Serial numbers on bullets – the new plan to ban guns

So, a day after I published my article on the proposed gun ban by the new Congress, I started to receive messages from readers who had no idea that this was a possibility.  They believed that if it were a real threat, the National Rifle Association would be at the front of the crowd beating the drums and rallying the troops against this travesty.

The NRA’s “top story” on their Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) page is about an absurd idea that for some strange reason is gaining support.  Even more shocking, some of the states where it’s beginning to become popular are states that have concealed carry laws and are considered “gun friendly.”

Ammunition Accountability is a company that states they have the solution to gun crime.  By laser micro-etching a serial number on the base of the projectile that matches with the serial number on the inside of the cartridge it’s fired from, they plan to sell ammunition in boxes with unique codes that can be tracked and recorded by law enforcement.  They admit that they won’t be able to identify “who pulled the trigger” but “will provide law enforcement with a valuable lead and a starting point to quickly begin their investigations.”

They also are pressing legislation which would require an ammunition code database.  The database would hold the barcode of each box of ammunition sold along with the state-issued ID of the person who purchased it.  Where will the mainframe that stores all this personal information be located?  Conveniently, they haven’t answered that question yet.

You might be thinking, “But if the bullet will be able to identify where it came from, wouldn’t that be a good thing?  We could finally catch everyone who uses a gun illegally!”  Wrong!!  That’s what they want you to think because they believe you’ll blindly assume that people who commit crimes with guns purchase their own ammunition at retail outlets like law-abiding gun owners do.  If you own some of the newly serialized ammunition, you won’t be able to reload your own ammo; you won’t be able to share with your friends; and you won’t be able to resell your surplus ammunition as you can now.

Ammunition Accountability has done their homework.  They know that ammunition is most typically sold in boxes of 20 or 50 rounds per box.  They know that there are 12 common handgun and assault weapon calibers — and they’ve not said what they plan to do for those “uncommon” calibers.  They’ve shown that even ammunition as small as .22 caliber and 12-gauge shotgun pellets can be etched and will be required as well to carry the marks.  They also know that it will cost each manufacturer between $300,000 and $500,000 for each etching unit set.  You should know where the money to pay for the cost comes from; and I can guarantee the incoming administration isn’t going to offer a stimulus package to fund it.

So instead of eliminating the firearms themselves, they want to eliminate the ammunition.  If the cost becomes prohibitive and the hassle too great, most consumers won’t bother to buy what they need and will go without.  And if you don’t have ammunition, your firearm becomes either an unwieldy club or an expensive paperweight.

Again I hear those saying, “But you don’t get it!  People will just stock-up on ammunition before any legislation takes effect.  And those who reload their own ammunition and blanks will just keep doing it.  So what’s the problem?”

Well, if you look at the sample legislation proposal, you’ll see where they want “all handgun and assault weapon ammunition manufactured or sold in the state after January 1, 2009, to be coded by the manufacturer” along with a list of calibers required to have the codes.  That’s a little hard to enforce at this date if the individual state hasn’t adopted the proposal yet, but what’s some correction fluid and a date change to those who want to oppress gun owners?

But the biggest part that thwarts the stockpiling and reloading theories above is the next section.  “No later than January 1, 2011, all non-coded ammunition for the calibers listed in this chapter, whether owned by private citizens or retail outlets, must be disposed.”

So….  No more stockpiling currently made ammunition.  No more reloading.  What ammunition company is going to make projectiles and casings with matching codes that some hobbyist could mix up and have non-matching numbers found at a crime scene?  The liability and threat of lawsuits will quickly squash any idea of them catering to those who’ve been reloading for years.

“And while you’re standing in line to turn over your newly contraband ammunition, you must certainly own a firearm that it fits, so why not surrender that to us as well?” the uber-liberals will chant.  Thousands upon thousands of legal gun owners who are tired of the hassle and can no longer afford to buy the ammunition they need will blindly hand them over just to be rid of the hassle, especially if a monetary “reward” is offered as is currently done in many areas today.

So let’s recap:  You’ll only be allowed to purchase the ammunition that has been coded and you’ll be required by the government to surrender all non-coded ammunition, cases, and projectiles.  Criminals who steal guns will be sure to pilfer longer through your personal belongings looking for every last coded round so they’ll be able to pass blame on you since they (well, most anyway) won’t be stupid enough to purchase their own.

You’ll have to ensure that you pick up every shell casing you arrived with at the gun range and hope some unscrupulous person doesn’t pocket one of yours to use in illegal reloading.  Plastic ammunition casings, such as those used in shotguns, can’t be etched so many crimes will be committed with shotguns, for which the desire will increase and more will be stolen.  Yes, the metal bases of the shotgun cartridges can be etched, but for now the individual pellets can’t — but I’m sure they’re working on that as we speak.

It will take up to three weeks to produce the amount of ammunition made daily when the etching system is added.  No imported ammunition will be allowed because it’s not etched — so there goes firing some of your collectible firearms more inexpensively or if no American companies make that caliber.  You’d be required to keep meticulous records if you buy, sell, or loan ammunition even with friends and family members.  Oh, and they quietly tuck in a five cent-per-round tax for good measure.  It’s not only effective when your originally purchase the rounds but if you transfer them as well, which will be properly documented in your paperwork for every individual serial number registered in the official database, right?

Don’t think you’re safe if you’re a black powder enthusiast/re-enactor/hunter.  It’s only small stretch of the imagination to know that if they won’t allow you to make your own projectiles for cartridge ammunition they won’t allow you to cast your own or even purchase black powder itself.  Besides, they’ll write it under environmental legislation because lead is bad for you anyway and get away with it.

So let’s get back to the question of “Where is the NRA?”  It’s my personal belief that because HR 1022 which would ban several types of firearms isn’t a huge media sensation they’ve decided not to worry about it.  And because Ammunition Accountability is working on a grassroots platform and dealing with the states instead of a national audience, The Ammunition Accountability Act isn’t seen as a national threat and, therefore, not something they can raise big wads of cash with yet.  Oh sure, they’re an organization that is there to help gun owners protect their Second Amendment rights — but they’re in it for the money too.  That’s what runs this country.  If we depended on human love and kindness we’d all be in a lot of trouble these days.

The Democrats, Bradys, and other anti-gun organizations are working feverishly to prevent anyone from privately owning any type of firearm.  They prey on the sheep-like quality of the typical citizen to blindly follow whatever the government says and to give up easily.  It’s up to each individual to decide where they stand on this issue.

So this is how democracy dies? Democrats plan new gun bans.

Here we are a week away from the inauguration of the first African-American president.  While this can be either an exciting or upsetting time, depending on your point of view, the Democrats have already leaked their scheme to keep the general populous down and in submission towards the elite, criminal, and, of course, themselves.

Recently posted on the Internet and passed through emails was the proposed gun ban list created by the Democrats in Congress who knew there was no way they could pass it while a Republican sat in the White House.  Now, the radical left sees its opportunity to take guns from law-abiding owners and collectors in the same way that Australia, Great Britain, and Canada have done.  Oh…and their crime rates spiked after legal guns were surrendered to the government, in case you missed that.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this summer after the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia’s restrictive gun ban:

I think it still allows the District of Columbia to come forward with a a law that’s less pervasive.  I think the court left a lot of room to run in terms of concealed weapons and guns near schools.”

I think we can all agree that guns near schools is a bad idea.  We don’t want our children in danger.  That begins with responsible parents and adults ensuring their guns are secured and that their children are educated in gun safety!  And if she’s grasping at straws to reinstate a law that was clearly struck down by the highest court in the country, you can bet Pelosi is ready to team-up again with Sarah Brady to ensure no private citizen can legally own a firearm within our boundaries.

Notice the emphasison “legally” since most gun crimes are committed with an illegally-owned or stolen firearm….but they don’t want me to tell you that.

As a “bitter, clinger to my guns” type of person, I’m not terribly happy about this.  You would think that the Democrats had learned from past mistakes — losing their majority control during Bill Clinton’s tenure because of the outrage over the assault weapons ban, for example.

Surveys conducted show that between 1.5 and 2.5 million Americans report every year that they have used a firearm for defensive purposes and that 1-in-6 believe that it saved their life.

With the proposal that the Democrats have leaked, the U.S. Attorney General would have the power to add “any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General.”  Wow — they’re just vague enough to encompass every type of firearm ever designed!  And remember, President-elect Obama’s pick for Attorney General is Eric Holder.  He wrote a brief in the Supreme Court case supporting the position that private citizens have no right to own a working firearm in their home.

If you’d like to read the entire proposed bill (HR 1022, 110th Congress) you can find it here.  Oh, sure, many will point out Section 4, the “grandfather provision” to those who legally own or collect these firearms.  However, if memory serves me correctly, she once said she’d have every gun turned-in and no one would privately own a firearm if she could find a way to make it legal.

What happens to veterans’ organizations and reenacting societies if they can’t legally own firearms?  I don’t think funeral services or historical tributes will have the same panache as guys stand around saying, “Bang! Bang!”

What happens when the rogue military member or police officer, who is allowed to have a weapon in their possession by the nature of their career, decides to commit an illegal act with that firearm?  The citizen being threatened would have no recourse to defend himself.  And don’t even try to tell me that military and law enforcement personnel wouldn’t commit a crime like that….read your local news for examples.

Criminals will have weapons regardless of what laws and restrictions the Democrats propose.  They don’t care about laws; that’s why they’re criminals.  Law-abiding citizens will have no way to defend themselves if their Second Amendment rights are infringed.  And don’t suggest that they should call the police to let them deal with it — in December, St. Louis Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe told his constituents to acquire guns and learn how to use them because the city’s police can’t protect them.  Ever wonder why it’s got one of the highest crime rates in the nation?

Thomas Jefferson said, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.  The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” (1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334)

Oh, I’m misinterpreting that you say?  How about this one….

Adolf Hitler said, “The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms.  History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so.” (April 11, 1942)

Am I advocating the overthrow of the government?  Hell, no….don’t be stupid.  But even Mao Tse-tung in 1938 said, “Every Communist must grasp the truth, ‘Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.’”  That’s why they’re not allowed to own any.  However, I strongly believe that my right to legally own and use a firearm has prevented me in the past from becoming a victim instead of being able to be here to excercise my First Amendment rights.

Pennsylvania family has unwelcome Christmas guest

Talk about a creepy visitor on Christmas — and I’m not referring to Santa Claus….

A Plains Township, Penn., family didn’t know they had a squatter in their attic until local police and their K-9 officer located a man in their home.  Stanley Carter, 21, was charged with criminal trespass, several counts of burglary, theft, and receiving stolen property.

Carter had reportedly been staying with friends in the shared duplex when they asked him to leave.  The friends then filed a missing persons report a few days before Christmas after he went missing December 19th.  He accessed the shared attic space through a trap door.

Stacy Ferrance, owner of the home, said that Carter came out of his hiding space wearing her daughter’s pants and her sweatshirt and shoes.  Ferrance notified the police when a laptop, iPod, and cash were found missing on Christmas Day.  She called again the next day after finding footprints in her closet — the location of the other trap door leading to the attic.

Carter kept a list of everything he had pilfered from Ferrance’s home and even labeled it “Stanley’s Christmas List” in order to log all the items he “donated” to himself.  Police found the list as they were going through the inventory of what he took.

Ferrance said she had heard noises but thought they were caused by her children.  “From what I gather, he was helping himself to my home, eating my food, and stealing my clothes,” she said.

Port St. Lucie makes crime news again with flushed gun

What is up with Port St. Lucie, Florida??  I’ve already blogged on two sandwich assaults from there.  Now, a criminal has been arrested after the detective interviewing him wasn’t able to get a toilet to flush.

No….it wasn’t the detective’s fault that the commode wasn’t operating properly.  He was investigating the theft of a handgun, cash and jewelry from a Jensen Beach, Fla., home.  The 21-year-old suspect was staying in a Port St. Lucie hotel where the detective met with him.

Obviously forgetting where he hid some of his stash, the suspect allowed the detective to use the restroom.  When the toilet wouldn’t flush, he removed the cover from the tank and found the stolen handgun and three loaded magazines.   The suspect was charged December 22 with grand theft and grand theft of a firearm.

So, again, I ask what is it with Port St. Lucie?  Is it really a haven for stupid criminals?  Or, is it simply the unlucky victim of the press that seems to be able to highlight the inane acts of its citizens and passers-through?  Whatever the situation, I daresay that the city’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau will probably have an uphill climb if things don’t change.

Bank robber uses pay stub as hold-up note

I’m not sure if it’s more a sign of the bad economic times or just another example of how stupid people can be.  Last Friday a Fifth Third Bank in Chicago was held-up and the robber escaped with only $400.  The note used simply stated, “Be Quick Be Quit [sic].  Give your cash or I’ll shoot.”  Okay, maybe he was nervous and didn’t notice the spelling error…. but that’s not the dumbest part of this story.

The accused robber, who was arrested in his Cary, Ill., home was easily tracked.  How?  Well, he use his October pay stub to write the note.  Half of it was left with the teller; the other half was found outside the bank’s front doors.  And, as with most pay stubs, it had his name and address clearly listed.

Money and the desire for more will make people do stupid things.  However, I’m not quite convinced that the stupidity shown in this instance could be solely blamed on it.  And I certainly wouldn’t consider this even remotely close to being the “heist of the century.”  Remember….proper planning prevents poor performance!

Ron Jeremy and pepper spray? TMZ got the story wrong, he says.

This past week, gossip site TMZ reported that porn granddaddy Ron Jeremy casually ate his dinner at Mel’s Diner on the Sunset Strip after a paparazzo attempted to snap pictures and then pepper sprayed a companion of Ron’s who objected to the photos.

In TMZ’s report, photographer Nasim Saleh began taking the pictures when a friend stood up to stop him and the spraying ensued.  Saleh stated he was only acting in self-defense and was arrested for criminal use of tear gas.  TMZ further reported that Saleh had told authorities that he was a photographer for TMZ, which they denied.

However, Jeremy has stated that TMZ got the facts of the story wrong.  He states that he and Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, were inside eating and didn’t even know what was happening outside.  Jeremy said in an interview with Adult Video News:

“[Saleh] sent someone into the diner to ask if we’d do interviews and we said, ‘No problem!  We’d be glad to when we get out.  So someone was rude to the guy and said, ‘Get lost, they don’t want to bother with you.’  We never said that.  Someone just thought that we didn’t want to get bothered.  This is not Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears.  We like attention.”

Jeremy also stated that Saleh may have been acting in self-defense as witnesses claim that someone attempting to shoo him from the premises did so while threatening him with a knife.

The biggest laughs, however, came from Jeremy when he read the “punchline” of TMZ’s story, “….we’re told during the incident, Ron Jeremy just kept eating.”

Jeremy, however, gloated over the gaff and even found it humorous that Hof didn’t even rate a mention in the article:

“Six seasons of HBO’s ‘Cathouse’ and they didn’t even put Dennis Hof’s name in there — he didn’t even exist.  It was Ron Jeremy and a pastrami sandwich, not Dennis and his bowl of soup.  So I want to rub that in his face every chance I get.  It bothered him; he didn’t act like it did, but it did.”

Don’t worry Hof….the world knows now….

Japanese adult video theatre fire kills 15

Wednesday, a man set fire to a Japanese adult video theatre in a failed suicide attempt and killed 15 others.  He was arrested and confessed to setting the fire with a bag of newspapers.  Public broadcaster NHK reported that the man stated he committed the crime because he was “tired of living.”

The Cats Adult Video Theater was located on the ground floor of a seven-story building in Osaka’s entertainment district.  When the fire started, most of the 32 viewing cubicles — equipped with a television, DVD player, and cot — wer occupied.  Not all of the cubicles were being used to view adult films, however.  Occasionally businessmen would use the rooms if they missed the last train home and many who could not afford proper housing use them live in these types of lounges.  This particular theater also offered DVD cartoons and Hollywood films for those not wishing to view porn.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has instructed fire departments to conduct nationwide emergency inspections of all video shops, Internet cafes, karaoke bars, and other facilities that utilize individual cubicles.

Know where the key is when handcuffing your partner!

The Detroit Free Press reported that Thursday a Dearborn, Michigan man called the police to his house to borrow a key.  Apparently, he had misplaced his and was unable to free his wife who had been handcuffed to the bed.

Fortunately, the universal key carried by police officers did the trick.  The police say that it was a consensual and intimate relationship, not an imprisonment, so no charges should be filed.  Besides, I figure the publicity will either help him remember to keep it close by or cause his wife to never want to do that again.

Proper planning prevents poor performance — so keep your keys within reach!

Is anyone REALLY surprised over Blagojevich arrest?

Living in the Midwest, many of us are constantly embarrassed by the things that come out of the Chicago political machine.  I don’t live in Illinois and that’s one of the main reasons why.  The long-standing political corruptness has been a blight on not only that state’s but the nation’s political history.  With the election of Barack Obama, many said it was “business as usual” and that Washington would just become Chicago-East.  Though not as ecstatic over his election as many others, I at least held hope that President-elect Obama would shy away from the historical corruptness and cronyism.  The political appointments he’s made so far have irritated some liberals and gives hope to sincere possible change.

Now, though, Obama’s longtime friend and Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich has been arrested today on charges of trying to sell Obama’s empty U.S. Senate seat.  The FBI report even shows that Blagojevich considered giving himself the seat when those he was offering it to wouldn’t “offer [me] anything of value.”

Blagojevich has been running at a 13% approval rating lately and most people figured that he would automatically appoint himself to the vacant seat with his political future in Illinois running thin.  Following the disastrous end of Republican Former-Governor Jim Ryan, Bagojevich was the first Democrat elected to the high office in 30 years.  Since then, his tenure has been fraught with difficulties in passing legislation and budgets, often requiring special sessions of the Illinois legislature to come in and hash things out.  Even the Democratic leadership in the Illinois House, most specifically Speaker Michael Madigan, have fought Blagojevich at almost every turn and questioned decisions made very vocally.

Even Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley — part of the infamous Chicago dinasty — has disagreed openly with Blagojevich.  That’s enough to stun anyone!

But let’s look at the history of Blagojevich’s problems:

He’s linked with Antonin “Tony” Rezko and Stuart Levine for participating in a scheme to obtain kickbacks from investment firms seeking to do business with two state boards.  In April 2008 the Illinois Finance Authority accused him of offering a position in his administration in return for campaign contributions.  Friends of Blagojevich received a $10,000 campaign contribution in the same month that three Union officers from the donating entity, Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC,  were appointed to the Illinois Elevator Safety Board.  He has been under constant criticism because of his commute from Chicago to Springfield instead of moving into the Governor’s mansion.  And, Illinois State Representatives have even begun talking about impeachment proceedings.

With today’s arrest, they may not need to impeach him….

The 76-page indictment details Blagojevich’s conspiring to sell or trade the seat for favors not only for himself but also his wife, Patti.  It’s Patti’s father, Richard Mell, who helped get the governor into office.  They now have a very public feud running between them ever since Blagojevich closed a landfill for environmental concerns.  While most would have been thrilled with the action, it caused more problems because the landfill was owned by a distant cousin of Patti’s and her father had served as an adviser to him.  The closure is still under investigation as many believe the Blagojevich administration overstepped it’s authority with the closure.

The indictment also states that he wanted to withhold state assistance from the hemorrhaging Tribune Company unless members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board that have been critical of him were fired in exchange for the funds.

And people are surprised by this?  He can’t get along with members of his administration.  He now can’t get along with his extended family.  His record, vulgar statements, and erratic behavior have made him an embarrassment to many who live in Illinois and the Midwest as a whole.

One can only suspect that President-elect Obama will be making very public statements distancing himself from this scandal.  Just as Republican candidates running for office this past election season threw President Bush under the bus in order to keep their job or argue the reason they would be best to lead the country now, Illinois Democrats must be scrambling to figure out a way to minimize any impact from this.  Fortunately for the president-elect, the plan to trade the seat in return for a favor from Obama in the future was not something actually discussed with the new administration.  So long as he can maintain deniability and ensure no one working for him was in the least bit involved, the president-elect should be safe.

View the indictment here in PDF format.

Assault with a not-so-deadly cheesburger

A Vero Beach, Florida, man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend with a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Vincent Gonzalez has been charged with battery domestic violence and was still behind bars this past Wednesday.  His bail was set at $1,000.

Gonzalez is accused of forcing the cheeseburger in question into the face if his girlfriend after they had argued in a car and he would not let her leave.  The girlfriend became angry and threw Gonzalez’s soda out of the window, igniting the….um….brawl?  Gonzalez reportedly grabbed her arm before forcefully introducing the sandwich into her face.  Both parties then exited the vehicle where Gonzales again….attacked?….his girlfriend with the McMeat product….

I’m sorry, readers.  I can’t help laughing at this.  Don’t get me wrong — I certainly do not condone or advocate violence against women.  I don’t advocate violence against anyone.  But I’ll bet the police were having just as much trouble not giggling through the arrest report when trying to identify the weapon used.  To what is this world coming?