How Many Permits Do You Have?

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Interesting question, and something I’ve been thinking a good deal about with HR822 on the horizon. How many gun permits do you have? Also how often do you use either your resident permit, or another permit out of state?

That second question is because New England is 100% messed up when it comes to Reciprocity. NO state honors any other state around here. I can’t legally carry in Rhode Island or Connecticut, and certainly not New York. Vermont I don’t need a permit for, but Maine and New Hampshire I also have a permit for.

I also got my Florida permit because I have family down there (plus my parents are eying property down there too). So I have 4 permits (But I won’t renew my New Hampshire permit because they honor my Florida, and Governor Lynch jacked the fee up to $100 from $20)

Still most states down South and out west will honor several neighboring states, so most of your travel you can cross state lines without worrying about your carry gun, so maybe others don’t have as many permits as I do.

So my number is 4, and I spend most of my time outside of Mass in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, so I carry out of state a good deal.

How many do you have?

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Dumb Knife Laws

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Tam reports that Indiana is attempting to repeal their dumbass laws on Automatic Knives.

I was just talking at how switchblade-like my CRKT Vertex is, and the kershaw Zing beside it opens just as fast without any assistance at all…and of course if I’m carrying a defensive knife, I’m not fucking with a blade that needs to be opened at all, I’m carrying a fixed-blade.

Of course Tam points out that the laws are generally based on Racism, and Hollywood Stereotypes.

It seems when I read knife laws a few other stupid things show up. Of course “Throwing Stars” are there, and I guess that makes sense if you’re afraid of stuff in general. Still frequently I see Gravity Knife which as far as I can tell (correct me if I’m wrong) was an evolutionary dead-end that terminated as a WWII German Paratrooper knife, and usually Ballistic Knives, which is generally just a ball of failure with the occasional Mall Ninja or regular village-grade idiot claiming the combat effectiveness of said cow-flop.

I assume all these laws were drafted with some bizarre congressional circus where a bunch of people who have never had a real job their entire life, and are only partially literate, telling people who have never had a real job and have their assistance read all the words for them how horrible and dangerous these knives are, and they must be BANNNNNED imminently or the human population will drop to Zero in a fortnight!

When really knife people just go “Meh” and get on with their lives. Also with one of my favorite knives being an assisted blade, I still prefer the simpler non-assisted variants, and certainly adding a switch to make the gun a full-fledged “Automatic” ads yet another unit to make so my blade might not deploy when I have stuff that needs cutting.

Kinda sad when its the dumbest people in the world who make the laws that govern the rest of us…

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Shutting the Barn Door

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Weerd Beard

This story comes to us from The Bubblehead Les New Network, BLNN

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A U.S. scientific advisory board Tuesday asked two scientific journals to leave out data from research studies on a lab-made version of bird flu that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon.

The U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has asked the journals Nature and Science to publish redacted versions of the studies by two research groups that reportedly created forms of the H5N1 avian flu that could easily jump between ferrets — typically considered a sign that the virus could spread quickly among humans.

Both journals said in separate statements they are working with the advisory board and taking the matter seriously, but they chafed at the notion of scientific censorship.

The bird flu virus is extremely deadly in people who are directly exposed to infected birds, but so far, it has not mutated into a form that can pass easily from person to person.

According to the journals, two research labs have submitted papers showing how to make the virus more transmissible in humans, and the NSABB, an independent expert committee that advises the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies, wants to keep this information from falling into the wrong hands.

Now Microbiology is WAYYYY outside my wheelhouse, so I don’t know if this research is entirely for military logistics, or if it can be used to help find a treatment, vaccine, or cure for this virus if a hostile entity, or the biggest bitch of them all, Mother Nature, figures this shit out.

That being said with a Predator Drone being stolen by Iran, and the East Anglia Email Cabal was leaked on the web, as Les said to me “Wiki-Leaks will just publish it anyway”. The horses are already out of the barn, no worries about shutting the door or not. Now we just need to make sure to have contingencies for everything.

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My Favorite EDC Knives

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Here are my two favorite Every Day Carry pocket Knives. Now this is HIGH praise given how many pocket knives I have lying around. These two wind up in my pocket the most.

My two favorite knives from my two favorite knife makers. A Kershaw Zing and a Columbia River Vertex OK let’s have a look at their pocket clips.

Both are currently configured for tip-up carry, but the clips are 3-point adjustable. I generally prefer right-hand tip-down carry….but I also just carry a knife however it comes out of the box, and I find that tip-up or tip-down doesn’t make a bit of difference in my hand.

Now the Vertex clip is unobtrusive and very functional, now the Zing is flamboyant and large. I have two Kershaw knives with goofy clips like this, and frankly I REALLY like them. They look cool and they’re overbuilt. Still this clip would look crap on a knife like the Vertex, so it depends on the package.

Let’s first talk about the Vertex. This is my “executive knife”. Its very striking, subtle, and elegant. I had hoped to get the model with the rosewood inserts, but at the NRA con all they had were the G10 inserts which didn’t floor me at first glance, but boy they really are pretty the more you look at it. And if you go for hillbilly chic like I sometimes do, clipping this to the pocket of your dress suit looks awful cool.

The blade is a sturdy drop-point which is also my preferred blade style (tho again I thought I preferred it more than I do when I carry other blade styles and don’t really care) with a VERY thick spine, which just always enjoy seeing. Also this knife is a CRAZY assisted opener. It has a thumb-stud like a standard knife, but if you push the stud up like a normal knife you’ll just grind a grove in your thumb it with. Instead you need to push the blade DOWN to unlock it from its detent, then a small push out and the heavy leaf spring engages and the blade flips open and locks in alarming speed. I found the best way to open the blade is to hold it in my hand with my thumb on the scale and simply rotate my thumb off the scale onto the stud and push it down. Essentially the blade could pass for a switchblade, but I guess since all the manipulation is done on the blade it doesn’t count. As an assisted its much more complicated than a conventional knife, and I will say one of my nephews managed to get this unit locked up at camp this summer…I think it was just silt in the action as a liberal drenching with WD-40 seemed to get everything working again in short order.

Now on to the Zing. This is more of a simple knife. The scales are made of textured nylon which feel like canvas to the touch. The blade has a pair of thumb studs on them that I’m not a fan of, but its big selling point is its flipper. This knife opens quick, easily, and positively with a push of the flipper. The action is BUTTER smooth. Also for those of you who may consider a pocket knife as a viable defensive weapon, the flipper on the Zing does double as a blade guard, so if you DID happen to use this defensively, you stand a better chance of not ruining your hand in the course of things. Now let’s look at the blade:

The blade has scallops all down the length of it. Kershaw says they did this just to give it a striking look…but I find them VERY functional on two levels. You may notice that my #1 cutting purpose is opening boxes at work and home. The scallops on the blade make for minimum steel touching cardboard when you make a cut so the blade slides through the cardboard with greater ease. Also with that lower surface area I find that adhesive residue doesn’t collect on the blade very well. Also the scallops don’t seem to collect dirt, so overall this knife always looks clean even when its been run hard.

Both knives are locked in place with liner locks. Both knives have GREAT edges and edge retention. The Vertex seems to hold a scary sharp edge, but both are great. I will note when I opened the Vertex it was very sharp…but there were tiny burrs all down the blade. I have about a half-dozen CRKT knives around the armory, and this is the first of this I’ve seen. Also about 3 passes on a ceramic stone cleaned them right out so no harm no foul.

The Zing occasionally spots some stains on it. I can quickly clean that up with a scrubbing pad and some gun oil which keeps the rust away.

Love these knives, and I couldn’t recommend them more!

Posted in blades, product review | 16 Comments

“Gun Death” Fratricide

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Weerd Beard

Wow.

On Monday, a judge in Jacksonville, Fla., set February 27, 2012, as the trial date for the youngest person ever to be charged as an adult with first-degree murder in that city.

Fernandez is accused of pushing his 2-year-old brother David so violently into a bookshelf that the youngster never woke up and could not be saved by the time he got to the hospital.

He’s 12 and could spend life in prison for the murder. GOOD I say, there are far too many good people in the world for us to get bent out of shape over damaged goods like him.

Fernandez’ mother, who was 12 years old when she became pregnant with Cristian, is also being held in prison without bond. She’s charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, culpable negligence, because an investigation by police of her laptop shows a Google search for “when some (sic) gets knocked out” at 10:54 a.m. Then “concussions on children” at 2:38 p.m.

Those searches were followed by activity checking the family bank account, downloading of music, and then, finally, at 3:07 p.m., the first search for the location of “St. Luke’s Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida.”

A doctor at the time told detectives that had the 2-year-old been rushed to the hospital immediately, he could have been saved.

Mom was apperently aware and concerned about the event…but not concerned enough to…well DO anything.

Hey but no gun death here, so it isn’t THAT bad, is it?

h/t Barron

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Play Me Out, Sophie

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Weerd Beard

The latest hit song “Pumped Up Kicks” is like most one-hit-wonder songs. Vapid, shitty…but catchy. This of course pisses me out because I feel compelled to seek out a bad song for the catchy hook.

Thankfully Sophie Madeleine made a cover that blows the doors off the original. Enjoy!

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My Carry Stable

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Weerd Beard

So Chance Started it, Jay and Zercool jumped in. I thought I’d share too. Here’s my carry guns.

So I’m in the philosophy that one shouldn’t complicate their carry arms. Last thing I want is to go for my piece quickly and forget which gun I strapped on today. So essentially I have two guns I carry about about 99% of the time. My Primary gun, which is my S&W1911 At the top, that I carry in a Glaco Miami Classic II shoulder-rig. More info on that setup here. Its a Commander-sized 1911 with two spare mags in the mag carrier for 25 rounds of .45 ACP +P ammo. That’s a good setup, and I love the gun, also I’ve been making it a point to carry it whenever possible, rather than only when I’m most comfortable, with good results. Still it isn’t always possible to carry the big .45 with me all the time, so when times don’t permit I carry the piece at the lower right, which you probably recognise as Eleanor, who most often rides in my front pants pocket in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster, like today where I needed to stop by the doctor’s to get an allergy injection, and I didn’t want to spook the nurses when I took off my shirt. Also I call her my “Backup” which also means she’s a perfect gun to carry when I’m carrying more than one.

Occasionally I still carry mys S&W 642 no-lock at the lower left. It also has a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. I find the PM45 to be superior in almost every way to the J-Frame so it only sees duty when I think I’ll have to unload my gun multiple times, like when I sleep over in a house that has kids, or maybe a range trip where somebody wants to decimate some .45 rounds and I’d just rather shoot my 1911 and the PM45 dry and worry about reloading them AFTER they’re clean. Also above the 642 is my preferred reload which are a pair of Bianchi Speed strips. They don’t load as fast as HKS Speed Loaders, but you can tuck a pair of these strips into your pocket and they disappear, so they’re ideal for carry.

In the middle is kind of the odd duck, its my Beretta 21A (Which I need to take some better pictures of now that I have the good camera). Its only a .22 LR which I do NOT consider enough for self defense, it still is dangerous enough to kill somebody, just not with consistency or with the stopping power of larger centerfire cartridges. So why is it in the picture, and why is it in an Uncle Mike’s pocket holster? Well the gun is REALLY small, like super small, and super light, I haven’t tossed this gun on my scale, but Beretta claims it weighs 11.5oz unloaded. If this was the ONLY gun you could carry or conceal it would be better than nothing, also at such a small weight it would make a great backup gun that could be carried without too much added burden. I also think this would make a great woods gun where you might encounter small critters ideal for a stew pot, but that can’t be harvested with your rifle, shotgun, or bear gun.

So that rounds things out nicely.

Posted in Guns, Self Defense | Leave a comment

Anti-Rights Lies

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Weerd Beard

From the Brady Campaign

From the inception of the Brady Act on March 1, 1994, through December 31, 2009, over 1.9 million gun purchase applications have been denied, up from 1.8 million through the end of 2008….Use this report to make the case that gun laws work by making it harder for dangerous people to get guns. Urge legislators to extend this successful law to cover all gun sales, including those at gun shows, and to fund the NICS Improvement Act to increase the number of relevant records in the NICS system.

Now Reality:

Got a NICS delay on Saturday. Because someone heard I’ve got 7 days of food stored or something.

Got my proceed today! Will share pics once I’ve picked up our new pretty thing.

Yep Jennifer joins the ranks of the Millions of people who got a hold on their NICS approval. That’s where the Brady Campaign gets their numbers. They say its “Criminals being denied guns”, but Jennifer is NOT a criminal, and was not denied a gun. NICS does jack and shit to stop criminals, it DOES waste a ton of time, and money.

and from Joan’s last post is this video

First lots of “I’m a gun owner but…” but I like how he shows two magazines, calls the “Clips” and addresses one as “Good” and another as “Just for murder” and then praises support for a bill that would ban BOTH magazines. Nice little anti-rights false dichotomy.

These are not honest people we deal with.

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ok, now I’m Embarrassed

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Weerd Beard

I’m in the Doctor’s office, and I read this.

Seriously, beverage warning!!

Posted in Politics, Random | Leave a comment

My Start for Pro-Rights

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Weerd Beard

So Joan Peterson has a post up on banning dangerous things. In the comments frequent commenter Molonlabe points out that her whole premise is bullshit because gun control laws don’t lower violent crime, and allowing good people to carry guns doesn’t raise crime or violence. Again the old saw of them making claims of the “Wild West” and then in response to their nightmares violent crime goes DOWN, and the FBI reports the NICS lines are blowing up with the number of people buying guns.

Now of course Joan responds.

Hmmm- nice molon. I’m working on it and I think you are wrong.

Pretty typical Joan, no thinking, and a re-affirmation that she hasn’t changed her mind. So I dropped a line in the water and amazingly it was published.

Honest question, Joan. Is there a piece of data that could be presented to you where you WOULD change your mind?

Note I say this as a Gun Control advocate who DID change his mind when I was presented with said data.

Oddly she approved my comment, but her response tells me she didn’t read a word of it.

I don’t rule anything out. You?

I think I just explained that, didn’t I? But of course not even anything that could be claimed a satisfactory answer.

I doubled down on my question, and we’ll see where it goes, I suspect Joan didn’t answer because she knows NOT to answer.

So while we wait let me expand on my transition point from anti-gun to pro-gun. First up I would say that my first few trips to the range did NOT convert me. If anything they turned me from a Carolyn McCarthy-style anti (Ban them all, and I don’t know shit about them) to essentially a Fudd. (Ban all of them…except for these guns that I like…)

But let’s go on the basis of why I hated guns and felt something needed to be done about them. The big umbrella was that guns did more harm than good, so a ban or heavy restriction would make things BETTER. The basis for the “More harm than good” was #1 the Arthur Kellerman “Study”, I didn’t know the name of this study, or even quoted Kellerman’s finding properly. I certainly was unaware of what a HORRIBLE bit of ramshackle science it was, still I believed that if you had a gun in your house chances were VERY good you’d do something very horrible rather than anything you’d be pleased with. Of course TV and Movies also seemed to support this theory. I also believed that people who kept guns for self defense very rarely used them, essentially making them a bit on the paranoid side.

Also given that my years as an Anti were in the 90s, I also believed that so-called “Assault Weapons” were actual military weapons, and were more powerful than the more traditional hunting guns in calibers like .30-30 Win, .30-06, and .308 Win. (If any people who don’t immediately get that, reference click on any of those above links, and then compare the ballistic energy with the ubiquitous “Assault Weapon” cartridges like 5.56x45mm NATO or 7.62x39mm)

Learning to shoot took my fear away from guns, but it also got me INTERESTED with guns which got me to read the above information. Of course it went like a waterfall, when you expose one lie, you start looking for MORE lies…and when you FIND them. Well you have two choices, switch sides, or live a lie.

I suspect Joan thinks Molanlabe is wrong, and won’t answer my question because she chose the latter. She knows what she’s doing, and she knows what she campaigns for cause more harm than good, and as somebody who lost a love one to violent crime, he proposition will have MORE people feeling the same grief she did.

Joan Peterson is an evil woman, and I don’t use that term lightly. Just think of what must be wrong with such a person to live in this age, and know what she knows, and still do what she does.

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