The need for firearms is like the need for free speech. You need them the most when someone is trying to take them from you.*
* See also something similar I wrote in 1995 near the bottom of this post.
Category Archives: Gun Rights
Insurance and magazines and the various things
Recently anti-gun people have been making a big deal about the termination of hotel and rental car discounts for NRA members. The belief that this is the reason gun owners join the NRA goes back to at least 2004 in anti-gun organizations:
There are 90 million gun owners in the United States. Only 3.5 million want the insurance and magazines and the various things you get for joining the NRA.
I wonder if there was some backroom strategy meeting where anti-gun people decided they could cause the NRA significant financial harm by destroying the relationships between these businesses and the NRA.
I have occasionally tried to get a good deal renting a car or hotel using the NRA discounts and I have never found it to be as good a deal as I could get via some other channel. Hence, my guess is that these discounts did not result in much business for the hotels and car rental agencies. So, when they were confronted by the angry mobs perhaps they figured there wasn’t that much to lose anyway. So, why have to deal with the hassle?
If they only looked at the loss of the business from people using the NRA discounts I suspect they miscalculated the total costs of that decision. Let’s make that as obvious to them as we can.
Quote of the day—National Rifle Association
The law-abiding members of the NRA had nothing at all to do with the failure of that school’s security preparedness, the failure of America’s mental health system, the failure of the National Instant Check System or the cruel failures of both federal and local law enforcement.
Despite that, some corporations have decided to punish NRA membership in a shameful display of political and civic cowardice. In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve.
Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member.
National Rifle Association
February 24, 2018
NRA Statement on Corporate Partnerships
[I’m reminded of:
Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.
Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
1513
Either our opponents are so desperate for a “victory” of any type they are willing to throw “pebbles” at people with guns, and/or they are ignorant of human psychology, and/or they have crap for brains.—Joe]
Don’t ever let anyone tell you no one wants to take your guns
Via Allahpundit:
YouGov asked people whether they favor or oppose banning semiautomatic weapons. Note: Not semiautomatic rifles, which some might incorrectly but understandably treat as a question about AR-15s or “assault weapons.” YouGov asked about semiautomatic weapons. That means handguns too. Result:
82% of Democrats are in favor of banning semi-automatic firearms.
They followed up by asking how people feel about banning all handguns (except those issued to officers of the state, of course!), which would include revolvers. Result:
44% of Democrats are in favor of banning all handguns.
I’m tempted to retire the category “No one wants to take your guns” with this post. If some random Democrats says, “No one wants to take your guns” there is a about a 99.9% chance they know that is a lie.
More interesting Facebook stuff
Today, I posted a Random thought of the day:
If bakers of wedding cakes can be forced to bake custom wedding cakes for homosexuals because gay marriage is legal, doesn’t that mean stores which sell firearms can be forced to custom order an AR-15 for you because you are legally allowed to own one?
My blog software automatically makes a Facebook post with a link back to my blog. It did that today with the previous post but it doesn’t show up on Facebook. I have seen this before but just thought maybe there was error of some sort and the Facebook post failed. This time, I know that’s not the case.
From Statcounter:
IP: 69.171.240.16
Date: 3/1/2018 15:10
Link: http://m.facebook.com
Title: Random thought of the day | The View From North Central Idaho
Url: https://blog.joehuffman.org/2018/03/01/random-thought-of-the-day-104/
This was two minutes after my blog post went live. I knew it took a minute or two before a blog post showed up on Facebook. I thought it was probably just some sort of normal processing delay. Now I suspect my blog posts are reviewed by a human before being allowed to go live on Facebook. It could be an automated process but that shouldn’t take two minutes.
We have known for a while that Google blocks shopping searches for AR15s (compare with AR10s).
So, what can we do about this sort of crap? Any ideas that are better than boycotting them?
Update March1, 2018 19:22 PST: Another visit to my blog post via Facebook came in 14 minutes after the first one:
IP: 71.92.94.104
Date: 3/1/2018 15:24
Link: https://www.facebook.com/
Title: Random thought of the day | The View From North Central Idaho
Url: https://blog.joehuffman.org/2018/03/01/random-thought-of-the-day-104/
It could not have been because of the original version of this post or inspired because of it because this post was not made until 16:10. Although it could have been that someone saw my blog post and referenced it themselves on Facebook. This is somewhat supported by the fact that another visit occurred at 18:48:
IP: 70.178.238.137
Date: 3/1/2018 18:48
Link: https://www.facebook.com/
Title: Random thought of the day | The View From North Central Idaho
Url: https://blog.joehuffman.org/2018/03/01/random-thought-of-the-day-104/
Random thought of the day
If bakers of wedding cakes can be forced to bake custom wedding cakes for homosexuals because gay marriage is legal, doesn’t that mean stores which sell firearms can be forced to custom order an AR-15 for you because you are legally allowed to own one?
Hold on to your AR-15
Found on Gab:
Quote of the day—Jeff Snyder
It is by no means obvious why it is “civilized” to permit oneself to fall easy prey to criminal violence, and to permit criminals to continue unobstructed in their evil ways. While it may be that a society in which crime is so rare that no one ever needs to carry weapon is “civilized”, a society which stigmatizes the carry of weapons by the law-abiding – because it distrusts its citizens more than it fears rapists, robbers and murder– certainly cannot claim this distinction.
Jeff Snyder
2001
Nation of Cowards page 28
[This essay was originally published in 1993 by The Public Interest.—Joe]
Quote of the day—David Hogg
An 18-year-old that has a history of being a bad kid shouldn’t be able to get hundreds of rounds of a weapon in a matter of days.
David Hogg
February 25, 2018
Florida shooting survivor vows to stay out of school until pols pass gun reform at N.J. rally
[Even if we give the kid the benefit of the doubt and assume “rounds of a weapon” was a misunderstanding of the reporter he still is profoundly ignorant about how difficult it would be to prevent someone from obtaining hundreds, or tens of thousands, of rounds of ammunition. If he doesn’t understand this then he must also believe the war on drugs is working.
The kid must have crap for brains. But, what do you expect from a high school dropout?—Joe]
It makes perfect sense
Students Participating in Gun Control Walkout Are Arrested After They Throw Rocks, Damage Cars:
Some California students who were participating in a school walkout in response to not having nationwide gun control laws were arrested after they began to throw rocks and cause property damage.
KCRA reports at least five students were arrested on Friday after they started to jump the fence to leave school property and began throwing rocks at both civilian and police cars. According to KCRA, charges include “battery on an officer, resisting arrest, taking an officer’s baton and vandalizing vehicles, including patrol vehicles.”
You might think this ironic. But actually it makes perfect sense. Of course criminals want the public disarmed. They don’t want to get shot.
Quote of the day—Michael Z. Williamson
When someone attacks a school or other soft target, the response is going to involve people with guns. People with guns who are driving distance away are less effective than people with guns on site.
You cannot disagree with this. It is a fact. If you attempt to disagree, you’re just not living in the real world. Go see a professional, do not ever buy a gun, do not vote. You probably shouldn’t drive, drink or handle matches either. You probably need an audio track of “Breathe in, breathe out.”
Michael Z. Williamson
February 23, 2018
Why Liberals Are Wrong About School Shootings (And Everything Else)
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
Interesting
This morning I responded to a Facebook comment by someone wanting more restrictions on AR-15s because of the school shootings. The person said armed teachers was the wrong way to solve the problem because training, etc. I included this picture:
And I said this was the 37th through 46th shots, in her ENTIRE life, at 15 feet. I said I could do this with any woman of sound mind and body (on average, women learn shooting skills MUCH faster than men) with two hours of her time. And give me four hours and I can get them to the point where they could pass the shooting qualification test of local police departments. I offered free training to any teacher that wanted it.
Within a couple minutes I received a notification my comment had been marked as spam and I should review the comment. I went to do that and found the comment no longer existed. I was unable to review it.
I wonder why… [/sarcasm]
Quote of the day—Marie Connor @thistallawkgirl
As a lesbian, I can relate to NRA members because I also use inanimate objects to make up for my lack of dick.
Marie Connor @thistallawkgirl
Tweeted on February 21, 2018
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!
I find it very telling that we have SCOTUS decisions and they have dick jokes.
H/T to Aaron W. for the email.—Joe]
NRA membership #TweetYourNRAMembership
This morning daughter Jaime announced on Facebook that she signed up for a NRA Lifetime membership.
I’ve been a Life Member of the NRA for nearly 13 years:
If you follow the hashtag #TweetYourNRAMembership you will find thousands of new members. Many of them don’t even own a gun. They are defending freedom and our specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.
If you don’t care for the NRA’s sometimes limp wristed approach to anti-gun legislation consider become a member or upping your membership status with the Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, or even Gun Owners of America.
SAF does the vast majority of the heavy lifting via the courts. Read more about FPC here. GOA is “The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington”. I have monthly deductions out of my paycheck, matched by my employer, going to SAF and FPC.
Government has its own agenda
Via a private message from Don Kaag we have this explanation for why the local police didn’t do anything about the murdering scumbag in Florida when they were told dozens of times prior to when he shot up the kids.
If These Tweets Are True, Broward FL Law Enforcement Has A LOT To Answer For!!
…
I stumbled upon was a Broward County law enforcement system in a state of conflict. The Broward County School Board and District Superintendent entered into a political agreement with Broward County Law enforcement officials to stop arresting students for crimes.
The motive was simple. The school system administrators wanted to “improve their statistics” and gain state and federal grant money for improvements therein.
So police officials, the very highest officials of law enforcement (Sheriff and Police Chiefs), entered into a plan.
…
The primary problem was the policy conflicted with laws, and over time the policy began to create outcomes where illegal behavior by students was essentially unchecked by law enforcement. Link.
Initially, the police were excusing misdemeanor behaviors. However, it didn’t take long for felonies, even violent felonies (armed robberies, assaults and worse) were being excused.
…
Only then a Parkland school shooting happened. For Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel this had to be an “oh shit” moment; but not for the reasons the media initially thought. If people start digging, they’ll discover the shooter was one of those previously excused students
…
2013/2014 – Praise for the program: Link.
2017 – The program continues. Still chasing year-over-year reductions. Worse and worse crimes being excused. Link.
2018 – Parkland School Shooting. 17 dead. Political cop (SRO) cowered from the shooter; now retiring. School board wondering ‘what went wrong’.
Entirely predictable. Link.
The specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms is an essential part of life. Government has it’s own agenda and many times that agenda has nothing to do with protecting the rights of individuals. The Second Amendment enables individuals to protect themselves from all predators. This includes four legged predators, two legged predators, and the multi-headed monster called “government”.
When the dealing with corrupt and/or predatory governments the Second Amendment is Plan B when Plan A, the First Amendment, is insufficiently convincing that change is required.
Gun cartoon of the day
Via a tweet from Firearm Policy Coalition:
The political left has a strong tendency to deflect when presented with something like this. That tells you all you need to know about them and possession of guns. They hate gun ownership more than they are repulsed by the slaughter of hundreds of innocent children and teachers.
Quote of the day—Don Kaag
I’m tired…
I’m tired of typing in the same constitutional arguments on gun control every time there is a shooting anywhere in America.
Tired of citing the same statistics of declining gun crime in America—except in cities controlled by Democrats for decades, with the nation’s strictest gun laws—to liberal people who think the Constitution is an outdated document.
Be careful what you wish for.
I am done discussing this topic. It is like shouting into the wind. No minds will be changed.
If and when you manage to get together the votes to retake the Congress and the Presidency to affect radical change, and to propose and pass and sign and ratify a constitutional amendment abrogating the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, we will reengage.
Because then there will be a genuine shooting revolution.
See you on the barricades…
Don Kaag
February 21, 2018
Private Facebook post (used with permission).
[Kaag is a former Marine. I’m glad he is on my side.
My fear is that unless we keep talking and keep taking new shooters to the range and converting minds we will lose anyway. Our enemies will always play to their strengths and our weaknesses. They will do their best to never get in a shooting war. They know this is our point of greatest strength. Their greatest strength is the mainstream media.
We have other strengths we must enable and utilize. SCOTUS is not yet our friend but with one or two more Trump appointed justices it will be. The Federal district and appeals courts have long been unfriendly as well but this changing with hundreds of new appointment made and to be made during the next few years. In another three to seven years the courts have a good chance of swinging the direction of the tide. This will require we vote, encourage others to vote, and to persuade our Senators to approve the justices which adhere to the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution.
Sometime after we win the battle for the courts is when I expect we could, literally, be “on the barricades”. This will be when the political left enables us to use our greatest strength.
The political left has totally lost their cool in regards to the current political setting. You can see Trump Derangement Syndrome nearly everywhere. The gun issue had people rushing the stage chanting “Burn her!” to Dana Loesch when she engaged in a discussion about the Florida school shooting on CNN. Loesch didn’t do the shooting. She didn’t encourage the shooter to murder 17 people. She didn’t give the shooter the guns or ammo. She didn’t even know of the murdering scumbag loser until she heard it on the news. What do you think the mobs will do when told the Second Amendment doesn’t stop at the school property line? Or that able bodied people on welfare for years must finally get a job or go hungry? Or that in addition to paying for their own food they must pay for their own health care? Or that most of the government grant money is going away and those people are going to have get private grants or get a real job?
One of the strongest political currencies of the political left is street violence. Violence is part of their nature. When they are losing with little hope of recovery they will use it and they will not hold back.
The barricades will have to be strong, the ammunition plentiful, and the aim true. I expect the mobs will be epic.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Ben Shapiro @benshapiro
Only the government should have guns to protect us. We can’t expect government employees to confront armed criminals. Pick one.
Ben Shapiro @benshapiro
Tweeted on February 23, 2018
[Shapiro has a logical response and expectation.
Unfortunately this is not how the minds of many people work. I have posted about the problem many times before. Many people do not have a process to determine truth from falsity (see also these posts). The truth depends upon how they feel. I have a lot of experience with dealing with people like this. I literally have decades of experience.
In regards to the first two sentence quoted above, the way their mind works is as follows: They have a feeling in regards to each sentence independent from the other. They both feel true to them. Therefore both sentences are true.
It used to be that I literally would be told that I should do two different things which were mutually exclusive. I would have to be at two places at the same time to accomplish them. When I would point this out they would get angry and say things like, “You always have to get your way!” Their feelings trumped the laws of physics. If you look into the characteristics of some personality disorders you will find that they create situations where their associates/family/friends/etc. “can’t win”. They will demand others adhere to their rules/requests/whatever but when you look at the requests you will discover it is impossible to comply with all of them. You will always be in a position to be found at fault and punished.
My counselor when dealing with these things in my personal life, Staci, told me there are two characteristics that are common to all personality disorders:
- The more close the relationship the more severe the symptoms. A spouse and their children will have a more difficult relationship than extended family which will be worse than co-workers which will be worse than with strangers. They can frequent “hold it together” while at work or dealing with strangers and still make life a living hell for their spouse and children.
- They will not, or perhaps more accurately cannot, admit they are to blame for anything. If you point out to a normal person they could have handled a situation differently and that would perhaps have resulted in a better outcome they can reflect on it, think it through, and accept they may have made some contribution to the poor outcome. The person with the personality disorder is unable to do this. Among other things this results in the “can’t win” requests. They may have made requests that are physically impossible to comply with. Yet, it is your fault the requests were not complied with.
Hence, I see a lot of evidence that many anti-gun people have mental health issues. Look around with just a hint of the correct filter and you can see it too.
They created “Gun Free Zones” around schools and over the years hundreds of children and teachers have been murdered. This is your fault. It is beyond their ability to recognize they contributed in any way.
They banned guns in Chicago/D.C./etc and have horrific murder rates committed with firearms inside those political jurisdictions. Just outside those jurisdictions such as in Indiana and Virginia, where guns are legal, the murder rate is much lower. We conclude the laws where the crime rate is lower should be emulated in the high crime areas. The anti-gun people conclude their gun control isn’t working because guns are available outside their gun free paradise—it is the fault of Indiana and Virginia “lax gun laws”. This is your fault. Again, it is beyond their ability to recognize they contributed in any way.
These people are “nuts” and we should not be trying to negotiate or compromise with them. They cannot determine truth from falsity in a manner normal people would recognize as valid.
As I was advised by Staci, life with these people will never be easy. If you can’t terminate the relationship then you will always have a “fiery relationship” with them. It is beyond their ability to think and behave in a normal manner. The best way you can deal with these people is to set limits and enforce them. You tell them, “If you behave in this manner we will not tolerate it. This is what we will do in response.” Then, if they misbehave anyway, you do what you said you would do. They have to have consequences for their misbehavior.
The most appropriate limits I have come up with are 18 USC 241 and 242. It’s long past time to enforce them.—Joe]
Self defense shooting lessons
What can you learn from this?
The lessons I see we can learn from this are:
- One shot probably isn’t going to do the job.
- Neither the mother or the daughter appeared to be very comfortable shooting. They seemed hesitant even after it was clearly “game on”. Know when to shoot and when to stop. When it’s time to shoot keep shooting until the threat is gone or you have lost your sight picture.
- An experienced shooter should have been able to place well aimed shots in the guys upper chest at a rate of about two per second or better. These two would shoot then wait, shoot then wait.
- Shot placement is very important. If the girl had gotten close enough to put a sold hit into the guys head when he was wrestling with her mother he probably would have gone down a lot sooner.
I don’t know what was happening outside when the mother was shooting out the door, but one generally should stop shooting when the bad guy is running away.
Boycott time
Various companies have cut ties with the NRA:
A cybersecurity firm. Six car rental brands. A home security company. An Omaha bank. Companies are scrambling to cut ties with the National Rifle Association.
The list, so far, is composed of:
- First National Bank of Omaha
- Rental car companies Enterprise, Alamo, National, Hertz, Avis, and Budge
- Moving van lines Allied and North American
- Insurance companies MetLife and Chubb
- Anti-virus company Symantec
- Home security company SimpliSafe
- Wyndham Hotel Group
It seems to me they need to have a lesson in economics. There are a lot more gun owners who are members of, or are supportive of, the NRA than there are people who support the anti-gun agenda.