avatarTim McNabb

On Being a Gun Rights Fanatic

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MikeB302000 has fingered me as a gun-rights fanatic. I presume this is because I believe that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I presume this is because I oppose “reasonable” measures such as background checks on all gun sales. I presume this is because I don’t think a person ought to have to take a class or fill out paperwork for the state to exercise their right to self defense. I presume this is because I believe individuals should have the right to defend themselves against both criminals and the state . . .

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SWAT Urban Assault Vehicle: Really?

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Driving along Interstate 44 the other day, I had occasion to snap the above photo. This was not an armored truck carrying a mountain of cash to various and sundry establishments around our fair city but rather a lumbering monument to the militarization of the police. Maybe I’m wrong – I will entertain that possibility  – but do the cops really need an armored car to go serve a warrant? Before you answer that, notice the gun ports. Now, as far as I understand it . . .

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What’ll It Be: Second Amendment Rights or Soup Du Jour?

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Esau was the first born of twins. A pretty good hunter, he was a favorite of his father, Isaac. His brother Jacob tended to dwell among the tents rather than hunting and working in the field. One day Esau returned from an unproductive hunt, hungry. His brother Jacob was cooking a vegetable stew. “Jacob, feed me some of your stew…I am faint,” he asked. Jacob, no push-over, said, “Sell me your birthright.” Esau figured “what good is my right as firstborn if I die?” and agreed. No attorney was nearby so Jacob demanded that Esau “swear it.” So Esau swore an oath and Jacob gave him bread, lentils and something to drink. Esau evidently had no use for his birthright. I know, you’re wondering how this little parable applies to guns. Well . . .

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Question of the Day: How do You Defend Yourself Against Workplace Violence?

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An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent was wounded in California and a second one was killed. In their office. By one of their own. “Officials say that deputy special agent in charge Kevin Kozak was speaking with a subordinate officer, Ezekial Garcia, Thursday about Garcia’s job performance and that when the conversation escalated, Garcia opened fire,” cbsnews.com reported. “Kozak was wounded and is in stable condition at a nearby hospital, where officials say he is alert and speaking. A third ICE officer intervened, fatally shooting Garcia before anyone else could be harmed.” This unfortunate story raises a whole host of questions . . .

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Media Hypocrite of the Day: David Brock

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Washington D.C. based news outfit The Daily Caller has been pouring over the tax records of a group of George Soros funded “journalists” called Media Matters for America. Many moons ago, David Brock worked for The American Spectator, a feisty conservative magazine. Brock ultimately switched sides and started turning tricks for the left starting Media Matters, an operation he still runs. Its mission is to influence the media by providing sound bites and “research” that supports a left-leaning narrative. MM’s been largely successful, providing material to major media outlets – often wildly out of context – that gives any given hatchet job a thin patina of legitimacy. . .

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Question of the Day: Which Should Prevail, 2A or Property Rights?

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In the past, I have worked for firms that posted big “no guns allowed” signs, clearly advertising to any who might do grave evil that the office where I worked was full of  the unarmed and comparatively defenseless.  Before I had my concealed carry permit, I didn’t think much about this but now that I can legally arm myself, I find it troubling.

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College Students and the 2nd Amendment

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Arizona is considering a “controversial” bill that would prevent state-run colleges from restricting students’ Second Amendment rights. Only not really. SB1474 will allow in-state campuses to ban guns within buildings—provided the campus has gun lockers and posts signage informing gun owners of the policy. The first thought in my mind: what good is concealed carry if you have to check your gun at the door of every class you attend? I’ve got three words for the bill’s framers: target rich environment. Further, creating a single storage space where a pile of weapons are just a crowbar away strikes me as an exceptionally bad idea. And here’s the big question: how do you get to college without learning about the United States Constitution? How do you get to be a professor–-a law teacher— without understanding its basic tenets? azcentral.com:

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SF Gun Controller Ross Mirkarimi Surrenders His Guns

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San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, sheriff of San Francisco, is under a cloud after being booked on a domestic violence beef. Mikarimi’s a former San Francisco board of supervisors member who was known for his anti-gun views. After being accused of tuning up his spouse he was hauled to the hoosegow and given the full treatment from San Franciso’s finest. Mikarami has plead not-guilty, and plans to fight the charges and is not stepping down. But it gets better. As part of the standard domestic violence prosecution process, Mirkarimi has been stripped of his right to keep and bear arms. And that means the anti-gun rights Sheriff has to give up the three guns he owns . . .

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Self Defense or Murder in the Second?

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When does home defense become 2nd degree murder? The AP and my hometown paper, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, combined to report that “castle doctrine” shootings in Missouri totaled seven in 2011, up from two the previous year. The article provides a good run-down of what a Brady flack predictably refers to as “shoot-first” laws, but not every case is without some questions. . .

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