According to this report a box of .45 ammo on the U.K. black market cost from £2,000 to £3,000 ($4000 to $6000). Talk about opportunities for a profit! That has to to be more lucrative than drugs.

At second thought I think there must have been a mistake made somewhere along the way. They also say a .38 "bullet" cost £0.50 which would translate into about $50 for a box of fifty. Why would .45 ammo cost 100 times that of .38 ammo? Still there is more than adequate markup for someone with a Dillon 1050 to make a lot of money in their basement.

Smith advocates getting rid of Martin Luther King Day and replacing it with John Moses Browning Day. He makes some good points:

For the record, I am opposed to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a national holiday in the month of January or, for that matter, any other month. It isn’t that I oppose a national holiday celebrating the legacy of America’s greatest civil rights leader. I just don’t believe that King was our greatest civil rights leader. I believe that distinction belongs to John Browning.

Since John Moses Browning was born on January 23rd, 1855, it will be easy to make the transition from a Martin King to a John Browning national holiday. And it will be educational, too. Many gun owners are unaware that Browning sold 44 guns to Winchester including the Model 94 level action repeater. Guns based on the Model 94 design and chambered in 30-30 have probably killed more deer in North America than any other model before or since.

Few Colt owners have had a chance to shoot the .30 and .50 caliber machine guns or 37-mm aircraft cannon. But all of those lucky enough to own Colts including the .45 Caliber and Woodsman models are benefiting from a basic design coming from the greatest genius the firearms industry has ever known.

Today’s “civil rights” movement has become a disgrace largely because it is based on the idea that people are entitled to things they did not earn through the fruits of their own labor. Instead, people are given things on the basis of what their ancestors suffered – all coming from those who did nothing wrong on the basis of what their ancestors did wrong.

But John Browning was a different kind of man. He refused to take anything he did not earn. He even refused an honorary degree from a university on the basis of that principle. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson could learn a lot from a man who practices what he preaches.

Although it took a lot of courage to attack MLK I'm not sure there was anything to be gained by that except getting a little more attention. That extra attention is likely to be about 90% hostile.

The internationally organized bigots are a little more open about their objectives than are the ones in the U.S.:

All our objectives are predicated on the belief that the interests of public safety demand a reduction in the availability and attractiveness of guns of all kinds.

1. Minimum age of 18 for the ownership, use and possession of all guns. 
2. One certification system for all legal weapons i.e. rifles, shotguns, airguns. 
3. Certification of all deactivated weapons. 
4. Multi-shot rifles and shotguns to be banned. 
5. Practical or Combat shooting or any other shooting practice which involves the simulation of real life situations and/or the use of human shaped targets to be banned.

We recognise the existence of a significant minority interest in shooting for sport, and our proposals are aimed at striking an appropriate balance between the sport-shooting interest and the overriding interest in public safety.

Notice that self-defense is not recognized as a legitimate use of firearms. In fact they call out practice for self-defense to be banned. The most basic human right, the right to defend one's own life, should be forbidden. People that advocate this are not worthy of living in society. They should be be in prison or hung just as the Nazis in Nuremberg. They are participating in crimes against humanity. Our country has laws against conspiracy against rights and if they touch foot on our soil they should be arrested and put on trial.

Guns can provide an intoxicating and almost pornographic attraction to young men who often feel powerless, according to academics in the field.

Chris Summers
November 12, 2007
Who carries guns and why?
BBC News
[The actual report is here. What is interesting to me is the report does not include the words "porn" or "intoxicating" in any form. Apparently Summers is just making stuff up.--Joe]

The TLB ecosystem must be going through some global climate change or something. I doubt my blog will remain a Marauding Marsupial very long:

The Seattle Times has an almost unbiased article on the Heller case and the U.S. Supreme Court. What's really interesting to me is they didn't get any comment from the local anti-gun organization Washington Ceasefire. I haven't paid that much attention to local politics for several years but I remember several years ago when Washington Ceasefire had the local media eating out of their hand. It seemed like it was several times a month when the media would, essentially, print their news releases. And now with big news happening on the gun rights issue the local bigots are not to be heard. Their website shows no real activity since April of this year.

I looked at Ceasefire Foundation of Washington (non-profit branch of Washington Ceasefire) finances and updated my spreadsheet of anti-gun finances but didn't learn a whole lot. Their pattern correlates closely with that of other anti-gun owner organizations. But it hasn't, as of late 2005, gotten into what would appear to be a desperate situation.

I had to read this article twice to figure out what they were actually doing with their grant money. It turns out they are apparently taking a stroll into an alternate reality where good intentions make a difference. In their world view gang members need to be offered "alternatives to their current lifestyle".

I call it wistful thinking but they call it Project Ceasefire:

"Our role in Project CeaseFire is, quite simply, to stop the next shooting," state Attorney General Anne Milgram said, referring to the name of the statewide campaign and its tagline. "And if we do that, we can save lives."

[...]

Friday's news conference, held in the lower level of Plainfield Public Library before more than 100 people, also marked the graduation of eight paid outreach workers who endured 40 hours of training, including nighttime strolls in crime-ridden areas of other cities.

The workers said they will devote their time to consoling families affected by gun violence, offering gang members alternatives to their current lifestyle and promoting safe streets by holding community events such as a proposed midnight barbecue in the city's West End.

The group, led by Angela Piggee, executive director of the Liberty Community Development Corporation, includes: Arlinda Harris, Ethel Wheeler, Eric Spann, George M. Brown Sr., Amy Concepcion, Tawana Fields and Wanda Lyles.

Though Piggee said she received a number of unspeakable responses when she and fellow trainees attempted to talk to gang members in other cities, Piggee said she remained optimistic about the outreach efforts in Plainfield.

I suppose it's possible they figured out a way to get away with it but it sure sounds like entrapment to me:

What they noticed was that the maximum penalty for selling a firearm to a convicted felon was the same as that for being a felon in possession, 10 years in prison. So they enlisted a confidential informer with a felony record to start buying guns from gang members.

Government: If It Ain't Broke, They'll Break It

Larry Elder
November 8, 2007
From the article by that name.
[I really need to write up my "Just One Question" for big government advocates (see also this post and comments). This article will be one of the references.--Joe]

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein
[There are times when I'm very discouraged. There are times when it just doesn't seem worth gnawing through your restraints to get up in the morning.--Joe]

Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.

Archimedes
[From some reason Kevin's project reminded me of this.--Joe]

In spite of a lifetime of indoctrination to the contrary at public schools, some students are figuring out that being in a "gun free zone" can put you at risk.  Here in Moscow, pro rights students at the University of Idaho are making themselves heard.  This comes shortly after our socialist mayor, Nancy Cheney, tried to ban guns in "public places" and was told by the state attorney general to back off.  "Preemption" laws state that a local government may not enact gun laws that are more strict than state law.  Yet hear we have a state-funded institution with a gun free zone policy.  Go figure.

Virginia Tech is also a “no firearms” campus, but that didn’t stop Seung-Hui Cho from killing 32 people there April 16. Baker [one of the student protestors] said he doesn’t believe being able to carry concealed weapons would have prevented the tragedy, but that it would have minimized the number of innocent people killed. He said Cho didn’t obey the “no firearms” signs, and that can happen anywhere when lawful citizens are denied their right to self-defense.

How do you spell, "Duh!"?

“We’re not saying we need a mass arming of students,” ... People are not going through these [permit approval] procedures so they can go out and commit robberies and rape.”

Does anyone else understand that a criminal isn't going to bother getting a carry permit?

Lt. Paul Kwiatkowski, campus division commander for the Moscow Police Department, said while concealed weapons are legal with a permit, the university’s code of conduct is very clear about carrying them on campus and that this policy, if changed, would complicate issues of violence.

Yeah, it would complicate things very much indeed - for the criminal.  Nothing will spoil your day of fun, murdering people, worse than having someone shoot back at you.

“If an individual is carrying a concealed weapon, you shouldn’t see it,” he said. “They like to flash their guns and show everyone they’re carrying a gun.”

Really?  Carry permit holders like to "flash" their guns and "show everyone"?  Got any proof of that, Lieutenant?  I know a bunch of permit holders, and I've never once seen it happen that way.  If I'm not mistaken, Lieutenant, "flashing" you gun around, can even get your permit revoked.  One thing left out of this article is the fact that Idaho requires three hours of training before a carry permit is issued.  My experience is that most people get a lot more training than that, all on their own.  Anyone who cares enough to have done even rudimentary study of this issue will already know that concealed carry permit holders are THE most law-abiding segment of society - more so than police.  Furthermore, (and are you listening, Nancy Cheney?) the rates of innocent bystander injuries, and of improper shootings, are far lower when a concealed permit holder is involved in a confrontation, compared to when a policeman is involved.  Look it up.

If concealed weapons were allowed, Kwiatkowski said, and a shooter came on campus, while concealed weapons carriers could fire back, when police arrived they wouldn’t know who the shooter was.

This is one point that has some shred of legitimacy.  However, we were trained in my "pre-permit" classes to be very aware of this potential problem.  If you're the citizen defender, and you're the one calling the cops, make sure they have your description and that of the perp.  When police arrive, put your gun down if possible, and identify yourself, etc..  Cops:  You people need to have thought of these things, and know what to do ahead of time to protect the innocent.  Our right to protect ourselves does not depend on what you consider to be convenient.  For that matter, should we automatically assume that anyone in a cop uniform is actually a cop?  Mr. murderer can get a cop outfit at the local rental store.  Now he's Deputy Freakin' Dog.  Unfortunately for all of us, criminals don't wear bright orange arm bands or some such, identifying themselves as criminals, either.

While looking for a reference link to my previous post I discovered this:

A famous negative reply to the issue was penned by Karl Marx, The Jewish Question, (Braunschweig, 1843). He asks the question "The German Jews desire emancipation. What kind of emancipation do they desire? Civic, political emancipation." And answers: "The social emancipation of the Jew is the emancipation of society from Judaism." Karl Marx responded to Bruno Bauer's two studies on the Jewish Question focusing on religious differences by seeing a corrupt capitalist nature to be essential to Judaism, and thus preventing its assimilation.

It's all the more interesting because Marx was Jewish by birth. So the father of communism, who was a Jew, claims a corrupt capitalist nature is essential to Judaism. It appears Marx wasn't a practicing Jew but I still find it ironic that he contributed scholarly works On The Jewish Question that contributed to the genocide. 

They haul out the tired mantra of "government intrusion on their rights."

But those are just code words for being selfish and lacking empathy.

Gun Guys
November 8, 2007
Another Child Shot Accidentally as the Gun Lobby Selfishly Refuses to Help Protect Our Kids
[I'll bet you didn't know the Bill of Rights was just code words for being selfish and lacking empathy. I didn't either. Maybe he thinks people with black skin should stay out of white restaurants, whites only swimming pools, and not use drinking fountains intended for whites. Does that mean black skinned people should understand that whites like the Gun Guys shouldn't be exposed to using the same eating utensils that have been in the mouths of blacks. And swimming in the same water? Isn't that real lack of empathy for whites? And I'm sure it was being selfish and a lack of empathy for the Aryans when the Allies went to war with Germany just because they were trying to implement a Final Solution for the Jewish Question in Europe.

It seems to me there are a large number of people that seem to believe, at some level, that Governments can't intrude on rights--that it's a logical impossibility. They seem to think that governments grant rights and hence if the law changes the right no longer exists. The truth of the matter is, of course, that rights exist irrespective of governments and governments can only infringe, guarantee, and/or protect rights. The Gun Guys mindset is but one example.--Joe]

For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.

Jonathan Swift
[Governments that forget their true relationship with it's citizens are on their way to enslaving their subjects.--Joe]

I'd like to believe it but I won't until the coffin has been nailed shut, it's been cremated, and the ashes dumped in a pig farm lagoon. Here is the story:

"In discussions I participated in with the Department of Homeland Security, they were asked point blank, 'What will happen to states that don't participate?'" said Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, who was on the call. "The response was, 'Nothing will happen. There will be no penalty. You can still get on a plane.'"

[...]

States began defying the feds, passing laws saying that they had no intention of complying with the REAL ID requirements. The federal government retorted that this was fine, but citizens from those states could not use drivers' licenses to enter federal buildings or board aircraft (which are screened by federal personnel).

In the face of this sort of opposition, DHS extended the deadline for compliance to 2009, and then again to 2013. Now, it could be extended again, and states could get even more time to issue cards for older drivers (apparently less of a security threat).

Whether the new rules are an expedient compromise or a total backpedalling from the goals of REAL ID depends on who you ask. The ACLU, for instance, holds strong views on the matter.

"DHS is essentially whittling Real ID down to nothing—all in the name of denying Real ID is a failure," said ACLU senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani. "Real ID is in its death throes, and any signs of life are just last gasps."

Son-in-law Caleb and I went to an IPSC match on Sunday. It was his first. He came in 13^th out of 19 participants. This is very good for a first time IPSC shooter. I came in third. I had way too many misses to be very happy about my performance though.

I even won one of the stages but I suspect that was mostly because I successfully pulled off a creative way of shooting the stage rather than because my shooting was that much better than everyone else. I know at least one other person messed it up when he tried to do it the same way. I learned from his mistake and was successful.

Update: I'm adding pictures from the match and a little bit about the stage "Which Way".

Caleb and I both did really well on this stage. I won the stage and Caleb came in 4^th. Caleb actually shot it in less time that I did, 12.41 seconds versus 12.71. I had much better hits on it than he did which gave me the win. Master Class shooter Adam shot it in 10.77 seconds but with one miss and poor hits. It was a 15 round (minimum) stage so including the draw, moving into position and from shooting position to shooting position we still averaged more than one aimed shot per second.

Caleb contemplating how to shoot a stage.

Caleb shooting the stage "Which Way".

And no, Caleb wasn't standing on one foot to shoot, he was slowing down as he approached the barrels and shooting at the same time.

Master class shooter Adam shooting a worse score than beginner Caleb while K.W. RO's.

I visualize a "gunextremist" as someone who shows up to the range with a NAA mini in .22 Short and a Phelps revolver in .45-70.

TJH
In comments November 4, 2007, 9:32 PM.
[This is particularly amusing because it was in response to an anti-gun bigot whining about pro freedom people changing the meaning of words and phrases the anti-gun people were using. "Gun control" becomes a slur, etc.--Joe]

Utopia is not one of the available solutions to violence in our society. Only incremental improvements are attainable through repeal of victim disarmament laws and through implementation of effectual, affordable measures. Objective assessment of the risks and benefits of various proposals will assist development of rational and effectual public policy. Hysterical, ineffectual, unconstitutional, and merely symbolic measures only squander time, money, and energy that are better devoted to effectual solutions and realistic goals.

Edgar A. Suter MD
Guns in the Medical Literature -- A Failure of Peer Review
[Emphasis in the original. I have used this argument (utopia isn't an option) myself in a gun control debate against a communist. They didn't really seem to get it. They wanted to keep trying just as they want to keep trying new variations of Marxism; "All we need is to have the right people in government." I wish I had come back with, "Marxism and gun control was responsible for over 100 million dead last century. Do you want to donate your body to the next attempt at utopia?" --Joe]

These ads are unfair and deceptive because they suggest to the consumer that the purchase of a handgun is an effective means of providing for self- and family-protection without warning the consumer that the introduction of a handgun into the home actually places the home's occupants at an increased risk of death by gun.

Petition on Deceptive Gun Advertising
Filed with FTC by Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, American Association of Suicidology, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions
[[sarcasm] Therefore, one should conclude, people at police stations and gun ranges are at extreme risk of "death by gun". I wonder why the statistics don't show that? [/sarcasm] What the anti-gun people don't want to admit is that in the few "studies" that pretend to support their position correlation does not equal causation. And that most studies do not show the correlation they want to believe exists.--Joe]