Still getting away with it

More stuff for which no one is going to get in trouble.

Not only did U.S. officials approve, allow and assist in the sale of more than 2,000 guns to the Sinaloa cartel -- the federal government used taxpayer money to buy semi-automatic weapons, sold them to criminals and then watched as the guns disappeared.

I would say someone is going to have to die for people to go to jail, but we're way past that.

Interesting choice of defense

I give the clerk props for doing something.  Drunk girl comes in to rob the place with a plastic gun.

A clerk who was stocking a cooler in the rear then shouted, "Palm Bay police. Get on the ground!"

Caraballo sheepishly complied and store staff held her there until the real cops arrived.

I don't know that I'd recommend that kind of confrontation without some form of personal defense to back it up.  This is Florida, so who knows what the clerks had for defense, though it isn't discussed in the story.  Thank goodness the clerk didn't do this in Kalifornia or the great (police) state of New York City or they would probably be cited for impersonating a police officer.

Bunch of Animals

I mean to say we went to see a bunch of animals.  The temperature has stopped being a ridiculous three-digit monster, so we decided to take the fam to the zoo.

Ubiquitous gun-blogger tiger picture

We had a great time.  The girls just love animals and they couldn't wait to see the lions, which were pretty much a small juvenile male and young lioness, but hey they didn't know better.  They do have one of these, though...

Komodo Dragon

Yeah, and that's pretty much what they do.  All of the time.  Well, except when they are being the absolute nastiest reptile on the planet.

It started to get pretty warm and the animals do what they do, lay down and hide.  I guess when that happens, you make the most of it and I was pretty happy to get the opportunity for this next picture.

So, as the day started to heat up and it got close to lunch-time, we found a nice cool place to eat.  Buying lunch for a family of four at the zoo?  Your loan has been approved, sir.  You can eat now.  Yikes.

So, off to one of their cooler exhibits.  They have a Lory enclosure that is a really neat thing for the kiddos.



Note, the bait-and-switch by Red so the cool customer in green can pick my pocket



And that's what happened, the little guy in green was actually pulling our zoo tickets out of my pocket.  I guess he thought it was the key to a slick escape.  The ugly green "cover" shirt with leaves on it was also a hit with the little guys.  They were pulling at it with their beaks.  You can buy these little condiment cups full of nectar at the concession stand and walk on in with them.  As soon as I walked in, one of the little guys pounced and actually pulled the lid off to get at the stuff.  It was kind of funny.




Itty Bitty and the Lory

  That's almost all, I'm not going to bore you with the hundreds of pictures like the slideshow you are forced to endure after a relative's vacation.  I'll just leave you with the oddest looking warthog I've ever seen.






Get a Haircut.  Dirty Hippy



Priorities

At the end of the day, what really matters?  We all work hard at our jobs and enjoy our hobbies.  For me, it begins and ends with my two little ones.  Very often when I'm having something of a hissy fit about my day, I just think about my two jewels and it's all ok.

More Thanks

Thanks to the newest follower, johnnybgood.  I appreciate anyone that takes the time to follow.  I know it's an investment in time.  I'll always respond to comments and welcome them.  Another thanks to all my other followers.  I do appreciate your reads and comments.  If I've missed putting anyone in the blogroll, just let me know.  Thanks again!

14 time felon vs just one more gun law

With 14 previous felony arrests (state and federal, just for variety), what kind of law do you think is going to stop this person? 

"Angered that his Taco Bell drive-thru order failed to include hot sauce, a Missouri man returned to the fast food restaurant and allegedly pulled a shotgun on an employee, who fled in fear from the takeout window."

He's obviously a raving moron of the highest order.  It's quite obvious that possession of a firearm doesn't seem to bother him.  I wonder if it's one "felon in possession" charge or fourteen, one for each felony?  That was rhetorical.  The point I'm making is that all of the stupid laws that anti-gun folks want in place isn't going to stop public enemy number one, there.  What they will do is stop someone like me from being able to defend myself when he goes to court, gets a 15th felony and is out on the street in 6 months and runs down to his buddy "Mark" to buy whatever stolen firearm he wants.  I lost count of how many laws cotton-headed-ninny-muggins broke, but I'm sure that another one really would have mattered.

Why carry a gun in church?

I've had people ask me if I carry in church.  Of course, the last thing you need to do is tell certain people where, when and how you carry.  What strikes me is the incredulity they exhibit in their line of questioning.  It's church, why would you think you would need to? 

Well, because crazy doesn't stop at the door of a place of worship.  I'll bet some wish they would have had one here so they didn't have to resort to microphone stands and wrestling for a gun.

"He had a great grip on the gun," Foster said. "My plan was, as soon as he hit the floor, it would cause him to drop it. But he didn't drop it."

Man, I just don't think I'd want to have to hope for that.

Life and Limb - it's a beer

Natural Light:  It's a way to take pictures, not a beer

And, boy is it ever fantastic.  I'm by no means a beer "analyzer".  I've seen the descriptions people use and some of them make sense to me, but some just seem like beer snobbery.  I'm a beer snob, that's for sure, but I'm more the kind that just "knows" a beer I like and can enjoy it.  Mrs. 45er and I really liked this one.  However, I will put a disclaimer that she is Canadian and I think they need good beer in order to survive. She also had a good point on wine vs beer.  We drink wine and beer, but as she put it:  "I 'get' beer".  That's us in a nutshell.

 If you like the mass produced stuff, that's fine with me.  I may rib my friends a little for drinking a "Lite" beer, but I sure as heck will take a free one on a hot day after filling feeders and setting up hunting blinds.   I mean, who doesn't need water at a time like that.  :)

So, on to the the beer at hand.  A friend emailed that I just had to try this beer and boy were they right.  Now, this is not an inexpensive beer.  It is one for someone that really enjoys beer and maybe even a special occasion.  It is the size of a wine bottle and will run you about the cost of a pretty good wine. 

I like my women like I like my beer, dark and bitter

Now, I sit here and type after having a pint of this, what I will call "God's Elixir" at 10.2% ABV, so if I seem silly we'll just chalk it up to that.  I'm not going to get all fancy, I'll just try and describe it for you.  It is obviously a dark beer.  It is a collaboration of Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head.  Two great brewers.  It has a fragrance of caramel.  The first thing that hits the tongue is a note of chocolate, followed by coffee.  It ends on a bit of a bitter note.  I had to come back and add that though it is dark, this is not a heavy beer.  You will want to have this with something to snack on (pretzel thins were perfect) or with a nice meal (steak would be fantastic).

I will leave you with this, I had to use the backspace button a ton on this post.  It's a great beer.

H/T to Leviathan.  That was a great recommendation.

The Four Rules

Learn them.  Live by them.

"Officers then fired at the suspect, who was not hit. However, two
bystanders were hit by the gunfire."

Clint Smith once said: "There is a lawyer attached to every bullet you fire in self defense."  This is most likely the unfortunate result of the lack of range time and training for some in law enforcement.  What you would have heard from the media and anti-rights crowd is the huge uproar if this had been an armed citizen defending themselves.  Somehow, if it comes from a representative of the state, it's ok.  Remember this one for future reference.  It may come in handy.

Tell the truth in church

Overheard in church:

A young boy of about 5 walked up to one of the ushers of the church with his mother behind him egging him on.  The usher was collecting money from the box for children in need.

Mother:  "Tell Mr. John what you found."
Boy:  Holds up a 1 dollar bill
Mother:  "Tell Mr. John what you'd like to do with that."
Boy:  "Well, I'd like to keep it."
Mother: "No, you'd like to put it in the box."
Mr. John:  Stifles laughter

I guess when you're in church always tell the truth and be generous if mom tells you to.

Climate Change Hysteria

What have we been saying?  Oh, yes, coming from a science background my big question has always been how in the world the "scientific" community can say that man-made global climate change is concrete.  During my studies in the scientific field, if there is one big thing I learned it is that there are very few (and I mean almost no) absolutes in science.  So to me, when a group of scientists choose to use the word "incontrovertible" for something that is obviously not proven 100% true (or really even possible to prove), it does nothing but destroy their credibility in all areas.  What these people do not understand is that they are tearing down the core of science with their political and monetary hacking.  Scientists rarely say something is scientific fact, which usually makes it so much more important when they do.  Oh, and you know, this is one of those "marginal" scientists as they like to say that disagrees with them, not a major figure in the science world.

"Dr. Ivar Giaever, a former professor with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, abruptly announced his resignation..."

"In the APS it is ok to discuss whether the mass of the proton changes over time and how a multi-universe behaves, but the evidence of global warming is incontrovertible?" he wrote in an email to Kate Kirby, executive officer of the physics society. 

Not to mention clamping down on free thought and discussion, which is a huge tenet in the community (or at least used to be).

Ruger LC9 Range Report

I was able to get my hands on a Ruger LC9 from a friend that has recently obtained her permit to carry.  This will be her carry gun of choice and I wanted to put it through some testing so I could do a review and offer feedback to her on things to watch out for.  The first thing that I did was do some dry firing and manipulations to become familiar with the myriad of buttons and switches on this.  Yes, this one goes to 11 when it comes to levers and things.  For the Glock fans out there, this may be too much for you.  If you are the type that feels more comfortable with an external safety, then you're going to be ok with this little handgun.

Ruger says that the LC9 is a compact sized double action only (though to me not technically so), hammer fired locked breech hangun chambered in 9mm.  The action needs to cycle for the trigger to reset, so not really DAO but if Ruger says so...

So, here are some initial observations.  The LC9 has a loaded chamber indicator and this thing can't be missed.  It's one of the things that caught my eye the first time I saw an LC9 on TV.  I wasn't a fan.  I think this is just going to fall down to personal preference.  Some people may like them, some people won't and some will be indifferent.  This thing just sticks out a bit too much for my taste.  The second thing that stuck with me was that the LC9 has a magazine disconnect.  I'm not going to go down the bunny path of the mag disconnect and why I'm not a fan.  Weer'd did that in plenty of detail.  Suffice it to say that I'm in his camp on this.  I wish Ruger would not have let a couple of states drive the market for the rest of the country.  So, getting past those, let's go over other levers:

The safety:  I can say that the safety is easy to disconnect on the draw.  I had heard that they attempted to position it much like a 1911 and it seems to be right there.  The question of why you need a safety on a double-action only pistol is another debate we won't have right now, but I don't see the purpose.  Also, it may be easy to take off but it is a bear to engage again without rotating the gun or using your off hand.  This may not seem like that big of a deal at first.  I mean, it's really important to be able to take it off when you need it, right?  Well, if you are the type of person that relies on the safety (which you shouldn't) and it's difficult to engage, you might not do it.  So, if you think it's engaged and it isn't and you rely on that (which you shouldn't) that could be an issue.  If this were a gun I was planning to carry I would carry without the safety engaged in which case it really isn't different from carrying a revolver.

The slide release:  Again, this thing is a booger to disengage.  I'm only hoping that the stiffness of engaging the safety and pushing down the slide release will become easier with time as the sharp edges wear off.  For now, a fast magazine change might run into a snag.  Personally, I train to rack the slide with hand over the top of the rear of the slide and not use the mag release all that much, so I wouldn't notice this issue.  Actually, because of the difficulty doing it the way I usually do saves quite a bit of time.  Still, it could cause problems if you train to reload using the slide release.

The trigger:  Per the Ruger advertisement, the trigger is a smooth double action pull.  I've heard from some that the trigger is terrible, but that's not what I found.  The only thing I noticed is a small click at the end of the trigger pull that caught my attention.  I'm not sure what that is, but if you pull to the click and release, then pull again it doesn't click before the hammer falls.  *shrug*  I dunno.  It would catch my attention if I were making controlled, accurate shots but I don't think you'll notice it much if you're shooting at normal speed.  The only thing I can guess is it is related to the magazine disconnect, but I don't really know.

After having some range time, I was so very wrong about my initial thoughts on the trigger which you see struck out above.  The click is noticeable and distracting.  Especially since it comes just before the trigger actually breaks.  I'm not a fan at all.

Without the grip extension on the magazine, this is one of those guns where you will see "pinky swing".  In other words, the pinky doesn't rest on the grip.  I don't really have a problem with this, as I've found a technique that reduces my reliance on the pinky for grip.  However, this Ruger shipped with a magazine that has the pinky extension as well as the normal floor plate so, problem solved.

So, now on to the Range pictures.

Open Wiiiiide!

Yeah, so I think I've said most of what I need to say about the feel of the gun. All of that said, it does shoot just fine.  Not too much recoil.  Mrs. 45er wasn't too much of a fan, but she was able to control it just fine and keep it on target.

Bitty sights

It's kind of hard to get that picture and I was short on time.  Yeah, the sights are kind of small for ones that are dove-tailed into the slide.  The bases of the sights are actually pretty sizeable, but not the sights themselves.   They shoot just fine, though.

oops

The flyer was all me.  This is the head square on the target and the grouping is a 5 shot group freehand at about 10 yards.  The 6th hole is me letting the trigger get to me.  I jumped a bit on the click before the shot broke. 

Fits ok in the hand

The size is ok and the grip with the extension works just fine.  Recoil is quite manageable in the 9mm for the size of the gun.  It is very concealable.

Gun Stack!

This is the Ruger LC9 with a Kel Tec P3AT on top for size comparison.  I'm in no way comparing the two against each other since it is apples and oranges, .380 vs 9mm and bigger calibers just have to be built different.

In useless form

The breakdown is simple.  There is a switch forward of the slide release that is flipped down and the retaining pin can be dropped out allowing the slide to come off of the frame.  From this point, disassembly is pretty typical.

So, would I get this one?  Probably not.  It is a fine gun and seems to work just fine.  There are too many compromises made by Ruger that I don't like.  To me, it equates to getting away from simplicity which means just more gadgets to cause a failure or problem.  The magazine disconnect seems simple enough to remove, but why when there are so many other options in a growing market?

Thanks to Uncle for the link and the Uncleanche.

What will survive the apocalypse?

Cockroaches,

politicians in big bunkers in VA and Washington,

and Porn.

"A spokesman for Van Nuys-based Pink Visual said the bunker will be 'far more than a mere bomb shelter or subterranean survivalist enclave' with amenities such as multiple fully-stocked bars, an enormous performing stage and a sophisticated content production studio."

What a brave new world we will be passing along.

Synthetic Meat

I mean, what in the world isn't appetizing about that?

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/09/01/slaughter-free-stem-cell-meat-sausage-coming-soon/

It reminds me of a great little show we used to watch called Better Off Ted.  That show was just fantastic and this was one of my favorite lines...

That pretty much sums up what I think synthetic meat would taste like.

Twelve felony arrests

But guns are the problem.  Glad to see Mr. Dirtbag didn't make it to a baker's dozen.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Homeowner-calls-fatal-shooting-self-defense-1822344.php#photo-2

There are some interesting parts of this story like the unaccounted bullet holes in the fence.  I'm glad this man could defend his wife and young children.  He can also rest easy with Texas' Castle Doctrine and not have to worry about being sued for doing the right thing.

Guilty pleasure - pot stirring

So, as you know I was sick this weekend and sitting at home bored watching Dirty Harry flicks I really had a lot of time to peruse all of the blogs I follow and make all of my comments.  Then I headed over the the Gun Blog Black List and found a couple of new cool places to follow.  After all of that, I ended up at an anti-gun site linked off of one of Weer'd's (weird punctuation there for possessive) posts.  From there, I found a blog already discussing the IHOP shooting.  I couldn't resist.  The end result is as expected, they can't take it and start flinging insults, so I take that as my cue to exit.  I know, it's a habit I need to break.

Hi, my name is 45er and I'm a pot stirrer.

It really was an interesting discussion and, as usual, exposes their real intention of a full ban on firearms.  If you just really want to see it shoot me a message and I'll send you the link.  I'm not generally one to link antis in my posts.

Saved from zombies by technology

I just saw Toshiba's commercial for their new Satellite Series computers and it made me giggle.  Good job, Mr. Boss man.  That's thinking ahead.

This is my sad face

I have a friend that just got a new Ruger LC9.  I asked if I could borrow it for a weekend and do a review.  These reviews work on multiple levels for me.  I can work out all of the things on a handgun to answer questions for the owner, I can shoot it myself (fun, fun) and I can do a review for people that follow me and all the others out there looking for information.  

This weekend looked awesome.  I have the gun.  It was a three-day weekend and the weather was going to be perfect.  The temperature was forecast to be about 20 degrees cooler than normal, which is just insanely perfect.  Mrs. 45er had to work Saturday and Sunday, but Monday was my day.  The fever started on Saturday.  By today I was a miserable pile of deep-chest coughing mess and general impediment to the wife on her day off. 

I'm in no way whining since, in the end it just meant I sat on the couch all day and finished my Harry Callahan marathon.  With Extra Strength Tylenol, all is fine.  I had just hinted to some and flat-out told others that there would be a review this weekend.

It is to be, it is just not to be right now.

And it's about time

Texas finally got serious about feral pig control.  There's only one way to make something effective.  Let the free market take control.  Up until now, the farmers/ranchers had to pay companies to do serious pig eradication like this.  Now, I know there are nigh thousands of hunters that say they would gladly hunt pigs for FREE on someone's property, but that just isn't efficient.  These things are rampantly out of control and you need to be killing dozens a day (if not hundreds) on one property to make a dent.  Problem is, not many ranchers/farmers have the money to pay someone to do this.  Now, with the ability to let others pay that will enjoy themselves, the financial burden can be lifted from the property owner and we can do some serious pig killing.  $475/hour is pretty steep for the average Joe, but I'm hoping the price will drop as more companies come on-line to take advantage of this.  Just for fun, imagine this:

http://youtu.be/kLejlibClio

It is a little cheesy, but it's a promo video and they tend to be that way.

All this being said, here is the downside of this.  I'm sure the meat is not all harvested.  I know from some of the vids I've seen using shotgun, you wouldn't want it anyway.  I'm first and foremost a meat hunter.  I understand taking every possible scrap you can because it's how I was raised.  However, at some point it becomes a matter of management.  Maybe some of the hunters will find a way to get the carcasses, but you can only eat so much pig at a time.  I would imagine FDA rules and regs when it comes to harvesting game for public consumption are impossible to navigate when you're dealing with this kind of operation.  Ultimately, control the population and use what you can.

We know what we're doing

My wife and I were watching the local news the other night and they were joking about the spaghetti model for the storm in the Gulf of Mexico.  At the time, I just laughed and thought how silly it was.  Then I saw the same thing on Failblog today.  It got me thinking.  Some of these environmental and atmospheric scientists are 100% sure that global climate change is man-made.  Then you see something like this and it kind of makes you want to question their scientific theory.

More Newness

We have some new followers!

Matt from Troublesome Times and Duke from Down Range Report.  Great to have you.  I'm happy to have such a diverse set of followers.  Thanks to all and I welcome comments and will do everything in my power to reply.  I hope snark is your favorite flavor.  There's a bit of that around here.

But I regress...

It's like every business person that has been telling the administration they are wrong for saddling industry with regulations, taxes and uncertainty in a time of much needed growth has been ramming their heads against a wall.  Until the evidence hits you in the face like a Seagull after your cheetos. 
 

Obama overruled the Environmental Protection Agency and directed administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw the proposal, in part because of the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and uncertainty for businesses at a time of rampant uncertainty about an unsteady economy.

What would business professionals know about business?  Surely people that have never held private sector jobs nor generated one job in the private sector know better.  Surely.

New(ish) blogger and friend

So, here's a funny story.  I've been following a blog for a while that came to my attention when the blogger started following me.  I got to thinking, "Hey, I've got a friend that might like this.  It's right up his alley" and I sent him the link.  Turns out, it WAS the friend.  He'd been blogging a while to get the feel of it.  I understand that.  It's kind of an odd feeling to put yourself out there.  Well, this is his blog:

http://itsdharmacombat.blogspot.com/

He's a follower and good friend.  This is an all-around blog (as most of ours turn into anyways) with some gun stuff, too.  If you're into things like permaculture and sustainable farm/gardening you might just have something to chat about as well.

Federal gov says they're just your family

And they're right.  The government is your drunk Uncle Al.  He takes money from your grandma and even lives with her.  He promises with the money that he takes that he's going to improve the place, but he hasn't even secured that back door.  People seem to come and go as they please even though it's against the law and grandma complains about it all of the time.  Heck, now he's even giving them a place to sit and kick it for a while without worrying about getting thrown out when grandma finds out. 

Instead, you're pretty sure he's re-distributing granny's money to those poor girls at the club down the street and that adult beverage place on the corner.