The National Rifle Association’s position and concerns will be made very clear when we file our lawsuit.
Alexa Fritts
Spokeswoman for the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action
May 15, 2013
Signing of Md. gun control bill to launch new legal battles, fight for public support
[This same quote is also attributed to “Jacqueline Otto”. It is possible that it was written by someone else or even a committee. But still, I like it.—Joe]
There are so many things wrong with this that I wouldn’t even try to enumerate all of them but here are the first two that come to mind:
Update: A better image from S Andrew Nicol:
Barb L. and I took Jazzy and Maddy to the ocean with us this weekend. Jazzy had never been to the Pacific Ocean. I took a bunch of pictures of Jazzy and Maddy and made a simple video of them.
We had some dramatic moments when they went on ahead of us around a tight spot on the beach while the tide was coming in. Barb ran to catch up with them, almost fell (I caught it in three sequential frames on my camera), then yelled at them, “The tide is coming in. Be careful!” They responded with, “We know!”
They then proceeded to continue on around the corner. We waited a couple minutes and watched with increasing concern as the water continued to cut off the “pass” between us and them. I then dumped my backpack and camera case and jumped between rocks over the water and ran around the corner to find them. They were another 100 yards or so beyond and about to go out of sight around another corner. I ran to catch up with them and yelled when I thought I was close enough for them to hear me above the waves, “You need to come back now!” I was concerned they might not heed my concerns either. But they responded and started walking back at a brisk walk. I ran back.
The “crossing” was almost unrecognizable as the place I had crossed maybe two minutes previously.
I stepped onto the closest rock and got my shoes wet up to just below the ankles. The hiking boots are water resistant and my feet remained dry as I waited for the wave to go back and I jumped across to another rock and climbed out the other side without getting wet.
Jazzy and Maddy soon followed and didn’t care all that much about the depth of the water because they had taken off their shoes much earlier (there is a tale to tell about the shoes too):
Maddy had tied her shoes to her backpack and then walked probably a mile or so before noticing that one was gone. We were able to determine, roughly, where she lost it because of all the pictures I had taken of them. But we figured the shoe was completely gone because the beach was about 100 yard narrower in that spot than when she had walked by earlier.
We were approaching the trailhead when Barb and I started thinking about making an improvised “shoe” for Maddy to walk the 3/4 of a mile or so on the gravel path back to the car. We had just concluded a t-shirt with a plastic bag wrapped around it held in place with a rubber band would work or maybe just have her wait at the trailhead while someone went back to the motel and come back with her other pair of shoes. Jazzy and Maddy were probably 75 yards ahead of us when we saw one of them point and then they both started running. “A race?”, I asked Barb. “I don’t know”, she said. A few seconds later we understood as Maddy picked her shoe up off of the beach. It was on the edge of the water and probably 75 yards inland from her path in the other direction. The two socks she had stuffed in the shoe were still there too.
Lucky day.
Is it true that a man who needs an assault weapon to feel like a man is just compensating for the lack of something else? You know what I mean guys.
deeambro
February 4, 2013
Comment to Assault Weapons Ban Likely To Die So That Broader Gun Policy Legislation Can Live
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!—Joe]
Unarmed minority groups die when the armed majority decides to kill them.
Aaron Zelman and Richard W. Stevens
Death by “Gun Control”: The Human Cost of Victim Disarmament
Hartford, WI: Mazel Freedom Press, 201
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
We made it to the ocean this afternoon and almost immediately went for a walk on the beach. I did not bring my chemistry set but we had a good time anyway.
View from our room.
View from our room.
View from our room.
View from the beach.
View of the beach.
Mutant moss. I think we should check on it tomorrow and see if the earth is in danger of being taken over.
From here:
Not just anti-gun but anti-free speech as well.
Thanks to the cartoonist for showing us their true colors.
The measure would repeal Chicago’s assault weapons ban and put public safety at risk.
Brooke Anderson
Spokesman for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.
May 23, 2013
Quinn skeptical of Ill. House concealed-carry plan
[So tell me where is the murder rate higher? Is it in cities that don’t have a “assault weapons” ban like Seattle, Dallas, or Miami? Or is in Chicago?
I suppose it does depend upon your definition of “public”. My guess is that Anderson and Quinn are concerned with the safety of their primary constituents—the criminal elements of Chicago. And that includes those holding government office.—Joe]
Buses and trucks have a much larger turning radius than cars.
Someone at 4th and Olive in downtown Seattle learned the hard way this afternoon:
From here:
I don’t think I have ever heard it was “one tiny step”. But certainly a good case can be made that gun control was required for every genocide.
But the cartoonist isn’t really concerned with the facts. He just wants to dehumanize gun owners. Which, by the way, was also a requirement for nearly every genocide.
Yesterday while walking from the bus stop to my work a guy going the other direction looked at me kind of funny, approached me, and said, “Joe Huffman?”.
In the first couple of seconds I was concerned it was my “stalker” but then I had a glimmer of recognition and said, “And you are?” He replied, “Microsoft, Direct X…”
It wasn’t so much the words but the sound of his voice and matching the face to memories that enabled me to pull out a name without significant pause, “Nick W. Yes, I remember you!”
We had worked together (I think he was my lead) in the late 90’s at Microsoft about 15 years ago. We ended up talking for probably close to 30 minutes. He had left MS before I went back in 2005, worked in NYC for a while, then came back to Seattle and now works for Amazon.
This is the second time I have connected with someone by seeing them on the sidewalk in downtown Seattle. The other time was late last year when I chatted with Jeff O. who I also originally knew from my Microsoft, Direct X days.
In the 16 years APPS has been an active state program, 12,000 firearms have been confiscated – about 750 each year. Yet the APPS database shows 40,000 known firearms in the hands of 20,000 prohibited owners, most likely non-violent first offenders. Stated differently, in sixteen years APPS has removed 23% of the known firearms and 0% of the unregistered guns in gang member pockets.
Michel & Associates, P.C.
Memorandum of Law
May 23, 2013
[APPS stands for “Armed Prohibited Persons System”. APPS is California’s technology for matching gun registration records against people who have had their gun ownership rights restricted.
Some of the stories of the abuses of the system will make your blood boil. All the more so because the system doesn’t (and can’t) remove the guns from people that don’t register them to begin with. And if you are familiar with Haynes v. United States you know that violent convicted criminals cannot be charged with the crime of failure to register their guns. But the average person who has never even seen the inside of a courtroom can and will be prosecuted for failure to register their firearms.
It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s just the law you must obey.—Joe]
Found here.
I’m not even sure what the cartoonist is trying to say. Is it that NRA members are empty headed?
Has this guy ever looked at the demographics of gun owners versus the general public? 37% of gun owners are college graduates and 30% have done post graduate work. And this includes people so young they would not have had time to complete college.
In the general population of 25 and older (note the biased sample compared to gun owners!) 40.58% have college degrees and just over 12% have Masters, Doctorate, or professional degrees. There does not appear to be justification for claiming gun owners are uneducated or empty headed.
Hence, I must conclude that the cartoonist is the one who is uneducated based on his willful lack of knowledge on the demographics of gun ownership.
The following is the trailer for the movie some of us helped via Kickstarter last year:
The official website is here.
From the email I received from them this afternoon:
The clock is ticking as our June 20th theater debut nears. We plan to have “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire” play in limited release in more than a dozen markets across the U.S. And, if one of those dozen markets is not yours, you can actually request to set up your own viewing party through our distributor, TUGG (http://www.tugg.com/titles/assaulted-civil-rights-under-fire). More details to come.
In the meantime, check out the “Assaulted” trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDziWcKQxr8.
And, would you believe that the one and only Ice-T is our narrator!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeadPatriot and like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadpatriotfilms.
And, for some fun reading, here’s a link to a FOXNews.com interview with “Assaulted” executive producer and director, Kris Koenig:Thanks for your support.
-The Assaulted Team
When you blame objects instead of actions, there’s always a new object to blame…
My Gun Culture (@mygunculture)
Tweeted on May 15, 2013
[The more cynical among us will claim this is intentional. Controllers need laws to make more criminals so they can control people easier. I tend to think people like this are just stupid and/or have mental problems.—Joe]
Someone is putting up posters on Capital Hill near Seattle. This is an area that has a demographic that is considerably more gay than other areas. Here is a sample:
The QR code takes you to www.a-human-right.com.
It’s hard to know who’s responsible for putting the posters up all over Capitol Hill. “Nale Dixon,” who’s credited for drawing the cartoon of the gay couple, returns no search results online. The pro-gun website is run by a dude named Oleg Volk, “An American,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s responsible for papering the hill with them. Without someone to credit, it’s impossible to glean the posterer’s intentions.
Perhaps being courted by a traditionally right-wing, conservative movement is refreshing and progressive, but it could also just be really effective concern trolling. What better way to make people feel unsafe in gay-friendly Capitol Hill than by slyly referencing homophobia and hate crimes in pro-gun propaganda plastered on every street corner?
Wow! It’s “impossible to glean the posters intentions” without someone to credit? Are we two worlds each speaking a language the other cannot understand?
They see someone pointing out the utility of being able to defend yourself using a firearm as being “concern trolling”. Would they think the same of advertisements for self-defense classes teaching Kun-Fu instead of Gun-Fu?
The comments are pretty “good” too:
7 These posters are tone deaf to the point of being offensive. I don’t appreciate my rights and concerns being exploited to make a ham-fisted point about gun laws.
15 It’s not that strange when you remember that the “traditionally conservative movement” in question is not in fact an organic movement but an industry lobby group with a lot of deeply emotionally invested fans/customers. These aren’t campaign posters; they’re advertising.
23 Oh, for crying out loud. The joke is on you. This is akin to the anti-gun ads masquerading as pro-gun ads by encouraging women to arm themselves to protect their reproductive rights. The intent here is to point out to pro-gunners that they are arming everyone, not just those who agree with them.
Are these guys in need of psychiatric help for their paranoia or is there that big of a cultural divide? In any case that they see simple messages such as these as some sort of capitalistic/right-wing/homophobic plot it means I’m not sure we actually have a common basis for communication.
The bottom line is, Hop, you can’t stop government; you can’t stop this great country, you can’t stop the entrepreneurial spirit.
Sen. Joe Manchin III
May 17, 2013
Collateral Damage: ‘Heck no’ the IRS mess ‘doesn’t help us’ on gun control, Manchin says
[The bottom line is, Senator, you are incoherent and don’t understand the purpose of the Second Amendment. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to stop government when it has become oppressive and I believe it can stop government. And if you push too hard trying to implement gun control there is a good chance we will end up running the experiment to find out which of us is right about government being stoppable.
H/T to This Ain’t Hell and Daniel Greenfield who have their own comments.—Joe]
Today I received an email from InSights about changes to one of their classes:
InSights Training Center Tactical First Aid Featuring Caring For Blast Related Injuries On August 3, 2013
Bellevue, WA – InSights Training Center announced today that it added Blast Injuries Care to the Tactical First Aid class to be taught by Mike Shertz M.D. on August 3, 2013.
Following recent events we are reminded that we need to be prepared for injuries occurring to yourself and/or others during an active fight situation. With these factors in mind, InSights Training Center has expanded it’s Tactical First Aid curriculum to now include caring for blast related injuries.
Most penetrating injuries are not immediately life-threatening. However, there are some injuries where death before the arrival of EMS is almost assured if not quickly and effectively managed.
Our 1-day Tactical First Aid class is designed to give you the knowledge and skill to identify and manage those immediately life-threatening injuries, whether they occur to you or another individual, while you are still engaged in the violent attack.
The cost of the Tactical First Aid class is $225. Students may register at http://insightstraining.com/view_course.asp?courseID=11.
About InSights Training Center
InSights Training Center has been teaching quality, fast-paced, informative courses around the country since 1990. We offer the most complete self-defense, firearms, and tactical training available to the Private Sector, Law Enforcement, and Military organizations. We have taught more than 10,000 students— private citizens, Law Enforcement officers and instructors, SWAT teams, corrections personnel, security officers, and Military Special Operations personnel.
Our professional instructors come from highly specialized and thorough backgrounds in Law Enforcement, Military Special Operations, and the Private Sector. They have all received extensive instructor development training from our own master trainer, Greg Hamilton, in addition to high level training from numerous national academies. Learn more about self defense training at www.InSightsTraining.com
About Dr. Mike Shertz
Dr Mike Shertz is an active, board certified emergency medicine physician practicing in one of the busiest emergency departments in Oregon. His tactical experience was gained as a former US Army Special Forces Medic. He is a Special Deputy for the Washington County, Oregon Tactical Negotiations Team (S.W.A.T.) where he is the medical director as well as being actively involved in tactical operations. Mike serves as the medical director for a large fire department in Oregon. He is an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor, a Federal NBC Disaster Preparedness Instructor, and has attended the Counter Narcotics Tactical Operations Medical Support Course.
Some Boomershoot staff will be attending.
Boomershoot 2014 entry is now open for staff. If you were staff for 2013 and use the same exact spelling for your name as before the entry software will allow you to enter now.
If you were a participant in Boomershoot 2013 then the software will allow you to enter tomorrow, Wednesday May 22, after 6:00 PM PDT.
Anyone is allowed to enter after Friday May 24 6:00 PM PDT.
There may be some web service interruptions. My web hosting provider is updating my server and it will involve a change in IP address. If you get a page not found type error wait an hour or so and try again.
You are a small man who needs to hold a gun to make you feel like a man because you are such a pussy. Clinging to your guns, with fear in your heart that the big, bad, govt will take them away must leave you sleepless many nights. How fucking pathetic can you possibly be.
Why don’t you do us all a favor and stick your gun in your mouth and blow your brains out.
Remy Marco
Email to Connecticut Carry on May 8, 2013.
[Another example of a violent anti-gunner. It’s in their nature.—Joe]