No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (Possibly)

Gun owner saves boy from vicious pit bull attack, The Washington Post, Washington, D.C. 01/22/13


Posted on January 24, 2013

An 11-year-old boy was riding a bike through his Washington, D.C. neighborhood when he encountered a trio of unleashed pit bulls. The pit bulls viciously attacked the boy, with the young man’s uncle later recalling that all three of the dogs were biting the boy’s limbs. A neighbor who witnessed the attack went home, retrieved a pistol, and fired at the dogs, striking one. The sound of gunfire alerted a police officer to the attack, and once on the scene the officer dispatched the other two dogs. Following the attack, the boy was taken to a local hospital and underwent surgery.

The boy’s uncle praised the actions of the armed citizen and police officer, stating, “They did the right thing.” Unfortunately, doing the right thing can be a crime in Washington, D.C., as District police are investigating whether the armed citizen violated any of the city’s onerous gun control laws. (The Washington Post, Washington, D.C. 01/22/13)

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So, this guy saves a child's life, and HE might go to jail. What ever happened to President Barack Hussein Obama's, "...if there is a step that we can take that will save even one child from what happened in Newtown, we should take that step.” Well, perhaps getting eaten alive by pitbulls isn't exactly what happened to the children in Newtown, but doesn't the same thing hold true here?

ECS

Overdue Update!

Sorry, folks, but I was kinda busy at work last month and this month, so I neglected to update my prostate cancer recovery. During my last check-up, I'm still at 0.0 PSA level. (Cue: wild cheering masses)

Guys, this is important. Once you get into your 40's, or if you notice a change in your urinary patterns even before that, ensure that your primary care physician is checking your PSA levels, and providing you the results. If your PCP refuses to do this, get another doctor! There are all sorts of treatment options if you get diagnosed with prostate cancer as I was, but, if you don't know you have it, your options will be even more limited.

Stay strong, stay healthy.

ECS

An Apology (?) To A Stolen Valor "Suspect"

The say there's no apology like a sincere apology. Since the sincerity of the following is in doubt, grave doubt, all I can say is enjoy:  http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=33851

ECS

Senator Inhofe Supports RKBA

I received this on Tuesday in response to my message to Senator Inhofe advising him that in the event Senator Feinkenstein's updated so-called Assault Weapons Ban passes Congress and is signed by the President that "I shall not comply."

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for contacting me about the Second Amendment. As your voice in Washington, I appreciate knowing your views.

In 1994, the assault weapons ban established a comprehensive regulatory scheme of prohibiting the manufacture, transfer, or possession of assault weapons, as well as the possession or transfer of large capacity ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds. These magazines are used by millions of Americans and are customary in handguns and other firearms. Nineteen specific weapons and their copycats were banned by the original legislation signed into law by President Clinton on September 13, 1994. The weapons ban was contained in a larger Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and expired on September 13, 2004. As a member of the House of Representatives in 1994, I voted against the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 because of the undue restrictions on weapons, among other reasons.

Semi-automatic assault weapons function similarly to other semi-automatic firearms, as they fire one round per pull of the trigger. It is important to note that under the assault weapons ban, the defining features of a semi-automatic assault weapon are mostly cosmetic. For example, a handgun is classified as a semi-automatic assault weapon if its magazine is visible, despite the fact that it fires one bullet per pull of the trigger and the speed of fire remains the same. Therefore, the law banned certain guns that are functionally identical to other weapons that are still considered to be legal.

While supporters of the ban may point out that the violent crime rate dropped after the 1994 ban, they do not mention that violent crime was dropping before the ban was instituted in 1994 and that gun ownership, including ownership of newer designs of the banned weapons, rose during that same time period. It is also important to note that these weapons were rarely used in the commission of crimes before the 1994 ban.

Additionally, a provision of the 1994 law required a study of the effectiveness of the weapons ban. The Congressional study showed that, according to police reports and federal felon surveys, the type of weapons banned in 1994 were only used in one to two percent of violent crimes. Murders committed by knives, clubs, and bare hands outnumbered murders by weapons 20 to one. According to a recent study, existing data does not show whether the number of people shot and killed with semi-automatic assault weapons declined during the 10-year period (1994-2004).

Should any attempt be made to reinstate the semi-automatic assault weapons ban, I will strongly oppose it. Law-abiding gun owners should be free to use their firearms for hunting, marksmanship, and self-defense. The statistics demonstrate that a true ban on these weapons will not significantly decrease crime but will significantly decrease our rights guaranteed by the Constitution. When I was sworn in as a member of Congress, I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. As your representative in the Senate, I will continue to staunchly oppose any attempt to tamper with our nation's Constitution or undermine our Second Amendment rights.
Sincerely,

James M. Inhofe
United States Senator

Thank you, Senator Inhofe, for your support of our constitutionally-guaranteed right to keep and bear arms.

ECS

"I shall not comply."

After reading the details of Senator Dianne Feinkenstein's proposed revival of the so-called Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) with ever more draconian provisions, I sent the following message to my United States Senators: "I shall not comply."

Senator Feinkenstein proposes to "grandfather" existing semiautomatic weapons and magazines that hold over 10 rounds (how kind of her!) as long as the current owner submits to a background check, obtains a letter from local law enforcement that the weapon and/or magazines are not illegal in that jurisdiction, registers the weapon and magazines with the ATF unit that administers the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA), and pays the Federal Transfer Tax for each one just like they were machineguns. That's $200.00 for each semiautomatic weapon and $200.00 for each magazine! Better yet, once the registered owner of said semiautomatic weapons and magazines dies, unlike any other NFA firearm or destructive device, those weapons and magazines must be surrendered to the Federal Government for destruction. That's right. I can have a machinegun, a suppressor, a short-barreled rifle, or a short-barreled "sawed-off" shotgun and leave them to my heirs, but my Ruger Mini-14 and all it's magazines over 10 rounds get confiscated and destroyed! I think the good senator needs to refresh her understanding of Amendment V to the Constitution of the United States, specifically: "No person shall be...deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

When I posted the same sentiments on Huffington Post, I was called everything but a loyal American citizen and told I'd be sent to prison where I belonged. What those people fail to understand is that there are millions of us, and there aren't enough prisons to hold us all. Add to that the fact that cooperation from local law enforcement, at least in the greater part of the country, will be lacking or downright hostile, and the Federal Government will find it impossible to enforce such a law.

Tell everyone you know to contact their senators and tell them, "I shall not comply."

Finally, the people who keep asking us why we need guns and snarkily suggest that we join the army or police if we want to use "assault weapons" don't realize the type of company they're keeping: "Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA - ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State." - Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (SS)

ECS

You think it's bad HERE?

I don't want to downplay the gang problem in the Tulsa area, but at least we haven't had funerals in Roman Catholic churches shot up. It seems that a fine, upstanding, young, rising music star named James Holman, age 32, died, and the funeral home rented St. Columbanus Catholic Church for the service. Unfortunately, someone at the service decided to take out some rivals. Two members of the Gangster Disciples were shot resulting in one dead and one wounded. Police recovered two guns at the scene - one from the newly dead thug and one from the wounded thug. The shooter(s) is(are) still at large.

Oh, yeah: "Holman, identified by police as a gang member, was gunned down last week at an apartment building in the Washington Park neighborhood."

Final note: Chicago will most likely have 500 murders or more this year. Last time I checked, they were up to 477 or so year-to-date. Illinois is the only state that has no provision for law-abiding citizens to carry handguns either concealed or openly, and Chicago still has the most draconian gun laws in the United States.

ECS

With the thanks of a grateful nation...

Nothing like serving your country in war and/or peace for 20 years with the promise that after you retire that the government would provide for you and your family. Now, with one war "ended" and another fixing to wind down, the government finds itself facing a "fiscal cliff" of its own making and its first reaction seems to be grabbing military retirees and throwing them over the edge. According to Military.com, not only is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) targeting future pay raises for active duty military which have gone up more than civilian pay over the past 10 years (Can you say "recession?"), it is also targeting TRICARE and future retirement benefits.

The CBO suggests raising TRICARE enrollment fees, deductibles, and copayments. It also recommends phasing the increases in over a five year period in a "tiered approach" so higher-ranking retirees pay more than lower-ranking retirees.

This would result in higher collections from retirees, thus discouraging us from relying on the military health care that the government promised us rather than using civilian employer health insurance. The higher deductibles and copayments would also lower costs by discouraging us from using medical services (death panels by proxy).

The CBO also wants to save money by restricting access to TRICARE Prime by retirees under age 65 and their families.

It's nice to know that the government honors our service and the sacrifices we and our families made in the course of that service, isn't it?

ECS