Messages in stone

Had a thought the other day about a “Starman Jones” movie, and wondered (along with the necessary changes to the maguffin in these days of microprocessors and thumb drives) whether Hollywood would still leave in message of “he et what was set in front of him.” Seems to me we could use a bit more of that some days, as specifically differentiated from “he played the hand he was dealt/” (See the book for the difference)

Muller vs Maenza update

Oral arguments for the case scheduled Thursday, October 27, at 9:30 a.m. at the Newark federal courthouse!!! http://www.njd.uscourts.gov/ If anyone wants to attend...please dress appropriately for a federal court, and don’t bring anything “political” (e.g. big buttons, etc.). Please also remember to arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow for time to get through security. The courthouse is located at:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse
50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07101
Phone : 973-645-3730

 

via NJGun Forums

Too Many Magazines

I think someone has managed to discover how many magazines are too many…

Picture is courtesy of No on California SB 798

Schrodinger’s Carry

Whenever the topic of “open vs. concealed” carry comes up, I sit on the sidelines, eat popcorn, and watch fireworks. For all the sound and fury the topic can drag out, I think the issue minor. It’s a bit of an illusion, IMHO.

Here’s the reason: If I drop one of these into a pocket of one of these, am I carrying open or concealed? How about if I put a Ruger iron-on patch on the pocket in question?

If that is concealed, how about a 1911 in a holster that fully and completely covers the weapon such that it is not in view? (Variant of this, with a panel to cover the magazine well from view as well, say.)

Alternatively, say I’ve got my Glock 17L in the Fobus paddle holster that I bought a while back, and I wear my Scott eVest over it.The gun itself is long enough to put about an inch of slide out from under the hem of the vest. Concealed, or not? How about if I paint the slide flourescent green?

If the answer to any of these is “let the judge sort it out,” we have a problem.

For that matter, while it’s relatively trivial for a male dressed in everyday clothing to carry openly or concealed, given the wide variety of choice afforded by pants, belt, and cover garment (in moderate weather conditions, anyway, and assuming you don’t live the Robb Allen lifestyle); doing so as a female restricts the choices of garments, if indeed their body shape allows.

Monkeywrenching the NFA

Someone went and actually drove the truck through a loophole in the NFA. This toy is neither a rifle, nor pistol, nor AOW, and they have a letter from the ATF that says so. (Unless you actually conceal it on your person. That’s an astonishing statement).

I talk about monkeywrenching the NFA, but they went and did it!

 

(H/T TTAG via njgunforums)

Self Defense

Saw the following tweet from an EMT helping out at the Occupy Boston protests: "If you're bringing medical supply donations, #OccupyBoston thanks you and we could really use glucose gel/tablets and diabetic supplies."

Really? You want donations of maintenance medical supplies and other supplies that are primarily needed if someone doesn't take care of themselves? At a planned event? Really?

I am not going to blame the victims of diabetes for being diabetic, that's not my place. I <i>am</i> going to blame anyone who is diabetic for going to one of these events without taking appropriate precautions. Why should anyone listen to the demands of someone who can't organize their own life to protect against the ravages of a known threat that has well-known defensive measures?

(If the request for supplies is primarily to be able to minister to the commuters who are unexpectedly unable to get home in time for dinner because the protestors have snarled traffic, and I withdraw my complaints, but I doubt that's the case.)

Economist on violence

Author Steven Pinker Answers Your Questions « Freakonomics

" My own guess is that Americans (particularly in the south and west) never really signed on to a social contract that gave government a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, as Europe did. Americans not only retain the right to bear arms but believe it is their responsibility, not the government’s, to deter harm-doers. With private citizens, flush with self-serving biases, acting as judge, jury, and executioner, body counts can pile up as trigger-happy vigilantes mete out rough justice. This may be a legacy of the long periods of anarchy in the mountainous south and frontier west, and of the historical failure of the police and courts to serve African American communities."

[Citation Needed] - if the violence really was vigilantism, he's be able to site that, not just "guess."
However, he also points out that it's not "the guns," and removing firearms violence doesn't affect the numbers notably.

Privilege of office amendment

Proposed:
That no government official enjoy any privileges or immunities of office that are not allowed to the people.