I awake to a mighty struggle. A battle requiring all my strength. I'm in a pool fighting with a man, I know not who, holding him under the water. His strength is equal to mine if not superior. As the struggle continues I grow weaker as his strength increases until his face breaks the surface of the water. I revolt in horror as I gaze upon my diseased self. This revelation weakens my resolve. As I begin losing the battle two arms wrap around me, nail stained hands grasps my wrists. This helper's strength takes over where mine fails me. He drives the diseased Adam of myself under the surface of the water and holds me there until all struggle ceases. He is drowned, the victory won until I awake once again to the daily struggle....
Luther's Small Catechism
Question: What does such baptizing with water indicate?
Answer: It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Romans 6:4 "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live in a new life."
Friday, July 5, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
M.A.D. and the small arms race
Mutually Assured Destruction
Those who are in my generation will remember the threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The fallout shelters. The duck and cover drills. At the time a phrase was used called Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD. What this ment was each side had the equal ability to completely destroy the other. While the leaders on both sides were willing to sacrifice millions of their citizens in a war they knew there wouldn’t be anything left to govern if a war broke out. So we had a stale mate. And an Arms Race. Each side built bigger and better nuclear bombs trying to get an edge. Either to win a war or to bully the other side. Remember this for now we are going to talk about…..
The Small Arms Race
My readers know I like history. So lets have a history lesson. Europeans started coming to North America in 1492. With them came their weapons. Metal armor, steel swords, steel spears and oh yeah firearms. The first firearms they brought were matchlocks. They used the coal on the end of a glowing rope to ignite the powder in the barrel. These were crude, prone to misfires, slow to load and affected by bad weather. But they could fire a .75 caliber lead ball further that any Indian could shoot an arrow. The Europeans conquered much of North and South America.
Fast forward to the 1700’s. Flintlocks were now being used. You know; Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Still muzzle loaders were slow to load. Armies would train to load and fire 3 un-aimed shots per minute. That was using a smooth bore musket. A rifle was slower. Maybe one shot per minute or a minute and a half. The difference? The musket had no rifling and used a loose ball in the barrel making it easer to load. This also made it inaccurate. The rifle had spiral groves cut inside the barrel. This would impart spin on the ball which was loaded with a cloth patch to make the ball fit tighter so the rifling would work. This was much more accurate. Which was better? Depended what you needed the firearm for. The military used muskets because they loaded fast. Their tactics was to stand in ranks shoulder to shoulder and fire as fast as they could at the other army standing shoulder to shoulder firing as fast as they could. The distance between the two armies was usually about 50 yards. On the other hand a good rifleman could hit a man sized target at 300 yards. But the rifle was slow to load. It could not take a bayonet. And was expensive to make compared to a musket.
The small arms race had already begun even then. During the Revolutionary War a British officer named Ferguson invented a breach loading rifle that could be loaded and fired 3 times per minute. Moreover these were aimed shots and this rifle was effective to 300 yards. The British Army did not choose to arm more than one unit with this gun which was later disbanded after Ferguson was wounded. Lucky for us. An interesting side story. Ferguson had General George Washington in his sights with one of his rifles but choose not to shoot. Gentlemen did not target officers after all. Ferguson died some months later in battle.
Firearms advanced a lot in the next hundred years. The Indians were out gunned when they went up against rifles with their bow and arrows. So they acquired rifles. The battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 now enters our discussion. General Custer and his men were armed with single shot rifles and 1873 Colt revolvers. The Indians had repeating rifles. They were using Henrys and the Winchester 1866 both of which held 10 or more rounds. While Custer’s rifles had a more powerful cartage and could shoot much further the Indians had superior numbers shooting repeating rifles. We know how that ended.
So now we jump ahead to the 1970’s. Mary and I are staying in a motel on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. We were a minority. But there was a police presence at the motel so I didn‘t feel too unsafe. Something didn’t look right about the police. They were all carrying two pistols! Actually each officer had his issued revolver PLUS a 9mm semi-auto handgun. Why? I asked one of the officers. He told me they needed the fire power. More bullets between reloads with faster reloads. A six shot revolver just wasn’t cutting it for the cops. They were out gunned by the criminals. This was the beginning of a trend across the country of police departments switching from revolvers to semi-auto pistols. Criminals had more firepower than the cops! There was a small arms race between the cops and the robbers. Civilians started on the semi-auto trend too. Now we have millions of semi-auto hand guns in this country. The genii was out of the bottle.
Then came 1994 and the Assault Weapons Ban. Among other things it limited new guns sold from having a magazine with more than a 10 round capacity. It didn’t really matter because of all the higher capacity magazines that were “grandfathered” in. Those were the ones manufactured before 1994. The law of unintended consequences became involved during this time. The Colt 1911 style semi-auto pistol in .45 ACP was fading away before 1994. It was a bigger, heaver pistol and usually only held 7 rounds. Everyone wanted the newest and best 9mm higher capacity pistol. But after 1994 you were only allowed 10 rounds. So shooters were weighing their options. Ten rounds of 9mm or 7 of .45 ACP? The great 9mm vs. .45 debate raged. Which is better you ask? There is good and bad points that can be argued for each. The end result though was the Colt 1911 style has made a come back to the point it is not going to fade away anytime soon. Though the debate rages on and the Assault Weapons Ban ended 2004.
Now it’s 2013 and there is a new push for anti-gun laws. New York State has just passed an anti-gun law that restricts magazine capacity to 7 rounds. Most semi-auto pistols use a magazine which carry twice that. In fact there are NO 7 round magazines made for most of the pistols in this country. The exceptions are the 1911 style mentioned above and some of the new small semi’s used in conceal carry. The law of unintended consequences has reared it’s ugly head again. New York forgot to put in an exemption for police as to the 7 round restriction. When pointed out one New York legislator stated they would amend the bill. After all “we couldn’t have the criminals having more bullets than the police”. I know, I know, you have already leapt past saying “that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” to “but it’s alright if the criminals have more bullets than me!”
Remember way back at the beginning of this article? Remember what I said about Mutually Assured Destruction? We live in a dangerous world. Always has been always will be. We are safe only through luck, divine protection or preparedness. One way to prepare is to make you and your family strong enough that criminals don’t want to take you on. To be equal to the bad guy kicking in your front door.
Remember:
Rifles replaced muskets because they could shoot further and more accurate.
Indians gave up their bow and arrows for rifles so they could hunt better and defend themselves from the white man.
The Indians wiped out Custer partly because they had superior firepower over Custer’s single shot rifles.
The police in the 70’s started switching to semi-auto pistols from their 6 shot revolvers because the criminals had superior firepower over them.
The anti-gun bill in New York will be amended so cops can have more than 7 round magazines so the criminals won’t have superior firepower.
The civilians in New York are assured to have inferior firepower to the criminals.
One legislator in New England said no one need a gun that held more than one bullet. Tell that to Custer.
Tell that to the mother who defended herself and her two children in Georgia. She emptied her revolver (6 shots) hitting the criminal 5 times. He managed to get out of the house into his car and drive a block or two before collapsing. If he had a gun. If he had accomplices. If she only had one shot this would be a different story.
There’s a reason dogs have fangs and lions have claws. There’s a reason deer have antlers too. There is a natural right to self protection. Our Constitution recognizes this right in the 2nd Amendment. If given the choice, when investigating that bump in the night, do you want to be armed like Custer or a policeman.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Beware of "Need"
Beware the “need” argument.
The recent gun debate has featured the question “why do you need an Ar15 or a 30 round magazine?” Beware of the use of the word - need. I’ve addressed this “need” as to magazine capacity before. I will broaden our examination further.
To repeat, who or what determines what I need. We the People or the Government? Who has the power? We the People or the Government? The correct answer is We the People as outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
In 2011 the President, while talking about high gas prices, told a man complaining about high gas prices to buy a new car. When told the man had 10 kids and needed a bigger vehicle to hold them all, Obama ridiculed him then told him he needed a hybrid van.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/07/obamateurism-of-the-day-487/
In other words if this man hadn’t been so selfish. If he would have thought of the greater good. He would not “need” so many kids. If he had not needed those kids he would not have needed the SUV. It doesn’t take much reasoning to see where this is going. You only “need” a small electric or hybrid car. You “need” to walk or bike more. We the Government will tell you what you “need” and will make laws and regulations to move you in the right direction. The car you “need”. The number of children you “need”.
For example: China has a one child policy. Why? Because they had too many people using too many resources. The result? Millions of baby girls have been aborted in the quest for boy children. Many baby girls born were murdered by their own parents so they could try for a boy. This because the government defined it’s citizen’s needs.
Are you an empty nester with that 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house? You only need one bedroom and one bathroom. What if you still have kids living at home. Do you need a bedroom for each person? The Government could say you only need three tops. One for mom and dad. One for the daughters. One for the sons. You only need one or one and a half bathrooms too. Do you really need a house with a big yard? It would be much more efficient to live in a one bedroom apartment. You know the Earth cannot sustain it’s growing population if we continue to demand more resources for our own selfish reasons. We are the Government, we know what you need better that you.
Do you need all those calories you consume each day? Why we have an obesity problem in this country. Our heath care costs are skyrocketing! Our government scientists have determined you only need 2500 calories a day. That’s all you really need to live. Think of the greater good. Problem with compliance? Not with that RFID chip in your Government issued ID. Do you think the Government can’t control something like this? When was the last time you tried to buy antihistamine at Wal-Mart? You had to show ID and your purchase was recorded so you could not go to another pharmacy to purchase more antihistamine in the next few days. A data base just to restrict cold medicine! It wouldn’t be that hard for food too.
You don’t think this will this happen? The mayor of New York City has determined his citizens don’t need to buy a soda bigger than 16 oz. Touting women’s “need” to breast feed more Mayor Bloomberg now has baby formula locked up in hospitals. He has just come out saying his citizens don’t need more that a three day supply of pain medication when they leave an ER. “You may have to suffer little” he says. Suck it up Buttercup! He is also preventing the prescribing of some pain medications out of the ER.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/nyregion/new-york-city-to-restrict-powerful-prescription-drugs-in-public-hospitals-emergency-rooms.html?_r=0
The First Lady persuaded schools in America to limit the calories in students meals. Her plan denied growing teenagers the nutrients to keep them going for the 8, 9 or 10 hours they were in school. Athletes and non-athletes alike received the same amount of food. Students were leaving campus during lunch to buy food to keep going. They weren’t buying health food either. Chips, power bars, candy bars. High salt, high calories, high fat. Again, Government determined “need” in action. The outcry of the student meal plan has now caused it to be modified.
A Government that defines so many “needs” destroys wants and desires. Did man need to fly? No but his wants and desires has him soaring like Eagles and walking in space.
Did man need to go faster than one horse power? No but his wants and desires have him driving in cars now. More mobile that ever. Along with the airplane traveling to the far reaches of the Earth. Shrinking the globe making all our next door neighbors.
Did man need a phone? No but desire has given us I-phones that access the internet. A TV? Didn’t need that too but man’s desire has brought the world to our living rooms.
The point is a Government that defines our “needs” is a Government that restricts our freedoms. Restricts our innovation. Keeps us from remaining the great nation that saved the world several times in the last century. A “needs” centered government restricts our freedom to move around as we please. To learn as we please. To raise our families as we please. To speak, worship, defend ourselves as we see fit. A “need” defining Government is a people controlling Government. A Government Of the People, By the People and For the People keeps us safe and free to be the great nation we use to be.
Beware of the use of the term “NEED”. It is a freedom killer.
The recent gun debate has featured the question “why do you need an Ar15 or a 30 round magazine?” Beware of the use of the word - need. I’ve addressed this “need” as to magazine capacity before. I will broaden our examination further.
To repeat, who or what determines what I need. We the People or the Government? Who has the power? We the People or the Government? The correct answer is We the People as outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
In 2011 the President, while talking about high gas prices, told a man complaining about high gas prices to buy a new car. When told the man had 10 kids and needed a bigger vehicle to hold them all, Obama ridiculed him then told him he needed a hybrid van.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/07/obamateurism-of-the-day-487/
In other words if this man hadn’t been so selfish. If he would have thought of the greater good. He would not “need” so many kids. If he had not needed those kids he would not have needed the SUV. It doesn’t take much reasoning to see where this is going. You only “need” a small electric or hybrid car. You “need” to walk or bike more. We the Government will tell you what you “need” and will make laws and regulations to move you in the right direction. The car you “need”. The number of children you “need”.
For example: China has a one child policy. Why? Because they had too many people using too many resources. The result? Millions of baby girls have been aborted in the quest for boy children. Many baby girls born were murdered by their own parents so they could try for a boy. This because the government defined it’s citizen’s needs.
Are you an empty nester with that 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house? You only need one bedroom and one bathroom. What if you still have kids living at home. Do you need a bedroom for each person? The Government could say you only need three tops. One for mom and dad. One for the daughters. One for the sons. You only need one or one and a half bathrooms too. Do you really need a house with a big yard? It would be much more efficient to live in a one bedroom apartment. You know the Earth cannot sustain it’s growing population if we continue to demand more resources for our own selfish reasons. We are the Government, we know what you need better that you.
Do you need all those calories you consume each day? Why we have an obesity problem in this country. Our heath care costs are skyrocketing! Our government scientists have determined you only need 2500 calories a day. That’s all you really need to live. Think of the greater good. Problem with compliance? Not with that RFID chip in your Government issued ID. Do you think the Government can’t control something like this? When was the last time you tried to buy antihistamine at Wal-Mart? You had to show ID and your purchase was recorded so you could not go to another pharmacy to purchase more antihistamine in the next few days. A data base just to restrict cold medicine! It wouldn’t be that hard for food too.
You don’t think this will this happen? The mayor of New York City has determined his citizens don’t need to buy a soda bigger than 16 oz. Touting women’s “need” to breast feed more Mayor Bloomberg now has baby formula locked up in hospitals. He has just come out saying his citizens don’t need more that a three day supply of pain medication when they leave an ER. “You may have to suffer little” he says. Suck it up Buttercup! He is also preventing the prescribing of some pain medications out of the ER.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/nyregion/new-york-city-to-restrict-powerful-prescription-drugs-in-public-hospitals-emergency-rooms.html?_r=0
The First Lady persuaded schools in America to limit the calories in students meals. Her plan denied growing teenagers the nutrients to keep them going for the 8, 9 or 10 hours they were in school. Athletes and non-athletes alike received the same amount of food. Students were leaving campus during lunch to buy food to keep going. They weren’t buying health food either. Chips, power bars, candy bars. High salt, high calories, high fat. Again, Government determined “need” in action. The outcry of the student meal plan has now caused it to be modified.
A Government that defines so many “needs” destroys wants and desires. Did man need to fly? No but his wants and desires has him soaring like Eagles and walking in space.
Did man need to go faster than one horse power? No but his wants and desires have him driving in cars now. More mobile that ever. Along with the airplane traveling to the far reaches of the Earth. Shrinking the globe making all our next door neighbors.
Did man need a phone? No but desire has given us I-phones that access the internet. A TV? Didn’t need that too but man’s desire has brought the world to our living rooms.
The point is a Government that defines our “needs” is a Government that restricts our freedoms. Restricts our innovation. Keeps us from remaining the great nation that saved the world several times in the last century. A “needs” centered government restricts our freedom to move around as we please. To learn as we please. To raise our families as we please. To speak, worship, defend ourselves as we see fit. A “need” defining Government is a people controlling Government. A Government Of the People, By the People and For the People keeps us safe and free to be the great nation we use to be.
Beware of the use of the term “NEED”. It is a freedom killer.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Dasvidaniya
The end is near. No not the end of the world. Just the end of America. Our Traitor in Chief Obama and his comrades in crime the Democrats and Republicans have ran this nation into the ground. Now their assault upon the 2nd Amendment has begun. Also this state I live in, Illinois, may pass a sweeping anti gun law in the next few days disarming the citizens of this state. All semi-auto pistols, rifles and shotguns will be baned. All pump action rifles and shotguns will be baned. No grandfather clause. We will have a short time to turn them all into the State Police to be destroyed.
The choices we face are; comply and become serfs, become felons, move out of the state, or revolt. I like to think that I am strong enough not to comply so that leaves one of the other three. If the gun owners leave the state still wins. But most cannot up and leave on short notice. Especially if they have family, jobs, homes they would have to abandon. Become a felon? With a stroke of a pen tens of thousands of citizens could became felons. If caught what are the fines. What would be the jail time. What would be the consequences of a felony gun charge on your record. Couldn't move to another state then and be a free man, a free gun owner. To revolt would mean someone would be hurt or killed. Am I willing to kill or be killed for my constitutional rights? I imagine these same thoughts went through the minds of Americans in 1776.
How about the State Police? The local police? Will they comply with this unconstitutional order to disarm? Will I? Will you?
Dasvidaniya Comrades
The choices we face are; comply and become serfs, become felons, move out of the state, or revolt. I like to think that I am strong enough not to comply so that leaves one of the other three. If the gun owners leave the state still wins. But most cannot up and leave on short notice. Especially if they have family, jobs, homes they would have to abandon. Become a felon? With a stroke of a pen tens of thousands of citizens could became felons. If caught what are the fines. What would be the jail time. What would be the consequences of a felony gun charge on your record. Couldn't move to another state then and be a free man, a free gun owner. To revolt would mean someone would be hurt or killed. Am I willing to kill or be killed for my constitutional rights? I imagine these same thoughts went through the minds of Americans in 1776.
How about the State Police? The local police? Will they comply with this unconstitutional order to disarm? Will I? Will you?
Dasvidaniya Comrades
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Gifts from Thorns
Something different for a change. The Sunday School teacher gave us homework. He wanted us to write up something like you would find in the "Portals of Prayer". The "Portals of Prayer" is a daily devotional booklet published by Concordia Publishing House for the LCMS. For the month of December 2012 each day was about a Gift from God. So our devotional was to be about Gifts. Our own version of a Gift listed in the "Portals of Prayer" or some completely new Gift. This is my homework. It may not be the final draft but it will be close.
The Gifts from Thorns
Read Psalm 91
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being conceited” 2 Cor 12:7 ESV
“From brambles of thorns roses grow”
Mikhail
To keep Paul grounded in this world, to keep him humble, God allowed St. Paul to develop, as the King James puts it, “a thorn in my flesh”. This thorn forced Paul to turn to God for strength. As he says later in verse 10 “…For when I am weak, then I am strong.” As with Paul so with us. God allows thorns in our flesh to bring us to our knees before Him to seek His strength. God turns our thorns into the many roses of His Blessings.
There was a lady who suffered from many medical problems throughout her life. On one occasion she needed surgery on her foot. On the day of surgery family and friends and her Pastor gathered with her in the hospital. Surgery, even if just on a foot, was surgery after all. Carrying risks. Showing the weakness of the flesh. Her gift of thorns reveled the blessings of family, friends and pastors. Right before the nurses were to take her to the operating room the Pastor prayed with her. Her thorn became the rose petals of Prayer and Comfort.
As her family and friends gathered in the surgical waiting room the Pastor offered a prayer for successful surgery. Her thorn became the blessing of Prayer and Comfort for her loved ones.
As the “Amen” was said they looked up. All the other people in the waiting room were looking at them in silence. These people had been listening too. This lady’s thorn became the blessing of Prayer and Comfort for people she didn’t even know. The Pastor’s prayer had contained the Word of God. The Good News of Christ. The Comfort of the Great Physician. The Holy Spirit working through the Word touched each and every heart in that room. We may never know how many thorns in loved ones flesh caused these people to be in this room at this time to hear this prayer. But God knows and his Holy Spirit will not return to Him void. From the gift of thorns to this one lady the roses petals of blessings surrounded her, her family and friends and perfect strangers. Who but God knows how many were moved that day through the gift of thorns to everlasting life.
There is a poem that begins: “For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost…”
I think it could be rewritten this way:
“For the gift of a thorn, a prayer was said;
For the word of a prayer, a soul was won…”
Our Hymn
“Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; Your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”
Lutheran Worship 510:1 Amen
Friday, December 28, 2012
An AR primer
A brief primer on “Assault Rifles”. The AR15 used in the recent mass murder of children has been referred to as an assault rifle. Here are some facts concerning this type of firearm:
The rifle used fired a .223 (5.56mm) caliber round originally designed to hunt varmints such as prairie dogs and coyotes. It is considered a mid range round firing a 45 to 55 grain bullet at approximately 3200 feet per second. This round is considered by some to be a bit under powered for deer but there are hunters who do deer hunt with it. An effective killing range would be out to 300 yards or so. But with an expert maybe longer. The United States adopted this round in the 1960’s to be fired from the Armalite Rifle which we now know as the AR15. The military version is known as the M16. Some of the reasons for the adoption of the M16 and this round are: The round was effective at short range and since we were fighting in the jungles of Vietnam ranges were reduced. This smaller round allowed our GI’s to carry (hump) more ammo. And since soldiers have to carry everything they needed this was a good thing. Some of our soldiers in recent wars have carried up to 80 pounds in weapons, armor and gear. The M16 was a lighter weapon to carry. The previous battle rifle the Army was using was the M14 which was all wood and steel and used heaver ammo. The M1 rifle of WWII weight more than 9 pounds and carried 8 rounds. The plastic and steel M16 and the .223 allowed the GI to carry twice the firepower for the same weight.
Definition of Assault Rifle.
The news likes to report the murderer used an automatic rifle or an assault rifle to shoot the children. An assault rifle is a select fire rifle. This means the rifle has a selector switch which will place the rifle in one of three different modes. They are: SAFE, SEMI, AUTO. This means the rifle is placed in SAFE which means it won’t fire. SEMI means the rifle will fire one round each time the trigger is pulled. AUTO means the rifle will fire continuously while the trigger is held back until the trigger is released or the magazine is empty. Some versions have a 3 round burst instead of full AUTO but you get the idea. A rife firing full AUTO is difficult to control. It is also difficult to hit the target after the first couple of rounds because of muzzle climb. And wastes ammo. In Vietnam many units had orders to not go to AUTO unless they were given a direct order by their NCO (non commissioned officer I.e.: sergeant/platoon leader).
The rifle used by the shooter was an AR15 which has a selector switch for SAFE and FIRE only. It will not fire full AUTO it can only fire one round for each pull of the trigger.
Magazines:
Magazines are not “high capacity” they are the normal capacity magazines designed for the firearm. Restricting the magazine capacity will only cause the firearm user to change magazines more often. 30 rounds in 30 seconds will now be 30 rounds ( three magazines of 10 rounds each) in 45 seconds. That’s figuring on a 5 second magazine change. 5 seconds won’t matter if you are hiding in a corner praying the cops get there in time.
The shooter at Virginia Tech had two handguns. One with a 10 round magazine and another with a 15 round magazine. He also had a backpack with 30+ magazines with him. Magazine capacity is not a limiting factor.
The Media:
The media in concert with the politicians is using hype to lead the public conversation against firearm ownership to institute a new Assault Weapons’ Ban. The Assault Weapons’ Ban of a few years ago were all cosmetic. If you already had a semi auto version of an AR15 or AK47 etc you were “grandfathered in”. So the rifles were not gotten rid of. The ban eliminated the import of rifles that had a pistol grip, bayonet lug, flash suppresser, magazines with a capacity of over 10 rounds, etc.
The ultimate wish of the media and the politicians is to remove all firearms from the people. They want to create a ground swell for new anti gun laws and to render the 2nd Amendment moot if not repealed altogether. The reasons for the 2nd Amendment can be found in the writings of our Founding Fathers. The Constitution was not ratified until the Bill of Rights were included. They are the first 10 Amendments that give specific Rights to the People and put binders on the power of the Government. See my previous post on the 2nd Amendment.
Facts:
According to a study by John Lott, 2 million people in America stop robberies, rapes and murders each year using some form of firearm.
According to the 2011 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report homicide (by any means) is not among the top 15 leading causes of death in America.
The 2009 CDC report listed 16,799 homicides with 11,493 of those attributed to guns. During that same year, motor vehicle deaths were nearly triple that of gun-related death - 34,485 vs. 11,496. Death from accidental falls totaled 24,792, almost double the firearms homicide total.
Homicide by other guns (non-handguns) have remained at approximately 2% since 1985.
Since Britain has instituted it’s gun ban gun violence by gangs have increased to the point the once gun-less Bobbies are now walking around armed.
As of this writing there have been 500 homicides in Chicago.
There have been 26 gun deaths in Chicago schools this year.
Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Some of the law are:
Prohibit the registration of handguns, thus effecting a broad handgun ban
Require that guns be registered prior to their acquisition by Chicago residents
Mandate that guns be re-registered annually, with another payment of the fee
Render any gun permanently non-registerable if its registration lapses
Conclusion:
All this hype about the gun used is because it’s “scary” looking. It looks military. It can shoot lots of bullets fast. The media and politicians are trying to stear the naritive away from the 2nd Amendment right and towards emotional knee jerk reactions to disarm the people.
The Founding Fathers were clear in their writings that the 2nd Amendment was NOT about hunting and Militias. No they made it clear the people’s rights to own guns, firearms, weapons was there for the self protection of the people from a tyrannical government. Remember we had just fought a war of independence from Britain and they knew how far an unchecked government could and did go to suppress the people.
Our government is moving from Freedom and Liberty to Tyranny. We must look past the scary gun and fight for our Rights!
The rifle used fired a .223 (5.56mm) caliber round originally designed to hunt varmints such as prairie dogs and coyotes. It is considered a mid range round firing a 45 to 55 grain bullet at approximately 3200 feet per second. This round is considered by some to be a bit under powered for deer but there are hunters who do deer hunt with it. An effective killing range would be out to 300 yards or so. But with an expert maybe longer. The United States adopted this round in the 1960’s to be fired from the Armalite Rifle which we now know as the AR15. The military version is known as the M16. Some of the reasons for the adoption of the M16 and this round are: The round was effective at short range and since we were fighting in the jungles of Vietnam ranges were reduced. This smaller round allowed our GI’s to carry (hump) more ammo. And since soldiers have to carry everything they needed this was a good thing. Some of our soldiers in recent wars have carried up to 80 pounds in weapons, armor and gear. The M16 was a lighter weapon to carry. The previous battle rifle the Army was using was the M14 which was all wood and steel and used heaver ammo. The M1 rifle of WWII weight more than 9 pounds and carried 8 rounds. The plastic and steel M16 and the .223 allowed the GI to carry twice the firepower for the same weight.
Definition of Assault Rifle.
The news likes to report the murderer used an automatic rifle or an assault rifle to shoot the children. An assault rifle is a select fire rifle. This means the rifle has a selector switch which will place the rifle in one of three different modes. They are: SAFE, SEMI, AUTO. This means the rifle is placed in SAFE which means it won’t fire. SEMI means the rifle will fire one round each time the trigger is pulled. AUTO means the rifle will fire continuously while the trigger is held back until the trigger is released or the magazine is empty. Some versions have a 3 round burst instead of full AUTO but you get the idea. A rife firing full AUTO is difficult to control. It is also difficult to hit the target after the first couple of rounds because of muzzle climb. And wastes ammo. In Vietnam many units had orders to not go to AUTO unless they were given a direct order by their NCO (non commissioned officer I.e.: sergeant/platoon leader).
The rifle used by the shooter was an AR15 which has a selector switch for SAFE and FIRE only. It will not fire full AUTO it can only fire one round for each pull of the trigger.
Magazines:
Magazines are not “high capacity” they are the normal capacity magazines designed for the firearm. Restricting the magazine capacity will only cause the firearm user to change magazines more often. 30 rounds in 30 seconds will now be 30 rounds ( three magazines of 10 rounds each) in 45 seconds. That’s figuring on a 5 second magazine change. 5 seconds won’t matter if you are hiding in a corner praying the cops get there in time.
The shooter at Virginia Tech had two handguns. One with a 10 round magazine and another with a 15 round magazine. He also had a backpack with 30+ magazines with him. Magazine capacity is not a limiting factor.
The Media:
The media in concert with the politicians is using hype to lead the public conversation against firearm ownership to institute a new Assault Weapons’ Ban. The Assault Weapons’ Ban of a few years ago were all cosmetic. If you already had a semi auto version of an AR15 or AK47 etc you were “grandfathered in”. So the rifles were not gotten rid of. The ban eliminated the import of rifles that had a pistol grip, bayonet lug, flash suppresser, magazines with a capacity of over 10 rounds, etc.
The ultimate wish of the media and the politicians is to remove all firearms from the people. They want to create a ground swell for new anti gun laws and to render the 2nd Amendment moot if not repealed altogether. The reasons for the 2nd Amendment can be found in the writings of our Founding Fathers. The Constitution was not ratified until the Bill of Rights were included. They are the first 10 Amendments that give specific Rights to the People and put binders on the power of the Government. See my previous post on the 2nd Amendment.
Facts:
According to a study by John Lott, 2 million people in America stop robberies, rapes and murders each year using some form of firearm.
According to the 2011 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report homicide (by any means) is not among the top 15 leading causes of death in America.
The 2009 CDC report listed 16,799 homicides with 11,493 of those attributed to guns. During that same year, motor vehicle deaths were nearly triple that of gun-related death - 34,485 vs. 11,496. Death from accidental falls totaled 24,792, almost double the firearms homicide total.
Homicide by other guns (non-handguns) have remained at approximately 2% since 1985.
Since Britain has instituted it’s gun ban gun violence by gangs have increased to the point the once gun-less Bobbies are now walking around armed.
As of this writing there have been 500 homicides in Chicago.
There have been 26 gun deaths in Chicago schools this year.
Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Some of the law are:
Prohibit the registration of handguns, thus effecting a broad handgun ban
Require that guns be registered prior to their acquisition by Chicago residents
Mandate that guns be re-registered annually, with another payment of the fee
Render any gun permanently non-registerable if its registration lapses
Conclusion:
All this hype about the gun used is because it’s “scary” looking. It looks military. It can shoot lots of bullets fast. The media and politicians are trying to stear the naritive away from the 2nd Amendment right and towards emotional knee jerk reactions to disarm the people.
The Founding Fathers were clear in their writings that the 2nd Amendment was NOT about hunting and Militias. No they made it clear the people’s rights to own guns, firearms, weapons was there for the self protection of the people from a tyrannical government. Remember we had just fought a war of independence from Britain and they knew how far an unchecked government could and did go to suppress the people.
Our government is moving from Freedom and Liberty to Tyranny. We must look past the scary gun and fight for our Rights!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The 2nd Amendment
Ok one last attempt to explain the 2nd Amendment and the “need” for magazines that hold 10-20-30 rounds. I am not going to discuss the actual magazines or firearms but rather the broader question of the need of the 2nd Amendment.
In answer to the question “why do you need a 30 round magazine?” I would reply “because the guy kicking down my door will have one”. That’s the one line answer that leaves everyone unsatisfied. Their eyes cross. Their brain cannot fathom the totality of that statement. So here’s the longer version.
Why do I need a 30 round magazine? Why do I need access to an AR15? Who tells me what I need or don’t need. Who has the power in America? The People? The Government? Your answer to the last two questions will show your understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Let us return to those times of old where men wore powdered wigs and spoke in flowery ways. The colonies had put up with many wrongs from the English Crown and despite their attempts at a peaceful redress of grievances finally penned the Declaration of Independence. Part of the second paragraph reads as following.
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness---That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed….” (emphasis mine)
Let us now look to the preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
In this case the emphasis is not mine. The words We the People were written in emphasis to establish who is setting up this Constitution and who has the power. The Founding Fathers were afraid of a strong central government so they wrote the Constitution as a relatively short document designed to establish limited government at the same time allowing freedom and liberty to thrive. The Constitution is a wall around the power of the government. The Constitution protects us from the same type of tyrannical government we broke away from in 1776.
If I remember my history right when it came time for the States to ratify the Constitution there were concerns about the absence of a list of Rights in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson wrote from Paris about a lack of Bill of Rights. The Anti-Federalists were also concerned with a central government that was too powerful. The Federalists said that a Bill of Rights were not necessary because these Rights were understood and didn’t need to be listed. Thank God for James Madison. He wrote the Bill of Rights! With these Rights attached the States were able to ratify the Constitution. Read the Bill of Rights, they are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution! They all are about the individual’s rights. This is the list of Civil Rights you hear so much about. As an individual you have the Right of: Freedom of Speech (1). Freedom of Religion (1). Freedom to assemble (1). Freedom to petition the Government (1). Freedom to keep and bear Arms aka self defense (2). Freedom to not be forced to house soldiers (3). Freedom from unlawful searches and seizures (4). Freedom from self incrimination (5). Freedom to a speedy and public trial (6). Freedom to a jury trial in civil cases (7). Freedom from excessive bail or fines (8). Freedom from cruel and unusual punishments (8). Freedom of other rights not listed (9). Freedom to retain the powers not in the Constitution (10).
I will now concern myself to the 2nd Amendment. What was the original intent of the 2nd Amendment? Why was the phrase “keep and bear Arms” used? Let us look to what was written back then.
“The whole of the Bill [of Rights] is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals… It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.” Albert Gallatin to Alexander Addison, October 7, 1789
“To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to us them…” Richard Henry Lee, January 25,1788
“To disarm the people…[is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them…” George Mason, June 14, 1788
“The right of the people to keep & bear arms has been recognized by the General Government; but the best security of that right after all is, the military spirit, that taste for martial exercises, which has always distinguished the free citizens of these States;…. Such men form the best barrier to the liberties of America.” Gazette of the United States, October 14,1789
“The great object is, that every man be armed… Every one who is able may have a gun.” Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788
“The advantage of being armed… the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation… In the several kingdoms of Europe,,, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.“ James Madison, Federalist 46
“The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms for all would be alike; but since some will not, other dare not lay them aside… Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them… The weak will become a prey to the strong.” Thomas Paine, July, 1775
“A free people ought…to be armed…” George Washington January 14, 1790
You can see by these writings of our Founding Fathers, and there are many more I could have added, we have the individual right to bear Arms. Arms were for the preservation of our Liberty. Arms preserve ourselves and our property. Arms for protection from the criminal kicking in our door. Protection from the foreign invader. Protection from our own governments attempts to enslave We the People.
As you have read, the early writings about Arms must be viewed through the lens of history. We had just fought a war of independence. Wars require military Arms. Invaders and governments have military Arms. Criminals won’t give up their arms even if we do and they will have the most firepower they can get their hands on. They will have the “high capacity” magazines. They will have the AR15s and the AK47s. So will the invader and the tyrannical government.
So why do I need these things? Because I determine what my needs are as a free man. Because I have the Right to keep and bear Arms. This Right shall no be infringed! Because I am one of We the People.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
In answer to the question “why do you need a 30 round magazine?” I would reply “because the guy kicking down my door will have one”. That’s the one line answer that leaves everyone unsatisfied. Their eyes cross. Their brain cannot fathom the totality of that statement. So here’s the longer version.
Why do I need a 30 round magazine? Why do I need access to an AR15? Who tells me what I need or don’t need. Who has the power in America? The People? The Government? Your answer to the last two questions will show your understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Let us return to those times of old where men wore powdered wigs and spoke in flowery ways. The colonies had put up with many wrongs from the English Crown and despite their attempts at a peaceful redress of grievances finally penned the Declaration of Independence. Part of the second paragraph reads as following.
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness---That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed….” (emphasis mine)
Let us now look to the preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
In this case the emphasis is not mine. The words We the People were written in emphasis to establish who is setting up this Constitution and who has the power. The Founding Fathers were afraid of a strong central government so they wrote the Constitution as a relatively short document designed to establish limited government at the same time allowing freedom and liberty to thrive. The Constitution is a wall around the power of the government. The Constitution protects us from the same type of tyrannical government we broke away from in 1776.
If I remember my history right when it came time for the States to ratify the Constitution there were concerns about the absence of a list of Rights in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson wrote from Paris about a lack of Bill of Rights. The Anti-Federalists were also concerned with a central government that was too powerful. The Federalists said that a Bill of Rights were not necessary because these Rights were understood and didn’t need to be listed. Thank God for James Madison. He wrote the Bill of Rights! With these Rights attached the States were able to ratify the Constitution. Read the Bill of Rights, they are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution! They all are about the individual’s rights. This is the list of Civil Rights you hear so much about. As an individual you have the Right of: Freedom of Speech (1). Freedom of Religion (1). Freedom to assemble (1). Freedom to petition the Government (1). Freedom to keep and bear Arms aka self defense (2). Freedom to not be forced to house soldiers (3). Freedom from unlawful searches and seizures (4). Freedom from self incrimination (5). Freedom to a speedy and public trial (6). Freedom to a jury trial in civil cases (7). Freedom from excessive bail or fines (8). Freedom from cruel and unusual punishments (8). Freedom of other rights not listed (9). Freedom to retain the powers not in the Constitution (10).
I will now concern myself to the 2nd Amendment. What was the original intent of the 2nd Amendment? Why was the phrase “keep and bear Arms” used? Let us look to what was written back then.
“The whole of the Bill [of Rights] is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals… It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.” Albert Gallatin to Alexander Addison, October 7, 1789
“To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to us them…” Richard Henry Lee, January 25,1788
“To disarm the people…[is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them…” George Mason, June 14, 1788
“The right of the people to keep & bear arms has been recognized by the General Government; but the best security of that right after all is, the military spirit, that taste for martial exercises, which has always distinguished the free citizens of these States;…. Such men form the best barrier to the liberties of America.” Gazette of the United States, October 14,1789
“The great object is, that every man be armed… Every one who is able may have a gun.” Patrick Henry, June 14, 1788
“The advantage of being armed… the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation… In the several kingdoms of Europe,,, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.“ James Madison, Federalist 46
“The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms for all would be alike; but since some will not, other dare not lay them aside… Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them… The weak will become a prey to the strong.” Thomas Paine, July, 1775
“A free people ought…to be armed…” George Washington January 14, 1790
You can see by these writings of our Founding Fathers, and there are many more I could have added, we have the individual right to bear Arms. Arms were for the preservation of our Liberty. Arms preserve ourselves and our property. Arms for protection from the criminal kicking in our door. Protection from the foreign invader. Protection from our own governments attempts to enslave We the People.
As you have read, the early writings about Arms must be viewed through the lens of history. We had just fought a war of independence. Wars require military Arms. Invaders and governments have military Arms. Criminals won’t give up their arms even if we do and they will have the most firepower they can get their hands on. They will have the “high capacity” magazines. They will have the AR15s and the AK47s. So will the invader and the tyrannical government.
So why do I need these things? Because I determine what my needs are as a free man. Because I have the Right to keep and bear Arms. This Right shall no be infringed! Because I am one of We the People.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
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