Some "progressive" activist is complaining that the CDC has becoming politicized:

In 1995 there was a vibrant public health effort in the area of gun injuries. Then the newly elected Republican Congress applied the pressure of the gun lobby. Suddenly the half dozen or so states funded by CDC to do fire arm injury surveillance were defunded. Zeroed out. Shortly thereafter all CDC funded prevention and injury programs had to agree that there would be no activities, direct or indirect, related to gun control. Health department people we have spoken to reported that a profound chill settled over injury programs regarding gun injuries, like homicides from guns. Intense pressure was applied to the head of the CDC injury control program and he and some of his experts on the public health aspects of firearm injury were threatened with investigations over possible entanglement with gun control advocates. Now extreme care is taken in how data is reported or recommendations made in the area of gun injuries.

Never mind that those "studies" were some of the most egregious examples of sloppy science I have ever seen. The "studies" were implemented to generate political justification for infringing our constitutionally guaranteed rights. Those studies were just as repugnant as a "public health effort" in the area of gays/blacks/Jews with entanglements with the KKK. Taxpayer (my) money was being spent to justify taking my guns away from me. And this bigot gets bent out of shape because they have to be more careful in their science?

The CDC was engaged in highly political activities, they are told to stop, and this person whines, "...politics has become an increasingly important part of CDC world."

Where, in the Constitution, is the Federal Government granted the power to create the CDC to begin with? The CDC in it's entirety, is a political creation of the socialist scum of this country. For this "progressive" to be whining about the defunding of a small portion of the CDC engaged in an illegal conspiracy (see 18 USC 241 and 242) is beyond ironic. It's effrontery.

We must remember the First Amendment which protects any shrill jackass no matter how self-seeking.

F. G. Withington
[Applications of this admonition abound.--Joe]

An off-duty policeman observes a young woman with a gun shooting at people out the passenger window as her accomplice drives along M62. The officer reports it and soon the pair is pulled over with the help of other officers with four jeeps, two vans full of dogs, and helicopters. Being hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned the pair surrender without a fight. They spent several hours in a jail cell before the police let them go because they determined the pair only had the one gun which was a toy. Read the rest of the story here. A picture of the young women, and their guns, who had just been to a "Cowboys and Indians" party is below:

I wonder what the response would have been had they been in possession of a bow and arrow and dressed as North American Indians.

Had it been in Idaho had they been stopped they would have been asked to put the toy away. It's spring time and we don't want to scare away the dimwitted California tourists. In the fall you can bring out the real guns for hunting season and scare them all you want just by putting it in the rifle rack on the back window of your pickup.

I'm sure the UK residents feel safer now. It's good to know all that tax money is being put to good use.

Via Say Uncle who viewed it at The Bitch Girls.

Question: Handgun ownership; A right or a privilege? Answer: Privilege.

But he considers a college education, access to the internet, and health care as rights. How did he manage to get through law school?

I just got a call from the Bristol Herald Courier in Virginia. They wanted to verify that I had sent a letter to the editor. Apparently they are going to publish it. Watch for it here in the next day or two.

I haven't received word back from the bigoted opinion writer I briefly corresponded with. I wanted to post our email correspondence but bigots aren't too keen on being exposed like that so I doubt I will ever hear from him again.

Robert F. Williams, Jr., . . . . had become head of the NAACP chapter in Monroe, North Carolina, in 1957. When threatened by the local Ku Klux Klan he organized a rifle club of sixty members and got it chartered by the National Rifle Association. This was partly to get the free ammunition provided NRA members by a grateful government, partly also, no doubt, a tribute to both groups' joint faith in self-defense. When the Klan organized a motorcade against one NAACP member's house, the club drove them off with gunfire. . . He had deeply embarrassed the NAACP. It was bad enough that he rejected the nonviolent ethic, worse still that he did so with such success. His was the only armed NAACP chapter and, for its size, the most effective.

William L. O'Neill
Coming Apart: An Informal History of America in the 1960's
160-61 (1971)

I haven't seen the article yet but it's supposedly out:

Idaho Magazine--Outdoor Sports: It’s a Blast, by Barbara A. Scott.

In the spirit of full disclosure--the potential exists for some bias in the article. I've been sleeping with the author for over 30 years now. It was a long term investment and I'm hoping it paid off.

If you get killed in a fight either: your training sucked, you suck, or you got fucked. If you go to jail, either: your training sucked, you suck, or you got fucked.

IMO most of the time it's because you suck.

Greg Hamilton
19:57 PM, March 22, 2007
From the Yahoo group InSights Training Center List

Tamara K. posted:

Heisenberg used to house sit for Schroedinger, and would get annoyed when his buddy would call home from out of town and ask "Where is my cat? And how fast is it going?"

I thought this was quite funny. My son James responded with "*groan*" but my friend Sean wanted to know what the punch line was.

You must not assume Sean didn't "get it". That thought crossed my mind for only a few milliseconds before I dismissed it. So I told him that was it and explained that I thought it was funny just the way it is even if it is a bit obsure. Two minutes later he delivered his punch line for the story:

So Heisenberg put the cat the box with a gadget that released poison gas based on radioactive decay. Schroedinger called again, asking, "Where is my cat? And how fast is it going?"

Heisenberg replied, "Let me check. Oh! It's dead. You killed it." And hung up.

Yesterday I quoted Mr. Fox. Since Kevin is busy I also sent Mr. Fox an email. He responded and invited me to send a letter to the editor where he works and where his opinion piece appeared.

I believe we need to go on the offensive in our battle for public opinion. Constant defense can only slow, or at best stop, the advancement of the gun control. I advocate a particular state of mind when participating in gun control debates and I'm seeing a number of other people pick up on that theme. I continue in that vein here:

I’m writing in regard to the editorial by Mike Fox on gun control that appeared on your pages today.

Mr. Fox should look at the data rather than relying on his emotions when advocating public policy. Despite decades of law and crime data and research examining that data from countries all over the world no one has been able to answer just one question of mine, "Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to handheld weapons?"

One should look at the benefits of private firearm ownership and use as well as the hazards. Firearms are used far more often in the defense of innocent life than they are used to kill or injure innocent life. Mr. Fox does not appear to have taken that into account.

Crime rates do not decrease when the victims of crimes are prohibited access to the tools of their own defense. That should be "common-sense". Apparently Mr. Fox wasn't able to see things from that viewpoint.

I believe had he been advocating banning people of color from the restaurants he frequents, from using the same drinking fountains, or interracial marriage then his advocacy of public policy without exceedingly solid factual data he would not have been allowed to present his opinion on your pages. The same criteria should be used before you allow someone to advocate restricting the rights of millions of gun owners in this country. To do otherwise is for you to participate in their bigotry.

See also my blog posting: http://blog.joehuffman.org/2004/12/15/Just+One+Question.aspx

I have asked for, but not yet received, his permission to post the email exchange I had with Mr. Fox. If I receive that permission I'll post it as well.

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.

Friedrich Nietzsche
[This may explain why I despise most politicians and parties so much.--Joe]

Some conservatives mulled that if concealed weapons had been permitted on Tech’s campus, the gunman might’ve been stopped. Yet, that doesn’t mean anyone in Norris Hall would’ve had a concealed weapon or that they would’ve been able to use it to stop the gunman; after all, more than 50 people were killed or wounded in that building.

Mike Fox
After Tech, common-sense gun control laws cannot be ignored
June 4, 2007
[As near as I can tell, "common-sense gun control" is a code phrase that means, "we must ignore facts and rational thought and do what make me feel good". But beyond that it seems this guy isn't capable of rational thought. Read that last sentence and see if it makes any sense to you. Mr. Fox, I have Just One Question for you.--Joe]

The next Boomershoot will be April 27, 2008. This is the earliest I have ever opened it up for entry. I opened it up a few days ago for people that had participated in Boomershoot 2007. Despite having increased the number of positions available the event is already nearly 60% full.

If you want to participate I suggest you sign up within the next week or maybe two at the latest.

The Boomershoot 2008 on-line entry form is here.

Update: The event is now (June 2^nd 23:45) 61% full. Also, I just got word that "The Anvil Guy" will be back. He also had a request for comments on the anvil launches:

My name is Steve and I have had the enjoyment of firing my anvils at Boomershoot for 4 years.This year my brother Michael did the firing as I couldn't make it...I enjoy doing it and am always trying for more altitude. I would appreciate any and all comments, serious or smart ass from those who have witnessed the firing...

If you have a comment either send it directly to him, if you have his email address, or send it to joeh@boomershoot.org and I'll forward it on.

Henderson's second insight was that despite the right belonging to "the people" in the amendment, it actually belonged only to the militia as an organized military force. To believe this, you have to believe that the United States is the only nation on Earth that felt a need to guarantee its government, in writing, the right to have an army -- which is possible, I suppose, if Jefferson foresaw the attitude of the modern Democrat party towards the military.

Mac Johnson
March 15, 2007
Court Rediscovers 2nd Amendment, Liberals Fear Other 'Rights' May Soon be Found

Many other universities have been swayed by an anti-gun, anti-self defense ideology. I respect their right to hold those views, but I challenge their decision to deny Americans the right to protect themselves on their campuses — and then proudly advertise that fact to any and all.

Whenever I've seen one of those "Gun-free Zone" signs, especially outside of a school filled with our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, I've always wondered exactly who these signs are directed at. Obviously, they don't mean much to the sort of man who murdered 32 people just a few days ago.

Fred Thompson
April 20, 2007
Signs of Intelligence?
[Spread Fred!--Joe]

Thanks to David for bringing this to our attention. I named this plan Porn for Peace several months ago after Ry and I outlined the basics of it nearly three years ago.

That are lots of other implications for the data supplied in this posting. Think on this for a while:

Up to 70% of files exchanged between Saudi teenagers' mobile phones contain pornography, according to a study in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.

The study quoted in Arab News focussed on the phones of teenagers detained by religious police for harassing girls.

...

The men of Islam are obsessed with sex beyond even the wildest imaginings of the Western male's mind. And the obsession is far from healthy and even further from reality.

We frequently joke about men's preoccupation with sex and female body parts in the West, but our fascination with "T&A" is nothing when you consider that the Muslim world is literally consumed by female sexuality and with their fear of it. It is ironic that both Muslim men and women are under the mistaken impression that Western society is oversexualized compared to them, when in fact, it is practically impossible to be more obsessed with sexual matters than they are in Muslim communities.

It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember.

Eugene McCarthy
[Giuliani and Romney come to mind as having not learned that lesson. And that most politicians have learned that lesson explains why I get a weird sort of frustrated anger after listening to them. They can talk for hours without say anything.--Joe]

Ouch!  It hurts just watching this, especially having myself fired the Safety Harbor 50 Caliber AR that Ry loaned us last summer.  The 70+ year-old who's firing it didn't get the buttstock on his shoulder, so it slid under his armpit from the recoil, causing the optic sight to clock him in the face.  That's a heavy rifle moving back at him at a good clip.  He was OK, after he stumbled to his feet and I was able to get him to reply to questions.  Notice the image blur as the shock wave (usually referred to as "muzzle blast" but in this case I use "shock wave" as a more descriptive term) hits the camera.  Also notice the gravel being hurled back and to the sides from the high-pressure jets coming out of the muzzle break.

Firing the little .50 BMG "carbine" with a proper hold feels about the same as firing a magnum load from a 12 ga. shotgun.  Quite nice, really.  Its all about style.

As I mentioned yesterday he stops by after I post a link to his website:

Domain Name		mindspring.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address		66.47.159.# (EarthLink)
ISP		EarthLink
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  Illinois City  :  Chicago Lat/Long  :  41.8675, -87.6744 (Map) Distance  :  1,478 miles
Language		English (United States) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Firefox 2.0 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.3) Gecko/20070309 Firefox/2.0.0.3
Javascript		version 1.5
Monitor		Resolution  :  1280 x 1024 Color Depth  :  32 bits
Time of Visit		May 30 2007 8:55:50 am
Last Page View		May 30 2007 8:59:45 am
Visit Length		3 minutes 55 seconds
Page Views		3
Referring URL		http://technorati.co...arch/www.gunguys.com
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffm...I Know That Guy.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffman.org/default.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-6:00
Visitor's Time		May 30 2007 10:55:50 am
Visit Number		158,702

Yesterday I quoted Robyn Ringler on her error in thinking the D.C. snipers used a .50 caliber rifle. Today she posted a correction. Although she had been informed of her error in the comments two days before that she didn't correct it then. Yesterday she got additional comments about her error and then this morning she posted her correction.

Today she made another post and another error:

A guy walks into a gun shop to buy a gun. The gun shop’s employee performs a background check. The information from the background check which links the gun to its new owner and its origin (the gun shop) must be destroyed WITHIN 24 HOURS.

...

So, now, a crime is committed with a gun. Any record of where that gun originated has been destroyed. How do we trace it? How do we figure out where it came from? It is impossible to follow the gun’s journey when we destroy the records after ONE DAY.

The NICS check does not, and was never officially intended, to link a gun to it's owner. That is what Form 4473 is for. The 4473 has been the law of the land since GCA68 was passed (1968). The 4473 is required by law to be retained for 20 years. There has not been any repeal of this records keeping requirement as Ms. Ringler believes. She is confused. But that's not surprising, bigots confuse and warp the facts to maintain internal consistency with their world view.

I briefly mentioned in this post about the natural advantages and disadvantage on both sides in our "war" against the anti-gun bigots. As I mentioned then one of our advantages is that we have the facts on our side. Another advantage is that because we use, buy, and sell guns we know them and the laws governing them much better than the other side. Because of this lack of familiarity it's easier for them to confuse and warp the facts. It's also easier for them proselytize their bigotry to other ignorant people.

Ms. Ringler and other bigots have a very difficult time getting their minds around the concepts (thoughts about "small-minded bigots" come to mind here). The definition of a barrel shroud or a folding stock is likely to go right over their heads. But of course that doesn't stop them from want to ban them. When they make errors like this we get to make them look stupid by pointing out their ignorance. In general they aren't really stupid. They are just at a disadvantage because they don't have the extensive contact with the subject matter that we do. That doesn't mean that I think they should be given any slack. If they are honest people, and most of them probably are, as they become more and more aware of the facts they will have a more difficult time spouting their bigoted ideas in a sincere manner.

As Barb only too well knows, I enjoy pointing out the errors of others (I also like for others to point out my mistakes). Ms. Ringler promises to be a source of great fun for me.

I found this collection of You-Tube/Google Boomershoot videos. Then Jason has his collection of videos I have previous linked to.  And he has some great pictures of Boomershoot 2007 as well. I like the following best:

Ry (on the right) and I in front of his fireball creation--"If you are going to do something you might as well overdo it."

Xenia and John seen through the smoke of the unintentional fire created during "cleanup".

I've been thinking about Boomershoot a lot recently. I've been working on the online entry program and am about to open up entries for Boomershoot 2008.

The fifty caliber sniper rifle, for example. What purpose did it have besides killing people? The notorious Washington, D.C. sniper-killers used the fifty caliber sniper rifle to kill their victims.

Robyn Ringler
Let's Ban the Fifty Caliber Sniper Rifle
[The D.C. snipers used an AR-15 type in .223. The .223 cartridge has a bullet that is less than one half the diameter and less than one tenth the mass. Facts are irreleveant to these types. Then there were all the people with .50 caliber guns at Boomershoot this year, they fired hundreds of rounds this year without killing anyone. Were those guns malfunctioning when they were fired without killing anyone?--Joe]

Reading the worst of the nut case anti-freedom, anti-gun bigot websites I came across this:

That kind of sentiment is exactly what we need more of online. We definitely don’t need any more gun guys blogging– they’re full of venom and vitriol, cursing and overcompensating masculinity, and instead of providing insight on the news, they provide rehashes of decades-old NRA lies and propaganda. We definitely don’t need any more gun nuts coming up with (or, more likely, just parroting) NRA catchphrases or repeating nonsense about how guns are the only way you can protect yourself– the fact is that guns don’t protect you at all.

The "gun guy blogging" link is to Say Uncle. I spent quite a bit of time with Uncle at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous last fall. The above characterization of Uncle is completely wrong. Uncle is incredibly soft spoken and full of thoughtful insight. Overcompensating masculinity? Ha! But then bigots don't really care about the facts. Stereotypes are their currency.

The owner of the anti-freedom, anti-gun site visits here (Hi Gonzo!) occasionally too. When I link to the "gunguys.com" site, even with the "rel=nofollow" attribute set, he checks out my posting within a day or two.

The New York Times has become Mad Magazine.

Rush Limbaugh
May 29, 2007
After reading the second paragraph of this opinion piece.

I support the war against the Islamic extremists who insist we must convert to their religion or die:

They are willing to die for their beliefs and I am willing to help them with the dying part until they are willing to leave us alone. But it's tough when the cost of those convictions are brought home:

An explosive device built in Iran (not really an IED) nearly killed our nephew Jason. He lost his right arm, the vision in his right eye, and his face, his buttocks, and his left arm were severely wounded.

Adam Plumondore was a Boomershoot Precision Rifle Clinic Instructor. He was killed by a car bomb in Iraq. His partner at Boomershoot, Walter Gaya, was injured a few months later by an explosive device in Iraq.

A friend of mine was shot in the leg while invading Granada. He never completely recovered from that wound. That and numerous other injuries suffered both in combat and training took him out of the Army and are now a permanent part of his life.

Growing up I just missed the draft for the Vietnam war by a few months. I knew people and relatives that participated in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam. Even by the time I graduated from high school I can only think of one person I knew who was even wounded in combat--a friend of my Dad that I only met a half dozen times. It was all "just numbers" in the history books and on the news. It wasn't real. Reality is different.

I don't think that teenage and early twenty-something males really have that good of grasp on reality. Certainly their judgement center is insufficiently myelinated. This causes them to take risks they shouldn't and to have a high rates of organ donation compared to the general population. For the survival of our species this is a good thing. Young males are best fit to fight predators whether it be a man-eating tiger or the people trying to finish the job Hitler and his gang were unable to complete. They are better fighters and they are more likely to survive their wounds than women and older men.

For them to not really understand the risks makes it harder for me. I know the job must be done. I know we can't let the predators have their way. Their way would be to go back to the dark ages. Because I know a little more about the risks, the costs, of defending or freedom my inclination is to keep our young men and women off the ground in the Mideast. I think, "Glass over the entire sandbox! Better that that lose another one of our people." But that's my emotions talking. That's not the right thing to do.

It's a tough battle with my emotions. Logically the right thing to do is much different that what my emotions are fighting for. It's particularily difficult for me right now. Not just because it's Memorial Day but because my daughter's boyfriend, John, is shipping out next month.

John just turned 18. Good luck John. Please come back in one piece. Thank you, and all the others, for your service.

See also Xenia's Live Journal post.

Interesting. Tish Durkin, in essence, turned my Just One Question around. She took nearly 2000 words to say it but here is the essence:

In other words, the burden would not be on the gun control lobby to prove that there absolutely, positively would be fewer violent deaths if it were harder to get guns.

She overlooks, perhaps too conveniently, that the data already exists. She only need go look for it rather than imagine she knows the answer. But maybe she doesn't want to know the answer. She admits she is very hard core anti-gun but she is far from stupid.