reasonablenut

I'm still wrangling with the whole debate. It was definitely now what I was expecting.

I anticipated Bush, like he did in 2000, surprising everyone and kicking the crap out of Kerry. Alas and alack, that was not the case.

Kerry started out very weak and I thought it was going to be a done deal. He picked up strength as the debate went on. He finished up, I think.

What I found disturbing, was that Bush took Gore's role in 2000. Bush looked impatient, damn near rolled his eyes, and facially dismissed every point as if it was moronic. The problem here is that Bush is not the greatest orator to grace the western world in the last couple of minutes. Bush's strength in the 2000 debates was the fact that he remained calm and appeared human and wouldn't stoop. He failed in that regard.

And by not losing, Kerry won.

It still would have been more interesting if they would have let Lyndon LaRouche have a podium.

Recently I bought a Red Ryder BB gun for a friend's 8 year old daughter. I have never owned or shot one before, but based on information at hand, it seemed like a good beginner gun.

The child originally loved it. We were shooting at a cardboard box trap on an apartment landing. I never realized how much fun they are. They seem to be accurate up to about 15 ft. and I'm sure you can hit a can from a farther range. In any case, I highly recommend them for youths.

In fact, I've been thinking about picking one up for myself.

http://www.daisy.com/shopping/customer/product.php?productid=16137&cat=249&page=1

Local story that the press loves. This idiot is something else. Via the Albuquerque Journal (link is subscription only so here's the whole thing):

Joseph Marquez told police the gun that killed his best friend "just went off." "There shouldn't have been a round in the chamber," Marquez told the officers who found Jacob Benavidez's body inside a Northeast Albuquerque apartment Monday, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Marquez, 19, is accused of involuntary manslaughter, the complaint states. He was jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center on a $140,000 bond. Marquez told police he had been smoking marijuana and drinking beer prior to the shooting at his cousin's apartment, the complaint shows. Benavidez, 18, died of a gunshot wound to the head shortly before 9 p.m. at 12200 Montgomery NE, the complaint states. According to the complaint, the incident unfolded as follows: About 4:30 p.m., Marquez, who was with his girlfriend, bought a Taurus 9mm handgun and went to the Montgomery apartment. While there, Marquez disassembled the gun then put it back together, sliding the clip in place. He said he never "chambered a round." Benavidez and a friend arrived at the apartment shortly before 9 p.m. and knocked on the door. Marquez reached for the gun with his right hand and opened the door with his left. He pointed the gun toward Benavidez, and it went off. Marquez told police he had owned guns before and was familiar with their operation. He said he was clueless as to how a bullet got in the chamber. APD Homicide Sgt. Carlos Argueta said automatic weapons such as Marquez's Taurus and, for example, a Colt, have different features. "This kid had been drinking and smoking pot," Argueta said. "Maybe his judgment was impaired to the point where he mistakenly said, 'I'm positive this gun didn't have a bullet in it.' "But the basic rule of firearms is that you treat all of them as if they're loaded." Police are investigating to make sure all the evidence points to an accidental shooting, he said. Should the autopsy, forensic or crime-scene evidence conflict with witness statements, police could file additional charges, Argueta said. "We don't want to overlook something," he said. "But as of now, there is nothing to indicate foul play.

This moron defies imagination. He's high and drunk.

I think Du Toit has a good point about people not owning guns here:

http://www.kimdutoit.com/dr/weblog.php?id=P4530

Same case Goldberg makes for voting:

http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg200409290833.asp

UPDATE: A friend has pointed out that there is some disconnect between the title of this post and its substance. The fact that the reporter brings up that the dipshit claims to be familiar with guns and their operation is ridiculous. They quote him twice about there not being a round in the chamber. This ninny broke every fucking safety rule out there. Primarily, don't point a firearm at yourself or any target you do not intend to fire upon. Positively ID your background. And it's kind of rude to shoot your best friend in the head for no reason.

And, yes; certain people should not be allowed to own firearms. Some people should not be allowed to vote.

Looks like South Africa has taken some draconian steps to insure that their citizens have no safeguard against thugs, either of the street variety or the government kind.

"Industry experts said not one legal firearm had been sold in South Africa in the past two months and proficiency certificates (which are called for under the new law) have been issued to only eight people in this time."

The other thing that is bewildering, is that hunting is such a giant money-maker over there. The cash that hunters bring into southern countries is unbelievable. I have a buddy who went to Zimbabwe last year. Took down some weird looking animals whose names I can't pronounce. The only way for a foreigner to access any of the southern countries is through the airport in South Africa. It is the only country in the area that has a modern, commercial airport that accepts international flights. Check this nugget:

"These people are now forced to fill out lengthy documents at the airport and the firearms of many have been confiscated, as they did not comply with the new legislation.
"Up to 55% of hunters are from the United States where firearm legislation is virtually absent.
"The new law is putting a lot of pressure on our industry, because hunters feel it is now too difficult to bring weapons in.
"It is going to have a big impact on the next hunting season," he said, adding that only next year would they know exactly how many hunters had decided to go elsewhere. "

Again, any regulation inevitably leads to confiscation. The mere graft these people collect from the hunting industry is unbelievable. But subjugating a people is always more important than an economy that's shitty to begin with.

Whole article: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1595913,00.html

Here's another fun one, but not for the faint of heart. If you want to see what happens to unarmed people in the southern part of the continent, check out the photo gallery at this site (once again, I stress, this is very graphic shit; No Kids:

http://www.africancrisis.org/photos16.asp

NY Daily News doesn't like AR-15's and they don't like Southerners. First quote:

"Last week, as some Southern stores resumed sale of the rifle, Police Officer Darrell Corti demonstrated its destructive power."

Obviously, gun crimes are not only the fault of AR-15's, Tec-9's, AK's, and Uzis, the dreaded Southern population has dared to rear it's ugly head.

More scary stuff:

"Corti aimed the weapon at a cinderblock at the NYPD firing range at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx and pulled the trigger. The burst of gunfire rang loudly in the ears despite protective gear. The narrow bullet traveled at such a high velocity that it pierced a half-dollar-sized hole in the inch-thick side of the stone before shattering into shiny fragments.
The round is capable of penetrating some bulletproof vests."

I've never tried firing my AR at a cinder block (I get a bit paranoid about ricochets and what not, coupled with the fact that logical gun safety would obviously bar this activity from a common sense point of view.) Needless to say, though, I never realized a .223 could go through anything. If my AR can do that, imagine what my .223 bolt can do.

One more nod to our Southern brothers and sisters:

"New York's own ban on assault weapons remains in effect, and the city has some of toughest gun laws in the nation, but traffickers have managed to smuggle in thousands of illegal handguns each year through Southern states, where lax laws allow multiple purchases and the use of so-called straw buyers."

Geez, it seems like every gun smuggler happens to be below the Mason-Dixon line. You people need to get your shit together on behalf of the the other 4/5ths of the nation that obeys laws.

It never ceases to amaze me; if you live in New York City, nothing exists west of the Mississippi, and anything south of Vermont is the OK corral, just not as smart.

Elitist shits.

Jeff, over at Alphecca ( http://www.alpecca.com), brings to light the serious prejudice that faces a young shooter (http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=44483.)

God forbid we profile people who look and act like terrorists (i.e. Arab and acting suspiciously.) The real problem is 17 year old trap shooters. That's where the next Columbine is coming from.

From now on I am trying to use smaller fonts. I'm still learning and haven't consulted experts.

I happen to be, what is popularly called, a Gen-Xer.

Most people I coerce with are older, conservative Baby-Boomers.

They are intelligent people, but I don't think there has ever been a generation as consistently wrong as theirs.

To the point: all of them predict a 60% win for Bush. My hesitation results from the fact that all of these armchair pundits said Clinton didn't stand a chance in '92. And for every 50-something convservative, who still wants his Social Security, there is an army of ex-hippies who want to socialize the way you eat, put on your pants, etc.

And then after the first term, they were positive Clinton would be trampled under the Dole Movement. Retrospect is 20/20, but Dole didn't stand a chance at the time. Everybody knew it but the people who hated Clinton to such a degree, that they couldn't comprehend voting for the man. But their wives did.

I'm not so confident that this is a wrap for Bush. Especially with predictions from people who have been so grossly wrong before.

Kerry is and admittedly weak candidate, (reference Michael Moore on this matter), but the country is LEFTist.

I took a crap this morning and my mainstay on the pot is US News & World report. Well, their editorial cartoon has a picture of a police officer asking an Arab of small stature where he is carrying his AR-15. The vertically challenged terrorist responds that he is going to hunt deer.

In such an ignorant climate, I can't bank on a Republican victory.

Based on recent Kerry soundbites, anyone who claims to be a "sportsman" is not in keeping with the 2nd Amendment. Personally, if Kerry likes lying down while he hunts deer, it is his business. I wouldn't do it that way, but it's a free country so he can waste his time in any fashion he views as a worthwhile pursuit.

About half the guns I own are "sporting guns." The other half are, admittedly, designed to kill people.

I recently bought a 14" AR upper and didn't get around to mounting it until tonight. Once mounted, it's just a big pistol with a powerful round.

To round out, the 2nd Amendment does not mention hunters: So I don't care about that argument. There is something more fundamental, at the base of the argument, and it has nothing to do with deer.

As of this evening, there still hasn't been any mass shootings in town, as predicted by the Bradys (check their website for Sarah's open letter to the president). No roaming gangs, no blood in the streets, no civil war, no mass destruction. In fact, the neighborhood has been rather quiet.

There were actually more shootings here (Albuquerque, NM) in the two weeks preceding the ban's expiration than in the last week.

There has also been a weird trend as far as manufacturers go. Bushmaster, Taurus, and several other companies have noted the change in law. Bushmaster is doing the smart thing, in my opinion, and deliberately targeting the market. And Armalite deserves mention because they were trying to sell before the ban sunset even took place.

Glock...well the Glock website never changes. Colt...same story. CZ, Ruger, etc. Rock River merely removed their weird pre-ban pop-up stuff. As well as most online retailers, companies seem to have barely noted the expiration. I have no idea when non-Clinton, non-LEO magazines will be available.

Conclusions of the day, outside of re-establishing that Kerry is out his mind for the 60th day in a row.

In recent weeks, the Rather controversy has completely taken over every single blog in existence.

Rathergate is a good thing in that it indicates the forthcoming implosion of the MSM, et. al.

My point, is that there is still other things going on. People being beheaded, new gun law proposals, WAR, DEATH, all the unpleasant things one doesn't bother worrying about.

It's new. Give me some time and I will figure it out

First and foremost, this is a gun blog. Where are the cheapest hi-cap mags to be found?

Secondly, this a political blog. Kerry must lose.

Thirdly, it is a place where I can bitch about stuff my mother would care not to hear about.

Where are cheap magazines? (to go back to my original questions.)