Tag: Minnesota

Calling for Unrelated Gun Control Schemes

While gun control advocates confuse me in general this story has given me a major headache:

The ease of stockpiling ammunition once again became apparent after police discovered that the perpetrator of one of the deadliest mass shootings in Minnesota history had packaging for 10,000 rounds of ammunition in his south Minneapolis home.

Last Thursday, Andrew J. Engeldinger had a Glock 9-millimeter handgun, two 15-round magazines and several loose rounds when he killed four co-workers, a UPS man and himself after being fired from Accent Signage Systems. In addition to the ammunition shipping boxes, police found a second Glock 9mm handgun in his house.

Let me get this straight, Engeldinger had no more than 30-some rounds of ammunition when he shot up Accent Signage so gun control advocates are now calling to control large lots of ammunition purchases? The man had less than a box of 9mm ammunition on his person. Whatever stockpile he had at home is entirely irrelevant because he didn’t use it in commission of his crime. To use the often-beloved car analogy this would be like demanding stricter controls on the number of automobiles an individual can purchase after a getaway driver for a bank robbery was found to own 12 vehicles.

I’m glad we have people like Andrew Rothman in this state raising these exact questions:

Andrew Rothman, vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, said it’s not uncommon for people to make bulk purchases to guard against changes in gun laws and increases in ammunition prices in recent years.

“The shooter probably used 10 or 20 rounds of ammunition [in the attack] — is it really relevant how many rounds he had at home?” Rothman said.

Notice the stark difference between gun rights advocates and gun control advocates in this story? Gun control advocates are striving to find something to further restrict while gun rights advocates are asking what relevance the amount of ammunition owned by the shooter had to do with the shooting. I think this is why our society has slowly turned away from supporting stricter gun control, the people advocating such things fail to make logical arguments.

Those calling for ammunition controls have also failed to explain what good such controls would do. A person is limited in the amount of ammunition they can use in a crime. First of all ammunition isn’t weightless so the amount of can carry on their person is limited to the physical strength of the individual in question. Second of all a person can only operate a fixed number of firearms at the same time (two, if they’re operating a handgun in each hand) so the amount they can fire is limited by human anatomy. The story mentioned that controlling ammunition could give police an indicator that an individual is planning to do something wrong but they would be forced to interview every competitive shooter in the state (we go through a lot of ammunition). They would also be forced to interview ever person purchasing for a group buy or simply stockpiling ammunition because they found a really good sale. In other words the police would be forced to sink their time into countless wasted interviews. It would accomplish nothing besides wasting everybody’s time.

We should also consider the absurdity of controlling ammunition. Ammunition isn’t complicated to make, in fact there are reloading presses that allow you to make great quantities of ammunition quickly. If somebody is unable to purchase 10,000 rounds of ammunition they will simply make it or buy it from somebody who does make it (what a great agorist opportunity).

There is no logic in gun control and even less in ammunition control.

Bad Things can Happen Anywhere

Opponents of carry laws are always quick to list off a bunch of places they don’t think people should be allowed to carry. They will say people have no need to carry a gun into a school, church, or their place of business but as yesterday’s events in Minneapolis show us bad things can happen anywhere:

A man who apparently had just lost his job at a small business in Minneapolis’ Bryn Mawr neighborhood returned to the building Thursday afternoon and opened fire, killing the company’s founder and three others and wounding four others before taking his own life.

Reality isn’t kind, it doesn’t prevent bad things from happening to us in places where we feel most familiar and comfortable. Just because we go to the same place of work everyday doesn’t mean a raving lunatic won’t walk in one day and start shooting.

There are no gun-free zones. Just because a piece of legislation, a company police, or a sign says guns can’t be brought into an area doesn’t mean the unlawful won’t bring guns into that area. What is known is that the people who commit these crimes usually commit suicide upon the first sign of armed resistance. Generally this happens after the police arrive but can also happen if people in the area are armed. In fact the death toll can be greatly decreased by armed individuals in the immediate area as they don’t have the police’s tens of minutes response time.

It’s unfortunate but bad things can happen to good people anytime and anywhere, even in places we feel most comfortable.

Sometimes Juries Pull Through

Once in a while juries make the right decision. Alvin Schlangen was facing charges for voluntarily trading with fellow individual:

A Hennepin County jury Thursday found a Stearns County farmer not guilty of violating the state’s food safety laws when he distributed raw milk from an Amish farm to Twin Cities customers.

Alvin Schlangen of Freeport was charged with three misdemeanor counts, including selling unpasteurized milk, operating without a food license and handling adulterated or misbranded food. After three days of trial, the jury began deliberating on Wednesday afternoon and resumed deliberations Thursday morning.

Schlangen, an organic egg farmer, doesn’t produce milk himself but operates a private club called Freedom Farms Co-op with roughly 130 members who buy various farm products, including raw milk. Schlangen picks up milk products from an Amish farm and delivers them to members who lease the cows.

Yes a man in Minnesota actually faced charges for selling raw milk. You see raw milk is treated like a radioactive substance by the state. Anybody who comes into contact with raw milk is told to immediately seek medical attention and avoid contact with all other non-medical personell. In reality raw milk isn’t nearly as dangerous as the state makes it out to be and even if it were what you put into your body should be your own business, not the state’s.

I’m glad to hear the jury found an innocent man innocent. Far too often juries allow themselves to be suckered by state prosecutors who claim juries must uphold the letter of the law and should avoid making their decision based on whether or not a law is just.

I Question My Friends’ Sincerity

I question my friends’ sincerity. They told me that the primary election was important because it will allow us to appoint the right people to save this country. They also told me that every vote mattered, and constantly harassed me to go out and vote. Yet when I offered to sell my vote not one person took me up on it. I didn’t even receive an offer. This really confuses me because you would think people who believe that every vote matters would jump on the opportunity to net another vote for their candidates of choice.

As far as I can see there are only three possibilities. One, my friends don’t actually believe every vote matters and thus are unwilling to buy mine to help ensure their candidates’ victories. Two, my friends don’t actually believe that this will be the most important election in our lifetimes and thus have little interest in ensuring their candidates’ victories. Three, my friends simply hate America and Minnesota.

On the upside if my friends’ candidates don’t win they cannot blame me for not voting, they can only blame themselves for not buying my vote.

Buy My Vote Today

Today is Minnesota’s primary election and I’ve been hearing two things over and over: every vote matters and this is the most important election in our lifetime.

I like to help my fellow individuals and that’s why I’m making the following offer: for $50.00 you can buy my primary vote. It’s very simple, you pay me $50.00 before entering the polling place and I register as your preferred party, vote for your preferred candidates, and provide photographic evidence of the ballot sheet so you know I performed as expected.

Do you believe $50.00 is too high? If this is the most important election in our lifetime and every vote counts you can effectively change this country for a mere $50.00. To me that sounds like a steal! With that said $50.00 is just my buy it now price. For $50.00 you’re guaranteed my vote but any offer will be considered including precious metals and other goods.

Change the course of this country today, buy my vote!

Defending Yourself on a Bike

Minneapolis has a well developed biking culture. One cannot drive in the city without seeing numerous cyclists on each road and the city has even paved several trails exclusively for the use of bikers and pedestrians. One of the more popular trails is call the Greenway and is also known for being unsafe to travel during nighttime hours. Incidents of assault and robbery happen periodically and there has even been an incident of numerous individuals ganging up on and assaulting a cyclist.

If you’ve ever ridden the Greenway you can understand why it’s a hotspot for assaults and robberies. The trail is located at the bottom of a ditch and is secluded from nearby buildings and roads. Several bridges dot the trail, each having several cement pillars one can lay in wait behind for unsuspecting travelers. At several points the trail is notably narrow and maneuvering room is nonexistent if somebody attempts an ambush from either side. This is a crucial point to note for cyclists because any strong impact from the side means an imminent meeting between the cyclist and ground. Unlike the people driving cars on the streets above, cyclists and pedestrians lack a surrounding cage of steel, plastic, and glass to protect them from would be attackers. Another disadvantage cyclists and pedestrians have when compared to motorists is the fact that a cyclist’s and pedestrian’s ability to run away from danger vanishes once they’ve impacted the ground.

In an attempt to reduce the number of incidents on the Greenway the Midtown Greenway Tail Watch Coalition (MGTWC) was created. MGTWC is a group of volunteers that ride the trail and attempt to add extra sets of eyes on the bike trail. They’re of little help for somebody being attack though since their guidelines [PDF] specifically state that volunteers are forbidden from intervening in a situation and from carrying weapons. In other words they can watch you get your ass beaten but they can’t actually attempt to intervene without breaking MGTWC rules. The only thing MGTWC members can do, without breaking their guidelines, is call the police. Due to the way the Greenway is constructed there are only a handful of access points from the above streets and that will affect police response times. In general you’re on your own even longer on the Greenway than on the above streets.

What can a traveler of the Greenway do? There are several steps you can take to protect yourself while traveling the Greenway. First and foremost, don’t travel the Greenway after dark. Everywhere the Greenway can access the above streets can access. In Minneapolis cyclists have equal rights on the streets as automobiles so there is no reason one must use the Greenway. Lake Street parallels the Greenway and can be ridden instead. For pedestrians there are the sidewalks that line Lake Street, and there is even a bridge cyclists and pedestrian can use to cross the Lake Street/Highway 55 intersection. Unlike the Greenway, Lake Street is well lit, almost always populated, and has fewer effective ambush points. There is the additional risk of being hit by an automobile although such incidents are rare as far as I know.

Another point to consider is whether or not your should stop. One of the incidents that occurred on the Greenway on June 25th details what can happen if you stop:

9:00 a.m. on June 25th. Reports that two groups of juveniles, one group of females and one group of males, were throwing rocks at bicyclists. One 17 year old male bicyclist stopped and was surrounded by a group of youth, then assaulted and robbed of an ipod.

Don’t stop. When you stop you make yourself vulnerable and any attempt by another to make you stop could be a trap. One of your best advantages while on a bicycle is speed, you’re going to be faster than anybody on foot and if you ride regularly there is a good chance that you’re going to be faster than many of the thugs on bikes. Keep your speed up.

What happens if you’re on the ground? At this point things become very dangerous because it’s likely that you’ve been injured from the fall. Just because you’re down doesn’t mean your out though. Even if you’re knocked off of your bike there are still several things you can do to protect your person. Krav Maga Minneapolis teaches self-defense classes aimed specifically at cyclists. I can’t testify to the effectiveness of such classes as I’ve never taken one but I’ve seen the class recommended by several cyclists so it’s something to look into. It’s also a good idea to carry some kind of defensive spray while riding a bike. Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray is useful for deterring both two legged and four legged (and there are four legged critter running around) attackers and is light enough to not make the weight weenies cry too much.

Let us also remember that Minnesota is a shall-issue state. If you apply for a permit to carry, pass the required class, and aren’t a prohibited person the state must issue you a permit. I can hear a few people reading this article going, “A gun? Where the Hell am I going to conceal a gun when I’m on a bike?” Worry not readers! Not only is Minnesota a shall-issue state but once you have a permit you can legally carry a gun openly. This is what I do. If you see a man on a red and black 29er mountain bike with a Glock 30SF strapped to his hip it’s probably me (feel free to say hi). Minneapolis isn’t very friendly towards open carry and people who see you openly carrying a gun on the Greenway are likely to call the police and the police are likely to stop and harass you. Don’t let them intimidate you, the state of Minnesota has preemption on gun laws and local municipalities cannot prohibit carry or forms of carry. They may bully you with the hopes of getting you to stop carrying a gun but there is no reason for you to submit to such antics, they have no legal ground to stand on. You can kindly inform them that if they were doing the job they promised to do you wouldn’t need to carry a gun so they can get you to stop if they can guarantee no further attacks will happen in the future (and deliver on that guarantee).

A firearm is the most effective means of defending yourself once you’re on the ground. Martial arts are effective if you’re assailed by one unarmed individual and not severely injured from the fall. OC spray is also limited in the number of attackers and it can deal with and carries the risk of not actually deterring your attackers. A firearm can be operated from the ground, in many states of injury (even if one of your arms is broken), and can engage multiple attackers. On top of that, if the number of people openly carrying on the Greenway increased dramatically it’s quite possible the number of attacks would decrease as well. Nothing deters a criminal like armed individuals.

I know the traditional cyclist culture and the traditional gun culture often clash but that shouldn’t be the case. Gun rights activists urge people to legally arm themselves, especially if they’re vulnerable to attack, and cyclists are vulnerable to attack, especially if they travel the Greenway.

A Sad Day Indeed

It is my duty to regretfully inform readers of this blog that the Burnsville Rifle and Pistol Range in Burnsville, Minnesota caught fire two nights ago:

At least six fire departments were called to the scene of a fire at a shooting range in Burnsville Tuesday night. Crews are still working at the scene around 1 a.m.

Burnsville firefighters were called to the Burnsville Rifle and Pistol Range at 14300 Ewing Ave. S. around 8 p.m.

[…]

Burnsville Fire Marshal Lee LaTourelle told Twin Cities Fire Wire that customers were inside the range shooting when they saw smoke coming from the padded walls at the rear of the building. He said they escaped without injury.

I wonder what caused the fire and I hope the range isn’t a total loss.

One in 40 Minnesota Adults Has a Permit to Carry

On Sunday the Star Tribune, which generally leans collectivist, ran an article on permit holders in Minnesota. While I was expecting anti-gun propaganda I have to admit that the article is actually balanced, another sign that we’re winning. I found the following statistic interesting:

Handgun owners have more freedom now than they’ve had in nearly a century, with every state except Illinois offering average residents the option of getting a carry permit, up from just a few states in the 1970s. In Utah, where gun laws are so liberal public schools can’t even prohibit them, one in nearly seven adults has a permit. In New Jersey, where local authorities have retained the discretion to deny permits, just one in 4,200 adults has one.

This spring, in the wake of the killing of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in Florida and a vigorous national debate over “Stand Your Ground” laws, Minnesota surpassed 100,000 permits, putting it in the numeric middle of the states, with one in 40 adults now licensed to carry.

What does the Martin case have to do with Minnesota permit holders? Nothing. Why was it brought up? Because the Star Tribune has to put in some kind of slight against permit holders, as I said they lean heavily collectivist. Either way it’s interesting to note that when the state was may-issue there were only 4,200 permit holders and now that the state is shall-issue there are over 100,000 permit holders. This massive increase in the number of permit holders hasn’t lead to an increase in violent crime (the law changed in 2003). It’s also nice to see Wisconsin residents moved in quickly to obtain carry permits after it’s state legally lawful carrying of firearms late last year:

Minnesotans queued up at an average rate of 10,000 a year, swelling the ranks of permit holders from 11,381 in 2002 to 50,777 by 2007. Wisconsin, which in November became one of the last states to pass a carry permit law, reached 100,000 permits in less than six months.

I was pleased that the article author put in a piece that acknowledges the fact that Minnesota allows permit holders to carry openly or concealed:

Rothman says he is among the relatively few state residents who exercise the right under the law to carry openly, his pistol strapped to his left hip.

“Education is the reason,” he said. “Many people don’t know that carrying a gun can be perfectly legal, and [they] emotionally equate guns with illegal violence. When they see a neatly groomed suburban dad innocently shopping with this undeniably adorable young kids, it challenges that preconception.”

I know there is a heated debate between gun rights advocates regarding open carry. Some claim that openly carrying a gun for political reasons is absolutely idiotic but I agree with Rothman’s statement, open carry works as a mechanism of raising awareness. When individuals see an otherwise normal looking individual carrying a gun they are often inclined to ask about it and are then surprised to learn that it is legal for people outside of law enforcement to carry firearms. That individual may then decide to get a carry permit and our numbers increase. My form of carry is based on comfort. Generally I conceal my firearm because it avoids potential headaches I don’t want to deal with but when concealment becomes uncomfortable (when biking for example) I openly carry. Thankfully we hav both options available to us in Minnesota.

The article also managed to get a quote from one of the local anti-gunners that greatly demonstrates the flaw in their rhetoric:

The law “has not been a net benefit to our society in any way,” said Heather Martens, executive director of Protect Minnesota — Working to End Gun Violence. “They promised that if lots of people had guns everybody would be safe. Here just [recently] we had a 5-year-old child killed while sleeping on a couch. I think we were sold a bill of goods.”

I don’t know of a single gun rights advocate that said “if lots of people had guns everybody would be safe.” What those of us who advocate gun rights have said is that having more individuals carrying firearms will not lead to an increase in violent crime and it gives individuals an option if they’re attacked by a violent individuals. The anti-gunner then brings up a case completely unrelated to the story at hand, but it involved a child so the emotional value is very high and anti-gunners prey on emotions. Was the person who shot the 5 year-old a permit holder? Not that I’ve heard. How did the case of the 5 year-old being shot related to a story about permit holders? It didn’t. The flat in the gun control zealots’ cause is that it’s based entirely on emotional appeal instead of factual data. Since they can’t win with facts they try to create an image in the minds of the public that gun owners hate children.

The War on Dogs Comes to Minneapolis

Even Minnesota isn’t safe from the state’s war on dogs:

A north Minneapolis woman whose dog was shot 10 times and whose house was ransacked by Minneapolis police officers has sued the department, alleging that the incident earlier this year was set off after a failed police pursuit of her fugitive brother.

They shot the dog 10 times? Obviously this was a vicious uncontrolled animal that threatened the lives of all involved:

As Anderson’s husband met the officers in the front yard, the family’s 8-month-old pit bull appeared. Anderson’s husband said he would collect the dog and called for it, but the officers called out “Pit bull!” and began shooting, striking the dog in the head, legs and body and fatally injuring it, the suit said.

Or it could have been entirely harmless and was merely minding its own business, that was my second guess. At least karma his the police square in the leg:

A bullet or bullet fragment struck one of the officers in the leg, and another dog also was shot and wounded.

Serves those murdering sons of bitches right. The gun control zealots keep talking about taking guns from lawful individuals but are entirely OK with allowing costume-clad government thugs to continue having them. Last I heard the average individual wasn’t going around shooting family pets for no reason.

Watch the Gun Control Advocates Jump for Joy

Opponents of Minnesota’s carry laws have been jumping up and down with joy over the news that a permit holder was robbed with his own firearm:

Police said an adult male was walking home in the area when a man, later identified as Merriweather, was walking the other way and suddenly slammed the victim into a parked car.

The victim hurt his arm and wasn’t able to defend himself. Merriweather allegedly searched the victim, eventually finding a pistol, and put it to the victim’s head while demanding valuables. The victim lost the gun and his wallet during the attack, police said.

A minor detail should jump out at anybody reading this article, the victim was incapacitated and thus unable to defend himself. The attacker was searching the victim when he found his firearm, then put the firearm to the victim’s head. It seems to me that the victim wasn’t robbed with his own gun, he was already being robbed before the attacker even came across the firearm. As it’s being reported you would think the attacker was able to wrestle away the victim’s firearm and decided, after gaining control of the weapon, to rob the victim. What actually happened is the victim would have been robbed either way, the attacker had already incapacitated the victim before he came across the firearm.

Either way, opponents of carry laws are absolutely ecstatic. The only way they could be happier is if the attacker and executed the victim because then the headline would read, “Carry permit holder murdered with own gun.” To them it’s irrelevant that it’s taken almost a decade for this to finally happen or that it’s the only case out of 100,000 permit holders. They’re just happy that their claim, “If you carry a gun it’s just going to be taken from you!” finally has some form of validation, no matter how weak it is.

What this story does demonstrate is that firearms aren’t magical talismen. The mere act of carrying one won’t protect you if you’re taken out of the fight before you can utilize it. It won’t stop somebody from blindsiding you, nor will be prevent you from being incapacitated. It’s merely a tool that increases the amount of force you can use to protect yourself.