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Quote Of The Day

November 15, 2011 by

The Daily Caller reports today that Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department tried to manipulate the press coverage of Operation Fast and Furious prior to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on November 1st.

The Justice Department selectively leaked documents about earlier gunwalking that were delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 31st. The goal was to make Sen. Chuck Grassley’s questions appear partisan when he asked about Operation Fast and Furious.

Ed Morrissey writing in HotAir.com has this to say about the attempt at manipulating the press:

Well, it’s no big deal, right? It’s not as if this is a life-and-death issue. Oh, wait …

Scandal-free, my foot. If this administration had nothing to hide, it wouldn’t be so desperate to manipulate the media and dodge Congressional oversight. It’s long past time for Eric Holder to resign. It might be time for the Senate to block all Obama nominees until he fires Holder.

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What Is It With European Countries And Air Guns?

November 14, 2011 by 4 Comments

Last Monday I reported on an Englishman who received a two year prison sentence for possession of an air rifle without the proper licenses. Mind you, these are the same air rifles that you or I could buy at Walmart or through the mail or internet. The only requirement might be proof of age in some jurisdictions.

Now comes a story from the Moscow Times about how air gun pellets have virtually vanished from the shelves of stores in Moscow. This was in response to an “unofficial” request from the Interior Ministry to stop sales of air gun pellets until they can finish registering owners.

Customers in a Moscow gun shop examining air pistols

The Russian Duma at the request of the Interior Ministry passed laws regarding air guns this past summer according to the Moscow Times.

Foreigners are barred from owning lethal weapons and air guns. But Russians who cannot own lethal weapons have been snapping up air guns in recent years.

The bill passed last summer tightens regulations in the field, obliging prospective buyers to undergo police-supervised training and purchase special boxes with locks to store the weapons. The law also places limits on the sale of air guns.

But the Interior Ministry has said it would push for a blanket ban on air guns, insisting that their non-lethality status encourages abuse that can actually result in deaths.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry denies that there is an unofficial ban saying that those properly licensed to own air guns can obtain ammo in Moscow. Outside of Moscow, the Interior Ministry request is being ignored according to many sources.

There are Russian groups fighting back on this de facto ban.

But the current ban on ammunition represents an abuse of power by the Interior Ministry, said Sergei Zainullin, deputy head of the All-Russia Association of Civilian Weapons’ Owners.

“The right to bear arms is an unalienable one, just like property rights, and can only be limited through legislation, not emotions,” Zainullin said by telephone Sunday.

I’m glad to hear that there is organized opposition to this. However, I have to wonder how effective it can be in Putin’s Russia.

As an odd postscript to this story, the Moscow Times reports there was a bill introduced in the Duma by a group of legislators from the Kemerovo region that would issue air guns to ambulance workers for protection. It makes me think of the old saying about bringing a knife to a gun fight. Perhaps with all the millions of Makarovs sitting in military warehouses in Russia, they could be issued something a bit more effective than a pellet gun in order to protect themselves.

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Quote Of The Day No. 2

November 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

Reporter Katie Pavlich of Townhall.com has been covering Project Gunwalker and Operation Fast and Furious for quite a while now. If you follow her on Twitter, you know she has continually objected to any characterization of this operation as “botched”, “failed”, etc. Yesterday, in a column for Townhall.com, she laid out why it is wrong to view Operation Fast and Furious as “botched”. She says:

The only thing botched about Operation Fast and Furious is that the American public found out about it. Fast and Furious was carried out exactly as planned: allow straw purchasers to transfer guns to cartels, let those guns get trafficked back to Mexico and see where they end up. There was no plan to trace these guns and no plan to inform the Mexican Government of the operation, either.

And then after laying out the facts, she concludes:

The Obama Administration botched the cover-up of Fast and Furious. Lies perpetuated by the Holder Justice Department continue to be shredded by a handful of media outlets, Sen. Charles Grassley, Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Darrell Issa and members of the House Oversight Committee, but in no way was allowing Mexican cartels to get their hands on high powered weapons a “mistake.”

H/T Sebastian

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Quote Of The Day

November 11, 2011 by

Attorney General Eric Holder is seemingly incapable of shame. He supposedly sent a letter of apology to the family of slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry on Wednesday. However, the only ones who have seen such a “private” letter are the reporters for the political website Politico.

Lana Domino is a friend of the Terry family and she says that no such letter has been received so far. She also noted that Holder never attended his memorial service but that President Obama had called the family and apologized.

I think Ms. Domino nails it on the head when she says,

“The only regret that Eric Holder has is that Brian Terry died and it opened everybody’s eyes to Operation Fast and Furious and it put it to a halt,” Domino noted.

UPDATE: I still agree with the sentiments espoused by Ms. Domino. However, it is now being reported that at least one member of the Terry family did receive Holder’s apology letter before the Politico story.

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Happy 236th, US Marine Corps

November 10, 2011 by

Today marks the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

The tradition of celebrating the Marine Corps’ birthday started with Maj. Gen. John J. Lejeune in 1921 when he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47 (Series 1921). That was, in essence, the first Commandant’s Message celebrating the founding of the Marine Corps.

759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.

(1) On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine”. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

(2) The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world’s history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation’s foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

(3) In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.

(4) This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as “Soldiers of the Sea” since the founding of the Corps.

John A. Lejeune,
Major General Commandant

This year’s Commandant’s Message from Marine Commandant James F. Amos is a little bit more technologically advanced. Nonetheless, it celebrates the spirit of the Marine Corps over its 236 year history.

Semper Fi!

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Bloomberg Brings The Dead Back To Life (Updated)

November 9, 2011 by 2 Comments

Bitter at Shall Not Be Questioned has a post on the late mayor of Freeland Borough, Pennsylvania, Tim Martin, who had been a member of MAIG. Mayor Martin passed away on September 2, 2010 due to cancer. Nonetheless, he has either been listed in advertisements or has signed letters to Congress and the President since that time on behalf of Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors. I didn’t realize that Bloomberg had such supernatural powers!

In fact, not only do they claim him as a member, but the deceased mayor has signed his name to at least two advertisements, three letters to Congress, and one letter to the President sent by Michael Bloomberg’s office. Now, just how on earth is Bloomberg getting a dead man to sign his letters? And why are media outlets running advertisements that are clearly fraudulent?

Go to Shall Not Be Questioned to see all the items that Mayor Martin signed from the grave.

UPDATE: It looks like Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors don’t like being exposed for frauds.They’ve responded with a statement saying that they had left a message with the late mayor’s office but never had a call back.

I guess MAIG must be taking their cue from the way the Book of the Month Club and all the assorted CD clubs used to work. Those clubs would ship you the book or CD unless you responded saying you didn’t want it. I wonder how many other mayors “signed” letters or “approved” ads with their names in it without ever having said yes or no.

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Except If You Live In A Free State

November 9, 2011 by 2 Comments

The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article today about law enforcement officers under investigation in the Sacramento area for their weapons purchases. The investigation is being headed by ATF.

Under California law, a law enforcement officer can purchase handguns that are not on the California-approved list, standard (more than 10 round) capacity magazines, and what California defines as as an “assault weapon”. They are also exempted from the 10-day waiting period. All that is required for purchases of magazines and handguns not on the approved list is for the LEO to show his or her credentials. A letter of permission from their sheriff or police chief exempts them from the 10-day waiting period and allows them to buy California-defined “assault weapons”. Moreover, there are few limits or checks on how many of these weapons that an officer may purchase.

In other words, in California, law enforcement officers are treated just like you or me but only better.

With regard to purchases of AR-15s and the like with all of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s evil features, a spokesman for the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department had this to say:

Sacramento sheriff’s spokesman Jason Ramos said his department has an informal practice of letting deputies buy one assault rifle during their career, with the approval of the sheriff and the captain in charge of weapons and training.

“A guy can’t be in the habit of every year or two buying another one,” Ramos said. “You can’t just be out buying these cool weapons.”

To which my response is, sure you can…if you live in a free state.

H/T Josh

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“I Think They Are Leaving My Son Behind” – Josephine Terry

November 9, 2011 by

That is the opinion of Brian Terry’s mother, Josephine Terry. It was said in reference to her son’s service as a Marine and the ethos that fallen Marine is ever left behind.

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News interviewed slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s parents yesterday in the wake of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Attorney General Eric Holder. They still have not been given answers and are planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Federal government.

This episode that aired on this morning’s The Early Show is very powerful as was Ms. Attkisson’s interview with the parents of slain ICE Agent Jaime Zapata.

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Of Interest To Crufflers

November 9, 2011 by

When I first started collecting C&R firearms, tons of CZ-52s were on the market for around $100-125. The price has risen but they are still cool – and very powerful – handguns. They are also somewhat complicated and unusual compared to more modern like the Glock.

The American Gunsmithing Institute has recently released another in their series of technical manuals and armorer’s course and it is devoted to the CZ-52.

Originally produced between 1952 and 1954 in Czechoslovakia for the Czech military, the CZ-52 Pistol has become increasingly popular on American soil in recent years. Now, the American Gunsmithing Institute has a new Technical Manual & Armorer’s Course: CZ-52 Pistols.

This course is taught by Master Gunsmith and Certified Gunsmithing Instructor Bob Dunlap. Dunlap is a renowned expert on most of todays and yesterday’s important AND obscure firearms. He has been a warranty station for most manufacturers, both large and small. His understanding of the design, functionality and repair of firearms in general is unsurpassed, and his appreciation of European and exotic arms is legendary among his students.

The CZ-52 was an extremely successful Soviet Bloc service pistol, and its hot .30 caliber (7.62×25) cartridge is an amazingly entertaining jack rabbit motivator. The guns have been imported to the U.S. in big numbers since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and this course is designed to help the fans of this gun who may be a little mystified by its workings. AGI uses a rare factory cut-away gun that allows the viewer to actually see how the various parts work and interact.

Among the items covered are:

History
Design & Function
Arsenal Identification of “Most Accurate” models
Disassembly
Cleaning & Lubrication
Reassembly

This video is a valuable addition to the knowledge base of any person who wants to know more about this former Soviet Bloc service pistol. It provides detailed explanations and demonstrations and is a must have for any CZ-52 owner. The AGI Technical Manual & Armorer’s Course: CZ-52 Pistols is available at www.americangunsmith.com for only $39.95 (Product ID# 145DVD).

If you own a CZ-52, you may well want to get a copy of this DVD. I haven’t watched the full DVD yet but have watched other of their DVDs featuring Bob Dunlap. He’s good. In the meantime, here are some excerpts from the CZ-52 DVD.