketing: 1935 and Now

When FN Herstal came out with the 5.7x28mm cartridge (and the accompanying Five-seveN pistol) a few years back, there was a bit of hand-wringing in certain circles over its ability to pierce body armor.

Bear in mind, the 5.7mm is really a souped-up .22 WMR, not some >5000 ft/s barnburner.  It's not the first (or only) gun made that'll punch through body armor.  Yet, everyone got their panties in a bunch over it.

My Hands Are Lethal Weapons...

So, a twentyish sort started asking me about AR-15 rifles.  He was interested in starting cheap and building up from there.  Fair enough.

Then he asked me which model was more "tactical."  Devoid of any context, that term really doesn't have any meaning, folks.

Realizing that I was edging into serious Mall Ninja territory, I chose to throw in some lingo.  I told him that the answer would depend on how he planned on "deploying" the rifle.

He responded that, for him, a fiream is "just a fallback, if you know what I mean."

I assured him that I didn't know what he meant, and then he said it:

"I don't really need a gun.  My hands are registered as lethal weapons."

He said this without the slightest hint of irony.  He was serious.

Our Own Worst Enemies

Want to know why there isn't an outdoor range anywhere convenient to a metropolitan area? Want to know why even the remote ones keep closing up? Want to know why existing ranges receive such harassment?

Here's your answer:

[flv:http://lonelymachines.org/video/resaca.flv 480 368]

This video, filmed at the John's Mountain WMA range in Resaca, was brought to my attention today.  I've witnessed some truly horrid behavior at outdoor ranges, but I assumed that John's Mountain was far enough from the suburbs that it hasn't been subjected to this sort of treatment.

Apparently not.  Besides the shocking number of safety violations, you can see plain vandalism to the property.  This is why we have to drive farther by the year to find a 100-yard range.

Poking the Bear

According to a report issued this week by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Almost a decade after virtually disappearing from public view, the antigovernment militia movement is surging across the country, fueled by fears of a black man in the White House, the changing demographics of the country, and conspiracy theories increasingly spread by mainstream figures.

The "report" is little more than a sloppy editorial, citing no statistics or academic sources, and relying only on anecdotal evidence gathered from interviews.  Nonetheless, it dovetails nicely into the pattern of rhetoric that we've been seeing for the past six months.

The strategy of this administration has become increasingly strident and transparent.  Here's how it works:

"Don't listen to anyone who questions us.  They're out of touch, and if they're not with the program, they're crackpots and liars.  Better yet, imply that they're terrorists.  It also helps to throw down the race card.

"We won the election, not them.  They don't matter.  We're the elites now, and we know what's best for the ignorant masses. Do not allow yourself to get cornered with facts or statistics.  Ignore their petty concerns, and do so blatantly.  If that doesn't work, hand-pick a friendly audience.

"We're going into the August recess, and these idiots are going to whine about the money we're going to spend on our health care program.  Don't let them point out that it hasn't worked in Canada, Northern Europe, or even in Massachusetts.  If anyone argues, imply that the Right planted them there.

"As a matter of fact, 'Right Wing Conspiracy' worked really well the last time we had control of the government.  Let's stick with that.  Better yet, let's resurrect the whole white-supremacist militia thing from Ruby Ridge and imply that they're all like that."

The best thing about this whole agenda of arrogance and disdain is that it's patently obvious to the general public.  They're not even trying to hide it.  I don't think this is what liberals meant by "transparency," but that's what they're getting, and it's going to haunt them through the next election cycle, and hopefully far beyond.

Pesky Originalism

The Constitutional Accountability Center has filed an amicus curiae brief [pdf] on behalf of certiorari in the McDonald case. It spends a great deal of time looking into the history of the ratification of the 14th Amendment, emphasizing just what the the Privileges or Immunities clause was meant to protect.

The brief quotes Senator Jacob M. Howard, who was instrumental in drafting both the 13th and 14th Amendments.  Howard's testimony during the 39th Congressional Session (page 2765) is eloquent and clear and leaves absolutely no ambiguity as to the question of what should be incorporated by the Privileges and Immunities clause of the 14th Amendment.

The inquiry is, what are the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States? We feel no hesitation in confining these expressions to those privileges and immunities which are in their nature fundamental, which belong of right to the citizens of all free Governments, and which have at all times been enjoyed by the citizens of the several States which compose this Union from the time of their becoming free, independent, and sovereign.

As Blackstone meant, and as Justice Scalia pointed out in the Heller opinion, the 2nd Amendment protects an individual, fundamental right. The historical record abundantly confirmed that interpretation. Here, the record proves that Howard, Bingham and the other drafters of the 14th Amendment were just as specific in their intentions.

Chicago Responds

Counsel for the City of Chicago have responded [pdf] to the McDonald/NRA petitions to have their case heard before the Supreme Court next term.  If you're just tuning in, jump in here.

First off, it's a mess.  Seriously, as I parsed through this and took notes, I felt like I was grading a grammar-school book report rather than a legal argument.

They pounce very quickly on the fact that Nordyke is being reheard and that, in the meantime, it is not precedent. Therefore, there is no split among the Circuit courts. That removes one of our arguments for petitioning for cert.

Of course, that situation may change in the near future.

They seem to be trying their best to preclude incorporation under Privileges or Immunities clause. Their strategy seems to be to force the issue to be decided by the Due Process clause.

Why? Because they're trying to prove that keeping and bearing arms is not a "natural" right, and therefore not subject to incorporation, I guess. They appear to be trying to push us into a corner, forcing us to prove that self-defense itself is a natural right.  Plenty of precedent, from Locke and Blackstone to present day, says it is.  So what are they thinking?

Saturday Info Dump

First off, the gun porn:



New Ahrends cocobolo stocks on one of my L-Frames.  In recent years, Smith & Wesson retired their square-butt frames and standardized on round butts across the board.  This is a disappointment, as the square butt feels and shoots better for me.  Fortunately, Mr. Ahrends makes a conversion stock that emulates the traditional grip contour.



Yes, it's my summer carry gun.  I have little trouble concealing it.  Take note: hiding a handgun isn't as hard as you'd think.