Iowa Gun Owners Alert 1/13/10

On December 30th, number one son and I joined about 50 others in an effort to stuff envelopes to send to thousands of gun owners in Iowa. Our efforts were minuscule compared to Aaron Dorr, his family, and others who spent countless hours that week, printing, folding, stuffing and stamping these packets.

The packet contains letters of encouragement from Aaron and representative Sorenson, but more importantly, it contains postcards to send to our state senator and representative to encourage them to join Iowa Gun Owners to pass the Vermont-style bill headed their way this session.

The bill restores the 2nd Amendment in Iowa by eliminating mandatory government training, paying fees, and the whole concept of having to beg permission to exercise a Constitutional right.

We must not allow anti-gun politicians to get a free pass. We must demand that they vote on the REAL Right-to-Carry bill and focus their energy on this bill.

If the anti-gun politicians want to kill the bill, or water it down with weakening amendments they can do that. But they are going to have to do it on the record, with recorded votes. This may come at a high price next November.

What you will not see happen is Iowa Gun Owners making these concessions up front, granting the gun-grabbers exactly what they want. This is what it means to be No Compromise!

It was a pleasure to work with like-minded people for a common goal. My regret is that I could give that one day.

Read more at Iowa Gun Owners Alert 1/13/10

Borepatch explains global warming

Weather: a localized and temporary phenomenon, unrelated to global trends.

Climate: anything that proves Global Warming.

With a picture showing Britain covered in snow (much like Iowa), I appreciate this explanation.

All of Britain covered by snow

Visit more of his insightful posts at his Junk Science category.

I've added him to sites I visit a while ago. Borepatch

It's a machine gun because we say so

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police released surveillance video Tuesday of two men robbing a southeast Portland convenience store while one of them carried what officers described as an automatic machine gun.

Headline reads: SE Portland Robbers Carried Machine Gun

It's black, scary, and has a magazine, therefore it's a machine gun.



With all the semi-autos that look similar to actual fully-automatic firearms and no one fired a round, how do they know?

The Story of Reggie

The connection between two men is one black lab.

I encourage everyone to go read The Story of Reggie

Register is "pointless" and a distraction to Iowans

A Des Moines Register editorial calls the gun bills currently proposed in the Iowa legislature as "pointless" and a "distraction" to the hard work ahead for our state.

Given the truly important issues that need attention, the Legislature should not waste time on pointless debates about gun permits and same-sex marriage. We don't have the room here for a full discussion of the reach of the Second Amendment, and the Iowa Legislature certainly doesn't need that distraction, either.

A restoration of our rights is pointless?

Get budget in hand and move Iowa ahead

The Dog and the Wolf

The wisdom from a child's story:

A gaunt wolf was almost dead from hunger when he happened to meet a house-dog who was passing by. "Ah cousin," said the dog, "I know how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?"

"I would have no objection," said the wolf, "if I could only get a place."

"I will easily arrange that for you," said the dog. "Come with me to my master and you shall share my work."

So the wolf and the dog went towards the town together. On the way there the wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the dog's neck was very much worn away, so he ask him how that came about.

"Oh it is nothing," said the dog. "That is only the place where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."

"Is that all?" said the wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master Dog."

The moral?
Better to starve free than be a fat slave

From Aesop's Fables, Joseph Jacobs, ed by Charles W. Eliot c. 1937

Straightarrow's challenge

In comments to this post University of Iowa Threat team Straightarrow asks, "So, I ask again, how big a threat are these people?"

Having been in that PC hell-hole for a number of years, I was looking at it from the perspective of this being another feel-good, doing something without really doing something program. A couple of people nosing around and getting into your business.

But his words made me rethink this.

Some of the worst policies implemented in this country have been pushed by academics. Look at cabinet secretaries in the past several administrations, both republican and democrat.

I figured that as long as they don't have any authority these "Threat Teams" could only make noise and maybe ruin some guy's reputation, at most.

But add a little power, and next they will have their own show-trials to be suspending students from school or get people fired. The next step would be to send their perceived "threats" for psych evaluations and involuntary, re-educational lockup. After that, would be jail time.

A couple of administrations later and these little "people commissars" will be in every neighborhood looking into our windows and bank accounts finding threats everywhere.

And they will find threats, because if they don't, they have no reason to exist.

So, to answer your question SA: Yes, they are a threat. The whole concept is a threat.

Free men don't need anyone watching over them.

Thanks, SA.

Badger Gun posts

Kurt posted Congresswoman from WI jumps on the Badger-bashing bandwagon of congress-critter Gwen Moore demanding the ATF to put Badger Guns out of business. Please go there, he brings up excellent points.

I found a lurker from the city of Milwaukee checking me out and I'd guess that they're snooping around Kurt's site as well.

I hope so.

Maybe they would actually come to their senses and realize the criminals in this so far are the idiots buying the guns from Badgers and then either handing them over or selling them to the felons.

One of the geniuses sold his Taurus for $40 to some felon. I would've given him that plus gas money. (Update) This bonehead was sentenced to two years yesterday Man who bought gun used to shoot officers gets 2 years in prison

I've said since day one, if Badger Guns had serious violations, the ATF would've shut them down with a SWAT team and the "eyewitness news" following right behind. They would have put them out of business right then.

But my impression is that the violations (the paper doesn't list them) are most likely for paperwork, and the newspapers are doing their best to give the impression that the past and current owners are crucified before the truth gets out.

If any other gun store owner think they are safe, they better prepare. They will be targeted next.

Previous Posts: BTR - Badger Guns Posts

And this is justice?

Man with a family and a job to support that family is convicted of a felony possession of firearms (they belonged to his wife). Bremerton man goes to prison for wife's guns

Man is going to prison and his family is going on welfare.

The guns from Badger Guns

Kurt Hofmann has been keeping up on the Badger Guns Saga with another insightful post at Now, they want to make it harder to sell a gun store (Thanks for the link back) and sometimes I wonder if we are the only two guys left that don't want to throw the current owners under the bus.

I've got no dog in this fight and have never met the current or previous owners. The problem is when they vilify one gun store owner when they've done nothing illegal, they will go after them all pretty soon.

I missed a really nifty Flash animation from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Violation history at gun store and after clicking "Next" a few times I found this nugget towards the end:



The guns used to shoot the Milwaukee police officers were purchased from the previous owners. The violations of 500+ crime guns were from the previous owners.

Then on the last frame I circled the crime guns listed from the current owner in green, although one incident was "two years earlier" which may or may not have been with the current owner.



Be sure to go to the last frame and click on the interview with Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn complaining that Congress is hampering ATF's efforts.

The Madison and Milwaukee politicians, police chiefs, and newspapers have been wailing for months to shut down Badger Guns, all the while the crime guns overwhelmingly were purchased from the previous owners. By this report, only two guns purchased under current ownership were used in the police shootings.

By that standard they would shut down Walmart, but then maybe that's the idea.

Previous Posts: BTR - Badger Guns Posts

Update - ATF actually follows the law... someone else is paying attention to Badger Guns.