Call me Ahab

posted by Caleb on Feb 29

The NRA has set up a new website designed specifically to encourage non-voters to register in their state and get out and vote this year.

I’m registered; I vote in every election we have, including local elections.  The 2008 Election season is a critical election not just for gun owners but for Americans who are opposed to increasing levels of government intrusion our daily lives.  Faced with the prospect of an anti-gun president who sat the on the Board of the Joyce Foundation, or an anti-gun president who endorsed the original assault weapons ban, I can safely say that this election is the most important election in which I’ve been eligible to vote.

Register to vote at NRA-ILA.

posted by Caleb on Feb 29

I’m really enjoying watching Bitter and Sebastian take the AHSA out behind the woodshed for a good beating, especially in light of AHSA revealing their true motives with the recent entry on Daily Kos.

I want to add my two cents to the conversation, not because I want to pile on or anything, but because I have one question directed towards the legitimacy of AHSA as a “pro-hunters/shooters” group.  This is the mission statement on their website:

AHSA vigorously defends the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, promotes safe and responsible gun use, and supports reasonable public policies, so that all Americans can enjoy the benefits of this crucial and historic liberty.

“A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”

These 27 words protect the inviolate rights of Americans to own and use guns. These words are sacred to the American Hunters and Shooters Association, as are the ideals and principles they stand for.  Protecting our homes, preserving our liberties, hunting, and sport shooting are constitutionally protected American values that AHSA vigorously defends.

Based on that, I have one question - where was your booth at SHOT ‘08?  There were so many pro-gun and pro-hunting organizations there that it was hard to keep track of all of them, but I don’t remember your booth.  Maybe I had missed it, so I went back and checked my list of exhibitors at SHOT ‘08, and I didn’t see AHSA on the list.  Hell, even Students for the Second Amendment had a table there, and they’re an entirely volunteer organization.  Surely an organization as committed to “vigorously defending” our rights as hunters and shooters would want to be represented at the largest industry event in the shooting and hunting world.

So, where were you?  Did you miss your flight?  I mean, it just doesn’t make any kind of logical sense as to why AHSA wouldn’t want to represented at SHOT ‘08…unless of course you’re not really interested in actually getting involved in the shooting, hunting, and outdoors industry.

posted by Caleb on Feb 29

The US Special Forces are going to be fielding two new variants of the venerable M16 platform, the Mark-16 and Mark-17 (Mk16/Mk17), respectively. Correction - they’re getting the FN SCAR rifle.

From this story on CNN, the detail that will probably interest the most people here is that the Mk17 is a 7.62 NATO rifle.

The Mk17 fires a larger 7.62 mm round that is used in some U.S. military machine guns,

If you read the actual article from CNN, it’s almost funny; they talk about the relatively modular nature of the M-16 platform of rifles as if it’s a brand new concept, which to anyone who has ever swapped an upper to change the caliber of his AR - it isn’t.

Every since we started up with the War on Terror, there has been something of an outcry for a round with better terminal ballistics than the 5.56, and since SOCOM get what SOCOM want, they’re now going to be fielding new rifles (not 30 year old beat up M-14s) chambered in7.62.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

Prince Harry has been on the front lines and seen action in Afghanistan.

He was deployed 10 weeks ago, in secrecy, so as to not generate the media storm that came with his potential deployment to Iraq several months ago.

“As far as I’m concerned I’m out here as a normal JTAC on the ground and not as Prince Harry” he said.

He is a credit to a country that quite honestly does not deserve men of his caliber any longer.  As I said, well done, young man.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

Coast Guard Fifth District helicopter rescue video, two guys stranded on a 140 foot high tower.  That is not an easy rescue by any standards, and their ability to pull those guys out is a testament to the skill of the pilot, the cable operator, and the AST on the end of the cable.

Bravo Zulu, guys.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

I didn’t cover too much from MagPul at SHOT ‘08.  Lucky for you guys, someone else did; and Sebastian has the videos at his place.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

The truly hilarious VPC Blog just keeps cracking me up.  The post about John Browning: Dastardly Mormon is hilarious.

It also reminded of my favorite satire piece that I wrote, Gun Control Circa 1782.  Honestly, I had more fun writing that than I did a lot of my other posts, and it was doubly fun when someone picked it up at the High Road and thought that it was a legitimate find, and not satirical.  So, in honor of the new and funny VPC Parody, here’s my favorite post of mine, ever:

Fifty calibre long rifles are an ideal tool for insurrectionists. They are a real and present danger to our forces in the colonies, yet are easily found even in the possession of farmers and other peasants. Fifty calibre long rifles are specifically designed to engage small targets with precise accuracy at ranges unheard of on the battlefield. These precision weapons combine long range and tremendous accuracy to create a weapon that has a range beyond anything that our infantrymen carry. Officers, messengers, cannon crews, even our daring cavalry are vulnerable to accurate fire from these deadly rifles at ranges exceeding 200 yards! The entire infrastructure of the colonies is threatened by these weapons, as they give the insurrectionist the ability to strike individual targets at distances normally reserved for cannon fire. A Citizen of the Crown would be shocked to learn that these “rifles” are so common amongst the colonials, that even small children are well versed in their use. These rifles are specifically designed for great accuracy against fast moving targets at extreme ranges beyond the reach of musket fire. They are “purpose-designed” and “purpose-built” weapons. This terminology is used in colonial literature to describe weapons that are made for a specific, narrow purpose, in this case for long range shooting—highly accurate firing at a target from a significant distance. Musket fire and civilized warfare is conducted at ranges of 50 yards, even our boys fine Brown Bess Musket does not fire accurately beyond that range. 50 yards is less than the distance across Trafalgar Square. These .50 calibre long rifles are accurate at ranges of up to 100 yards, and in the hands of an expert marksman, even 300! At 300 yards, a Colonial marksman could easily pick off our officers, leading to a wholly uncivilized engagement of infantry just “having it out” on the battlefield. 50 calibre rounds are one of the smaller and lighter bullets available, which allows the Colonial marksmen to carry more rounds and powder than one of our boys for the same amount of weight. The potential for these rifles to be abused by the insurrectionists in a manner inconsistent with civilized warfare is difficult to overstate. It is a known fact that the criminal known as The Swamp Fox has hundreds of these “long rifles” in his possession, and his men are well trained in their use. As recently noted at the Battle of Mingo Creek, our brave forces were barraged from all sides by fire from these deadly weapons, and their foe did not even have the courage to face them on an open field. England is in the midst of a Colonial Insurrection. The Colonial forces are arming themselves to the very teeth with these incredibly destructive weapons of war. It is time to regulate 50 calibre long rifles by bringing them under the control of the Crown, so that our soldiers can confiscate them from these Colonial criminals masquerading as soldiers. By so doing, we will be able to bring a rapid end to this bloody insurrection that has divided the North American Colonies from their Sovereign.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

Way to be, SailorCurt.  That’s how it’s done.

We’re all bound to disagree eventually, but it’s how we comport ourselves during and after such disagreements that shows our nature.  That’s staying classy.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

Still don’t mix.  GunPundit links to a letter in an Arizona paper where the letter writer is concerned about a proposed Arizona law that would allow carry in bars, provided the person carrying isn’t imbibing.  As usual, the letter portrays gun owners and permit holders as trigger happy maniacs, and assumes that we would use our firearms to bully people into giving us alcohol.

In the past, I’ve talked about how guns and alcohol are a bad mix; and I stand by that statement.  If I’m going out and planning on drinking, the gun stays at home.  I might have a beer with dinner or something like that while I’m carrying, but even that is a rare occurrence.  I do volunteer to be the sober driver for my friends a lot, so I end up packing and drinking godawful bar coffee while everyone else drinks it up, and I’m fine with that.

Carrying a firearm to defend your life (and your family) is the ultimate expression of personal responsibility, and it carries a significant burden with it.  We can’t get road rage and try to run people off the road, we can’t get drunk and start fights in bars - we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

posted by Caleb on Feb 28

Two bills passed out of committee in Illinois yesterday, one was an assault weapons ban, and the other was a proposal to limit people to one-handgun-a-month purchases (like Virginia).

The debate was pretty much the usual attempts to portray semi-automatic rifles as “military style assault weapons”, amongst the usual hand wringing and histrionics that you’ve come to expect from such appeals to emotion.

A lot of the time, I think that Illinois is a lost cause, that Chicago area politics will dominate the rest of the state, and people in IL should just move to Indiana.  In fact, I’d even put together a little “Welcome to the Hoosier State” packet for people fleeing Illinois to breathe free air (well, more free I suppose).

Then I remember that giving up sucks, and people shouldn’t have to abandon their homes and their states because some legislator has decided that he knows better than you.  So contact your local representatives, Illinois residents.  I know that the Chicago area does dominate a lot of Illinois politics, but there have to be enough rural and suburban gun owners out there to make a difference.  Start calling, emailing, faxing, and writing letters.  If you don’t know who your elected State reps are, this list has their districts and contact info.