Carnival of Cordite #13

Welcome, Carnival of Cordite readers, to the FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH Carnival of Cordite!  In honor of the occasion, we have skipped 12 and gone straight to 13.

I'm the boss.  I can do that.

If you are new to the Carnival, I hope you stick around and read the rest of my blog.  Lots to see here, including politics, pop-culture, recipes, humor, and more.

And now, on with the show!

What is the proper tool for dispatching a killer zombie?  Why, the .50 BMG, of course. 

SemiOnager from Pajama Pundits has more background info on the .50 BMG here.  Everyone needs one for zombie defense!

But then, people in CA are screwed.  Or are they? 

One option for Kalyfornyans is the old .50-110, courtesy of Counter Top:

Here's an exciting option: in the category of posts that, like Jason, will not die, Kevin the Techno Gypsy reports on a new .50 cartridge that compares favorably to the .50 BMG but is still legal in CA.

Speaking of Jasons, Jason Kallini writes in this week.  Zombies are, of course, mindless creatures subject to the mental control of some dark force.  Kind of like big brother.  Or maybe the thought police.  That's what the Kallinis are concerned about across the pond.

Zombie monsters are sometimes known for their use of chainsaws.  But the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog tell us: "don't bring a chainsaw to a gunfight."

OK, enough zombie talk... even if it does get Kit all excited...

The big news this week: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke up about the Second Amendment, leading to some investigative blogging and a ton of commentary.

First off, news broke everywhere that Condi considers the Second Amendment an important individual right comparable to the First Amendment.  You might remember I reported this here.  The reports said this came during an interview with CNN's Larry King.

But then Counter Top reported that these words did not appear on the television show.  As his update tell us, further investigation provided a transcript of the entire interview, which was then edited for television, removing the apparently offensive discussion on guns.

Nice to know that CNN takes these matters into their own hands...

More from Alphecca.  Still more from Of Arms and the Law (by the way, here is a shameless plug for his new expose on Michael Moore).

This matter prompted Coyote Killer Glenn Reynolds (a.k.a. Instapundit) to dig up an older essay of his on the right to bear arms and genocide:

It seems to me that the human rights community has things exactly backward. Given that the efforts of the international community to prevent and punish genocide over the past several decades have been, to put it politely, a dismal failure, perhaps it is time to try a new approach. International human rights law is supposed to be a "living" body of law that changes with the needs of the times in order to secure important goals -- chief among which is the prevention of genocide. Given that the traditional approaches of conventions and tribunals have failed miserably, the human rights community should be prepared to endorse a new international human right: the right of law-abiding citizens to be armed.

The Coyote Killer often points out that he doesn't do much Second Amendment blogging.  But when he does put finger to keyboard on the subject, it's usually pretty damn good.

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Speaking of Coyotes, this makes a good transition.  Denise of The Ten Ring reports on the problems with Coyotes in downtown Boston.

The problem is getting bigger in cities and suburbs across the nation.  My own parents live in Glenview, IL, a beautiful North-Shore suburb of Chicago.  If you watched any of those John Hughes movies of the 1980's, you will know the neighborhood.  The coyote problem there is getting so bad, they are afraid to let Betsy out into the yard unsupervised.

Here is Betsy, along with a stunningly handsome man:

You may recognize those feet...

Anyway, the coyotes are all over the suburbs and reproducing like crazy while eating pets.  The preferred solution would be to let residents shoot the damn things, but there are, of course, two problems: (1) even a gun-nut like me recognizes that densely-populated city and suburban environments are not conducive to shooting varmints, and (2) Illinois is one of the most anti-gun states anyway.  So what happens?  Coyotes reproduce like crazy while eating pets.

OK, Carnival readers, what should the people in Glenview do?

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Back to the news:

This week also saw the launch of Tenn. Gov. Bredesen's new blog.  I gave my $0.02 here.  Why do we care?  Uncle points out that Bredesen is pro-gun, which could make him anathema to his party's base but appealing to the country as a whole:

Bredesen is fiscally conservative and pro-gun. These are two traits any Democrat would need to succeed and Bredesen would need to hammer those points home. Howard Dean had the same traits going in but changed his position on guns when he ran for office. I guess his consultants figured such a change would play well in the polls. Bredesen would do well to stick to his guns.

If Bredesen is serious about running, will we see him shift left on guns during the primary, then tack back to the right if he wins the nomination?  If so, how will we know what his stance really is?  This is why we should just vote for Republicans.

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Making another transition into legislation:

As I reported earlier, the Oregon House passed legislation to protect the gun industry from frivolous lawsuits.  This is good news!  But getting it past our democRat Senate and Governor will be the real challenge.

Things are less promising in New Jersey.  New contributor Jack Lewis reports on some truly frightening legislation:

A New Jersey state assemblyman has introduced a bill that would allow the government to seize the home or car of anyone whose property contains an illegal firearm.

As Jack points out, this could apply even if the home (or car, etc.) owner is not the owner of the offensive firearm--it's strict liability on steroids!  What's more, he also reminds us that mere possession of parts with the potential to produce an illegal firearm can legally constitute possession of an illegal firearm:

Federal laws defines an assault weapon as any gun that has a removal magazine, a flash suppressor and/or a bayonet plug. The BATF has won court cases in which they assembled a gun from various parts found in someone's home that managed to fire two rounds before falling to pieces. The man was convicted of possessing an illegal gun.

If you take an average rifle and duct tape a toilet paper roll to the end, and clothes pin to the barrel and a dowel rod behind the trigger, it is officially an assault weapon, since it has all the necessary accoutrements. The law states that even possessing the materials to convert a gun into an assault weapon is the same as possessing an assault weapon. So you if you have any gun in your house, and toilet paper, duct tape, any piece of wood that would serve as a pistol grip, and clothes pin — you could lose your house under this law.

I'd say that such idiocy could be found invalid by a competent court... but my limited experience in legal research tells me that the New Jersey courts are quite possibly the least competent in the nation, even worse than the dreaded 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Since the law in question is a state law, it would be prosecuted under New Jersey law in the New Jersey courts.  The only hope for judicial relief would be a conviction that is upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court, and then successfully appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on some sort of due-process claim (the U.S. Supreme Court, at least in its current makeup, doesn't have the balls to address a Second Amendment issue).

This nightmare law must be stopped.  If you are reading this from New Jersey, contact your state Legislature and tell them you oppose A3998.

Uncle explains concealed carry in Tennessee, and why it is important to understand the language of your state legislation.

On the federal level, remember a few weeks back when the Supreme Court ruled that the federal law prohibiting felons from owning firearms does not include convictions in foreign courts?  Gunner of No Quarters writes in to discuss action on Capitol Hill to "remedy" the decision.

More from Counter Top, this time on the Real ID Act.  It reminds him that the Second Amendment is not outdated.

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In the having fun category:

AnalogKid from Random Nuclear Strikes reports in on Boomershoot.  There are pictures galore, with captions like "fireball," "anvil launch," and "bowling ball mortar."  I can't do it justice in the narrow center display here, so go see it all.

Cowboy Blob went to Cabelas!  Again, lots of pictures so go see them all.  There's guns, and game, and all sorts of stuff.  There's also a whole series of posts on "antique furniture;" see Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  As usual, contributors are making me wish I had more money to spend...

DirtCrashr of Anthroblogogy has a report on the Cordite Exhibition, complete with pictures.  This one brings back memories:

Speaking of shirts, as I type this I am wearing my Celebrate Diversity shirt:

For some reason, I think it probably looks better on the model than it does on me...

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Time for money talk.  One thing I'd like to point out: whenever I visit the pages submitted to the Carnival, I try to make it a habit to click on people's ads.  Not only do I help my contributors pay for their blogs, but sometimes I find great new products.  Sometimes, I find ads from anti-gun or other liberal causes on Second Amendment blogs.  What do I do?  Read here.

Here's a shameless plug for an old friend of mine: KellyPrelle Hosting offers incredible deals on internet service and hosting.  The owner was in the USAF with me and now has a variety of businesses in Montana.  He's a staunch Second Amendment supporter and is currently waiting to receive his FFL.  If you need internet hosting service and want to know that your hard-earned dollars will go towards supporting things like shooting, hunting, and supporting our troops, call KellyPrelle Hosting.

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Back to having fun...

El Capitan of Baboon Pirates has a new toy.  But he doesn't have pictures yet.  Dang grandchildren taking up all the photo resources!  Maybe he needs a digital camera fund...

New contributor Bill the Freeholder went to a big gun show in Raleigh.  One thing I have to say, living in a relatively small town has its drawbacks.  The only gun shows we have here in Eugene are pathetically small.  The closest thing to a real gun show is in Portland, which is 2 hours away and still is only mediocre compared to the big shows in the South.  At least we have pretty scenery here!

Wadcutter had his own blogger shoot.  He was joined by contributors Publicola and Libercontrarian.  Judging by the photos, a good time was had by all.

Jerry the Geek wants to have his own Oregon bloggerfest.  I can't make it out for weekend fun anytime soon, but with plenty of advanced notice, I could probably make it out sometime this summer.  Any other Oregon bloggers interested in a local shooting festival?  If so, contact Jerry via the comments to this post.  You know, if we held it someplace up North, near Portland, we might be able to get SondraK to come down from Washington...

How's this for fun:

That's a reproduction Black Watch .58 flintlock!  Of course, being over .50 caliber, I am sure politicians want to keep these dangerous terror weapons out of the hands of our enemies...

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All fun aside, how do we win the hearts and minds of our opponents when it comes to gun control?

Individ has thoughts about statistics, including car accidents, murders, guns, kids, and parole violators.  I think he is thinking along the same vein as Eric Cowperthwaite, who brings us The Hypocrisy.  Great quote:

Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surely curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.

-- Robert Anson Heinlein

Ken from It Comes in Pints? has some criticism of FoxNews.  Speaking of guns and the media, more from Instapundit.

Another contribution from SemiOnager: proper use of language.  And David Kopel of The Volokh Conspiracy has some more to say about language and anti-gun hysteria.

On the topic of hysteria, Posse Incitatus writes in about "operation falcon" and has follow-up here.

From Trigger Finger: write in to persuade his local paper to run some pro-gun editorials.  Hey readers: why not do the same for your own local papers? 

(UPDATE: It's not Trigger Finger's local paper; he's taking on a paper in Kalyfornya!  Even better!)

But what is the best way to reach out?  How about taking a novice shooting?  From Kim du Toit, a letter from someone who did just that... in anti-gun Illinois, no less!

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What good is the right to bear arms if you can't hit anything?

Some people say you need a quality firearm... Les Jones writes in about a dream .45 ACP that sounds like a real tack driver, the Hilton Yam Custom 1911:

Most would agree that a well-made 1911 represents the ultimate in auto-pistols.  What comes in second?  Chris the AnarchAngel would like to offer his opinion.  Chris, who always produces in-depth and informative posts, really outdoes himself here.  Lots of photos, lots of useful info on CZ, Glock, H/K, and Sig.  See it all.

Don't own a quality firearm?  Why not try to win one!  Thanks to Gunner of No Quarters for keeping us up to date on on-line giveaways.

While some say you need the great gun, others say you need to train, train, train.  Heartless Libertarian writes in to discuss changes to the Army marksmanship program:

These changes are being made to better prepare soldiers for the battlefield conditions they will encounter in Iraq and Afghanistan. While I agree with the need to update training to meet with current battlefield conditions, I don't agree totally with the way the Army is going about it...

Find out why.  And read related discussion here.

But remember, having the best firearm and all the training in the world won't do you much good in the long run if you fail to keep it clean.  Firehand of Irons in the Fire offers up three posts on cleaning here, here, and here.

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Finally, Blog of the Week awards go to Counter Top.  What I have included so far barely scratches the surface of what's on his blog this week.  Just start at the top and scroll down for more posts on gun law, gun policy, and gun fun.  Good job!

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That wraps us Carnival of Cordite #13.  I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

For information on the Carnival of Cordite, scheduling, etc., please see our official announcements blog.

Next week, Carnival of Cordite #14 will be hosted by frequent contributor Les Jones.  Let's be sure to give Les plenty of submissions to work with!

Send your submissions to:

c a r n i v a l o f c o r d i t e A T h o t m a i l D O T c o m

You can also use the carnival submit form from Conservative Cat.

Please see my recent post about the type of material I am hoping to see in future carnivals.

See y'all next week over at Les Jones.  In the meantime, keep your powder dry!

Comments

[Mark]

You know what the real problem is with this? There AIN'T ENOUGH TIME! to read it all!

[Ernst Blofeld]

I dunno--if you're VERY, VERY careful, and have good sightlines, it's not unreasonable to take a coyote with a .22. You'd probably have to shoot over bait, and fire from inside the house/garage to cut down on the sound signature. If you're shooting against a berm it could be doable.

Of course, you should never tell anyone about what you're doing. Shoot, shovel, shut up.

[al]

I live southwest of your parents near Schaumburg. One of my neighbors told me the other day that a coyote was wandering the street during the day. I walked into the house and advised my wife that I needed a short range weasel gun. Her answer was that she bought me a new gun for Christmas. Not quite what the answer I was looking for. :-( I was thinking about the SA SOCOM that the American Rifleman thought would make a great Fathers Day gift.

I think as soon as someones pet gets eaten here the village might wake up. Even more when someone decides to shoot one attacking Fluffy. Not sure what approach to take to keep my pooch safe.

[Jerry the Geek]

Who do we have to suck up to, to get SondraK into Oregon for a BloggerFest?

I just found her website last week, and was immediately intrigued. She's bright, witty, personable and Gorgeous. Think "Miss Congeniality" with an attitude.

Rivrdog, Gullyborg, Sondrak ... are there any more Oregon/Washington gun-nut bloggers out there?

How do

[Gullyborg]

Well Jerry, I guess you need to suck up to HER!

There are several sympathetic Oregon bloggers in the "locals" section on my left sidebar.

[Mr. Completely]

Washington gun nut blogger reporting! Guns, fishing, more guns, humor, and general weirdness. www.mrcompletely.blogspot.com Just posted a new "Postal Match" like none other...
Located on Whidbey Island. We've got coyote prob's too.

[Kit]

Hey, I'm PREPARED for the zombie invasion! I even practice all the time by playing lots of Resident Evil. :)

[Gullyborg]

Kit, in your zombie pic, you are holding a .223, which is fine for close quarters combat against the living, but not so great against the undead. You should be watching your zombie movies while holding a Benelli M-1 12 ga autoloader!