Drive across America, armed

Americans choose to take to the roads for vacations and to visit friends and family on Memorial Day. Often, they’ll bring their firearms with them for sport or personal protection, and it’s perfectly legal under federal law. This gets under the skin of a handful of anti-gun jurisdictions that have grown so out of control that they’ll jail an active-duty Afghanistan veteran who’s following the letter of the law. A growing, bipartisan movement in Congress is looking to stop the harassment.

Rep. H. Morgan Griffith, Virginia Republican, has sponsored legislation that would amend current law to make it clear that individuals who transport their guns from state to state may stop for food, gas and vehicle maintenance. They also may seek medical treatment, tend to an emergency, stay overnight and conduct other activities incidental to the transport.

These things are legal already, but because the law does not spell it out in explicit detail, gun-grabbing areas take advantage of the ambiguity. Mr. Griffith’s language would force states and localities to pay the attorney bills for anyone who is arrested for illegal transport if they are exonerated based on this proposed law.

“The beauty of this is that the fear of having to pay the legal fees will make sure they bring charges that are valid and founded,” said Mr. Griffith, a former defense attorney, in an interview with The Washington Times. “It only has to happen one time, and every risk-assessment manager in the United States of America is going to inform their police that you better make sure he’s violated the law before you arrest him for having a locked gun in a case in the trunk, because that’s going to cost them a lot of money.”

MILLER: Drive across America, armed - Washington Times

Rand Paul Drops Bomb To Disarm Feds

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is taking on the federal government once again, specifically the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Wednesday Sen. Paul introduced an amendment to a FDA funding bill that would disarm the FDA and would achieve several other goals.

While I don't generally agree with everything the younger Paul says, he's spot-on here with the state overstepping its authority by intervening in exchanges between consenting adults. How can there be a crime without a victim?

Paul began his statement to the Senate,

"I'm troubled by images of armed agents raiding Amish farms and preventing them selling milk directly from the cow. I think we have bigger problems in our country than sending armed FDA agents into peaceful farmers' land and telling them they can't sell milk directly from the cow."

It seems his primary concern is over the federal government regulating the food industry from start to finish. One of the issues concerns unpasteurized milk, which is more healthy for you than, the stuff you get in the store, and it tastes better too. The federal government forbids it in interstate commerce. They think raw milk is a weapon of some sorts and farmers are the new terrorists.

Paul said that the first provision of the amendment would stop, "overzealous regulation of vitamins, food and supplements by codifying the First Amendment prohibition on prior restraint."

"The First Amendment says you can't prevent speech, even commercial speech, in advance of the speech. You can't tell Cheerios that they can't say there's a health benefit to their Cheerios. Under our current FDA laws, FDA says if you want to market prune juice, you can't say that it cures constipation," he said.

[...]

More: http://patriotupdate.com/23612/rand-paul-drops-bomb-to-disarm-feds

The Double Barrel 1911

This is insane!

The Double Barrel Pistol by Arsenal Firearms, Italy

Apr 19 2012

This is the type of pistol we could see a James Bond villain using (a hint to filmmakers of the new Bond movie "Skyfall"). The AF2011-A1 "Second Century" incorporates the legendary John Browning M1911 design in both look and function.
The Italian manufacturer, Arsenal Firearms, states that the pistol will remain both ergonomic and easy to fire for anyone who can handle a regular 1911 pistol.
A little bit of background info on the company: formed by a firearm designer Nicola Bandini and gun miniature master Dimitry Streshinskiy (Russia). Arsenal owns a popular shotgun company Zanotti 1625, which has a pretty remarkable history of creating fine-crafted shotguns for well over 400 years.

Although this isn't the first attempt at a double barrel pistol design, Arsenal claims that they will be the first to produce the pistols for the public - in the 1990's a Swiss armorer Vivian Mueller produced a double-barreled 9mm Sig P220 firearm using two stock weapons, custom fabrication, milling and a ton of custom made parts.

Arsenal claims that instead of tooling existing 1911 pistols they have reverse engineered the 1911 pistol using 3-D software to create new and improved parts.

Manufacturer also offers many customizable options when ordering the pistol; for example, the buyer has a choice to go with a single or double trigger system. The only discouraging part about the whole deal is the weight. It weights in at 4.07 pounds (1.85kg !!!) which is about the weight of a light assault rifle.

Maintenance of this pistol can be performed by a regular gun smith that has knowledge of how to service a standard 1911 pistol.

The pistol is said to come in two different caliber options, the standard .45 APC and the .38 Super Auto. See full pistol specifications.

A photo provided by Arsenal, showing that the pistol is machined as a solid piece.

Pistol in Action:

The Double Barrel Pistol by Arsenal Firearms, Italy | I Like To Waste My Time

Guns and the State

Here is my point of contention;

It is not the gun that is the core of statism, but the weakness of individual resolve that allows faith to be put into the "state," which in turn goes power to the "state."

For my next trick, I'll twist your noodle, I would even offer that there is no state. It is myth, words, inanimate buildings, and documents. The state can do no harm to the individual, no more than a tree can. The state holds no power over men, nor grants them rights. Individual liberty comes from life itself. Submission to and worship of the state encourages those of ill repute to use it as the method of control and conquest over fellow men. 

What I take issue with is those who seek to infringe upon the liberties of others "in the name of the state" for gain. They make individual decisions to dismiss the principles of nonaggression and property rights, from which most all else is derived. Doing so in the name of the state is simply an excuse to commit aggression toward others without fear of consequence. Hold the individual responsible instead of the institution and those acts may well be relegated to history. 

When firearms are outlawed, crime rates rise naturally, though similar assaults remain. Think of it in economic terms if you will. Aggression simply takes on another method, but is not abated. (google John Lott or Masaad Ayoob) If a factor which reduces violent crime is removed (private firearms ownership), the criminal actors will patronize that market willingly. Think of the UK after its miserable handgun ban, with violent crime rates skyrocketing 40% in only the first few years.  

It is not the gun which is the danger, but the person who wields it. It can no more harm you than the tree. As devout Second Amendment supporters will no doubt conclude, guns are not the problem, but the criminal which uses that tool for ill intent.

The initiation of force comes from the individual, not the state. The state simply encourages that aggression. 

My Hit and Miss Relationship with the 1911

Given the resources, I would easily carry a 1911 platform, but probably only the Colt New Agent in 9mm. I prefer the Sig double-stack platform with a pair in 9mm. For a 1911 platform, the Colt is a shoe-in for me. It's single-stack grip is slim but full. It's short barrel and bobbed tail keep printing to a minimum. Smooth edged help with concealed carry quite well, along with a serrated bobbed hammer. Crimson Trace laser grips and a lack of traditional sights, replaced by trench-style sights in the top surface of the slide, give adequate close contact sight picture, but the red dot on your target will help reassure you at any realistic distances and negate shot misplacement. Perfect. And beautiful.

The Colt New Agent: All Business For Concealed Carry

I'd pair it with a STI Trojan (why just piss money away?) with a 6" barrel for the range. Blued with synthetic grips. I only care for wood on true vintage firearms, ones with history and soul. Even something only as old as I am reminds me why I love the intersection of design and defense. That and STI is just down the road, about twice as far down the road as LaRue Tactical. God I love Texas.

Got a 9mm Trojan this weekend - Glock Talk

Iowa Governor Branstad Rejects Lead Shot Ban for Dove Hunting

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has rescinded a rule against use of lead ammunition in dove hunts.

The Iowa Natural Resources Commission, a citizens' panel appointed by the governor, passed that rule last year, over claims that lead shot for dove hunting was, somehow, a threat to human health.

No faulty logic there...

"That upset some hunters and some gun advocates. In response, the Legislature's Administrative Rules Review Committee agreed in August – about a month before the new dove season – to postpone enactment of the rule," the Des Moines Register reported.  "The Iowa House this year passed a resolution to nullify the rule and allow lead shot, but the measure died in the Senate, where it was not called for a vote. Had the governor not stepped in, the ban could have become effective this fall."

Of note, though, Branstad didn't rescind the no-lead rule over the human health issue.

The only real health issue for humans from lead shot is if a person is the one being shot...

"The determination of whether hunters should be forced to stop using traditional shot is something that should be decided by the Legislature, not by administrative fiat," Branstad said, before signing an executive order lifting the ban.

And wrong, sadly. The population as a whole must come together in near unanimity on any issue that requires state mandate, which must pass constitutional muster. Everything else is simply invalid fiat through force. 

"We support the governor's decision to do what we view is the right thing to protect the rights of Iowans," said Jeff Burkett, president of the Iowa Firearms Coalition.

http://www.gundigest.com/shotgun-reviews-articles/iowa-governor-branstad-rejects-lead-shot-ban-for-dove-hunting

Stand Your Ground: Florida voters support law

Florida voters — especially men and Republicans — support the state's Stand Your Ground law, an opinion poll has found.

A Suffolk University/WSVN-Ch. 7 poll released Thursday shows 50 percent of Florida voters support the law that allows people who feel threatened in the street or most other public places to use deadly force to defend themselves. Just 32 percent oppose the law and 18 percent are undecided.

Stand Your Ground has received intense scrutiny since the February shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a Miami Gardens 17 year old, in the central Florida city of Sanford.

Can common sense and fact prevail over emotion and opinion in Florida? It sounds like it. 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/fl-trayvon-stand-your-ground-poll-20120510,0,3827573.story