Author Archives: Joe

Washington State May Get Even Worse on Guns

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Via an email from Rolf:

The video appears to be entirely speculative. But see also this Gun group wants new taxes and permits for WA firearm sales • Washington State Standard:

Washington’s leading gun control group wants state lawmakers to make it tougher and more expensive to buy a firearm.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility said Monday it will renew efforts to begin requiring state permits for gun buyers and will urge lawmakers to impose a new excise tax on sales of ammunition and firearms.

The group’s agenda for the 2025 legislative session also includes adding parks and public buildings to places where open carry of firearms is restricted, banning bulk purchases of firearms and ammunition, and improving oversight of gun dealers. 

I wonder what the definition of bulk purchases of ammunition will be. Will a single brick of .22LR ammo (500 rounds) be illegal? My guess is yes.

Even with just the tax increase, if this happens, I expect to make significant changes in my behavior. I will move nearly all my gun activities to my underground bunker in Idaho. I will also be increasing my donations to SAF and FPC. This crap has to be stopped.

Matrix Style Learning is Becoming Reality

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Quote of the Day

Instead of teaching you something and measuring how your brain changes, we wrote a new category into your brain that would have appeared had you learned it yourself,

Dr Coraline Iordan
December 11, 2024
Scientists use Matrix-style learning to ‘write’ skills into human brain noninvasively

Wouldn’t it be cool to use for rehabilitating someone with a tendency to think wrong thoughts!

I know a way to write a new category into someone’s brain. It permanently teaches them to leave me alone.

The Fault Lies with the Criminal, Not the Tool.

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Quote of the Day

The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has renewed the debate over “ghost guns,” according to some news reports. More accurately, the usual control freaks are using the killing as a convenient hook on which to hang their authoritarian arguments. While there’s plenty to find horrifying in this crime, that alleged murderer Luigi Mangione made his weapon using a 3D printer isn’t one of them, no matter that a few people see in the act an opportunity to advance restrictive legislation.

…

People make their own guns because they want them and somebody in power seeks to prevent them from possessing weapons. The result has inevitably been people who arm themselves in defiance of the law, using whatever tools and materials are available.

The murder of Brian Thompson would have been no less horrible if the weapon was a legally purchased firearm, a knife, an incendiary device, a club, or any other of the many means of destruction humans have historically wielded against one another. The fault lies with the criminal, not the tool.

And people, being clever and defiant towards authority, will always gain access to forbidden objects that they want, including weapons. They’ll do so even if they have to manufacture them at home.

J.D. Tuccille
December 13, 2024
Brian Thompson’s murder is being used to peddle ‘ghost gun’ bans

From a legal standpoint, people have long been making their own guns without restrictions. They did this long before and after the 2nd Amendment was written. That, among other things, makes it unconstitutional to impose a prohibition on them now.

From a practical standpoint, passing a law against private manufacture only creates a victimless crime and morally innocent “criminals”. It does nothing to prevent the person with evil intentions from committing their already prohibited evil acts. If they are willing to violate laws prohibiting violent crimes, the law fails to deter them. It only inhibits those who use homemade guns for lawful purposes. It does not deter genuine criminals.

Hence, we know those who advocate restrictions of homemade guns do so with the intent of harming innocent people.

Competing Hypothesis’s on Gun Attitude Flip-Flop

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Quote of the Day

The very individuals who have long championed gun control as a solution to gun violence are now celebrating the tragic killing of a CEO by someone who was radicalized and used a 3D-printed firearm. These same voices once lauded an attacker who nearly assassinated Donald Trump. Such reactions reveal obvious inconsistency, suggesting that their stance on gun violence are politically motivated rather than rooted in principle.

🔫UR a Smart Ass, Carl🔫 @Ur_a_Smartass_C
Posted on X on December 10, 2024

“… politically motivated rather than rooted in principle.” is a good hypothesis. I would like to contribute another hypothesis.

These are people who decide right from wrong almost entirely based on their emotions. Children who are victims of a mass shooter causes them to feel bad and this means guns must be bad. If someone they don’t like is murdered with a gun, then they feel good. This associates guns with their good feelings, and they have no wish to condemn the gun.

I think there is a more important point to be made here. There is a nothing but a thin veneer of civilization over these people. The threshold for them to accept the murder of someone is shockingly low. This can explain riots, lynch mobs, and genocide. Blood lust is a real thing and only barely suppressed in some people.

Prepare appropriately.

Respect

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Via Dave’sNotHere @HonDavid76:

There is more than one way to gain respect.

This applies at many levels in the political hierarchy.

National Constitutional Carry

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Quote of the Day

I introduced the National Constitutional Carry Act to prohibit states from requiring a permit to carry a firearm.

No one should have to beg the government to exercise a constitutionally protected right anywhere in the country.

Let’s get this done!

Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie
Posted on X, December 7, 2024

Attack on the legislative as well as the judicial paths to sensible gun law reform. This is the way.

Gun Free School Zones Under Fire

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Quote of the Day

Overlapping school zones can make it literally impossible for people to legally carry firearms, and this is exactly the situation in Billings, and similar communities all over the country. People living in, or moving through these communities can be charged and prosecuted, permanently costing them their Second Amendment rights. Such restrictions clearly make the law unconstitutional.

Adam Kraut
December 6, 2024
SAF FILES 9TH CIRCUIT AMICUS BRIEF IN CASE CHALLENGING GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONES – Second Amendment Foundation

These types of infringements have been in place for over 25 years. It is long past time for the courts to throw these laws out.

Remember Huffman’s rule of firearms law.

Canada Engaged in More Human Rights Violations

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Quote of the Day

Canada has taken significant strides in tightening its gun control measures, announcing the addition of 324 firearm models to its existing ban list. This move, revealed by Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, aims to restrict access to firearms deemed unsuitable for civilian use, claiming they are more suitable for battlefields than communities.

…

Interestingly, the Canadian government is also exploring possibilities of donating these newly banned firearms. Defense Minister Bill Blair stated discussions are underway with Ukrainian authorities about potentially transferring the guns to assist in Ukraine’s defense against Russia. “Every bit of assistance we can offer to the Ukrainians is one step toward their victory,” he emphasized, highlighting the intertwined nature of domestic gun control and international humanitarian efforts.

Evrim Ağacı
December 7, 2024
Canada Expands Firearms Ban Amid Ukraine Aid Proposal – The Pinnacle Gazette

As other people have point out, it is telling that the Canadian politicians want to confiscate their citizens’ firearms. They intend to give those same firearms to the Ukrainians so they can preserve their freedom. What does that tell you about Canadian politicians’ intentions for the citizens of Canada?

The U.S. should have imposed sanctions on the Canadian government for human rights violations decades ago.

Dead Battery for a Brain

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Quote of the Day

Small D energy right there, boyo!

Showing off your insecurities, is never ever sexy!

HELLSPAWN @IndictmentSniff
Tweeted on December 6, 2023

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier (see also here)!

If I just glance at that quote I think it refers to a D-Cell battery that is nearly dead. Weird, huh?

Perhaps that is a good metaphor for his intellectual capabilities.

Crucial Communism Teaching Act

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Quote of the Day

The House on Dec. 6 passed the Crucial Communism Teaching Act with a vote of 327–62. The bill, introduced by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and cosponsored by 33 members of the House, seeks to address a gap in the education system related to the history of communism.

“Communism is one of the most destructive political ideologies the world has ever seen,” Rep. Salazar said when reintroducing the bill earlier this year.

“The Crucial Communism Teaching Act is important because our youth must remember the crimes of the communists, including those inflicted upon my constituents and their families in Florida’s 27th district.”

Stacy Robinson
December 6, 2024
House Overwhelmingly Passes ‘Crucial Communism Teaching Act’ | The Epoch Times

I’m shocked it passed 327-62. I expected far more legislators were in support of communism. The 62 would be an interesting list to study.

My understanding of the constitution is that Congress was not granted the power to pass this type of legislation. This power, if it exists at all, is reserved for the states.

That said, this is not the bill I’m going to take a stand on to make that case.

Communists Being Commies

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This is their goal. Via Comrade Sisko 🖖🏾✊🏿 @Pinko69420 (and here):

It is in their nature.

Prepare and respond appropriately.

Firearms Do Not Wreak Havoc

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Quote of the Day

In the November 14 edition of the Miami Herald, in an article titled: Report: Majority of trafficked guns in Caribbean are from the U.S., shipped from Florida, reporters Jacqueline Charles and Jay Weaver claim a lack of restrictive gun laws in the United States cause high murder rates in Caribbean countries. From the article:

A new report from the U.S. government’s lead investigator on gun trafficking in the Caribbean area is confirming what region leaders have long said: Most of the firearms wreaking havoc in their vulnerable nations and being used in 90% of the homicides are coming from the United States.

Note the premise included in the misuse of the English language in the opening sentence:  the firearms wreaking havoc.

Firearms do not wreak havoc. This is Orwellian distortion of the language. Firearms are inanimate objects. Firearms do not cause harm. Firearms do not have a will of their own. The correct usage would be: People in vulnerable nations are wreaking havoc with firearms. This is important. Semantics are important. You must correctly understand cause and effect if you are to solve a problem. If you confuse cause and effect, your attempts to solve problems will almost certainly fail. You will attempt to change an effect rather a cause. Occasionally, simply by chance, an action taken with the wrong assumption may line up with a real cause.

Firearms do not cause murders and violent crime. The evidence does not support this assumption. Firearms numbers vary wildly across the globe, and in the Caribbean. Firearms laws vary wildly across the globe and the Caribbean as well. Murders and violent crime vary wildly as well. There is no correlation between them.

People can sometimes find a correlation between firearms laws and murders/violent crime committed with firearms. This does not show firearms cause crime. It shows a truism. Firearms can be used in crime.  Firearms can also be used to defend against crime. There is no good evidence to show a decrease in overall murders or overall violent crime when/where extremely restrictive firearm laws are implemented. If overall murder rates or overall violent crime rates do not decrease when firearms laws are implemented, the laws have failed in their stated objectives.

Dean Weingarten
November 22, 2024
GUN WATCH: Miami Herald Misdiagnoses Murder in Carribbean

Excellent points.

Great Words, But Still Just Words

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Quote of the Day

Why are there small lifeboats on gigantic steel ocean liners? Why do we spend thousands equipping our vehicles with airbags? Why do we wear seatbelts and place our infants in safety seats? Why do we build storm shelters under our homes? Why do we install ground-fault interrupter outlets by sinks and bathtubs? Why do we get painful inoculations? Why do we voluntarily undergo sickening chemotherapy? And why do we protect ourselves with firearms?

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Sadly, there are those who seek to usher in a sort of post-Constitution era where the citizens’ individual rights are only as important as they are convenient to a ruling class. Seeking ancient laws that may partner well with a present-day infringement on a right proclaimed in the Bill of Rights without reading it in conjunction with the aforementioned history is nonsense. The Statute of Northampton cannot in the least bit be used to vex the rights of Illinois citizens in the 21st century to keep and bear arms. The oft-quoted phrase that “no right is absolute” does not mean that fundamental rights precariously subsist subject to the whims, caprice, or appetite of government officials or judges.

Stephen P. McGlynn
U.S. District Judge of the Southern District of Illinois
November 8, 2024
Barnett v. Raoul

McGlynn writes some great stuff in declaring “assault weapon” bans illegal. But his “permanent” injunction was stayed upon appeal. It will probably take SCOTUS to put an end to this nonsense. For now, it is just words and not the force of law.

Russians are Now Shooting at German Aircraft

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This makes me very uncomfortable:

Russian warship ‘fires at German helicopter’ as WW3 tensions continue to rise

A Russian warship has reportedly fired warning shots at a German reconnaissance helicopter mid-flight over the Baltic Sea

I’m not sure what to make of all the headlines talking about WW III:

My first impulse is that sensationalism gets clicks, so this is mostly clickbait. But it does not take much thought to convince myself this is far more serious than ordinary clickbait. But what is the actual risk? Are we talking things going sparkly in the next week/month/year? Or is this going to be a bunch of saber rattling and chest thumping for a while before everyone backs down and claim they won the confrontation?

I want to be in an underground bunker in Idaho until this all gets sorted out.

Paying the Price

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Quote of the Day

Despite a busy news cycle, CNN had a smaller average audience from 8-11 p.m. than 29 other cable networks, including Bravo, TV Land, Freeform Investigation Discovery, FX, Food Network and History. 

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CNN had its lowest-rated week among the key demographic of adults aged 25-54 in nearly 30 years, averaging a dismal 41,000 viewers from the group coveted by advertisers. But MSNBC was even worse in the critical category, averaging only 29,000 total day viewers among the demo. 

MSNBC had a smaller audience among the demo than 36 other cable options, including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, E!, The Cartoon Network, Oxygen, MTV, Hallmark Mystery and a pair of Lifetime networks. It was MSNBC’s worst week among the demo since November 1997. 

Brian Flood
December 4, 2024
Fox News Channel dominates cable news as CNN, MSNBC collapse to embarrassing weekly lows

For comparison:

  • Joe Rogan has 12.3 million followers on X and 14.5 million on Spotify.
  • Mark Smith of the The Four Boxes Diner has 20.4K followers on X and 165K subscribers on YouTube. Smith is a law professor and advocate for Second Amendment rights.

CNN and MSNBC have been leading the pack in lies and giving Democrats what amounts to free advertising for a long, long time. I remember when people called CNN “Clinton News Network” for their biased reporting and opinions. And that was Bill Clinton, not Hillary!

That people have finally wised up and moved on is great news. It is time these talking heads paid a price for the harm they have done. I will be even happier when the companies collapse into bankruptcy. Most of all, I want to see the talking heads unemployable, and their old office space turned into gun shops and indoor shooting ranges.

They Always Want State Violence

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Quote of the Day

It would be useful if state violence extended to killing gun freaks

rumtytum @rumtytum
Tweeted on June 4, 2022

This is what they think of you. They want you dead.

And, of course, they want someone else to do their dirty work for them. They want the state to kill the people they don’t like. Also, note that it is an entire class of people they want dead. Considering people as individuals on a case-by-case basis would take too long.

Communism is a crime against humanity.

Underground Bunker Memes

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Via an email tip from Peter. Who found them at Meme-etic – According To Hoyt:

I’m not saying they are wrong. But just so you know… The deeper you go the tougher the problems with:

  • Water leakage
  • Flat roof expense
  • Sewer drains or septic drain fields
  • Construction excavation footprint size
  • Cranky building inspectors

Finland, the Baltic States and Alaska?

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Quote of the Day

We need to reclaim a lot more historic land, restore historical fairness… Finland, the Baltic States, everything is ours. Let’s take Alaska too

Vladimir Soloviev
May 5, 2024
“We have to take back Finland, Poland, the Baltic States, Alaska…”

Funny stuff!

I suspect that is some vodka talking. The last time Russia took a bite out of Finland… well, Ukraine is turning out to be more cooperative than Finland was. Even if Finland ended up being a pushover… all the Baltic States and Alaska? I suspect there would be a vote on that initiative whether Russia wants one or not. Expect the vote results to be delivered to the Kremlin via drone and missile.

Grok Draws a Picture of Me Based on My Tweets

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The prompt was:

Please draw a picture of me based on my Tweets.

It responded with:

I generated image with the prompt: ‘Bald man in dark sunglasses, smiling, wearing a dark polo shirt with a logo, medium build, light complexion, leaning against a column, black-and-white vintage style, with elements reflecting interests in libertarianism, gun rights, Ukraine support, and space technology.’

This is the image I have on my X profile:

Even for an AI, it is poor. The text is gibberish. It is not even creative.

I give it a B-.

Doubling Down on the Childish Insult

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Quote of the Day

Nah y’all just have smol pp’s

LiL MopHead (@XxSPINELxX)
Tweeted on July 1, 2022

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier (see also here)!

This QOTD was the response when I pointed out Markley’s Law to them and suggested their previous childish insult helped reduce their fear of gun owners.