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.

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.

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.

Plainsong

The Law of Fives is never wrong.



Plainsong  (01:50)

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.

H.R. 822

John Richardson has the scoop on this one.  Introduced by Cliff Stearns of Florida and co-sponsored by Heath Shuler of North Carolina, the bill seeks to enforce national reciprocity for carry permits.

Two years ago, Senators Thune and Coburn attempted to pass a similar bill by amending it to the Defense Department budget.  It failed by only two votes then, and the landscape is much more amenable to it now.

That is, if the Tea Party still believes all that stuff they did last November.

Ailera

After everything runs down, the wind still blows through.

Ailera (01:57)

Luna, 1993-2011

Luna was a good friend for 17 years.  She'd been through a lot with me, but her health began to fail as of late.

Towards the end, she could scarcely walk, and I wasn't sure if she could recognize me.  It was time.

Leather for the XO

I love the unique contour of the slide on the Sig Sauer 1911, but it makes holster selection tricky.  Blade-Tech makes their Stingray model for the gun, but most other makers aren't supporting it yet.

That means custom work, so I contacted Tom Dyer, and as usual, he came up with an elegant setup.

The Morning After

While CNN frets, Cairo rejoices.

When Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation, Egypt exploded.  Not in strife or anger, but in triumph and elation.  My sister and her husband were present at the celebrations in Tahrir Square, and they sent a few pictures.

I've rarely seen the spirit of hope and optimism so eloquently conveyed.

Seefeel

Last fall, Seefeel showed up out of the blue to perform new material at Warp's 20th Anniversary concert. An EP titled Faults was released shortly thereafter.

This came as something of a surprise, as I hadn't heard anything from them since 1996. It's hard to grasp that it's been 17 years since I first heard them on the astounding Pure, Impure EP.

Lots of things from that period sound pretty dated. Surprisingly, Seefeel's output doesn't.

Cairo

I have a bit of personal perspective on this.  My sister and her husband teach at the American University in Cairo.  They were with me for the holidays, and they returned last Tuesday.

The day they left, we had been hearing about a few student protests.  That was the extent of it.  We were heartened by the departure of the Ali government in Tunisia, and while we suspected this to be the spark of the rallies in Cairo, nobody expected the situation to erupt with such swiftness or power.

By Thursday, the internet was shut down, as were the cellular phone networks.  We had communicated by VoIP, and that link was now severed.  I was left to wonder and worry as activism turned to unrest, then to violence.  Historical patterns like this never bode well.

The Usual Suspects

None of this is anything new, novel, or unexpected.

Carolyn McCarthy will be presenting a bill [pdf] on Tuesday, as yet un-numbered, to "prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes."  Yes, she's capitalizing on Saturday's tragedy in Tuscon.  Yes, it's revolting.  No, I really don't expect any better out of her.

Before anyone panics, let's remember that Ms. McCarthy has attempted to reintroduce the Assault Weapons Ban every single session since 2003.  It has never made it out of committee.  Tuesday's bill will be met with the same crushing apathy.  It will not pass.

Next, consider Peter King's proposed bill to ban the carry of firearms within 1000 feet of a federal official.  Such a thing is utterly unfeasible to implement.  Would police have to pat down every WalMart customer when a local politician goes shopping?  What happens when your Senator wants to go to the range?  Must everyone else clear out?  That seems pretty lonely for the guy.

It's silly, it's unworkable, and our new Speaker of the House is hearing none of it, so take a deep breath and go do something interesting with the rest of your day.