I find it hard to believe that anyone could think ammunition holders that allow multiple rounds to be fired before reloading are a wise idea.
The Reporter
February 4, 2011
SOUND OFF: More gun control is long overdue
[If this person finds it hard to be believe anyone would not agree with their suggestion to ban lever, bolt, and pump action firearms as well as semi-autos and even revolvers then they must have a very narrow ignorant mind. But what do you expect from a reporter?—Joe]
The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic.
Henry Louis Mencken
Minority Report, H. L. Mencken’s Notebooks, Knopf, 1956.
[Note that he said, “Enforce”. If there is nothing to enforce, as in a law was repealed it must necessarily be a good thing, right?—Joe]
The tree of liberty grows only when watered by the blood of tyrants.
Bertrand Barère
Last sentence of a speech given at the trial of Louis XVI given in December 1792.
[I’m reminded of this because of the events in Egypt.
While this is more than a little truth in this statement the events of the French Revolution and others show that things can get more than a little carried away in the passion of the moment. It would seem to me the moral obligation to only use deadly force when there is imminent danger of death or permanent injury to innocent life or after careful deliberation at a trial when emotions have cooled some should still apply.—Joe]
The defeat of Proposition B in Missouri is another nail in the coffin of the National Rifle Association, proof of its waning influence over American politics. The NRA unleashed a massive campaign of spending and grass roots mobilization, with personal appearances by leaders such as NRA President Charlton Heston. Nonetheless, Missourians rejected the ill-conceived hidden handgun proposal.
…
After losing in Missouri, where can the gun lobby count on victory? This defeat, coming on the heels of a resounding referendum vote in Florida to crack down on gun shows, proves that states once considered the heart of the NRA’s power base are rejecting its extremist pro-gun message. As Americans’ support for sensible gun control grows, the NRA’s power continues to crumble.
Violence Policy Center
Press release April 7, 1999
[Note that the year is 1999. Those were dark days for us.
I was reminded of this by the closing of the office of a gun control group.
One could also point out the observation made by Mark Twain, “The report of my death is an exaggeration”, would also be applicable here.—Joe]
Gun violence is all too prevalent in our society. It is a plague, and we must dedicate ourselves to its eradication. We must use both education and legislation to combat the deadly consequences of weapon-related crimes.
The shooting that takes in Arizona, in Brooklyn, or no matter what city or state … We have become a society that has embraced a gun culture. Enough is enough. We want our country back; we want our cities back; we want our schools back; we want our homes back; we want to, once again, return to a society where gun violence and innocent people being shot, maimed, or killed are not part of the daily tabloids.
…
There are no First Amendment Rights in your home.
New York State Senator Eric Adams
January 2011
Brooklyn Senator Launches Gun Control Campaign
[The first part of the quote above is from the linked article. The last sentence is from the associated YouTube video which I have embedded above.
I’m pretty sure he meant Fourth Amendment when he said First Amendment. But even if it was a slip of the tongue rather than ignorance for a lawmaker to do that is pretty disturbing.
Combining his stated goal of eradication of “gun violence” and hatred of a culture that exercises our specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms with his carelessness and/or ignorance of the Bill of Rights I just have to ask, “What would he think of those that attempt to ignore the 13th Amendment instead of the Second?”—Joe]
Meredith strikes me as the kind of person who reads dystopian novels as though they were instruction manuals.
I mean… that’s some serious “keep you up at night scary” reprogramming she’s advocating.
Exodus
January 28, 2011
Comment to Quote of the day—Meredith.
[Yup.
I think it is because they don’t have any sense of history or they believe the big lie that “if only the right people were in charge”. They just don’t understand that, in the most simplistic terms, all power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely and that every class is unfit to govern.—Joe]
If there is no proof, it is not “obvious”.
Alternatively, if it is so very “obvious”, present the proof.
Linoge
January 30, 2011
Comment to A problem with diversity
[This was in response to MikeB302000 who was attempting a proof by vigorous assertion. “It’s obvious” or “It’s just common sense” is not proof but some people just don’t get this. In this particular case MikeB302000 admits he doesn’t care about truth or falsity, causation or correlation so it really doesn’t matter what you say, the data you present, or the logic of your proof. All that matters is that you share his delusional view of the world.—Joe]
It’s just word salad; you’re not really missing anything. If you want a precis, just take your index finger and bounce it across your lips while making “Blub! Blub! Blub!” noises.
Tamara K.
January 28, 2011
In email when asked by Say Uncle for a short version of what Brady Campaign Board Member Joan Peterson posted.
[Robb Allen had a pretty good synopsis too:
Yeah, ‘word salad’ is as good of a descriptor as any. I can’t make heads nor tails of what she’s trying to say. It’s almost like “My side is losing because people are using legal terms and saying mean things and then there’s … SQUIRREL!!!!”
I sort of wondered if there was alcohol or some other mind alternating drug involved. Other than the normal intoxicating effects of hoplophobia of course.—Joe]
What we need is Gun Rehab. Like every other irrational compulsion it may be modified by Rehabilitation. We need to start a campaign to make Gun Rehab cool. Make TV reality shows out of it. Big TV ad money there. Get Dr. Phil to rehabilitate famous gun owners who would like to give up carrying guns, if they only could. Group discussion to bring to light their compulsion and fears and expose them to the light of day. Follow through and further sessions if necessary. My god, we’ve got to do something! Let’s try that.
We must ask psychologists how therapists learn to change the belief system of a paranoid, defensive, angry, aggressive person who hates authority, must assert independence, and is detached from the suffering of others. ….has maybe a superiority complex…..to make up for feelings of weakness etc? I don’t mean only the gun shooters, No. The right wing Congress! Does this sound like some of our right wing conservative gun nuts? Full of angry, defensive, aggressive statements. Who want to get the government off all our backs. Guns defend American Freedom. No matter how much people suffer?
Let’s try to use therapist’s insights and techniques to understand their mind set and eventually arrive at a way to deal with the right wing in America. They need some kind of treatment, if not individually, then as a cultural group. They are a threat to the country, and that’s not paranoia.
Meredith
January 27, 2011
Comment to Utah’s Gun Appreciation Day.
[As someone else once said (was it Lyle?) something like, “What is it with leftists and psych wards?” If someone doesn’t agree with them they think their opponent must be insane.
If that rant doesn’t make you question the wisdom of requiring psych evaluations for gun ownership your brain isn’t firing on all cylinders. It’s the perfect Catch-22. If you want to own a gun you must be insane and therefore are not fit to own a gun.
Also of interest is that she claims we are paranoid yet says not only gun owners but “the right wing in America” are a threat to the country. One has to wonder if Meredith’s irony meter was overloaded by that comment.—Joe]
Whatever this unorganized militia of ours is doing, I think we should keep doing it.
It’s rather comforting to think that something we do in our spare time for no pay, trumps those who do this full-time for 6-figure salaries.
Kinda a David and Goliath sorta thing except we’re Goliath and we have all the damn rocks.
kaveman
January 25, 2011
Comment to Brady Campaign Response on SOTU Speech
[Political extermination of bigots is very difficult. We still have remnants of the KKK and Nazi skinheads even though their heyday was at least 60 years ago. The heyday of the anti-gun bigots was only about 15 years ago. We are definitely winning but the battle will probably never be over. We need at least two generations and probably three before their hateful culture will no longer be a threat to humanity in our country. As we win here we need to expand the war to free ourselves from other security theater areas such as search and seizure, the war on recreation drugs, ID cards, and attempt to liberate the people of other countries as well. These rights are self-evident and universal.
Keep throwing the rocks.—Joe]
Would bringing up the issue of gun violence have been “dancing in the blood of victims” as some pro-gun people have written? If that’s what it takes to call attention to the issue, I’ll do a freakin’ tango in a pool of it!
Baldr Odinson
January 25, 2011
President Obama, Take A Stand Against Gun Violence!
[The facts and the failed efforts of over a century of gun control aren’t sufficient to support your views. So you are willing to take advantage of people at the times when their emotions are running strongest and rational thought is at it’s lowest ebb.
It’s nice to have you admit this.
Thank you Baldr.—Joe]
If there is a clear path to making some progress, there will be interest from other funders. No funder wants to just throw money at a problem.
Ellen Alberding
Joyce Foundation President 
January 24, 2011
The Joyce Foundation: the anti-NRA
[Keep that in mind. Every fight is important. Every time they lose a fight with nothing to show for their efforts it not only demoralizes them it dries up their funding.
Even if it is a lost cause and we can’t win drawing the fight out causes them to expend limited resources. Just how limited? From the article, “With $3 million spread over 16 gun-related grants, nearly 10% of its total outlays, the Joyce Foundation spends 10 times more than the next-largest gun-control donor.”
Assuming efficient utilization of that money that is enough to fund the salaries, benefits, office space and equipment for about 30 full-time people. That doesn’t count advertisements, political contributions, travel, etc. Gun owners number in the millions of people. Even if we have to spend $100 to cause them to spend $1 it’s another step closer to victory for us.
Every penny and every minute we cause them to spend weakens them and pushes them that much closer to political oblivion.—Joe]
The 1998 elections are further proof that support for gun control is mainstream and mainstreet America. Furthermore, in race after race, the NRA and its deep pockets proved to be a political liability, not an asset. After yesterday’s election, I think we will see more and more candidates and Members of Congress back away from NRA money and anti-gun-control positions if they want to win the support of the American people.
Sarah Brady
November 4, 1998
Chair Handgun Control, Inc. (Now called The Brady Campaign).
1998 Elections are Grandslam for Gun Control
[How’s that mainstream gun control working out for you Sarah?—Joe]
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it would have to review two weeks’ worth of procedure after determining it had mistakenly based its last three rulings on a copy of the Belgian constitution left in the justices’ chambers.
The Onion
January 20, 2011
Supreme Court Mistakenly Used Belgium’s Constitution For Last 3 Rulings
[As David Hardy said, “This would explain a lot.”—Joe]
Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much discussed “shock” of bullet impact is a fable and “knock down” power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, “too little penetration will get you killed.”
Given desirable and reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet which will not penetrate through vital organs from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the bigger bullet.
Special Agent Urey W. Patrick
July 14, 1989
U.S. Department of Justice
Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness
Firearms Training Unit
FBI Academy
Quantico, Virginia
[I really need to write my post on “Energy is irrelevant” someday soon. The most recent incentive was this. Like Sebastian, I’m not convinced. The ammo doesn’t make any claims in regards to energy but I can’t imagine any of the claimed benefits outweigh the penetration and accuracy issues that are not talked about.—Joe]
The typical lawmaker of today is a man devoid of principle—a mere counter in a grotesque and knavish game. If the right pressure could be applied to him he would be cheerfully in favor of polygamy, astrology, or cannibalism.
Henry Louis Mencken
http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/mencken.htm
[And this is why people of principle are routinely disappointed and disgusted by lawmakers.
It was just this reason that we have politicians proposing new restrictions on the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms. The Tucson shooting was “the right pressure” to cause them to violate known and accepted principles in the Bill of Rights. What we must do is apply “the right pressure” in the other direction.
I’m working on a post that if applied correctly I believe will exert an equal and perhaps greater pressure in the other direction. It might not be ready until tomorrow so be patient.—Joe]
The sound of my vote is much softer than the sound of my rifle.
BulletTrap
Signature line on various forums.
[Keep in mind that many people don’t like loud noises. And remember “Silence is golden”.—Joe]
If the president doesn’t get involved then it’s not going to convince anybody in Congress or the Senate.
Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy
January 19, 2011
Empty Barrel
[I would have thought it would depend more on Congresswoman Giffords who was shot. But who am I to know? Obama could give it some momentum too but my read of things is that he will stay out of it.—Joe]
He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.
Thomas Paine
[The individual that values his the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment must also protect the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment or everyone will discover the liberty secured by the 13th Amendment has been lost as well.
See also the nearly identical concept expressed by Alan Dershowitz.—Joe]
The vast majority of lefties had no opinion on 30 round magazines until last week. If they had an opinion from a previous newscycle, it was long forgotten. It is now received wisdom that high capacity mags are evil. Whatever you say or write, you haven’t changed the underlying presumption that you are arguing for something evil. You aren’t allowed to challenge the conclusion that your gun is evil.
As a metaphor, I’m against eating live puppies. If someone were to argue about their right to eat live puppies, I wouldn’t begin to pay attention to their arguments; I’d only be interested in learning more as a means to stopping them. If I found out they had a powerful lobby devoted to enjoying the agony of the puppies as the are slowly eaten, I’d assume the worse motives and conspiracies. I can’t imagine any logic or arguments that would sway me from my presupposition. In the minds of the Left, wanting responsibility for oneself (including self-defense, which includes your gun and mag) is like torturing puppies.
dustydog
January 17, 2011
Comment to Random thought of the day
[Other than the minor correction of changing “high capacity” to “normal” or “standard” I don’t have anything to add.—Joe]