Lot’s of discussion about the .25 ACP lately; I have one more thing to add, for now. Someone is buying ammo and ostensibly shooting said ammo for it.
I tried to order a box of FMJ and a box of Speer Gold Dots from www.midwayusa.com last night, and both are sold out and on backorder status.
I suppose it’s probably to feed the supply of teeny mouseguns chambered for the cartridge.
From the UK Telegraph, of all places.
In 1996, the murder of 15 children and their teacher at a school in Dunblane, Scotland, led to a complete ban on handguns.
Yet since then, the number of crimes involving guns has risen.
In 1996, there were 14,000 recorded offences in which firearms were reported to have been used. In 2005/6, the last period for which figures are available, there were 21,500.
It’s as if…criminals don’t obey the laws?
Yesterday, Gordon Brown said the Government was “working urgently” to tackle gun crime. But if previous laws have made little difference why should new ones?
Like I said, jaw-dropping. Ultimately though, it’s probably too late for the English citizens who have realized that their country is going down the tubes. Once you give power to the government, they’re not likely to give it back.
Good luck with that.
Of course, we’re all aware of that fact, but to see it published in a paper is somewhat shocking.
The truth is, there are responsible gun owners in Philadelphia; many just rarely hear about them…”We are dedicated to firearms safety. That is our mission in life,” Raynolds said from inside a classroom at Target Master Indoor Firearm Range & Gun Shop, 30 miles south of Philadelphia.
For the most part, the article avoids the usual hysterics that you see when reporters visit the range; there are some silly statements in the article but for the most part, I’m not going to quibble. I’m generally much more willing to forgive small errors and silliness when the overall tone of the article is so positive.
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Apparently, I got Jay all fired up to post pictures of his various mouseguns.
For the record, I dispute the inclusion of the Makarov and the J-Frame snubbie as mouseguns, I don’t count .357 and 9mm Mak as mousegun calibers.
But it certainly is a great excuse to post some gun porn.
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I don’t hunt, not in the sense that most people think of hunting. I’ve been deer hunting all of two times, one of which involved actually taking a deer. I suppose you could say that I hunt in the sense of “shooting squirrels on the farm”, but that’s not really hunting. That’s more like target practice.
You see, hunting doesn’t generate tremendous appeal for me. I’ve always viewed myself as a marksman, I’m interested in increasing my skill at shooting – which is not necessarily related to my skill at hunting. Actually, it’s that interest that causes me to occasionally “hunt” squirrels and other small game. The challenge of the shot itself, hitting a small, possibly moving, target at significant range is what I enjoy.
When it comes to hunting, I’m that person that the anti-hunting whackos love to hate, because I’m not hunting for meat. I wouldn’t waste the meat, but taking game has never been the goal. The “goal” is to increase my skills as a marksman by challenging myself in situations I’ve not faced before.
The part of hunting that comes before and after the shot has little interest to me. I’m not interested in sitting in a deer stand for two hours waiting for something to wander into my sights (note: I am interested in actually stalking and pursuing game, but that’s a different post). I am also not interested in field dressing, gutting, skinning, or doing anything like that to an animal. It’s not that I’m squeamish, I’m just not interested. What I’m interested in is the shot. That moment where sight picture, trigger control, and breathing all come together to place the bullet exactly where you want it to go.
I suppose that if I could find someone to field dress, and skin my animals, I’d probably go hunting more often. As it stands right now, there really isn’t a great reason for it, I can find plenty of ways to challenge my skill at arms without putting a bullet through Bambi’s lungs.
I should note however that I still would like to go boar hunting with a spear.
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To the kid sitting behind my wife in Olive Garden last night,
Take your hat off. While I doubt you’re a reader of my blog, back in February I posted on how a lack of manners is something I find truly appalling, including little reprobates who insist on wearing ballcaps in restaurants.
Now, the hat itself would have been bad enough, however, the stunning volume of the belch you let out not 10 minutes after we had been seated was truly shocking. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t belch, in fact I enjoy a good burp myself from time to time…I just don’t do it with my mouth open in eateries.
Of course, you complete lack of table manners as you shoveled food into your mouth like some kind of animal should not have then come as a surprise to me, nor the utter lack of respect in your voice when you addressed the two adults dining with you.
It is my fervent hope that the aforementioned adults were not your parents, because if they were they have been seriously remiss in their duties to instruct you on the most basic of social graces.
Of course, on the off chance that you were to read this blog entry, I have no doubt that it would simply pass in one ear, and then directly out the other, completely missing your single, lonely brain cell. You would no doubt laugh this off as the ramblings of an old man; which of course is your right.
Some day, I hope that you will learn that manners and courtesy are important. However, I doubt this day will occur. I’m sure you’ll find a nice, trashy woman to spend the next five years with in your glorious double-wide trailer.
Close your mouth when you chew, you little mutant.
Ahab
At least according to the World Health Organization.
In its annual World Health Report, the United Nations agency warned there was a good possibility that another major scourge like AIDS, SARS or Ebola fever with the potential of killing millions would appear in the coming years.
“Infectious diseases are now spreading geographically much faster than at any time in history,” the WHO said.
It occurs to me that I could take this in two different directions: 1) I could play it serious and discuss the potential ramifications of a major “plague” outbreak, or 2) I could play it loose and joke around about how the eventual Zombie Apocalypse will spread out of control. Since I’m not feeling particularly serious, I’ll do a little from 2, and a little from 1.
To use a fictional example, if you’ve read the book “World War Z“, which is about the aforementioned Zombie Apocalypse, then you’ve actually read a pretty accurate description of what the WHO is afraid of. People who are sick getting on planes and infecting other people, mass panic causing more infections, etc. Now, the WHO isn’t really worried about zombies, they’re worried about a mutated influenza virus, SARS, or TB.
Personally, I don’t see a lot of point for me to get all bent out of shape about something like that. It’s not even that I don’t acknowledge that it could happen, it’s more that if I got all fired up every time a UN agency told me that another “disaster” was going to happen, I’d never get anything done. The usual precautions apply, don’t fly when you’re sick, if a family member gets sick and then suddenly drops dead you should go to the hospital, and of course continue to supply the house for a breakdown in emergency services.
Of all the things that concern me, that would be number 1. It’s not getting sick, it’s that I just sort of assume that if there is a general panic, the .gov isn’t going to do anything to help me – I’m on my own. So that’s the caution for my regular readers – while it’s good to take precautions against getting bird flu or whatever, it’s also good to be prepared for the government to do exactly diddly to help you.
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Some people have kids. Some people don’t.
In what I would call his most eloquent post, my older brother explains why, despite the financial burdens, he and his wife chose to have kids.
I don’t pimp other people’s blogs that often – but go read this entry.
If I didn’t have my son, I’d never know the unconditional love that comes from getting home after a long day at work, opening the door, and hearing “Da-da!” as my boy jumps off the couch, sprints down the hallway and grabs my legs as a walk through the door.
Apparently, deer hunting puts a serious amount of strain on your heart.
You know, I actually would buy that. I’ve only been deer hunting a couple of times, and one of those times I actually took a buck. I’m in good shape (and was in even better shape back then), but dragging that animal the 2 miles back to our vehicle was not a pleasant task.
The combination of physical exertion, adrenaline rush and the stress of rough terrain and cold weather may explain the “excessive cardiac demands” seen with hunting, according to Haapaniemi’s team.
Well, it makes sense to me. Although, this doesn’t discourage me from deer hunting, in fact it kind of makes me want to take it up again, especially since Indiana has legalized pistol caliber carbines for use during firearms season.
Of course, if you really want to get your heart rate up while hunting, you could always try to take a wild boar with a spear.
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Yes, that’s right. The John Wayne Centennial Ruger New Vaquero. So pretty.
I am smart enough to realize that it’s probably foolish to pay the additional premium just to get a New Vaquero that I won’t shoot much; but that’s not stopping me from drooling over this gun. I mean, look at it. The classic lines, the tasteful engraving, the checkered grips. What’s not to love?
So, uh, if anyone has…you know…connections with Ruger…you get the idea.
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