Welcome back and Happy New Year! We had a very eventful holiday, what with law school final exams, Christmas travel, and, oh yeah, GETTING MARRIED! I hope you all had as good a vacation as we had.
Before we begin, I have a very special request to ask of all you readers:
I am looking for a current FFL holder in Park City, Utah (or the greater Salt Lake City area). I have a relative there who would like to ship some firearms of mine back to me here in Oregon, and we need to comply with the law. We'd like to be able to do this as inexpensively as possible. So, if you are able to assist, please contact me directly via the blog e-mail address:
g u l l y b o r g A T c a s t l e i s p D O T c o m
And on the amusing personal side... the other day, while gathering some information for a law school project, I wandered in to a local gun store (honest, it was just to do homework!). I struck up a conversation with the gent behind the counter, and mentioned that I was in law school. So he asks me, "Say, do you read the Carnival of Cordite? It's run by a law student!"
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Politics, legislation, media, etc.:
New contribtor Pro-Gun Progressive would like to introduce himself, with the message that liberals and democrats like himself need to abandon gun-control as a campaign issue. If only more "progressives" could see the light!
Bothenook is happy to find some sensible journalism about
preparation proposition H, the infamous San Fran Gun Ban. Mr. Completely thinks his local paper could use some help, though... Speaking of Mr. Completely, his blog is overflowing with gun posts since the last Carnival of Cordite. You will need to just start at the top and work your way down. There's race guns, competition schedules, machine gun videos, and more. I simply can't do it justice this week with excerpts, so go see it all.
Of Arms and the Law has some encouraging news from Michigan, where their Attorney General published an official opinion approving the lawful ownership of NFA firearms. Score one for the good guys! And speaking of NFA, here's another report showing the failings of the NFA bureaucracy.
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An alert reader sent in this via e-mail:
At first, Cindy Germain tried learning how to shoot a handgun from her husband.
It didn't go so well.
She said he teased her about her mistakes and when she couldn't hit the target.
To improve her skills, she signed up for a Women-Only Basic Pistol Course through the Laramie County Sheriff's Department and Laramie County Community College.
"I didn't feel as dumb with all the other ladies," Germain said.
Instead she learned about basic handgun safety and maintenance with other beginners. While she knew how to load a handgun, she said she didn't know much else.
"I wasn't accurate," she said. "I didn't know single-action from double-action."
Germain said she liked the course so much she signed up again and again. Today she says she is a better shot than her husband.
Yes, if you live near Laramie County, WY, you can learn weapons skills in a friendly environment!
If your kids are "learning" gun safety at a camp under someone else's supervision, you as both a parent and responsible gun owner have a duty to ensure the training is safe and proper!
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Guns and crime...
Chicago isn't far behind the "enlightened" British, either. Ronocracy reports that retired Chicago police will no longer be able to carry their handguns. What is this country coming to when we can't trust someone in retirement after trusting him to keep the peace for decades on the job?
[I]f lax U.S. gun laws are causing violent crime to rise in Canada, why is it falling here?
The answer is one that pro gun-control Canadians refuse to comprehend. It is because 37 of the 50 U.S. states have "right to carry" laws that let law abiding citizens defend themselves from armed thugs.
Hmmmm... Daniel ponders:
If guns don't prevent violence then how come the same liberals who are willing to attack ladies wearing fur, empty SUV parking lots and businessmen at the WTO aren't out attacking the local NRA meeting?
Ummm... must have something to do with... ummm... corporate greed and global warming?
[P]roactive intervention by authorities and individuals is necessary to minimize the tragic results of aberrant behavior. Teaching and encouraging self defense and taking custody of irresponsible mental patients would be a positive approach.
Since it's been several weeks since the last Carnival of Cordite, there are many new stories gathered up at The Civilian Gun Self Defense Blog. Be sure to scroll down and get fully caught up.
Random Nuclear Strikes writes an open letter to ubergeek Wil Wheaton (yes, I knew who he was talking about without looking him up) encouraging him to embrace our pro-gun attitudes. For those of you who don't know who Wil Wheaton is, here is a picture of him with the worst Christmas present ever:
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It's only funny until someone loses an eye...
Can you spot the problem here?
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On to the good stuff...
Another alert reader e-mailed me about these awesome super slo-mo videos. MUST SEE!
I'm pretty sure this kid ain't gonna shoot his eyes out...
It was another Merry Christmas over at mASS BACKWARDS:
And Cowboy Blob's New Year's Resolution is apparently to inundate the blogosphere with gun-and-knife photos!
Cowboy Blob also NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Random Nuclear Strikes remembers the year in guns. And Toys in the Attic follows suit. Warning: lots of gratuitous gun pr0n! And Hell in a Handbasket has a round-up of some other "year in review" gun pr0n posts.
Another alert e-mailer got me interested in an excellent bulletin board called The Firing Line. Check it out if you haven't already. There's areas for discussion of just about any gun-related topic you can imagine.
The Taurus Gaucho shares the legendary handling of a Colt Single Action Army, the accuracy and trigger pull of a custom tuned gun and the production values and quality of a 21st Century gunmaker with a breathtakingly reasonable price tag.
And for those of you who prefer a more modern-style handgun, don't miss your chance to win a new SIG 226R!
While you are busy deciding which style of handgun suits you, read this post on the definition of firepower. Then read this post about revolvers shooting autopistol cartridges.
But what we all really need for Christmas is a DREAD.
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That wraps us our first Carnival of Cordite for 2006! Since so many of you have had so much content since the last Carnival, we'll hold off on blog of the week honors. We end now with our discussion question for the week: what do you predict this new year will hold for gun owners?
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See y'all next week. Keep your powder dry!