Another quiz that pegs me...

You scored as USP. You should get a USP. This handgun made by HK is a true combat gun. There are many versions too, so you can choose whichever caliber you like! USP 90% Beretta 80% Sig Sauer 70% 1911 70% Five-seveN 60% Glock 50% Desert Eagle 40% What handgun should you get? created with QuizFarm.com

You know it, Bay-bee!

Actually, when I was first looking at handguns, I wanted the biggest caliber available, and that meant the Desert Eagle in .50AE. But, seeing that it was a little out of my price range at the time, I looked around at others. Fell in love with the USP, and it has been my first choice of an urban carry sidearm ever since.

Interesting Finds in Student Op-Ed pieces

OK, I'll admit...I was expecting to find anti-gun op-ed's all over the board when it came to discussions over gun rights. Surprisingly enough, I found a fairly good balance, which encourages me about our universities being places where a diversity of ideas can thrive.

Sure, you had the clueless anti's breathlessly spouting off about matters they know nothing about, but often, you could find someone a little more reasonable able to lay the facts out in a well-informed manner worthy of higher education.

Here are my findings thus far:

Daily Toreador (Texas Tech): "Let's repeal the Second Amendment and start over with new gun laws that actually make sense." (14 Sept 06, h/t A Keyboard and a .45)

Collegiate Times (Virginia Tech): "While allowing a licensed person to carry a gun on campus sounds like a good idea to the author of 'Cars kill more people than handguns at Virginia Tech' (CT, Aug. 30), I strongly disagree." The short article brings a new level of sophomoric pontification: the "opinion lite." (31 Aug 06, h/t The War on Guns)

Daily Beacon (University of Tennessee, Knoxville): [regarding the sunset of the AWB]--"Gun nuts, rejoice! It's easier to kill people! Police, fear!" (21 Sep 2004) And you have a visiting professor from Australia pontificating about the wisdom of his country regarding gun control (6 November 2000) Admittedly, though, a sensible editorial gets through, like this one from 1999.

Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin, Madison): "Given these shocking statistics [from the all-knowing Brady Bunch], why is America’s party of the 'moral majority' working so vigorously to push such immoral legislation? Perhaps what is most disturbing is the hypocrisy offered up in pro-gun rhetoric." (8 Feb 2006) But, there is a voice of reason on occasion: "The misconception that this bill will increase violence by putting weapons in the hands of those who mean to cause harm is a stereotype and fear tactic." (6 Feb 2006)

The Daily Texan (University of Texas, Austin): Couldn't find many op-ed articles online, but did find a long article on "Ladies' Night" at a local gun range--"I exhaust two boxes of bullets and then return the gun to Lucas. 'Did you have fun?' he asks, and I tell him I did." (7 Dec 05)

Yale Daily News: Nothing you could find online, strangely enough. You would think with all the future politicians that go through that school, there would be more discussion on national issues.

Harvard Crimson (Harvard University): Nothing recent. Do a search for "guns" and the most recent relevant op-ed piece comes from 2004, again, dealing with the sunset of the AWB. It was a reaction to an earlier editorial on the same subject, but showed some very good analysis. "The editorial on Sept. 13 ('An Assault on Democracy,') laments the Assault Weapons Ban’s expiration as though the law actually had practical effects other than to annoy gun owners" (27 Sep 2004).

The article he was referring to, however, was typical leftist fantasy: "The ban is ending, not because it is unpopular or unnecessary, but because of a failure of the democratic process, because of the influence of a hugely powerful special interest group on national politics." (13 Sep 2004)

The Chronicle (Duke University): Again, nothing terribly recent. You have to go back to the AWB sunset of 2004 to get an Op-Ed dealing specifically with gun-related issues. Here, you get a rather balanced view, from leftist hysteria "'We have increased the risk factor for this community,' RCND director Marcia Owen said. 'The availability and accessibility [of assault weapons] has increased the risk to public health,'" balanced with those a little more familiar with what was really going on: "[A gun store owner] added that she had seen no increase in sales of such weapons at her store in recent weeks [after the sunset]. The ban, Duke argued, had essentially no effect."

The Lantern (Ohio State University): Ohio's debate over CCW earlier this year also sparked debate about it on campus. The author does a very good job talking about what goes into CCW, and recognizes some of the challenges facing a university environment (whether or not to allow it on campus), but he was concerned about the predominantly anti-gun attitudes he saw in the OSU student government.

My conclusions so far: the universities seem to pretty well reflect our society's views on gun ownership overall. As with the rest of the U.S., in the microcosm of the university, those that tend to be anti are usually inexperienced with guns. But, in their quest to fulfill their need to spout their opinion, they find they have little to go on except a gut reaction, or at best, someone else's opinion, like the fellow from Virginia Tech who said that someone else's opinion "made my point for me."

No, this person is just jumping on the baa-baa bandwagon. You haven't really done much seeking for yourself.

But then, someone comes along and tries to take their gut reaction and embellish it with a little philosophizing, like this aristotle from the Daily Toreador:

"Guns are made for one reason - to kill people."

12 years of public schooling, a couple of years (at best) at an institution of higher learning, and the best he can come up with is a knee-jerk generalization.

Happily, the guy from OSU has the best answer to such hastily-prepared judgements:

Real-world examples abound throughout recent history about laws restraining gun ownership leading to increases in violent crime, erosion of individual rights, oppression and even genocide. As with many issues, however, if you try you can find statistics that support either side, it comes down to common sense. Criminals do not pay attention to gun laws, and a world without guns does not create a world without hate, murder and deadly weapons.

Taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens is the easy way out; this action does not make the world safer; increased education and awareness would do more. The real solution is finding a way to suppress the illegal gun trade and to start enforcing existing laws. As the world's military power and leader in gun manufacture, we must admit that is a difficult challenge.

Give that student an A+

I think I'll make this a fairly regular feature of my blog.

Survey: Gun-Related Op-Eds in College Newspapers

This will be a little weekend project I'd like to do, inspired by such Renaissance Queens as the one two posts ago: what sort of opinions are being generated on campus regarding gun ownership and 2A rights?

I have my suspicions about what you usually read, but I'm keeping an open mind on the matter.

I'll post my findings either Sunday or Monday evening. Any reader interested in hunting some up for me is welcome to do so, and I'll include his or her findings in the post.

My couple of blurbs on Jeff Cooper

Living in AK, and with a handful of things happening around me to keep my life busy, I am usually the last to know a lot of news.

Like Jeff Cooper's passing away this past Tuesday. I never knew the man personally, never corresponded with him personally, but every gun article I ever read that referenced him treated the man with high regard.

In the issues of Guns & Ammo, which I read for several years, the quality of their stories varied, and they may have focused on issues that I didn't have that much of an interest in, but "Thoughts from the Gunner's Guru" was the section I never failed to read.

Sometimes you hear the older generation gripe about all the changes. Mr. Cooper was probably no different than many of his peers in this regard, but it was never random, always thoughtful, speaking out of experience, and addressing changes that really weren't necessary (like the "latest and greatest" firearm cartridge. He never got excited about that).

I suppose one of his greatest lamentations was the decline of common sense, and the growing unwillingness to "tell it like it is." I can only say I hope we can continue this no-nonsense straight-shooting demeanor that he, and many of those in his generation, upheld.

We'll see you on the other side, Colonel.

More "Enlightenment" From Academia

If ever you read a campus editorial on gun-related matters, you can pretty much expect it to lean left, be long on wild speculation, and short on any real, careful thought.

I came across this in a Wisconsin-Madison editorial on concealed carry a year or so ago. A lot of "what if's," speculation, and very scant on any actual research done on the matter. It doesn't really encourage me about the sort of reporting we'll be seeing entering into the media in a few years.

Sadly, even my alma mater isn't immune to it, although those who really know about the issues are ready on hand to answer what is obviously more propaganda than fact.

Then there's this Danielle Rather, lamenting out of the depth of her ignorance over allowing guns in Indiana's state parks.

Readers will be sorely disappointed at Miss Maire Gurevitz's lack of substantiation for her opinion. There's a lot on the order of "I don't understand," "I feel," "I really think," "In my opinion," and "I believe," but gives us no reason why she thinks that way, or why we ought to give her thoughts any consideration.

Well, with the exception of this line, which tells all: "I am pretty much done with trying to understand the logic and conscience of the gun lobby making it legal to carry guns in more public places and for granting lifetime licenses on handguns."

She doesn't want to know. Why the hell should she bore us with her apathy, then?

I would expect this from a high schooler, not a Junior in Journalism at a University. But it seems her enthusiasm for quality reporting is as sincere as the photo that graces her editorial.

But addressing her opinions directly, concealed carry is a very good idea when confronted by a thug. The business end of a .45 is a lot more effective on the spot against a would-be assailant than a lecture on social ideals. Most of the time, according to studies done by those who have researched the successful use of guns to thwart crime, you don't have to pull the trigger to convince a thug to think the matter over.

Concerning carrying in parks, we're not just talking about grassy lots with swingsets. We're talking about undeveloped land with wild animals on it. I don't know what sort of beasts are found in Indiana, but here in Alaska, you don't want to wander around in the bush with anything less than a .44 magnum on hand.

Arsenal of "What The #*%&"

It's amazing to see how people make a career worrying over what-could-have-beens. But such is the life of a professional Demorrhoid.

Take Jesse Jackson, for instance. Apparently he just bought himself a case of Preparation H over something that did not happen, and you can read all about it in an article he wrote ("Arsenal of Freedom"--h/t KeepAndBearArms.org) attempting to blame a planned high school bomb attempt on the 2nd Amendment.




















Red flags on this article: it happened in Wisconsin (frequent stomping grounds for Jackson? Well, it tends to be a left-leaning state, but I don't hear about him hanging around there often). The bomb plot was foiled before it happened. The guns in question were not in possession of the boys nor conclusively determined to be part of the plot.

Funny thing is, Jackson acknowledges all this. But apparently, the sphincter reaction he gets over genuine civil rights (eg: 2A, as opposed to welfare. Which is a constitutionally addressed right?) overrides his frontal lobe. End result, Jesse sees "guns," his panties get bunched up, and it's only a matter of time before he erupts into another case of Demorrhoids:

the president broke his campaign promise and let the assault weapons ban expire—despite the virtually unanimous demand of police officials that it be retained. The police know that their lives are put at risk when weapons designed for combat are easily available.

Time to pull out another suppository. It's "virtually unanimous" only if you don't move much outside of left-leaning circles.

Concealed weapons laws are passing across the country, from Minnesota to Florida, giving people the right to pack a concealed weapon if they get a permit.

What he fails to realize is the process involved in obtaining these permits. Don't mention "Alaska" or "Vermont" to this guy. He'll clean out a certain shelf of the local drugstore over it.

And in 15 states, that law is reinforced by the "shoot first" law, a law that states that you needn't think yourself under threat in order to shoot someone who has entered your house or car without permission.

Pardon me while I go fetch a roll of Northern. People will not use a gun unless they think they are threatened! And most people who seek to legally own a gun do their homework about its proper use, including the legal aspects of using deadly force in lawful self-defense.

But, we need to remember that Jesse values criminals' rights more than those of law-abiding citizens.

Then he goes into some blathering about ruralites vs. urbanites. It's almost as if he accuses those living outside the city to be a bunch of clueless rednecks. But he would rather Springfield be ruled by Chicago, even though Springfield's stance on gun rights lines up closer with the Constitution.

Bah. Go back to your fantasy world, Jesse, and make sure you sit on a towel.

Deagle Sniper Package

To the uninitiated, it looks like a scope mounted on a curious hunk of metal. Deagle owners will recognize that hunk of metal as a Mk VII barrel with scope mount.

Since I have two Mk VII barrels, I decided to use one as a simple solution to having to constantly put on the mount, the scope, and sight it in. Simply keep the scope mounted on top of the barrel and switch out the barrels. With the Desert Eagle, it's a pretty simple process.

Hopefully, I'll have a chance to try it out this afternoon. Having a couple of the guys over (former housemates) for lasagna. Then afterwards, a pleasant time of shooting (provided the weather is OK).

Someone Else Likes H&K Pimpin'

I knew I couldn't be the only one ready to sing the praises of fine German firearm craftmanship. However, this pimp specializes in a niche market: The P7.
















Here's his page: Chris's Unofficial H&K P7 Website.

I came across it while googling up handgun-related news. An article he wrote for Defense Review caught my eye, comparing the P7 to the Glock 19. As it turned out, that article first appeared as a thread in the now-defunct (only existing as an archive now) The Firing Line forums (rest in peace, that was a great place for gun talk).

Chavez: Banana Republic Comedic Hypocrite

Regular readers of this blog know I do not like this Castro boytoy. Since his lover is probably lying on a stainless steel bed a Havana hospital basement, I guess he thinks it necessary to stick a cigar in his mouth, speak out of the other end, and fill the "pathetic latino dictator PITA" vaccuum.

Anyone read about his comments at the U.N. recently? Man, what a hoot! I guess he took a wrong turn in New Jersey and missed his appointment at "Catch a Falling [yes, that is deliberate] Star." Speaking about George "Diablo" Bush:

"As the spokesman of imperialism, he came to share his nostrums to try to preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world."

Did you get that? "Domination!" This from the free-speech capital of South America.

And this rib-tickler: "Exploitation!" Just forget about the squandering away of Venezuela's oil revenues. A U.S. Dollar currently equals 2,143 Venezuelan Bolivares thanks to this economic genius (source: XE.com). This is from around 800-900 shortly after he seized power in the late '90s.

This one will have you rolling on the floor: "...and pillage of the peoples of the world!" When I was in Caracas in '98, most of the homes in that city were in poor condition. A couple of high-rise slums you can clearly see driving from the airport looked like they hadn't been maintained since the '70s. Yet the Casona was as pristine as any drug lord's Miami home.

Then he decides to blast the U.N.: calling the veto power held by the Security Council as "un-democratic." Uh-huh. We know what your idea of "democratic" is.

Then he held up a book by a wannabe political commentator (translated: opinionated twit) who should have stuck to linguistics. Not knowing English that well, I think Hugo mistook it for an English copy of "Dictadura Para Estúpidos."

Now, he wants to jump into bed with Ahmadinejihad, not only in some bratty anti-US coalition (kind of like Calvin & Hobbes' girl-haters' club) but go nuclear as well. Something about his encounters with Mahmoud probably reminded him of missiles (not for me to say!), and probably remembered something his former bed buddy muttered during some cuddling about a long-abandoned plan to set up Soviet missiles on Cuban soil.

But Khruschev had the good sense not to push us too far on that one.

However, John Bolton proved he's the right man for his job with this response to Chavez's tirade:

"I think that [Chavez's] rhetoric today shows exactly what kind of man he is."

Amen, John.

News Gets Around

The little shooting spree two weeks ago caught the attention of a couple of girls at the breakfast table this morning. One of them, who is Jeff's girlfriend, heard about it, and was a tad jealous that she didn't get invited.

The other, this petite black girl from Georgia, chimed in a "me, too!" So it looks like I'll be fixing another meal (the famous Hatfield recipe for lasagna) for guests this weekend, followed up with a good afternoon of punching steel.

This time, however, I'm bringing out the heavy artillery. The Deagle has not been shot in a long time, and I figure it's about time I really got familiar with that red dot scope.

In other news, I did a quick Google scan for gun-related news, and found this interesting tidbit:

WLNS: Local crimes involving guns down.

At first, I thought...oooh boy, some more leftist propaganda "demonstrating" how certain "gun-control" measures have prevented crime in a certain area. But rather than just follow my gut reaction, I actually read what the article had to say (take note, lefties...this is what differentiates conservatives from your typical lib).

The measures, which take place in Lansing, MI, have absolutely nothing to do with idiotic "take 'em away from everyone" approaches (whether it be altering gun design, registration, economic barriers, etc). Instead, it automatically tacks on five years to your sentence if your crime involved a firearm.

And, according to this article, it seems to be working:

Lt. Larry Klaus: "If you get caught with a gun here, you are going to prison."

Lansing Police Lt. Larry Klaus says word of the project is spreading, and it has many criminals leaving their guns behind.

Lt. Larry Klaus: "A lot of the criminals will say that bag of drugs is mine, but we don't want anything to do with the firearms."

This is probably the most sensible measure against firearm-related crime I have seen reported in the news. It focuses on attacking criminals without jeopardizing the rights of law-abiding citizens.

I got to thinking, if Klinton had promoted something more along the lines of Michigan's measures, he wouldn't have been reviled as much by 2A advocates. But I don't think Bubba was really educated about the issues so much as he saw the Assault Weapons Ban as a political expedient. It sounded popular among his cronies, so he went along with it to keep their favor, and keep himself in power. And screw the Constitution in the process.

Happily, 2004 came about, and the AWB proved its efficacy and popularity by fading out as a bitter memory.

Now This is Blasphemy...

Was browsing through Xavier Thoughts, perusing through the Idiots with Guns posts. And I saw this jewel:
















Do you see how I might find this offensive? H&K owners are not idiots.

Well, most of them.

I mean, the stainless USP is beautiful, but if you're intent on offing yourself with a fine piece of hardware, at least will the piece to me.

Pics from last week

I told you all about the shooting spree I had last weekend. Well, Anthony sent me some pics, but unfortunately, it seems that Gmail likes to cut your attachments in half. So, the best I can do is show you the preview images:

Here's Mark's wife, putting a few through the H&K:











Note the smile that a high-quality handgun can put on your face. That is NOT the grin of an evil person.

And here's the whole crew from that afternoon of plinking:

Pictured here: Jeff, Justin, myself, Mark, Jonathan, Cathy, and Matt.








And here: Anthony, Jeff, myself, Mark, Jonathan, Matt, and Justin.








Hardware featured: Beretta .22 Neo, Ruger Mark III .22, H&K USP .45

Ammo: CCI Blazer (.22 LR), American Eagle (.45 230gr FMJ)

Targets: Steel plates (animal shaped), 25-30 yards

Like I said last week, we had a blast. Got to teach a few a couple of things about gun safety, especially Justin, a kid from Canada who had never shot a handgun before--quelle surprise, given the draconian gun laws Canada has, which didn't stop a gunman in Montreal recently.

That incident sparked more debate over the efficacy of Canadian gun control laws. This editorial in the Winnipeg Sun shows that there are some sane people east of Alberta.

Highlight:

Trying to link the Montreal shooting to the long-gun registry is nothing more than a cheap attempt by registry advocates to profit from it politically.

There’s a bill before Parliament that proposes to do away with the registry. And opponents of the bill are trying to capitalize on this tragedy for their own political gain, even though they know one has nothing to do with the other.

It’s pathetic, really.

The gun registry has cost taxpayers at least $1 billion — and growing — and there’s been no public safety benefit to it whatsoever.

Why anyone would want to continue to throw good money after bad on this thing is beyond me.

Where do you think most of that $1 billion went? In some lefty's pocket, as a pat on the back for convincing the canadian sheep that they really don't need their money after all. Or their security.

But I digress.

I also gave the newbies some pointers on what to do when you have a misfire: Keep the gun pointed downrange, wait about 15 seconds, then quickly cycle the action. Dispose of the dud in your non-burnable trash.

The Neo was very impressive to shoot. Simply get a good sight picture, don't flinch, and *bang-ding!*

Like I said last week, the H&K was the one everyone really had fun shooting. For one, it's a "real caliber" (whatever that means), and most that shot it were impressed at how easy it was to handle. Hats off to H&K's engineering dept. The recoil buffer makes for a very controllable pistol.

After we cleaned up all the brass and had a little tea, Mark said they needed to have me over more often, whenever they wanted to do a little shooting. They could use someone with a little experience around to make things safer, and more enjoyable.

I am most happy to oblige them.

I'm 34% Evil!

You Are 34% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Now, what does this stupid little blogthing have to do with a largely gun-related blog?

The next to the last question: "You've shot a gun...and liked it."

With a question like that, I have no hope of ever being pure. But happily, I don't buy into the mild jab at gun ownership. If guns are evil, mine are defective.

The slide starts here...

Click on the title for the link. It has to do with Ahmadinej(ih)ad encouraging the expulsion of what he considers "secular professors."

You saw this same sort of thing in China as the Communists were taking over. Academicians were removed from their positions--supposedly to teach them to "use their backs" for the good of the State, but in reality, it kept those with the responsibility to investigate matters from meddling with the agenda of the invading ideology.

I don't remember if the same thing happened in Germany on the academic level, but I do know that pastors bold enough to speak out against the NSDAP were removed. They also represented a sector of society that acts as a sort of watchman against cultural or social upheavals.

Remove these watchmen, and you're setting up a society for bondage of one sort or another.

More H&K Adulation

Yeah, it's been 2 months since I last posted. My network connection went dead for about a month, so I decided to live life largely unplugged for that time.

You got the highlight of the summer...my fishing trip to Chitina. I mentioned that as my first open-carry experience, and a good one at that.

I hadn't done much gun-related since. But that changed today. I had a few friends over for a "guy's night out" (only during the day). Feasted on beer & bratwurst, and I had thoughts of taking them out to the old dump for some plinking. As we were winding down our lunch, another neighbor came walking along with his .22 pistol and 9mm carbine, obviously with the same thought in mind. So, I brought out the USP and some partial boxes to shoot with.

As it turned out, he was meeting some other of our neighbors just down the road, to do some plinking at some steel plates they had set up in their back yard. Mark had bought his son a .22 Beretta, and every so often they blaze through a brick.

This week, Mark has been entertaining some guests from Canada, and treated their son to a little shooting. It seems we're always happy to show our neighbors immediately to the east of us what they're missing.

The USP was the center of everyone's attention. Mark's son was practically drooling over it. I gave everyone a few shots with the gun, which they enjoyed, if they weren't a little intimidated by the blast from a caliber with some decent heft to it. Even Mark's wife got to send a few downrange.

People weren't hitting much with it--the targets were small steel plate animals about 25 yards from a picnic table--although they were doing decently with the .22s that were on hand.

But for me, the USP reminded me why I love it so much. Lined up the sights, put the animal behind the middle dot...keep yourself from flinching...squeeze the trigger...*Blam!* *ding!* Whereas the .22s were barely moving the steel, my 230gr FMJs gave them a good swing.

But this is what got me jazzed--25-30 yards is the furthest I have attempted to hit something with this gun, and succeeded. And this without having fired a shot in some three months!

But you know, I wasn't thinking about the distance. I was just thinking about hitting the target. That's where all my concentration was at. So, there's something to be said about having the right mindset when shooting. If you're distracted, you're going to be off.

Anyway, Anthony brought his digital camera along, and will be emailing me the pictures, which I will be posting here sometime soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the aftermath of a good afternoon's shooting:
















You know it...the ol' brush & nitro solvent routine. Got to keep the ol' girl in shape for the next time...or have her ready in case of a crisis situation. You never know...

Now that it's getting darker, I should be able to get some good fireball shots before it starts getting really cold.