HR 861

As much as I believe in State’s rights over an unwieldy Federal government, HR861 makes sense.  The current laws are a complete minefield for those that carry weapons between states.  It’s one thing to realize your broken taillight on your vehicle carries different fines and punishments in different states.  It’s another to get caught carrying and find out you are doing so illegally due to some technicality.  The relative punishment for the taillight infraction are the same.  The punishments for gun crimes are so over the top, one mis-read of a law will screw up your life.  Having some set standard, or at least reciprocity, for carry licenses is great.  If you need to cross a state line with your gun, then HR861 should go into affect.  Otherwise, there should be no reason to force a national license to carry.  I fear someone thinking that MA or CA have the best design, and forcing it upon all the states.  This would be a mistake.

Woah.

I constantly look to read about the larger geopolitical picture.  I fail to believe anything happens in this world without your allies knowing and supporting it.  I also believe that commoners in all countries are routinely wrong.  This is because the current government lies to its citizenry.  Therefore, people protesting the war, poverty, wealth, and nearly anything else are all misguided.  They are working on a flawed premise and therefore making flawed decisions.  Sometimes, they make passionate decisions.  Unfortunately, I am sometimes caught in this web of lies as well.

Interesting…

CONSIDER THIS…
In 1929 the Soviet Union established gun control.
- From 1929 to 1953, approximately 20 million
dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control.
- From 1915-1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to
defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938.
- From 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews, gypsies,
homosexuals, the mentally ill, and others, who were
unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.

China established gun control in 1935.
- From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents,
unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.

Guatemala established gun control in 1964.
- From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to
defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Uganda established gun control in 1970.
- From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to
defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Cambodia established gun control in 1956.
- From 1975 to 1977, one million “educated” people,
unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.

That places total victims who lost their lives because
of gun control at approximately 56 million in the last
century.

Since we should learn from the mistakes of history,
the next time someone talks in favor of gun control,
find out which group of citizens they wish to have
exterminated.

It has now been 12 months since gun owners in
Australia were forced to surrender 640,381 personal
firearms to be destroyed, a program costing the
government more than $500 million dollars.
- The results Australia-wide; Homicides are up 3.2%,
Assaults are up 8 %, and Armed robberies are up 44%.
In that country’s state of Victoria, homicides with
firearms are up 300%.

Over the previous 25 years, figures show a steady
decrease in armed robberies and Australian politicians
are on the spot and at a loss to explain how no
improvement in “safety” has been observed after such
monumental effort and expense was successfully
expended in “ridding society of guns.”

It’s time to state it plainly; Guns in the hands of
honest citizens save lives and property and, yes,
gun-control laws only affect the law-abiding citizens.
Take action before it’s too late, write or call your
delegation.

Paul Harvey

Arguing with a Libertarian is like arguing on the Internet.

As a former steadfast Libertarian,

“Look at it this way: what would you call a political system that regulates its subjects activities on a minute-by-minute basis; that often requires of its citizens prior restraint on freedom of speech; that controls where its subjects go, what they wear, and who they talk to; that restricts online reading material in a Beijing-style manner; that has a rigid hierarchy to enforce edicts from the upper echelons and do routine surveillance of the rank and file; that denies its subjects privacy even to the point of demanding the right to examine their urine; and that punishes infractions by permanent banishment? Some people would call it a dictatorship. But many of us call it “the workplace.” “

from a great post by Pandagon. I don’t want to live in that kind of world.  Apparently, the GWBush administration is Libertarian.

Chaotic Good

Exhibit A: Don’t trust your government.

I railed against this when it was up for vote.  I wrote AND called my congresspeople to register my vote against it.  Many people wrote about it.  However, someone finally asks the logical question, “What would you do if Bush declared martial law?“  Me, I’d rail against it, push the limits, and if necessary, raise arms against it.  Welcome to civil war.

Paramilitary raid coincidence?

I was looking at CATO’s Botched paramilitary Police raid map today.  I noticed a coincidence that the states with the least amount of gun control laws, were the states with the least number of paramilitary raids.  A few thoughts spring to mind:

• Are states with near zero gun control the safest and have the least violent crime?
• Are states with near zero gun control against SWAT teams?
• Do these states have Police commanders realizing their armed populace means a higher chance of a dead officer in a raid?
• Do these states just not report the data?

Hmm…

Boiling Frogs

While waiting in the emergency room the other night, I noticed the NRA-ILA magazine as reading material. I was surprised at the magazine still being there, despite being obviously well read. I read through the magazine. There were the standard pro-gun articles. One of the sections, which I don’t remember the name of anymore, was about how to defend gun rights. The author seemed shocked (SHOCKED!) that people had anti-gun thoughts. I remember one of the sentences starting with, “Can you believe people think like this?” In fact, yes I can. These people say the same things about the NRA and their pro-gun stance. This is a war of attrition. They are winning, we’re losing to a death by a thousand paper cuts.

Who Was Martin Niemoller?

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.
-unknown author, by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

This is happening now in America. Gun owners, protestors, Muslims, Arabs, Mexicans, Blacks. Wake up or it’ll happen to you.