Category: Guns

Friday Quote – Marko Kloos

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

 

Marko Kloos, in this post

I Am Sheep

So, this happened in my neighborhood last night.

I’m not even going to touch if it was a good shoot or not. There’s not enough info. 

My problem? I heard the gunfire and dismissed it. I thought my damn neighbors were shooting off fireworks again. I was pissed that I’d just managed to drift off when they lit them off. (I go to bed early because I get up early)

Except, there was that niggling in the back of my head that those were just a bit loud for fireworks. The part that said, maybe you should call the police. I ignored it. I went back to sleep. Then, I leave for work and the street is taped off and crammed with sheriff deputies, FDLE, and newsies.

I fucked up. I should have listened to that niggling part of my mind. It wouldn’t have mattered this time, but it would have set up the mental pathways if there is ever a next time.

My only comfort is that I’ve gained experience.

Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.

It’s Frighteningly Easy To Kill A Bunch of People

Not from an emotional standpoint. Humans are generally adverse to killing. It’s why most have to be conditioned or put in extreme circumstances to kill another human being.

Technologically, on the other hand, it is scary easy. This week an airliner crashed in the Alps. Rare and tragic, but not unheard of in this day and age. Now we learn that the co-pilot most likely deliberately crashed the plane. 

As I write this, there has been no definitive reason for the co-pilot’s actions. 

Here’s the issue. We are being constantly told that something must be banned because it might be misused by someone. Just as long as that something is not routinely used by those that wished it banned. Why? Because when you use something routinely, you understand that an inanimate object lacks agency. It can’t do something without human direction or manipulation. As long as there are evil humans, they will use whatever means are available to accomplish their ends. It could be a gun, gasoline, glass bottle, or airplane. 

The object doesn’t matter. The action matters.

Florida Carry Responds to the Demanding Mommies in Everyplace

From Florida Carry’s press release:

TALLAHASSEE, FL, March 10, 2015 — A new anti-gun advertisement produced by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s astroturf propaganda efforts, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Bloomberg’s attempt to sell Floridians magical elixirs to keep them safe amounts to little more than wishful thinking, wild imagination and frankly, snake oil.

Rather than addressing the realities of today’s on and off campus life, the release instead touts a new initiative – “Backpacks, Not Bullets”. It goes on to list the five bills dealing with school carry. Two of the bills deal with college/university campuses, and appear to be the focus of the Bloomberg release. Yet by combining the two disparate topics, the ad attempts to confuse viewers into seeing one issue – kids and guns together. That’s right, according to Everytown/MDA, a 25 or 30 year old grad student is no different than a five year old who has just mastered the shoelace!

FACT: Adults are NOT kids. Colleges and universities are NOT elementary schools. HB 4005 and SB 176 would simply remove colleges and universities from the prohibited places list for licensed adult carriers, who can legally carry practically everywhere else in the state, and who do so with more responsibility than even law enforcement according to state government data. Licensees are prohibited by law from being able to protect themselves, yet the criminals who commit violent crimes on campus don’t seem to mind the fact that carry without a license is a felony.

FACT: Colleges and universities are not as safe as one might think. According to the US Department of Education, 392 violent crimes (homicide, aggravated assault, forcible sexual assault, robbery, and arson) occurred on Florida campuses and in on-campus housing in 2013. Almost 400 felons didn’t care that what they did was illegal, and almost 400 victims were denied the potential of avoiding or stopping that crime. And this doesn’t count what happens in off-campus university housing, frat houses, or in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding campuses in the state. What does Everytown/MDA say about the safety and security of those “children”? 


Just this weekend an armed home invasion attack took place in campus housing at the University of North Florida.  The armed attacker was out on bail when the attack occurred.  Despite being too young to have a concealed carry license, despite being prohibited from possessing guns pending trial, and despite the campus gun ban…  The only people who followed the law were the only people who didn’t have a chance to defend themselves.

This isn’t about allowing guns on campus. Guns are already ON CAMPUS, in the hands of those who don’t care about laws or victims. 

About Us:

Florida Carry, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental rights of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 2 and 8 of the Florida Constitution. Florida Carry stands to represent our supporters, members, and millions of defensive arms owners of Florida. We are not beholden to any national organization’s agenda that may compromise that mission.

Florida Carry works tirelessly toward striking down ill-conceived gun and weapons control laws that have been proven to provide safe havens to criminals and be deadly to law-abiding citizens.

ATF Backs Off Banning M855 Bullets

The ATF released a statement backing away from their plan to reclassify M855 “green-tip” rounds as armor piercing.

“Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry, and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study. Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework. After the close of the comment period, ATF will process the comments received, further evaluate the issues raised therein, and provide additional open and transparent process (for example, through additional proposals and opportunities for comment) before proceeding with any framework.”

The NRA and others are claiming victory, but I’m skeptical. It wouldn’t surprise me to see ATF “process the comments” and quietly try this again in six months.

Top 10 Astroturfers According to One Reporter

My fellow gunnies are ecstatic over Sheryl Attkinson’s list of top astroturfers because the Demanding Mommies topped the list.

Here’s the problem. Scrolling down Attkinson decides to include several science blogs because they are – horror of horrors – pro-vaccine.

I’m sorry, but while I don’t agree with them politically, the skeptical blogs Attkinson mentions are hardly astroturfers. If anything, most of them are just as grassroots as the gunny blogs.

So, I’m sorry Ms. Attkinson, your list is garbage. Your reporting on “Fast and Furious” has been excellent, but your stance on vaccines is coloring your judgement. Worse, you’ve succumbed to the lies and propaganda of the anti-vaxxers who have caused as much death and destruction as the politicians behind “Fast and Furious.”

Update on Florida Carry and Suncoast Gun Shows

Florida Carry is reporting on the Book of Face that the Suncoast Gun Show promoters is now providing tables to Florida Carry. Apparently it was a case of Florida Carry being mistaken for another group.

So, if you’re going to the gun show, make sure to stop by the Florida Carry table and join up if you haven’t already.