Month: March 2012

Speaking of Gun Control

If you thought the guy in France was entirely unaware of gun control laws then you’ve seen nothing, apparently quite a few people are unaware of Chicago’s strict gun control laws:

Five people were killed and at least 12 other people wounded in shootings Saturday night and Sunday morning across the city.

[…]

Police have impounded the car and found a gun that may have been used in the shootings.

The evening attacks follow the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old girl and the wounding of four other people in Chicago within an hour Saturday afternoon, and 16 shootings, including the slaying of a 42-year-old man, overnight Friday and early Saturday morning.

You know things are bad when the story says “In other shootings:” instead of “In other news.” Chicago is basically the anti-gunner’s idea of paradise, a land where almost no firearm is legal to possess. If the gun control advocates were correct you would think Chicago would enjoy a dramatically lower number of shootings than other areas in the country but quite the opposite is true. Yet states that have enacted laws that make it easier (or in some cases possible at all) for citizens to legally arm themselves the changes in violent crime rates have been neutral to positive. In other words more guns doesn’t seem to lead to more crime but less guns certainly isn’t looking good on the violent crime rate maps.

From the Land of Gun Control

One of the failures of gun control is that many people are unaware of the laws put into place that prohibit the possession of firearms:

One of the biggest manhunts in recent French history is under way after four people were shot dead at a Jewish school in Toulouse.

Police have linked the attack to two shootings last week in which three soldiers of North African descent died.

The same gun and the same stolen scooter were used in all three attacks, sources close to the investigation say.

According to the anti-gunners banning firearms will prevent violent crimes such as the ones mentioned above. The story states that the attacker has two handguns in his possession:

A 17-year-old boy was seriously hurt. Initially, the killer used a 9mm gun, but when it jammed, he switched to a .45 calibre weapon.

According to French firearm laws:

Firearms there are divided into different classes, numbered 1,4,5,6,7 and 8.

[…]

The fourth category comprises what are called defence firearms, and includes any revolver and pistol, centrefire or rimfire, of a non-military calibre, short rifles having a total length of less than 80cm or a barrel length of less than 45cm, semi-automatic rifles with more than three shots capacity, repeater rifles with a magazine capacity of more than ten shots, riot guns with over five-shot capacity, semi-automatic or repeating military lookalikes, and disguised arms such as pen guns.

[…]

Another important fact should be noted. In France, on a firearm certificate renewable each five years, the private citizen is allowed to have one fourth category handgun with fifty cartridges for home defence, pursuant to a police background check. This can be in any non-military calibre from .22 to .44 Magnum. The handgun cannot be moved outside the house. Sometimes a second handgun is allowed for a secondary house.

It seems the attacker is either entirely ignorant of the fact that it’s illegal for him to possess two handguns and any handgun that is of a military caliber. The 9mm is considered a military caliber under French laws and I’m guessing the .45 is as well (although I’m not entirely sure as France hasn’t issued any firearms in .45 that I’m aware of). So either the anti-gunners are full of shit and prohibitions against owning firearms doesn’t deter criminals or criminals are simply unaware of the fact that they’re breaking gun control laws. Either way gun control doesn’t work and trying to further it is foolhardy at best.

Eric Holder Advocated Brainwashing Americans to Make Them Think Negatively About Firearms

Eric “let’s give guns to the violent Mexican drug cartels and use it to justify more gun control in America” Holder has a long history of lies, slander, and generally opposing the right of people to keep and bear arms. It turns out Holder was advocating the brainwashing of Americans to make them think negatively about firearms:

Breitbart.com has uncovered video from 1995 of then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announcing a public campaign to “really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”
Holder was addressing the Woman’s National Democratic Club. In his remarks, broadcast by CSPAN 2, he explained that he intended to use anti-smoking campaigns as his model to “change the hearts and minds of people in Washington, DC” about guns.

“What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that’s not cool, that it’s not acceptable, it’s not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we changed our attitudes about cigarettes.”

Holder added that he had asked advertising agencies in the nation’s capital to assist by making anti-gun ads rather than commercials “that make me buy things that I don’t really need.” He had also approached local newspapers and television stations, he said, asking them to devote prime space and time, respectively, to his anti-gun campaign.

Don’t just take Breitbart’s word for it, they also provided the video of Holder saying these things.

Holder has been a gun control fanatic for ages and it’s not surprising that he was entirely complacent with Operation Fast and Furious. His desire to push the gun control agenda ended with people being murdered by guns given to violent Mexican drug cartels by the United States government. The state will go to any length it can get away with to disarm the populace. After all a disarmed populace is a far more easy populace to bring tyranny upon.

Gunny Mutual Aid Succeeds

Just an update on the request for help received by Erin of Lurking Rhythmically, she not only received enough donations to purchase a carry pistol but had some money left over:

I have been advised by certain knowledgeable people that I should not disclose the exact amount I raised lest I invoke the dread gaze of the IRS, but I do want to say that you folks went far above and beyond what was necessary to help me acquire a carry pistol, a permit, and training. I will be sending out thank-you notes later this week.

I don’t mention this solely because I want to demonstrate the goodwill of the gunny community, but I also want to bring it up as a demonstration of mutual aid succeeding. We’re deluded by the state and its supporters that we individual are unable to help one another, we’re told that the state is necessary to ensure all have what they need. Of course such statements are lies and acts of charity such as the above mentioned prove how well helping one another can work.

Mutual aid happens whenever one person comes to the assistance of another. Donating money to a family who recently lost everything is an act of mutual aid, helping neighbors clean up their property and rebuild after a flood is an act of mutual aid, and helping a person in need obtain the tools necessary for self-defense is mutual aid.

One thing I’ve witnessed as our society moves more towards statism is the reduction of mutual aid. When somebody loses their job but still needs to pay their bills and feed their families they are less likely to be helped by their fellow neighbor, instead they turn to the state and because the state has already stolen money from the populace to fund its welfare system individuals are less inclined to help one another. Its a vicious cycle, individuals refrain from helping one another because they’ve been forcefully stolen from to fund the state’s welfare system, and the state continues to point to the apathy they created as proof that money must be stolen to help those in need. We don’t need to be enslaved to this vicious cycle, we can break free of it, we need only help on another.

Time and time again I witness exceptionally generosity from the gunny community and it makes me absolutely proud to be apart of it.

To All Subjects of the Realm

Hear ye, hear ye, all subjects of the realm. Our Supreme Emperor, His Holiness, our dictator, Lord Obama has brought forth decree today that gives those he deems secretaries the power to take by force, any and all resources within the United States that are deemed to be necessary for the war effort. His decree states:

Sec. 201. Priorities and Allocations Authorities. (a) The authority of the President conferred by section 101 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071, to require acceptance and priority performance of contracts or orders (other than contracts of employment) to promote the national defense over performance of any other contracts or orders, and to allocate materials, services, and facilities as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense, is delegated to the following agency heads:

All resources of the realm shall be first given when needed by those involved in helping production of materials necessary for the war. Any other contracts shall be deemed invalid if they interfere with the war effort. Furthermore:

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;

All foodstuffs will be first shipped to the front lines. Farm machinery will be put to use to produce food for the army. Peasants working the land are hereby informed by His Holiness that they are not allowed to sell foodstuff to non-state entities. The state will take care of food distribution to the people of the realm if any remains after feeding the army. Furthermore:

(2) the Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;

All materials used in the production of energy will be first given to the military. This includes power production facilities, coal, oil, and materials required for nuclear fission. Furthermore:

(3) the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;

The army will be given priority in access to medical supplies and treatment. All medical personnel are hereby informed that they are expected to render aid to our brave men and women on the front line. No doctor is to render medical assistance to non-military personnel unless His Holiness give permission to do so. Furthermore:

(4) the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;

All highways, train tracks, airports, and other transportation infrastructure is hereby confiscated for use in the war effort. Subjects of the realm are not to use any means of transportation unless given written permission by the state. Any subject caught driving without state permission will be severely punished. Furthermore:

(5) the Secretary of Defense with respect to water resources; and

His Holiness has decreed that all water resources will be put towards the war effort. Rationing of water is not in place, subjects may visit their local Resource Allocation Center to receive water ration stamps. Furthermore:

(6) the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.

Any materials not previously mentioned are hereby reserved for the war effort. This includes metal, plastics, cotton, wool, electronic components, and any other known material. Subjects are required to surrender any materials in their possession that may be used in the war effort. Refusal to surrender materials will be met with harsh punishment. Furthermore:

(b) The Secretary of each agency delegated authority under subsection (a) of this section (resource departments) shall plan for and issue regulations to prioritize and allocate resources and establish standards and procedures by which the authority shall be used to promote the national defense, under both emergency and non-emergency conditions. Each Secretary shall authorize the heads of other agencies, as appropriate, to place priority ratings on contracts and orders for materials, services, and facilities needed in support of programs approved under section 202 of this order.

The above mentioned decrees are to be respected during times of emergency and times of peace. His Holiness has spoken.

Several subjects of His Holiness have raised objection to this decree and were told by His Holiness to, “Blow it out your ass, I’m your mother fucking god, I rule this country.”

Tax Returns

After getting my taxes done (I don’t wait until the last minute) I was alerted that, once again, I overpaid and therefore will get a return. Most people are overjoyed by receiving a tax return, I’m not. Why? Because getting a tax return indicates that you paid the government more money than you were forced to, you basically gave them a negative interest loan. Yes, I said a negative interest rate loan, not a zero interest rate loan as most people state.

When you give a zero interest rate loan you’re repaid the same purchasing power as you originally loaned out. Inflation, being a hidden form of theft, ensures you receive less purchasing power than you overpaid. Let’s say inflation was at 10% between 2011 and 2012 and you overpaid by $1000.00. Since inflation devalued your money by 10% the purchasing power you received back through your 2012 tax return is only $900.00. Of course inflation was more than 10% between 2011 and 2012 so my example actually paints a rosier picture than that inflicted by reality.

Getting a tax return means you’re getting back less than you overpaid. Inflation is one of the most insidious forms of theft by the state because most people don’t outright see it and therefore forget about it entirely (most people also don’t realize that inflation is caused by state manipulation of the currency and therefore is a form of state theft).

New Method of Bypassing TSA Security Discovered

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has had a bout of bad luck as of late. First a blogger demonstrates a method of getting devices through their TSA’s body scanners without detection and now the Wall Street Journal has discovered yet another way to bypass TSA security, give them $100:

Hate the full-body scans, pat-downs and slow going at TSA airport security screening checkpoints? For $100, you can now bypass the hassle.

Want to avoid TSA pat downs, long lines and waltz through security with shoes and jackets on, laptops stored and all the soft drinks you can carry? As Scott McCartney explain on The News Hub, there is a way, and it costs just $100. Photo: Reuters

The Transportation Security Administration is rolling out expedited screening at big airports called “Precheck.” It has special lanes for background-checked travelers, who can keep their shoes, belt and jacket on, leave laptops and liquids in carry-on bags and walk through a metal detector rather than a full-body scan. The process, now at two airlines and nine airports, is much like how screenings worked before the Sept. 11 attacks.

To qualify, frequent fliers must meet undisclosed TSA criteria and get invited in by the airlines. There is also a backdoor in. Approved travelers who are in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Global Entry” program can transfer into Precheck using their Global Entry number.

[…]

Enrolling requires a $100 application fee for a background check, plus a brief interview with a Customs officer.

If this doesn’t demonstrated the absurdity of the TSA nothing will. Like every state agency they claim to be absolutely necessary for public safety. Talking to most TSA agents will lead you to believe they single handedly stop 500 terrorists a day and if they weren’t doing security every plane would be hijacked and crashed into buildings. The protection they offer is so critical that nobody may be allowed to bypass sexual assault by TSA agents… unless you have $100, then you’re cool.

Government agencies always work off of this principle: they claim their absolutely necessary to protect something but if you pay them enough money you can bypass whatever protective measures the agency has claimed to put into place. My favorite example of this is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who claim to be necessary to protect the environment from evil polluters but will let anybody pollute so long as they pay the EPA enough money to buy a permit.

State protection is a scam designed to give the state another mechanism to take your money without increasing taxes.