Be careful how you carry that pistol

The Tennessee Department of Safety has notified handgun instructors to mention proper holster use when carrying a handgun. It seems that an individual was practicing Mexican Carry, as documented by Massad Ayoob; he had his handgun tucked into his waistband without a holster. The gun was in the appendix position. The barrel was pointing down, violating Rule 2.

For whatever reason, the gun discharged, and said individual can testi-fy as to the folly of this style of carry. See the story here. Is there a Darwin award in his future?




   

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Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Orders of protection are not a shield of steel

If you are old enough to remember the Vietnam War and the passing of the 1968 Gun Control Act, you probably remember Batfink, whose famous saying was,

Your bullets cannot harm me — my wings are like a shield of steel!

Sadly, we note that Christene Rivera was killed in her Knoxville apartment, allegedly by estranged husband Joseph Rivera, against whom she had an Order of Protection (PDF file here). Unfortunately, these documents are provide no shield of steel against someone who is committed to causing serious bodily harm or death.
While Judge Bill Swan says in an interivew with WATE,

Orders of protection are tremendously successful. It is rare when they are violated. We get tremendous change in behavior in most cases,

those rare cases where the orders are violated make it seem prudent for one to be prepared to defend against lethal agression.
Simply put, if you really need an order of protection, you need to be able to defend yourself. If you choose to do so with a firearm, be sure and get proper training.



   

NRA membership is usually $35.00. Join or renew here for only $25.00.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Chinese schoolchildren attacked with deadly weapons

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported today (paper edition) on another in a series of attacks on schools. It seems odd that in the utopian Peoples Republic that such a thing could occur. After all, this is, according to the reporter,

"unusual in a country where extreme violence is comparatively rare and strict controls keep most people from owning guns.

 The reporter fails to account for the fact that during the Great Leap Forward, perhaps 30 million or more people were starved to death. Unmentioned, also, is the infanticide rate and abortion rate in China, some 13 million in 2008.

Don't be fooled, 13 million aborted in a single year in China doesn't ad up to "comparatively rare."

It makes guns in bars in Knoxville seem pretty insignificant.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gun rights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.

Unconstitutionally vague.....unintended consequences!

Any student of high school physics knows that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, the exhaust gasses from a jet engine go to the rear, the plane moves forward.

Last year, in 2009, the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill that allowed persons with valid Handgun Carry Permits to carry their sidearm in restaurants that serve alcohol. This bill was dubbed the "Guns in Bars Bill" by major media outlets in the state. Governor Bredesen vetoed the bill, and the Legislature quickly overrode the veto.

That did not sit to well with the Guv, I think, but conveniently, his appointee, Chancellor Bonnyman, in a classic move of judicial fiat, ruled the statute unconstitutionally vague.

Now, the Legislature is in the throes of rewriting the law, with hopes of its meeting judicial review.

But, there is always the law of unintended consequences to contend with. We find out from the Chattanooga Times Free Press that,

"After years of lax enforcement, the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is beginning to crack down on bars and nightclubs that have liquor-by-the-drink licenses as restaurants but in reality offer little to no food to patrons."

 It seems that Tennessee does not actually have legal "bars" in the state. The Times Free Press goes into some detail on a confusing patchwork of law and policy. It would appear that some establishments that are in fact bars, not restaurants, may be in jeopardy of losing their licenses.

So, the leftist gun-aversive dyslexia that negated last year's partial restoration of the Second Amendment may now put out of business some of those very establishments that they were trying to protect from gun toting citizens (who have had background checks done, been fingerprinted, had training, and already by law, can't drink and carry).


This reminds me of the Clinton gun ban of 1994, which coincided with the sweep of carry laws across the states. Its unintended consequence was a big boost to manufacturing and sales of small, concealable handguns.

Disclaimer: The information and ideas presented in this column are provided for informational purposes only. Gunrights, like all other Constitutionally recognized rights, must be exercised responsibly. Firearms, like cars, kitchen knives and life itself all can be dangerous. You should get professional training as part of any plan to use firearms for any purpose. I have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to assure that the content of this column is accurate. I have no control over what you do, and specifically accept no responsibility for anything you do as a result of reading my columns. Any action or lack of action on your part is strictly your responsibility.