Happy Whatever-you-celebrate.

Even if it's just "Wednesday."  Merry whatever. :)

10 Alternate Christmas Movies

So it's that holiday season, the decorations are up, and the presents are wrapped. The lights are twinkling, the tree is looking good and the snow may or may not be falling. You're digging the mood, a little cheery, a little dreamy as long as you don't talk about Christmas itself everything will be fine. You just want to sit down and relax, maybe watch a movie, but everything is Christmas themed.  Santa this and Reindeer that, it's spoiling your mood. If only I could find something to watch that would maybe keep me right in this twilight place.

Here are 10 suggestions that take place at Christmas, but aren't about Christmas. They are in no particular ranking order. Because hey, we already had enough fighting and arguing.    

Sci Fi / Horror

Night of the Comet - 80's Cult classic, Space Zombies, Teens ruling the world and the ultimate line for spoiled, bratty valley girls everywhere "See, Daddy would've gotten us UZI's."

Black Christmas - 1974 Some say the film that started the slasher genre.  The first creepy phone call heavy breather. Sorority girls terrorized at Christmas.

Gremlins - You know this one but you forgot it's Christmas.  Fun, creepy, don't get em wet and don't feed em after midnight.

Action

Rocky IV - 80's, Ivan Drago, Training montage in the snow and a fight on Christmas eve?  Enough Said.

Lethal Weapon - Awesome 80's, Awesome Buddy Cops, Awesome bad guy, Awesome action flick you forgot takes place at Christmas.

Die Hard -  Gaining in popularity this time of year as the best un-Christmas Christmas movie, but it's actually about a Christmas theme. Still it's pretty damn great.

Comedy

Better Off  Dead - Another cult classic. Teen Comedy rife with that aww nostalgia feeling for people my age. John Cusack in a drag race with Asian guys that can only speak English as Howard Cosell.

1941- The forgotten Spielberg comedy containing an all star cast.  It's not great, but it's good, and it takes place in mid December.

Grumpy Old Men - It's funny and snowy.  Jack Lemon, Walter Matthau and Ann Margret.  The add libs are great and don't forget to look for Burgess Meredith's outtakes.

Trading Places - Lot's of Christmas background, but revenge isn't really a Christmas theme is it?  Very Funny, some overt some dry humor, all good.

Honorable Mention Drama

Eyes Wide Shut - It's very dreamy and surreal, but also very heavy on context and plot. It is about a Christmas theme.  Unless you want something to really sink your teeth into skip until you can pay attention to detail.


Hope I may have helped and Have a Merry Christmas!

Attention Indy gun collectors: this is for you.

A friend works in the area and found out about a big auction hitting the block on Dec 1, 2013.

It's...well...impressive.  Go take a look.

I have a suggestion for teaching new shooters.

If your newbie is a photography dork, tell them to counterbalance like they would with their camera.  I've used this suggestion twice now and in both situations, said newbie was getting shots in the inner circle.

It's a bit of a forehead slapper, and I wish I'd thought of it before now.  It really does make sense...and it works.  Go ahead and use that tip next time you take a photography nerd out...see how they do once they internalize the idea.


In other news, got a little more time with the PX4.  Better reliability this time around.  Didn't really start to have FTFs until round 35-40.  Still need to get some +P to run through it.  Starting to like it about as much as I like my Bersa (and the Bersa is still my go-to carry pistol, so that's saying something).

Thank you.

Here we go.

I really have no words for this.

Well, crap. Woollard SCOTUS petition denied.

From this email:

The Supreme Court today announced it will not hear the Woollard case, allowing the ruling of the 4th Circuit to stand. That said, a denial of cert does not mean an affirmation of the ruling. This is a setback for 2nd amendment civil rights, but it is by no means the end.

Additionally, there are several other carry cases making their way through the court system. The 9th Circuit will hear a De Facto ban on concealed carry from Hawaii. (Hawaii has a system but doesn't issue permits) as well as several challenges from California. Should the Supreme Court act on one of these cases, it would impact the Woollard case. The case can be revived should one of these cases move forward. 

I didn't have much hope for Woollard at SCOTUS, but it sure would have been nice if they'd decided to hear it.

Maryland HQL license requirements (and other stuff).

I took a Utah CCW class through Mid Atlantic Firearms Training, and they added me to their mailing list.  Fortunately they're not spammy so I tend to pay attention when I get something from them.

Earlier in the week, they sent this out to customers.  I've asked permission to reprint it in its entirety here:

Mid-Atlantic Firearms Training  October 6, 2012

Folks, We are sending out this email as a courtesy to those of you who may have some questions regarding the new firearms laws that have gone into effect in Maryland on October 1, 2013.  This is known as the Firearm Safety Act 2013 aka SB281. Like many of you, I did everything I could to protest, discourage and stop this bill from being signed into law.  However, that did eventually happen and here we are 1 week later.  At this point, it is no longer theory or "what if", rather it is a reality and now we deal with it's implementation. We have been quite silent in sending out too many announcements as it became clear the law would go through as it seemed everything was in a state of flux and in reality, things are still in a state of flux.  However, we do now have some more concrete info we can share that will hopefully help you understand how this law may/may not affect you and if you will need to acquire further training under it's provisions.

Handgun Qualification License and Training Requirements I am going to outline the requirements for the Handgun Qualification License hereby referred to as HQL and the training requirements. Under the Firearms Safety Act 2013 also known as SB281, all new handgun purchasers must apply for and receive a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) before purchase.  This HQL must be presented to the FFL or gun shop.   There are certain individuals who exempt from the handgun qualification license: A Licensed Firearms Manufacturer. Active law enforcement officer or a person retired in good standing from a law enforcement agency of the United States, the State, or a local law enforcement agency of the State. A member or retired member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard.  (This may apply to quite a few of you.) A person purchasing, renting or receiving an antique, curio or relic as defined in federal law or in determinations published by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  (For those of you who deal with C&R firearms) The above listed individuals or entities must provide acceptable documentation to the dealer or FFL prior to purchasing a regulated firearm.  Do your self a favor, save a trip and bring it with you. There are certain individuals who will need an HQL but are exempt from a further training requirement:    Have completed a Maryland State Police (MSP) approved certified firearms safety course Have completed a course of instruction and been issued a certificate of competency in firearms and hunter safety from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Is currently a qualified handgun instructor Is an honorably discharged member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard. Is an employee of an armored car company who has a valid Wear and Carry Permit issued by MSP. Lawfully owns a regulated firearm.  If you own a regulated firearm prior to October 1, 2013, you are not required to complete the training and may apply for the Handgun Qualification License. Pay particular attention to the last bullet point as that will affect many of you.  In other words, if you already own a handgun you will NOT be required to take the HQL training course, BUT you will need to apply for the HQL if you want to purchase any future handguns. Soooo, the question is:  What if I need HQL Training?? If you are in the category of individuals who will need to take the HQL training course, we certainly have you covered as well as your other firearms training needs.  The course will be a 4 hour course mandated by law that includes the following main topics: State Firearms Laws Home Firearms Safety Handgun Operation and Mechanisms Live Fire Component (obviously we provide the gun and ammunition) For a more detailed course description please visit the HQL page on our site at: Handgun Qualification License Training As usual, we will provide a COMPLETE course including help with the application if needed and discounts on LiveScan Fingerprinting services(required by MSP).

I hope you have found this information helpful and if you need our assistance please know we are there to help you through this confusing maze of new laws as well as provide the quality training you expect and we demand of ourselves.  We ask that you share this email with family and friends who may be thinking of purchasing a handgun for the first time.  I can tell you there are "Instructors" coming out of the woodwork looking to capitalize on this "opportunity".  Please let your family and friends know of your positive experience with us and send them our way.    Sincerely,    Bryan Fletcher Mid-Atlantic Firearms Training

Going to be ignoring the blogosphere for a bit.

Have a new fuzzy thing trying to kill her toys and wear us out. :)

ATTN: MD residents who have legally purchased HBARs and AR10s out of state.

The police may be coming for you.

I'd like to know who's making all these random decisions without notifying the public.

More info regarding Saturday's post.

Go read it here.

Do you want your kids to learn how to use a knife properly?

Do you live in Eastern Pennsylvania?

If so, this might be worth checking out. It's a half-day $20 workshop that includes the sharp&shiny.

H/T BoingBoing

God, it's even worse than we thought.

From an email I recieved from Associated Gun Clubs:

Governor Compromises the Privacy of Thousands of Maryland Citizens

We have confirmed earlier reports that on orders from Governor O'Malley, the Maryland State Police are sharing the personal information on 77R firearms purchase application forms with the following non-MSP government agencies:

Department of Human Resources (DHR)
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Department of Transportation
Department of Public Safety
Correctional Services of Department of General Services

This will impact no less than the 38 thousand Maryland citizens who are currently still waiting for the MSP to "Not Disapprove" their applications to purchase a regulated firearm.

It is our information that state employees are being offered "comp time" to work this weekend doing data input. Other than a reported confidentiality agreement, there appears to be no effort to investigate the possible criminal backgrounds of these employees.

These forms contain the applicant's name, address, date and place of birth, social security number as well as information on the firearm the applicant intends to purchase. The Maryland State Police have lost control of the Licensing Division.

At this time, we will not publicly speculate on the Governor's political motivation for this action.

I have no words.

The MDSP have released criteria for the license to own pistols/restricted firearms in Maryland.

More info here.

I believe I've said this many times before, but I truly hate this state. This will completely affect my ability to take newbies to the range, and I abhor this infringement of my and my friends' rights.

I'm not qute sure how to title this post.

I'm still way behind in checking blog posts. Home time is mostly spent with Chris and in cleaning the house in preparation for a new member of the family joining us soon (NOT a two-legged screaming thing, so don't even suggest it), work time is spent working. So I mostly mark everything as read to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Well, two days ago a fellow blogger did a pretty remarkable thing...especially considering how many pro-gun folks tend to be very against the idea of people's genders not fitting the bodies with which they were born.


I know really, really well how hard it is to admit something that major to family and friends. To admit it to a large crowd of people that may or may not support one is ... stressful. And terrifying. And I'm thrilled to see so many people supporting her.

This isn't eloquent; it's late, my brain is squish, and I'm not terribly good at using my words with that combination of situations. Just go read what she has to say.

Satisfaction.

Satisfaction is taking a person from total gun newb to multiple purchases in the span of less than a year. I love being able to help that progression along. The person in question had only ever handled long guns (and maybe twice, at that) before I took him to the range to learn to shoot pistols. He has taken this new hobby beyond my expectations. He now has a collector's license and has decided on everything he's buying between now and 10/1. He's acquired at least two AR lowers, has three pistols lined up, an M1A, and is considering an AR10 after things settle down.

He was previously uninvolved in politics, and I even got him to go with me to the protest back in the beginning of the year. One person at a time, we're winning.

The worst thing about going on vacation...

Is trying to pick up where you left off before you went away.

After 8 days disconnected, I'm a bit behind. Marking most things as read. If I've missed something important, please let me know.

Went to the range last night with my cousin, took the newest pistol, have questions.

Last night my cousin and I went to the range for a mutual birthday paper-killing event. He brought his Glock and his stainless (ooh, shiny) Springfield 1911, I brought my PX4 subcompact 9.

Observations:
We're both incredibly rusty. It took him a couple of mags to get decently small groups. It took me less time, but I'm also not quite used to the pistol, so I was trying to compensate for that.

The Springfield is a very nice pistol. Cousin agrees - he finds he likes it more than the Glock. This guy LOVED the Glock when he bought it. I guess it's that first gun bliss. Not that I can blame him - the 1911 he owns is a much nicer gun. Doesn't rattle, doesn't show any wear, doesn't malf as long as the mags are Wilson.

The Beretta...frustrates me. Since my first trip to the range with it, I get problems near the end of a mag (and occasionally midway through the mag, if I load it all the way). It's had maybe 200 rounds through it since purchase. I know the feed issues midway through the mag are likely related to user error, but I can't quite understand why it won't feed properly.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert in malfunctions, so bear with me:
1 - Fire a round. Fires fine.
2 - Fire a round. Casing ejects, gun strips new round out of the mag, slide doesn't return to proper firing position.
3 - Pull slide back and lock open. Unfired round falls out.
4 - Goto 1.

This happened VERY frequently the first 2 times I took it to the range. Frustrated, I would pack it back up instead of working through the issue. Chris has NOT had this issue when he's put a box through it. I'm thinking some of my issue may come from having shot only metal firearms until this point, but I'd like the input of the masses. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to try to go to the range with Chris, and have him take video of me firing it so I can get a better idea of what I'm doing wrong.

BREAKING: Alan Gura filed cert in the Woollard case.

The document can be found here. This has also been posted over on Marylandshooters here. Go, have a gander, join the discussion if you're so inclined.


Thanks a ton to FightinBluHen51 for this...

New, currently free, potentially useful ebook.

Weerdy posted it. I nabbed a copy. Have sent the link to a few friends, too.

Liveblogging history.

I missed it yesterday but my buddy Pete has been liveblogging Gettysburg since yesterday. I know some folks around here might find it worth the read.

Marylanders don't need to protect themselves.

Especially not in Baltimore, where 29 people were shot in a little under a week.



Is Baltimore. Is not safe.

Found ourselves in Rehoboth, Delaware, part of the weekend.

According to MikeW, West Rehoboth is getting a gun shop, and it appears they're not happy.

We originally had plans to find the shop and give them money, but it'll be awhile before they open. Anyone in the area reading this, when they DO open, go find them and throw money at them. :)

Looks like Marylanders are even *more* screwed.

If you're shopping for anything restricted, it's now completely up to the state police to determine whether you're permitted to have it.  They're no longer using NICS.  According to a Redditor who called a few FFLs, the FBI sent a letter to all FFLs specifying "all FFLs in MD may no longer use NICS (instant background check that most dealers use) for handgun, "other" (receivers), silencer, or AOW purchases. The release of those items is now at the absolute discretion of the Maryland State Police."


In short, we're even more screwed.  There goes my suppressed SBR plan. :\



Edited to add: thanks to FightinBluHen51, I have more info.  I need to read more about it.

That was a lovely weekend.

Friday, after work, we packed up the truck, hitched up the new-to-us camper, and headed a short jaunt away to the KOA in Hagerstown, MD. Stayed until check-out time yesterday, then trucked home.

Observations:

• Sleeping in a popup is interesting.  I mean, it's a tent.  On wheels.  With AC and a fridge.  Luxury tenting FTW!
• This particular KOA is nice and small, staff is friendly, and the little restaurant on-site makes the best (and biggest) chocolate chip pancakes I've ever had.  Each was about .25" thick and as wide as a dinner plate...and they give you THREE.  
• This weekend was expensive, but most of that went to outfitting the camper.  We have a couple more things to buy and we're golden, I think.  Our goal is to get it outfitted to the point where we just need to throw clothes in a bag, food in a cooler, and go.  This is a hard transition for two tent campers to make. :D

We spent the weekend, relaxing, cooking, hanging out by the fire, and fishing.  I could think of far worse ways to spend a couple of sunny days...

(borrowed from here)

Not dead, not missing, just lacking material.

Life's kept us busy, and I'm too disheartened about Maryland's political situation to have much to talk about.

Some folks seem to be questioning why Maryland SB281 is so problematic for people who are legal gun owners or want to be a legal gun owner in Maryland.

So here are some key parts of the bill that's headed to the governor to be signed into law.

The parts of the bill that dealt with punishments for those who break the law have been gutted, so this isn't even useful legislation. Governor O'Malley and his cronies DO NOT want us here. I hope they're ready to lose a crap-ton in tax revenue from Beretta, because it's likely they're packing up their stuff and moving elsewhere. Way to go.

I'm ashamed of my legislators.

Maryland truly doesn't deserve to be called the "free" state anymore.

And now for a laugh.

The next time you get into a gun debate with someone online, and the subject matter turns toward "assault" weapons, send them this:

This isn't democracy.

This is pretty disgusting. No matter your thoughts on guns, this isn't how voting should happen.

This needs to stop.

People from states other than Maryland - your assistance is needed!

A while back, shortly after the Newtown shootings, my friend Kizz asked for some help. Before she got involved in the gun debate, she wanted to be more informed about the laws regarding firearms, specifically AR15s (since that's what's been in the news lately). I offered to help. I saw this as a great way to educate myself as well as a more liberal-minded friend.

And then lots of stuff happened, and life got in the way, and I found myself overwhelmed with everything that involved more brain power than the absolute basics like showering and eating.

So we're asking for your help. We've got Maryland covered, but if you live in a state that isn't Maryland, we need your input. To quote Kizz,

If you can distill what you learn into a paragraph ... then I'll put up a post with all our paragraphs. You can give us the heads up that you're doing a state by saying so in comments below. I believe we can get this information on the internet and without too much difficulty.

Please, feel free to share what you know and/or can dig up here or over on her blog. And please, be polite. This is an opportunity for those of us firmly on the pro-gun side to educate those who really don't know the laws. Kizz has a decent readership, and she's willing to learn. Please don't just link to your state's laws - we want the basic information.

Thanks for any assistance you folks are willing to provide!

Speculation: building a 300 Blackout SBR.

I'm starting to research putting together an upper. Not sure if I'm going to go through with it - I'm in the brainstorming stage. Chris suggested I look at going for 300 Blackout, since I've also entertained getting a suppressor.

The problem I'm encountering right now: what in the world is the deal with buffer weights? I don't care quite as much about the tube length - I'm still getting an adjustable rifle stock for it. Lead the blind, will ya? Do I need a lighter weight buffer, or can I stick with the standard weight?

I'm still doing my research, but dang there's a lot of conflicting information out there. My brain hurts. :)

Oh, does anyone know anything about this item?


Expect more questions as I attempt to navigate through planning this build. I'm an idiot when it comes to this sort of thing, and I suspect I'll come across more mental roadblocks.

I HATE being part of the rumor mill...

Especially when there's nothing to substantiate the rumor.

That said, over on Arms and the Law, there's been an update on the Woollard case. And really, it sounds like we're screwed.

If anyone comes across a source, can you let me know? I'm unable to comment over there and any email attempts have been ignored in the past, so I'm unable to ask him for his source.


ETA: Substantiated. Dammit.

SB281 - more effort is needed, folks.

Go read. And keep the phone calls coming.

Some of you might find this interesting.

A friend of mine is doing a series of posts on the Federalist Papers. He's attempting to translate them so normal folks, not just history and politics dorks, can fully understand them. Go check them out!

Guess what? The TSA has decided small pocketknives are no longer deadly!

More here.

So SB281 went to the House.

And the final testimony was heard at almost 4AM on Saturday morning.

Here's one gem from the day:



More later.

Beretta's off the bench.

I have a thought.

Jay (and just about everyone else) has mentioned a couple of companies are no longer willing to work with law enforcement in states like New York and California. Sean has started keeping track of this list of companies, and will keep it updated as more companies join the list.


I have a suggestion.

Why not contact your favorite gun/ammuntion/gear manufacturer, and suggest they join in the boycott. Congratulate these companies for what they're willing to do, and urge them to show their support of this effort.

At best, it will bring this movement to their attention; at worst, they'll say no.



It was something that occurred to Chris the other day and I figured I'd voice that to you folks. What do you think?

Request for more data: signal boost.

Stephen Adams needs your help. If you have access to the data he needs, please get in touch with him. If you don't, please consider boosting the signal.

Thanks!

I want Gayle Trotter to be my friend.

I really, really do.

Well, yesterday I was optimistic.

Today, not so much. This was Senator Jamie Raskin during yesterday's hearing:

(Alternate link here, in case that one disappears. You may also want to embiggen it, to see just what game he's playing.)

If you wish to tell him precisely what you think about this, here's his contact information:
Jamie Raskin
(410) 841-3634, (301) 858-3634
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3634 (toll free)
e-mail: jamie.raskin@senate.state.md.us


Also worth sharing:

I went to my first protest/rally today.

I drove down to Annapolis with a female friend in tow, and we were amazed. I'd estimate about three thousand pro-2A people showed up for the rally, and we FILLED the MD Senate building. They had to shut down the building - it was at capacity. We had folks from Maryland Shall Issue, Maryland Shooters Forum, the NRA, and I believe I spotted one of the Alans from the 2AF...that, or he has a twin running 'round Annapolis.

So, an observation: the crowd at the rally was possibly the most polite and respectful crowd I've had the pleasure to be around. I'm slightly agoraphobic in certain situations - for example, the photos of the Ravens rally yesterday made me nervous - but I only felt a slight amount of ohgodTOOMANYPEOPLE near the end, while waiting to sign the testimony book. This group of men, women, and yes, children, really helped to put a pleasant face on what many folks down in Naptown think is a big evil monster. I'm proud to be a part of it, and given the opportunity I think I'd go back down for similar reasons.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to testify. We stood in line for over 2 hours just to be told we wouldn't be allowed in. I have faith my fellow protesters said some fantastic things. I just hope we have a prayer of making a difference. I'm told Beretta has threatened to leave Maryland if SP281 gets passed, and I trust them to follow through with that threat. If anything has an impact on my state senators, that might. Maybe. I hope.

And because I remembered to take a photo, here's a crappy picture showing the amount of people who were there:

The crowd filled that ENTIRE square, plus maybe another hundred people on the steps immediately in front of me, and another 100 or so in line to get in the Senate building. SO MANY PEOPLE. More pictures and updates have been and will be posted here, here, and probably in other threads in that section of MDS. Please feel free to keep an eye on them.


Also, as we were leaving, "someone" in a police motorcade, two tour buses, and a guy with a Mini-14 hanging out the back of the last car in the motorcade caused the trolley we were in to practically beach itself on the curb. Thanks, nitwit. So glad to know you felt the need to show off your might.

AMEN, sir.

via SayUncle.

Well, this makes a bit more sense.

The Maryland GOP released their alternative plan for gun control. Here are the bills as released.

My thoughts?

HB424: This should already be in place.
HB165: I don't disagree with this, but I don't have children. I can't rightly agree or disagree to it. Parents, what do YOU think?
HB663: It's about time we had instant checks. I hate knowing that people are currently stuck waiting about a month for the OK to take home their new gun(s).
HB38: YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES.
HB211: I don't disagree with preventing those with mental disorders from possessing a firearm. I just question what guidelines would be in place to determine the severity of an individual's disorder, and how severe a disorder must be to prevent someone from possessing a firearm.

Please note, these opinions are based entirely on the summaries presented in that article. I will try to get some time to read the full bills this week, to better understand them.

FYI: If you were going to participate in the rally in Annapolis on Wednesday...

It sounds as though the President will be in town. Chances are the rally will be off, but bodies are still needed for the hearings.

CORRECTION:NOTHING IS CANCELLED. The rally and the hearings are going to happen as planned.

Hollywood might be right on this one.

Have you ever watched an apocalyptic/zombie movie or TV show and thought; "Wow those guys are dumb, there must be a million gun shops, Wal Marts, Bass Pro's and Cabelas around there. Why don't they just go scrounge some ammo and guns? There's gotta be a few boxes around." I think Laura can attest to me saying this a million time while watching The Walking Dead. Well, ladies and gentleman it appears we're wrong. Enter the gun/ammo panic of 2013.

Have you tried to buy ammo in the last few weeks? It's gone. Online, and in local stores everywhere. I think the realization finally hit me a few weeks back when I saw that Cabela's was out of most popular calibers.  CABELAS WAS OUT OF AMMO!  If you've never been to a Cabelas when you go to the gun department there are pallets of ammo sitting around on the sales floor and shelves and racks of ammo, everywhere.  In short, they usually have mountains of ammo. They were out online too. Not just 5.56 and 7.62x39. They were out of .22lr!

Luckily this will pass, as stuff comes back in stock and the manufacturers keep churning out product, but consider this all you Preppers and Zombie Hunters: this  shortage was caused mostly by existing gun owners. Now imagine that everyone thinks they need guns and ammo, and it's an apocalyptic event where the manufacturers aren't going to come back online. Take this rare opportunity to learn, to actually see what could happen without real consequences and adjust your plans accordingly. Re-think how much you might need, or reconsider learning to reload and forgoing that next gotta have it gun purchase to by the equipment to do it.  Consider all those extra stops you marked on your escape route/ bug-out / travel map and that they may not actually be worth your time and effort to stop, and just this once consider that Hollywood may have actually got something right for once.                

Because I KNOW you need a laugh right now...

Calm the hell down about Geico, will you?

Some of you may have seen this yesterday. And some of you flew off the handle, saying OMFG BOYCOTT GEICO.

Well, chill out already, will you? And go read this while you're at it.


Jesus. Some of you people are looking for any reason to get angry.

Attention Marylanders.

There's a survey going around. Please go fill it out. This is being sent directly to Senator Miller, so be polite.

Thanks!

The text of Maryland SB0281 is available to the public.

In short: we're fucked.

Another handy-dandy gun facts site, complete with infographic.

Courtesy r/guns.

Well, that took longer than I anticipated.

One of the gun owners whose information was listed in the Journal News is now dealing with a break-in and theft of his guns from his home. Awesome. I wonder how much the newspaper will be paying the victim.

Remember, kids: just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Walmart's not getting *any* more ammo? What?

I can't call Corporate to confirm this - I don't have enough of a voice to make myself understood right now. Can someone else call them and report back?

http://investmentwatchblog.com/breaking-confirmed-wal-mart-is-not-going-to-order-any-more-ammo/


I mean...wtf. Seriously, wtf.


UPDATE: according to FarmDad, this is false information. Sorry for the panic post, folks...and thanks to FarmDad for calling them. I hate how stuff like this happens when I can't call to confirm.

Holy crap, prices have gone nuts.

My cousin made his way to the local fun show today, and has been sending me reports of prices over the past hour or so.

He tells me Yugoslavian Mosin-Nagants are going for $349, police trade-in 12ga shotguns are $325, and regular 00buck is going for a dollar a shell. Holy Hannah. On top of that, I'm told Stag has a TWO YEAR backlog.

I didn't think the world had already started to fall apart, but apparently the gun show people think it is.

New USEFUL gun crime stat resource launched today.

A gentleman I know just launched Check Your Gun Stats after being frustrated at the lack of useful info collected in one location.

To quote him,

CheckYourGunStats.com is my current side project. It is a site to view crime rates, murder rates, assault rates, and robbery rates for the USA as a whole as well as each individual state. ....

This is no simple process. But it's coming along. Every data point will be cited. Once again, the purpose of this site is simply to show data in a meaningful manner and to give users an idea of what key events (just legislation based) have happened over the years. It's not to sway anybody one way or another. My opinions are kept off of this site.

Go read the rest of what he has to say about it. I think it might come in handy.

Attention gardeners.

I know some folks out there like to garden, and some like to grow their own food. Are any of you folks also in the habit of saving your seeds? Want a list of companies that sell only heirloom seeds?

Courtesy the Baltimore Snacker, I give you this list. It tells you what companies are owned by Monsanto (i.e. seeds that won't breed true from year to year) and what companies are certified non-GMO/heirlooms.

I've noticed it's getting harder and harder to find heirlooms lately. Seems like everyone's growing Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes, which taste like nothing to me. I prefer "ugly" tomatoes.

Oh, and a recommendation...buy from Landreth and Baker Creek. Both companies have fantastic customer service, their seeds are reliable, and their selection can't really be beat. They've got gorgeous catalogs, too.

I figure it's the time of year when some of us start thinking about what we want to grow in the spring, and some of us are even starting seeds by now. Can't hurt to get a jump on things. :)

Happy new year.

May 2013 be a better year for everyone.