Taking Bets

Sooooo..who wants to bet Roman Conaway is a gunloon and NRA-type?

In the criminal complaint, FBI Special Agent Richard Box alleged that on Tuesday afternoon, someone at a St. Louis-area mosque informed the FBI that a caller identifying himself as "Roman" threatened to burn a copy of the Quran and videotape it for distribution to three television stations.

The caller also pledged to "start a war between Christians and Muslims," "kill President Obama and other government officials to start a war," end the military conflict in Afghanistan and ensure North Korean leader Kim Jong Il would "have some pain and cry," Box wrote.

"I want to start an apocalypse," Box alleged the caller also said in the call to the mosque, perhaps unaware his telephone number had appeared on the mosque's caller ID and ultimately was conveyed to the FBI and Secret Service. The number was Conaway's, Box wrote.

You might want to check his Facebook page for further info.

CCW On Campus?

Maybe not such a good idea:

Five New Jersey college students were injured, one critically, when a gunman opened fire at an off-campus party near Seton Hall University Friday night.

The Greatest Bass Player

Jaco Pastorious.

Another NRA Candidate

Previously, we brought you the story of the NRA-endorsed Christine O'Donnell--who believes scientists have created mice with human brains and has "dabbled in witchcraft."

Today, we bring you another very pro-gunloon--Jim Russell (Repug-NY)--who is running for Congress in NY-18. In addition to his very outspoken views on guns--he also has some rather peculiar opinions on race. Apparently, David Duke shares his views on both guns and race.

'Mom's Gone Crazy'

Yup, guns, crazy people, bad stuff:

SEATTLE – Police found four people shot to death in a Seattle home Thursday after neighbors reported gunfire and a wounded woman ran into the front yard telling officers, "my mom's gone crazy."

Soooo...when does this whole self-defense stuff kick in?

Speed Bump DGU

With apologies to Sammy Hagar, NRA member and CCW holder David A. Patton can't drive 55:

According to the sworn statement, Carr's girlfriend told police that as she and Carr were watching TV, Patton entered the residence through the front door armed with a handgun and ordered the couple to the floor. After they complied, their hands were secured with black "zip ties."

The affidavit states that Carr attempted to get free of his ties and engaged Patton, who then allegedly shot him dead.

C'mon, gunloons--isn't this what CCW is about?

Blog Break - 3 Days

I'll be off the blog for three days.  Sorry about any unanswered comments; I'll try to catch up starting either Sunday night or Monday morning.  Meantime, I leave you in good hands. Thanks Jadegold.

The Way Gun Registration Works

Lewisville, Texas is in the news a lot, last week it was a murder suicide, today it's a gun-trafficking story. The ATF closed in on a couple of gun-trafficking middle men. Of course, I'd like to see a bit more attention paid to Butch's Guns of Woodward, Oklahoma, but perhaps they did check them out and concluded there was no way of knowing all those multiple weapons purchases were in any way suspicious.

Federal law requires each buyer of a firearm complete a Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473) certifying he is the “actual buyer of the firearm.” The ATF Form 4473 warns the buyer he is not the actual buyer if he is “acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person,” and making a false statement on the form is a federal crime.

According to the indictment, Morales-Martinez paid an unnamed co-conspirator to buy firearms and paid him a commission based on the number of guns he delivered. It is alleged this person bought some firearms himself and also recruited and paid others, including Blanco, to go to gun stores to illegally purchase the firearms as “straw buyers.” It is alleged the unnamed person instructed the straw buyers to go to several firearms dealers located in Oklahoma City and Woodward, who all were licensed by the ATF to sell firearms, to make the purchases and told them what firearms to buy.

Here's how it should work. When a person fills in that form stating that they themselves are the buyer of the gun, that triggers a registration record automatically. Sometime later they can expect a visit from local law enforcement. If they cannot produce the weapon at that time, they go straight to jail.

In a country where we've got thousands of people incarcerated for possession of marijuana, I don't think that's too severe. After one year of consistent enforcement, the business of straw purchasing will all but disappear.

What do you think? Is that a good plan, or what?

Please leave a comment.

Canada's Gun Registry - Alive Still

By a vote of 153 to 151, the Canadian Gun registry stays alive. Phew, that's even closer than the Heller and McDonald decisions, of course this Canadian one went in the right direction.

Now, I guess they have to work on its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

Antioch CA Road Rage

Mercury News reports on the arrest of a road-rage shooter.

Police have arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly shooting a fellow driver who had cut him off on an Antioch street.

Cornelius Brown remained jailed on $1.6 million bail Tuesday. The 34-year-old Sacramento man Brown is accused of shooting in the back during the confrontation last Thursday is in critical but stable condition.

Brown, a resident of both Antioch and San Francisco, was arrested after police matched his car with a surveillance video from a camera posted near the intersection where the shots were fired.

The main issues are gun availability and whether this dangerous gun owner was already a criminal or not, but another thing comes up. Remember when all the pro-rights libertarian types were howling at the moon about how all these surveillance cameras do no good whatever, how there's no evidence that they've ever assisted in solving even one crime?

And sure enough, scouring the internet it was not possible to uncover such proof. Logic and common sense would not suffice, we needed facts. There weren't even any mentions in news reports about the cameras.

Well finally we have one. I knew all along it was not exactly like on 24, when Chloe can log onto any camera in a matter of seconds and find the bad guy's car, but all it takes is a bit of common sense to realize the ever-increasing urban surveillance systems do assist the police in many cases.

What's your opinion? Do those cameras do more harm than good? Do you think our diminishing privacydue to an invasive government is too high a price to pay for being able to arrest road rage shooters like this guy?

Please leave a comment.

Utah Concealed Carry Permits

Laci provided a link to the most fascinating article about the policy in Utah to provide concealed carry permits to out-of-state residents. Some pro-gun folks in Utah don't like it.

That helps to explain why, during the fiscal year that ended June 30, some 44,043 out-of-state residents received Utah permits. By comparison, only 17,315 Utahns did. That means that 72 percent of the permits issued that year went to people who live in other states.

There's nothing surprising there. I've pointed out numerous times what a shabby business this is, yet the pro-gun voices continue to claim moral high ground.

The article provided a rare insight into the revocation process, which has been much discussed.

The agency checks databases of Utah criminal records daily and national computer databases quarterly. It revokes permits of those who no longer qualify. The revocation rate is about 1 percent.

Even this is not without its ambiguity, is that 1% per year or 1% total for all time? In either case, with 250,000 total and 2,500 revocations we've got a slightly more believable situation than John Lott presented about Florida.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

So, Virginia, How's That Guns In Bars Thing Working Out?

NRA and CCW member commits DGU against own leg while drinking in VA bar:

Lynchburg police Capt. Todd Swisher said Latham, who holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was ordering a beer at the Waterstone Pizza restaurant Saturday when he reached into his pocket and his .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun fired.

Latham was shot in the thigh. He was treated at Lynchburg General Hospital. Swisher said a woman at the restaurant apparently suffered powder burns but did not require medical attention.

A state law that took effect in July makes it legal to carry concealed weapons into restaurants, but only if the carrier doesn't consume alcohol.

Swisher said Latham had been drinking before ordering the beer.

The Bureaucracy Called ATF

The link to this fascinating article was provided by Zorro.

I suppose he finds the fact surprising that the ATF suffers from the same kinds of bureaucratic problems as any other government agency.

The article seemed to find it especially damning that they don't share information with other agencies and even among their own internal departments.

Because I watch those cop shows on the tele, I understand that they must concern themselves with spies and moles. But Zorro and the other ATF haters don't know this because they don't watch TV to learn neat stuff like that.

What's your opinion? Is $37.5 million a lot of money in this context? Isn't it possible that it takes that much and more to make real progress?

Please leave a comment.

Wisconsin Open Carry

I say these guys are counterproductive to their own cause. Plus, they have a bit of trouble telling the truth.

Members of the group contend they were not trying to set up police, even though some members were wearing wires to record any such confrontation, WISC-TV reported.

"They didn't come out there with the intention of challenging the law," said Gold. "They didn't come out there with the intention of having an encounter with police. They came out to have a meal, to get to know each other and to socialize. It's as simple as that."

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Score Another One for Shawano

Missing paperwork seems to be the main accusation, missing sales receipts.

That's a bit more serious than misspellings on the applications or failing to cross the "t" or dot the "i." That's what I keep hearing from the pro-gun crowd.

We've discussed them a few times, trying to follow the roller coaster ride. Here's the last time.

If I were a gun owner I swear I'd be the first one calling for their closure. How can legitimate gun owners expect to be respected as such when they support miscreants like these?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Bob Barker

The story about Bob Barker having fainted at the gun range caught my eye.

Barker, a long-time animal rights activist and vegetarian, added that there was a combination of things that caused him to faint.

I don't know about you but I find that an odd combination, vegetarianism, animal rights and shooting guns at the range.

What do you think?

Shooting in Rhode Island

I'm pretty sure the shooters got their guns in Vermont. It would make sense, right?

What's your opinion? When seconds count, the cops are minutes away, right? All those witnesses and bystanders should have been armed, in which case there'd have been less crime. Well, maybe there'd have been the same amount of crime, but there'd be at least one dead criminal. (facetious and sarcastic)



What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Glenn Beck Isn't Always Wrong

We have more Admirals than we have ships.

What do you think about military spending? Please leave a comment.

Tennessee Gunloon Explains the Second Amendment

Odd--he makes more sense than Linoge.

Royal Navy Field Gun Competition

The Yankee Sage has the whole fascinating story.

The Alan Gottlieb Quote

Personal Liberty Digest published an article about the latest FBI statistics. The best part was the Gottlieb quote.

"[The gun ban lobby's] predictions that America's streets would run red have been shown up as a fraudulent sales pitch for public disarmament," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Why does he say things like that? I have three problems with this typical pro-gun rhetoric.

1. Is there really such a thing as the "gun ban lobby?" If such a thing does exist, how do you think it compares to the "gun lobby" in size and power?

2. Wouldn't it be best referred to as the "gun control lobby?"

3. When did any gun control person say the "streets would run red?"

If Gottlieb has valid points, why is it necessary for him to exaggerate everything he says?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Concealed Weapons Permit Photo ID

For a minute there I thought this article was about Arizona. Then I remembered they don't have any requirements to carry a concealed weapon.

Those who currently hold permits without photos will have to get the permits updated with a photo when the original permit expires.

What year is it in Pennsylvania? Is it the same as the rest of the country?

Please leave a comment.

Another Permanent Solution

Suicide, in most cases, is not the thought-out difficult decision the libertarians would have you believe. In most cases it's a terrible mistake. It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This is such a heartbreaking story, a young athlete with a family. He happened to have the most lethal suicide tool handy.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his apartment Monday in an apparent suicide.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley's apartment in Centennial at 3:35 p.m. local time and found his body in the second-floor master bedroom. He said detectives believe McKinley, 23, was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

What's your opinion? The Broncos have suffered three terrible losses recently, two of which involved guns. Guns kill people, don't you think?

Please leave a comment.

Another Cop's Gun Found by Kids

This time it's in Florida, last time it was North Carolina.

One strike you're out, officer. Surrender the guns and look for a new line of work.

Is that too severe?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

The ATF Is Getting Serious

Associated Press reports:

A federal agency trying to stop guns from being smuggled from the United States into Mexico for use by drug cartels has formed teams in seven American cities to combat the problem.

The teams set up by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are a follow-up to earlier temporary groups of investigators who worked in Houston and Arizona and seized about 2,000 guns.

The permanent 10-member teams will be based in two cities in the border region — in Brownsville, Texas, and Sierra Vista, Ariz. — and away from the border where smugglers have set up trafficking routes and recruit gun buyers in Dallas, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Miami.

Pro gun folks have always questioned the truth behind the theory that American guns are feeding the Mexican violence. They pointed out the tricky wording in the "90% of the guns traced," idea. Some have gone further than haggling over what the actual percentage is and denied everything.

Recently Robert Farago posted an article rightly pointing out that the Mexican cartels are so rich they don't need our guns. He says "curtailing the exportation of guns from the U.S. to Mexico" will cause the gangsters to get them somewhere else. I have no problem with that.

What I find odd is his conclusion which seems to say we're allowing Calderone to blame us for his problems. Robert concluded with this: "can someone please remind me why we need the ATF."

Well, let me make a suggestion. Let's put the focus on our side of the border. Let's forget about how many guns are crossing over and what the politicians are saying about it and concentrate on the crooked FFL guys who are operating down there, like the ATF is attempting to do. I don't see it as appeasing Mexico's dysfunction at all. I see it as cleaning up our own act.

Another consideration is that unscrupulous gun dealers who are willing to turn a blind eye or break laws themselves are not just feeding guns to Mexico. These same guys are helping our own criminals arm themselves.

Even hard-core gun activists in most cases don't approve of gun dealers selling to criminals. That's what the ATF is working on stopping. They should be applauded and supported.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Guns Kill People

Uckele Not Guilty

The Pocono Record has the fascinating developments in the Father's Day shooting in Pennsylvania.

One by one, the charges were read, followed by the jury foreperson's response.

Murder in the first degree: Not guilty.

Murder in the third degree: Not guilty.

Voluntary manslaughter: Not guilty.

The crowd of family and friends let out a loud gasp.

Uckele was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor of the first degree that can carry jail time. He was also found guilty of fleeing from a law officer, and endangering the safety of a law officer.

I suppose that means he would not lose his right to own guns. Does that sound right to you? Shouldn't a misdemeanor of this type be a disqualifier?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Murder / Suicide in Virginia

In Prince George County, a man shot his wife then turned the gun on himself. He died right away, she died later in the hospital. The incident took place in a car on a cul-de-sac.

Police are not sure why the couple drove to the cul-de-sac and the shooting is still under investigation.

Police responded to a domestic related problem at the Bates home in June. At the time, Robert Bates was arrested for domestic assault and battery.

Both Bates were served with an emergency protective order barring contact between each other.

The EPO expired prior to Saturday's incident and no extension was filed.

How does it work in Virginia? When a guy has a domestic assault and battery charge, does he continue to keep his guns? In this case I guess he did.

How do these forfeitures of guns happen when someone becomes a disqualified person anyway? Is it on the honor system? Does the judge tell the wife-beater to go home and get rid of all his guns? Or are marshalls sent to the house and expected to uncover every hiding place?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Houston man Shoots His Three Kids

Yahoo News reports on the terrible murder / attempted-suicide.

Three children were found shot dead in their beds Sunday at a suburban Houston apartment building, and their father was charged with their murders after surviving an apparent suicide attempt, authorities said.

In Texas, just about any man who gets angry enough at his ex-wife and decides to do something this drastic, has the tools to do it. I know, I know, he could have done it with a knife.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

How Gun Flow Works

An enterprising young man from the North, where they have sensible gun laws, finds himself in the gun-friendly South. The rest just happens almost of itself.

The Chicago Tribune describes a case in point.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Helmke: Talk is Cheap

The Huffington Post published the latest article by Paul Helmke about the Mexican violence.

But what Secretary Clinton and President Obama have neglected to say is more noteworthy. Neither the president nor the secretary has mentioned the importance of the U.S. restricting assault weapons or requiring Brady criminal background checks for all gun purchases at gun shows.

Violence in Mexico has increased since Congress allowed the federal assault weapons ban to expire in 2004. And a study just released by the Woodrow Wilson Center and the University of San Diego matches Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence reports, which confirm that a significant number of the guns used in Mexican drug crimes come from America.

What do you think? Is "a significant number" a better way to describe the guns which come from The States? Do you think increased scrutiny of the gun shops "along the border" is appropriate at this time?

Please leave a comment.

It Should Be Banned (joke)

About Mayor Daley

A letter to The Dome reads as follows:

Mayor Richard Daley’s retirement is not coming soon enough.

How many Chicagoans have been killed because of this gun-hating hypocrite, who has kept guns out of law-abiding Chicagoans’ hands? At the same time, he has 24-hour, around-the-clock armed guards keeping him safe.

Two questions arise.

1. When the author says "Chicagoans have been killed because" of gun laws, it seems he's referring to the poor defenseless folks who, disarmed against their wills, have fallen victim to criminal violence. Doesn't that overlook the deaths that would have happened had those folks been armed? Doesn't this go back to the old question of whether guns do more good than harm? Do legitimate DGUs outnumber incidents of gun violence?

2. When a political figure or celebrity uses armed security, does that constitute hypocrisy if that political figure or celebrity favors gun control?

What's your opinion? Is the author of the letter just another Daley hater or does he raise legitimate points?

Please leave a comment.

The NRA Fighting the Good Fight in Canada

Bloomberg Businessweek published an interesting article about the NRA's involvement in Canadian politics.

The part I liked best is this, although I realize the results of polls like this are only appreciated by the side they support.

A Harris-Decima poll of 1,000 voters conducted Aug. 26 to Aug. 29 found 48 percent think it’s a bad idea to scrap the registry, compared with 38 percent who say they want it eliminated, the Canadian Press reported Sept. 7.

What's your prediction? Are they going to do away with the registry?

Please leave a comment.