Flabergasted

...that's me.

After reading this editorial that popped up in my Google News alerts this am.

The whole thing made sense, until the last paragraph, where Ms. Lu Ann Maciulla McNabb decides to pose her question. The bills all look good, look like they will extend gun rights, and treat gun owners the way they should be treated. What makes a church so special that someone with a valid permit to carry shouldn't be allowed to do so? I know of several instances right here in IN where guns were carried to church and no mass shootings happened.

There are also cases of legally carried weapons in churches STOPPING a mass shooting.

But that's not what I want to talk about is right here:

My question has been and continues to be, how can Virginia, the place where the worst mass tragedy in American history occurred, and which loses over 800 people every year to gun violence, continue to ignore the loss of life and create policies that leave families and communities devastated.

I'm going to assume she means the attack at Virginia Tech, where 32 people lost their lives, and I'll grant that VT was a tragedy (a tragedy that some of the laws now being proposed might have prevented...entirely possibly). However, there is no way in HELL that the massacre at VT was the worst mass tragedy in American history.

• September 11th, 2001 ring a bell. The city of New York lost more EMTs / Paramedics in one day then VT lost in students. FDNY lost 10 times as many firefighters at Ground Zero as students were lost at VT. Nearly 100 times as many innocent civilians died at Ground Zero alone.
• December 7th, 1941, a day which will live in infamy. Japanese warplanes bomb and torpedo the ships at anchor at Pearl Harbor, leading the US into WWII. 2400 citizens of this county were killed.
• July 1-3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg, 46,000 Service men of this country, fighting one another lost their lives over a three day period.

In the face of these things, the attack at VT pales in comparison based on pure carnage. Don't try and use emotion, especially fake emotion to get your feel good nanny state laws passed!

--Jim

Critical. Need to know...

....Information. Mission critical information...it was all denied to me.

As I mentioned the other day, my last remaining grandfather passed away. He's at peace with God, his wife and one of he daughters, who both proceeded him to their rewards. We buried Poppo in accordance with his faith and his last wishes.

The day was a long one, with both good and bad points. It was nice to see all of the family again. The circumstances could sure have been better though.

The most humorous part of the story involves me arriving at the church for the funeral yesterday morning. I'm dressed in head to foot in black, with the exception of a tie, colored gray and silver. I followed my mother into the church while dad parked the car.

As I walk in the door, an older man stops me and says, "Are you a pallbearer?".
"No" says I.
"Yes," says mother.

Huh. News to me. I hadn't heard a thing of it up until that very moment. Oh well, live learn and overcome I suppose.

To make it funnier, we complete the service in the church and follow the coffin out to the foyer/reception area of the church. The family was seated as a whole, there was no special seating for the pallbearers, so we worked out with our family.

The family is all gathered around the perimeter of the room when they call the pallbearers forward. We escort the coffin outside to the hearse and proceed to lift it. At this point, I'm on the right side of the hearse, right side of coffin, middle position. We lift, and as we do so, I turn my head to speak to my brother, only to find out he is missing. Poor boy forgot we had to escort the coffin, and had to use the restroom.

Thank you all for reading, I know I've been off topic recently, but I'm planning on doing a post this week about a trip to the gunshop, which should be fun (new toys maybe). I'll also share a story of riding MARTA in Atlanta.

Economic Stimulus Bill...

Only... NOT! Pet Projects! Billions of Dollars of Pork!

Don't get me wrong, I like bacon as much as the next guy, but not prepared by Congress...

Never mind that the bill will actually do more harm than good, which is a travesty in and of itself. Look at what else has happened:

The majority holders in the House and Senate kept the minority members from offering amendments to the bill.

When the bill was all said and done, it was over 1100 pages long, was delivered around midnight and voted on next business day. Call it 17 hours, if the vote happened by 5PM. That means that a member of Congress would have to read 65 pages per HOUR of legaleeze (assuming they didn't sleep at all after receiving the bill...). I can't read that fast when I'm reading for enjoyment.

In addition, I've heard reports that the text of the bill was never delivered to the representatives in a PDF or other electronic file, so there was no way to quickly search if for pork. This was a disgusting trick by the majority leaders in both the house and senate to pay off (that is buy votes) all of the pet projects of their constituents.

Republican Minority Leader John Boehner talks about the bill in this short clip, well worth your time.

I'm so angry, I could literally spit at these people. These people should all be ashamed of themselves! This was not the way our government was intended to work.

Bayou Renaissance Man talks about it over here.

And as usual, Breda is far more eloquent than I am...

My Everlasting Shame

Via SayUncle, I stumbled across Gun Free Kids, a group opposed to allowing valid concealed carry permit holders to carry onto a college campus.

To my eternal shame, I clicked over to their list of schools that support the measure, and found that my alma mater* is the ONLY school in the communist state of NJ that has signed up.

A letter will be sent to the President of the University before this day is out.

--Jim

*There was a murder on campus since I left in May 2006, so it's not that safe of an area.

Hope and Change...

or more of the same.

This pisses me off to no end.

As Breda mentioned overhearing:

"Why does the government assume that they are the only ones with a list?"

Schoolteacher Suspended for Facebook Gun Photo

Gotta love this story on Fox News out of Wisconsin, although as one of only two states that does not allow any form of concealed carry, maybe it isn't so surprising. Sad yes, but definitely not surprising.

BEAVER DAM, Wis. —
A Beaver Dam Middle School teacher is on administrative leave after
school officials discovered a photo of her with a gun on Facebook.

In the photo, Betsy Ramsdale was training a rifle at the camera.

In an e-mail to WKOW-TV in Madison, Ramsdale said she removed the photo
immediately and that she is not "interested in any controversy.

Schools superintendent Donald Childs says a concerned staff member brought the photo to the district's attention.

Childs says the use of the photo "appears to be poor judgment" and is unaware of any sinister intent.

Ramsdale's biography on the district Web site states she is in her first year at
the school. Department of Public Instruction records show Ramsdale has
been licensed to teach since 1996.

Glad I didn't decide to become a school teacher, because I'd be fired over the number of gun pictures that I post. And to her co-worker, get over you Hoplophobia, and hurry, you look like an IDIOT.

30 Days - Gun Nation

Xavier led me in the direction of this episode of 30 days, where a citizen disarmament advocate spends 30 days living in the home of a gun nut.

I remember hearing about this show when it first aired, but didn't get a chance to watch it on TV originally. I'm glad Xavier pointed the show out to me, and led me to where it could be viewed online.

The show is about 40 minutes long, and it's amazing to see the changes in Pia's attitude as it goes on.

I didn't grow up in a house with firearms, and my mother was extremely opposed to me having any in the house. As a matter of fact, when I purchased my first two pistols, I had to store them at a good friend's house, who had firearms of his own.

I started reading about the gun rights movement, and attempting to make an informed decision long before I bought my first two guns. I became interested in firearms and shooting while I was still in high school, and practiced with a mentor at work whenever he had the time and inclination. I knew long before I got to college that I would purchase my first pistols as soon after passing 21 I would.

I don't know that I've changed the minds of anyone, but I have definitely taken a bunch of people to the range who have never been before. Much of it happened when I was in college, had a nice range close by, and a huge pool of people to draw from. I've continued the tradition of introducing new people to the range and gun ownership whenever possible.

I even bought my girlfriend her first pistol for Christmas, and have taken her shooting several times since then. More on that at a later day.

To me, the single greatest thing that we can do to help ensure the future of Second Amendment rights to to introduce new people to the shooting sports, and get them to enjoy it.

I'll share my personal opinions on how to introduce someone to the shooting sports for the first time later :)

Legislation...

that I might actually support! More states should pass laws like this telling the federal government to get stuffed!

Stolen from No Looking Backwards.

Seen originally at Snowflakes in Hell.

--Jim

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

Amen Dude!

And I'd be willing to bet that push come to shove, and the chips are down, I know how it would turn out.

Unity

So I was talking to Jay the other night on IM, it doesn't matter which client we were using to talk and we were talking about the difference in the laws between states like MA and NJ vs. states like TX and IN.

Don't misunderstand me, I hated the way the gun laws were written and enforced in NJ.  I mean, on a range trip, if I stopped off at Dunkin' Donuts, I was committing a crime!  That includes if I used the drive through, which I was never inclined to do.  I remember hearing horror stories of people arrested in NJ for having a SPENT shell casing rolling around in their vehicle.

I was expecting a change when I moved to IN in June of 2007.  I fully expected that it would be easier to purchase a new pistol (because it was worse than pulling teeth in NJ), and I was anxiously anticipating getting my concealed carry permit.  But there were changes that I was not expecting to deal with after I moved to IN.

One of the first goals I had when I moved to Indiana was to scope out the different gun shops in the area.  The area that I moved to in IN is a decent sized city in the southern part of the state, although my family moved to a location about 20 miles north west of the center of town, we were definitely close enough to access all of the benefits of the city life.  The city has 3 gun shops, and the county it resides in has an additional shop (which actually has a city address....).

When I walked into the three shops that were actually located in the city limits, I couldn't believe how much the guys behind the counter treated it all as a business.  There was not necessarily any warmth in their eyes, even when I started asking questions, to show that I'd actually done a little research.  One of the shops that I visited, the owner or employee (not sure which) didn't even get off of the stool he was sitting on when I walked in the door.

Compare that to the scene I was used to in Southern NJ (where I went to school).  I was a regular at Bob's, in Glassboro, on Friday nights.  If I was in town, I was at the gun shop.  Most nights we shot, some we sat around the counter and talked, and some of the more regular guys then me actually helped answer questions if it got busy.  With the group of regulars, it was almost like a bunch of friends, as opposed to people conducting a business transaction.

For the first 6 months that I lived in IN, I couldn't find a shop that duplicated the feelign I got when I was at Bob's shop.  Finally, about a year or so ago, I found Red Ghost Gun Shop (sorry, no website).  I've been doing business with the owner ever since.  Some times when I walk into the shop, I only want a couple dollars of merchandise, sometimes I want a new toy to bring home (like the Kimber I got last week), and sometimes, I just want to talk politics, or guns.  It doesn't matter what I want out of the visit, Terry is always pleasant when I show up.

But it's interesting to note, that the two states that I've visited gun shops in that have relatively gun friendly environments, I find that the gun shops are run much more like a business atmosphere.  Although, all things considered, I prefer the way it is in IN and TX!

--Jim

Glad I got out of there...

Apparently New York was a little upset that NJ and Cali got better grades from the Brady Bunch the last time around. I'm actually glad I got out of NJ because of the attack on gun rights involved in that state.

So the State Assembly passed this kind of crap.

Can some one out there please tell me how any of this stuff is going to fight crime?

Copy / Paste of the entire ILA alert.

Anti-Gun Bills Head to State Senate in New York!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Make Your Voice Heard Today! This week, several anti-gun measures passed the State Assembly and are now heading to the State Senate, where they will most likely be referred to the State Senate Codes Committee. Assembly Bill 6525A, sponsored by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88), would create new sales and reporting requirements for licensed firearms dealers and require dealers to carry a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability insurance. AB6525A passed by a vote of 85 to 53. Assembly Bill 9819A, authored by State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-16), would ban the sale of semi-automatic handguns not equipped with so-called "microstamping" technology. The bill requires all semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to microstamp an array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol on the firing pin, which would copy the characters onto the cartridge case upon firing. AB9819A passed by a vote of 90 to 43. Assembly Bill 7331, sponsored by State Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-61), would expand the ban on semi-automatic “assault weapons”, as well as require the ballistic “fingerprinting”(registration) of all semi-automatic “assault weapons” owned prior to a specified date. AB7331 passed by a vote of 85 to 46. Assembly Bill 3451, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would expand New York’s failed ballistic imaging program. AB3451 passed by a vote of 79 to 49. Assembly Bill 2772, authored by State Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington (D-3), would ban the sale, use or possession of any firearm with a bore diameter .50 caliber or larger. This bill would require gun owners in possession of these firearms to surrender them to law enforcement. Assembly Bill 829, sponsored by State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-4), would prohibit the sale of any handgun that doesn’t contain a childproofing device or mechanism incorporated into the design of the handgun. AB829 passed by a vote of 86 to 46. Assembly Bill 76, sponsored by State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-20), would require the mandatory storage of all firearms. AB76 passed by a vote of 95 to 35. Assembly Bill 3447, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would ban the sale or possession of frangible ammunition. AB3447 passed by a vote of 85 to 40. It is critical that all of these measures are voted down in order to protect the Second Amendment rights of all gun-owners in New York State. Please contact your State Senator today through the Senate switchboard at (518) 455-2800 and respectfully urge him or her to vote "NO" on these NRA-opposed measures. To find your State Senator, please click here.

I'm with EE on this one...

To my whole readership, all 2 of you, and if there are more of you, seriously, shout out and give me a little encouragement...

Head over to Backboards and Bandaids and listen to EE, or just head over to Musings of a Highly Trained Monkey. They're asking for a whole $5.00, and I know all of us can afford to spend that much. The cause is extremely worthwhile, and the donation is not much at all.

EMS is really one of those jobs that is more then a job. It is actually a calling, and is one of the few jobs that I would consider doing even if I had all the money in the world. The people are great, and the brothers and sisters (and parents) I have made along the way are irreplaceable.

I'd just like to share this with anyone who runs EMS, works in emergency medicine, or provides emergency services.

Partners - Author Unknown at this time. If you have more info, please send it along.

Side by side we race through the night
With blaring siren and flashing lights...
A life's at stake, a precious soul,
Perhaps too late, beyond our control...
Times like this have come before.
Never quite knowing just what's in store...
When we arrive, our actions as one.
No thoughts need be spoken, just simply done...
To soothe a child's cry, to ease the pain.
Knowing times like this will come again...
Though it's done many days a week
The bond between us is quite unique...
Different than that of a man and wife.
For we can say we've saved a life...
To some it may just seem routine.
The things we've done, the sights we've seen...
But you and I know it's changed our hearts.
The ways we've seen life torn apart...
And seen life begin new and fresh.
All the while praying we've done our best...
Some day another will take our place.
A youthful still unknown face...
But never will time cloud my view.
Of all the thins I've shared with you..
for we are Partners...


Thank you.

Accept me

Why is it that some people feel the need to judge others?

I'm on my way home from my aunt and uncle's house tonight, and I've having a conversation with my brother. Now, my brother and I are about as far apart as night and day. And we argue and talk a great deal.

He has his things, I have mine. Mine just happens to be a love of all things that go bang. His seems to be putting holes in his body in wierd places. And saying that nobody has the right to judge any body else.

So anyway, we're talking about why I feel the need to carry a pistol. Why did I start carrying it after we moved here from New Jersey about half a year back.

My answer is simple, at least in my mind: I carry my pistol because in the event that I need it, it opens up options that wouldn't be there if it wasn't on my belt.

That is, I carry my pistol for the same reason I have an umbrella and a first aid bag in the car, I carry a pair of nitrile gloves, a CPR microshield, a knife and a flashlight. Day in, day out. From the time I get up in the morning, until I crash at night. Having these items on me, or in close attendance means that I am better able to react to situations as they develop.

He just calls me paranoid.

meh. Opinions are like _____, everyone's got one.

--Jim

Quotes Collection

Quotes collected from all over the place. I don't remember where they all came from, but each of them means something to me.

Greater love hath no man then to lay down his life for another...

Guns Save Lives. EMT's Save Lives. But...
EMT's With Guns Scare People!

"Live life with lights and sirens blaring"

"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."

"Always do sober, what you said you'd do drunk. That'll teach you to keep your mouth shut!"

Guns Save Lives. EMT's Save Lives. But...
EMT's With Guns Scare People!

"Laugh all you want, but when the zombies come we both know whose house you will be running to for protection."

When the anti-gunner got to heaven he asked, "God, why didn't you protect me from that violent criminal?" God replied "I made you a citizen of a free country with law abiding armed citizens, and you worked to take that right away. What did you expect?"

Senior SOF Editor Don McLean came up with an objective definition of “Political Correctness” as”…a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream medal, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”

Jumba: Don't worry, is all part of plan. We are professionals. Hey! Get that out of your mouth! - Reminds me of some of the people I work with...

"When you long for a life of ease remember diamonds are made under pressure."

--you may never need a gun, but if you do...you will need it more than anything you've ever needed in your life.

--if you "need" a gun...you have a problem, if you don't have one...your problems just got a lot worse.

Life is short...
break the rules.
forgive quickly.
kiss slowly.
love truly.
laugh uncontrollably.
and never regret anything
that once made you smile...

"Never regret something you did, because at one point, it was exactly what you wanted."

"In your darkest hour, never worry that there is no hope for the future. The most extraordinary thing about this life is that YOU are the author of your own destiny, and you get to decide what's in the next chapter."


"Courage is not the absense of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear"


The best years of our lives are the hardest, the most complicated, and the most unusual. The years when experience continuously knocks on our door, but the lessons are buried among time. We struggle to understand not only ourselves, but also all that surrounds.
-Sarah


It's the soldier, not the reporter,
Who gave us our freedom of the press.
It's the soldier, not the poet,
Who gave us our freedom of speech.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who gave us our the freedom to demonstrate.
It's the soldier, Who salutes the flag,
Who serves others with respect for the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag."

"But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."