Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Mature and Reasoned?
Earlier today, on the Book of Faces, a friend of a friend commented:
"In this country, we desperately need a mature, reasoned discussion about..."
About what doesn't really matter. What I want to talk about is my reaction to that particular phrase: "mature, reasoned discussion".
When I saw that, I had to stop and take a step back. My friend has a fine, upstanding, intelligent, insightful group of folks that participate in and comment on various posts. I had no reason to believe that this individual meant anything by their comment except that they think we need to have a... well. a mature, reasoned discussion about that particular topic.
That's what the words mean.
That's what I read.
What I heard was: "Shut up", he explained.
Which pretty much stopped me in my tracks, because that is not the sort of reaction I am used to having in that context. I was struck by just how negatively that phrase impacted me. I had a very visceral, gut level, negative reaction to those words. I had to do a mental reset to keep it from coloring my opinion of the comment.
Thinking about it, I am pretty sure that it comes from wading deep into 2A discussions online recently. There, use of that particular phrase (or close variations) almost seems to be a talking point. I am pretty sure that you know the general conversational template:
Person #1: "Why can't we just enact reasonable gun control laws?!?!?"Person #2: [explanation of current gun control laws]Person #3: [discussion of problems enforcing current laws]Person #4: [points out problems with gun control legislation du jour]Person #1: "What we really need is a mature, reasoned discussion..."
When Person #1 hauls out the "mature, reasoned discussion" phrase, what they are implying - whether they actually mean to do so or not - is that they do not consider anything proceeding their comment to be mature or reasoned. Which says something about their opinion of the previous commenters. More to the point, since they have decided those comments are neither mature nor reasoned, then they cannot be part of the discussion.
It is an insulting, dismissive phrase.
In other words... "Shut up", he explained.
Schrödinger's Amendment
"Seriously. Who needs an AR-15? All they're good is for killing people!"
"Eh. Not me. I want one, mind you. They're fun to shoot. But no, I don't need one."
"Right! So we should pass a law that makes them illegal, then confiscate all of them!"
"Then I'd need one."
"... I thought you said you didn't need one?"
"If they make them illegal and start to confiscate them, then I'll need one."
"What? Why?"
"Because someone will try to come and take it away."
"But you don't even have one!"
"At that point, I won't want to have one. But I'll need to have one."
"WHY?"
"To keep someone from taking it away."
"But you don't have one!"
"Right. But I'll need one."
"But you don't have one now!"
"No one's trying to take it away, now. So I want one, but I don't need one."
"But if they try to take it away..."
"Then I'll need one, but I won't want one."
"WHY?"
"Because I don't want to have to shoot anybody."
"I don't want anybody shooting anybody!"
"Then don't try to take away my AR-15."
"YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE AN AR-15!"
"Right. Because I don't need one... yet."
"Eh. Not me. I want one, mind you. They're fun to shoot. But no, I don't need one."
"Right! So we should pass a law that makes them illegal, then confiscate all of them!"
"Then I'd need one."
"... I thought you said you didn't need one?"
"If they make them illegal and start to confiscate them, then I'll need one."
"What? Why?"
"Because someone will try to come and take it away."
"But you don't even have one!"
"At that point, I won't want to have one. But I'll need to have one."
"WHY?"
"To keep someone from taking it away."
"But you don't have one!"
"Right. But I'll need one."
"But you don't have one now!"
"No one's trying to take it away, now. So I want one, but I don't need one."
"But if they try to take it away..."
"Then I'll need one, but I won't want one."
"WHY?"
"Because I don't want to have to shoot anybody."
"I don't want anybody shooting anybody!"
"Then don't try to take away my AR-15."
"YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE AN AR-15!"
"Right. Because I don't need one... yet."
QOTD
From Michael Z. Williamson:
When confronted with immediate, major violence, shooting the attacker is certainly AN answer, though beating him to death with a club might also be one, but it takes a lot more energy and lacks style.
Taking Bets
There are a number of people who think that the average American should not have the right to own any sort of gun, period. Any bets on how many of them will nevertheless defend Crazy Uncle Kim's God State-given right to control weapons of mass destruction?
Update: Well, that didn't take very long.
"Dumber than Forrest Gump" Is Being Charitable, I Think
Chris Hernandez has a few things to say about the recent kerfuffle on a train:
First: bravo to the three Americans who took down an armed terrorist on a French train. Those men are true heroes, and as a National Guard soldier myself I’m extremely proud that one is a fellow Guardsman. I have nothing but praise for them, and hope to shake their hands someday.
As someone who literally does this sort of thing for a living, he Has Opinions about those who want to use this particular event as Proof That You Don't Need Guns™:
Having said that, and I’m in no way detracting from their bravery or heroism, but they got lucky...
Generally speaking, you don’t bring a nothing to a gunfight and expect to win. It can happen, but you don’t make “use your bare hands to take down a guy with an AK-47” your Plan A. I know this because I have training, experience, and a brain. The blithering idiots at Addicting Info, however, looked at this fluke, consulted fellow blithering idiots who know nothing about lethal force, and published an article titled Proving The Best Defense Is A Good Guy WITHOUT A Gun, Unarmed U.S. Soldiers Foil French Gunman.
I’m pretty sure Addicting Info’s writers are literally the dumbest people on earth.
I don’t know much about AI’s writers or editors. I haven’t seen their IQ test results. I’m sure they’re all educated, and probably know many things about important topics like white privilege or microaggressions. But anyone who believes you’re better off unarmed when someone tries to shoot you with an AK has to be dumber than Forrest Gump.
Among other things, Chris goes on to list a number of recent shootings where the proverbial Good Guys Without A Gun confronting the Bad Guy With A Gun ended up achieving the most statistically likely outcome in that particular situation, i.e., dying.
Funny how those pesky facts don't disprove their thesis, isn't it?
Go, RTWT, as they say.
Funny how those pesky facts don't disprove their thesis, isn't it?
Go, RTWT, as they say.
Lies, Damned Lies, and School Administrators
From the People's Republic of Cal-i-forn-eye-aye:
Cortines School's Greg Schiller was removed by L.A. Unified after two students' projects were deemed to resemble weapons.
Schiller was ordered to report daily to a district administrative office pending an investigation after two students turned in science-fair projects that were designed to shoot small projectiles.
One project used compressed air to propel a small object but it was not connected to a source of air pressure, so it could not have been fired.
L.A. Unified School District administrators have told Schiller that he was removed from his classroom for "supervising the building, research and development of imitation weapons," said union representative Roger Scott.
Eldest Daughter's science project last year was taking a blowtorch to various types of wood to measure the effect of density on combustion. Based on this article, I can only assume that its mere presence in an LA school would have caused pants-wetting hysteria and an eight hour lockdown.
Of course, there may be more to the story:
Schiller, 43, also was the teachers union representative on the campus and had been dealing with disagreements with administrators over updating the employment agreement under which the faculty works. His suspension, with pay, removed him from those discussions.
Makes me wonder if Mr. Schiller happened to have, you know, any doubleplus ungood ideas.
"Ballistic Monte Carlo Methods"
How Mathematicians Used A Pump-Action Shotgun to Estimate Pi
I think I will start to refer to range time as "ballistic Monte Carlo methods". Or maybe just "doing some math".
If you’ve ever wondered how to estimate pi using a Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun, a sheet of aluminium foil and some clever mathematics, look no further.Why? What do you mean, why? Which part of "... fired 200 shots at the aluminium foil, peppering it with 30,857 holes" didn't you understand?
I think I will start to refer to range time as "ballistic Monte Carlo methods". Or maybe just "doing some math".
A Sheep Dog's Prayer
Saw this mentioned earlier today by the friend of a friend:
Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me.Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.Let not my last thought be ‘If I only had my gun.’And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home, let me die in a pile of empty brass.
While it's new to me, this is apparently A Thing that has been around for a while - long enough to accumulate a t-shirt or two.
O Canada!
... what are you thinking?
I live in the frozen wasteland of Canada and get my news via the Morse code receiver in my igloo. Hearing furious beeping, I slid inside from the backyard curling rink to find myself facing the news that our gun control regime has given up the pretense of respecting civilian gun ownership and began moving guns from legal ownership status to prohibition.
The RCMP has repeatedly exhibited hostility towards civilian firearm ownership but has somehow remained in control of it in Canada. On February 26th, they began advancing a new phase of their goal of prohibiting firearms in Canada by re-classifying a line of guns (the Swiss Arms family) that were previously Unrestricted or Restricted, and made them Prohibited.
The government is not planning to pay out any of our brightly-coloured rainbow money to compensate owners during confiscation. There has been talk of reversing this stance, which would only mean wasting multiple millions of dollars of taxpayer money on the RCMP’s inability to classify previously-purchased firearms appropriately.
But wait, it gets better!
Not content to sit back on their wave of epic accomplishments in the name of public safety, late on Feb. 28th we Canucks are learning that a subset of CZ 858 rifles are now being moved to Prohibited status as well. The details are still coming out on this one, but one thing is clear: these rifles are common and popular, much more than the Swiss Arms family ever was. This means the RCMP is dropping their previous program of slowly confiscating obscure firearms to maintain a low profile.
This is effectively a frontal assault on the gun-owning public of Canada. In a distinctly un-Canadian fashion, they haven’t even said “sorry” while stating they were planning to steal our property.
Keep an eye on this. Expect to see the MSM making loud noises about how wonderful gun control is in Canada Real Soon Now™.
Lead as an Aphrodisiac
This year, I got the lovely Mrs. Robb something special for Valentine's day. Well, you know. When I say that I got something for her, really, I mean that I got something for us. Something we can enjoy together. The way that married couples often do, if you get my drift...
Of course I mean quality range time. Sheesh! Get your mind out of the gutter.
And for those thinking that I am some kind of non-romantic jerk for getting my bride of twenty plus years a brick of ammo, let me tell you... you do not know her like I do. Chocolate and flowers would have elicited a half-hearted "meh".
Giving her the gift of BLAM!™, though? Priceless.
A New Term
Grass-eater. I've not encountered it before, but it seems to be a useful turn of phrase.
An explanation via Blunt Object:
If you’re familiar with George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm, you can think of grass-eaters as the bipedal equivalents of the sheep. The term is intended to remind one of a herbivorous herd mentality, rather than simply munching green things. Grass-eaters are known for their passive-aggressive approach to life, society, and morality...
Grass-eaters are deathly afraid of anything resembling personal responsibility. They are prohibited from assigning blame to any human being — such an act, after all, would imply that they themselves might someday be blamed for some transgression! Therefore, grass-eaters blame just about anything that isn’t animate for society’s ills — weapons, rap music, video games, black trenchcoats, money, red meat, or the hormone testosterone. They’ll put the blame on ephemeral concepts, too — generally liberalism or conservatism, but masculinity, feminism, globalization, religious fundamentalism, and secular humanism are also popular favourites. Under no circumstances may an actual human being be held accountable for his or her actions by a grass-eater.
That said, grass-eaters fear and despise people who accept — worse, seize — responsibility for their actions, future, and well-being.
"Ye cannae change the laws o' physics!"
Nor can liberals avoid the consequences of Quinn's First Law:
Liberalism always generates the exact opposite of its stated intent.
Just some recent examples:
- Obamacare will reduce emergency room usage! Not so much.
- Well... at least it will let more people get insurance coverage! Bzzzzt, try again.
- Anti-bullying programs reduce bullying! Oh, really?
- Gun ownership leads to gun violence! Yeah, right.
- Avoiding new pipelines will limit environmental damage! Or not.
How George Got His Groove Back
Zimmerman, 30, whose arsenal was confiscated in November following a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, picked up his four firearms, including a shotgun and an assault rifle from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in Sanford, Fla., this week.
An arsenal?
Returned to Zimmerman were an Interarms .380-caliber handgun, a Glock 19 handgun, a Kel-Tec 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15 assault rifle.
I repeat - an arsenal?
Maybe it's a Western PA thing, but that sounds like barely enough kit for a good day out in the woods during buck season...
The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
The Army has been researching a more environment-friendly bullet at the Picatinny Arsenal, in New Jersey, since 2010. A lead-free version of the 7.62-mm rounds fired from M-14 rifles will be issued to troops in 2014. That will follow a prior switch to a greener 5.56 mm "Enhanced Performance Round" the Army switched to in 2010.
“The EPR replaces the lead slug with a copper slug,” Lt. Col. Phil Clark, product manager for small-caliber ammunition at Picatinny, told the Daily Caller. “This makes the projectile environmentally friendly, while still giving soldiers the performance capabilities they need on the battlefield.”
Last I checked, waging war also included the use of things like grenades. Claymores. Hellfire missiles. TOWs. Tanks. Bunker-buster bombs. Tomahawks. Drones. Napalm B. Naval gunfire support.
None of which are really known for being "environmentally friendly".
By the patron saint's name of Frick... do these idiots not understand what the word "battlefield" means?
A Righteous Weapon
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Designed by John Browning, the M1911 is the best-known of his designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. The pistol was widely copied, and this operating system rose to become the preeminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols.
Just sayin'.
I Need Me One of Them There Space Thing-a-ma-bahbs
Wait, no. Eldest Daughter, Middle Daughter, Youngest Daughter... sheesh. I will really need a whole array of orbital death options for when these girls start dating. It will cost a pretty penny, I'm sure, but you know what? I am quite all right with that.
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but orbital nuclear death rays are a Dad's best friend.
From "Scenes From a Multiverse":
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)