Month: August 2009

Microstamping Failing in California

I found some hilarious news on the NRA ILA site dealing with the Peoples Republic of California. Apparently that fancy microstamping law isn’t doing so well. Not only has California’s Attorney General not signed it into law but nobody is working to implement it. And why hasn’t the Attorney General signed the law? For good reason:

The microstamping process was invented 15 years ago by Todd Lizotte, a New Hampshire engineer who patented the process under the trademark NanoMark Technologies. Because the technology was available nowhere else, the Legislature required the attorney general to certify that it was available “to more than one (gun) manufacturer unencumbered by any patent restrictions.”

That hasn’t happened yet.

“We’re continuing to review the legislation, but the certification requirements have not yet been met,” Christine Gasparac, the attorney general’s press secretary, said last week.

The relevant patents are not yet in the public domain, Gasparac explained.

“Nothing can move forward until the patent issue has been resolved,” she said.

The patent system is a bitch, huh? Too bad and so sad.

This is bad news for the Brady Bunch. If they can’t get this crap done in Communist California you can’t get it done anywhere. Furthermore I’m still waiting to hear how stamping the casings of a cartridge are going to help police track the shooter. First of all there are no spent casings from revolvers and spent casing from pistols can be picked up. Likewise the microstamping device can be filed off and most importantly most of the guns used in crimes or stolen and hence the trace will come back to the original owner not the criminal who used the gun. On a side note I wonder if this technology has been tested on steel and aluminum cased ammunition.

Correlation vs. Causality

You know how the Brady Bunch love to claim how the “assault weapons” ban lowered gun related deaths? Well they determined this through statistics which can be nothing more than lying through numbers. How did they lie? Simple they used a correlation to determine causality. I saw this article on Says Uncle that shows the correlation between the “assault weapons” ban and various weapons used in homicides.

The data shows that after 1994 firearm related deaths did go down (actually it started in 1993). The Brady Bunch use this as definitive proof that the “assault weapons” ban worked. Too bad for them correlation doesn’t imply causality. If you hit the link and check out the graphs you’ll notices that deaths by stabbing and suffocation as well as a few others also started dropping in 1994. This would lead to two possible reasons when in relation to the “assault weapons” ban. The first explanation is if the ban worked for firearms than there must have been equal bans on stabbing weapons and objects used in suffocations. The other explanation is there is a reasons other than the Brady Bill that caused the drop.

The second explanation seems more likely considering after the ban sunset in 2004 there was no dramatic increase in firearm related deaths. This is why the definitions of correlation and causality are so important. The anti-gunners lie through knowingly using research (for them that constitutes a Google search) numbers incorrectly.

Mexico Wants U.S. To Reinstate “Assault Weapon” Ban

From the NRA ILA comes an article on ABC news. During the North American Leaders conference Mexico will be urging the United States to reinstitute the improperly named “assault weapon” ban.

I would like to see the assault weapons ban reinstated – it’s not philosophical, it’s because of what we have seen on the ground…There is a direct correlation between the assault ban and expiring in 2004 and the numbers – simply the sheer numbers – of assault weapons that we seize in Mexico…We are both cognizant of what can and cannot be done right now – we will softly, diplomatically…continue to say that this is an important issue for us but I think the real perspectives of this moving on Capitol Hill these days are slim to say the least.

So let me get this straight because of our law expiring Mexico is having an issue with American purchased semi-automatic military lookalike rifles? Right. I’m sure the drug cartels in Mexico are purchasing semi-automatic AR-15 rifles from America and smuggling them back as opposed to left over stockpile of fully automatic rifles and grenade available for much cheaper in Central America.

Maybe if these dumb asses would get rid of the corruption plaguing their own government and do a half assed attempt at security their borders they wouldn’t have to worry about us. Then again they need somebody to point the finger at to cover up their own government’s sheer incompetence and the United States is the internationally recognized evil leader in the business of being evil.

Another Person who Claims not Agreeing with Obama is Racist

Via Says Uncle we have a link to a Washington Post piece where the author claims that poster depicting Obama as the Joker is racist. He’s not even pussy footing around this one:

So why the anonymity? Perhaps because the poster is ultimately a racially charged image. By using the “urban” makeup of the Heath Ledger Joker, instead of the urbane makeup of the Jack Nicholson character, the poster connects Obama to something many of his detractors fear but can’t openly discuss. He is black and he is identified with the inner city, a source of political instability in the 1960s and ’70s, and a lingering bogeyman in political consciousness despite falling crime rates.

Yes because Obama’s face in the poster is painted similar to the “urban” paint of the latest Dark Knight file it ties to the inner city which, according to the author, implies black people are violent. Now i’ve contrived some really bad bullshit before but this guy deserves an aware. Hence he is the latest recipient of this site’s world of fame asshole award. Congratulations Philip Kennicott.

Oh and just to add insult to insult here is that picture again:

Second Amendment Foundation Suing District of Columbia

This is why I love these smaller second amendment groups. The Second Amendment Foundation is taking the District of Columbia to court. The court case is due to the fact the city isn’t issuing carry permits. The crux of the suit:

SAF previously sued the District over its restrictive handgun registration policies, leading the city to amend those policies. This time, SAF is alleging that the District previously had a city code under which the police chief could issue licenses to carry handguns to individuals, including citizens not residing in the District, though the city did not issue such licenses as a matter of policy for several years. That authority was revoked last December by the Mayor and City Council.

It’s certainly an interesting case. I’m doubting SAF will get their desired outcome but if we keep constantly sending suits at the anti-gunners eventually we may get them to crumble.

Thanks to no National Concealed Carry the Pittsburgh Shooting Wasn’t as Bad

From Joe Huffman’s blog we have a quote from the Brady Bunch father Paul Hemke (I don’t directly link to the Brady Campaign site, you’ll have to navigate though Huffman’s blog) has decided to speak up. His assessment of the Pittsburgh shooting is that thanks to the defeat of the national carry reciprocity Mr. Chickenshit (not Hemke but the Pittsburgh gym shooter) couldn’t carry in other states. To quote the letter:

Two weeks ago, gun violence prevention organizations helped defeat a bill in Congress that would have allowed this killer to carry his loaded weapon almost anywhere in the country.

How this is relevant I’m not sure. First of all Mr. Chickenshit was in his own state so national reciprocity wasn’t an issue at all. Second of all if he was going to leave the state to murder people I highly doubt he would decide the only travel to a state that recognized his permit. Third L.A. Fitness has a policy that prevents people from carrying their legally permitted weapons in so obviously Mr. Chickenshit didn’t care about breaking a law against carrying his gun anyways. Finally if he’s brining this up because it would have increased Mr. Chickenshit’s length of time in prison for violating a gun control law it’s irrelevant since the guy offed himself anyways.

I guess I understand the fact that Hemke is trying to make it appear as if his organization is doing something in the desperate hope that somebody will support them against the big, mean, and nasty NRA. Sorry Hemke but arguing with lies and irreverent information isn’t going to win you many supporters.

Those Zany Russians are at it Again

You have to hand it to those Russians they don’t quite. Right now as you read this they apparently have two Akula class submarines patrolling our waters. Needless to say this has our people at the Pentagon a little concerned.

For note though the Akula class submarines are not nuclear missile launching platforms (although they can launch cruise missiles). Instead these subs work as anti-vessel ships searching out our navel assets and sinking them should war break out.

According to the article this is the first time the Russians have put submarines off of our coasts in roughly 15 years. You have to hand it to them you can knock the Russians down (at least their government) but you can keep them down.

Further Research

Information on the Akula class submarine.

People Getting Knickers in a Bunch over Lawful Commerce

Uh oh there is lawful commerce afoot and people aren’t happy. Eastside Harley-Davidson has a promotion running where you will receive a $500.00 voucher if you purchase a new bike.

I love how it’s OK with people when the federal government gives them cash for turning vehicles which get lower fuel milage but the second a voucher for a gun (voucher people, not an actual gun) is given away it’s all of the sudden a horrible event.

To get the story straight the $500.00 voucher is for Wade’s Eastside Guns so people have to take the voucher there, pick out a gun, fill out the paper work, go through the NICS, and finally get the gun. Hence this is no different that purchasing a gun at any store except if you bought the Harley you also get a gift certificate. But I guess we know lawful commerce is a scary thing if it isn’t under government control.

Anti-Gunners Already Exploiting the Gym Mass Murder Tragedy

Wow I was reading Days of our Trialers and see it didn’t take the anti-gunners long to start exploiting a tragedy. Paul Helmke wrote a short article about the mass murder. In it he’s mostly whining that nothing is being done to stop these types of tragedies. But he closes with this line:

It’s obviously too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons in this country.

Yes that’s obviously the only reason a disturbed man who was plotting the mass murder of women for nine months went on his rampage. I’m sure he would have stopped and decided not to go on his murder spree if he had to break the law to obtain those guns. After all murder is one thing but violating gun control laws, that’s pretty major.