Sounds Legit!

Received in e-mail:

Hello dear, My name is Roseline, it is my pleasure to write you today. Actually, I got your contact information through google searching for friendship, I will appreciate your friendship, because I believe that good friend is a Gift of God. I am very honest, caring, sensitive, loving, straight forward person.

I like honest,sincere,creative mind, brilliant having transparent personality.I believe strongly in peace,and human rights,love art/graffiti music,films,reading,holidays and etc, It will also please me to know more about you if it is your wish too. you can write mail to me through this email address, roselinelove24@gmail.com I will be happy to reply you with some pictures of me for more correspondence.

Hope to hear from you,
Roseline

Just what I was looking for! An unsolicited request from someone looking for a transparent personality who believes strongly in holidays! I think I'll write back with my bank account information in case she wants to wire me some money from Nigeria, too!

The sad part is that someone's gotta be falling for this, because they keep sending these e-mails out...

That is all.

Fitting...

Sent to me by our esteemed VC host alan was this lovely story about that champion of women's rights, my former Senator Ted Kennedy:

Figures. Dem Icon Rented Out Argentinian Brothel During Meetings With Communists

Late U.S. senator Ted Kennedy has been accused of renting an entire Chilean brothel and seeking meetings with communists who had left-wing views.

The information came to light after a Freedom of Information request by Judicial Watch - the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption – who put pressure on the FBI to release the material.

Given his being part of the "waitress sandwich" with former CT Senator Chris Dodd (to say nothing of his actions at a certain bridge), it's quite fitting with Kennedy's "character" that he would take advantage of certain cultural differences when in foreign countries...

The hard part is determining which is less surprising - that Kennedy viewed women as items for amusement, or that he sought out communists abroad...

That is all.

Red Ryder? Not Quite...

Sent to me in e-mail was this video:



40 shots of .46 caliber round ball on a single charge. 22 rounds in the magazine - ZOMG an assault rifle! Given the state of weaponry at the time of Lewis & Clark's expedition, the Girandoni rifle must have looked like something from the distant future - rather than firing 6 times in a minute (the standard infantry rate for a muzzleloading rifle at the time), this rifle could fire five times that many rounds in half the time. It must have also been a lot quieter than a cap and ball rifle, and penetrating 1" of pine at 100 yards means that the .46 caliber rounds must have been capable of significant damage.

In any case, it's an interesting piece of our nation's firearms heritage.

That is all.

Teh Stoopid... It Burns!

PISSED is trying to kill me. There's simply no other explanation. If you doubt that, take a look at the story he sent me over the weekend:

State’s thugs loading up on banned guns

Banned machine guns are turning up in the hands of gangbangers and drug dealers from Holyoke to Cape Cod at a rapid clip that is alarming Bay State cops and has them scrambling to stem a “mini arms race” they blame on lax gun laws in other states.

“We have a ban, but the other states around us don’t,” said state police Maj. Michael Crisp, head of the department’s detective division. “They bring them here and exchange them for drugs and money.”

1. If there is an actual machine gun - meaning any select- or fully automatic fire weapon - in any of these stories, I will donate $100 to the Brady's.

2. If the guns are banned, what the hell is making them more illegal going to do?

3. Here are some of the guns in question:


Okay. I see two Ruger .22 pistols, some generic revolvers, and a Colt Detective Special. I see a couple of Hi-Points, a 1911, and another nondescript semi-auto pistol. There's what looks to be an AB-10, the post Assault Weapons Ban Tec-9 and what might be a Kel-Tec SUB2000 rifle at the top. On the sides are a single shot NEF 12 gauge and some hacked-to-death 20 gauge side-by-side.

None of these weapons are assault weapons.

The AB-10 was specifically manufactured in the wake of the Federal Ban - the "AB" refers to "After Ban". The Kel-Tec SUB2000 does not have the requisite flash hider, bayonet lug, or collapsible stock that would designate it as an assault weapon. The AWB covered rifles, not handguns (for the most part, there are very limited exceptions such as the aforementioned TEC-9). Revolvers and break-open shotguns were never mentioned.

IOW, this entire article is a steaming pile of journalistic fertilizer. There are instances listed where criminals used rifles, yes - but those are available in MA just as readily as in NH or anywhere else. The presence - or absence - of the flash hider/bayonet lug/etc. that would make the rifle an "assault weapon" has no bearing. Either the reporter is completely ignorant of firearms (a distinct possibility, no offense intended), or he's shilling for the VPC/Brady bunch.

Ignorance can be cured; malevolence not so much...

That is all.

My Dinner With AD...

Alternate title: Now there's another restaurant that ain't gonna let us back in...

So, we had a little soiree, an event, a luau in honor of the one, the only Ambulance Driver. He's in the area for a couple local (ish) EMS conferences, and I'm still trying to atone for the first dinner at Hilltop with the forgettable (regrettable) meal, so we went to Carrabba's. The food is decent, we had a room all to ourselves (which was sheer genius on the part of the Carrabba's staff), and the company was excellent.

In attendance were:

Libertyman
Weerdbeard
Old Windways
SCI-FI
Kyle
Ambulance Driver
TOTWTYTR
Borepatch (in spirit, he texted me to send his regards)

(Most of the) group shot:

Look out world!

Kyle is out of the shot, and SCI-FI is taking the picture. He, like TOTWTYTR, doesn't care for having his picture on the internet, something I know nothing about...

TSA probulation, the strange ways of southern rednecks and how they don't differ all that much from Maine yankees, the proper way to "address" a recalcitrant goat (let's just say that "animal husbandry" means different things to different people, and the wonders of Orloff vodka and Dixie beer were all matters for discussion. Another topic was the recent hog hunt down in Texas that AD and TOTWTYTR participated in, as well our our humble VC host Alan. And speaking of Alan, these tables reminded us of him:

Lone Table

You see, those two tables were off in a corner of the room they had set up for us, and looked kinda sad and lonely over in the corner with no silverware or anything on them. We all agreed that they looked kinda like a

shun bench

and that Alan would feel right at home...

All in all, a good time was had by all!

That is all.

Can I Just Say...

...that I am getting mighty sick of snow? That and shoveling two driveways is teh suck...

Okay, I'm done whining...

That is all.

Ten Second Blogger Dinner Update...

Just a reminder that tomorrow night at 8 PM we'll all be gathering at Carrabba's in Peabody for a late-night dinner with the one, the only Ambulance Driver. We can chat at the dinner about a shoot, but since I will be unable to attend (grumble), the specifics will have to be worked out with interested parties who have the time off. The link has directions to Carrabba's, but it's real easy to find, right off Route 1 North just before the 128 split-off.

Good food, good company, what more could you want?

That is all.

UPDATE: SCI-FI deserves a big round of applause for calling around and securing the location. He advises that we arrive promptly at 8...

The Count Rolls Ever Onward...

CoolChange©© sends in the latest addition:

Homeowner kills would-be burglar

HOBBS, N.M. (KRQE) - A 70-year-old man called 911 last night and told police someone was breaking into his house. He had a gun, and a short time later he proved he knew how to use it.

Hobbs police say Wallace Roberson, 43, tried to break into a home on the 1100 block of North Denson Street in Hobbs. The homeowner Watson Green, 70, immediately called police, grabbed his handgun and fired a single shot through the back door.

Once again, we see the true face of gun control. Those that would have us turn in our guns would rather a 70 year old man be at the mercy of a career criminal nearly 30 years his junior than have the best tools with which to defend himself. In their warped view of the world, taking firearms out of the hands of a law-abiding retiree is the way to deal with criminals out walking the street two weeks after arrest for violent crimes.

I don't care for their view of the world.

Dead Goblin Count: 133

That is all.

Once Again...

It's Saturday, and there's a Vicious Circle again for your listening pleasure.

Vicious Circle #85: Satan's Ass Crack.

Please join alan, Breda, Weerd beard, LabRat & Stingray, Tracie
and your humble host as we discuss more MA idiocy, Weerd's odd fascination with popcorn, tornadoes, reverse engineering real Sudafed, classic NES, and, of course, pr0n by the (popcorn) bucketful. Links mentioned in the podcast are all here and should all be considered NSFW.

Vicious Circle: Don't call it a comeback.

That is all.

You Wonder Why Borders is Going Under?

SCI-FI sends in a picture from the local Borders, currently undergoing restructuring:


Yeah. I can't imagine why they're filing for Chapter 11...

That is all.

The Rest of the Story...

Commenter (and now back-to-blogging) Jim has a sad story to accompany his signature.

With pictures.

Even if you don't sail; even if you get seasick watching old Jacques Cousteau reruns; even if you live in the middle of the country and have never seen a body of water larger than reservoir; if Jim's story doesn't make you tear up just a little, well, I can't help you. We've all lost something important to us at some point in our lives; anyone who can't identify with Jim's post, well, I don't know whether they should be envied or pitied, really.

Go. Read the story of the Sunk New Dawn.

That is all.

New Blogs! New Blogs!

Got a few new additions to the blogroll today:

1. The Minuteman. Barron actually e-mailed me to let me know he'd added me to his blogroll. Imagine that... (hint...)

2. The Hammer Zone. The Neophyte self-describes as "just an average 50 year old male, conservative and concerned about what kind of world my kids will inherit". Take 10 years off and that's me...

3. MAgunowner. Gee. I have nothing in common with this guy... A gunowner? In MA? Seems to me that's just ripe for another "Blogger I've Met"... ;)

4. North. This one's still got the new blog smell, but so far seems like a good guy. Especially with a header that says "Being a person, a husband, a maker of things - owning a gun, a grill, and a sense of humor". I approve.

5. Low Dog on the Totem Pole. I got an e-mail from Spikessib alerting me to yet another case of blog paternity. My second blogdaughter!

---

Welcome aboard, new blogs on the blogroll!

That is all.

Tally Ho!

The Big Guy sends in another DGC addition:

Home invasion suspect shot and killed in triple shooting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A home invasion suspect was shot and killed by a resident of the home he was trying to rob.

The shooting happened in the early morning of February 17. Police say that Laterance Sellers, 24, attempted to break into a home in the 2000 block of Palafox Street and rob the occupants.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. One of the occupational hazards one endures when one's business card reads: "Goblin" is that folks might take umbrage to having their homes burglarized. Part of that umbrage might mean taking incoming fire. Of course, it's even worse when you're shot with your own gun:

One of the occupants of the home overpowered Sellers and managed to get the gun away from him and eventually shot Sellers with his own gun.

Yeah, don't rely on a gun for self-defense because the bad guy will just take it away from you and use it against you. Besides, if you don't have a gun, just take the goblin's...

Dead Goblin Count: 132

That is all.

Not Quite, Mumbles...

PISSED sent me a picture that illustrates perfectly how Mumbles Menino and Michael Bloomin'idiotberg want you to think guns are sold in free states like NH and GA:

Oh, if it were only that easy...

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #203

Yesterday I asked what y'all thought my new gun was. Today, I reveal her:

A Different Model 10

That's a Savage Model 10 in G-d's Own Caliber (New Testament, .308 Winchester). It's got a 24" heavy barrel, a Butler Creek sling, Barska 2.5-10X scope, and a Harris ultralight bipod (model LM from MidwayUSA, literally arrived last night). This model predates the AccuTrigger, but the guy I got it from swapped the Savage factory trigger for a Timney trigger, and whatever he paid for the Timney wasn't enough. The trigger breaks clean and unexpectedly with a bare minimum of effort - something tells me this is going to be a supremely accurate rifle.

The scope was a foregone conclusion (it came with a BSA Cat's Eye 3-9X scope without any rings, so the Barska was attached in the interim). Once the rifle range thaws I'm bringing her, the Barska spotting scope, and the LaserLyte Boresighter for some intense zeroing in time (and, not coincidentally, will get a range report and two Product Reviews out of one range session). I'll need to get some quality .308 Winchester for the task, of course, and I'll probably get it sighted in for 100 yards. I've got a few additional tweaks and changes in mind (hint: it's a bolt action rifle and therefore not subject to the MA AWB), so I expect this will show up in different guise down the road.

Oh, and please note the new MArooned header pic...

That is all.

More Cool Plane Stuff...

...this time, it's much smaller, though...


Worlds Largest Model RC Plane - Watch more Funny Videos

That's really neat, but I can't imagine how much money it'd set you back if you missed by even a little on the landing...

That is all.

Red Light Re-District...

PISSED sent me this story, and was curious as to my take on it:

Kansas House Approves Bill Allowing Motorcycles to Run Red Lights

Ever been itching to run a red light that just won't change? Kansas lawmakers think motorcycle riders should be able to do just that.

The Kansas House on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow bikers to run a red light if the signal "fails" to turn green after a "reasonable period of time." The proposal leaves the discretion in the hands of the motorcyclist, but is aimed at ensuring riders don't get trapped in perpetuity at intersections because of signals that either malfunction or don't detect the motorcycles.

I would imagine everyone that rides has come across a light or two that just won't change. You're faced with a conundrum: Do I sit here, hoping a car will pull up behind me and trigger the light? Do I change direction and approach this a different way? Run the light? When there's clearly no other traffic coming, it should be common sense that a motorcyclist should be able to go through a red light if it will not change for his vehicle. However, in many cases it can and will be cited as a motor vehicle infraction - and in this day and age of red light cameras it's easy to see why motorcyclists would like the exemption written into the law.

Is it possible some motorcyclists will abuse this? Well, not to be crude, but Darwin will quickly separate those motorcyclists from the rest - we'll call the rest "living motorcyclists". A motorcyclist who runs red lights without checking oncoming traffic is more commonly known as "Organ Donor A" or simply "the deceased". It's a self-correcting problem - once again, the folks that would run the light without looking will run it whether or not there's a ticket at stake, whereas guys like me who prefer to stay within the confines of the law will breathe easier knowing that should we finally traverse the intersection against the red light we're covered under the law.

I think this is a net positive step for motorcyclists.

That is all.

My Favorite Game!

It's time once again for my favorite game, "Guess Jay's New Gun!" Yes, there has been a new addition to the G. armory which will debut tomorrow. No, it's not a grail gun (nor a S&W BG 380, JP!). It's something that I may have mentioned in passing from time to time but never seriously pursued - I more or less had it fall in my lap. Here's a hint: It's something that's going to allow for a lot of options, and will most likely result in several "hey, what do you think about _X_" type posts in the coming months.

So, what are your guesses for the new gun?

That is all.

Tactical *and* Practical

I review several "tactical" rimfire rifles today at Guns, Holsters, and Gear.

I included the Ruger SR-22 because it's a factory offering - there are dozens if not hundreds of different kits for the Ruger 10/22 out there, everything from Krinker conversions to dual receiver utilizing gatling gun conversions. Everything else is an original rifle, with the Smith & Wesson and SigSauer offerings built to mirror their centerfire brethren, the GSG-5 capitalizing on the popularity of the HK MP5, and the Walther G22 as the odd-man-out bullpup variant.

Whether you want a low-cost rimfire trainer or just something that looks cool you can use on the pistol range, there's a tacticool .22 available.

That is all.

Day At the Museum...

With the kids' February vacation drawing to a close, we're taking them to the Museum of Science in Boston for the day. The M0S has been a perennial favorite of the G. family, so much so that we get season's passes every year - we make it in two or three times a year, and the perks that come with the membership, along with the savings, make it quite worthwhile. Even with gas, tolls, and parking it's a relatively inexpensive day in Boston. And it's not terrifically hard to get to, either!

The Museum of Science is a fun trip. There's some stuff that was there when I was a kid, about TheBoy's age, that I remember from school field trips and the occasional trip in with Mom G. Heck, they've still got a mock-up of the Apollo capsule in the Space section and construction vehicles that date to the late 1970s. I can't help but think it's a ploy to appeal to my generation by keeping some of the exhibits we grew up with; of course, that's a pretty good strategy IMHO. Give mom & dad something to check out when they come in with the kids, they might come back...

Every time we've been to the museum, the kids have have a great time. It's big enough that there's always an area that we didn't explore the last time we were in; and since we get there on a quasi-regular basis, it's not a big deal if we don't hit all the exhibits. We'll typically "divide and conquer" - I'll take TheBoy, the Mrs. will take BabyGirl G., and we'll go visit exhibits independently. We'll meet up for shows and lunch and such, and regularly perform kid-swaps, finding that keeping them separated makes everyone happy.

Go check out a museum the next time the kids are bored - it might just surprise you!

That is all.

Gonna Pay for That...

Every year over February vacation the PTA organizes a trip to the local roller skating rink for the elementary school kids and their families. Mrs. G. and I alternate years and this year was my turn to bring the kids (hence why I'm on vacation this week), and BabyGirl G. asked to bring a friend.

I had no idea that eight year old girls could giggle that much, really, I didn't...

Everyone had a good time; BabyGirl G. has balance issues on the roller skates, but TheBoy took to inline skates like he was born on them, only falling a couple of times the entire two hours we were there. I noticed him checking out the girls while we were at the roller rink; it's only a matter of time before he starts realizing they're not so yucky. I even got to meet the little redhead girl who has a crush on him - it's cute now, but in a few short years I'm going to have to put him on a short leash...

I think that I might be on the hook for not one but two pairs of inline skates, as he and I had so much fun skating around that we're going to be looking for a place or places to go skating in the springtime. I used to rollerblade back in college and graduate school, and only got out of practice when our basement flooded and ruined my skates. Looks like it's time to get a new pair...

All I know is that I'm going to be sore tomorrow, which is unfortunate, because I'm taking the kids to the Museum of Science...

That is all.

Confusing...

An agency in MA did something right? They solved a problem without passing a new law or further impacting the law-abiding? Have I woken up on bIzarRo woRlD or something?

MBTA Charges Snake Owner For Red Line Clean Up

BOSTON (CBS) — The woman who lost her snake on a Red Line train in Boston in January is now being ordered to pay the MBTA $600. Melissa Moorhouse lost her 3-foot boa “Penelope” at some point between Park Street and Andrew stops. The snake had been draped over her shoulders.

The snake was missing for several weeks a commuter spotted it and alerted a train attendant at the Savin Hill station. The MBTA took the train out of service to search it.

It's quite simple. Break the rules, pay the consequences. I'm shocked that no ARDL (Anti-Reptile Defamation League) has come forward denouncing this action. The simple matter is that snakes are allowed on the "T", but in a pet carrier. If you want to ride the subway with your snake, it needs to be a in carrier, not loose. End of discussion. No carrier, then you're liable for any clean-up if the snake gets loose.

What's so amazing is that this happened in Massachusetts. There weren't calls for "Assault Snake Bans". No one wanted to restrict snakes in MA to 10' or less. There's no Approved Snake Roster (well, there might be, actually...). There was an existing law that was broken, and the punishment was dealt in accordance to pre-existing law. What a novel concept!

Massachusetts: Some kinds of pythons are okay, while other Pythons are not...

That is all

Really Cool...

Found in my inbox today was a link to this video:

FIFI ICAS Cut from Hangar Workshop Productions on Vimeo.

That's the only flying B-29 Superfortress in existence right there. That's a piece of history live and direct, in aluminum, steel, and glass. Four engines drive four propellers to get the B-29 airborne and keep her there, and it sported numerous advances taken for granted to day, like pressurized cabins and fire control systems. It's also the model used to deliver the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, adding to the uniqueness of this aircraft - the only bomber to ever deliver a nuclear payload.

Pretty darn cool to see one up in the air.

That is all.

Can't Decide On This One...

Yankeefried sent me the following head-scratcher. I can't tell which side of this irks me more:

Gift limits for teachers irk givers, recipients

That $25 gift card to Miss Brown for all her hard work through the school year? Could be more trouble than it’s worth. And don’t even think of getting something costing more than $50, no matter how good she was with the children.

A new state advisory on the rules governing gift-giving to public school teachers is causing a stir for the second straight year, with good government advocates saying big gifts to teachers can be seen as attempts to influence and parents griping about restrictions and red tape.

The problem is many-fold. The giving of gifts can become the stuff of legend, with each parent trying to out-lavish the next; in certain instances it's easy to see how a well-to-do parent might "thank" a teacher for helping their child more than the average parent. It's also equally interesting to see the teachers and teacher's unions fall over themselves scoffing at the idea that lavish gifts might have an effect on the teacher's perception of the student... Of course teachers are immune from the forces that act on every other human on the planet...

Good, bad, or indifferent, them's the rules folks - you take the King's shilling, you dance the King's dance...

That is all.

Numerically Fitting...

Brad_in_ma reminded me that today is AR-15 Day (2/23). Here's some firearms chambered therein:

1. AR-15 (Smith & Wesson M&P15 shown). Civilian version of the military's storied M-16. About as many manufacturers putting them out as 1911s (if not more).

---

2. Ruger Mini-14. Initially produced as a smaller version of the military's M-14, the Mini-14 was Ruger's "answer" to the AR-15.

---

3. Bolt Action (CZ 527 pictured). The potential for highly accurate results out of the .223 Remington round yields some highly impressive bolt action rifles.

---

4. Pump Action (Remington 7615 shown). The .223 Remington is so wildly popular that Remington designed a pump action rifle around it as a patrol rifle for police officers already familiar with the slid action of the 870 shotgun.

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5. AR-15-based Pistols (Bushmaster AP-21 pictured). For those who really want to stretch the definition of "pistol-caliber"...

---

6. My favorite .223 Remington: Why, my own, of course:

---

What's your favorite firearm in .223 Remington?

That is all.

Jack Sparrow They Ain't...

Americans slain by captors on hijacked yacht; pirates killed, arrested

(CNN) -- A round-the-world boating adventure ended tragically Tuesday for four Americans, whom pirates shot to death after capturing their yacht in the Indian Ocean last week, U.S. officials said.

The 58-foot vessel, named the Quest, was being shadowed by the military after pirates captured the ship off the coast of Oman on Friday. Officials had said earlier Tuesday it was less than two days from the Somali coast.

To get the disclaimers out of the way first: Hunt them down, kill them, burn their bodies, and level any ports that grant them asylum. Make it so incredibly costly that the governments that turn a blind eye to the piracy off their shores will start cracking down on the pirates on their own - then we'll start seeing less of these stories.

What puzzles me, though, is this:

The Adams, Macay and Riggle had been traveling with yachts participating in the Blue Water Rally since their departure from Phuket, Thailand, rally organizers said Sunday on the event's website. The group, which organizes long-distance group cruises, said the Quest broke off on February 15 after leaving Mumbai, India, to take a different route.

In one of the more dangerous sections of the world, they leave the group to go off on their own? I understand the call of the open sea (even if I've never felt it myself, odd though it may be living so close and all), but there needs to be some semblance of sanity and/or self-preservation. Sailing through waters where pirates are known to congregate in a large yacht flying American flags is just ripe for problems. Not that they deserved what happened - far from it - but that, yet again, a little common sense could have prevented a senseless tragedy.

Now, let's see the remaining pirates hanging from a yardarm...

That is all.

Another One - From An Unusual Location...

Commenter chiefjaybob sends in the second DGC of the day... this one's from Daleyland, though!

Cops: Burglar shot dead by SE Side woman

A woman today shot and killed a man who Chicago police said was breaking into her South Chicago neighborhood home on the city's Southeast Side.

Police said the victim heard glass breaking in her basement on the 8200 block of South Kingston Avenue at about 10 a.m.

Gee, didn't handguns used to be illegal in Chicago? I wonder what the powers-that-be expected a single woman to use against two invaders, one armed with a tire iron? One can only wonder if wunderkind Rahm Emmanuel supported the former ban - would he prefer his subjects constituents be at the mercy of the young and the strong? (That's rhetorical).

Gun control: Because a woman with her head caved in by a crowbar-wielding thug is morally superior to a Dead Goblin Count addition...

Dead Goblin Count: 131

That is all.

News of the EEEEEYIKES...

From PISSED:

Record-Crushing 327-Pound 'Dinosaur Fish' Caught

Looking for all the world like the cross between an alligator, a fish and dinosaur, the alligator gar is the largest freshwater fish in America. And with two rows of teeth, the predatory fish is also terrifying.

So you can imagine his surprise when Kenny Williams, from Vicksburgh, Miss., stumbled across what is being called the largest one ever caught on February 14. The tremendous fish measured 8 feet, 5 inches long, weighed 327 pounds, and was 48 inches around, reported WAPT.com.

Tell me this thing isn't the stuff of nightmares:

I now completely understand Robb's open carry fishing events...

That is all.

Chalk (Outline) Another Goblin...

Readers Scott and Kevin both sent me the following story (thanks!):

Police: Detroit pizza delivery man fatally shoots man in robbery attempt

Detroit — A pizza delivery man thwarted a robbery attempt Sunday night when he fatally shot one of the men allegedly trying to rob him on the city's east side.

The man was making a delivery about 9:55 p.m. on the 20200 block of McCormick when he was approached by three men, Detroit police spokesman Yvette Walker said.

At least one of the men was armed, police said. The delivery man pulled a handgun and shot at the suspects, killing one of them. The man who died was in his late teens or early 20s, police said.

Perhaps if more pizza delivery guys shot muggers dead, the criminals would get the idea that it's not worth the $25 to get shot? Well, then again, like the post yesterday showed where the imbecile tried to rob a gun store with an empty gun, criminals don't tend to be the sharpest knives in the drawer. At least in this case the delivery guy wasn't killed for the $20 he had on him like what happens all too frequently. In this case, the good guy was armed and was able to prevail despite three armed assailants.

Pepper spray or whistles don't work as well as .38 Special no matter how much we'd like it to be so...

Dead Goblin Count: 130

That is all.

Range Day!

Took a long overdue trip to the range yesterday afternoon. Given the recent global warming snowstorms, access to the range has been intermittent at best (it's a volunteer operation, and folks selfishly insist on clearing their own driveways before the range!). Grabbed all the pistols what need cleanin' plus the 10/22 (had a couple new magazines to break in) and hit the range. It was more crowded than usual (there was another person on the pistol range and three people on the rifle range), but it cleared out pretty quick.

Out of curiosity, I put up one target per firearm, and wound up with this:

Not Horrific

(forgive the lousy cell phone camera shot, it was all I had...)

Notes:

• Distance is 25 feet
  
• Top row: 10/22 on left, 22A on right
• Middle row: S&W 242ti on left, S&W 34 on right
• Bottom row: Sig P226, S&W SW1911
• Each target is 2X capacity per firearm
• Revolvers were shot double action
• 10/22, 242, and P226 were fired rapid fire
  

I also brought some orange clays to break on the 25 yard berm as well as my 4" steel plate for non-paper shooting. The steel plate wound up going back in the truck as the ground was frozen solid and I couldn't get it propped; the clays were fun but gone far too quickly.

Observations:

I had a better time switching between "target" and "defensive" practice than I normally do. I chalk this up to having gone so long between sessions (ahem...) The double action work on the 242 is nice, but I'm still getting used to it - most rounds landed where they were supposed to, which for a 2" barrel DAO revolver isn't too bad... The P226 and the SW1911 continued to function flawlessly, with the P226 surpassing 300 rounds without cleaning (this is a big deal for me) and the Smith working perfectly even with dirty surplus ammo. I am surprised at how much I like that Smith...

The Ruger and the S&W 22A continue to amaze me as to how accurate they are - the Smith was definitely succumbing to grit and grime (fourth outing of 100+ rounds) yet still put 90% of all shots in the center ring. The $35 Leapers UTG red dot sight continues to impress as well, maintaining zero and still capable of directing the Ruger right on target (clays and pieces of clays) at 25 yards. Might be time to think about picking up a second 10/22 to turn into a target rifle... The Ruger also had its first FTE since it was last cleaned - easily 500 rounds prior - so it got a quick scrubbing last night along with the rest - yes, I broke down and cleaned the Sig and the Smith as well...

And lastly, as the wise folks over at Box 'o' Truth are fond of saying, shooting stuff is fun...

That is all.

Coulda Shoulda Woulda...

Man... Criminals these days are getting dumber, aren't they? Mopar sends in the following knee-slapper:

Would-be robbers end up losing money as stickup goes wrong

Two men Thursday used an unloaded revolver to try to rob a Northland gun store, even though the clerk wore a shoulder holster with a semiautomatic handgun in plain view.

Not surprisingly, the holdup failed miserably. In fact, the robbers lost $40.

(emphasis mine)

Man, talk about a Darwin candidate:

1. Unloaded gun;
2. Gun store;
3. Clerk OPENLY CARRYING a firearm.

How much dumber could he have gotten? Maybe hold up a police station? A Northeast bloggershoot? I don't see how much more poorly this yutz could have chosen. Victim selection fail. Robbery venue fail. Armed robbery preparedness fail. FAIL FAIL FAIL.

And yet still, the clerk held his fire. If ever there was a situation where someone could not have been more justified in using lethal force, I can't see it. Gun stores, unless you live under a rock and have the situational awareness of a braindead gerbil, are generally only slightly less well guarded than the President. I have yet to frequent a gun store that didn't have multiple openly armed employees - much like the man behind the counter. Yet dumbo insisted on going through with his ill-fated scheme...

All truth be told, I prefer this outcome to a DGC addition - while it's always good when a goblin meets his deserved fate, at least the clerk is spared the messy and taxing task of administering a 230 grain lesson...

That is all.

Late Winter AD Dinner/Shoot Blogmeet Update Redux...

As I mentioned previously, the inimitable Ambulance Driver will be here in a week's time. We're doing our customary dinner & shoot, and figured it couldn't hurt to post one last reminder.

Once more:

What: Third Annual Meet, Greet, and Shoot for Ambulance Driver

When: Sunday, February 27th, 8 PM for dinner; Monday, February 28th, 10 AM for shoot.

Where: Dinner at Carrabba's in Peabody; shoot possibly at Harvard Sportsmen's Club in Harvard MA if we can find a sponsor (TheFaz has generously offered to host, if he's available then I think we're all set at HSC).

Why: Um, because it's Ambulance Driver? Because getting together with like-minded, freedom loving people to talk shop, listen to the master raconteur, and/or fling lead downrange is always a good time?

Who:
Ambulance Driver
TOTWTYTR
SCI-FI & B
Weerdbeard
Libertyman
your humble host

---

One slight hitch... As it turns out, I have a work commitment on Monday that I cannot miss. Regrettably, I will have to miss the shooting part of the event. We have an offer at HSC (where we've had the past two AD shootin' events) for hosting if TheFaz is amenable; otherwise the group is small enough for a local shoot. I'll be happy to get folks in touch with one another for the shooting part, but I will not be able to attend. Sorry folks.

Let me know if you're interested in attending the dinner, the shoot, or both!

That is all.

On The Lighter Side...

...I give you the headline of the day:

Police break up brawl at Chuck E. Cheese

TOPEKA | Police were called to settle a fight that erupted between adults celebrating separate birthday parties at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant.

Officers responded to the child-oriented restaurant Saturday night after a disturbance started inside and spilled out into the parking lot, Capt. Bill Cochran said.

If you've ever gotten into a fistfight at a child's birthday party, you might be a redneck.

That is all.

Durn Kids!

I probably shouldn't post this, but right now I just gotta vent. I just got this e-mail from my kids' school:

Dear [G-land Town Elementary School] Families,

I am very sorry to inform you that we have had a case of vandalism to our school early Sunday morning. The damage came from the outside in the form of broken windows. No classrooms or equipment in the school were damaged. The [G-land] Police are investigating. The custodial staff is cleaning up the glass. The Town has hired contractors to board up the damage with the hope of having the windows repaired this week before the children return from vacation.

The Main Office and Special Education Office will be open Tuesday- Friday. The rest of the building and grounds will be closed off in order to allow for clean-up and repairs.

Enjoy the week with your children.

Thank you,

[Mrs. Principal]

Words cannot express how angry I am about this. This is my kids' school, dammit. Odds are it's local kids, teenagers most likely, out on a Saturday night with nothing to do. In the grand tradition of juvenile delinquents everywhere, they decided to spent it destroying the learning environment for the town's young children. Great job, you big heroes. Wasting money, ruining things, all because you had nothing better to do.

I hope, fervently, that someone saw something. A license plate, a general description, anything. Find these bastards, make them clean up the mess, make them (or their parents, depending on age) make restitution for the damage caused, and then, when it's all done, lock them in the stocks in the town square so we can pelt them with rotten fruit. Either that or, if they're of age, ship let them decide to join the armed forces to get straightened out.

In the general scheme of things, it's not a big deal, really. Yeah, it's gonna cost the town - and of course here I mean the taxpayers - a chunk of money. They had to call the maintenance guys in on a Sunday to clean up the glass; a contractor was called to board up the windows; they're going to be working fast (read: $$$$$) to get new glass installed before the kids are back in school next Monday (it's February vacation this week). No one got hurt, nothing was stolen, no classrooms were vandalized. More than likely the kids will only know that something happened by way of the grapevine. It still rankles, though.

All of a sudden, Heinlein's ten lashes in the public square sound like a wonderful idea...

That is all.

Homely Arms, LLC.

Today we attempt to answer the age-old question: What would an FFL that sold only ugly guns stock? Now, we don't mean bubba'd old milsurps or franken-1911s. Anyone with a dremel and a decided lack of talent can make a good gun look ugly. In that same vein, we're not counting a normal gun with garish gold accents or tiger stripe paint scheme. No, these are just plain ugly right out of the box...

To some, the Chiappa Rhino is a work of art. To others, it's butt-ugly:



Then there's the Nambu. It looks like they started building a robust auto-loader, then threw a Bic pen casing on the end.



Of course, who could ever forget the Grendel P-30 without the aid of powerful psychotropic agents?



Some may argue that the inherent shootability and accuracy of the HK P7 make it beautiful, but that grip profile says otherwise.



For just plain yuck, there's the Iver Johnson Hammerless:



And rounding out an even half-dozen ugly handguns, the Semmerling LM4. I think the picture is so bad because the LM4 could only be photographed indirectly...



So, what other ugly guns did I miss?

That is all.

T-Bolt Will Be So Proud...

TheBoy has a new favorite song:



He caught me humming it the other day and asked me about it. So I looked it up on YouTube and played it for him. At first he was all "that's boring". And then I heard him in his room, singing it quietly. Next thing I know he's showing it to BabyGirl G., and then both of them are singing it in the family room...

At least they're not unreasonable...

That is all.

Okay, So There Are Advantages...

...to the snow. Just dug out the snowshoes from ages ago (so long ago we only had three pairs, as we got them when BabyGirl G. was still small enough to be pulled in the LL Bean sled). Got them set up for the kids (TheBoy is wearing the shoes we got for Mrs. G. And they fit fine) and we took a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood in our snowshoein' finest. Given the recent warmup and re-freeze, it's doubtful that the snowshoes were really needed, but the kids got a kick out of snowshoeing in the backyard.

There are some advantages to the New England winter...

That is all.

Love It!!!

You really need to be from the Northeast to fully appreciate this:



"...screamin' go back to Taxachusetts" - I think I spit out my coffee on that one...

That is all.

Customer Service FAIL

So, I called up Sirius to cancel my subscription. You can't cancel online; it has to be over the phone. I call into the toll-free number they provide on their mailings, and am told that it will be an eight (8) minute wait.

After thirty (30) minutes the call appears to be disconnected. No sound, no more hold music, nothing. I'm waiting for the dial tone when finally cheerful customer service person comes on the line. We run through the "how can I help you today" routine, and she still tries to sell me more service.

Um, no - you just made me wait on the phone for a half an hour (22 minutes longer than I was told) to cancel my subscription. You're not about to get me to change my mind by offering me a "deal" that's only saving me $20 over the course of the year.

I'm through paying for radio, thanks...

That is all.

Shocking News...

Most states don't follow mental health gun law

ATLANTA — More than half the states are not complying with a post-Virginia Tech law that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with a system of national background checks to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.

The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states haven't supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the U.S. could be running names of would-be buyers against a woefully incomplete list.

Now, I'm very skeptical of the program to begin with. If someone is too mentally ill to own a firearm, they're too mentally ill to be out amongst the general population. A firearm is but a single tool with which a deranged person can inflict mayhem on their fellow man; prohibiting someone from owning a firearm on the basis of mental illness does nothing to stop them from plowing their car into a crowd, stabbing people at random, or any number of other ways of inflicting mayhem, injury, or death.

However, it provides a jim-dandy backdoor method of slowly removing guns from the hands of the law-abiding. Start with "grave danger to themselves or others", then add in domestic violence, etc. Before you know it, wanting to own a gun will be a sign of mental image worthy of disqualification... Again, as with felons who have served their jail sentence, if they're stable enough to walk among the rest of us, they should not be barred the ownership of one type of tool.

And one last parting shot:

The states that have failed to submit any mental health records are: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Dakota.

Yeah. The "you're more likely to live here" state of MA, with its draconian gun laws has not complied with the law.

Let me get my shocked face.

That is all.

Mea Culpa...

Y'know, it just dawned on me that there were two glaring omissions from the MArooned blogroll:

1. Guns, Holsters, and Gear

and

2. Gunsforsale.com

That has now now been rectified.

That is all.

More Money Than Brains...

Check this out:

Aeron Chair

It's the most well-known ergonomic office chair ever made. With good reason. The first to replace upholstery with the breathable, form-fitting Pellicle suspension that adapts to virtually every body and keeps you cool and focused.

It's also $869!

I don't care if this is the greatest damn chair in the charted universe; for over 850 bucks it had better give me sweet, sweet lovin' and then mow my lawn...

That is all.

Ten Second Blogroll Update...

Just a few additions to the blogroll today:

1. insert witty title here. Falnfenix likes guns, motorcycles, and Michael's holsters. Plus I'm going to meet her in a couple of months at the NRA convention. She puts up with Mike W., too, from what I hear...

2. Raptor's Nest. Raptor's blogroll has me sandwiched in between the Mad Ogre and Monster Hunter Nation. That's a pretty awesome place to be when you think about it...

3. RomeoTangoBravo. Hmm. Gear reviews. Videos. General gun information. That format seems naggingly familiar...

---

Welcome aboard to the new folks, and the standard disclaimer applies...

That is all.

Earning the Appellation...

There is a reason the GOP is nicknamed "The Stupid Party"...

Lawmakers in N.H. push for repeal of gay marriage

Now, conservatives in the Republican-controlled State House in New Hampshire are looking to roll back the 2009 legislative vote. Yesterday, legislators heard testimony at a heavily attended hearing on two bills that would repeal same-sex marriage. The sponsors of the bills recommended that the House not act on them until next year, citing the need to focus on the economy. But Republican House leaders promised their support for repeal, and conservatives vowed to make gay marriage a major issue in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary.

*facepalm*

If you acknowledge that you need to focus on the economy, why in blue blazes are you introducing this bill now? That's not the worst part, though. There's mention of them reading Bible verses while the bill was being debated. That's not the worst part.

What's the worst part, you ask? This:

"It’s imperative that government only promote the best, most ideal household arrangements,’’ said state Senator Raymond White, a Republican.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Look, I'll make it simple for you dolts.

The. Government. Has. NO. DAMN. BUSINESS. In. "Household. Arrangements".

None. It's crap like this that provide fodder to the stereotype that the GOP wants to peek into people's bedrooms. I don't want the government promoting any household arrangement. I want them printing the damn money, killing people in foreign lands who would purport to do us harm, and maintaining the damn roads. End of list.

When it comes to gay marriage, please do us all a favor and STFU, kthanx?

That is all.

Things That Do NOT Go Together...

Staying up late reading "Unintended Consequences", then seeing a cruiser parked two doors down while you bring out the weekly trash.

Paranoia may destroy ya...

That is all.

Perfect Storm of Fail...

The Big Guy is trying to wrestle the title of "He who sends me the most stuff that makes me scratch my head" away from PISSED. He sends this delightful story of WHAT THE HELL:

SI girl kidnaps toddler for revenge in Hot Pocket incident

A teenager angry at being smacked by her Staten Island lover on Valentine's Day for eating his last microwaveable munchie sought revenge by kidnapping the man's 3-year-old daughter, law enforcement sources said.

Aliyah Austin, 16, swiped the little girl from her Mariners Harbor home on Tuesday at about 7 p.m., four hours after the 29-year-old man had left for work, the sources said.

1. Man hitting woman. FAIL.
2. 16 year old girl, 29 year old dude? FAIL.
3. Over a Hot Pocket. FAIL.

This story will stand as Exhibit A the next time some ivory tower pinhead starts pontificating about how NY is so much more enlightened than [insert southern state here]...

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #202

Today's gun pic is another reader's gun. ErnestM read my article on small slim 9mms and noted that there wasn't a picture of a Walther PPS in the article. So he sent one in!

Police Pistol Slim

The discerning eye will note that this PPS has the 6 round magazine installed, with the 7- and 8- round magazines in the foreground. Having the different sizes is nothing new - my Glock G30 has both 9- and 10- round magazines available, with the 9-round magazine seating flush while the 10-round magazine extends slightly (and can have a pinky rest base plate). I'd really like to shoot one of these - I've shot the Kahr PM9 (a couple, actually) and found them to be manageable (barely, but then again I am the guy that shoots the Snubbie from Hell™, so...) It would be interesting to put a few magazines through one, that's for sure.

Thanks for sending her in Ernest!

That is all.

One More (Last) Quick Note...

There's been a lot of comparisons of the OC movement to the Civil Rights or GLBT movements.

Trouble is, those movements were (are) fighting against existing law. The OC movement - specifically those carrying longarms - are within the law but angling for wider acceptance. There's a difference. That's why some have been calling for a more civil tone. Nothing more. If you're not breaking the law, then you're making a point - and there is nothing wrong with that. Just be polite while you're making it. That's all we're saying. Not that you shouldn't make the point, just that you should act as an ambassador for the OC movement.

If you're going to insist on the "OC'ers are the new Rosa Parks", then you have to break an unjust law to complete the analogy. Open carrying where it's legal but rare is raising awareness - to fight the unjust law, it needs to be done somewhere OC is illegal, like Chicago or Texas. Start open carrying there to protest the law if you're going to be using the Civil Rights analogy.

Otherwise, drop the "we're the Rosa Parks of the gun rights movement" argument, because it doesn't fit.

That is all.

Be Careful In There...

The Big Guy e-mails me with some observations made even more relevant by recent news...

Hi Jay-

I wanted to share a couple observations with you regarding home invasions & self-defense shootings.

I set up 2 Google Alerts, one for Self Defense Shooting and one for Home Invasion Shooting back in December... I've been looking at the results- they are emailed to me as soon as they are found on the Inr3rwebz. I get about 30 per day- some are reportings of court cases, press releases from State Attorney offices, etc, but the majority are incident reports.

First observation: There is a crapload of them.

Second: These days, MOST home invasions that involve shootings are drug house related. I.e. - Someone is breaking into a house where drug deals go down, and they get their ass shot off, or the homeowner gets shot, or both are injured/killed and the police are lolz.
(I don't forward the drug-related shootings to you...Goblins that prey on goblins shouldn't be included in the tally, IMHO.)

I agree, by and large. Goblins getting killed by other goblins generally don't make the count. If it's a homeowner with a joint sitting on the coffee table, or a warrant for unpaid parking tickets, that's one thing. Gerry Gangbanger getting shot by Therri Thug in a battle over drug turf doesn't count...

Third: Since my search is generic and I don't specify WHO gets shot, it seems a huge number of the reported (newsworthy?) home invasion shootings are about homeowners getting shot during a home invasion.

When I originally set up the search, I expected to see more fodder for the DGC, but I'm finding the results more distressing...I've shared my results with some folks in my social circle and quite a few non-shooters have started watching local news reports with opened eyes and have made arrangements for trips to the range with me for Intro to Guns - Self Defense 101.
Like 10 people in the last 2 weeks...

Just though you find it interesting- and curious if you had any observations in this area. (Perhaps stuff forwarded to you that doesn't make the cut for the DGC?)

I tend to get the ones with the happy ending - where the bad guy kicks in the door and is met with a shower of lead for his troubles. These don't bother me - let's face it, that's an occupational hazard when your job description reads "Goblin". Generally the ones where the homeowners are the ones that wind up on the wrong side of the gun don't make it to the inbox - although I do see a fair amount in the news in general.

It's a hard metric to track - generally the only time home invasions make the news outside of the immediate area is when something goes horribly wrong. Reporting on a break-in where thieves rush in, steal some consumer electronics, jewelry, and cash and get out is likely to be more of the blurb status; only when folks get hurt does it become a nightly news type event. Even the definition of a home invasion is subject to discussion - some might consider a break-in where someone was home to be a home invasion off the bat; others might claim that it has to be the intent of the invader(s) to catch folks at home.

In any case, it's bound to be an extremely frightening event. "A man's home is his castle", as the saying goes; in a home invasion the single most important things stolen away - one that can never be returned - is one's peace of mind. Once the inner sanctum has been breached, one realizes just how thin the veneer of civilization is and how illusory the concept of "safety" is... There's plenty we can do to minimize the likelihood of invasion - home alarms, guard dogs, etc. - but the single most important thing, IMHO, is having the type of neighborhood that won't tolerate it. I complain about MA - rightfully so - but I know that in my neighborhood, a car parked outside my house that's not immediately recognized by the neighbors will more than likely have the cops called on it (this has actually happened to friends of mine back when I lived with my folks - we were meeting at my house, and I got stuck in traffic, so they wound up sitting outside the house for a bit. Since it was July, and quite hot out, they sat in their car with the motor running and the A/C on - and yes, one of my neighbors called the police).

And, of course, have a plan. It's your house. You have the home field advantage - use it! Stash a pistol safe somewhere in the living room. Hide a 5 D-cell maglight behind the couch. Keep the kitchen knives razor-sharp and have an extra couple in a drawer. You know your house. You know where you can keep something that could be used against an attacker where they wouldn't look. Make sure everyone in the house knows what to do in the event of an invasion - you practice a fire escape plan, right? Do the same with a "bad guy in the house" drill - don't scare the kids, but leave it as a "stranger danger" type learning event for them (this is what you do if someone gets in the house that shouldn't be there).

If in the unlikely event you are the victim of a home invasion, fight as if your life depended on it - because it may very well...

That is all.

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Day to Give Up Lisinopril...

PISSED sends in another story of gross incompetence when it comes to criminals...

Warning:

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

---

DA: Suspect fled to Ecuador

The last person known to have seen a 25-year-old Brockton mom and toddler alive has fled the country, prosecutors said yesterday.

Segundo Castro flew out of JFK airport in New York bound for Ecuador at 12:01 a.m. Monday, less than three hours after the bodies of two of his roommates — Ecuadorian immigrants Maria Avelina Palaguachi-Cela, 25, and her 2-year-old son, Brian Palaguachi — were found in a Dumpster behind their triple-decker, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said. The suspect was able to board the plane despite outstanding warrants for kidnapping and assault.

Quote of the entire story here:

“Obviously,” the district attorney said, “we’re in a system that does not work.”

YA THINK?!?!?!?!?

Outstanding warrants for kidnapping and assault and yet this dude just hops on a plane out of the country? Are you freaking kidding me? TSA agents go through a woman's receipts because she had too many deposit slips, but some dude skipping out of the country at midnight doesn't even raise an eyebrow. Great work folks! Can someone explain why we're scanning for people that might have too much money on them but NOT outstanding warrants for violent crimes? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

It gets even better:

Investigators are uncertain of Castro’s true identity because he has multiple aliases. But they know he has a pending warrant out of Milford for a 2007 assault and battery, two felony warrants out of New York for kidnapping with malice and assault, and a pending case in Brockton for assault with a dangerous weapon, Cruz said.

And yet he was out walking the streets of Massachusetts scot-free. Way to go MA "justice" system! But I'm the paranoid one because I carry a firearm for self defense. I live in a state that paroles violent criminals who are supposed to be serving multiple life sentence, can't incarcerate a violent criminal, and has patronage-inspired hacks running the parole board. Oh, but they sure want to throw me in jail for buying more than one gun a month or having a new P-mag...

This system ain't just broke, it's non-existent. Multiple aliases, outstanding warrants spanning state lines, a history of violence, and yet he's still out there among us. The system is incapable of keeping even the most dangerous criminals in jail, and yet they question why we want the means to protect ourselves. Here's a thought: keep the damn criminals in jail! I know it's a radical concept, but maybe someone serving seven life sentences should be in jail...

You can pass all the shiny new laws you want, but if you enforce them with the same vigor you enforce the old laws with you won't get a different result...

That is all.

The Rhino Charges!

Richard over at Guns, Holsters, and Gear reviews the Chiappa Rhino.

I've gotta say, this is one different-looking gun:


The Rhino is one of those guns that you either love or hate - very few people are on the fence about the styling. My impression of the trigger from the 2010 NRA Convention mirrored that of Richard's impression from 2010 SHOT - it's good to see that Chiappa has fixed that, because when I tried the Rhino it felt like trying to pull a 10 pound weight over 6 feet of gravel. Sounds like they've got it squared away now, though - Richard sure seems impressed with how it shot.

Go take a read - it's one interesting gun and a good review.

That is all.

Thursday Knife Pr0n...

Commenter Stretch was kind enough to send in this week's knife pic:


I'll let him tell you what they are:

Top three are samples from "east of Suez."

Leather sheath holds my old lineman's knife and scissors from when I installed phones and computers.

Next is a Scottish dirk. Useful when people make fun of me "wearing a skirt."

Crossed Kukris: bottom one is from Cold Steel. top one was a gift from a friend who had served at the US Embassy, Kathmandu.

An array of K-bar style knives, skene dhus, Swiss Army knife and tool as well as a Finnish puukko knife. Puukko knifes are excellent for filleting fish and Russians.

Bottom is a fiberglass "letter opener."

Very nice Stretch!

That is all.

Let Me Try My Hand At This...

On one side, we have Open Carry advocates who carry 9mm Glocks and iPhones. On the other side we have conceal carry advocates who carry 1911s in .45 ACP and use Androids. Which side wants abortion made illegal and the death penalty abolished, again? And which side prefers Chevys over Fords?

(There, that ought to cover it!)

That is all.

Robb's Done It Again...

Robb's using his skillz to produce graphics that make the Bradys cry:

(link to photo in this post)

I just hope that's a pre-ban graphic, otherwise I could be in trouble for presenting it...

That is all.

SSDD

Reader, commenter, blogshoot attendee, and good friend Brad_in_ma sends in the following story out of our beloved Volksrepublik that is becoming all-too-familiar:

Paroled killer Charles Doucette facing new charges

SALEM - Authorities say a convicted killer paroled in 2007 is facing new charges of assaulting his girlfriend.

The charges against 51-year-old Charles Doucette of Beverly are drawing renewed criticism of the state’s parole system, which came under fire when a parolee serving three life sentences killed a veteran Woburn police officer.

Brad asked if this would induce a rage-o-meter. I thought about it for a bit, and decided that, sadly, it wasn't all that rageworthy. I mean, after all:

1. He served 15 years on a second degree murder charge - for MA, that's gotta be a record;
2. It took him nearly four years to screw up again - once again, that's pretty amazing; and
3. At least he served more time than Louise Woodward (who was also convicted of second degree murder)...

The fact is, we don't put violent killers away for anywhere near long enough. It's not just Massachusetts, either - there's stories like this all over the country. In a backwards way, it's one of the reasons I support the death penalty for the most vicious killers out there. Because there is no such thing as life without parole in a lot of places, there's always a chance that some psychopathic maniac will be released in 15/20/25 years once the horror of their crimes has faded and folks have forgotten the savagery.

If we had an honest-to-goodness life in prison without the possibility of parole - and the option of seclusion should the prisoner prove to be too violent among the general population - I could relinquish my support of the death penalty. If we could guarantee that someone like Charles Manson would never come up for parole, if we could actually keep these monsters locked away, if there were actual punishment for these horrific crimes; then prison might mean something, and we'd be taking the worst of the worst off the street and keeping them locked up. There would be no need for the most final of solutions.

Since, for a variety of reasons, we cannot - or will not - sentence even the most violent criminals to actual life in prison, I have no choice but to support the death penalty. I don't like giving the state this option - we've seen over and over how badly the state can screw things up six ways to Sunday - but for cases where guilt is excruciatingly clear, it should be on the table at least. Unless and until we can guarantee the good, honest, peaceable folks that violent criminals will not walk out of prison after serving a fraction of their sentence, then we need to have the sword of Damocles available.

That and an armed populace - hence the DGC...

That is all.

Not An Addition, But...

Heh. Hunter sent this to me via e-mail, thinking (rightfully) that I'd enjoy it:

Woman nearly severs home intruder's hand with sword

FAIRBANKS -- A Fairbanks woman nearly severed a man's hand with a sword early Saturday morning as he was trying to break into her bedroom, according to Fairbanks police.

Police received a 911 call about 3:30 a.m. Saturday regarding a burglary in progress at a home in the Monroe Subdivison. When officers reached the home, they found a trail of blood leading through the house's kitchen and into its living room.

You just don't mess around with Alaskan women. Just don't. Had it been Sarah Palin she'd have shot, stuffed, and mounted his head on a plaque... In all seriousness, you have to wonder how many times something like this has to happen before the criminal element starts to get it. We have almost 130 cases of criminals getting dead in the commission of crimes; I'd wager that there's at least an order of magnitude more that we just don't hear about. One would hope at some point they'd get the hint and try a less dangerous line of work - like ice trucking or working in a Chilean mine...

Still, gotta hand it to that woman for keeping her cool despite the severity of the situation...

That is all.

Ice, Ice Baby...

PISSED sends along this little doozy:

You can even order it from Amazon! Think I might have to place an order before summer time rolls back around. It'd be a hoot to serve up some frosty summer beverages with little pistols floating in them - just the perfect thing to have on hand for a bloggershoot, actually...

Just be sure to point your ice cube tray in a safe direction and keep your finger off the margarita until you're ready to drink...

That is all.

MA: You're More Likely To Evade Prosecution Here...

Yankeefried sends the following interesting reading:

Analysis of Massachusetts Firearms Related Offenses

An analysis was conducted on firearms related offenses arraigned in the Commonwealth between 2006 and 2008 using data from the Criminal History System’s Board (CHSB).This report presents findings on the 26,723 firearms offenses charged in Massachusetts over the three year period.

It purports to be a non-partisan look at the defendants in all gun cases in MA and how they were prosecuted, broken down a myriad of different ways but basically all saying the same thing:

More than half (56%) of firearms related charged were dismissed or Nol Prossed.2

Only 13% of charges resulted in a term of commitment.

Only 13% of all gun-related criminal offenses actually result in jail time. Think about that. Every time you see a story about some gangbanger shooting up a crackhouse, there's only a one in eight chance they'll be incarcerated for illegal possession of a firearm. More than half the time the charges are dismissed - now, something tells me that it's not that the defendant was not guilty, but that the gun charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain or some other arrangement.

Let that figure sink in. MA has some of the most onerous gun laws in the nation. We're "may issue". A permit is required to simply own a firearm, even a longarm - hell, even a single piece of brass requires an FID card (that costs $100 for five years). We have an Assault Weapons Ban. We have an Approved Firearms Roster. We have all kinds of rules, laws, and consumer protection BS that dictate who can own firearms, what kind of firearms we can own, and what we can do with the firearms we are allowed to own.

And yet when someone breaks one of the thousands of gun laws in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, there's only a 1:8 chance they'll serve jail time for breaking that law. Why bother? If you're only going to prosecute every eighth criminal, is it worth having these laws on the books? Sure, the lawyer types will point out that the firearms offenses are bargaining chips - plead guilty to Charge X and we'll drop firearms charges Y, Z, and AA. But we're talking about felonies here - this isn't letting a parking ticket slide because you booted the car for unpaid traffic violations.

Unless and until we get serious about punishing folks for breaking the laws, we might as well not even have them on the books - unless, of course, the real reason for having such a legal minefield is to discourage the law-abiding citizen...

That is all.

Oh, Sure, Add One More...

Both The Big Guy and theunpaidbill sent me links to this DGC addition:

Belgrade man fatal shoots man in self defense

BELGRADE -- A Belgrade resident fatally shot a Minnesota man in self-defense early Monday morning, Nance County authorities believe.Robert Dodds, 30, of rural Belgrade shot Joseph William Cameron, 30, of Stacy, Minn., after the Minnesota man reportedly came after him with a knife.

(More information here: Minnesota man killed in Monday altercation)

As self-defense stories are often reported, this one is short on details. As it stands, it certainly looks like a case of self-defense - we have the kicked-in door and a weapon readily apparent. Unless further news becomes available, this looks like a case of the new "friends" Dodds made at the bar turned out to be not-so-friendly after all.

Dead Goblin Count: 129

That is all.

Silly Drug Runners...

Submarines don't belong in the jungle!

100-foot-long narco sub found in Colombia

The Colombian military has seized a 100-foot-long submarine capable of transporting eight tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, news reports say.

The vessel was found in a jungle area in Timbiqui in southwestern Colombia on Sunday, according to a report from RTT News.

Are Colombian drug lords getting their hobby tips from the guys that build airplanes in their basements? Now, I'm guessing that this was on or near a river that would allow access to the ocean, but this should be food for thought. Declaring "war" on drugs is foolish, misguided, and doomed to fail - obviously given the extreme lengths to which drug runners will go (like a homemade submarine) means that all the drug war has done is make millionaires out of petty thugs. Remove the incentive, remove the money, end the violence.

Someone willing to take to the open ocean in a homemade submarine just to get drugs around a border check isn't going to be dissuaded by silly PSAs with frying eggs...

That is all.

I Can't Let You Do That, Alex...

'Jeopardy!' debuts computer contestant Watson; WETA airs Watson documentary

After one night of competition, Watson the computer is pummeling Ken Jennings. Brad Rutter, another past "Jeopardy!" big winner, is neck and neck with the IBM creation. Watson has racked up $5,000 worth of correct answers, as has Rutter, and Jennings is eating their dust with a mere $2,000 in his kitty.

Computers competing on Jeopardy!??? Can Skynet be far behind?

That is all.