Technology makes our lives better.
But are they particles or waves?
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Why I carry a gun
Old NFO says it all:
The quintessential reason why Grandpa carries a gun.
My old Grandpa said to me, ‘Son, there comes a time in every man’s life when he stops bustin’ knuckles and starts bustin’ caps and usually it’s when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin’.’
I don’t carry a gun to kill people; I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
50 to 100 times more expensive
Much has been made of 3D printing for 2nd amendment purposes. 3D printing is an excellent process (actually several processes) for rapid prototyping and manufacturing low volumes of parts that can’t be made using conventional processes. It is not currently poised to replace conventional manufacturing. Proto Labs, which sells 3D printing AND conventional machining and molding processes, put out a great journal issue which covers the relative merits. http://www.protolabs.com/journal They list the relative merits and applications of 3DP and conventional processes. Key point: 3D printing is 50 to 100 times more expensive than a molded plastic part in volume. Not 50 to 100 percent, 50 to 100 TIMES. As I have said elsewhere, if there were a total gun ban in the US, the most likely source would be conventional machine shops, perhaps set up in secret, or perhaps legit operations operating off hours. You can machine a gun a lot better and a lot cheaper than using a replicator, at least until the 23rd century. But by then we’ll be using phasers anyway.
Actually, one of the most difficult things might be primers. If we’re fighting a guerrilla war against a repressive government, when our ammo is gone, we can mix black powder and cast lead, but will need a clandestine primer plant to mix up that magic material and fill tiny metal cans.
Did Lanier go Rogue?
Emily Miller and David Kopel report that Washington DC’s police chief Cathy Lanier gave orders http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/28/licensed-handgun-carry-now-legal-in-district-of-columbia-palmer-v-dc/ to the DC police to allow a broad range of pistol carry in the District. People who follow the gun debate know that most big city mayors are not big fans of people carrying pistols. And police chiefs report to mayors. And police chiefs publicly almost always talk the party line.
People who follow the gun debate may also know that most rank and file police armed law-abiding citizens to disarmed victims.
I can think of a few possibilities:
1. DC’s mayor Vincent C. Gray instructed Lanier to implement modified constitutional carry.
2. Lanier knows what the rank and file know and did what was right at the risk of her job.
3. Lanier chose to follow the letter of the court order because court order.
4. Lanier decided to follow the court order and look pro-gun to the troops, assuming there would be an injunction and appeal.
5. None of the above
6. All of the above
Of course, the District is appealing.
NRA show as a hoplophobe might imagine it
I attended the NRA meeting last weekend in Indianapolis. Official numbers are 75 thousand attendees. I was appalled. As I was walking down the aisle, a young man wearing black tactical pants and a black t-shirt emblazoned Infidel with a picture of an assault weapon bumped into an older lady. The lady turned around and said “you want a piece of me?” The guy said “Stuff it, you old bag”. The lady whipped out a little revolver and yelled “back off, asshole”. The militia type pulled out a Glock and replied “Oh, yea?” At that point they both opened fire. I walked away as they lay dying in a co-mingled pool of blood. Things quieted down for a while, but just as I got towards the middle of the main floor, I heard one of the salesmen in the Remington booth yell at the Colt display “Hey asshole, your guns suck, Why don’t you move into the current century?” A Colt guy replied “Yeah? You’re just butt-hurt because you don’t provide most of the guns to the Army and Marines” The Remmy guy then moves to “Yeah? We’re the go-to gun for hunters around the country and the world”. At that point the Colt guy says “ Well brag about this.” At which point people realized that the shiny brass gatling gun was functional as the Colt team dropped in a stick of 45-70 and started sweeping their competitor’s booth. People ran screaming as the Remington guys took cover and started blazing with R-15’s and ‘-25’s. As I left the exhibit hall, I overheard an Indianapolis Metro cop telling his partner “Damn, another NRA meeting. I hope they have it somewhere else next time.”
Oh, wait, none of that happened even though there were probably more guns per square foot, concealed or otherwise, than anywhere but an army warehouse. Some large percent (25%?) of the attendees were undoubtedly packing. Everyone I saw was polite. People apologized when they bumped you in the halls. Out of the thousands of people I passed in the aisles, I saw one (1) person open carrying…but he was wearing a tactical kilt, so what do you expect.
But seriously, I enjoyed my first NRA meeting. Lots of cool stuff. I got to be a fanboi, visiting Mark Walters at the Crossbreed booth, Alan Gottlieb at SAF, George Kellgren’s son (Derek?) at Kel-Tec’s booth, and Mas and Gail, Marty Hayes and Gila and Michael Bane at Michael Buys The Beer at the Slippery Noodle. Actually the last one was like a mini MAG-40 reunion because as I was sitting down for dinner before the event, Jessica Smith called me over to their table with her husband and dad. We all said Hi to Mas and Gail later as the party got underway.
Connecticut population 3.6 million
So if the Constitution State’s population is 3.6 million http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09000.html and there are an estimated 80% of the 300,000 to 500,000 Conneticians (Conneticuters?) who didn’t register their autoloaders or standard capacity magazines, that’s one out of ten citizens. Does the legislature really want to decimate http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation_(Roman_army) the state?
Folk Marxism
Auric Tech did a great job of putting into words the thinking of liberals and the whole victim/oppressor thing.
http://aurictech.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/folk-marxism-and-anti-gun-sentiment/
First Post
I’ve been reading blogs for several years, thought it was time to try it myself. The name?
philo- or phil-
pref.
Having a strong affinity or preference for; loving: philoprogenitive.
Bill Of Rights: The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, the (embattled) foundation of our freedoms.
PhiloBOR
I plan to blog primarily about gun rights, free market economics and other stuff in my life. I hope to blog regularly for an extended period. Not too many readers return to abandoned blogs.
PhilaBOR 