R.E.O. Deathwagon

Damn You, Ransom E. Olds!  And damn your interchangeable automobile parts giving rise to the modern automobile industry and mass production of death machines.

A person is three times more likely to be killed by an automobile than by a gun.  It's high time to ban the automobile.

The U.S. homicide rate was 4.7 per 100,000 persons in 2011.  That would be 14,570 homicides in a population of 310,000,000.  67.5% of homicides were by gun.  That is 9,835 homicides by gun.

The number of automobile deaths in 2011 was 32,367 in the U.S.  Over three times the amount of gun homicides.

Put another way, the number of automobiles in the U.S. is somewhere around 255,000,000.  With 32,367 deaths, that would mean that 0.0127 percent of automobiles are involved in a death in 2011.  A very small percentage.

With 300,000,000 guns in the U.S., we have 9,835 gun homicides.  That is 0.00328% of firearms involved in a homicide in 2011, about one-fourth the rate for automobiles.  A very, very small amount.

The rate may be even less due to an error of methodology which favors the automobile:  Most gun homicides are of a single person.  Automobile fatalities where one automobile collision results in multiple fatalities are common. 

The bottom line:  Chuckie Schumer, Diane Fineswine, Mayor Boob-berg, the Manchurian Hawaiian, and others of the anti-gun ilk are missing the boat.  If they really wanted to save lives, they would get straightaway to banning the automobile.

Sadly, Chuckie, Ms. Fineswine, Boob-berg, the Kenyan-in-chief, and other collectivist totalitarians are more interested in consolidating political power and subjugating the citizenry than in saving lives.

That also explains the burgeoning business in government contracts to supply black pajamas and large amounts of ammunition.


Thanks to Karl Denninger for planting the idea:  Why We Can't Have a "Reasonable Discussion" on 2A.

Comment on Obergruppenfuhrer Sebelius' Plan to Violate Your Health Care Records Privacy Rights

David Codrea has asked for concerned citizens to comment on Obergruppenfuhrer Sebelius' proposed HHS rule for changes to HIPAA, which would allow access to mental health records as part of a background check for firearms purchases.

Of course, I am opposed to such a violation of citizens rights.  My comment is as follows:

How Orwellian.  This is the same government that does not vet its presidential candidates, prohibits requiring identification to vote, and does everything it can to prohibit states and employers from ensuring that only US citizens are eligible for legal employment. 

It must be tough promulgating such a new rule.  While it may not have the support of gun owners such as myself, who are not likely to be communists, er...  democrats, don't you think you are risking alienating the mentally ill, who usually are democrats.  Cases in point:  Christopher Dorner and Jared Loughner.  I realize that Christopher Dorner is dead, but when did that ever stop a democrat from voting.  I mean, Kathleen Sebelius' career would not have even got off the ground without the dead, mentally ill, and fictional people voting.

OF COURSE I AM OPPOSED TO THIS NEW INFRINGEMENT UPON THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF AMERICANS.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT "GUN VIOLENCE", THEN DISARM GOVERNMENT JACKBOOTED THUGS WEARING BLACK PAJAMAS ON THEIR FANTASY RAIDS.  THEY MUST BE MENTALLY ILL TO THINK THAT A BLACK PAJAMA RAID IS REQUIRED TO SERVE A SEARCH WARRANT AT A CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS (FLYING J CORP) IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.

I WOULD GIVE YOU MORE OF MY TWO CENTS, BUT I NEED EVERY PENNY I CAN GET TO PAY FOR THAT OTHER UNCONSTITUTIONAL OBAMINATION, OBAMACARE.

Yes, my comment is a bit extreme.  Someone once said, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."  I agree.

Leave your comment here.

O, No! Loon Gunman finds The Smoking Gun!

I hope that Press Secretary Jay Cravenly got lots of overtime for this one.  Only he must have been so tired he forgot to airbrush out the steam locomotive coming through the woods.  You can see it just behind the  barrel of the shotgun.

Note to Loon Gunman:  Aim up at the clays, not down at Joe Biden.  Naw, I take that back. 

Note to Pseudo Constitutional Law Professor from Practicing Attorney who has actually read the Constitution:  I can do whatever I want to your photo.  It's called satire, dumbass.  Satire of a public figure is protected by the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution, a document you are utterly ignorant of.  Jerry Falwell found that out in 1982 or so when he sued Hustler publisher Larry Flynt.  If you were really a lawyer and/or professor of constitutional law, you would know that.

Inspiration from TL Davis, David Codrea (I stole the photo from him), and Pamela Geller (I stole "Loon Gunman" from her).

Of course, the best photo was the one Pamela Geller borrowed from BigFurHat

Quote of the Day

"The power of the sword, say the minority..., is in the hands of Congress. My friends and countrymen, it is not so, for The powers of the sword are in the hands of the yeomanry of America from sixteen to sixty. The militia of these free commonwealths, entitled and accustomed to their arms, when compared with any possible army, must be tremendous and irresistible. Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords and every terrible implement of the soldier are the birthright of Americans. The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments but where, I trust in God, it will always remain, in the hands of the people."

Tench Coxe, anti-federalist, quoted from his writing as "A Pennsylvanian" in The Pennsylvania Gazette, February 20, 1788.

Hat tip to Kurt Hofmann for his mention in "Call Them 'Regime Change Rifles'".

Public Service Announcement: Available AR Magazines

A tip from Survivalblog:  Mako Group has Israeli 30 round AR magazines for $18.70 each, not a backorder item.  Find them here.  I ordered mine.  Was quick and easy ordering.  Site said 21 business days for delivery, but that is not bad, considering.

Also, Sportsmans Guide, which has thoroughly pissed me off with their decision to charge Washington State sales tax (and the incorrect amount, to boot, charging 9.5% where state is 6.5% and local add-on is 2.2%) just because they sell a few items through Amazon.  I only order from Sportsmans Guide when the deal is worth it considering sales tax, but they are taking backorders on a lot of magazines, including Thermold and Tapco magazines.  These fall into the "worth it" category because, so far, Sportsmans Guide has not raised the price on anything I have ever backordered.  They also don't charge the credit card until the order is shipped.  I placed an order for backordered Thermold 20 rounders on December 24, they shipped on January 7 and will arrive tomorrow.  To get $25 off a $185 order use code SPGGUNS12 at checkout (don't know when it expires).

By the way, I always check RetailMeNot for coupon codes prior to buying anything online.  I can almost always find a good Sportsmans Guide code there, better than the ones I get from Sportsmans Guide.

On other magazines, Wholesale Hunter is allowing backorders at reasonable prices, especially the MecGar magazines I like for my pistols. Downside is they charge the credit card up front and does not project when the items will arrive or ship. 

Note to Dianne Feinstein and other reptilian-brained politicians:  I'm not stocking it up just to turn it in.

MOLON LABE, M****RF*****S!

No. 1 Reason I am Voting Republican Nov. 6

The number one reason I am voting Republican in the November 6, 2012 election has to do with the political parties' national platforms on the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

The Republicans: 

We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen’s God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration. We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration’s Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority.

The Democrats:

We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious.  We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements – like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole – so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few. 

(As an aside, I find it ironic that the Democrats cite the fragility of life and the limited and precious nature of our time on this mortal plane as considerations in curtailing God-given rights, then abandon those considerations in favor of murder of the unborn children on demand.)

There you have it.  The needs of the collective.  The touchy-feely illogic of the majority giving up rights to control those "irresponsibile, law-breaking few".   The "commonsense" surrender of our rights.

I'm not going for it.  Although I think that Mitt Romney is not a good conservative and is far from being a Libertarian, he is not a collectivist, anti-Constitutionalist, personality cultist, pseudo-savior, unvetted Manchurian candidate.   He will be getting my vote on November 6, 2012.


Hat tip to Kurt Hofmann at The Examiner for the information on the parties' platforms.

Update to Kel-Tec Customer Service Experience

Back in mid-April I wrote a favorable post about Kel-Tec customer service.  I found myself in need of a magazine catch for my Sub2000 rifle and contacted customer service, inquiring as to how I could buy the replacement magazine catch.  Until somewhat recently, the item had been available for purchase in the Kel-Tec website store.  For some reason it is no longer listed in the store, so I made contact with Kel-Tec through their website email.

I received a prompt reply stating that the magazine catch would be mailed to me at no charge.  I thought this was great service, and wrote a blog post to that effect.  I think I was premature in lauding Kel-Tec's service.

On April 20, 2011 I received an envelope from Kel-Tec.  It contained a pair of front sights for a pistol.  Not what I requested.  I sent a follow up email to Kel-Tec and received a reply that the magazine catch would be mailed to me.  So I waited.  Two weeks after that I sent a follow-up email to Kel-Tec stating that I had not received the magazine catch.  I received a reply stating that the magazine catch had been mailed to me, but another one would be sent out.  That was on May 4, 2011.

Yesterday I decided that I was tired of playing the email game and sent a letter explaining my wait and offering to purchase the magazine catch.  I also sent a check to cover about twice the cost of the part (from my recollection) and postage.  I hope that I actually get the part I need.

I have owned a number of their firearms over the years and have generally been satisfied with the quality for the price paid.  I am not so sure now about their customer service.  I still like my Kel-Tecs and have no plans on selling any of them, and I am not discouraging anyone from buying Kel-Tec.  I do think that I will make a list of any parts I might need in the future and prospectively place my orders for those parts.

I will post an update when and if I get the part I ordered.

Kudos to Greg Cote, LLC

I like to give credit where credit it due, and to spread the word when I find a vendor who gives excellent service with great prices.

Greg Cote, LLC is a vendor that I highly recommend for gun magazines.  Their website is http://www.gregcotellc.com/ .  In the past couple of months I have made two purchases from them and I am very happy with the service I received.

Greg Cote does not have a large selection, but it appears that they only sell quality items.  No ProMag, National Magazines, or other lower quality merchandise. I have purchased a number of Mec Gar pistol magazines from them for various firearms that I own.

The positives, aside from quality merchandise, are low prices, flat rate shipping of $5.99, excellent communication and super fast shipping.  On my last order, which was this past Monday, I placed my order in the morning, then immediately received an email confirmation.  Within a couple of hours I had an email telling me that my order had been shipped.  My package arrived in Wednesday's mail.  Across the country from Maryland to Eastern Washington in two days, that is outstanding.

Another bonus of sorts:  If Greg Cote does not have it in stock, you cannot order it.  None of this backorder nonsense when you are ordering something that you need.  (We all need more gun magazines, right?)

Kudos to Kel-Tec Customer Service

I like to compliment good service wherever I encounter it, since it is becoming the exception rather than the rule these days.

I needed a replacement magazine catch for my Kel-Tec rifle, so I looked on the Kel-Tec website store for the part.  It was not listed, which was perplexing because I could have sworn that Kel-Tec sold just about every part to their firearms (except those requiring an FFL) in their web store.

I clicked on the tab to contact Kel-Tec, and sent them a message asking how I could get the magazine catch.  The site said that it would take two to three days for them to get back to me.  That was Wednesday evening.  Thursday morning I had an email from Kel-Tec stating that they would mail me the part FOR FREE if I would just provide them with my address.  I replied with my address, and in about an hour I received another email from Kel-Tec stating that the part was in the mail.

Kel-Tec did not even ask me where I purchased the rifle, the serial number, or for a copy of my receipt.  No questions, just good service. 

Makes we want to buy another Kel-Tec.  Maybe that nifty PMR-30 .22 Mag semi-auto pistol.

R.I.P. Aaron Zelman

Aaron Zelman, founder of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, has passed.

Zelman was an uncompromising leader of the right to own firearms.  Although I did not know him, I benefited greatly from his work, which helped to form my own opinions on the Second Amendment and the dangers posed by a government that disarms it's citizens.

May G*d welcome him with open arms.

Random Thoughts

Inflation:  It's definitely here as far as food prices go.  Two items I recently purchased have radically increased in price were four-packs of pudding and sugar.  Those pudding packs were $0.99 within recent memory, now they are $1.49 for the store brand.  And sugar was recently about $2.99 for a five pound bag of name brand.  Now it is $3.09 for a four pound bag.  That's right, the standard size sugar bag is only 80% of what it was and it costs more.  If it weren't for my daughter wanting pudding now and me having two teaspoons of sugar in my coffee, I would do without both.

Deflation:  Some ammo prices are definitely getting more reasonable.  I was in the White Elephant (sporting goods and toy store in Spokane) the other day, and noticed that the 525 packs of .22 ammo, both Federal and CCI, were $14.99.  Blazer Brass 9mm was $10.99 and .45acp was $18.99.  Compares very favorably with what I have been seeing online.  I found a few very good deals on 9mm and .380acp online and had to stock up.  Sportsmans Guide has Federal 9BP 115 gr JHP's for $17.47 a box of 50 ($16.60 if you are a club member like I am, and an additional 2.5% off if you have the Sportsman's Guide Visa).  SG also has free shipping right now on $99+ orders.  Graf & Sons is another place I have been shopping lately.  They recently had CCI Blazer 9mm 115 FMJ for $7.99 a box, and Blazer .380 for $10.99 a box.  Right now they are also running free shipping on $50+ orders, including ammo.  I really like the Blazer at this price because I don't feel bad about not saving my brass at the range (besides the fact that the range discourages picking up one's own brass). 

Gun Show Last Weekend:   Went to this on Sunday looking for more ammo cans.  The vendor I have bought from in the past was there, but sold out of .50's.  I did see a few good deals, such as an old Stevens Favorite .22 for $75.00, but I passed on it because the extractor looked to be worn out.  There were some good deals on ammo there, but a few "scalpers" as well.  A few tables had the same boxes of bulk .22 ammo as the White Elephant, but were being hawked for $25.00.  I have noticed that there is no shortage of opportunists reselling ammo or selling used guns for more than I could get them in a retail store.

Rifle Cleaning Chores:  I had bought a Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle while Bud's Gun Shop had them for a good price.  Unlike the SKS's and Romanian AK's I had bought in the past, this Mosin had a very dark and dirty bore.  The crown looked good, as did the chamber and what I could see of the rifling.  I cleaned out the cosmoline with WD-40 (it just melts the stuff away), then scrubbed several times with Hoppe's No. 9.  Not much luck with that, so I switched to Bore Scrubber.  A little more gunk removed and more blue-gray stuff on the patches, but still a lot of crud in the bore.  After doing a little internet searching, I came across a recommendation for Butch's Bore Shine.  It was $10.99 locally for an 8oz bottle, which is about middle-of-the-road price for bore cleaner.  I soaked a patch, ran it through, and waited about ten minutes.  The next patch took out more crud than all of my previous scrubbing combined.  I have given the bore two scrubbings with Butch's so far, and while the bore is still dark I can at least clearly see the lands and grooves.  I figure I have about two more scrubbings to go.  I'm  not looking for a bright bore, just cleanly defined lands and grooves.

Cheap Shotgun Update:  The Ultra 87 shotgun I ordered from Cheaper Than Dirt arrived and I picked it up today from my local FFL dealer.   I figure that others must have also considered $145 for  a defensive 12 gauge to be a good buy, because CTD has sold out.  I will report a little later on about fit and finish, but it may be a while before I get to go try it out at a friend's property out of town.

Preps:  Despite the reported coming price increases in grains, I found 20lb bags of white rice for $6.72 at Winco Foods the other day.  Wheat berries went up a bit to $0.47 a pound, but popcorn went down to $0.58 a pound.   Bought some of all three to add to the preps, as I cannot help but think that some radical food inflation is just around the corner.

Well, I suppose that is enough for now.  Gotta get back to my day job.

Questions for WaPost Hoplophobes

I would not have noticed the blatant editorialization (as opposed to genuine news reporting) in As Mexico Drug Violence Runs Rampant, U.S. Guns Tied to Crime South of Border by Washington Post Hoplophobes James Grimaldi and Sari Horwitz, except that I found it summarized at Newsmax last night.  I notice that since David Codrea exposed Newmax's repetition of the WaPost muck at The War on Guns, Newsmax has dropped the link from its front page. Go read the WaPost editorialization here, then see if you agree that the following questions need to be answered by Grimaldi and Horwitz.

1)  They mention that certain data is confidential under a law passed by Congress in 2003.  Are they referring to the Tiahrt Amendment?  If they are, why don't they just come out and say so.  I get the feeling that these two hoplophobes are using the old journalistic trick of injecting mystery into their editorialization to attract attention.  They act as if they know something we don't, that they are privileged to know, and that we should just trust them to explain the mystery without them having to produce a source.  If these two pseudo-reporters are referring to the Tiahrt Amendment, it is the same law that provides for gun trace data to law enforcement when a gun has been  recovered in a crime investigation, but prohibits law enforcement from peeking into gun transfer records to determine what guns are owned by law-abiding citizens.  The gun trace data allowed by the Tiahrt Amendment are the likely source of information obtained by Grimaldi and Horwitz.

2)  If this information is confidential, how did Grimaldi and Horwitz obtain it?  Are they BATFE stooges?  It's not enought to say they reviewed documents and court cases.  Cite the sources, or your "reporting" is suspect.

3)  Grimaldi and Horwitz state that FFL dealer Bill Carter's Carter's Country stores are the sellers of guns found at Mexican crime scenes.  Was Carter's Country the last recorded seller or somewhere in the stream of transfers?

4)  Who were the last recorded purchasers of the guns and were the guns stolen?  What "transfers", both legal and illegal, occurred after the recorded transfers at Carter's Country?

5)  What definition are Grimaldi and Horwitz using for "high-powered"?  My understanding of the term does not include intermediate rounds such as .223 Remington/5.56x45 and 7.62 x 39.  Grimaldi and Horwitz appear to be referring to these rounds as high-powered.  Are they doing so to inflame the reader against guns chambered for these rounds?

6)  What do Grimaldi and Horwitz mean when they refer to AR-15 and AK-47 rifles as "assault rifles"?  Assault rifles in the military context are selective-fire or full-auto.  Besides mixing the apples and oranges of semi-auto AR-15's and presumably full-auto AK-47's, are Grimaldi and Horwitz simply confused or trying to confuse the reader. 

7)  Do Grimaldi and Horwitz know that AK-47's are Class III firearms and that Carter's Country was not likely licensed as a Class III dealer?  Do they even know what Carter's Country was licensed to sell?  Would they tell the reader the truth even if they did know?

8)  What is the source of Grimaldi's and Horwitz's claim that Mexican drug cartels are turning to the U.S. for their supply of guns?  Do Grimaldi and Horwitz even know that under most circumstances Mexican nationals cannot purchase firearms from FFL dealers?

9)  Are Grimaldi and Horwitz alleging that FFL dealers in Texas, and in particular Bill Carter, are selling firearms to Mexican nationals/non-U.S. citizens in violation of federal law?  What information do they have that such transactions are actually occurring?

10)  If criminal drug cartels from Mexico are obtaining firearms in the United States, what is the federal government doing to prevent Mexican criminals from entering the United States and illegally obtaining guns here?

11)  Since state-issued identification is required to purchase guns from any FFL dealer in every state in the United States, how many states are issuing state identification cards and drivers licenses to non-citizens?   How many non-citizens have used these state-issued identification cards and licenses to purchase guns from FFL dealers?  How many governmental entitities have approved purchases by non-citizens under the the mandatory (for FFL dealers) instant-check system?

12)  How many of these guns were purchased by entities or persons affiliated with the United States government?

13)  When Grimaldi and Horwitz refer to laws supported by the "gun lobby" which supposedly make prosecutions of law-breaking FFL dealers difficult, who is the "gun lobby" and what laws are they referring to?

14)  If Carter's Country is one of the largest volume firearm dealers in Texas, just what percentage of their sales are involved in crimes?  What percentage of sales are never involved in crimes?  Can Grimaldi and Horwitz actually show a causal connection between any behavior by Carter's Country and the guns found in Mexico, or just a conclusion based on innuendo?

15)  If there is no indication that any of the FFL dealers, cited as the source of guns in Mexico, did anything wrong, what is the point?  It sure does not seem to be that the government is competent at arresting Mexican drug cartel members and illegal aliens.

16)  Do Grimaldi and Horwitz even understand what a straw-purchaser is?  Have either of them ever examined the form that must be completed by a firearm purchaser?  Purchasing a firearm for one's spouse is not considered a straw purchase.  The form that must be completed by the purchaser asks if the purchaser is the actual buyer.  Obviously, lying about this is a crime.  That is where the problem lies, no pun intended.

17)  Considering that BATFE routinely harasses FFL holders, including threats of revoking licenses (and actually succeeding) for minor paperwork errors, why should anyone believe that BATFE lacks the ability to investigate and prosecute FFL dealers who violate the law?  For instances of abusive and extralegal conduct by the BATFE in its investigations, consider the fates of the General Store in Spokane, Washington and Red's Trading Post in Idaho.  If anyone still doubts the power of the federal government to investigate illegal firearm transfers, consider what happened in Ruby Ridge, Idaho in 1993.

18)  Grimaldi and Horwitz imply that FFL dealers are the problem.  To what degree did they investigate the failure of the U.S. government to enforce the immigration laws and the border with Mexico?  It seems that preventing illegal aliens from entering the U.S. and having tough border controls would prevent a substantial amount of the supposed gun trafficking.  It could reasonably argued that a substantial amount of the blame could be placed squarely on the U.S. government, and Janet Napolitano in particularly, for the utter failure to prevent illegal aliens from freely crossing the border, with and without guns.

19)  Why is there little mention of the extensive corruption throughout the Mexican government, including the complicity of Mexican police in drug and weapons trafficking?  It seems that Mexican President Calderon could clean house, enforce its side of the border, and take on the drug cartels.  Mexico is loudly attacking a symptom of a larger problem that it has the power to control, but lacks the will to do much more than complain to the U.S.

20)  Why do Mexicans not have the right to possess firearms for self-defense?  Is there government of the side of the people or the drug cartels.  Denying citizens the ability to defend themselves against organized crime indicates which side the Mexican goverment is on.

There are many other questions I have after reading the work of Grimaldi and Horwitz, but I figure that 20 questions is enough.  My point is that every trumped-up account of guns found in Mexico tries to lay the blame on FFL dealers who are stringently regulated and have no more control over the end use of the product than a sporting goods store does over a Louisville Slugger.  So-called reporters rarely seem to turn the scrutiny back on to their government sources, for whom these "reporters" are often nothing more than sycophants.

Of course, the aforementioned commentary consists of my opinion.  Many years ago I had some training in journalism and I work in the legal profession, so I am not making any claim to objectivity.  Nor am I making a claim to being a Washington Post news reporter.

Defense Shotgun on the Cheap

Cheaper Than Dirt has an almost unbelievable deal on a defense shotgun, the Ultra 87 by Century International Arms.  I don't know how long they will last, but for now they are selling for $145.77. Item 70782.

At this price, there is good and bad, of course.

The good:
Based on Remington 870 design, with improved safety on tang like Mossberg.
Is drilled and tapper for weaver rail, which is included.
Has sights mounted to barrel, including a fiber optic front sight.
Comes with sling swivels mounted.
Black synthetic furniture and 19" barrel.  Others have reported that barrel is chrome-lined.
Inexpensive, including no credit card surcharge by CTD and $7.99 shipping (same amount for two shotguns).

The bad:
Made in China.
Some Century products have not been well-crafted.  Some owners have reported the front sight to come loose.
Apparently these shotguns do not have a durable finish and some owners have reported rust problems.
Future parts availability may not be there.
No guaranteed compatibility of parts with Remington or even similar Chinese shotguns.

It appears that Century has been marketing this shotgun in one form or another for several years.  From my own internet search, the owners' reviews have been mixed.  About 75% seem to be happy with the shotgun, despite its shortcomings.  Some others have said that the shotgun is poorly made.

If this turns out to be a serviceable shotgun, it may be a good, inexpensive home defense or truck gun, especially considering the included swivels, sights, and rail.  I think it would be handy to have as a "handout" defense gun for friends and relatives who show up unarmed when SHTF. 

I bought one for myself and will report back on it when it arrives at my FFL dealer. 

Get Ready to Ride the QE2

And I'm not referring to the luxury liner.  A better analogy would be a garbage scow.

Helicopter Ben Bernanke has officially announced Quantitative Easing, Part 2, as of yesterday.  I noticed that stocks are up this morning.  No reason not to expect that with a bunch of free money being thrown out willy-nilly.  The tomorrow of paying the bill will never come, they think.  Just pump that market up, up, and away.

Looks like not everyone is buying it.  The Dow is up 1.92% and S&P is up 1.91% as I write this.  Nice for those hypertraders still in the market and the insiders trying to pump up prices before they take their money and run.  And run they will.

The real story is in the price of gold and silver.  Gold is up over 6% from yesterday's low and silver is up a similar amount from yesterday's low.  That spells confidence.

Looks like I had better use my federal reserve notes to buy more toilet paper or else I will have to use federal reserve notes when I have to take a number QE2.

On another note, a tangibles acquiring opportunity is coming up this weekend at the Spokane Gun Show, which runs from Friday to Sunday at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.  At the last one I picked up a handful of .50 ammo cans for $5.00 each.  Very little rust and like-new (if not new) seals.  If that vendor is at the show, I will buy a dozen this time.

Keep preppin', 'cause this show ain't over.

Random Thoughts

Juan Williams.  I've always liked Juan because he added an air of rationality and dignity to the liberal side.  Something that Alan Colmes always strived for but never could attain.  I repeatedly disagreed with Juan's positions, but he was the type you could disagree with at the same time you had a beer with him.  Very, very rare among liberals.  Juan found out what happens when you dance with the devils:  you get burned.  You associate with irrational bigots, and eventually you are associated with them.  The irony is that the bigots were calling Juan a bigot.  Of course, this close to the election, the shrill, closed-minded, hysterical, emotional, illogical "progressive" left is exposed for what it is at a time less than beneficial for their cause.  Thank you, Juan, and good luck at your new/old job at Fox. 

Patty Murray.  My tirade against Washington's Asshat Extraordinaire Senator Patty Murray might be getting a little old, but I will not relent until that ignorant, marxist twit is gone.  Latest Dino Rossi ad reminded me of something incredibly relevant, more relevant that Patty Moron's belief that abundant abortions are essential to the functioning of society.  Dino's latest ad has audio of Patty Murray claiming that she not only read the Obamacare bill, but that she helped write it.  Go to that link. Should we all presume that Asshat Patty also read and helped write the $800,000,000,000.00 Porkulus bill that created no jobs?  I think it is safe to give her credit for that.   Rossi is within range of taking out this wart on America's ass, but Murray has the illegal aliens out in force to scare up votes (the dead people move too slow, the imprisoned have other commitments, and the insane just won't follow directions.).

Preps.  I had been looking for a rifle with a longer range than 7.62x39 and 5.56x45 are capable of.  Problem is, I did not want to spend a lot of money, wanted something simple, wanted something with iron sights, and wanted something where ammo was currently plentiful and cheap.  After checking around a bit I finally settled on the Mosin-Nagant.  I bought a specimen in excellent refinished condition for under $100.00 (I know that I missed the boat from when even Big 5 was selling them for $69.00.  I will pay more attention to surplus rifles in the future.)  I bought a spam can of 440 rounds for about $85.00, and will probably buy another mosin and a few cans of ammo before the end of the year if the economy holds up (self-employment can suck sometimes).  I got an added bonus when I went to pick up my mosin.  The store owner asked me if I wanted to buy an SKS.  I asked how much.  He said $150.00.  I was interested, and ended up walking out with a beautifully maintained Norinco SKS, missing only the bayonet and cleaning rod.

Other News.  Somthing Glenn Beck said the other night caught my attention.  The national debt ceiling, which was raised by over $1,000,000,000,000.00 by democrats to something like $14,200,000,000,000.00, will have to be raised again sometime in February or March of 2011.  This was purposefully set up by democrats.  The dilemma for Republicans, if they control congress, will be to add further sanction to the willy-nilly printing of money to cover the national debt and appear to have no principles, or to adhere to principles and refuse to raise the debt ceiling which might have the effect of causing panic/collapse in the markets and pandemonium in the streets.  Interesting.  Could that be the galvanizing event?  We'll have to see.

Good News from the Supremes

I haven't read the actual decision yet, but Newsmax is reporting that the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the Second Amendment applies equally to the federal government and to the states. I expect the usual legal bullshit allowing exceptions for certain safety and public interest issues, and as expected Justice Sotomayor is anti-Second Amendment, but overall this is good news. The Second Amendment is the last Constitutional Amendment to be recognized as applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment.

The breaking news story is here at Newsmax.

Good Deal on 9mm Ammo

My favorite 9mm round is the Federal 9BP 115g JHP. An oldie but goody, so to speak. Not a +P round, but I don't like +P because it is too hard on the smaller nine pistols and has more recoil than my regular practice rounds. The 9BP will feed in just about any nine, has a history of decent "stopping power", and has little muzzle flash.

For a while there I thought that I was not going to be buying Federal ammo anymore. This was a personal choice due to their dirty dealings over scrapping once-fired military brass. Apparently the parent company, ATK, has changed their ways recently.

Anyway, Cheaper than Dirt has 50 round boxes of 9BP for $19.59 a box. Twenty round boxes retail for the same price where I live, when they are available. The CTD price, from what I can tell, can't be beat. As of this writing, it is in stock, item number AMM-4061.

Went to the gun show today

This weekend we had the first decent gun show in a few months. I can usually tell whether the gun show is worth going to by how many days are scheduled. If the show is only Saturday and Sunday, it is a smaller event with fewer tables. This weekend was a three-day event combined with a swap meet. Altogether four buildings at the fairgrounds.

I usually go on Saturday as it is the first free day that I have. This Saturday I was busy getting an Easter basket together for my daughter and she was out roller skating with her mom. Because my daughter gets upset if I go to the gun show without her, I put it off until Sunday. Glad I did, as a couple of friends with tables at the show said that Saturday was a madhouse.

I can tell that gun shows are becoming more political. The last gun show I went to a few months ago had a militia organization attending. This gun show had a Constitution Party politician, a Tea Party organization, a local patriots organization, and a couple of other individual rights-type organizations in attendance. While I'm not looking for politics at a gun show, it was good to see some grass-roots organizations showing their faces. I honestly would not know that most of them existed if I had not seen them at the show.

Although I keep reading that firearms sales are holding steady and have personally witnesse the higher prices and shortages of ammunition, I did not see as many military style semi-automatic rifles and accessories as I had seen a year earlier. Actually, probably only a few dozen black rifles, AK clones, and SKS's altogether. I wonder if the demand for these has tapered off a bit. The majority firearms on the tables was hunting rifles, shotguns, and handguns.

Ammunition was not as plentiful as a couple of years ago, but there was plenty. There was also a fair amount of reloading components and gun accessories.

Probably a fourth of all the table space was taken up by non-firearm vendors selling knives, coins, books, and collectibles. I am not including the swap meet tables which were in only one of the four buildings for the event.

One trend has continued from prior years: Prices in general were higher than in local gun shops and from online sources. For example, used firearms were generally selling at higher prices than new firearms. A number of private parties had asking prices for used firearms that were higher than the new firearm price at other vendors in the same gun show. Ammunition prices were generally as high or higher than available at local gun shops or online. Even reloaded ammo of questionable quality (I consider all reloaded ammo in white boxes at gun shows to be of questionable quality)was priced as high as some commercial new production.

The bargain-hunting wasn't good, but I did pick up a few accessories that I would be hard-pressed to find in local stores and my daughter found a few things she wanted at one of the coin dealers and one of the jewelry/trinket dealers. I saw a couple of friends I had not seen in a while and met a few new people. All in all, a fun four hours for less than the cost of going to the movies.

Quote of the Day

"Since it is unacceptable for people to believe that government agents will carry out paramilitary raids to confiscate firearms, a paramilitary force was sent to Girard’s home to confiscate his firearms."

William Grigg

(describing how the Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts police violated the constitutional Rights of Citizen Girard by taking his lawfully purchased firearms after his wife told the police about his supposedly alarming view that martial law was imminent).

Retarded Politicians of the Week

Four members of the Washington State Senate have so distinguished themselves with mental incapacity that the honor of Retarded Politician of the Week must be shared amongst them.

The winners are:

Senator Darlene Fairley, D-32
Senator Adam Kline, D-37
Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-36
Senator Joe McDermott, D-34

The four mental incompetents have introduced a Senate bill, SB 6396, which seeks to ban a class of firearms, the dreaded and misnamed "assault weapons" based upon their appearance and ability to hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. Aside from violating Washington citizens' Second Amendment rights, the bill proposes violating the Fourth Amendment rights of current owners of "assault weapons" by requiring said owners to submit to searches by the Sheriff. Also notable is the exception from the law granted to law enforcement and government employees.

The following are the proposed changes to RCW 9.41.010:

(20) "Assault weapon" means:
(a) Any semiautomatic pistol or semiautomatic or pump-action rifle or shotgun that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine, with a capacity to accept more then ten rounds of ammunition and that also possesses any of the following:
(i) If the firearm is a rifle or shotgun, a pistol grip located rear of the trigger;
(ii) If the firearm is a rifle or shotgun, a stock in any configuration, including but not limited to a thumbhole stock, a folding stock or a telescoping stock, that allows the bearer of the firearm to grasp the firearm with the trigger hand such that the web of the trigger hand, between the thumb and forefinger, can be placed below the top of the external portion of the trigger during firing;
(iii) If the firearm is a pistol, a shoulder stock of any type or configuration, including but not limited to a folding stock or a telescoping stock;
(iv) A barrel shroud;
(v) A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator;
(vi) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the hand that is not the trigger hand;
(b) Any pistol that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine at any location outside of the pistol grip;
(c) Any semiautomatic pistol, any semiautomatic, center-fire rifle, or any shotgun with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition;
(d) Any shotgun capable of accepting a detachable magazine;
(e) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder;
(f) Any conversion kit or other combination of parts from which an assault weapon can be assembled if the parts are in the possession or under the control of any person.
(21) "Detachable magazine" means a magazine, the function of which is to deliver one or more ammunition cartridges into the firing chamber, which can be removed from the firearm without the use of any tool, including a bullet or ammunition cartridge.
(22) "Barrel shroud" means a covering, other than a slide, that is attached to, or that substantially or completely encircles, the barrel of a firearm and that allows the bearer of the firearm to hold the barrel with the nonshooting hand while firing the firearm, without burning that hand, except that the term does not include an extension of the stock along the bottom of the barrel that does not substantially or completely encircle the barrel.
(23) "Muzzle brake" means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to reduce recoil.
(24) "Muzzle compensator" means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to control muzzle movement.
(25) "Conversion kit" means any part or combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a firearm into an assault weapon.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 9.41 RCW to read as follows:
(1) No person in this state shall manufacture, possess, purchase, sell, or otherwise transfer any assault weapon, or any assault weapon conversion kit, except as authorized by subsection (3) of this section.
Any assault weapon or assault weapon conversion kit the manufacture, possession, purchase, sale, or other transfer of which is prohibited under this section is a public nuisance.
(2) No person in this state shall possess or have under his or her control at one time both of the following:
(a) A semiautomatic or pump-action rifle, semiautomatic pistol, or shotgun capable of accepting a detachable magazine; and
(b) Any magazine capable of use with that firearm that contains more than ten rounds of ammunition.
(3) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any of the following:
(a) The possession of an unloaded assault weapon for the purpose of permanently relinquishing it to a law enforcement agency in this state.
Any assault weapon relinquished pursuant to this subsection shall be destroyed;
(b) The transfer of any assault weapon by a licensed manufacturer or dealer to a law enforcement agency in this state for use by that agency or its employees for law enforcement purposes;
(c) The possession of an assault weapon that was legally possessed on the effective date of this section, but only if the person legally possessing the assault weapon has complied with all of the requirements of subsection (5) of this section;
(d) The possession of an assault weapon that has been permanently disabled so that it is incapable of discharging a projectile.
(4) Subsection (2) of this section shall not apply to any person:
(a) While lawfully engaged in shooting at a duly licensed, lawfully operated shooting range;
(b) While lawfully participating in a sporting event officially sanctioned by a club or organization established in whole or in part for the purpose of sponsoring sport shooting events.
(5) In order to continue to possess an assault weapon that was legally possessed on the effective date of this section, the person possessing the assault weapon shall do all of the following:
(a) Safely and securely store the assault weapon. The sheriff of the county may, no more than once per year, conduct an inspection to ensure compliance with this subsection;
(b) Possess the assault weapon only on property owned or immediately controlled by the person, or while engaged in the legal use of the assault weapon at a duly licensed firing range, or while traveling to or from either of these locations for the purpose of engaging in the legal use of the assault weapon, provided that the
assault weapon is stored unloaded and in a separate locked container during transport.
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any person in this state who, after the effective date of this section, acquires title to an assault weapon by inheritance, bequest, or succession, shall, within thirty days of acquiring title, do one of the following:
(a) Comply with all of the requirements of subsection (5) of this section;
(b) Dispose of the assault weapon pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section; or
(c) Permanently disable the assault weapon so that it is incapable of discharging a projectile.
(7)(a) Any person convicted of violating subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of a class C felony.
(b) Any person convicted of violating subsection (5) of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
(8) This section does not apply to:
(a) Marshals, sheriffs, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, or other law enforcement officers of this or another state while acting within the scope of their duties;
(b) Members of the armed forces of the United States or of the national guard or organized services, when on duty;
(c) Officers or employees of the United States duly authorized to possess assault weapons; or
(d) Any person engaged in the business of manufacturing, repairing, or dealing in assault weapons, or the representative or agent of the person who is properly licensed under federal or state laws to do so and who is acting within the usual and ordinary course of the business.

So, my 9mm pistol that holds fifteen rounds would be a banned weapon subjecting me to warrantless inspections by the county sheriff, yet my 9mm pistol that holds ten rounds and has exactly the same operating principles is perfectly kosher?

My Ruger 10/22 with a twenty round magazine makes me a felon, yet with a ten round magazine it's all cool?

None of this matters if I'm a cop or the right kind of government employee? Didn't Heinrich Himmler propose the same kind of laws back in the good old days of totalitarian national socialism?

Senators Fairley, Kline, Kohl-Welles, and McDermott are a bunch of f*****g idiots and should be turned out of office at the very next opportunity, if they cannot be recalled sooner.

Until the next election or recall drive they are just the Retarded Politicians of the Week.

P.S. Washington residents: Write to your legislators. I just did, and I am going to post their replies alongside my letters to them on the door of my office.