Month: May 2003

KevinLeave a comment

Well, There Go My Chances…

I’m going to bow to inevitability here. NZ Bear’s New Blog Showcase competition is starting to pick up. This blog is currently third with my post Is the Government Responsible for Your Protection, Part II, but a distant third. First place? Electric Venom’s 20 Warnings About My Blog (a.k.a. “A Blogger’s Manifesto”). And it’s an excellent post. I think that specific post will end up on my Blogroll under “Read This if This Site Offends You.”

I bow in your general direction, Venomous Kate. You deserve to win. That was righteous.

KevinLeave a comment

Back from Watching The Matrix Reloaded

WARNING!! SPOILER ALERT!! READ NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT AND STILL WANT TO!

I have only one question – in the climactic scene where the Trinity fights the Agent, just after she is thrown through the wall, and just before she dives out the window, WHERE THE HELL DO THOSE TWO MACHINE-PISTOLS COME FROM???

She sure as hell wasn’t concealing ’em in that patent-leather catsuit.

Ah well, it’s just a movie.

KevinLeave a comment

Lileks Does Not Run My Life!

Regardless of what James Lileks has to say about it, my wife and I will be going out tonight to watch The Matrix Reloaded again. (“Trixies” my rosy red….)

So there.

That means I won’t be blogging (much) tonight.

Sorry.

(Obligatory gun nut spoiler: The full-auto pistol Morpheus uses is a Glock 18 – with a 33 round magazine. His kung-fu is very strong.)

KevinLeave a comment

Grieve for the Fallen

I don’t want to make this an ongoing thing, but:

TPD officer killed while chasing man

A Tucson police officer was fatally shot Monday afternoon while chasing a man involved in a hit-and-run collision in Midtown, authorities said.

Officer Patrick K. Hardesty, 40, became the first Tucson Police Department officer to be killed while on duty in 21 years.

Police said late Monday that the man detained after the shooting had been charged with first-degree murder in the officer’s death. He was identified by police as John Montenegro Cruz, 33.

No motive for the slaying has been released.

My condolences to his friends and family. My thanks for his willingness to sacrifice.

KevinLeave a comment

French Puzzle Over Why U.S. Got So Angry

That’s the title of this Sacramento Bee piece.

Money quote:

“What is a little disconcerting for the French is an American president who seems to be principled,” said Jean Duchesne, an English literature professor at Condorcet College in Paris. “The idea that politics should be based on principles is unimaginable because principles lead to ideology, and ideology is dangerous.”

So, politics should be, by definition unpricipled? No wonder they thought Bill Clinton was great.

Whack that man with a baguette.

KevinLeave a comment

Great. Juuuust Great.

Here I am, in the running for Best New Blog of the Week, and, once again, Blogspot either won’t let viewers in, or only shows them part of the page.

Oh frabjous joy.

I know that anything free is worth what you pay for it, but still….

KevinLeave a comment

Godwin’s Law Does Not Apply

Dave Kopel and Richard Griffiths have an excellent piece up on National Review Online, entitled Hitler’s Control: The lessons of Nazi history

Acquainting a new generation of television viewers with the monstrosity of Hitler is a commendable public service by CBS, for if we are serious about “Never again,” then we must be serious about remembering how and why Hitler was able to accomplish what he did. Political scientist R. J. Rummel, the world’s foremost scholar of the mass murders of the 20th century, estimates that the Nazis killed about 21 million people, not including war casualties. With modern technology, a modern Hitler might be able to kill even more people even more rapidly.

Indeed, right now in Zimbabwe, the Robert Mugabe tyranny is perpetrating a genocide by starvation aimed at liquidating about six million people. Mugabe is great admirer of Adolf Hitler. Mugabe’s number-two man (who died last year) was Chenjerai Hunzvi, the head of Mugabe’s terrorist gangs, who nicknamed himself “Hitler.” One of the things that Robert Mugabe, “Hitler” Hunzvi, and Adolf Hitler all have in common is their strong and effective programs of gun control.

Simply put, if not for gun control, Hitler would not have been able to murder 21 million people. Nor would Mugabe be able to carry out his current terror program.

That’s simplistic, in my opinion. Simply having guns does not mean that they will be used with effect. There’s a cultural / philosophical aspect to the question as well. For example, I think the philosophy of self-defense has been stripped from the English through decades of government propaganda. But without the means with which to defend yourself, there’s not a philosophy out there that will save your ass, or your people’s, when the excrement hits the rotating air impeller.

Go read.

KevinLeave a comment

Grieve for the Fallen

Grocery shootout ends in death (Nod to Publicola for the link.)

Lena and Ralph Casey telephoned their daughter, Teresa, at 4 a.m. Saturday with an urgent message: A burglar was rustling through the community grocery they own next to their home.

Teresa and her husband, Ricky A. Thompson, arrived within minutes, armed. Ricky Thompson confronted the intruder inside the store, authorities said.

A gunfight broke out. The two men fired across the small aisles, moving around the store as bullets ricocheted.

Thompson, 43, a well-known mechanic and firefighter in Seven Springs, was struck in the chest and killed.

The burglar was hit at least four times. He fled the store, carrying a canvas duffel filled with batteries, a loaf of bread and other goods. Outside the store, Ralph Casey fired a few shots as the man ran from a side door and darted between parked vehicles.

Then, Teresa Thompson jumped into a Monte Carlo, plowed through a wooden fence in front of the Caseys’ home and knocked the intruder down, injuring his legs.

She said in an interview later Saturday that she jumped out and, with her adult daughter, Nita, grabbed pieces of the broken fence and beat the man on the head.

“He still had the gun in his hand,” Mrs. Thompson said. “He tried to shoot, and I think it went off, but it missed. Then I took the gun. I tried to shoot him with his own gun. But it was jammed up.”

She asked the man why he was there, what he was doing.

“He said he was hungry,” Mrs. Thompson said. “My husband’s dead, and he said he was hungry.”

Go read the rest. My condolences to Mrs. Thompson and the rest of their family.

The British Still Aren’t Getting It

KevinLeave a comment

A recent BBC News “Talking Point” question was How can guns be made less accessible? Well, seeing as they’ve made damned near everything illegal, and what is left legal is under draconian restriction, I was quite interested in what the Brits had to say. Let’s sample a few, shall we?

The problem isn’t the guns, it’s the total inability of the police to police the streets! If people carrying illegal thought the might get stopped and arrested it might deter them. But the chances of them being arrested are about zero. We don’t need more laws we just need to enforce the very strict ones we already have. We need less “sound-bites from Ministers and more Police on the streets. After all, when did you last see a Police Officer on the beat?
Andy, UK

Someone else who believes that the government is responsible for his safety.

This Government’s standard response to such problems is to launch a spin campaign to convince the public that they are taking action – it is far easier than doing something effective.
Chris, UK

A cynic! But he doesn’t give any suggestions for “something effective.”

The new legislation should offer an amnesty for those who surrender their weapons to police within a time frame. We have seen this policy of amnesty in parts of Africa such as Angola and Sierra Leone.
Namabanda Mubukwanu, UK

And those are such safe places to live, aren’t they? I mean, Sierra Leone lifted their curfew just last year!

We should also ban toy guns for children. I can’t think of a sicker, more twisted ‘toy’ and corrupting influence on a child. And the age limit should be raised for movies that feature an excessive use of guns. Never mind 18, we should introduce a 21 certificate for violent films. And maybe the BBC could help by not showing as many war films at Christmas and on Sundays. Drop the violence completely.
Iain Harrison, UK

I’m rendered nearly speechless at the inanity of Mr. Harrison. Way to go, Iain!

Ban gun shop websites! I just put in gun shop in a search engine and came up with at least 700 results. This is too much.
Helen, UK

Well, hell, while we’re at it, let’s ban pornography and news sites, too!

Are these people naturally morons, or is it something in the water?

The latest figures prove that the government’s current legislation on firearms is not working. Will making this legislation tougher solve the problem? In a word – no. The people that are obtaining these weapons are the kind of people that have no respect for the law or their fellow citizens. Why not stop wasting money on actions that are all show and no substance and tackle the real problems like how are these weapons getting here in the first place and why aren’t they getting destroyed the moments they are impounded?
Ian, UK

Apparently this Ian drinks bottled water occasionally. But not enough.

Gun crime is hugely related to how guns are portrayed in the media, especially the music industry. Some gangster rappers glamorise guns in their music. If that can be tackled, then gun crime will fall.
Daniel, UK

I thought it was toy guns and violent films?

If Steve:

How about prison for the rest of their natural lives with hard labour and no chance of parole if a gun is used in any crime? Make the punishment a good deterrent!
Steve, UK

and Warwick

Deterring crime with severe sentences is a very ineffective measure. Unless one lives in a police state, criminals just assume that they won’t get caught. A more effective method would be to extend the weapons amnesty concept by offering a reward for weapons that is set higher than their street value. Of course, this has to be handled carefully to avoid fuelling demand. It would also face opposition from the tabloid reading types, but if it works, so what? Fighting crime shouldn’t be the crude popularity contest that it is.
Warwick, UK

were to meet, would there be a particle / antiparticle annihilation?

Oh, and offering more than “street value” for street weapons? First, where would they get that much money, and second, why would they want to fuel gun smuggling by the containerload? Warwick, I suggest you start drinking Evian. Perrier in a pinch. I understand the French economy needs a boost.

One obvious solution is to make them illegal. If that doesn’t work then, er, make them more illegal. Oops, sorry, I forgot, the government tried that and it didn’t work. How about banning people from wearing clothes, so they can’t hide a gun if they have it?
Dave Tankard, UK

Cynic, cynic, cynic. That last idea? I shudder to picture it. Most Brits don’t look like Page3 girls. And aren’t British winters brutal? Dave Tankard, eh? I bet he’s not drinking water.

I doubt that tougher penalties alone will work. The government should go for a complete ban on the import of all replica guns, and a ban on air guns, except in licensed clubs. If it puts a few gun shops out of business, then I would rather my taxes be used to buy them out than see the current trend in shootings continue.
Nick, UK

Yeah! You need more gun laws! Er, weren’t the recent shooting deaths of two young women committed with a machine gun?

Once again the government, with the backing of various police chiefs are looking at bringing in new laws to “control gun crime”, despite having the most draconian laws in Europe which they appear singularly unable to enforce! I take it the law abiding will suffer as usual?
Gordon, UK

Gordon seems to take offense at your suggestion, Nick.

Funny isn’t it – the government announce all kinds of things they’re going to do about gun crime, and then days later we find out that the rate has doubled since they came to power. You don’t think they’re cynically managing the news (and you) do you? No, perish the thought!
Andy Edmonds, UK

More cynicism. Tsk, tsk.

Five years for every round possessed and 10 years for every round fired, that would be a deterrent. An Uzi clip being fired would put someone in jail for 450 years, that would deter all but the most hardened criminals.
Drb, UK

Well, that’s an idea. One of the few actually presented. I don’t think it would work, but it’s an idea. And I have no idea where they’d put all those criminals. I understand that their jails are already full to bursting.

Guns will become inaccessible to law abiding citizens. Criminals however will still be able to get their hands on weapons.
Doug, UK

“Will become”, Doug? They’re close enough to that now as to make no difference. According to the Home Office there were, in England & Wales, 125,363 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2000, and 600,733 shotgun certificates. That’s down from 133,600 firearm certificates and 623,100 shotgun certificates in 1997. Assuming a complete overlay between firearms certificate holders and shotgun certificate holders that’s about 600,000 people out of a population of 52 million who possess at least one gun. At most, with no overlap, that’s 725,000. That’s 1.1 to 1.4% of the population. Oh, wait, that’s legal owners. Jebus only knows how many illegal possessors there are. The last amnesty netted a reported 40,000 weapons – but almost none from the crime-ridden areas. And I doubt a single one of those 40,000 were on a certificate.

Makes you wonder just how many “off certificate” weapons there are, doesn’t it?

Besides, it doesn’t matter how many guns the law-abiding permit holders have. They can’t use their guns for defense of self or society anyway, under current UK law.