BOTW

Been a while, but here we go.

If you don’t know who that is and you reside in the U.S. stay under your rock until December, please.

Politics: You want answers?

Anti-Civil-Rights Shill Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, has posted some questions for Sarah Palin here I agree with others that she should just ignore him. However, I’ll answer the questions I can just for fun.

– In view of your being “a lifetime member of the NRA,” what is your reaction to the disclosure that the NRA has been paying a woman to spy on gun violence prevention groups and the victims they represent for over 10 years?

I think it’s absolutely shameful! Only one spy?!

I’d also like to correct the record. She was not spying on gun violence prevention groups. She was spying on anti-civil rights activists who promote victimization of innocents.

– Most Americans, including President Bush, support banning military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. What is your position?

That whoever coined the term “semiautomatic assault weapons” is an idiot. I am in favor, and in fact encourage, that the citizenry be able to practice and train with the standard rifle (or a reasonable facsimile) of our Armed Forces. The same goes for sidearms.

– Do you agree with Senator McCain that the “gun-show loophole”(allowing individuals to buy guns at a gun show with no background check from so-called “private sellers”) should be closed?

No I do not. However, Senator McCain and I aren’t going to agree on everything. That’s part of being and individual.

– What did you mean when you described “attacks on our Second Amendment rights” as equivalent to gangs and drug use as something that would “harm family life?” [Eagle Forum Alaska questionnaire, 7-30-06.] Does this include efforts by groups like the Brady Campaign to make it harder for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons?

What efforts? Every one of your alleged “efforts” I am aware of has been with the goal of disarming the law abiding citizens of this great nation. I need go no further than to point out your “blood in the streets” campaigns against trained, law abiding citizens being able to carry the most effective means of self-defense on their person.

– Do you agree with Senator McCain that background check approval records for gun purchases should be kept for 90 days instead of 24 hours, that ATF should be able to require gun stores to conduct inventory audits, and that crime gun trace information should be more widely available to law enforcement and the public? [See Senator McCain's statement on the Senate floor, 1-22-04.]

No I do not. Please reference my earlier comment on Senator McCain and I agreeing on everything. Furthermore, I would like for you to provide me with incidents where Law Enforcement has been denied access to firearms trace data in the course of, and relevant to, the investigating a crime.

Update! Thanks to Days of Our Trailers we have evidence that the Brady’s can’t decide on the facts when it comes to Bush’s support (or lack therof) of the Assault Weapons Ban. Not that facts has ever meant anything for the Brady Campaign.

Story time? Why not?

There is very little being reported in the world of firearms at the moment.  Everyone seems focused on the Presidential race and the politics surrounding that. As for me I just got done paying my annual house rent to the county (Property taxes for those of you in Rio Linda) so range trips will be a bit.

So inspired by BigRedKitty I figured I would regale you with a few tales of my Military Career.

I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas in June of 1990.  I was older than many of my fellow trainees having been delayed enlistment for 6 years due to a knee injury (that also spared me the indignity of being in the Army,  but that’s another story).

We arrived on a Wednesday night and had the usual shakedown everyone goes through when they arrive.  I didn’t think it was all that bad and to be honest the short cadet who kept trying to get in my face made it very hard not to laugh. A couple of guys lost the contents of their stomachs which only got them more attention. When people tell you to do nothing to attract attention during basic they aren’t kidding around.  I was determined to stay under the radar.

The weekend came and we were still wearing the clothes we’d arrived in. Saturday night became a night I won’t forget.  Because of supply problems we were to get Uniforms the following week, so the Traning Instructors (Air Force P.C. Speak for Drill Sergeant) weren’t messing with us too hard.  I remember thinking if this was the worst it was going to get this would be a cake walk. Saturday night one of us cracked under the light pressure we’d been getting.

In the middle of the night the Fire Alarm went off.  I figured this was just a drill to screw with our minds a little bit and of course to deprive us of more sleep. It wasn’t; a member of our ‘brother flight’ had attempted suicide (I never heard for certain if he was successful).  The person who found him had panicked and yanked the fire alarm rather than using the call box to notify the Squadron Command Center. After a few hours we were allowed back into our bays and settled in to get a bit more sleep.  It was a sobering beginning to my time in the Air Force, but fortunately the hilarity that is standard military issue was about to ensue.

More on that later.