Monthly Archives: December 2008

Another book reference

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I’m spending New Years Eve reading Gun Control On Trial by Brian Doherty. I previously mentioned a direct reference to me in the book from a quick scan I made. A few minutes ago I found another reference on page 53 which almost for certain is about me (and others) and Boomershoot:

I talked to lots of people in the “pro-gun” community, from those who enjoy detonating explosives with semiautomatic rife fire to dealers in highly regulated states like California.

I find it interesting that I am placed on the extreme end of the spectrum. I suppose it is fitting. And it reminds me of two quotes:

Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.

Thomas Paine

And:

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

Barry Goldwater

Update (23:15): I finished the book a few minutes ago. I found my name in the index too.

Also of possible interest to some is that my friend and Boomershoot promoter Stephanie Sailor was mentioned in the acknowledgments. It was via her encouragement that Doherty contacted me.

I’ll have more on the book tomorrow. And I have a great quote for the first day of the new year from the book.

Quote of the day–Walt Kelly

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If you wants to get elected president, you’se got to think up some memoraboble homily so’s school kids can be pestered into memorizin’ it, even if they don’t know what it means.


Walt Kelly
The Pogo Party
[Apparently, with todays public education, the memorization task has been simplified to remembering just two words; “hope” and “change”.–Joe]

A Report on Recent Days from Inside Israel

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I’ve posted some of Howard’s letters in the past.  He’s a journalist living in Israel, a lawyer, an IDF sniper trainer and counterterrorism specialist.  Here’s a list of his communications from the last several days.  I’ll preface them by pointing out that the Kassam rockets, mortars and etc., have been fired into Israel from the Gaza strip ever since it was ceded to the Palestinians, “ceasefire” or no “ceasefire”.  This makes the news only when the Israelis get around to shooting back.



Dec. 17, 2008


Friends:
 
What isn’t reported are the Kassams that continue to rain on my daughter’s college down south despite the fake cease-fire about to end (sorry, very sorry not a joke) in 48 hours.
 
Howard


===========================


Dec. 21, 2008


Friends:
 
We are in the Christmas and New Year’s home stretch.  Hanukah starts tonight.
 
My friends in local ERT units have been ordered to turn there IDF issued M16s back to the IDF.  They were given something like 72 hour notice.  The Israeli government only arms Fatah and allows Hamas and Hezbollah to arm themselves unhindered.
 
Have a good week.
 
Howard


===========================


Dec. 22, 2008


Friends:
 
Here is the latest.  So far still no significant effort to stop the rain of rockets!
 
\\\Howard


===========================


Dec. 24, 2008


Friends:
 
Traffic around the Old City and in the direction of Bethlehem was already clogged at 13:30 despite the cold, raw weather.
 
Down south the Gaza terrorists are setting a new record for the number of Kassam, Grad and mortar bombs being fired into Israel.  The reach of the rockets get farther and farther.  Only heaven knows if the Israeli government will act to stop the attacks.
 
Have a Merry Holiday.
 
Howard


===========================


Dec. 25, 2008


Season’s Greetings


=========================


Dec. 27, 2008


It has started.
 
Howard
—– Original Message —–
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 12:23 PM


Subject: CORRECTION: IDF SPOX ANN: IDF Targets Hamas Government Terroris Infrastructure In The Gaza Strip 


Dec 26th, 2008


IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT


Israeli Air Force aircraft, attacked a short while ago, a series of Hamas targets and infrastructure facilities, in the Gaza Strip. All Israeli pilots returned safely to their bases. The IDF will continue its operations against terror in accordance with constant state assessments held be the IDF Chief of General Staff. This operation will be continued, expanded and intensified as much as will be required.


The Air Force activity came as a result of the continuation of terror activity by Hamas terror organization from the Gaza Strip, and the duration of rocket launching and targeting Israeli civilians.


The targets that were attacked were located by intelligence gathered during the last months and include Hamas terror operatives that operated from the organization’s headquarters, training camps and weaponry storage warehouses.


The Hamas government leaders and operatives, which activate terror from within civilian population centers, are the sole bearers of responsibility for Israel‘s military response. This response is crucial for preserving Israel‘s security interests.


The IDF Spokesperson wishes to emphasize that anyone sponsoring terror, hosting terror in his house, housing terror in his basement and sending his wives and children to serve as human shields- is considered a terrorist.


The IDF will continue its activity against terror activities according to operational assessments held by the Chief of the General Staff.


The IDF is ready to widen and deepen its activity against all terror organizations in the Gaza Strip, as long as it is necessary.


In addition, the Homefront Command and emergency authorities, took all necessary measures for preparing the civilian population.


=========================


Dec. 29, 2008


Friends:
 
Israel only hit the terrorists after they fired 60 rockets into Israel proper in one day.  No one, the UN included said a word. 
 
Thousands of calls are placed to the cellular telephone of the civilians in the area of an impending strike before it takes place telling then to get out of harm’s way!!!
 
So far today (16:10) approximately 35 rockets have been fired into Israel.
 
Howard


==========================


Dec. 30, 2008


Friends:
 
Israel already has its back to the wall being attacked in the media worldwide.  Hamas is never mentioned.
The phone calls I told you about, being placed to civilians to get out of harm’s way, was reported on Israel radio network “B” at 06:00 today as having reached 90,000.  I called the IDF Spokesman’s Office and asked for confirmation of the report.  Rather than answering my question I was challenged as to who I was and for who I reported.  Send an Email I was told.  That was 6 hours ago.  So far no response.  And they can’t figure out how  winning the fighting on the ground doesn’t result in winning the war.
 
Howard


==========================


Dec. 31, 2008


Friends:
 
Not reported is today’s Israeli Supreme Court decision in favor of the Foreign Press Association permitting reporters access to Gaza.  It was forbidden since Nov. 24th. 
 
“What are you hiding,” was on the lips of those whose written and broadcast words and images[.  They] lose Israel its war despite victory on the battlefield.  How to make friends and influence people. 
 
Howard


==========================


I find the whole thing surreal.  I recently heard U.S. reporters haranguing one of Bush’s people in Crawford, demanding to know when Israel was going to stop the violence.  No matter how many times he told them that it depended on Hamas stopping their rocket and mortar attacks, they kept asking the same questions, over and over, merely rephrasing them.

ATF Special Agent explains “Weapons of Choice”

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ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Needles explains “Weapons of Choice” for the Mexican drug cartels.



ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Needles


See also this news story built around the video interview above.


“Weapons of choice” include semi-auto FN FALs (a popular sport and hunting rifle), AK-47’s, and 1911 style handguns. It appears the news reporters also visited a gun shop and took pictures of AR-15’s as well.


The demonization of ordinary firearms for the next “assault weapon” ban is picking up steam with the help of the ATF.

The answer is yes

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Someone wants to know if a .50 caliber round can penetrate a Mercedes Guard Pullman:






























































































Domain Name   swbell.net ? (Network)
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The answer is yes.


The Mercedes Guard Pullman is built to level B6/B7:



High-Protection vehicles, engineered to the European B4 resistance level, resist large-calibre revolver ammunition and offer particularly good protection against the increasing threat of drug-related and violent street crime.

Highest-Protection vehicles, engineered to resistance level B6/B7, provide effective protection against the threat posed by terrorist attacks. Their armour is designed to resist rifle-launched projectiles from military weapons which have a velocity almost twice that of bullets fired from a revolver. They also offer resistance to shrapnel from hand grenades and explosive charges.


According to this page the resistance levels are as follows:



  • B1 rifle .22 lr RN/Lead 10m

  • B2 hand gun 9mm Para FJ2)/RN/SC 5m

  • B3 hand gun .357 Magnum FJ3)/CB/SC 5m

  • B4 hand gun .44 Magnum FJ4)/FN/SCP 5m

  • B5 rifle 5.56mm x 45 FJ4)/PB/SC 10m

  • B6 rifle 7.62mm x 51 FJ2)/PB/SC 10m

  • B7 rifle 7.62mm x 51 FJ4)/PB/BC 10m*

The 7.62mm x 51 is .308 Winchester equivalent. Which means that even a .300 Win Mag (a common hunting rifle for those people in the Brady Campaign reading this) is not something they designed for. A .50 BMG should be able to punch through as well.




*If someone knows what the FJ4)/PB/SC etc. designations are I would appreciate being clued in. I presume it is the bullet type, like Full Metal Jacket, etc. PB might be lead (Pb is the chemical symbol), SC might be Steel Core. But that is all speculation on my part.


Thanks.

Brady Campaign sues over National Park carry

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As predicted here the Brady Campaign is suing to stop the implementation of the new rule on carrying in National Parks. Unfortunately we won’t have (vice) President Palin in office next month to direct the Justice Department to arrest and prosecute the offenders.



The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sued the Bush administration Tuesday in hopes of stopping a new policy that would allow people to carry concealed, loaded guns in most national parks and wildlife refuges.


…


The lawsuit said members of the Brady Campaign will no longer visit national parks and refuges “out of fear for their personal safety from those who will now be permitted to carry loaded and concealed weapons in such areas.”


If they were consistent they would stay out of states (and even countries) where concealed carry were allowed. I’d would be much happier if they did.


But if they were consistent that might mean they had the capacity to use logic and data for the basis of their actions. And we all know that would be the end of their organization and they would have to get real jobs rather than being professional bigots.

Quote of the day–Ellie Nesler

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I may not be God. But I tell you what, I’m the closest damn thing to it.


Ellie Nesler
Ellie Nesler, famed for killing accused molester, is dead
[She, essentially, got away with it. I’m not so sure I would have given her the pass she got. Even the most generous of those judging her would have to admit she did at least a couple things wrong. She should have waited for the verdict and she shouldn’t have gotten caught. Gun people will tell you she probably should have used a larger caliber gun. The .25 ACP has a lot of kills but it just isn’t very reliable on man sized predators.–Joe]

For what purpose?

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One has to wonder why someone wants the answer to the search query posed below (“best ammunition for penetrating body armor”).




























































































Domain Name   verizon.net ? (Network)
IP Address   68.160.179.# (Verizon Internet Services)
ISP   Verizon Internet Services
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Continent  :  North America
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State  :  Massachusetts
City  :  Boston
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It is from within the People Republic of Massachusetts so I can see why it might be a legitimate question.

Quote of the day–Col. William C. Hunter

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If there is anything in the theory of survival of the fittest, a lot of the people we know must have been overlooked.


Col. William C. Hunter
[I’m a little bit annoyed they canceled the steel match scheduled for today. People should be practicing under adverse conditions as well as when the environment is accommodating. Otherwise they are just enabling themselves to be culled when failure to perform under some hardship means non-survival.


I’d call them a bunch of wimps (actually I already did, but I didn’t mean it) except there wouldn’t be any place to park vehicles. With all the snow on the ground people couldn’t have driven up the road to the parking area.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Susan Martin

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A handgun is a gun that police use, that the military use but ordinary people do not use unless they’re out to kill somebody. There’s no reason to have a handgun.

…

The police should be able to, they see this guy standing in the street and they you know, looking at whatever, they should be able to frisk them and if they have a gun, that gun should be removed and they should go to jail.

Susan Martin
December 26, 2008
A conversation on gun control with Susan Martin, Mario Elia, Karen Ellis-Elia and Sean Daly
[Ignorant of the millions of incidents each year in the U.S. where handguns were used to protect innocent life Ms. Martin imagines a police state as being a better place to live. She lives in Canada where they already have censorship and a (never mind it has failed) gun registry. With those already in place she may get her wish sooner than she thinks. I think she should be careful what she wishes for.–Joe]

Update: They let my comment go through (comments were moderated):

I have a great deal of sympathy for those who have suffered such losses but there is Just One Question (https://blog.joehuffman.org/2004/12/14/just-one-question/) that needs to be asked before advocating more restrictions on firearms. That question is: “Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to handheld weapons?”
Until that question can be answered in the affirmative those that advocate for more restrictions on firearms are actually advocating for an unjustified taking of freedom.

Update2: I left another comment (12/30/2008):

I find it very telling that those advocating for more gun control claim it will reduce “gun violence”. This claim is doubtful (the counter example of the U.K. experience is just one reason to doubt it) but furthermore they do not claim it will reduce violent crime. But by carefully choosing their words they lump praiseworthy violence in defense of innocent live in the same category as criminal acts. Those same carefully chosen words also overlook that the total violent crime rate can (and frequently does) increase when people are prevented from using firearms for self defense.

And also telling is the same advocates for gun control repeatedly refuse to answer Just One Question, “Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to handheld weapons?”

Because they cannot answer this one question it shows that safety is not the objective of their advocating for increased restrictions on firearms. They have some other agenda which they are not sharing.

Yammering to ban air guns now–yawn

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In the U.K. they have banned handguns, some long guns, have heavy restrictions on all long guns, and restrictions on knives. There should be no surprise there are now calls for the banning of air guns:




A POLICE chief has backed stricter controls on selling BB guns after a teenager was shot in the eye at close range with one of the replica firearms.


Angry mum Lynn Colley called for a ban on the weapons after her daughter Paige, 14, was left temporarily blind by a ball bearing fired at her face.

Quote of the day–Sebastian of Snowflakes in Hell

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Merry Christmas to you all.  Let’s all enjoy it.  The Grinch is coming to town on January 20th, and we don’t yet know which presents he’s going to try to take away.


Sebastian of Snowflakes in Hell
December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
[I was tempted to use something I got in email which was more in line with my true feelings, but little overdone, about Christmas:



Having returned from my customary drive around the neighborhood shouting “Bah, Humbug” at everyone, with a reindeer dummy strapped to the car, Merry Christmas to all!


But I didn’t want to go through the bother of sending an email to get permission to use their name and Sebastain captures my mood a little bit better.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Alan Korwin

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This reading of the Bill of Rights is potentially a very dangerous thing.


The government is not likely to take kindly to direct threats to its powers — which the Bill of Rights specifically represents — especially as it is held in hand by an angered people. The very idea that the people would take it upon themselves to examine government’s abuses, usurpations of powers, abuses of authority, and contraventions of the very Bill that is meant to constrain government actions, is inflammatory.


At what point do the people, oppressed and incensed by the abuses of government, act directly to limit and yes punish those responsible? When are “public servants,” feigning to guard us against infringements, brought to justice?


Alan Korwin
December 23, 2008
Bill of Rights Day
[Read the whole thing. Especially the part about heads on pikes.–Joe]

March pinup is non-functional

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Did anyone else with the ParaUSA 2009 calendar notice that the March pinup is non-functional?


Here is the picture:



If you don’t see the problem click on the picture for a close up. People not familiar with 1911’s will be at a slight disadvantage in discovering the blocking issue.


Update: In response to comments and Tam’s post I present the following pictures from my Para Gun Blog 45 and what I think is Caleb’s Gun Blog 9 (I stole the picture from the header on his blog):



Para Gun Blog 45 safety.



Para Gun Blog 9 safety.


I admit I could still be wrong on this point. I do not think the safety on March pinup has been modified as seen in either of the two pictures immediately above. Therefore in order for the Para SX745S pictured on the March calendar to be function one or more of three things would have to be true:




  1. The safety is mounted in a slightly different place


  2. The safety requires less travel


  3. The grips mount in a slightly different location

I think each of the above are very unlikely to be true. Therefore I stand by my claim the safety in this picture is unusable and the gun was for display purposes only.


Anyone want to make bets on the topic?


Update2: Kerby Smith from Para Public Relations says:



From the camera angle you can not see that the safety is relieved on the bottom side. The SX745S which is the March 2009 Special Edition pistol can be ordered with or without the Crimson Trace Laser grips. The ones that are ordered with the Crimson Trace Laser grips will have the right bottom side of the safety modified. And that is why the Crimson Trace Laser grips are coming factory installed as an option so we can make sure the safety works with them.

Quote of the day–John Kenneth Galbraith

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Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under Communism, it’s just the opposite.


John Kenneth Galbraith
[While true this overlooks the net result of the people living under the two different systems. Under capitalism there exists a wider disparity between the richest and the poorest. But the poorest of the poor is no worse off than if they were living under a communist regime. And the average person is far, far better off living in a capitalist system. But many people don’t make it this far in the logic chain. Their is a strong tendency to stop after reaching the point about there being a wide disparity between the richest and poorest. As near as I can determine their is a belief that this is “not fair”. Pointing out to them that “life is not fair” does not remedy the situation. Apparently there is some deep seated belief that things can be made to be “fair”. I think the problem must be attacked at a lower level–that is the definition of “fair”. It is not “fair” that the government should take (at the point of a gun) the property and/or services of one and give it to another. That “unfairness” can only be reduced by reducing the size of government and the taxes paid.


I’m reminded of this quote by Phil who posted about Arianna Huffington saying Capitalism should be as dead as Communism. I’m tempted to say something comparing the status the brains of both Huffington and Marx but most people should be able to draw the obvious conclusion without me leading them there.–Joe]