Amtrak Shenanigans

So recently an amendment to Amtrak’s appropriation bill states that they will lose a huge chunk of money unless they allow passengers to transport firearms on board in a manner similar to airliners. Great idea! Ever since 9/11 Amtrak has had a zero guns in any form policy on their trains. Well now Amtrak is crying that they can’t meet the deadline for this policy change:

Amtrak and its defenders in Congress have argued that the government-owned train company needs more time and resources before it could allow firearms onto trains.

“We don’t think we’ll be able to do that March 31 deadline, and, of course, finding the funding to make all of that happening,” said Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm. Failing to meet that deadline and missing out $1.5 billion in appropriated funds, its entire funding request for 2010, would bring a “cessation of train service nationwide,” Amtrak Chairman Thomas Carper wrote to appropriators last month.

So they are saying they can’t meet the deadline to do something they used to do before 9/11? Really? It seems to me they just have to do the exact same thing they used to and nothing else will need to change.

Most Retarded Argument Against the Right to Bear Arms Yet

I was reading through the commend on a post over at Dvorak Uncensored and read what is possible the most retarded argument agains the right to bear arms I’ve yet seen. User Theone has this to say:

Lol, I don’t own arms because unlike many morons out there I’m a good shot. I’ve competed in many ROTC in my younger years to know I can pick people off easily. I also know I had a bad temper and can get insane. That is why I’m against arms…people are insane.

Seriously, give me a rifle and I can toss that thing high in the air and without looking at it grab it and shoot you down in seconds, between your head. Now do you want some crazy like me to own a gun or knowing that I made the right choice not to own any?

If you disagree feel free to sign my contract allowing me to kill your sorry behind and I’ll happily do it…for free. We can even do it western cowboy style to give you a chance to hit me.

Wow what an idiot. He’s saying since he’s a good shot (which I doubt reading his post) and has anger management problems people shouldn’t have guns? Also another thing I noticed is the fact he brags up how good of a shot he is. Apparently he has magical powers as he can toss a rifle in the air, catch it, and without even looking nail you square between the eyes. 99% (I’d say 100% but there may be an exception somewhere) of the time somebody makes a bragging statement like that they’re lying.

Anybody competent with a rifle knows a simple fact, you can’t accurately shoot a rifle, or any gun, without looking. You need to see the target in relation to you in order to put a round in them. What this guy is probably saying is he’s a prohibited person due to a domestic violence case and since he can’t have guns nobody should be allowed to. Don’t get me wrong after reading that I’m glad he doesn’t have guns, he seems far too stupid to be responsible enough.

I Think We Have More People

Joe Huffman does a quick Internet approved survey to determine popularity between the gun rights crowd and the anti-gunners. He uses the number of followers each have on Twitter which is the Internet excepted method of determining everything.

Well we’re winning. In fact the Brady Bunch’s actual Twitter account is almost eclipsed in popularity by Mr. Huffman’s own daughter. Of course Mr. Huffman doesn’t take into consideration another possible meaning behind this. Anti-gunners are too stupid to understand how to use a service that involves sending 140 character messages. I guess typing is hard for any group of people who are using both of their hands to cover their ears while they scream, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU LA LA LA!” at the stop of their lungs.

People Want End to Mandatory Law Requiring Swiss Citizens to Own Military Rifles

Once again Says Uncle links to another interesting story. Apparently some whiny bitches concerned citizens are looking to change the law in Switzerland that requires males serving in the military to store a military rifle at home. Because of research what happens when you disarm a country I’m bias against laws restricting firearms. But I’m also willing to hear the debate so let’s take a look at both sides. First off the side of logical thought civilians owning guns:

But it wasn’t the militia that sparked Heim’s interest in guns as young man. It was an unassuming trip to a holocaust museum.

HEIM: I was going through all the exhibits and the soaps and the lampshades made of people’s skin, and while I was looking, I heard a funny noise, and there was an old woman, maybe two metres from me. She was trying not to cry. She was sort of sobbing very quietly. She was sort of holding it back. If she had been a few more meters away I wouldn’t have heard her. And that’s when it all hit me. I promised myself I will never be in her situation. I would want to be free and never in a situation where they could just march us off to ovens or prisons.or just take away our freedom.

Heim gets it. See Nazi Germany required civilians to register all guns with the government. Shortly afterwards the government confiscated all the registered guns. After the guns were confiscated and the civilian populace was defenseless the government started rounding up “undesirables” and sending them to death camps where they were gassed by the millions. Had the civilian populace been armed they could have fought back against the government.

OK let’s hear the other side of the argument:

However, not everyone sees guns the same way.

While gun crime is relatively low in Switzerland, more than 300 people a year are killed military rifles, the majority of them suicides. Recently efforts for more regulation have been picking up. And a certain faction of people want military rifles stored in army barracks, rather than peoples cellars.

So you’re saying that people taking their own lives with firearms is justification for disarming the populace? I have a newsflash for those who think this, people taking their own lives can do so without a gun. If a lack of guns had anything to do with suicide rates how to you explain Japan where guns are practically forbidden but the suicide rate is very high? This might come as a surprise but if I wanted to kill myself I could hang myself or slit my wrists with a knife. But the harsh truth of the matter is if somebody takes their own life that is their business and so long as they aren’t trying to take somebody else with them it’s their choice. Meanwhile if you disarm the populace you create a situation where people can not defend themselves against an outside force meaning to do harm.

Also the sheer idiocy of trying to compare 300 deaths by firearms to six MILLION deaths by government hands is ludicrous at best. Those deaths in Switzerland are .005% of the number of deaths caused by the Nazi government in Germany. How can people say the situation of a disarmed populace is better? How can people honestly be that stupid?

With Time All Things Can and Will Happen

It’s true given enough time anything can happen. For instance I swung over to The Firearm Blog and found out Hell will soon be importing heavy Russian winter coats. Apparently The Saudi market will have something new for sale, handguns! From the article:

Saudis will be able to buy handguns and other personal firearms openly for the first time, the country’s interior ministry has anounced.

Why? Well because:

The move is aimed at reining in the widespread illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons, a Saudi official said.

Apparently making gun ownership illegal doesn’t stop people from getting guns. Who knew? We’ll have to see if this affects their crime rate and if blood will flow through the streets like the anti-gun crowd claim happens when you loosen gun control laws.

England Does it Again

Says Uncle points out yet another example of England hating everybody’s rights equally. It’s not secret that it’s all but impossible to own a gun in Britain. Well Phillip Luty hosts a webpage called The Home Gunsmith that gives instructions on how to build your own firearms. Even with Britain’s draconian gun laws you would think this site would at least fall under the freedom of speech. Well not in Britain where you’re a subject not a citizen and hence have no rights:

On 22nd May 2009 the Homegunsmith (Philip A. Luty) was, for the fifth time in ten years, attacked by an armed police unit and violently arrested at gunpoint.

In their latest onslaught against freedom of speech, press, personal expression, and dissemination of ideas, the henchmen of the State charged the Homegunsmith with “criminal offences”—namely “Making a record of information likely to be of assistance to terrorists.” (Part of the all-encompassing 2000 Terrorism Act.) That’s right folks, writing books or articles on one of man’s oldest occupations—gunmaking—is now tantamount to an act of terrorism in modern day Britain.

The Homegunsmith.com website has been strategically closed whilst wounds are licked and the troops regrouped.

—Ken Holder
Keeper of the Web Pages

Yup Mr. Luty was arrested yet again for his web page. I can’t believe with all these stories of government abuse people hold them up as an example of what our country should be. There is a reason we broke away from those guys.

The Danger of Gun Registration

I hear a lot of anti-gunners say there is no harm in gun registration. In fact there is, the government knows what you have. Because they know what you have they may decide to go door knocking and search your inventory. Don’t think it can happen? Days of our Trailers will prove otherwise. There are reports of Maryland police questioning citizens about their guns. Remember in Maryland you have to register semi-automatic military pattern rifles and handguns firearm. From the article:

According to the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore (AGC) has received several verified reports of the Maryland State Police questioning citizens about the firearms they legally own.

These incidents involve citizens and firearms that have no apparent connection to any crime, or any illegal activity.

Yup no real reason behind these inquires, they apparently just feel like doing it.

Mexico Still Screaming for United States to Disarm

Fuck I really hate the current president of Mexico. He’s got a huge problem with the drug cartels and his logical choice of action is to blame the United States. I know what you’re thinking this is old news and I’m several months behind on my reporting. Nope bad news from Says Uncle the president of Mexico and a couple former ambassadors are at it again. They say:

The Binational Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border listed the assault weapons ban as a step the U.S. should take immediately to improve security in both countries. The 10-year ban expired in 2004.

Really? BOTH countries? What benefit will it provide us in the form of security? Looking at the FBI murder weapon rates the number of murders in 2008 with firearms is only 99 people higher than 2004. But the number of people killed with rifles (as so-called assault weapons fall under) is actually 28 people lower in 2008.

If these “assault weapons” were so dangerous and a threat to security the number of rifle murders since 2004, when the ban lifted, should be noticeably higher. In fact since 2004 the number of murders committed with firearms in general has been pretty stable.

Further why would the drug cartels come here to get semi-automatic rifle when they can go to Mexico’s neighbors to get fully-automatic rifles for CHEAPER? That makes no logical sense. If the president of Mexico wants to unfuck his nation he’s going to root out corruption there, not attempt to restrict the rights of another country.

Us Second Amendment Supporters Sure are a Fickle Bunch

You know when it comes to groups I think us second amendment supporters can certainly take a title for one of the most fickle groups out there. We argue amongst ourselves at the drop of the hat. For instance there are long running battles in our group about what’s better the AR-15 or AK-47? what caliber is better for self defense the 9mm or the .45, and of course does open carrying help or hinder our movement?

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining, I love arguments. Arguments are how things get decided and I’m proud to say I’m part of a movement that is willing to argue about topics in detail. The other side of the coin are those who use simple talking points and always agree with one another. Those people don’t get anything good accomplished because they never take other sides into consideration.

Well this weeks argument seems to be about open carrying. Rob Allen is all for it, Sebastian isn’t a fan, and Uncle is all for it but doesn’t believe it promotes the second amendment to others. Of course I’m nowhere near these three as far as the popularity of my blog (or lack thereof) but that’s never stopped me from chiming in when an good argument is afoot.

Let’s face it most peoples’ exposure to firearms is in a negative sense. For the average Joe the only time they are exposed to another individual carrying a gun outside of a range is when the gun is in their face during a mugging or robbery or when they are interacting with a police officer (and if you’re dealing with their gun it’s probably not a good thing either).

Due to this the default reaction of most people is negative when they see another person carrying a gun. If a majority of peoples’ exposure to other carrying firearms was positive I believe this default reaction would change. That’s also why I don’t believe open carrying alone is going to do anything, you need to do it well.

What I mean by that if you are open carrying as a method to change peoples’ minds be polite as possible, dress well, and besides the gun look as harmless as possible. If somebody approaches you and decided to confront you on your choice to carry a gun don’t get in their face. Explain in a calm and collected manner why you chose to carry a gun. Scream, “BECAUSE IT’S MY RIGHT!” isn’t going to accomplish anything. On the other hand explain how you carry a gun to protect yourself and your family will give the confronter nothing they want and hence they will most likely move on.

If you’re walking around carrying a gun openly make eye contact and politely nod to anybody you pass by. Say, “Hello” or “How are you doing?” Just be a nice person. If you want people to become accustom to firearms their exposure must be positive. That’s the key.

Governor Schwarzenegger Just Shafted California

Via Snowflakes in Hell we have some bad news for those of you in California, the Governator just sighed AB 962. Sure it won’t help actually deter criminals who will simply steal, purchase through straw men, or purchase their ammunition out of state. This of course is irrelevant since California’s motto is, “any law will pass so long as it inconveniences the law abiding gun owner and doesn’t cause any difficulties to the criminals.” I’m guessing California is just trying to see if there is a critical number of laws that, if enacted, with actually cause criminals to stop breaking them.

Those of you in California can look forward to surrendering your personal information and thumb print EVERY time you purchase ANY handgun ammunition. Yesterday’s episode of Truth About Guns dealt with this exact subject hence I don’t have much further to say. All I can add though is to expect a state-wide scam to ban handguns all together in the near future.

I will provide these pieces of information though. Here are the vote break downs for the California assembly and the California senate. You Californians have your job cut out for you as you need to work hard to vote out every one of the people in those lists who voted yes.