Sweet Justice

Remember that Spanish Judge who thought it was his duty to clean up the world? Well, turns out that he's not so popular at home any more. The Spaniards were kinda high-and-mighty when it was other countries being put under the microscope... they're not so cool to it now.

Your Monday Cheer

More Hoplorati Badging

I managed to find an hour here and an hour there to play some more. MSgt B, who has already put one up on his blog, requested this one:

Playing around some more, I did up a couple more designs like that.

My wife even got into the act (she's actually much better at this sorta stuff that I... in fact, I kept asking her questions).

And then I abandoned the tomb stone for a shield because the base word for Hoplorati is hoplon, the greek soldier's shield.

And some more incorporating the helmet design.

All are available here. Feel free to use them. If you want me to take a stab at doing some for another state (these are specific to Virginia), city, your shooting club, whatever then send me some ideas and I'll see what I can whip up. Playing around with this sorta stuff is kinda fun.

Here's the catch: if you do use one then all I ask is that if you have $5 or $10 to spare, you drop it in the donation bucket over at the Second Amendment Foundation. That's not a requirement, just a request on my part.

Hoplorati Badging

Seeing as Vector Designer was only $30, I decided to try it out. From time to time I need some vector drawing software, and I usually end up trying to do it with photo editing programs. Anyway, I was playing around with it and decided to whip up something for this. I also did one up in an alternate color scheme.

They are free to a good home. I also have ones with transparent backgrounds for embedding in other images and places where a white background isn't an option. See below...

That's enough playing around for one night. Time to go to bed.

Robber Takes Cop's Gun

Suspects who took officer's gun during robbery arrested

Not that I fault the officer. Shit happens and nothing ever goes according to plan. But we are constantly told by the anti-gunners that we are eleventy-billion times more likely to have a gun taken away from us and used against us than to use it ourselves. So, do they think police officers should also be sans firearms? Wait, don't answer that!

Paranoid Reporter On The One-Handgun A Month Law

Seems Mark Holmberg, a "street" beat reporter of Richmond's CBS6 and an hombre with the cred because look at that goatee and "I'm just an ordinary guy" casual wear, doesn't want Virginia's one handgun a month law repealed. Now he admits the crime statistics absolutely don't show the law has done any good. And he admits that even with the law Virginia is considered by Bloombergians as a gun running source. But even though he can't prove the law has done any good and knows that anti-gunners claim (in a backwards sense) that the law has done no good, he doesn't want it repealed.

He fears that Virginia might revert to the bad old days when crime rates were higher. There's a word for what afflicts people with an irrational fear of what others might do: paranoia. Mark has it.

Burning Churches

That's the imagery used by this pro-athiest band. If you don't want to believe in God or think the Spaghetti Monster is cool, have at it. But just note a couple of things:

1) Going out of your way to tell people you are a non-believer and to make fun of their beliefs is no different than Christians attempting to woo people to their cause. You've become your enemy. Actually, if you use mockery you've become worse than your enemy.

2) If you agree with the message of this band that all wars and genocides, etc... have been committed in the name of religion, go lookup the word "Communist". The Soviets were particularly upset with believers and the Chinese to this day aren't too happy with them. And if you think National Socialism (Nazis for you who don't know) was a Christian thing, try again.

3) What, no pictures of burning mosques? Wow, what courage you have in your convictions!

4) If you can't at all be respectful of people who do believe (e.g. "fairy book", "fairy in the sky", "makes little Jesus cry."), know that it is your belief system that dictates you should expect reciprocation.

The Funny

Brownells brings it.

"But ..."

Once again, Borepatch brings it! A must read.

3,000 Page Views Needed

If you have one or two extra laying around, Lynne F could use 'em. And you could win something... I think. I'm not actually sure how that works.

Conservatives Suck

Here's an ill-informed, poorly researched oped from the University of Richmond by a "conservative" Republican arguing against campus carry. Of course, he's a "college conservative" which I guess puts him somewhere between Mao and Hillary Clinton on the political spectrum.

One of the reasons I don't call my self a conservative any more is because I realized they are the other side of the coin of modern liberals. Liberals want to tell people how to live. And so do conservatives. Some might say that makes me a "libertarian". I'd prefer to think of it as "pissed off with people telling me what to do."

A Lot of Bullets and A Lot of Time

I could be saying that about my recent Mini-14 testing, but instead I'm talking about this cool slow-motion video of bullets impacting various objects.

Enjoy!

He'll Probably Win

A convicted felon is running for Sheriff in Lincoln County, West Virginia. My first thought was that he wouldn't be able to carry a gun, but according to the article he could in his capacity as Sheriff.

This Shooter Sucks

Since I worked a good deal on Saturday, I decided to take a part of the morning at the range. As part of the undorking project, I wanted to see if the new Hogue stock actually made a difference as regards to accuracy. So I followed the same routine as last time: 3 warm up shots so the barrel isn't completely cold, then 3 shots of Remington UMC, PMC, American Eagle, and then Hornady with a 3 minute pause in between. Here are the awful results:

Lower left clockwise to lower right:
Remington UMC, PMC, AE, Hornady

This is really no better than last time, and actually its a little worse. Since it was morning time and the coffee had not fully set in, I'm gonna chalk this up to not having my head in the game. Especially given what came next.

So the classic problem with the Mini-14 is that once the barrel heats up the accuracy goes to shit. A barrel strut can help with this problem, but before I put it in on I wanted to see just how bad the accuracy was with a hot barrel. So I put 15 rounds of down range very fast. That made the barrel hot to the touch. And then I followed the same procedure above except this time I didn't wait between groups. Here are the results:

Add caption

You'll notice the American Eagle and the Hornady are much tighter groups. But they aren't suppose to be. I'm gonna go with "drink more coffee" next time. I should repeat the experiment, but honestly I don't feel like it since the Strikeforce stock is not going back on the rifle.

Anyway, the barrel strut got attached tonight. Hopefully I'll be at the range again this week to see how it works.

Mini-14 with Accu-Strut LT

blogjam #14

1. Make your own disco-sparkly unicorn poop cookies.
2. VIDEO: Edgar the Exploiter.
3. A bill before the Georgia Legislature to require drug testing of the Georgia Legislators. Hell Yeah! Can we get this instituted at the federal level?

It Really Isn't Going Well For Bloombergia, Is it?

First they arrest a nurse attempting to surrender her firearm and accuse her of cocaine possession when she had aspirin. Then they arrest a Marine who was also attempting to surrender his firearm. Then they arrest a Tea Party organizer who was just passing through the city. And now they've arrested a Navy SEAL and thrown in him in the psych ward because anybody with a gun claiming to be a Navy SEAL must be CRAZY! I mean, who ever heard of the Navy SEALs having guns, right? Of course, the only problem with that is he actually is a Navy SEAL.

Wow, concealed carry reciprocity is looking more sane all the time.

A Brief Excursion into Guns

Remember when I use to talk about shooting guns and stuff on this blog...

Thursday I managed to get to the range during lunch to finally try out the new Hogue stock on the Mini-14. I really wasn't doing anything other than a function test, so I was just putting rounds down range. I like that stock a whole bunch better than the Strikeforce stock. I also played with a 5 round magazine. Its kinda nice because it sits flush with the stock making this look more like a traditional hunting gun than some sort of evil assault weapon.

The ammo I brought along was Remington UMC and American Eagle by Federal. I hadn't noticed this before, but the American Eagle is quite a bit hotter, producing more recoil and a greater muzzle flash -- making it more fun. Given that I think it is more accurate and about the same cost, I think I've found my new plinking round. I got mine from Bulk Ammo, which usually has deals on the American Eagle stuff.

National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day

Lynne over at Female and Armed proposes a National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I'm not sure how my daughter would react to it. To be blunt, I don't think she's ready or even understands what it is I'm talking about. She once begged me to take her to a gun show because she thought there was a show, like a play or a singing group or some type of performance, at a gun show. She was fairly disappointed when I explained to her that a gun show was just table after table of guns for sale being picked over by a bunch of fat guys half dressed in camo and in need of better personal hygiene.

The Remedy: Man Up and Take the Pain

I went to the doctor yesterday, had some x-rays taken, and the verdict is that I fractured toe #2. There's nothing to be done other than buddy-taping it to the other toes during exercise and taking over the counter pain medicine. This is a classic shit happens situation. Oh well!

The doctor did say that in the future I shouldn't let girls beat me up.

Canadians are Stupid

Or, at the very least, unimaginative. This article in Canada's The Globe and Mail paints the picture of gun rights in hospitals as being about bed-bound patients having shoot outs. Yeah, that's what it's about! It never occurred to these morons that people visiting the hospital or transporting themselves to the hospital for minor issues may have to traverse dangerous neighborhoods, which is where a lot of hospitals in metropolitan areas seem to be placed.

If you read the comments, it gets even worse. While the Canadian commenters don't believe in the right to self-defense, they do believe in the right not to be offended:

To say I should be able to be armed in a hospital, screw the world, is sort of like saying 'I have a right not to wear pants, and you have the obligation to look'.

Is there anybody who can make sense of that? Anybody?

Campus Carry May Issue for the University of Virginia

Buried in this article where the writer and "right thinking people" are all worried about Del. Marshall's bill to allow faculty to carry on campus is this nugget:

The current University regulation, which was approved by the Board in November, prohibits “the possession, storage or use of any weapon by the general public or visitors, except a law-enforcement officer, on University property.” 

The University chief of police may grant exceptions to the regulation for a variety of reasons.

Say what! The University's Chief of Police may set aside the regulation as he sees fit? We've been down this road of MAY ISSUE before and seen it abused. If the Board of Visitors believes concealed carry is wrong, then it should be wrong for everybody... not just wrong for the people who aren't buddy-buddy with the popo.

Metro Cops Bodyslam Man In Wheelchair And Get Away With It

This story is so full of facepalm it is hard to believe: Wheelchair Beating Prompts Questions, Arrest, Lawsuit. Pretty graphic stuff if you follow the link.

Metro says the man fell when the video clearly shows the police picking him up out of the wheelchair and reaping his legs so he does a face plant into the pavement. Then they arrest the guy videotaping and questioning the event. The ACLU is suing on first amendment grounds, but I'm surprized nobody is suing for the beating.

The Leftest, Racist "Geezer Elect" of Falls Church

The Falls Church News Press and Socialist Workers Party has an article about State Senator Saslaw and Delegate Scott meeting with their party apparatchiks. In it they lament the fact that the state legislature is back in the hands of the GOP and citizens might get back rights taken from them over the years:

"We have three or four Republicans in the senate who are 'approachable'" by Democrats on some of the more extreme issues, he said. Otherwise, on issues like gun control, he said, "You can forget about it. If there was a bill that every house in Virginia should be equipped with a surface-to-air missile, it would pass," he quipped. He noted that the Republican attorney general has said it's OK to carry guns into churches, and while some Republicans are pushing to legalize them on campuses, only because of the fact that the NRA is not pushing that issue, he said, it might fail.

That was Saslaw, and he's an asshat. He wishes to paint pro-rights legislators as extremists, though he has for years mischaracterized the "gun show loophole" and private-sale of firearms as being related to the Virginia Tech shootings. His cohort, Scott, has submitted bills for the banning of firearms through micro-stamping (i.e. requiring the use of a prohibitively expensive technology).

So get that, they lie about their positions and try to backdoor gun bans, but the Repulbicans are the extremists. These guys are shameful.

But it doesn't stop there:

Saslaw urged the audience to become more proactive in registering voters. In his 35th District, he noted, 51 percent is Caucasian, 25 percent Hispanic and 12 percent Asian. But while 84 percent of Caucasians are registered to vote, only four percent of Hispanics and eight percent of Asians are. If those numbers were significantly changed, VIrginia would become "an entirely different state," he said.

Yup, he can predict the vote of a minority by the color their skin! He also knows how they dress, what music they like, and the foods they eat. Racist asshole!

Both Scott and Saslaw are career politicians. They need to go.

BLACKOUT (the protest kind, not the calibre)

No posts today.

GENERAL INTERNET STRIKE AND BLACKOUT!

Sign the Petition against Internet Censorship.

Contact your Congressmen.

The Saddest Thing You'll Read Today

And here I am bitchin' about my foot.... perspective can be a bitch.

  This is the saddest thing you'll read today.

I couldn't make it halfway through without tearing up. That's when I went up stairs and hugged my son, who was upset that he had to go to bed. Every day is a blessing! Sometime I just need to be reminded of it.

On The Subject of A Hurt Foot

That last post provides a nice segueway... my foot still hurts. It feels like I'm walking a pebble when I'm walking. Otherwise its a low, dull pain. Grrr... So I've changed my profile name yet again to reflect my seemingly constant condition.

Only One Professional Enough to Shoot My Foot Off And Not Know When to Shut Up About It

Remember the DEA agent who shot himself in the foot during a public address to a youth golfing association? Beyond nobody understanding what displaying loaded guns had to do with a "Don't do drugs" message to a bunch of youth golfers, it is unfathomable why this guy won't let the issue go. He was eventually driven out of the DEA for the stupidity, but decided to sue the federal government because somebody video taped his accident and released it on YouTube. He lost that suit, then appealed, and now Lee Paige has appealed one more time and lost yet again.

That's right. Lee Paige, whose name we'd probably all forget if it weren't for the fact that he keeps shooting himself in the foot, has lost his law suit.

Oh, and in case you've not seen it... here's the video of Lee Paige shooting himself in the foot.

Thank you, Lee Paige. That was entertaining.

The TJIC Buycott

Borepatch has a great idea: the TJIC Buycott. TJIC was a gun blogger who had his guns confiscated because the Arlington (MA) police didn't like his political views. Some have proposed a Second Amendment "buycott" where guns, ammo, and all manner of shooting stuffs are purchased in honor of TJIC. Not a bad idea, and I'm sure most of us don't need our arms twisted. (My favorite 2A buycott trick is to take the wife to Dick's Sporting Goods. At the checkout counter she lays down a sports bra and I put some ammo on top of it. Oh the looks we get for that.)

However, Borepatch has proposed something nearly as equally dangerous to my wallet: shop at SmartFlix. They rent all types of instructional videos, from welding and CNC machining to gunsmithing to gun fighting. And it's TJIC's company. I'm pretty much gonna have a DVD rented from them every week by the looks of it. Metallic Cartridge Reloading is already on its way.

So give it a whirl. Looks like lots of good stuff over at SmartFlix.

10 Reasons the Washington Post Should Look In the Mirror

This article in the Washington Post by Jonathan Turley, 10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free, seems to be making the rounds. I see it being linked to by "progressives" as they cry out that their utopia has not come to be.

And all I can think is that these very conditions of government overreach are the cause of the Washington Post. They have for years cheered for prosecuting the evil citizens who dare wish to protect themselves with handguns. They have for years insisted we all be forced to buy health products by the bureaucratic hand of government. They have decried the rights of citizens to save for their own waning days, instead insisting upon the federal Ponzi scheme. They have even agitated for the taking of treasure from individuals for the sole purpose of having government sanctioned art.

After years of demanding the people subject themselves to the government, they now act surprized when the government desires to have no limits on its powers. Yet they will be like the "progressives" who pass around links to this article. When the time comes, they will endorse and vote for Barack Obama even though he is guilty of all these things they claim to find reprehensible.

In their imaginations they have no hesitation to soak up the Hollywood yarns about a scientist whose invention grows a mind of its own or a corporation that runs amok despite the best intentions of its humble founder, yet they find it incongruous that their progressive government won't stop at the bounds they import even though there are many more real-life examples of such than any make-believe rampaging robots or evil boardroom henchmen.

Judge Upholds ATFs Fast & Furious Excuse

A federal judge for the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia (surprize!) has upheld the ATFs long gun reporting for gun dealers in border states. "Congress has effected a delicate balance between ATF's regulation of firearms and the right to privacy held by lawful firearms owners," smirked Judge Rosemary Collyer. Then she broke form, chuckled and said, "I'm totally fuckin' with ya. Congress has done no such thing. I just like jerkin' around the citizenry."

Judge Collyer, who had no judicial experience what-so-ever before being appointed to the Federal bench by President George W. Bush for rubbing the right shoulders, often rules in favor of big government unless more powerful interests are at hand, such as Wall Street Nazis. Last March, she told a group of Federal employees that they could not opt out of Medicare, saying "My hands are tied, and you all should go fuck yourselves anyway. Seriously, I'm not telling you guys to go away. I'm asking if you are into kinky sex." In July she did uncharacteristically side with for-profit colleges against the U.S. Department of Education, but it has been noted she was having an off-day and was heard saying, "Dude! I got so shit-faced last night. Can somebody get me a bottle of aspirin and some wine coolers? And call Justice Breyer and tell him I'm still wearing his underwear in case he's wondering."

Documents have surfaced showing that the ATF used the Fast & Furious debacle to gin up data to support their long gun registry demand. Fast & Furious was the ATF operation that let thousands of guns into Mexico unmonitored, and was explained by then acting-director of the ATF Ken Melson as "Fire bad! Guns bad! Fire bad!" When questioned by Congress, ATF officials have said "Ooopsiee!" and acting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder defended the bungled operation by quoting Gary Coleman's famous rejoinder from Different Strokes, "What you talking about Willis?" Many civil libertarians have taken offense to Holder's seemingly flippant remarks, but leaked copies of Holder's upcoming autobiography The Peter Principle: I'm a dick! have shown that Holder was making reference to actor Todd Bridges, one of Holder's childhood heros and, like Holder, a cocaine addict and one-time defendant in a drug-deal-gone-bad shooting.

Alright, which one of you did this?

Zombies Ahead warns hacked VDOT sign

Foaming at the Mouth

Use to be that protests in the street, camping outside the President's private residence, and no hesitation to violate Godwin's law were the domain of the righteous. Their battle was for the truth and the one true way, and it was against the Devil himself.

That was then. This is now:

...the candidate supported by liberals and progressives and for whom most will vote — Barack Obama — advocates views on these issues (indeed, has taken action on these issues) that liberals and progressives have long claimed to find repellent, even evil.

If you are sympathetic to Ron Paul, this article is amusing. If you are a "progressive", this article is damning. Where is the rabid righteous indignation of yesteryear? Was it all just political theater?

Wittgenstein

From Wikipedia:

He argues philosophical problems are bewitchments that arise from philosophers' misguided attempts to consider the meaning of words independently of their context, usage, and grammar, what he called "language gone on holiday".

So let me get this straight? The philosophical work sometimes called the most profound of the 20th century comes down to simply calling philosophy a bunch of B.S.

blogjam

1. VIDEO: Water cooler canon.
2. VIDEO: A band that plays nothing but iPads. In one way this is cool. In another it is completely stupid.
3. 10 illegal baby names. Actually, I had heard of #1 almost 10 years ago. Seems in the 90's New Zealanders were trying to out Jerry Springer themselves with baby names.
4. VIDEO: A crazy car chase in South Africa.

William B, Congrats!

If you are still reading this blog... Congratulations!

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

An anti-gun blogger has been called out:

Borepatch: In which I challenge Baldr Odinson to an Internet duel

This could be interesting, but I doubt Baldr will accept the challenge as he is as Borepatch has described.

Proposed Changes to Virginia Gun Laws

The NRA-ILA has put the list of bills going into this legislative session that will affect Virginia's gun laws: Virginia 2012 General Assembly Second Amendment Legislation.

There are a couple of things to note:

1) No proposed changes in Virginia's knife laws. BOOOO! But then again, I wouldn't expect the National Rifle Association to be pushing them. It might be that the VCDL will need to start things here.

2) Only one anti-gun bill. In past sessions, the gun grabbers put up a number of bills to restrict our rights even though they know those bills aren't going anywhere. This time around, they have only put up one which might mean they are tired of fighting on a losing issue.

3) Constitutional carry is in the line up.

4) Delegate Bob Marshall, who has aspirations of higher office, is triangulating against Gov. Bob McDonnell's earlier statement about not supporting campus carry. His bill, House Bill 91, would prevent college's from prohibiting permitted faculty and staff from carrying on college campuses. This takes away arguments about immature students getting into drunken shootouts and what not, which is what is used to thwart campus carry proposals. This is incramentalism; a couple years after passage it would be easier to argue that students should have carry rights since faculty have them.

Training

Listening to GunTalk on the way into work today, I heard Tom Gresham castigate a man for not getting shotgun training for using a shotgun as a defensive weapon. This being on the same show where he talks about the young widow in Oklahoma who defended her home with a.... wait for it... shotgun. I'm gonna bet she never got an ounce of defensive firearms training.

I'll go even further and bet that most of the defensive firearms stories we hear about involve defendants with no civilian self-defence firearms training.

That's not to say that training is a bad thing, but the hoplorati need to quit kidding our collective selves about a couple of things:

1) Most people who own guns have little to no training, and yet the world has still not fallen apart.

2) Training, the real kind where you fly off to a desert camp and romp through shoot houses and what not, is a luxury for most people. Expecting everyone to have that type of training is like expecting everyone to own a 40ft yacht -- it ain't gonna happen.

And the expectation of shotgun training sets the bar even higher. I've never seen a defensive shotgun training class locally, and I'm not sure which of the fancy shooting schools offer it.

The message should be "get training if you can" which is different from the tone I hear these days of "get training or don't use a gun."

No Report Today

Sorry, nothing of interest to report today. I've got to do this thing called work, and that little stubbed toe I mentioned has ballooned into a big, big bruise and now walking around is painful... so I'm just not in the mood anyway. And I don't see anything of interest on the Internets today.

Please consult the Gun Blog Blacklist if you have spare time and need some good reading.

2nd Annual NRA HQ Blog Shoot

JB Miller is doing the sign up on his blog. It's not a requirement, but letting us know means we'll be looking out for ya.

Unfortunately, we don't have exclusive use of the range so that means getting there early to get in for the first hour of shooting. And early probably means 7:30am. It is on Saturday this time instead of Sunday, so that should help some people.

Be Sure of Your Target And What Is Behind It

Especially if what is behind your target is a Middle School: Marksman Charged in Shooting Behind Texas School. I'm not sure what this guys was doing. He set up targets on a ranch at 100 yards and 300 yards and managed to hit two kids at a middles school a mile away. Given that there are 1760 yards in a mile, that's some adjusting for bullet drop the target shooter was doing. Senseless, tragic, and in this case avoidable.

Another fine story from the Bubblehead Les News Network... of which I am apparently an affiliate. :)

First Judo Class in 2 Months

Due to the holidays, business trips, and sickness, I've not been to a Judo class since before Thanksgiving. Given that I'm still recovering from the ick that kept me out Wednesday, I was a little apprehensive about going tonight. But other than a toe I stubbed on something or someone, I made it through with this aging body in one piece.

Light a Candle and then Do Something About Violence

Candles can cast cool light and provide for pretty scenery, but other than being a potential fire hazard they aren't really good for much else. They certainly won't help stop violence.

However, firearms in the hands of lawful citizens are a great means for the protection of the innocent against violent criminals.

3 Years Ago Today, My First Gun

Going through some paperwork I discovered that three years ago to this day I purchased my first firearm, an FN FiveseveN (5.7 x 28).

An FNH FN FiveseveN with its 3 twenty-round magazines
and a Streamlight TLR-2

I've never really told this story on this blog, so here goes. Some months before I had been talking about getting a robotics kit with my wife. At the end of the year, I got a rather hefty bonus and my wife insisted I spend some of it on myself thinking I'd buy a robotics kit and that would shut me up. She was stunned when out of the blue I said, "I want to buy a gun."

And while this was around the time of Obama's election, I can tell you that I was not thinking about the erosion of Second Amendment rights. Quite simply, I had always been fascinated with guns but not grown up around them. In my youth, I had been taken shooting twice by friends and both were terrible experiences -- nothing more than putting a gun in my hand and telling me not shoot them. But I had had BB guns. So now was the time to get the big boy version.

The FiveseveN was my carry gun, and until recently a home defense gun, until I started gearing up for IDPA exactly one year later. I still have it. It's still a great gun.

Feminism

Contrast and compare.

(courtesy Left Coast Rebel)

(courtesy American Power)

10th Amendment, Dammit!

You've probably heard about the various firearms freedom acts in some states, which stipulate that firearms manufactured in a state and sold in that state are not subject to controls and regulations of the federal government. These laws have not been tested in the courts, and in general are dismissed by the media/pundits/metrocons/liberals/asshats as being more about gun nuttery than states rights.

Well, what if a state said that incandescent lightbulbs manufactured in a state and sold in that state are not subject federal regulations? That is exactly what Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall is planning to do. It's gonna be hard to dismiss this state's rights issue on the camo-clad, old men hanging out at the local hook & bullet depot. People are still pissed off about low-flow toilets (pun intended), so I can't see much sympathy for the feds over lightbulbs. This could get interesting.

Steel Doors, High Walls, and Armed Guards

If there's one place you could lock something up and expected it to stay locked up, I'd say a jail might be that place: Thief Steals Gun And Cash From Limestone County Jail. Or not.

Candles are cool, Yo!

Just in case you haven't heard, January 8 is the day for lighting a candle to show that you have the means to stop violence:

So on January 8th I ask everybody to post a picture of a lit candle and you carry gun. Because lit candles don’t do a whole lot but cast a meager amount of light…but a loaded gun in the hands of lawful citizens can do wonders to protect innocent lives from harm.

VA Gov. McDonnell Not Backing Campus Carry

Not surprizing, given this isn't yet a winner of a political issue. McDonnell is a politician, and we don't yet have the upper-hand on this specific issue in the hearts and minds of voters. But it will come. These things take time.

blogjam

1. "Not that there's anything wrong with that": Masked man robs McDonald's while carrying gun and pink backpack. Well, the pink backpack part anyway.
2. Krugman FAIL.
3. VIDEO: Fishing under Ice.
4. Best Buy is the next to go. And for anyone who has ever shopped at one recently, that is pretty obvious.

ping. HIT!

Both CTone and The Miller have after-action reports from the New Year's Eve farm shoot. I can't thank those gentlemen enough.

JB Miller's suppressed Mark II is sweet. Shooting subsonic through it is just something everybody needs to experience. And his AR10 is nothing short of impressive -- completely effortless to hit the 100 yard plate with it. I've been thinking of getting a .308 battle rifle, playing the advantages of the M1A platform to the AR platform. But this has sold me. I'm going with an AR10 style rifle - maybe even an actual Armalite.

CTone's 6.5 AR is also very, very sweet. I managed a string of holes all touching each other at 250 yards.

I brought out 5 firearms, but only got around to shooting two of them because I spent so much time dorking with the Colt Walker. I loaded the cylinder with 5 round balls before realizing a basic truth about cap-n ball guns... the gun powder goes in first! I wrenched off the nipples to back out the balls when I did something even more retarded; I dropped two of the nipples over the firing line. So we had to make the range cold and everybody got down on their hands and knees and started pulling grass until we found them. Thanks again guys!

The day was wrapped up with fruit. Thanks to JB for capturing it on video.

That's one of the benefits of shooting on a farm. That and we had multiple steel plates (though we still need more).

Good times. Thanks again CTone and JB!

Naming Me

IT people have probably heard this before, "There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things." And truth be told, cache invalidation is the easier of the two.

As I've discovered, there are multiple people named Andy in the gun blogosphere. Some use it outright, others go by it discreetly. So it seems rather unfair that I use the unqualified version of the name, especially since it isn't my real name though it is the name called to me by my parents since birth -- that and Andy Panda (I suspect the other Andys have been subjected to it as well).

I'm playing with a bunch of qualifiers. "Bubblehead Andy" seems ideal, but I think I have to pay a licensing fee for that one. So for now I'm "Bits_and_Bullets Andy" if you are trying to distinguish me from the other, better Andys.

blogjam

1. Borepatch has pictures and a link to tuxedo studs made from .45 ACP cases. I normally don't get caught up in the gun-styled jewelry, but those look cool for some reason. Of course, I have nothing to put them on.
2. Don't consider yourself a full-blown Wookie-suiter but find yourself nodding in agreement with a lot of those political statements? Now you can show your support with the Wookie hoodie! A great outer garment for the casual libertarian.
3. Pictures from a Russian military aircraft cemetery.

A Muddled 2012 Start

I be sick! So much, I have to go get a prescription now and may miss work tomorrow. Grrr. I hate sick. If I have sent you email or commented in a blog somewhere about aliens sniffing my feet or having a conversation with Abraham Lincoln about 3-Gun matches or whatever, it's because I'm very discombobulated.

Things I Should Do for 2012

More Judo) I haven't been since before Thanksgiving due to my leg injury and the holidays and such. But I have a new Gi.

More IDPA) Local matches around here were conflicting with my turbulent schedule. But that should be fixed for at least until the Fall.

More tech blogging) Partly inspired by some of Borepatch's more tech related posts, I need to start posting more over on BUS ERROR. If you are an IT or programmer type person, you might want to save the link.

Less sick) No explanation needed.

A New Year and a new NoVA Gun Blogger

I encourage everybody to go over to Lynn F's blog, Female and Armed, and wish her a happy New Year. (actually, she's been blogging since November... I just now noticed it). Not only is Lynn a NoVA gun blogger, but also an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and NRA Certified Range Safety Officer (I need to get that certification).

Also, so that we can add to our lists of "bloggers I've met", we should start thinking of a second annual NRA Range and Museum visit. If you think it is a good idea to that again in February, speak up.