Thursday, November 13, 2008

Anti-gunner lies - John Rosenthal

I've done a few of these posts and today I'm going to do another one. Today's rip apart is on an article over at the Huffington Post entitled "What President What President Obama Can Do to Reduce Gun Violence". In it John Rosenthal lays out a 7 point plan to "reduce gun violence".

If you want to read the whole article without my commentary, go clicky.

#1 Mandatory criminal background checks for all gun sales

Current Federal law only requires Licensed gun dealers to perform criminal background checks. Consequently in 32 States "private dealers"/individuals can legally sell guns at thousands of annual gun shows, countless flea markets and yard sales, and out of homes, backpacks, car trunks or on street corners without running a background check or asking to see an ID. Only the first gun sale from a "Federally Licensed" gun dealer requires documentation and all "secondary" gun sales are legally allowed to take place without any paperwork or record keeping. As a result, convicted felons and suspected terrorists can and do buy guns simply because there is no background check required or conducted.


The bolded portion is a lie. Every single gun transaction through an FFL requires paperwork. The first, second, third, etc. Every one of them. As far as the "gun" show sales go it is also false. Legitimate dealers at gun shows have to do paperwork as well. Non-dealers can sell FTF (face to face) but if they sell too many they will get arrested for dealing guns without an FFL. They can also get arrested for selling to felons. There are already laws that cover this.

#2 Require responsible and safe gun storage for all firearms unless they are in the owners direct control


Approximately 40% of American homes have at least one firearm. Most guns used in child accidental gun injuries and deaths and teenage suicides come from within the home. Responsible guns owners safely secure their guns -unloaded and locked unless they are in their direct control. Seventeen States have such a safe-storage/Child Access Prevention requirement and all such states have a lower incidence of gun injuries and deaths among children compared to states without such a requirement.


Again the bolded section is false. To John's credit the rest is true though. This is a matter of good parenting vs bad parenting. Also good gun owners vs idiot gun owners. Don't punish the good guys because of the idiots.

#3 Allow Law Enforcement to maintain and share critical "crime-gun" trace data

Current Federal law prohibits the BATF from sharing crime gun trace data even among law enforcement agencies. In 2000 the BATF used crime-gun trace data to determine that just 1% of licensed gun dealers provided 57% of guns used in crime. Instead of supporting law enforcement efforts to identify and arrest illegal gun dealers, the Bush administration made police the enemy of "gun rights", requiring prison sentences for any police official that shares crime-gun trace data with even other law enforcement.


Bolded section is false. Current Federal law prohibits the BATF from sharing crime gun trace data from anyone except law enforcement agencies. There has never been a documented problem with this information being shared across agencies, they do it all the time.

#4 Restore and improve the Federal Ban on Assault Weapons

The 10 year Federal ban on 19 specific military style assault weapons beginning in 1994 was supported by every major US law enforcement organization representing over 450,000 police officers. Although so called assault weapons make up approximately 1% of the US gun stock, statistics clearly show that they are the weapon of choice by gangs, career criminals and terrorist organizations and disproportionately show up in crimes. The Bush administration let the ban expire in 2004 even though the ban resulted in a dramatic 66% reduction in these weapons used in crime over the 10 year period.


You know the drill. First not every law enforcement organization supported it. Those that did a good portion supported it because they got extra funding (money) in the deal. Second they are NOT the weapon of choice for gangs and career criminals. Something smaller, like a handgun is actually the weapon of choice, and usually something cheap like a Bryco or Jennings so they can dump it without being out a lot of cash. Terrorist organizations? 99% of the time they aren't buying from USA FFL gun dealers. Unless Ahmud Hussein Muhammad over in the mountains of Pakistan is making a trip over to the US to buy his guns...not happening.

#5 Repeal the Federal law giving Immunity to the gun industry

In 2007 Congress and the Bush administration enacted legislation prohibiting the ability to sue the gun industry even for negligence and blatantly marketing to criminals. For instance, the Tech 9 semi-automatic pistol, one of the guns used at the Columbine High School massacre, was marketed as "having a finish resistant to fingerprints", the Hertzel 22 cal handgun is marketed as "capable of penetrating 48 layers of soft body armor" and the Barrett 50 cal sniper rifle with a 2 mile range and designed to penetrate steel, is touted as being able to "take down an aircraft with one shot" and they tell you where to put it. Osama bin Laden bought a dozen of these US made Barrett's when fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan! The gun industry makes, markets and sells inherently dangerous product (like automobiles, knives and drugs- all regulated) and they should be held accountable for their actions.


Oh boy. Tech-9. Resists corrosion and oils from fingers, not resists fingerprints. Corrosion and oil is bad. Hertzel 22 cal? The gun doesn't exist and a .22 sure as hell is not going to penetrate 48 layers of body armor. The Barrett 50 cal is not marketed to take down aircraft. That is something the anti-gunners themselves made up. Nobody is going to hit an aircraft flying with a .50 cal with one shot. Nobody. It's not going to happen.

#6 Enact National Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations for firearms

Congress has prohibited the National Consumer Product Safety Commission from oversight of the gun industry. Therefore guns have NO consumer safety, manufacturing or marketing standards for how they are sold. Consequently toy guns and teddy bears have more regulations on how they're made than real guns that result in an average of 34,000 deaths a year in the US. The gun industry flaunts their "freedom" from regulation and continues to make and sell guns without minimal safety features and in some cases knowingly market their deadly products directly to criminals and terrorists without any accountability. Massachusetts, which is home to Smith and Wesson, the nation's largest handgun manufacturer, enacted the first in the nation Consumer Protection regulations for firearms and such oversight had no negative impacts on legitimate gun makers, dealers or buyers in the State.


The NCPSC handles toys and other products (clothing, cribs, etc) for children. Not guns. The NCPSC is also not a full functioning enforcement branch of government. They are an advisory board. Guns are handled by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) which is a full functioning enforcement branch of the Department of Justice, sister to the FBI and the DEA.

Again the bold is false. The US gun industry does not market directly to criminals and terrorists.

#7 Create incentives for the gun industry to make "personalized guns"

According to gun maker Smith and Wesson, guns could be made with personal recognition technology such that only the intended user could fire the gun. This practical technological solution would save the lives of countless victims of gun violence, accidents and suicides each year. It could also help save the lives of the 17% of police officers killed in the line of duty by a criminal accessing the officer's gun. In fact, in an agreement with the Clinton administration, Smith and Wesson promised to invest a portion of net profits into "personalized gun technology".


Bold is not a lie, but not truthful either. The idea is ahead of our current technology. It can't be done yet. And if it could would be so expensive and problematic even the military wouldn't want it (and they kinda need guns). That's what Smith & Wesson found out with that money they spent on it during the Clinton administration.

So there you have it. Seven more points from the anti-gunners and seven more lies and half truths.

Monday, November 10, 2008

The $1000 Arsenal

This will be, I think, my longest post yet:

Every now and then I'll see a forum post that someone wants to buy a gun but they don't have one. They'll generally have a few hundred dollars and want to know if they should buy a certain gun or wait till they have more money and buy a different gun. Typically the gun they are thinking of buying is a sub $500 gun of some flavor and the other gun is a $850 or more gun. The answers are usually split. I'm personally in the "get a gun now" camp, then save your money for another one.

Let’s say for the purpose of this exercise the person owns no gun at all and has $1000 to spend. What should they get?

I say more than one gun!

We're going to call this the $1000 arsenal. Now it's not really an "arsenal" as it really isn't very many guns. However the Main Stream Media (MSM) will say an amount of guns greater than 1 is an arsenal.

This arsenal is not for the serious shooter that needs the top end gun for competitions. It's not for sending a lot of ammo down range. There are no battle or service rifles listed. This is for people that don't have much money to spend, but want to get a good mix of firearms together.

Every household should have three firearms at MINIMUM. A pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun. This is NOT optional.

Shotgun

The shotgun is the first purchase any household should make. For utility purposes nothing beats a good 12-gauge shotgun. It can be used to hunt birds, small game, deer, fish (yea don't ask). It can be used as a club, a walking stick (not recommended), a snorkle (don't ask). Finally in a pinch if you really gotta do it, it can be used for home defense. Don't even need to fire a shotgun for home defense as sometimes all it takes is the shnick-schnak sound to scare would be house burglars away.

For the shotgun go with a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Both are extremely common so parts are available to order or through cannibalization. Both have several aftermarket accessories available to customize your gun.

Where to buy? Walmart if you really want one brand new. It's going to run you about $350 for a new one on sale. Both are so common that you can pick a random pawn shop and they'll probably have one for well under $200 (I recently paid $79 for a HD model Mossberg 500 and $89 for a USMC Remington 870 short barrel at a pawn shop). They are also very reliable pump-action so even if they seem beat up give it a good cleaning and it's probably gonna fire fine. For shotguns pawn shops are your friend.

For barrel length if you are looking to do any hunting with it get a 26 to 30" barrel. I use a 28" on my shotgun for hunting. For more squirrelly critters a shorter barrel will give you a faster pull time, important if the time you can visibly see the animal can be measured in seconds.

If you are looking at strictly home defense get a 20" barrel. It's short enough to be able to navigate hallways with, but long enough that extension tubes don't stick out past the barrel. Also the 20" can still be used to hunt critters in a pinch if you're good.

R870 or M500 Shotgun $175 estimated

Pistol

This is the second purchase any household should make. Where shotguns are the best utility purpose weapon the pistol is the best portability and concealment weapon. Typical forum posts will say get a .40 or .45 for stopping power. Forget it. The major calibers have two problems. First to get a decent amount of ammo in the magazine the gun is BIG. With a smaller gun cutting down on the ammo amount the recoil will really mess up you're accuracy if you aren't familiar with it. If you don't enjoy shooting the pistol you will never practice with it and it will be nothing but a noise maker if you ever have to use it.

Go with a 9mm for an automatic (semi-automatic really they are NOT full auto) or .38 special for a revolver. Both calibers are large enough to provide stopping power with accuracy, both are fairly common, both are small enough that a compact sidearm will carry more ammo (well the revolver is kinda fixed).

Another trick with pistols is getting one that fits your hand. The ever present, ever popular Glock for example is notorious for its larger grip making it uncomfortable for many people to shoot. Since revolvers don't have a mag well in the grip, they tend to have a really skinny grip, again uncomfortable for some.

For pistols pawn shops are NOT your friend. The markdown for a pistol at a pawn shop is almost non-existent and chances are any pistol sold there is in poor enough condition that it may be unsafe to fire...ever.

Not to mention that the dangerous pistols (Bryco, Jennings) are pawn shop staples. The price tag on a Bryco will look attractive $100 tops, but the price tag when it fails to fire, fails to eject, fires when dropped, fires at random, falls apart, etc etc isn't attractive. And a Bryco will do any or all of the above within the first 50 rounds fired if not sooner. Don't do it.

Find a good local actual gun store that has reasonable prices. Stay away from Cabelas and Sportsman's Wearhouse. Cabelas occasionally will have use pistols but again the markdown for used anything at Cabelas is almost non-existant and sometimes more expensive then new at a good gun shop.

Personally I recommend an automatic pistol as reload time is faster with a spare mag then it is to open the cylinder, dump the brass, put more ammo in, close cylinder. Revolvers are more reliable though as they have less moving parts and don't have to eject brass before putting a new round in the chamber (revolvers don’t have “chambers” per say, yes I know).

Take your pick, but I'm going with the auto.

Brands? Look at Kel-Tec. They are inexpensive enough to buy on budget, yet reliable enough to not be in the same field as Bryco/Jennings. Many will complain that I'm not saying the big names, but really we're on a budget, but still want reliablity. Most people I've run into that say "get a Glock" and put down Kel-Tec will have a hidden Kel-Tec as backup that they aren't telling you about. Kel-Tec also carry a lifetime warrantee.

Get the Kel-Tec first, worry about brand names later.

A new Kel-Tec PF-9 will cost you about $270. Used if you can find one won't be much less, expect $220 to $250.

Rifle

For a rifle we want to go with a large caliber. The purpose of the rifle is two fold. First taking larger game in hunting, and second taking shots at targets at a longer range than they can fire back accurately. The typical 30-06 will do double duty here. It's a very popular round and will take any large game found in North America. Even a marginal 30-06 is accurate enough. We aren’t talking competition shooting where you want to hit a quarter at 500 yards 5 times, we’re talking shooting man sized or larger targets and hitting once. You can get larger ammo of course, but the gun and the ammo gets heavy fast. You can go smaller ammo (like the ever popular .223) but it's game taking capabilities are limited and the effective range is diminished. Save the smaller ammo for another rifle.

Get a bolt action rifle. Stay away from semi-automatic for this rifle. We're looking for double duty firearms and many States do not allow semi-automatic for hunting. A bolt action will also better teach you firing and trigger discipline as you can't just squeeze off a magazine for fun.

Again here where do you purchase? Walmart is your friend if buying new if there isn’t a decent sporting goods store in your area. However much like the shotguns a good bolt action rifle in 30-06 are so common you can pick a random pawn shop and they are probably going to have one available.

A rifle/scope package will run you about $300 if you pick up a Mossberg ATR and scope. For another $100 you can pick up a Remington 700. Either is fine on a budget.

Rifle again

For the second rifle pick up a .22LR. Here we want to pick up a Ruger 10/22. Why a 22LR? They provide little to no recoil, can take small game, getting shot with one will still ruin someone’s day, and most of all you can buy a box of about 1000 rounds for less then the cost of 20 rounds for that 30-06. You can shoot one of these all day long to practice shooting techniques without blowing your wallet.

A Remington 10/22 you can also get several after-market accessories for it including super-sized 50 round magazines.

Remington 10/22 - $250 at most sporting goods stores.

Summary

Shotgun - Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 - $175
Pistol - Kel-Tec PF-9 - $270
Rifle – Mossberg ATR - $300
Rifle – Ruger 10/22 - $250

Total ~$995

Now start picking up ammo. Either buy large at one time or spend $20 to $50 a paycheck on ammo. Either way you want to build up a stock of at minimum 1000 rounds for each firearm, 5000 for the 10/22 (just because it’s cheap).

Rotate your ammo when you shoot. Buy a box, put it in the stock, then shoot from the stock instead of what you just bought. Like food ammo doesn’t like to sit around for long periods of time.

Once you’ve got the $1000 arsenal down then fill in the gaps. A 5.56 or 7.62 rifle of some flavor should be the next purchase you make. On the next purchase buy either the 5.56 or 7.62 that you didn’t buy.

Also consider a battle or service rifle of some form. It doesn't have to be a $2000 modern firearm, even the lowly SKS is acceptable. It ain't the most accurate thing, but they can put up with some abuse. Dirt cheap you can pick up a Mosin-Nagant for about $100 that covers your battle rifle and large caliber.

EDIT: Somehow I missed ruger 10/22 over several reads over the last year /boggle

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Cult of Personality



Here's a video that was done way back in March, 2008. Notice even Chris Matthews at one point in time was pointing out that Obama has had no accomplishments.

Now we have elected him.

Pictures of our dear leader are already starting to be hung:


Chicago


Unknown location

I'm sure there is many more

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

What you hath wrought

Forget about being energy independent

With the Dems controlling all branches of government we will not be drilling our own oil. We will not be building nuclear plants. We will not liquefy coal to fuel. We will not convert oil shale to energy. We may build lots of wind mills, but not the power lines to transmit the power. We might even breach dams that provide hydroelectric power...to save the salmon.

We will be even more dependent on nations that are not our friends for our energy requirements.

Energy prices in all forms will skyrocket.

Fuel prices at the pump will be $5 or more a gallon summer 2009. You don't even want to think about the price to heat your house next year. Enjoy this year's prices while you still can.

Corporations will decline

Corporations will stop expansion because of environmental costs given to us by the global warming fanatics.

Cap and Trade will slow production to almost a crawl.

More corporations will go overseas

Obama will raise the corporate income taxes. This will cause more companies to outsource to other nations, costing us more jobs here in the USA.

Personal taxes will go up.

Everyone's taxes will go up. The tax cuts given to us by George Bush shortly after the internet bubble crash and 9/11 recession, the tax cuts that got us OUT of the 9/11 recession, will be rescinded. This will cause everyone's taxes to increase, except on the 40% of the population that doesn't pay taxes.

Obama will further raise the taxes on anyone making more then 97,000 a year. Notice this number just a scant two weeks ago was $250K a year.

Everyone except those who pay no taxes at all will get a tax increase. That means less money in your pockets to pay for the higher costs of living caused by a triple power democrat government.

Forget your retirement

Obama and company will nationalize your 401K's and retirement investments and drop that money into the Social Security coffers. The same Social Security that will be bankrupt in 20 years because the money has been going to the general fund instead of being in a lock box. The same Social Security that even if it wasn't locked up doesn't provide the earnings as even a basic high yield savings account.

All that money? Gone. To pay for more spending by an out of control spending congress, who you just voted back into office.

Hope you like your teapot museums and art parks. You're going to get a lot more of them paid for by your 401K's.


Hope you like them apples...and all your other groceries


If you think none of the above effects you, or somehow you can avoid the above you are wrong.

Because of the increase in energy and fuel costs, the increased production of ethanol (turning food into fuel), the higher taxes, nationalizing of corporations that can't pay their higher exorbitant taxes your cost of living for basic necessities like groceries.

You can expect inflationary increases as well as production cost increases in all forms of every day purchases. Your milk, eggs, bread, everything will increase in cost higher then we have seen before all because of increased costs created by Obama's policies.

There is more

That's just a taste though.

You just voted into office the people that have been causing all the problems of the last 2 years.

You people voted for them. You deserve whatever you get.

And now you can't blame the GOP for it.

Celebrate now, in a year you will be wringing your hands and gnashing your teeth wailing "what hath we done".

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

This is how liberty dies....

with thunderous applause

God help us.

An enemy hath done this

269 - Could it happen?



I was playing with the maps over at www.realclearpolitics.com and stumbled on this.

Could it happen? You betcha, fairly easily this time around.

Get out, VOTE, and make sure it doesn't.

Bad bad juju right there.