Category Archives: Gun Rights

I wonder if they do background checks

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It would appear that, despite the screeching of the anti-gun bigots here, the U.S. doesn’t have the most lax or ignored gun laws.  Yemen seems to enjoy a bit more freedom in that regard.

“I have cannons, missiles, Kalashnikovs, anti-aircraft guns and hand grenades,” said community leader Mohammed Naji, sitting cross-legged in his house in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. “This is a part of our culture, and a tribesman can give up everything except his gun.”

…

The report said it was relatively easy to obtain surface-to-air missiles in Yemen.

Too bad their culture is so messed up in other ways.  Revenge killings are just a bit too crude for my tastes.

The bigot known as Michael Daly

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Daly was my Quote of the day today.  Alphecca also commented on him.  This is the email I sent him:

I just read your May 21, 2006 article in the Daily News and the first paragraph or two of a few of your other anti-gun owner articles.  You appear to be mistaken and or ignorant about certain facts.  Firearms in the U.S. are used to defend innocent life between two and three million times each year.  In the vast majority of these cases no shots are fired.  Most of these firearms are handguns.  Defending the innocent from grievous bodily harm or death is a entirely legitimate use of a tool–which is why the police and millions of private citizens in the U.S. carry handguns on a daily basis.

Before you advocate restrictions on such useful tools you have to ask yourself Just One Question:

Can you demonstrate just one time, one place, throughout all of human history, where restricting the access of handheld weapons to the average person made them safer?

-joe-
https://blog.joehuffman.org

Looking through my log files I could not find any indication he clicked on the link to my “Just One Question”.  This is as I would expect.  Bigots don’t need to think about an issue since they already know what they want to believe.

Lyle’s comment deserves some more attention.  He says:

In a free society, “legitimate demand” is determined by the manufacturers and their customers, not by socialist political activists masquerading as journalists.

Very true, but beyond that only someone that hasn’t made it past elementary school would believe that manufactures would be able to known what “legitimate demand” is.  The manufacturers sell to distributors who sell to retailers.  They manufacture as many as the distributors wish to purchase.  They have no “crystal ball” which can give them any sort of clue as to how many of those firearms will be lost, stolen, or sold to straw purchasers and end up in the hands of a person prohibited from firearms ownership.  And with there being about 200 million firearms in the country and just a little over 300,000 crimes involving a firearm each year in this country it means only about one out about 700 guns is used in a crime.  And that is making the worst case assumption that each crime is committed with a different gun!  The real number is probably something on the order of one gun out of 2000 to 10,000 is used in a crime.  Hence forecasting of firearms sales would have to be accurate to the level of about +/- 0.01% in order to know what the “legitimate demand” is.

Bigot Daly and his kind have mental problems.

Quote of the day–Michael Daly

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…to enter the cavernous Midwest Airlines Center was to behold thousands of weapons, many of them handguns that have no real purpose other than to kill people and are produced in far greater numbers than the legitimate demand.

Just inside and to the left was the booth for Smith & Wesson, which manufactures two of the three most-prevalent guns among the 5,551 recovered by the NYPD last year. The list was topped by the Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, a number of which were on display for anyone to heft.

Michael Daly
Aw shoot, they’re cute
May 21, 2006
Daily News
[I don’t believe I have ever read a more bigoted article by someone who was not on the payroll of an anti-gun owner organization.  I sent him a short email asking Just One Question–Joe]

Pandering–pot, please meet kettle

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From the Edmonton Sun, Gun control advocates lining up their ammo:

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun Control accused the Conservatives of pandering to the gun lobby.

And the liberals are pandering to the gun control lobby.

Quote of the day–Prime Minister Stephen Harper

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We believe the evidence is absolutely clear on this.

This system is expensive and not effective. It’s not the right way to spend dollars on both gun control and crime control.

Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
May 19, 2006
Harper tells Ontario, Quebec to butt out on gun registry complaints
[It’s going to be a rough road getting rid of this dangerous encroachment on civil rights but Harper appears to be determined.  Good for him!–Joe]

Quote of the day–Celeste A. Morello

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Ms. Porter should walk in the shoes of those who couldn’t fend off the strength of another, where using a gun would be the only means to stay alive. If it isn’t a gun, then it would be a baseball bat, tire iron, piece of glass or just muscle.

As a woman, I deserve the right to defend myself the best way I can. Gun-control advocates don’t seem to realize that gun control will adversely affect the rights of the easily-victimized, i.e., the elderly and young and, especially, females who can’t throw a punch like men.

Celeste A. Morello
Letter to the editor.
Philadelphia
Apparently in response to this editorial.
[Ms. Morello should ask Just One Question.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Bill Lockyer

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We cannot rely on the federal government to enact responsible legislation that will prevent criminals from possessing and using guns. In order to create safer streets and neighborhoods in California, we must act now to stop illegal gun trafficking at its source.

Bill Lockyer
California State Attorney General
Lockyer touts gun control Amid area visit, officials push bills
May 16, 2006
[You would think that someone smart enough to get themselves elected to such a high office would realize that government cannot actually prevent things.  Government can only punish acts that have already been committed.  Never mind the little “shall not be infringed” issue in the Bill of Rights which means Mr. Lockyer is actually admitting to a felony.  But as we already know, the law doesn’t apply to ‘them’.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Thomas Jefferson

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No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

Thomas Jefferson
[Either Jefferson was wrong or we are not free.  Others may come to a different conclusion but I have concluded we are not free.–Joe]

Cracking down

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I find this amusing.  The Puritans in society try to crack down on a victimless crime and the end result is they end up increasing the activity the very activity the were trying to stop.  From our neighbors to the north:

TORONTO — A 2005 Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for swingers clubs appears to be bringing out Canada’s more, well, adventurous side.

Those who prefer life closer to the edge of the conjugal bed say the high court’s re-interpretation last December of the definition of indecency has fuelled a growing interest in private clubs that feature group sex, partner swapping, voyeurism and exhibitionism.

…

Five months later, their operators say more aggressive advertising and marketing efforts in the wake of the ruling have attracted significantly more people to their events.

“I think there’s a great opportunity to provide a safe environment where couples can really enhance their sex life,” said Linda Fox, who operates Club Eden in Vancouver.

The same thing happens when there is talk of banning certain types of firearms.  The sales of those models and accessories dramatically increase.

This is what happens in places without guns–Case XIII

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From the U.K.  When investigating a threat to yourself and/or your home it is entirely reasonable to arm yourself.  Too bad she didn’t have access to better tools.  If the politicians had not disarmed her and her countrymen she might still be alive.

Special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was stabbed to death with her own 13ins kitchen knife, detectives believe.(MON).

Nisha was found bleeding to death in her pyjamas and dressing gown on the doorstep of her semi in a quiet suburban street in Wembley, northwest London.

Police now believe that before going out to investigate a noise the brave part-time police officer picked up a kitchen knife to warn off would be intruders.

There is a different version of the same story here.

Quote of the day–Greg Hamilton

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We’ve thought about that as an intimidation tool.  Some guy is hassling you on the street and you start putting your ear plugs in.  The guy says, ‘What are you doing?’  You say, ‘It looks like I’m going to be doing some shooting here pretty soon and I don’t want to hurt my ears.’

Greg Hamilton
Self Defense Instructor
Nov. 19, 1995
When discussing self-defense equipment to carry and a student asked about earplugs.

Quote of the day–Benjamin Franklin

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To get the bad customs of a country changed and new ones, though better, introduced, it is necessary first to remove the prejudices of the people, enlighten their ignorance, and convince them that their interests will be promoted by the proposed changes, and this is not the work of a day.

Benjamin Franklin
1781
[Gun rights advocates still have a lot of work to do.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Howard Nemerov

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History proves that when government holds both the sword and the purse, as Britain’s government does, it makes law serve its interests, not those of individual members of society. By following the links of cause and effect, we thereby see that Brady, whether its actions are intentional or not, favors the rights of the criminal over those of the law-abiding.

Howard Nemerov
May 11, 2006
Gun Control: Do Brady Policies Support Criminal Behavior?
[Based partly on the policies of Britain that now lets many crimes such as burglary, arson, vandalism, and sex with underage girls be “punished” with a “caution” which does not result in a court appearance, a fine, community service or jail time.–Joe]

Herding cattle

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I haven’t update the general public on the battle with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in a long time.  I needed to keep things quiet for a while.  I can give out a few hints now.

I grew up on a farm and we had a few head of cattle at various times.  And sometimes I helped my nearby uncles with there many head of cattle.  When you are herding them often they don’t want to go where you want them to go.  You could be herding them to the corral for branding, castration, and slaughter.  Or you could just be herding them to greener pastures.  Most of the time they don’t know what your intentions are but sometimes you are pretty sure they know it isn’t greener pastures because they really resist going where you want them too.  In these cases you have to give them some “encouragement” in the form of a dog nipping at their heels, a switch, or even just yelling at them.  It’s rare that anything more than this is necessary.  It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.  You can yell at them and they will willingly walk into the corral where they have no escape from your branding iron and your knife.  They simply can’t think that far ahead.  The short term discomfort of dealing with a dog nipping at their heels or the sting of a switch on their rump is sufficient to persuade them to commit to their own undoing.

It was just over 11 months ago that I began the journey that I knew then would last years.  I didn’t really know how or if I would reach my desired destination and to a certain extent I still don’t.  What I do know is that they just stepped into my corral.  It two weeks ago, just before Boomershoot, that I picked up the first of the letters from one of my attorneys from my P.O. Box.  I picked up the second one last Sunday.  And then yesterday I discovered some information that nearly made me go dancing in the street (this is from someone that despises most dancing).  If you were to read the letters you would think there was no good news about my quest for justice in those letters but you would be wrong in thinking that.  Just as you would be wrong if you thought the cow I just tried hit with my switch jumped and ran away, toward the corral, without my switch touching her escaped my intentions.  Yes, using the metaphor, repeatedly switching the felons at PNNL would bring a certain amount of pleasure.  But that’s not the real goal–I want them branded, castrated, and slaughtered.  They might still break out of the corral, but their lawyers, dancing out of the reach of my switch, put them within reach of my branding iron and knife.  It will be different lawyers of theirs that will have to deal with my branding iron and knife and that will curse the lawyers just doing their job who only knew about the sharp teeth of the snapping dog and the sting of my switch.  The new lawyers didn’t get involved until the corral gate was shut behind them.

In an abstract sort of way I feel sorry for someone that could have gotten away if they only had played their game a little differently. If only they could have seen far enough ahead and had communicated better with others.  If only they had known I wasn’t their ordinary adversary and they hadn’t been so careless in their felonious assault against me they almost for certain would have gotten away with it.

It may be that I have a mild form of Aspergers Syndrome and this probably contributed to my downfall at PNNL but it also gives me the incredible focus, persistence, and intensity they, almost for certain, have never dealt with before.  This isn’t something abstract for me and I don’t feel genuine pity about them not getting away with their crimes.  It’s not only very personal but it has tremendous potential to affect the entire gun rights movement.  This isn’t just about compensation for the nearly catastrophic impact on my life and my family.  If I play my game correctly it could easily affect every gun owner in the state of Washington and possibly every gun owner in the U.S.  Thinking they were striking a blow against one gun owner, political activist, and N.R.A. firearms instructor they may have given us an opportunity to make unimaginable gains.

There are still years of work ahead of me in this roundup but I can now start heating my branding iron and sharping my knife.  In my minds eye I can now see the smoke and steam boiling off my branding iron as it sears their flesh, I can see their bloody testicles in my bucket, and I can see their hides drying on the wall of the barn.  All just as I did so many years ago when helping my uncles with their cattle.

I’m sleeping better than I have in a long time.

Quote of the day–Jeff Cooper

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Michael Howard is “Home Secretary” of the U.K., sort of a national chief of police. In his words, “Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right, and the use of firearms in self-defense is not acceptable for civilians in this country” (presumably it is okay for a soldier). So much for The Land of Hope and Glory! Die if you must but do not shoot back. 
   
Jeff Cooper
From Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries
Vol. 4, No. 13
November 1996
[Brought to mind by reading this.  A woman in England gets five years in jail for a non-functional, blank-firing gun stored in her home by her boyfriend.  Guns and their owners are treated like Jews in Nazi Germany.  This woman was guilty of hiding a Jew.–Joe]

It’s for the children!

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They don’t even try to hide it.  They just come right out and say it, Children need to be protected:

Constitutional issues aside, consider youths: In Seattle, firearms are the leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. In King County, an estimated 32,000 children live in homes with unlocked firearms; about 7,000 of them live in homes with loaded firearms and about 2,000 in homes where guns are stored loaded and unlocked. Does this make sense? Don’t children deserve to live in a community where guns are safely stored, their purchase closely regulated and weapons clearly intended for maximum damage banned?

As one commenter said, “The phrase in this article that I find the most chilling ‘Constitutional issues aside…'”.  Constitutional issues are just dismissed by invoking “youths”.  And ignoring the fact that more children have been killed because of gun control (start by counting the number of kids killed by the Nazis) rather than in spite of it.  In the comments I asked them my usual, Just One Question.  No response yet.  I don’t expect one either.  It’s not about logic or safety.  It’s “for the children.”

Scrambled eggs for brains

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Most gun control advocates have mental problems but they usually avoid contradicting themselves in the space of two minutes.  Mayor Street can’t even manage that:

The illegal guns – about 1,500 of them – covered most of the floor of the Mayor’s Reception Room on the second floor of City Hall.

Mayor Street, who said they had been confiscated since the start of 2006, used them as a platform yesterday for launching another gun-control campaign in Harrisburg.

“This [effort] isn’t going to go away,” Street said at a news conference. “When the General Assembly goes back into session, we will be there. I expect to be joined by mayors from other areas.”

“… If we can have gaming in the commonwealth, then we can restrict the flow of guns.”

…

“When you are out on the street and someone points a gun at you, you have to do something,” Street said. “We believe we have a well-managed Police Department.”

…

This was echoed by Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson: “To kill or be killed often involves only a split-second decision. When cops are confronted by a person with a gun, they have to react.”

The cops “have to do something” when someone points a gun at them.  But private citizens don’t have the same need?  These people need some help from a mental health professional.

Quote of the day–SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

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The mayor asks the state to pass laws that prevent firearms from getting into the hands of criminals. But state and federal laws already prohibit the possession, purchase or sale of firearms for felons, people with a history of mental illness or facing allegations of domestic violence. All commercial sales of firearms require a background check for such disqualifiers.

What else could the state do? An outright assault weapons ban is unfair and unenforceable. Manufacturers supply trigger locks with their firearms and the locks are widely available at no cost.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Gun Control: Blaming the state
May 4, 2006
[This is a huge turn around for the PI.  Add in their publication of the Boomershoot article on Tuesday and I’m a little weak in the knees.  This is really good news.–Joe]

Quote of the day–James Hagengruber

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For some shooters, the event is all about marksmanship. Others say they’re driven by politics – how the combination of guns and explosives is the ultimate expression of their constitutional rights as well as a gentle show of force for anybody watching in the federal government.

James Hagengruber
May 1, 2006
Spokesman Review: Boom with a view

Quote of the day–Greg Hamilton

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Do you know how to double the effectiveness of any bullet?  Put another round through your target.

Greg Hamilton
Self Defense Instructor
Nov. 19, 1995
[The lesson was, don’t put effort into buying the best bullet or cartridge, put your efforts into placing your shots where they count.–Joe]