Tucson story

Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona and is about 100 miles from where I live. I found this short, but interesting news blurb about Tucson beating its own record on the number of homicides. There were 74 homicides in 2008 in Tucson. The article, oddly, does not give a break down of how any of them happened. It doesn't say anything about guns, or knives, or baseball bats. It doesn't make any connection to gangs or illegals. In fact, the only reference it makes is to curfew breakers and parties. That's a little weird to me. All those 17 years olds in Tucson must be trouble . I am sure it isn't, at all, due to the fact that Tucson is so close to Nogales and is a major route stop for illegals.



The blurb is annoyingly unfilled with any facts, other then there are 9 more homicides in Tucson, then last year.

Interesting read

It has been said for the past 40 years that the colleges and universities of America are filled only with liberal thought and these thoughts are passed directly to our college age children. There is some truth to this. The "changes" of the 1960's started in our colleges. There is nothing wrong with some of this change, nothing at all. I could not imagine nor would I want to live in America if "All men were not created equal" didn't mean that women, blacks, and other minorities didn't share the same rights that I have. Separate but equal is NOT equal.

Prior to the 1960's, colleges and universities were considered very conservative establishments. They taught old values. Most of these schools had shooting teams. Many, if not most, of the students grew up in families that hunted and they were hunters, themselves. Family traditions, of fathers taking their sons and daughters to the woods for hunting has gone back thousands and thousands of years and pre-dates firearms to the dawn of man. It was a necessity in order for you family to survive that all able hands either hunted of collected foods.

It has also been a tradition for many families to pass firearms, swords, banners, armor, etc down from one generation to another. One of the things the Brady Bunch is trying to do away with is this passing of guns from one family member to another. They consider it part of the "Gun Show Loophole" and feel that all gun sales or trades should be done with a background check. Here is a good read from a college professor who "gets it."

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/108236/

The idea that an heirloom cannot be passed from father to son is just ridiculous, regardless of what item it is: Money, cars, or guns.

Going to have to watch this one

Going to have to watch this one, intently.

http://www.murthalawfirm.com/@/Files/_files/3/file.pdf

Sensationalism, at it's worst

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081224/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_burress_search_warrant

I am not a Plaxico Burress fan. He's an idiot. He had a license, allowed it to lapse, but was a "big" enough man to still carry his gun in a state and bar where guns are outright banned. He deserves the punishment he has coming to him, for being stupid.

The news reporting services are just as bad. They flaunt themselves as being superior. They create sensationalism where none exists. For example:


Authorities seized a small cache of weapons and ammunition from the New Jersey home of New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, the New York Post and Newsday both reported Wednesday, possibly setting up the embattled player for more legal trouble.

The Post, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, said a 9-mm handgun, a rifle and ammunition for three other guns — a .380, a .45 and a .40, the same caliber of gun Burress accidentally shot himself with — were seized during the execution of a search warrant at Burress' home in Totowa.


"Citing anonymous" sources...Ok, Deep Throat !! 3 guns is a not a cache, small or large. I have a larger "cache" then that in my car. The reporter, who is unnamed, could just say that Burress "had three guns and some ammunition in his home." He has to use the word cache, which is always used with gangs and drug raids.

How's that for fair and impartial reporting?

Blatant price gouging

We all know that in the past 60 days, prices have risen dramatically. There are a few factors to this, but the biggest one is the fear that President-elect Obama will follow through on pre-campaign pledges of banning handguns and semi-auto rifles. There has been a huge increase in gun and ammo sales since a couple weeks prior to the election. Many assault-style gun types are sold out across the country and those that are left have risen dramatically in price.

Some of the price gouging has become ridiculous. Cheap AK variants have gone from $350 to $550 dollars in less then a week. Handguns have risen in price, too. AR-style rifles, which started as low as $599 for Century Internationals rebuilds are now $799. This is pure profit taking. There is no reason for these huge price increases. Obama doesn't take office for another month and any changes will take some time after that. This is no better then gas stations charging $5 a gallon on fears of gas shortages after hurricanes, when in fact, the supply lines were slow but still open.

Here are hard facts from just one seller. Cheaper Than Dirt ( cheaperthandirt.com).

Item....................Dec. catalog... Jan Catalog
S&B 45 auto $15.97 $21.79
S&B 9mm $9.79 $14.49
S&B .30-06 $12.89 $16.39
S&B 7.62x25 $13.29 $21.79
SBR 9mm $23.19 $29.86
Win 40 S&W $17.39 $21.49
Win 40S&W (100)$34.09 $44.49
Russian7.62x54 $99.97 $129.97
Federal xm193 $7.99 $14.89
Lake City .223 $15.69 $21.79
Federal xm80 $13.79 $19.49
5.7x28 ss195lf $21.89 $34.49
All 50 cal ammo went up about $10/10 rounds fom $40.69 to $49.97 or more
Aguila subsonic $34.19 $47.29
Wolf gold 303 brit $12.89 $21.79
Wolf gold 308 win $11.69 $17.79
All Hornady TAP ammo +$7 or more

That's just some in the first 10 pages !!
Many "hi cap" magazines increased by $5...or a lot more
Springfield xD 9mm sub-compact 16 rd mag from $24.97 to $39.97
Beretta 92f from $9.97 to $14.97
DPMS 223 M-4 upper assembly.. from $499.97 to $799.97
Ap4 contour barrel from $189.97 to $209.97


I stopped looking after that. My frustration was very high. CDNN, Cabela's, Centerfire and many other retailers did not go to these extremes. I wrote Cheaper Tan Dirt an email:

I have been a long time CTD customer. I received your latest catalog in the mail yesterday and I am shocked at the price gouging !! Your surplus ammo prices have risen dramatically. Come on...this is stuff that been around in a warehouse for 20+ years and was purchased in bulk months or years ago. Your company is using Obama as an excuse to steal someones wallet? Even new Remington and S&B ammo has gone up by $4 to $6 a box. I am very disappointed in CTD not only playing on peoples fears about Obama but even worse, screwing over your loyal customers with this pricing garbage. Shame on you. Natchez, Ranger Joe, CDNN, and some of the other vendors I have used are no where near the craptastic price increase CTD has given us. Your Former Loyal Customer

Here is the response I received back 45 minutes ago from their email department person, Tonya Harris: Thank you so very much for you comment..

She obviously cared about what I wrote. So much so, she replied back in poor English... not your comment, but you comment.

See ya, CTD...hope your sales slide and your company falls by the wayside of bankruptcy.

New Ammo

I am normally quite fond of Hornady products. I find their dies, especially their "Custom Grade-New Dimension" dies to be excellent. I find their defensive/tactical ammo to be awesome quality at a nice savings over Remington, Federal , or Winchester. Their TAP labelled ammo costs $5 a box (of 20) less, on average and frankly, I think it outperforms the others in expansion.

Hornady has been one of the leaders in ammo, lately. They have been partners in developing quite a few new rounds and calibers and improving some grand old ones with their LeverEvolution series ammo.

Now, they have released their `Critical defense' line of handgun ammo. Currently available in 380 Auto, 38 Special, 38 Special+P, and of course 9mm Para, this is Hornady's answer to hollow points not expanding properly. Federal came out with their EFMJ ammo a couple of years ago and that stuff seems to work well enough, but costs and arm and a leg, if you can find it. Hornady's idea is NOT original in any way, shape, or form. They appeared to have taken one of their normal hollow point rounds and filled the hollow area with a plug of plastic.

Again, this is not an original line of thought. People have been using homemade versions of this for years. People have filled their bullets hollow cavities with BB's, mercury, wax and a number of other things sitting around the garage. While all these ideas solved the potential issue of the normal hollow point not expanding due to it's cavity being filled with denim, fur or flesh, some gun rag writers are promoting this ammo as the second coming. Hornady is claiming 100% reliability in this bullets expansion. That's a huge claim. Once I get my hands on a useful supply of it, i intend to test that promise.

Hornady's own website ( http://www.hornady.com/story.php?s=786 ) shows that the 380 Auto went through denim and them only penetrated about 11.5 inches of ballistic gel. The FBI tests from a dozen years ago has stated that ammo must penetrate at least 13 inches to be considered effective.

Like I said, I will test what i can on this. Hopefully, I will be able to post some pictures of what comes of this.

Paranoid...but justified

Here is an interesting read. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/36036369.html?page=1&c=y

The woman is doing something that is completely legal to do, but others are uncomfortable so the Sheriff revokes her Right to carry a gun. Huh? So, these people would support the Right of a person to worship Satan, the Right of the media to print as many Pro-Obama stories and Anti-McCain stories as they can, the Right for porn to be available to all over 18, and even their own Right to assemble for a soccer game, but they won;t support her Right to carry her gun?

That's irony at it's best. How does one look at the Bill of Rights and say to themselves, "Ok, I am in total agreement with 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. But, that #2 I don't support."

I hope she wins her $1 million suit against the sheriffs office...Oh, the "Staunch Supporter of the NRA" Sheriff.

Calibers that deserve more

We live in an age where faster is better, more is better, or as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor would say, "More power."

We have magnums, super short magnums, and now ultra-magnums. Basically, all these "super" cartridges do is vastly increase powder usage and provide a small increase in power, with huge increase in recoil. Most of the time, the increase in velocity is about 10 to 15%, while recoil is increased 20% or more over a similar non-magnum cartridge.

There isn't much a 300 Winchester Magnum can do that a 30-06 can't. There are a number of older cartridges that can still serve a great purpose and are almost dead cartridges theses days. The .32 Winchester Special and .300 Savage are great cartridges. The 32 Win is often called identical to 30-30, but it uses heavier bullets. The 300 Savage is halfway in power between the 30-30 and 308 Win. It can take anything the .308 Win can with quite a bit less recoil. The 300 Savage has been used in the Savage model 99 for 100 years to take millions upon millions of deer. It's another great cartridge being ignore these days since everyone "needs" a 308 Win at minimum.

Other great, useful cartridges being neglected are the 22 Hornet, .257 Roberts, 350 Remington, and 35 Winchester. The 22 Hornet was the .223 of it's day. It is a small, fast and flat shooting bullet used to take multitudes of varmints. It uses little powder, has little recoil, and can be put into very lightweight guns. The 250-3000, aka 250 Savage is a great mid-power cartridge. It's very underrated for it's capability. The other mentioned cartridges are useful for the same reasons. Smaller, lighter recoil, and still offering plenty of power for doing anything needed.

Time to return to useful cartridges that do the job with plenty of power, but not overkill for everything.

Bill of Rights Day

December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of "parties" for this event won't allow guns, either concealed or otherwise.

Shocking, huh?

National Parks

Well, it's a step in the right direction:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20081205/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_guns_national_parks

Seems to me, that public lands, like National Parks should be governed by the common sense laws we have in this country, but to allow Concealed Carry people the "right" to carry is a start towards common sense. Connecting the "right to carry" with state laws makes no sense in a portion of land governed by Federal laws and managed by Federal employees.

Seems to me, though, my rights are being pre-empted on public lands..public, as in I own them, Go figure.

Someone almost got it right

Moastly, I agree with this editorial.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122835270947177981.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

Free Plaxico BurressNew York City's gun law is unconstitutional.By DAVID B. KOPELNew York Giants star receiver Plaxico Burress is facing a mandatory 3½ years in prison and the end of his football career. His crime? Not having a license, which New York City never would have issued him, for the exercise of his constitutional right to bear arms.To be sure, Mr. Burress got caught because of what appears to have been stupid and irresponsible behavior connected with the handgun.

But he does not face prison for shooting himself. His impending mandatory sentence highlights the unfairness and unconstitutionality of New York City's draconian gun laws.Mr. Burress had previously had a handgun carry permit issued by Florida, for which he was required to pass a fingerprint-based background check.

As a player for the Giants, he moved to Totowa, N.J., where he kept a Glock pistol. And last Friday night, he reportedly went to the Latin Quarter nightclub in midtown Manhattan carrying the loaded gun in his sweatpants. Because New York state permits to possess or carry handguns are not issued to nonresidents, Mr. Burress could not apply for a New York City permit.At the nightclub, the handgun accidentally discharged, shooting Mr. Burress in the right thigh. He was not seriously injured, but he has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

It appears that he put the unholstered gun in the waistband of his sweatpants, and when it slipped, he grabbed for it, accidentally hitting the trigger. To make matters worse, according to press accounts, he was seen drinking and may have been consuming alcohol -- which all firearms safety training (including the class he would have been required to take for his Florida permit) absolutely forbids for people handling guns. And of course Mr. Burress's handgun should have been holstered to prevent unintentional movement of the trigger.

Fortunately, his negligent discharge did not harm anyone else.Mr. Burress's behavior was bad. However, Mr. Burress is not facing prosecution for carelessness, but simply for carrying a weapon. This is unjust and perhaps unconstitutional. The legal issues are a bit tangled, but here is the background:This summer, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the District's handgun ban, and its ban on use of any firearm for self-defense in the home, violated the Second Amendment, which guarantees the individual right to bear arms. D.C. is a federal enclave, and the Court did not rule whether the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments.

But as other cases reach it in the wake of Heller, it will.The Heller decision did not say that requiring a license to carry a gun was unconstitutional. But in New York State, nonresidents cannot even apply for the licenses to possess or carry a handgun. Unlike most other states, New York refuses to honor carry permits issued by sister states. Most observers believe that the Supreme Court will eventually make state and local governments obey the Second Amendment. If it does, New York's discrimination against nonresidents will probably be ruled unconstitutional.

And then there is the issue of the permitting process for residents. In 40 states, including Connecticut, law-abiding adults are issued permits once they pass a fingerprint-based background check and a safety class. In New Jersey, carry permits are virtually never issued. In New York City, carry permits are issued, but to applicants with some form of political clout rather than on the basis of his or her need for protection.

The Second Amendment might not require New Jersey or New York City to issue as liberally as Connecticut does. But with a population of several million and only a few thousand (consisting mainly of politicians, retired police and celebrities) able to get permits, New York City's licensing process is almost certainly unconstitutional on a number of grounds, including sheer arbitrariness.Some commentators contend that Plaxico Burress should have hired bodyguards, instead of carrying a gun himself.

Mr. Burress might now agree. But people who aren't as wealthy as he is also deserve to be safe, and they don't have the money for bodyguards. New York City needs to regularize its carry permit system so that law-abiding people can protect themselves, especially if their circumstances (such as being a witness to a gang crime) place them at heightened risk.The Burress case also shows why mandatory sentences are a bad idea. He was careless but had no malign intent. Legislators and mayors like to appear tough by pushing through such draconian laws. Yet the victims are people like Mr. Burress whose conduct may have been improper, but who do not deserve the same sentences meted out to robbers and burglars.

(The author is a policy analyst with the Cato Institute, in Washington, D.C., and research director of the Independence Institute, in Golden, Colo.)

Too Many Jokes

Too Many Jokes... Head Hurts. Can't tell them all at once

http://www.wlwt.com/cnn-news/18196466/detail.html

Man Says Wife Was Accidentally Shot During SexSPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A Tri-State woman is in critical condition Wednesday after police say her husband shot her while they were having sex.Timothy Havens, 38, told Springfield police he was reaching for something on the nightstand when the pistol went off, hitting his estranged wife Carolyn in the upper chest. (Hear part of the 911 call)Carolyn Havens, 42, is being treated at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.This is isn't the first time there's been trouble for the Havens. Court documents showed Timothy served 60 days in jail for assaulting his wife and was ordered to go to anger management classes.His arrest Tuesday for the weekend shooting was for violating a civil protection order that Carolyn had taken out against him earlier this year.Bond was set at $75,000 after prosecutors asked for a high bond, "due to alleged prohibited contact between the parties (and) the suspicious nature of the circumstances surrounding (her injury)."