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In Honor Of The Rapture Non-Event

May 21, 2011 by 3 Comments

6 a.m. came and went and we are all still here. I didn’t feel the Earth move. Oh, well.

However, the Rapture non-event needs something to celebrate it. I saw this on Facebook and thought it would do just fine – even if it is from 30 years ago. The lyrics of the first stanza are:

Toe to toe
Dancing very close
Barely breathing
Almost comatose
Wall to wall
People hypnotised
And they’re stepping lightly
Hang each night in Rapture

And here is Debbie Harry of Blondie singing Rapture.

H/T Andy Langlois

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Credit Cards Versus Debit Cards

May 21, 2011 by

Having been the victim of identity theft in the past, some of the tips this video gives make sense to me. I really like the part about using a debit card as a credit card with a signature. By doing this, you aren’t creating more debt but still are preventing scammers from getting your PIN number.

Regarding PIN numbers, do not use your birthdate! That should be obvious but bears repeating. Pick a number that is non sequential that you will remember. My favorite for married men is your wedding anniversary. It is a safer number plus it helps you remember your wedding anniversary so you don’t get caught forgetting it by She Who Must Be Obeyed.

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Hissy Fit Warning

May 20, 2011 by

A certain director of communications for a certain group of gun prohibitionists is about to have a hissy fit. He just doesn’t know it yet.

According to a summary of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”

Thanks to a friend of Thirdpower at Days of our Trailers, we have a powerful parody of a poster put out by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Go here to view it.  I must admit I had a little hand in this project but credit must go to Thirdpower and his graphics artist friend for taking some ideas and creating a masterpiece.

Those guys rock!

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Saying No To Self-Protection

May 20, 2011 by 3 Comments

Saying no to self-protection seems to the modus operandi within corporate America. I put this down to risk managers making the calculation that it is cheaper to pay a death claim on a murdered employee than it to defend a lawsuit filed by a personal injury lawyer on behalf of a criminal.

The latest case involves the Walgreen’s chain of pharmacies.

Jeremy Hoven was the night shift pharmacist at the Benton Township, Michigan Walgreens. I say “was” because he was fired by Walgreens after he stopped an armed robbery by firing his 3-4 shots from his revolver at the criminals. Mr. Hoven holds a Michigan concealed carry permit and was one of four employees in the store when the attempted robbery took place. According to his interview with the Herald-Palladium of Southwest Michigan,

Hoven said his first hint something was wrong was seeing a manager run into a storeroom on the building’s west side. Seconds later he saw a man brandishing a handgun, guiding the second manager around the shelf at the northeast corner.

“The first thing I tried to do was dial 911 but I couldn’t get it done,” Hoven said. “Within seconds he was over the counter. And I’m looking at the wrong end of a 9-millimeter (gun). He was holding it gangster-style” – sideways.

The robber had jumped over the counter, leaving the manager in the aisle. The robber came within a few feet of Hoven.

Hoven said the only thing behind the attacker was a cinder block wall. Thus he pulled his gun and fired three or four shots.

“I was creating a safe zone for myself,” he said.

The attacker tried to fire back, but his gun either malfunctioned or the safety had been left on, Hoven said.

Mr. Hoven says he would do it again because he knows he did the right thing in protecting himself and his fellow employees.

As to Walgreens, on this past Monday they informed him by e-mail that he was fired. Frankly, I do not plan to give my patronage to a store that (a) cares so little about their employees’ safety and (b) has so little class that they fire the guy by e-mail.

H/T Brian

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Moore v. Madigan – More Plaintiffs Added To Complaint

May 20, 2011 by 1 Comment

The Second Amendment Foundation’s case challenging the state of Illinois’ complete prohibition on the carrying of a handgun for self-defense just added one organization plaintiff, IllinoisCarry, and two individual plaintiffs, Peggy Fechter of Carmi and Jon Maier of Bloomington.

Below is their release on the amended complaint. I am working on a post comparing the SAF and NRA lawsuits against Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the state of Illinois. I hope to have it up sometime this weekend.

SAF ADDS PLAINTIFFS IN ILLINOIS FIREARMS LAW CHALLENGE
For Immediate Release: 5/20/2011
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation announced this morning that it has filed an amended complaint in federal district court in Illinois, challenging the state’s statutory prohibitions on the carrying of handguns for personal protection.

Joining SAF in this amended complaint are Illinois Carry, a volunteer organization founded to educate the public about Illinois gun laws, and two more private citizens, Peggy Fechter of Carmi, and Jon Maier, a resident of Bloomington. Michael Moore of Champaign and Charles Hooks of Percy remain active plaintiffs.

Defendants in the lawsuit are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and State Police Superintendent Hiram Grau. SAF is represented by attorneys David Jensen of New York and David Sigale of Glen Ellyn. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield.

The lawsuit alleges that Illinois statutes that completely ban the carrying of handguns for self-defense deprive the plaintiffs of civil rights under color of law, making them “inconsistent with the Second Amendment.”

SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb welcomed the additional plaintiffs, noting, “After the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, we were overwhelmed by requests to participate. We want to assure everyone who contacted us that they do not need to be actual plaintiffs in order to benefit from a victory.

“SAF truly appreciates the wave of enthusiasm and support from gun owners all over Illinois,” he continued. “But right now we need to move forward and if people would like to support our lawsuit with a tax-exempt contribution to SAF, we would welcome that. We simply cannot take on more plaintiffs at this point and further delay the process.”

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Airline Merger News For Gunnies

May 20, 2011 by

The Wall Street Journal had a story yesterday on the issues that United Airlines and Continental Airlines are dealing with as they complete their merger. Important issues such as the color of baggage tags and how many bowling balls that may be checked are part of the discussion.

However, for gunnies who travel with guns or trophy hunters with an elk/moose/caribou rack, there was some important news.

Hunters’ trophy antlers now will face United’s size restrictions of 120 linear inches for cargo carriage. Continental had no limits. And passengers can check five guns—Continental’s rule—instead of United’s two-gun maximum. The company says there is no industry standard or compelling reason to justify United’s limit.

Given Michael Bane’s rant in his latest podcast about United Airlines and the way their Phoenix counter handles those traveling with firearms, I’m sure that he’ll welcome the news that he now can have five guns when he travels. Whether or not it will cure the problems with the anti-gun sentiment at the United counter in Phoenix remains to be seen.

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NSSF Reports In-Fighting Between Lead Ammo Foes

May 20, 2011 by

The NSSF Blog had this report this morning about in-fighting between the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Bird Conservancy. Both of these groups have tried to get the EPA to outlaw lead-based ammunition as well as the use of lead in fishing tackle.


Infighting Begins Amongst Traditional Ammunition Foes
May 20, 2011 By Larry Keane View Comments
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A recent article in Audubon Magazine (“Bad Shot”) notes a budding feud between the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) concerning the issue of traditional ammunition. In the article, Michael Fry, director of conservation advocacy at ABC, derides the CBD for petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the manufacture and sale of traditional ammunition, shot and fishing tackle. Fry, concerned that the CBD was going too far in trying to ban all traditional ammunition, noted “It was not helpful to have the center involved.”

This infighting, demonstrating that the CBD is considered extremist even amongst its allied groups, could not have come at a worse time for anti-ammunition special interests. Last week, 35 members of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), a coalition of the nation’s leading conservation groups, joined with NSSF in encouraging federal lawmakers to become co-sponsors of the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act, legislation that will clarify that Congress has not given the EPA authority to regulate ammunition and its components under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The CBD has yet to respond to the ABC attack.

Learn more about the fight to protect traditional ammunition here: http://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/TraditionalAmmo.pdf

The National Shooting Sports Foundation also has a letter generator that will send either an email or paper letter to your Senators and local Congressman urging their support of the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act. As we saw with the ATF and the multi-rifle reporting requirement, numbers – not quality – count. You can access the letter generator here. It also allows you to modify the message if you so wish which is what I did.