Friday, January 30, 2009

Another hard earned lesson about predators

It would appear India hasn't learned a thing from the last lesson that disarmament taught: predators seek out the easiest prey:

KISHANPUR, India — Tigers have killed at least three children and four adults in north India in recent weeks, officials said Friday, forcing frightened villagers to stay indoors while forest rangers search for the wild cats.
The FOX News headline on this piece is titled: Villagers Cower as Tigers Kill at Least 7 in India.

Got that? They "cower," like good little victims.

So what is being done by their government to prevent further attack?

Authorities wielding guns combed villages surrounding the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in the state of Uttar Pradesh, from which seven tigers are believed to have strayed. One of the tigers is believed to have killed at least four people in the last two weeks, including three children between the ages of 8 and 15.
Armed men are looking for the tigers. It's that simple. Humans with rifles can stop tigers; or gunman.

Yes, the Rangers are actively looking for the beasts, and will try to take them with a tranquilizer gun, if they can, but what about Abu the farmer who isn't trying to find a tiger, but just wants to tend his fields without the risk of getting his throat torn out by a fierce animal? Oh, he's not trusted to carry a rifle. Too bad.

Villagers in the area are keeping their children home from school and have stopped tending their fields for fear of the tigers.

"Please help, a tiger has eaten up my nephew and the forest department is doing nothing to protect the villagers," said Lakhan Singh in Tanda village, roughly 95 miles southeast of the state capital of Lucknow.

It sounds to me like it's time for Singh to do what's necessary for he protection of his family. Damn the Indian government for forcing him to make that choice; it's telling that they place the blame at the feet of the people that they claim to represent:

K.K. Singh, a senior forest official, said the conflicts were due to villagers encroaching upon the tigers' land.
It's all their fault.

Their choices? Go outside and get eaten. Stay inside and starve. Carry a rifle so you can safely harvest your crops and not get eaten, and get arrested and jailed by a Ranger - who's carrying a rifle so that he doesn't get eaten. Great logic!

Regime change folks.

On "Gun Free" Mexico

Their strict laws that disarm the citizens don't seem to be stopping the violence:

According to Mexico's attorney general, 6,616 people died in drug-trafficking violence in Mexico last year.

A high percentage of those killed were themselves criminals, but many law enforcement agents battling organized crime were also murdered. The carnage continues. For the first 22 days of this year the body count is 354.

My emphasis. Taking guns away from the citizens does not make one bit of difference in the violence equation.

I do know that the media has been slurping up the BS that the ATF has been shoveling for sometime in regards to the preposterous idea that drug cartel members are sneaking across the border, illegally buying guns from gun shows, and sneaking back into Mexico to fight the government. This piece of fiction has been going on for some time, and I commented on it yesterday over at Snowflakes in Hell.

So just what kind of weapons are the cartel guy using? How about these:

A report by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former drug czar, makes similar observations. "The malignancy of drug criminality," he writes, "stretches throughout the U.S. in more than 295 cities." Gen. McCaffrey visited Mexico in December.

Here is how he sees the fight: "The outgunned Mexican law enforcement authorities face armed criminal attacks from platoon-sized units employing night vision goggles, electronic intercept collection, encrypted communications, fairly sophisticated information operations, sea-going submersibles, helicopters and modern transport aviation, automatic weapons, RPG's, Anti-Tank 66 mm rockets, mines and booby traps, heavy machine guns, 50 cal sniper rifles, massive use of military hand grenades, and the most modern models of 40mm grenade machine guns."

OK, night vision and encrypted communication equipment can be purchased readily almost anywhere in the world, but I don't see too many helicopters, submarines, mines, RPGs, anti-tank rockets, heavy machine guns, grenades, or 40mm grenades at gun shows. Actually, I've never seen any. Ever. One could find .50 caliber rifles at a gun show, but you have to pay a premium price for one, which tens of thousands of Americans happily do because they use them for fun, target shooting, competition, and hunting.

So in short, Mexican laws against civilians owning small arms is having no impact on the absurd amount of violence in the country, and it would seem likely that the government should be looking into it's own ranks to find out where the bombs, grenades, rocket launchers, and machine guns are coming from.

Machete in a knife fight

Manatee County Sheriff's Office says the suspect reached over the store counter with the knife and told Pham he had five seconds to hand over the cash from the register.

Deputies say Pham reached in a hiding place under the counter for a machete and whacked the suspect on the arm cutting him badly.

The suspect ran out of the store without the money leaving a trail of blood.

Apparently, size does matter!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Armed DC citizen shoots mugger

Actually, no. The citizen was an off duty DC cop, so he was allowed to carry the small protective device that enables an individual to effectively stop an attacker. It's OK folks; he was "authorized."

Now, DC Councilman Jim Graham is shocked, SHOCKED, that this attack would happen in such a "prosperous" and "optimistic" neighborhood. I'm sure it would not have been such a "real setback" or "real disappointment" had this happened in a poor neighborhood; one where he's not so "engaged in the issues."

On the side, this would be the second DC police shooting in two days, and this particular incident reminds me of similar ones from last year in which the robbers got copious copper injections from cops.

But I thought paying your taxes was patriotic?

This would be the second time that DC Councilman Marion Barry has been busted for not paying taxes. I would like to add that this is his second time getting caught; no doubt he's been evading taxes his whole life.

The first time he was caught he popped on a drug test at the court hearing for pot and cocaine use. And notice that DC has been giving him breaks from the start for everything that he gets in trouble for.

This man is a crook, and DC residents keep putting him in office. Why?

On the liberal love affair with Che

I don't understand the love affair either. Greg Gutfield of The Daily Gut has a piece in Fox News this morning that should start your day out with a chuckle. A taste:
"According The Washington Times, after a screening of the film, Benicio granted an interview to the film press — who are usually a mass of celebrity ass-kissers wrapped in a cocoon of anti-Americanism."
Just like fresh air.

Read the whole thing.

Zombies ahead

Be advised: in Texas there is an apparent zombie threat.

Arm yourselves accordingly.

More Bow & Arrow violence

When is California going to pass legislation that addresses the dangers of Bow violence? I mean, if we just banned bows, and let's not forget to ban those armor piercing assault arrows, then criminals wouldn't be able to get them and hurt someone. Right?

It's common sense. For the children!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Britain's gun-free utopia

I just found this video on the Brits staging the largest peaceful protest that the country has ever seen to tell their government that they want their gun rights back. I'm sure it's too late:


The part about the magistrate telling Tony Martin that he shouldn't have shot the burglers, but instead should have just shouted for help made my jaw drop.

[H/T to the VCDL-ALERT]

Anti-gun Hartford Mayor a crook

Wow. The members of "Mayors Against Illegal Guns", a gun banning group of mayors, seem to be getting themselves busted for a crime about every week now.

This time it's Hartford, CT mayor Eddie Perez.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez surrendered to state police Tuesday on bribery and other charges related to home renovations done by a contractor who has performed millions of dollars of work for the city.

****

A state grand jury has been investigating possible corruption in city government for 15 months, and it looked at $20,000 in kitchen and bathroom renovations at Perez's home done by city contractor Carlos Costa


Yeah, this Eddie Perez:
Douchebag

He would have you believe that he is the sole arbitor of your 2nd Amendment rights; that you can't be trusted to responsibly handle a firearm, so he must make the decision to take them away from you.

Saving you from yourself, and all that.

Maybe he should have just payed attention to the plank in his own eye?

DC Examiner and gun safety

So I was scanning the news networks this morning trying to pick through the abundance of sensationalised/fabricated/factually bankrupt news articles when I happened to look to the top of the page while at the DC Examiner website:
Front Sight Ad

It's good to know that the newspaper takes firearm safety seriously!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Government fail

I got up this morning to find out that every school or official government function was closed due to snow. Here in Northern Virginia, we receive an email at work warning us about the weather and telling us to look to Quantico to see if they're closed. If Quantico is closed, we're closed.

Well, whoever makes the call to close the base must have a hell of a hangover, because the roads are treacherous, and there are cars wrecked and overturned everywhere in the wake of this snowfall, and the base is still open. Not only that, but until a few minutes ago, you couldn't even get on the Quantico website to check to see if the base was closed, or even delayed.

Next time, spare me the email telling me to look for guidance at your non-functioning crap website that takes ten minutes to load on a good day. I'll make the freaking call myself since you can't muster the courage to close up shop on the first significant snowfall that we've had in three years.

On an angry note: to the stupid pompous woman in the SUV who was riding my bumper as I was getting ready to merge onto I-95 this morning - yeah you; the one who decided that I wasn't going fast enough so you swerved around me and cut me off AS I WAS MERGING ONTO THE RAMP - thanks for endangering the life of my eighteen month old daughter so you could get to work five minutes faster. It's probably wrong to say, but I was definitely looking to see the mangled wreckage of your car on the side of the highway so I would have some vindication that idiots like you get what you deserve. Sometimes I just hope for some Darwinism.

It used to be that Virginian drivers were competent to drive in the snow, but now that Al Gore stopped the snow in our area with his freaking global warming, we haven't had any, so now Virginians loose all control in any inclement weather and go about spinning and careening off the roads and flipping over; cars wrecked everywhere. What a shame.

Monday, January 26, 2009

He loves me, he loves me not - differing professionalism

The Agitator posts on an armed citizen's encounter with Alexandria, Virginia police.

The citizen reports on a police officer who is illegally parked. Responding officer declines to give a ticket, and even states that he would probably cite a non-LEO for a similar offense. Big shocker there, but the officer said he wasn't concerned when the citizen informed him that he was open carrying.

The illegally parked officer decided to then follow the citizen and make a stink about open carrying. He actually tried to deny that he was following the him, despite being caught on camera. Good on the citizen for not leading that man to where he lives. A cop who is bold enough to park illegally, then follow you around for calling him out on it, then make up silly excuses for "not following" you when confronted, is probably bold enough to stash a bag of pot in your car at night and then bust you for it the next day.

On another note, it would seem that there is still some disparity in how OCing is treated in Virginia. That one cop is totally at ease with someone lawfully carrying a weapon is refreshing, but being followed by another is unacceptable; not to mention creepy. That it happened without tasers or bloodshed in Alexandria is surprising, and says that word is getting around that Virginians OC.

I say this as I had a discussion last night with my brother who is now lawfully OCing, and my other brother can apply for his CCW; not that I'm a fan of asking the courts to dispense rights by issuing a paper card. There is some concern that my brother may get harassed for OC. It's possible, but I've never had anyone even notice me when I OC. Not a peep from anyone, ever, although I notice people OCing sometimes.

Good thing I stay the hell out of Alexandria. I don't go too far North of Woodbridge these days; there's something nasty in the water up there.

Another random shooting in Miami

This gunman was masked, and used a AK47; no doubt a semi-auto variant. That doesn't stop the mayor from calling it a "weapon of war."

Nobody seems to know what the motive was, but I have to point out that the victims were gambling in front of a grocery store at ten at night in a town called Liberty City. If the town's name doesn't ring a bell, then click here; not that it really means anything.

A creepy cold case solved

This story is truly unique. A Virginia woman confesses to a murder from 1967, and then dies of kidney failure two months later.

There's quite a story in there, if you find that sort if thing interesting, and it very well may end up as a country music song one day; perhaps Reba McEntire.

Random shooting in Portland

Two people were killed when some suicidal scumbag decided that his last act before offing himself was to take others with him.

Why can't these people just go off and quietly kill themselves in the woods?

Friday, January 23, 2009

As you are probably unaware. . .

. . .due to the press again not doing their job, This Ain't Hell notes that President Obama skipped on the privilege to be amongst our nations greatest living heroes at the Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball in order to hang out with Kanye West, Cheryl Crow, and Marc Anthony.

Standing up those honorable men and women to hang out with celebrities was not the best way to start his first day.

Obama sells lots of rifles

Fighting For Liberty notes that black rifle manufacturers are reaping the benefits from an Obama administration.

Update on National Park Carry

I posted Wednesday on a news article that I found about National Park Carry, and how the press is hinting that President Obama may try to stop/repeal/infringe on the law.

SailorCurt and Mike W. of Another Gun Blog think that it's too late to change, and I thought as well.

Well, I found another article from yesterday at ABC news that raises doubts as to the resilience of the new law, but also gives me hope that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar may be watching gun owners backs.

Would he consider reversing a decision made in the final weeks of the Bush administration to allow people to carry loaded firearms in the national parks, a U.S. Park Service employee asked, noting that park rangers already face a variety of dangers.

"We'll take a look at that ... I don't have an answer on that right now," replied Salazar, recounting that on his Colorado ranch "I always had a sense of comfort when I had my gun with me."

If he really is pro-gun, then he would be the only appointment by President Obama that I know of that is. Also consider that he is a Democrat, who are not known to be very gun friendly. If he is able to just drop the new law into the shredder, than I don't hold a lot of faith in the strength of the. law.

Note also that Associated Press Writer H. JOSEF HEBERT, the writer of this article, subtly implies that citizens that carry guns are dangerous. Think I didn't notice that? This sort of poor reporting by the mainstream news is precisely what is giving bloggers such momentum. Thanks Joe!

Correction: It looks as if a "U.S. Park Service Employee" posed the question, but note that the employee was not specifically quoted. It could be manipulation by the reporter, or the employee really is an idiot.

Obviously, Boston needs a six month waiting period for gun purchases

So this guy would have been powerless, just like his poor neighbor that he victimized.

I could never live in that state.

Snakes are freaking dangerous!

I find so many of these snake stories that I often don't even bother to post them. Notice that I even have a label for them.

Speechless

I can't even summon the words to describe this.

And I can't imagine what her family is going through. He will be lucky if a Virginia jury doesn't kill him.

Here is my post on the killing from yesterday.

Say what?

Blind Dispatcher Tackles Accused Subway Robber.

OK, that's great and all, but then how do you explain this:
BOSTON -- A legally blind Boston Fire Department dispatcher who was reading the book "Practice Random Acts of Kindness" didn't hesitate Wednesday when he spotted a violent robbery during a subway ride.
I guess being able to tell that someone is getting robbed of their iPod doesn't disqualify one from being legally blind. If he can see that well, than he could have certainly operated a handgun safely enough to stop the violent attack without putting himself in danger by wrestling with the guy. Usually armed confrontations end with the yellow thugs running off without a shot fired.

Not that you can legally use your God given right to defend yourself with a modern protective device in Boston; that state thinks it's okee dokee to let innocent people maimed and murdered by thugs on a day to day basis. It's the price that the serfs must pay to be 'progressive.'

Notice that our hero is legally blind due to a prior violent attack where several dissidents shot him in a restaurant. I guess he had it coming for following his moral compass.

New York mercifully acquires pro-gun Senator

Here's the skinny about her appointment to the Senate seat by the NY Governor David Paterson.

She is in good standing with the NRA, for what that's worth, and two of her websites display her 2nd Amendment views. From http://kirstengillibrand.com/:
Preserving 2nd Amendment Rights:
Congresswoman Gillibrand grew up in a family of hunters and strongly supports the rights of all hunters and gun owners. She has been an ardent opponent of legislation that will curb the Second Amendment for responsible gun owners and currently has a 100% voting record with the National Rifle Association (NRA). As a Member of the Agriculture Committee, she sponsored an amendment to the Farm Bill that will expand public lands dedicated for conservation and hunting.
Not too shabby. Now from http://www.gillibrand.house.gov/:
Protecting 2nd Amendment Rights- Promoting Hunting and Fishing

I, like many natives of Upstate New York, grew up in a hunting family and own a gun. I learned at an early age how to safely handle a gun and I believe that every law-abiding citizen should always have the right to own arms.

The Second Amendment of the Constitution prohibits the federal government from denying law-abiding citizens the right to keep and bear arms. And I intend to uphold this right through my votes and actions in Congress.

In September of 2007, I introduced a resolution to make Hunting and Fishing Day - the 4th Saturday in September - a nationally recognized holiday. I have also cosponsored a resolution to recognize hunters for their continued commitment to safety.

In Congress I have also sponsored measures to protect and open up more federal land for conservation programs that will promote and allow hunters and fishermen to enjoy their passion for the outdoors.

However, I also believe that we must do more to enforce of current laws to keep
guns out of the hands of criminals and persons with violent mental instability. Keeping our streets and communities safe is important to all of us, and lawbreakers need to know that they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if they illegally seek to own or possess weapons.

That is why I supported the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act (HR 2640) to provide incentives to states to update the Brady background check system to ensure that current laws are upheld as efficiently as possible. This was a common sense - bipartisan bill that was supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

It seems to me that she's more for hunting than gun rights, but New York needs all the help it can get. The part about "enforce[ing] . . current laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals" could mean the usual ploy of making it nearly impossible for anyone who is not of esteemed political standing (rich celebrities) to own firearms that politicians think you shouldn't have, or it could mean that she wants to prevent criminals from having guns by, oh, I don't know, locking them up permanently when they abuse their rights. And I don't have a lot of faith in NICS, but you can't have everything. We shall see. Either way she is leaps and bounds ahead of the Senator she is replacing.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Give us this day our lying media scum

You can count on the news to deliberately skew any self defense story that includes citizens using firearms to righteously stop a criminal. If it doesn't end with a bad guy being stopped comically by a store clerk with a box of tampons, then it doesn't make the cut.

Yesterday I posted about two citizens in Houston who drew their concealed pistols in response to a disgruntled employee gone postal. Notice that the story that I linked to reported this:
"Witnesses said other employees of the business pulled out their own pistols. They were able to knock the mock gun away from Parker, but when she allegedly threatened to shoot them with another arrow, they fired a couple shots at her."
And by "fired a couple of shots at her," what they really meant to say by not, you know, actually saying, was that the two employees put a bunch of holes in her, thus causing her to drop her fake-ass pistol and run desperately for her life. Sayeth another news outlet:
Those employees, who are licensed to carry concealed handguns, fired "numerous" shots at Parker, hitting her several times, investigators said.
Now, as Ride Fast & Shoot Straight has pointed out, the headline of the above quoted electronic fish wrap that is known as the Houston Chronicle, as well as the shit alphabet news outlet that I linked to, points to the heroic police who showed up after said employees shot that crazy woman, and actually stopped the attack. Splitting hairs? I think not. The media just can't give credit where it's due, unless it's to state sanctioned authority.

I'm all for the cops catching bad guys and dispensing righteous quantities of well aimed copper into violent spree shooters, but damn, just report the daggone facts as they are. Stop handling your readers, or sooner or later a bunch of knowledgeable bloggers are gonna run you up the flag pole; just like this.

Reporters; can they get anything right?

I repeat myself: Beware of fake cops

Another case in Oklahoma.

You do not have to let them into your home without a warrant, and to my knowledge cops don't have anything to do with the exchange of money during traffic stops.

Know the law, and know your rights.

You need a permit to own a viper?

Not the car - a snake!

On another note, what kind of idiot tries to pull dead skin off the face of a venomous snake and doesn't expect to get bit?

Jackass.

Misleading ABC News article?

You be the judge.

The three paragraph piece is labeled "George Bush monument defaced."

Now what comes to mind? Not George Bush the elder, I'm sure. Maybe I'm just being picky, or perhaps the homeless guy doesn't know the difference between the two former Presidents, or maybe it's because I think ABC News is full of lying morons. Pick one. I just think that the short piece is misleading.

Commenter dkk61's quote is priceless:
"HMM, wasn't Obama sworn in around noon today? I guess since this guys life didn't improve at 12:01 like Obama is promising he just snapped. LOL Maybe just maybe if he gets off the drugs and alcohol things will improve."
Too funny!

Will you get your text message in time?

A student at Virginia Tech was stabbed to death last night, which prompted the venerable text message system to again show that electronic doo-dads are no substitute for an immediate form of self defense.
University spokesman Larry Hincker said the alert messages were sent out around 7:30 p.m., and it took about 15 minutes for all 40,000 messages to be sent.

My emphasis. I'd like to point out that it took Cho 20 minutes to shoot 60 people; 32 of them fatally.

Does Larry Hincker sound familiar? Yeah, that guy. Feeling safe does not mean that the person is actually safe Larry.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Ahh, the land of A- gun laws

Maybe if California had received the coveted A+ gun law rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership, then this violent, gangbanging, career criminal would not have been able to get the gun that he used to shoot at a car full of innocent people and accidentally kill a four year old on the sidewalk.

Astorga was also charged with the special allegations that the murder was to promote a street gang and that he intentionally fired the gun.

****

Investigators describe Astorga, a Boyle Heights resident, as a felon who previously has served prison time for narcotics, gun and other offenses.

****

Astorga was released on parole in June and was first arrested in Los Angeles at the age of 10, officials said.


I'm not trying to dance in the blood of a tragedy here. I'm questioning why does California insist on paroling violent scumbags, and then expect them to not hurt or kill innocent people? I mean, I couldn't sleep at night if I were the guy on the parole board that let someone with a lengthy, violent criminal history roam the streets as a free soul. It would tear me up. How many people do you have to hurt to get put away for good?

Two CCWs stop workplace violence

But I thought the cops would just shoot the armed citizens on sight? What happened to all of the confusion that the Brady Campaign said would happen?? WTF??!!

HOUSTON -- A woman armed with a bow and arrow and a mock gun stormed into a northwest Houston business Monday and allegedly shot an employee.

Julie Parker shot the victim, Armando Silva, with an arrow.

“I saw him with a bow and arrow in the side of his chest. He was fading," said Alex Quiroga, the victim's co-worker. "The girl was running toward the building to the hallway.”

****

Witnesses said other employees of the business pulled out their own pistols. They were able to knock the mock gun away from Parker, but when she allegedly threatened to shoot them with another arrow, they fired a couple shots at her.


So, two good citizens pulled real handguns, both then making the determination that her handgun was fake, and held fire until she aimed the very real bow and arrow at them. Why they didn't just panic and fire indiscriminately into the kneeling, bleating crowd of unarmed employees has not yet been ascertained. That is what the media and our politicians keep telling us will happen in these situations, right?

I notice that when the cops got there they didn't freak out over the citizens with handguns and get into a long, drawn out gunfight with them. They instead quickly determined who the offender was and shot her, thus ending the event.

I have to say it: never bring a bow and arrow to a gun fight.

Retirement home violence

Witnesses told police two elderly men were fighting.

When they arrived, officers found Chrisanto Beltran, 72, dead.

"We're not sure what happened," said Randy Reber, the facility's Executive Director.

From the sounds of it, neither is the survivor:
The center's director says both men were in the Alzheimer's unit at the facility.
I'm probably going to hell for that.

Seriously though, if your not safe in a retirement home, then just where are you safe?

The death of the National Park Carry?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama's new administration ordered all federal agencies and departments on Tuesday to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff, halting last-minute Bush orders in their tracks.
****
Controversial late rules by the outgoing Bush administration include allowing the carrying of concealed weapons in some national parks and prohibiting medical facilities from receiving federal money for discriminating against doctors and nurses who refuse to assist with abortions or dispense contraceptives based on religious grounds.

Time will tell, but I figured this was going to be an issue the moment I heard that the National Park Carry bill was passed, or is it irreversible?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Yeah, I hate Hollywood too

A scathing rant at Big Hollywood on the Hollywood elites, how they suck, and why it's shame on them for calling for unity in America NOW!!

I couldn't agree more.

[H/T Ace]

Different date, different subject, still relevant

"Now we are all sons of bitches." - Kenneth Bainbridge.

DC should hold an inauguration every day!!

DC officials are claiming that the city is more secure than anywhere in the country. Somehow I doubt that, but time will tell if DC is going to be safe or not. Either way, it's about time.

I don't venture into that city on a normal day, as I have no interest in being one of the many statistics. I wouldn't care if Reagan incarnate was being sworn in today; you won't catch me within 50 miles of that place.

These are not gun owners

The incident began in San Francisco at about 2:30 a.m. when the victims, four men between 25 and 30 years old, were driving southbound on Highway 101 near Duboce Avenue and got into an altercation with the occupants of another vehicle.

The alleged altercation continued on Highway 101 into the city of Brisbane, where the suspect vehicle pulled up alongside the victims' vehicle and someone fired at least six rounds into the car, possibly with a 9mm handgun.

The driver and two passengers were struck, Meisner said.


For folks who are not aware, these idiots are of the criminal kind, and are not gun owners. Even angry citizens do not shoot at moving vehicles, but gangbangers have been known to from time to time. I just wanted to point out that criminal behaviour like this is often used by the anti gun crowd, like virtually all mainstream media, to be typical behaviour of gun owners in general; specifically those who carry a weapon for self defense, and it's just not so.

Never ever shoot to wound

Murderous scumbag in St. Louis finds out that by shooting at two police officers, he invited far more accurate return fire. He was hit in the neck and torso, and is currently fighting for his life.

Now, there isn't much for details, except that it seems he was a bonafide scumbag. The cops were undercover when they approached, and they chased him on foot as well as in a car, which I don't know if it was marked or not, but it still doesn't discount that he is more than likely a violent criminal. What I want to point out is that in comments, some have suggested that the cops should have shot him in the leg, and that they didn't because they're racist.

It amazes me that people think that it is perfectly acceptable to shoot someone in the legs or whatnot, instead of shooting for the largest part of the body available. This guy was shooting back, so I doubt the officers were thinking that dinging the guy and leaving him painfully angry and armed on the ground was sound policy. Somewhere it was mentioned that the police should have shot him on the hand, or shot the gun out of his hand, and I find this to be laughable as well. There is only one case of the cops shooting the gun out of someone's hand that I know of, and it was entirely circumstantial. The guy wasn't shooting back.

If you are a criminal, and you shoot at someone, then expect to be shot in kind; especially if your the kind of criminal who may be wanted for murder. If I were a scumbag who could be under surveillance at any given moment, I would not expect to be treated with kid gloves in a gunfight of my choosing. Cops will do their very best to ensure that the bullets fired from their guns hit in the most devastating portion of the body available to them, and that will probably not be a place that you wouldn't mind being hit in.

A trend of Samauri sword violence

This time the guy was caught, and not shot by police.

There would be more of this if guns were magically uninvented. The world was a much more violent place before firearms enabled the weak to be as powerful as the strong. I, for one, would not want to live in a world under fear of sword violence.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Movie Guns XXXII

Well here we are again ladies and gentleman. It's been a long time. I'm going to shoot for a Movie Guns post every other week and see how that goes for awhile. We're getting baby CTone on a routine now, and I can work on the computer downstairs while the chillun wreck the place with glee.

Today's Movie Guns is on the film Under Siege 2. This is an old request from P7_M13 in comments on a Movie Guns from earlier. Sorry it took so long hoss.

As we all know, Steven Seagal is a 1911 kinda guy, and this movie has 1911 goodness all over it. If you're a Heckler & Koch fanboy then this movie will send 'a thrill up your leg!' It seems to me that the movie's armorer bought up all the shares in H&K; every bad guy, save one, has an H&K weapon. Then again, it could be that H&Ks are very durable, and that's why the armorer had them for the film. Who knows. . .

The film is set on a disenfranchised DoD contractor named Dane (Eric Brogosian) and a group of mercenaries led by Penn (Everett McGill) who hijack a train in order to gain control of a secret satellite that is armed with a laser that causes massive earthquakes. Dane was instrumental in designing the satellite. I have to mention that Hollywood has a very poor perception of what defense contractors do, and generally portray them in a negative light, just like they do with the military. It does make sense since they don't like anything military related to begin with. This is confirmed by noticing that in any movie that has a military or militant theme, that's not an outright war movie, that during military scenes the viewers are treated to the cheezy drum beat that signifies that the men are somehow organized. I personally hate it.

We start with a glimpse of Penn's Jerico 941 (Baby Desert Eagle) when he and his team steal two helicopters from a depot in Colorado. There's a better shot of it later on:
Jerico 941
Jerico Close Up
The close up of the muzzle shows the reverse slide rail that is unique amongst the Jerico and CZ pistols.

Penn's team then hijack a train that is on its way to California. Two of his henchmen flag the train to a stop before shooting the two drivers, and I got a picture of this guy's Glock which he fired to slide lock after only four rounds, and then holstered while still at slide lock:
Glockage
Slide Lock

A retired SEAL, and our movie's hero, Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal), kills one of the many mercenaries, which prompts a bunch more of them to shoot up the train car in a futile attampt at killing him:
H&K Convention

The rest of the mercenaries board the train and take the occupants hostage.

Now, I have to point out that pretty much all of the mercenaries have H&K MP5s, or varients thereof, which are very spendy, but one of the 'speshoul forses' mercs is carrying around a Browning PM12S (I assume it's the 'S' model) which is heavy, and made in the 50s. I can only guess that he didn't have the money to buy a tacticool weapon like all of his buddies, and that's why he's such a dick throughout the movie:
Browning PM12S
PM 12S
PM 12S Fire
Good luck firing a gun like this one-handed with real rounds instead of blanks.

I also caught this merc taking a Benchmade auto - probably a 9050 from the looks of it - from the pocket of one of the hostages:
Benchmade 9050

Some of the mercs are wandering about aimlessly while carrying what looks to be MAC 11s in snazzy leather shoulder holsters:
MAC 11

Here one of the mercs is seen with a H&K MP5K PDW:
H&K MP5K PDW

Now we're getting to the good stuff. Ryback finds a porter, Bobby Zachs (Morris Chestnut), and with his help finds his bag which contains a pre-1924 Colt M1911. I don't know if this is the real deal or not; I can't see cutting up a rare vintage pistol in order to turn it into a blank firing prop gun, or perhaps it is only used for close ups. Either way it's cool:
Colt M1911 Press Check
Worn Colt M1911
1911 Hammer Back
Colt M1911
You can see that it's well worn, and some of the frames show it at hammer down, and then seconds later show it a hammer back.

At one point I caught Casey flagging Zachs' face with the Colt:
Muzzle Awareness

Ryback starts to systematically take out the mercs, and with his first kill he takes the guy's radio and Glock:
More Glockage

He gives the Glock to Zachs which he refers to as a ".45", but in reality is a mid sized Glock, so it can't be a .45. Ryback then instructs Zachs in the deadly art of pistolcraft, and tells him thusly:
". . dynamic tension; left hand, right hand; palms pressed together. Never look in a direction where the gun ain't pointed, you understand?"
Moving along, Casey is heading towards the front of the train to stop it. Penn finds the first dead guy and orders his men to sweep the train. The two mercs driving the train are seen here with a Glock sitting on the table, and an unknown type of 1911 in the hands of the other guy:
1911 & Glock
Poor Grip
Notice the very poor grip. I find that it's natural to hold the gun as high up on the grip as possible, but it seems that some actors don't.

Casey does a swift ninja move and kills the guy with his own 1911 while it's still in his hand:
BG with 1911
You can see Casey poised to strike at the unsuspecting and poorly trained bad man.

Casey then turns his attention to some other mercs; one of which is seen here with a H&K MP5A4:
H&K MP5A4 Close

When the shooting starts, the mercs realize that Casey is on top of the train, so they fire wildly over the top of it. None of the rounds hit him, of course, and they switch out their weapons with the guys inside of the train in order to not have to reload. Here is a scene where they are handing off two H&K MP5K PDWs:
H&K MP5K PDW Close

Casey has the same weapon, but he choses to have the stock extended even though he's not in the greatest possition to use it:
MP5K PDW Stock Xtended
He's using the engine room doors as cover, and they are apparently made out of thick enough steel to stop the rounds.

Mercenary chic climbs to the top of the train with an imposter H&K PSG-1 and shoots Casey:
H&K PSG1 Forgery

The scope on the weapon is definitely not the one that comes with a PSG-1, but hs instead been replaced with one that features this useless reticle:
Uber Tac Reticle
Uber tactical for the viewers.

Despite such an expensive rifle, she manages to just ding Casey in the arm. He still bleeds profusely despite such a minor wound, and for a time the mercs think that he is dead. When they find out that he's not, Penn discovers that Casey's niece is on the train, and he uses her as bait. Here Penn has his Jerico out and pointed at her head:
Jerico 941 Close

Penn was able to find her because she was wearing Casey's Navy Cross on a necklace. Earlier she was telling a woman that her Uncle Casey has "secret medals;" one's that he can't even show her! I'm a dork, so I got a laugh out of that.

Anyways, Casey kills some more mercs; one of them dropping another Colt M1911:
Real Colt M1911
Those mercenaries must have tons of money to throw away if they're carrying guns like that!

Here is a close up of another merc with one of those cool MAC 11s, right as he's shot in the chest with a flare gun:
MAC 11 Close

While all of this killing is going on, Dane is blasting China, airliners, F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters, out of the air with the earthquake satellite that looks like R2D2 with a boner:
R2D2's Erection
Those pesky DoD contractors are always designing futuristic looking crap.

Casey and Penn are gearing up for a hand to hand showdown, and while Casey is on his way to find Penn, he discovers a door that's booby trapped with a fake M61 grenade that's marked "RFX."
Fake M61 Grenade

Penn still has Casey's niece, Sarah (Kathrine Heigl), and he pulls the pin on a M67 grenade and hands it to her, for some odd reason:
M67 Grenade

Penn then pulls his Gerber MK II, and Casey pulls some unknown type of knife that is made out of rubber, and the two fight it out:
Gerber MK II
Unk Knife

Any guesses on who won? Penn turns out to be an airsofter, and Casey saves the day.

During one of the firefights, Zachs is getting ready to start shooting the Glock ".45" at some bad guys, and he says:
"let's see. . .safety off. . .dynamic tension. . .aim. . .shoot"
You can audibly hear him click off the non-existant safety.

Hollywood will never get it.

That's all for today. I see that it is, in fact, after noon, and not morning, so I'm late again as usual. If you could only hear what is going on not five feet from me right now, you would cut me some slack.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Working Hard

On a Movie Guns. Should be up either late tonight or early tomorrow.

Update: Yeah, tomorrow morning is when I'll write the piece. Capturing movie frames with a writhing, crying, spitting up kid in my arms is enough to make me crazy; not to mention that it makes writing difficult.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Go ahead, take her gun away

This is what can be expected.

The idea that a criminal will just casually take a woman's gun away and use it against her is pure fantasy.

Reward criminals and punish the educators

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has a brilliant plan to make up for the lack of funds for all of his big government spending: give criminals an early release, and cut education spending.

Perfect! Let's piss away our low crime rate by sending a clear message to criminals that we don't have space for you, so we're going to let you out early; good behaviour or not. That Virginia consistently places in the top ten for education amongst other states is of no consequence to this guy. Who cares! We gots some crooks that need to get out!

Oh, and lets not forget to tax the shit out of cigarettes, because that will surely help the economy in a state with a GDP that mainly comes from smokes.

Super guy, I tell ya.

Two is one, and one is none

Having two firearms is never a bad idea, especially when two scumbags think that they have you disarmed.

The clerk said the robbers put a gun to his head and demanded money, then grabbed a gun he had placed on the counter.

The clerk told police when one of the robbers went to the back of the store, he pulled another gun from his waistband and shot one of the robbers twice. He then shot the second robber as he tried to run away.

Sometimes the bad guys get the drop on you. Good on the clerk for being prepared and following through with his plan.

Stand back citizen!! Make way for 'Professionals'

I can only assume that the reason the city feels the need to throw taxpayer money at "Sharpshooters," as opposed to letting Wisconsinites - who could probably shoot circles around them - pay to do it, is that the good folk of Oshkosh are terrified of the thought of mere citizens using icky guns to kill Bambi's baby brother. I mean, who would willingly choose to kill these animals? Just look at that furry face!

The idea of these guys ridding the town of the offending deer is much more logical from a PC perspective because they won't get any enjoyment out of it, and the carcass of the dead beast likely won't end up on Bubba's table.

What a waste.

What was their grade?

Oh yeah, California got an "A-" rating.

From the looks of things, it seems the criminals are the ones who got the most benefit.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Home again

I've been out of town on travel for a week, but got in early this morning. Nothing like a few 20+ hour days to ruin your mood. My blog stats are probably in the toilet as well. Sorry for the lack of posting.

I will be covering a movie guns this weekend. I've been working non stop for quite a few months now, and my wife has pretty much said that she can't stand my grumpiness, so I'm taking the weekend off. That means no painting or drywall. Yippy!!

I'm not sure what the weather looks like this weekend, but I'm going to do some shooting regardless. I haven't fired a shot in fun for a long time, and I'll post some pics if I can, but I'm excited about the idea of not doing anything constructive for a couple of days.

Everyone needs a mental health day.

I'm also excited about spending some much needed time with my family. I've neglected them in order to double the square footage of the house. Now that the downstairs is carpeted, my daughter can run around without the danger of getting a drywall screw stuck in the ball of her foot. It also means that I can safely blog while she plays in the new half of the house. Baby CTone can stare at the ceiling an vomit on himself while sitting with me in the recliner watching 24 Redemption.

It's all coming together!

So stay tuned.

Monday, January 12, 2009

More sword violence

What is it about California and sword weilding madmen? http://foxnews.proteus.com/content.html?contentId=21353 - haven't figured out how to hyperlink from my phone just yet.

The last samauri sword swinging phsycopath was gunned down as well - fateoflegions.blogspot.com/search/label/Primitive%20Weapon%20Violence .

Maybe California needs to address its violence problem.

Light Blogging

I've got too much on my plate to even give half assed posts right now. Things will balance out later this week.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

CTone's fairy god ninja brings the goods

I actually got these in the mail a couple of weeks ago, but this is the first time I've been able to post pics. What is it? It's a gorgeous bolt and barrel from Fulton Armory!



Chilling self defense interview from a victim

. . .and by victim, I mean the 70 year old gentleman who survived the violent attack that saved his life, and the life of his wife, and not the two masked gunman who died from eleven .40 Smith & Wesson rounds fired from said gentleman's weapon.
". . for sure; there's not a doubt in my mind that my wife and I would be dead, if I didn't do what I did. . .and I would do the same thing over again."
This interview raises the hair on the back of my neck. Of note is that Tec-9 used by one of the scumbags was allegedly stolen from the local PD.

Words of wisdom:
". . .there's nothing you can do if you don't react quickly and have something to defend yourself with. I would be dead if I didn't."
This guy could easily be your dad, grandfather, neighbor, or whatever, and him and his wife are alive today because he was adequately armed despite being locked inside of his own building.

Reporter spreading disinformation

ABC reporter Alan Wang knows his guns:

Three times in three weeks high-powered weapons were stolen from East Bay police cruisers.

****

They broke into several patrol cars and stole a 12 gauge shotgun and three semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifles.

****

They broke into a cruiser and took off with an AR-15 assault rifle and about 120 rounds of ammunition. It's still missing.

Hey jackass, why don't you try some fundamental research before spouting out disinformation:

Wikipedia:

An assault rifle is a selective fire (automatic and semi-automatic) rifle or carbine firing ammunition with muzzle energies intermediate between those typical of pistol and high-powered rifle ammunition.

****

Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 and civilian versions of the AK-47 are not assault rifles, as they are not selective fire. Nor do belt-fed weapons or rifles with fixed magazines meet the definition of an assault rifle.

Emphasis all mine.

Certifiable PSH

Nebraska politicos are having hissy fit after discovering that the state capitol building is still a public place that is accessible to free citizens of the republic. That has to stop.
State Attorney General Jon Bruning announced his concern after his agents brought the weapons in during the demonstration and went undetected. He showed off the military-style weapons at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The reporter in the video says that they were "assault weapons;" and being the "Authorized Journalist" that she is she must know the difference. I noticed that the weapons in question were not used to assault, so I cannot understand why the fierce label. One can only imagine the disdain the state agents have towards her for not calling it a "patrol rifle," as that is the politically correct name for such weapons when carried by those who are "certified."

But wait:
They were props to show the kind of fire power gang members are reported to be carrying these days and not about capitol security until he announced that the props made it through security.
Oh, so when "certified law enforcement officers" carry them they're "props." Just what would have happened if a mere un-certified member of the public tried to carry a weapon into the building? I would imagine. . . .nothing, so long as the "network of security cameras" didn't see a citizen's Kimber printing through their shirt.

And what if Nebraska appropriated money towards installing metal detectors in the state capitol building and assigned "certified law enforcement officers" to search every free citizen who enters the building? Would that stop an armed madman? Probably not. But it would, sooner or later, ensure that some innocent woman would have her life ruined for leaving her Kahr pistol in her purse instead of leaving it in the glove box.

I couldn't help but notice in the video the bag of scary looking cartridges that State Attorney General Jon Bruning is waving around for all in the room to gasp at. They look like Winchester Supreme Ballistic Tips; which if your a total dumb ass that trembles at the mere mention of the label, and think that it makes them even more deadlier, know that they're made for shooting small critters called 'varmints'; thus the pictured prairie dog on the box.

The quote of the day comes from Nebraska Senator Mike Friend: "I don't mean to sound too cliche', but this is the people's building."

Indeed, Senator.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Take the Virginia gun law quiz

Here.

My only gripe is that one of the questions asks: "Are background checks required at gun shows?" - which I answered "Yes", and got it wrong. Later, another question asks: "Are background checks required on 'private' gun sales, and I answered "No", which was correct.

The first question I actually got right despite what the quiz thinks. Every gun I've ever purchased at Virginia gun shows came with a background check. Federal law still applies at gun shows, and private sales - whether at a gun show or in the parking lot of Ruby Tuesdays - do not require a background check.

You would think that this would not be confusing with all of the available information on the web.

DC Assistant Police Chief to concerned citizens

Sorry about your luck.

It's well known that DC is a haven for violent psychopathic scumbags, and that citizens in the capitol of our free nation want to be kept informed about what said scumbags have been up to in their area of interest, and that DC police cannot keep these concerned citizens safe from the scumbags. Well, now the tool that these citizens rely on - daily crime reports - has been taken away by MPD because:
". .we have found that the information was not uniform in nature and that some of the information revealed facts that were not for public information and jeopardized our investigatory process." - DC Assistant Police Chief Diane Grooms
Instead, she says that citizens can just use the anemic DC crime map, which includes pretty much no information. Look at the comments in the above article to get an idea of what the DC residents are feeling.

In short, what is going on is that: 1) The crime rate in DC is sky high. 2) Residents are barred by law from protecting themselves with modern defensive tools from psychopathic predators when they venture outside of their homes. 3) DC police can't protect residents inside or outside of their homes from violent predators. 4) DC residents can no longer receive timely crime reports about murderous scumbag activities in their neighborhoods because of poor communication within the DC police department.

Maybe by "reliev[ing] a sworn member [DC cop] from performing such administrative tasks [such as telling citizens what scumbags have been up to] so that they can work out in the field.", Assistant Chief Grooms can send said relieved officer out to negotiate peace between the defenseless DC citizens and the violent career felons who would maim and murder them for their twenty dollars.

Idiots.

4 year old not charged in shooting

Well, that's a relief. And why is that even a consideration? How about charging the parents for their negligence in leaving the loaded shotgun where a 4 year old can get it and shoot the babysitter?

And BTW, shotguns don't attack.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Gun Porn

Magnum Research has a hideout pistol, the Micro Eagle.

Lions and Tigers and Rape

Oh my!

Need I remind you that the general population in Mexico is unarmed. Violent drug cartels wage open war in the streets and control the country, and the the police officers who are supposed to be protecting the unarmed people are just as likely to feed them to the lions as they are to help them.

No wonder they cross the border in droves.

Why would you need a gun in a bar?

In case three yahoos run in, pistol whip the patrons, and rob everyone.

Maybe there should be, like, a law or something that says you can't carry your gun in a bar. Common sense, right? That would have stopped these three brazen crooks cold at the door!

Beware of the signs, criminals!

Movie theater shooter claiming self defense

Anything is possible, but I don't hold any faith in his story.

Lomax, 31, told the judge he was at the movie with his girlfriend and her three teenagers, enjoying the film and laughing, when a man in front of him — not Cialella — told him to quiet down.

"We can't laugh?" Lomax recalled asking.

A second man threw popcorn at the family, and a brawl ensued. Lomax said he was fighting with the first man when the second man pulled out a gun and fired, striking him in the left arm.

A defense lawyer argued that Cialella was being choked and punched as he tried to break up the fight and fired in self-defense.

So that's the 'he-said-she-said', but then there's this from Cialella's (the shooter) lawyer:
"He's a marksman," lawyer Greg Pagano said. "If he wanted to shoot to kill, he would have."
So was he shooting to wound? That sounds like a pretty terrible defense if that's true. Personally, I wouldn't try to break up a fight to begin with; armed or not. That's just an invitation to get into a situation like this. Cialella carried a ".38 caliber handgun" in his waistband, for what that's worth.

The whole thing sounds kinds dubious to me, and I still think he's an idiot.

Groundhog Day

That's what every day feels like to me.

I work all week, and then work on my basement all weekend - the perpetual nightmare. This weekend I found out that I suck as a trip carpenter. Not that that's surprising considering I hate geometry and my math skills are at the 2nd grade level. Besides, when you work on your own home all of a sudden there's a bunch of other shit that just gets in the way. There's no such thing as "keep my calendar clean this weekend" in my world; everyone has something they need me to do.

Also, the sun rises and sets with both of my kids screaming for me to do something for them. That's where most of my morning goes. All of this is taking a huge toll on my blogging time, and my numbers are showing it.

There's light at the end of the tunnel though, just not this week. I'm ready for carpet, and hopefully a break from this madness in a couple of weeks. Then I'll get back to my normal routine.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Just in case you were wondering what a rocket attack looks like

It's not very pleasant.

Remember that next time someone tries to tell you that Hamas rockets aren't very dangerous.

(H/T to Blackfive)

Imaginary guns

Want some free money? Just go to a bank and slip the teller a note:

"We don't like the business plan that makes a bank look like a living room," Kelly said "We [advise] just some common sense provisions, such as so-called bandit barriers, so that tellers have some option to act when somebody puts a note in front of them."

In fact, bank robbers have simply handed tellers a note in a vast majority of hold-ups in New York. Kelly put the figure at 80 percent and added that although the rest of the robbers claimed to have a gun, many didn't actually show it.

Just say the word and today's scaredy cat bank tellers will hand over the cash. Their instructed to do this, of course, by the banks that they work for. Our society has grown spineless in the last fifty years or so.

But Kelly said it's not clear whether the bad economic times are fueling the unusual spike.

"People want to say... it's because of the economy. I think it's too early to make that statement," he said.

CNN security analyst Mike Brooks agreed, adding that although there are typically
many bank robberies during the holidays, there are no data to suggest that any recent spike was caused by the economy.

Another expert said it's possible that the difficulty of finding a job right now may be a factor, but he doubted that law-abiding citizens are turning to crime to make ends meet.

Whew! At least they didn't blame it on gun shows! Not that that matters since you only need an imaginary gun to steal. Perhaps there should be a law?

A little too far

So this guy is no genius, for sure, but charging this guy with "unlawfully discharging of a weapon" for firing a paintball gun is a little ridiculous; especially in this particular instance.

Now if he had shot out his tires. . .