Got a few new blogs to spruce up the ol' roll with. Please give a warm MArooned welcome to the following new additions:
1. Sheepdog Chronicles. Love the name. Loved the "about the author" tidbit: "Keywords about author: Veteran. Male. Walks Upright. Can’t yodel. Rifles. Military. Pistols."
2. NortheastRanges. Mike, the proprietor, e-mailed me about getting linked here, and I am only too happy to oblige. Any time someone wants to further the shooting sports in the Volksrepublik I am happy to help out.
3. Hecate's Crossroads. Hecate actually left a comment letting me know I was on her blogroll. Imagine that - one person e-mailed me, another left a comment. Almost like I was asking for it!
Lastly, I've gotten a couple e-mails from Flakelet.com about sponsoring MArooned. I have no idea if this is for real, or worth it, or anything - I've resisted taking ads and such so far (but not stuff to review, if you want to send me something I'm quite receptive to the idea, got that Crimson Trace, Surefire, and Kahr Arms???) partly because I want to keep MArooned "free" but also because I'm a lazy bastard... Anyone have any experience with these folks? I don't want to tell them to pound sand if they're legit; I also don't want to sign on for anything that's going to affect what and how I post...
Now go read these new blogs!
That is all.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Not With a Bang, But...
Many prominent bloggers have commented on the farcical events surrounding the calling out of a SWAT-like team to deal with a bunch of Tea Party protesters in Quincy, IL. Many videos can be found here. Some folks (not necessarily the ones linked, mind you) have commented that this is evidence that the US is sliding further into a Brazil-style police state; others have opined that such Barney-Fife-cum-SWAT-wannabes would fare poorly against determined opposition; still others blame Clinton/Bush/Øbama for starting/continuing/escalating the assault on the First Amendment.
We're not headed for the lawlessness of Mad-Max here, folks - we can't survive a freakin' bank going under, never mind the complete and utter collapse of society. What we're witnessing, live and direct in our lifetime, is a slow-but-steady slide into European-style socialism, possibly followed up with a 1984-like police state. As more and more Americans become dependent on the government for their livelihood, we're seeing fewer folks willing to rock the boat for fear of upsetting Uncle Sucker.
Private industry is getting squeezed, and those that aren't getting out are voicing their opinions - and finding the response from the government to be more like the Keystone SWATs than a "beer summit". We're seeing police pulled from areas of Detroit, or refusing to respond to traffic accidents in Philadelphia, or any other number of small, seemingly insignificant incidents that, taken by themselves, don't mean all that much. But added together, it's a frightening picture indeed of the world that our children will inherit. And some of us don't seem to mind all that at all...
Robbing Peter to pay Paul only works as long as Peter stays compliant...
That is all.
We're not headed for the lawlessness of Mad-Max here, folks - we can't survive a freakin' bank going under, never mind the complete and utter collapse of society. What we're witnessing, live and direct in our lifetime, is a slow-but-steady slide into European-style socialism, possibly followed up with a 1984-like police state. As more and more Americans become dependent on the government for their livelihood, we're seeing fewer folks willing to rock the boat for fear of upsetting Uncle Sucker.
Private industry is getting squeezed, and those that aren't getting out are voicing their opinions - and finding the response from the government to be more like the Keystone SWATs than a "beer summit". We're seeing police pulled from areas of Detroit, or refusing to respond to traffic accidents in Philadelphia, or any other number of small, seemingly insignificant incidents that, taken by themselves, don't mean all that much. But added together, it's a frightening picture indeed of the world that our children will inherit. And some of us don't seem to mind all that at all...
Robbing Peter to pay Paul only works as long as Peter stays compliant...
That is all.
Friday Vicious Circle...
After a Disney-induced two-week hiatus, we're back with Vicious Circle #48, curiously titled "Hoochie Monkey" (you need to listen to find out why...).
Join Alan, Breda, Weerd Beard, Stingray & LabRat, and TD as we discuss NRA conventions past and upcoming, Tiger Woods, Spartacus (AGAIN), alan's unnatural love for the iPad, and numerous other items too scandalous for a family blog like MArooned...
Vicious Circle: If we ain't got it, it ain't defiled (yet).
That is all.
Join Alan, Breda, Weerd Beard, Stingray & LabRat, and TD as we discuss NRA conventions past and upcoming, Tiger Woods, Spartacus (AGAIN), alan's unnatural love for the iPad, and numerous other items too scandalous for a family blog like MArooned...
Vicious Circle: If we ain't got it, it ain't defiled (yet).
That is all.
For the Love of All That's Good and Wholesome, NO...
Petition To Keep Jersey Shore-Like Show Off Cape
Now, if they wanted to do a show based out of Revere Beach OTOH, the guidos alone would keep the show going for years...
That is all.
Hair gel, fake tans, and abs...not exactly the image Cape Cod is going for.I'm opposed to this as well, but for a different reason. We spend a week every summer on the Cape, and I can state with authority that no one needs a "Jersey Shore" type show on the Cape. Given that the demographic on the Cape is overwhelmingly 70+, something tells me that folks aren't going to want to see a bunch of septagenarians partying it up at the shoreline. Getting shitfaced and looking for your dentures are pretty mutually exclusive activities. Although there is some commonality in the self-crapulation department...
That's the thinking behind a new reality show called "Wicked Summah," modeled after the MTV hit "Jersey Shore." And it's rumored to take place on Cape Cod.
Now, if they wanted to do a show based out of Revere Beach OTOH, the guidos alone would keep the show going for years...
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #161
Today's gun pic has been featured previously, but has a new twist:
VEPR... With Glass!
Picked up a UTG side mount picatinny rail and a Barska 2.5-10X adjustable scope from my favoritest gun accessory place a while back. The VEPR came with the Russian POSP-type scope that I just couldn't get used to, and I'd been meaning to get a standard picatinny rail mount and another scope for a while. Midway had the Barska - which gets good reviews for such an inexpensive scope - at price that was low enough to use as a spotting scope if it didn't work on the gun...
Sometime in the near future I'll take it to the range and see how it does at 100 yards. I'd like to get it sighted in and see how tight the VEPR can group - theoretically, the VEPR is supposed to be significantly more accurate than the standard AK-47. I'm curious to see what kind of accuracy can be wrung out of this rifle, and also to see how the scope and scope mount hold up. I've been impressed with UTG so far with the railed handguard on my Bushmaster; I'm hoping the scope mount is equally solid.
In any case, I'll be shooting some .308 Winchester goodness for sure, and that's G-d's own caliber right there...
That is all.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
QotD...
Actually, phrase of the day goes to Robb Allen in this post:
(emphasis mine)
I don't care who you are, that's funny right there...
That is all.
Poor Josh, Paul, Petey, and that guy who forgets "The People". Like so many other groups, they were used by Teleprompter Jesus and thrown aside when they were no longer needed.
(emphasis mine)
I don't care who you are, that's funny right there...
That is all.
What Wil They Think of Next?
Look what was just added to the list of belt loops a Cub Scout can earn.
On the other hand, it's a belt loop and pin I know TheBoy will earn...
That is all.
Thanks to Eseell for sending the link to my attention - he then promptly made me feel old by wishing they'd had this when he was a Scout. I had to mention that the only game they had when I was a Scout was "Pong"...
Boy Scouts of America > Cub Scouts > Awards > Boys > Video GamesYep. Cub Scouts can earn not only belt loops but activity pins for Video Games. I'm conflicted on this one. On the one hand, it saddens me that we're stooping to this in order to hand the boys a "gimme" badge that they call can earn without actually doing anything - here are the requirements for the belt loop:
- Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
- With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
- Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
On the other hand, it's a belt loop and pin I know TheBoy will earn...
That is all.
Thanks to Eseell for sending the link to my attention - he then promptly made me feel old by wishing they'd had this when he was a Scout. I had to mention that the only game they had when I was a Scout was "Pong"...
Teh Stoopid, It Burnz!!!
It’s a sad day for Happy Meals in Santa Clara County
ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME???
[Takes another deep breath]
I don't know. Perhaps people really are so monumentally stupid in CA that they need the government to step in to tell them not to feed their kids McDonald's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Maybe government intervention is needed so that people can learn to say "no" to their kids. Or maybe, just maybe, the nanny-state do-gooder assholes need to shut their damn Nazi pieholes.
Look, kids don't eat at McDonald's because of the damned toy. They eat fast food because it tastes good and their friends all like it. They might choose to eat at McDonald's over Burger King because McDonald's has a better toy, but they're not going to pass on their daily allotment of grease and fat just because they're not getting a toy. This is an ill-conceived measure - if we're going to consider its actual effect on reducing the consumption of fast food by kids.
It's a perfect measure if we're considering it another intrusion on capitalism and our liberties, though...
That is all.
Happy Meal toys and other promotions that come with high-calorie children's meals will soon be banned in parts of Santa Clara County unless the restaurants meet nutritional guidelines approved Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors.[Takes deep breath]"This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children's' love of toys" to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the measure. "This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes."
ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME???
[Takes another deep breath]
I don't know. Perhaps people really are so monumentally stupid in CA that they need the government to step in to tell them not to feed their kids McDonald's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Maybe government intervention is needed so that people can learn to say "no" to their kids. Or maybe, just maybe, the nanny-state do-gooder assholes need to shut their damn Nazi pieholes.
Look, kids don't eat at McDonald's because of the damned toy. They eat fast food because it tastes good and their friends all like it. They might choose to eat at McDonald's over Burger King because McDonald's has a better toy, but they're not going to pass on their daily allotment of grease and fat just because they're not getting a toy. This is an ill-conceived measure - if we're going to consider its actual effect on reducing the consumption of fast food by kids.
It's a perfect measure if we're considering it another intrusion on capitalism and our liberties, though...
That is all.
Here's a Little Something to Make You Smile...
Nation's first offshore wind farm approved for Nantucket Sound
I think they ought to hook some generators up to Teddy's bloated corpse spinning in his grave over this to make even more energy...
That is all.
Once again, Ted Kennedy's death has reaped a windfall (heh). Kennedy opposed the wind farm on NIMBY grounds - the turbines would be visible from his Martha's Vineyard compound. Ted Kennedy stonewalled a green project that would provide clean energy to Massachusetts and New England simply because he didn't want to look at wind turbines.(CNN) -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday approved the nation's first offshore wind farm, signing off on a project that has bitterly divided Cape Cod over the last nine years.
The 130 turbines are to be located several miles from the Massachusetts shore in the iconic waters of Nantucket Sound. The interior secretary said Cape Wind, as the project is known, is the start of a "new energy frontier."
I think they ought to hook some generators up to Teddy's bloated corpse spinning in his grave over this to make even more energy...
That is all.
Caliber 103...
Okay, so caliber is the wrong title for this section, as we'll be discussing shotguns in this part - semantically this should be Gauge 101...
Shotgun gauges are significantly easier to describe for the new shooter, as there are dramatically fewer choices available for smoothbore weapons. Since the projectiles are so similar, there's been less specialization in the shotgun world over the years. The largest gauges have fallen out of favor, as have some of the less common ones, but the venerable 12 gauge - which started life as a black powder weapon.
"Gauge" is somewhat confusing unit of measure - it's the only one that decreases as the overall size increases. This is because "gauge" refers to the number of lead balls of that diameter which are needed to make one pound. A 10 gauge, therefore, would require 10 lead balls at that diameter (0.78") to make one pound, a 12 gauge 12 lead balls (at 0.73") and so forth down the line. The only shotgun offering that's not really a gauge at all (although it is often called a gauge) is the diminutive .410 bore made popular recently with the advent of the Taurus Judge.
Gauge Sizes. Currently there are only six different sizes of shotguns available: 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and .410 bore. 8 gauge, 32 gauge, and 36 gauge shotguns have been offered, but have fallen by the wayside in recent years. Realistically, 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410 bore are the three shotgun offerings most likely to be found on the shelves of the standard gun shop. 10, 16, and 28 gauge are still produced, but will take some digging to produce and will be significantly more expensive.
Types of shot. There are three standard types of shotgun projectiles: Slugs, birdshot, and buckshot. Slugs can be rifled - to be shot out of smooth barrels - or not (sabot slugs) - to be shot out of rifled barrels. Buckshot comes in sizes from 0000 (0.38", roughly five pellets per 12 gauge shell) to #4 (0.24", 21 pellets to a 12 gauge shell). Birdshot gets even more complex, with a wide range of shot sizes depending on the type of game hunted and the distance at which the game will be shot. Birdshot is also used to shoot clay "pigeons" for trap or skeet shooting.
Chokes. With birdshot used for hunting or sporting applications, it's common to use a choke to restrict or otherwise direct the shot in a certain manner. "Cylinder" (no choke) is the lowest, with a useful range of approximately 20 yards, followed by a "skeet" choke which adds a few more. Modified and then Full round out the chokes, with different permutations of each choke allowing greater distance from the particular choice of shot. In all cases, with even the tightest choke the functional distance is less than 50 yards as a rule.
Chamber. Another way to get more power out of a shotgun round is to make the round longer and put in more powder. The standard size for a 12 gauge shell is 2 3/4, with a "Magnum" round having a 3" chamber and newer shotguns available with up to a 3½" chamber. It's important to select the proper shell for your shotgun - a 2 3/4" shell in a 3½" chamber will be inherently inaccurate (and, obviously, the reverse plain won't fit...)
Miscellany.
Thus concludes our introduction to shotgun gauges and rounds. It also brings our "100" series of introductory posts on different calibers and gauges to a close. This series was designed with the new shooter in mind to give a rough overview of the different options available. I've carefully avoided offering my opinion in any of these posts for fear of influencing folks in one direction or another - no need to pass my mistakes and prejudices on!
Let me know if I missed anything in the shotgun overview - or if there's another avenue we can explore.
That is all.
Shotgun gauges are significantly easier to describe for the new shooter, as there are dramatically fewer choices available for smoothbore weapons. Since the projectiles are so similar, there's been less specialization in the shotgun world over the years. The largest gauges have fallen out of favor, as have some of the less common ones, but the venerable 12 gauge - which started life as a black powder weapon.
"Gauge" is somewhat confusing unit of measure - it's the only one that decreases as the overall size increases. This is because "gauge" refers to the number of lead balls of that diameter which are needed to make one pound. A 10 gauge, therefore, would require 10 lead balls at that diameter (0.78") to make one pound, a 12 gauge 12 lead balls (at 0.73") and so forth down the line. The only shotgun offering that's not really a gauge at all (although it is often called a gauge) is the diminutive .410 bore made popular recently with the advent of the Taurus Judge.
Gauge Sizes. Currently there are only six different sizes of shotguns available: 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and .410 bore. 8 gauge, 32 gauge, and 36 gauge shotguns have been offered, but have fallen by the wayside in recent years. Realistically, 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410 bore are the three shotgun offerings most likely to be found on the shelves of the standard gun shop. 10, 16, and 28 gauge are still produced, but will take some digging to produce and will be significantly more expensive.
Types of shot. There are three standard types of shotgun projectiles: Slugs, birdshot, and buckshot. Slugs can be rifled - to be shot out of smooth barrels - or not (sabot slugs) - to be shot out of rifled barrels. Buckshot comes in sizes from 0000 (0.38", roughly five pellets per 12 gauge shell) to #4 (0.24", 21 pellets to a 12 gauge shell). Birdshot gets even more complex, with a wide range of shot sizes depending on the type of game hunted and the distance at which the game will be shot. Birdshot is also used to shoot clay "pigeons" for trap or skeet shooting.
Chokes. With birdshot used for hunting or sporting applications, it's common to use a choke to restrict or otherwise direct the shot in a certain manner. "Cylinder" (no choke) is the lowest, with a useful range of approximately 20 yards, followed by a "skeet" choke which adds a few more. Modified and then Full round out the chokes, with different permutations of each choke allowing greater distance from the particular choice of shot. In all cases, with even the tightest choke the functional distance is less than 50 yards as a rule.
Chamber. Another way to get more power out of a shotgun round is to make the round longer and put in more powder. The standard size for a 12 gauge shell is 2 3/4, with a "Magnum" round having a 3" chamber and newer shotguns available with up to a 3½" chamber. It's important to select the proper shell for your shotgun - a 2 3/4" shell in a 3½" chamber will be inherently inaccurate (and, obviously, the reverse plain won't fit...)
Miscellany.
- Shotguns have numerous less-than-lethal rounds available, from rubber slugs to plastic shot to pepper balls. It's gone far beyond the ol' rocksalt load!
- It's not advisable to use a saboted slug in a smoothbore barrel or a rifled slug in a rifled barrel.
- Steel shot is quite often dangerous to use in an older shotgun because of the increased density of steel over lead and older barrels and chokes.
- Signal flares, flechettes, and even "flamethrower" rounds (Dragon's Breath) are available but not advisable - some are even harmful to your shotgun's barrel.
Thus concludes our introduction to shotgun gauges and rounds. It also brings our "100" series of introductory posts on different calibers and gauges to a close. This series was designed with the new shooter in mind to give a rough overview of the different options available. I've carefully avoided offering my opinion in any of these posts for fear of influencing folks in one direction or another - no need to pass my mistakes and prejudices on!
Let me know if I missed anything in the shotgun overview - or if there's another avenue we can explore.
That is all.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Being a Democrat Means...
...only having to say you're sorry when you get caught...
State Democratic Party chair says e-mails sent mistakenly
Imagine that. The Democrats did exactly the same thing the independent candidate for governor did over a month ago. Cahill was crucified for the gaffe, it was big news, and yet here, merely a month later, it happens again with little fanfare. The Globe is excoriating Republican Charlie Baker for using "revenue increases" to "balance the books" as a town selectman (HA!) and using insurance premium increases to do the same as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO. Uh? Hello? Is there a single budgetary agency out that there doesn't do this??? Isn't the Globe proclaiming Øbama's stimulus package a roaring success for "saving" jobs?
And if anyone out there thinks this was really a mistake, oversight, or database error, please let me know immediately - I've got one helluva deal on a tunnel for ya...
That is all.
State Democratic Party chair says e-mails sent mistakenly
As it turns out, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill and the Democrats do have something in common.
Four weeks after the independent gubernatorial candidate took heat for sending illicit fund-raising solicitations to official State House e-mail addresses, the state Democratic Party is defending as a mistake similar e-mails disseminated by party chairman John Walsh.
Imagine that. The Democrats did exactly the same thing the independent candidate for governor did over a month ago. Cahill was crucified for the gaffe, it was big news, and yet here, merely a month later, it happens again with little fanfare. The Globe is excoriating Republican Charlie Baker for using "revenue increases" to "balance the books" as a town selectman (HA!) and using insurance premium increases to do the same as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO. Uh? Hello? Is there a single budgetary agency out that there doesn't do this??? Isn't the Globe proclaiming Øbama's stimulus package a roaring success for "saving" jobs?
And if anyone out there thinks this was really a mistake, oversight, or database error, please let me know immediately - I've got one helluva deal on a tunnel for ya...
That is all.
The Family That Shoots Together...
We had to do it. We had to go to Frontierland and spend some time in the shootin' gallery. It was a moral imperative to send some lead colored dots downrange when at the land of the mouse...
Yes, a good time was had by all, even Mrs. G., who got a well-deserved rest while the rest of the G. Family shot the place up.
That is all.
Wild TheBoy Hickok
BabyGirl G. Oakley
Daddy Earp
Yes, a good time was had by all, even Mrs. G., who got a well-deserved rest while the rest of the G. Family shot the place up.
That is all.
Does This Surprise Anyone?
Senators urge Facebook to change privacy settings
The article goes all of four (short) paragraphs before putting the lie to Schumer's claim of less control:
And, in what should come as a shock to exactly no one, Franken proves he is just as big a boob as the rest of them:
Because saying "Yeah, we didn't read the 2,000 page Health Care Reform bill. What makes you think we can be bothered with a three paragraph EULA" would have really been rubbing it in, eh Stuart?
Seriously? This confederation of dunces is the best we can do?
That is all.
Washington (CNN) -- Four Democratic senators called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday to reconsider the recent changes in its privacy settings and asked the Federal Trade Commission to streamline guidelines regarding privacy on all social networks.Yep, good ol' Chuck the Schmuck Schumer, making erroneous claims in an appeal to emotion. Where oh where have we seen that modus operandi before?"Now, users have less control over private information, and it was done without the users' permission," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said on Capitol Hill.
The article goes all of four (short) paragraphs before putting the lie to Schumer's claim of less control:
The senators specifically took issue with the changes because the new settings require users to "opt out" if they do not want to share any information.So users have the same amount of control, just in a different manner. A nanny state Democrat lied to further his own agenda? Quelle surprise!
And, in what should come as a shock to exactly no one, Franken proves he is just as big a boob as the rest of them:
Franken emphasized the difficulty for users to opt out under the current settings, saying he would "read what you have to do to opt out, but we really only have so much time."
Because saying "Yeah, we didn't read the 2,000 page Health Care Reform bill. What makes you think we can be bothered with a three paragraph EULA" would have really been rubbing it in, eh Stuart?
Seriously? This confederation of dunces is the best we can do?
That is all.
Sometimes, the Good Guy Wins...
Customer shoots would-be robber
Okay, you've got to admire the sheer balls it takes to slap leather when the other dude already has the drop on you with a freakin' scattergun. This plays into something I've long thought - gunfights are won (or lost) just as much on the determination of the person with the gun as they are with skill - the guy with the shotgun counted on the magic talisman quality of the shottie to intimidate and frighten his victims into submission. He had no intention of firing - but our intrepid hero had no such reservations.
Dead Goblin Count: 40
That is all.
Thanks to reader JoeMerchant24 to alerting me to this story. According to him, this may be the first recorded instance of a NE CCW holder using his firearm in self-defense.
Update: I am alerted to the fact that the gentleman in question did not actually have a CCW permit. He had an OC permit (WTF?) but was carrying concealed, and may face charges for this. This is, quite frankly, bullshit. The man should be given a medal, not charged with a freakin' crime...
Police today said a customer fatally shot a would-be robber Monday evening at a busy Walgreens Pharmacy at 6101 Northwest Radial Highway.[pauses for cheers and catcalls to die down]Investigators believe that two masked men entered the Walgreen's about 8:50 p.m., one armed with a short shotgun, said Officer Jacob Bettin, a police spokesman.
...
The armed suspect leveled the gun at customers, police said. One of the customers at the register, who has a permit to carry a gun, drew a handgun from the waistband of his pants and fired at the gunman, hitting him several times, Bettin said.
The wounded man fled, but then collapsed on the north side of the store. He was taken to Creighton University Medical Center, where he died.
Okay, you've got to admire the sheer balls it takes to slap leather when the other dude already has the drop on you with a freakin' scattergun. This plays into something I've long thought - gunfights are won (or lost) just as much on the determination of the person with the gun as they are with skill - the guy with the shotgun counted on the magic talisman quality of the shottie to intimidate and frighten his victims into submission. He had no intention of firing - but our intrepid hero had no such reservations.
Dead Goblin Count: 40
That is all.
Thanks to reader JoeMerchant24 to alerting me to this story. According to him, this may be the first recorded instance of a NE CCW holder using his firearm in self-defense.
Update: I am alerted to the fact that the gentleman in question did not actually have a CCW permit. He had an OC permit (WTF?) but was carrying concealed, and may face charges for this. This is, quite frankly, bullshit. The man should be given a medal, not charged with a freakin' crime...
Caliber 102...
In today's class, we're going to be discussing rifle calibers. This is going to be a particularly difficult lesson, in that there are literally hundreds of rifle calibers out there, and trying to limit this to a "Rifle Caliber Intro" is going to be somewhat difficult. Let's start with a few generalities, toss in a few acronyms, and pick a few examples, shall we?
Nomenclature.
Most rifle rounds are named in two parts: The number, which typically is derived from the diameter of the actual bullet, and the name, which is usually the company making the round or the person who wildcatted it first (wildcat means to take an existing caliber and change it - either by shortening the case, necking the case down further, or opening a necked case up for a larger bullet). Examples of this would be .223 Remington, .308 Winchester, ..257 Roberts, etc. Rifle rounds used in military applications are most often named using the diameter of the bullet and the length of the case in millimeters - hence a 7.62X51mm round has a diameter of 7.62mm (.308") and a case length of 51mm. Older rounds with a ##-## designation have the bullet diameter first and the weight of the blackpowder charge in grains - a .45-70 would have a 0.45" diameter bullet with 70 grains of powder behind it.
Acronyms.
BMG: Browning Machine Gun
H&H: Holland & Holland
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (modern military caliber)
SPC: Special Purpose Cartridge
WCF: Winchester CenterFire
WSM: Winchester Short Magnum
WSSM: Winchester Super Short Magnum
Common rifle rounds
As discussed previously, there are literally hundreds of calibers chambered for rifles. In the interest of not taking up pages upon pages by describing all of them, here are the "Top Ten" most popular rounds (limiting to 10 like with pistols). Calibers like .22LR or 9mm which are also handgun rounds will not be covered.
.223 Remington/5.56mm
.308 Win/7.62X51mm
.30-30 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
7.62X39mm
7.62X54mmR
.375 H&H Magnum
7.92 X 57mm (a.k.a. 8mm Mauser)
.45-70 Government
.50 BMG
All of these rounds should be readily available at any gun store; all but .50 BMG should be available at most popular sporting goods chains that carry firearms and ammunition. The military cartridges can often be purchased as military surplus for much less than new ammunition, however it can often be corrosive, susceptible to misfires, or just plain old. Rifle ammunition is significantly more expensive than pistol ammunition - 7.62X39mm ammunition is the least expensive rifle cartridge out there as a rule (for new, non-corrosive ammo), and it runs between $5 and $7 for a box of 20 rounds. .50 BMG can run upwards of $4 a single round...
Rifle rounds are generally more specialized than pistol rounds - very little hunting is done with most handguns as a general rule, whereas rifles are used primarily for taking down wild game of varying size and speed. Larger calibers for dangerous game; more powerful rounds for longer-distance shooting; small, fast calibers for varmint hunting; even the diminutive .17 HMR has it's place in the hunting community for taking small fur-bearing animals with a minimum of damage to the pelt. While rifles offer far superior knock-down power when dealing with two-legged animals, they're rarely used given the danger of over-penetration. With larger, more powerful rounds available, a bullet can easily travel through multiple walls and other assorted objects. It's fine for taking down a deer out in the woods, but when you've got neighbors on three sides of you, a .300 Super Magnum with a mile-long range is going to make you mighty unpopular should you ventilate your neighbor's house with it...
Miscellany
Thus concludes our (exceptionally short and barely skimming the surface) dissertation on rifle rounds. Obviously, there is a lot of material that was not covered - how the rounds are necked; why some are straight-walled and others not; why there are multiple, seemingly redundant calibers; there are many subjects simply not broached in this essay. This is intended to be a brief, skimming overview of common rifle rounds currently available, not a treatise on every long arm round ever produced.
What other information would be good for a new shooter to know about rifle ammunition?
That is all.
Nomenclature.
Most rifle rounds are named in two parts: The number, which typically is derived from the diameter of the actual bullet, and the name, which is usually the company making the round or the person who wildcatted it first (wildcat means to take an existing caliber and change it - either by shortening the case, necking the case down further, or opening a necked case up for a larger bullet). Examples of this would be .223 Remington, .308 Winchester, ..257 Roberts, etc. Rifle rounds used in military applications are most often named using the diameter of the bullet and the length of the case in millimeters - hence a 7.62X51mm round has a diameter of 7.62mm (.308") and a case length of 51mm. Older rounds with a ##-## designation have the bullet diameter first and the weight of the blackpowder charge in grains - a .45-70 would have a 0.45" diameter bullet with 70 grains of powder behind it.
Acronyms.
BMG: Browning Machine Gun
H&H: Holland & Holland
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (modern military caliber)
SPC: Special Purpose Cartridge
WCF: Winchester CenterFire
WSM: Winchester Short Magnum
WSSM: Winchester Super Short Magnum
Common rifle rounds
As discussed previously, there are literally hundreds of calibers chambered for rifles. In the interest of not taking up pages upon pages by describing all of them, here are the "Top Ten" most popular rounds (limiting to 10 like with pistols). Calibers like .22LR or 9mm which are also handgun rounds will not be covered.
.223 Remington/5.56mm
.308 Win/7.62X51mm
.30-30 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
7.62X39mm
7.62X54mmR
.375 H&H Magnum
7.92 X 57mm (a.k.a. 8mm Mauser)
.45-70 Government
.50 BMG
All of these rounds should be readily available at any gun store; all but .50 BMG should be available at most popular sporting goods chains that carry firearms and ammunition. The military cartridges can often be purchased as military surplus for much less than new ammunition, however it can often be corrosive, susceptible to misfires, or just plain old. Rifle ammunition is significantly more expensive than pistol ammunition - 7.62X39mm ammunition is the least expensive rifle cartridge out there as a rule (for new, non-corrosive ammo), and it runs between $5 and $7 for a box of 20 rounds. .50 BMG can run upwards of $4 a single round...
Rifle rounds are generally more specialized than pistol rounds - very little hunting is done with most handguns as a general rule, whereas rifles are used primarily for taking down wild game of varying size and speed. Larger calibers for dangerous game; more powerful rounds for longer-distance shooting; small, fast calibers for varmint hunting; even the diminutive .17 HMR has it's place in the hunting community for taking small fur-bearing animals with a minimum of damage to the pelt. While rifles offer far superior knock-down power when dealing with two-legged animals, they're rarely used given the danger of over-penetration. With larger, more powerful rounds available, a bullet can easily travel through multiple walls and other assorted objects. It's fine for taking down a deer out in the woods, but when you've got neighbors on three sides of you, a .300 Super Magnum with a mile-long range is going to make you mighty unpopular should you ventilate your neighbor's house with it...
Miscellany
- Both 5.56X45mm/.223 Remington and 7.62X51mm/.308 Winchester are oddballs in that they are the same size round, but the military designations are loaded to different pressures than their commercial counterparts. Guns chambered in .308 Winchester can fire either round; guns chambered in 7.62X51mm should only fire that particular designation. It's precisely the reverse for 5.56X45mm - the .223 Remington commercial variant is lower pressure, so a rifle chambered for 5.56mm can fire both. This can lead to no end of consternation when buying ammunition for these rifles, and most often leads to folks opting for the militarily chambered arms whenever possible. Thanks to New Jovian Thunderbolt for the correction on this matter.
- Some rounds are irrevocably linked to certain firearms - the 7.62X39mm, for example, is the round used by the AK-47 and the SKS rifles. The .30-30 is a lever-action round, most commonly found in Winchester and Marlin lever guns. .30-06 is an old military round most famously chambered in the M1 Garand (but also in the Browning Automatic Rifle [BAR] made most famous by Bonnie & Clyde).
- Some rounds are "belted" - there is additional metal around the base of the case to assist in headspacing the rimless round.
- Short and Super Short Magnum calibers utilize a wider case that is shorter overall to maximize the powder loaded while maintaining a shorter round overall. This allows a firearm chambered in a Short Magnum caliber to have a shorter action than a traditional long-action firearm (comparing a .308 action to a .30-06, for instance).
- Rifle (and handgun, for that matter) calibers are limited to 0.50" or less diameter size under the National Firearms Act of 1934. Any firearm with a rifled barrel cannot chamber a round larger than a half-inch or it is considered a "Destructive Device" by the BATFE.
- Some ammunition, typically older military surplus ammo, has corrosive primers - these are primers that contain certain salts for long-term stability, and when fired, the salts get deposited on the barrel and action of the firearm being used. If the firearm is cleaned immediately with warm water and/or ammonia, the salts are neutralized and the firearm is fine. Forgetting to clean right away leads to very bad things...
Thus concludes our (exceptionally short and barely skimming the surface) dissertation on rifle rounds. Obviously, there is a lot of material that was not covered - how the rounds are necked; why some are straight-walled and others not; why there are multiple, seemingly redundant calibers; there are many subjects simply not broached in this essay. This is intended to be a brief, skimming overview of common rifle rounds currently available, not a treatise on every long arm round ever produced.
What other information would be good for a new shooter to know about rifle ammunition?
That is all.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Let Us Know How That Turns Out For Ya...
Worcester T&G To Charge For Online Content
But hey, if you think you can get people to pay for the T&G, power to you and the Red Sox...
That is all.
The Worcester Telegram and Gazette has announced they will be charging for online news content on its Web site, telegram.com, starting this summer.Oh, I'm sure folks will be lining up around the block to pay for content from the friggin' Telegram & Gazette... They're following the lead of the NYT, who have yet to implement their program but have come under some recent scrutiny for plummeting readership and their (mis)handling of the Boston Globe, a newspaper known for being a much-larger MA-based daily than the T&G...
According to the paper, non-subscribers will see a payment prompt after they have read a certain number of stories produced by the Telegram's staff.
But hey, if you think you can get people to pay for the T&G, power to you and the Red Sox...
That is all.
What a Difference a Few Years Makes...
Debate stalls on Wall St. overhaul
(emphasis mine) You see, when a Democrat crosses the aisle to side with the Republicans, it's cast as a "lone Democrat". When a Democratic-sponsored bill has one GOP voter, it's bipartisan. Heck, when a Democratic-sponsored bill has no GOP votes whatsoever, it's bipartisan according to some. But when it's a Dem crossing the aisle, they're "lone" (like the "lone gunman", one supposes...)
Words mean things. Words like "bias" or "slanted" can and should be used to describe the media's coverage of what's going on in DC these days. Even with the rise of "New Media", the left-leaning powers-that-be insist on presenting what they thing the news should be, rather than simply what it is. And as long as they keep doing it in such a laughably transparent matter, those of us in our PJs will continue to point it out and mock them for it. And they will continue to hemorrhage readers...
And as long as they insist on shooting themselves squarely in the feet, I'll be happy to offer up the targets...
That is all.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, including Scott Brown of Massachusetts, united with a lone Democrat yesterday to block debate on legislation designed to overhaul the nation’s financial regulations and prevent a repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown.
The 57-to-41 vote — three shy of the number that Senate rules say are needed to end the filibuster and proceed — is a setback for Democrats who have been pushing for the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression. It could give Republicans, who oppose several key aspects of the proposal, more momentum in brokering a bipartisan compromise.
(emphasis mine) You see, when a Democrat crosses the aisle to side with the Republicans, it's cast as a "lone Democrat". When a Democratic-sponsored bill has one GOP voter, it's bipartisan. Heck, when a Democratic-sponsored bill has no GOP votes whatsoever, it's bipartisan according to some. But when it's a Dem crossing the aisle, they're "lone" (like the "lone gunman", one supposes...)
Words mean things. Words like "bias" or "slanted" can and should be used to describe the media's coverage of what's going on in DC these days. Even with the rise of "New Media", the left-leaning powers-that-be insist on presenting what they thing the news should be, rather than simply what it is. And as long as they keep doing it in such a laughably transparent matter, those of us in our PJs will continue to point it out and mock them for it. And they will continue to hemorrhage readers...
And as long as they insist on shooting themselves squarely in the feet, I'll be happy to offer up the targets...
That is all.
You're Their Parent, Not Their Buddy...
Parents Arrested After Police Find Drunk Kids
If they really didn't know what was going on, then they ought to leave certain body parts at the doctor's office the next time they have a check-up...
Please, spare me the "I'd rather have them drinking in my home where I know they won't crash into someone on the way home" crap. That's a bullshit copout excuse for failing to properly rear your kids - look, all kids are going to drink; it's a natural reaction to the "forbidden fruit" allure we give alcohol here in the US with the insanely high drinking age. If you've talked to your kids openly and honestly about alcohol - being the parent rather than the buddy - they should know enough to drink responsibly if they're going to drink.
It's natural to want to be your child's friend; lord knows I've fallen into that trap myself. There's nothing saying you can't or shouldn't, mind you; it just makes certain things like disciplining them much harder. If they view you as a pal, a peer, an equal it makes it much harder for them to have to be disciplined by you - "But mom/dad, I thought you were cool!" You add in a sense of betrayal - do any of your friends force you to clean your room, finish your broccoli, or go to bed at a reasonable hour? - to the already difficult task of laying down rules and punishments for breaking said rules.
We all want to be the "cool" parent, the one that all the kids want to hang out with, the one that orders pizza and plays Guitar Hero like a pro and lets the kids stay up until midnight on the weekends. If you can do that and still maintain discipline and order in your house, power to you. Write a book - you'd make a fortune. Most of us have to walk the tightrope of providing guidance and guidelines to our growing, rebelling, limit-testing kids while at the same time not stringing concertina wire around the perimeter... Being a strong, fair, honest and open parent is far more important than being buddy-buddy - while they might long for the "cool dad" like little Timmy down the street, they'll appreciate your firm but fair hand when they're off to law school and little Timmy is serving 5-10...
Be the adult, not just a kid with a credit card and a mortgage...
That is all.
What started out as a small sleepover Friday night in North Andover, turned into a alcohol-fueled party of more than 40 high schoolers. And the homeowners were arrested.Here's a tip: Yes, they did. Even if it was the tacit, passive aggressive "oh, if we ignore it it's not really happening" kind of thing, they allowed it. Whether they provided the alcohol or not, they provided a gathering place for dozens of underaged kids - most of them not even of legal adult age - to drink alcohol illegally. Claiming that they didn't know it was going on is laughable at best, a pathetic lie at worst - I know when my two kids are fighting at the breakfast table; you cannot tell me they didn't know exactly what was going on in their own home.
Ron and Susan Smits have been charged with providing alcohol to minors, but their best friend in the upscale neighborhood says the Smits would never allow underage drinking in their home.
If they really didn't know what was going on, then they ought to leave certain body parts at the doctor's office the next time they have a check-up...
Please, spare me the "I'd rather have them drinking in my home where I know they won't crash into someone on the way home" crap. That's a bullshit copout excuse for failing to properly rear your kids - look, all kids are going to drink; it's a natural reaction to the "forbidden fruit" allure we give alcohol here in the US with the insanely high drinking age. If you've talked to your kids openly and honestly about alcohol - being the parent rather than the buddy - they should know enough to drink responsibly if they're going to drink.
It's natural to want to be your child's friend; lord knows I've fallen into that trap myself. There's nothing saying you can't or shouldn't, mind you; it just makes certain things like disciplining them much harder. If they view you as a pal, a peer, an equal it makes it much harder for them to have to be disciplined by you - "But mom/dad, I thought you were cool!" You add in a sense of betrayal - do any of your friends force you to clean your room, finish your broccoli, or go to bed at a reasonable hour? - to the already difficult task of laying down rules and punishments for breaking said rules.
We all want to be the "cool" parent, the one that all the kids want to hang out with, the one that orders pizza and plays Guitar Hero like a pro and lets the kids stay up until midnight on the weekends. If you can do that and still maintain discipline and order in your house, power to you. Write a book - you'd make a fortune. Most of us have to walk the tightrope of providing guidance and guidelines to our growing, rebelling, limit-testing kids while at the same time not stringing concertina wire around the perimeter... Being a strong, fair, honest and open parent is far more important than being buddy-buddy - while they might long for the "cool dad" like little Timmy down the street, they'll appreciate your firm but fair hand when they're off to law school and little Timmy is serving 5-10...
Be the adult, not just a kid with a credit card and a mortgage...
That is all.
Snapshots from the Road...
Because I fully intend to milk my Disney vacation and attendant odyssey to the land of the Mouse, here's a handful of pictures, taken from the road, with little or no comment needed/given...
While it was a long and winding road, so to speak, it really wasn't bad at all - at least that's what the therapist tells me in between lithium doses...
That is all.
Leaving Florida
Standard BabyGirl G.
Standard TheBoy
Gettin' Close
Never Thought I'd be *Happy* to See THAT Sign
That's a LOT of Miles
While it was a long and winding road, so to speak, it really wasn't bad at all - at least that's what the therapist tells me in between lithium doses...
That is all.
Caliber 101...
I've been asked by someone who shall remain nameless to give a primer of sorts (ha! a gun pun!) on the various and sundry calibers available to the new shooter. Said person is looking to enter the world of the gunnie, and is understandably overwhelmed by the sheer volume of calibers and information - both good and bad - about the various and sundry options. I figured this would be a three part series, starting with pistol calibers today, rifle calibers tomorrow, and shotgun gauge on Thursday.
There is simply no way to cover - even as a skim - all the various permutations out there. Shooting Times has an excellent ballistic table for many rifle and handgun calibers which covers the velocity and the energy of the round both at the muzzle and out to 50 yards. Different bullet weights and types are covered in this table, which can be used as a rough comparison of one caliber to another.
For starters, let's run through some of the acronyms the new shooter is likely to come across:
ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol. Refers to a round designed by John Moses Browning (PBUH) for use in autoloading firearms. All ACP-designated rounds have the same proportional dimensions.
FMJ: Full Metal Jacket. Refers to a solid-tipped bullet, usually copper.
LR: Long Rifle. Designation for the most common rimfire round of them all.
JHP: Jacketed Hollow Point. Refers to a bullet with a hollow center designed to "mushroom" upon hitting something solid.
S&W: Smith & Wesson
Next, let's consider the most "mainstream" of the handgun rounds. These are the rounds most likely to be found in any Wal-Mart, general store, or small gun shop, arranged by size:
.22 LR
.25 ACP
.32ACP
.380 ACP
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
9mm
.40 S&W
.44 Magnum
.45 ACP
The above calibers should be present in pretty much any store that sells ammunition anywhere in the US. There are dozens upon dozens of handgun rounds out there, but these are the "Top Ten" if you will, the best sellers currently available. Temporary shortages aside (.380ACP, I'm looking at yoooouuuuu), all of these calibers should be relatively easy to purchase. For a new shooter (someone new to the shooting world), I would not recommend a caliber not on this list as a "first" or "only" gun. Even the .357 Sig - which is a police-issued round - is hard to find and supremely expensive, not quite as exotic as 10mm but still on the harder side to find.
Which of the above calibers to choose is a matter of intensely heated and mostly pointless debate. For self-defense, the main idea is to have a round that will incapacitate an attacker quickly, meaning that the energy expended upon impact should be great. The downside to this, of course, is perceived recoil - how "hard" the gun feels in the hand when fired. A S&W 500 Magnum has pretty impressive stopping power for anything short of a pachyderm, but hurts to fire (both physically and financially). Too small of a round runs the risk of not incapacitating an attacker fast enough; too "hot" of a round (high muzzle velocity) may potentially penetrate too well and not do enough damage due to the speed at which the round passes through the body.
With modern ammunition, using a good hollowpoint design, anything larger than .32 ACP should be sufficient for self defense. .380 ACP and .38 Special should be +P designations (more powder for more power) for optimal self defense. While the age-old "9mm vs. .45 ACP" caliber war may rage ever onward in the annals of gunnie lore, the truth is that with modern +P hollowpoint ammunition, there's little practical difference between the two calibers.
Price. This is intended as a general guideline based on what I've seen recently in my area. With the exception of .22LR, all prices are for 50 rounds. Where applicable, pricing is broken into FMJ ammo (like used for practice) and JHP (for defense) applications. We'll consider the above cartridges:
.22 LR - box of 500 - 550 rounds ("bulk pack") typically runs ~ $20
.25 ACP - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP
.32ACP - about the same as .25 ACP
.380 ACP - $20 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP when you can find it
.38 Special - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP; reloaded semi-lead wadcutters (SLWC) can be found for ~ $12
.357 Magnum - $18 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP; reloaded SLWC can be found for ~ $15
9mm - $12 for FMJ, $20+ for JHP
.40 S&W - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP
.44 Magnum - $35 for FMJ, $45+ for JHP
.45 ACP - $22 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP
Obviously these prices are not absolute, but a rough idea of what exactly to expect when going to purchase ammunition for one's firearm. Price and availability of ammo should be a consideration in choosing a defensive arm - the greatest handgun in the world is a very poor club if you can't put any ammunition in it. Missing with $40/box ammo is much worse than hitting with $15/box ammo...
Miscellany.
This is obviously a most basic start to handgun calibers. We've stayed away from esoteric cartridges like the .357 SIG or the .45 GAP; we've refrained from getting into a discussion of some of the "legacy" cartridges like .45 Long Colt or .38 Super; basically, this is a bare-bones list for someone brand new to shooting in general so that they can get a quick feel for what's out there. The exclusion of your particular favorite blaster fodder does not mean it's no good; it could simply be uncommon, expensive, or both and therefore less-than-perfect for a noob.
What other calibers/items of note should be included in this discussion for the next set?
That is all.
There is simply no way to cover - even as a skim - all the various permutations out there. Shooting Times has an excellent ballistic table for many rifle and handgun calibers which covers the velocity and the energy of the round both at the muzzle and out to 50 yards. Different bullet weights and types are covered in this table, which can be used as a rough comparison of one caliber to another.
For starters, let's run through some of the acronyms the new shooter is likely to come across:
ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol. Refers to a round designed by John Moses Browning (PBUH) for use in autoloading firearms. All ACP-designated rounds have the same proportional dimensions.
FMJ: Full Metal Jacket. Refers to a solid-tipped bullet, usually copper.
LR: Long Rifle. Designation for the most common rimfire round of them all.
JHP: Jacketed Hollow Point. Refers to a bullet with a hollow center designed to "mushroom" upon hitting something solid.
S&W: Smith & Wesson
Next, let's consider the most "mainstream" of the handgun rounds. These are the rounds most likely to be found in any Wal-Mart, general store, or small gun shop, arranged by size:
.22 LR
.25 ACP
.32ACP
.380 ACP
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
9mm
.40 S&W
.44 Magnum
.45 ACP
The above calibers should be present in pretty much any store that sells ammunition anywhere in the US. There are dozens upon dozens of handgun rounds out there, but these are the "Top Ten" if you will, the best sellers currently available. Temporary shortages aside (.380ACP, I'm looking at yoooouuuuu), all of these calibers should be relatively easy to purchase. For a new shooter (someone new to the shooting world), I would not recommend a caliber not on this list as a "first" or "only" gun. Even the .357 Sig - which is a police-issued round - is hard to find and supremely expensive, not quite as exotic as 10mm but still on the harder side to find.
Which of the above calibers to choose is a matter of intensely heated and mostly pointless debate. For self-defense, the main idea is to have a round that will incapacitate an attacker quickly, meaning that the energy expended upon impact should be great. The downside to this, of course, is perceived recoil - how "hard" the gun feels in the hand when fired. A S&W 500 Magnum has pretty impressive stopping power for anything short of a pachyderm, but hurts to fire (both physically and financially). Too small of a round runs the risk of not incapacitating an attacker fast enough; too "hot" of a round (high muzzle velocity) may potentially penetrate too well and not do enough damage due to the speed at which the round passes through the body.
With modern ammunition, using a good hollowpoint design, anything larger than .32 ACP should be sufficient for self defense. .380 ACP and .38 Special should be +P designations (more powder for more power) for optimal self defense. While the age-old "9mm vs. .45 ACP" caliber war may rage ever onward in the annals of gunnie lore, the truth is that with modern +P hollowpoint ammunition, there's little practical difference between the two calibers.
Price. This is intended as a general guideline based on what I've seen recently in my area. With the exception of .22LR, all prices are for 50 rounds. Where applicable, pricing is broken into FMJ ammo (like used for practice) and JHP (for defense) applications. We'll consider the above cartridges:
.22 LR - box of 500 - 550 rounds ("bulk pack") typically runs ~ $20
.25 ACP - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP
.32ACP - about the same as .25 ACP
.380 ACP - $20 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP when you can find it
.38 Special - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP; reloaded semi-lead wadcutters (SLWC) can be found for ~ $12
.357 Magnum - $18 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP; reloaded SLWC can be found for ~ $15
9mm - $12 for FMJ, $20+ for JHP
.40 S&W - $15 for FMJ, $25+ for JHP
.44 Magnum - $35 for FMJ, $45+ for JHP
.45 ACP - $22 for FMJ, $30+ for JHP
Obviously these prices are not absolute, but a rough idea of what exactly to expect when going to purchase ammunition for one's firearm. Price and availability of ammo should be a consideration in choosing a defensive arm - the greatest handgun in the world is a very poor club if you can't put any ammunition in it. Missing with $40/box ammo is much worse than hitting with $15/box ammo...
Miscellany.
- .38 Special isn't .38" in diameter. It's really .357". .38 Special will fit and fire perfectly safely in a revolver chambered for .357 Magnum, but not the reverse. The rounds are specifically engineered so that the more powerful .357 Magnum cannot fit in a .38 Special-chambered revolver.
- .380 ACP is sometimes referred to as 9mm Kurtz or 9mm short. It cannot be fired in a 9mm-chambered pistol - this is quite dangerous AAMOF.
- What is traditionally called 9mm ammo is actually 9X19mm (19mm referring to the case length). It is sometimes called 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger, or 9mm NATO. It is NOT 9mm Largo or Steyr.
- As a general rule of thumb, handgun rounds are either revolver-specific (often a "rimmed" cartridge meaning that the base sticks out more than the case) or automatic-specific (straight-walled for easier loading). There are revolvers that fire 9mm or .45 ACP (using what are called moon clips, usually); there are semi-automatic pistols chambered in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum (among others). Only the .22LR is fully represented in both styles of action.
This is obviously a most basic start to handgun calibers. We've stayed away from esoteric cartridges like the .357 SIG or the .45 GAP; we've refrained from getting into a discussion of some of the "legacy" cartridges like .45 Long Colt or .38 Super; basically, this is a bare-bones list for someone brand new to shooting in general so that they can get a quick feel for what's out there. The exclusion of your particular favorite blaster fodder does not mean it's no good; it could simply be uncommon, expensive, or both and therefore less-than-perfect for a noob.
What other calibers/items of note should be included in this discussion for the next set?
That is all.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Raising Awareness...
Apparently, and I suppose I should consider myself fortunate for not knowing this, yesterday was "Alice Day", a day used by pedophiles to ply their wicked craft. My good friend Strings, who does yeoman's work through BACA, pointed me to this post from Jade at The Ultimate Evil about this despicable holiday. There's some good information there about spotting a pedophile and reacting appropriately. Go take a read, it's well worth your time.
We can't protect everyone at every time - not by ourselves - so the more awareness we can raise of this monstrous evil the better.
That is all.
We can't protect everyone at every time - not by ourselves - so the more awareness we can raise of this monstrous evil the better.
That is all.
There Are Still Heroes...
Fishing Captain Sacrifices His Life For Crewmember
A good captain always looks out for his crew, even if it is to be his final act. Captain Zuzick has honored his calling, giving his life so that a member of his crew would live. While his untimely passing is a tragedy for his family, they should celebrate that such a man lived.
-John 15:13
Rest in Peace good Captain.
That is all.
The clam dredger "Silver Fox" was 2 miles east of Nantucket early Saturday morning when something went wrong. Crewmember Billy Silva fell overboard.
Zuzick jumped in after him. "He put on the emergency suit and dove in after him and got him, comforted him, told him everything was gonna be alright," said Patrick. "They were gonna swim back, but at some point, he had a heart attack."
A good captain always looks out for his crew, even if it is to be his final act. Captain Zuzick has honored his calling, giving his life so that a member of his crew would live. While his untimely passing is a tragedy for his family, they should celebrate that such a man lived.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13
Rest in Peace good Captain.
That is all.
Compare and Contrast...
Let's take a look at how the British government reacts to different religions, shall we? They've excused muslim health care workers from hygiene rules, funded muslim "think tanks", turned semantics on its ear with contortions to avoid using the term "terrorists", and banned filmmakers who make movies unflattering to Islam from entering the country. Basically, they've bent over backwards to accommodate, appease, or otherwise cater to the followers of Islam living in their midst. It's surely a sign of vast cultural respect, right? Surely they treat other religions the same way. Like, say, Catholics. Surely they give followers of Catholicism the same respect, right?
No, they slap Catholics right in the face.
UK sorry for pope-brand condom proposal memo
No, they slap Catholics right in the face.
UK sorry for pope-brand condom proposal memo
(CNN) -- The British government has apologized to Pope Benedict XVI for a Foreign Office memo suggesting that he could launch Benedict-brand condoms or bless a gay marriage when he visits the United Kingdom later this year.
Many of the ideas in the document are "clearly ill-judged, naive and disrespectful," the Foreign Office said in a statement Sunday.
This is an official government memo, folks. This is not an op-ed in the local fish wrap, this is official government policy here. The drafter of the memo? Surely he was fired, right?
"Transferred to other duties". Oh, that will show him! That and a stern talking to! If I'm not mistaken, the next step in the UK book of punishments is keelhauling, right? Snark aside, it's instructive to see how the government of the UK responds to one religion over another. It's telling that the Pope, the leader of over a billion some-odd Catholics, gets treated to a disrespectful memo from the government whereas the muslims have rules bent and special accommodations made.The writer of the memo "has been transferred to other duties. He has been told orally and in writing that this was a serious error of judgment," the Foreign Office said.
Perhaps if Catholics returned to the era of the Crusades they'd get some respect in the UK?
That is all.
Is It Worth It?
PDB posted an interesting primer on NC's convoluted carry laws with the upcoming NRA convention in mind. In a nutshell, basically any place that you'd want to carry is off-limits, and with NC's "binding signage", all an establishment has to do to prevent lawful CCW is to put up a "No Guns Allowed" sign. The convention center itself specifically prohibits CCW inside, to the point of having metal detectors at the doors. CCW is prohibited in establishments that serve alcohol as well.
Well hell, that's 98% of the trip right there...
Seriously, though, I expect to arrive at the convention as it opens on Friday morning; spend the bulk of the day in convention-related activities and such, then check into my hotel Friday afternoon/early evening and then head out to some bar-type establishment for some libations with other gunbloggers. At literally no point in the day save the time spent in my hotel room would I be allowed to CCW - I'm going from one CCW-proscribed venue to another. I can't carry at the convention - I will be specifically screened to prevent this, in fact - nor at any of the festivities after hours. There's no shooting events planned, and if there were there would be scant time to attend one anyways.
I'm just not seeing much of a reason to bring something with me. I am simply not enthusiastic about running the NY/NY gauntlet so that my sidearm can sit in a safe in my room. My carry piece locked up five miles away in my hotel does me just as much good as locked up 900 miles away back home - none. Leaving it home, however, means I don't have to sweat stopping at a rest area in NJ to gas up and getting stopped and searched and winding up like John Torraco or Gregg Revell. I also don't have to worry about the firearm getting stolen out of my room or out of my car and having to report said theft to the BATFE (I'm a C&R holder) and my Chief of Police declaring me unsuitable. Not terribly likely, I know, but possible.
I'm not convinced that having a firearm in my hotel room is worth the risk of transporting it to the hotel - convince me otherwise...
That is all.
Well hell, that's 98% of the trip right there...
Seriously, though, I expect to arrive at the convention as it opens on Friday morning; spend the bulk of the day in convention-related activities and such, then check into my hotel Friday afternoon/early evening and then head out to some bar-type establishment for some libations with other gunbloggers. At literally no point in the day save the time spent in my hotel room would I be allowed to CCW - I'm going from one CCW-proscribed venue to another. I can't carry at the convention - I will be specifically screened to prevent this, in fact - nor at any of the festivities after hours. There's no shooting events planned, and if there were there would be scant time to attend one anyways.
I'm just not seeing much of a reason to bring something with me. I am simply not enthusiastic about running the NY/NY gauntlet so that my sidearm can sit in a safe in my room. My carry piece locked up five miles away in my hotel does me just as much good as locked up 900 miles away back home - none. Leaving it home, however, means I don't have to sweat stopping at a rest area in NJ to gas up and getting stopped and searched and winding up like John Torraco or Gregg Revell. I also don't have to worry about the firearm getting stolen out of my room or out of my car and having to report said theft to the BATFE (I'm a C&R holder) and my Chief of Police declaring me unsuitable. Not terribly likely, I know, but possible.
I'm not convinced that having a firearm in my hotel room is worth the risk of transporting it to the hotel - convince me otherwise...
That is all.
Disney Vacation AAR...
I detailed the drive down earlier. To recap, the kids did great; we encountered very little traffic save for Route 4 in Orlando (understandable); and suffered no mishaps or encounters with Johnny Law. It was uneventful, serene, and problem-free - just really, really long. Mrs. G. and I have decided that our next trip (I was informed it was not "if" we go back but "when"...) we will fly down but will rent a car. More on this later.
Having been to all four theme parks before, we knew where we wanted to spend more time (Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios) and where we could spend less time (Animal Kingdom). We managed to hit all four parks again, rode all of the roller coaster rides and other major attractions, and had a sit-down character breakfast, lunch, and dinner (two of the three were princess meals for BabyGirl G. - TheBoy didn't mind as long as he got to ride roller coasters with daddy...) We had a little weather-related unpleasantness the first part of the trip - it poured Sunday and Monday afternoons, to the end of minor flooding in some of the low-lying areas! Aside than that, though, the weather was spectacular - Florida in April is just starting to get really warm, but not uncomfortably so yet.
We stayed in a cabin in Fort Wilderness - basically, it's a one-bedroom mobile home - which was easily twice the size of the hotel room we had at the value resort from last year's visit. It had bunk beds for the kids and a full size bed for each adult (they claim it sleeps six. Ha!), meaning that everyone had their own space with no sharing necessary. The cabin had a full sized refrigerator, a range and oven, and even a dishwasher - we could have cooked all of our meals in the cabin quite easily (we did cook up pizza in the oven one night and had Pop-Tarts and coffee for breakfast a couple of times). If the A/C had worked properly (it crapped out our last night there, meaning we spent our last night at a somewhat uncomfortable 80ºF) it would have been just about perfect - we will gladly go back.
Having our own vehicle made a huge difference this time. People asked if, since we were staying on Disney property, we would be taking the Disney buses everywhere, and I can unequivocally state not just no but hell no. The campground is enormous - we didn't get a chance to explore even a tenth of what they had to offer - and you have to take buses just to get to locations inside the campground, let alone outside. If we had relied on buses, we would have had to walk ~ ½ a mile to the campground bus stop, wait 5-10-15 minutes for a bus, take that bus to the main office, wait another 5-10-15 minutes for another bus, and then finally take that bus to whatever theme park. Instead, we walked out of our cabin, got in our car, and drove to the theme park.
One thing's for certain: Disney owns that section of FLA. The signs directing you to each park or resort are clear, visible, and very easy to follow - we didn't need our GPS even once and never got lost. The only PITA was the Magic Kingdom - you'd get out of your car, walk to the tram, which then brought you to the transportation center, where you caught the monorail or a ferry to the Magic Kingdom itself. All other parks you parked in the lot and the tram brought you to the main entrance. Since we sprang for the "Park Hopper" option, we would simply park at Epcot and take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom if needed. Oh, and parking is free if you are staying on Disney property - it's $14 a day otherwise. That makes a difference if you're trying to chose between staying onsight or not...
There were a couple of areas where it seemed like things had gone downhill from our last journey. Perhaps it was simply the crowds - the Northeast was on school vacation last week, so there were a lot of people from MA/CT/NY at the parks - and the workers were flustered with the mass influx of humanity - it seemed like customer service took somewhat of a hit. The other area was the food itself - it seemed that both the quantity and the quality were simply not as good this year as last. Now, once again, this could possibly be due to the sheer number of people; however it's hard to believe that Disney doesn't know how to handle crowds at peak times... It would also be nice if the counter service meals didn't consistently screw the order up - I think only once or twice out of the six meals we had did they actually get everything right the first time...
Here's another example of the customer service aspect. At one of the character meals, our waiter knocked a full glass of soda over as he put my plate down, drenching me in Diet Coke and breaking the glass on the table. He was very apologetic and worked frantically to clean up the mess, and was joined by several other employees in cleaning up the floor and table. At no point whatsoever did anyone attempt to assist me in cleaning up - which I can understand given that most of the soda went in my lap - nor did anyone from the restaurant even talk to us about the incident. No apologies, no free drinks or desserts, nothing - had it happened in any chain restaurant, I'd bet even money that at least my meal would be comp'd. Instead, I didn't even get the "Gee, we're so sorry" talk from a manager-type person...
On the plus side, though, all the major attractions were up and running again - last year, Space Mountain, "It's A Small World", and the Hall of Presidents were all out of commission when we went. I knew the kids would love Space Mountain (and boy did they ever; I think we went on it a good half-dozen times!); and I figured that if I had to be subjected to the Hall of Presidents as a child, so would my own children. Besides, I was curious to see how badly propagandized it was - put it this way, they devoted a full five minutes at the end to one of Øbama's speeches (I turned to Mrs. G. and whispered, "That can't be Barack Øbama - there's no teleprompter nearby" [she laughed]) but mentioned Reagan only in conjunction with a snippet of a speech he gave after the Challenger disaster - no mention of him winning the Cold War whatsoever.
Epcot was quite pleasant - they were hosting the annual flower show, and it was more breathtaking than usual - and I only wish we had more time to explore it more fully. We went on Soarin' and Test Track for the adrenaline junkies in the group, participated in "Turtle Talk with Crush" (if your kids - or you - liked "Finding Nemo" this is a must-see), and walked the International Pavilion several dozen times. The "giant evil golf ball" was an endless source of amusement - at one point, TheBoy commented that it seemed like no matter where you were in the park, the Epcot ball was always somewhere in the background, like it was following you. That quickly devolved into the "giant evil golf ball", which would dissolve both kids into hysterical laughter any time they saw (or thought of) the ball itself... It's really fun seeing the world through a child's eyes - you remember what it was like when you yourself were entertained simply by poking fun at things... (Or, like me, you never grow out of it...)
Disney Studios is home to some of our favorite attractions. Toy Story Mania is just oodles of fun (and I out-shot TheBoy more than two-to-one, so ol' Dad had braggin' rights for once); the Rockin' Roller Coaster is worth every second of the wait (even with the Fastpass, which is an absolute godsend and whoever thought of it should be given a bonus at least twice a year); and the Tower of Terror is good for a quick shot of pure adrenaline once or twice, too. The one complaint I had with Disney Studios is that it's too popular for its size - it gets really crowded during peak times, almost to the point of being too packed to negotiate the more popular areas. The more popular rides have very long Fastpass times - at 10 AM, Toy Story Mania was backed up to about 4 or 5 - and distribute all Fastpasses very quickly (they were out by 1 or 2), so you get there right when they open and maybe get on the popular rides once or twice.
We had the bad timing to go to Animal Kingdom on "Earth Day", which made for some interesting juxtapositions. Yeah, I like being lectured by some 20-something liberal arts major about saving the planet when the gift shops for miles around are stuffed to the gills with cheap crap made in Chinese sweatshops by child labor. Oh, and they use enough electricity in the "Parade of Lights" in one night to power my house for a good couple years - so forgive me if I don't trade my SUV in on a pair of hemp birkenstocks to walk home. Oh, and handing out plastic water bottles as a way of reducing the carbon footprint was an interesting choice BTW... On the plus side, the wait times for Everest and the Kalahari Rapids weren't too bad...
Don't get me wrong - we had a great time all around. The kids are getting to the point of needing minimal supervision, which makes for a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. We had our own transportation to and from the parks; we had a nice cozy place to come home to; and both kids were finally tall enough to go on all the rides (BabyGirl G. just barely squeaked by on the Rockin' Roller Coaster and a couple other rides with a 48" height requirement - she's like 47.9" tall). We're already talking about another trip next year, factoring in school, airfare, and other related costs, but we will be going back soon. We're getting the whole Disney process down, and figure our third trip should be even smoother than the first and second one.
Besides, isn't this what it's all about:
Having been to all four theme parks before, we knew where we wanted to spend more time (Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios) and where we could spend less time (Animal Kingdom). We managed to hit all four parks again, rode all of the roller coaster rides and other major attractions, and had a sit-down character breakfast, lunch, and dinner (two of the three were princess meals for BabyGirl G. - TheBoy didn't mind as long as he got to ride roller coasters with daddy...) We had a little weather-related unpleasantness the first part of the trip - it poured Sunday and Monday afternoons, to the end of minor flooding in some of the low-lying areas! Aside than that, though, the weather was spectacular - Florida in April is just starting to get really warm, but not uncomfortably so yet.
We stayed in a cabin in Fort Wilderness - basically, it's a one-bedroom mobile home - which was easily twice the size of the hotel room we had at the value resort from last year's visit. It had bunk beds for the kids and a full size bed for each adult (they claim it sleeps six. Ha!), meaning that everyone had their own space with no sharing necessary. The cabin had a full sized refrigerator, a range and oven, and even a dishwasher - we could have cooked all of our meals in the cabin quite easily (we did cook up pizza in the oven one night and had Pop-Tarts and coffee for breakfast a couple of times). If the A/C had worked properly (it crapped out our last night there, meaning we spent our last night at a somewhat uncomfortable 80ºF) it would have been just about perfect - we will gladly go back.
Having our own vehicle made a huge difference this time. People asked if, since we were staying on Disney property, we would be taking the Disney buses everywhere, and I can unequivocally state not just no but hell no. The campground is enormous - we didn't get a chance to explore even a tenth of what they had to offer - and you have to take buses just to get to locations inside the campground, let alone outside. If we had relied on buses, we would have had to walk ~ ½ a mile to the campground bus stop, wait 5-10-15 minutes for a bus, take that bus to the main office, wait another 5-10-15 minutes for another bus, and then finally take that bus to whatever theme park. Instead, we walked out of our cabin, got in our car, and drove to the theme park.
One thing's for certain: Disney owns that section of FLA. The signs directing you to each park or resort are clear, visible, and very easy to follow - we didn't need our GPS even once and never got lost. The only PITA was the Magic Kingdom - you'd get out of your car, walk to the tram, which then brought you to the transportation center, where you caught the monorail or a ferry to the Magic Kingdom itself. All other parks you parked in the lot and the tram brought you to the main entrance. Since we sprang for the "Park Hopper" option, we would simply park at Epcot and take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom if needed. Oh, and parking is free if you are staying on Disney property - it's $14 a day otherwise. That makes a difference if you're trying to chose between staying onsight or not...
There were a couple of areas where it seemed like things had gone downhill from our last journey. Perhaps it was simply the crowds - the Northeast was on school vacation last week, so there were a lot of people from MA/CT/NY at the parks - and the workers were flustered with the mass influx of humanity - it seemed like customer service took somewhat of a hit. The other area was the food itself - it seemed that both the quantity and the quality were simply not as good this year as last. Now, once again, this could possibly be due to the sheer number of people; however it's hard to believe that Disney doesn't know how to handle crowds at peak times... It would also be nice if the counter service meals didn't consistently screw the order up - I think only once or twice out of the six meals we had did they actually get everything right the first time...
Here's another example of the customer service aspect. At one of the character meals, our waiter knocked a full glass of soda over as he put my plate down, drenching me in Diet Coke and breaking the glass on the table. He was very apologetic and worked frantically to clean up the mess, and was joined by several other employees in cleaning up the floor and table. At no point whatsoever did anyone attempt to assist me in cleaning up - which I can understand given that most of the soda went in my lap - nor did anyone from the restaurant even talk to us about the incident. No apologies, no free drinks or desserts, nothing - had it happened in any chain restaurant, I'd bet even money that at least my meal would be comp'd. Instead, I didn't even get the "Gee, we're so sorry" talk from a manager-type person...
On the plus side, though, all the major attractions were up and running again - last year, Space Mountain, "It's A Small World", and the Hall of Presidents were all out of commission when we went. I knew the kids would love Space Mountain (and boy did they ever; I think we went on it a good half-dozen times!); and I figured that if I had to be subjected to the Hall of Presidents as a child, so would my own children. Besides, I was curious to see how badly propagandized it was - put it this way, they devoted a full five minutes at the end to one of Øbama's speeches (I turned to Mrs. G. and whispered, "That can't be Barack Øbama - there's no teleprompter nearby" [she laughed]) but mentioned Reagan only in conjunction with a snippet of a speech he gave after the Challenger disaster - no mention of him winning the Cold War whatsoever.
Epcot was quite pleasant - they were hosting the annual flower show, and it was more breathtaking than usual - and I only wish we had more time to explore it more fully. We went on Soarin' and Test Track for the adrenaline junkies in the group, participated in "Turtle Talk with Crush" (if your kids - or you - liked "Finding Nemo" this is a must-see), and walked the International Pavilion several dozen times. The "giant evil golf ball" was an endless source of amusement - at one point, TheBoy commented that it seemed like no matter where you were in the park, the Epcot ball was always somewhere in the background, like it was following you. That quickly devolved into the "giant evil golf ball", which would dissolve both kids into hysterical laughter any time they saw (or thought of) the ball itself... It's really fun seeing the world through a child's eyes - you remember what it was like when you yourself were entertained simply by poking fun at things... (Or, like me, you never grow out of it...)
Disney Studios is home to some of our favorite attractions. Toy Story Mania is just oodles of fun (and I out-shot TheBoy more than two-to-one, so ol' Dad had braggin' rights for once); the Rockin' Roller Coaster is worth every second of the wait (even with the Fastpass, which is an absolute godsend and whoever thought of it should be given a bonus at least twice a year); and the Tower of Terror is good for a quick shot of pure adrenaline once or twice, too. The one complaint I had with Disney Studios is that it's too popular for its size - it gets really crowded during peak times, almost to the point of being too packed to negotiate the more popular areas. The more popular rides have very long Fastpass times - at 10 AM, Toy Story Mania was backed up to about 4 or 5 - and distribute all Fastpasses very quickly (they were out by 1 or 2), so you get there right when they open and maybe get on the popular rides once or twice.
We had the bad timing to go to Animal Kingdom on "Earth Day", which made for some interesting juxtapositions. Yeah, I like being lectured by some 20-something liberal arts major about saving the planet when the gift shops for miles around are stuffed to the gills with cheap crap made in Chinese sweatshops by child labor. Oh, and they use enough electricity in the "Parade of Lights" in one night to power my house for a good couple years - so forgive me if I don't trade my SUV in on a pair of hemp birkenstocks to walk home. Oh, and handing out plastic water bottles as a way of reducing the carbon footprint was an interesting choice BTW... On the plus side, the wait times for Everest and the Kalahari Rapids weren't too bad...
Don't get me wrong - we had a great time all around. The kids are getting to the point of needing minimal supervision, which makes for a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. We had our own transportation to and from the parks; we had a nice cozy place to come home to; and both kids were finally tall enough to go on all the rides (BabyGirl G. just barely squeaked by on the Rockin' Roller Coaster and a couple other rides with a 48" height requirement - she's like 47.9" tall). We're already talking about another trip next year, factoring in school, airfare, and other related costs, but we will be going back soon. We're getting the whole Disney process down, and figure our third trip should be even smoother than the first and second one.
Besides, isn't this what it's all about:
Two Kids and a Rodent
Cuteness. We haz it.
That is all.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Word of Caution...
Be extra careful when stoking the brush fire after adding new wood. Especially leaning over the fire to push it back from the lawn - remember that it gets extremely hot as the dry stick conflagrate, and that flames can erupt unexpectedly. Fire is both a fearsome servant and a powerful force of nature.
And if you do lean too close, beard hair will singe quite nicely...
That is all...
And if you do lean too close, beard hair will singe quite nicely...
That is all...
Not Too Shabby...
Just stepped on the scale after a week of (relatively) diet-free eating and road tripping. With all the walking around we did, the damage was minimal - only 2½ pounds gained, which was rather surprising given how far off my diet I went... Let's just leave it that eating out every lunch and dinner, with dessert included, does not lead to healthy eating habits. It's not a big deal for one week, but when it becomes a lifestyle choice rather than merely a vacation indulgence it leads to problems...
Which probably explains the large number of scooters and other devices aplenty in the land of the mouse...
That is all.
Which probably explains the large number of scooters and other devices aplenty in the land of the mouse...
That is all.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Back Home...
Over 2,800 miles round-trip; 11 states; and a whole of money later, we are all home safe and sound. Well, as sound as for people who have driven from MA to FL and back again within a week can be...
It is good to be home, that's for sure. More after I've had about eight gallons of "daddy juice"...
That is all...
It is good to be home, that's for sure. More after I've had about eight gallons of "daddy juice"...
That is all...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Back on the Road...
Well, as we all know, all good things must come to an end. The FLA is behind us; our days of fun in the sun in the land that a Mouse built are over once again and it's time to face the reality of getting back to the daily grind... It's time to pack up the Honda and head back north, driving some 25-26 hours up Interstate 95 to get home. I'll be incommunicado most of today and tomorrow; with any kind of luck we'll be pulling into the homestead sometime Saturday evening.
With any kind of luck life will return to "normal" shortly thereafter...
That is all.
With any kind of luck life will return to "normal" shortly thereafter...
That is all.
Made My Age, Again!
Because I'm a year older now than I was the last time I posted a DGC, and we've had another one this month... Commenter Hat Trick e-mailed me about this one (and about the one in IN already mentioned by Tam, thanks HT).
Urbana police looking into fatal shooting during home invasion
Urbana police looking into fatal shooting during home invasion
URBANA - Urbana police are investigating the fatal shooting of a Champaign man who broke into an apartment in that city early Thursday.
Police Lt. Bryant Seraphin said Jerry J. Jackson, 21, of the 1200 block of West Kirby Avenue, died at Carle Foundation Hospital after being shot inside an apartment in the 2400 block of Prairie Green Drive in Urbana about 12:20 a.m.
This is yet another heartwarming tale of a goblin getting everything that was coming to him and then some. It gets better:
Seraphin said Mr. Jackson was one of two men armed with guns who forced their way into the apartment, which was occupied by a 19-year-old Urbana man and his 18-year-old girlfriend from Champaign.
The male tenant began struggling with the intruders and the woman was able to get away, Seraphin said. The tenant got control over the weapon and fired several shots, striking Mr. Jackson, who collapsed there. The second intruder, who was not immediately identified, ran from the home.
Killed with his own firearm. Doesn't that just make you weep with joy?
Dead Goblin Count: 39
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #160
Reader Kurt sent in this absolutely droolworthy pic of two of his very classy looking wheelguns:
That is all.
Mmmmmm... Wheelguns...
Here's Kurt's own words:
You asked for pick for next Fridays gun p()rn, so I thought you might be interested in my two Colt open tops. The black one is an 1872 Conversion replica that takes a .38 cartridge and the silver one is a 1851 Colt Navy replica that takes a .44 ball and black powder.Boy howdy, but those are some mighty nice lookin' wheelguns...
That is all.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Epcot Larfs...
Speaking of crash test dummies... While we waited in line for the "Test Track" ride at Epcot, the following was quipped by Mrs. G.:
That is all.
"They've even got a pregnant crash test mannequin. You just know that kid's gonna be a real dummy."I lol'd.
That is all.
Crime May Not Pay...
...but at least it's a good workout...
Loot’s weight foiled Brighton robber, police say
The best line in the article?
That is all.
Loot’s weight foiled Brighton robber, police say
An 18-year-old man was arrested just minutes after he robbed a Brighton convenience store at gunpoint Monday night, police said, adding that his effort to escape was slowed by the $300 in coins the clerk had handed over during the crime.
Derek Price of Roxbury was apprehended nearby around 9:15 p.m. after the robbery at Quality Market on North Beacon Street, police said. He was held on $25,000 bail yesterday after arraignment in Brighton Municipal Court on charges including armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm.
You've just got to love it when greed gets the better of someone. The goblin could have gotten away with a quick $500 for flashing a gun at a store clerk. Apparently this Einstein wannabe thought that convenience stores routinely keep sacks of gold lying around under the counter, too. The clerk complied, and wound up thwarting the robbery entirely by doing exactly what he was told...
The best line in the article?
“We tell folks not to resist during a robbery, because the stakes are just too high,’’ [DA Daniel] Conley said in a statement. “But when it came to outwitting the assailant, this clerk gave no quarter.’’Heh. Quarter. Money puns...
That is all.
They Threatened Kenny! BASTARDS!
Muslim group warns 'South Park' creators of death
And it certainly doesn't help with your credibility ranking that you're all up-in-arms about something on a cable-only animated comedy show. Really. This is a show that raised fart jokes to an art form. They have a freakin' holiday mascot named Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo. If you're choosing South Park as your holy hill to die on, excuse the rest of us if we don't exactly take you all that seriously...
I think this is the perfect response...
That is all.
Uh, guys??? This is the same show that features Jesus Vs. Santa, okay? They've kind of made somewhat of a reputation out of skewering anything and everything under the sun. If it's a sacred cow, they've made hamburger out of it. Getting all butt-hurt because they're "insulting" a religious leader might score points with the fanatics, but you're going to have to stand in a long line of offended people when it comes to registering complaints with Trey and Matt, okay?NEW YORK — A radical Muslim group has warned the creators of "South Park" that they could face violent retribution for depicting the prophet Muhammad in a bear suit during last week's episode.
The website RevolutionMuslim.com has since been taken down, but a cached version shows the message to "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The article's author, Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee of New York, said the men "outright insulted" the religious leader.
And it certainly doesn't help with your credibility ranking that you're all up-in-arms about something on a cable-only animated comedy show. Really. This is a show that raised fart jokes to an art form. They have a freakin' holiday mascot named Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo. If you're choosing South Park as your holy hill to die on, excuse the rest of us if we don't exactly take you all that seriously...
I think this is the perfect response...
That is all.
This Place Has Everything!
...Even a crash test dummy for the World's Most Dangerous Librarian!
Breda-quin?
When I saw that the CTD in question was labeled as "5th percentile small female" with a height of 5'0", I had to get a shot of it. I didn't even notice the other similarity until after I'd uploaded the picture. Apparently there's a set designer at Disney who's a member of the Bredalucion... :)
Now if only the CTD had a plate of bacon nearby...
That is all.
Gun Laws of the Eastern Seaboard, Part II
In which we investigate the strange quirks and twists of the "good" states for gun laws in Jay's journey to worship the rodent of unusual size. We covered the "bad" states in Part I - CT, NY, NJ, DE, and MD. This post will cover VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL, states which have reputations for being far more gun-friendly than their northern counterparts.
There's a couple of caveats to start with. First off, I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advise. If you base your freedom on what some crackpot Masshole writes on a weblog, quite frankly, you've got what's coming to you. :) Most of what I've found is available through the state in question's own general laws or through the NRA-ILA; however there's nothing better than doing your own research just in case the chimp banging away on the IBM Selectric happens to be wrong. Secondly, all states in question are "shall issue" for concealed carry permits meaning that if a citizen meets the criteria set forth in general laws for obtaining a CCW permit, they are granted said permit, no intervention by the chief of police, etc. required.
That said, here's how the states in question stack up in other areas regarding 2A friendliness. Read on - you may be surprised...
VA: No CCW in any establishment that sells alcohol (although they are working hard to repeal this). Open carry is legal. One handgun a month limit, waived for CCW holders. No guns in churches. No registration for long guns or handguns.
NC: Permit required to purchase a handgun - must be approved by the county sheriff. Like VA, no carry in places that sell alcohol or churches, however also not in places where a fee has been charges for admission or in banks. Machine guns are prohibited. NC has "binding signage" rules in place.
SC: Also has "binding signage". No carrying concealed in polling places, county offices, hospitals, or churches. Machine guns and short-barreled rifles and shotguns are prohibited.
GA: Open carry permitted. No possession of handguns under age 18. No concealed carry at "public gatherings" even by licensed CCW holders. No carry in churches. Machine guns and short-barreled rifles and shotguns are prohibited, as are suppressors.
FL: No open carry, which is probably a good thing because concealment is one of the only reason Robb wears pants. FL was one of the first states to adopt "shall issue" CCW laws when the regulations were loosened in 1986, adopting the CCW regulations in 1987, some eight years before the wild west state of Texas... Machine guns are prohibited in FL. FL has "safe storage" laws if there is someone under the age of 18 in the residence.
There are some of the quirky gun laws in the states south of Maryland. One of the things that jumps out at me looking at all of the states listed so far is that there is no state that allows everything in these regards - if they are "shall issue", they don't allow Class III or carry in bars/churches/public places/etc. If they are "may issue", well, right there's a deal breaker.
You know what state comes damn close to doing it all? New Hampshire. While it doesn't quite have the "no permit" CCW of VT or AK (and soon to be AZ!), the NH permit process is, shall we say, simple and cheap - $10, a single page form, and a week's time and you have your NH resident permit to carry. It is quite literally the least work you need to do for a carry permit... NH allows machine guns and suppressors. There is no "binding signage" requirement or "duty to inform". Carry in bars/restaurants/churches/etc. is fine.
There's a reason for the "Live Free or Die" motto...
That is all.
There's a couple of caveats to start with. First off, I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advise. If you base your freedom on what some crackpot Masshole writes on a weblog, quite frankly, you've got what's coming to you. :) Most of what I've found is available through the state in question's own general laws or through the NRA-ILA; however there's nothing better than doing your own research just in case the chimp banging away on the IBM Selectric happens to be wrong. Secondly, all states in question are "shall issue" for concealed carry permits meaning that if a citizen meets the criteria set forth in general laws for obtaining a CCW permit, they are granted said permit, no intervention by the chief of police, etc. required.
That said, here's how the states in question stack up in other areas regarding 2A friendliness. Read on - you may be surprised...
VA: No CCW in any establishment that sells alcohol (although they are working hard to repeal this). Open carry is legal. One handgun a month limit, waived for CCW holders. No guns in churches. No registration for long guns or handguns.
NC: Permit required to purchase a handgun - must be approved by the county sheriff. Like VA, no carry in places that sell alcohol or churches, however also not in places where a fee has been charges for admission or in banks. Machine guns are prohibited. NC has "binding signage" rules in place.
SC: Also has "binding signage". No carrying concealed in polling places, county offices, hospitals, or churches. Machine guns and short-barreled rifles and shotguns are prohibited.
GA: Open carry permitted. No possession of handguns under age 18. No concealed carry at "public gatherings" even by licensed CCW holders. No carry in churches. Machine guns and short-barreled rifles and shotguns are prohibited, as are suppressors.
FL: No open carry, which is probably a good thing because concealment is one of the only reason Robb wears pants. FL was one of the first states to adopt "shall issue" CCW laws when the regulations were loosened in 1986, adopting the CCW regulations in 1987, some eight years before the wild west state of Texas... Machine guns are prohibited in FL. FL has "safe storage" laws if there is someone under the age of 18 in the residence.
There are some of the quirky gun laws in the states south of Maryland. One of the things that jumps out at me looking at all of the states listed so far is that there is no state that allows everything in these regards - if they are "shall issue", they don't allow Class III or carry in bars/churches/public places/etc. If they are "may issue", well, right there's a deal breaker.
You know what state comes damn close to doing it all? New Hampshire. While it doesn't quite have the "no permit" CCW of VT or AK (and soon to be AZ!), the NH permit process is, shall we say, simple and cheap - $10, a single page form, and a week's time and you have your NH resident permit to carry. It is quite literally the least work you need to do for a carry permit... NH allows machine guns and suppressors. There is no "binding signage" requirement or "duty to inform". Carry in bars/restaurants/churches/etc. is fine.
There's a reason for the "Live Free or Die" motto...
That is all.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Announcement
Today is my birthday. My 39th birthday, as a matter of fact. This time next year there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth, as I will officially be Old. For 364 more days, though, I can take comfort in the fact that I am still a thirty something. In 365 days, though, I'm hitting yet another one of life's little milestones - which is better than a kidney stone...
In honor of my birthday, I'm taking the rest of the day off and going to DisneyWorld.
That is all.
In honor of my birthday, I'm taking the rest of the day off and going to DisneyWorld.
That is all.
SuperMegaCorp Theme Park Pro-Tip...
When reaching the theme park and successfully parking your car in the 500,000 acre parking lot, take a picture of the row number/section/etc. as the first picture on your camera:
Brilliant!
Since it will be the first picture you take at the SuperMegaCorp Theme Park, you can access it easily upon leaving the park. This means that you will not spend half an hour roaming the parking lot looking for a dark grey SUV in a lot that contains, by rough count, 157 billion other dark grey SUVs...
I'm here to help, it's what I live for.
That is all.
Hang Up And... Walk?
There's a new species of critter out there. Perhaps you've run into a member of the species? They power walk everywhere with this strange beeping device glued to their ear, oblivious to the world around them. This device apparently renders them blind, deaf, and mute, as they are incapable of seeing anything else around them, hearing the protestations of those that they push out of their way, or apologizing for behavior that would make Attila the Hun blush.
Look, I get it. You're so ruttin' important that the office can't survive your absence even for your family vacation to DisneyWorld. Without you, the entire company is brought to its knees, a pathetic shell of its former, vibrant, dynamic self just languishing for your return. If you don't keep in constant contact with the mouthbreathers you left behind, the entire company will go bankrupt and fold, the critical items you make for the world will go unmade, and little Jimmy will die because he didn't get that crucial medical widget in time.
However, you brush my son out of the way again, and you'll have all the time in the world to direct operations via phone from your hospital bed as they work to rebuild your spinal cord.
That is all.
(There is simply no truth to the matter than the VIP in question was told, at a volume that would drown out jetliners, that he'd better hang up his effing phone before it got shoved so far up his @$$ his belly button would ring. Actually, it would vibrate...)
Look, I get it. You're so ruttin' important that the office can't survive your absence even for your family vacation to DisneyWorld. Without you, the entire company is brought to its knees, a pathetic shell of its former, vibrant, dynamic self just languishing for your return. If you don't keep in constant contact with the mouthbreathers you left behind, the entire company will go bankrupt and fold, the critical items you make for the world will go unmade, and little Jimmy will die because he didn't get that crucial medical widget in time.
However, you brush my son out of the way again, and you'll have all the time in the world to direct operations via phone from your hospital bed as they work to rebuild your spinal cord.
That is all.
(There is simply no truth to the matter than the VIP in question was told, at a volume that would drown out jetliners, that he'd better hang up his effing phone before it got shoved so far up his @$$ his belly button would ring. Actually, it would vibrate...)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Feel Good Headline of the Day
Officials: Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders killed
More like this, please.
That is all.
I'm sorry, but if that doesn't put a smile on your face, I just don't want to know you. It's good to know that, even in the turmoil and hustle and bustle of our daily life, the good men and women of the United States Armed Forces are out there killing terrorist assholes. This is precisely what I want the federal government doing - employing our armed forces to go overseas and kill very bad people before they can come to us and do harm here.Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The two most senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq have been killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation, officials announced Monday.
The deaths of Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi deal "a potentially devastating blow" to the terrorist group, the U.S. military said.
More like this, please.
That is all.
Ode to FLA
I had it brought to my attention, rather abruptly, but necessarily nonetheless, that I was disparaging the great state of Florida with my "drive-by" postings. Now, in my own defense, that's exactly what I was doing - grabbing 5 or 10 minutes of "down time" to dash off a quick note. Which, really, is what I'm doing now as well... But it's not doing the state justice.
Yes, traffic was bad entering Orlando. Yes, I expected it. My comment was meant mainly to point out that we timed our departure to coincide with light traffic in the major traffic centers of the Northeast - Boston, Hartford, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC., Richmond. The afternoon on 95 South through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia was blissfully traffic-free, including hitting the Savannah area right around the height of rush hour (5-6). Orlando was, quite literally, the only place we encountered traffic in the entire 1300+ miles.
And Al, commenting on piss-poor drivers is kind of a specialty of mine - please notice the "Road Rage" tag. No traffic = no chance to comment on bad drivers. That's the only reason for the comment about FLA drivers. I suppose I could have made more mention of the fact that VA had about 500 cops on the highway in the time we were on it, or that in GA the speed limit of 70 was apparently just a suggestion, as I set the cruise control at ~ 78 and was getting passed by school buses and construction vehicles.
The comment about Jax, well, I guess we just caught the errant section. It happens. I'm the first to admit that MA has bad sections - I certainly wouldn't want to be out after dark in Lawrence, for instance, or parts of Springfield, for that matter. I'll chalk that one up to fatigue and not thinking about what I was saying before I said it and apologize for the cheap shot.
And lastly, the Klan comment. Lighten the hell up on this one. I would have said the same damn thing if it had happened at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH. It had NOTHING to do with it taking place in the south; hell, FLA isn't the south, for crying out loud, it's G-d's Waiting Room, where snowbirds go to live out their Golden years in the sun and warmth. It was the stark contrast between Disney World, the self-titled "happiest place on earth" and what looked at a quick glance like a gathering of Klan members that just struck me as so incongruous as to merit observation. It was a very surreal moment - that's all, no heavier connotations intended.
I've been to Florida five times now - I flew down as a child to do Disney with my family; I took a cruise out of Tampa with some friends before I got married; I attended a conference in Fort Lauderdale as a graduate student; and the past two trips to the land of the mouse with my wife and kids. It's a warm, welcoming place with horizontal traffic lights (that was the first thing I noticed as a 12 year old upon visiting Florida). It's light later, it's warm in the winter and really hot in the summer - it's about as far from MA as one can get and still be in the United States.
I'm sorry I gave the impression that I had something against your state, Al, I don't, really. It just happens to be my current location, and poking fun at wherever I happen to be is somewhat of a specialty of mine - there's a lot to make fun of no matter where you are. Heck, it'd be a pretty boring place if everything was perfect - whatever would we complain about? :) But it appears I struck a nerve, and I can understand that. As much as I hate MA with the nanny state overregulation and imbecilic gun laws, there's a lot I do like, and I'll admit to getting my back up when folks start trashing her unfairly (which, given that it's MA, isn't terribly often that the criticism is unfounded...)
However, I don't think anyone would say I don't poke fun at Massachusetts...
That is all.
Yes, traffic was bad entering Orlando. Yes, I expected it. My comment was meant mainly to point out that we timed our departure to coincide with light traffic in the major traffic centers of the Northeast - Boston, Hartford, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC., Richmond. The afternoon on 95 South through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia was blissfully traffic-free, including hitting the Savannah area right around the height of rush hour (5-6). Orlando was, quite literally, the only place we encountered traffic in the entire 1300+ miles.
And Al, commenting on piss-poor drivers is kind of a specialty of mine - please notice the "Road Rage" tag. No traffic = no chance to comment on bad drivers. That's the only reason for the comment about FLA drivers. I suppose I could have made more mention of the fact that VA had about 500 cops on the highway in the time we were on it, or that in GA the speed limit of 70 was apparently just a suggestion, as I set the cruise control at ~ 78 and was getting passed by school buses and construction vehicles.
The comment about Jax, well, I guess we just caught the errant section. It happens. I'm the first to admit that MA has bad sections - I certainly wouldn't want to be out after dark in Lawrence, for instance, or parts of Springfield, for that matter. I'll chalk that one up to fatigue and not thinking about what I was saying before I said it and apologize for the cheap shot.
And lastly, the Klan comment. Lighten the hell up on this one. I would have said the same damn thing if it had happened at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH. It had NOTHING to do with it taking place in the south; hell, FLA isn't the south, for crying out loud, it's G-d's Waiting Room, where snowbirds go to live out their Golden years in the sun and warmth. It was the stark contrast between Disney World, the self-titled "happiest place on earth" and what looked at a quick glance like a gathering of Klan members that just struck me as so incongruous as to merit observation. It was a very surreal moment - that's all, no heavier connotations intended.
I've been to Florida five times now - I flew down as a child to do Disney with my family; I took a cruise out of Tampa with some friends before I got married; I attended a conference in Fort Lauderdale as a graduate student; and the past two trips to the land of the mouse with my wife and kids. It's a warm, welcoming place with horizontal traffic lights (that was the first thing I noticed as a 12 year old upon visiting Florida). It's light later, it's warm in the winter and really hot in the summer - it's about as far from MA as one can get and still be in the United States.
I'm sorry I gave the impression that I had something against your state, Al, I don't, really. It just happens to be my current location, and poking fun at wherever I happen to be is somewhat of a specialty of mine - there's a lot to make fun of no matter where you are. Heck, it'd be a pretty boring place if everything was perfect - whatever would we complain about? :) But it appears I struck a nerve, and I can understand that. As much as I hate MA with the nanny state overregulation and imbecilic gun laws, there's a lot I do like, and I'll admit to getting my back up when folks start trashing her unfairly (which, given that it's MA, isn't terribly often that the criticism is unfounded...)
However, I don't think anyone would say I don't poke fun at Massachusetts...
That is all.
Gun Laws of the Eastern Seaboard, Part I
One of the suggestions for my postings during my time away from the intarwebz was a summary of gun laws in the states I'd pass through on the way to FL from MA. Given that the NRA convention in NC is next month (!!!), and that I might just be totin' (NC honors my NH non-res permit), I figured it'd be a good idea to brush up on the various laws along the way.
First off, interstate transport of unloaded, locked firearms is theoretically covered by the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 (a.k.a. FOPA). Theoretically. as long as the possession of said firearm is legal in both your starting state and ending state (i.e. you can't have a handgun in Chicago), you can legally transport a firearm across state lines provided the gun is locked in a case in unloaded condition. Since it's legal to possess a firearm in NC without a permit, and I have a permit in MA, that alone would allow me to transport an unloaded firearm in a locked case from MA to NC. Theoretically.
There have been cases in anti-gun states where lawful firearms owners, who have made every effort to obey the law, still are arrested and charged with bogus crimes simply for daring to possess a firearm in said state. Now, since I'd be driving through NY, the journey is under my control far more than on an airplane; I'd also take specific measures to avoid NYC. From a legal standpoint, the FOPA should more than adequately cover me should I choose to bring a firearm to NC (or if I were to purchase a longarm in NC). Other precautions can and should be taken should one choose to venture in decidedly anti-gun locales...
On our sojourn to FLA, we went from Massachusetts to Connecticut to New York and New Jersey. After that, we traveled through Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. North and South Carolina and Georgia were last before sunny FLA - 11 states in all, with MA having been pretty thoroughly covered for its crappy gun laws in the pages here and in other blogs. For Part 1, I'll cover CT, NY, NJ, DE, and MD - the anti-gun states (and DE). Method of CCW issue, odd AWB-related items, and other factors will be considered. NOTE: None of this is legal advise. I am not a lawyer, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
CT: "May Issue" CCW at the discretion of the local PD *and* the state PD - apparently in CT you get a CCW for your city first, then for the state. Continued AWB similar to MA - extended the Federal Ban in perpetuity. Must report theft of firearms within 72 hours. On the plus side, there is no permit needed for ownership, no registration other than said "assault weapons", and no "duty to inform" or "binding signage".
NY: "May Issue" CCW which occurs if the person requesting the permit happens to be rich and/or famous and/or connected. Same AWB as MA/CT. No permit to own a rifle or shotgun (outside of NYC); a permit is required to own a handgun in one's home and these are issued at the licensing agency's discretion. There is a statewide AWB similar to MA; magazines cannot hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Fully automatic weapons are prohibited.
NJ: Same as NY and MA, more or less, for CCW permits - "May issue", and usually don't unless the person applying is rich, famous, or connected. AWB with idiotically includes tubular magazine-fed rimfire rifles like the Marlin model 60 or the Henry lever-action .22LR (because they hold over 10 rounds). BB guns are classified as firearms in NJ. Has a one-gun-a-month law for handguns.
DE: By far the most sane (read: Constitutional) of all the states listed so far; DE is "shall issue" for CCW, meaning that if the applicant meets the criteria for issuing a permit the issuing body cannot deny the permit. Full-auto weapons and silencers are prohibited. No permits are required to purchase long guns or handguns, no waiting periods, and no registration.
MD: Also "May Issue", also next-to-impossible for an average joe to get a carry permit without an act of G-d or a series of attempted mafia hits, apparently. MD requires certain "regulated" firearms to be sold only after the purchaser has completed a "safety video". MD is also the home of the "ballistic fingerprinting" boondoggle. On the other hand, there is no permit to purchase long arms or handguns and no registration of firearms.
It's interesting that Delaware is an oasis of sanity in an otherwise insane world of firearms regulation. It's also worth noting that the crime levels in MA, NY, NJ, and MD are significantly higher than those in DE - certainly for those involving firearms. Why, it's almost as though the actually gun laws themselves were ineffectual at reducing crimes - but people actually owning guns works.
Next up: Funky gun laws in other states.
That is all.
First off, interstate transport of unloaded, locked firearms is theoretically covered by the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 (a.k.a. FOPA). Theoretically. as long as the possession of said firearm is legal in both your starting state and ending state (i.e. you can't have a handgun in Chicago), you can legally transport a firearm across state lines provided the gun is locked in a case in unloaded condition. Since it's legal to possess a firearm in NC without a permit, and I have a permit in MA, that alone would allow me to transport an unloaded firearm in a locked case from MA to NC. Theoretically.
There have been cases in anti-gun states where lawful firearms owners, who have made every effort to obey the law, still are arrested and charged with bogus crimes simply for daring to possess a firearm in said state. Now, since I'd be driving through NY, the journey is under my control far more than on an airplane; I'd also take specific measures to avoid NYC. From a legal standpoint, the FOPA should more than adequately cover me should I choose to bring a firearm to NC (or if I were to purchase a longarm in NC). Other precautions can and should be taken should one choose to venture in decidedly anti-gun locales...
On our sojourn to FLA, we went from Massachusetts to Connecticut to New York and New Jersey. After that, we traveled through Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. North and South Carolina and Georgia were last before sunny FLA - 11 states in all, with MA having been pretty thoroughly covered for its crappy gun laws in the pages here and in other blogs. For Part 1, I'll cover CT, NY, NJ, DE, and MD - the anti-gun states (and DE). Method of CCW issue, odd AWB-related items, and other factors will be considered. NOTE: None of this is legal advise. I am not a lawyer, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
CT: "May Issue" CCW at the discretion of the local PD *and* the state PD - apparently in CT you get a CCW for your city first, then for the state. Continued AWB similar to MA - extended the Federal Ban in perpetuity. Must report theft of firearms within 72 hours. On the plus side, there is no permit needed for ownership, no registration other than said "assault weapons", and no "duty to inform" or "binding signage".
NY: "May Issue" CCW which occurs if the person requesting the permit happens to be rich and/or famous and/or connected. Same AWB as MA/CT. No permit to own a rifle or shotgun (outside of NYC); a permit is required to own a handgun in one's home and these are issued at the licensing agency's discretion. There is a statewide AWB similar to MA; magazines cannot hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Fully automatic weapons are prohibited.
NJ: Same as NY and MA, more or less, for CCW permits - "May issue", and usually don't unless the person applying is rich, famous, or connected. AWB with idiotically includes tubular magazine-fed rimfire rifles like the Marlin model 60 or the Henry lever-action .22LR (because they hold over 10 rounds). BB guns are classified as firearms in NJ. Has a one-gun-a-month law for handguns.
DE: By far the most sane (read: Constitutional) of all the states listed so far; DE is "shall issue" for CCW, meaning that if the applicant meets the criteria for issuing a permit the issuing body cannot deny the permit. Full-auto weapons and silencers are prohibited. No permits are required to purchase long guns or handguns, no waiting periods, and no registration.
MD: Also "May Issue", also next-to-impossible for an average joe to get a carry permit without an act of G-d or a series of attempted mafia hits, apparently. MD requires certain "regulated" firearms to be sold only after the purchaser has completed a "safety video". MD is also the home of the "ballistic fingerprinting" boondoggle. On the other hand, there is no permit to purchase long arms or handguns and no registration of firearms.
It's interesting that Delaware is an oasis of sanity in an otherwise insane world of firearms regulation. It's also worth noting that the crime levels in MA, NY, NJ, and MD are significantly higher than those in DE - certainly for those involving firearms. Why, it's almost as though the actually gun laws themselves were ineffectual at reducing crimes - but people actually owning guns works.
Next up: Funky gun laws in other states.
That is all.
Monday, April 19, 2010
I Weep for Our Species...
Baby, 11 months, tests positive for cocaine
I mean, wow. What more can be said about an incubator (I refuse to use the term mother) who drives under the influence of narcotics, uses said narcotics with her kids in the car, and also allows an infant to come in contact with said narcotic? She's damn lucky the kid didn't die - or that she didn't kill anyone in her drug-induced stupor.
Fat, drugged, and stupid is no way to go through life Deborah.
That is all.
SALEM-Police say an 11-month old baby from Peabody tested positive for cocaine after he was found in the back seat of a Jeep holding a spoon with a residue of the drug. The mother, Deborah Annese, was arrested Thursday morning on numerous drug charges, including driving under the influence of drugs. Police also said Annese, 40, was found Friday snorting cocaine she’d smuggled into lockup. Police say Annese was arrested in Salem after they received a call that a woman was using drugs with two children in the back seat. (AP)
I mean, wow. What more can be said about an incubator (I refuse to use the term mother) who drives under the influence of narcotics, uses said narcotics with her kids in the car, and also allows an infant to come in contact with said narcotic? She's damn lucky the kid didn't die - or that she didn't kill anyone in her drug-induced stupor.
Fat, drugged, and stupid is no way to go through life Deborah.
That is all.
Moment of Surreal...
So we're at the Magic Kingdom yesterday when the skies open up. Aside from being somewhat of an inconvenience - rides close, people aggregate in doorways and other covered areas, etc. - it's no real big deal (until it starts to stick around...). We brought $1 ponchos we keep on hand while camping with us for just such an emergency - they're small, light, work well, and can be disposed of in a pinch when no longer needed. Sure beats dropping $8-$10 on an "official Disney" poncho, that's for sure.
Many other people had brought ponchos, including numerous members of some FLA-based group (I assume) who had made an extremely unfortunately choice in raingear. The ponchos they had chosen were all white, with the group name in small, light font across the back and front pocket. In ones or twos it wouldn't be a problem; however in a group setting (there had to be 20 or more in one large gathering), it looked like something else.
It looked like a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan right on Main Street Disney...
That is all.
Many other people had brought ponchos, including numerous members of some FLA-based group (I assume) who had made an extremely unfortunately choice in raingear. The ponchos they had chosen were all white, with the group name in small, light font across the back and front pocket. In ones or twos it wouldn't be a problem; however in a group setting (there had to be 20 or more in one large gathering), it looked like something else.
It looked like a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan right on Main Street Disney...
That is all.
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