So it begins...

Last night at a National Urban League gathering in New Orleans, President Obama revealed his true intentions: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/25/obama-takes-on-gun-violence-in-new-orleans-speech/?hpt=hp_c1

After paying lip service to the 2nd Amendment and hunting, he made the following statement:

"I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals," Obama said. "That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities."

I don't even know where to start with that statement. First off Mr. President, you are obviously unaware of how difficult it is to legally get an actual fully-automatic AK-47 here in the US, and also unaware that fully automatic AK-47's, to the best of my knowledge, never actually get used to commit crimes here. Secondly, since the CO shooter (won't mention his name to deny him the publicity) used an AR-15 type rifle, I can only assume this is your way of saying that you're coming after any firearm that looks scary.

For the uninformed, I can only assume Obama, unintentionally, is speaking of semi-automatic AK-47 "clones" similar to this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASR_series_rifles

Sure looks frightening, doesn't it? I mean, its got that big magazine, and a pistol grip, and a bayonet lug, and it can spray bullets automagically at hundreds of rounds per second ...ooooo its so dangerous.<insert eyeroll>

Contrary to popular belief, this is not a particularly powerful, or accurate weapon. They're tons of fun to shoot, but buying one does not somehow turn a shooter into the Terminator or a sniper. Lets break this down...for starters....its a "semi-automatic", that means every time someone pulls the trigger, a single bullet is fired. To fire another bullet, one must pull the trigger again. It is not capable of spray fire...in fact, after the initial shot, accuracy for any type of rapid fire shooting goes downhill extremely fast due to the muzzle rise. The magazine size is therefore irrelevent, it could be 1 round, 5 rounds, or 100...it wouldn't matter past the first one.

The "bayonet lug" is a stub of steel on the front of the barrel...when was the last time someone went on a "bayonet rampage" knifing everyone in sight? Right...

The pistol grip does not enable spray firing from the hip, it actually is prohibitive of firing from the hip due to the awkward wrist angle that would be formed.

Given all that, my new deer rifle, a Savage 110, chambered in .30-06, is a heck of a lot more powerful, accurate and has a longer range than even the most souped up AK-clone.

Muzzle energy in ft lbs.
180gr bullet in .30-06 = 2913 ft/lbs
124gr bullet in 7.62x39 = 1520 ft/lbs

Mr. President, banning any firearm based solely on its cosmetic looks it disingenuous to your stated goals of cutting down on violence. The cosmetic looks of any particular platform do nothing to enhance its effectiveness or "perceived" lethality. Remember Carolyn McCarthy (noted gun ban politician from New York) - she didn't even know what her proposed ban features were...



#criminal control not #gun control Mr. President!!

Pat

Condition White

Being aware of your surroundings. What does that mean?

It means know whats going on around you. The conditions, the mood, the people, the animals, the weather....it can mean the difference between walking safely, and getting hit by a truck!

Our opponents appear to believe that, somehow, having any type of situational awareness of your surroundings is limited solely to "combat" and has no place other than that.



Ridiculous!

Keeping your wits about you is simply common sense...it doesn't call for it only in a combat situation. Out and about in a city, the woods, a lake, anywhere - maintaining an awareness of your surroundings is a great way to stay out of potential trouble of the two-legged, four-legged, electrical, traffic, etc varieties!

Pat

P.S. #pointandlaugh

Must have struck a nerve...

So, apparently either the pointing and laughing...or constantly insisting that they tell the truth must have finally struck a nerve over at the Coalition to Stop Gun Ownership. In grand @CSGV style I've been "outed" as a gun blogger! I feel this is a momentous occasion, and I'll celebrate tomorrow by going to the range. Gee whiz guys...little old me bugging you? Is it because you don't like the truth being told in amongst all your lies? It's you who didn't answer my question about the nutcase in Seattle. Was he convicted of an offense that would disqualify him from owning firearms? No. Had his "mental illness" ever been medically documented? No. Keep on reaching though, apparently we're all just one wooden ball away from snapping! Pat P.S. #pointandlaugh #pointandlaugh

Joan's Breakdown...

She's now reduced to publishing SPAM comments to try and show support...

Sad Joan...sad...

Women and guns

A "noted" gun control advocate here in Minnesota (who won't be linked since I don't want to drive her Google ranking up) is also involved in Women's Domestic Violence issues here in the state as well.

Before going too far into this, I will absolutely support a woman's right to be free from violence of any type (foreign or domestic). Joan on the other hand - though she pays it lip service - actually advocates for female victims to be defenseless against their aggressors. In numerous examples on her blog, she states that people should simply comply with their aggressors, and that they'll come out ok. When pushed by commentors as to whether she advocates for women to be armed against rape, she undoubtedly comes back with an obfuscation or smoke screen...never making a firm statement either way. Such as this...

Here's the article she linked. I'm thinking she missed a portion of it.

To reiterate her position on resisting an atacker, here's her in a recent blog post about a defensive shooting at the Aldi's in Milwaukee:

...I carry to prevent the "maybes" Joan....and I advocate that all women do as well! They should be given the tools to fight back as effectively as possible.

Pat

The Failure of "Gun Control"

I came of age during the "hayday" of the American Gun Control movement...late 80's, early 90's. "Assault Weapons" Ban, Brady Checks...things were looking good for Handgun Control Inc Brady Campaign.

Flip that around -- expiration of "Assault Weapons" Ban, record numbers of states amending carry laws, record numbers of firearms purchased, carry permit increase, Discovery Channel programming, etc etc etc.

What changed? Why/how did the US go from "Gunz R bad" to "Guns are cool"?

I put that on the growth of the Internet, and the freedom of information residing on it. For years, the Anti's and Laddites spewed factually incorrect GARBAGE about the capabilities of firearms, the "inherrent" dangers, and made up numbers. People really had no way of refuting it, short of listening to the recitations from the media. Enter the era of wide-spread access to the Internet.

Lo and behold, turns out firearms aren't the "mass-murdering machines" we've all been led to believe....turns out shooting is actually quite an enjoyable time. Turns out its actually LEGAL to carry a concealed weapon (subject to State and local laws of course)!

Nowadays, the "Anti's" can't make a single statement in the media, Facebook, Twitter or in person without it being thoroughly fisked before they can even shut down the laptop. Most Americans understand that forearm owners and users aren't the mass-murdering criminals they've been portrayed to be.

Plus, a beautiful night out at the range is a thing of beauty!


Thank you Internet! I think I owe you a cold one!

Pat

Rule #2 Violation Claims Life of MN Marine in TX

http://www.startribune.com/local/146084565.html

"Pavelko has said the shooting of his buddy was an accident. Police say Pavelko told investigators that the two men were joking around after dinner and had no idea that the shotgun was loaded.
Pavelko allegedly was handling the shotgun, pointed it at Talley and it discharged. A woman was also at the home at the time of the shooting."

Reminder:

Rule #1: Its always loaded
Rule #2: Don't point it at anything you don't want to destroy
Rule #3: Keep your finger off the trigger
Rule #4: Be Sure of your target

Even when "joking" - pointing ANY firearm at anyone as a "joke" is despicable, and should be grounds for immediate verbal "smack-down" and possible termination of friendship. At the very least, it requires immediate correction.

That is all.

Pat