Tag: Minnesota

Election Results

Well the elections are over (for the most part, Minnesota proved once again we can’t really make a firm decision and recounts are going for our governor race) and the results are in. First let me say I’m glad to see Rand Paul won in Kentucky. With another Paul in the office we now have two major weapons to field against the Federal Reserve!

I’m also glad to see balance has been somewhat restored on a federal level. I’m not a fan of any single party controlling the House, Senate, and White House. Now the Democrats have the White House and the Republicans have the house and senate. Hopefully this means complete gridlock on any new legislation on a federal level.

Here in Minnesota we had to once again prove we’re incapable of making a firm decision one way or another. The race looked very bleak for Emmer early one because Hennepin and Ramsey county votes were counted first (these are our major blue districts). After the rural areas started flowing in though things started looking up and the vote is so close there is an automatic recount going down. I’m still betting Dayton will win but hoping for Emmer (a man can dream right?). What would be really good is further Coleman/Franken litigation going down so we don’t have a governor for several months. I believe legislation can’t be passed with a governor’s signature and honestly when no new laws are being created we all win.

Beyond the governor’s seat the Republicans won out in Minnesota. This is what concerns me about Emmer possibly winning, the entire capital would be controlled by a single party. On the other hand Dayton is a crook and a statist bastard so having him in would be nothing but bad news bears for our state.

What I can say is this; watching MSNBC last night was hilarious. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that the anchors on MSNBC pinned the possible destruction of the world’s economies on Rand Paul (if he doesn’t raise the debt ceiling according to MSNBC the entire world is doomed economically). It was also funny watching them try to spin the constant loses their preferred party was taking.

Elections

I’m went early today to get my vote on and let me be very honest, there were far too many unopposed people running. Before you say anything I do realize the hypocrisy of making such a statement and not running to oppose any of these yahoos… but that’s not going to stop me from making the statement.

In case anybody is curious I voted for Emmer. Since getting the nomination Emmer has been kind of alienating me by pandering to the neocons but at the same time he’s pro-gun, anti-tax, and for the most part pro-liberty. What put me over though is the fact he’s not Mark Dayton (who will probably win because the majority of votes in this state seem to like pain).

I left quite a few spots blank. When I was first old enough to vote I believed that somebody who was running unopposed deserved my vote for just being willing to run. I no longer believe that and have decided if you’re running unopposed I won’t vote for you.

Because I’m an idiot I forgot to post the Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance Political Action Committee (GOCRA) endorsement link. I really do like how GOCRA does their endorsements because they explain why they are behind the people they endorsed.

Tomorrow’s Elections

Remember, remember, the second of November,
The politicians’ treason and plot,
I know of no reason,
Why the politicians’ treason,
Should ever be forgot.

Remember, tomorrow the polls open at 0600. Get there so you can vote out the statists bastards and get the pro-liberty candidates in. Personally I’ll be voting for Tom Emmer since he’s the best pro-liberty candidate for governor out there (especially when you compare him to that asshole Dayton).

Also remember when electing judges to vote out the incumbents. Those of us in Minnesota have the right to vote in our judges but the current batch of judges have been jockeying for that to change. Show them we don’t want that change. I’ll also throw out a mention of Greg Wersal. He’s running for a seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court and frankly deserves it. It’s certainly pro-liberty.

Reddit Shoot

As I continue to live up here int he Twin Cities area I keep acquiring new people to hand out with. There is a sub-reddit called /r/twincitiessocial. We have beer meet ups ever Friday and it’s what you’d expect from an event populated mostly by Internet nerds such as myself. This weekend we decided to do something different in the form of a group shoot at a friend’s house. This shoot consisted of several first time shooters including a few people from other countries (Canada, which really isn’t a country but our secret 51st state, and India namely).

We had enough Mosin Nagant rifles there to arm a small malnutrition communist army. Beyond Mosins there was a various assortment of firepower include my M1A SOCOM 16, a couple of AR-15s, a couple of 1911s, a few Glocks, some Kahrs, and a partridge in a pear tree… which was shot down by the Mossberg 500.

The shoot went very well and I think we created some new shooters out of the event. The only hitch in the day was when a super mutant showed up. Thankfully the Canadian guy knew his V.A.T.S. system and scored a direct shot to the eyes for some critical damage:

V.A.T.S.

Mark Dayton on Guns

I’ve mentioned governor candidate Tom Emmers on here several times so far but have spoken little about his main opponent Mark Dayton.

Well it’s about time I got off of my lazy ass and posted some information on Dayton when it comes to the right to keep and bear arms. During a debate Emmers asked Dayton about his National Rifle Association (NRA) ‘F’ rating:

Tom Emmer: I do. I do. Ah, Senator Dayton you talk about deathbed conversions. Ive explained why I do the things I do. Ah, if you could just explain to me and everybody else here in the state of Minnesota, how is it that you can have an F rating from the NRA and you can sit up here and tell us that you’re gonna defend sportsmen’s rights, you’re gonna defend my right and my children’s right to hunt and fish in this state when you got an F from the NRA? Have you had one of your own ah, deathbed conversions? Well, we wont call it deathbed, but one of your own conversions that you’re sharing with us today?

Fair enough question. Dayton attempting to be a master of spin decided to make the following rebuttal:

Mark Dayton: Well, I had a D rating from the NRA in 1982 when I ran for the Senate. I had a two- an A rating in 2000. There were two principal votes you can look em up ah, when I was a Senator. One was ah, banning Cop Killer bullets. And, ah, one reason that I have the endorsement of the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association, Representative, is because I respect the law enforcement men and women. I was on a ride-along last week to, as Ive been several times with a police officer in St. Paul. And those guys wear bulletproof vests every time they go out there. Men and women. And anybody who wants to go out there and see them put their lives on the line to protect us.

Dayton claims that he received his ‘F’ rating because he voted for a ban on “cop-killer bullets.” The funny thing is there is no such thing as “cop-killer bullets” do I did some digging. Since I’m willing to put a tremendous amount of work into avoid work I found somebody else who already did the digging for me. On the Let Freedom Ring site a great post was written going over what Dayton actually voted on to receive his ‘F’ rating.

He voted for an amendment to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act presented by the late Ted Kennedy. The amendment would have given the Attorney General the right to ban rifle ammunition he considered armor piercing:

SEC. 5. ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION.

(a) EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION.–Section 921(a)(17)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended–

(1) in clause (i), by striking “or” at the end;

(2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that the Attorney General determines, pursuant to section 926(d), to be capable of penetrating body armor; or

“(iv) a projectile for a centerfire rifle, designed or marketed as having armor piercing capability, that the Attorney General determines, pursuant to section 926(d), to be more likely to penetrate body armor than standard ammunition of the same caliber.”.

In summary if the Attorney General determines a rifle cartridge to be more likely to penetrate body armor than “standard ammunition” he could label it armor piercing and make it a prohibited. That’s a damned side different than banning “cop-killer bullets.”

I did some additional searching to see what else came up and I found a few interesting things. Apparently at one time he was against registration but later was for some registration and licensing (namely of handguns). He also voted against legislation that would protect firearm manufacturers from lawsuits placed against them claiming said manufacturers are responsible for gun violence (kind of like suing an automobile manufacturer because somebody killed another person will driving under the influence).

Finally Dayton is for laws that prohibit firearms the possession of firearms within 1,000 feet of school property. Anybody who’s read this site or any other gun blog for any length of time knows that “gun-free zones” are ineffective and should be renamed “defenseless easy prey zones.” There is a reason many mass shootings occur on school grounds, the attackers know everybody there is unarmed and therefore easy prey.

Mark Dayton isn’t good on guns. He’s stated he owns firearms and is pro-hunting but hasn’t made any statement (that I’ve found) about being pro-self-defense, pro-right to carry, or in favor of castle doctrine (which his main opponent Tom Emmers is in favor of). I guess that’s yet another reason I won’t be voting for him.

Minnesota Legislation Question

I mentioned that the Minnesota Legislators had a rather misleading gun related question on their questionnaire at the State Fair this year. I went to the State Fair yesterday and just thought I’d have you some time. The questionnaire is located in the back of the Education Building (if you take a right when entering the fair through the Snelling Avenue entrance it’s something like the second or third building). It’s pretty easy to spot since it’s on the center of the back wall with a big sign that says Minnesota Representatives or something along those lines.

Anyways have fun at the fair and remember to take a few minutes to find that questionnaire and fill it out.

Misleading Questions from Minnesota’s Legislators

This just came across the wire (yes I have a telegraph which is the true source of all my news). It’s a notice of this years Minnesota House of Representatives questionnaire [PDF] for suckers attending the State Fair. The first question is, ”When someone wants to purchase a firearm at a gun show, should a background check on the buyer be required prior to the sale?”

A certain “representative” here in Minnesota by the name of Michael Paymar has been trying to pass a law that would bar private sales of firearms in the state. Even though the bill has not once made it out of committee he keeps trying and trying again. The question as stated on the questionnaire is misleading and incorrectly written. It should state, “Do you believe people should be barred from selling their private property without government permission?”

Anyways if anybody is going to the State Fair make sure you get a copy of this and let the legislators know we don’t want a ban of the sale of private property in this fine state.

Why I Love Gunnies

I love being a gunnie because we’re all sarcastic pricks. Borepatch points out a thread on AR15.com where an author made the following request:

For a book that I am writing, I am interested in meeting/interviewing people who cache weapons. To get a sense of who I am and where I come from, look at www.danbaum.com, and also see the August issue of Harper’s magazine, where I wrote a piece about concealed carry. If you’re interested in talking to me, please email danbaum@me.com. Thank you.

No I’m not taking the time to remove his e-mail address, I don’t protect the stupid. Of course he got the standard response which was ridicule and members digging up the author’s anti-gun background.

On MNGunTalk we have a fellow drop by with the following request:

hey there. I have been assigned a project for my social behaviors class that involves me examIning a subculture of modern day society. I figured what better subculture to study than that of the gun buff. What i need to find out is what draws people to your subculture, what esablishes leaders and influances power withing said subculture, and any flaws or drawbacks caused from being in this cultural group. So i guess what i need from you guys is your input on these questions. if you could help me out that would be great. at the end of the study this will all be compiled into a final research paper that i will turn in for a grade. thank you.

We’ve been giving him the standard response of sarcasm and correcting his atrocious spelling and grammar. This is why I love the gun community, everybody is a prick so I fit right in.

At Least You Know Where Mark Dayton Stands

You know most politicians who want to tax successful rich Americans usually dance around the topic by using flowery terms such as America’s highest earners. Mark Dayton isn’t most politicians:

Progressive Taxes Read my lips, “Tax the rich.” Minnesota’s wealthiest citizens pay only two-thirds of their fair share of state and local taxes. That’s wrong. As Governor, I will raise taxes on the rich of Minnesota, NOT on the rest of Minnesota.

Wait they only pay two thirds of the state’s taxes? Only two thirds? What a condescending asshole. The wealthy make up a minority of the population of this state. The average income in the state of Minnesota was $33,059 in 2001. You know income isn’t that high when the wealthiest don’t number enough to bump the average income up by any meaningful amount. This minority is already paying two thirds of the state’s tax though. What a fucking prick.

Minnesota has a slight problem at the moment. Our largest employer is the state of Minnesota. The state employs 54,900 (not including the 25,976 employees of the University of Minnesota who are also partially on the government payroll) while the second largest employer, Mayo Clinic, employs 37,318. The state employs 17,582 more people than our largest company (that’s actually a non-profit corporation). That’s a whopping 68% more people. The reason for this is the simple fact that many large companies have moved out of Minnesota due to our “progressive” taxes which involve gouging successful companies.

If Mr. Dayton gets into office I’m betting the only employer that will remain in the state is the state. Hell they may actually begin to outsource!

Damn State Preemption

Since the state of Minnesota has preemption over firearms laws the Moorhead is unable to ban the real thing. So what’s are a bunch of whiny anti-gunners to do? Try to ban replicas of course!

By whiny anti-gunners I mean the Moorhead police:

Police chief Dave Ebinger told the city council it’s hard to tell whether the gun is a real firearm or not and that officers are forced to treat the replicas as though they are real.

Sorry that doesn’t add up in this state. So long as a person has a valid carry permit they can openly carry a firearm. Therefore the question for police isn’t whether or that firearm being carried by John Doe is real, but whether or not Mr. Doe has a valid carry permit (which sadly matters in this state). Ultimately none of it matters unless the gun or replica in question is being used to threaten or harm another person. When things get to that point it matters now if the gun is fake or real if the person being threatened believes it to be real (as they then have justification to defend themselves).