Gun Nuts Media

I have not talked about Ron Paul.  I probably should, even only because amongst his supporters he’s generated an almost messianic buzz – hell, even his website says “Hope for America”.

But the problem is that I can’t vote for Ron Paul. It’s not that I don’t like him, because I do.  He’s like that quirky uncle that has all those crazy stories and ideas about stuff.  Don’t believe me?  Look at his Congressional record: after 9/11 he wanted to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal to hunt down specific terrorists.  Now, while I’ve always wanted to be a modern day privateer, I don’t think it’s quite practical to round up Nathan and the rest of the Fortune Hunters and go after Osama.

But I like Ron Paul.  I know he won’t get elected, and I kind of feel bad for his supporters, because they’ve put so much faith in their candidate of choice.  I guess, in a perfect world, I’d be able to vote for Ron Paul in the general election.  But I know that he won’t make it out of the primaries, even though I’ll probably toss my vote to him.

I mean, how could I not like a guy that wants to disband the BATF?

Apparently, Tommy Mannard thinks it’s 600 guns.  Uncle talks for a bit about it, and rightly points out that there is not really a fundamental difference between regulating 600 guns and 6 guns.

The editorial is pretty much completely riddled with hysterics the whole way, with cries about neighborhood safety and “why would you need 600 guns”, etc.  Despite the fact that the owner of said guns was licensed and a collector, apparently “600” is too many.

So Tom, my question for you is “how many”?  How many guns should a collector be allowed to have?  100?  50?  Why should your arbitrary definition be accepted by anyone?

This is why I am opposed to “arsenal” laws.  It imposes an arbitrary restriction based on no real information.  I have over a dozen guns, and a couple thousand rounds of ammo.  That’s not even counting muzzleloading components like loose powder and shot.  Tommy Mannard says that 600 guns is too many, and he couches in “for the children/neighborhood/collective”; but I bet he would think that my 15 or so guns is an arsenal as well.

I’m paraphrasing, of course – but this quote from Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership regarding Students for Concealed Carry pretty much says exactly that:

“You don’t like the fact that you can’t have a gun on your college campus? Drop out of school,” said Peter Hamm

Taken from the article on Fox News regarding the ongoing “Empty Holsters” protest.  While I’m sure it was quite unintentional, the quote from Peter really does betray the intentions and biases of the anti-gun crowd.  They don’t want you, your guns, or your pro-gun attitude anywhere near their institutions of “higher learning”.

Following up my post from yesterday about the Miami area reporter that was arrested for allegedly packing at a school while covering a story, here is the press release on the issue from the Second Amendment Foundation. From Alan Gottlieb:

He appears to have remained on a public sidewalk, where he had a right to be as a citizen, and a responsibility to be as a reporter doing his job.

“He never exhibited the handgun,” he added, “nor does it appear he entered any school facility. The only threat he seems to have posed to anyone might have been his already-proven ability to flesh out a story that perhaps school authorities would rather not see on the evening news.

Read the entire presser; because it also details some attempted abuses of the First Amendment by the local authorities.  Yesterday, I was a little harsh with the reporter, because quite frankly I assumed that he had flashed his gun or done something explicit to indicate that he was packing.

However, I’m inclined to believe the information provided by SAF on this issue, as they’ve always been a source of pretty good information.  Unfortunately, if SAF is correct with the facts of this case, in that the reporter remained on a public sidewalk and did not enter school property, than his arrest is completely out of order.

This causes me to revisit my question from yesterday – namely how did the police know he had a firearm?  If he didn’t exhibit his sidearm, then probable cause for the arrest goes right out the window right there, and with it goes the entire arrest.  Add that to my extreme distaste for the possibility that law enforcement was being used by the school board to silence dissent, then I am lead to the Shakespearean conclusion that “something is rotten in Denmark”.

With Bitter, in that not everyone is college material.

Not everyone is, and by forcing that idea, you’re devaluing the degrees of the people who are.

That is the sad truth of our education system right now.  When my dad was my age, you could get a decent job with a high school diploma, and a 4 year degree was something that you got if you wanted to go into a specific field that required said degree.

Fast forward 30 years to when I graduated from college, and now a college degree is practically a prerequisite for having a good job in most areas.  For example, the job I do for a living had a “four year degree” requirement, but I could teach a high school graduate to do it just as well as I do.   I’m thinking about going to grad school and getting my MBA just so I can vault myself into the next tier of earnings, just because my undergrad degree is barely worth the paper on which it’s printed.  This is doubly frustrating because I actually went to a good school, and got a degree in something relevant (Business) and not Advanced DVD Playback or whatever.

College is a good thing, and I do think that if you posses the ability, you should go to college.  But college is not for everyone.  Telling everyone that they should “go to college”, you’re just going to clutter the job market with college grads with worthless degrees.  They’ll still be doing the jobs they would have done without those degrees, but now they’re be in debt and disgruntled.

A television reporter investigating a story on school violence was arrested after carrying a loaded gun onto school property, authorities said.  Jeffrey Weinsier of WPLG-TV, an ABC network, was taken into custody Tuesday at Miami Central High School after ignoring several warnings not to walk on school property, Miami-Dade schools police said.

AP article here.  Here’s my question: How did they know he was packing?  The whole point of “concealed” is that no one can see your gun.  Unless this guy was looking for a confrontation with the 5-O, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how they knew he had a heater.

The Kodiak Express Double Rifle, from Cabelas.  If the Governor of New York has his way, I’m fairly certain that this rifle will soon be heavily regulated up there.

Honestly, that’s really too bad, because it’s such a pretty gun.  A double-barreled .72 caliber front-stuffer is my dream rifle for the Alaskan Grizzly Hunt that I’ll never actually do.

The Maricopa County Community College District might allow its police officers to carry guns on campus in the coming months.

The district’s governing board is scheduled to vote tonight on a firearms policy to comply with a new state law that protects officers’ right to bear arms on public property.
The policy details when the officers can use their weapons and how to respond if someone is seriously hurt, or killed, when they do use their guns.
MCCCD is the only major higher education institution in Arizona that doesn’t allow its officers to carry guns.

A small, tiny step in the right direction, but a step nonetheless.  Arizona has good carry laws; I would support a push to allow college students with valid CCW permits to carry on campus.