Llumetes (02:32)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Saturday Info Dump
First off, mixed news from Colt. They're bringing back the New Frontier, but it appears they've "modernized" it a bit.
Maybe it's just a typo. Still, I imagine a few folks out there are punching their monitors and spewing down the gun forums with the Fanboy Firehose of Indignation.
For April Fool's Day, I propose an advertisement promising a reintroduction of the All American.
A second source of vitriol comes in the form of yet another Chuck Schumer gun bill. This one is called the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011." So far, he's only managed to con Kirsten Gillebrand and John Kerry into cosponsoring it. It's going to the Senate Judiciary committee, where I've little doubt Grassley and Coburn will eviscerate it like two-week starved hyenas.
Really, why would he even bother in this climate? The only explanation (beyond utter barking madness) I can surmise is that the President wants him to be the errand-boy for a dry run on gun control proposals. In this legislature, that's like sending someone to storm the Somme with a Tec-9.
Both scenarios are mildly amusing and utterly futile.
Maybe it's just a typo. Still, I imagine a few folks out there are punching their monitors and spewing down the gun forums with the Fanboy Firehose of Indignation.
For April Fool's Day, I propose an advertisement promising a reintroduction of the All American.
A second source of vitriol comes in the form of yet another Chuck Schumer gun bill. This one is called the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011." So far, he's only managed to con Kirsten Gillebrand and John Kerry into cosponsoring it. It's going to the Senate Judiciary committee, where I've little doubt Grassley and Coburn will eviscerate it like two-week starved hyenas.
Really, why would he even bother in this climate? The only explanation (beyond utter barking madness) I can surmise is that the President wants him to be the errand-boy for a dry run on gun control proposals. In this legislature, that's like sending someone to storm the Somme with a Tec-9.
Both scenarios are mildly amusing and utterly futile.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
France Shot First
It might have been a shrewd political gamble, but history is going to remember that France took the initiative in Libya while we stood by. It will remember that our President was visiting Brazil while civilian militias in Benghazi stood alone against the forces of a demented and vicious dictator.
We failed the Egyptians. Now we're attempting to atone by taking half-measures on behalf of the Libyans. We're sitting in the back seat of a coalition supported even by other Islamic states, and we're talking about "limited" action as if this were a minor policing operation.
We have an obligation to support the growth of liberty around the world. We can't fulfill that by sitting on the sidelines.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste
Feathers are being ruffled over an opinion piece penned by President Obama in the Arizona Daily Star. In the article, he calls for a "conversation" on gun control. As I'd expect from him, it's light on substance and heavy on condescension.
At first, it seems a bit odd. The rhetoric suggests he's trying to make an appeal from the center, but he's still playing to the crowd who elected him. Taken as a whole, his statements are mildly insulting to everyone involved.
He doesn't offer much in the way of an actual proposal. In a nutshell, he wants the NICS system to run a little more efficiently. That's it. It's vague and non-threatening, which is exactly what he strives to be. He's not taking any risks, but he can tell the folks back home that he tried.
This the man's greatest failing: he won't commit to anything that might draw controversy.
Some will say that anything short of the most sweeping anti-gun legislation is a capitulation to the gun lobby. Others will predictably cast any discussion as the opening salvo in a wild-eyed scheme to take away everybody's guns. And such hyperbole will become the fodder for overheated fundraising letters.
At first, it seems a bit odd. The rhetoric suggests he's trying to make an appeal from the center, but he's still playing to the crowd who elected him. Taken as a whole, his statements are mildly insulting to everyone involved.
He doesn't offer much in the way of an actual proposal. In a nutshell, he wants the NICS system to run a little more efficiently. That's it. It's vague and non-threatening, which is exactly what he strives to be. He's not taking any risks, but he can tell the folks back home that he tried.
This the man's greatest failing: he won't commit to anything that might draw controversy.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Blowing It
The reputation of the ATF has taken a beating over the years. Longtime members of the gun culture are well aware of the Bureau's disastrous actions in the early 1990's. During the last decade, the ATF seemed to have reformed their strategy somewhat, and their credibility was slowly being rebuilt.
That all changed with the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry late last year.
On December 14th, Terry was gunned down in a firefight near Rio Rico in southern Arizona. The following day, Arizona law enforcement recovered two of the rifles used. They were WASR-10 semiautomatic AK-47 clones, purchased by Jaime Avila at a shop in Glendale the previous January.
Avila had been identified by the ATF the previous January as a participant in a vast conspiracy to transport weapons and narcotics across the border into Mexico. Both Avila and the rifles were in their database as "suspect." Yet Avila was not arrested or questioned until the death of agent Terry.
That all changed with the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry late last year.
On December 14th, Terry was gunned down in a firefight near Rio Rico in southern Arizona. The following day, Arizona law enforcement recovered two of the rifles used. They were WASR-10 semiautomatic AK-47 clones, purchased by Jaime Avila at a shop in Glendale the previous January.
Avila had been identified by the ATF the previous January as a participant in a vast conspiracy to transport weapons and narcotics across the border into Mexico. Both Avila and the rifles were in their database as "suspect." Yet Avila was not arrested or questioned until the death of agent Terry.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Constitutional Carry Passed in Wyoming
Governor Mead signed the Jennings-Jaggi bill into law today. As with Alaska, Vermont, and recently, Arizona, Wyoming residents no longer need to apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Congratulations and gratitude are due for the efforts of Wyoming Gun Owners.
Some will predict that blood will run in the streets. We've heard it before, and it never happens. Since passage of Alaska's law in 2003, crime rates have remained largely static. Arizona's law just passed last April, so crime statistics are not yet available. However, I don't expect to see any fallout.
Wyoming isn't alone. Support is rapidly gathering in both houses of South Carolina.
For a long time, Vermont was considered an anomaly. Alaska could also have been written off as a bit eccentric, but adding two (possibly three or four) states to the rolls may very well constitute a trend.
Some will predict that blood will run in the streets. We've heard it before, and it never happens. Since passage of Alaska's law in 2003, crime rates have remained largely static. Arizona's law just passed last April, so crime statistics are not yet available. However, I don't expect to see any fallout.
Wyoming isn't alone. Support is rapidly gathering in both houses of South Carolina.
For a long time, Vermont was considered an anomaly. Alaska could also have been written off as a bit eccentric, but adding two (possibly three or four) states to the rolls may very well constitute a trend.
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