What It's All About...

NRA 2013 - 86,000 polite friends meetup in Houston

Go read the most excellent recap of Houston at the Knoxville Examiner. Liston - who I had the pleasure of meeting at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh in 2011 - encapsulates the feel of the NRA convention very well. Good exhibits, great people, friendly times, and clueless protestors. Yeah, that's about it. Although this time, there was cajun food *and* BBQ... While I enjoy seeing the new shiny, the real reason I go to the NRA convention is to meet up with my internet friends.

It's always a good time, and it's well-worth the trip.

That is all.

Only The Police Should Have Guns. They Have Training...

I really don't know what to think about this.

Hofstra student was killed by police, authorities say

MINEOLA, N.Y. – A Hofstra University student being held in a headlock at gunpoint by an intruder was accidently shot and killed by a police officer who had responded to the home invasion at an off-campus home, police said Saturday.

Junior public relations major Andrea Rebello was shot once in the head early Friday morning by an officer who opened fire after the masked intruder pointed a gun at the officer while holding the 21-year-old student, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said.

The cop did hit the bad guy 7 times out of 8, which - given the performance of other New York cops, puts him in the top 1% for marksmanship. It's that 1 other shot that missed the bad guy that did it. Now, this is about as bad as it gets for any kind of confrontation shooting - the perp had a lengthy criminal history, an actual illegal gun (serial numbers filed off), and had the victim in a headlock while heading for the exit. This is a split-second decision made by the officer, and had that one shot not hit the victim, he'd be hailed as a hero with his excellent marksmanship held up as an example for all to emulate.

But he didn't. He missed with that shot, and the person he was trying to save was killed as a result of that miss.  Now, I wasn't there. It is absolutely possible that the bad guy was going to shoot the cop, keep going, and kill the victim later anyways. It is entirely possible that we'd have two dead innocents rather than one dead innocent and one dead goblin.

Unfortunately, in life the no-shoots don't just cost you points.

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Still Laughing Here, Boss...

Several folks sent me this story.

Man put in closet where guns were; suspect shot

HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston police say a group of thieves broke into a house and forced a resident into a closet so they could ransack the place.

The closet chosen during the Tuesday afternoon home invasion was the one where the resident kept his guns.

Heh. Heheheheheheheheheheh... Now, see, a lot of folks sent this to me thinking I'd identify with the homeowner. There may be a few firearms (safely and legally) stored in my closet. The thing is, I don't think I would have engaged the burglars. Not that I'd be afraid to, mind you, but that I'd spend so much time trying to decide which of my guns I should grab that they'd finish ransacking the place and leave long before I ever got out...

This is one of those cases where what you *should* do and what you most likely *would* do are pretty divergent. Honestly, if you're the only person in the house, the smartest thing to do would be to arm up, call 911, and wait in the closet while covering the door. You're in a known area, they're not likely to just start shooting at you (else they would have killed you rather than stuff you in a closet), and you're armed should they hear the police and decide you'd make a good hostage.

But, really, how likely are you going to be to actually do that? Here you are, stuffed in your own closet by people ransacking your house. Your. Damn. House. And you're sitting a closet packed with your own guns? Oh hell no. Load up the AR or the Remington 870, and it's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum. You know the layout of your own house; they're certainly not expecting resistance, never mind armed resistance; and as this story showed, a determined homeowner trumps bumblin' burglars every time.

Obviously, a lot depends on your location. In a state like Massachusetts, you're a lot better off hunkering down, calling 911, and hoping your homeowner's insurance premium is paid up to cover anything that's stolen. Even though you may be perfectly justified in confronting the burglars, is it worth the legal costs from the civil suit? If there is no clear and present threat to you or your loved ones, it's a lot cheaper (and much less messy) to let insurance replace any items stolen than to shoot someone, no matter how righteous it may be.

In Texas, of course, they'll fine you for using too small of a caliber...

That is all.

Backin' Up The Numbers...

By happy accident, I also happened to get this video from the NRA today:

Maggie Reese is a 3-gun competitor who has even been featured on History Channel's “Top Shot.” Maggie is passionate about recruiting more women to her sport and educating the public about the types of firearms she competes with.

Please note the evil assault weapons that "serve no purpose except to kill a lot of people" being used in her participation in her sport. Not that I adhere to the "sporting purposes" BS that has been foisted on us for 45 years now, mind you; just another example of how the forces against freedom have to lie to move their agenda forward. They'd be perfectly happy to make the tools that Maggie uses to compete illegal; stripping her of the equalizers that allow her to best men twice her size in competition on a routine basis.

You know, because the forces against freedom support a woman's right to choose - so long as its not her means of self-defense...

That is all.

There Are Other Cool Things About This Future World...

This is an amazing story.

Scituate Man Gets Bionic Hand

SCITUATE (CBS) – A Scituate man is the first person in the United States to receive a high tech bionic hand. At age 14, Mike Benning lost his arm below the elbow to cancer.

Now, he’s cancer free and has the i-limb ultra revolution. It is the first upper limb prosthesis that can be controlled with a smartphone application.

There's a video at the link. It is so awesome, I have to re-post:



This is the stuff that, thirty years ago, was the realm of science fiction entirely. Controlled with an iPhone app. Simply amazing! It continues to amaze me to see how much progress I've seen in my life. My parents' generation was born in the aftermath of WWII - they grew up with the automobile, radio, and television; my generation grew up with video games, cable, and saw the birth of the personal computer. My children have always known smartphones, MP3s, and cheap personal electronics.

Life keeps getting better, doesn't it?

That is all.

Now THIS Is Some Good Friday Math!

NSSF Updates Firearms Retailer Survey Results

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- For the past five years, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has surveyed federally licensed firearms retailers across the country to find out what products are the biggest sellers and who is buying. NSSF has just issued the latest version of that report from an online survey conducted last month. The data shows which types of firearms and ammunition were most popular in 2012, and at the same time allows retailers to compare their businesses to that of other gun stores across the country.

Here's the real meat of the results:

• 84 percent of retailers surveyed reported that overall sales in 2012 exceeded sales from the previous year.
• 76.9 percent of retailers surveyed said sales of AR-style modern sporting rifles in 2012 exceeded sales from the previous year (60.1 percent), the largest increase in the firearms category.
• Retailers surveyed said that 25.8 percent of their customers were first-time firearm buyers in 2012 compared to 25 percent in 2011 and 20.8 percent in 2010.
• For the third year in a row, the number of female customers increased. For the year 2012, 78.6 of retailers surveyed said more women came to their stores, compared to 72.8 in in 2011 and 61.1 in 2010.

Sales are up, more ARs are selling than ever, more first time customers, more women getting into the shooting sports. I can't see any downside to this, I really don't - well, except for not being able to find ammo. New shooters of every kind, buying more firearms - and evil black rifles, to boot. The appeal of the AR-15  - whether because it's an excellent, modular platform or just contrarian "they want to ban it so I'll buy one" - continues to shine.

One thing is clear, though. When the forces against freedom tell you that gun ownership is on the decline? They're lying. When they tell you that it's just the same people hoarding guns? They're lying. When they tell you that "no one needs an AR", they're lying. When they tell you that only old white men own guns? They're lying.

Basically, if they're issuing any statement at all, they're lying - it's all they have.

That is all.

Don't EVER F**K With Mama Bear...

I love a story with a happy ending. Thanks to Joseph in IL for the feel-good story of the day.

Mom in NM chases down child abductor; man arrested

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said Thursday.

The young girl was playing in her yard at St. Anthony's Plaza Apartments in Albuquerque's North Valley about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when a group of teenagers saw the kidnapping and ran to alert the girl's mother, police said.

Madam, my hat is off to you. Chased him down, ran him off the road, and caused him to flee the scene in terror. The only way this could have been better would have been for you to have caught him, beaten him to within an inch of his life, and video with audio recording played at his court hearing so all the other prisoners hear him screaming as you beat his ass.

Don't mess with Mama Bear. Dad'll just kill your ass dead. Mama bear will make sure you suffer, first.

Little girl safe? Check.

Predator stopped? Check.

Predator captured? Check.

Predator never going to show his face in that town again? More than likely.

Excelsior, good woman; excelsior.

That is all

Friday Gun Pr0n #319

Today's gun pr0n comes to us courtesy of Formynder:

Yes, that really is one of the new IWI Tavors. In real life. Not vaporware. In stores for purchase. Really!

I'll let Formynder tell you about it:

16 inch barrel version. My first experience with a bullpup. I love it. The trigger is a little mushy, but I understand that is just how bullpups are due to having a trigger linkage. Feels kind of like the M16s I had in basic, the ones we joked about being left over from Vietnam. 

That being said, it's fun to shoot, just not as crisp as my RRA AR.

I first grew enamored with Israeli weapons when I got my Baby Eagle, still one of my favorite pistols.

He sent in a picture of the Baby Eagle, but I'm going to save that for another Gun pic. Funny story regarding arms from Israel. The other night, TheBoy started asking me about firearms while he played Call of Duty. Where they came from, who I thought made the best firearms, etc. He asked where the Uzi came from, and when I told him "Israel", he was surprised. Guess you just don't think of the birthplace of Jesus as being a hotbed of firearms production, but who knew?

All I know is I can't wait until their ban-compliant model comes out - I would love to try one of these for T&E!

That is all.

Same SQRPT Time, Same SQRPT Channel, Same SQRPT Subject...

If it's Thursday, it must be time for the Squirrel Report!

Last week we had intended to discuss the 142nd Annual Meeting of the National Rifle Association that was held in Houston, Texas at the beginning of the month. The poorly-attended protest, the after-parties; all was fair game for our discussion. Except, well, the best laid plans of squirrels and men (and Breda) meant that the audio portion of the show was, well, complexious...

Tonight we're hoping for better audio quality. Please join us as we discuss the NRA convention, plus I have a feeling we'll be talking about the recent plethora of items in the news, from the IRS admitting to auditing conservative groups to the FedGov listening in on AP phone calls (best response to that yet? The line about the Democrats just checking up on their employees)...

He's beginning to look a lot like Nixon, indeed...

So, join in the Squirrelly fun tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern time!

That is all.

I Think They Used The Wrong Word There...

NH Mom Confronts Intruder In Daughter’s Bedroom

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Police say a Concord man has been arrested on charges of burglary and sexual assault after a woman says she woke up and found a man in her daughter’s bedroom.

Police say 42-year-old David Mandigo was arrested Friday at his home after a daylong investigation.

Three o'clock in the morning I find a guy my age in my daughter's bedroom, the word "confronts" wouldn't be in the sentence. "Beat into a reddish brown smear", perhaps. "Shot 48 times with six different calibers", maybe. I walk into my daughter's room and find a man there, I guarantee you he will not be walking out of my house. Something tells me that, even in Massachusetts where self-help is actively discouraged, it would be difficult to find a jury of my peers that would convict me.

It sounds like the woman was surprised to find the man there and when she opened the door, he stopped his assault and ran away. She - and her daughter - were extremely lucky. Had he been a violent sort, this story could have ended much, much worse. I don't think she realized what she was in for when she opened the door to her daughter's room - but the fact that something told her she needed to check should have also clued her to arm herself...

Now, if my wife woke me up and told me she thought that someone was in our daughter's bedroom, I would grab the closest items at hand and investigate. I wouldn't bother to get dressed. So imagine the look on the guy's face when an irate, six foot tall shaved head biker looking dude in boxers shows up with a 5 D-cell Maglite in one hand and a Cold Steel Kukri in the other.

I'd have to hope my son catches the episode on video...

That is all.

Protesters On Film!

(Bonus points if you heard Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" in the post title).

Much hay was made over the "protest" at the NRA Convention. 20, maybe 30 protesters outside of a convention hall with over 86 thousand NRA members, and they had the audacity to claim to represent "90%" of Americans. Right.

I couldn't stop myself from making fun of them...



Special thanks to #1 blogdaughter for filling in for Sweet Daughter in the "pointing at hippies and laughing" part of the convention...

That is all.

"There's no way to rule innocent men"

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

-Ayn Rand

This story makes me sad.

Boxer arrested at NYC airport with handgun in locked box pleads guilty to disorderly conduct

NEW YORK – A boxer who was arrested at a New York City airport on gun charges has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

Robert Guerrero pleaded to the lesser charge in Queens on Tuesday. He was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 50 hours of community service.

Now, yes, I know. Part of traveling with a firearm - especially on an airplane - is knowing the laws of the area into which you are traveling. Guerrero should have done his homework and found out if the firearm he was bringing was allowed in NYC. Given how NY views non-residents and handguns (one word: DON'T), he'd have been much better off hiring a bodyguard for his stay in the city. And he got lucky, too - I wager the "disorderly conduct" charge has a much lighter penalty than a firearms violation.

It shouldn't be that way. He was obviously trying to play by the rules, as evidenced by the proper storage of the firearm unloaded and in a locked container. Had he traveled to the vast majority of the United States he wouldn't have been guilty of anything whatsoever; since he was in NYC, though, he faced a host of potential charges. It's not right; it's unconstitutional as all get-out; but, as of now, it's the law.

Sometimes, though, the law sucks pig doots and needs to be thrown on the ash heap of history...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

NRA Convention Pictures #7: Small Guns

And when I say small, I mean *really* small. This is the Miniature Arms Society display that's been at the NRA convention every year I've been there, and every year I stop for a good half hour or so and just marvel at the wonders...

Here's one, just for starters:

This is a one-half scale Marlin 1893 lever action rifle. It works. They have ammo for it. I think this was the largest firearm they had on display.

Here's a picture for scale:

That's a Colt Single Action Army with my camera lens cap for scale...

Here is a TEENY one:

That is a 1/6 scale Ingram Mac-10. The real Mac-10 is 10.5" long. Figure THAT out...

How do you make tiny firearms? Why, with this:

Yes, they have a miniature lathe to go with the tiny guns, and yes, it is real and does get used.

Lastly, what would happen if you had a tiny war? The sides would fight with tiny guns, of course!

Axis

Allies

I really wish I'd thought to hold something up for scale. As it was, it was challenging enough taking pictures through the glass. I was afraid if I asked to have something taken out of the case, I'd get too close and accidentally inhale one of the guns. Then, going through airport security there'd be hell to pay.

"Look out! He has a tiny Uzi in his colon!"

My mind is an interesting place. It's best not to think about it too much...

That is all.

I Know This Will Surprise You...

Senate budget includes $430M in new taxes

The state Senate introduced its $33.92 billion budget today, striking a middle ground in some cases between competing plans put out by Gov. Deval Patrick and the House but aiming short of some of the governor’s other lofty goals.

The plan calls for a $1.4 billion increase in spending, or a 4.4 percent hike — roughly $904 million lower than what Patrick recommended and $67.5 million lower than the House.

A 4.4% INCREASE in spending. And that's the more fiscally conservative number - Patrick's recommendation was roughly a 7.5% increase. And, this being Taxachusetts, they're going to fund this largesse by - you guessed it - taking more money away from the people that work for a living. Because nothing says "financial responsibility" like spending money you don't have and backing it up with promissary notes you can't support...

And meanwhile, as a parting shot, the few meager reforms specific to the rampant abuse of EBT cards were quietly eliminated from the budget. Yes, even in the wake of the Boston marathon bombers having taken thousands of dollars from MA public asssistance despite being ineligible, even the smallest of reforms is simply too much for the state of Massachusetts to undertake. Now, why is it when the NRA opposes unconstitutional measures that will not address the problem they were drafted to counter they're branded as "extremists", yet when the MA Governor ignores his own party's call for welfare reform, you can't hear the outrage over the crickets?

Like I said in my last post, don't answer that, it's rhetorical at this point...

That is all.

And On the Not-So-Light Side...

Here's something to infuriate you...

6 current and former San Francisco school employees face charges they embezzled millions

SAN FRANCISCO – Six current and former San Francisco school district employees are facing charges that they embezzled some $15 million in grant money from the district.

District Attorney George Gascon and Schools Superintendent Richard Carranza announced the felony grand theft and embezzlement charges on Tuesday. Prosecutors say the six diverted the federal and state grant money into hidden slush fund accounts through several nonprofits over a 10-year period.

Now, there's a whole bunch going wrong here. The six people charged bear the responsibility for the theft and fraud, of course, but where the hell was the oversight? In ten years, no one from the state or federal offices that oversaw grant distribution ever followed up? These grants were given to the San Francisco school district with no follow up on how the money was used? Shouldn't there be reporting requirements from using the grant money?

And then, there's the tidbit that three of the six are an associate superintendent and "two former senior executives". Say what? Why on earth does a city school district even HAVE "senior executives? How much, I wonder, do these "senior executives" earn in a year? And, lastly, I wonder how many "senior executives" have ever been faced with pink slips when there are budget shortfalls - like teachers and teacher's aides often are.

Don't answer that - it's rhetorical.

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)