A Crack In The Wall

With the announcement of a bipartisan bill to address gun violence, a crack in the wall of intransigence built on the blood of our nation's children has appeared. 

It's certainly not even close to what needs to be done but it's a start. After the next round of dead school kids, there will be more laws made. Then more bodies. Then more laws. And eventually, we will join the rest of the developed world in sanity. 

My advice to gun owners and gun rights activists (in particular, the ones that read this blog:)), best to give in now, fully, if you want even a chance of keeping some of your guns. Large groups of people who are angry, afraid, and feel mistreated aren't a good thing. That's most of the country, btw, and they blame YOU.

As well they should because it's all YOUR fault. 

The Biggest Problem With The Democrats

During the Democratic debate on Thursday night, Beto O'Rourke had the line of the night.


It was fantastic and spoke to exactly what most voters want. Yet, for the last few days, Democrats have been wringing their hands and having conniption fits that it will cost them votes.

Uh...what?

The biggest problem with the Democratic party is they never seem to understand where the electorate is at. So, they wilt under right-wing bullying and behave in an overly cautious fashion. This is exactly why they lose elections.

They need to fucking go for it. Start talking about banning guns. If someone doesn't like it, tell them to fuck off. Tell the gun humpers that we are coming for them.

And it's not going to be pretty.

Turning In His AR-15

Truly, a profile in courage. I wonder how many more gun owners will do this? I suspect it could be more than the gun humpers would like. They are so fucking insecure that if they lose just a few, they will foam at the mouth about how we are all going to die in boiling pits of sewage.

If I Die In A School Shooting...

"If I die in a school shooting, then I hope I'm the last one."

After 10 people were shot and killed at Santa Fe High School, students are sharing what they'll miss if they die in a school shooting. pic.twitter.com/alQ9k5bCuM

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 25, 2018

Gun Sharing

Take a look at this.

Welcome to the Metro Gun Share Program in Chicago. Wanna a problem solved? Just go pick yourself out a gun and take care of it! Tyrannical governments will quake in their boots....shiver...shiver...

OK, full disclosure...this isn't an actual thing. Well, it sort of is because that's how easy it is for anyone to get a gun. This is a protest art piece that came about as a partnership between Chicago-based advertising agency The Escape Pod and gun safety organization the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. It's currently located on Daley plaza in downtown Chicago.

I'm hoping we will see more exhibits like this in the future!

Are the Numbers Dwindling for Gun Rights Activists?

Here are a couple of photos from some recent pro gun rallies.

And here is a photo from a gun safety rally.

Maybe the lies about liberals being communists trying to grab our guns isn't working anymore. I'm sure defending wholesale slaughter on regular basis isn't helping either.

It's most ironic to note that the very dystopian future they fear is actually coming to pass due to their continued support of pro homicide policies. Even more hilarious is their insistence that Democrats are the ones with a commie bent when their dear leader is the one snuggling with Vladimir Putin.

Perhaps they need a long, hard look in the mirror.

Guns: What The Experience of Each State Shows

Take a look at this article (I had to scan it in because it's not available online).

There are several things I love about this article. First, it's a nice summary of all the states that have decent gun safety laws and the ones that are severely lacking.

Second, it illustrates quite clearly that the states that have lax gun laws have higher rates of gun violence per 100,000 people. Take a look Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. They have very high rates of gun violence and very lax gun laws. Compare those three states with the favorite punching bag of the gun humpers, Illinois. Very tough gun laws and lower rates of gun violence per 100,000 people. Look at New York, for pete's sake. It's the lightest color of red on the map!

Third, it gives gun safety advocates a path forward for each of their states. With the current make up of the federal government being run by cowards, the state governments are where the battle should be fought. Look at how much success we have seen so far.

Fourth, this article is free of emotion about guns. It's just the facts. The good thing about facts is that they are true whether you believe them or not.

A Teacher in a Gun Store

Quote of the Day

"Yet this uprising of the young against the ossified, monolithic power of the National Rifle Association has reminded me that the flaws of youth — its ignorance, naïveté and passionate, Manichaean idealism — are also its strengths. Young people have only just learned that the world is an unfair hierarchy of cruelty and greed, and it still shocks and outrages them. They don’t understand how vast and intractable the forces that have shaped this world really are and still think they can change it. Revolutions have always been driven by the young."

---Tim Kreider, from "Go Ahead,Milennials, Destroy Us." 

How To Buy A Gun In Japan

 Japan 1Take a firearm class and pass a written exam, which is held up to three times a year. 2Get a doctor’s note saying you are mentally fit and do not have a history of drug abuse. 3Apply for a permit to take firing training, which may take up to a month. 4Describe in a police interview why you need a gun. 5Pass a review of your criminal history, gun possession record, employment, involvement with organized crime groups, personal debt and relationships with friends, family and neighbors. 6Apply for a gunpowder permit. 7Take a one-day training class and pass a firing test. 8Obtain a certificate from a gun dealer describing the gun you want. 9If you want a gun for hunting, apply for a hunting license. 10Buy a gun safe and an ammunition locker that meet safety regulations. 11Allow the police to inspect your gun storage. 12Pass an additional background review. 13Buy a gun.

Some countries require buyers to accurately hit a target or demonstrate safe handling procedures.

How To Buy A Gun in Israel

 Israel 1Join a shooting club, or prove that you live or work in a dangerous area authorized for gun ownership, including certain settlements.2Get a doctor’s note saying you have no mental illness or history of drug abuse. 3Install a gun safe. 4Release your criminal and mental health history to the authorities. 5Buy a gun and a limited supply of bullets, usually around 50. 6Demonstrate that you can use your gun or a similar gun at a firing range before taking it home.

Many countries, including Israel, also allow people with certain jobs to more easily obtain guns, including security, research and pest control.

How To Buy A Gun In Australia

 Australia 1Join and regularly attend a hunting or shooting club, or document that you’re a collector. 2Complete a course on firearm safety and operation, and pass a written test and practical assessment. 3Arrange firearm storage that meets safety regulations. 4Pass a review that considers criminal history, domestic violence, restraining orders and arrest history. Authorities may also interview your family and community members. 5Apply for a permit to acquire a specific type of weapon. 6Wait at least 28 days.7Buy the specific type of gun you received a permit for.



In response to a 1996 mass shooting, Australia made guns a privilege, not a right. Gun owners must provide a valid reason for owning a weapon, such as farming or hunting, and gun clubs must inform the authorities of inactive members.

Take The Guns Early, Then Go Through Due Process

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAAHAHAHHAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Buyer's remorse yet, gun humpers?

For the record, even though he is saying things I agree with, he's still a terrible president who has failed to defend this nation from within and without.

Archie Bunker on Gun Control

The above was 45 years ago and supposed to be a parody. Look at what's happened today...

Guns + Classroom=Epic Fail

Former marine Anthony Swofford wrote an excellent piece on why having firearms in classrooms is really bad idea. Here are some highlights.

The military issue M-16 is the model for the AR-15 assault rifle that the accused shooter used to kill 17 people this month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The shooter bought the weapon lawfully. He received zero hours of mandated training. There is no reason that any civilian, of any age, should possess this rifle.

Yep. Based on the response to this shooting, I think the AR-15s days are numbered. In fact, I think anything beyond a single shot rifle/shotgun and a handgun aren't going to be in civilians hands much longer. If there is one more school shooting between now and the time they try to pass some kind of legislation, they are toast. The people that support them are going to be voted out of office.

This is absurd. More likely, had Mr. Feis been armed, he would not have been able to draw his weapon (a side arm, presumably) quickly enough to stop the shooter, who with an AR-15 would have had the coach outgunned. Even if the coach had been able to draw his weapon — from where? his athletic shorts? — any shots he managed to fire would have risked being errant, possibly injuring or killing additional students. As some studies have shown, even police officers have missed their targets more than 50 percent of the time. In firing a weapon, Mr. Feis would have only added to the carnage and confusion.

I have to wonder what goes through the head of a gun humper when they read this. Here's a guy who was trained with all sorts of weapons speaking the cold and logical truth. A handgun is no match for an AR 15. According to The Shooter's Log, "a properly configured AR-15 is easily capable of good performance at 500+ yards. Good performance means it can hit a 1-foot-square target all the time." Yet, most handguns average out at effective ranges of around 100 yards or less. So, do we arm all teachers with AR 15s?

Here is something I didn’t think about: I did not think about arming myself to protect my students. President Trump on Thursday specified that he wants only certain teachers — “highly adept people, people that understand weaponry” — to be armed. I will immodestly state that among professors in the United States, I am almost certainly one of the best shooters. But I would never bring a weapon into a classroom. The presence of a firearm is always an invitation to violence. Weapons have no place in a learning environment.

No, they do not.

But it's important to note that this debate is a purposeful distraction. The gun humpers are trying to shift the responsibility away from themselves and into a silly argument that will drive their opponents nuts. The focus should stay on voter registration, calling lawmakers out who support the NRA, and finding people to replace them who will change our gun laws forever.

A Decline in Accidental Gun Deaths

A recent report from the CDC shows that gun deaths in 2015, the most recent year for which they are available, numbered a little more than half of what they were in 1999. In 2015, there were 489 gun deaths from accident whereas in 1999 there were 824 gun deaths from accident.

Experts attribute the decline to a mix of gun safety education programs, state laws regulating gun storage in homes and a drop in the number of households that have guns. While the improvement occurred in every state, those with the most guns and the fewest laws continue to have the most accidental shooting deaths. This is true of overall deaths by firearms.

It's most interesting to note that Illinois has a lower rate of gun violence then does then all of the the southern states where gun laws are very loose. California, as well as my home state of Minnesota, are among the lowest. The Gun Cult tends to focus on the raw number of deaths never taking into account the size of population. Size (ahem) matters because you have to take into account the number of people in an area and compare that to the number of deaths.

Of course, the Gun Cult would never admit that the states with the loosest gun laws have the higher rates of gun violence. That would completely destroy their "gun free zone" myth. It can't possibly be that states like Alaska, Louisiana, Alabama, Wyoming and Mississippi have a greater rate of gun violence.

Say it ain't so!

Every Year

14 Crucial Facts About Gun Violence

The Trace has up some great information up about gun violence. My favorite fact?

06. The NRA is dominant at the state level.

They are dominant because NRA members vote. So, let's get more people to vote than they have. Only a third of our country owns guns and an even smaller percentage of them are gun rights activists. I would imagine there are more folks that support common sense gun safety regulation than don't. But this majority doesn't vote as intensely and we need to figure out why.

Anger, Hate, and Fear Come Home To Roost

GOP Congressmen felt the wraith of a psychotic yesterday in the form of one James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois. In ten gut wrenching minutes, Hodgkinson shot up a baseball field where many House reps were practicing for a charity game. At this point, the only fatality is Hodgkinson himself although House Majority Whip, Steve Saclise is still in critical condition after being hit in the hip.

As I suspected, the blame for this is being laid at the feet of the "hateful rhetoric" of the left. That's like the pyromaniac accusing someone suffering from pyrophobia of starting a fire. Worse, the relaxed attitude towards gun violence and total instransigence on enhancing firearm regulation lead to events like this every day. I'm reminding of the following verse from the Bible.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap ( King James Version of the Bible, Epistle to the Galatians, 6:7).

It was only a matter of time before some angry, nut job on the left easily acquired firearms and went after the folks who made it easier to do so. This guy would have never had the guns he did had Republicans taken steps over the years to restrict access to firearms. Under current law, however, he legally purchased the assault rifle used yesterday in the shooting. Rand Paul, who was present at the shooting, said were it not for the Capital police (trained, armed professionals), it would have been worse. I'm wondering if they will learn anything from this horrific event.

Sadly, I doubt it. What will likely happen is a call for Congressmen to arm themselves at all times. Or more about how liberals are all incendiary revolutionists bent on taking down the state. I've been saying for years that this kind of event is what will change the minds of those folks who don't recognize the reality of gun violence.

The reality of their epistemic closure tells me otherwise.

What 130 of the Worst Shootings Say About Guns in America

Great article. Check it out!