It's Not That We Aren't Listening

It's that we've heard it all before. Gun control, yadda yadda, scary rifles, blah blah blah, FOR THE CHIIIIILDRENNNNN (and may I point out to you that accusing us of not loving our children is not conducive to getting us to agree to your inane schemes that have proven to a) not work and b) be extremely destructive of personal liberties).

Observe:

Evil AR-15 thundercannon murderstick

 This is an AR-15. It is the generic term for a rifle originally designed by the Armalite Corporation (hence the A in AR) and sold to Colt in 1959. It is a semi automatic magazine fed rifle chambered in .223 Remington. It has been available to the civilian market since 1964, but after the original patents expired in 1977 the market really exploded. The select fire version, designated the M-16, went into service in 1961when the US Air Force purchased 8500 of them. The AR-15 is the most popular sporting firearm in America today. I probably should own one some day.

Nice Ruger Mini-14 like Grandpa used to have

This is the Ruger Mini-14. It is also a semiautomatic magazine fed rifle chambered in .223. Functionally there is absolutely no difference between the two rifles; they are chambered in the same cartridge, have the same size magazines available, and have the same rate of fire (just as fast as you can work the trigger). The Mini-14 is also a very popular sporting firearm.

If you show these two pictures to a hoplophobe they will most likely wet their pants in sheer terror of the first one and not mind the second one so much since it looks so much like Grandpa's squirrel rifle. After all, they are trying to be reasonable, they don't want to take your guns...right?

Ruger Mini-14 Tactical

yeah...

And Now

in an effort to offset the negativity, let me tell you what I've been up to lately.

Last Saturday, December the 19th, M and I packed up the car and headed west to Iowa. M was a bit nervous about it since it was her first time meeting the folks, but as I expected it all went very well. The trip was mostly uneventful although she did tease me a bit about going all the way through Tennessee rather than have to enter the People's Republic of Illinois.

She and Mother hit it off famously, Mother being a knitter from way back and M being a relative novice. Mother knits baby blankets and sweaters and M mostly knits shawls, so they were interested in each others work and spent some time with their heads together comparing notes.

On the second day here M completed the project she was on and needed materials to start something else, so off we went to the big city of Council Bluffs, Iowa (with a side trip to Omaha Nebraska) for yarn, and much to M's delight, Dunkin Donuts coffee. When we got back Mother said there was also a yarn shop right here in little Clarinda that might have a thing or two.

So downtown we went to find not really a yarn shop but a quilters shop. They mostly put the final stitching on quilts and can do everything from simple patterns to mural type designs, but they also had yarn and fabric. They didn't make a lot of money off of their yarn and fabrics though, so they were selling off their entire stock. M was in heaven.

The thing that really caught MY eye, however, was this little unobtrusive sign in the front door window.

There are a lot of examples of businesses that we as gunnies won't frequent because of the polar opposite sign in the front windows, so it's kind of nice to see one like this.

Handcart Quilts and Yarn, for all of your quilting needs.

Once Again

I like open carry. I'm an open carry advocate, although I'm not rabid about it. I belong to a group here in the greater Raleigh area that goes to different places for lunch while open carrying. Our goal is to show the normal folks that we are more like them than the nuts they see on the TV.

Chipolte restaurants recently became the latest battleground on the War on Guns, and as is typical once the jackasses got wind of it they thought it would be a good idea to bring their Evil Black Rifles in to, I don't know, "make a statement" or some such bullshit as that. (I have been informed that there was no organized response, it was a photo taken while having an after-event meal that the antis jumped on and another completely unrelated photo that they astroturfed on to increase the visibility.)

Chipolte has now "made a statement" and that statement is, don't take your guns to town.

It would serve our cause much better when the antis pick the next battleground (as they have picked Starbucks and now Chipoltes) and the business in question says they will follow state law, to just say "thank you," perhaps with a nice letter to Corporate, and let it go at that. Leave the EBRs at home, don't bother the individual storefronts with our "show of support" (the exception would be to have a quiet word of support for the manager of any store that is besieged with antis), and most of all...DO NOT ENGAGE ON A BATTLEFIELD OF THEIR CHOOSING (please do take the time to notice very carefully where that last link points. It was deliberately picked. Know your enemy).

 We may be winning the legislative war so far, but the activists will always win the PR battle if we choose to engage them on their own ground. Let the public see them acting like nuts, not us, is what I say. I'll carry the Glock in a holster on my hip in plain view, but I haven't ever run into a situation where I've said "Man, it sure would have been handy to have that Saiga with me." (Yes, yes, I know, a pistol is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you shouldn't have left behind in the first place, but seriously folks, the biggest point of risk assessment is determining likelihood and in my mind the risk of alienating the public on an otherwise unremarkable day is far far greater than the risk that I will have to engage zombies at range on the same unremarkable day.)

Starbucks and Chipoltes, all they wanted to do was run restaurants, but we...yes WE...allowed ourselves to get carried away and now both of those places have decided they don't want our business. Boycott if you like but given the numbers I don't think there is much danger of them folding, and keep in mind our goal is not to alienate John and Jane Public, it's to show them we're not rabid foaming at the mouth lunatics. What do you think they think of us now?

Nice job jackasses. I guess it stops when every business in America posts signs to leave the guns outside.

Dear Harris Teeter,

As one of North Carolinas concealed weapons permit holders, I'd like to thank you for not posting.

There is a new store that just opened near Wake Forest, it's on my way home from work. Although it is a bit far away for my regular weekend shopping it will certainly be my go-to store for any day-to-day needs that pop up.

(I'll be discreet and carry concealed.)

V/R
Last Refuge of a Scoundrel

The Bright Spot

At least I'll finally be able to enjoy a spaghetti dinner without having to resort to criminal behavior, starting today.

It doesn't quite make up for the $625 a year kick in the nuts the US.gov just gave me, but it's something at least.

It's Almost As If

those crazy lunatic gun nuts...weren't so crazy after all...

http://gunfreezone.net/wordpress/index.php/2013/07/29/i-dont-mean-to-gloat/

Submitted without comment...because really, what more can be said?

Musings Of The Day

From the WTF Files: Tim Tebow is an arrogant jackass. No wonder he plays for the Jets.

There are some people you wish would just go away.

Paper shields are extremely flimsy.

Unrelated to any of the above: people were put on this earth to annoy me, and the reason that so many of them still live is because it's illegal to kill them.

It's time for me to go catch some Z's. I hope everyone has a good day.

Another Defenseless Victim Zone

Where???

You gotta be kidding me!

Apparently not...

Note to management...check your target audience, adjust accordingly.

Tired

Today I took the Scoobytruck down to the tire store. It has been pulling to the left and has had a vibration in the wheel since Daughter and S-I-L took it to Florida, and I suspected it had a bad tire.

It did, on the right front, which is where I thought it was. My tire-fu remains strong.

I had an open carry lunch to do first, and afterwards we went back to the tire store where we got four new tires and an alignment for about half of what it cost for the Mustang.

I was happy to see that Merchants Tire has an alignment rack.

I was happier to see what Merchants Tire does not have.

I think they will be getting my tire business from here on out.

On another note, TDP rides again, and this time I didn't have to spend a single thin dime on it.

Defenseless Victim Zone: Wake Forest GCF

To: gcfinfo@goodwillenc.org

SUBJ: Corporate Policy

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently had some items to donate and intended to take them into the Wake Forest location. However when I arrived there I saw a "No Weapons" sign on the door.

Since I was at the time legally carrying I did not go in. I do not do business with corporations that do not trust me.

I don't know if this is your company policy or not, but since it is the policy in Wake Forest at least I will not be patronizing any of your stores.

I am one of over 228,000* North Carolina residents who are permitted to carry concealed weapons. National statistics prove that as a group Concealed Carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding citizens in the nation, moreso even than police officers. Suffice it to say that someone who has paid out their money for the required classes and permits and consented to be fingerprinted like a common criminal in order to exercise a Constitutional right is not going to be a source of trouble.

It is not necessary as a corporation for you to be pro-carry. All I ask is that you remain neutral on the subject and honor state law.

V/R
Larry
Last Refuge of a Scoundrel


* Sean informs me that the number, as of the end of the year, was up to 248,848. Too late to change the email of course, but gratifying nonetheless.

UPDATE: The reply -


As a concealed carry permit holder, pistol instructor, NRA Life Member, and veteran, I appreciate your compliance with state law by not carrying a weapon into a posted facility. 
 
Your respect for our lawful organizational policies, exemplifies the behaviors the general public has come to expect from concealed permit holders, state-wide. 

While I am disheartened to discover that you have decided to no longer support our organization through your donations, I respect your views concerning such a sensitive subject. 

Kind regards,

thanks for writing, have a nice day, blah blah blah.

Confrontations

A co-worker just told me a tale about a confrontation in a parking lot.

He does not have his concealed carry permit so he was not armed. He did have a Leatherman type tool in a pouch on his belt, this becomes significant later in the story.

He was walking out of a restaurant picking up a carry out order when a man approached him wanting to give him a package. He politely told the man he was not interested in the package and he kept walking towards his vehicle.

The man became belligerent and charged him while making verbal threats.  At the last moment he stepped to the side and let the man charge on past, and when the man turned to face him he had his hand on the Leatherman with that side turned away.

He pulled the velcro flap up on the Leatherman pouch and told the man once more he wasn't interested.  Apparently the sound of ripping velcro made the man believe he was armed, so while still making verbal threats the man turned and walked away.  When my co-worker pulled out his cell phone to call the police, the man ran away.

What would I have done, my co-worker wants to know? I don't know what I would have done, but I am sure that I would have at least shown my carry weapon (as long as I had it, if the restaurant was one that served alcohol I would not have legally been able to have it with me even to pick up a carry out order; if I had been coming home from or going to my defenseless victim zone workplace I likewise would not have had it with me).

I'm too fat and slow to run, I told him, and too old to fight, so that only leaves me one option. If I had had my son with me the time frame for that option would have shortened considerably. I most likely would have drawn and prayed that the man was just a bully and would see that there was no profit in continuing to harass me, and hopefully he would have gone his way. That's the way I think it would have ended up since that is the way it went for him.

When all is said and done everything worked out well, but it is something that he says has been torturing him all weekend.  I told him it was perfectly legal to carry openly without any permission slip from the State, and if he had been openly carrying maybe he would not have been approached at all. We then discussed the pros and cons and the what-ifs and the maybes.

We discussed shooting to wound vs shooting to kill, and I informed him there wasn't any such damn thing. You shoot to stop the threat, as much as you need to, and then you shut your pie hole and get a good defense attorney.  If all goes well you won't need one, but if it goes sideways its better to have one on call. In the end that was the only thing I could tell him.

One thing for certain, it makes me glad I have protection.

Dear Judiciary II Committee Member;

Today I almost became a criminal.

It started innocently enough. I went to get my car washed, and since it was a nice day I ended up being a couple of cars back so I had some time to spend. I thought that I would go get something for lunch. The nearest restaurants were a Sonic fast food and an Olive Garden. Deciding that I wanted some pasta I walked over to the Olive Garden.

Just as I grabbed the door handle two things occurred to me. The first was that Olive Garden served wine, and the second was that, as is usual since I have a concealed weapon permit, I was carrying. Two steps is all that separated me from being a law abiding citizen and becoming a criminal.

I know that the intent of the law is not to keep law abiding people from enjoying a pasta meal, but that is the effect. Even though I had no intent of consuming alcohol (which is also prohibited while carrying) at the restaurant, the mere fact it was available prohibited me from entering.

At least the ice cream at the Sonic was good.

HB 111, "Handgun Permit Valid in Parks and Restaurants" has been stalled in your Committee since April. Please remember that our neighbors in Tennessee and Virginia have already passed essentially the same legislation. The "blood in the streets" fears of the anti-self defense crowd have failed to materialize. Don't you think that North Carolinians deserve the same measure of trust that citizens of these other states enjoy?

Statistics show that concealed handgun permit holders are among the most law abiding citizens in North Carolina. It's time to stop treating them as if they will suddenly start ignoring the law if they happen to be eating at the local Applebees. Calling a committee hearing for HB 111 is the right thing to do, so please do it immediately.

V/R
Larry P. Card
Franklinton NC

HT: An NC Gun Blog, who has been tirelessly tracking the legislation.

Added note: I have also now become a member of Grass Roots NC. Is this how one becomes an activist?

UPDATE: Wow, that was quick! H111 and H650 both get their hearings on Tuesday.

Defenseless Victim Zones, Part II

This one I didn't see myself, I saw it on a post at An NC Gun Blog:

Playmakers Restaurant, Raleigh NC

Go on over and take a gander at the owner's opinions. Then make plans to eat somewhere else.

Defenseless Victim Zones

It's kind of funny, I didn't realize how much my attitudes would change when I got the carry concealed permit. I find that I notice things now that I didn't before.

One of the things I notice, of course, is the Unarmed Victim Zone signs posted here and there. I guess that I didn't notice them before because they didn't apply to me, but now they do.

This morning I got into the Scooby to come home and found the right rear tire nearly flat. I had to get gas anyway, so a quick trip to the gas station got me a fill up of both gas and air, and off to the house I went.

This afternoon I went back out to check on the tire, and sure enough it was down again. I pulled the tire off and put it in the trunk of the Mustang, and off to the tire store I went.

I took the tire in to the store and told them of my problems and they set immediately to fixing it. I had them give me an estimate on tires for the Mustang that I won't need for some time yet (245/45-19, but Ford will buy my tires under warranty for the next two years) and wandered around the showroom while I waited.

When I looked at the window I noticed, underneath a poster advertising tires, a sign similar to the one above. I was, of course, carrying. I took the Grok out to the car and locked it away while I continued to wait.

When they brought the tire out I paid the bill, they thanked me for my business and told me to come on back when I needed tires. I informed them that this was the last transaction we would be able to have, and when they asked why I pointed out their sign.

"I have been background checked and fingerprinted and vetted by local law enforcement" I told them, "and yet you see fit to let me know I am not to be trusted. I don't do business with people that insult me."

They quickly explained that it was company policy, and I replied that was fine. I don't do business with people that insult me.

So I have decided to post a listing of Defenseless Victim Zones, to be periodically updated whenever a sign is seen. This will be the standing policy of Last Refuge of a Scoundrel. Any business that displays any signage indicating that they do not want my business will be informed of the result of their decision and they will be added to the list.

The first on the list is:

Just Tires, Wake Forest

For what it's worth, Goodyear Eagle GT's for the Mustang would have been almost a thousand dollars out the door. Hoplophobia has just cost Just Tires a grand every other year just for the Mustang, and whatever else for the Subaru.

As a side note, the jack that I bought for the Subaru did not have a jack handle, nor did the tool kit that I bought for it, so I'll be making a trip back to the dealer soon.