On Second Thought, Let's Stay Home And Netflix Something

Did you know I used to run movie theaters? Yep, sure did. Periodically we would be called upon (forced) to  devise a fun stunt to draw the people in. For example, I once enlisted the services of a caricaturist for the release of Pinocchio, to draw people with elongated noses. Going to the movies is fun! 

Of course, there is a downside to leaving this kind of stunt in the hands of amateurs.

During the opening weekend of the latest 'Iron Man' movie, a man walked into the theater in full tactical gear and carrying a fake gun.
Jefferson City police and witnesses, however, are not pleased with the stunt and are questioning the theater's logic after recent shootings in Aurora, Colo. and Newtown, Conn.
John Molock is a retired Army war veteran and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He told ABC 17 News this most recent trip to the movies triggered memories he never wanted to relive.
"We had just finished watching Iron Man 3," said Morlock. "We're just getting into the car when I spotted a man in full assault gear, carrying what appeared to be a modified M-4 and 9 mm on his side."
Morlock did not call police, but several other moviegoers did.
"We received a series of 911 calls stating that a man dressed in all black and body armor and a rifle was walking into Capital 8 Theaters," said Capt. Doug Shoemaker.
Officers thought they were responding to an active shooter investigation.
"Everything was in place, it's the opening night of a superhero movie, it's somebody walking in all-dark clothes, everything pointed to bad things about to happen," said Shoemaker. "There's really no good that can come of this."

Plus, it really killed the idea of bring-your-parents-assault-rifle day at the local grade school.

What I'm wondering is, Missouri allows weapons in public places. Where are all the heroes, the good guys with guns, when this guy is walking through the lobby? I'm glad no one was shot, but why didn't someone draw and demand this guy stand down?

Pry THIS Outta My Cold, Dead Hands

Whoever Kills Someone First, Loses

Coming to Washington this July 4th: Buncha guys showing off their guns! They're here, they're armed, get used to it!

Loaded weapons being transported across state lines into the city by unlicensed out-of-state residents would likely be treated as a highly provocative and illegal act by police.
"If they do, then we'll either peacefully submit to arrest in order to make a court case out of it or we'll turn back," said Adam Kokesh, a libertarian activist and former candidate for Congress in New Mexico, in an interview with BuzzFeed on Monday. "We're not going to resist government by force in any way."
"It's all going to be very well choreographed," Kokesh said.

If the court case goes through, it's likely that prosecution will bring up Kokesh's radio show when he mused about the pros and cons of assassinating Mitt Romney last year. (Remember, that kind of talk doesn't help, as I've learned) It's against the law to carry weapons on the streets of DC, so if there are no arrests, it will be  because you can't arrest 'em all. 

It's hard not to be fascinated by the following:

Though Kokesh feels "that I'm going to be a lot safer at this event than I would be on the streets of Chicago," he can't fully guarantee that no one in the group will do anything dangerous.
"No, but that's never true, and that's one of the realities in our daily lives," he said. "We largely do trust the people around us to not kill us. Human life is really fragile."
The march's Facebook page promises "coordination with D.C. law enforcement prior to the event," and invites "law enforcement officers to stand with us armed however they feel is appropriate."

If you trust the people around you to not kill you, you don't need a gun. I've managed for years without one, and so far, ain't no one killed me. Also I would hope that the police would not stand with the protesters, because it's their job not to.

I'm comforted by the date of the event, because it guarantees that no rich target politicians will be in town. Good luck to everybody, I guess. Can't quite figure out the message of this gesture, but here's hoping it's made without any bloodshed.

Benton County Republican Committee - There's a Democrat in It!

I'm taking a lot of heat for some tweets I put up last week the day after the gun background checks went down in flames. Most of it deserved, frankly. It was hypocritical of me to think this kind of speech is bad and then offer it up as a joke. It's also bad as a joke. My only defense is that I was leaning on my lack of influence to keep the thing from catching on, and that's a pretty dangerous bet to make. A bad idea often takes on a life of its own.

Anyway, one thing I can take comfort in is the blowback that "only Democrats are terrorists or assassins " I'm paraphrasing from this; if I'm wrong in that interpretation I expect a correction. Remember, just calling someone wrong isn't a correction!  Anyway I came across this today from The Benton County GOP newsletter.

We need to let those who will come in the future to represent us that we are serious. The 2nd amendment means nothing unless those in power believe you would have no problem simply walking up and shooting them if they got too far out of line and stopped responding as representatives. It seems that we are unable to muster that belief in any of our representatives on a state or federal level, but we have to have something, something costly, something that they will fear that we will use if they step out of line. If we can’t shoot them, we have to at least be firm in our threat to take immediate action against them politically, socially, and civically if they screw up on something this big. Personally, I think a gun is quicker and more merciful, but hey, we can’t. 

See? I think the only difference between Chris Nogy and me is his sincerity. We both said prominent people need to be shot, and we both also said they shouldn't be shot. I think Nogy means it though and is maybe a little wistful that we can't shoot our leaders. For the record, I think it would be both gravely wrong and a disaster if someone shot Wayne LaPierre. It would just energize his base.

Similarly, anybody who winks and brandishes his Tree of Liberty shirt should probably consider that we know what he's really saying, and denying it only makes him a coward.

Not That HIS Opinion Matters

Strictly speaking Ronald Reagan DID support gun control during his term.

In 1986, [Reagan] signed into law the Firearm Owners Protection Act, which “banned ownership of any fully automatic rifles that were not already registered on the day the law was signed.” He later backed the Brady bill, expressing support for “a seven-day waiting period before a purchaser could take possession of a handgun, an even more stringent restriction than the five day cooling-off period that was included in the final legislation, and less stringent than the 15-day cooling-off period he signed into law as governor of California.”

But maybe, I dunno, he was nuts by then?

Bipartisan Compromise, Hail-Of-Bullets Edition

Here's a petition you can sign!

Eliminate armed guards for the President, Vice-President, and their families, and establish Gun Free Zones around them

Gun Free Zones are supposed to protect our children, and some politicians wish to strip us of our right to keep and bear arms. Those same politicians and their families are currently under the protection of armed Secret Service agents. If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children, then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians.

Some people won't really go for it though. So here's what I'm thinking: howzabout everywhere is a gun-free zone, unless someone there gets a certain amount of death threats per week, say a dozen. That way it's not hypocritical.

Plus pro tip: if you want your child's school to allow guns, write a bunch of letters THREATENING YOUR CHILD! Then arm the kid and send him on his way. Of course, you're probably home-schooling your child, in which case why are you even bothering with all this?

Good Optics, NRA!

What a brilliant idea! After the New York Journal-news published a map of registered gun owners (it's public knowledge in New York, apparently) the NRA has retaliated by posting a list of pro-gun-control businesses and celebrities.

That'll teach those guys a lesson! Let THEM live in fear that someone with an assault rifle will walk in off the street and shoot up the place! Oh, wait...

The First Casualty is Talking Points

In today's speech by Wayne LaPierre the trusted Frenchman proposed that schools be patrolled by armed volunteers, trained by the NRA. It caused a shockwave throughout the conservative community, because they had to weigh this idea against the idea of gun control. The volunteers won.

Why? Because.

A: Airport security is actually effective and has prevented terrorism. You might have thought from reading that a lot of the right regarded the TSA as useless but you were mistaken - a knee-jerk reaction to a single incident is just what the doctor ordered!

B: The New Black Panthers and union thugs aren't dangerous at all! As you can see from this conversation, they're just as likely to be folk who you want to give a rifle to so they can be around your kids all day.

C. Violent rhetoric leads to violence. Remember when I was all, dude, maybe back up on the "tree of liberty" talk and they were all, hey, chill, crazy people be crazy no matter what you say, yo? Turns out they don't believe that at all! It's movies and videogames and rap music that causes these shootings.

So a volunteer national army trained and financed by the NRA is the sensible solution to gun violence, and silencing the media is the only way to protect America's freedom to carry arms. It's guaranteed in the constitution!

How Do We Prevent Another Newtown Shooting?

Well, let's start with the obvious: Glenn Beck tweeted:

Yes, it has to be guns. Everything else we are doing with our kids is good. Found in toy dept for kids age 6 MONTHS

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) December 18, 2012

Giving kids pretend iPhone cases OBVIOUSLY leads to school shootings by adults.

Mike Huckabee, on the other hand, is sure those kids were shot because God isn't allowed in schools. That's logical! Either God has no power in places where prayer isn't allowed (I wonder how he got along before language?) or even worse, GOD KILLED THOSE KIDS because he wanted to call attention to the lack of prayer. No wonder it's called "God-fearing"! I'm an atheist and right now, I'm scared s***less.



Neither of these things seems to DIRECTLY address the problem. Some of my crazy far-left lunatics are saying if there were less guns available for sale, there would be less shootings. HA! More sensible heads are prevailing; the solution is to arm the teachers duh. The violent union thug teachers must carry semi-automatics themselves. Of course, no one wants to talk about who's paying for the guns, ammo and training. NOT MY TAX DOLLARS, THAT'S FOR SURE. Let 'em buy that stuff themselves, like they do pencils and books.

I'm Pretty Sure This Is Illegal In Florida

Walton Henry Butler, 59, was arrested by Gulf County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday night for shooting 32-year-old Everett Gant, who is black, in the head with a .22 caliber rifle.

According to a charging affidavit obtained by The Star, Butler had referred to Pamela Rogers’ child and other children at his apartment complex with racial slurs.

Gant was shot between the eyes when he went to Butler’s apartment to confront him over the remarks, the documents said. Butler allegedly closed his sliding glass door and left Gant bleeding on ground outside.

The suspect contacted 911 and had finished his dinner before Gulf County Sheriff Joe Nugent arrived. 

Nugent recalled that Butler appeared “inconvenienced” by the arrest, saying that “he had only shot a n*gger.”

Gant is expected to survive, so he can look forward to seeing the following opinions expressed by crazies in certain comment sections, and a handful of elected officials.

1. Why is this a "hate crime?" It's enough of a crime to shoot someone in the face, right? We need to stop demonizing hate.

2. Now isn't the time to discuss gun control.

3. The press is playing the race card by reporting the story this way.

4. Butler voted for Obama, and is a liberal. Because THAT'S WHAT LIBERALS ARE LIKE.

The talking point I don't expect to see (curiously) is the one where this whole incident could have been avoided if African Americans in Florida were all armed. Trevon Martin would be alive! Gant would have been safe!

White On White Crime *UPDATED*

I dunno, what do you think. Is this the way that Stand Your Ground is supposed to work?

*UPDATE*  Reassuringly even a Texas Jury has decided that stand your ground doesn't apply to this case. I'm honestly a little less worked up about the law now, if such obvious violations can be seen as such. Of course, if those neighbors had been wearing hoodies, maybe they'd still be in chambers, deciding.

Better Hurry Up With That VP Pick

And Mr. Romney, may I suggest a centrist like yourself? It removes the incentive.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has officially rejected a proposal by the city of Tampa to limit firearms outside the Republican National Convention in Florida later this year.

Last week, the Tampa City Council formally asked Scott to use his executive power to temporarily suspend a state law that prevents local governments from regulating guns.

The council has already issued a citywide ban on items like pieces of wood, switchblades, slingshots, containers of bodily fluids and even squirt guns. A so-called “Clean Zone” around the convention area would prohibit string longer than six inches, glass containers, light bulbs, portable shields and gas masks. A smaller protest area would prevent demonstrators from having camping gear, bottles, cans and umbrellas. The Secret Service has said that only law enforcement will be able to carry firearms inside of the convention center.

“The short answer to your request is found in the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution,” Scott said in his letter to the council (PDF). “While the government may enforce longstanding prohibitions on the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, an absolute ban on possession in entire neighborhoods and regions would surely violate the 2nd Amendment.”

“Like you, I share the concern that ‘violent anti-government protests or other civil unrest’ can pose ‘dangers’ and the ‘threat of substantial injury or harm to Florida residents and visitors to the State.’ But it is unclear how disarming law-abiding citizens would better protect them from the dangers and threats posed by those who would flout the law,” he added.

Yeah, the whole notion that you would stop people from carrying guns while members of the out-of-touch RNC leave or enter the Convention Center to nominate the first Socialist Republican Presidential candidate, thus handing America over to the terrorists, is crazy. Look, what's the worst that could happen? One nutso (a Democrat, obviously, probably with ties to the White House) squeezes off a couple of rounds into Romney's cranium. But then that guy is immediately taken out by dozens of law-abiding citizens! All the problems solved at once!

But Rick, what's with the ban on firearms INSIDE the convention center? You can suspend that, can't ya? Or do you hate our cherished freedoms? Tree of liberty, pal. Tree of liberty.

No, It's Never Too Soon

Guns are feeling really bad after that Giffords shooting. It wasn't their fault! Guns don't kill people, fans of people kill people! And that's why Arizona is taking the initiative to cheer guns up, with a little honorarium.

Sponsored by 43 of the 90 members of the Arizona legislature, the new bill seeks to make the Colt single-action Army revolver the "official state firearm" of Arizona. In January, lawmakers in Utah moved to make M1911 semi-automatic pistol the official gun of that state.

In a Facebook group advocating for all states to adopt official state guns, the administrator writes, "States have symbols such as flags, birds, dinosaurs, reptiles, insects, flowers, even cookware. None of these symbols would have become necessary without guns and the freedoms they helped our forefathers obtain."

Oh America and her necessary symbols!

That's so sweet! Buck up, guns! Maybe in a couple of years, another state will bestow this honor on a Glock 19!

Volunteers for Replacements? Anyone? Anyone?

You know what? They're just a bunch of crybabies.

Fearing violence from tea party activists, Arizona Legislative District 20 Republican Chairman Anthony Miller and several others tendered their resignation this week following mass shootings that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition.

Miller, a 43-year-old former campaign worker for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), said that verbal attacks and blog posts from members of the tea party had him fearing for the safety of his family, according to a report in The Arizona Republic.

"Today my wife of 20 yrs ask (sic) me do I think that my PCs (Precinct Committee members) will shoot at our home?" he wrote in an e-mail following the shootings. "So with this being said I am stepping down from LD20GOP Chairman...I will make a full statement on Monday."

Tea party members supporting J.D. Hayworth for senator in the midterm elections accused Miller, an African American, of being a "McCain's boy." One detractor had even made his hand into the shape of a gun and pointed it at Miller.

Listen, if you don't want to risk a bullet through the sternum than you have no business going into politics! Or having a difference of opinion with certain constituents! This is America, and people have a right to free speech -- as expressed with muskets.

This Doesn't Encourage Political Assasination Either

People are so sensitive nowadays! Remember how upset people got when Congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You Lie!" during Barack Obama's State Of The Union Address? It's free speech man! Lighten up! In that spirit, a company in South Carolina marketed an item engraved with with Joe Wilson's famous quote. What a splendid way to honor freedom of speech!

Yes, of course it was a rifle part. Specifically a lower receiver, whatever those are:

Wouldn't it be great to have one of those in your rifle when you're out shooting... a duck or something.

Sadly if you didn't get one, you're too late. For whatever dopey reason, the company has withdrawn the item since, I dunno, the last week apparently. Like I say, people are sensitive. Still there's nothing stopping you from scratching You Lie or Death Panel or say a comical picture of the President into the stalk of your rifle, to make... duck hunting more fun.

Similarly, there's nothing stopping me from starting a SURVEY SARAH PALIN movement, with a picture of Palin like this only with a surveyor's mark over it.

Nobody would have a problem with that, especially Palin! She's begging to be surveyed! That is, she would like publicity. Let's give it to her, America! Let her have it!

Guns, No Guns. Whatever.

...As far as I can tell, it has happened twice. Last week in New Hampshire, a gentleman had a gun strapped to his thigh. And yesterday a dozen gun-rights activists carried some weapons at an Arizona event. It was all perfectly legal and the Secret Service was hardly worked up about it.

I believe in gun rights, but I also think sporting guns at what are supposed to be peaceful, democratic protests sends the wrong message. But from what I've seen so far, I can't get super worked up over it, either.

-Jonah Goldberg

Yeah, I'm with Jonah. A dozen people showing up to a debate packing heat, or a guy hanging around Presidential appearances with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder may send the wrong message. Me, I am choosing to get super worked up over it. Then again, it's not like they're wearing T-Shirts critical of the president. Maybe we should cut these heavily-armed patriots a li'l slack, huh?