Jerry McEwen...Hero

Mr Jerry McEwen was killed on Tuesday, 18 December attempting to stop a purse snatcher. Mr McEwen was just a normal man, who saw someone robbing a elderly lady and didn't stand idly by and do nothing, he didn't break out his mobile phone and tape a video for YouTube. He did what true men do...he stepped up to the plate and tried to help. Unfortunately...he paid with his life. I didn't know the man...but he is what American men once were...and hopefully can be once again. It's not known if Mr McEwen ever saw the knife. We'll never know if that would have changed his mind. I doubt he would knowingly rush a thug armed with a knife..but he just might have.

Attempting to take on a robber/carjacker/mugger one on one isn't a good idea...even if you're armed. The best thing to do it to try to get a good description of the suspect, car and license plate number. That DOESN'T mean that you won't be seen trying to be a good witness. If that happens..you're in the same boat as Mr McEwen...now what do you do....you protect yourself. Like I posted on TGO( http://www.tngunowners.com/) I'm not going to stand by while some little old lady is getting jacked, but I'm not going to draw down and drop him either. I'll try the good witness thing...if he wants to stop me from doing that...well...he made his choice and so will I.

From the Metro Police website:

Ex-convict Robert Williams, who has a history of violent offenses, is being sought for Tuesday afternoon’s murder of Jerry J. McEwen outside the Kroger store at 61 E. Thompson Lane. Also being sought is Williams’ presumed girlfriend, Stephanie Lynn Hudson, who drove Williams away from the crime scene. Arrest warrants have been issued charging both with criminal homicide.

McEwen, 54, of Coarsey Drive, was fatally stabbed in the chest as he attempted to stop Williams, who had just robbed a 60-year-old woman of her purse in the Kroger parking lot. The robbery victim fell to the ground during a struggle with Williams. She was not seriously hurt. Williams and Hudson fled the scene in Hudson’s 1991 maroon and silver Ford Explorer.

Williams, 52, was paroled from the state prison system on May 15, 2007 and registered with the Metro police department as an ex-con on May 21, 2007. Williams was convicted in 1983 of assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, and two weapons offenses in Madison County. He was convicted in 1984 of assault with intent to murder in Hickman County. He was sentenced to 38 years and is on supervised parole until the year 2013. Williams had been paroled twice previously, in 1998 and 2000. Those releases were revoked in 1999 and 2001. He was convicted of weapon possession by a convicted felon in Shelby County in 2001.

Hudson, 36, registered with the Metro police department as an ex-convict in November 2006. She received a ten-year sentence for multiple forgery convictions in Marshall County in 1999.

Anyone seeing Robert Williams or Stephanie Hudson, or knowing their whereabouts, is urged to contact the Emergency Communications Center at 862-8600 or their local law enforcement agency. Williams has been known to use the names Roger Williams, Shaheed Rasta, and Rasta Shaheed.

Robert Williams

Stephanie Huson

2nd Admendment gets its day in court?

The supreme court is going to hear the case of the DC gun ban early next year...just in time for the elections. A ton of people are happy that SCOTUS is going to finally hear a 2nd Amendment care. I don't understand it. Too many people think they can "interpret" the smallest Amendment to the Constitution to mean something other than what was intended.Now...I'm not the brightest bulb in the lamp when it comes to law...but follow me on this:None of the other Bill or Rights are even considered to be a "collective right" just the shortest one. What if each of the Bill of Rights were "interpreted" to be a collective right. What if they put the same restrictions on freedom of speech as they did on guns.Just think about that for a minute. In places like Vermont and Alaska, you'd be able to speak your mind. In Tennessee, you'd be able to speak your mind, but not where is was posted a "No Speaking Zone" You couldn't speak out if there was alcohol being sold for on premise consumptionIn Illinois you'd have to license each and every word you wanted to speak.In NYC...no talking at all, unless you've got connections to the ruling political class. they'd send teams of speech police to other states in order to get people to write books they could take back to NYC and hold press conferences to talk about how evil the word are and how the surrounding states need to implement New York style speech control laws.
The 2nd Amendment is pretty simple to under stand:A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
See the commas.....I wish I had a time machine and could go way and whisper in the founding fathers earspsssst....a long time from now...people are going to get stupid..trust me. take out everything but the last part.
happy Thanksgiving everyone...be thankful for everything you have, and remember the men and women that are fighting to keep you safe.

There still is Customer Service

About a month ago I sent my Nighthawk Customs GRP Bobtail back to the factory to have ambi safetys installed. Yes...I know the 1911 guys are launching themselves at the screen right now screaming about how easy it is to install ambis. Nighthawk wants to do ALL the work on their guns themselves. Hand fitting, the right finish,etc. I have installed ambis on other 1911s, it isn't that hard as long as you drop the mainspring out of the way (found that out the hard way)
According to the shop (Guns and Leather, Greenbriar Tennessee) is should only take a few days. After the 1st week, I asked the shop to call and check on the status; that's where the fun begins:
1. They misplaced it..but they have it in hand now (at least twice)
2. The abmis had to be permakoted
3. They misplaced it...again
4. It's ready to be shipped...the next day.
5. (a week later) It's ready to go out the door...again
6. (a few days later) it's shipping tomorrow
I FINALLY get the GRP back...along with a bill for 147.00. I e-mailed Nighthawk before sending it in, and was quoted 80.00. Ben (one of the sales staff at Guns and Leather) didn't feel right about that after all the trouble, so he was going to check with the owner, Dennis and get back to me. I came home and posted over at M1911.org to vent a little bit.
Dennis didn't have to call Nighthawk...they called him. Evidently someone at Nighthawk called him the next morning and told him "we've got a unhappy customer" Poor Dennis didn't have a clue. I wasn't upset at G&L, I was ticked at Nighthawk. After dropping over 2K on a gun, I felt like I was getting shanked a bit, not to mention the delays.
They told Dennis to get in touch with me and do "whatever it takes" to make me happy with Nighthawk again. They also told him to wipe out the bill for installing the ambis.
Wow...just wow. I couldn't believe that level of customer service still existed. I didn't bring it up with the intention of doing anythign other than griping a bit.
Nighthawk really stood up for their mistakes, and went above and beyond to make it right. Remember when great customer service was the norm? Evidently Nighthawk does, and still lives up to their reputation as a great company to deal with.

The Nighthawk Talon II

I figured the best way to express myself today was with my first video blog. Don't expect too much :-)
The grips didn't really show their true nature in the video, so I'll have to get some stills posted. They are a very attractive gray/black mix of G10.

Addition to the armory

I went shooting last week with one of the trainers from HGR Firearms. He was interested in testing out the 1911 style of pistols. He's a Glock shooter, and a damn good one at that. I took out my Kimber Ultra Raptor and my Kimber Pro CDP shown here with her new Kimber magwell for faster reloads


The Ultra series from Kimber is their ultra short 3 inch series, the Pro series are the 4 inch or Commander style of 1911. I tried the Ultra series for concealed carry, but I like using a 230 grain load. A nice big heavy show bullet. That round coming out of a 3 inch 1911 is...snappy is the only word I can use to describe it. By the end of the session, both of us agreed that a 3 inch 1911 isn't for us, so it went into the "trade in" file. We went back to the retail area and I started looking. I was interested in a railed 1911 for home defense. If you've got a pistol setup with a light, that's one less thing you've go to grab if something goes bump in the night. I looked at a HK USP Tactical model with ambidextrous controls, a Sig Sauer Elite P220 and a Springfield Operator. Al in .45 all railed pistols. Now, I've owned HK,s Sigs and Springfields before so they're all good pieces. I couldn't make up mind to save my life...so I left empty handed. I thought about it all night, but couldn't make a decision.

I went back out Friday and ran a few service calls...then back to the shop to make up my mind. Guns and Leather in Greenbriar TN is also a authorized dealer for Nighthawk Customs; a manufacturer of HIGH END custom 1911s. I walked in the door and what do I see but a used Nighthawk Customs Talon II 1911. Someone had ordered it with a bobtail, custom diamond black finish, and a ambidextrous safety. The previous owner took it home, put her in the safe and never touched her again until he traded it in for a Browning over and under shotgun. she had never been fired;so to me it was new as new can be. They have had it for a while, but I never thought about buying it..until Friday. the only thing it was missing was the rail...butr my HK is railed..so that requirement was already filled. i quickly filled out the forms, paid for her and waited for the TBI to do their magic..and waited...and waited. Tennessee has what they call the Instant Check system. It works very well...when the servers aren't overheating. We got all that figured out and down to the range again.


For those who don't shoot; it's a great stress release. No matter what kind of day I've had, a good session of punching holes in paper makes it better. Doing that with a custom 1911 makes it that much more relaxing. 100 rounds out of a new pistol is usually OK, nothing to brag about. I expected it to be a bit worse than usual actually seeing as the new piece was a bobtail. I've never shot a bobtailed pistol before. It feels completely different in hand. I expected this to be a hindrance; it wasn't. The bobtail makes a 1911 point even more naturally for me. Right out of the holster, right on target without trying. I am not a bullseye shooter. I don't try to put all my rounds in a single hole. If the groups are too tight, then you're shooting too slow. I go for COM (center of mass) shots. If they're all COM on the target I'm happy. with the Nighthawk COM double taps are almost too easy. The trigger reset is quick and easy to feel; the steel frame is a bit beefier than the CDP but not too bad. I've been carrying her all day today around the house with no real problems. I didn't pay sticker for her, but I could have bought two Kimbers for what I paid for her. But...she's as close to affordable 1911 perfection that I've found so far.

I need to vent a little bit

What else is new :-)
I went by the post office Friday to check my PO box...as I do every day. There was a frail little lady who (much to my horror) driving herself around. I was in the middle of a email on my Treo, when I glanced up and saw her stuck in the door. She had lost her hold on the door and she was stuck between the door and the sill. I started to get out of my car and see if I could help, and saw a man walking towards the door rather quickly. I sat back for a moment, and watched him walk AROUND her to another door and go in the building. I ran over and helped her get out of the door before she fell and got really hurt. It took everything I had not to go into the counter area and beat the jerk around his thick skull. I can't believe this person would actually go out of his way to walk around this poor little lady just to go stand in line at the damn post office.

Idaho Teens Tote Loaded Guns Around Town Legally

These two kids have the right idea. The very last line of the article makes it worth repeating...
Idaho Teens Tote Loaded Guns Around Town Legally
Sunday , May 20, 2007

POST FALLS, Idaho —
Two home-schooled teenagers in this northern Idaho town say they are carrying loaded guns to the library, grocery store and other public areas for self-defense, as a crime deterrent, and to educate others about their rights.
Zach Doty, 18, carries a loaded Glock handgun on his hip. His 15-year-old brother, Steven, carries a .22-caliber rifle in a sling on his back.
Police have been called on several occasions to question the teens but have not found the teens to be in violation of the law.
In Idaho, residents 18 and older can openly carry a firearm in public. And those ages 13 to 17 who have parental permission can carry a rifle in public.
"I certainly don't anticipate that I'll need to use it, but I'd rather have it and not need it than to not have it and need it," Zach told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "There's no reason for me to hide a weapon."
Zach was stopped April 17 on his way to Bible study. On Friday, police again responded when someone reported the brothers with guns in a park. But police left after confirming it was the Doty's.
Zach has also been approached by others.
"There have been good opportunities to speak to people," he said. "I make sure they know that open carrying is legal, why I carry and I encourage them to consider doing so themselves."
The brothers carry their weapons to parks, the library, grocery stores and other places. They can't have their guns with them on school property, courthouses or jails.
Not everyone is comfortable with armed teenagers in the neighborhood.
"I turned back so that my wife could verify what I saw," said James Rebal, who called police after seeing Zach with his gun. "He was very nicely dressed and I saw nothing to be concerned about other than the weapon. It's not something you see in Idaho. Virginia Tech was fresh in my mind, and I thought it was better to err on the side of concern."
A lone gunman killed 32 people and himself last month at Virginia Tech University.
John Dunlap, commander of the American Legion Post 143, said he asked Zach to leave the Legion at a recent lunch because Zach was carrying his gun.
"He left and came back the next day (without the gun) for soup," said Dunlap, who described the brothers as "well-mannered."
Ed Santos owns Center Target Sports in Post Falls and is a gun safety instructor. He said the Dotys came to his shop but he doesn't sell handgun ammunition to people under 21.
He said that just because the Dotys are carrying guns in public doesn't mean they're not responsible with them, but questioned the need to carry them in town even though it was legal.
"My advice for them is the same as it is with adults — yes it's your right and yes it's legal, but why draw unnecessary attention to yourself just because you can?" Santos said. "I believe the intent (of the law) was to allow it more for hunting and recreation."
Zach said he's not paranoid or a radical.
"If I was an extremist, our founding fathers would all be extremists," he said. "Without them, we wouldn't have our independence. We'd be a disarmed British system of feudal subjectivity."

News Two lets it bias slip

The local ABC station here in Nashville ran a story claiming that we wanted to be able to carry guns on bars now. That's NOT what the law is intended to do. Its to allow lawful carry into places that serve beer and alcohol (in TN they are different)
the way they presented the story made no mention of restaurants , just bars. They made it look like bubba wants to pony up to the bar with his hogleg and toss back a few. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are the proposed laws:

SB 0023*
Jackson
HB 0702
McCord CRIMINAL LAW: Possession of firearm where alcohol is served. Permits a person who has a permit to carry a handgun to carry gun in place where alcohol is served for consumption on premises if person not consuming alcohol or is not otherwise prohibited by posting provisions.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
SB 1651
Jackson
HB 1118*
Buck CRIMINAL LAW: Possession of handguns where alcohol is served. Allows a person holding a handgun permit to possess a handgun on premises where alcoholic beverages are served, so long as said person is not consuming alcohol and so long as the owner of the premises had not posted a notice prohibiting such possession.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
Senate Status: Set for Senate Judiciary Committee 05/15/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Judiciary Criminal Practice Subcommittee.
SB 1885
Jackson
HB 1143*
Buck CRIMINAL LAW: Firearms allowed in restaurants. Allows any person with handgun permit who is not consuming alcoholic beverages and is not under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances to carry a handgun in a restaurant where alcoholic beverages are served.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
Senate Status: Set for Senate Judiciary Committee 05/15/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Judiciary Criminal Practice Subcommittee.

Notice the parts I highlighted in red. Why would you want to carry into a bar when you CAN'T LEGALLY DRINK WHILE CARRYING. The way the law is currently written, there is some discussion on the point that is doesn't allow uniformed police officers to carry unless they are performing official duties. How many times have you been in a local bar and grill and there sits a cop in full uniform laving lunch. That isn't what you'd call "official duties" if anything, he's off the clock. The way the law is currently written, he's breaking the law by not leaving his weapon in his car. The law needs to be changed...sooner rather than later. The owners can still post their property to stop people from carrying their guns...at least then I'll have a choice of where to have dinner.

***UPDATE***
From the anchor, Allison Hatcher:

Danny,

I apologize if my deliver on the “guns in bars” story was offensive. I certainly did not mean for it to come across that way. In fact, it is my goal to remain neutral on most stories (with the exception of stories where showing opinion is appropriate).

What you might have sensed was my feeling about the lawmaker opposed to the idea. I’m sure you remember hearing about the lawmaker who felt “the only reason a person would need to carry a gun… is if that person were looking for a trouble.”
Personally, I find that idea little unfair! It’s quite obvious the reason gun owners want to be able to carry a weapon is to be able to ***protect** themselves from trouble. But it’s my job to make sure my opinion – whether “for” or “against” an idea – does not come through at the wrong time. I obviously missed the mark last night and for that I apologize.

Truly,

Allison Hatcher

I'm famous...but not in a way I want

I jumped on the Tennesseans web site this morning only to find a link to a searchable database of ALL CCW holders in Tennessee. Great...a shopped list provided by the local liberal rag once again showing their true colors. I don't understand what the HELL they thought they were going to accomplish with this little stunt. I don't really hide the fact that I carry a gun. I don't go around telling everyone within earshot HI!!!! I HAVE A GUN. My family and friends know I carry. I'm discrete about it for the most part. Regardless it's a rather private issue to have thrown about willy nilly like that. Evidently the database didn't exist very long due to outrage and hundreds of phone calls their front desk deceived. Now...there are two schools of thought. It can be argued that it's a "don't go to that house to rob" list or a "lookie..that house has guns" list for the local scumbags. I want to know what that list is public record? I can't look up who just bought a car, a ton of jewelry, or someone who made a large cash withdrawal. The simple fact that any asshole can find a record of which houses have guns in them is rather stupid. Can I pull prescription records to find out who just refilled their pain killer prescription?

Again and again...the lack of forethought and planning by our elected officials surprises me.

Why do they keep electing these idiots?

Evidently the smallest amendment to the US Constitution is too complicated for these morons to understand. ANYONE who lives in Chicago should be on the horn to their representatives, the mayors office, hell...standing on their rooftops screaming their lungs out over this crap. ANYONE who thinks this will do anything but INCREASE crime against law abiding citizens of the Peoples Republic of Chicago is either living in their own little fantasy world...or a complete drooling on themselves utter dumbass. Why someone doesn't take these buffoons to court is beyond me. Daley should be thrown from office, impeached, recalled, fired, sued, laughed at, mocked openly in public...whatever it takes to get the point across. I'd bet his bodyguards are still armed. He's one of the elitist scum who believe that THEIR personal protection is needed...you...a lowly VOTING peon can't be trusted to defend yourself so the nice police..who are taking away YOUR GOD GIVEN RIGHTS are good enough to protect you. Only problem is...they CAN'T. What are you going to do once you're beaten and robbed blind Chicago? Go crying to Daley and his goons? It's too late then. NOW is the time to demand a stop to the abuse of power.

Confiscation of Registered Guns Begins in Illinois
Chicago Anti Gun Enforcement (CAGE) unit. This elite squad, operated jointly by the Illinois State Police, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, supposedly exists to identify illegal gunrunners. However, information gained by the ISRA makes it clear that the CAGE unit is targeting law-abiding citizens, not criminal gunrunners.

The Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police have teamed up to make good on Mayor Daley's pledge that, if it were up to him, nobody would have a gun. Daley and his elite "CAGE" unit are apparently taking advantage of gun privacy loopholes to pinpoint certain individuals for inclusion in the confiscation program.

The ISRA is following up on leads in one case that has disturbing implications. An elderly first-generation Chicago resident was recently paid a visit by an Illinois State Police trooper. After asking to come inside the man's home, the trooper asked if the man owned a gun - to which he replied yes. The trooper then directed the individual to surrender the firearm. The man complied with the officer's demand and the trooper left with the gun. And the story gets better...

The gun in question was purchased legally by the man in the 1970s shortly after he became a U.S. citizen. When Chicago's infamous gun registration scheme went into effect in the early 1980s, the man registered the firearm as per the requirement. However, over the years, the fellow apparently forgot to re-register the firearm, and forgot to renew his Illinois FOID Card.

So...what does this all mean?

In the last edition of The Illinois Shooter, we reported on the activities of a shady taskforce known as the Chicago Anti Gun Enforcement (CAGE) unit. This elite squad, operated jointly by the Illinois State Police, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, supposedly exists to identify illegal gunrunners. However, information gained by the ISRA makes it clear that the CAGE unit is targeting law-abiding citizens, not criminal gunrunners.

Thanks to a ruling by a liberal federal judge, the CAGE unit now has the name of every single person in the United States who, since 1992, lawfully purchased more than one handgun in the period of a week. The CAGE unit also has all the makes, models and serial numbers of those guns. In essence, the Chicago Police Department is now registering guns and gun owners nationwide.

The ISRA has also learned that the CAGE unit has compiled a list of families where more than one person in that family holds a FOID card. Acting on that information, the CAGE unit is now contacting gun shops where those families have shopped, and is illegally registering all guns purchased by those families.

Now, it appears that the CAGE unit is scrubbing Chicago's gun registration list against the list of FOID card holders. Indications are that folks who have let their registrations and FOIDs lapse will have their guns confiscated. We have to wonder how long it will be until state troopers show up at the doors to confiscate the guns of non-Chicago residents who have let their FOIDs expire.

More later as this story develops.

It bears repeating

I found this on another site, but it deserves to be anywhere and everywhere.

Mistakes We Make in the Gun Culture, or
How to Be a More Effective Advocate for Freedom
By John Ross

http://john-ross.net/mistakes.htm

Copyright 2003-2005 by John Ross. Electronic reproduction of this article freely permitted provided it is reproduced in its entirety with attribution given

This is a piece I wrote a couple years ago, and I still get regular requests for it. Might as well put it on Ross In Range.

One of the biggest mistakes that freedom advocates make is we often fail to take the moral high ground on freedom issues, and we let our enemies define the terms. This is a huge mistake. Never forget: We are in the right on this issue. We are on the side of the Founding Fathers. They are on the side of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and every other leader of an oppressive, totalitarian regime.

Let me give some common examples I’ve often heard when Second Amendment advocates debate gun control supporters:


THEY SAY: “We’d be better off if no one had guns.”

WE SAY: “You can never succeed at that, criminals will always get guns.” (FLAW: the implication here is that if you could succeed at eliminating all guns, it would be a reasonable plan.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “So, you want to institute a system where the weak and elderly are at the mercy of the strong, the lone are at the mercy of the gang. You want to give violent criminals a government guarantee that citizens are disarmed. Sorry, that’s unacceptable. Better we should require every citizen to carry a gun.”


THEY SAY: “Those assault rifles have no sporting purpose. You don’t need a 30-round magazine for hunting deer--they’re only for killing people.”

WE SAY: “I compete in DCM High Power with my AR-15. You need a large-capacity magazine for their course of fire. My SKS is a fine deer rifle, and I’ve never done anything to give my government reason not to trust me blah blah blah.” (FLAW: You have implicitly conceded that it is OK to ban any gun with no sporting use. And eventually they can replace your sporting arms with arcade-game substitutes.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Your claim that ‘they’re only for killing people’ is imprecise. A gas chamber or electric chair is designed for killing people, and these devices obviously serve different functions than guns. To be precise, a high-capacity, military-type rifle or handgun is designed for conflict. When I need to protect myself and my freedom, I want the most reliable, most durable, highest-capacity weapon possible. The only thing hunting and target shooting have to do with freedom is that they’re good practice.”


THEY SAY: “If we pass this License-To-Carry law, it will be like the Wild West, with shootouts all the time for fender-benders, in bars, etc. We need to keep guns off the streets. If doing so saves just one life, it will be worth it.”

WE SAY: “Studies have shown blah blah blah” (FLAW: You have implied that if studies showed License-To-Carry laws equaled more heat-of-passion shootings, Right-To-Carry should be illegal.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Although no state has experienced what you are describing, that’s not important. What is important is our freedom. If saving lives is more important than the Constitution, why don’t we throw out the Fifth Amendment? We have the technology to administer an annual truth serum session to the entire population. We’d catch the criminals and mistaken arrest would be a thing of the past. How does that sound?”


THEY SAY: “I don’t see what the big deal is about a five day waiting period.”

WE SAY: “It doesn’t do any good, criminals don’t wait five days, it’s a waste of resources blah blah blah.” (FLAW: You have implied that if waiting periods did reduce crime, they would be a good idea.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “Shall we apply your logic to the First Amendment along with the Second? How about a 24-hour cooling-off period with a government review board before the news is reported? Wouldn’t that prevent lives from being ruined, e.g. Richard Jewell? And the fact that this law applies to people who already own a handgun tells me that it’s not about crime prevention, it’s about harassment. Personally, I want to live in a free society, not a ‘safe’ one with the government as chief nanny.”


THEY SAY: “In 1776, citizens had muskets. No one ever envisioned these deadly AK-47s. I suppose you think we should all have Atomic bombs.”

WE SAY: “Uh, well, uh...”

WE SHOULD SAY: “Actually, the Founders discussed this very issue--it’s in the Federalist Papers. They wanted the citizens to have the same guns as were the issue weapons of soldiers in a modern infantry. Soldiers in 1776 each had muskets, but not the large field pieces that fired exploding shells. In 2005, soldiers are each individually issued M16s, M249s, etc. but not atomic bombs. Furthermore, according to your logic, the laws governing free speech and freedom of the press are only valid for newspapers whose presses are hand-operated and use fixed type. After all, no one in 1776 foresaw offset printing or electricity, let alone TV, satellite transmission, FAXes, and the Internet.”


THEY SAY: “We require licenses on cars, but the powerful NRA screams bloody murder if anyone ever suggests licensing these dangerous weapons.”

WE SAY: Nothing, usually, and just sit there looking dumb.

WE SHOULD SAY: “You know, driving is a luxury, whereas firearms ownership is a right secured by the Constitution. But let’s put that aside for a moment. It’s interesting you compared guns and vehicles. Here in the U.S. you can at any age go into any state and buy as many motorcycles, cars, or trucks of any size you want, and you don’t need to do anything if you don’t use them on public property. No license at all. If you do want to use them on public property, you can get a license at age 16. This license is good in all 50 states. No waiting periods, no background checks, nothing. If we treated guns like cars, a fourteen-year-old could go into any state and legally buy handguns, machine guns, cannons, whatever, cash and carry, and shoot them all with complete legality on private property. And at age 16 he could get a state license good anywhere in the country to shoot these guns on public property. Sounds great to me.”

FINAL COMMENT, useful with most all arguments:

YOU SAY: “You know, I’m amazed at how little you care about your grandchildren. I would have thought they meant more to you than anything.”

THEY SAY: “Hunh?”

YOU SAY: “Well, passing this proposal won’t have a big immediate effect. I mean, in the next couple of years, neither George W. Bush nor Hillary Clinton is going to open up internment camps for Americans like Roosevelt did sixty-odd years ago. But think of your worst nightmare of a political leader. Isn’t it possible that a person like that might be in control here some time in the next 30, 40, or 50 years, with 51% of the Congress and 51% of the Senate behind him or her? If that does happen, do you really want your grandchildren to have been stripped of their final guarantee of freedom? And do you really want them to have been stripped of it by you?

Let me know if any of these points make you more effective the next time a "gun control" advocate starts in on his favorite subject.

ANOTHER ONE

Add another failure to the gun control crowd. The shooting at NASA prove again the complete and utter failure of the gun control agenda and their "gun free zones" ANYONE who is stuck in one of these dangerous places should start trying to effect change in their environment...or find another job! The anti's again and again prove that their political position is more important to them than YOUR safety. There's no valid reason any longer to believe their outright LIES.
Check out the outright lies spewed by Adri Mehra "writing" in the Minnesota Daily:

"The slightly larger Glock 22 - so named for the number of bullets that its magazine can contain - is the single most popular police sidearm used in the United States, according to years of national survey data."
This load of CRAP is quoted directly from the article...now for the facts in the REAL world:

The Glock 22 is more likely than likely the pistol your local law enforcement officer carries in his duties. It's a .40 caliber pistol with a 15 round magazine capacity from the factory. A quick internet search would have told this hack the actual facts...but those don't make for good lies to cover his position of you and I are not to be trusted with our own safety.
In the sake of telling the TRUTH...you can purchase a extension kit to gain 5 more rounds...what's that...20? 21 if you top off the mag after chambering a round....still a round short from the 22 that Mehra claims. My guess is he saw a movie once with a glock looking pistol with the magic hollywood belt feed ammo supply. Someone with a total disregard of the facts should be fired...plain and simple, along with is editor. ANYONE who allowed this piece of trash to waste ink is just a culpable in this travesty of journalistic integrity.

If Mehra were to happen by this little post...you sir are a liar...plain and simple. You distort easily found facts to fit your twisted views on the world and pass them off as gospel. You deserved to be fired and exposed to the Minnesota readers as the fraud you really are.

1st TFA meeting for Nashville

I believe we finally got a TFA chapter going for the Nashville area last night. We met over at APPS (Academy of Personal Protection and Security) to start the chapter. For those that don't know, The TFA is the Tennessee Firearms Association. Founded by Buford Tune and John Harris. There are mostly responsible for the changes for the better in Tennessee's concealed weapons permits. John is up on Capitol Hill when the state house/senate is in session fighting for YOUR right to carry a concealed weapon. The Nashville chapter NEEDS members and support. The only cost (it looks like so far) will be the cost of your food if we meet at a restaurant somewhere and your membership in the Tennessee Firearms Association. Buford told us last night that we can meet in his classroom as long as he doesn't have a class scheduled.

Right now the two most important gun related issues on the hill right now is the removal of the stupid ban on carrying your weapon in a restaurant that serves alcohol for on site consumption...even if you aren't consuming and the bill removing the restrictions for carrying in a state park, office building, etc.
As for the restaurant carry bill, there is some debate on how the current law is written, there is no explusion for police. It could be argued rather successfully that they might in fact be breaking the law by NOT disarming when stopping for lunch/dinner.
The law states:
a) It is an offense for a person to possess a firearm within the confines of a building open to the public where liquor, wine or other alcoholic beverages, as defined in § 57-3-101(a)(1)(A), or beer, as defined in § 57-6-102(1), are served for on premises consumption.

(b) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to a person who is:

(1) In the actual discharge of official duties as a law enforcement officer, or is employed in the army, air force, navy, coast guard or marine service of the United States or any member of the Tennessee national guard in the line of duty and pursuant to military regulations, or is in the actual discharge of duties as a correctional officer employed by a penal institution; or

(2) On the person's own premises or premises under the person's control or who is the employee or agent of the owner of the premises with responsibility for protecting persons or property.


[Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 1990, ch. 1029, § 4; 2001, ch. 345, § 1.]

Poorly written law. No one in their right mind would expect a cop to leave his weapon in his car...but lunch, off duty, the law is written so poorly that one could make a case that the cops were breaking the law just by having lunch someplace that doesn't ask " do ya want fries with dat?"

32 Failures of gun control

I've been following the VT tragedy pretty much since the start. The more I heard about what had happened the more pissed I became. Not just at the shooter, he's a piece of trash coward who merits no more mercy than a rabid skunk. No, my anger is directed at those close minded people who like high on their ivory towers surrounded by gates and armed guards who decide that THEY know better than the common man and push for more gun control. The senseless killing of 31 VT students shows yet again the complete failure of gun control laws. The brady bunch and their ilk sit back attempting to use each and every incident like this to push for more bullshit gun control. IT DOESN’T WORK! When will people wake up to this simple friggin fact of life. If you make it known that there are no guns legally in a place…that place will be much easier to do bad things in. The bad guys don’t really CARE that VT was a “gun free zone” It became a slaughterhouse. Anyone who thinks guns are the problem is pretty much deluded. The problem isn’t the fact that we as American citizens have access to guns. The problem is the anti gun crowd has a faster moving PC machine. All the hand wringing and calls for swift action to play on raw emotion is their stand operating procedure. They push and push for more gun control.

The VT campus was the world the anti gunners was ALL of us to live in. Free of guns..well..except for the one welded by evil. The law abiding students and faculty were left defenseless, waiting on the campus police to come and save them cowering in rooms, waiting to be slaughtered.

In 2006, Virginia had the chance to change the law..it was killed in committee. And I quote

Jan 21, 2006
HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.
By Greg Esposito 381-1675

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.
House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.
The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.
Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon entering campus. The legislation was designed to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit ... from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun."
The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training programs.
Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university's authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.
In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.

They had a chance to give those students a fighting chance…and they failed. They let their innate fear of guns over ride common sense, and now they must live with those decisions.

The blood of those 31 students rests squarely on the hands of those who took away their right to self protection