Monthly Archives: December 2006

Quote of the day–Josh Sugarmann

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Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.

Josh Sugarmann
Conclusion
Assault Weapons and Accessories in America
1988, 42 pages, $6.00
[I’ve made reference to this quote before (and here) but never made it the QOTD. I do that today because Kevin uses it in his post The Other Side. As I mentioned in the comments to Kevin’s post, I have to have a certain amount of admiration for Sugarmann. It was this “study” by Sugarmann that was the seed for the “assault weapon” ban of 1994–all based on the deliberate confusion of the public. Mr. Sugarmann knows the truth and when the ’94 ban was about to sunset in 2004, while other anti-gun bigots were screaming about “blood will flow in the streets”, Sugarmann quietly told people that “not much will change” with the expiration of the ban. He successfully created the ban out of his insight on the ignorance and gullibility of the people and then moved on when he knew the deception could no longer be sustained.–Joe]

Christmas update

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Nothing new on the PNNL front just a report on our activities.

Xenia reported on her view of things. She took in a goodly amount of stuff.

We went to my parents place for Christmas Eve where we had very white Christmas Eve including some snow drifts that were probably eight to ten inches deep in places on the county road. There was a snow drift in our driveway too but not a big deal. It was starting to rain when we came back to Moscow and by the middle of Christmas day most of the snow was gone. We had a nice time with all the visitors. Daughter Kim and her fiancée loved the new laptop computer we bought them. Sara has been staying with us and went to my parents place as well as being with us on Christmas Day. Barb’s sister Nancy and her family were here too. Nancy likes to make funny faces and I told her the picture below was was going to be on the Internet in ten minutes. Barb said, “No!” So instead of ten minutes I waited 48 hours.

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Here is another picture of Nancy. This time with Barb while they are in deep concentration in a game they were playing:

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This is Caleb and Kim with our bare backyard in the background

Quote of the day–Dave Barry

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You never have to figure out what to get for children, because they will tell you exactly what they want.  They spend months and months researching these kinds of things by watching Saturday-morning cartoon-show advertisements.  Make sure you get your children exactly what they ask for, even if you disapprove of their choices.  If your child thinks he wants Murderous Bob, the Doll with the Face You Can Rip Right Off, you’d better get it.  You may be worried that it might help to encourage your child’s antisocial tendencies, but believe me, you have not seen antisocial tendencies until you’ve seen a child who is convinced that he or she did not get the right gift.

Dave Barry
Christmas Shopping: A Survivor’s Guide
[See also my next post.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Adolf Hitler

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All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those towards whom it is directed will understand it.  Therefore, the intellectual level of the propaganda must be lower the larger the number of people who are to be influenced by it.

Adolf Hitler
[This is part of the reason why we have trouble getting our message across to the public. Freedom, whether it is gun rights, right to privacy, or economic rights is more difficult to explain than, “The government will take care of you.” But just because something is simple to explain and appealing to the masses doesn’t mean it’s right. Hitler’s message was simple, appealing to the masses, and totally wrong. Just like the message of the anti-freedom bigots of our country today.–Joe]

Merry Christmas

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Being an atheist I don’t usually take much pleasure in Christmas. But this year is something very special. Last year was very tough for us after being fired from PNNL. However this year is much better. I got a good job last April. The lawsuit against PNNL and my former supervisor, Bryan McMillan, was filled October 30th. And then just in time for Christmas I received word yesterday that McMillan and his wife Torrie (community property state, in order to get full access to his assets we needed to fill against his wife too) got served with the papers.

Merry Christmas Bryan!

Sorry Torrie, but it’s not my fault you married someone of such low character that he committed a felony. I’m pretty sure there will be some more unpleasant surprises for you about his character in the coming years as the lawsuit details come out.

To the people at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous that I asked not to mention the details I talked about, you are now free to blog as much as you want.

Quote of the day–Peggy Hevland

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That discussion wouldn’t be productive.

Peggy Hevland
Specialist
HRM, CISD
peggy.hevland@pnl.gov
509-375-6523
June 3, 2005
[When I asked, “What specifically did I do wrong?” as she and Byran McMillian were in the process of firing me. It turns out that I later found out why I was being fired–some people had a problem with me being a civil (gun) rights advocate. It’s the quote of the day for today because I just found out the lawsuit papers have been served to McMillian. Peggy…Someday in the not too distant future I believe I’m going to have a very productive discussion with you. Either that you will be held in contempt of court.–Joe]

I don’t think so

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Dr. Joe’s cure for everything, more sex, works for a lot of things but I have my doubts about this:

WHO?
All Men and Women, you and everyone you know.

WHERE?
Everywhere in the world, but especially in countries with weapons of mass destruction.

WHEN?
Solstice Day — Friday, December 22nd, at the time of your choosing, in the place of your choosing and with as much privacy as you chose.

WHY?
To effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through the input of the largest possible surge of human energy, a Synchronized Global Orgasm.

I’m fine with most of it but I think someone needs to take some physics classes because their understanding of energy and fields is more than a little wacked.

I’ll particpate and encourage Barb to help out because it can’t do any harm and it was on my list of things to do anyway but these people are nuts.

Posted in Sex

Nanny state stupidity

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Yes, I know, “nanny state stupidity” is redundant. Get over it. I want to rub the nanny noses in it when they come visiting.

In southern Idaho there is a fireworks supply company, Firefox Enterprises, being sued (a civil lawsuit, not criminal) by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Here is a copy of their complaint.

Basically they told Firefox they had determined that certain fireworks are banned hazardous substances. Furthermore CPSC regulations specify that “components” that are “intended to produce” banned fireworks are also banned hazardous substances. They want an injunction against Firefox directing them to:

  • not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any chlorate compound, magnesium metal, permanganate compound, peroxide compound, zirconium metal, or any chemical listed at 16 C.F.R. § 1507.2 to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF;
  • not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any of the following chemical for which the particle size is finer than 100 mesh (or particles less than 150 microns in size) to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF: aluminum and aluminum alloys, magnalium metal, magnesium/aluminum alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, or zinc metal;
  • not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any of the following chemicals in any amount greater than one pound per year per recipient to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF: antimony and antimony compounds, benzoate compounds, nitrate compounds, perchlorate compounds, salicylate compounds, or sulfur;
  • not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any fuse in an amount greater than twenty-five feet per year to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF;

For those of you not familiar with the chemistry of common household and barnyard substances:

  • Matches are a chlorate compound
  • Matches contain sulfur
  • Hair bleach is a peroxide compound
  • Magnesium metal is found in many cars, motorcycles, and other common objects in your house and garage
  • Starting with aluminized mylar balloon and other common objects it’s not difficult to make particles of aluminum smaller that 150 microns
  • Cow/chicken/pig/etc. manure is a nitrate compound and can be, and has been for hundreds of years, a component for fireworks and explosives
  • Many lawn and garden fertilizers are nitrate compounds
  • Ordinary string as well as cigarettes and cigarette paper (it’s specially treated) can be used as a fuse

And those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head.

The more basic problem is they are trying to prevent crime. This is prior restraint and is like duct taping people’s mouths shut when they go into a crowded theater so they can’t falsely yell, “FIRE!!!” As I said back in 1998

Crime “prevention” is a very hot button for me.  There is no limit to the evil that can be justified and/or enabled once you accept the premise that it is acceptable to prevent crime by restricting liberty.

December 3, 1998 6:53 PM
Microsoft Gun Club Public Folder

This started in 2004 and I have sort of been following along. It doesn’t directly affect me in the foreseeable future because I have the required ATF license and I no longer buy my potassium chlorate from Firefox. I buy in quantities about 10 times larger than what they think is a large order and hence get it much cheaper from a different source. Today I received an email from another fireworks supplier that I have also utilized which said in part, “THE FIREFOX CASE HAS BEEN LOST”. The judge has told the CPSC and Firefox to negotiate a mutually acceptable plan or else he, the judge, will make the decision.

So to those pinheaded jerks at the CPSC: I just want you to know you are one stupid set of nannies when you are trying to ban people from selling cow manure. Why don’t you go get a real job instead of being professional assholes?

Another case of government creating criminals

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The following article was actually the motivation to write my post last night, How government creates crime. From New Zealand:

Green Party MP Keith Locke has called for greater controls on the owners of military style weapons, in the wake of the Police seizure of hundreds of military style weapons during raids on 55 gun collectors and dealers.

“When even the Police express surprise at the extent of the seizures, this indicates serious flaws exist within the gun control system they administer,” Mr Locke says.

“The raids are very welcome, and hopefully indicate a fresh determination by Police to tackle this problem. The Police vetting system has become far too loose, and it has become too easy to register and trade as a ‘collector.’

“The profits possible from on-selling these weapons are clearly proving too much for some of these registered gun collectors to resist.

“While one can sympathise with genuine collectors, it is not acceptable that the ‘collectors’ market is being used as a cover for a black market trade in guns, some of which ultimately end up in the hands of gangs and criminals.

“The initial looseness in the control system is that gun owners must be registered, but not their guns. In future, guns need to be registered.”

Who are the victims in the “crime” mentioned above? If you said the gun collectors and dealers you are correct. They engaged in victimless crimes. Any further restrictions, as suggested above, on the free market will only create still more “criminals” and victims.

Stats for Boomershoot 2007

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End of the year roundup on things:

  • There are only two slots left and they are in the .50 Caliber Ghetto
  • There is a waiting list of four teams (six people) for the smaller caliber area some of whom claimed .50 Caliber Ghetto slots
  • There are 110 shooters signed up
  • There are, on the average, 1.62 shooters per position
  • Excluding the targets consumed in the Precision Rifle Clinic (full since November 8th with a waiting list) on the average there will probably be 6.5 targets per shooter
  • Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 10.5 targets per shooting position
  • Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 21.4 pounds of explosives per per shooting position
  • Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 13.2 pounds of explosives per shooter
  • The average price paid per paying shooter (staff not counted) would buy only about 7.5 pounds of Tannerite (see also Target Master exploding targets) at list price in case quantity
  • The smallest targets for Boomershoot 2007 will have three times the explosive charge of the largest targets at Boomershoot 2000
  • If we use the same number of targets as last year we will consume over 1600 pounds of explosives (see More boom in the boomers)
  • Assuming no unexpected expenses and an comparable level of participation then Boomershoot 2008 (a year or more from now) will be enable me to pay off the last of the debt on the construction of the Taj Mahal

Waiting for door-to-door confiscation

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I helped Ry with a car problem tonight and he asked me if I had read the Oleg Volk’s post about waiting for door-to-door confiscation of firearms. I hadn’t. He gave me a version that was slightly mangled and said Oleg said it much better. Then in his post about it Ry pointed out the picture for the posting is an UltiMAK equipped rifle.

A portion of Oleg’s advice, “Train new shooters” and “Educate fence-sitters”, is a significant portion of the motivation for Boomershoot.

So what have you done to prevent door-to-door confiscations recently?

How government creates crime

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One of my pet peeves is how government creates crime and gets away with it. Not even a whisper of it in the press when some new crime creating law is being debated. “Government creates crime?”, you ask. Yes, beyond any doubt. Alcohol prohibition is one example that most people can agree on without much effort. By banning most types of alcohol consumption they created a black market for a product that was in high demand. Turf wars, corruption of the police and public officials, and enforcement of business contracts via violence were the inevitable result.

Most people can also see a similar result has occurred with recreational drug prohibition.

Firearm prohibition has the same result but, probably because demand isn’t as great, to a limited extent.

Prohibitions are just one of the areas however. Taxes are another. Anytime the taxes become “too high” on a product a black market is created. It’s simply a light version of a ban on a product. I’ve heard it said that “too high” is greater than about 15%. When the taxes on a product are below 15% of the free market retail price a black market isn’t viable. Above 15% and the government created a black market and all the crime that comes with that black market.

And what most people don’t realize is that taxes on income helps create crime too. If someone steals $100 do you think they are going to report that as income and pay taxes on it? $100 of illegal income, assuming you don’t get caught, is worth more than $100 of legal income you report and pay taxes on. The higher the income tax rate the more incentive there is to obtain your income from illegal sources. Hence government taxes on income are a crime incentive.

In general it boils down to this: Any government restriction on the free market is an incentive for people to “go illegal” to bypass that restriction. Anytime someone “goes illegal” they no longer have the court system available to them to resolve disputes and enforce contracts. The result is not only the crime of bypassing the government restriction but the crimes of police and political corruption and contract resolution via violence.

I’m not saying that all government restrictions on the free market are to be abolished. I’m just saying that any restrictions increase the price such that it exceeds some threshold, perhaps in the range of 15% of the unrestricted price, and a very careful cost/benefit analysis is required. And of course as we know from the gun control debates people seldom bring up the downside of a government restriction. They seem to be only able to see the potential upside.

And before someone else points it out (Lyle, I’m thinking of you) most government in the U.S. is already criminal. Where do they get the authority in their constitutions to do even one tenth their normal “business”? So it’s not surprising they wouldn’t be concerned about creating crime–criminals are their idealogical brothers.

Quote of the day–Thomas Jefferson

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A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on Earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.

Thomas Jefferson
Letter to James Madison
Dec. 20, 1787
[It’s as true today as it was 219 years ago. And keep in mind that the bill of rights is a list of things the government must not do. It is not a list of what it should or must do. There is no “right” to health care, education, or employment. There is a right to due process, freedom of speech, freedom from unreasonable search and seziure, and the right of the individual to keep and bear arms.–Joe]