The View From North Central Idaho

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.

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]

She is so creative.

She forgot to turn the laser off before she put it back in the case however. I lost a few hours of battery life but it wasn't that big of a deal.

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
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  Massachusetts City  :  Boston Lat/Long  :  42.3425, -71.0677 (Map) Distance  :  2,249 miles
Language		English (U.S.) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution  :  1400 x 1050 Color Depth  :  16 bits
Time of Visit		Dec 29 2008 10:27:49 am
Last Page View		Dec 29 2008 10:29:43 am
Visit Length		1 minute 54 seconds
Page Views		2
Referring URL		http://www.google.co... body armor&aq=f&oq=
Search Engine		google.com
Search Words		best ammunition for penetrating body armor
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffman.org/2008/10/08/EducatingTheMediaOnBodyArmorAndRifles.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffman.org/2008/10/08/EducatingTheMediaOnBodyArmorAndRifles.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-8:00
Visitor's Time		Dec 29 2008 10:27:49 am
Visit Number		408,429

It is from within the People Republic of Massachusetts so I can see why it might be a legitimate question.

It is salutary to train oneself to be no more affected by censure than by praise.

W. Somerset Maugham
[While I agree it appears to me that most people don't have the philosophical background and/or brain power to make decisions on their own. Sometimes I wish we could just let Darwin settle the issues.--Joe]

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]

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 (blog.joehuffman.org/.../JustOneQuestion.aspx) 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.

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.

I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.

Charles De Gaulle
[Okay... but what is the alternative? Anarchy? I just don't see a better alternative.--Joe]

Xenia is the artist of the family and does good work:

Barbara's Christmas Present from Xenia

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]

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]

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.

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]

For all ages, the fatal gun accident rate is at an all-time low, even as the per capita gun supply is at an all-time high. The annual risk level for a fatal gun accident is 0.22 per 100,000 population--about the risk level for taking two airplane trips a year, or for a whooping cough vaccination.

David B. Kopel
Brief of The International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), The International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), Maryland State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, Southern States Police Benevolent Association, 29 Elected California District Attorneys, San Francisco Veteran Police Officers Association, Long Beach Police Officers Association, Texas Police Chiefs Association, Texas Municipal Police Association, New York State Association of Auxiliary Police, Mendocino County, Calif., Sheriff Thomas D. Allman, Oregon State Rep. Andy Olson, National Police Defense Foundation, Law Enforcement Alliance of America, and The Independence Institute as amici curiae in support of respondent. D.C. v. Heller

The implications of the existence of this computer program are disturbing. There must be something else going on other than what the author is saying:

SHELBY- No suspects. No leads. Just a gun found at a crime scene.
While some law-enforcement agencies scratch their heads wondering how to start investigating the case, the Shelby Police Department uses their own investigative tool to solve the crime.
An Electronic Tracing System, or "E-trace," is a free Internet-based system which allows authorities to create or look at the criminal history of a gun used in a crime.
"It gives me added information on a weapon," said Lt. Tim Walker with the department's vice and narcotics unit. "It gives me somewhere to start and gives the past actions of the weapon."
Walker said E-trace has made a world of difference when investigating and solving crimes.
"It is comparable to a person's criminal history," he said.
Once the criminal history is created on the gun, it can always be traced in the system, Walker said.
"If a gun is being continually used in criminal activity, we can see who is using the same weapons over and over," he said.
Walker said it also helps with "straw purchase" cases, when convicted felons who are unable to purchase guns rely on people who can.
Walker said if felons have someone to purchase the gun and a crime is then committed, they can track the person who is buying the guns.
"It starts to create a link between the person and the gun," he said.
The program is provided through Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and is free to any police agency. Shelby officers say it is a part of their daily routine.
"When any weapon is submitted to evidence, it prompts us to trace the weapon," he said.
In recent weeks, police used E-trace to help with with local cases. One gun taken into evidence showed just 60 days from time of purchase to the time of the crime, Walker said.
In the past, if police found a gun at a crime scene, they would lock it up and wait on fingerprints or any information pertaining to the gun.
Last year, the program expanded and is now used in every division of the department.
"It's just one more trick in my bag," he said.

For those unfamiliar with U.S. gun laws. It is illegal for the Federal Government to have a gun registry. Without a gun registry how can this program work? How can they "look at the criminal history of a gun"? It's not like the criminal that used it updated the registry when they were done with it and sold it to the next criminal. What is the world is this about?

Ahhh... more research has revealed some disturbing information:

• Governor Announces Historic Partnership with ATF to Trace Illegal Firearms
  E-trace is a nationwide database maintained by the ATF that lists a firearm's first purchaser, date of purchase and the retailer from which it was purchased. The information is compiled from police records of gun purchases provided by local departments, but until today was only accessible by the ATF and the police department that provided it.
  ...
  "Partnering with the ATF, the New Jersey State Police will now have direct access to national firearms purchasing data. This will streamline the tracing of illegal firearms back to the source, giving us a better shot at finding and arresting the person who pulled the trigger," said Colonel Rick Fuentes.
• Seven Central American Countries to get eTrace
• Background Paper: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Program on Tracing Illegal Small Arms (June 2, 2001)
  Of particular interest is Access 2000, a computerized link between the NTC and firearms manufacturers and wholesalers. This nexus allows the NTB instant access to the computerized records maintained by cooperating FFLs in order to complete traces more efficiently. Currently, 12 FFLs are online. ATF is continuing this working partnership with the firearms industry in order to facilitate the tracing of crime guns by use of a standardized automated system. Instant access allows NTB employees to query the history of an individual serial number, thus speeding up the tracing process and reducing the trace-related cost to industry. Of course, 24-hour access allows NTB employees to query the history of firearms as necessary.

As of February 2000 there were five manufactures and distributors using Access 2000: RSR Wholesale; H&R, 1871; Smith & Wesson; Davidson Wholesale; and Taurus International Firearms.

What appears to have happened was that the ATF came up with an Internet based system for the distributors and manufactures to make their sales records available to the ATF to save the businesses in the supply chain time and money in complying with trace requests. This did not give the ATF access to individual purchase records. It merely gave the ATF more immediate access to the FFL who would still have to look up the 4473 to get the sales record for the ATF. It appears this original functionality was extended, perhaps in an illegal manner.

The enhanced functionality which I question the legality of is that it appears some states have records of individual firearm sales which they are sharing, in an online way, with the ATF.

I will be sending out emails to lawyers familiar with gun laws I know to get clarification of the law on this point. I'll let you know what I find out.

The conclusion is not: 'Gosh isn't this a horrible commentary on human nature,' or 'these people were so sadistic. It shows the opposite — that there are situational forces that have a much greater impact on our behavior than most people recognize.

Jerry M. Burger
December 20, 2008
Shocking revelation: Santa Clara University professor mirrors famous torture study
[This is a reproduction of the infamous Milgram Experiments. I must conclude that this is either a facet of human psychology or at least a facet of multiple cultures. These results have tremendous impact on everything from the Holocaust, Jonestown, and civil rights to gun confiscation. Do not count on people to "do the right thing" if they are given the option of using the excuse "I was just following orders".--Joe]

Position 64 will become available today, Saturday December 20, at about 12:00 noon Pacific Standard Time.

Sign up here.

It is on the Berm which means shooting benches are discouraged.

I'll be on the road traveling from the Seattle area to Moscow at the time so it will depend on cell phone coverage the exact moment I open up the position. Just keep refreshing the web page to get the first available opportunity for the spot.

Update: Due to an error in my blogging software this post did not appear at 9:35 AM like I thought it did. The position was made available at 12:00 noon as planned and it was filled 21 minutes later.

Self-defense classes, particularly those involving training women to use handguns, often help to provide women the sense of self-worth necessary for them to feel equals in civil society. See Martha McCaughey, Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense (N.Y. Univ. Press 1997). Women who take such classes no longer see themselves as powerless potential victims, but as individuals who may demand that their rights be respected. There is some evidence that men recognize this transformation and alter their conduct toward those women. As one study noted, "[t]he knowledge that one can defend oneself - and that the self is valuable enough to merit defending - changes everything." Jocelyn A. Hollander, "I Can Take Care of Myself": The Impact of Self-Defense Training on Women’s Lives, 10 Violence Against Women 205, at 226-227 (2004). Therefore, even if women are never placed in a position to defend themselves with a firearm or their own bodies, there are less material but no less compelling justifications for allowing them that ability. E.g., Mary Zeiss Stange, From Domestic Terrorism to Armed Revolution: Women’s Right to Self-Defense as an Essential Human Right, 2 J. L. Econ. & Pol’y 385-391 (2006).

M. Carol Bambery
Brief of amicae curiae 126 women state legislators and academics in support of respondent in D.C. versus Heller.

Primarily this is about the Atlanta chapter of the Pink Pistols. But would I find particularily interesting is that the writer included the point of view of a group that is opposed to the Pink Pistols. This group says:

"...we say no to the use of weapons — we are anti-violence,” she said.  “If someone from the Pink Pistols feels they have to arm themselves to be safe … we can’t agree. Most often, we find, their weapons are used against them.”

Maybe it's just my bias but my reading of it is the statements of this anti-violence group are so weak it actually makes the Pink Pistol's position stronger.

A few days ago I posted about a blogger that anticipated great changes in this countries gun laws with the incoming Obama administration.

He noticed the traffic from my blog to his and "clarified" his position on my blog saying he respected the Second Amendment only wanted "reasonable" changes in our gun laws.

Today he tells us what he thinks are reasonable changes:

1. Ban assault weapons from private possession
2. Ban .50 caliber (armor piercing) weapons from private possession
3. Allow local communities to determine what is appropriate for their circumstances. If cities such as Philadelphia and Washington D.C. feel that stricter gun control laws are needed than state or federal law provides, they should be allowed to govern their particular situation. The view (and conditions) from Idaho can be significantly different from major urban centers such as Chicago, LA, and NYC.
4. Improve oversight of corrupt gun dealers
5. Limit the number of guns an individual can purchase in a month. This will reduce the number of guns purchased with the intent to sell them illegally on the street, also known as straw purchases.
6. Mandate that sales at gun shows include criminal background checks. This is a major loophole in current law.

Yes. His ignorance is showing. Please play nice as you introduce him to the realities of guns and gun law. His comments are open. Here is my first lesson:

1. The definition of "assault weapon" is so ill defined and nearly always is based merely on cosmetic features, not function, that any such ban boils down to bans on guns that someone thought looked "evil" or "ugly". Beyond that the percent of crimes committed with guns that met the definition of "assault weapon" as defined by the 1994 Federal ban was so small that the weapons "feet" and "hands" are used to commit more murders each year than the banned firearms. Even if the criminal intent on using such a gun in a crime failed to find a substitute weapon and did not commit the crime that would have been enabled had they had such a weapon the drop in the crime rate would have been less than 1%. Hence any claim for an "assault weapon" ban as being reasonable must be with a goal other than crime reduction. So I ask, Mr. Weinstein, what is your goal with such a proposed ban? What is it that makes such a proposal "reasonable"?
2. To the best of my knowledge only one .50 BMG gun has been used in the commission of a crime in the last 30 years. Hence any claim for a .50 caliber ban as being reasonable must be with a goal other than crime reduction. So I ask, Mr. Weinstein, what is your goal with such a proposed ban? What is it that makes such a proposal "reasonable"?
3. You appear to acknowledge the 2^nd Amendment guarantees a right to keep and bear arms. I presume you also support the 13^th Amendment. It then would appear the two amendments should be treated in a similar manner in their application. Hence I must conclude that you would also advocate the states and cities determine what is appropriate for their circumstances in regards application of the 13th Amendment. If I am in error on this point please correct my misunderstanding. Once we are clear on this point then I can better respond to your "reasonable" suggestion.
4. I wasn't aware there was a list of corrupt gun dealers that were lacking in oversight. If some gun dealers are known to be corrupt then they must already be in violation of some law or rule. It would seem to me that prosecution, pulling their license, or fines for violations would be more appropriate rather than "oversight". But no matter, I am skeptical there is some large problem with gun dealers in this country. What evidence do you have that would tend to indicate I am wrong?
5. Straw purchases are already illegal. How would this help? This type of law has been passed in numerous jurisdictions. Can you demonstrate any reduction in the crime rate from these restrictions?
6. Sales at gun shows are no different than sales at gun dealers. Background checks are always required when you purchase from license dealers. There is no loophole. The Brady Campaign has been telling this lie for years to the point most people believe it. It is not true.
7. In my first post I suggested you study and answer Just One Question before proposing more restrictions on a specific enumerated right. You do not appear to have done this. Please do so. I think the answer will dramatically affect your response.

I'll be making another Boomershoot 2009 position available sometime this weekend. Probably about noon on Saturday. I'll post the details when it's actually available.

In closely related news I got an email from someone today who, in part, said:

i have my countdown clock on my desk and it is 124 days and 13 hours till i leave for the boomershoot...

I probably should feel the weight on my shoulders with so many people making this a big event. But except for a few days of the year I have fun doing this.

I swear that they must have an IQ limit to enter public office these days or something.

Phil @ Random Nuclear Strikes
December 19, 2008
I’d say “He’s giving it to them”
[I think of it as politics being the free market at work. If someone has any brains and/or integrity they avoid politics. The effect is the same however.--Joe]

Quote me. I said something clever earlier today.

Xenia Huffman-Scott
December 18, 2008