There is talk in this post (and some behind the scenes email) about having a “Gun Blogger Invitational” match. There is a poll on Caleb’s post and lots of comments. Robb Allen has his own thoughts on the topic as well.
Check them out and give your own suggestions.
We received an email from Steve Ballmer yesterday morning saying the other shoe was dropping. I’m fine and everyone I checked with is fine but I still need to check in with a few more.
It is astonishing how poorly researched this brief is–perhaps competent gun control advocate lawyers realized how hopeless the task was, and decided to put their energies into briefs for cases easier to win, such as repealing the law of gravity.
Clayton Cramer
May 5, 2009
Embarrassingly Bad Amicus Brief in the Chicago Case
[See also Dave Hardy’s take on it.–Joe]
I just finished listening to Alan’s (and Squeaky and PDB’s) podcast on Boomershoot 2009. It was nice. I’ve been reading all the various posts and looking at all the pictures everyone being posted but the podcast was something a little different and I really liked it.
At the Boomershoot dinner I promised I would post a list of all the bloggers in attendance and I will do that (and more) soon. That will probably happen this Saturday when I have some time to do the job right.
I’ve said this before but it doesn’t hurt to mention it again with a fresh example. Never give your enemy an opportunity to regroup. If they are on the run keep them on the run. When you are attacking you are choosing the time, place, and terms of the engagement. Sure, defenders have some advantages. But I’d much rather be on the outside laying siege to the castle than on the inside wondering if we can hold out long enough for help to arrive.
And so it is in politics. We won Heller less than a year ago. We won a bunch of cities in Illinois in the weeks and months that followed. We got a partial victory with Nordyke two weeks ago. Now we are attacking again in California. From The Second Amendment Foundation last week:
The Second Amendment Foundation, The Calguns Foundation and four California residents today filed a lawsuit challenging a California state law and regulatory scheme that arbitrarily bans handguns based on a roster of “certified” handguns approved by the State. This case parallels a similar case filed in Washington, DC, Hanson v. District of Columbia.
California uses this list despite a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer that protects handguns that ordinary people traditionally use for self-defense, and a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments. The California scheme will eventually ban the purchase of almost all new handguns.
And, again from SAF, today:
The Second Amendment Foundation, The Calguns Foundation and three California residents today filed a lawsuit seeking to vindicate the right to bear arms against arbitrary state infringement.
Nearly all states allow qualified law-abiding citizens to carry guns for self-defense, but a few states allow local officials to arbitrarily decide who may exercise this core Second Amendment right. In the action filed today, Plaintiffs challenge the policies of two California Sheriffs, in Sacramento and Yolo counties, who reject the basic human right of self defense by refusing to issue ordinary people gun carry permits. Of course, violent criminals in the impacted counties continue to carry guns without police permission.
State scientist Deanna Sykes believes her sexual orientation and small stature makes her an appealing target for criminals, particularly as she often transports firearms as a competitive shooter and firearms instructor.
“I am highly qualified to defend myself against the sort of crime that the Sheriff cannot, despite his best efforts, completely eradicate,” Sykes said. “Violent crime is a real risk in our society, but happily, we enjoy the right to defend ourselves from it.”
Andrew Witham has over 15 years experience as a police officer in Britain, and is licensed to carry a firearm while working as a private investigator and campus public safety officer. But despite having been the target of death threats stemming from his work in security, Sheriff John McGinness saw to it that Witham’s license to carry a gun while away from work was revoked upon Witham’s relocation to Sacramento.
“I’m allowed to defend other people,” said Witham, “so why can’t I defend myself, where the Bill of Rights guarantees me that right?”
Adam Richards, a Northern California attorney, would also exercise his right to bear arms in self- defense. But the Yolo County Sheriff’s policy on gun permit applications is: don’t bother. “How can the Sheriff tell whether I am capable of responsibly exercising my Second Amendment rights, when he doesn’t even acknowledge that these rights exist?”
I’m donating money with every paycheck to SAF which is matched by Microsoft. You can also donate money directly to Calguns to help keep our forces on the attack. Don’t let a lack of money be the reason they have to slow down. The only thing I want holding them back is the flood of tears from our enemies.
I think a “Cache” is two, an “Arsenal” is 2-4, a “Stockpile” is 3-5, and an “Armory” is more than 4. The confusion stems from the fact that there is an overlap, for example, a “Stockpile” can also be an “Armory” OR an “Arsenal”. As for me, I’m going for the much heralded status of “Third World Military Power”, which is 20 or more and includes reloading equipment or at the very least “Warlord” status, which is more than 10.
Matt Groom
Comment to More than a cache?
May 4th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
[This reminds me of about 10 or 12 years ago when a bunch of us gun nuts at Microsoft started referring to each others homes as “compounds” and buying a few bricks of .22 rim-fire ammo as “resupplying our arsenal”. This was because of the way the press treated gun owners. Times have not changed much.–Joe]
Keep in mind that laws aren’t written or enforced which punish inanimate objects or violent crime. Laws only punish people who possess those objects or commit those crimes. Hence what District Attorney candidate Richard M. Aborn says he plans to do is actually attack people who own guns–people exercising a specific enumerated right:
He has received endorsements from a former police commissioner, William J. Bratton, and from several elected officials, and on Monday, he released his first detailed policy paper, a five-point plan for combating gun violence in Manhattan.
The plan calls for a regional interdiction approach to gun trafficking; more gun buyback programs and a program in which parents could give the police permission to search homes for guns; a requirement that pistols sold in New York include micro-stamping technology; a five-year renewal process for handgun permits; and support for a national gun-control strategy.
What would be the public response if he announced his “five-point plan” for combating Jewish vermin in Manhattan? Or putting uppity blacks in their place? And what of the people that endorsed such a person? They would, and rightly so, have a tough time getting a job as a janitor in Manhattan. A job as an elected official? The only thing they could get elected to would be a prison cell by a jury.
But this isn’t the way things are supposed to be. This is New York and an article in the New York Times. Where such bigotry is the norm and bigots such as Aborn are not only tolerated but praised. Just like some deep south sheriff who roughs up blacks for entertainment on Saturday nights Aborn is praised and endorsed by many. He should be prosecuted under 18 USC 241 and/or 242.
Robb tells us about a stage from hell he shot in last weekend. I also shot a tough stage yesterday but it wasn’t entirely because of the stage design. And strangely enough both of our stages were “Stage 5” in the match.
Do you notice anything wrong with this gun?
Update: A close up of the broken safety.
People familiar with 1911s and sharp eyes will notice the safety is in the ON position but the hammer is down. This can’t happen on a normal 1911. It turns out the ambi safety was broken but I didn’t know that when I inserted a magazine and racked the slide to “Make Ready” for the stage. The tip of the safety ripped a trench through the end of my left index finger. It bled profusely.
We didn’t really understand why my finger got ripped open and after getting a band-aid I went ahead and shot the stage.
The stage was unusual. The shooter had to traverse between two barricades in the shape of a U with ports in both sides. There were targets on the sides, bottom, and the interior of the U.
Since it was a 38 round stage even with my 18 rounds magazines I had to change magazines during the course of the stage. At the far side of the U, shooting into the interior of the U at targets near the ground from a high perspective my bullets impacted the ground on the other side of the U in the shooters path–the path I had just traversed.
Good shot, huh?
Despite a mutilated finger and destroying a magazine I did pretty well on that stage:
| Stage: 5 | U Turn Again | |||||||
| Place Name | Class | Division | Pts | Pen | Time | Hit Fact | Stg Pts | Stg % |
| 1 BROWN, MIKE | A | Limited 10 | 176 | 10 | 30.43 | 5.4551 | 190.0000 | 100.00% |
| 2 HUFFMAN, JOE | B | Limited | 188 | 0 | 36.51 | 5.1493 | 179.3490 | 94.39% |
| 3 MCINTOSH, ADAM | M | Limited | 185 | 0 | 40.50 | 4.5679 | 159.0990 | 83.74% |
| 4 HIPPS, KW | B | Limited 10 | 188 | 0 | 45.30 | 4.1501 | 144.5471 | 76.08% |
| 5 WOOD, DON | A | Limited | 176 | 20 | 41.31 | 3.7763 | 131.5277 | 69.23% |
| 6 WATSON, ROGER | U | Limited 10 | 187 | 0 | 55.32 | 3.3803 | 117.7351 | 61.97% |
| 7 ASTRELLA, JOSH | U | Production | 186 | 0 | 56.34 | 3.3014 | 114.9871 | 60.52% |
| 8 Moore, Bill | U | Open | 180 | 0 | 65.68 | 2.7406 | 95.4545 | 50.24% |
| 9 Uhle, Bob | U | Open | 187 | 0 | 68.60 | 2.7259 | 94.9425 | 49.97% |
| 10 Grimes, John | U | Limited | 174 | 10 | 68.69 | 2.3875 | 83.1561 | 43.77% |
Update: My verbal description of the stage wasn’t very good. Here is a rough drawing of what it looked like:
There were ports in most of the walls. I started on the left side of the U and dropped a magazine about half way down that side. I went around to the other side and shot through the port at the target on the left side of the interior of the U. The bullet passed through the paper target and hit my magazine which I had dropped on the other side.
Senator Crapo via Joe Durnbaugh on the Lewiston Pistol Club email list. Emphasis in the letter body is mine:
From: senator_crapo@crapo.senate.gov
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 2:37 PM
Subject: Correspondence from Senator Crapo
April 27, 2009
Mr. Joe Durnbaugh
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
Dear Joe:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (referred to by its Spanish acronym CIFTA). I agree with you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
On November 14, 1997, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the CIFTA treaty, which among other things, aimed to curtail the small arms trading of deadly weapons often used during the traffic of illegal drugs. Although President Clinton signed the CIFTA treaty, it received less than the requisite two-thirds majority vote in the U.S. Senate. As a result, it was never ratified.
As you may know, President Barack Obama is now urging its ratification in order to combat the Mexican drug cartel. The CIFTA treaty would ban any firearm that falls under a misleading classification of “illicit” manufacturing. For example, the treaty would make illegal the assimilation of a lawful firearm from a kit. Further, it would criminalize any modifications made to a firearm. Additionally, this treaty would prohibit pro-gun organizations. Most alarming is that a broad interpretation of this treaty would call for the extradition of U.S. gun dealers.
The Second Amendment reads: “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I firmly believe this provision prohibits the federal government from denying citizens this right.
Let me reassure you that I do not support gun control. We must protect and preserve our constitutional right to bear arms. I will not support any legislation that requires a waiting period for the purchase of a firearm, bans the ownership of firearms, promotes or requires the rationing or taxation of firearms, or the taxation of ammunition.
As you may know, gun control advocates continue to seek creative methods of advancing their agenda, both through legislation and litigation. You may be assured that I will continue to oppose all efforts to weaken Second Amendment rights.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mike Crapo
United States Senator
MDC:js
If U.S. Senators are saying this does that mean I’m not really paranoid after all?
Just a hint of the current situation on primers from Powder Valley, Inc.:
At this time we are not taking any new backorders for primers that are not listed here. We currently have over 50 million primers on backorder. If you currently have a backorder in place your order will be processed as primers become available. Once we begin receiving more primers from the manufacturers and are able to begin filling current backorders we will update the website.
Via Kevin on the Lewiston Pistol Club email list.
You know what the worst thing is about the internet? It gives you concrete proof that your fellow citizens are as ignorant as you’ve secretly suspected they were all along…
Tamara K.
May 2, 2009
News Flash: HuffPo readers have difficulty with News Flashes.
[Not only ignorant, but stupid and bigoted.–Joe]
Guns, Democracy, and the Insurrectionist Idea recasts the gun debate by showing its importance to the future of democracy and the modern regulatory state. Until now, gun rights advocates had effectively co-opted the language of liberty and democracy and made it their own. This book is an important first step in demonstrating how reasonable gun control is essential to the survival of democracy and ordered liberty.
Saul Cornell
Ohio State University
From the publishers web site.
[Ahhh, yes. We’ve heard this party slogan before only with slightly different wording: Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength.–Joe]
Last night as Barb and I were in bed preparing to watch a DVD on my laptop computer I scanned Google News. There was a headline which read Couple arrested for sex on lawn at Windsor Castle. I passed it over but Barb read it out loud. So I asked, “Did you want to read that?” Her immediate and matter of fact response was, “Do they have pictures?”
That’s my wife.
Sometimes, the most important shot is the one you don’t take.
Christopher Whitcomb
Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team
[Whitcomb wrote about his experience as an FBI sniper. He was at Ruby Ridge and Waco. His insight was extremely interesting to me. It was a bit more favorable to the FBI than what I think is actually the case but that is to be expected. It was well written and I really appreciate him telling the story from point of view of the snipers who were there. Probably the thing that bugs me the most is that he said Marshall William Degan was murdered. This is false. Weaver and Kevin were acquitted of those charges. Hence Degan was not murdered. It’s possible that he was saying that is what they believed at the time and did not intend for that statement to apply in a universal sense. But that isn’t made clear.
I’m probably a little sensitive to that because FBI Director Louis Freeh frequently made the same claim in a context which was clearly post trial and a manner that made it clear that the trial result was irrelevant in his world view.
Ry also pulled a QOTD from the book over two years ago.–Joe]
If a new militia movement coalesces, its members will have no shortage of sophisticated assault weapons to choose from. At the gun show in Reno, I witnessed the sale of rocket-propelled-grenade launchers and bazooka guns; I watched a California-based dealer demonstrate how rapidly he could field strip his .308-caliber sniper rifle, then stash it in a deliberately innocuous-looking backpack and a briefcase that “looks just like a camera case.”
Max Blumenthal
April 29, 2009
Pro-Guns, Anti-Obama
[This is part of the reason the anti-gun bigots get so much traction with the public. They are willing to lie or at least have no concern for the truth. He almost for certain did not witness the sale of RPGs or bazookas since they are very highly regulated and require an extensive and expensive process involving the ATF. Combine that with the confusing the definition of “assault weapons” with the definition as used by any of the “assault weapon” laws past or present and you see why the common person would be inclined to side with the bigots.–Joe]
For the last two years I have been trying to increase target production and once I felt I had excess capacity I was going to get the cat (bulldozer) out there to expand the shooting line so I could handle more shooters.
This year we finished target production with more targets per unit time than ever before. And we had many targets left over after the event even though we had more shooting hours than usual. And I shut down target production at 1500 on Saturday. We finally have the target production up to a level where we could handle more shooting positions.
That was the plan. But it turns out there are other limits to our capacity that became (more) obvious this year.
After talking to Barb about it for a bit (she is the one that attempts to inject some pessimism/reality into my visions) I think expanding the shooting line capacity would be the wrong thing to do. I should improve the experience for the existing shooters instead. The most obvious thing to do in that regard is to make improvements to the shooters berm. It is too uneven and doesn’t have enough depth in places.
Another possibility is to make it easier to quickly put up more dingle berries. Many more…
The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm, capitalism is that kind of a system.
Milton Friedman
[The socialist would disagree of course. But that is because they always imagine that “good people” will be in government. But that kind of concentration of money and power inevitably attracts “the worst people” with the predictable results of Stalin, Castro, etc. with them and their cronies satisfying their greedy desires not to mention the substandard lifestyle of their subjects and all the torture and executions of their political enemies. As in most cases the socialists only see the possible good in their world view and not the costs.
Once I demanded that an admitted communist give me the measurement of “fair” that he used just so we could be clear on what he was talking about. He refused. It boiled down to “he knew it when he saw it”. Apparently he wanted to be the ultimate judge of “fairness” because what he thought was “fair” was completely different than mine. That is how they gain power. They say vague things that most people can agree with such as “fairness”, “justice”, etc. I think it is fair that I keep my results of my work but they think it is fair that I share half of my income with them.
Ask them how they measure “fairness” or “justice”, if they can’t express it in numbers then it’s just unsubstantiated opinion.–Joe]
The following should be self-explanatory.
From: Joe Huffman
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:50 AM
To: ‘wounded@soldiersangels.org’
Cc: ‘Chuck Ziegenfuss’; ‘Barb Scott’; ‘Jason Scott’
Subject: Boomershoot 2009 raffle proceeds.
Boomershoot (
http://www.boomershoot.org) is an annual long range precision rifle event held in North Central Idaho. Each year soldiers from Fort Lewis attend and for two days prior to the main event help teach Boomershoot participants the science and art of accurate long range shooting. Some of those soldiers later went on to Iraq and Afghanistan and were injured and some were killed.In October of 2007 my wife and I met Chuck Ziengenfuss at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno. He told us of his injuries and how Soldiers’ Angels helped him. It turns out that it was the second time my wife had met Chuck. She had also met at Walter Reed when she was visiting our nephew Jason Scott who was wounded in Iraq and also benefited from your help.
At Boomershoot this year we held a raffle with the intent that half of the proceeds would go to raffle participants and the other half going to Project Valour-IT. After the event someone quietly came up to me and gave me three $100 bills to give to you.
Below are the reference number and other information from my bank that is mailing you a check of the proceeds. If it does not arrive as expected please let me know.
Reference # | ||||
04/29/2009 | $1,385.00 | 05/06/2009 | DBRBS7UH |
—–
https://blog.joehuffman.org/
http://www.boomershoot.org/
http://www.modernballistics.com/
May No Soldier Go Unloved.
Slogan of Soldier’s Angels
[See my next post for more context. And yes, this is an exact duplicate of my post this time last year.–Joe]
So why not Owner? Owners don’t do NFA. Owners don’t do political organizing. Owners don’t buy 1200 feet of paracord to cause other owners to spends thousands of dollars on ammo they otherwise would not have spent. While I am certainly an owner, I am not an Owner.
Ry Jones
April 27, 2009
Ontologies
[Explaining why he doesn’t fit any of Tam’s categories of gun owners.
The 1200 feet of paracord probably needs some explain for those unfortunate people that did not attend Boomershoot last weekend.
It was Ry’s idea to satisfy a frequent request for moving reactive targets. He did this by suspending camo painted, Boomerite filled, targets from trees. The targets swung, bounced, and taunted the shooters. They loved them and, amazingly enough, nailed the 0.5 MOA (and smaller) targets. Mike, the guy in position 76, who doesn’t even use a spotter asked me “Are those four inch targets dangling on the ropes up there near the 700 yard line?” I told him that before lunch they were. After lunch they were replaced with three inch targets. “Okay,” he said, “There is one less of them now.”–Joe]
